A Fat Pig Comes to Jerusalem

November 18, 2010

Carter and Tom in “Fat Pig” (Dana Dekel, Jerusalem Post) A play called “Fat Pig” doesn’t sound like a likely candidate for an evening of light entertainment. But that’s the point. Sara Halevi’s Way Off Productions, which is staging Neil LaBute’s weighty and award-winning work in Jerusalem through the end of November, is dedicated to […]

Read the full article →

Covering Pamela Anderson

November 10, 2010

Pamela Anderson with “thrilled” bodyguard in Jerusalem Sunday (picture from Ynet) It took a visit to Israel to finally get Pamela Anderson to cover up. The famously immodest former Baywatch star, in Israel to appear on the local version of “Dancing with the Stars,” visited the Western Wall Sunday evening, eliciting a snarky comment in […]

Read the full article →

The Eternal Optimist

November 1, 2010

Rivka Matitya z’l My wife Jody recently attended her 30-year high school reunion in California. She remarked on her return to Israel how at the 10-year reunion, everyone was still in high school party mode. At 20 years, her friends were all talking about their families and careers. At her 30th, many of the attendees […]

Read the full article →

The Most Terrifying Tiyul

October 28, 2010

Plunging into the abyss I am not generally considered a timid man. I have jumped out of an airplane (without it being part of a mandatory army exercise) and fondly recall my youth hurtling down the tallest of roller coasters. But I don’t plan to go back to Nahal Og any time soon. It was […]

Read the full article →

What’s in a Name? For Ethiopian Immigrants, a Lot (Update)

October 18, 2010

Mequonent, Kenubish, Dawit, Workenesh. These are some of the names given to Ethiopian Jews before they arrived in Israel between 1984-1991. Their names after immigration authorities got involved? Asher, Ilana, David and Zahava. The story of how Israel changed the names of thousands of Ethiopians – and the pain and alienation that such a seemingly […]

Read the full article →

“And Twice the Marrow of Her Bones”

October 13, 2010

Timora Avitzour, z’l UPDATE: Sara has renewed posting to her blog under the name “Loving, Losing and Living.” She will be focusing in particular on the theme of resilience – how we go on in the face even of unspeakable tragedy. Last week I attended a book launch and reading by Sara Avitzour, a friend […]

Read the full article →

Sleeping with the Enemy. It’s OK…Really

October 7, 2010

Seducing spies…a crowning Jewish achievement? Sometimes, Jewish law can be taken to the most unlikely extremes. Witness the report in Ynet this week that it’s OK for an Israeli woman to seduce an enemy agent for the sake of national security. Indeed, it’s an important mitzvah. The ruling was made by Rabbi Ari Shvat in […]

Read the full article →

The Jody Blum Culinary Institute

September 28, 2010

Jody in the kitchen of her Culinary Institute Growing up, my mother refused to let my brother and me into the kitchen. While this created a carefree cooking-neutral childhood, it hasn’t served me so well as an adult. Whenever my wife Jody goes away – whether for an evening activity or an overseas trip – […]

Read the full article →

Overeating in the Land of the Buffet

September 22, 2010

Alon Tavor Field School What is it about Jews and buffets? We see one and we go hog-wild, pardon the expression. And buffets are big business in Israel. Our most recent encounter with the ubiquitous Israeli buffet was during a Shabbaton earlier this year with our synagogue at the Alon Tavor Field School. Some explanations […]

Read the full article →

Culture Clash at Cinema City

September 16, 2010

Image from The Jerusalem Post version of this article I am not particularly fond of going out to the movies here. The audience jabbers away incessantly, cellphones never cease to ring and the infamous movie theater hafsaka breaks the film into two parts, often cutting for intermission while the main character is delivering a critical […]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →