You can take the girl out of California....

I'm back!

That's literal and figurative. I was in Los Angeles till yesterday and I know, I know, they have internet access in Lalaland but I was busy and also in a different head space. And hey, without Bezeq it just ain't fun. I had actually started to post a couple of times but kept getting interrupted so I gave up. Need the Judean air to inspire, I suppose.

So why was I on the West Coast? Glad you asked. I got to see my dad, which was a nice side benefit. It was not to shop- although I did hit Loehmann's for a couple of hours, an experience that deserves it's own post if I have the time. I was actually there for a few days with a Member of Knesset from the National Union, Arieh Eldad. How that came about is that there are some terrific people in the States, both members of the tribe and non, who are quite upset with the type of leadership we are suffering from in Israel today (no other way to put it) and would like to help politicians who are honest and decent with vision and integrity to perhaps get a bit ahead. (It's a short list.) Some of them care tremendously about Israel, some are extremely concerned that if the Saturday people get whacked the Friday people will then go after the Sunday people and they would like to prevent that. It's about saving the free world and maybe also a bit about not looking attractive in burkas. Different strokes for different folks.

I will elaborate another time, my fingers are cracked from scrubbing out the fridge, Matanya has 12 friends here for a sleepover birthday party (what you get when you give birth just before Pesach; wait till his bar mitzva next year) and they want pizza, homemade, natch. Melted cheese on the last of the pitot will have to do.

So this is a quickie just to reassure all you - both of you-worried readers that I'm still here in this insane reality. My Dani went into the army this week and hopefully will come home for Shabbat so I want to make some of his favorite food now, too. Enough excuses, will be back soon. I hope. We change the clocks tonight (Shinui arranged that so that Seder would start late and the kids would be crabby, they did anything to stick it to the religious, so sad) but I hope to have some extra time before Shabbat. Yeah, right. I can hear the laughter of many Jewish women at that one.

Till then. It's a beautiful crisp spring Judean evening. So good to be home.

Soaps go Native

The bag near my desk smells delicious, but it's nothing edible. (Well, only if I say a bad word).

I'm due to go to the States later this week, unless there's a public sector strike on Wednesday that will ground planes, which will upset me greatly since it's an important trip that people have planned for awhile. Looking for a unique gift to take I decided upon some soaps, introduced to me by my daughter and son-in-law last month as their birthday gift. (I'm 39. Again). They're made by a small company named noveya (www.noveya.com) as a way of combining the natural properties of the Biblical 7 species of the Land of Israel with beauty and health products. So a box contains 7 soaps made of olives, pomegranates, dates, wheat, figs, grapes and barley. They look too nice to use but I will open mine any day now. Really.

Meanwhile I hope it will be a good gift for those who have pretty much everything. And not break in my luggage, either. I figured it was a way of introducing an understanding of how agrarian Judaism is, how tied to the land, this land where these grains and native fruits grow as they have for millenia and the part they played in the development of our rituals.

Last year I was reading 'Guns, Germs and Steel' by Jared Diamond about how and why certain civilizations succeeded and others failed. (Think Tutenkhamen for starters). Some were more susceptible to disease (smallpox, for example), others had weapons or technology before the rest. Knowledge tended to flow latitudinally , not longitudinally, a desert could really mess things up. And other very cool facts, like who made fatal mistakes so you'll read about Incas but not meet any. The book speaks at length about how wheat and barley were the significant grains in getting people to go from a nomadic, hunter lifestyle to a farmer role, settled in villages near fields. And the first 5 things harvested after these grains were--drumroll--pomegranates, olives, grapes, dates and figs. This area has had people since there were people, and our Torah highlights how Judaism's roots are here so deeply, you can see that by what grew and continues to grow here. (Israeli wines, olive oil and fruit still amaze.)

A few months ago some ancient emmer wheat seeds were discovered in the area of the South Chevron Hills, a type which need very little water to grow. There are now some very excited people in Israel hoping that they can germinate this type of wheat in arid regions such as in Africa to feed the many starving people there. So typical for Israeli Jews- to make an exciting discovery and then try to help others, too, from the knowledge gleaned.

After 4 days of rain, a clear, cold Judean evening.

