LET THE SUNSHINE IN

Some people liked Oklahoma. Others liked South Pacific. Then there was My Fair Lady and West Side Story...(my Uncle Mikey ran to see that one because he thought it was a cowboy movie!).

And who could forget Funny Girl or Mary Poppins? The Sound of Music and Camelot.

For a lot of reasons, my top three have to be:
1. Hair
2. Fiddler on the Roof
3. The Man of La Mancha

I haven't been on line in for a couple of days. Very unsual for me, but as someone said, 'Life is what happens, when you're busy making plans.'

I won't go into detail, but a family crisis came up and I had to drop everything and be Mommy.

It has been a long couple of weeks and thank G-d, things are coming back to normal and we are moving along.

This morning, I woke up and walked to my bay window. The view from my living room window is of the 'monstrosity buildings' that are going up in front of my house, and then off to the right, the Malcha Mall and all the way across the valley to Gilo, and finally to the left, towards the city proper.

It is a spectacular view, except for the 'monstrosity buildings' that are...you get it, and I never fail to smile as I look out at my wonderful Jerusalem.

This morning as I walked over to the window, the sun was just coming up. The colours...the rays of the sun...and finally the blinding yellow light sweeping away the remains of the night before...ahhhhh.

I thought of the musical Hair...Let the Sunshine In.

I thought of my own astrological chart:
We are in the Age of Aquarius...the moon was in my seventh house...Jupiter was aligned with Mars.

Now I don't know if peace is going to guide the planets and if love will steer the stars but I sure hope so.

What I do know is that today brings a new dawning of a bright new day and I am so grateful for all my blessings.

And I am glad to say that everything is ok and 'HONEY, I'M HOME'.

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

YOU CAN TAKE SALEM OUT OF THE COUNTRY...BUT

Some of the best commercials on television when I was growing up were the cigarette comercials.

CALL FOR PHILLIP MOOOOR-REYIS (Phillip Morris).
The Marlborough Man on his trusty steed looking like he just won the Alamo all by himeslf.
Winston tastes good, like a cigarette should.
And Salem. That was a clever commercial. You can take Salem out of the country, BUT, you can't take the country out of Salem.

Why was it so clever? The jingle ran over and over but at the end it stopped at BUT...and automatically everyone answered 'You can't take the country out of Salem.'

Smart.

Songs. They take us back down memory lane. They are symbols of when we fell in love...when we were at the Prom...when we broke up and nursed our poor hearts.

Israel is a land of song. The two most famous being, in my opinion, Hatikvah, our national anthem and Hava Nagila.

Imagine my surprise when I received an email this morning with a clip of Hava Nagila, Thai Style!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0RtRTx7NMA&eurl

Now, to tell you the truth, I have seen all kinds of song and dance troups playing and singing Israeli/Yiddish songs. Anyone can do a Chassidic melody and between the costumes and the dance steps know that we are back in the Shtetle.

And those bright costumes and bare footed dancers doing the Hora.

But this Hava Nagila I have never seen before.

Actually it warmed the cockles of my heart.

Go...go check it out. If Moses had made it to Thailand this is what Hava Nagila would have looked like. In the meantime I am stamping my feet, clapping my hands and smiling from ear to ear.

One more time!!! Yahoooooooooooooo.

Shavuah tov.

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

GOBBLE GOBBLE

Well! Don't ask how much we gobbled down last night at Rena's huha Thanksgiving Dinner. Between the turkey (with extra skin), stuffing, gravy, cranberry relish (to die for), regular cranberry sauce...ps there are no fresh cranberries in Israel and they had to be imported by a friend just for this meal...,cornbread, sweet potatoes, regular mashed potatoes, little baby peas, brussel sprouts, pecan pie and apple pie.

The woman outdid herself! And cooked like a crazy fiend for two days! And the twelve of us did serious damage to our diets as we gobbled down everything.

Like locusts we began to swoop up all the food on the table. I was amazed that even I was chomping, chewing, chomping, chewing. I don't usually eat my meal quickly. But last night we tripped over each other as we reached for more.

