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{{bheader|February 22nd|Devar/5768/Ki Tisa}}
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{{bheader|February 29th|Devar/5768/Vayakhel}}
  
 
Hi again!
 
Hi again!
  
It was a pretty calm week for us, thank God, with one exception I'll mention later on.
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Last shabbat Esther wanted me to use the ''mangal'' (Israeli-style BBQ {{wiki2|mangal|it's Turkish, actually}}) to cook chicken for shabbat.  So I prepared the mangal, trying to find bits of charcoal which had not been drenched by the rains we had.  Dutifully, I got the coals burning and finally started the chicken.  After it was done, Sarah dolefully informed me I had "smoked" her clothes, which were out on the line to dry!  Moral of the story: make sure you don't have clothes hanging above the BBQ when you're using it! (Note: birds can also be detrimental to your clothing...)
  
With all the media attention being given to the US presidential race, I feel it is only my duty to make comment as well.  If you're thinking of voting for Barak Obama, maybe [http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/01/barack_obama_and_israel.html you should read this] and [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1203589810710&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter this] first.  I do find it heartening that this time around the winners in the races so far are the less shrill, more moderate sounding onesWhoever wins, it will probably not be good for the Jews in general or Israel in particular - not this time around.  I hope I'm wrong about that.
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Daniela took first-place in the "bible contest" at her school, so she's extremely excited (as are we!)Her prize is a set of tanach (bible) with extensive commentaries, which she was looking forward to winningNow I know who to ask when I have questions!
  
Strong women: I've known for years that my dear wife is a strong woman - she would have to be to stay with meBut I was more than a little alarmed to see just how strong she really isAfter a particularly energetic cleaning session she showed me the broom, our only broom, snapped clean in halfAnd I thought 10 shekels for a broom was too much!
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This week we met with our friend Dov-Ber, and went out to a nice restaurant in Jerusalem.  We don't go out so often, so when we do go we try to go to nice places.  Anyway, two odd things.  First, as with most of the "nice" places which are geared for the tourist trade, all the staff speak EnglishThey great you at the door in English, give you menus in English and so on.  The odd thing was that the "specials" were written on a blackboard in HebrewThe second odd thing was that we noticed a group of men in suit-jackets.  Yes, in Israel that's pretty unusual -- but that's not what was weird.  We noticed the guys in suits had earpieces hanging off their ears, and their suits were just a bit ''too large'' for them.  They accompanied a smaller group of people, whom they were apparently guardingSince they were all speaking English, we assumed the group they were guarding contained a Senator or something -- but we didn't recognize anyone from that group.
  
Speaking of that strong woman, she and her {{wiki|ulpan}} went on a trip to the {{wiki|Knesset}} and the {{wiki|Israeli Supreme Court}}. The Knesset was out of session, but they got to speak with M.K. {{wiki|Aryeh Eldad}}. The court was working, and she got to sit in on part of a case being brought against the Israeli governmentAs she sat down in the visitor's section, she noticed the guy sitting next to her looked familiarAs it happens, he was {{wiki|Eli Yishai}}, one of the highest ranking politicians in Israel (at the moment, that is) and head of the {{wiki|Shas}} political partyWhen was the last time ''you'' spoke to a Congressman or Senator?
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Aliyah notice for our friends on the West coast of the US: [http://www.nbn.org.il/index.php Nefesh b'Nefesh] is going to be [http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/125410 in Washington State] conducting seminarsIf you are even slightly interested in aliyah, we urge you to attend and get informationSpeaking of information about aliyah, Israel this year has hit the [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1204127197499&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull lowest unemployment rate in 12 years]! It's easier to get a job here than it's been in a long time; and if you are older, it's much easier than in the US (they actually appreciate experience here).
  
Odd stuff: I've been wondering for months just what [[Media:Bridge.jpg|this thing]] in downtown Jerusalem isNobody I asked had the slightest idea - it looks like a crane gone awryFortunately, this week an alert reporter [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1202742157425&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull wrote this article about it], so now I knowNow I know, that is, just how poorly my tax money is being spent...
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A friend sent me [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwZ0tPCL6Vg this video clip] of an Iranian propaganda pieceInteresting, and frightening at the same timeFrom another person I was told of [http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/196110/gellhorn a fascinating piece written in 1961] about the "Arabs of Palestine".  It's long, but worthwhile reading.  It is interesting to note that the attitudes expressed by the Arabs she interviewed in 1961 have not changed at all in the past 47 yearsIt's also interesting to note that their intransigence did ''not'' start after Israel "occupied" their lands in 1967... but then, most of us already knew that. 
  
Another alert reporter informed us about the plight of [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1202742157178&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull arab graduates] of Israeli univeritiesPardon me while I cry a river.  Let's see: there are 22 Arab countries, where they might find employment - since they hate and wish to destroy the one where they studied.  They don't contribute to the security or social welfare of this country (and indeed, the opposite is true).  But wait: there are more than a million Arabs living in Israel.  Can none of them hire their brothers and sisters?  Why is there almost no high-tech in the Arab sector?  Hint: it's not because they're not smartIt's because the smart ones move to the US or elsewhere, rather than stay here and help their families and friendsThey can't find jobs with Israeli companies, because ... who the hell would trust them? Let's get seriousSince the idiots in the various world bodies like to talk about "confidence building measures", let's try this one: stop trying to kill us, and our confidence in you will go up.  You might even get hired in your profession.
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The problem the Arabs have has nothing to do with Jews per seTheir problem is that they are incapable of dealing with reality and insist on living in the idyllic past (which was, of course, neither idyllic nor even as good as the present in many cases).  They allow their feelings of insecurity over the fact that the Islamic world has produced not one positive contribution to the world since algebra to completely overwhelm what logical faculties they possessAs a result, they repeatedly throw away the opportunities to advance themselves and benefit their own people, on the vain hope that if they kill enough (Jews, Americans, infidels...) they will regain their vaunted pastSadly, the time has come where their lunatic fantasies can lead to world warThe only solution which will truly lead to world peace (in my humble opinion) is to turn Mecca into a glass parking lotUnfortunately, the leaders of the "free world" won't take my advice until it's too late.
  
In some of my past posts I crowed about the Israeli economy.  As it turns out, [http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/125278 the International Monetary Fund] agrees, and soon shekels will be one of 17 currencies traded in the global markets.  So - as I've said before - now's a good time to make aliyah, friends.  On the other hand, Esther bought zucchini this week for the mind-numbing price of 26 shekels/kilo.  If you recall, I mentioned we paid 22/kilo for chicken!  That's what you get when you buy produce out of season during a shemittah year...
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On a positive note: my boss tells me that the potential customer I have been dealing with is very pleased with how I have worked with them; so my boss is also very happyHe's decided to give me more responsibility (a promotion, from a certain point of view) -- which I suppose means he's not planning on firing me soonSo that's a good thing!
 
 
Now for this week's excitement.  If you haven't seen the movie {{wiki|Ushpizin}} you should; we had our own "ushpiz" this weekWe got a call the other night from a family member of our Bellevue rabbi, who said he had a package from the rabbi's family and could he deliver it to us?  While we were surprised to hear from him, we weren't too surprised since he lives in Jerusalem, and makes trips to the US from time to time.  We gave him directions, and about an hour later get a knock on the door... and instead of the guy we spoke to, there's our rabbi from Bellevue!  You could have knocked me over with a feather!  He came for his mother's birthday (all the children came), and dropped by while he was visiting.  We were all happy and pleased to visit with him and catch up on the happenings in Bellevue.  Rabbi, you are missed!
 
