LoveBox
Along very Israel21c lines, Israeli Roy Shechter was having a hard time dealing with negative images of Israel, so he decided to take action. He teamed up with an American friend to create a website showing the best parts of Israel, as well as a few Israel ‘Loveboxes,’ filled with Israeli items that can be sent to loved ones. The idea being to connect you to Israel even when you’re not here, with things like soup nuts and Bamba. You don’t have to necessarily spend money; there is, of course, a facebook group option, where ‘friends’ such as Zeev Bielski have commented with admiration.
According to Roy, the lovebox concept is simply a way for Jews to feel connected to Judaism and Israel even when they are not in the Holy Land or don’t always feel they can display their Judaism proudly. So take a look at the loveboxes and see what you think. There’s a certain charm to the website and the idea, what with ‘The Gathering of the Tribe Lovebox,’ ‘The Israeli Wannabe Lovebox,’ and ‘The Worried Jewish Mother Lovebox.’ For just $19.90, $29.90 or $39.90, and a collection of kiddush cups, Psalms key chains, Turkish coffee, Bamba, sunflower seeds, Elite instant coffee and instant soup mix (+ soup nuts), you can show your love of Israel.
Picture of the week – first rains
Jerusalem, Rosh hashana 2009. Two months of rain fall in just two days.
Israel was surprised this week by unusually heavy first rains. Accustomed to short, light showers that kick off the winter season, Israel got a soaking instead.
The storms over the Rosh Hashana holiday, brought in by a band of cold weather from Turkey and the Black sea, actually set a new rainfall record – what fell in just two days equaled the average total for both September and October, according to the Water Authority.
The storms were greeted with much pleasure. With five drought years behind us, Israelis are resorting to increasingly creative ways to reuse gray water and conserve fresh water (from short showers to inventive flushing systems for the loo) in the wake of the worst drought in Israel’s history.
In Kfar Saba, for instance, the municipality is now introducing a new biofilter that will clean urban rain water runoff to recharge old and out of service water wells. It’s a pilot project in the country’s first environmentally friendly urban housing project. Watch out for the story in the coming weeks in ISRAEL21c .
As far as rainfall goes, we now have to wait and see what comes next. As we enter an El Nino year, some people are anticipating a wet winter as rainfall patterns across the world respond to the warmer seas.
The Water Authority is warning us not to get too excited, however. In a recent
Jpost article, Water Authority spokesman, Uri Schor announced that El Nino could also cause an even more severe drought year than the last five.
“We’re on the rim of the El Nino effect and no one knows what it will bring. It could conceivably bring a lot of rain, but it could also bring about a severe drought year. It’s clear what we’re all hoping for,” he said.
Given that the last time we had a rainy winter, the Israeli government slowed work on its desalination projects, setting us back several years, it’s probably not surprising he’s so cautious.
For most Israelis, however, this sudden unexpected downfall was a welcome diversion from the heat, and a chance to enjoy that fresh, clean scent that follows the rain.
39 Pounds of Love
Israel was 39 pounds lighter and alot sadder this week, with the passing of Ami Ankilewitz.
The subject of the award-winning documentary ’39 Pounds of Love’, Ankilewitz was born 41 years ago with Spinal Muscular Atrophy an extremely rare and often fatal condition that limits physical growth and movement.
After defying doctors predictions that he would only live for six years, Ankilewitz succumbed to the disease over the weekend and was buried on Sunday, the second day of Rosh Hashana.
Due to the disease, Ami never weighed more than 39 pounds (17.7 kg.) as an adult and was virtually paralyzed, having the use of only one finger. However, he lived life like he was long distance racer, which prompted Israeli filmmaker Dani Menkin in 2005 to chronicle Ami’s life.
Menkin first saw Ami in a Tel Aviv bar, and was instantly drawn to him and thus, began a relationship that would eventually lead to making the film.
39 Pounds of Love centers on Ankilewitz’s quest across America to make peace with his brother and confront the doctor who predicted his early death. Along the way, he visits the Grand Canyon and rode a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, one of his life’s dreams and passions.