Later, I realized that it wasn't just that the food was so fabulous...and trust me it was...but it was food from the Old Country. Food that we only eat once a year, and then only if we are lucky enough to be invited to a Thanksgiving feast. Even Rena wouldn't make that meal for just one or two people. So, everyone there knew how special it was, which added another element to be grateful for.

When I moved to Israel there was no such thing as Coke...oy there was some sweet yukky Tempo thing, but not COKE...no ice cubes...no MacDonald's/Wendy's/Burger Ranch/Burger King/Kentucky Fried Chicken.

So, whenever I went back to Candada, that was the food I ran to eat. My kids used to look at me like some meshuggeneh lady. Once, I sneezed and Bubbie Chanah said, 'Bless you.' and my then nine year old piped up, 'And Baby Jesus, too!' I looked at the kid. What did he know from Baby Jesus? Didn't I move away from all that so they wouldn't have to deal with Baby Jesus?

'Honey, why do you think that Baby Jesus will bless me?'
'Imma! Look at all those goyisheh hamburgers you are eating.'
'Ah, honey. I guess it would be like, if you lived here and then ten years from now went back to Israel and found felaffel.'

He looked at me as if to say, YAH RIGHT.

Today the only food I chap down is MacDonald's/Burger King/Burger Ranch...and Rena's fabulous Thanksgiving feast.

I hope your meal was as full of good food/good friends/good fun as ours was. Thank you Rena!

Like my dearest Maeshey said, 'Finally a holiday without Yoshkeh/Moisheh/and anyone trying to kill us.'

Nu, so for that I'm thankful too.

Shabbat shalom.

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

SO, MY DAD (AH) TOLD ME...

My Dad, (AH) didn't say much, but when he did...boy oh boy we all listened. For example, my Dad told me that a set of car keys was like a loaded pistol and could kill just as quickly. That ditty he mentioned the first day he handed me my own set of keys. I gulped, walked to the car, and was afraid to turn on the ignition. But it worked. I tried to always be a responsible and careful driver.

He told me that every time I point a finger at someone there are three more fingers pointing back at me.

He told me that if I was going to steal anything, I might as well steal a lot, because I would be spending a long time in jail anyways.

And, he told me that it was hard to be a Jew. Not, God forbid, that he was sorry we were all Jewish, but whenever things went sour or wrong or bad, he would say, 'Tochter, Jews were born to suffer.' And I knew that, just as the Jews survived, so would I.

I miss my Dad.

I wonder what he would say about this email I received yesterday:

In a large Florida city, the Rabbi developed quite a reputation for impressive sermons, so much so, that everyone who was Jewish in the Community came every Shabbat.

Unfortunately, one weekend a member had to visit Long Island for his nephew's Bar mitzvah, but he didn't want to miss the Rabbi's sermon. So he decided to hire a Shabbat goy to sit in the congregation and tape the sermon so he could listen to it when he returned.

Other congregants saw what was going on, and they also decided to hire Shabbat goys to tape the sermon so they could play golf instead of going to Shul.

Within a few weeks' time, there were 500 gentiles sitting in Shul taping the Rabbi.

Eventually, the Rabbi got wise to this.

The following Shabbat he, too, hired a Shabbat goy who brought a tape recorder to play his pre-recorded sermon to the 500 gentiles in the congregation who dutifully recorded his words on their machines....marking the first incidence in history of artificial insermonation!!!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

GOBBLE GOBBLE

While growing up in Windsor, we didn't go meshuggeh for Thanksgiving...that was up to our American cousins. And since we lived five minutes away through the tunnel or over the bridge from Detroit, we were lucky enough to be invited by family and friends to their Thanksgiving celebrations.

Tomorrow Rena is making her usual Thanksgiving Dinner...for seventeen people...two turkeys/stuffing/mashes potatoes/sweet potato maychel/cranberry sauce and relish/three pies...and a partridge in a pear tree!

I once made a turkey for my own family. The kids looked at the platter and said, 'Imma what a big chicken!'...and then we were left eating turkey for a week. That was the end of the turkey cooking in my house.

So, I have never made a Thanksgiving dinner. But, that doesn't mean that I don't have lots to be thankful for.

1.I'm thankful for my children and my babies.
2.I'm thankful for living in Jerusalem...even though sometimes it hasn't been easy.
3.I'm thankful that Bubbie Channah is alive and well and living here in Jerusalem.
4.I'm thankful that I have the best brother in the world.
5.I'm thankful for Maeshey and Sydonia and the Guv and Chutzpah who have stayed so close
even though we are on different sides of the ocean.
6.I'm thankful for friends, new and old, who care and share and love Israel.
7.I'm thankful for my health and sense of humour (who could survive living in the Middle East
without a sense of humour?).
8.I'm thankful that I'm busy...working/writing/caring for my family.
9.I'm thankful for a wonderful childhood.
10.I'm thankful to God for smiling in my direction and offering a helping hand when I need it.

OH...and I guess I should be thankful that I am a katchkeh (chicken) and not a turkey! :)

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

WAIT BUBBIE CHANNAH, I DIDN'T MEAN IT!!!

I woke up this morning before five. Don't ask. As Bubbie Channah says, 'Getting old isn't for sissies!'. So, since I couldn't fall back asleep and didn't want to wake up everyone in the house, I turned on my computer and went visiting my favourite blogs.

I don't know what is more fun...reading the original blog, or the comments other writers send in. Personally, I love the comments I get on my blog.

Well, I was tootleing along reading and commenting until I got to LemonLimeMoon...go check her out...wonderful graphics and great blog.
http://lemonlimemoon.blogspot.com/

At the top of her blog for today, she pointed out that today, November 20, 2006, is National Take a Jerk Out for Lunch Day!

Whoa! And today is my day for lunch with Bubbie Channah. Every Monday, Ma and I have lunch in a restaurant downtown. And usually she pays for lunch. Does that mean that I am the Jerk? Maybe I should take Ma out for lunch, leaving her to be the Jerk.

Nisht shayn, not nice...an 83 year old great grandmother to be a Jerk. Ok, Ok. Today I'll do Ma a favour and let Her take Me out for lunch. I'll be the Jerk.

I mean, after all...what's a daughter for?

ps. We also meet Rena and Channah...but they pay for themselves...so if they turn out to be Jerks it has nothing to do with me.

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

DONTCHA JUST LOVE SHABBAT?

No matter whether you're religious or not, dontcha just love Shabbat?

Even though we are not shomer shabbes...we watch tv, talk on the phone, and turn on our computers...shabbat is still something special in our place.

I love the way my house smells when all the food is cooking and the final rush to get everything done before lighting candles.

There's a hush that comes over Jerusalem on the weekend that fills your heart. It's different. Stores are closed, the busses don't run, businesses shut down and it's quiet. Men come home with flowers for their wives. Fresh challot are on the tables.

And food you don't cook during the week is prepared for Shabbat. In my house we have roast chicken, roasted vegetables, either a Middle Eastern meal such as gondi or moussaka, or a roast beef or cholent, rice, salad and fresh fruit.

I love taking a nap on Friday afternoon.

And then there's Saturday. Quiet. No one's in a hurry. No job to run to, business to attend to...just quiet.

My husband loves to go visit his brothers on Shabbat. I love to stay home and read.

And everyone goes to lie down after lunch.

How wonderful.

Then Sunday pops up and it's back to business, as usual.

Since we don't have a two day weekend in Israel, I guess we have to appreciate our Shabbat even more...our seventh day of rest.

See, God knew what He was doing.

Shavuah tov.

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT BUT I LAUGHED LIKE HELL

An Arab-American family was considering putting their grandfather in a nursing home.

All the Arab facilities were completely full so they had to put him in a Jewish home.

After a few weeks in the Jewish facility, they came to visit Grandpa.
"How do you like it here?" asks the grandson.

"It's wonderful!! Everyone here is so courteous and respectful," says Grandpa.

"We're so happy for you. We were worried that this was the wrong place for you."

"Let me tell you about how wonderfully they treat the residents here," Grandpa says with a big smile.

"There's a musician here -- he's 85-years old. He hasn't played the violin in 20 years and everyone still calls him 'Maestro'.

"And there's a physician here -- 90 years old. He hasn't been practicing medicine for 25 years and everyone still calls him 'Doctor'!!

"Also a Federal Judge, retired for over 30 years, is still addressed as 'Your Honor'.

"And me, I haven't had sex for 30 years and they still call me 'the f---ing Arab'!"

Shabbat shalom.

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

RAISING CHILDREN IS LIKE CHEWING ON A STONE

I don't know about you, but the three best days of my life were the days I gave birth to my three kids. Really.

But, no one told me that I would stop sleeping from the minute they were breathing on their own. See, I'm a sun sign Cancer with Leo rising...both these signs are family and child oriented. We are the proverbial 'Jewish Mother'.

Five years ago we went from a household of five...me, hubby, son, daughter, son to just me and hubby. One day my oldest came home and announced he was getting married. MAZAL TOV! Two seconds later our daughter announced it was time for her to have a place of her own. OK. And a few months later our baby went into the army. OY.

Hubby and I walked around the place sorta lost for a while. Until we discovered the peace and quiet of not worrying. You know what I mean. 'It's three in the morning where are they?' kind of worrying.

They say that a daughter brings light into the house. Of course it does. No one sleeps till she comes home at night!

I thought that when the kids moved out it would be my turn. Yahooooo. I finally did learn to cook just for two. And to sleep without listening for a key in the door. And, the biggie...not to call them a zillion times a day to see how they are.

But, no matter how old they are, you worry about them and hope and pray that they are healthy and happy. And when they are in trouble you run to defend and protect them.

Now I understand the joy of being a Bubbie. It's not that you can send them back to their parents thingeeee. It's the peace of knowing there are two other people who worry about those babies and are responsible for them. It is the joy of watching their little faces light up when you walk into a room. It's hearing them call you Bubbie for the first time.

Yes, raising children is like chewing on a stone, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

May all our babies be safe and happy...tfu tfu tfu!

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

MY MIND IS LIKE A VIDEO WITH FEELINGS

Today as I was teaching one of my students he looked at me and said, in perfect English, 'My mind is like a video with feelings'.

Whoa! Say that again...my mind is like a video with feelings.

Effi, (not his real name) was standing next to the bus when it blew up. He ran to help whoever he could. He was in eleventh grade. Effi's had numerous psychological problems ever since. One more of the walking wounded.

But I've been thinking of that sentence all day. My mind is like a video with feelings...how gorgous, how spectacularly gorgeous.

Who was it said, 'A mind is a terrible thing to waste'?

When all the bombs were blowing up around me, I began making deals with God.

Dear God,
I need my brain. So please watch over my head. I need my eyes and ears. See, I write a lot and have two granchildren and love to hear their laughter or the sound of their voices as they call me Bubbie. I need my hands and arms...computer, knitting, tapestries.

I know what God...take a foot. You can have a foot.

Terrible to make deals like that with God.

And then, a year ago, I slipped in the kitchen on a patch of water. No, not really slipped...I did my imitation of Sonia Heinie doing the splits! And to make matters even worse, I did a repeat performance two weeks later.

Since then I've thrown out those shoes.
Since then I've got a twinge...a creak...a pain I didn't have before.
Since then I have a slight limp when I don't get up correctly.
Crich...Crich ( to rhyme with ich ich ).
Don't ask.

See, a person has to be careful when making a deal with God.

But, just between us, boy am I glad I only bargained off a foot.

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

MY LIVING WILL

A while back I received yet another email with a blank form to fill out...a living will.

Euwwww! I thought. But being the curious soul that I am, I read it. Loved it. Adjusted it. And here it is.

Living Will
I ,__________________________, being of sound mind and body, do not wish to be kept alive indefinitely by artificial means. Under no circumstances should my fate be put in the hands of pinhead politicians who couldn't pass ninth-grade biology if their lives depended on it, or lawyers/ doctors interested in simply running up the bills. If a reasonable amount of time passes and I fail to ask for at least one of the following:

1. A handfull of people (you know who you are) ______
2. Diet Coke ______
3. A phone call from my children ______
4. Lunch with Bubbie Channah ______
5. A walk down any Jerusalem street______
6. Meurav Yerushalmy(Jerusalem Mixed Grill, mmm)______
7. A good book to read ______
8. Pecan Pie ______
9. To talk about the book I am writing______
10. A cup of coffee ______
11. Chocolate ______
12. A hug_______

It should be presumed that I won't ever get better. When such a determination is reached, I hereby instruct my appointed person and attending physicians to pull the plug, reel in the tubes and call it a day.
Signed____________________

Shavuah tov...