Of Vineyards and Kings

The Bezeq guy just left on this rainy Judean afternoon; hopefully now all will be okay in cyberland. Ran my new 'convergence plan' theory by him but he reassured me that Bezeq is not the enemy so we have nothing to worry about. We did agree that sometimes it's hard to know who the enemy is, though, so I'll hold the thought.

Meanwhile I will post 2 days running just in case he's wrong.

The usual disarray that passes for the norm in Israeli public life is with us this morning, looks like Olmert and Peretz are still proclaiming their greatness even after commissions find them culpable for last summer's failures. And all this reminds me of the brilliance and timelessness of Bible stories. (I am far from a scholar but like to relate what little I do know to current events. Keep things in perspective. Good word, that.)

So what does the news have to do with the Bible? A few months ago I had the rare opportunity to visit Northern Samaria, an area usually off limits to civilians because of the proliferation of terror cells, specifically Islamic Jihad. I had organized a bus as part of my former job and we had the requisite permits and security. We visited the city of Shomron (Samaria) which gave the area its name, built by King Omri long, long ago. There's an area there that was once an altar for idol worship. Our guide took the opportunity to say a prayer for the successful eradication of idol worship from the land of Israel, which got me thinking. You can say a lot about Islam and their, well, unusual take on the sanctity of human life, among other things, but one thing they are definitely not and that is idol worshippers. (I'm an optimistic kind of person, like to give credit where I can). So when we were promised that idol worship, which gave our prophets major headaches in the days when there was real prophecy, would be removed from here, it was. Oh, we're still not having an easy time reclaiming the homeland, but idol worship isn't one of the problems.

Hurray for progress.

What was even more fascinating that day was the discussion comparing the 2 Israelite kings, Ahab and Saul. On the face of it Saul was the better guy; Ahab was married to Jezebel (the original, so I'll say no more) who among other things had him kill Navot and take his vineyard in a version of 'eminent domain' right near Shomron, which is why the topic came up. Elijah the Prophet then sought him out, asking "have you murdered and also inherited", (a sentence that the people of Gush Katif justifiably cried last year to Hamas when they took over Gaza). But Ahab, instead of blaming the wife, which would have been par for the course (think Adam and the Tree way, way back in the Garden) accepted responsibility for his actions. Compare this to Saul who blames the people for his not killing Amalek (see Haman, Purim story) instead of doing the mea culpa thing to Samuel, that era's gloom and doomer.

Getting to the point: Saul loses the kingship then and there, his royal line ends with him. Yet Ahab's descendents, like Omri, continue to rule. That's how seriously God himself takes the standards of leadership. We don't expect perfection, but we do need responsibility and accountability.

Neither of which do we have in this generation. But certain messages stay very relevent through time. Kudos to the author.

Now how we solve this sans overt divine guidance is something else entirely. Ideas?

On line again, naturally

I have finally figured out the government's plan to drive the Jews out of Judea and Samaria.

Lousy ADSL internet service.

I have been trying to post here for 3 days and am having a ridiculously difficult time getting on line. I am not alone- many of my neighbors are also suffering and of course Bezeq, the national phone line provider, denies any problem. Yesterday I had an important document to e-mail to a public official and it took hours and many phone calls (through Bezeq lines, of course. Hmmm. The plot thickens). How are professionals -or amateurs for that matter- supposed to get any work done when each page times out repeatedly?

So you heard it here first. The aptly named 'Convergence Plan' is insidious but brilliant. We will be unable to do what we need to do from our home computers and it will lead to us 'converging' on internet cafes within Little Israel in order to function. Yup. Go with the simple. It's not about Mecca proposals and King Abdullah-Bush tete a tetes. It's the so called 'Convergence Plan' all right and it's all in the details.

(I'm not sure when you'll be reading this since I'm writing it off line and will cut and paste later, when I can finally get onto my blogger site. So if you hear of a diversionary tactic- like the IDF finally going into Gaza to dismantle the terror infrastructure- you know who was behind it. The hilltop blog youth, and some middle aged ones, too.)

When I first started the blog a friend dropped me a note and said that she hoped I "stayed regular". Initially I thought she was concerned about the known systemic side effects of matza, with Passover approaching. Then I realized what she meant. Well, D., I'm trying.

