a balloontwister’s aliya saga

ITs morning here and what a great morning it is..
HOT WATER!!!! yay….
wow. It feels like having a hot shower after taking cold showers for a few days in a row… well, close to that at least.
There was a boy putting on tefillin at the minyan we daven at .. so we had cake… I tried the banana cake… hmmm… it really had appeal… Cinnamon… very good.
AND.. THe Mets beat the phillies.. and are a .5 game out of first… and the Staten Island Yankees won again..
enough of that… I gotta calm down..
LAst night I drove to Jerusalem to pick up the family from the zoo. I got there at closing time so I only got to see 4 animals.. we even took them to dinner afterwards in the Malcah Mall.
The place was packed… wow.. I hear its always crowded.
It was easier finding the zoo and mall once I found the Begin South.
Going back I couldn’t find it so I had to weave my way through side streets until I found the way home… Its a whole different ballgame on the south side of the city.
Givat mordechai, soccer stadium… Not used to it ….yet..
I had a nice chat with Loren Speigelman who used to work with me in JEP. He gave me a different prespective to the “wow, these people are all jewish yet, they dress Untznius-like and don’t keep shabbos” issue.
He said in America you see goyim and the way they dress and act, and you don’t care bec. thats it for them. There is no hope.
HERE there are countless of stories in ramat beit shemesh and other places where you see frum jews and they were non religious onyl a short time ago. There IS hope for everyone. “I NEVER count out anyone here”, he said. He knows of a guy in a shul that is frum, and he was once a chiloni rock star… etc…
I gues thats a positive way to look at things here because working in Tel Aviv bordering bnei brak, outside of the minyan in the morning you cant tell its israel. Quite startling.. Even more startling is that there are huge tznius issues even in jerusalem. yaffa street, the mall…etc…
Another reason why Ramat Beit Shemesh is a great place to live. You can live a sheltered life to a certain extent BUT… you have stores, places to go….etc.
Its almost uncomfortable going to a crowded mall when you are living in Ramat Beit shemesh or SI.
Well, enough of that…
oh, one more thing. While we really love hearing from you guys… PLEASE.. DO NOT repeat the “bad” comments to the wife… “Penina, I heard you finally cooked” and the like…
Thank you in advance…. Beena.
At least its nice to hear that people are reading this and reading INTO the jokes.. halevie we should be reading seforim like this….lol.
Avrumi, I dont think Jessy is transalated to yishay….Not sure though.

Last night I was hired to twist balloons at Marvin Blush’s grandson’s Bar Mitzvah. My first Bar Mitzvah in Israel. It was in Reishit in Beit Shemesh.. nice hall. I was a little bit upset when the Musician told me not only was he not going to play any Rick Springfield songs, but he had no idea who he was… very upsetting.
I was told there will be 5 of his songs at Shira Kenig’s Bat Mitzvah.
The funniest part was the startled look on peoples faces when Marvin Blush told people that the balloontwisting stiltwalker was the ba’al koreh in Staten Island…
All in all it was alot of fun, I didn’t charge what I wanted, but it was worthwhile bec. this was the simcha of one of the owners of the catering hall.
I drove the rented minivan to the hall and wound up picking up 4 hitchkikers there and 3 back… I like to pick them up.. doing a chesed is great AND I get to practice my hebrew and they can’t run away.
we FINALLY decided on a school for Moshe, Moriah in Ramat Beit Shemesh. It has a stronger program i.e. more Hebrew and Torah studies LESS english.. actually.. NO english studies.. just Math.. and it goes through half the summer as well. We have a neighbor that sends their son there, so Moshe will know at least one person in his class. We will try and get him a english reading / writing tutor at some point. This is a more established school and Penina is comfortable with it… so Moriah for Moshe.
I drove to work today for the first time. It was my turn to drive, because the main driver is still on vacation… What a mechaya to drive a diesel engine. All the other cars pale in comparison here.. the small cars have problems up hills.. not this car.
I was in Tel aviv in 30 minutes approx.
about 130 Kms per Hour… not sure how many miles per hour that is…
Work is coming along ok. They are bringing me along slowly… which is good.
Tonight, the family is going to jerusalem to the biblical zoo with the train or a cab. Im going to head there after work and drive them back.
We held off going to the zoo because of the heat.. BUT… the past few days have been tolerable. You can feel the weather turning slightly… I hope it stays.
The big news here is Katrina. Too bad the saints weren’t destroyed.
I just turned down an lunch invitation.. Im not sure about the hechsher in this area, so Ive been skipping lunch most days… When I get some time I’ll ask around to learn about these things.
Well, I have to get going. Im in the middle of inserting screen captures in a manual… about 150 of them.. gulp!
Have a great day and keep in touch!
Yudie

