Mar 1 - Mar 3 Mitzpe Ramon - part 1

 Mitzpe Ramon is often translated as a crater. The only problem is that this translation is wrong. It's more a machtesh, and because I waited months to write this post, I forgot what the difference. 

Bright and early Sunday morning Shauly, Adir, and I headed to the car rental place to pick up our car. 

So let me teach the first thing that happens when two Jews meet each other -- we play what is called Jewish Geography. One person asks the other, where are you from and the next question is ... do you know so and so. More often than not the whole six degrees of separation is closed very quickly when a connection is made. So of course, as soon as the woman from the car rental place heard I was from the US, she wanted to know from where. I said VA. (We are a small community ... who knows any one here?) Surprise! Turns out she was related to the rabbi who works for Chabad at VCU!        `

Originally my plan was to pick it up at 9am and leave immediately after getting it. However, lesson in Israeli bureaucracy of any kind ... nothing involving an office of any sort will go quickly. Suffice it to say, I think we left by maybe 1pm??? We did stop to pick up lunch to eat in the car, and saw some gorgeous scenery along the way.

OK, I admit it. I'm a baby! I enjoy seeing the Hebrew on the trucks. I mean, what do I expect to see ... English??? But still, I loved catching pictures of the Hebrew on the trucks.

There are several Ikea stores in Israel ... we will explore this more later.

And yes, still a baby! I enjoyed seeing Shauly drive "so fast".

We stopped in Ein Avdat for about 15 minutes. I have to say that it was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. I called my husband and said, "I AM STANDING ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLD AND IT IS SO GORGEOUS!" The pictures do not do it justice. Sadly, we only had a few minutes to take it in because our late start. But that's OK, because now it's added onto my "next time I come list".

We arrived at our hotel and right across we discovered 770! How exciting. Now, if you don't know what 770 is, I'll tell you. Lubavitch World Headquarters is located at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, NY. We fondly refer to it as just 770. What's super cool is that all around Israel, you will find several buildings that are built using the original design plans from the building. There is one in Jerusalem that I posted a picture of on my first trip in 2016. What was so special about that was that they got permission to use the same bricks, when the building codes in Jerusalem say all buildings must be built with Jerusalem stone. 

The shliach was sitting outside, so we went over and introduced ourselves. He got Shauly and Adir to join them for mincha, and then we went back to our hotel to search for where we wanted to go for dinner.

That evening, we had a treat. Mitzpe Ramon is in the desert, so you have the best views of the stars at night. I had booked us a star gazing tour. We met up with the tour guide in the evening. It was really spectacular. Living in the city, we sometimes see a few stars at night. This time, the entire night sky was light up and it took Ira a few hours to go through the stars with us. At the end, we got to look through a telescope and see the moon set. Who even knew that the moon sets nightly? 

Monday, Mar 2 was our jeep tour with Liav Levi from Desert Shepherd. He was awesome! He came to our hotel to pick us up, and he gave us much more than just a tour of the desert. 

Liav and Adir (he's in the shape of Israel - use your imagination)

Some cool rocks that are at the bottom of the machtesh.

Wild flowers that were in bloom -- just gorgeous!

To be continued ....

Friday Feb 28 ~ Visiting a Friend

 OK, it's 2020, the year from hell that is literally ten thousand days long in each 24 hour period. So it's very fitting that it took me months and months and months to write more of my trip.  <Shout out to Colleen for pushing me to write.>

So I have a friend who I've known for a long, long time. Laughingly, I met her on Facebook playing Farmville.  (Remember that game? When we needed to add friends to get points or something?) Chani and I became IRL friends. Although she lives in the US, the last time I saw her in person was at Shauly and Zahava's wedding in Aug 2013. I was thrilled when Chani told me she was going to be in Israel for 4 short days, but at the same exact time I was. I laughed when I told her, we live a few states apart but have to travel half way around the world to see each other in person. But that's what we did. We met in person for a nice relaxing breakfast, then we went to the Kotel to say Hello to our Father In Heaven. After that, we had to visit the US Embassy in Jerusalem, which our fantastic President (#ilovemypresident !!) Trump moved. 

Breakfast in Mamilla Mall

Israeli's sure do know how to do food!

Just outside the Jaffa gate, great views and great fun!

I am so thankful Chani shlepped me to the Embassy! 

The rest of the day was just spent getting ready for Shabbos. It was a nice quiet family shabbos, enjoying my little grand girls and basically loving being in Israel.