We're not down for the count quite yet.

Wildflowers and Wild People

Earlier this week we took the 2 younger kids on a hike (okay, okay, meandering walk) in the area of the Adullam Forest about a half hour drive west of our home. The wildflowers are in bloom- narcissi, cyclamen, poppies and lupines are rioting everywhere, a delightful change to the usual rioting we hear about. In a country not known for disciplined behavior there is an astonishing consensus about not picking wildflowers. Few laws are so strictly adhered to (think of someone smoking under a 'no smoking' sign and you have an idea of what passes for usual behavioral mores here) so the profusion of color, smell and texture is enjoyed by all. Nature rocks.

It was a beautiful day and we wandered through what had once been an area of settlement for millenia. The area is rife with caves as it transits from the hard limestone of the Judean Hills to the chalky earth of the foothills. One large cave appears to be a columbaria, or dovecote, although it's far from certain. In Temple times the pigeon/turtle dove was a common sacrifice and so the niches in the walls could have been for the birds, although it's a bit far from Jerusalem. One of my favorite guides (Era Rapoport) related to me when I was here with him that he was once in the cave with a world expert on columbaria who was pompously declaring that this was not one, as he could not envision any birds entering. Just then 2 pigeons flew in and sat in the niches.

So much for experts. Had some, er, egg on his face, me thinks.

As with so much archeology one looks for clues as to the meaning of the remains that we find. I was explaining to the kids (as we examined pottery shards) how it was like detective work, painstaking but so rewarding when it falls into place, and how the history belongs to all mankind and teaches us about times past. Just then we came upon what has once been a burial cave with a fancy lintel and sections of ossuaries strewn about. The sign told us that 15 years ago the cave had been vandalized so there was no entry. It's all too common all over Israel that Arabs go to caves and sites, digging up even graves looking for antiquities to sell on the black market. The theft of coins and other valuables is bad enough, but it's the wanton destruction of what has no price that is worse- wrecking the evidence that remained of the people who lived and died here. All that is destroyed during the robbery. If the layers are messed up we don't know when, for example, the ash is from - ie. when the fire was, or who ate the seeds that were found, or who traded with the Greeks because a pot has clay that is from the isles, not local. Etc. That knowledge is priceless and the damage irreversible. Some of our ancestors hid there to escape Romans and other enemies, others stored food and water or used natural pools for ritual baths. And of course many other people came through and have left clues for us to piece together. There may be no other land in the world with such a variety of historical remains due to our sitting on the crossroads of Africa, Europe and Asia, as well as part of the ancient Spice Route and with ports to the Mediterranean, too.

Seems like some nations only leaving their mark by trying to erase others. So sad. For everyone. Remember the ancient Buddhist statues in Afghanistan that were destroyed a few years ago? Same idea.

It's another lovely evening in Judea after an unusually warm day that hinted at the coming spring. No wonder the flowers are blooming- they've got the rain soaked ground below and the warm sun above. Lovin' it.

Purim is over. Isn't it?

Someone should tell the Jerusalem Post that Purim is over and they can stop running all those satire pieces. Like the article about the guy masquerading as Defense Minister who lost it in the Cabinet meeting yesterday. I mean, really, who would believe that this Mexican bandito look alike union hack would have that kind of responsibility with so many threats facing Israel? Even for Purim it's more pathetic than funny. It's almost on the level of having the most corrrupt and least popular pol in the country be Prime Minister. Get outta here.

And the one about China asking Iran to please, please open their nuclear facility for inspection; the accompanying sidebar has the Iranian FM denying that they've even temporarily halted uranium enrichment. Guess all that oil just isn't meeting their energy needs. Like, they wouldn't be doing all this for anything other than peaceful reasons, right? Which leads to the 3rd article on the page reporting on the meeting between Hamas' Mashaal and Ahmadinejad saying that "Israel will eventually disappear from the map and Palestinians (sic) should prepare for that". Yup, no point in procrastinating. Plan must be to kill us with kindness.

