BH. Electric is 220 volts in Israel and the plugs/outlets look like this

Bh Mega tired at Mega Supermarket in Talpiot

BH. It rained the day before Sukkot...but not on Sukkot. Thanks Hashem.

BH. Etrog Examining

These gentleman are examining an etrog with a diamond loop magnifyer.
Many men could be seen patiently spending time making sure their
etrogim were just right. Shops and tables and markets were full of
inventory for sukkot. Look above their head and you'll see a Chosid
crossing/yield sign, top hat and all.

BH. Super Sukkahs in the Sky

In Israel many of the balconies are built staggered so all of the
apartments can have open-air above for sukkahs. Other times where the
balconies are not staggered, you'll see magical metal extender poles
reaching beyond the porch and a sukkah built there. Takes a lot of
faith to sit in some of the sukkahs I've seen. These sukkas are in
Mea Shearim.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mea_Shearim

BH. Lunar light for the sukkah tonight

BH. Late night snack

BH. Our communal roof-top sukkah courtesy of the Cantorman family.

BH. Inside the corridor on the side of the Kotel today.

B"H A Big Supermarket, actually "Mega" sized

Recently we found a full sized supermarket that also delivers.  We haven't used the delivery/online ordering yet, but I feel compelled to make such info known because the prices were good and it was the size of a Walmart (kind of).  Most o fthe other stores that were supermarketish were mch smaller and quite expensive.  Mega sells clothes, dishwashers and other appliances, as well as general supermarket items.  Mega Supermarket in Talpiot 

BH. Our Family Etrog. A gift from our neighbors Rabbi and Mrs. Canterman

Chag Sameach from Yerushaliem

BH. Mail from America

My parents (they should be well) sent us a letter from the US on the
14th of September. We got it in Jerusalem on the 20th or 21st (we
think). Bottom line is that mail gets here in about a week.

B"H. Choosing the right myrtle from a Jerusalem sidewalk sale

U'lekachtem lachem ba'yom ha'rishon pri eitz hadar, kappot t'marim, ve'anaf
eitz avot, v'arvei nachal

"You shall take for yourselves on the first day (of Sukkot) the magnificent
fruit of a tree, the leaf of a date-palm, boughs from the plaited tree, and
willows of the brook." (Leviticus, 23:40) From the Chabad.org site - article
by By Shimona Tzukernik

BH. Shackshuka Lunch.

Right near the ulpan I often visit Yossi's falafel and shackshuka
place. The latter is a salsa with eggs, served with all of the falafel
items in a baguette or pita. Come and get it.

BH. A trip to a park

Parks with ice cream shops attached.

BH. House of Laws of Peace

A city courthouse that's open to the public, just around the corner
from my Ulpan. G-d willing I'll check out some hearings soon.

BH. Free Gilad Shalit

Everyday a group of activists station themselves at the front of a
government building urging that more be done to free Gilad and other
POW's. A flourescent yellow ribbon/symbol is given to all who desire
to support this Torah Mitzvah cause...freeing Jewish captives

B"H Busses can be fun

Thank G-d Rabbi Eliyahu Rutman was available to be our interpreter for our visit to Bais Chana.  He is truly a mensch.  As you can seee, the busses are comfy and crowded only at specific times.   People are quite friendly on the b usses and at times, they have gotten up to make room for our kids to sit.

B"H Chabad Elementary School for Girls

Our youber daughter Rosaleah has finally begun school.  We paid approximately $170.00 Dollars for her schooling for the first year, and a uniform.  As we are new immigrants and we have many benefts, this being one of them.  The School is called Bais Chana and the administrator is Rivka Bloi.  Their email is bet-hana@zahav.net.il  You should have an interpreter with you on your first trip/interview, as the principal speaks limited English.   The school is beautiful and the kids take a chartered public bus to get there.   This means they pay approximaetly a dollar or less for the bus, and it is only girls from her school that ride it. Armed guards at the front gate...priceless.  Phone: 02-532-4069

B"H Schools and Other Institutions not near your home

There are tons of different schools in Israel and most are free, i.e. part of your taxes.  A school we picked for our oldest boys, aged 5 and 3, is a Chabad School.  The school costs about 200 shekels a month for the older and 95 shecks for the younger.  (295 divided by 3.72 [rate of exchange] = $80.00 a month)  We haven't figured out transportation yet, so in the meantime, we (my wife) gets on a bus in front of our home near 8:00am to get them to their school at or near 8:30am.  She may have gone on the wrong bus, but we'll let you know soon, G-d willing, if this can be done quicker or by alternative means.  We do know that we could pay a driver 450 shekles per kid a month for door-to-door service (900 divided by 3.72 = $242.00) but it hurts my head too much to pay nearly three times the price for school, solely for transportation.   Nonetheless, the photo below is a photo of the front of the school.  There is an armed guard at the front (not the Rabbinic looking guy).  The school is also known as as a "Cheder" (Room) and is called Torah Emes (Torah of Truth) Rabbi Friedman (Who speaks English) and Rabbi Kut

B"H Kosher Symbols

A listing of Kosher Symbols from the Newcomersguideisrael.com

Below is one of the myriad of different Kosher symbols that are prominently posted in various restaurants.  To date, I do not understand much about them other than to say they are extremely hard to interpret.  This one states that it is covered by the Rabbinate of Jerusalem, which I have been told is a good beginning.  This one also says Cholvi, which means its a dairy restaurant.   Lemahadrin is the word I've been told to look for to make sure that the hecksher is to the level I want...and this one does not have such.  Sorry for explaining so little...but more to come.  In the meantime, I'll likely eat at home.

B"H A Chabad House in Our Building

In Jerusalem there are many communities, and many Chabad Shluchim or Emissaries.   We have a Shliach and his family living in our building.  This means we can daven in our building, learn Torah, have a meeting with the Rabbi, etc. just steps away.  Chabad-Center-of-Talbiyeh

BH. Sign right outside our apartment

B"H They have lots of parks in Jerusalem

B"H iPhones and other important electronics

Cellular phone stores in Israel charge about $20.00 to make an American iPhone work here.  A sim card is then purchased seperately from one of the cellular providers for another $20.00 and you can pay by th eminute (about 15 cents) or you can get into a plan, as in America.  They don't yet have the iPhone 4G available, but soon enough they say.  My old 2G iPhone seems to  be  working well, but I'm still fine tuning the Skype.  Perhaps the issue is that the software said it really doesn't run on my antique model.  More to come, in this regard.  If you decide to reside in Jerusalem there is a cellular company named Orange located on the main strip on Ben Yehuda Street.  Hadar is an English speaker that has helped me to get the cell working and arranged for my home internet service as well.  You can get a three month contract for a wireless usb card, just until you get on your feet. This is ready in one day, as compared to waiting for the installation of the home internet which is going to be done on two seperate days.  One day is by a company called Bezeq that installs the hardware through the walls and the second day is by the provider...in our case, Orange.  There is also Hotz and Smile123.

B"H Busses and Info in English

Egged is the the leading public transport operator in Israel, established in January 1933, when four public transport companies were merged into on. Egged provides about 55% of public transport services throughout the country. Egged is divided into two divisions, Operations and Head Office. The Operations Division is divided into three main branches: Northern Operations, Southern Operations and Jerusalem Operations.  To learn about routes go to their website Egged Bus Line.  There, you can see the basics and even use their fields to plan a trip.  To make sure you are doing it correctly,  you can call the bus station English speaking hotline. +97236948888 then press 3 for the English Speaking attendants.  Just explain where you want to go and where you are, and the rest comes easy.  I would suggest arranging for a temporary phone at the airport through IsraelPhones, but if you have a laptop.... you can use Skype on your computer to make the call. For pennies a minute you can call Israeli numbers, whether cell or home lines.

B"H Our Friend Shlomo

Once, a long time ago, in a land far, far, away, our friend Shlomo inisted (without giving in at all) that we needed to make Aliyah.  While many things ultimately led us to make our final decision, he needs to be credited for his efforts and unrelenting opinions regarding why Israel was the right choice.  In Israel, he has helped us to rip up carpets and to prevent being ripped off on take-out.  He is the owner of a Jewish Video Site called WeJeW which incidentally, is spelled the same way backward and forward.  Check it out to see thousands of really cool videos.  Please Hashem, bless Shlomo in all of his ways.

