RECOMMENDATION FOR URBAN K'VUTAH IN TZFAT
A quiet revolution is well underway in the Kibbutz Movement.
Literally hundreds of small Urban Kibbutzim, or K'vutzot as some call themselves due their small size, are springing up all over the country - most of them in development towns and in distressed neighborhoods.
They are models of mutual sufficiency based on cooperation.
You'll read a bit about the Urban Kibbutzim and K'vutzot on the following links. The second was written by a member of one of those k'vutzot.
http://tinyurl.com/24rtkv
http://tinyurl.com/2zj6yu
They are small groups of people who not only pool their resources, live their lives according to direct democratic principles that they carry out in their regular meetings; they devote their lives to helping others in distress.
A number of them have developed innovative programs of education for people of all ages.
Kibbutz Mehanchim (Educators) help youth at risk in the Hadar neighborhood of Chaifa. See: http://tinyurl.com/2tgr9h Note that the article states that "the city (of Chaifa) called on 70 young people from all over the country, members of the Noar Haoved Vehalomed (Working and Learning Youth) youth movement, to establish an urban kibbutz to work with the neighborhood's at-risk youth. That means that they provided housing and initial services for the program to get underway.
Kibbutz Tamuz in Beit Shemesh (a rapidly developing town near Jerusalem) is the oldest of the Urban Kibbutzim. We visited Kibbutz Tammuz when it was about five years old. We were very impressed with the warmth and dedication of those young people. They had received a building from Amidar that was pretty run down and renovated it themselves. It is a pleasure to present an idea to you of how far they've gotten since and how much they contribut to Beit Shemesh: http://tinyurl.com/ypxxg2
And now we get down to takhlis. K'vutzat Re'ut is located in the housing project Gilo Aleph in Jerusalem. It is one of two urban Kibbutzim in Jerusalem. One of the Urban Kibbutzim in Jerusalem is entirely religious. It is called Reishit (The First).
The population of Kvutzat Re'ut is mixed - more and less religiously observant. They run a number of projects of neighborhood aid. Additionally, they have a beit midrash and a pre-army leadership training program (a mekhina). My son visited K'vutzat Re'ut when he was doing his pre-army leadership training course at Meitzar. Meitzar took their students to K'vutzat Re'ut because their program is so very good. : Please see their web site: http://www.reut.org.il/
There are people that are considered "Friends of Urban Kibbutzim". While they are not members themselves, they support the programs and learn and work with the K'vutzot for the betterment of the environs.
I believe that the model of K'vutzat Re'ut would be perfect for Tzfat. K'vutzat Re'ut is all about Jewish learning and mutual tolerance. It is a model of cooperation. They go beyond mere toleration of varying viewpoints. They incorporate them into one beautiful, and very productive mosaic.
I find it odd that Tzfat with all of its problems has not extended a hand to the youth movements to set up an urban K'vutzah here. The City of Chaifa did. Why not Tzfat? We certainly have as many problems as does the city of Chaifa per capita and goodness knows there are neighborhoods in this town that would benefit greatly from the input of a bunch of idealistic, energetic, educated youngsters.
I urge you to consider the information on the links I've provided.
I have been in touch with the Kibbutz Movement about beginning an Urban K'vutzah here in Tzfat.
I was told that they are aware of the problems in Tzfat as they have received reports from the youth movements here.
They know very well that Tzfat is in dire need of one of those programs. They would very much like to begin a K'vutzah here.
The problems seems to be funding.
Perhaps if we, as a group of concerned citizens, turn to the City of Tzfat and to Amidar we can get the ball rolling.
Thank you for your consideration. The contribution that an Urban Kibbutz can make in the poor neighborhoods of Tzfat is inestimable. As they have found that the K'vutzot work best when they remain small, they tend to divide into two sister K'vutzot when they reach a certain size. We could have a K'vutzah in the Ofer Neighborhood, or thereabouts, and one in the poor areas of Cana'an.
The City of Tzfat can't be relied upon to initiate this. We have to nudge them.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
MUTUAL BANKING AND MUTUAL CREDIT
The descriptions of the Mutual Bank or Credit Union below are general.
They need to be tweaked to suit Jewish needs and this is a matter for Jews to sit down and discuss to decide how best this can be done.
As you can see, the idea is built upon the principle of free credit - and that is in line with Torah.
The system of banking that we have today in Israel is wholly corrupt. Every time we make use of a commercial bank in Israel we commit an avayrah. We are FORBIDDEN to earn interest on a loan to another Jews. PERIOD. No if. No ands. No buts. No "heterim". Gornisht.
To partake in and support institutions Jewish usury is not less an avayrah than any other. Any Rabbi who tells you otherwise is getting his salary to do so from the establishment. More about that establishment at the end of this post.
Today, most Jews in Israel outside of Me'ah She'arim have to do business with commercial banks. We can, we must, change that. ASAP.
It is incumbent upon us as Jews to establish Mutual Banks based on Mutual Credit. The residents of Me'ah She'arim have such a banking system. I am sure that they would be delighted to instruct us how to implement and run a bank like that.
The bank should be commonly run, should have wholly open books and there should be a Board of Governers who sit for a short period of time, who are elected by the community and are subject to immediate recall if they do not carry out their duties in accordance with Hilkhot Mamonot and common decency.
This system will eventually supplant gemachim. Although people who run gemachim can be very helpful in the establishment of such a Mutual Bank.
No one should have to borrow money from another person. We should all have what we need.
Let's get to the short overview then:
"Mutualists argue that free banking should be taken back by the people to establish systems of free credit. They contend that banks have a monopoly on credit, just as capitalists have a monopoly on land. Banks are essentially creating money by lending out deposits that do not actually belong to them, then charging interest on the difference. Mutualists argue that by establishing a democratically run mutual bank or credit union, it would be possible to issue free credit so that money could be created for the benefit of the participants rather than for the benefit of the bankers.
A credit union is a cooperative financial institution that is owned and controlled by its members. Credit unions differ from banks and other financial institutions in that the members who have accounts in the credit union are the owners of the credit union.
Credit union policies governing interest rates and other matters are set by a volunteer Board of Directors elected by and from the membership itself. Only a member of a credit union may deposit money with the credit union, or borrow money from it. As such, credit unions have historically marketed themselves as providing superior member service and being committed to helping members improve their financial health.
Credit unions may be viewed as non-profit organizations, or alternatively as for-profit enterprises charged with making a profit for their members (who receive any profits earned by the cooperative in the form of dividends paid on savings, which are taxed as ordinary income, or reduced interest rates on loans).
This debate reflects credit unions' unusual organizational structure, which attempts to solve the principal-agent problem by ensuring the owners and the users of the institution are the same people. In any case, credit unions generally cannot accept donations and must be able to prosper in a competitive market economy. "
My dear Brothers and Sisters: There is nothing more revolutionary than to be a true Jew. The heart and Soul of Judaism is revolt against corruption and the mechanisms that are generated from it.
From the day we were commanded to slaughter the sacred cows of Egypt, we were commanded to live a life of perpetual revolt against power of man over man and the idol worship that supports it.
When the State of Israel was declared the rich and politically powerful understood that if Judaism was given true expression that we would create a world-wide revolution.
They were right on correct about that.
So, all the forces of Hell were unleashed against us: they support the Arabs to keep us in a constant state of war; they fluoridate our water so that we will be debilitated; they bankroll an army of "Rabbis" to teach us that which is not Torah and keep us very busy with made-up things to do so that we will not remember the voice we heard in Egypt and at Har Sinai. They keep us in economic straits and worries, they keep us in thrall in a million different ways.
Why have they gone to all that trouble and expense. Because NO ONE is more dangerous to a corrupt system than a real Jew. Nothing works against a real Jew to get him or her to cooperate with corruption - not the carrot and not the stick.
And so, my dear Brothers and Sisters, despite all that has been set against us - real Jews we must be. A real Jewish society we must build. Real solidarity we must return to - the solidarity that we knew when we were a young people.
We have to return to a time when authority was invested in people only on the basis of the love and the wisdom they proved. We have to return to the time of the Judges - the time before a State and a government was set over us. The Judges were known by their communities intimately. Their every character trait was seen by all. If they were not immaculately honest and straight they would not have been respected. Their honor was their only source of power - and that is the only correct source of power.
Read the Book of Sh'mu'el. We were not meant to be ruled by flesh and blood!
Because our society is so sick our Judaism too is sick, paltry and in our hearts we know, sadly, largely contrived. We will only be able to find our way back to the true Torah as we institute mechanisms of righteousness.
Today we turn to HaShem in our poverty, in our fear, in our insecurity, with our broken hearts and broken spirits and broken bodies, after having been traumatized - and we fall victim to the "Rabbis" who are working for the rich and politically powerful to lead us astray.
Would that we would turn to HaShem in our strength and in our love and in our security! Would that we would turn to HaShem in celebration of the bounty we live in!
I saw on Kibbutz that when every material and social need is provided for still there is a feeling that something is lacking. I saw on totally secular Kibbutzim synagogues being built and b'tei midrash being put together and study groups forming.
When we have provided for one another's human needs, when we all live in abundance and in solidarity, when our consciences and our hands are clean and we all earn our livings in dignity and with honor THEN and only then will we be in a position to return to the true Torah.
It is so easy to begin. We form food co-ops and mutual aid projects. We form a mutual bank that provides mutual credit. Soon others will emulate us.
Tzfat is the perfect community to begin this in and the one that needs it the very most.
Let's begin NOW. For I tell you truly, it is we who must usher in the Messianic age.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
The descriptions of the Mutual Bank or Credit Union below are general.
They need to be tweaked to suit Jewish needs and this is a matter for Jews to sit down and discuss to decide how best this can be done.
As you can see, the idea is built upon the principle of free credit - and that is in line with Torah.
The system of banking that we have today in Israel is wholly corrupt. Every time we make use of a commercial bank in Israel we commit an avayrah. We are FORBIDDEN to earn interest on a loan to another Jews. PERIOD. No if. No ands. No buts. No "heterim". Gornisht.
To partake in and support institutions Jewish usury is not less an avayrah than any other. Any Rabbi who tells you otherwise is getting his salary to do so from the establishment. More about that establishment at the end of this post.
Today, most Jews in Israel outside of Me'ah She'arim have to do business with commercial banks. We can, we must, change that. ASAP.
It is incumbent upon us as Jews to establish Mutual Banks based on Mutual Credit. The residents of Me'ah She'arim have such a banking system. I am sure that they would be delighted to instruct us how to implement and run a bank like that.
The bank should be commonly run, should have wholly open books and there should be a Board of Governers who sit for a short period of time, who are elected by the community and are subject to immediate recall if they do not carry out their duties in accordance with Hilkhot Mamonot and common decency.
This system will eventually supplant gemachim. Although people who run gemachim can be very helpful in the establishment of such a Mutual Bank.
No one should have to borrow money from another person. We should all have what we need.
Let's get to the short overview then:
"Mutualists argue that free banking should be taken back by the people to establish systems of free credit. They contend that banks have a monopoly on credit, just as capitalists have a monopoly on land. Banks are essentially creating money by lending out deposits that do not actually belong to them, then charging interest on the difference. Mutualists argue that by establishing a democratically run mutual bank or credit union, it would be possible to issue free credit so that money could be created for the benefit of the participants rather than for the benefit of the bankers.
A credit union is a cooperative financial institution that is owned and controlled by its members. Credit unions differ from banks and other financial institutions in that the members who have accounts in the credit union are the owners of the credit union.
Credit union policies governing interest rates and other matters are set by a volunteer Board of Directors elected by and from the membership itself. Only a member of a credit union may deposit money with the credit union, or borrow money from it. As such, credit unions have historically marketed themselves as providing superior member service and being committed to helping members improve their financial health.
Credit unions may be viewed as non-profit organizations, or alternatively as for-profit enterprises charged with making a profit for their members (who receive any profits earned by the cooperative in the form of dividends paid on savings, which are taxed as ordinary income, or reduced interest rates on loans).
This debate reflects credit unions' unusual organizational structure, which attempts to solve the principal-agent problem by ensuring the owners and the users of the institution are the same people. In any case, credit unions generally cannot accept donations and must be able to prosper in a competitive market economy. "
My dear Brothers and Sisters: There is nothing more revolutionary than to be a true Jew. The heart and Soul of Judaism is revolt against corruption and the mechanisms that are generated from it.
From the day we were commanded to slaughter the sacred cows of Egypt, we were commanded to live a life of perpetual revolt against power of man over man and the idol worship that supports it.
When the State of Israel was declared the rich and politically powerful understood that if Judaism was given true expression that we would create a world-wide revolution.
They were right on correct about that.
So, all the forces of Hell were unleashed against us: they support the Arabs to keep us in a constant state of war; they fluoridate our water so that we will be debilitated; they bankroll an army of "Rabbis" to teach us that which is not Torah and keep us very busy with made-up things to do so that we will not remember the voice we heard in Egypt and at Har Sinai. They keep us in economic straits and worries, they keep us in thrall in a million different ways.
Why have they gone to all that trouble and expense. Because NO ONE is more dangerous to a corrupt system than a real Jew. Nothing works against a real Jew to get him or her to cooperate with corruption - not the carrot and not the stick.
And so, my dear Brothers and Sisters, despite all that has been set against us - real Jews we must be. A real Jewish society we must build. Real solidarity we must return to - the solidarity that we knew when we were a young people.
We have to return to a time when authority was invested in people only on the basis of the love and the wisdom they proved. We have to return to the time of the Judges - the time before a State and a government was set over us. The Judges were known by their communities intimately. Their every character trait was seen by all. If they were not immaculately honest and straight they would not have been respected. Their honor was their only source of power - and that is the only correct source of power.
Read the Book of Sh'mu'el. We were not meant to be ruled by flesh and blood!
Because our society is so sick our Judaism too is sick, paltry and in our hearts we know, sadly, largely contrived. We will only be able to find our way back to the true Torah as we institute mechanisms of righteousness.
Today we turn to HaShem in our poverty, in our fear, in our insecurity, with our broken hearts and broken spirits and broken bodies, after having been traumatized - and we fall victim to the "Rabbis" who are working for the rich and politically powerful to lead us astray.
Would that we would turn to HaShem in our strength and in our love and in our security! Would that we would turn to HaShem in celebration of the bounty we live in!
I saw on Kibbutz that when every material and social need is provided for still there is a feeling that something is lacking. I saw on totally secular Kibbutzim synagogues being built and b'tei midrash being put together and study groups forming.
When we have provided for one another's human needs, when we all live in abundance and in solidarity, when our consciences and our hands are clean and we all earn our livings in dignity and with honor THEN and only then will we be in a position to return to the true Torah.
It is so easy to begin. We form food co-ops and mutual aid projects. We form a mutual bank that provides mutual credit. Soon others will emulate us.
Tzfat is the perfect community to begin this in and the one that needs it the very most.
Let's begin NOW. For I tell you truly, it is we who must usher in the Messianic age.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Monday, October 08, 2007
CO-OPS AND MUTUAL AID PROJECTS
Below you will find a link to a number of mutual aid projects that were undertaken in Ithaca, New York.
I am posting them here to give an idea of the kind of projects that a number of families in a community can undertake in order to make life more fun, more social, more economical, more efficient, to increase the number of services available in their communities and, most of all, to become more INDEPENDENT of elected officials by working together.
I cannot stress how detrimental the mentality of putting trust in politicians and government bodies to do for us that which we can do for ourselves is.
Politicians are parasites. They act at the behest of the rich, as is commonly known but also commonly accepted as a "fact of life". It need not be. They, like all parasites, weaken the host whose body they invade -in this case, the body of the citizenry. But the truth of the matter is, people abnegate their power and independence more than politicians arrogate them.
Where there are politicians there is no true democracy. There is only plutocracy. "Representative democracy" is not democracy at all. Only direct democracy, where people meet face-to-face and hammer out the issues that face all of us, eat out of a communal pot and whose destinies are tied one to the other is democracy that deserves the name. We are now living a farce – a very dangerous farce, a very dangerous self-delusion.
Of course, that abnegation is encouraged by politicians and people are made to feel weak and helpless. How many times and in how many ways, either directly or by implication, have you been called "weak" and "little" by politicians and by the press? Does the phrase "Joe Citizen" ring a bell and arouse a feeling of being put down? Those are psychological ploys designed to make you feel dependent and helpless. The message is ubiquitous and repetitive. But as Eleanor Roosevelt said: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." She also said: "If someone betrays you once, it's their fault; if they betray you twice, it's your fault." How many times have we been betrayed by politicians? Whose fault is it by this time?
There is power, and safety, in numbers. That is where co-ops and mutual aid programs come in.
People simply get together and, as a group on a rotating basis, supply one another with their everyday needs.
Vegetarian and health food co-ops are very popular, as I'm sure you know. People buy in bulk together, prepare the food together and dine together - all in a communal atmosphere of fun and conviviality.
But co-ops and mutual aid projects can do so much more than that.
A few ideas are to be found on the link below. They were undertaken in Itaca, New York; but with a little bit of tweaking they can be adapted to the needs of your community.
Most of all, co-ops and mutual aid programs will accustom people to working in solidarity one for all and all for one.
Those programmes confer a feeling of strength and mutual reliance without dependency.
They will wean the community from the unhealthy dependence upon politicians who, of every stripe and every party, have proven without exception that they cannot and will not improve matters.
We are responsible for one another. Only then can we flourish. Only then can we feel secure. Only then can we become fully adult and actualize our capacities. We become whole and independent individuals when we act with others in solidarity. We must be whole and strong in order to give and the giving makes us strong.
Please take a look at the programmes outlined on the link below.
One of them is not relevant to those who live in societies that have instituted socialized medicine. Most of the members on this list do not enjoy socialized medicine and the idea of a group working together to obtain insurance for all is a terrific one.
These programs should gradually supplant charities. In this way everyone is giving and everyone receiving. Living this way we all give and receive in dignity and in bounty.
Gradually, these programs will lead us in the direction of comprehensive mutual sufficiency that will phase out all need for politicians.
http://tinyurl.com/2xtwfj
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Below you will find a link to a number of mutual aid projects that were undertaken in Ithaca, New York.
I am posting them here to give an idea of the kind of projects that a number of families in a community can undertake in order to make life more fun, more social, more economical, more efficient, to increase the number of services available in their communities and, most of all, to become more INDEPENDENT of elected officials by working together.
I cannot stress how detrimental the mentality of putting trust in politicians and government bodies to do for us that which we can do for ourselves is.
Politicians are parasites. They act at the behest of the rich, as is commonly known but also commonly accepted as a "fact of life". It need not be. They, like all parasites, weaken the host whose body they invade -in this case, the body of the citizenry. But the truth of the matter is, people abnegate their power and independence more than politicians arrogate them.
Where there are politicians there is no true democracy. There is only plutocracy. "Representative democracy" is not democracy at all. Only direct democracy, where people meet face-to-face and hammer out the issues that face all of us, eat out of a communal pot and whose destinies are tied one to the other is democracy that deserves the name. We are now living a farce – a very dangerous farce, a very dangerous self-delusion.
Of course, that abnegation is encouraged by politicians and people are made to feel weak and helpless. How many times and in how many ways, either directly or by implication, have you been called "weak" and "little" by politicians and by the press? Does the phrase "Joe Citizen" ring a bell and arouse a feeling of being put down? Those are psychological ploys designed to make you feel dependent and helpless. The message is ubiquitous and repetitive. But as Eleanor Roosevelt said: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." She also said: "If someone betrays you once, it's their fault; if they betray you twice, it's your fault." How many times have we been betrayed by politicians? Whose fault is it by this time?
There is power, and safety, in numbers. That is where co-ops and mutual aid programs come in.
People simply get together and, as a group on a rotating basis, supply one another with their everyday needs.
Vegetarian and health food co-ops are very popular, as I'm sure you know. People buy in bulk together, prepare the food together and dine together - all in a communal atmosphere of fun and conviviality.
But co-ops and mutual aid projects can do so much more than that.
A few ideas are to be found on the link below. They were undertaken in Itaca, New York; but with a little bit of tweaking they can be adapted to the needs of your community.
Most of all, co-ops and mutual aid programs will accustom people to working in solidarity one for all and all for one.
Those programmes confer a feeling of strength and mutual reliance without dependency.
They will wean the community from the unhealthy dependence upon politicians who, of every stripe and every party, have proven without exception that they cannot and will not improve matters.
We are responsible for one another. Only then can we flourish. Only then can we feel secure. Only then can we become fully adult and actualize our capacities. We become whole and independent individuals when we act with others in solidarity. We must be whole and strong in order to give and the giving makes us strong.
Please take a look at the programmes outlined on the link below.
One of them is not relevant to those who live in societies that have instituted socialized medicine. Most of the members on this list do not enjoy socialized medicine and the idea of a group working together to obtain insurance for all is a terrific one.
These programs should gradually supplant charities. In this way everyone is giving and everyone receiving. Living this way we all give and receive in dignity and in bounty.
Gradually, these programs will lead us in the direction of comprehensive mutual sufficiency that will phase out all need for politicians.
http://tinyurl.com/2xtwfj
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Friday, October 05, 2007
SPECIAL POST
GROSS IRREGULARITIES IN THE TZFAT MUNICIPALITY DURING THE WAR WITH LEBANON
It's high time that this was made widely known outside Israel. I am ashamed of myself for having hesitated to broadcast this information earlier. My son was in the army and I was constrained to keep my silence.
Now that he has been released from the army, I searched for, and found, the message below, addressed to a cousin, in which I described the rip off on the part of the Municipal workers of Tzfat (Safed) during the Lebanon war last summer.
I'm making up for that mistake now and will make this known outside Israel because NO ONE HAS BEEN PROSECUTED OR EVEN CENSURED even though it is known exactly who the perpetrators are and a report, including the personal reports of those who suffered during the war as a result of what you will read below, was served to the State Ombudsman.
The workers at the Tzfat Municipality continue to work (usually until about 13:00 - that's supposed to be full-time) with the same sense of security, entitlement and lavishing "extras" on themselves that they did before the war in Lebanon - even as the City of Tzfat is on the verge of economic collapse and a programme of financial "recovery" so draconian is being discussed that we may not have lights in the streets at night or regular garbage removal.
Getting back to what happened during the war with Lebanon last summer:
1) 1000 of the 5000 meals that were donated by a charity went unaccounted for every day. The worker at the Municipality who was in charge of distribution told local reporters that he was told to put the 1000 meals aside daily and to leave no written record as to having received them.
2) A truck load full of air conditioners that were donated for the poorly-ventilated, sweltering bomb shelters vanished into, well, thin air.
3) Ditto for the TVs that were donated. In contradistinction, the workers of the Municipality (that is, the 17 out of 350 who didn't desert the city entirely) arranged deluxe, "VIP" shelters for themselves, replete with color TV, A/C and Internet.
4) The free days in hotels, including free meals, that were donated by the hotels themselves and were specifically designated for the infirm and elderly first and foremost were, instead, used by workers in the Municipality. As the result of not getting one of those rooms, one woman whose 8-year-old handicapped, wheelchair-bound daughter, who must be kept in sterile conditions, contracted an infection and had to be hospitalized. Some relative of some worker of the City got the room that little girl should have had. No matter, eventually she got a nice room - in the hospital.
5) A huge number of disposable diapers that was donated likewise disappeared. What the hell can someone do with tons of nappies???
As a result of most of the Municipality workers running for the own lives and leaving us here to die, the army sent in a regiment of reserve soldiers to run the city. They did an exemplary job of handling the exigencies, but the danger of the precedent of being deserted by the democratically-elected government of the city and being governed almost entirely by high-ranking officers in the army need not be elaborated upon.
I am LIVID. I am also mobilized and galvanized to speak up about this.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS SINCE I FIRST DISSEMINATED THIS:
I received the e-mail message below from a member of the Tzfat Municipality. As the English is so poor, I thought it was spam and almost deleted it. Just as I was about to, I realized the name was vaguely familiar.
I opened it and found the following message, which, I have checked with a lawyer to make sure that I can repost it. I am fully within my legal rights to do so.
This is the content of the message:
Subject: "EVEN DO U R PROBABLY RIGHT
HI DOREEN I HAVE BEEN READING U R ARTICLE ABOUT THE THEFT DURING THE WAR AND EVEN DO U R PROBABLY RIGHT THAT THIS MAYOR AND WORKERS R CORRUPT U R EFFECTING OUR FUTURE REHABILITATION OF THE CITY I ASK U TO CONSIDER TAKING DOWN THE ARTICLE"
I fail to see entirely how keeping this information quiet will positively affect the "rehabilitation of the city".
I am of the opinion that the only thing that will rehabilitate the city is the prosecution of all those who were involved, and a complete revamping of the Municipality and how the city is run.
At this juncture, I will keep the name of the member of the Municipality to myself. However, during the course of the upcoming campaign; I may decide to publish the letter, with the name, including a translation.
If this person decides to run for Mayor of Tzfat, or openly supports a candidate; I will publish this letter with his name asking why this person is defending people who left residents of Tzfat for dead during the war.
Someone on the Tzfat Yahoo! list described me as "incorruptible". Evidently, the person who wrote that e-mail to me does not know the meaning of the word 'incorruptible' in English, or is so deep into politics that he has no concept what the meaning is at all.
But I am incorruptible and I'm going to keep on keeping on with this campaign to bring the events of last summer in Tzfat to international light.
Instead of taking his suggestion, I sent the text of "Dirty, Stinking, Tzfat Laundry" to every related charity organization, major Jewish newspaper in the US, Europe and elsewhere as well as to major news services internationally - mentioning the fact that I had been contacted by a member of the Tzfat Municipality who thinks that I should be quiet about having been left to die in order to rehabilitate the city.
If you can read Hebrew, read the synopsis of the recent State Comptroller's recent report here: http://tinyurl.com/2gzjll
If you cannot read it, it says that about a BILLION shekels in donations were received by the Northern part of Israel during the war with Lebanon last summer.
A large part of that did not go toward the intended purposes.
Let that sink in, a billion shekels is largely unaccounted for, while people were left TO DIE, abandoned by the Tzfat Municipality, except for 17 members (out of 350). My husband and I are two of those people.
Meanwhile, the city of Tzfat is in such economic straits that the education budget has been cut to the bone, our street lights will be turned off after 1:00; garbage collection will be reduced; social services have been drastically reduced; the cultural centers, which house the libraries, are closed...
I am making an international issue of this for the sake of justice and justice alone. Those who know me know I have no political or personal ambitions.
My only interest is that the perpetrators are brought to justice and that the money supply that keeps this corruption going is dried up.
I ask you to contribute to the betterment of Tzfat. I ask you to notify all of your loved ones and friends about what transpired here. Tell them to make the issue known in their local newspapers, other media, synagogues and communities.
As you can see from the response of this politician, politicians react to exposure. They don't like it. It is our most effective tool in the fight against corruption. Put the spotlight on them. Do not be afraid of them. Make them afraid of you. Politicians are very afraid of the truth coming to light. Let this ugly, ugly truth come to light.
There may be another war coming and it is expected, if it does occur, to be far worse than the last. If you do nothing to insure your safety, you can expect, without a shadow of a doubt, to be abandoned and stolen from again in the event of war.
If they get away with it once, they will be even more brazen next time.
We must make an international issue of this. By now, the report of the State Comptroller has most certainly been handed over to the Office of the Prime Minister. The State Comptroller can not do anything personally. All he or she can do is report the facts and known and recommend action. Nothing has been done inside Israel – and nothing will.
We must, MUST, take this story to the world - it is a story so shocking that it will make international waves if it is known.
Don't let the politicians fool you. This is the only way to rehabilitate the city.
Don't let there be a next time. Your life and the lives of your loved ones depend on the actions you take now. Believe it. The Municipality of Tzfat and the complicity of the national government have already proven that. We can only depend upon ourselves. No one else cares.
I have contacted many Jewish organizations, charities, synagogues and newspapers. I would appreciate the names of any that you think may have donated to Israel during the war or that may need to know this story.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
GROSS IRREGULARITIES IN THE TZFAT MUNICIPALITY DURING THE WAR WITH LEBANON
It's high time that this was made widely known outside Israel. I am ashamed of myself for having hesitated to broadcast this information earlier. My son was in the army and I was constrained to keep my silence.
Now that he has been released from the army, I searched for, and found, the message below, addressed to a cousin, in which I described the rip off on the part of the Municipal workers of Tzfat (Safed) during the Lebanon war last summer.
I'm making up for that mistake now and will make this known outside Israel because NO ONE HAS BEEN PROSECUTED OR EVEN CENSURED even though it is known exactly who the perpetrators are and a report, including the personal reports of those who suffered during the war as a result of what you will read below, was served to the State Ombudsman.
The workers at the Tzfat Municipality continue to work (usually until about 13:00 - that's supposed to be full-time) with the same sense of security, entitlement and lavishing "extras" on themselves that they did before the war in Lebanon - even as the City of Tzfat is on the verge of economic collapse and a programme of financial "recovery" so draconian is being discussed that we may not have lights in the streets at night or regular garbage removal.
Getting back to what happened during the war with Lebanon last summer:
1) 1000 of the 5000 meals that were donated by a charity went unaccounted for every day. The worker at the Municipality who was in charge of distribution told local reporters that he was told to put the 1000 meals aside daily and to leave no written record as to having received them.
2) A truck load full of air conditioners that were donated for the poorly-ventilated, sweltering bomb shelters vanished into, well, thin air.
3) Ditto for the TVs that were donated. In contradistinction, the workers of the Municipality (that is, the 17 out of 350 who didn't desert the city entirely) arranged deluxe, "VIP" shelters for themselves, replete with color TV, A/C and Internet.
4) The free days in hotels, including free meals, that were donated by the hotels themselves and were specifically designated for the infirm and elderly first and foremost were, instead, used by workers in the Municipality. As the result of not getting one of those rooms, one woman whose 8-year-old handicapped, wheelchair-bound daughter, who must be kept in sterile conditions, contracted an infection and had to be hospitalized. Some relative of some worker of the City got the room that little girl should have had. No matter, eventually she got a nice room - in the hospital.
5) A huge number of disposable diapers that was donated likewise disappeared. What the hell can someone do with tons of nappies???
As a result of most of the Municipality workers running for the own lives and leaving us here to die, the army sent in a regiment of reserve soldiers to run the city. They did an exemplary job of handling the exigencies, but the danger of the precedent of being deserted by the democratically-elected government of the city and being governed almost entirely by high-ranking officers in the army need not be elaborated upon.
I am LIVID. I am also mobilized and galvanized to speak up about this.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS SINCE I FIRST DISSEMINATED THIS:
I received the e-mail message below from a member of the Tzfat Municipality. As the English is so poor, I thought it was spam and almost deleted it. Just as I was about to, I realized the name was vaguely familiar.
I opened it and found the following message, which, I have checked with a lawyer to make sure that I can repost it. I am fully within my legal rights to do so.
This is the content of the message:
Subject: "EVEN DO U R PROBABLY RIGHT
HI DOREEN I HAVE BEEN READING U R ARTICLE ABOUT THE THEFT DURING THE WAR AND EVEN DO U R PROBABLY RIGHT THAT THIS MAYOR AND WORKERS R CORRUPT U R EFFECTING OUR FUTURE REHABILITATION OF THE CITY I ASK U TO CONSIDER TAKING DOWN THE ARTICLE"
I fail to see entirely how keeping this information quiet will positively affect the "rehabilitation of the city".
I am of the opinion that the only thing that will rehabilitate the city is the prosecution of all those who were involved, and a complete revamping of the Municipality and how the city is run.
At this juncture, I will keep the name of the member of the Municipality to myself. However, during the course of the upcoming campaign; I may decide to publish the letter, with the name, including a translation.
If this person decides to run for Mayor of Tzfat, or openly supports a candidate; I will publish this letter with his name asking why this person is defending people who left residents of Tzfat for dead during the war.
Someone on the Tzfat Yahoo! list described me as "incorruptible". Evidently, the person who wrote that e-mail to me does not know the meaning of the word 'incorruptible' in English, or is so deep into politics that he has no concept what the meaning is at all.
But I am incorruptible and I'm going to keep on keeping on with this campaign to bring the events of last summer in Tzfat to international light.
Instead of taking his suggestion, I sent the text of "Dirty, Stinking, Tzfat Laundry" to every related charity organization, major Jewish newspaper in the US, Europe and elsewhere as well as to major news services internationally - mentioning the fact that I had been contacted by a member of the Tzfat Municipality who thinks that I should be quiet about having been left to die in order to rehabilitate the city.
If you can read Hebrew, read the synopsis of the recent State Comptroller's recent report here: http://tinyurl.com/2gzjll
If you cannot read it, it says that about a BILLION shekels in donations were received by the Northern part of Israel during the war with Lebanon last summer.
A large part of that did not go toward the intended purposes.
Let that sink in, a billion shekels is largely unaccounted for, while people were left TO DIE, abandoned by the Tzfat Municipality, except for 17 members (out of 350). My husband and I are two of those people.
Meanwhile, the city of Tzfat is in such economic straits that the education budget has been cut to the bone, our street lights will be turned off after 1:00; garbage collection will be reduced; social services have been drastically reduced; the cultural centers, which house the libraries, are closed...
I am making an international issue of this for the sake of justice and justice alone. Those who know me know I have no political or personal ambitions.
My only interest is that the perpetrators are brought to justice and that the money supply that keeps this corruption going is dried up.
I ask you to contribute to the betterment of Tzfat. I ask you to notify all of your loved ones and friends about what transpired here. Tell them to make the issue known in their local newspapers, other media, synagogues and communities.
As you can see from the response of this politician, politicians react to exposure. They don't like it. It is our most effective tool in the fight against corruption. Put the spotlight on them. Do not be afraid of them. Make them afraid of you. Politicians are very afraid of the truth coming to light. Let this ugly, ugly truth come to light.
There may be another war coming and it is expected, if it does occur, to be far worse than the last. If you do nothing to insure your safety, you can expect, without a shadow of a doubt, to be abandoned and stolen from again in the event of war.
If they get away with it once, they will be even more brazen next time.
We must make an international issue of this. By now, the report of the State Comptroller has most certainly been handed over to the Office of the Prime Minister. The State Comptroller can not do anything personally. All he or she can do is report the facts and known and recommend action. Nothing has been done inside Israel – and nothing will.
We must, MUST, take this story to the world - it is a story so shocking that it will make international waves if it is known.
Don't let the politicians fool you. This is the only way to rehabilitate the city.
Don't let there be a next time. Your life and the lives of your loved ones depend on the actions you take now. Believe it. The Municipality of Tzfat and the complicity of the national government have already proven that. We can only depend upon ourselves. No one else cares.
I have contacted many Jewish organizations, charities, synagogues and newspapers. I would appreciate the names of any that you think may have donated to Israel during the war or that may need to know this story.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
If you can read Hebrew, read this:
דו"ח המבקר: לאן הלכו התרומות לצפון
כמיליארד שקל הועברו כתרומות ליישובי הצפון במהלך מלחמת לבנון השנייה - אך מדו"ח המבקר עולה כי לעתים התרומות לא שימשו כלל למטרות הקשורות למערכה. למה כן
Source: http://tinyurl.com/yvceqd
About a billion, a BILLION, shekels in donations went to the North during the war, much of it was not used for what it was intended for WHILE THEY LEFT US TO DIE.
Where is it???
Why is the city in such desperate economic straits???
WAKE UP, TZFAT, WAKE UP!!!
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
דו"ח המבקר: לאן הלכו התרומות לצפון
כמיליארד שקל הועברו כתרומות ליישובי הצפון במהלך מלחמת לבנון השנייה - אך מדו"ח המבקר עולה כי לעתים התרומות לא שימשו כלל למטרות הקשורות למערכה. למה כן
Source: http://tinyurl.com/yvceqd
About a billion, a BILLION, shekels in donations went to the North during the war, much of it was not used for what it was intended for WHILE THEY LEFT US TO DIE.
Where is it???
Why is the city in such desperate economic straits???
WAKE UP, TZFAT, WAKE UP!!!
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
DIRTY, FILTHY, STINKING TZFAT, ISRAEL LAUNDRY
It's high time that this was made widely known outside Israel. I am ashamed of myself for having hesitated to broadcast this information earlier. My son was in the army and I was constrained to keep my silence.
Now that he has been released from the army, I searched for, and found, the message below, addressed to a cousin, in which I described the rip off on the part of the Municipal workers of Tzfat (Safed) during the Lebanon war last summer.
I'm making up for that mistake now and will make this known outside Israel because NO ONE HAS BEEN PROSECUTED OR EVEN CENSURED even though it is known exactly who the perpetrators are and a report, including the personal reports of those who suffered during the war as a result of what you will read below, was served to the State Ombudsman.
The workers at the Tzfat Municipality continue to work (usually until about 13:00 - that's supposed to be full-time) with the same sense of security, entitlement and lavishing "extras" on themselves that they did before the war in Lebanon - even as the City of Tzfat is on the verge of economic collapse and a programme of financial "recovery" so draconian is being discussed that we may not have lights in the streets at night or regular garbage removal.
Getting back to what happened during the war with Lebanon last summer:
1) 1000 of the 5000 meals that were donated by a charity went unaccounted for every day. The worker at the Municipality who was in charge of distribution told local reporters that he was told to put the 1000 meals aside daily and to leave no written record as to having received them.
2) A truck load full of air conditioners that were donated for the poorly-ventilated, sweltering bomb shelters vanished into, well, thin air.
3) Ditto for the TVs that were donated. In contradistinction, the workers of the Municipality (that is, the 17 out of 350 who didn't desert the city entirely) arranged deluxe, "VIP" shelters for themselves, replete with color TV, A/C and Internet.
4) The free days in hotels, including free meals, that were donated by the hotels themselves and were specifically designated for the infirm and elderly first and foremost were, instead, used by workers in the Municipality. As the result of not getting one of those rooms, one woman whose 8-year-old handicapped, wheelchair-bound daughter, who must be kept in sterile conditions, contracted an infection and had to be hospitalized. Some relative of some worker of the City got the room that little girl should have had. No matter, eventually she got a nice room - in the hospital.
5) A huge number of disposable diapers that was donated likewise disappeared. What the hell can someone do with tons of nappies???
As a result of most of the Municipality workers running for the own lives and leaving us here to die, the army sent in a regiment of reserve soldiers to run the city. They did an exemplary job of handling the exigencies, but the danger of the precedent of being deserted by the democratically-elected government of the city and being governed almost entirely by high-ranking officers in the army need not be elaborated upon.
I am LIVID. I am also mobilized and galvanized to speak up about this.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS SINCE DISSEMINATING THIS:
I received the e-mail message below from a member of the Tzfat Municipality. As the English is so poor, I thought it was spam and almost deleted it. Just as I was about to, I realized the name was vaguely familiar.
I opened it and found the following message, which, I have checked with a lawyer to make sure that I can repost it. I am fully within my legal rights to do so.
This is the content of the message:
Subject: "EVEN DO U R PROBABLY RIGHT
HI DOREEN I HAVE BEEN READING U R ARTICLE ABOUT THE THEFT DURING THE WAR AND EVEN DO U R PROBABLY RIGHT THAT THIS MAYOR AND WORKERS R CORRUPT U R EFFECTING OUR FUTURE REHABILITATION OF THE CITY I ASK U TO CONSIDER TAKING DOWN THE ARTICLE"
I fail to see entirely how keeping this information quiet will positively affect the "rehabilitation of the city".
I am of the opinion that the only thing that will rehabilitate the city is the prosecution of all those who were involved, and a complete revamping of the Municipality and how the city is run.
At this juncture, I will keep the name of the member of the Municipality to myself. However, during the course of the upcoming campaign; I may decide to publish the letter, with the name, including a translation.
If this person decides to run for Mayor of Tzfat, or openly supports a candidate; I will publish this letter with his name asking why this person is defending people who left residents of Tzfat for dead during the war.
Someone on this list described me as "incorruptible". Evidently, the person who wrote that e-mail to me does not know the meaning of the word 'incorruptible' in English, or is so deep into politics that he has no concept what the meaning is at all.
But I am incorruptible and I'm going to keep on keeping on with this campaign to bring the events of last summer in Tzfat to international light.
Instead of taking his suggestion, I sent the text of "Dirty, Stinking, Tzfat Laundry" to every related charity organization, major Jewish newspaper in the US, Europe and elsewhere as well as to major news services internationally - mentioning the fact that I had been contacted by a member of the Tzfat Municipality who thinks that I should be quiet about having been left to die in order to rehabilitate the city.
You all know that I care nothing for politics and am not doing this in order to gain political capital for myself.
I am making an international issue of this for the sake of justice and justice alone.
I ask you to contribute to the betterment of Tzfat. I ask you to notify all of your loved ones and friends about what transpired here. Tell them to make the issue known in their local newspapers, other media, synagogues and communities.
As you can see from the response of this politician, politicians react to exposure. They don't like it. It is our most effective tool in the fight against corruption. Put the spotlight on them. Do not be afraid of them. Make them afraid of you. Politicians are very afraid of the truth coming to light. Let this ugly, ugly truth come to light.
There may be another war coming and it is expected, if it does occur, to be far worse than the last. If you do nothing to insure your safety, you can expect, without a shadow of a doubt, to be abandoned and stolen from again in the event of war.
If they get away with it once, they will be even more brazen next time.
We must make an international issue of this. By now, the report of the State Comptroller has most certainly been handed over to the Office of the Prime Minister. The State Comptroller can not do anything personally. All he or she can do is report the facts and known and recommend action. Nothing has been done inside Israel – and nothing will.
We must, MUST, take this story to the world - it is a story so shocking that it will make international waves if it is known.
Don't let the politicians fool you. This is the only way to rehabilitate the city.
Don't let there be a next time. Your life and the lives of your loved ones depend on the actions you take now. Believe it. The Municipality of Tzfat and the complicity of the national government have already proven that. We can only depend upon ourselves. No one else cares.
Mo'adim L'Simcha (Happy Holidays),
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
It's high time that this was made widely known outside Israel. I am ashamed of myself for having hesitated to broadcast this information earlier. My son was in the army and I was constrained to keep my silence.
Now that he has been released from the army, I searched for, and found, the message below, addressed to a cousin, in which I described the rip off on the part of the Municipal workers of Tzfat (Safed) during the Lebanon war last summer.
I'm making up for that mistake now and will make this known outside Israel because NO ONE HAS BEEN PROSECUTED OR EVEN CENSURED even though it is known exactly who the perpetrators are and a report, including the personal reports of those who suffered during the war as a result of what you will read below, was served to the State Ombudsman.
The workers at the Tzfat Municipality continue to work (usually until about 13:00 - that's supposed to be full-time) with the same sense of security, entitlement and lavishing "extras" on themselves that they did before the war in Lebanon - even as the City of Tzfat is on the verge of economic collapse and a programme of financial "recovery" so draconian is being discussed that we may not have lights in the streets at night or regular garbage removal.
Getting back to what happened during the war with Lebanon last summer:
1) 1000 of the 5000 meals that were donated by a charity went unaccounted for every day. The worker at the Municipality who was in charge of distribution told local reporters that he was told to put the 1000 meals aside daily and to leave no written record as to having received them.
2) A truck load full of air conditioners that were donated for the poorly-ventilated, sweltering bomb shelters vanished into, well, thin air.
3) Ditto for the TVs that were donated. In contradistinction, the workers of the Municipality (that is, the 17 out of 350 who didn't desert the city entirely) arranged deluxe, "VIP" shelters for themselves, replete with color TV, A/C and Internet.
4) The free days in hotels, including free meals, that were donated by the hotels themselves and were specifically designated for the infirm and elderly first and foremost were, instead, used by workers in the Municipality. As the result of not getting one of those rooms, one woman whose 8-year-old handicapped, wheelchair-bound daughter, who must be kept in sterile conditions, contracted an infection and had to be hospitalized. Some relative of some worker of the City got the room that little girl should have had. No matter, eventually she got a nice room - in the hospital.
5) A huge number of disposable diapers that was donated likewise disappeared. What the hell can someone do with tons of nappies???
As a result of most of the Municipality workers running for the own lives and leaving us here to die, the army sent in a regiment of reserve soldiers to run the city. They did an exemplary job of handling the exigencies, but the danger of the precedent of being deserted by the democratically-elected government of the city and being governed almost entirely by high-ranking officers in the army need not be elaborated upon.
I am LIVID. I am also mobilized and galvanized to speak up about this.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS SINCE DISSEMINATING THIS:
I received the e-mail message below from a member of the Tzfat Municipality. As the English is so poor, I thought it was spam and almost deleted it. Just as I was about to, I realized the name was vaguely familiar.
I opened it and found the following message, which, I have checked with a lawyer to make sure that I can repost it. I am fully within my legal rights to do so.
This is the content of the message:
Subject: "EVEN DO U R PROBABLY RIGHT
HI DOREEN I HAVE BEEN READING U R ARTICLE ABOUT THE THEFT DURING THE WAR AND EVEN DO U R PROBABLY RIGHT THAT THIS MAYOR AND WORKERS R CORRUPT U R EFFECTING OUR FUTURE REHABILITATION OF THE CITY I ASK U TO CONSIDER TAKING DOWN THE ARTICLE"
I fail to see entirely how keeping this information quiet will positively affect the "rehabilitation of the city".
I am of the opinion that the only thing that will rehabilitate the city is the prosecution of all those who were involved, and a complete revamping of the Municipality and how the city is run.
At this juncture, I will keep the name of the member of the Municipality to myself. However, during the course of the upcoming campaign; I may decide to publish the letter, with the name, including a translation.
If this person decides to run for Mayor of Tzfat, or openly supports a candidate; I will publish this letter with his name asking why this person is defending people who left residents of Tzfat for dead during the war.
Someone on this list described me as "incorruptible". Evidently, the person who wrote that e-mail to me does not know the meaning of the word 'incorruptible' in English, or is so deep into politics that he has no concept what the meaning is at all.
But I am incorruptible and I'm going to keep on keeping on with this campaign to bring the events of last summer in Tzfat to international light.
Instead of taking his suggestion, I sent the text of "Dirty, Stinking, Tzfat Laundry" to every related charity organization, major Jewish newspaper in the US, Europe and elsewhere as well as to major news services internationally - mentioning the fact that I had been contacted by a member of the Tzfat Municipality who thinks that I should be quiet about having been left to die in order to rehabilitate the city.
You all know that I care nothing for politics and am not doing this in order to gain political capital for myself.
I am making an international issue of this for the sake of justice and justice alone.
I ask you to contribute to the betterment of Tzfat. I ask you to notify all of your loved ones and friends about what transpired here. Tell them to make the issue known in their local newspapers, other media, synagogues and communities.
As you can see from the response of this politician, politicians react to exposure. They don't like it. It is our most effective tool in the fight against corruption. Put the spotlight on them. Do not be afraid of them. Make them afraid of you. Politicians are very afraid of the truth coming to light. Let this ugly, ugly truth come to light.
There may be another war coming and it is expected, if it does occur, to be far worse than the last. If you do nothing to insure your safety, you can expect, without a shadow of a doubt, to be abandoned and stolen from again in the event of war.
If they get away with it once, they will be even more brazen next time.
We must make an international issue of this. By now, the report of the State Comptroller has most certainly been handed over to the Office of the Prime Minister. The State Comptroller can not do anything personally. All he or she can do is report the facts and known and recommend action. Nothing has been done inside Israel – and nothing will.
We must, MUST, take this story to the world - it is a story so shocking that it will make international waves if it is known.
Don't let the politicians fool you. This is the only way to rehabilitate the city.
Don't let there be a next time. Your life and the lives of your loved ones depend on the actions you take now. Believe it. The Municipality of Tzfat and the complicity of the national government have already proven that. We can only depend upon ourselves. No one else cares.
Mo'adim L'Simcha (Happy Holidays),
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Sunday, September 16, 2007
OMG! I'VE BEEN NOMINATED FOR MAYOR OF TZFAT!
I'm serious!
This was posted in Message #6093 on the Tzfat Yahoo! site:
"Doreen for Mayor of Safed!