We have our own FM, Tzippi Livni, peeved because the latest blood libel type claim, that Israel massacred POWs in the '60's (they just happened to be battling Israeli troops at the time and not captured) is riling up Egyptians and putting a crimp in her visit with the Egyptian FM. "Right now the relations between Israel and Egypt are based on peace and understanding......" says she. Wow, there are 2 Egypts. How cool is that?

Moving right along, German (German!) senior bishops compared conditions in today's Ramallah to the Warsaw Ghetto. (I have found in my many years of Israel advocacy work that Europeans love to compare Israel to the Nazis, it relieves them of any guilt they may have over what they did during the war- or at least didn't stop others from doing. I mean, if we treat the Pals like we were treated then WWII is nothing to feel so bad about, whoever is in power kicks the little guy. We were getting it from them in the 40's so we trundled over here and did the same to the innocent Arabs who didn't know what hit them. I had that argument thrown at me by a Pal in a debate; that they were the ultimate victims of the Holocaust. I'd heard it before but usually not accompanied by Holocaust denial arguments, it's traditionally one or the other. I politely asked him to make up his mind what tack he was taking because you can't claim to be the victim of something that never happened. He was nonplussed, I was delighted. Knockouts are rare in this business, I have savoured that one for a long time now.)

Wrapping up what must be the Purim spoof section is of course the report of the Kassams falling outside a 'strategic facility' south of Ashkelon, shot from the Gaza Strip. I mean, no sane country would allow nearly daily barrages at not only their cities and civilians but at power plants and other critical infrastructure. No wonder (Ashkenazi, at least) Jews are the funniest people in the world, according to academic research published last year.

Maybe we have it all wrong and it's really Purim every day. I'll drink to that.

Hail to the Queen

Purim is over for most of us in Israel. Jerusalem and Safed and cities that were walled in Joshua's time (don't ask) are celebrating Shushan Purim now, because the Jewish residents of the Persian capital were allowed an extra day to be very politically incorrect and fight those who meant to kill them for a whole day more. Guess that's how they did it in those days with no CNN. Cool. We had a great day, though, giving alms to the poor, feasting, sending goodies to our neighbors, helping friends empty those pesky, half filled scotch bottles.

Megillat Esther, which we read last night and today, is an unbelievably fascinating book and look at palace intrigues of 2500 years ago, a real Arabian Nights. Unfortunately, certain things about that world remain the same, so like too many women today Esther did not have control over her life. The beautiful Jewish orphan was forced to become Queen to the Persian Medean King whom historians say was Xerxes, after their conquest of the Babylonian Empire. Among the 127 nations the P-Ms inherited were the Jews, exiled from Judea after the First Temple was destroyed.

Esther is the heroine of the story, risking her life to intercede with the king against Haman, his powerful 'chief of staff', who wants to kill all the Jews and appropriate their wealth because he hates one Jew, Mordechai, Esther's uncle. (The basis for much anti-Semitism over the centuries, , that extrapolation). There's a lot more that would take, well, a whole megilla to discuss, but one point has really resonated with me for a few years.

At a critical juncture in Jewish history Esther does what has to be done and along with the brilliant political savvy of her uncle they not only save the Jews physically but reawaken them religiously, preventing their assimilation into the first diaspora . (For a terrific read on the book in 'modern' terms check out The Dawn by Yoram Hazony. And when I figure out how to make that title light up in blue and send you to the site I will do so, meanwhile do a search, the book is available through Shalem Press. Women in the Arab world have sadly not made too much progress for equal rights; I'm lagging in the hi-tech arena. Patience, patience.)

Back to Esther. She pays an enormous price for her bravery and loyalty since her own lineage ends, her children do not identify as Jews. Evidence supports the theory that King Darius, who was sympathetic and let Jews return to Judea and begin rebuilding the Temple, was her son, but he is a Persian and she is off the Jewish stage from this point on. The disparity is further compounded by the very last word of the megilla which speak of Mordechai's offspring, (I just noticed that today) so he was able to stay in the fold while she could not.

This really resonates for me. Raising my kids as proud, devoted Jews in Israel is of paramount importance, as is knowing that the chain continues and that future Jews will come from me. Esther in effect sacrificed her life in order to save the Jewish people, (no less than our young soldiers who die in battle), because she left no one to carry on. So many of us are trying desperately to better the lot of the Jewish people in so many ways; she, by being in that time and place did a magnificent thing, but at a huge cost, a choice no one wants to make. Her personal baton was dropped, her family could not stay a part of Am Yisrael.