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

THE HERSHEY MAN WILL KNOW

Are any of you old enough to remember that commercial that had a rugged cowboy saying:'I'd walk a mile for a Camel'?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel_cigarettes

In the old days I smoked. We all did. I stopped October 4, 1994...gained a zillion pounds but my doctor said he didn't care as long as I didn't smoke. I immediately asked him if he would put that in writing for Bubbie Channah.

I would never walk a mile for a cigarette. BUT if it was chocolate...well, that's a whole different story. I would get out of bed in a snow storm and trudge to the nearest makolet (7/11)...I would take a taxi to the supermarket...I would call my husband and beg, plead and cajole until he brought home something....anything...ahhhhhhh chocolate. You get the picture.

So, today when I opened my email and found a note from 'The Baldie and the Beauty'...entitled YOUR AGE BY 'CHOCOLATE'...I forgot about the cooking and sat down to try it.

Don't ask...it works. Ready? Get your pencils. Don't cheat. Here we go:

1. pick the number of times a week that you would like to have chocolate
(more than 1 but less than 10)
2. multiply this number by 2 (just to be
bold)
3. add 5
4. multiply by 50...I'll wait while you get the
calculator
5. if you have already had your birthday this year add 1756
6. if you haven't had your birthday already this year add 1755
7. now
subtract the four digit year that you were born

You should have a 3 digit number left.
The first is your original number i.e. how many times you want to eat chocolate each week.
The next two numbers are your age.

Oh, YES it is!!!

Just a little fluff in the middle of the excitement I call my life in Jerusalem.

Shabbat shalom.

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

IF ARIEL SHARON WOKE UP

I recieved an interesting email yesterday from my friend Dani in Tel Aviv. I'm going to try and translate it from the Hebrew.

Tel HaShomer Hospital,on a rainy evening.
Shmil, was the lucky one to pull this shift watching over Ariel Sharon.
Everyone knows he's no longer the Prime Minister, except for Ariel, himself.
Shmil is just sitting there peeling an orange. The security guard is asleep in the corner.
Suddenly, the equipment in the room begins to hum and ring...lights flash!
The Prime Minister is waking up!

'Haven't slept like that in a long time,' he says. 'Boychik, get a hold of Adler for me. I have a couple of new ideas to run by him.'

'Good evening, sir,' Shmil says. 'How do you feel?'
'Starving! Where am I?'

The security guard continues to sleep in the corner of the room while Shmil answers his question.

'Nu so you got screwed into staying here tonight with your Prime Minister, eh?'
'I'm sorry to be the one to tell you, but you're no longer Prime Minister.'

After a couple of uncomfortable moments, Arik asks,'So who took my place?'
'Ehud Olmert.'
'Olmert? That Jerusalem idiot? What does he know? What will happen if a war breaks out? He doesn't know how to lead the army! Lucky that Shaul is still there.'

'Shaul Mofaz is Transportation Minister.' Shmil explains.
'So who is in charge of security?'
'Peretz.'
'That old man is still alive?'
'No, not Peres...Peretz...Amir Peretz.'Shmil whispers.

'What? Are you crazy? I close my eyes for a second and you let the head of the Histadrut take over the security of the country? Listen, boychik, get a hold of my son Omri, he'll take care of things.'

'Sorry, sir. Omri is on his way to prison.'
'Prison?!? Over that stupid thing? I don't believe it!I need my lawyer and quick. Get Dori Klagsblad on the phone.'

'Klagsblad is on the way to jail like Omri,' explained Shmil. 'He was in a car accident. Wasn't paying attention and killed a young mother and her little son.'

'Then get me Itzhaki. Avigdor always knew how to take care of things.'
'Sir. Itzhaki is under suspicion for illegal tax practises. He took care of things a bit too well.'

