Holy Exposures

where are they now?

I sometimes think about the famous Woody Allen movie, Annie Hall. There’s a famous scene where in a flashback kindergarten-aged children in a classroom, stand up one-by-one and announce what they will be in when they grow up.  Obviously, with Woody’s satire and genious sardonic approach, some of the kids become doctors and lawyers, while others become fellons, others die in car accidents, etc…

That scene had me thinking when I stumbled upon this photo from 1988 in Washngton DC of a somewhat random group of people I was either friends with at the time, and/or had grown up with.

Looking back at the 13 friends standing here, who could have known that twenty years later these would be the results: Four are living in Israel (two went back to USA), the rest in the USA.  One was the victim of a terror attack, two got married to each other,  two were divorced and one became a haredi rabbi.

Anyone out there who thought that Jerusalem was a sleepy town? All ultra-orthodox yeshiva students, no play? Well, have a look at this night scene in the center of Jerusalem, on the Midrachov (Ben Yehuda Street) at around 11pm.

Looks to me like folks are having fun!  No wonder you can’t get a seat on a flight to Israel for less than $1,800 these days (and that’s assuming you can find a flight with an empty seat)…

Israel Channel One TV is broadcasting the Olympics in Israel.   The sports announcers are a bit aggressive in their predictions,  and they do have a flair for the dramatic, but overall the coverage has been plentiful.

I like to get the ‘behind the scenes’ stories on athletes, so I am usually checking out Walla , who frequently include video interviews of athletes and a good recap of the day’s events.  The Ynet (Yediot’s website)  is more focused, as usual, in the context-based ads to the story you are viewing. Anyone tell those yokels that we don’t like interstitial ads on every article we read?

There’s actually been little drama in these olympics for Israel, other than the Phelps-Spitz connection (after all, Mark Spitz was a Maccabean Champion before he was an Olympic Champion!).

There was also the story of the Israeli swimmer, Alon Mandel, whose father died tragically in Israel just as his son was settling in to the Olympic Village in Beijing.  The son decided to swim, as he said he thought his father would have wanted, and broke an Israeli record in the process.  There was some hoopla in the press with a religious leader back in Israel suggesting that the son should have shown more honor to his dead father and flown home immediately for the funeral instead of keeping the body on ice for nearly a week.

Ok, now to the results.  After one week of action, Israel is still looking for it’s first medal in these games.  Many of the early favorites have already failed in their attempts.  Our hopes for now are pinned on Kolganov in Kyaking who today reached the semi-finals.

Let’s go blue and white!

Update:

Shachar Zubari brought home Israel’s first (bronze) medal in this Olympics in windsurfing. He’s only 19 yrs. old, and comes from Eilat.

If you are looking for a great way to spend a couple hours with your family this summer, head on over to Mini Israel, an outdoor walking tour within an enclosed park that showcases all of Israel’s popular sites in miniature.  The park is located just off Highway #1 near the Latrun exit.  The current admission fees are 69 NIS per adult and 25 NIS per child (under 5).  If you have a Leumi Mastercard, you can get 1+1 admission, but that will only work for 2 tickets max.

In the summer, the site is nearly impossible to traverse without protection from the sun. Be sure to come prepared with sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, and plenty of water. The park overs free sun umbrellas that you return when you leave.  There are also water mists in several locations in the park, so you can cool off before going to the next venue.

Here are some photos of the sites at mini-israel: