On Jewish feasting

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Patriotic blue and white marshmallows!
A limited edition especially for Israel's Independence Day (starting tonight) and also for the upcoming Lag BaOmer holiday when kids gather around bonfires.  

City Daily Photo bloggers are posting their favorite "Let's eat!" photo today for Theme Day. 

If you say "let's eat" to an American Jew, what comes to mind is the old joke: 
How can you explain most Jewish holidays?  Simple:  They tried to kill us; we won; let's eat. 

Think of the history and the feasting that go with Chanuka, Purim, Pesach, and Independence Day, for example.   True, eh? 
Today we are in the very somber and painful Remembrance Day when we think about the many thousands we have lost to wars and terrorism, and tonight we must transition into the fireworks, happiness, and barbecues of our 69th Independence Day.
The bitter and the sweet. 
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Tense times in Israel

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Yesterday I stood in this line outside the Be'er Sheva branch of Bituah Leumi, Israel's social security institute.
It was like being squished inside a microcosm of Negev society.

With the spike in terror attacks in Israel these last several months, everybody is more tense than usual.
So one older woman told off two teenagers who were sneaking to the head of the line.
In heavily-Russian-accented Hebrew she said, "You have no respect for old people standing here in the hot sun for half an hour, that you push ahead of us?!"
In Arabic-accented Hebrew the boys stood their ground and lied, "It's OK, we have a number already."  (There are no numbers at this stage.)
Then a Sabra with no accent, more well-dressed than the rest of us and obviously not used to being squished, shouted at the security guard who was regulating the "flow" of citizens, "Why do you treat us like animals?!?" (She meant why like cattle pressed into a chute but didn't have the vocabulary for that.)
The guard in tie and jacket answered her, "I only work here. For a security agency. Complain to Social Security about it, not to me."
I really wanted to (but didn't) tell the prima donna, "You think THIS is bad?  Have you ever seen how Palestinian workers in the West Bank have to line up in real chutes at the checkpoints every morning before they are cleared to go to work inside Israel?!"

Only the Ethiopians and the Bedouins stood in stoic silence, knowing that with patience we would all eventually get inside the National Insurance Institute of Israel.
(Enlarge the photo to see one Bedouin man and the woman next to him in traditional dress.)
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The second stage, once inside the door, is to wait in another line for one of the two security guards to inspect your bag; once you walk through the metal detector you might also get wanded and patted down; once I was even told to drink from my water bottle (to prove it's not a Molotov cocktail I guess).
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The third stage of Gehinnom is then waiting in another line, with your ID card and documents ready,  in order to go stand in front of a clerk behind a computer for a short minute.
Only rarely are you allowed to then enter the inner sanctum and talk to someone higher up who might have an answer to your question.
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 So, for  ABC Wednesday today, T is for tension.
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Synagogue in a bomb shelter

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When our counteroffensive, Operation Protective Edge, began on July 8,  I remember the Home Front Command instructed people not to gather for public prayer in synagogues that lacked a missile-proof room.

The Conservative congregation of Meitar is lucky then.
Even in normal times they meet in this purpose-built bomb shelter.
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Here are some interesting guidelines from various rabbis on how to observe the Sabbath while under fire:
1. from Chief Rabbi Lau 
2. from Tzohar
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(Linking to OurWorld Tuesday.)

Gimme shelter!

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Gaza militants could hardly wait for today's 5-hour "humanitarian truce" to end.
Right now, promptly at 2:59 pm, they started firing  rockets again toward southern Israel.

I took advantage of the tenuous quiet to leave the house (and its reassuring bomb shelter) and walk over to the supermarket, as my food stock was running low after ten days of conflict.

But I knew that the Red Alert siren could blare any minute.
I planned my walking route according to the protection available along the way.
In the parts where there are no houses, I constantly looked around and decided where I would find shelter within the one and a half minutes between siren and explosion.

Maybe I'd crawl into this culvert in the wadi, under the street?
Ah, but if I got hurt no one would ever find me down there . . . 