'Can't be! I know Avigdor! Get me the head of the police.'
'Sorry, sir but he's busy with the investigation.'

'Of course he is. He's a policeman.'
'No, sir, he himself is being investigated.'

Sharon takes a deep breath. 'How is it possible that our entire judicial system got so messed up? We have to get these two out of trouble. Call Tsachi, the Minister of Internal Affairs.'
'Tsachi Hanegbi isn't Minister any more. There are too many written accusations against him.'

'So who is Minister of Justice? Who did Olmert appoint?'
'Haim Ramon.'
'So get him!'
'Sorry, sir. He's being investigated for sexual harrassment and resigned.'

'What!? Never mind. Lets cut some corners, call Katzav. He's still President, no?'
'Sorry, sir. He's being investigated for rape and for illegal wiretapping.'

'That Katzav. I always felt he stood too close to you when he spoke. Listen, the situation is really terrible. I need the head of the Army...Get me the Commander in Chief. Bogy...eh sorry, Chalutz. He's ok, right?'

'There's something about...never mind it isn't criminal. The problem is about losing the latest war with Lebanon.'
'But, he was only a pilot.'
'I said the second Lebanon War. You were sleeping, remember? We, uh, how do I put this to you gently? We lost. But the Prime Minister said we should sit patiently. Maybe it will turn out to be a success yet.'

Arik gazed around him. 'Tell my boychik, what's your name?'
'Shmil, sir.'
'And what's your status here?'
'I'm an orderly, sir.'

'Orderly, eh? Listen, so do me a favor. Don't tell anyone about this conversation.'
'You can count on me, sir.'
'I'm going back to sleep. And sorry, eh?'
'You're forgiven, sir.'

NOW FOR A TRUE STORY:
New Year's eve, 1991. I get a phone call from my friend Jack (AH) informing me that they have a pancreas and kidney for him and he's on the way to Tel HaShomer Hosptial. I drop everything, call our friend Channah and the three of us go to the hospital.

Jack was in surgery for hours. And hours. We sat there waiting until he was taken to intensive care.

Every day or so Channah and I travelled to the hospital to visit Jack. The doctors finally told us that Jack was fighting coming out of the anesthetic and they decided, that in order to protect the transplants, they were going to keep him under for a few more days.

A few more days turned into almost two weeks. At that point the doctors had no choice but to force him awake.

Just as he was coming to, the air raid sirens went off. Tel Aviv was under attack. The Gulf War. As per instructions the entire hospital staff put on their gas masks. Davka, at exactly that moment Jack woke up.

'Dead. I'm dead. And on Mars!'

It took the doctors hours to calm poor Jack down. See before he went under there was no war. There were no missiles. And no one was issued a gas mask kit.

TODAY:
Today the Americans voted in their first Muslim. Statistics show that within the next twenty years they will be able to vote a Muslim in as President of the United States.

And no one is talking. But let a few gay people want a parade and the whole world goes crazy.

Maybe Jack, G-d rest his soul, was right. Maybe we are on Mars.

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

I LOVE A PARADE

The gays are going to have a parade. The Gay Pride Parade. In Jerusalem. On Friday.

My question is...AND WHY NOT?

Don't get me wrong...I am not gay...and although I read Tehilim every day and keep a kosher home, I am far from being religious. So, it's easy for me to take sides.

My side is in the corner of 'freedom of speech'. You don't like the parade? Stay home!

This is a country where Arabs are members of the Knesset. Where all kinds of people march and demonstrate. Peace Now, the far left, the far right, and anyone and everyone in between.

I have never heard of a gay person killing a straight person because he didn't like his/her sexual preferences. I have never heard of a gay person asking for anything other than to be treated as an equal in his/her country of choice. And the truth is, that all the gay people I know are not only lovely people but I am proud to call them friend.

I wasn't going to get involved in this online. My feelings don't necessary have to be aired in public. But as it stands, some people are going to get hurt, and G-d forbid maybe seriously injured because other people don't approve of their sex lives!

Is that nuts or what?

Oh, I get it. You can hurt and maime and maybe even kill anyone who is different as long as you have a reason. Is that it?