B"H Did I mention Shabbas?

On Friday night we went Shul Hopping.  Bli Ayin Hora, My two oldest boys Yacov (5) and Ori (3) with Rabbi Cantorman, his twin boys (12ish) and brother in law Eli.  Asher Kaplan as well.  We went to one real nice quaint shul, where the davening sounded kind of like Chabad, and the Rabbi spoke a nice D'Var Torah rthat I barely understood.  A call was made to go to the Jerusalem Great Synagogue that is dedicated to those who perished in the Holocaust. (May Hashem Always remember their sacrifice).  The Shul had a beutiful male only choir that sang for a jam-packed audience of what appeared to be thousands.  Afterward, we were invited back to the Cantorman's (who live in our building) for our Friday Night meal and also, Thank-G-d Shabbas Day meal as well.  We didn't make it to shul Saturday day..a combination of jet lag and poor sleep due to the air conditioning issue addressed in an earlier post.  Our neigbors and landlord have showered us with gifts/Shabbas treats and we really feel at home.  We hope to have an oven soon, so that we will be able to invite others and share in the hospitality we have been receiving. 

B"H Busses, Banks and Below Priced Health Care..Not caught up yet, sorry.

So its now Tuesday at 12:55am,  We didn't get home until nearly 10pm, tonight, but we did learn how to use the busses today, albeit poorly.  We learned that people waiting for the bus are actually quite nice, they are just hot and want to get on right away.  The busses come to various points every 15 minutes, and saved us money on taxi fare.  The complete truth is that we were told we couldn't ride in a cab anyhow, because there were too many of us (bli ayin hora), but I guess that was G-d way of saying, get back to the bus, like everyone else.  They have passes that one can but that reduce the fare from 6.20 NIS (Hereinafter New Israeli Shekels) per person, to 49.90 for 10...which is 4.90 NIS a trip.  You can also use your receipt/used ticket as a transfer, as long as said transfer is done within an hour.  One needs to maker sure they are on the correct side of the street when they are trying to catch a bus, or else you'll be going the wrong way.  Also, kids under 18 pay one price, and kids under 5 pay another reduced price.   We used the baby bjorn style carrier today, rather than the stroller, which was significantly easier than attempting to manage the stroller on the bus.   Whew, that was alot of bus talk....without even mentioning where we went.  From 2-4 we were at the .Nefesh B'Nefesh (Hereinafter "NBN") get your Israeli ID and meet vendors party.  Another class A event, with a bouncehouse and buckets of candy and snacks to keep the kids busy, while my wife and I opened up bank accounts and learned that the highest level of health insurance (we could have chosen lower) was going to cost us about $45.00 a month total for the netire family.  We couldn't resist the deal, and we were transported (at no charge) to a post office, where we finalized the non-final decision.  What I mean is that we can change from the plan to another two times a year, but we hope that we will not need to.  The gold plan of Leumit Health includes the costs of giving birth, with no co-pay and the baility to go to specialists without needeing to see a primary.  Hospital stays are apparently free (as long as it was a true emergency) and you can go to unlimited holistic medicine visits with minimum (something like $15) copays.  More info to follow, G-d willing.   We also decided to join Bank Leumi, which had no minimum beginning deposit, and costs approximnately $11 a month to operate.  The Branch manager David was kind enough to pull out his magic stamp, which reduced our costs in half, so we pay $5 and change now a month, for the first year.  Transfers of about $2k cost $20.00 plus a small percentage to convert the money to NIS/Shekels. 

B"H Catching Up

So its now Monday at 12:00am, but for the rest of the Northeast, its 7pm.  I have lots of catching up to do, to fill you in on whats been happening.  While going back in an orderly fasion is definitely the way to go, don't expect to see it here.  


