Joining the Modern World of Electronics..One Step at a Time!

בס''ד

There are so many ‘toys’ to play with.... cell phones, smartphones, computers, tablets and a host of other interesting and intriguing electronics. 

I have never been one to have to have something because it’s the in thing, or just because everyone else does.  Truthfully, I don’t like change. Just ask my husband. My thought is... if it’s not broken..don’t fix it..don’t change it! 

Years ago, my son was in a pigua [terror attack] on the Ben Yehuda pedestrian walkway in Jerusalem.  B”H he wasn’t physically injured but suffered from shock. 

Being only 17 years old, he was too scared to go to the hospital and instead wanted to phone us and come home. He told the police he will go with his parents.  Being in his shock, he couldn’t remember our phone number.

The next day, we bought a cell phone. It was a big and bulky Motorola.  I told my son, he wasn’t to leave home without it.  I convinced myself that I bought him a phone not as a luxury but as a necessity for security. Within a couple of weeks my husband decided he also wanted a cell phone. 

Next came the computer. “What did we need it for”, I told my family [my son and husband really wanted one]. “We aren’t running a business. Just to play, it’s an expensive toy”. 

Several months after saying no, no, no we don’t need it...my mother a”H passed away and she left money and instructions for her grandchildren. The older boys received money to buy computers and the girls wedding dresses. [I wonder how she knew about computers] The married grandchildren received cash. 

Okay, so now we were on the search for the best deal on computers...Believe me, it was the blind being taken...we knew nothing about computers... We learned as we shopped.  Living in Gush Etzion, a fellow from Efrat was recommended to us. He sold us everything but the kitchen sink....  

We were hooked on the computer very quickly. We still didn’t have internet, so we bought some discs and we just played..... Our Kibbutz grandchildren and their friends would come over to play a game or two, we were the most popular grandparents on the kibbutz.

It took another year before we became really ‘modern’ and hooked up to internet.  Just thinking how naïve we were. We were amazed at email and chats.  Our first bill was over 1200 shekels.  I thought my husband was going to burst....We couldn’t understand why it was so expensive....until a very nice lady at Bezeq told us about WOW, a new program Bezeq was offering, to cut the cost of internet. Our bill dropped drastically. So now we were really ‘modern’, cell phones, computer, internet..what would be next for us?   

We traded in our bulky cell phone for three slim, tiny LG phones. Just a plain phone, no camera, no sms, just a phone.  You see, by then, I too wanted a cell phone... This phone was so tiny, it fit in the palm of my hand.

We signed a three year contract, and when the contract ran out we once again joined the ‘modern age’ and bought three Nokia cell phones with cameras and SMS availability. 

I remember how much fun I had snapping everything in sight and sending SMS to my children. As far as I was concerned it did everything I needed but make coffee. 

Now on the market, plain Jane cell phones have been replaced with Smartphones. I think they can make coffee....We didn’t buy a Smart phone, we are still using our ‘dumb phone’. 

Last week, we really became ‘modern’ when we bought two tablets. A new electronic store had just opened in Netivot and was selling a 7 inch tablet for 330 shekels. A great deal. 

My husband and I were back in the ‘stone age’, not knowing what to do with it or why we needed it.  We bought the tablet because our daughter had one and she couldn’t stop talking about how great it was and how it gave you an extra computer in the house. It took our son a couple of hours to figure out how to use and then he taught us. 

So what’s next for us ‘old folks’... I can’t imagine, but then again, I couldn’t ever imagine we would have cell phones, a computer, and now a tablet....[My husband said a tablet used to be something you took when you were sick, today we communicate with it.]  Go figure!

Electronic ‘toys’ can be a bad thing if misused but can also be a door to new horizons. 

Hashem has provided us with the necessary tools to reconnect with our long lost family and friends, to learn through all the shuirim online, to help others who request Tefilia and most important to be grateful for everything we have. Life is good! 