Maybe I could lie prone, hands over my head (as we are instructed), alongside this solid rock by the olive tree?
If a rocket hits the ground, the shrapnel shoots upward in an arch; so the lower you are to the ground, the less chance of getting hurt. 

How about lying under this bench?
Despite its holes, it would maybe catch the bigger falling debris.

Did you know?
When an Iron Dome missile intercepts a Gaza rocket high in the sky, they break up into many pieces, large and small.
These sharp, jagged fragments of hot metal rain down for up to ten minutes.
They can and do injure people and animals, damage buildings and vehicles and agriculture, and start fires in the city or in the fields.

In case you have never seen how Iron Dome chases the rockets, watch two dramatic videos from today.
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(And for latest news of the conflict, follow the liveblog at Times of Israel.  Switch on "auto-refresh.)
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(Linking to SkyWatch Friday.)
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Only-in-Israel hazard symbols

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The April 1 City Daily Photo theme day is about triangles.

I'm thinking Israel might be the only country that has both of these two  hazard signs:

Old mine fields, whether Israeli or enemy or former enemy ones, continue to be dangerous.
The fence in the photo is in the Golan Heights, not far from Syria.
It certainly kept us dig volunteers strictly on the path as we climbed up to the archaeological site Sussita (Hippos). 

Further south in the same Rift Valley you find alarming triangles showing a person falling into a sinkhole!
Bol'anim, literally something that swallows!
Thousands of them have opened up along both sides of the Dead Sea in recent years as the salty lake dries up and the shore recedes.
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UPDATE: Readers are asking about the cause of our sinkholes.
Diminishing water levels in the Dead Sea are causing changes to surrounding groundwater flows.

Diminishing water levels in the Dead Sea are causing changes to surrounding groundwater flows. - See more at: http://www.greenprophet.com/2013/10/mysterious-sinkholes-threaten-to-sink-the-dead-sea/#sthash.MGeve7fF.dpuf

Diminishing water levels in the Dead Sea are causing changes to surrounding groundwater flows. - See more at: http://www.greenprophet.com/2013/10/mysterious-sinkholes-threaten-to-sink-the-dead-sea/#sthash.MGeve7fF.dpuf

Sinkholes in this region (unlike in Florida)  are the result of the interaction between freshwater (in the aquifer) and a subterranean salt layer, buried beneath the surface. The freshwater dissolves the salt, creating an underground void  which causes the surface to collapse suddenly.

Learn more about the phenomenon here:

Diminishing water levels in the Dead Sea are causing changes to surrounding groundwater flows. - See more at: http://www.greenprophet.com/2013/10/mysterious-sinkholes-threaten-to-sink-the-dead-sea/#sthash.MGeve7fF.dpuf

1. Green Prophet has aerial footage of the dramatic sinkholes.
2. Slate has the story from the geologist who was swallowed by a sinkhole and spent 14 hours hoping he would be found.
3. Ynet shows video of the Florida house being swallowed and compares our situation to America's.
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Egg toss at Bibi and Shelly

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A crowd was forming as I came out of  Shuk Mahane Yehuda market this afternoon.

Most of the onlookers were religious yeshiva boys.

 Some had long twirled side-curls and some had short tucked-behind-the-ear peot.
Nevertheless, I worked my way closer to the center to see what was going on.

 Two young seculars were wearing goggles and T shirts bearing pictures of two of the major candidates in tomorrow's national elections; the one above had Bibi (Netanyahu) in the crosshairs.

 This one, wearing Shelly (Yacimovich, Labor), was trying hard to explain that the people were invited to throw an egg at the candidate they disliked the most.
They had trays with 60 eggs ready on the pavement.

OK, the boy takes aim, the victim guards his betsim (eggs) . . .

 . . . and splat!  egg yellow on his chest, broken shell on his hand!

Strewn on a black cloth under the eggs were voting slips (yes, we still vote with a paper petek placed inside a paper envelope), and they were all of the Shas party (religious Sephardic Jews).
There was even a glossy picture of their head rabbi on the ground. Oi.