The family is sleeping in the living room, because the one and only air conditioner we have, is there.  Its a nice unit, thank G-d, that looks like a 4 foot long by one foot smiling mouth, that blows cold air through its rotating teeth...except on Shabbas when it turned into a fan only, and then none of us were smiling.   Lesson, learn how to use your air conditioning before Shabbas, and be grateful if you even have one, because many folks do not.  A fan or two will be purchased soon, at all costs, for the other other rooms. 


There is also a fridge in our living room.  That's because the entrance to the kitchen is smaller than the fridge, even when most of its external parts are removed by your handy friends during their weekend off from the IDF (Asher) and the Chabad Shliach from upstairs' Brother In Law Eli.  The fridge is just a loaner, from the Cantorman's from upstairs, but it has really helped make our landing a soft one.  


I mention these issues early to help those who follow us to the Holy and not to complain.  Our family simply wants you to learn how to make your landing a soft one.

Speaking of soft landings, Nefesh B'Nefesh deserves a prize.  From the two minivans they rented for us to carry all of our housewares to our new apartment, to the El Al Flight they chartered for the Olim (Someone who "makes aliyah" is called an oleh (m. singular) or olah (f. singular); the plural for both is olim. [Wikipedia]) they have gone out of there way to make everything real nice and easy.  Millions of little things that go along way...for example....all the kosher food I wanted on the flight at no charge, offers of free beverages every 20 minutes, free movies, headphones, kids T-shirts, baseball hats, drinks and cake at the airport in NY.    When we landed there were thousands of people, soldiers, citizens, friends, (Moshe Baruch and Yochevid Zemel, the Firestone Family, Asher Kaplan) all jumping and singing for us.  We became dual citizens of Israel on the plane, we didn't have to go through customs, all of our luggage was stacked up for us and waiting when we landed, they had free airport luggage carts and people to help us get our stuff on the minivans, as mentioned before.  They really know how to say "Welcome Home." 


Click here to see video of our arrival in the Holy Land


Ok, where was I. Ok.  Shabbas. But first, back to Thursday. As I mentioned we landed on Thursday.  We got to our apartment mid afternoon, which we had only seen via emails, but we were extremely happy.  While Men can generally survice in a fraternity house environment, my wife didn't want to...and the apartment is great, bli ayin hora.   We are on the 4th floor of a 6 floor apartment.  There is an elevator that hustles, and a clean and secure lobby in the front.  The Street is called Shalom Aleichem, which is nice because everytime we tell someone where we live, we are also giving them the traditional Ashkenazic greeting literally meaning "Peace be upon you." The appropriate response is "Aleichem shalom," or "Upon you be peace." [Wikipedia]  We have been building up our circle of friends, allowing us to feel more comfortable daily, especially the kids.  

B"H To The Wall From Our Apartment - 21 Min. Walk Per Google Maps (Press View Larger Map on Bottom Left for Clearer Street View.)

View Larger Map

B"H - You can rent an affordable cellphone on a short term basis. You can pick up your phone at the airport, when you arrive.

Check out www.IsraelPhones.com

B"H - Birthday Fabrengen at Ben Yehuda Plaza

B"H Bring your appetite to Israel

B"H Thank you Rabbi Bederman for picking us up from the airport in Tel Aviv and Driving us 45 minutes to Jerusalem

License plates are the same...but a little different B"H

B"H Our Buddy Asher Kaplan Taking a Break from the IDF to show us around

 

B"H What it looks like on the left side of the Western Wall

B"H The Western Wall

See the Neighborhood on Google Map

Google Map of the Talbiyeh Neighborhood B"H

Talbiyeh: G-d willing a Jerusalem neighborhood we hope to live in.

Through Our Eyes - B"H

It's been  6 weeks since our return from Israel.  Our week long pilot trip went fast and there is so much information we want to share.  

Interestlingly enough, our trip coincided with Parsha Shelach in which the Jewish people sent spies to Israel and came back with a less than positive report.  Hashem punnished us for bad mouthing Israel, and for forty (40) years, we died  in the desert until the entire generation was gone.  

The Shein's are proud to report that  they observed Israel  to be beautiful, clean, and holy.

A Taxi ride towards Beit Shemesh B"H