Giving Thanks

Even Americans who have lived in Israel for a short time don't necessarily celebrate Thanksgiving. For some it's not even on their radar screen. One of the people I invited to join us responded "remind me, when is it?". For others, thoughts turn to Thanksgiving the moment October turns into November. It's hard to give up a cultural icon. The degree to which Thanksgiving is on someone's mind is indicative of one of the differences between Americans who move here to become Israeli and Americans who move here to be Americans living in Israel.

On the other hand, many Americans I know who have been here for decades have fond thoughts about the holiday. They might not necessarily go to the trouble and expense of making a traditional dinner, but if they want turkey and all the time-honored trimmings several hotels offer Thanksgiving menus.

When we planned this trip one of the things we looked forward to was celebrating this quintessentially American holiday here, for the second time since we started coming for long stays. This time we have a full oven and 5 burner cook top, a big improvement over the 2 burner + toaster oven micro-kitchen we had the first time.

We had an eclectic group of 10 - friends and family - lots of food, wine and conversation. The topics included the inevitable: compare and contrast Thanksgiving and Sukkot, when will the next war break out (imminently, according one guest), and Israeli politics.

One of the guests brought a custom that she, and many of us, grew up with. We went around the table and everyone said what they were thankful for. As I listened I heard a lot more than what they said. Everyone has a back story, some quite painful. Yet here we were, talking about the things in our lives that we are grateful for. My takeaway, and this isn't the first time, is no matter what, we don't have to be ruled by whatever bad things that might have happened or that are still happening. Choose happiness. Choose gratitude. Choose life. 

Green beans, beet/fennel salad, braised cabbage, stuffed persimmons (hey - it's the middle east where a meal isn't complete without something stuffed) chestnut dressing, sweet potatoes with squash

Sid and Moshe in the background tending bar

It's all about color

Arnold and Batia Clevs, Aliza, Sarah Palmer

Moshe, Shefa, Itzik, Dori 

Turkey supplied by Sasson, my butcher

Hoping your Thanksgiving was as filling and fulfilling as ours was,

Shabbat shalom from Jerusalem,

Peggy and Sid

Multi-Culturalism

Multiculturalism is alive and well in Israel, and we are the beneficiaries. 

We arrived in time for the 18th International Oud Festival. For anyone unfamiliar, the oud looks like a pregnant guitar with a broken neck. It's an integral part of music from the Mediterranean basin. So is the kanon, which is a trapezoidal stringed instrument that sounds curiously like a harpsichord. We went to 3 performances representing the musical traditions of Greece, Turkey, Egypt, North Africa, and of course Israel. 

My intention was to upload the videos I made at each of the concerts, but I've been defeated by technology. So for this week all that remains to say is ...

Shabbat shalom from Jerusalem,

Peggy and Sid

My Kingdom for a Can Opener

This country is booming. 

Israel broke into the top 10 on the Bloomberg Innovation Index for 2017. According to Deutsche Bank, the Shekel is the world's second strongest currency (after the Chinese Yuan).  During the past 12 months the value of the Shekel increased 6.1% over the Dollar, Pound and Euro. This isn't necessarily good because it makes exports more expensive, and contributes to a trade imbalance. And of personal interest, the cost of apartments went up by the same margin. But it speaks to the strength of the economy.

Boy George (remember him?) performed in Tel Aviv last night. From the stage, loud and clear in plain English, he told Roger Waters (who nobody remembers) to f--- off. The list of international artists and performers who will appear in Israel in the next few months is pages long.

The number of states that have enacted anti-BDS legislation increases almost daily, along with the number of BDS resolutions that have been defeated. In fact the BDS movement would be on the ash heap of movements if it wasn't for US college campuses, and the collaboration of "progressive" Jewish groups such as JVP and mainstream organizations such as Hillel, all of whom should be utterly ashamed of themselves. Although this is a topic for another time, it pisses me off and I won't stop railing against BDS and their supporters, no matter who they are. 

And what about breakthroughs in science, medicine and agriculture? Crop yields, water conservation, medical technology, treatments and cures for diseases, you name it and Israel has made the world a better, safer and healthier place. 

Even the self-service check out at the supermarket works.

So WHY can't I open a can?

