Crazy Cell-Phone Plans

 

Towards the end of any month ( like around now) people who call up our family on our cell-phones are likely to get confused.

“Oh Sorry I thought I’d called someone else I must have dialed the wrong number”

“No its Ok you probably want my Dad but he didn’t talk enough on his phone this month so he gave me his cell-phone to use for outgoing calls for the next couple of days”

“Huh??”

or alternatively

“Hi Esther “

“No it’s not Esther it’s her Mum . She’s got my phone . She’s in the middle of a looooong conversation with her friend so she’s using up my unused minutes. But I needed to make a quick call so I’ve got hers”

Confusing ? It’s quite simple really.

We are on a special cheap cell- phone plan. But like so many things – it has its  drawbacks.

If  you don’t talk for enough minutes each month then you  lose your special cheap-rate and a penalty is added on.

Sounds a bit crazy? Or maybe you have a similar scheme?

If we’re really desperate then my husband has been known to call my phone, I answer and we just leave the phones talking to each other for half an hour to use up those precious minutes

Fortunately we still have one teenage daughter still living at home – and if, like Benjamin Franklin, you thought there were only two sure things in life: death and taxes  - then I can add a third to the list …… teenage girls talking on the telephone.

Judaism at the Israel Museum

 

Last week I  visited the newly  upgraded / rebuilt/ renovated  Israel Museum in Jerusalem. I hadn’t seen it since it reopened in the summer after its multi million dollar face-lift, and as I often write about sites to visit in Jerusalem I know  that this museum is world famous and one of the most popular sites for tourists in Israel.

It’s collection of ancient archaeological  artifacts is, as always,  truly impressive and extensive – monuments to dead dynasties,  obsolete civilizations, and  lifeless lifestyles.

But  surprisingly, as  I walked through the Jewish Life exhibition, I  found myself picking up my pace – walking past the glass cases of prayer books and  Torah scrolls,  past the models dressed in ‘Jewish clothing  of the past “ and past the glass cases and films of ancient jewelry and  ancient Sephardic pre wedding customs.
I  was trying to think,  why wasn’t I so interested in these things? Why was I spending so little time here?
And then I realized.
It wasn’t particularly  exciting because it wasn’t unusual. Most of what I was looking at  were the same  things that I  see and even use  in everyday life. The exhibition cases had samples of silver – covered siddurim, similar to those I see often  in the shops and buy as presents. The examples of  clothes that Jews ‘used to wear’ are in fact often seen on the streets of Jerusalem, Golders Green and Borough Park  today. The intricate Yemenite bridal  jewelry and headdress of the past are  used by many  young Yemenite brides today who keep up  their ancient traditions .
The Sifrei Toah that we read from, photographs of a  mitzvah- tanz  (dance) at the end of a Chassidic wedding, silver, chanukiyot  and Seder plates for Pesach – all items, symbols and customs which are in regular  use  today in the 21st century.
I glanced up at the screen displaying a  film explaining how matzo is made  knowing that thousands of  children watch  this happen in real life in Jewish centers all over the world during  the weeks before Pesach.

And yet there were many visitors taking their time and reading all the attached notes about each exhibit – some I’m sure thinking that they were looking at a lost world of the past.
It was said that Hitler ( may his name be blotted out) kept many Jewish items, stolen from homes he had plundered and Jews he had slaughtered,  intending to set up a Museum to the lost religion of Judaism after the war.

But thank G’d Judaism is very much alive and flourishing all over the world . 

For those who have no idea what Judaism is all about, this Museum has much of interest. But fortunately  this isn’t in order to display a lost world of   ancient rituals and customs. For these very same rituals, customs, treasured books and  objects are still in constant use in our homes, within our families .
A Museum is, by dictionary  definition, a place or building where objects of historical interest are exhibited, preserved, or studied –

I’m very happy that  my Judaism  is  alive and well at home.  

I’M A LAID BACK LITERARY LADY !

I was just awarded  the “Laid Back Literary Ladies” award, by my  fellow blogger Rosalind Adam.

 

What exactly have I done to deserve the award, I can hear you all asking ………( well there must be someone out there who is asking)

Absolutely nothing . Ros is just a kind friend from way back when.

The funny thing is  Ros, that you probably don’t even realize how ‘appropriate ‘ the description is. People have been known to say of me that I’m so laid back ,I’m almost on the floor ……….what we English usually call a backhanded compliment.

it’s usually said in the same tone as a friend of mine who came to visit many yeas ago when I had a house full of little children – and I much preferred to write rather than do housework (some things never change.)

She looked around my ‘busy’ ( as in totally chaotic) living room and said the famous words………………….. “Ann you are my role model. I don’t know how anyone can live in this mess and not let it bother them…………..”

Here’s to  many more  Laid-back- Literary –Ladies  and thanks again Ros, for the award.

OUR PRAYERS ARE BEING ANSWERED

We’re  “battening down the hatches”  for the  expected torrential rain and storms the weather forecasters have promised us……….

Well they think they have promised us …. but over here in Israel we know that rain is not dependent on meteorological and natural elements - but on our relationship with One Above .

It’s difficult for those of  you in Europe and the USA to imagine longing for rain – you get it in plentiful supply and maybe you think even  over-supply.

When I lived in England it used to rain about 350 days of the year – but not over here.

Our summers have been getting hotter and longer, our aquifers depleted and never refilled during the long ,dry winters we’ve been having.

We’ve instituted special prayers for rain and have already had two days of fasting.