 
 
We just got back from a Friday morning ''tiyul'' - a trip - to the {{wiki|Ein Gedi}} nature reserve, which is located about 60km from us, next to the {{wiki|Dead Sea}}It's a very impressive place: all around is sere desert - brown and rocky - and in the middle of it all, a flourishing oasis with waterfalls, ibex and all kinds of wildlife.  Definitely worth a longer trip - but this being Friday, we have to get ready for shabbat so we only took a short trip (it also being the only day I really get off work and can do something like this).
 
  
 
Shabbat shalom!
 
Shabbat shalom!
  
 
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Latest revision as of 12:25, 7 March 2008

February 29th (See this week's devar torah)
Send Ron feedback on this blog

Hi again!

Last shabbat Esther wanted me to use the mangal (Israeli-style BBQ it's Turkish, actually) to cook chicken for shabbat. So I prepared the mangal, trying to find bits of charcoal which had not been drenched by the rains we had. Dutifully, I got the coals burning and finally started the chicken. After it was done, Sarah dolefully informed me I had "smoked" her clothes, which were out on the line to dry! Moral of the story: make sure you don't have clothes hanging above the BBQ when you're using it! (Note: birds can also be detrimental to your clothing...)

Daniela took first-place in the "bible contest" at her school, so she's extremely excited (as are we!). Her prize is a set of tanach (bible) with extensive commentaries, which she was looking forward to winning. Now I know who to ask when I have questions!

This week we met with our friend Dov-Ber, and went out to a nice restaurant in Jerusalem. We don't go out so often, so when we do go we try to go to nice places. Anyway, two odd things. First, as with most of the "nice" places which are geared for the tourist trade, all the staff speak English. They great you at the door in English, give you menus in English and so on. The odd thing was that the "specials" were written on a blackboard in Hebrew! The second odd thing was that we noticed a group of men in suit-jackets. Yes, in Israel that's pretty unusual -- but that's not what was weird. We noticed the guys in suits had earpieces hanging off their ears, and their suits were just a bit too large for them. They accompanied a smaller group of people, whom they were apparently guarding. Since they were all speaking English, we assumed the group they were guarding contained a Senator or something -- but we didn't recognize anyone from that group.

Aliyah notice for our friends on the West coast of the US: Nefesh b'Nefesh is going to be in Washington State conducting seminars. If you are even slightly interested in aliyah, we urge you to attend and get information. Speaking of information about aliyah, Israel this year has hit the lowest unemployment rate in 12 years! It's easier to get a job here than it's been in a long time; and if you are older, it's much easier than in the US (they actually appreciate experience here).

A friend sent me this video clip of an Iranian propaganda piece. Interesting, and frightening at the same time. From another person I was told of a fascinating piece written in 1961 about the "Arabs of Palestine". It's long, but worthwhile reading. It is interesting to note that the attitudes expressed by the Arabs she interviewed in 1961 have not changed at all in the past 47 years. It's also interesting to note that their intransigence did not start after Israel "occupied" their lands in 1967... but then, most of us already knew that.

The problem the Arabs have has nothing to do with Jews per se. Their problem is that they are incapable of dealing with reality and insist on living in the idyllic past (which was, of course, neither idyllic nor even as good as the present in many cases). They allow their feelings of insecurity over the fact that the Islamic world has produced not one positive contribution to the world since algebra to completely overwhelm what logical faculties they possess. As a result, they repeatedly throw away the opportunities to advance themselves and benefit their own people, on the vain hope that if they kill enough (Jews, Americans, infidels...) they will regain their vaunted past. Sadly, the time has come where their lunatic fantasies can lead to world war. The only solution which will truly lead to world peace (in my humble opinion) is to turn Mecca into a glass parking lot. Unfortunately, the leaders of the "free world" won't take my advice until it's too late.

On a positive note: my boss tells me that the potential customer I have been dealing with is very pleased with how I have worked with them; so my boss is also very happy. He's decided to give me more responsibility (a promotion, from a certain point of view) -- which I suppose means he's not planning on firing me soon. So that's a good thing!

Shabbat shalom!



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