Jerusalem

Covering Pamela Anderson

November 10, 2010

It took a visit to Israel to finally get Pamela Anderson to cover up. The famously immodest former Baywatch star, in Israel to appear on the local version of “Dancing with the Stars,” visited the Western Wall Sunday evening, eliciting a snarky comment in Ynet which reported that “the visit evoked great interest among many [...]

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Patriotic Pride

August 4, 2010

Some 3,000 people marched from Jerusalem’s Independence Park to the Knesset in last week’s annual Gay Pride parade. My daughter Merav and I were there to support the community. It’s been a long time since I was at a gay parade – I used to regularly join the massive San Francisco event in the 1970s [...]

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Tu B’av Fashion Show Faux Pas?

July 27, 2010

Tu B’av – the 15th day of the Jewish month of Av – is the closest Israelis have to a Valentine’s Day: just substitute a bit of ribald wisdom from the rabbis of the Talmud for a martyred Roman saint and a lot of cuddly Cupids. Tu B’av is the number one day for weddings [...]

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Tisha B’av with Helicopters

July 20, 2010

Every year on Tisha B’av, there are pundits who write in the local newspapers that we should stop fasting and start celebrating. Tisha B’av – the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av (which always falls somewhere in super-heated July or August) – commemorates various tragedies which have befallen the Jewish people, first and [...]

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Meet Me at the Mugrabi

July 8, 2010

When I was hired to record a series of conversations to accompany a course on teaching Hebrew to English speakers, I didn’t know I’d be getting a lesson in Tel Aviv nostalgia. The project was to edit a 500-page curriculum originally developed to prepare U.S. diplomats posted to Israel. Along with the written text, there [...]

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Memorial for Walter Blum – Oseh Shalom

June 23, 2010

(מן התפילה) This is the eighth and final post in the series from the memorial for my father, Walter Blum, who passed away last year. The event mixed music and humanistic interpretations of Jewish texts to try to share what my father was like and what he was passionate about. The verses to this final [...]

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Last 4 Hours of Jerusalem Festival of Light – Don’t Miss It!

June 16, 2010

Run, no sprint to the Light in Jerusalem festival, which is closing tonight – in just a few hours! – after a successful seven day run. The event consists of tens of creative, playful and often awe inspiring light installations from internationally renowned “light artists,” displayed and often tightly integrated into the fabric of Jerusalem [...]

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Anglo Community in Jerusalem Struck by Tragedy

June 11, 2010

The text message came in early Tuesday morning: “There are no words to express our thoughts and feelings at this time. Our darling daughter Lee Gabriella’s funeral will be at 11:15 PM tonight.” By this time, of course, we already knew – half of Anglo Jerusalem did, whether by email, phone calls, or Facebook status [...]

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Memorial for Walter Blum – Ma Gadlu

June 10, 2010

(תהילים צ”ב, ו) This is the seventh in a series of posts from the memorial for my father, Walter Blum, who passed away last year. The event mixed music and humanistic interpretations of Jewish texts to try to share what my father was like and what he was passionate about. Next week I’ll post the [...]

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Memorial for Walter Blum – Livnat HaSapir

June 1, 2010

(שמות כ”ד, י) This is the sixth in a series of posts from the memorial for my father, Walter Blum, who passed away last year. The event mixed music and humanistic interpretations of Jewish texts to try to share what my father was like and what he was passionate about. ————————————- I’m going to take [...]

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