The room smelled of freshly baked products, percolated coffee and lovely crustless sandwiches. My Grandma and her friends were dressed up to the nines. There were usually between 4-6 ladies there. They would eat, talk and play. They would take turns rotating in and out of this mysterious, yet intriguing game. Once the game began, you could feel a s...
Carole Glauber, award-winning
photographer and photo historian
Over the past few in-and-out-of-lockdown months, I've started to sort through a stack of old photographs and put them into existing or new albums. It's taking me longer than anticipated as I'm constantly being waylaid by memories. How evocative the photos are of a time and place in the past, not only of my own increasingly distant childhood, but al...
True History-Brilliant: In ancient Israel, it came to pass that a trader by the name of Abraham Com did taketh unto himself a healthy young wife by the name of Dorothy. And Dot Com, as she came to be known, was a comely woman: large of breast, broad of shoulder and long of leg. Indeed, she was often called 'Amazon' Dot Com. And she said unto Abraha...
Engraving of Judah Touro (1775-1854) whose bequest funded the windmill’s construction. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Parts of the reconstructed mill mechanism Photo: Richard Gordon
Entrance to the reconstructed windmill wine center. Photo: Richard Gordon
View eastwards from Mishkenot Sha’ananim towards Gethsemane Photo: Richard Gordon
Designed in Kent, saved by Ramsgate, now a £1M wineshop In 1857 the English Jewish philanthropist, Sir Moses Montefiore built—thanks to a bequest by American philanthropist Judah Touro—a Kentish windmill overlooking the holy city of Jerusalem. Today, more than 150 years later, it is alive and kicking though not quite as Sir Moses would have expecte...
In December 1964, the MV Bilu became the first car-ferry to cross the Atlantic, sailing from Haifa on a 17-day voyage to Miami, Florida. Described as a "Motel Ship" in a New York Times article, some passengers called her the "floating youth hostel". The Bilu could sleep 524 passengers in 172 two- or four-bunk cabins, and the "restaurant" was a pay-...
A neighbourhood in Haifa at night. Every outside light left on by carelessness, every street light too high or too strong, draws a sea turtle hatchling in the wrong direction, confuses a firefly away from its mate, disrupts someone’s sleep...
Since I was a little girl the beauty of the stars has enchanted me. I wanted to understand the secrets of the universe, and I knew it had something to do with the stars. I was sure I was going to become an astronaut, and get just a little closer to infinity. Well, I didn't become an astronaut, but I never lost my love of the stars. I have spent wee...
Relent, for what is love made of Friendship is the balm that binds The meeting of two minds Two personalities Two lives. But love is more Love is the meeting of two bodies Two passions Two souls. Relent and do not deprive us of love. I walked through a thicket And I was caressed. It coursed through me And warmed my heart And I responded. Love...
ANGELS ON FRIDAY NIGHTBy Susan LowingerPublisher: Independently published, 2020Paperback: 151 pagesAmazon: $9.90; Kindle: $2.99Reviewed by Judy Shapiro It has been said that the novelist Henry James wrote like his brother, William, a psychologist, while William James wrote like his brother Henry, the novelist. The fourteen original short stories co...
Our father and partner, Errol (Asher) Gotsman sadly passed away in early December 2020. Errol was born in Krugersdorp, South Africa, on October 21, 1934. His start in life was not easy. He lost his father when he was only two years old. His mother decided to send him to cheder in the hope that the rabbis would be able to instill some discipli...
Befriender Laurie and Befriendee Melvyn enjoying the sunshine together
Face to face befriending by ESRA has been running in Raanana and Netanya for many years, initially started by Val Kantor and then continued by Glenis Bertfield. With the onset of the pandemic it was realized that this would have to change as people were not able to meet up. With this in mind we decided that we would still keep in touch with those w...