Until next time please feel free to comment and share.

Miriam       

Showing Solidarity With the South........

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Today, 13 ladies traveled to Netivot from all over our country, to show solidarity with Southern residents. These women are part of ‘Coffee Talk’, a closed Face Book group.  

Please read my blog...Even Face Book can be Kosher..... to learn the story

behind 'Coffee Talk'.

http://miriamswords.blogspot.co.il/2012/10/even-facebook-can-be-kosher.html

There are five Southern belles who live in Ma’agalim, Netivot and Beer Sheva. The women who took the time and made the effort to join our face to face lunch came from Netanya, Jerusalem, Elon Moreh, Shilo, Maale Adumim Gush Etzion and Bet Shemesh. They came by car, train, bus, and Sherut [private mini bus]. 

Living in the South, I want to tell my friends, how much I appreciated your effort and enjoyed spending the day you. You are always welcomed in my neck of the woods.    

The weather was beautiful. We met in the center of Netivot and walked, talked, laughed and shopped along the way to our last stop, Greg’s Café. 

When passing a portable bomber shelter, since most of the ladies had never seen one, they were anxious to enter and were amazed with the idea and size. Batya stretched out her arms from one side to the other. This was the width.  

Arriving at the Cafe we met up with the rest of our group. The Cafe had set a long table with a pink tablecloth on a private patio for us. 

We enjoyed a delicious lunch with super service. As a surprise, Hadassa, who makes beautiful hand made beaded jewelry, brought necklaces and earrings that she made and said they were for sale with all money going a needy bride's fund in Netivot. We were also treated to a lesson on making jewelry.

Devorah, thank-you for organizing the Café and thank-you Rachel for sending out the invitations and keeping track of who was and wasn’t coming. We missed you.

I am honored to have met these wonderful, talented women. May we have many more outings together.

I want to wish a Refu'a Shelayma to the ladies, who wanted to join us, but were under the weather.

Chanukah Sameach!

Until next time. Feel free to comment and share.

Miriam

The Flames of Beauty....

בס''ד


At this time of the year, children of all ages are busy making beautiful Chanukah menorahs and other Chanukah decorations at school and at home. 

Chanukah is around the corner...Yea! I love Chanukah! I love watching the flames flicker and dance. I love the family atmosphere.  

Tomorrow evening, Moetzi Shabbat [Saturday night], December 8^th, the first Chanukah candle is lit. Every evening for eight days, Jewish families around the world, use either the familiar colored candles to light the Chanukah menorah, or like our family, use olive oil with cotton wicks to honor the holiday. 

After saying the Brachot [blessings] and singing Maoz Tzur, many families enjoy sufganiot [doughnuts with jelly filling] or sfinjas [a delicious Sephardic doughnut, recipe below] 

There are two famous women associated with Chanukah, Yehudit and Hannah.  These two women show the courage and inner-strength of the Jewish people in the time of adversity. 

Hannah is remembered for her faith in G-d. By teaching her seven sons that sometimes one must give up even life itself for the sake of one’s beliefs and by not begging for mercy from the evil king, Antiochus. When the king saw that six of Hannah’s sons were ready to die rather than bow to an idol, he decided to tell Hannah to reason with her last son and to tell him to bow down. Instead she encouraged her youngest and last son not to bow to evil. Hannah took a stand at great personal lost.

Yehudit, is the daughter of Yochanan the Kohen Gadol [High Priest], and father of the Chasmonean family. 

During the time of the revolt against Syrian oppression, Yehudit told the elders of the city that she had conceived a plan to deliver the Syrian-Greek army into their hands, but they must trust her and not ask questions. 

Yehudit, went to see the Syrian general, leader of the Syrian army, and told him she knew how to deliver the  Jewish people into his hands. Being very interested, he invited her to come and eat with him and tell him her plan. Yehudit told the general that her salty cheese was the best and would bring him some. 