Our first rain started falling on Monday

…..and now we’re looking forward  Please G’d to several days of  real storms.

Our parched and burnt  land, our rivers and streams , our crops and our farmers and all of us young and old who need this life giving force are very grateful to the Supplier Above .

AIRLINE SECURITY –BEN GURION LEADS THE WAY

 

I can’t help it, the  only airport I feel really safe in is Ben Gurion in Israel.

I know I have to arrive earlier there than at any other airport in the world.   I know by heart  all the questions I’ll be asked. But I also  know that everything connected to security is ‘tachlis’, to the point and relevant with no nonsense of political correctness.

They don’t care about a baby’s bottle of milk or the coke I’m drinking – it’s me and the other passengers they are looking at. Do we look and  act like  possible terrorists.

“How many children do you have” they once asked me.

“Seven” I replied.

“What are your their names?”

I could have said any names I liked as they aren’t listed in my passport – but that didn’t bother them. They just wanted to see that I didn’t hesitate when answering.

But in general I’m usually let through quite quickly. I don’t fit the profile of a terrorist . I’m not the one they’re looking for. Others don’t get off so lightly.

I  wouldn’t like to be traveling in the US over the Xmas holidays. The airport staff are all already stressed out and scared. Even after their horrific experience of 9/11 they are  forbidden to  ‘profile’ passengers but can only subject everyone to the same  stupid scrutiny and irrelevant checks – despite their better judgment.

They will confiscate your hair mousse if the container is a few grams over the permitted amount. They’ll make you remove your baby’s bottle and drink the milk to prove it’s not poisonous. They will make you take off your shoes,  subject you to body scans and pat-downs that anger many travelers. But they will never question you because you look  Middle Eastern,  nervous  and frightened and keep looking over your shoulder. That’s not allowed.

And  unfortunately the sad fact is that even if G’d forbid there should be another airline disaster, I doubt if it will change the methods employed at US and European airports. Politics seems to me more important than safety and security.

I remember when my nephew was hounded by our security personnel at the airport . It was nerve wracking for him  and very amusing for us when we heard about it later. But the fact remains that  our security guys  did  a tremendous   job and because of them I feel safe and secure in  our airport – but not unfortunately in any other.

Whenever I’m abroad , it’s such a relief to get back home safely.

IDF BAND IN MOSCOW’S RED SQUARE

Those of you old enough to remember the 1970s – 80s may well  recall the plight of the Jews in the Soviet Union, whose pride in their religion and homeland was awakened after the 6 Day War and  who applied to emigrate to Israel.

Their request was refused ( hence their name Refusenicks) and they immediately lost their jobs ad were never able to get  comparable employment. They  were lucky if they were able to find some menial work,to avoid being labeled a ‘parasite’ by the government and imprisoned or sent to Siberia.

Jobless and incomeless their condition was desperate and much of the money which was sent from abroad to try and help them was confiscated before it ever reached them.

Those of us who grew up in Britain and the USA during those years remember the organisations which were formed to try and help Soviet Jewry and the demonstrations and hunger strikes outside the Soviet Embassies around the world.

1974 New York Rally outside the Soviet Mission to the United Nations

I couldn’t help thinking of this as I watched the video below of the IDF Band, performing in Red Square in Moscow, underneath a  large flag of  Israel.

Thank  G’d times  have changed – and in some ways for the better.

 

 

BEFORE YOU TURN IT ON - THINK OF YOUR CHILDREN’S BRAINS

As a teacher  I have been worried, horrified is more the word, by the rapidly growing number of  students/ pupils labeled ADD and ADHD.

Why so many? Why so many more nowadays?

I work with people of all ages from 8 – 28, but the vast majority of those with ADD are  aged between 8 – 15 years.

In every branch of society there are children who suffer from the chemical imbalance which causes  ADD and ADHD, but I wondered whether there was another form of ADD which is caused, not  by a chemical imbalance, but by the environment in which a child grows.

I work with non-religious, religious and ultra orthodox children and ADD is much more prevalent amongst the non-religious and religious population  than with the ultra-orthodox. This led me to wonder what was specifically  different  about the home life of the ultra orthodox and the BIG answer is television, or rather the lack of it.

I have always thought that a child who sits passively  glued to a flickering moving screen for hours on end, from an early age, cannot remain unaffected. Their brains, minds, ability to interact with other children, play  games, read and write are all affected by this  ‘mindless babysitter’

I’m not alone in my feelings. The magazine PEDIATRICS reported on a study conducted so see if there was a link between television and ADD and found that:

The study revealed that each hour of television watched per day at ages 1-3 increases the risk of attention problems, such as ADHD, by almost 10 percent at age 7. The study controls for other attributes of the home environment including cognitive stimulation and emotional support.

The findings also suggest that preventive action can be taken to minimize the risk of attention problems in children. Limiting young children’s exposure to television during the formative years of brain development, consistent with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) recommendations, may reduce a child’s subsequent risk of developing ADHD. The AAP recommends parents avoid letting their children under the age of 2 years watch television.

ADD/ ADHD can’t be cured, only controlled, if you find the right help for your child.

And for those who suffer from ADD and ADHD, whatever the reason, our society seems to be convinced that they have to be calmed down and pacified in some way to make life easier for the teacher.

Sir Ken Robinson has other ideas – as he usually does – about how to treat hyperactive children.

Watch this illustrated / animated video of his latest thoughts on educational paradigms.