You can kill Jews because...well we all know that story by heart.
And the Muslims are threatening the free world because...I know, I know, the infidal thing.

The year was 1977. The place was a Chicago suburb of Skokie. One out of every six Jewish citizens was a survivor, or directly realted to a survivor of the Holocaust. And that is where the neo-Nazis decided to hold their parade.

It's called 'FREEDOM OF SPEECH'...and once you take away a person's freedom of expression the entire world will suffer.

Did I want those neo-Nazi bastards to march? Never. I don't even want them to exist.
Do I like it when the other political side goes out and holds a rally spewing their agenda? Never.

But, I am thrilled that I live in a country where it is ok to do so.

You don't want to see the gay parade? Fine. As I said, stay home. But G-d forbid, any of us have the power to say what freedom is. One for all and all for one and the whole place benefits.

All pigs are equal, except some pigs are more equal than others? Never. Some are simply pigs.

I hope and pray that Friday's parade begins and ends without one person being hurt...for all of our sakes.

I don't know if I would have the guts to march and take my chances. The person who throws that stone is not brave. He's a coward and a bully. And should be ashamed of himself.

Oh, God...sometimes I wonder why You made religious leaders and let's throw in a couple of government guys too. Not a good example for my children and grandchildren. Hey, maybe the straights should have a parade and all of us who have a complaint can holler stuff at them as they march. Sticks and stones et al.

Have a good day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Like everyone I love birthdays. I think the day a person was born is as special as his/her name. But I am terrible when it comes to remembering dates. I think it has to do with never having to remember telephone numbers any more...they are all written inside my phone...cell phone...iPAQ.

I used to remember everyone's phone numbers. And street addresses. But now with the push of a little button the little lady who lives inside my phone looks you up for me.

Flashing back to Lily Tomlin as Ernestine...One ringy-dingy...Two ringy-dingy. Ahhhhh the good 'ol days.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lily_Tomlin

A couple of days ago a dear friend, Frances from Tel Aviv, sent me a wonderful site...birthday alarm. So, I went and checked it out...and wrote the following email to my list:

Hi, I'm setting up a birthday calendar and need your help. Just click (or copy and paste) the link below and enter your birthday details. (It's quick, easy and you can keep your age secret!)...
http://www.birthdayalarm.com/dob/75349297a524680516b362

...and guess what? Almost thirty people answered. So now I can wish them all a happy birthday and not forget their special day. I would love to wish you a happy birthday too...so, if you fill in the information on the site I will be able to join my good wishes with everyone else on your birthday.

Oh! And for those of you who are interested...my birthday is July 11, 19#*...you didn't really think I would fill that in here for the world to see, now did you?

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

LIKE A LOOSE FLOORBOARD

I just got an email from my oldest friend Sydonia. We met when I was six months old. She was the 'older woman', being already a year old. The delicious part of this story is that for the past...er...lotsa decades, we have stayed great friends. She lives in the States and here I am in Jerusalem. But thanks to email, etc. communication is a daily joy.

Today she wrote 'the past is the past, but it is like that loose floorboard you never see but when you step on it always hits you in the face'!

I thought whoa, I can relate to that. Things you did because you had to do them; people you hurt without meaning to, who, nevertheless got hurt; loose ends that suddenly show up demanding attention.

The important part of the quote, in my opinion, is that you always get hit in the face. Right in the kisser. Can't ignore it. Nose bleeding. Seeing stars.

And you feel hurt and guilty and uncomfortable because you did what you had to do, and you did the best you could do under the circumstances.

Then you start blabbering and trying to explain yourself. The end result is you still feel bad.

Especially when the person pointing a finger at you is your now grown up kid. And they do. It's like they sort of have to clear the slate. Whammo. And they go back to approximately when the wheel was invented.

I raised my kids never to tell a lie. So instead I nearly had a heart attack a zillion times when they came to tell me the truth.

'That's nice honey, thanks for telling me.' And run for the Xanax.

We can handle our kids. Why? Because they love us. And they forgive us. And they turn into us.

But what are we going to tell our future generations? How come a politician automatically loses his conscience and sense of right and wrong the second his tush fits into that government seat?

