Cooperative ceramics
Work by one fave ceramist, Marcelle Klein
For the uninitiated, the artist cooperative, often materialized in Israel as a ceramicists’ cooperative, is a group of artists who join together to rent a storefront and sell their creations. From what I’ve gleaned from my internet research — namely, not a whole lot — there are such cooperatives all over the world, although Israel seems to possess a large number of them. I like to think that’s because of our communal way of thinking, in which the thought is that it’s always better to work together than apart.
In any case, I stumbled upon yet another ceramists’ cooperative in Machane Yehuda the other week, Pri HaAdama (Fruit of the Earth), which features the work of 14, yes, 14, different ceramicists. The collection is wonderful, with many pieces to choose from and at surprisingly low prices.
While I’m at it, I’ll mention two other favorite ceramic cooperatives, Shmone B’Yachad, or Eight Altogether, at 8 Yoel Solomon Street in Jerusalem’s Nachalat Shiva neighborhood, downtown. The other fave is Shlush Shloshim in Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv, on 30 Shlush Street (You can find Marcelle Klein’s work there).
Remembering
Filed under: General, History and Culture, Immigrant Moments, Israeliness
Strange things can happen on Holocaust Remembrance Day, which falls today, April 21, and Israel’s Memorial Day, which falls next Tuesday. And they often happen during the 
that is sounded at 10:00 am on both mornings as well as on the eve of Memorial Day. During those two minutes, everything stops, all action of all kind, wherever you may be. And whatever action doesn’t stop — cars on the road, bulldozers at building sites (which one friend of mine noticed today), people walking down the street — is more than noticeable.
In my earlier days in Israel, I would plan out where I was going to be at 10:00, in order to be in the busiest place I could think of and have the most extreme siren experience. That brought me to Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda open market, to busy streets, malls, and on one memorable experience, the side of the road on Highway One. The longer I’m here, the lazier I’ve gotten about my 10 am location, or rather, the busier I’ve been in life, and therefore have less time to think these things through. But no matter where I am, even if it’s by my desk in my home office, that two-minute siren never fails to raise goosebumps on my arms, and make me think about why the siren is sounded.
Today I was standing next to the washing machine, sorting darks and whites and spraying stain remover on my six-month-old twins’ clothing. Not a particularly moving location. But I stood still for the entire two minutes, and the goosebumps were there as usual. I also noticed in the silence of the siren that the neighborhood dogs were barking up a storm, which makes you wonder what they think about the siren. And not to be out-yelled, my twin boys also raised their voices, waking up from their morning nap to hear a sound they’re never heard before.
So we remembered the six million in our own way, me and my boys. And I’ll always be able to tell them that the first time they heard the siren, they couldn’t ignore it either.
Foto Friday – To market, to market with Tamar Matsafi
Filed under: Art, Food, Foto Friday, General, Israeliness, Life, Travel
Passover is over and things are about to get back to normal, sort of. In the Israeli endless vacation reality, there’s still Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel Independence Day) to look forward to, after which a mild depression sets in as there won’t be another long vacation break till the High Holidays. Oh, except for August. We don’t work much in August.
The latter part of this week, though, was devoted to re-stocking the kitchen, post-Pesach. Photographer Tamar Matsafi took a jaunt to Jerusalem’s open market, Machane Yehuda, a refreshing alternative the the local supermarket.
First thing, buy new spices to replace the ones you threw out.
Photo: Tamar Matsafi
Photo: Tamar Matsafi
David had a nice write-up a few weeks ago about an unusual cooking competition held in the shuk between gourmet grannies.
Photo: Tamar Matsafi
An explanation of these dangerously delicious fried treats may be found here.
Photo: Tamar Matsafi
And check out Harry’s profile of Machane Yehuda’s resident shaman Uzi-Eli Chezi.
Photo: Tamar Matsafi
Our bags are full so home we go…
Photo: Tamar Matsafi
B-bye bourekas
Filed under: A New Reality, Environment, Food, General, Israeliness
Chef Erez Komorovsky, the founder of Israeli sourdough heaven Lehem Erez, says “there is no logical reason” for Israelis, who “live in a land of abundant olive oil, to go anywhere near trans fat, unless they are locked into a conference room for most of the day. ‘And then their situation is not all that great,’ he says.”
Komorovsky is quoted in a Haaretz article about saying b-bye to bourekas, those layers of filo dough slathered with margarine, as well as rugelach (yes, including Jerusalem’s famous Marzipan bakery in Machane Yehuda) and other popular pastries that Israelis love, yet are smothered in trans fat, read margarine, canola or soy oil.
