Homeward bound

February 2, 2010 - 9:04 PM by Jessica · 2 Comments
Filed under: General, Immigrant Moments, Israeliness, Life, Travel

Well, my niece Elisheva is finally back from her six months of post-army travel, the last four of which were in South America. We’re all breathing a sigh of relief that she’s back, safe and sound, even though she was in pretty steady touch through Facebook, Skype and all the other usual communication methods of the 21st century.

Still, it was great to finally set eyes on her today, and witness the changes in this now better-traveled twentysomething. I wouldn’t have necessarily pegged her for the adventurous type prior to her trip, but after hearing the tales of her treks and trips through South America, it’s obvious that the bug has bitten our Shev-Shev, and she’ll be heading off again to North America, Central America and god knows where else before she buckles down for some university studies.

For now, though, I’m enjoying the small, but pertinent details of her travel lifestyle. The small stud in her nose, her browned skin, her habit of saying Salut instead of Labriut or God bless you, when someone sneezes. That’s clearly courtesy of her travel friends, which included Israelis, Germans and Belgians. And they’re all threatening to come to Israel in the near future, so we may get to meet Carl, Hans and the other members of the crew.

Finally, and maybe surprisingly, she’s been settling back into Israeli life pretty easily, greeting friends and family who are coming ’round to see her, and enjoying the simple pleasures of home life, from a full fridge to hot water whenever you shower. Shev shev, we’re very happy to have you home, for as long as that lasts.

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Tags: Facebook, Skype, south america

Nostalgia Sunday – Mercedes Sosa

October 4, 2009 - 7:28 PM by Rachel Neiman · 1 Comment
Filed under: Art, General, History and Culture, Music, Nostalgia Sunday

Amidst all today’s Sukkot holiday hoopla came the sad news that folksinger Mercedes Sosa, “The Voice of Latin America”, was dead. Sosa, who for over four decades, influenced singers from Joan Baez to Shakira, was a champion for social justice and a great friend to Israel.

She was a great friend to Israeli singers, too. Her last tour here was just a year ago, in October 2008, when David Broza took the stage with her during those performances.

She also collaborated with Argentinian-born singer-songwriter Shlomo Idov, who spoke movingly about her on Israel Radio today, as well as Aviv Geffen.

Last year, Israel’s Channel 2 ran an item about the long-standing relationship between Sosa and Israel. The video (in Hebrew only) can be viewed here.

The Argentinian community in Israel is planning a memorial celebration of the life of Mercedes Sosa on at 8:00o pm on Tuesday, October 6, and invites people to bring guitars and other instruments, food and friends to Park Herzliya (near the Seven Stars Mall). They, as do we all, will always remember Sosa in her heyday, performing one of her best-known songs, “Gracias a la Vida” (“Thanks to Life”).