Then the Israeli crowd dynamic came into play.
A woman walking by yelled "Why do you make our sidewalk filthy with all those Shas papers?!  Disgusting!!"
Some young men in black shouted back "So you will have another reason to hate us."

Then an older man saw the egg-throwing in the crowded place (already spilling over onto the tram tracks) and said he was calling the police (as he took pictures with his cell phone).
Then the mood changed.
The previously-amused religious young men started chanting "Smolanim hachutsa, smolanim hachutsa" --meaning "Out with the left-wingers!"

The two in white packed up their eggs and got out of there.
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There has been plenty of mud-slinging in this election campaign, but I have never heard of egg-slinging, till today.
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For a nice piece about how the candidates always visit "Jerusalem's iconic fruit market" and how the sellers see them, read in The Times of Israel.
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(Post links to Our World Tuesday.)

The bee's knees

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On the long (almost two hour) train ride from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, I used the time to take pictures.
Even some stealth shots under the table.

I was glad the young man sitting facing me had his rifle pointing NOT in my direction.
It didn't seem to bother the couple across the aisle.

But when I got home that night and examined the photos, I was puzzled by those two things on the front of the gun.
I kept saying, you're not in Arkansas anymore, Dina, stop thinking "double-barreled shotgun."

My son, who knows almost everything, had the answer.
It is a bipod that you can fold down to support the weapon when firing.

Look here for photos of American Harris BiPods for sale.
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I know, readers are going to ask. So here are some possible answers I gleaned from the Wikipedia article titled "Gun politics" :

Soldiers are allowed to carry their personal weapons and ammunition while on furlough during active service, uniformed or in civilian clothing. ...
Residents of Israeli settlements in the West Bank are issued assault rifles and ammunition by the army, and are given civil defense training. However, the rifles and munitions are property of the army, and may be confiscated at any time. ...
Self-defense firearms may be carried in public, concealed or openly. Israel is notable for being a country with few places where firearms are off limits to licensed individuals (private premises, some government offices and institutions, courts). ...
Gun ownership in Israel is considered a privilege and not a right.

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Protest popping up everywhere

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Before we leave the on-going blog topic of the Oct. 17 open house/open sukkah at the Presidential Residence, I want to show you these pretty Ethiopian girls waiting to go on stage and do their dance.
They were one of several folk dance troupes.

President Shimon Peres (in the upper left) was enjoying some of the entertainment before giving a nice speech.
His speech was interrupted by four protesters who suddenly stood up shouting and unfurling small cloth banners demanding affordable housing for the people of Israel.
I was happy that our President listened and relied to them that the government is working on the problem; and he asked the security men to be gentle when escorting the protesters out.
I got a picture of that moment but I don't feel like publishing it, somehow.

The Israeli Andalusian Orchestra, founded in 1994 and based in Ashdod, played.
Wiki says the 50 musicians and lyricists are of Russian or Moroccan origin.
They combine the oud and drum with European classical instruments.
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A few weeks ago , Wiki says, the orchestra bowed to pressure from religious subscribers and removed a concert from its subscription series featuring female singer Francoise Atlan. According to Haaretz, some concertgoers threatened to cancel their subscriptions if the concert was not removed from the series.
Strange, the Haaretz article is no longer to be found where it was footnoted.

However, you can go to Huffington Post to read about the curious halacha "kol isha" that says men should not listen to the voice of a singing woman.
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Welcome home

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Not a dry eye in Israel today.
Noam and Aviva Schalit can fold up their protest tent.

Now our boy is home.

"N" is for nachat.
Nachat in Hebrew means contentment.
But if you say it the Yiddish way, nachas, it becomes more a feeling of pride in the achievements of your children or even in your own doing good by helping someone or some organization.

I watched the Israel TV coverage of Gilad's return today from 7 am to 9 pm, and there were many times I was filled with nachas--from Gilad and all who worked to bring him home.
When my laptop screen showed our first glimpse of Gilad, I instinctively reached for his cheek and cried out "Oi, Neshama!!!" with tears of joy.

Noam said tonight that they have experienced the rebirth of a son.
Gilad is everybody's son; yours too.

