Havel-Havalim celebrates back to school, NBN celebrates back to Israel

West Bank Mama has the comprehensive roundup of Jewish/Israeli Bloggers posted here, posted early so you can spend a full week reading your way through the Jewish Blogsphere.

Nefesh B'Nefesh must be hard at work figuring out which of the worthy JBloggers to bring here on the famous flight. I'd like to add another nomination and a half to what I already said here and that is Leora of Here in HP. I enjoy reading her blog which besides being nicely designed is an interesting slice-of-life of a talented artist and Jewishly committed mother in New Jersey. She also gives freely of her expertise to other bloggers. I think having her 'take' on aliya would be illuminating. The other JBlogger who I would nominate, if I could, is Ilana-Davita an English teacher in France with a lovely blog which combines interesting Tora musings, book reviews, essays and lovely photography. I read the rules again and I think she doesn't qualify. Too bad, I'd really like to meet her.

Shavua Tov!

Sad Birthday Gilad Shalit

I have a friend who says that everyone gives you presents on your birthday but the one who should be honored is your mother after all, she's the one who did all the work! In the case of the Shalit's then this day is a significantly sad one.Aviva Shalit actually apologized to her son

"Sorry for failing to bring you back home to this day, despite our many efforts," she said.

It's not that efforts aren't being made. But it is a very frustrating situation since Israel has to deal with the Hamas. These people don't go by any civilized rules. The Red Cross has not even been allowed to visit Gilad. This leaves concerned civilized governments and citizens to use largely ineffective means. Petitions and demonstrations don't work so well to influence murderers like the Hamas. But keeping Gilad in the news has at least helped to convince Hamas that a live Gilad Shalit is worth more than a dead one.
On that note, I'd like to nominate David Appletree of the Jewish Internet Defense Force for the Send a Friend to the Second International Jewish Bloggers Convention. Thanks to NBN for organizing it!

Number One in our prayers and thoughts - #2 on Twitter

Over the last two days I watched and learned a bit more about social networking. Someone named David Appletree posting as Jewish Internet Defense Force set up a group on Facebook inviting folks to 'Tweet4Shalit' on August 26.
OK, I said to myself, here's a good use of social networking. (Although I have used Facebook to post and see photos of friends I have never really gotten the hang of Twitter.) The choice of August 26 was interesting;

"Tweet4Shalit’ is a 24 hour Twitter event in which thousands of supporters will sign onto Twitter to tweet the hashtag ‘#GiladShalit’ with the goal of making Gilad a top ten Twitter ‘Trending Topic’ two days before his birth (recognizing that his actual birthday occurs on Shabbos)."

As midnight approached on Tuesday (actually aroun 11pm) I opened up my Twitter and began seeing JDIF and others starting to post messages with the #gialdshalit. This allows Twitter to spot the keyword and count the mentions. The more there are the higher it gets on the list. When it gets into the really top ten everybody sees it. As people see this they are curious and look at the messages carrying the tag.
I really thought it wouldn't work. It seemed to me that there were so many topics on these lists that not only didn't interest me but I couldn't even figure out what they were talking about. Of course the fact that these 'tweets' are limited to 140 characters doesn't help either.
To make a long story short. 400 (of my) tweets later (I used cut and paste a lot and also an automated tweet later site) we can proudly point to this headline:

'Tweet4Schalit' campaign reaches No. 2 spot | Israel | Jerusalem Post

Now all that's left is to see Gilad Shalit arrive home safely. That will take more than a cyberworld exercise. 

Why is the Red Cross ignoring Gilad Shalit!

Irate Israeli citizens have been protesting the visitation rights for terrorist prisoners being held by Israel.
These terrorists, who have killed and wounded Israeli civilians or been responsible for planning such killings or helping others carry out the killings, are visited by their families regularly in the Israeli jails.
Unlike Gilad Shalit who has been held 1156 days and even the Red Cross has not seen him! Why does Gilad Shalit not have the same rights as these murderers? Why are we discussing how many of these murderers and their collaborators will be freed in return for positive news about Gilad Shalit? Why can their mothers and fathers visit them?

The Israel Prison Service has will not be allowing visits tomorrow to two of the three jails where Hamas prisoners are being held.

Let's hope this is the beginning of a new policy towards these 'negotiations'.

Don't forget to the Tweet4Shalit Campaign - August 26th !!!

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Rav Kook Yahrtzeit Edition at Haveil Havalim 231

Kol Hakavod to Esser Agoroth for this very special edition of HH!

Avraham Fried singing to Gilad Shalit

For a brief history of Tweet4Shalit see here.
Don't forget to Tweet for #giladshalit on August 26th (if you're on Twitter)

Hat tip to Rafi

For Gilad Shalit

Gilad Shalit's capture and incarceration has been on our minds for 1150 days. It is a crime that this situation continues. In 'normal' wars the International Red Cross deals with communications and physical conditions of soldiers captured in the line of duty.
Why doesn't this apply to Jewish soldiers???
Why is my country being blackmailed into setting free hundreds (thousands?) of terrorists convicted of murdering and maiming civilians???
How Mubarak, the leader of a country which has a peace treaty with Israel state that Gilad Shalit "is unharmed" but not produce even a shred of evidence of that. Yet, he makes excuses for the lack of failure of the "deal" for the release of Gilad Shalit.
The poor Gaza residents quoted in yesterday's New York Times are complaining about their bad roads.
Gilad Shalit should be sent home and reunited with his family and my family and the families of all of Israel should not have to be endangered to do it.

Bring Gilad Shalit Home Now!

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Call out to God!

This picture is from the celebration where a Tora scroll was placed in the ark of a synagogue on a tank corps base in the Golan Heights. The scroll was dedicated on Gilad Shalit's Jewish birthday with the hope that we will merit the safe return of the kidnapped soldier. (More pictures here.)