He agreed. Yehudit served the general her salty cheese and continued to feed him the cheese. To quench his thirst she gave him very strong wine, until he fell into a deep sleep. When she was sure he was sleeping deeply, she beheaded him with a sword. 

Yehudit returned to her city and told the elders what she did and advised that there must be a surprise attack on the Syrian-Greek army immediately. When the Syrian-Greek soldiers went to wake their leader they found him dead and because of the surprise attack they fled. Yehudit saved the day and her people.   

During the eight days, for supper we eat something fried in oil, remembering  the little flask of oil that was enough for one day but a miracle happened and the little bit of oil lasted eight days or dairy to remember the actions of Yehudit.. 

What a good reason to eat cheesecakes, cheese blintzes, cheese kreplach, and cheese pies. Yummy!  

Sfinja

1 kilo flour

3 level tablespoons dry yeast

¾ cup sugar

¼ tsp. salt

¾ cup oil

3 eggs.

warm water

Mix dry ingredients, add oil, eggs

Slowly add warm water until dough is soft.

Knead dough to form ball

Oil hands & rub top and sides of dough & bowl.

Cover with nylon wrap to seal

Let dough set until double in size [app.1/2 hour] 

Knead dough again & cut 20 /25 even size balls.

Shape each ball to look like a ring with a large hole in the center.

Allow to rise on a grease tray or plastic tablecloth. Do not use flour, as the donuts will be heavy. Fry in deep hot oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.

Sugar glaze

1½ cup sugar

¾ cup water

2 packages of vanilla sugar or liquid vanilla

Mix together and boil on medium to low flame for 7 minutes.

Cover donuts with glaze or honey or eat them plain... Enjoy!

Thank-you Devorah for your recipe. 

Chag Chanukah Samaech to everyone!

Until next time. Feel free to comment and share.     

Miriam              

Ceasefire, Is This Part of the Plan.......?

בס''ד

It is now 24 hours since the announcement by Hillary Clinton of an impending ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

In the hours before the 8:00 p.m. announcement, the rumor mills between social media, radio and television were just a buzz.

For reasons known only to Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Barak, and the upper echelons of the IDF brass, a ceasefire or as they call it an ‘understanding’ with Hamas was reached.

This latest round of Hamas firing mortars, kassamim and grad missiles at Southern Israel lasted 9 days.

For the first time, Hamas showed they could reach Tel Aviv, our business and financial city, Rishon Le Zion, 12 kilometers south of Tel Aviv and part of Gush Dan, and Gush Etzion, in the Judean Mountains directly south of Jerusalem, our capital city.

As of today, we can see, Hamas has the ability to target not only the Southern kibbutzim, moshavim, yishuvim and cities, they can now strike our three major cities and areas around them. Beer Sheva, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. 

I should note that Beer Sheva, called the capital of the Negev, has been a target for a long time.

What does a ceasefire mean?  Is Hamas going to live in Gaza peacefully, renouncing all terror activities and just be a social party, the masses of Gazians voted for, in their last election or are they going to use this time to restock missiles and missile parts, recruit young, brainwashed boys to be terrorist and offer their lives [as a suicide bomber] for the cause.

I think we all know the answer and so does our government. Hamas are terrorists and will always be involved in terror activities.

Hamas has a goal and a plan on how to obtain their goal.  I pray that our government officials agreed to the ceasefire or understanding, not because of the tremendous pressure Obama, Clinton and Ban Ki-moon put on them, but because they have a plan to stop the terror permanently.  

Only time will tell..........

Until next time. Please feel free to comment and share..

Miriam    

A Grandson Goes to War....

בס''ד
Shavua Tov....

Last Wednesday, the 14^th of November, the Israel Air Force [IAF] launched a targeted strike killing mass murderer Ahmed Jabari, Hamas’ military chief of staff, the head of the terror organization’s military wing and sent him to his 72 virgins.

