In preparation for Yom Hashoa / Holocaust Memorial Day:
This year Yom Hashoa falls out on May 1st
Last year, on occasion of Holocaust Memorial Day, a ceremony took place right on the rails leading in to Auschwitz.
During the ceremony the Israeli Air Force flew above in salute.
This is truly one of the most emotional experiences for a Jew of our generation to experience.
Sderot Rothschild and Ben Ziyon is the center of Tel Aviv culture. There’s a potpuri of theater, restaurants, parks, and an assortment of bauhaus architecture that is world-renowned . At the north end of Rothschild you will find the Habima Theater, Heichal Hatarbut, and Gan Yaakov.
Here’s a street scene from Rothschild:
On Sderot Ben Ziyon you can almost see down to the Sea via Bogroshov:
On Bogroshov, there are nice shops and restaurants leading down to Ocean, with an occasional sex shop mixed in… 
I sometimes wonder if the dichotomies found in Tel Aviv are lost on its residents.
Habima translated from Hebrew means stage. Habima is Tel Aviv’s premier national theater.
The company was founded in 1918 by Russian immigrants to Palestine. Today, the theater is undergoing a major renovation.
Here’s a photo of the Habima from 2004 before the renovations began.
Click on image for larger size photo.
Let’s get in the mood for Summer. Tel Aviv is a summer-city. It’s hot, folks go outside. They’re at the beaches. They’re at the parks. They’re trying to escape the constant humidity and heat prevailing in this sunbox.
In the spirit of Spring’s arrival, with Summer fast-approaching, I’ll be posting some photos of various locations in Tel Aviv.
Here’s some shots of Tel Aviv’s beautiful white-sand beaches. Cool-off!
Click on images for super-size photos. All images on this website are (c) Holyexposures.com, however, you may use them under the terms of this site described in our about page.
Top Israeli Films of All Time:
1. Sallah Shabbati (1964) - Directed by Ephraim Kishon, starring Topol. Notice the hillarious Mike Burstein in a cameo role. Arik Einstein is there too. This is the quintessential story of the young Israel set in the late 1950’s as Sephardic (Oriental) and Yemenite Jews were immigrating in waves due to changes in policy in the Arab countries. This man’s story, Sallah, is told to represent the light-hearted look at a heavy subject of the trials and tribulations of integration (or lack thereof) to an intrinsically Ashkenazic (European) society. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Not to be missed.
References: IMDB Movie Synopsis Wikipedia Listing
2. Givat Halfon (גבעת חלפון - (1976 Directed by Assi Dayan, Starring Shayka Levi, Gavri Banai, and Yisrael Polikov (The stars of Hagashash Hahiver comedy troupe). This is probably the funniest movie ever made in Israel. Even 30 years later, lines from this film are used in everyday slang. “יש לך זפטה שמש”. The plot and premise don’t really matter, other than to give devices for the Hagashash to have fun at the expense of everything. The scene where Shayka teaches the Egyptian Officer how to make good Turkish Coffee is truly inspired Israeli comedy at its finest. Watch also for the young Tuvya Tzapir as the zany Miluim Officer.
References: Wikipedia Listing Video Clip #1 Video Clip #2
3. Chagiga B’Snooker (חגיגה בסנוקר (1975 - Starring Yehuda Barkan and Tuvya Tzapir. This film exposes the Israeli underside, the mob, as a bunch of nutsos in a madcap film. Yehuda Barkan gives his most hilarious and memorable performance as Snooker huksters try to outsmart the mob and all the craziness that ensues. Although admittedly cheesy humor, it is screened faithfully every year on Israeli TV usually around Yom Haatzmaut (Independence Day).
References: Video Clip Wikipedia Listing
4. Ricochets (1986) (Shtei Etzbaot MiTzidon) שתי אצבעות מצידון
This anti-war story is told thru the eyes of a young recruit joining his unit in the Lebanon War (של”ג). The movie was also well-received by international critics. The plot and action is simple, but the message is clear - war is bad.
References: Video Clip Wikipedia Listing
5. Hashoter Azulai “The Policeman” (1971) - Directed by Ephraim Kishon - Starring Shaike Ophir as Officer Avraham Azoulay. Ophir is policeman in Yafo. He is bumbling and naive, but with more pride and inner-knowing than others in this genre (such as Inspector Clouseau). The music and themes in this film are tragic and uplifting all at once. The final scene of this film, has become one of the most memorable in Israeli cinema. This film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and won the Golden Globe in the same category.
