So I don't even know what Technorati is but I keep seeing it on other people's blogs and they all have that little icon on the bottom of there posts, and I like pretty little things so I figure I'll give it a shot.
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Thoughts of an American Oleh in Israel
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Friday, September 29, 2006
Ah yes, my darling husband is crazy about cooking. If you don't like cooking and recipes you'll have to skip over some future blogs I'm sure. However if you do, you are in for a real treat - heavenly food! Anyway, for those of you who have read the previous blogs, I just have to put my two cents in. It is not just Jonah who wants to go to graduate school, but he IS the one who specifically picked Israel. All I'll say about that is that many people live happy, fulfilled lives in Israel, and people immigrate to Israel every year......so sit with that for a moment next time you immediately jump to the "it's a dangerous, dark, and depressing place" mentality.
Okay, moving on......... so although we have not gone on our honeymoon, made our move to Israel, and settled in our first home together, married life is beautiful! I feel like I'm in a perpetual state of happiness, and I keep looking down at my finger at my ring to confirm that I am in fact a wife now. Daily life isn't that different, other than the fact that I don't have my two jobs since we are leaving soon and I am a teacher, but yet knowing that you are about to go on adventures and do it with the person you love is wonderful. Well, Jonah is back from work so blog soon.
Okay, moving on......... so although we have not gone on our honeymoon, made our move to Israel, and settled in our first home together, married life is beautiful! I feel like I'm in a perpetual state of happiness, and I keep looking down at my finger at my ring to confirm that I am in fact a wife now. Daily life isn't that different, other than the fact that I don't have my two jobs since we are leaving soon and I am a teacher, but yet knowing that you are about to go on adventures and do it with the person you love is wonderful. Well, Jonah is back from work so blog soon.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Belated - Shana Tova!
What is the proper way to say Happy New Year really? It seems there are so many variations. Well here are some options so pick one and run with it.
Happy New Year
Shana Tova
Shana Tova u'Metukah
Have a happy and sweet New Year
Have a happy and healthy New Year
Have a happy, healthy and sweet New Year
Happy Rosh Hashana
Happy Apples and Honey Day (actually forget I said that)
Happy New Year
Shana Tova
Shana Tova u'Metukah
Have a happy and sweet New Year
Have a happy and healthy New Year
Have a happy, healthy and sweet New Year
Happy Rosh Hashana
Happy Apples and Honey Day (actually forget I said that)
Jonah's Beef Shishlik
Equipment: First and foremost the key to good Shishlik or Shis Kabob is long flat skewers. Get yourself some skewers that look like swords. I found some for a few bucks at the kosher market in Santa Monica, or you can just buy their premade marinated kabobs and technically you'll get the skewers for free.
Meat: I've been using London Broil lately. It's affordable and seems aptly suited to this type of cooking. Marinating is a necessity but in this case that's a good thing. I also just usually ask the butcher to cut up the meat in pieces for the kabobs, at a nice kosher butcher this isn't a problem.
Marinade: Start with about 40% Soy Sauce and 60% percent water as a base. I'm not going to post exact amounts cause it depends on how much meat your cooking. Then add a few tablespoons each of lemon juice, honey, and olive oil. It might be a good idea to user a lighter oil like canola even though I've been using olive oil. Then toss in some pressed fresh garlic. Marinate for at least one hour but overnight would be good.
Rub: I make a spice mixture of paprika, turmeric, cumin, cayenne and fresh ground pepper in the following proportions
3, 1, 1, .5, 2,
Preparation: Feel free to load up the skewers with a lot of meat. Press the meat tightly together, this will actually help ensure the meat doesn't overcook. Sprinkle the rub all over and take your kabobs and rub them against each-other to evenly distribute the spices. Throw them on the grill and cook. Flipping them is a million times easier compared to regular thin metal or wooden skewers. Keep in mind that the individual pieces are going to press against each-other and almost fuse together. Think of the Kabob as a long narrow roast. It's gonna take some cookin to get these suckers done all the way through. So stick around for frequent flippin so nothing burns. Take of the grill when done and rest for five minutes. Push all the meat of the skewer by holding the meat with a fork and pulling out the skewer, this is best done on a bed of couscous leaving the meat in a row ready to serve.