Jabari was involved in orchestrating the attack in June 2006 in which IDF soldiers were killed and the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit, who was held for 5 years by Hamas. He was responsible for all Hamas terrorist activities originating from the Gaza Strip during the last decade.  

That evening, my daughter called to say that her son, my oldest grandchild, was called up by the IDF and had to report in the morning. A chill run up and down my back. I can’t start to explain the nausea and fear that I felt. I said a small prayer asking HaKodesh Borchu to look after him.

Yoni, a 10^th generation Israeli, is learning in a Hesder Yeshiva, had finished his 18 months of army service during the summer. Everyday, for those 18 months, I worried about him.

My husband and I were so very proud to have a grandson serving our precious nation. The first time he visited us in uniform, we drove him crazy taking pictures. Being in uniform made him a target. This was my greatest fear. As proud as I was, I couldn’t wait for his 18 months to be over.

Now he is back in uniform, waiting for his orders. I didn’t think it would happen so soon. Hamas’s missiles don’t scare me. Having my grandson in a war terrifies me.

May Hashem guide and protect all our brave chayalim [soldiers] and bring them home safely to their families.

If you would like to say Tehillim for our chayalim, the suggested psalms are: 20, 83, 91, 121, 130, 144.

I also pray that our government allow our chayalim to finish the job that they were called up for, and end the terror by Hamas and their band of terrorists in our country. Their mission must not be cut short and in vain.

Terrorist who target civilians must be made to paid the ultimate price for their deeds.

Until next time... Please feel free to comment and share.

Miriam

Mr. Netanyahu, When Will You Stop This Terror?.

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I want to scream. I want to vent. I want my government to care and stop this terror that I and a million plus southern residents have been living under for years. 

As of this morning, since Moetzi Shabbat [Saturday night] hamas and their band of terrorists have fired 140 missiles at Israeli citizens. So far today many more missiles have been fired.

Their aim is getting better with so much practice. They have had many direct hits. Sederot, Eshkol, Shar Ha Negev, Netivot to mention a few.

Families have been living in their safe rooms or bomb shelters. Children in some areas have been out of school. Everybody’s daily routine is upside down..not knowing when or where a missile will be fired.

I know of a young kallah [bride] who yesterday, suffered her worse nightmare.  As her wedding ceremony was getting started, the incoming missile warning siren blasted and 4 grad missiles hit the city. Can you imagine that? How many other kallot have had their dream wedding shattered with a siren and boom? How many more kallot are going to suffer and worry?

This morning, a young family getting ready to start their day, started it with a siren and boom and all their windows in the apartment building where they live smashed. Their 18 month old daughter was sleeping in her bed, under the blankets, was covered in broken glass. What a miracle this child wasn’t cut or worse...

Hesder Yeshiva students had their dorm rooms totaled.  An ice cream store badly damaged.  In all Baruch Hashem there weren’t any physical injuries but twenty six people were treated for shock and several needed hospitalization.

My eleven year old granddaughter was getting on the school bus when the siren blared. A few seconds later, boom, boom. Her younger siblings were too scared to get on the bus and ran home.

All this from one attack. And the saga continues...as I am writing this blog our siren went off. With 15 seconds to go to the safe area of our house it is a good thing I don’t have any little kids here. 

We heard 5 loud booms...yes, 5 loud booms, one after another. We were listening to Radio Darom. Pikud Haoref, Israel’s Home Front Command has a hook up..at least 20 locations were mentioned where the sirens were blaring with the warning of incoming missiles.

 

Mr. Netanyahu, when will you stop this terror?  This is the question on the lips of every southern resident.

 

Until next time..please feel free to comment and share.. 

Miriam

   

The Almost Never Mentioned Injuries From Missiles.......

בס''ד

There has been much written about the terror in the south of Israel and residents living under terror. Each and every time there is a report of a kassam, mortar or grad missile, the first question asked. "are there any physical injuries”.