Having seen young mayoral candidate Ilan Shochat at his public toast last week, he has to be an improvement on the incumbent.But, with no denigration intended, "a sefard is a sefard is a sefard!".What is needed is a non-sefardi mayor. And I don't necessarily mean "ashkenazi", as most ashkenazi sabras have also been "sefardified".It needs someone who was born outside of Israel, but who knows the foibles of the Israeli mentality, without succumbing to them.I nominate Doreen!She has the IQ, memory, zeal, keeness, Judaic knowledge, has a sense of history and destiny, good ideas, knows perfect Hebrew and English, genuinely cares for Safed and its inhabitants, is incorruptible, hasthe right presence, personality and physiognomy, would get the women's vote, and is the right age.I think she'd make a good mayor, or at least stand for the Moatza, inNovember 2008."
I declined the offer, of course, that for two reasons. First, I am a Sephardia Tehora (pure Sephardic, as opposed to Mizrahi, Jew). Second, and much more to the point; I am a decent person and no decent person ever succeeded at being a politican. The wise ones did not so much as try.
It is a nice vote of confidence and compliment, though.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
I'm serious!
This was posted in Message #6093 on the Tzfat Yahoo! site:
"Doreen for Mayor of Safed!
Having seen young mayoral candidate Ilan Shochat at his public toast last week, he has to be an improvement on the incumbent.But, with no denigration intended, "a sefard is a sefard is a sefard!".What is needed is a non-sefardi mayor. And I don't necessarily mean "ashkenazi", as most ashkenazi sabras have also been "sefardified".It needs someone who was born outside of Israel, but who knows the foibles of the Israeli mentality, without succumbing to them.I nominate Doreen!She has the IQ, memory, zeal, keeness, Judaic knowledge, has a sense of history and destiny, good ideas, knows perfect Hebrew and English, genuinely cares for Safed and its inhabitants, is incorruptible, hasthe right presence, personality and physiognomy, would get the women's vote, and is the right age.I think she'd make a good mayor, or at least stand for the Moatza, inNovember 2008."
I declined the offer, of course, that for two reasons. First, I am a Sephardia Tehora (pure Sephardic, as opposed to Mizrahi, Jew). Second, and much more to the point; I am a decent person and no decent person ever succeeded at being a politican. The wise ones did not so much as try.
It is a nice vote of confidence and compliment, though.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
LUNCH AT THE MEIR PANIM RESTAURANT –
REALLY FINE DINING AND FUN TOO
"Am I dressed shabbily enough?", I thought to myself as I got ready to go out to lunch at the new restaurant called Me'ir Panim that was opened in the poorest area of Tzfat, the south, by Yaakov Avni, the newly religious brother of perhaps the most famous actor in Israel, Akni Avni.
"This is only the third time I'm wearing this caftan and my sandals are very new too", I thought, concerned that it would give me away, "but I'll take this old brown handbag. The thin leather is worn and the color patchy."
Adorned in these glad rags I set off.
How shall I explain the many layers of meaning of the name of the restaurant? Taken together they mean an endearing welcoming, but it is so much more than that. 'Me'ir means to 'enlighten' or to 'brighten' both physically and as a result of bringing joy. 'Panim' means 'face', but spelled exactly the same way yet punctuated differently it also means 'innards'; 'the internal part of'; innerness', inwardness; 'internal depths'.
I arrived at the Me'ir Panim Restaurant just at opening time. Uncharacteristically for Israelis, the people waiting outside in the heat for the door to open were patient, soft-spoken and mindful of one another's rightful place on line. I recalled the evening not long ago that I waited on a line with the well-heeled of Tzfat for the gates to open before a Margalit Tza'anani concert at which wine and cheese was served at every table. How rude they were, despite the fact that they greeted those who were important to them with "How are you dear?", a phony smile and a dry peck on the cheek. How galling was their sense of entitlement and self-importance as they vied with one another to get to the gate first in order to get the most desirable seats. Now, waiting for the Me'ir Panim Restaurant to open, there was no tussling, no disrespect, no arrogance. They spoke in a familiar and good-natured manner with one another. There was no posing.
The doors opened and we filed into the simply-appointed, but immaculate, dining area in an orderly manner.
I paid the two Israeli Shekels (48 cents American) that were asked of me for lunch and received a chit of paper with a number on it. True to what the write-up of the restaurant said, no questions were asked. No one inquired as to whether I was in real need of the soup kitchen that treats those who come to eat lunch there as though they were in a restaurant, or if I was hustling them. No one looked at my dress or sandals in a way that would make me feel that they looked just a bit too new. No one looked me up and down at all, as do the people I am sometimes obliged to associate with.
I went to where the food was being served. No less than six volunteers were working. There was a tray in front of me with a roll and corn with dill and pickled vegetables on it. I turned to the man behind me and said: "Excuse me. This is my first time here. I do not know what I have to do. May I take this tray?"
He said: "First pay at the door", not having noticed that I had done so. I told him that I did. Satisfied that I paid the establishment their due and due respect, he became very helpful and said: "Don't worry. They'll do everything for you." Suddenly a number of people were around me helping me and showing me what do to. One man said: "There is a first time for everything. I hope this won't be your last time here", in a manner that meant: "Consider yourself one of us."
One of the women volunteering serving the food is a long-time acquaintance of our family. Upon seeing me she greeted me warmly and served me my food carefully, lovingly: chicken noodle soup, two chicken wings, couscous, the cooked chick peas and vegetables in gravy that accompany couscous. This was in addition to the roll, corn and pickled vegetables on the tray. She did not so much as ask me to surrender the chit with the number on it that represented proof of payment. On the table was a bowl of apples as well.
I understand from what I read about the restaurant that they vary the menu quite a bit.
One of the volunteers called out: "Does anyone want macaroni?" She held up a 500-gram bag of macaroni, one of many in a large pile. I should mention that the cheapest those bags of macaroni sell for retail is four for eleven NIS.
She also came around with candy bars and gave each of us one. Those candy bars sell for two shekels a pop in candy stores.
Later the woman who served me the food, who has known my family for years and whose father is friends with my husband ,came over to me and discreetly asked: "How is your financial situation? Alright?" I answered that we are fine. She did not believe me. It is well that she did not. I did not want her to. She wished me a healthy and prosperous year.
I ate everything on the tray in order to know how satisfied the meal would leave me. It really was quite good and very filling. It is now some nine hours later and I am still not hungry. One could, if one had to, live on that one meal per day.
Looking around I liked the people I saw: men and women, young and old, a mother with a baby, a mother with a youth, Russians immigrants beside born Israelis. One of the volunteers, who looks as though he might be a convert, spoke only English.
Just as I was making my way out I saw Ya'akov Avni on his way out too. He had, despite being the owner and operator of the restaurant, been serving along with the volunteer staff. The door was positioned such that none of the diners still left there could see him going out. The moment I had anticipated came. I seized the opportunity that I had been waiting for. I walked over to him and said: "Reb" quietly so that the other diners would not hear. He looked at me kindly. I said: "The meal was very good, the service excellent and the ambiance unlike any other." He thanked me. I went on: "That meal was really worth more than two shekels and I put a hundred shekel bill in his hand. Our eyes met as he understood why I had come.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
REALLY FINE DINING AND FUN TOO
"Am I dressed shabbily enough?", I thought to myself as I got ready to go out to lunch at the new restaurant called Me'ir Panim that was opened in the poorest area of Tzfat, the south, by Yaakov Avni, the newly religious brother of perhaps the most famous actor in Israel, Akni Avni.
"This is only the third time I'm wearing this caftan and my sandals are very new too", I thought, concerned that it would give me away, "but I'll take this old brown handbag. The thin leather is worn and the color patchy."
Adorned in these glad rags I set off.
How shall I explain the many layers of meaning of the name of the restaurant? Taken together they mean an endearing welcoming, but it is so much more than that. 'Me'ir means to 'enlighten' or to 'brighten' both physically and as a result of bringing joy. 'Panim' means 'face', but spelled exactly the same way yet punctuated differently it also means 'innards'; 'the internal part of'; innerness', inwardness; 'internal depths'.
I arrived at the Me'ir Panim Restaurant just at opening time. Uncharacteristically for Israelis, the people waiting outside in the heat for the door to open were patient, soft-spoken and mindful of one another's rightful place on line. I recalled the evening not long ago that I waited on a line with the well-heeled of Tzfat for the gates to open before a Margalit Tza'anani concert at which wine and cheese was served at every table. How rude they were, despite the fact that they greeted those who were important to them with "How are you dear?", a phony smile and a dry peck on the cheek. How galling was their sense of entitlement and self-importance as they vied with one another to get to the gate first in order to get the most desirable seats. Now, waiting for the Me'ir Panim Restaurant to open, there was no tussling, no disrespect, no arrogance. They spoke in a familiar and good-natured manner with one another. There was no posing.
The doors opened and we filed into the simply-appointed, but immaculate, dining area in an orderly manner.
I paid the two Israeli Shekels (48 cents American) that were asked of me for lunch and received a chit of paper with a number on it. True to what the write-up of the restaurant said, no questions were asked. No one inquired as to whether I was in real need of the soup kitchen that treats those who come to eat lunch there as though they were in a restaurant, or if I was hustling them. No one looked at my dress or sandals in a way that would make me feel that they looked just a bit too new. No one looked me up and down at all, as do the people I am sometimes obliged to associate with.
I went to where the food was being served. No less than six volunteers were working. There was a tray in front of me with a roll and corn with dill and pickled vegetables on it. I turned to the man behind me and said: "Excuse me. This is my first time here. I do not know what I have to do. May I take this tray?"
He said: "First pay at the door", not having noticed that I had done so. I told him that I did. Satisfied that I paid the establishment their due and due respect, he became very helpful and said: "Don't worry. They'll do everything for you." Suddenly a number of people were around me helping me and showing me what do to. One man said: "There is a first time for everything. I hope this won't be your last time here", in a manner that meant: "Consider yourself one of us."
One of the women volunteering serving the food is a long-time acquaintance of our family. Upon seeing me she greeted me warmly and served me my food carefully, lovingly: chicken noodle soup, two chicken wings, couscous, the cooked chick peas and vegetables in gravy that accompany couscous. This was in addition to the roll, corn and pickled vegetables on the tray. She did not so much as ask me to surrender the chit with the number on it that represented proof of payment. On the table was a bowl of apples as well.
I understand from what I read about the restaurant that they vary the menu quite a bit.
One of the volunteers called out: "Does anyone want macaroni?" She held up a 500-gram bag of macaroni, one of many in a large pile. I should mention that the cheapest those bags of macaroni sell for retail is four for eleven NIS.
She also came around with candy bars and gave each of us one. Those candy bars sell for two shekels a pop in candy stores.
Later the woman who served me the food, who has known my family for years and whose father is friends with my husband ,came over to me and discreetly asked: "How is your financial situation? Alright?" I answered that we are fine. She did not believe me. It is well that she did not. I did not want her to. She wished me a healthy and prosperous year.
I ate everything on the tray in order to know how satisfied the meal would leave me. It really was quite good and very filling. It is now some nine hours later and I am still not hungry. One could, if one had to, live on that one meal per day.
Looking around I liked the people I saw: men and women, young and old, a mother with a baby, a mother with a youth, Russians immigrants beside born Israelis. One of the volunteers, who looks as though he might be a convert, spoke only English.
Just as I was making my way out I saw Ya'akov Avni on his way out too. He had, despite being the owner and operator of the restaurant, been serving along with the volunteer staff. The door was positioned such that none of the diners still left there could see him going out. The moment I had anticipated came. I seized the opportunity that I had been waiting for. I walked over to him and said: "Reb" quietly so that the other diners would not hear. He looked at me kindly. I said: "The meal was very good, the service excellent and the ambiance unlike any other." He thanked me. I went on: "That meal was really worth more than two shekels and I put a hundred shekel bill in his hand. Our eyes met as he understood why I had come.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
TWO PEOPLES BLINDED BY HATRED AND HUBRIS
Israeli Gov't Officials: Islamic Jihad to Bear Brunt of IDF Response to Kassams
"Islamic Jihad will likely bear the brunt of Israel's military response to the Kassam rockets that hit the western Negev on the second day of the school year, including one that slammed into a day care center's courtyard, government officials said Monday night. Islamic Jihad was responsible for all nine of the Kassam attacks, the officials said. The rockets were timed to hit when parents were taking their children to school, defense officials said...."
Source: http://tinyurl.com/2s762y
Is there any doubt in anyone's mind that both the Jews and the Palestinians are being set up to for "culling" a few at a time here, a few at a time there, and are not being allowed to engage in any serious kind of deliberations or implement real plans for the benefit of all that will stop this madness, so that someone can make A LOT of money in the arms business?