Watching the step by step process of the prisoner exchange all day has been emotionally exhausting.
Now I can go to sleep, knowing the boy is safely home with his family, in his own bed, in their home in the Galilee.

Baruch matir asurim, blessed is he who frees the captives.
Baruch podeh umatsil, blessed is he who redeems and saves.
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(The Ns here are shared with the friends at ABC Wednesday.)

Entering into Yom Kippur

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In a few hours, just before sunset, Israel's streets will be empty of cars, except for any needed emergency vehicles.
Ben-Gurion Airport is already closed to all air traffic.
Judea and Samaria are under general closure and the Taba crossing into Sinai is closed.
Soon we will have our last meal and last drink of water until Saturday night, when the fast ends.
And soon I will shut down my computer for its yearly day of rest.

Jews will congregate, the religious and the one-time-per-year observant will be praying together in neighborhood synagogues all evening and all day tomorrow until sunset; the seculars will flock to the car-less roads on bicycles or skates or with strollers.

Yom Kippur, the solemn Day of Atonement, God's day of reckoning, our day of introspection and repenting, begins.
This year it falls on the Sabbath, so we get a double dose of holiness.

You can already feel the special hush falling over the land.
This is something you can feel only in Israel.

So I leave you now, until tomorrow night, wishing you all Shabbat shalom and a gmar chatima tova, "a good final sealing," i.e. May you be inscribed (in God's Book of Life) for all good.
May all the world have a peaceful, healthy, and fulfilling new year.
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Naked Sea photo shoot--it really happened

UPDATE: If you really want to see them, here are 6 AP photos in The Washington Post.
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FLASH (flesh?):
The newspapers are starting to report that it (see my Thursday post) really happened early this morning!
Some 1,200 Israelis were bused to Mineral Beach where they undressed and posed for Spencer Tunick.
On the Dead Sea shore, in the slimy water, and once even covered with the therapeutic black mud.

Haaretz bears it all, complete with a little fuzzy photo, revealing that

"The quiet of the photo shoot was interrupted by Peeping Toms who hovered above the models in powered parachutes. Some of them were equipped with large photographic lenses, which was against all preceding promises and customary rules. In addition, some of the photographers who came to document the event broke the rules and used larger lenses than were allowed."

Opponents to this mass "immodesty" are calling it "Sodom and Gomorrah."
But at least this time no one turned into a pillar of salt.
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UPDATE: Today, Sunday, more articles are appearing, like this in the Jerusalem Post. My favorite part is what the female participant in the photo shoot writes:

After an hour in the Dead Sea holding different positions (certainly the longest I have ever been in the salty water, and an experience I hope never to repeat), and an hour standing in the sun, I started to feel a bit like beef jerky, wellsalted and laid out to harden in the sun.

Glenn Beck's Restoring Courage rally

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The two men had to try at least twice to swing the heavy battery of lights up and into position.
I saw them setting up the stage and chairs yesterday in the plaza of the Jerusalem Municipality, Safra Square.

This venue was for the overflow crowd that couldn't get tickets for the sold-out Davidson archaeological park event near the Western Wall this afternoon.
Glenn Beck was giving a talk to over a thousand supporters, mostly Evangelical Christians who came from America for his "Restoring Courage" rally.
The video is up on YouTube.

I don't know this commentator but apparently a lot of Americans do. He has radio and TV stations.
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There were protests, both from Peace Now and the Left and from some of the Jewish religious establishment.
City Hall was criticized for providing top venues, holy places.
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So is Glenn Beck good for the Jews or bad for the Jews? See the CNN article.
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Many Israelis welcome the love and support of Christian Zionists.
But many Jews have a kind of (involuntary, perhaps) flinch reaction when they see so many smiling Evangelicals, especially so close to the Western Wall like tonight.
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From the Israeli press about Glenn Beck:
A funny recap in Haaretz
Jerusalem Post
Ynet
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UPDATE: A fellow local blogger was there at Safra Square the night of Beck's rally. See her pictures and comments at the excellent The Real Streets of Jerusalem blog.
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The pyramids of the soul's eternal life

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Did you know there are pyramids in Jerusalem?!

