All Entries Tagged With: "jewish holidays"
Independence Day Chorus Line
Yesterday was, of course, Independence Day in Israel, the day of the grill and of eating as many kebabs as is humanly possible. It’s a nice little holiday with lots of food and socialising and no, I’m not offended by the fact that Israel is celebrating emancipation from its British Mandate slavemaster. He, he.
Here on the moshav, they make it all communal and everyone takes part. Me, I had to prepare a table or two, but it was the wife who gave it her most…check out the clip of her below as she struts her stuff to an Arik Einstein (an Israeli icon from the 60s and 70s) number. You can guess which one’s her, right?
Remembering: Yom HaZikaron (Remembrance Day) in Israel
Another “only in Israel” moment, as the country slows to a crawl and remembers its fallen soldiers and then heads into party mode tonight, to celebrate Independence Day (this year Israel celebrates 62 years of freedom!). But that’s quite a contrast in emotions and attitudes, all wrapped up in the space of 24 hours.
Me, I don’t know anyone who’s had the misfortune to have lost a relative or someone close, though one of the wife’s classmates was killed during his military service and we used to visit his grave on Yom HaZikaron. Today we’ll probably catch some of the very moving documentaries broadcast on TV, before heading into a party atmosphere for the shindig on our moshav later tonight. More of that to come in the shape of pics and videos…
Remembering: Two minutes in Tel Aviv
Holocaust Day in Israel is taken very seriously, as I’ve mentioned before. Here’s a clip of the main traffic artery in Tel Aviv grinding to a standstill yesterday as the sirens wail. It’s quite a stunning reminder of how the past still plays an important role in Israel’s present…
I was actually on the road up in the north of Israel when the sirens went off. I stopped at the side of the road, but to my surprise many didn’t. As they often say, “only in Tel Aviv”…
Remembering: Holocaust Day in Israel
Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel. One of those powerful, moving days that means so much, yet is hard to describe in mere words…
The tales of heroism and of youngsters surviving the traumas of Nazi death camps (shown throughout the day on national television) is a chiller, and gets me almost every time. You don’t have to be Jewish to feel the goosebumps down your back and to wipe away the tears welling up…
My home this Christmas-Hanukkah season
Christmas and Hanukkah all rolled-into-one round our way. The kids are enjoying themselves though, and had a great time destroying bedecking the tree with tinsel and baubles. And then lighting the Hanukkah candles and eating donuts…
There was a great moment when the mohel (the person who performs circumcisions) came to our place on Saturday to slice and dice my newborn son – the Christmas lights were twinkling away and reflected in his shiny clamps and slicers as he did his thing…
Our house: the epicenter of multiculturalism in the Holy Land!
Picture of the Week XXXI
So Christmas is on the back-burner for the weekend as Hanukkah hits the Holy Land. And Hannukah, the Festival of Lights, means donuts! And, yes, that means this week’s pic is dedicated to the oily, calorie-intensive donuts, which you can find on every high street over the next few days.
The picture is actually a mosaic of nine different photographers, but created by maya lime. She has another superb couple of Hanukkah-related mosaics here and here.
DON’T CLICK on the picture if you want to see the picture full-size in all its mouth-watering glory.
On yer bike – it’s Yom Kippur!
The holiest day of the year in the Jewish Calendar and all you can see is packs of kids on their bikes teeming through city streets (vehicles, except for emergency vehicles, are rarely seen on the roads during Yom Kippur). The whole country might shut down for 25 hours but for the youngsters (and the bike shops that are crazily busy in the run up to Yom Kippur) it’s paradise.
Some might argue that riding a bike on Yom Kippur takes away from the solemness of the day, but generally kids under 13 (Bar or Bat Mitzvah age) aren’t obligated to fast and pray, so it’s become accepted practice for the kids to take to the streets with whatever wheels they can get their hands on.
Some might also argue that if you want to get a glimpse of the future nation of Israeli drivers, take a look at how these kids are driving on the streets. It makes for some scary viewing…
Of course, it’s also become picture opportunity time as empty roads and motorways (except for the packs of kids) make for an eerie setting – check out our Yom Kippur pictures for a taste of what the roads are like in Israel during these holy 25 hours.
Picture of the Week XIX
Only one possible winner this week – the juicy and very seasonal pomegranate. It’s the big Rosh HaShana meal tonight and you’re likely to see a lot of pomegranates, or at least the seeds from one. Pomegranates are important in the Jewish New Year meal because they represent the first new fruit of the New Year, and because there are apparently 613 seeds in one, which ties up with God’s 613 Torah commandments.
This picture was taken by Muhammed Ali from Pakistan, a young guy apparently just getting into photography. He has some great nature shots in his collection, but, not surprisingly, none of Israel.
Happy New Year to all my Jewish readers!