Unfortunately, both sides are so filled with hate, hubris and absolute certainty in their own absolute righteousness and superiority that they can't see. They can't see that both Peoples are being set up and that this is the "legacy" that the British left before they folded up the Mandate.
Instead of being stupid and letting those who are setting our teeth against one another to play us for fools at the expense of our lives, we should be joining forces to get the Western dirty business interests out of this area.
Ego always makes for easy victimization.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Israeli Gov't Officials: Islamic Jihad to Bear Brunt of IDF Response to Kassams
"Islamic Jihad will likely bear the brunt of Israel's military response to the Kassam rockets that hit the western Negev on the second day of the school year, including one that slammed into a day care center's courtyard, government officials said Monday night. Islamic Jihad was responsible for all nine of the Kassam attacks, the officials said. The rockets were timed to hit when parents were taking their children to school, defense officials said...."
Source: http://tinyurl.com/2s762y
Is there any doubt in anyone's mind that both the Jews and the Palestinians are being set up to for "culling" a few at a time here, a few at a time there, and are not being allowed to engage in any serious kind of deliberations or implement real plans for the benefit of all that will stop this madness, so that someone can make A LOT of money in the arms business?
Unfortunately, both sides are so filled with hate, hubris and absolute certainty in their own absolute righteousness and superiority that they can't see. They can't see that both Peoples are being set up and that this is the "legacy" that the British left before they folded up the Mandate.
Instead of being stupid and letting those who are setting our teeth against one another to play us for fools at the expense of our lives, we should be joining forces to get the Western dirty business interests out of this area.
Ego always makes for easy victimization.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Sunday, September 02, 2007
RATIONAL RELIGION
It is common nowadays to speak of religion and rationality as though they are mutually exclusive, as though never the twain will, or can, meet.
This premise should not be accepted as a foregone conclusion. It needs to be carefully examined. Upon doing so, we will see that it is in gross error.
The basic premises of religionists and atheists, the latter of whom claim that they are rationalists and hold sole claim to rationality, are equally non-rational. To say that we can reasonably posit the existence of a Being that is Ineffable, wholly non-corporeal, without qualities of any kind and so vastly beyond our comprehension that we cannot begin to fathom It, is a wholly irrational position. Such a position may be taken on an experiential claim, on the basis of hope that such a Being exists or on blind faith, but it is not a rational statement.
The position of the atheists is equally irrational. To say that we can, with any degree of certainty whatsoever, posit that there does not exist a Being that is Ineffable, wholly-incorporeal, without any qualities of any kind and so vastly beyond our comprehension that we cannot begin to fathom It, is a wholly irrational position as well. The only difference between this position and the former is that this position is one that smacks of hubris.
Having demonstrated that the starting points of both the religionists and the atheists are equally without rational basis, we can proceed to examining whether or not rationality can play any part in a religious take on the world.
The afflatus of this treatment of the subject is a new restaurant, the owner and founder of which, Ya'akov Avni (brother of the actor Aki Avni) insists that it not be called a soup kitchen, which opened in the most disadvantaged area of the city of Tzfat, the notorious South (where the author of this essay chooses to make her home).
The restaurant provides full-course meals to come whoever may, no questions asked, for the price of two NIS (about 47 cents American). Great pains have been, and are, taken to provide not only nutritious meals, but to having created a pleasant ambiance in the restaurant, having the meals served by a staff of dedicated volunteers with respect and a smile and giving those who patronize the restaurant the feeling that they are coming to dine (thus the nominal charge) and not having favors dished out to them by a charity.
One can find equally rational and pseudo-scientific reasons for feeding the poor, making them feel wanted and cared for and not. So, it is not therein that the rationality resides.
Having made the leap of faith and deciding to feed the poor and give them a feeling of honor and dignity, the rationality comes in in the planning and implementation of the programme.
It takes a great deal of rational, systematic and methodical thinking to plan such a project, implement it and keep it going.
One has, first and foremost, to rationally and correctly assess the socio-economic situation in which people are found. One must then determine correctly and rationally the needs of real people in real situations. Next, one has to rationally and correctly assess one's own abilities to help them. One has to be able to formulate a plan or programme of assistance in one's mind. Having done so, one has then to arrange for subsidization of the food costs and costs of operation. One has to systematically go about finding an umbrella organization that will assist the program if need be and find donors. One has to go about finding suppliers of the food, buying the necessary equipment, furnishings, arranging the permits from the city, paying the bills, finding the fitting staff for the operation and do on.
Rationality comes into religion in the application of its principles.
Rationality can not be said to be the basis either for a religious position or lack of it, as we demonstrated at the outset of the essay. It must reside in how we carry out the articles of our faith and what we believe to be right.
To date, because many Human societies are so very cruel and do not provide for Human needs rationally or with compassion, people have turned to religion for all the wrong reasons. People turn to God in desperation: for the love they do not get from others, for the security that society does not provide them with, for the fulfillment of their hopes and dreams that society does not allow or has dashed and so on. They come in desperation and, as an inevitable result, their religious practice is pathological.
A society that will foster healthy religion must be created. We cannot dismiss the possibilities of what religion can be and can offer in healthy societies based on the reasons that people turn to religion in sick societies.
I have witnessed in the secular Kibbutz Movement, on wealthy kibbutzim the residents of which have all of their socio-economic needs provided for, that a feeling of superficiality and meaningless begins to creep into the hearts and minds of a good percentage of the members. They begin to feel that, though they have everything they need and want materially, something profound is yet missing. Some of those who feel that way, and they are a goodly number, turn to religion.
They turn to religion not in desperation, not in fear, not in loneliness and not in insecurity or need. They turn to religion for a final fulfillment.
The religion that they consider is based on their traditional religion, but they are not afraid to experiment with new forms of ceremony or discard those which do not seem meaningful to them. They feel free to innovate, to question and to improvise. This to my mind is all very healthy and I believe that were we all living in a communalistic society, as are the members of the Kibbutz Movement, this seminal spiritual/moral enterprising would arise spontaneously and would prove to be fecund, producing new expressions of ancient religions and new religions that would provide the deepest fulfillment of the Human experience.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
It is common nowadays to speak of religion and rationality as though they are mutually exclusive, as though never the twain will, or can, meet.
This premise should not be accepted as a foregone conclusion. It needs to be carefully examined. Upon doing so, we will see that it is in gross error.
The basic premises of religionists and atheists, the latter of whom claim that they are rationalists and hold sole claim to rationality, are equally non-rational. To say that we can reasonably posit the existence of a Being that is Ineffable, wholly non-corporeal, without qualities of any kind and so vastly beyond our comprehension that we cannot begin to fathom It, is a wholly irrational position. Such a position may be taken on an experiential claim, on the basis of hope that such a Being exists or on blind faith, but it is not a rational statement.
The position of the atheists is equally irrational. To say that we can, with any degree of certainty whatsoever, posit that there does not exist a Being that is Ineffable, wholly-incorporeal, without any qualities of any kind and so vastly beyond our comprehension that we cannot begin to fathom It, is a wholly irrational position as well. The only difference between this position and the former is that this position is one that smacks of hubris.
Having demonstrated that the starting points of both the religionists and the atheists are equally without rational basis, we can proceed to examining whether or not rationality can play any part in a religious take on the world.
The afflatus of this treatment of the subject is a new restaurant, the owner and founder of which, Ya'akov Avni (brother of the actor Aki Avni) insists that it not be called a soup kitchen, which opened in the most disadvantaged area of the city of Tzfat, the notorious South (where the author of this essay chooses to make her home).
The restaurant provides full-course meals to come whoever may, no questions asked, for the price of two NIS (about 47 cents American). Great pains have been, and are, taken to provide not only nutritious meals, but to having created a pleasant ambiance in the restaurant, having the meals served by a staff of dedicated volunteers with respect and a smile and giving those who patronize the restaurant the feeling that they are coming to dine (thus the nominal charge) and not having favors dished out to them by a charity.
One can find equally rational and pseudo-scientific reasons for feeding the poor, making them feel wanted and cared for and not. So, it is not therein that the rationality resides.
Having made the leap of faith and deciding to feed the poor and give them a feeling of honor and dignity, the rationality comes in in the planning and implementation of the programme.
It takes a great deal of rational, systematic and methodical thinking to plan such a project, implement it and keep it going.
One has, first and foremost, to rationally and correctly assess the socio-economic situation in which people are found. One must then determine correctly and rationally the needs of real people in real situations. Next, one has to rationally and correctly assess one's own abilities to help them. One has to be able to formulate a plan or programme of assistance in one's mind. Having done so, one has then to arrange for subsidization of the food costs and costs of operation. One has to systematically go about finding an umbrella organization that will assist the program if need be and find donors. One has to go about finding suppliers of the food, buying the necessary equipment, furnishings, arranging the permits from the city, paying the bills, finding the fitting staff for the operation and do on.
Rationality comes into religion in the application of its principles.
Rationality can not be said to be the basis either for a religious position or lack of it, as we demonstrated at the outset of the essay. It must reside in how we carry out the articles of our faith and what we believe to be right.
To date, because many Human societies are so very cruel and do not provide for Human needs rationally or with compassion, people have turned to religion for all the wrong reasons. People turn to God in desperation: for the love they do not get from others, for the security that society does not provide them with, for the fulfillment of their hopes and dreams that society does not allow or has dashed and so on. They come in desperation and, as an inevitable result, their religious practice is pathological.
A society that will foster healthy religion must be created. We cannot dismiss the possibilities of what religion can be and can offer in healthy societies based on the reasons that people turn to religion in sick societies.
I have witnessed in the secular Kibbutz Movement, on wealthy kibbutzim the residents of which have all of their socio-economic needs provided for, that a feeling of superficiality and meaningless begins to creep into the hearts and minds of a good percentage of the members. They begin to feel that, though they have everything they need and want materially, something profound is yet missing. Some of those who feel that way, and they are a goodly number, turn to religion.
They turn to religion not in desperation, not in fear, not in loneliness and not in insecurity or need. They turn to religion for a final fulfillment.
The religion that they consider is based on their traditional religion, but they are not afraid to experiment with new forms of ceremony or discard those which do not seem meaningful to them. They feel free to innovate, to question and to improvise. This to my mind is all very healthy and I believe that were we all living in a communalistic society, as are the members of the Kibbutz Movement, this seminal spiritual/moral enterprising would arise spontaneously and would prove to be fecund, producing new expressions of ancient religions and new religions that would provide the deepest fulfillment of the Human experience.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Friday, July 20, 2007
A Really Good Reason to Live in Tzfat
LOOKOUT ON CHESSED: Tzfat's own indomitable Mikimi Steinberg blogs about Yad Sarah.
http://tinyurl.com/344mdc
What is Yad Sarah?
"Yad Sarah is an Israel-wide network of volunteers aiding disabled, elderly, housebound people aimed at making home care possible."
Please see: http://tinyurl.com/2rj68s for more details.
Way to go, Mikimi!
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
LOOKOUT ON CHESSED: Tzfat's own indomitable Mikimi Steinberg blogs about Yad Sarah.
http://tinyurl.com/344mdc
What is Yad Sarah?
"Yad Sarah is an Israel-wide network of volunteers aiding disabled, elderly, housebound people aimed at making home care possible."
Please see: http://tinyurl.com/2rj68s for more details.
Way to go, Mikimi!
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
THE CREATION OF A STATE
This is what is involved in the creation of a state:http://tinyurl.com/2kyw6l
We Israelis too were brutalized and reduced to the ignominy of committing acts that would have been unthinkable before we had a state to defend. It really does not matter if we are more than, less than or equally brutal to the Palestinian Arabs. We have both become far more brutal and violent than we were - all for the sake of achieving and defending a state with "secure borders".
And that is why when people ask me if I believe in a two-state solution, I tell them that I believe in a zero-state solution.
No state is a solution to violence, to intrigue, to nefarious undertakings, systematic povertization of target populations in order to keep the drug, prostitution and weapons markets humming. No state will not send its young to war for the sake of maintaining the power of the elite.
And although I do not see Israel as an imperialist state because none of the land that we seized was as a result of our initiative, but rather as a result of wars that we did not begin, but were victorious in - still I do not doubt that we would be imperialists and colonialists if we could, because that is the way of the realpolitik of statecraft. And the Palestinians, given the chance, would do exactly the same thing.