In antiquity, pyramids were the symbol of the soul and eternal life.

This sculpture by Bezalel Schatz is planted in a channel (that once had water) representing the Nile.

Our Society for the Protection of Nature guide yesterday said that no one seems to know what it is supposed to symbolize. Strange. When she said Nile I immediately thought bullrushes. No?

Enter into the valley.

The entrance has a lone olive tree of peace and the name Yad LaBanim.

Inside one pyramid we find the reason for it all--the names of the Jerusalemites who fell defending their city and country.

The place is Beit Yad LaBanim, the memorial house for the sons.

Every city has a Yad LaBanim for their fallen, full of photos and archives and exhibits.
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Sit still a while on the bench and ponder their sacrifice.

Let us think of their families today, on Israel's Memorial Day for the defenders and for the victims of terror.

On this day especially, society becomes one big grieving “family,” known in Hebrew as mishpachat hashchol.

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At 7:45 tonight the remembrance day will end and we make the sudden transition to the joy of Israel's 62nd Independence Day.

You can't have one without the other.

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Such is my world for That's MyWorld Tuesday.

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The Christmas tree that came out on top

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The best--and almost only--place in Jerusalem to find Christmas decorations is inside the walled Old City.
Yesterday, for That's My World Tuesday, I walked all around the Christian Quarter in search of the red and green.

The inflated Santa Claus waved me into the arcade of the old Imperial Hotel.
I found it hilarious that a Christmas tree was standing atop the little-known column!

If you click to enlarge the photo you can see the inscription:
M • IVNIO MAXIMO LEG AVGG ANTONINIANA LEG • X • FR C DOM SERG IVL HONORATVS STREIV

The Latin is a votive inscription to Marcus Maximus, a legate of the Tenth Legion, Fretensis.

Walk inside the gate under the sign "Hotel Imperial" to find the Santa.

The hotel is just inside the Jaffa Gate that we talked about in yesterday's post.

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When foundations for the hotel were being dug in 1884-89 the column shaft was found, along with roof tiles stamped LEG X FR. The kiln where the Roman Xth Legion Frentensis soldiers made the ceramics can be seen in earlier posts, here and here.

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We here in Israel remember this unit as the one which conquered the city and destroyed the Second Temple. They were garrisoned in the city until the late 3rd century.
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I really wonder how the pagan conqueror Marcus Maximus would feel if he could see the Christian Christmas tree standing on top of his column which is now in the capital of a sovereign Jewish state.

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Various vending machines in Israel

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V-Day at ABC Wednesday.

A vending machine for fresh flowers?!
Ben-Gurion International Airport has one in the arrivals hall. Honest!
Written above in Hebrew letters is "La bouquet."
Enlarge the photo to see prices in shekels.

Select the number of the bouquet you want, swipe your credit card, and the appropriate door will open.

A vending machine for holy books?!

I saw it with my own eyes at Jerusalem's big Central Bus Station.

Before you board your inter-city bus you can quickly equip yourself with a prayerbook or a part of the Talmud to study or pray from on the way.

And each book costs only 10 or 15 shekels, a fraction of the price of a bunch of flowers.

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I learned about the organization dispensing the books in a Jerusalem Post article. Here is part of what it says:

"The vending machine is there because of Meoros HaDaf HaYomi, an organization dedicated to spreading the study of Judaism in general and Gemara in particular. HaDaf HaYomi has more than 500 classes around the country and publishes books, videos and audio clips on the Internet. . . .

Daf yomi means 'a page a day,' and refers to the practice of studying the entire 2,711-page Babylonian Talmud, one folio (double-sided page) at a time, in a cycle of seven and a half years, followed by many Jews around the world. Part of Meoros HaDaf HaYomi's mission is to involve more people in this enterprise."

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Judaic studies and siddurim from a vending machine. . . . It makes me remember, with a smile, something from a college literature class: deus ex machina, literally, "God from the machine."

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Airport synagogue

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This is the little synagogue in Terminal 3, one of two synagogues at Ben-Gurion International Airport. The ends of the pews even have the airport logo in the wood.

