Category Archive
The following is a list of all entries from the Wisdom Gained category.
Jerusalem Seminars in June: using blogging and social media (Facebook, Digg, Friendfeed, etc.) for marketing
I’ve never really written about things related to my work here on the big felafel – but this seemed too important to pass up. I think there are a bunch of small businesses in Israel, especially in Jerusalem that are only slowly starting to realize, hey, why isn’t Janglo bringing in enough business? Make no mistake, I am no Janlgo critic, in fact, I’m as big an addict as they come in this part of the country. However, I’ve noticed that as I blog and become active in a whole slew of social networks, I’m finding out about opportunities, networking events, and connections that I probably wouldn’t have been aware of otherwise.
In short, I think plenty of Israeli co.s and non-profits could benefit from this upcoming 3-day seminar. If you think you know someone who would be interested, feel free to send them the info. To Register, click here.
Here is the agenda which I may or may not have helped out with: Continue reading this entry »
Everything I’ve learned about recycling and trying to go green in Israel. Part 2: Local Organic Produce and The Omnivore’s Dilemma
Sorry for the long delay in posting.. I’ve been growing increasingly addicted to twitter where I can post quick thoughts and because I’ve been reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan.
The Omnivore’s Dilemma actually really ties into my whole attempt to be a bit greener. This is possibly one of the best books I’ve ever read and I’ve been recommending and talking about it to anyone who comes within shouting distance. Pollan discusses 4 types of meals you can eat: industrial, industrial organic, organic/grass-fed farms, and hunting/gathering. It opened my eyes as to what I put in my body and brings a whole new meaning to “you are what you eat”.
And, like most things that you become aware of, you start seeing related information everywhere. I was checking Janglo last week and noticed that someone wanted to share the delivery cost from an local organic farm. I wrote to her and asked about 1,303 questions – what kind of food can you get? how much does it cost? when do they deliver? etc. She directed me toward Teva Habsor (1800- 25- 90- 90) which is an organic farm in the Negev. When I asked where exactly they were located, she said ‘in the Kassam region’. She said that usually explained it best to people. Pretty sad. But I guess life goes on. The farm sends out an Excel pricing sheet on Sundays and delivers to Jerusalem on Tuesdays; to Tel Aviv on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; Negev area on Thursdays [from honey]. The best ‘deal’ from the farm seems to be a box of seasonal vegetables for 110 shekels which includes delivery. This seems a little steep, especially compared to the prices at the shuk. I guess a better comparison would be with the supermarkets, where the produce is unbelievably overpriced.
However, The Omnivore’s Dilemma talks about the bigger idea of cost, meaning that the prices at the shuk may seem cheaper but we end up paying for it indirectly. We pay for cheap produce through higher taxes for healthcare because of new food-related diseases, polluted water from insecticides and synthetic fertilizers, and fossil fuels used in the transportation of our food. Currently, I’m not sure that buying only organic is financially possible on an Israeli salary, but I’m excited to try it hopefully once a month and come home to a box of seasonal and locally made produce. Did I mention that this book was awesome?
Here’s a list of Organic Farms that deliver in Israel, thanks to Crunchy Greenola
Pesach Cleaning Will Never Be the Same Again
If you are like me then you probably aren’t doing your Pesach cleaning…yet. Oh, you plan to scrub down the floors, empty out the fridge and find the bread crumbs that have become a part of your couch-but you just can’t motivate yourself to actually put the broom in your hand.I need incentive for these types of life challenges. And I think I may have found it on best friend Youtube. The videos below are two Pesach raps that have transformed my outlook on cleaning. The raps have literally become my version of whistle while you work songs and maybe they will help to motivate you too.
How?
The first video, “Moses Rap,” is informative and the lyrics are super catchy. I listen to it before I clean each room (or before I will clean each room) and then when I clean, I sing the chorus. This is the “whistle while you work,” part. I mean, does it get cooler than that?
The second video, Matzah Ball Rap, is just what the doctor order for those truly tough cleaning jobs. Instead of pulling out your hair, wondering how you will get the sticky syrup stuck in the back of your fridge clean, try watching this video for a good laugh. One chuckle and you’ll forget why you were so upset and look forward to the battle of the syrup. Well, maybe not look forward to it, but at least you will have laughed and that helps reduce some of the stress. Did I mention that the song is a parody of the rap by Sir Mix-a-lot’s, “Baby Got Back”?
I hope you enjoy these two videos and that they inspire you to do your own version of whistle while you work. This raps are also great to just listen to and send to friends and family!
Kama Kesef helps the wedding-gift challenged in Israel
How much money should you give at a wedding? Um.. awkward. Probably a taboo subject, but not for Israelis! Kama Kesef is an online calculator that gives you an objective view of how much money to give at weddings or other occasions. It factors in how close of friends you are, time of year, where it’s being held, and other criteria. I don’t really see how the time of year plays a role. I guess halls are more expensive in different seasons, but I can’t imagine that it would affect how much someone gives as a present. But who am I to judge the almighty wedding present calculator?
