Year: 2006

Chag Sameach to everyone. It is now just two days after Yom Kippur and I can already hear the hammering of poles, a rhythmic clanging, and the thrashing of palm fronds as they are cut down for schach. In fact, the majestic palms that line the thoroughfares here are shorn each October for schach, their… Continue reading Sukkot is in the Air

It is Erev Yom Kippur and, once again, the streets are as busy as ever with everyone preparing for Yom Kippur. Here in Israel, most people fast no matter how religious they are. The paper runs articles on how to prepare for the fast and how to fast safely, complete with menu suggestions. The country… Continue reading Yom Kippur – G’mar Chatima Tova

After having been in Israel for one year, we still feel very privileged to be living in a place where the Jewish calendar is an integral part of life – a magical rhythm no matter how religiously affiliated one is. Looking out my kitchen window when I do the dishes, I just have to glance… Continue reading Shana Tova

This story may not be about life in Israel but it has taught me a lesson. When I first arrived in Israel, I used to get frustrated by Israeli bureaucracy – not any more!I am a Canadian citizen and I have a passport. Problem is, it’s expired. So I downloaded the forms, filled them in,… Continue reading Want A Canadian Passport, eh?

So the ‘מצב,’ or the so-called ‘situation’ here has changed for the moment. The skies are eerily quiet. Last Shabbat, choppers and transport planes filled the night sky, rumbling above. It was nerve-wracking but we grew accustomed to it. I would always be searching the sky, wondering whose son was up there and what fearful… Continue reading A Flute, A Goblet And The Value Of Life

We lost the war. Unbelievable. My mind is reeling as I watch events unfold.Olmert, Peretz and Livni can spin it as much as they want but nobody here is fooled and nor is Nasrallah. The country is in shock. The soldiers and the nation had the will to win and our government let us down.… Continue reading We lost the war.

I recently received an email from my mother in Toronto. It was entitled “Action Alert – We need your help!” The email told of a special program that was about to be aired on CBC radio last Thursday. The show was called ‘Hearing all Sides’ and was to focus on personal experiences of those affected… Continue reading Does the CBC really want to "Hear All Sides"?

I just signed up for FOX News last week through my satellite company because my friends in the old country told me that it was the most balanced of the major non-Israeli networks. I already want to give it back to them. One problem is that the other news channels that come with the package… Continue reading Day 26 of the War

Cry to Those Using Babies as Shieldsby Naomi RagenJul 30, '06 / 5 Av 5766HomepageMy son is in the army. He is not the type at all, believe me. Quiet, studious, a writer, a lover of Jewish history, Talmud, ethics. He spent two years in a pre-army program in the Galilee called Karmei Chayil. He… Continue reading Kfar Kana as discussed by Naomi Ragen