From what I understand from scions of families that have inhabited this area for many generations, Arab and Jewish alike; these problems did not exist before the British arrived and fomented discord to their own purposes. Historians say the same. There was also no concept of state in this area until it was imported.
I don't see any solution to the conflicts in this area until states and borders are abolished. Only when there are no borders can disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, occur. Only then can prosperity based on truly free trade agreements take place. Only then can there be free educational and cultural exchange. Only then can there be religious speculation that is not the concept by which we measure our pain, as John Lennon so aptly observed, but rather the measure of our joy.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
This is what is involved in the creation of a state:http://tinyurl.com/2kyw6l
We Israelis too were brutalized and reduced to the ignominy of committing acts that would have been unthinkable before we had a state to defend. It really does not matter if we are more than, less than or equally brutal to the Palestinian Arabs. We have both become far more brutal and violent than we were - all for the sake of achieving and defending a state with "secure borders".
And that is why when people ask me if I believe in a two-state solution, I tell them that I believe in a zero-state solution.
No state is a solution to violence, to intrigue, to nefarious undertakings, systematic povertization of target populations in order to keep the drug, prostitution and weapons markets humming. No state will not send its young to war for the sake of maintaining the power of the elite.
And although I do not see Israel as an imperialist state because none of the land that we seized was as a result of our initiative, but rather as a result of wars that we did not begin, but were victorious in - still I do not doubt that we would be imperialists and colonialists if we could, because that is the way of the realpolitik of statecraft. And the Palestinians, given the chance, would do exactly the same thing.
From what I understand from scions of families that have inhabited this area for many generations, Arab and Jewish alike; these problems did not exist before the British arrived and fomented discord to their own purposes. Historians say the same. There was also no concept of state in this area until it was imported.
I don't see any solution to the conflicts in this area until states and borders are abolished. Only when there are no borders can disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, occur. Only then can prosperity based on truly free trade agreements take place. Only then can there be free educational and cultural exchange. Only then can there be religious speculation that is not the concept by which we measure our pain, as John Lennon so aptly observed, but rather the measure of our joy.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Becoming Ever More Israeli
In July I will be here 25 years.
I married here and became a parent here. So, most of my life as a responsible adult and the whole setting up of home and family experience happened to me here. My husband is a Sabra and an expert in the Hebrew language. So, my interactions with my family are mostly in Hebrew. In fact, my daughter's English is very poor. I have no choice but to speak in Hebrew with her. My son's English is considerably better.
I can pronounce the gutteral reish and ayin, even the kuf, which is so deep a gutteral that it issues from somewhere around one's knees.
Still, the process of becoming more Israeli goes ever on.
I remember being aghast that people would pick nuts or other finger foods out of the large, open sacks and boxes in the shuq. It looked so unsanitary to me. Just the thought of any number of people whose hands had been I know not where touching food and eating it one after the other me made me sick.
One day; I pinched a cookie in the shuq, tossing regard for sanitation to the wind. I enjoyed the septic morsel thoroughly and was delighted with my progress toward real Israeliship (Israeliness?).
When I got home I said to my son: "Today I became a real Israeli! I ate a cookie from an open box in the shuq!"
He looked at me levelly and said: "If you were a real Israeli you would do it without thinking about it and would never mention it."
I advanced nicely and today I even make my tuna and egg salad with humous instead of mayo.
Today, I took yet another giant step toward become a real local.
Though I have a plastic squeeze bottle of real Heinz ketchup in the fridge; I put techina (tahini) on my hamburger today, like a lot of Israelis do. The first time I heard of putting techina on hamburger I thought I'd .
My next project: Learning how to smooth humous and labane on my plate with the back of a spoon and fashion a perfect indented pool in the middle for olive oil and za'atar.
When a Jew becomes more Israeli is that acculturation or enculturation?
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat (Safed), Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
In July I will be here 25 years.
I married here and became a parent here. So, most of my life as a responsible adult and the whole setting up of home and family experience happened to me here. My husband is a Sabra and an expert in the Hebrew language. So, my interactions with my family are mostly in Hebrew. In fact, my daughter's English is very poor. I have no choice but to speak in Hebrew with her. My son's English is considerably better.
I can pronounce the gutteral reish and ayin, even the kuf, which is so deep a gutteral that it issues from somewhere around one's knees.
Still, the process of becoming more Israeli goes ever on.
I remember being aghast that people would pick nuts or other finger foods out of the large, open sacks and boxes in the shuq. It looked so unsanitary to me. Just the thought of any number of people whose hands had been I know not where touching food and eating it one after the other me made me sick.
One day; I pinched a cookie in the shuq, tossing regard for sanitation to the wind. I enjoyed the septic morsel thoroughly and was delighted with my progress toward real Israeliship (Israeliness?).
When I got home I said to my son: "Today I became a real Israeli! I ate a cookie from an open box in the shuq!"
He looked at me levelly and said: "If you were a real Israeli you would do it without thinking about it and would never mention it."
I advanced nicely and today I even make my tuna and egg salad with humous instead of mayo.
Today, I took yet another giant step toward become a real local.
Though I have a plastic squeeze bottle of real Heinz ketchup in the fridge; I put techina (tahini) on my hamburger today, like a lot of Israelis do. The first time I heard of putting techina on hamburger I thought I'd .
My next project: Learning how to smooth humous and labane on my plate with the back of a spoon and fashion a perfect indented pool in the middle for olive oil and za'atar.
When a Jew becomes more Israeli is that acculturation or enculturation?
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat (Safed), Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
A New Tzfat Site has been created by one of the loveliest ladies in our town, Laurie Rappeport
TZFAT: The Mystical City
This one is chock-full of reasons to be proud to live in Tzfat and I am delighted to post a link to the site here:
http://tinyurl.com/37u87l
TZFAT: The Mystical City
This one is chock-full of reasons to be proud to live in Tzfat and I am delighted to post a link to the site here:
http://tinyurl.com/37u87l
Friday, April 06, 2007
This is a Reason to Live in Tzfat
A Lebanese Christian Describes Her Experience in the Tzfat Hospital
That which she describes is the Rivka Ziv Hospital inTzfat that I know and we can all be proud of.
I know that hospital and I know that what she is saying is true. My husband has been volunteering in the hospital library for years. That is the way they really work.
http://tinyurl.com/ybzc82
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat (Safed), Israel
A Lebanese Christian Describes Her Experience in the Tzfat Hospital
That which she describes is the Rivka Ziv Hospital inTzfat that I know and we can all be proud of.
I know that hospital and I know that what she is saying is true. My husband has been volunteering in the hospital library for years. That is the way they really work.
http://tinyurl.com/ybzc82
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat (Safed), Israel
Sunday, March 18, 2007
The Abbrahms Meshpucha
Of Yud-Gimmel Street in the Old City of Tzfat, Originally
FromWilliamsburg, Brooklyn
The following can be adapted to become a Purim spiel. Expanded, it can be a TV series.
I want to do a take-off on the Addams family - The Abbrahms Meshpucha.
Some of the Kroivim are:
Morticia will be Toityana
Gomez will be Goilem
Wednesday will be Mitvuch
Pugsly will be Pitschetch
The baby will be Choleryeh
Uncle Fester will be Fete Finster, who enjoys resting on a bed of schpilkes
Toityana has an adopted brother, a foundling, by the name of Imglick. When Toityana was a child she enjoyed nothing better than to play in the dump behind the genetic engineering lab near her house in Brooklyn. She loved the aroma of the noxious emissions and the feel of the slimy effluvium squishing though her toes.
Little did the innocent Toityana know that one day a miracle would come to the Abbrahms family from that laboratory.
One of the first attempts at cloning a human being was deemed to be an utter failure. The scientists agreed that the DNA of the blastocyst was so hopelessly corrupted that it had no chance of survival. They mindlessly tossed the Petri dish containing the blastocyst from their window.
Just then Toityana came by to play. Out of the corner of her eye she saw what looked like a small flying saucer coming straight at her.
It fell at her feet in the slimy effluvium, making quite a splash.
Toityana picked up the Petri dish and saw a tiny, tiny speck the middle of some clear, gooey stuff. She decided to bring it home and ask her parents what it might be.
She showed to it her mother, Glitshik, and her father, Klog.
They examined the Petri dish under their microscope and were astounded to see that it was a humanoid blastocyst.
"Mama, Tati! Can we keep it?", Toityana entreated.
Glitshik and Klog looked at one another and then at Toityana. Exhibiting typical Abbrahms ruchmunis and ahavas chinam they said: "Of course we'll keep it. We'll culture it and raise it as though it were our very own experiment."
They called the blastocyst Imglick and showered great love upon it.
Imglick grew to be movie-star handsome. Some said he looked like Boris Karloff. Others said he resembled Bela Lugosi. Others said he resembled Danny DeVito. The Abbrahms thought he was a dead ringer for Marty Feldman.
There was just one strange thing about Imglick. When a hat was placed on his head spontaneous combustion occurred. The hat burst into flames and smoldered until it was consumed. No harm was done to Imglick, but everyone wondered about the phenomenon.
We'll find out why this phenomenon occurred in Episode I of The Abbrahms Family.
Another experiment from that laboratory that would find its way into the Abbrahms' Family hearts and homes was the first attempt at creating a human-Tasmanian Devil hybrid. She would come to be named Vilde Chimera.
Grandmama, Morticia's mother, now Toityana Abbrahm's mother, will be Bubbie Glitshik
Toityana's father will be Zayde Klog
Toityana's grandfather, Zayde Klog's father, is Siamese twins Gornisht and Oisvarf
Goilem's father will be Zayde Moisheh Kapoyer
Zayde Moishe Kapoyer's father will be Alter Zayde Sheigitz
Toityana's sister the witch will be Tante Kuchleffel
Goilem's mother will be Bubbie Hartsveitik
Hartsveitik's brother is Fete Kopveitik
The Cousin with the long hair will be Ich Vais Nit
There'll be a cousin by the name of Greener Cousiner
More cousins will be the identical quadruplets Cousins Meeskeit, Kronkeit, Narishkeit and Nishtkeit.
Lurch, the Butler, will be Schlepp
Shlepp, the Butler, has recently married. The Abbrahms Meshpucha has graciously agreed to hire Shlepp's lovely bride in the capacity of household Maid. Unfortunately, since she was hired Shlepp has been shlepping less and less and his new wife more and more. Introducing a new addition to the Abbrahms Meshpucha household: Oysgemitshet, the Maid. What the Abbrahms family and Shlepp don't know is that Oysgemitshet is one of identical triplets and she and her sisters Oysgematert and Oysgehorevet have secretly been sharing the housework - and Shlepp.
Thing will be Lapeh.
The Abbrahms Family has two pets. Their mongoose, Shmei Drei, and their dragon, Gilo Monster.
The Abbrahms family has a long and illustrious history. For instance, you may think that the guillotine was invented by Dr. Joseph-Ignace Gullotin. But he only came up with the idea of putting a basket in place to catch the head. The guillotine was actually invented by Hockmesser Abbrahms, who also invented g'hakte leber. The Abbrahms family has been petitioning the French government to change the name of the famed invention from the guillotine to the hockmesser.
Episode I
Every Wednesday night the Abbrahms family make a picnic by some of the Kivrois HaTzaddikim. It's Mitvuch's favorite night and event of the week. It makes her feel like the family is making a special yahrtzeit celebration just for her.
It's also always a great opportunity to do the mitzvah of bikkur metim.
They make a kumsitz and roast marshmallows and locusts. Then they tell horror stories about lawyers and bankers and other dreadful creatures that suck blood by day and then hide in houses with perfectly manicured lawns and white picket fences at night. The children shudder in terror.
One Thursday morning, just at dawn, the Abbrahms family returned from a particularly fun and lovely night in the cemetery.
They are surprised to see policemen waiting for them at their door.
They approach the policemen and one of them asks if the family knows where Imglick Abbrahms might be.
Shocked, Toityana asks the policemen why they want Fete Imglick.
They are about to find out why Imglick's hats always burn…
***All rights reserved. No portion may be downloaded, recopied, edited, or used in any form except with express written permission of the author. ***
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
March – May 2007
Of Yud-Gimmel Street in the Old City of Tzfat, Originally
FromWilliamsburg, Brooklyn
The following can be adapted to become a Purim spiel. Expanded, it can be a TV series.