I tried it out, making up the following info: a not so close friend, September wedding, held in a hall, and found out the appropriate amount to give would be 234 shekels. When I asked around, people told me the real going rate is 150-200 for young people. Who to trust…
The site is in Hebrew and only works in Internet Explorer (surprise surprise). I heard about it a few times, but thanks to a comment on a post in What War Zone, I finally got around to writing it up.
Here’s a screenshot from the Kama Kesef calculator:
3 websites to find out what’s going on in Jerusalem
Bored? Out of the loop? Hate when people ask questions when they can’t hear the answer? Here are 3 websites that should keep you filled in on the latest events, plays, festivals, comedy nights, and everything else that is happening in J-town.
1. 
– The Jerusalem Blueprint takes after the New York version – NYBluePrint, a Jewish newspaper focusing on events happening in the Jewish community. It is the most comprehensive listing of Jerusalem events that I’ve come across and severely underpublicized. The secret is out.
2. 
– Oh Janglo, where would I be today without you? The addictive Jerusalem message board has its own calendar for events happening all over Israel, not just Jerusalem.
3. 
– Go Jerusalem, which I covered earlier, is Nir Barkat’s baby, and is a good reference for events happening in Jerusalem and also features lists of bars, restaurants, and other touristy stuff. This is where I found out about the soup festival. As Danny pointed out in the comments, good call on the dome of the rock – subliminal messages, Nir?
Who said 3? I’ll find you.. I meant 5. So here’s a bonus:
4. 
Jerusalemite is the new kid in town and is still in Beta. It is a cultural guide to Jerusalem and so far it looks like a really fun and energetic site, making me want to run out and find new places to explore. It will take a lot of effort to keep it updated and fresh, but I for one will appreciate it.
5.
Jerusalem Municipality – If you can navigate your way through this site in English or Hebrew and find all the details about an event happening in Jerusalem, you get a big high five. I was hesitant about listing this site because I find it confusing and try to use it as little as possible. But, I gueeesss it’s the official site of Jerusalem, so I should really include it.
.
A New Girl Crush on a New Soul
There is this new song that Galgalatz is already starting to overplay on the radio. It is called “New Soul”, and it is bubbly and fun. After listening to it twice, you’ll get the melody and the lyrics stuck in your head for the rest of the day. Best of all, as I discovered yesterday, the singer, Yael Naim, is Israeli. Not only that, but her album has Hebrew songs on it! Did I mention she sings her own version of Britney Spear’s, “Toxic” on the album too? And, she recently won best album of the year in France (she was born in France and moved to Israel as a child). Do I smell another inappropriate girl crush?
Her music is awesome and getting praise, not to mention air time, all over the world. And because I don’t want to be the only one with an inappropriate girl crush, I have attached links below so you can have one too (unless you’re a boy and then it is just a crush).
LINKS!
Listen to Yashanti at http://www.myspace.com/yaelnaim
Watch the video for New Soul at
Watch the video for her version of Britney Spear’s Toxic at
Check out Yael Naim’s website and make sure to read her bio at http://www.yaelweb.com/
Read about her Best New Album award at http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3517130,00.html
Don’t you love when an Israeli is in the news and it is not about lies, the political situation or terrorism!
The 74? That seems logical
When it’s all color coded and has diamonds behind it, I could almost get excited about the new Egged bus lines. New bus lines? Well, Jerusalem has been planning a light rail for many years now, but only now are they actually dealing with the traffic nightmares it could possibly cause. It’s not that I’m disrespecting their efforts, I can’t wait to get from one end of Herzl street to the other, it’s just that I get a little confused when I see the 74 bus stop show up. Sorry to readers not living in Jerusalem, this may not be all that riveting…
Here’s what I find funny. The 14 bus has turned into the 21(more or less) and the 21 turned into the 74 (more or less)… so the real question is… why not keep the original bus numbers and just have a slight change of route!
Brian from This Normal Life quotes the Jerusalem Post article which really demonstrates the lack of communication among the city’s transportation units.
Don’t Listen to Beilin’s Broken Record
This is an Opinion Piece in response to Beilin’s Ynet Article, Don’t repeat mistake of 2000, on March 8, 2008.
Mr.Beilin it is hard to take you seriously when your advice seems to end with a punch line rather than a message. It is you, and your past that has brought the Israeli people to the current situation, and not, as you claimed, “The IDF’s harsh response to Palestinian violence in 2000.”
In your article, you had the audacity to ask that we do not “repeat mistakes” again. Your request is a joke because it is the mistakes we made during Oslo that we are now repeating. During the Oslo Accords our country was made to believe that shootings were not “real terrorist attacks.” Shootings became like roadblocks; somehow it was believed that we needed them in order to obtain peace. According to the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from the signing of the Declaration of Principles between Israel and the PLO (the Oslo Accords) on September 13, 1993, until September 2000, 256 civilians and soldiers were killed in terrorist attacks in Israel.
