Quick post to get out the following:
Last Friday on my third try I made it to Tel Aviv's annual Jazz Festival, and caught a great show by Israeli group Swing de Gitanes.
My old Rabbi Lopatin is basically too cool for shul.
Barry Rubin says why Salam Fayyad isn't the guy here.
Here's the latest on that Shabaneh PA corruption story from last post.
And this ditty, with my favorite blues guitarist Buddy Guy, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk will tide me over in blues-less Israel for quite awhile.
Enjoying the warm spring-like Jerusalem weather for everyone out there who's snowed in, including even my folks in Big D! Love,
אריק/Eric
Friday, February 12, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Acting on Dreams
It's after midnight here, but on Feb. 3 last year, I picked up my new pair of tefillin from dear friend Mordechai. A year later, after the "new tefillin smell" has faded, what was at that point still a foreign ritual has become an intrinsic part of each day. Now I'll just have to make sure to get up extra early if I have a morning US flight to avoid a re-routed flight and a security scare. That absurd story is yet another reason it's great to be in Israel--tefillin are normal here, and our flight security is, thank G-d, as good (and rational) as it gets.
Last week, and the week before, I commemorated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s memory by celebrating his holiday over a 10 day stretch. Mother nature forced a re-scheduled 2nd Annual clean-up of his Jerusalem street. I proudly represented Michigan, where I first volunteered on King Day as part of Project SERVE's Acting on the Dream day of service.
As proud as I still am of the IDF Medical Corps' incredible service in Haiti, I am almost as embarrassed by the giant pile of trash that was once again awaiting me this year. Roommate Louis joined in on the fun this time. He was a huge help in amassing quite a collection of trash and recycling. I continued the work on a giant pile of trash at the train tracks right by my apartment. Sadly, the municipality street cleaners completely abandon areas off the main streets--we'll have to get on their case. Of course the piles of trash wouldn't be there but for the sad treatment of the Holy Land as a garbage can by its residents. Environmental education simply must be prioritized. But in the meantime, it sure felt good to clean up not only Dr. King's street, as it well deserves, but also the abhorrent eyesore by the train tracks that I walk by almost every day. (Not to worry, I washed my hands afterwards like nobody's business).
As Stevie Wonder sang in "Happy Birthday," his anthem for the movement to create a King Day:
Why has there never been a holiday where peace is celebrated all throughout the world?
I'm in, Stevie. (And if you're reading out there, I think you'll be impressed that, as you can see in the picture above, "Martin Luther King St." is also written in Arabic.)
My Tuesdays with the incredible participants (who are Holocaust survivors) at Cafe Europa continue to be out of this world. This has quite simply been one of the most beautiful things in which I've ever been involved. By dancing to the best of my (non-existent) abilities, singing, warming up the crowd with my piano repertoire, learning a weekly Yiddish lesson from Ada, and just being there to get to know these amazing people, I'm contributing to a project that returns the youth that was brutally stolen from them by the Nazis. The positive, beautiful spirit emanating from these participants exudes Dr. King's vision: these people, who more than anyone I know of could so easily become embittered and filled with hatred, pour out nothing but love to each other in creating this community that warms the cool Jerusalem winter.
Last Wednesday was International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Please read President Shimon Peres' extremely powerful speech in Germany (just watch out for some less-than-stellar translations from the Hebrew).
I had a lovely Tu B'Shvat/Shabbat Dinner at friends the Bambergers, celebrating the new year of the trees with all sorts of amazing Israeli fruit + good times with old friends.
Khaled Abu Toameh picked up a story enormous even for his high standards about corruption in the Palestinian Authority. PA politics don't usually end well for those who expose that kind of corruption.
I found Bret Stephens' list of Iran myths quite interesting.
And in totally different news, my dad and I are celebrating not only his great news as the chemo continues to go extremely well, but also the remarkable recovery of one of our favorite jazz pianists, (like my dad a Cincinnati native) Fred Hersch. Fred was always so nice to me when I told him "hi from Jerry" after his shows. Maybe he'll come to Israel for one of the jazz fests.
That's all from me for now--it's so late! Take good care my people. Sweet dreams. Love,
אריק/Eric
Last week, and the week before, I commemorated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s memory by celebrating his holiday over a 10 day stretch. Mother nature forced a re-scheduled 2nd Annual clean-up of his Jerusalem street. I proudly represented Michigan, where I first volunteered on King Day as part of Project SERVE's Acting on the Dream day of service.
As proud as I still am of the IDF Medical Corps' incredible service in Haiti, I am almost as embarrassed by the giant pile of trash that was once again awaiting me this year. Roommate Louis joined in on the fun this time. He was a huge help in amassing quite a collection of trash and recycling. I continued the work on a giant pile of trash at the train tracks right by my apartment. Sadly, the municipality street cleaners completely abandon areas off the main streets--we'll have to get on their case. Of course the piles of trash wouldn't be there but for the sad treatment of the Holy Land as a garbage can by its residents. Environmental education simply must be prioritized. But in the meantime, it sure felt good to clean up not only Dr. King's street, as it well deserves, but also the abhorrent eyesore by the train tracks that I walk by almost every day. (Not to worry, I washed my hands afterwards like nobody's business).
As Stevie Wonder sang in "Happy Birthday," his anthem for the movement to create a King Day:
Why has there never been a holiday where peace is celebrated all throughout the world?
I'm in, Stevie. (And if you're reading out there, I think you'll be impressed that, as you can see in the picture above, "Martin Luther King St." is also written in Arabic.)
My Tuesdays with the incredible participants (who are Holocaust survivors) at Cafe Europa continue to be out of this world. This has quite simply been one of the most beautiful things in which I've ever been involved. By dancing to the best of my (non-existent) abilities, singing, warming up the crowd with my piano repertoire, learning a weekly Yiddish lesson from Ada, and just being there to get to know these amazing people, I'm contributing to a project that returns the youth that was brutally stolen from them by the Nazis. The positive, beautiful spirit emanating from these participants exudes Dr. King's vision: these people, who more than anyone I know of could so easily become embittered and filled with hatred, pour out nothing but love to each other in creating this community that warms the cool Jerusalem winter.
Last Wednesday was International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Please read President Shimon Peres' extremely powerful speech in Germany (just watch out for some less-than-stellar translations from the Hebrew).
I had a lovely Tu B'Shvat/Shabbat Dinner at friends the Bambergers, celebrating the new year of the trees with all sorts of amazing Israeli fruit + good times with old friends.
Khaled Abu Toameh picked up a story enormous even for his high standards about corruption in the Palestinian Authority. PA politics don't usually end well for those who expose that kind of corruption.
I found Bret Stephens' list of Iran myths quite interesting.
And in totally different news, my dad and I are celebrating not only his great news as the chemo continues to go extremely well, but also the remarkable recovery of one of our favorite jazz pianists, (like my dad a Cincinnati native) Fred Hersch. Fred was always so nice to me when I told him "hi from Jerry" after his shows. Maybe he'll come to Israel for one of the jazz fests.
That's all from me for now--it's so late! Take good care my people. Sweet dreams. Love,
אריק/Eric
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