I would like to write about a different type of injury. Not physical or emotional, but ‘injuries’ that are almost never mentioned in the media, the injury to our children’s education and the economy of the south. Today once again there isn’t any school because of rocket fire.

Southern Israeli Parents Begin Week with School Chain Calls...http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/161935   

Let me start by saying keeping residents safe is without a doubt, the number one priority for the Mayors and Rashei Moetza of the South. They have many very difficult decisions to make. One difficult decision is whether or not to close schools. On one hand, in closing schools, we are allowing Hamas to dictate our lives. On the other hand, many children will be at home alone unsupervised or roaming the streets and malls. It is a damn if you do, damn if you don’t decision. 

Children have to go to school on a daily basis. This is something we can all agree on. Routine is very important for their emotional health. They are the future leaders, business and professional citizens of our country. Every missile Hamas shoots at us causes an ‘injury’ to our children’s education, when it is not safe for them to attend school.When the city mayor or regional Rosh Moetza announces schools are closed, we automatically have a domino effect.

Parents of young children can’t go to work. This means that production in the workplace slows down.  It doesn’t matter if parents are professionals, work in an office, factory workers or store employees.  There are mothers who have lost their job because they chosen to stay home with their children. This is an ‘injury’ to their livelihood. What about parents who go to work but hire a babysitter for the day.  The extra expense is something that many young families can not afford. 

When missiles are flying and striking southern communities, people are afraid to go out. They don’t take the bus, run errands, go to appointments, go shopping, in other words daily life stops. Stores rely on customers and sales to stay in business.

When we purchase a product, clothes or groceries the price includes the vat tax that the government collects to help cover essential services that they are responsible for: the military, health care, education and the list goes on. Each ministry receives part of their working budget from the vat tax.  No sales plus no tax revenues, equals the government will be short necessary money to run the country. 

Our country’s economy is hurt when missiles fly. This is another ‘injury’! Just today, 'Sedrot closes its Marketplace'. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/254389

One more injury that we don’t hear anything about is the ‘injury’ a kallah [bride] suffers on her wedding day, when rockets are flying everywhere. This is the day she has dreamed about all of her life. Will her wedding be cancelled? Will her guest be too afraid to attend the wedding?

Last year we saw a miracle in Netivot. The chuppa [ceremony] had just finished. The guest, were going into the wedding hall for the reception, when there was a siren. The grad missile landed in the parking lot next to where the chuppa had been set up. Baruch Hashem, 5 minutes earlier and we would have seen a real tragedy.

For sure, there are many very anxious kallot today.

It will take the mind of a Solomon to fully understand why our government has been so reluctant to attack the war on terror head on and why they have chosen to leave over a million Southern residents living in fear, never knowing when and where the next missile will strike.

Last night the IDF did several air strikes deep with in Gaza. They must be allowed to finish the job, even if it means sending ground troops and put an end to the terror permanently! 

Until next time. Please feel free to comment and share.

Miriam        

Israelis Under Attack! Weapons of Choice: Missiles, Firebombs, Boulders and More....

בס''ד
Shavua Tov!

Definition of awareness is knowledge, to be informed. This was my goal when I opened a Facebook group page last week.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/awarenessofthesouth/  

I want to bring an awareness of the plight of Israeli citizens who live in the South of Israel.  What plight you ask....  the firing of thousand of missiles from Gaza into southern Israel cities, moshavim, kibbutzim and yishuvim. 

The other day I read a talkback from a very young and naïve American girl who was answering a southern mother posting about her children’s fears and the inaction of the government. This mother wanted to know why the government has not sent the IDF to clean up Gaza.

This young poster replied “politics may have to come before human life because in the long run, in the big picture-people will be SAFER.”  I want to know if she is for real...     

The responsibility of a government is to protect its citizens. Politics should never come before human life.