ISRAEL 2020: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday February 25 - 27

Hashem has blessed me once again to visit Israel. The trip serves two purposes. One, I really wanted to see my grand daughters who live there. And second, I didn't want to stay in VA for the yartzeit. I know it's dumb, but I really felt that staying in VA would have been very anti-climatic for me, after the amazing Sefer Torah dedication last year.
So on Tuesday, I left Richmond for the first leg of my trip, Boston. Of course Priceline sent me an email after I went through security that said my flight was delayed - - don't go to the airport. Oh well, too late. I hung out at the gate because I had nothing to do. Shmoozed with a woman headed to Barcelona and walked around the terminal. On the plane, I had a female seat mate which made me happy. In the course of conversing with her, I found out she was also a bereaved mom! We both seemed to enjoy the ride.
The next wait was another long one. I spent a lot of time walking the terminal. I made a new friend (whose next door neighbor's daughter lives in Richmond).

That flight was nice. I've never El Al before. My mom told me to upgrade to a bulkhead seat. It was actually pretty nice in the end. The middle seat was empty so I used the seat to put things on, as did the other woman in the aisle seat. Only bad thing was that I didn't sleep at all. But, the plane made excellent time and we arrived 40 minutes early.

My lovely daughter in law Zahava met me, and we took the bullet train back to Yerushalayim.
After dropping off my stuff we picked up the little girls and headed off to the Kotel. We ate dinner in the Old City and I did the worst thing you can do when you travel ... I went to sleep at 8:00pm.

Guess who was up at midnight. Two melatonin and three hours later, I finally fell back asleep.
Today, Thursday, was a fun day. Zahava and I took a street photography workshop. We did it in the shuk. We then went to Ben Yehuda so Zahava could get the girls their purim costumes and we had a late lunch.
After eating, we picked up Rikki and headed back to the apartment.
I was supposed to stay up until midnight according to my jet lag app, so I'm going to call it a night now.

That time again ... Koach Tammuz

Chof Ches Tammuaz

The 28th day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz begins now. Michoel came out of bed to wish me Happy Birthday, as I was busy preparing for my kids / grand-kids visit tomorrow.  Wow, how did the evening slip by and it suddenly became this holy, awesome day? For a few weeks now, I've been dreading it, but not for the usual reasons.  I always joke around that having a birthday sure does beat the alternative. but it is also a very solemn day of introspection.
Birthdays are a time of celebration, yes. As it is well known, a birthday is proof that I really do matter in the world. I am here because Hashem wants me here, and I matter to Him. He created me with a purpose and a reason, which is what is leading me to feel a little despondent.  Am I living up to my goals and potential? Am I headed in the right direction? Am I nearing the "end of the line" so to say???
For 2 1/2 years, I worked tirelessly on the Sefer Torah project. I can't begin to think how many hours went into it. Sometimes it feels like a dream, the kind where you wake up and wonder if it was real or not. It's sorta like a fantasy feeling, but then I watch the videos or look at the pictures and I am reminded how real it was.  Where in the world did I get the strength to pull that off??? How did I do that?
A birthday is a time to look back at the previous year to see what I did right (to continue on that path) and what I did wrong (so I can make corrections).  In some ways, it's like a mini Rosh Hoshana, cuz of the reflections and contemplation. That is what is bothering me. Hashem has blessed me with so much. Did I use all the brachos He gave me for the good? Was I worthy of what He gave me? I'm not so sure. If I was able to pull off this super feat of donating a Sefer Torah, what else am I capable of, but didn't do because of my laziness.  Ya, I know ... I'm not supposed to talk lashon hora about myself .... but I do enjoy vegetating on the couch a lot more than I should. I've been trying for weeks to come up with a new birthday hachlata (resolution) for me to take upon myself.  As of right now, I still don't have one. So on one hand, I am thrilled to have this opportunity to celebrate another birthday, but on the other hand, it comes with a huge responsibility.


Time is not linear, it is more circular. When a holiday or event happens, we relive the strength of that day. Like on Pesach, Hashem gives us the strength to break through our personal boundaries. The same idea happens on our birthday. The same koach that Hashem endowed us with at our birth is shining brightly tonight for me. It's our tradition to give a "birthday bracha", a gift to all my friends and loved ones. So here is my bracha to YOU --

Hashem should bless every single one of us to have the ultimate joy of seeing the coming of Moshiach mamash RIGHT NOW!  We should dance and bring karbanos to the Third Bais Hamikdash and be reunited with our loved ones immediately.
Hashem should give everyone good health; curing those who have ailments whether they be physical or emotional. He should give everyone loads of parnasa, so much so that it is overflowing and it should come so easily. He should give everyone what it is the feel they need, a shidduch, a child, parnasa, menuchas hanefesh, brachos in what ever area they feel a lacking. May you all experience an outpouring of His Love in a revealed way, with nachas from your kids and grandkids. But again, most of all ... may we all join together hand in hand and dance with the geulah!

Happy Birthday America!

What can I say, I love this country so much. I've been playing this song daily for over two weeks now. I'm eternally grateful that G-d made me an American citizen.