The table on which the Torah scroll is opened and read.

The covering of the holy ark has a representation of the Temple as it may have looked two thousand years ago.

The words describing the Torah are from the Bible: "Her ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace."

Lots of holy books in case you have hours of waiting at the airport.

You can even get a Torah lesson by touching the screen.

Behind the beautiful men's section is the drab little corner where the women must stay in order not to be seen or heard.

Yes, it is an Orthodox synagogue.

The posts at the entrance remind you to leave your luggage trolley outside during the prayer services.

Yesterday was the first time I found the synagogue empty and was thus able to enter and shoot some photos.

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Haaretz had an interesting article about this in Nov. 2009. Apparently a Muslim prayer room and a Christian chapel had been in the original plans for Terminal 3, which opened in 2004.

Haaretz says "Ultra-Orthodox political pressure has stalled the construction of a church and a mosque at Ben-Gurion International Airport for the past five years ...."

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(Linking to inSPIREd Sunday and signs, signs.)
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Crocs too comfy?

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Our Ynetnew.com has characteristically taken an old and odd bit of religion news and blown it out of proportion. If you want to read the article, read the talkbacks too; they are the funniest part.
A young yeshiva student asked his elderly ultra-orthodox Jerusalem rabbi if Crocs were OK to wear on Yom Kippur. The rabbi reportedly decided: "It is permissible legalistically, but it is inadvisable."
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To quote Ynet,
"The rabbi further explained his ruling saying that he ruled according to the halachic authorities who believe that the prohibition against 'wearing sandals' refers to not wearing leather shoes.
Despite this, the rabbi added, he took into consideration the interpretation of halachic rulers who see the prohibition against 'wearing sandals' as referring to creating a level of discomfort. As such, any shoe that is not from leather but is comfortable to wear is forbidden on Yom Kippur. "

Well, I have no Crocs and my sandals are of rubber and fabric. Will they be kosher enough for my village synagogue tomorrow night?
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All it stipulates in the Bible (in Leviticus 16:29, 31; 23:26, 29, 32; and Numbers 29:7) is that on Yom Kippur "You shall afflict yourselves,* and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you: for on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you . . . ."
*Actually the Hebrew says וְעִנִּיתֶם, אֶת-נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם -- You shall afflict your souls.
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The rabbis in ancient times then interpreted this to mean that on Yom Kippur eating and drinking, and washing (with water), and anointing (with oil), and putting on leather sandals, and marital intercourse are forbidden.
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"In the Talmud's terms, for a brief time we elevate ourselves to the status of angels, who have no corporeal needs and whose sole role in the universe is to serve God. (The rabbis also explain that the things we abstain from are all those that make the soul comfortable in the body. By engaging in activities that make it uncomfortable, the soul is more likely to rise up from the body, taking us to a higher spiritual plane.)" -- This is how artist/writer Lesli Koppelman Ross expains it.
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For interesting ideas on the footwear please see her article at MyJewishLearning.com.
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One thing for sure: Life in Israel and in Judaism is never boring!
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Faux flora

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This was my first time to see fake grass in Jerusalem.

In Jerusalem you don't see many lawns at all, normally. So the sheer area and deep green of this one caught my eye.
The Optical Center was closed for vacation for the whole of August, so I could not get through the gate to inspect their grass. I wonder if those flowers are fake as well . . .

Israel is suffering from a prolonged drought. This summer the government finally woke up and is trying to do something about saving water. So, no more watering of lawns and watering of gardens is severely restricted.

"The drought tax passed by the Knesset [July 15] is draconic and likely to cause a public outcry that will negate the purpose of the tax to begin with. The fine of NIS 20 [> $5] per cubic meter above quota is three times the average cost of NIS 6.5 per cubic meter, an
unprecedented use of strength by the government to affect [sic] a behavioral change."

The quote is from a media brief by Moreno Meister, where you can learn more about artificial turf use and costs in Israel.

You would think that we would start manufacturing the fake grass. But no.