In the film notes, Menkin recalled, “Ami told me that during his first year, the doctor predicted he would not survive past the age of 6. Now he was 33. He was ready to tell his story and I wanted to know more about him. We just started shooting Ami and his everyday life. I was amazed by the fact that a guy like him not only didn’t feel sorry for himself, but lived his life to the fullest. He wanted to go cross country in the US as a way to feel more alive. What amazed me even more is that Ami was a brilliant 3D animator who makes beautiful artwork, using just one finger. When he showed me his work I thought it would be incredible to include Ami’s Animation in the film as a way to express his feelings and desires. Thru the animation he could express himself and leaving the physical limitations aside.”
The film won the Best Documentary category at the Ophir Awards given out by
the Israeli Academy of Film, and was screened extensively in the United States to critical praise.
“I think a person like me would have much more motivation… for the simple
reason that it would be much more important for me to prove that I could be
as efficient as everyone else,” Ankilewitz wrote on his Web site.
“It could have been worse. I could have been ‘normal.’ I have the freedom to be whoever I want. I do not think people should look at me as a hero. Instead, they should think of themselves and put themselves in my position and think what other options do I have. It’s
either live or die, and I chose not to die.”
Ami’s friends and family were due to gather on Tuesday night in Tel Aviv for a public screening of the film and to celebrate his extraordinary life.
Galilee Circus wins our Rosh HaShana competition
The Galilee Circus performing in the US.
We asked readers to choose their top charity, and to explain why they felt this charity should receive a $25 gift voucher from JGooders.
Out of a choice of eight, David picked the Galilee Circus, a troupe set up in the Galilee to bring Jewish and Arab children together to learn circus skills and put on performances.
In his comment, David said:
“The Galilee Circus – the effort brings many smiles to folks who could use it, while working on reducing stereotypes – key for a peaceful co-existence.”
We’ve featured Galilee Circus a couple of times on ISRAEL21c. You can see our features here:
Youth circus troupes build a pyramid of hope in Israel
Jewish and Arab children learn cooperation in the Galilee circus
Many thanks to everyone who took part in the competition. The final word goes to Tova, one of our readers who said:
“These are all amazing causes – and even if you don’t win, you can think about making a small gift in honor of the new year…..I personally did so.”
It’s a wonderful life
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Holidays, Israeliness, Life, Religion
It was one of those pre-Rosh Hashana crunches that most of us have experienced – a bunch of meals to shop for and cook, a house to clean, phone calls to make, and errands to do. That’s why two last-minute calamities almost did us in.
First was the emergency light in the car going on indicating a malfunction in some vital system. The second was evidence that the pipes leading from our bathrooms were totally clogged. Erev chag, Friday morning, while my wife waited for the plumber (who happens to be a good friend in the neighborhood), I took my chances and drove into my garage in Jerusalem, knowing that the window of opportunity to get it fixed in the few short hours they were going to be open were slim.
Sure enough, after rigging up the computer to the engine, Shimon the mechanic said, indeed there was something wrong with the car (gee, thanks) but that they wouldn’t be able to check in depth until Monday, after Rosh Hashana. He advised that I not drive the car until then, meaning leaving it with him.
However, we already had plans at our congregation in Jerusalem, where we drive to on Shabbats and holidays – my wife had an aliya honor scheduled and we had a meal planned with friends. In addition there was still a trip to the supermarket on tap, and various other tasks requiring a car.
I called home and relayed the bad news that we were going to have to cancel our plans and stay close to home for the holiday, and started walking toward a bus to go home. As I passed an Avis Rent a Car, I thought of the old Devo song, “Are We Not Men? No, We Are Devo” and thought, what would an adult do in this situation? Rent a car, of course.
So, ignoring the flashing overdraft in my bank account, I went in and walked out 20 minutes later with a chugging Suzuki sedan with stains on the upholstery.
Meanwhile, back at home, our plumber was solving that problem, and when hearing about our transportation woes, immediately invited us for dinner that night, along with two other families we were friendly with.
So, a few hours after we started with no car and clogged toilets, we had a rent a car, clog free pipes, and a great dinner invite. We brought our food we had already prepared along with us, and had a delightful time. The rest of Rosh Hashana was great, my wife shined on her aliya to the Torah, the Suzuki ran like a bumpy dream, and our bank is happy at getting that additional interest we’ll be paying on the overdraft.
Shana Tova!
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