Legend has it that she insisted that this book be a part of the biblical canon, a story with a timeless message. How utterly tragic that so many Jews throw away their heritage while others make such sacrifies for it.

On a clear and beautiful Judean evening I gaze at the sky, overwhelmed by a fate that brought me home, to the very place where her family was exiled from so long ago.

In gratitude, a Purim toast to Queen Esther. Your sacrifice was not in vain, for Jews once again live proudly in Judea.

Thanks, m' lady.

Mother of the Year in the Humiliation Category

It doesn't happen often, but today I laughed till I cried.

First I will introduce Earl, father of my 7 children. As my oldest (blond) daughter pointed out awhile back, we are married longer than she's been alive. Hey, in our time it was done that way. I guess she was okay with the idea because she got hitched, too, before presenting us with our granddaughter last year. And no, we don't tease her that much anymore about that brilliant insight, but only because she's made funnier bloopers since then, hence the hair color comment.

But I digress. (Get used to it. I free associate, can't help it, things pop into my head and I know that unless I say it right then I'll forget. Intellectual interlude, senior moment, whatever, in my ADD household this organized control freak has pretty much given up and is getting mellowed and impulsive.) So back to today. Hubby and I are invited to a 'earl'y (groan) Purim party tonight at friends and I decided to get dressed up. For those of you unfamiliar with the Jewish holiday mantra which is "they tried to kill us, we beat them, let's eat", Purim is slightly different but only because of the additional emphasis on drinking, revelry and dressing up in addition to the more serious and meaningful rituals which are not the subject of today's post so we'll do remedial Judaism 101 another day. Think Halloween crossed with St. Patrick's Day with a jib jab look and you'll have some idea of what goes on.

I bought a curly dark wig (my own tresses being Miss Clairol dark blond but I remain with a brunette brain, best of both worlds I think) and tried it on today. Na'ama, who is (too) rapidly approaching 16 was helping me with the 'do' when I realized that Nili needed to be taken to her art class. I grabbed the car keys and Nili and headed out, figuring that I wouldn't see anyone on the way so I could go out like Betty Boop and no one would notice or care if they did.

Wrong. On the way back I spied our other car off on the side of the road. I remembered that our 18 year old son, Amiad, had asked for the car and realized that he must be with his new girlfriend, whose identity he has adamantly refused to reveal. (You'd think he was ashamed of us or something....) And not being one to miss an opportunity to thoroughly embarrass one of my kids (remind me to tell you about chasing Marnina down on the schoolbus with her antibiotics in hand 15 years ago, I think it was the fact that I was wearing pajamas that mortified her but possibly not) I pulled over and tooted my horn. All I could see were 4 sock clad feet up on the windshield, but soon 2 heads joined them. Oh, where is a camera when you need one? (Actually, there was one on my lap because my cellphone has a camera but I forgot.) Amiad's face was absolutely priceless, and more shades of red than a crayola crayon box, the jumbo size. It was so great. I waved sprightly at the girl (adorable and I now know who it is, hah) while he, well, fortunately we have 6 other kids so someone may still take care of me when I get old. But you know, it was worth it. He tore out of there while I gave myself a high 5 while dissolving into hysterics. (Okay, you're thinking that I should get a life. Point taken, but we have to have some fun while waiting for Ahmedinajad to blow. Oh, did I mention that the Purim story happened in Persia? The more things change...)

Even better was coming into the house and telling Earl solemnly that I had caught Amiad having socks with his girlfriend. (They were just talking. Really. Do you think I would write about this otherwise, although there's no doubt I'm more sanguine with my boys than girls. Not fair but true all the same.) He was still chuckling over the story a few minutes later when Amiad came home to major ribbing. He's talking to me - okay, fine, it's because he was hungry and wanted dinner - but I'm not sure he'll be bringing you know who around any time soon.

Too bad. She has a cute instep. And her parents are very nice, too. Wonder if they know.

It's a cold and quiet evening in Judea. Wow, it's nice to laugh. Hope Amiad doesn't read blogs, though.