Waterless

March 28, 2008

Last week, we ran out of hot water. Well, we didn’t actually run out. But through a convergence of bad luck, all our hot water heating devices broke down simultaneously, leaving us hot waterless with Shabbat coming and five Blums needing to take their pre-sundown showers. Now, I’m sure a “real” Israeli family would just […]

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Restaurant Review: Tamago Sushi

March 21, 2008

Several years ago in this column I bemoaned the paucity of sushi bars in holy city. In 10 Reasons I Still Love Jerusalem, I wrote that the only thing lacking in Israel’s capital was good sushi. No more. Jerusalem has been overrun by sushi establishments in recent months. And unlike Tel Aviv (and the rest […]

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An Eye-Opening Experience

March 13, 2008

A new documentary titled Eyes Wide Open premiered last week at the Jerusalem Cinematheque. Directed by veteran filmmaker and Jerusalemite Paula Weiman-Kelman, the film explores the complex relationship of North American Jews with Israel by following several groups from the US as they visit Israel, many for the first time. From the spiritual excitement of […]

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Transportation Planner Provides Peek into Jerusalem Transit Changes

March 7, 2008

Motorists in Jerusalem have for several months now been stuck in severe traffic jams while traveling near or through the city center. That’s unfortunate, though not entirely unintentional, explains Marc Render, partner and co-founder of AmAv, a transportation planning consultancy that has been actively involved in designing traffic pattern changes in the Jerusalem area. The […]

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No Offense Taken

February 29, 2008

A Japanese company contacted me by email a couple of weeks ago expressing interest in the new startup I’m in the process of launching. The company, which was representing a large Internet Service Provider based in Osaka, wanted to explore possibilities for collaboration. I was needless to say quite excited. This was the first time […]

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The Rabbi’s Daughter and Me

February 15, 2008

Despite the controversial subtitle “A True Story of Sex, Drugs and Orthodoxy,” Reva Mann’s new autobiography “The Rabbi’s Daughter” is neither as shocking or inflammatory as its name would suggest. Rather, Mann’s powerful memoir will seem familiar to many Jews who grew up in secular homes, crossed over to a more extreme practice of religion […]

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Charted and Set Sail

February 10, 2008

It’s been a year and a half since I reported on our family’s using a “chart” system, described in the column “Charting a New Course.” So, you might be wondering right, how did it go? The short answer: well, there’s good news and bad news. We had two goals when we set up our chart […]

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Snow Patrol

January 28, 2008

When I woke up on the second morning of the biggest snowstorm Jerusalem’s seen for 20 years this week, nine-year-old Aviv was sitting on the couch in his pajamas watching cartoons on the TV. Outside in the courtyard of our apartment complex I could hear the happy squeals of children throwing snowballs, building snowmen and […]

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The Most Wonderful Beautiful Miraculous Thing in the World

January 28, 2008

Aviv had been anxiously awaiting the big day for months now. On his eighth birthday, he knew, he would get to go out with his Imma and Abba for a private dinner where he’d hear about “the most wonderful, beautiful, miraculous thing in the world.” “But what is it?” Aviv would ask my wife Jody […]

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The Perfect Chair

January 18, 2008

When is a chair not just a chair? When it becomes a metaphor for a personal obsession with seeking perfection. It started innocently enough. I bought an expensive new office chair to soothe my aching back. I sit in front of my computer up to 10 hours a day so I figured I’d be well […]

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