Before the expulsion of Israeli tax paying citizens who lived in Gush Katif, there were protests almost on a daily basis encouraging the then government to expel the residents, so there will be ‘peace.’

Where are these protesters today? Why aren’t they protesting for the government to end the terror in the South? As a side note, I will tell you that some of the protesters live in the South and are victims of this terror] but where is the rest of the country? You, who live in Haifa, Tel Aviv, Kfar Saba, and yes even some in Jerusalem....you were so anxious to give away our precious land for peace...only we didn’t get peace, we got an increased amount of terror.

The purpose of this blog is not to describe the fear that children and elderly are suffering or the physical and emotional injuries suffered each and every time the siren blares or even to describe what a kassam or grad looks like and that it is filled with ball bearings, screws, nails and glass chips to cause the maximum damage and to maim and kill.

And not to tell you that the boulders and firebombs being thrown by arabs at the residents of Yehuda and Shomron can’t maim and kill because they can and do.

The purpose of the posting is to make you aware that over a million southern residents are being held hostage by Hamas and their band of terrorist, firing missiles indiscriminately at southern communities.  They want us to be so terrified to live in the South, that we abandon our land and run away.  Their goal is to inch down from Gaza [Gush Katif] to the south, to the center, to Jerusalem, to Tel Aviv and eventually take over all of Israel.   

My family and I are NOT going anywhere. Israel is our home!

We, in the South need our brothers and sisters in the rest of our country to wake up and protest [the same way you protested the expulsion of Gush Katif] and demand that our government send in the IDF and stop this terror, before you and your families are running to bomb shelters.

You can also post a note directly on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/Netanyahu?ref=ts&fref=ts 

The time has come for all of Am Yisrael to be one country..not left or right, religious or secular but united and protect our precious Israel from our enemies... 

Please feel free to comment and share..........

Miriam                  

A Perfect Shabbat.......

בס''ד

Shavua Tov!

On Friday afternoon, as we wished our family and friends Shabbat Shalom and may it be restful and quiet, a little something in me said that we should leave the silent Shabbat Radio Darom on.

Well, I am very pleased to post that we had a perfect Shabbat. The weather was perfect, the birds serenaded us, not a helicopter or jet in the sky, it was quiet and restful and the radio never had to go on. Baruch Hashem!

Shabbat was spent like it is suppose to be... neighbors sitting outside talking, families going for walks and children playing in the park.

Everyone seemed relaxed almost forgetting the 80 odd missiles that were fired at the Negev on Wednesday from Gaza.  

It was a real blessing for the residents of the South to have a restful Shabbat but our government mustn’t sit on its laurels. Everyone knows it is just a matter of time before the next round of missiles hits us.  

0ur government has a responsibility to protect us. Up to now, it has failed its responsibility badly. It has not taken the correct steps to insure that we, residents of the south, Israeli citizens, do not live under the threat of terror. 

Why did our government allow Egypt to dictate the terms of a cease fire? Our government continues to deliver humanitarian aide to the enemy. This aide should have been stopped years ago. Why does Gaza still have electricity and water? We supply these services to them. The water should have been closed and electricity turned off ages ago.  Let the arabs go to the Egyptians for water and electricity.

The quiet today was wonderful. May Hashem guide our government to take to the correct steps to ensure us many more wonderful and safe days, months and years...   

Am Yisrael Chai!

Until next time please feel free to comment and share.

Miriam

Tzeva Adom, Tzeva Adom........

בס''ד
This is my one hundredth posting on Miriam’s Words. I wanted this post to be light and fun. Blogging is a hobby.... Unlike serious bloggers who blog daily, I blog when I have time. I never truly believed I would reach 100 postings....  

But we live in difficult times and I just couldn’t bring myself to post a fun blog.   

Will you please bear with me? I once again have the need to put pen to paper [or for this blog sit down at the computer] and vent my thoughts..