I just heard an interview on the radio with someone who is organizing the donation and dedication of another Tora scroll, this one at Rachel's Tomb, tomorrow Rosh Chodesh Elul. He asked that people come to the dedication tomorrow at 7:00 pm. At the dedication they will be reciting five chapters of Tehillim (Psalms) and he asked that those of us who can't come say them as well at the same time.

The chapters are: 20, 24, 121, 130 and 142. פרקים: כ' ב"ד קכ"א ק"ל קמ"ב
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Call out to the world!

The other thing you can do is joing the Tweet 4 Shalit campaign on Facebook and Twitter. Use the #giladshalit early and often on August 26 - Gilad's birthday. This may not be as effective as prayer but if everyone 'tweets' a lot together and puts the #giladshalit out there at the top of the list it can bring a measure of publicity recognition of the problem.

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Seven Things I Love

This week Haveil Havalim is here and last week it was here.

I owe Batya at me-ander a meme of this title.
So here goes:


1.The defining things in my life have always been about being part of a Jewish family, people and country. The first two were easy being born into a loving Jewish family helping develop my Jewish identity through the home as well as school. (The Jewish country came later.) So number one definitely is my family.

2.I love relaxing somewhere peaceful and interesting with someone I enjoy being with. This week David and I went up north and on our way to Tzfat (Safed?) we stopped to picnic at the National Park in Zippori where we had a picnic overlooking the Galil under the shade of very old olive trees. The tree on the right is a pomegranate. Years ago we had a pomegranate tree in our front yard. It sprouted on its own from seeds that fell to the ground from pomegranates we had hung as decorations in our first succah in that house. It took a few years before we even realized that it was a tree. That just shows how much pomegranates want to grow in the Land of Israel.


3. I love being a part of the chain of history of the Jewish people. Visiting an archaeological site in Israel makes me feel like getting personal regards from the past. At Zippori, it was the members of the Sanhedrin who after the destruction of the temple kept Judaism a living religion by enabling the focus to shift from the sacrifices in the temple to prayer and study of Torah. It is where Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi compiled and edited the Mishnah.
In this photo you see a menora scratched into a paving block of one of the streets in the town, those very streets that the tanaim (rabbis quoted in the mishna) walked on. They were here with their families, living in these homes and walking these streets uncovered over the last 20 years or so. And here we were, walking along discussing the events that led up to their move and its effect on us today. (See #2)

4. Safed (Tzfat, צפת) is a beautiful city nestled 900 meters (3,200 feet) above sea level overlooking the Kinneret. It has a long rich history almost all of it Jewish in nature. It's one of the four holy cities in the land of Israel, Jerusalem, Hebron and Tiberias being the other three. Tzfat's Rivka Ziv Hospital, which has a breathtaking view of the Gallil can't help but contribute to speedy recovery, is where I spent a month waiting for my twins to be born. It is definitely a great place to be when summer's high temperature and humidity make Rehovot icky-sticky and uncomfortable. For three amazing nights Safed hosts a Klezmer Festival. Each night at each of nine (9!) different venues in the old city and artists quarter there are four different performances of klezmer and Jewish music. It's all free and one can wander from one show to another. There were tens of thousands of people all sitting on plastic chairs, steps, benches or standing and clapping. I love being part of a happy crowd having a good time!

5. We stayed in a lovely tzimmer (a room attached to someone's home) which had it's own entrance, patio overlooking the Kinneret, kitchen corner, TV-radio-CD and who knows what else entertainment center, and Jacuzzi bath. The house was about a ten minute walk from Tzfat's old city where the Klezmer Festival was held. I have never taken the time to really enjoy a Jacuzzi so this was a first for me. (See #2 which applies here as well.)

6. I love new beginnings. My twins, now fathers themselves, are both in the process of moving this week. My youngest begins sherut leumi, national service in two weeks. My oldest granddaughter goes to first grade on September 1.

7. I love Jewish weddings. On the way home from Tzfat we went to a wedding at a winery just outside P'sagot a settlement outside Jerusalem with an incredible view. I love having the chuppa symbolizing the home the couple is setting up outside. I love the way the crowd (see #4 happy crowds) dances and sings to accompany the groom and then the bride to their new 'home'.

OK, I don't know who hasn't been tagged yet. Last time I had to tag no one did it. But anyway I'm tagging Esser Agaroth and Life in Israel although they might have been tagged already. Whatever.

5 Words + 1 picture says it all!

This picture is making the rounds on the Internet. It led me to the amazing site of the graphic artist Aharon Shevo, who it turns out lives not far from Rehovot.

Mr. Shevo is a graphic artist, a graduate of Bezalel Academy. He was born in Hungary in 1943 where his father Matityahu, also an artist was taken away as slave labor leaving his pregnant mother and several other children never to be heard from again. The family was transported to the gates of Auschwitz when Aharon was just 10 months old. The train waited outside for three days and then was sent back to Vienna. In 1951 the remains of the family made aliya to Israel. The family spent several years in ma'abarot (temporary immigrant housing).

Shevo is also the man responsible for the poster below. Some people have a knack for capturing and summarizing in one piece of art the mood of an era.

From the heart to the heart!

My friend Jill, who I met many years ago at a shiur "Women and Halacha" given by Rabbi Aryeh Frimmer at the Jacob Berman Community Center in Rehovot. She also led an afterschool course for kids to learn karate which my youngest daughter participated in.

Jill is the Executive Director of El HaLev, a non-profit org in Israel that empowers women, children and people from vulnerable populations through the Martial Arts and Self Defense.

Read all about this amazing project over at Powerupmama.