Purim is a festive time here in Israel. Similarly to in the States, where holiday items are displayed and offered for sale a month before the holiday, here, the mood is ushered in weeks prior to the event.
So many stores have had all types of costumes, large and small, in every imaginable theme, available for some time now. The mood is heightened by the added music typical of the "season" piped out onto the streets around Jerusalem.
Today, though, began one of my favorite sites and the experience of one of my annual pleasures in living here. Today, many schools held what is commonly known as "shuk Purim".
This is a day when all the kids are encouraged to come dressed in their Purim costume to school.
There are generally no classes held. Rather, the kids participate in mini carnivals at their school.
They can play games, earn points, buy tickets to "cash" in for small prizes.
The children look very forward to this occasion all throughout the winter.
The other joy that I reap is to see the kids walking home in their Purim costumes.
This includes children from religious just as well as kids from non religious homes.
This is a national holiday. It is a day of unity and celebration of our survival, as a nation and now, on our own land.
My 15 year old went as a hippy with a few of my headscarves wrapped strategically around her in all colors. My boys went as a rescue worker for Magen David Adom--the Israeli equivalent of the Red Cross. And my littlest went as Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean.
I haven't yet decided if I will put on a special hat for the occasion.
I am though, partial to some of the very cute antennae which can be put on as a headband and stick up over the head--like rabbit ears or pink fuzzy balls, etc.
I did buy for a friend of mine though, a fake black hat with peyot attached(side locks)!
Will you dress up?
Purim Sameach!
Yehudit
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Thursday, March 6, 2008
One Big Family
Life in Israel, as a result of being such a small country, is often referred to as being part of one big extended family. That is, that just about anything which happens is felt by just about everyone. Yesterday while introducing my friend from the States to the Kotel for the first time, we go the news that an attack had occurred.
Naturally, concerned, we began to call family to find out who knew what.
Well, in the beginning the facts were a little unclear, but, it was clear that several boys had been murdered and that many had been wounded. It was clear that it was in a neighborhood where we know and interact with many people.
I felt it was important for me to post something about this as this is the an example of the heart of Israeli society and the Jewish heart. Just as being part of a large family we share in joyous moments, so too, we share in tragedies. While it is fun to share and explore the cultural differences between American and Israeli culture, the bottom line is, that when a Jew is killed, we have all lost a piece of ourselves. We may be separated by oceans, borders, cultures and time zones, but, we have all stood together at Sinai, and Auschwitz. These "incidences", in Buenos Aires, L.A., NYC, Sderot, Askelon, Tzfat, Ma'alot, Haifa or Jerusalem, it is about all of us.
This is a point which becomes crystal clear living here. No matter which country or tribe or minhag-Ashkenaz or Sephardi, we are all one. Please let's make every effort to strive to reach out to our fellow/sister Jew, on whatever level, in love and peace and brother/sisterhood and support one another to work together as one community/kehilla. As individuals let's make a concerted effort to do one extra miztva, a good deed, every day.
This is what we try to teach children when they are not getting along.
This is what G-d wants from us-unity, brotherhood and effort towards improving ourselves individually.
with best wishes and a heavy heart
Yehudit
Please write and share your experiences with these "incidences" so that we may all be joined together and grow from one another's strengths.
Naturally, concerned, we began to call family to find out who knew what.
Well, in the beginning the facts were a little unclear, but, it was clear that several boys had been murdered and that many had been wounded. It was clear that it was in a neighborhood where we know and interact with many people.
I felt it was important for me to post something about this as this is the an example of the heart of Israeli society and the Jewish heart. Just as being part of a large family we share in joyous moments, so too, we share in tragedies. While it is fun to share and explore the cultural differences between American and Israeli culture, the bottom line is, that when a Jew is killed, we have all lost a piece of ourselves. We may be separated by oceans, borders, cultures and time zones, but, we have all stood together at Sinai, and Auschwitz. These "incidences", in Buenos Aires, L.A., NYC, Sderot, Askelon, Tzfat, Ma'alot, Haifa or Jerusalem, it is about all of us.
This is a point which becomes crystal clear living here. No matter which country or tribe or minhag-Ashkenaz or Sephardi, we are all one. Please let's make every effort to strive to reach out to our fellow/sister Jew, on whatever level, in love and peace and brother/sisterhood and support one another to work together as one community/kehilla. As individuals let's make a concerted effort to do one extra miztva, a good deed, every day.
This is what we try to teach children when they are not getting along.
This is what G-d wants from us-unity, brotherhood and effort towards improving ourselves individually.
with best wishes and a heavy heart
Yehudit
Please write and share your experiences with these "incidences" so that we may all be joined together and grow from one another's strengths.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
The excitement of a first visit!
One of the fun and wonderful things I enjoy so much about living here is the satisfying feeling of being able to play tour guide and take people to various sites, for their first time.
The simple joy for me is to be able to watch them experience the sometimes overwhelming emotions which accompany many people's first visit to specific historical and/or holy sites here.
I have a friend who is in her early 50's and has just arrived to visit Israel for the first time.
We will meet Thursday afternoon and I hope to take her to the Kotel/Western wall.
Especially this Thursday afternoon, there is a prayer rally scheduled to take place there to encourage national Jewish unity in the form of prayer in support of the communities of Sderot, Ashkelon and the rest of the country which is in a precarious situation.
This, in my opinion is the quintessential example of a moment of Jewish pride--to be able to not only witness this type of gathering, but to be able to take part in it.
Interestingly, this friend and I are actively working to promote our coaching group for women based on exactly this concept---Jewish unity.
Another fun fact here, is that she and I have never met. We "met" on the Internet via a Jewish site. we realized how much we have in common and how similar our individual goals are.
And we decided to put our idea into action. Now, I have the pleasure of meeting her in person and the zechut/merit to introduce her to the Kotel. I may have mentioned before that I don't believe in coincidences. So, for me the fact that this prayer meeting to promote Jewish unity is being held at the exact day and time that she and I are to meet--well, it is just another affirmation of how involved G-d is in everything we do.
With gratitude for all of these opportunities,
Yehudit
Please write and share your experiences with visiting Israel and/or acting as tour guide.
Let's build on our eagerness to connect with the land!
The simple joy for me is to be able to watch them experience the sometimes overwhelming emotions which accompany many people's first visit to specific historical and/or holy sites here.
I have a friend who is in her early 50's and has just arrived to visit Israel for the first time.
We will meet Thursday afternoon and I hope to take her to the Kotel/Western wall.
Especially this Thursday afternoon, there is a prayer rally scheduled to take place there to encourage national Jewish unity in the form of prayer in support of the communities of Sderot, Ashkelon and the rest of the country which is in a precarious situation.
This, in my opinion is the quintessential example of a moment of Jewish pride--to be able to not only witness this type of gathering, but to be able to take part in it.
Interestingly, this friend and I are actively working to promote our coaching group for women based on exactly this concept---Jewish unity.
Another fun fact here, is that she and I have never met. We "met" on the Internet via a Jewish site. we realized how much we have in common and how similar our individual goals are.
And we decided to put our idea into action. Now, I have the pleasure of meeting her in person and the zechut/merit to introduce her to the Kotel. I may have mentioned before that I don't believe in coincidences. So, for me the fact that this prayer meeting to promote Jewish unity is being held at the exact day and time that she and I are to meet--well, it is just another affirmation of how involved G-d is in everything we do.
With gratitude for all of these opportunities,
Yehudit
Please write and share your experiences with visiting Israel and/or acting as tour guide.
Let's build on our eagerness to connect with the land!
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