argh… no hot water…
This shower business is getting difficult.
It occurred to me this morning at 5am, that no amount of waiting would help the water turn hot…
Penina did laundry last night.
SO while I have clean clothes…. I had to shower with my sweater…
How does the dud shemesh work you ask?… I asked that this morning.. and I found the answer:
Practically speaking, how does a dud shemesh work?
Water runs from a tank through black pipes exposed to the sun. The sun heats
up the pipe, which heats up the water inside. The hot water returns to the
tank.
When the user turns on the hot water, it takes hot water from the tank. Cold
water flows into the tank.
There is a website which discusses the halachic ramifications of using the dud shemesh on shabbos.. I think there were poskim that allowed it, but I think now, the consensus is that it is assur.
I called avromi strauss last night and I had nothing new to add. Im happy that some of you are reading this chazerey… I mean important ranting…
Today, Penina is going to the book store to buy books for the kids. Each has a list of approx 15 books for school. From math to tanach to mishna… etc. Yes, the girls in my daughers class will be learning maseches brochos this year. Yoni, will be learning Gemara: baba kamma. Should be interesting….
LAst night after work, I saw Yoni co-ordinating a softball game in the “street” by our house… (our street is about twice as wide as the sidewalks in SI)…. No one had any clue what to do… One girl hit a ball and continued running around the bases still holding the ALuminum bat… She almost clocked a kid in the head…
well, I’m going to head back to work… I have to modify a user guide on a d-link router… that does… stuff…
keep in touch guys…
Yudie
718.775.3836

We’ll get to that in a bit.
Its sunday morning, and I’m at work.
Its true… the rumors are true.. sunday is a WORK DAY!
arrghh…
well, I guess I got to get used to it.
Shabbos was fantastic… had My brother’s family over as well as the in laws who are still here… despite the behavior of the little ones.
WE davened at the carleback minyan fantastic! big crowd.. dancing… walking home from shul humming a Carlebach tune is a great way to come home to kiddush…
Approx, 30 minutes before shabbos I got a call from someone who wanted me to play drums for a concert/ kumzitz in Neve elan, near telshe stone for gush katif families.
I brought a set of drums hoping to play and meet some people… but… word got out.. .and they needed a drummer so … what the heck…
more about that later.
Shabbos morning we went to Aish kodesh and in the afternoon I took my father in law to the daf yomi in hebrew… I understood most of it. .. I think..
I gave my artscroll to my father in law, so I was flying almost solo.. but I am happy to say that I got alot of it…
almost as much as when I was learning with Litchy and fishy…
Shalosh seudos was at beis tefilla who made a special shalosh seudos for the new olim. It was very nice. Everyone from the shul made aliya at some point and they are very willing and happy to help new olim. They have alot of shiurim, learning.. and its very american there.
I met a former JEP monsey leader there, Loren Spiegelman who made aliya last year and is a big part of the shul in welcoming and helping new olim.
(He sends regards, Milch)
After shabbos we packed up the kids, inlaws, drums… and made out way to neve ilan…. There were about 200 people there….when we got there.. a mix of Ramat Beit shemesh people and gush katif people. In the carleback shul, where several other musicians were from, they announced the concert times, so many from the shul were there. Even the guy who kicked me out of his seat the week before was there..nice fellow.
My playing was OK. Not bad. Not great. It was good despite not knowing half of the songs.
The main thing was I didn’t embaresss myself in from of my family.. whew…
They were impressed.
Zehava my niece wanted to know if I ws better than my 14 year old nephew, who JUST started playing…
I told her I think I was better…
My brother dovid took Yoni and they were dancing along with everybody. It was nice to play and bring some simcha to there people. It made me feel good, but on the other hand. I felt sad that although these people were in a nice hotel, they looked like it will take a lot more GOOD to get them to feel better about their situation. We were able to leave and go home. They were stuck not knowing when they could go “home”.. Also, while we have a school “problem”, at least we have schools to choose from. There people had no idea where to send their kids to school bec. they have no permanent homes. and school starts this week…
There is alot of chesed you can do in israel…. unfortunately there is a huge need for it.
Today, I think the kids and in laws are heading out to kibbutz chafetz chaim, a amusement park with water rides… the hours switch between men and women…
so that should be interesting… I’ll tell you all how it went tommorrow..
well, I think thats it for today.
Have a great day and a shavua tov.
Good luck at softball, avromi, kenneth, et al.
Yudie

Yup, after work thursday my company has an ice cream party…. yay…..
Usually its free beer but with summer and all, its ice cream cones and soda.
A nice way to end the work week..
Last night 3 high school girls came over to learn how to make balloons to help entertain the children. Its refreshing to see kids interested in more than.. movies.. or fashion… these are regular kids from Beit Shemesh that wanted to do their part. We went and twisted for about an hour and while the kids enjoyed it. The parents enjoyed it more. .. trying to do our part… Everyone in the area tries to help out. money, food, toys, medical supplies.. there are even families living with people in their homes in Nof ayalon. Its going to be interesting this week, bec. the yeshiva students are coming to Israel next week, so the families cannot stay in the dorms anymore..I have a feeling of real achdus and arvus because there are many people that opened their homes and hearts to the Gush katif people..I guess balloons and entertainment is a way for me to get involved..
earlier This morning, we had to go to the city education office. Huge mixup with the kids schooling. The school where we are sending the kids are overbooked in the first grade… so the took ALL out kids out because there was no room for moshe. This was done, of course, without our knowledge … SO as of now the kids ARE in Rappaport, but moshe may go to a new school.
Met a new neighbor of mine who knows my friend Brad from Lowell, Ma.. Scott cahan.
He and I are going to hate the Yankees together.. Im so excited.
So far My inaws have been real troopers… Since they’ve been here… they’ve cleaned, mopped, babysat, put up pictures, baked, help mop the floor after the sink leaked…and probably dozens of other things.. I think they are going to need a vacation after this one.
well, Im going to go now… I want to take shower with hot water for a change.. although its probably too late already..
Good Shabbos!
Yudie

Quote from the team leader where I work.
“Jay, Its a good thing you’re normal. All the other writers were so weird.”

believe that? Yes, all of you were wrong… stop laughing… you too, litchy…

I was stunned when I heard that too. SO was penina, fishy… my in laws… etc..
Well, so far things are going ok. I took back the rental yesterday and got a nice look around Rishon Litzion.
To get home I took the Train. Quite nice.
The train was a doubledecker.
The train wasn’t direct so I had to get a second train to Beit Shemesh. We had a mincha Minyan on the train.
We don’t get THAT on the f train.
Tonight, at my house we’re having a balloon chug. I’m bringing some new twisters to Nof Ayalon to entertain Gush Katif kids…Kenny, tell your nieces and nephews..that they still have to wait on line. Even though they are nof ayaloners.
Speaking about work. I work on the 7th floor at the Atidim center in Ramat Gan / Tel Aviv… on the border of bnei brak.
Great view. I see office buildings, i.e. IBM, Bezeq, others… I see trees, some kind of electical line complex… a highway… and condominiums from tel aviv in the distance. ..a few clouds…
a great view…. I also work 2 minutes from a nice park which has the miklat that is a gerrer shul.
A special treat was seeing the end of the Mets game on Yahoo sports. They played the diamondbacks and scored alot of runs.. (Im shocked too).. so the game was in the eighth inning when I got in at 7:30.
Of course NOW they play well, when I cant see or hear them.
Tommorrow is Friday… our Sunday.
So I get to sleep in… to 7:30…. we are heading to nof ayalon at 12. I’ll try to send some pictures when we’re done.
Penina is at the eeria, city offices. THe kids were closed out of our school of choice and placed, without our knowledge, in a different school.
SO many kids.. not enough places.
I’ll hopefully hear some better news later in the day. We were told they were in, just that moshe was a maybe. … now, a week before school, we’re told all of them are somewhere else…
Welcome to the educational system.
I just noticed something. Just as the closets are movable. The drawers at my desk are on wheels as well.
This is too weird…
At least I know I’m NOT the weird one….
(Good thing I left my stilts at home)
Yudie

Quick note …
1.just because you can get fruit for free (not that kind, fishy)… doesn’t mean you should eat 10 or so..
2. If you have a badge from your company and you wear it on your belt loop, move it over when you have to go to the bathroom.. enough said about that.
Family and in laws are heading out to the beach in ashkelon.
I get a mazel tov… we had SUPPER last night.. and it wasn’t pizza or felafel… I guess Penina felt with her folks over, she should cook.
Chicken cutlets.. hmm…
Also, did I tell you guest rooms are small in israel? With the highriser open for my in laws, their aron (closet) had to be in the hallway…. welcome to israel ..ma and dad… we get dressed in the hall way in this country!
Thank you debbie schonfeld for sending the childrens books…. the comment of “So yudie doesn’t forget his english… “, wasn’t needed though.
well, good news.. its almost 11am and I haven’t had a piece of fruit yet… maybe my stomach can make its way back to normal… even if my head can’t.
Mets only 2 games out of a wildcard spot!
Yudie