And if he is the daddy and we are the mommy, don't we have an obligation to at least point out the mistake?

Because I can promise you, the kids are going to come home with all our faults and...yup, right in the face.

It is raining in Jerusalem. Yahooooooooooooo. So, I am off to make a pot of bean soup. Doesn't cold and rain feel like bean soup? I'm making enough...you're all welcome to join us.

Shavuah tov.

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

THE ELEPHANT AND THE JEWISH QUESTION

My friend Rena calls it 'The Elephant and the Jewish Question'. You know, when out of the blue, it's always our fault.

Here is today's newest...from the Jerusalem Post. A HOLOCAUST CARTOON CONTEST...DONTCHA JUST LOVE IT???

Moroccan wins first place in Iran Holocaust cartoon contest
By The Associated Press
Meant to be a response to the
Danish cartoons of Islam's Prophet Mohammed that sparked rage among Muslims around the world, the exhibit appears inspired by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's tirades calling for Israel to be destroyed.

Now what in blazes does this have to do with us, I naively asked. Are we Danish? Was the Danish newspaper Jewish? Ahhhh, a little voice inside answered...it's the Elephant and the Jewish question. Happens every time. Sorta like Murphy's law...when all else fails "blame the Jews".

Abdollah Derkaoui received $12,000 for his work depicting an Israeli crane
piling large cement blocks on Israel's security wall and gradually obscuring
Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. A picture of Nazi Germany's Auschwitz concentration camp appears on the wall.

Nice...and look at all those green dollars he got. His mama must be so proud. First Prize!

Carlos Latuff from Brazil and A. Chard from France jointly won the second prize
of $8,000 and Iran's Shahram Rezai received $5,000 for third place.

Like I said...big bucks.

The Tehran daily Hamshahri, a co-sponsor of the exhibition, said it
wanted to test the West's tolerance for drawings about the Nazi killing
of 6 million Jews in World War II. The entries on display came from nations
including United States, Indonesia and Turkey.

I get it. It's a test!

Well, get this Mr. Ahmadinejad...THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IS NOT A MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION!!!

A friend sent me this site. Try it...you'll like it...reduces stress...go ahead you know you want to. AHHHHHH...didn't I tell you?

http://www.danpat.fi/janne/flash/kuplamuovi.swf

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

WANNA PLAY WITH ME???

Like most of you, I spend a lot of time now on the computer. Between my writing for the Jerusalem Post, and my blog and your blogs, and my book, and emails and and and...well you get the picture.

In between brainstorms :) I play games...solitaire, of course, and jigsaw puzzles, but my all time favourite is scrabble.

I used to play entire games until I found that it was simply too time consuming.

Then, Alex, from my writing group told me about The Pixie Pit!!!

Go ahead...ask me.

The Pixie Pit is a greatttttt scrabble site.
http://www.thepixiepit.co.uk

When you get into the site you have to chose a destination. Pick scrabble online. Michael, the head pixie, has set up a great, fun way to play scrabble while keeping in contact with old friends and new.

The game is played one move at a time through your email. Now it costs ten dollars a year...but i don't know if there is any chance for a guest player to try it out. In the beginning it was free. But ten dollars is more than reasonable for twelve months of great fun. Oh, and Michael is more than willing for you to put a ten dollar bill in the mail if you don't want to pay online. I've had hackers in my computer in the past and never do any business online.

I play with the guv in Canada...sydonia in the States...alex in Israel...and a lovely lady ess from Ireland who I met at the Pixie Pit.

So, for any of you who like scrabble and are looking for a partner, I'm your man...er lady...er person.

Check it out, it really is a great site and a lot of fun. A couple of minutes to clear away the cobwebs is always good. And besides, how much can a person listen to how they want to kill us and wipe us off the map and 'I didn't do it' but everyone knows he did and my new all time favourite, Mrs. P.M. saying 'Oy they are out to get my husband' as she lives in her fancy home that somebody gave them a gazillion dollar reduced price on. Puleeze lady, give me a break.

Ok, off I go to start my day. Teaching, teaching, teaching and then I'll be back to check up on all of you.

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.