And the stupid part is that for grass imported from countries with which we don't have certain trade agreements, the government is adding 12% customs. It should be in the national interest to lower prices, not raise them, and thus encourage water saving.
Faux grass is such a new idea for this semi-desert country that the customs folks just didn't know how to classify it, I suspect. Would you believe? They put it in the category of carpets.
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More information in the Jerusalem Post article, "Israelis take to artificial turf."

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ABC Wednesday celebrates the letter F today. For fun, go see what other bloggers have come up with.

Rabbis vs. swine flu

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Looks like a boring job. But somebody has to do it, . . . right . . . ?

Behind the glass doors, you put your bag through the X-ray machine and then walk through the metal detector. Then you're free to enter the Western Wall Plaza and approach the Wall.
Well, unless you are wearing pants or skirt or sleeves that are too short. Then this [what I call] "prayer police" woman will nab you and have you put a "modesty scarf" over the offending bare skin. Orders of the Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Places.
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Some other rabbis in Israel have been busy coming up with highly interesting ways to fight swine flu before it reaches biblical proportions. We already have over 2,100 verified cases and nine have died.
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1. The top Sephardic rabbis urge us to start a 24-hour fast tomorrow at sunset. If you can't last a whole summer day without water or food, they say half a day is OK.
And if that is too hard, you should a ta'anit dibur. I had never even heard this term before. Literally translated, "a fasting from talking." Jews taking a vow of silence??
More about it here.
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2. Some fifty rabbis and "kabbalists" armed with ceremonial trumpets took to the skies over Israel a week ago to battle the swine flu virus . They circled Israel chanting prayers and blowing shofars ( rams' horns) in an Arkia airplane.
Full story here.
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3. Many people touch the mezuzah on the doorpost when they enter a building (even a hospital) and then kiss their fingers. (See my earlier post for more about mezuzot.)
Doctors are being asked if this is wise right now. Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar said "If a specific order is given in the matter, the mezuzah must be kissed from the air, to ensure that the custom is not forgotten."
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4. The Alter Rebbe of Ger has told his Hassidim to stop their old custom of toasting from one communal cup. Anything to discourage the spread of what rabbis prefer to call H1N1 (swine--feh!).
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Sei gesund! Be well!
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Believe it or not, this is the state of my world these past few weeks and I dare to share it at That's My World Tuesday.
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Facts of (Israeli) life

The bloggers of That's My World Tuesday invite you to their local world.
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All this week Israel is even stranger than it is normally.
We are having a preparedness drill named "Turning Point 3."
It is to practice what would (or should) be done by the authorities and the people in the worst-case scenario--simultaneous incoming missiles from Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, and even Iran, accompanied by terror attacks from the West Bank.

Every air raid siren in the country will go off at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday.
For the first time ever, the Home Front Command wants all citizens to practice taking cover inside the nearest shelter or protected space.

The black things you see above are built into all the new apartment buildings (since 1992).

The secure space's walls are made of steel reinforced concrete and the door has an air-tight seal.

There can be one inside the residence and also one on every floor of the building.

The old underground bomb shelters in the middle of my village. I think these public shelters are no longer in use.

The shelter next to our kindergarten does, however, look well maintained, even painted sky blue with clouds.

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I think the newest and most interesting innovation is this (in today's Jerusalem Post):

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"For the first time in such an exercise, the IDF Home Front Command will also test a new system that issues warning of incoming missile attacks to private cell phones. The IDF is also reviewing technology that would enable it to send little 'pop-up' screens to computers that are connected to the Internet.
Developed by Israeli hi-tech company eVigilo, the system connects to existing cellular antennas and is able to send messages to all phones that are being supported by the antenna. This enables the system to send warnings from areas as large as the entire country to just several city blocks, where the missile is predicted to land.
'Israelis have around 10 million cell phones and we plan to take advantage of them during an emergency,' explained OC Home Front Command Maj.-Gen. Yair Golan."

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Can you imagine, you are sitting and blogging when suddenly a box pops up on your computer screen saying "A missile is on its way to your neighborhood and will strike in X seconds (or X minutes)" !

Well friends, that's my world. Oi, such a world!

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