Jewish Blogs



Latest Posts

A Visit To The Jerusalem Zoo!

At long last we were able to visit the Jerusalem Zoo on our “goodbye to summer” overnighter in Jerusalem. I know many of you enjoy seeing photos of our adventures around Israel, so I thought I’d share the zoo with you too, as it’s really quite special. My children refer to the zoo as “Tanachi” namely Biblical Zoo, as it ...

Read More

A Visit To Nahariya, A Beach Town In the Far North of Israel!

Where in the world is this? It could be so many places, Florida? Los Angeles? Nice? Wrong, it’s Nahariya, a clean beachy town on the Northern coast of Israel. My husband and I took an overnight trip to visit some friends and see some water! Ahhhh! Nahariya is just down the coast from Rosh HaNikra, a beautiful spot that I ...

Read More

A Tzimmer Near The Sea!

Tzimmer means room in Yiddish, but in vernacular Hebrew it’s more like a bed and breakfast, often without the breakfast. Northern Israel is ideal for those seeking to “get away” and there are many many tzimmers dotting the gorgeous rolling hills. On our trip to Nahariya (here) which I told you about last week, we stayed in a rustic tzimmer on a the Lemen yeshuv (farming community) just north ...

Read More

A Tired and Withdrawn Pope Ignores the Vatican Power Struggle

A highly negative article in Der Spiegel reports on the status of the pope, a man who leads a church with a membership of 1.166 billion people that employs more than 400,000 Catholic priests.In the article summary: “The mood at the Vatican is apocalyptic. Pope Benedict XVI seems tired, and both unable and unwilling to seize the reins amid fierce ...

Read More

A Tip on The Circumcision Ban

Listen up, it’s penis time.You may have heard by now that the city of San Francisco has put a measure on the ballot for November 2012 to ban male circumcision. If it passes, it would become a misdemeanor to snip the tip of anyone under 18, punishable with a $1000 fine and/or up to a year in jail. The city ...

Read More

A Sukkah of One’s Own

Jeremy looked out the window to the office and announced it wasn’t raining. “There are a few people with umbrellas,” he said. “But, just, the wimpy ones — you know?”It was 1:15, a little more than halfway through the day. I decided it was time to make my move. So I jumped out to the street and headed for the ...

Read More

A Simply Sweet DIY Chanukah Menorah From Alphabet Blocks!

Who would have thought? Well, me, that’s who!  Because despite being a bit stressed out about the upcoming holiday and my self-appointed task of bringing more Chanukah crafts to the world, there are apparently still some good ideas patiently waiting their turn! At least this one came to light before Chanukah right?I was thinking about the two different spellings for ...

Read More

A Simple Pipe Cleaner Craft: Tic Tac Toe!

A super simple pipe cleaner craft that’s also a game. No explanation required right? Pipe cleaners are one of those simple craft supplies that one should always have on hand, as there are really so many great uses for them! In the past I have posted about pipe cleaner birthday crowns, and pipe cleaner sculptures, as well as pipe cleaner and pom pom ...

Read More

A Show About Circumcision

I guess that, in the back on my mind, I always knew that some Jews got adult circumcisions (what an opening sentence!). There were always men in my synagogue who were converting, and while I assume some got a little snip while still in the hospital, some stayed “au natural.” Hey, if Abraham can do it it himself in his ...

Read More

A sex scene for Anne Frank?

Sharon Dogar, a British author known for her novels aimed at teenagers, has reimagined the Anne Frank story to include romance with Peter van Pels, and sex. Annexed: The Incredible Story of the Boy Who Loved Anne Frank is told through Peter’s diary entries and covers the period in the annex as well as his experience in the concentration camps, which she ...

Read More

A Self-Hating Jew: The High Holidays Bring it Out in Me

When the High Holidays roll around, I invariably catch myself falling into a deep chasm of self-loathing. It’s a time to take stock of your life, to think about what you’ve done in the past year, who you’ve wronged—if this makes you feel good about yourself, you must not be trying very hard. Personally, I’ve been pretty rotten, and trying ...

Read More

A Return Visit To Bat Yaar—A Dude Ranch Of Sorts In Northern Israel

Oh how I love Bat Yaar, a kid friendly spot between Tsfat and Amuka, with some nice outdoor activities for the kids, and an absolutely breath taking view of the Hula Valley, and the Jordan mountain range beyond. Yes, that would be the actual country of Jordon, not your next door neighbor’s child! I know many of you imagine Israel ...

Read More