Chanika, Chanikah, Hanika, Hanikah, Sameach
or Just חנוכה שמח
hweeeew!!!
It's great to celebrate Chanukah once again is Israel.
If your in America imagine all the Xmas stuff you see everywhere,
Supermarkets, Banks, Post Office, Streets, Rest Stops, etc...
then imagine instead of Santa and all those trees, Chanukiyas Draidles
SUFGANIYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!
It really is cool!!! Everyone is into it. It truly is the one thing that unites everyone in Israel no matter where they live or come from.
If your in America imagine all the Xmas stuff you see everywhere,
Supermarkets, Banks, Post Office, Streets, Rest Stops, etc...
then imagine instead of Santa and all those trees, Chanukiyas Draidles
SUFGANIYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!
It really is cool!!! Everyone is into it. It truly is the one thing that unites everyone in Israel no matter where they live or come from.
Motzash we went to Jerusalem Uncle Aaron and Aunt Feigy Hoch from Toronto were in visiting their kids, so they threw a Chanuka party near Frimmy and Yitzchoks Levies old apartment.
I was nice to see them.
On Mon. I went with my friend Dovid Shirel from Chevron to check out the Sheraton in Ramat Gan by Tel Aviv, for the upcoming Manhigut Yehudit Dinner in Israel. Elkie drove me the entrance of Ramat Beit Shemesh about 3 miles from our house and Dovid stopped at the entrance on Rt 38 to pick me up. We check it out, nice hotel nice people half of the staff are Chareidim from Bnei Brak. I had about 5 sufganioy they were everywhere.
Last years dinner was in Jerusalem. Dovid said it's funny when they were thinking of making the dinner in Tel Aviv he said ehhhhh I'm not sure if I want to do it there who knows what we may have to deal with. Meanwhile when it was in Jerusalem we were dealing mosly with Arabs. The head waiter and other staff members, but in Tel Aviv we are dealing with Chareidim!
Go figure, That's another big lesson of why it's silly to label people and places.
Tuesday Night Yoel Baruchen that's Roni and Aviva Oldest son, got married at Binyame Hauma in Jerusalem to Nechemi Hammer. She is very sweet was very with it at the Kabbalat Panim, Elkie and I introduce ourselves to her, we are the Olim cousins. Oooooooohhhhhh
It's pretty cool we sort of have this celebrate status here. You should try it out some time.
I told her I have seen over 2000 Kallahs at there wedding and she was very PRESENT in the moment, taking it all in. The Chuppah was on the roof and everything was very nice Israeli style wedding. Yossi & Tzipora came in. So far I am the Only Walfish that made both Baruchin kids weddings, I was also at Shiras wedding 6 years ago. You guys can catch up on the next 2 B"H.
Last years dinner was in Jerusalem. Dovid said it's funny when they were thinking of making the dinner in Tel Aviv he said ehhhhh I'm not sure if I want to do it there who knows what we may have to deal with. Meanwhile when it was in Jerusalem we were dealing mosly with Arabs. The head waiter and other staff members, but in Tel Aviv we are dealing with Chareidim!
Go figure, That's another big lesson of why it's silly to label people and places.
Tuesday Night Yoel Baruchen that's Roni and Aviva Oldest son, got married at Binyame Hauma in Jerusalem to Nechemi Hammer. She is very sweet was very with it at the Kabbalat Panim, Elkie and I introduce ourselves to her, we are the Olim cousins. Oooooooohhhhhh
It's pretty cool we sort of have this celebrate status here. You should try it out some time.
I told her I have seen over 2000 Kallahs at there wedding and she was very PRESENT in the moment, taking it all in. The Chuppah was on the roof and everything was very nice Israeli style wedding. Yossi & Tzipora came in. So far I am the Only Walfish that made both Baruchin kids weddings, I was also at Shiras wedding 6 years ago. You guys can catch up on the next 2 B"H.
Trips:
Most schools are off however, Yosef is in a Talmud Torah. They just finished Bamidbar and will finish Devorim by the end of the year. Then they will finish all of Nach, and Mishnayos.
Suffice to say every day counts. However we took Yosef out on Thurs and went to Masada. Shira and Ariella both took a friend with them. The last time I was there was about 26 years ago. Well it's still there! Shira decided to hike up the mountain with her friend, we decided to take the cable car up and PERHAPS hike DOWN. since the hike up normally takes 1&1/2hours + and the cable car takes 10 min. we decided to kill some time before our assent. So we ate lunch. Elkie liked that. EVERY time we get to ANY place "LETS EAT LUNCH!" can I digest my breakfast???
Noooooo lets eat lunch. My dear Mother is the same way. Well positive side is, less things to shlep around, if you can still move. We took the cable car up and apparently shira made it before we got into the cable car. She made it in 38min! pretty good.
Mount Masada
We met my percussionist from NY Gilad at the top. I haven't seen him in 2 years. I gave him a big hug. He is from Israel was living in NY a few years then came back to Israel. He was touring with some of the top Latin bands in the world and is one of the finest percussionists I have ever seen. Plus he is a real mench. It was a real privilege to work with him a number of years.
I was on on a gig with him and somehow we started talking about the Torah, so he made some sort of face. So I ask him you don't believe G-d gave us the Torah? So he shyly said I don't believe in G-d! I was shocked! I have worked with many Israelis and never heard that, especially from a musician. So I ask him how do you think we got here? so he spit out to crap he probably heard from some high-school or college professor, from Amoebas etc...
So I looked at him and said "Gilad tell me something, how is is possible for you to play with SUCH soul if there is no G-d???" He was speechless and smiled. If you've ever hear Gilad he is not just a Great Percussionist (and drummer) I know plenty of Top Broadway show percussionist as well, Gilad plays with soul, even if your not a musician you can hear it. He knows that more and Anyone. We have been very close since then. I just wish I had some larger gigs here in Israel so I can call him and jam with him again.
Elkie Yehuda Yosef and Shira and friend took the cable car down, Ariella her friend and I walked down, it took over an hour and Yes at my age it is not easy. But B"H we made it.
Friday Yosef was off. We had a local group of people in Beit Shemesh getting together to take an office tiyul hike/tour of the mountains south of Ramat Beit Shemesh. I toolk Yosef and Yehuda. Our guide was Gil a fellow Israeli I know a bit who davens at the Carlebach shul. He knows the mountains cold. We walked around and saw the old ruins of entire old civilizations that used to live right here in RBS. They dug 20 Meter wells and dug water collecting systems out of the bare rocks. It is pretty amazing, he wanted us to all make sure they don't just bulldoze over the entire area which is officially a national park and nature reserve to build new housing.
Ramat Beit Shemesh Alef in the background
Very Ancient Water systems carved in the Rocks
I have very mixed feelings, on one hand he is right we want to preserve the past, on the other hand if they said the same thing about RBS A where we live there would be a town there now.
There have to be a way that both can work. Perhaps build in the lots of places that do not have ruins there 1st, then if you do go into certain areas and find some thing of significance, perhaps preserve it even in the middle of a modern new city. I met the Mayor of beit Shemesh Moshe Abutbol at Yehudas play in gan, I told him about an old mikvah right up the block from the gan, and that people just though garbage in it, It should be cleaned up and preserved. He said he will come back with his antique guy and look into it. Well see what happens.
Till next time.
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