As I have written before, my family and I live in the south of Israel, the Negev. We live in a war zone, never knowing when or where a rocket will explode... 

Children are afraid to play outside, go to school and go to sleep. They are afraid a missile will hit them and they will die or their family will die. The elderly are suffering from fear...fear that they can’t get to the safe room on time. Depression among citizens is very high. Enjoying a Shabbat meal or going for a Shabbat walk is something we can’t take for granted.  A siren can sound at any time.  

The situation is impossible, residents are told not to leave their shelters. Over a million Israeli citizens are held hostage! 

On Sunday, Israel Hayom Newsletter, headline read:

Gaza area residents to stay within 15 seconds of bomb shelters.

On Monday, Arutz 7 posted Eshkol residents allowed to resume routine. 

Why isn’t the government doing something so that the residents of Eshkol or any other Southern community are not stuck in or around their shelters for days?

When will the terror end? When will our government take our plight seriously? Why are they so afraid of world opinion? Relying on the iron dome, sending in the IAF to kill a terror cell or two, bombing a weapons tunnel are all band aids and frankly a little insulting to southern residents.

Aren’t we citizens? We pay taxes. Many have served our country with dignity. The job of the government is to protect its citizens........where is our protection?

Enough already! Time to reenter Gaza to return and repopulate the land with its rightful owners..... Us! The Jewish people!

May the Hand of Hashem continue to protect Am Yisrael!

This is a Grad Missile that landed in Sedot Negev

 

This is the large crater it made.

 

Until next time. Please feel free to comment and share.
Miriam

Even FaceBook can be Kosher.......

בס''ד

Life is made up of experiences. Some we enjoy very much and other experiences, well we can just live without. Yesterday, I experienced pure pleasure. 

Some background:

Around a year ago, a few English speaking women who are early risers, would log on to Facebook, inviting their friends to join them for a virtual cup of coffee and a chat.

One of the women took the morning chat one step further and created a Facebook secret women’s group called Coffee Talk and posted an invitation to join.

And so new relationships and friendships were formed and our membership grew to thirty three English speaking women who, the majority are olim.  We discovered that our group has olim who are new...two years and veteran olim.... thirty, forty and more years.

During this past summer I was postings with another Coffee Talk member and suggested we have a get together. We invited the other members in our group to post their opinion on the idea. Everyone liked the idea and we started a discussion on when and where.

The date chosen was Oct. 10^th at 10:00a.m. at Café Café in Center One.

Yesterday, I had the privilege to meet ten fascinating women. We did a round table introduction and spoke about ourselves, our families, our aliyah and dreams for the future.

We learned about serious health issues and how these amazing women overcame their “handicaps.” One woman read a beautiful and meaningful poem that she lives by.

Another wanted to celebrate with her friends a Seuda Hodoyah. Her sheer determination to recover from a very serious illness, that the doctors had said would kill her, but instead, her recovery made medical history.  This exceptional woman read a moving and emotional piece that she wrote about her illness and feelings.

We wanted our gathering to be special, not just women getting together to meet and chat.  We decided to end our get together saying Tehillim for people, who for different reasons required prayers.   

The Tehillim was divided up. I am sure that Hashem, seeing eleven women  each saying their section of the Tehillim together with devotion, moved the Heaven. May Hashem grant His Brachot to each person.

And may Hashem also shower the amazing women I met today with Brachot.

Miriam
   
 Post Script: One of the ladies of Coffee Talk manages a fund for needy Brides in Netivot. Please have a look at her link...  http://www.gofundme.com/1cfr8o

The Cook-Off……A Wonderful Lesson in Co-Operation…..

בס''ד

The long summer vacation is over and now all the children are back at school. During vacation time, families did all sorts of activities.  

This blog is dedicated to six of our grandchildren who live in the Negev. They decided to do a very special activity and learned some important and valuable lessons along the way. A great big yashar koach to: Gilad, Nadav, Adi, Neta, Talia and Chen. 