I’m chuckling over Komorovsky’s conference room comment, since it’s simply so right on the mark, given the Israeli penchant for putting out plates of potato bourekas, chocolate wafers and sesame-studded pretzels, along with water and soda at pretty much any conference room gathering, whether it be at the Knesset or a venture capital firm boardroom. Okay, maybe Herzliya venture capitalists are sticking to fresh fruit and sparkling water these days. But every bakery slides out its trays of vegetable- and cheese-filled bourekas each day, along with cinnamon and chocolate rugelach, and people buy them by the box and bagful.
“Israelis’ affection for bourekas and manufactured pastries, along with the long work days that lead to snacks of this sort, are liable to have disastrous results. Another risk factor is the widespread use of margarine in Israel – in part due to kashrut considerations – since margarine is entirely trans fat,” according to the Haaretz article. And while “the good news for Israelis is that restaurants here are better than in the United States. Even McDonald’s in Israel stopped using trans fats as far back as 2004, and switched to canola oil,” we’re still a country that likes its trans fat in plenty of products.
I’m hooked on these concepts right now because I’m reading Barbara Kingsolver’s excellent new book, “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life”, and contemplating finally starting my compost pile and growing some more vegetables in our garden. Don’t know whether that will actually happen. But I’ll tell you this much: No more bourekas in this house.
Aromification
Filed under: A New Reality, Business, Food, General, History and Culture
Admittedly, I spend a lot of time in Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda, the outdoor food — as well as clothing, kitchenware and other sundry items — market that is known for its fresh produce, spices, fish, breads and cheeses. I’ve always loved the charm of its narrow streets, the gruff stall owners, even jostling and jockeying for position with the other shoppers wheeling their heavily-laden grandma carts.
And, like many others, I stopped shopping there during the tough days of the intifada, when it didn’t feel safe, just like many other neighborhoods in Jerusalem. What brought me back was the renaissance of the shuk about seven years ago, led by Eli Mizrachi, a second generation roasted nut stall owner. Mizrachi, along with a group of fellow stall owners, opened the market’s first cafe, then known as Everything for the Baker as well as Coffee (now called Cafe Mizrachi), and led the charge to clean and renovate the shuk’s dilapidated streets and sidewalks.
Mizrachi’s efforts brought many people back to the market, as well as a different breed of stall owners, from clothing boutiques and small cafes to a couple of galleries and restaurants. And yes, their customers stick around to buy their halva and cheeses, olives and fruit. It’s one-stop shopping.
But I can’t say I’m pleased about the latest turn of events in Machane Yehuda. I was on my way toward Mizrachi the other day, when I noticed the distinctive black-and-red sign of a new Aroma cafe on the open part of the market. It’s the usual Aroma setup, chairs and tables outside, barista bar inside, customers happily chowing down on their egg sandwiches and coffees. The new Aroma is taking up the space of two stalls, and according to Eli Mizrachi, the space was purchased six months ago but ongoing arguments with City Hall delayed the opening of this particular branch.
I’m generally a satisfied and willing Aroma customer, but you won’t catch me frequenting this particular branch.
Urban chic witch doctor
Shuk Machane Yehuda’s resident shaman, Uzi-Eli Chezi runs his retail stall like it’s part theme park attraction, part spiritual folk remedy center. Uzi-Eli bases his natural remedies (various juice mixtures, soaps, creams, serums) on recipes from the writings of Rabbi Moses Maimonides, a North African Jewish philosopher from the Middle Ages who is also known for his contributions as a physician.
“Both of my grandfathers – who were brothers – would make holistic energy drinks,” Uzieli recently told Jerusalemite, the Jerusalem culture guide. “When I finished my army service, I spent five years traveling through 12 different countries, learning about herbs and natural medicine. I used this knowledge to create formulas for healing drinks,” which he soon began to market out of his own home, before opening his shop in the shuk five years ago.
These formulas rely heavily on gat (khat, a leaf known for its energizing properties) and etrog (citron, the local yellow citrus fruit most famous for being shaken with the lulav during the holiday of Sukkot), and he buys all of his ingredients from his neighbors in the open-air market. He also creates remedies from kombucha mushrooms, dates, fenugreek, passion fruit, goat milk yogurt, pomegranate and apple.
Uzi-Eli explains:
Drinking etrog juice leads to strength in the body, and feelings of satiation and calmness. It also improves heart health, and will make a person smell better. It helps fight depression, helps cure hot flashes in women and gives men strength and virility.
But even if one questions the true healing merits of Uzi-Eli’s concoctions, one surely must give him credit for the place he holds in Jerusalem’s cultural landscape. The guy has regulars and potential customers alike constantly approaching him (or sometimes submitting to his offers) for consultations, which almost universally end with some gat extract being schpritzed down the throat. Plus, he is just about as esoterically charming an institution as one can find in the shuk, so who cares if his schug (a traditional Middle Eastern condiment of ground fresh chili peppers and herbs) isn’t as spicy as the next guy’s?
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