Meat: I've been using London Broil lately. It's affordable and seems aptly suited to this type of cooking. Marinating is a necessity but in this case that's a good thing. I also just usually ask the butcher to cut up the meat in pieces for the kabobs, at a nice kosher butcher this isn't a problem.
Marinade: Start with about 40% Soy Sauce and 60% percent water as a base. I'm not going to post exact amounts cause it depends on how much meat your cooking. Then add a few tablespoons each of lemon juice, honey, and olive oil. It might be a good idea to user a lighter oil like canola even though I've been using olive oil. Then toss in some pressed fresh garlic. Marinate for at least one hour but overnight would be good.
Rub: I make a spice mixture of paprika, turmeric, cumin, cayenne and fresh ground pepper in the following proportions
3, 1, 1, .5, 2,
Preparation: Feel free to load up the skewers with a lot of meat. Press the meat tightly together, this will actually help ensure the meat doesn't overcook. Sprinkle the rub all over and take your kabobs and rub them against each-other to evenly distribute the spices. Throw them on the grill and cook. Flipping them is a million times easier compared to regular thin metal or wooden skewers. Keep in mind that the individual pieces are going to press against each-other and almost fuse together. Think of the Kabob as a long narrow roast. It's gonna take some cookin to get these suckers done all the way through. So stick around for frequent flippin so nothing burns. Take of the grill when done and rest for five minutes. Push all the meat of the skewer by holding the meat with a fork and pulling out the skewer, this is best done on a bed of couscous leaving the meat in a row ready to serve.
Friday, September 22, 2006
You're Moving Where???
"So why are you moving to Israel?"
That's the question Tafat and I keep hearing from just about everyone we know. The answer is simple of course - " because I want to go to grad school there."
But it's inherently a more a complicated question than it seems, and my answer is blatantly more simple than anyone wants. What people people mean when they ask the question is " why would ANYONE want to move to Israel?" You can see it in their eyes "it's dangerous there, it's controversial, it's a bad place." They say everything without saying anything at all.
What are we supposed to say. Should we tell them that the country is so much more than they think. Should I say "I'm a Jew and it's important for me to be there." Or should I talk about the beautiful cities and landscapes, or the vibrant lifestyle. Shouldn't it be enough to say that Tafat is Israeli and we both want to understand better the place that she grew up.
I could say all those things, and they would be true, but not quite right. The answer is actually rather unremarkable. The truth is, the place just seems a bit more interesting than here. And for us, that's enough.
That's the question Tafat and I keep hearing from just about everyone we know. The answer is simple of course - " because I want to go to grad school there."
But it's inherently a more a complicated question than it seems, and my answer is blatantly more simple than anyone wants. What people people mean when they ask the question is " why would ANYONE want to move to Israel?" You can see it in their eyes "it's dangerous there, it's controversial, it's a bad place." They say everything without saying anything at all.
What are we supposed to say. Should we tell them that the country is so much more than they think. Should I say "I'm a Jew and it's important for me to be there." Or should I talk about the beautiful cities and landscapes, or the vibrant lifestyle. Shouldn't it be enough to say that Tafat is Israeli and we both want to understand better the place that she grew up.
I could say all those things, and they would be true, but not quite right. The answer is actually rather unremarkable. The truth is, the place just seems a bit more interesting than here. And for us, that's enough.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
I found two interesting articles about the 2nd Lebanon War in the Washington Post. Read them here and here. William M. Arkin, the author, provides something rare for an analysis of the Middle-east — dispassionate and objective observations. Anyone with a vested interest in the conflict will find something to disagree with, but for people with minimal knowledge or those with an open mind Arkin provides several keen observations.
What struck me about the bombing, in both countries, was that you could see the destruction and completely misread what it meant. In Beirut, the destruction in reality is efficient and impressive. The destruction in Israel, on the other hand, is random and scattered. When Hezbollah rockets were fired on Israel, landing meant success.
So here is the truth: Israel did not do anything close to what it was capable of doing. Hezbollah did all it could.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Apple has invaded the livingroom!