References: Wikipedia Listing IMDB Listing Video Clip
Also See: Top 5 Modern Israeli Must-See Movies
A average piece of machine made matzah has about 110 calories per ounce / 28g. I must have consumed 10,000 calories from matzah on the first day of the holiday alone!
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There is something metaphorically enticing about these crackers. Don’t you feel like having a bite?
Some folks will go to just about any extreme to get their house ready for Pesach (Passover).
This woman (my lovely wife :)) is even willing to climb up on our roof and scrub. Now that’s what I call extreme Passover cleaning!
Today we burned our chametz. All unleavened bread and foods have to be removed from the house or sold before Pesach (Passover). Part of the tradition includes burning the last bits of chametz the day before the holiday. Since the holiday starts on Sunday, and we are forbidden from making fires on Shabbat, we do it on Friday morning instead.
In our neighborhood, someone usually starts a fire, others join, and before you know there’s a bonfire. The one thing that puts a hamper for me on this age-old tradition is having to walk thru the carcinogenic air around each fire.
Every year I see folks burning plastic bags along with the chametz they collected. I went to UrbanLegends.com to see if maybe I was mistaken in what I’ve always known to be true. Burning plastic causes cancer. Although the urban legends site says that there is no evidence that using plastic containers in microwaves, there is however great cause for concern if PVC is present in the plastic (which is common in grocery store plastic bags).
“Studies have shown that dioxins may be released into the atmosphere when chlorinated plastics such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) — which is a component of some plastic wraps and food packaging — are incinerated at high temperatures.“
So next year when you go to burn your chametz, please be advised that burning plastic is dangerous to your health and the health of those around you.
I live about 1 Kilometer from the infamous Burka ladies cult who’s leader was taken into custody last month. Read the Jerusalem Post article for some background.
I have seen these women (well, not really them, but their burkas) walking in the shopping center in Ramat Bet Shemesh Bet near the post office. It never really sunk in what these ladies are trying to accomplish. I actually thought in my subconscious how ironic it was that nuns from the nearby monastery have to come to the ultra-orthodox neighborhoods to do their shopping (or to mail packages).
What’s hard to swallow is that this cult leader was systematically physically and mentally abusing her children, and allowing other unmentionable taboo acts to take place under her own roof. All the while, she’s dressed in a dozen robes for ‘extra’ modesty. Gimme a break!
A friend mentioned to me a couple weeks ago that a women from this cult had joined their synagogue for the Megilat Esther reading on Purim. No one had recognized her (sic). She said that the ladies all moved to the other side of the room from where she was sitting. If I had seen a woman come to my synagogue dressed like that, and i didn’t recognize her voice (!?), I would demand that she immediately remove her extra clothing so as to be sure it was not, G_d forbid, a suicide bomber.
Anyways, here’s a burka lady in her natural environment in Ramat Bet Shemesh. Let’s play Where’s Waldo… Israel style: “Where’s the Burka Lady” in this picture?
A few years ago, I visited friends in New Jersey for Shabbat. We went to their synagogue for services and my friend introduced me to their Rabbi. The Rabbi welcomed me to their community and asked from where I had come.
I said, “I live in Bet Shemesh, Israel since 1994. I am an executive at a high tech company there, etc…”. He then said, “From your accent it sounds like you came from somewhere else”.
I responded, “True, I made aliya from Chicago”. Then the Rabbi says, “You’re from Chicago? Fascinating. Tell me about West Rogers Park. How are the schools, what’s the community like there” etc… I then reminded him that I hadn’t lived in Chicago for over a decade.
What if I been a tank commander? A politician? A diplomat? I guess living in Israel just isn’t exotic anymore. I suppose more Jews from Israel make it to synagogues in New Jersey than transplanted Chicagoans. Signs of the times.
Every time I speak with my friend, I remind him now as sort of a mantra, that his Rabbi was more interested in my Chicago roots than my living in Israel.
Here’s a Bus Stop in West Rogers Park, Chicago
Reading the Torah in Ramat Bet Shemesh (Hachnasat Sefer Torah)