The more I learn about the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and especially about our Founding Fathers, the more amazing I think they are. They had so much vision and insights. They studied government, and figured out a plan that is spectacular!

Steven Crowder has put up several interesting videos on the 1st and 2nd Amendments and one on the Civil War. The guy he interviewed is so knowledgeable, and also very enjoyable to watch. I'll put a link up if you can't find them.

Freedom is not something to take lightly. As a frum Jew, I know our history. We've been persecuted in every country, as well as thrown out of every country. Except America. Our Founding Fathers made sure that I can daven every day, eat kosher, keep shabbos, give my boys a bris, etc. Jews are being prevented from buying kosher meat in some places, bris is under attack, and one of my friends is being threatened because she wants to teach Judaism to her children via home schooling. Not here, they all live on the other side of the world.

I just wanted to take a minute to Thank G-d for this country, and wish America a very Happy Birthday.

Happy 4th of July! (Got lots of compliments on my shirt today too! Plenty of patriots out there!) #KAG

nazi paraphernalia (yemach shmo!)

I met a lovely lady at a local antique mall. She asked me if I ever get up to Ashland, which is about a 20-25 minute drive from me. I said I some times go up there, and she told me about another mall she sells at.  I am always on the hunt for jewelry, especially vintage pieces, so I was so excited to go on Monday.

I only have eyes for jewelry. I walk in and meet the owner, who seems to be a super nice guy.  He hears me out and shows me around to all the vendors with jewelry, and I spend some time wandering around. The woman who sent me has a lot of nice pieces.  I picked out a bunch from her, and one from another vendor. The owner was so nice and said he would call the vendors and ask for a better price since I was getting a lot of stuff.

While I was waiting for him to get an answer, I wandered around and started looking at other cases. Then I discovered this -- (The video starts 3:03 where she says, "I hope no one is offended.")

Normally, I am not a "snowflake". I have big girl pants and I can handle a lot. But this, well, this was beyond just being offended. This is just plain WRONG!  I was beyond shocked. I was horrified and literally shaking as I was so bothered by it.  I told the owner how upset I was about it. He starts telling me how wonderful the dealer is. He explains it is not the same dealer as I am buying from, and that his kids are all wonderful people as well. I start tuning him out cuz he was literally one line away from saying some of his best friends are Jewish too.  I cut him off and said I am not sure if I am comfortable making a purchase here.

So I go outside to clear my head and think about it. No. This is the owner I am talking to, not some local employee. I go back and explain that by his allowing this in his store, he is condoning it.  I told him six million of my brothers and sisters were murdered by them and I can't support it. I took my Jewish Benjamins and left.

Two days later and it's still bothering me. There are people out there who still glorify and agree with what was done to us. And they are the ones looking to buy this garbage. Those pictures of those monsters, they need to be destroyed, not displayed. History needs to show that they were monsters who brutally and with glee murdered innocent human beings. Anything less is an insult to their memories.

I know I made the right decision. If you are passing through VA, there are tons of great places to visit. Sadly, that is not one of them.

edited to add:
BTW, I mentioned this story today to Billy from The Attic Consignment (awesome shop! Make sure you stop in there and visit it!). He said a few years ago, he got a bunch of stuff. He ended up selling to to a nice Jewish guy. The guy was willing to buy it from him for any price. He asked him why. He said exactly what I mentioned above, that buy this Jewish guy buying it, he is getting it off the market. Most of it he destroys. Good for him. I won't spend money to do that, because with this particular vendor, I feel it will only encourage it rather than discourage it.

edited again to add:
I also get the feeling that they are proud of this. The fact that the case is one of the first ones you see when you walk in (prime selling spot), and the fact that the wife choose to highlight it in their video says a lot to me.

Another Birthday Sans Birth Day Boy

Chof Zayin Nissan

Some people look at it as Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day. Honestly, I never even knew about it until the day my Labor and Delivery nurse showed up in my room to tell me how meaningful it was for her to see a Jewish baby born on this day.  To me, this day was always just "Yossi's Birthday".

Wednesday found me getting very down. I had some great jewelry finds, but nothing was enough to pick me up. Usually, I make the birthday child's favorite dinner, but this year I did something different. I made US a special dinner, which we all enjoyed very much. (Thank you to my dear husband for buying us ground lamb for Pesach. LOL ... waited until after to make lamburgers. No, they were not as good as the ones from Burgers Bar in Israel, but they were delish.) 

Thursday morning however found me in a very unusual place for 7:30am. I went to Yeshiva to see them use Yossi's Torah.  I actually heard it before I saw it. I heard the little tinkling of the bells (they aren't real bells, cuz the middle piece is not there, but they do klink against the sides of the kesser) before I realized they had taken it out. I know it was only 3 aliyos, but it was enough to pull me up and carry me though out the whole day.

Thank You Hashem for such a big bracha of having Yossi's Sefer Torah so close by!