And I say "prepare to suck a fat one Bill Gates!!!! Bwahahah!" No but really. I think this new iTV box is the beginning of a completely new way of enjoying media and entertainment. This is like a centralized version of Tivo and on demand cable all wrapped-up into one new package. Oh I feel shiny and new, like a brand new dime. Additionally Apple introduced updated iPods as well as a brand new Shuffle enclosure. iTunes also got an upgrade which I'm downloading right now. No new Video iPod but there is still plenty of time before the holidays so don't count-it-out yet. Anyway I'll let you know what I think of the new iTunes soon.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Hezbollah is full of s@#$.
Ha'aretz is reporting the Hezbollah leadership's new claim of their weapons stockpile following the war with Israel. Surprisingly, rather than revealing a substantial decrease in their purported cache of weapons, or even a modest decrease in-line with the number of weapons fired at Israel, Hezbollah is now claiming up to 80,000 rockets.
So let's see 8,000 is ten percent of 80,000. That's odd considering before and during the war the estimate of nearly every analyst was that Hezbollah had between 10,000 and 15,000 rockets. So this new number would represent a sudden 5 fold increase in their arsenal.
Let's also remember that Hezbollah claimed it only lost approximately 80 members during the fighting, while the IDF claimed it killed nearly 600 fighters.
Next thing we know Hezbollah will be claiming that it came away from the fighting with nothing more than a few bumps and bruises, a disappearing scratch on its chin, and a case of irritable bowel syndrome.
Hezbollah could have tens of thousands of rockets still left in its arsenal, the group's deputy leader Naim Qassam said in an interview published Sunday in a London-based Arabic-language newspaper.
Qassam said that the reconstruction of Hezbollah's military wing was not a top priority as the group still had a plentiful supply of weapons.
"We had the option to confront Israel for many months," he said. "The 8,000 missiles that we fired at Israel could be a quarter or even just 10 percent of the rockets we have."
So let's see 8,000 is ten percent of 80,000. That's odd considering before and during the war the estimate of nearly every analyst was that Hezbollah had between 10,000 and 15,000 rockets. So this new number would represent a sudden 5 fold increase in their arsenal.
Let's also remember that Hezbollah claimed it only lost approximately 80 members during the fighting, while the IDF claimed it killed nearly 600 fighters.
Next thing we know Hezbollah will be claiming that it came away from the fighting with nothing more than a few bumps and bruises, a disappearing scratch on its chin, and a case of irritable bowel syndrome.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Thursday, September 07, 2006
The patient is doing well!
Tafat had her surgery today. All went well and Tafat is already feeling much better. Were all being pretty lazy today, lounging around her mothers house. Were both looking forward to Tafat feeling better and getting back to normal activity which should come in the next few days. While this whole thing has been inconvenient, and has weighed us down like a heavy stone, it finally feels like were starting to move past it. I was bugging Tafat to leave a post last night but she didn't quite feel up to it. Hopefully she feel like it soon. I really want this blog to represent both us and I'm eagerly anticipating reading what she has to write. I know that she has a lot to say and has more practice keeping a journal because of her writing class. Hopefully things well be up and running here soon!
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Your guess is as good as mine!
Apple is holding a special media event on September 12th. The rumor sites are predicting everything from new iMacs to a movie download service, new iPods even the often mentioned iPod phone or iPhone. Of course there is always the possibility that Steve Jobs has something completely unexpected up his sleeve. That would be incredibly entertaining. I don't have any idea what's coming nor do I care. All I know is that I'm excited to find out what it is. I would also be very surprised if this was the only special event planned before the holidays shopping season.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
My Opinion of Australia Just Went Down
Hat tip to LGF
Editorial: Red Cross rocket snares Downer
Interesting that in this article the editorial board at the Australian doesn't make a serious effort to contradict the claims that Zombie put forward in his report. They only try to smear his credibility by throwing out the label "right-wing". I personally think every source should be equally scrutinized whether from the left or the right. But I have to admit that Zombie's report feels like a homerun.
Editorial: Red Cross rocket snares Downer
Interesting that in this article the editorial board at the Australian doesn't make a serious effort to contradict the claims that Zombie put forward in his report. They only try to smear his credibility by throwing out the label "right-wing". I personally think every source should be equally scrutinized whether from the left or the right. But I have to admit that Zombie's report feels like a homerun.
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