The quiet that you spoke of in 2007, was nothing more than a waiting period until the next uprising, war, or whatever term fits the crime. It was not as though in 2007, Fatah, Hamas and other terrorist groups thought to themselves, “You know the Jews aren’t that bad. This living side-by-side thing seems like a great idea. Let’s give peace a chance.” In fact, it is embracing the quiet of 2007, rather than interpreting its silence that has brought the days of relentless rocket fire to the South, and the Yeshiva shooting to Jerusalem (not to mention the other terrorist attacks that have happened in the past few years). Continue reading this entry »
Netflix arrives Israeli style at DVD Yashir, plus 12 Movie mini-reviews
Slowly, but surely, Israel is catching up with the convenient services available in America like supermarket deliveries, second-hand marketplaces, and most recently, unlimited movie rentals through the mail with DVD Yashir.
In the notorious style of Hebrew websites, DVD Yashir sports the required scrolling text and flashing images, but at least it works in Firefox.
If you can get past the distractions and navigate your way through the site, you’ll learn that they sell and rent movies, and claim to be offering video rental in the “American style” with different fixed monthly rental plans. The cheapest plan costs 19 shekels for the first month and then 59 shekels for every month after that but doesn’t seem to include new releases. They let you keep a movie as long as you like and request new movies as often as you like, and like Netflix, it runs through the mail. But, let’s play this scenario out logistically in Israel. Just thinking about finding the nearest mailbox that would fit a dvd or attempting to go to the post office at a time when it’s open is starting to give me an anxiety attack.
While this service does seem to be promising, I’m a little skeptical of the reliability and convenience of the Israeli post office/mailbox thing and 59 shekels seems like quite a lot to shell out each month considering the dvd machine near my house is 16 shekels. So only if I rent more than 4 movies a month does it start to become worth it. I think I’ll stick to watching movies online for free.
Mini Movie Reviews
If you decide to try out the service, here are some mini movie reviews to give you some ideas of what to rent — or what not to rent. Continue reading this entry »
Sderot or Your City? The Click To Care Campaign
The barrage of rockets continues to hit Sderot, and have now made their way to Ashkelon. While I worry about where and when the next rocket will hit, I can’t help but wonder if I am the only one. It is clear that we can not leave it up to the government to effectively run this country or military operations-but I still have faith in the people.The below video is a part of a Click to Care Campaign that I hope all of your will participate in. By clicking on this video and passing it on to friends and family, I hope we can get the word out about Sderot. We must educate the world in order to be heard.
Watch the video- click to care- and pass it on. Below, you will also find a list of organizations dedicated to helping Sderot and victims of terror. There are many ways to support Sderot: volunteer, donate, speak out, and make your voice heard with the click of a video.
HELP!
Sderot in our Hearts: http://www.sderotinourhearts.com/
Being run by a number of organization including OU Israel and Nefesh B’Nefesh, Sderot in our Hearts is dedicated to bringing Purim joy to the traumatized children of Sderot.
Challot from Sderot by Standing Together: www.stogether.org/sderotchallot
Standing Together is dedicated to helping brighten the day of a soldier. This project allows Israelis to order challot and other baked goods directly from bakeries in Sderot for pick-up at different locations in Yerushalyim (and elsewhere) on Friday mornings.
One Family Fund:www.onefamilyfund.org
Raises money for victims of terror.
Connections Israel: www.connectionsisrael.com
This Purim, Connections Israel plans to deliver a holiday gift basket to every family in Sderot (10,000 families in total) with a letter of support from a Jewish family overseas. This project will connect families and communities in a major expression of Jewish unity.
Amit: http://www.amitchildren.org/sup2n.asp
Amit’s Campaign for Sderot has helped hundreds of children to advance in their studies, to continue their education, and to succeed in school despite tremendous obstacles.
Table to Table: www.tabletotable.org.il
Table to Table with the assistance of private donors is bolstering Sderot’s food industry through the purchase of food from local caterers, bakeries, butchers and grocers.
Chabad of Sderot: http://www.helpsderot.com/
Sderot Media Center: www.sderot-media.com
SMC aims to convey the Kassam rocket reality in Sderot and Western Negev to the Israeli and international community through media documentation and investigative journalism.
The Israel Project: http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/c.hsJPK0PIJpH/b.3831671/
The Israel Project is providing journalists with royalty free pictures of Sderot, in order to promote Sderot’s image in the media. They also have informative links about the current situation and history.
Children of Sderot Summer Relief Project – http://www.SderotKids.org
The directors of 11 large Jewish summer camps from Boston to Montreal to California have joined together to create this ambitious project to airlift 110 children out of missile-bombarded Sderot and bring them to North America to experience the summer of their lives at these camps.
The Big Felafel 