Two venerable kitchen gadgets that no one can live without are a vegetable peeler and can opener. In all the years I've been coming here I have yet to encounter a kitchen that is equipped with a working model of either one. The vegetable peelers are dull and useless, and the can openers are either non-existent or the ones people used to take on camping trips, also useless. 

To date I haven't seen an innovation for the vegetable peelers, but the issue of the can openers is another matter. Israeli ingenuity being what it is, and clearly in recognition of the fact that no one has a decent can opener, several years ago manufacturers started putting a pop top on cans. Problem solved, right? Maybe in theory, because more often than not the pop top pops off in the middle of opening the can. In most cases it doesn't matter so much, because the can is half opened and the contents accessible. Yes, it's a little messy sometimes, especially when it comes to tuna and sardines, but nevertheless at least you can get the contents out. 

But what happens when you have a big (15 oz) can to open? The pop top pops off as soon as you grab it. And that's just what happened this morning as I was preparing something for dinner. We scoured the kitchen and did find one of those old, useless camping can openers. Of course it didn't work. There was nothing even remotely close to a church key. The only tools we had were a couple of pliers, which we used as hammers, a corkscrew serving as the nail. All I needed was a small opening in order to pour the contents (crushed tomatoes) out. Nothing was going to work, so Sid to the rescue. 

Luckily this happened before he went on his morning run to the grocery store. Going shopping on a Friday is a combat sport and you surely don't want to have to do it twice. He had to go to three different stores until he finally found a decent can opener and I was able to finish my cooking.

Iraqi Buri in tomato sauce

As I've said countless times, embrace the chaos and remember: there's never a dull moment.

Shabbat shalom from Jerusalem,

Peggy and Sid

100 Years

A lot has been made this week of two significant hundredth anniversaries: the Battle of Beersheva and the Balfour Declaration.

They are intertwined.

The Battle of Beersheva was the last great cavalry battle ever. It took place on Oct 31, 1917, between the Egyptian Expeditionary Forces (ANZAC Mounted Division and Light Horse Brigades) and Germany's Turkish allies in World War 1. The battle created a strategic opening in the Turkish line which led to the liberation of the Negev and Jerusalem. It was the beginning of the end of the Ottoman Empire which ruled this region for 500 years.

The anniversary of the battle was celebrated with great fanfare. 100 Australian horsemen, from the same units that fought the battle (including some descendants of those soldiers) took part in a reenactment of the defining charge through the desert.

The PM of Australia and the Governor General of New Zealand were here for the occasion. This in itself was a big deal because New Zealand was one of the sponsors of the vicious anti-Israel UN Security Council resolution 2334 of December, 2016, declaring the so-called "settlements" illegal according to international law. The resolution was one of Obama's parting gifts to Israel, and New Zealand's sponsorship created a serious diplomatic rift. Subsequent elections in both the US and New Zealand resulted in governments that have taken vastly different directions in their relations with the rest of the world, especially with Israel. The presence of New Zealand's GG reflected that new direction and the symbolism was obvious to everyone here. 

The Ottomon Empire was crumbling and to the victors go the spoils (unless the victor happens to be Israel and the war happened to be in 1967). The French and British allied powers were going to fill the vacuum and the spheres of influence were codified as early as May, 1916 by the secret Sykes Picot Agreement. 

The Balfour Declaration was issued on Nov 2, 1917 against this background.

But what was the connection?

Last Sunday we went to see an operetta called Intrepid. The quality of the production was high school at best, and the subject matter really doesn't lend itself to a musical. That aside, it was the story of a chapter of Israel's pre-state history that doesn't get nearly enough credit or attention: the story of the NILI spy ring, which was active from 1915-1917.  The NILI group was pro-British and supplied vital information about Turkish logistics, troop movements and geography (particularly the location of water wells) that was vital to the British war effort. While heavy lobbying for a Jewish homeland by the World Zionist Organization, Chaim Weizmann and others had been ongoing, it's fair to claim that the Balfour Declaration was payback for the contribution of the NILI spys to the allied victory in World War 1.  

Another anniversary was marked this week - the 22nd since the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. 

The thread that links all these events is the blood that has been spilled for the sake of building a strong, safe and viable Jewish home in this tiny corner of the world.

May the memories of all those who give their lives for the establishment and preservation of the State of Israel be a blessing for those of us who have the privilege of benefiting from their sacrifice. 

Shavua tov from Jerusalem,

Peggy and Sid