Trying to keep witty titles…. thank you avromi…
Another 2 hours to go and this day is done… ooooo..yabba..dabba doooooooooo……..
spent the day reading a manual…yawnnn…that I have to edit and change starting tommorrow…
The exciting part of the day was davening in a miklat, shelter shachris with Gerrer chassidim and mincha with sefardim in a different miklat.
another good thing about this job is they have coffee machines, fruit, salads….bread… more food.. for free in the coffee area. At 10am, fresh fruit and other food is brought out and its quite good. I also get 1/2 off the lunch which is kosher. SO a full lunch, meat, salad, soup, soda is just 10 shekel I think… about 2 dollars.. today my boss picked up the cost….I also got a ride in.. from a guy in ramat beit shemesh so the travel and meals will be minimal. I also don;t think my hebrew will get better from just being at work. My boss is from south africa and the other writer is a former oleh as well. I guess I’ll have to go to ulpan starting september in the evenings.
hopefully you saw some ein gedi pictures… The weather was hot.. so it made the swimming even more refreshing. being summer holiday season the place was full of families… so we met former olim… tourists… because there are no sundays here to tour being a school / work day. When there is a day off… people go touring. hot, cold, windy….people get out with their families.
My in laws flew in this morning, so I havent seen them yet, but i hear they’re home. So I cant walk around like I usually do…. enough said about that..
Last night, driving back from ein gedi, we got lost and had to turn around using the airport exit.. .yoni popped up and said, “airport? We’re going somewhere?” I think he thought we were coming home.
I have starting planning a “Chug” to teach people balloon twisting so we can go to a hotel to entertain the gush kafif children. If anyone out there can think of an organization that may want to sponsor this let me know.
I’m trying to get the expenses covered if I can.

Thank you for the emails .. litchy, dani, fishcakes, korny, yoni, mrs. schonfeld.. its good to hear from you guys. .. actually mrs. schonfeld didn’t email….or did she…?

yudie

Sunday was stalactite cave day… It was interesting …. nothing too exciting… The somersteins, our shadchan came from fancy five towns to Israel and we spent some time with them. It was an emotional moment… when I saw them I decided to forgive them for the past 12 years…
We also had a BBQ at My brother’s house.
Folks, when you have your next piece of meat… DON’T take it for granted.
It didn’t even look that good, so I wasn’t even tempted to try the steak. I guess it takes getting used to.
(this is NOT a meraglish statement, bec. the meat is shipped in from south america.. so don’t get Ari Cutler on my back…)
Tommorrow is a huge day..
1. I start work
2. My in laws are coming to stay with us for three weeks.
We’re trying to get set for touring at Ein Gedi… the problem with Summer in Israel is that most things to do are not suitable due to the intense sun.
So the zoo, is out… no shade.
Mini israel… out… no shade…etc.
This is why many people go to the States for the summer.
There are several parks that have water rides and pools so over the next few weeks Penina will try to take the kids to these places.
Its been hectic here the past few days with the disengagement. One shul in RBS didn’t say the mishabarach for the chayalim, because the rabbi felt more soldiers should not have obeyed orders.
I also got my neighbor upset at me. I rented a car with a blue ribbon on the roof…. no big deal you say?..
Blue is the color or PRO disengagement. He asked me why I put it there.. I said.. er… it came with the car.
LAter that night, the blue ribbon ws gone..
Well, more about that later. There are people that are going around asking for donations…. and hlep with the refugees from gush katif. Im trying to get to a hotel where these people have been placed and maybe twist balloons for the kiddies.. we’ll see. ..
Have a great day folks.!
Yudie

Its sunday morning, sat. Night for you guys…
What a shabbos!
We had out first Friday night meal at home.. and it was great…. Singing zmiros…. divrei torah…etc.
A great feeling…
I also went to the carlebach minyan Shabbos morning and I sat in someones seat.. the guy… threw me out… I guess not everyone is in the ahavas chinum post tisha b’av mood. No biggee..
I went to the other side.
I got an aliya again… so it was three weeks… or welcomes… and three “vshavu banim’s..”
People, Except for the guy who threw me out, are very happy to see a new oleh. Of course I forget their names 2.4 seconds after they tell me… but… thats life..
I start working tommorow, or tuesday and after a few postings to the various yahoo lists.. I found a ride to work.. There is a car that leaves RBS at 6am, davens in bnei brak, and gets to work around 7:30ish… normal for israel. The workday starts early and ends a bit early.
Its nice that after posting the request for people driving to the train station, one hour later, I had a ride to the train and well as a ride to work….
Spoke to my mother this morning, her birthday was 8/20 so I was able to call her sunday, and being she is in Las Vegas for vacation, its was still 8/20 where she was.
DO you guys remember the Cohen family? The YI sends money to them, as they are terror victims..
We visited them friday afternoon in jerusalem and the kids had a nice time with them, They dont speak english, My kids dont speak hebrew… it was perfect!
But we made some balloons and they were very happy. They have no cousins or relatives so I think We’re their new family.
Chesed comes in many shapes and sizes… balloon hats, dogs, etc.
Well, Ive got to change the baby and head out to buy some balloons.. I will FINALLY make my way to moshav shappirim…. to buy some…
Have a good sunday.
Hopefully the old guys can win this sunday at the YI ballpark.
Good luck, kenny!
Out!
Yudie