The children asked their mother if they could have a cooking contest. They wanted to prepare dinner. Devorah [their Mother] suggested that it would be better to do it for Shabbat because she would let them use better ingredients [chicken, beef, pareve whip cream…]

The junior cooking team would have to make the Shabbat night meal from the entree to the dessert. Their parents, Devorah and Hagai would be the judges and choose who prepared the best meal.

Devorah set some ground rules: they had to have approval of the menu they chose, they had to use ingredients that were in the house, only the older children could use the stove and they would have to clean up.

The children agreed to the rules and paired up into teams - one older and one younger to each team. They decided the contest would start the following Shabbat. The search was on for recipes. They looked online, in cookbooks and magazines.

The big question was...will Devorah’s kitchen survive? I’m pleased to report it did.

Gilad 14 1/2 and Nadav 6 1/2  were first team. They decided to make: baked tuna and veggies for the entree: The main course was chicken pirgiot, stir fried veggies and rice. And for dessert chocolate mousse. 

Nadav peeled all of the the veggies and broke up the chocolate for the mousse. He also licked the bowl clean from the mousse when it was all done. Gilad made the tuna, the stir fried veggies, the rice, the pirgiot and the mousse.

Devorah only had dairy chocolate in the house and Gilad really wanted to make the mousse so went to the markolet [on the yishuv] and bought pareve chocolate with his own money.

The boys worked very hard together and when they were finished they left the kitchen "clean."  I can attest to the fact that the mousse was delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following week was Adi 11 ½ and Neta 5.  The girls made bourakas and smoked eggplant with a techina sauce for the entree. The main course was stuffed chicken (with rice and veggies) and baby onions and potatoes placed all around the pan, stir fried veggies and some white rice (for Neta). Desert was a delicious cream roll with real cherry pie filling. Ima helped out a little. 

Neta may be only 5 but she can peel veggies faster than any of the other kids. Adi was grossed out when she had to ‘massage’ the chicken with spices. She stuffed the chicken with rice and veggies and made the stir fried veggies. Their Ima helped burn the eggplant and peel it for the entrée. Neta helped make the cream roll and enjoyed licking the batter. Together with their Ima’s help they rolled the cream roll to let it cool. When cooled they opened it, and then filled it with cherry pie filling and whip cream. Then they rolled it up again and covered it with chocolate. The girls worked together and when they were finished they cleaned up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last team was, Talia 10 an Chen 8. Being the last team the girls decided to go all out.

They chose a Tunisian veggie pattie called kfita for the entrée. Actually, the " kfita's" were ready in the freezer. Devorah and Hagai make a large batch once a month and freeze them. All the girls had to do was put them in a pan, make a red gravy and bake them. That was the easy part of the meal. 

For the main meal they made "maklubah" (with beef, chicken and rice.) What’s maklubah you ask? Have a look at this link….. http://www.greenprophet.com/2011/10/recipe-maklubah-arabic-upside-down-chicken-rice/ Desert was lemon meringue pie, but not just any meringue pie but one that takes 2 hours to bake the shell.

The girls placed all the veggies on a pan, brushed them with oil and baked them instead of frying. Their Ima cooked the beef in a pressure cooker and together the girls slowly built their tower in a large pot.

Talia made the pie shell and lemon filling and Chen helped with the whip cream topping. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Erev Shabbat when their Ima went to flip the pot there was such suspense in the air. Will the "maklubah" stand like a mountain or come tumbling down? The kids were taking bets on #2.  It stood beautifully!!!

With the contest over…the siblings asked their parents who made the best meal. Devorah and Hagai had no trouble in deciding. There wasn’t anything to think about.

They were all WINNERS. Mazal-Tov to everyone… Saba and I are so proud of each of you. 

A special thank-you to Devorah for taking pictures and filling in the blanks [things I didn’t know] for me.

Until next time…feel free to comment and share

Miriam