I want to do a take-off on the Addams family - The Abbrahms Meshpucha.
Some of the Kroivim are:
Morticia will be Toityana
Gomez will be Goilem
Wednesday will be Mitvuch
Pugsly will be Pitschetch
The baby will be Choleryeh
Uncle Fester will be Fete Finster, who enjoys resting on a bed of schpilkes
Toityana has an adopted brother, a foundling, by the name of Imglick. When Toityana was a child she enjoyed nothing better than to play in the dump behind the genetic engineering lab near her house in Brooklyn. She loved the aroma of the noxious emissions and the feel of the slimy effluvium squishing though her toes.
Little did the innocent Toityana know that one day a miracle would come to the Abbrahms family from that laboratory.
One of the first attempts at cloning a human being was deemed to be an utter failure. The scientists agreed that the DNA of the blastocyst was so hopelessly corrupted that it had no chance of survival. They mindlessly tossed the Petri dish containing the blastocyst from their window.
Just then Toityana came by to play. Out of the corner of her eye she saw what looked like a small flying saucer coming straight at her.
It fell at her feet in the slimy effluvium, making quite a splash.
Toityana picked up the Petri dish and saw a tiny, tiny speck the middle of some clear, gooey stuff. She decided to bring it home and ask her parents what it might be.
She showed to it her mother, Glitshik, and her father, Klog.
They examined the Petri dish under their microscope and were astounded to see that it was a humanoid blastocyst.
"Mama, Tati! Can we keep it?", Toityana entreated.
Glitshik and Klog looked at one another and then at Toityana. Exhibiting typical Abbrahms ruchmunis and ahavas chinam they said: "Of course we'll keep it. We'll culture it and raise it as though it were our very own experiment."
They called the blastocyst Imglick and showered great love upon it.
Imglick grew to be movie-star handsome. Some said he looked like Boris Karloff. Others said he resembled Bela Lugosi. Others said he resembled Danny DeVito. The Abbrahms thought he was a dead ringer for Marty Feldman.
There was just one strange thing about Imglick. When a hat was placed on his head spontaneous combustion occurred. The hat burst into flames and smoldered until it was consumed. No harm was done to Imglick, but everyone wondered about the phenomenon.
We'll find out why this phenomenon occurred in Episode I of The Abbrahms Family.
Another experiment from that laboratory that would find its way into the Abbrahms' Family hearts and homes was the first attempt at creating a human-Tasmanian Devil hybrid. She would come to be named Vilde Chimera.
Grandmama, Morticia's mother, now Toityana Abbrahm's mother, will be Bubbie Glitshik
Toityana's father will be Zayde Klog
Toityana's grandfather, Zayde Klog's father, is Siamese twins Gornisht and Oisvarf
Goilem's father will be Zayde Moisheh Kapoyer
Zayde Moishe Kapoyer's father will be Alter Zayde Sheigitz
Toityana's sister the witch will be Tante Kuchleffel
Goilem's mother will be Bubbie Hartsveitik
Hartsveitik's brother is Fete Kopveitik
The Cousin with the long hair will be Ich Vais Nit
There'll be a cousin by the name of Greener Cousiner
More cousins will be the identical quadruplets Cousins Meeskeit, Kronkeit, Narishkeit and Nishtkeit.
Lurch, the Butler, will be Schlepp
Shlepp, the Butler, has recently married. The Abbrahms Meshpucha has graciously agreed to hire Shlepp's lovely bride in the capacity of household Maid. Unfortunately, since she was hired Shlepp has been shlepping less and less and his new wife more and more. Introducing a new addition to the Abbrahms Meshpucha household: Oysgemitshet, the Maid. What the Abbrahms family and Shlepp don't know is that Oysgemitshet is one of identical triplets and she and her sisters Oysgematert and Oysgehorevet have secretly been sharing the housework - and Shlepp.
Thing will be Lapeh.
The Abbrahms Family has two pets. Their mongoose, Shmei Drei, and their dragon, Gilo Monster.
The Abbrahms family has a long and illustrious history. For instance, you may think that the guillotine was invented by Dr. Joseph-Ignace Gullotin. But he only came up with the idea of putting a basket in place to catch the head. The guillotine was actually invented by Hockmesser Abbrahms, who also invented g'hakte leber. The Abbrahms family has been petitioning the French government to change the name of the famed invention from the guillotine to the hockmesser.
Episode I
Every Wednesday night the Abbrahms family make a picnic by some of the Kivrois HaTzaddikim. It's Mitvuch's favorite night and event of the week. It makes her feel like the family is making a special yahrtzeit celebration just for her.
It's also always a great opportunity to do the mitzvah of bikkur metim.
They make a kumsitz and roast marshmallows and locusts. Then they tell horror stories about lawyers and bankers and other dreadful creatures that suck blood by day and then hide in houses with perfectly manicured lawns and white picket fences at night. The children shudder in terror.
One Thursday morning, just at dawn, the Abbrahms family returned from a particularly fun and lovely night in the cemetery.
They are surprised to see policemen waiting for them at their door.
They approach the policemen and one of them asks if the family knows where Imglick Abbrahms might be.
Shocked, Toityana asks the policemen why they want Fete Imglick.
They are about to find out why Imglick's hats always burn…
***All rights reserved. No portion may be downloaded, recopied, edited, or used in any form except with express written permission of the author. ***
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
March – May 2007
Saturday, March 17, 2007
If You've Held Out Until Now, It's Your Gain!
So read the blurb for the ad for the new "aesthetic" plastic surgery clinic that opened in Tzfat (See: page 86, Chadash B'Galil, Edition 791 (1097), 16.03. 07, the third to last small pink heart.
The ad (See pg. 22 of the same edition) read on:
Can't decide whether to do a breast augmentation or a lip augmentation?
Special for a limited time only - If you have a breast augmentation done, you get a lip augmentation FREE!
I'm gonna call them tomorrow and ask if I can choose which lips I want done. Or, because it's a deal, if I have to have the lips of their choosing done.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat (Safed), Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
So read the blurb for the ad for the new "aesthetic" plastic surgery clinic that opened in Tzfat (See: page 86, Chadash B'Galil, Edition 791 (1097), 16.03. 07, the third to last small pink heart.
The ad (See pg. 22 of the same edition) read on:
Can't decide whether to do a breast augmentation or a lip augmentation?
Special for a limited time only - If you have a breast augmentation done, you get a lip augmentation FREE!
I'm gonna call them tomorrow and ask if I can choose which lips I want done. Or, because it's a deal, if I have to have the lips of their choosing done.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat (Safed), Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Shetz Food – Not Your Average Israeli Sandwich Place
The most original idea in quick eating restaurants to come along in Tzfat is located in Tzfat's "downtown".
I bet you haven't had really good, I mean fantastically good, melt-in-your-mouth roast beef since you started keeping kosher. If you've kept kosher all your life you probably don't know what roast beef can be. Well, it is to be had. It's closer than you think. It's right here in Tzfat, the Dubek shopping center in the south of Tzfat, above Supersol and next to the Sakal electric appliances store.
Our first experience with Shetz Food was not as an eatery per se.
My husband went there and asked if they sell take-away food for Shabbat. The owner, Yaniv Shetzki, said they most certainly do. His 'can do' attitude was most appreciated. My husband brought home the St. Peter's Fish that Yaniv prepares. It was outstanding - piquant without being too spicy hot. It was covered with perfectly cooked sweet peppers and tender.
Yaniv's many suuper-fresh and tempting salads are on sale by weight for those who wish to buy them and eat them at home.
The next week, my husband went back and asked about side dishes. Yaniv said that they prepare couscous every day, but if one wants food for Shabbat it's a good idea to call before 16:00 on the Thursday before.
I dropped by to thank Yaniv for the delicious fish and to assure him that we would most definitely like to try their couscous the following Shabbat (meaning this coming week, we're anticipating it).
My attention was attracted by two things immediately. First, although the Kashrut certificate is from the Rabbinut of Tzfat; there were a number of Charedi customers in the restaurant when I arrived. The young man at the front counter, in fact, is Charedi.
Second, the deli caught my eye. The meats and the salads all looked incredibly fresh and tempting. I asked about one of the cold cuts for a sandwich, but Yaniv suggested his roast beef. Frankly, I've been disappointed with Kosher roast beef in Israel before and didn't get too excited. Then he showed me the roast beef. It was rare, and obviously succulent. I "went for it". He asked me which kind of salads I wanted on the sandwich and suggested a marvelous dressing that is the house special. He told me that toasted the sandwich is something else. He was right. After a couple of minutes in the toaster I received a warm sandwich that was unlike any other I have ever tasted. I don't believe that I have ever enjoyed a sandwich in Israel that much. The sandwich was served with two salads on the side. One was a raw vegetable salad, the other was a cooked eggplant salad that I mentioned looked particularly good and a mixed cooked salad of red, yellow and green peppers.
Another client in the restaurant ordered French fries with his frankfurters. They were perfectly, but perfectly, prepared. I had to restrain myself not to order them.
Yaniv's advertisement in Hebrew says that he offers: a selection of cold cuts and meats, omelets, home-made humus, grilled breast of chicken (which can be had in a salad as well), schnitzel, hot dogs, sabiah and a wide selection of salads, which are enhanced by Yaniv's special dressings. Additionally, the ad promises a special of the day every day.
Shetz Food is the kind of place that one can become a regular in and never get bored. The selection of delicacies just goes on and on.
There is a parve coffee bar at Shetz food and a selection of cold drinks as well.
This restaurant is going to be a hit. There is plenty of room for them to expand into and for tables to be placed outside the restaurant. They're going to need that space as people discover Shetz Food. I believe they are going to make a major contribution to the business base of the southern part of Tzfat. The atmosphere is homey as Yaniv's slogan promises, and the food, while simple, is one-of-a-kind. As there is a great deal of parking in the area and the inside of the mall is decorated nicely, people will, no doubt, drive down to the "downtown" of Tzfat for a great sandwich or terrific take-away.
The catering that he provides is a real boon. I, for one, could not prepare a comparable meal without a good deal of work and not much less expense.
The prices are very reasonable at Shetz Food.
You can reach Yaniv at 077-9155570.
The exact address is: Weitzman Street #20, Dubek Shopping Center, Tzfat
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
The most original idea in quick eating restaurants to come along in Tzfat is located in Tzfat's "downtown".
I bet you haven't had really good, I mean fantastically good, melt-in-your-mouth roast beef since you started keeping kosher. If you've kept kosher all your life you probably don't know what roast beef can be. Well, it is to be had. It's closer than you think. It's right here in Tzfat, the Dubek shopping center in the south of Tzfat, above Supersol and next to the Sakal electric appliances store.
Our first experience with Shetz Food was not as an eatery per se.
My husband went there and asked if they sell take-away food for Shabbat. The owner, Yaniv Shetzki, said they most certainly do. His 'can do' attitude was most appreciated. My husband brought home the St. Peter's Fish that Yaniv prepares. It was outstanding - piquant without being too spicy hot. It was covered with perfectly cooked sweet peppers and tender.
Yaniv's many suuper-fresh and tempting salads are on sale by weight for those who wish to buy them and eat them at home.
The next week, my husband went back and asked about side dishes. Yaniv said that they prepare couscous every day, but if one wants food for Shabbat it's a good idea to call before 16:00 on the Thursday before.
I dropped by to thank Yaniv for the delicious fish and to assure him that we would most definitely like to try their couscous the following Shabbat (meaning this coming week, we're anticipating it).
My attention was attracted by two things immediately. First, although the Kashrut certificate is from the Rabbinut of Tzfat; there were a number of Charedi customers in the restaurant when I arrived. The young man at the front counter, in fact, is Charedi.
Second, the deli caught my eye. The meats and the salads all looked incredibly fresh and tempting. I asked about one of the cold cuts for a sandwich, but Yaniv suggested his roast beef. Frankly, I've been disappointed with Kosher roast beef in Israel before and didn't get too excited. Then he showed me the roast beef. It was rare, and obviously succulent. I "went for it". He asked me which kind of salads I wanted on the sandwich and suggested a marvelous dressing that is the house special. He told me that toasted the sandwich is something else. He was right. After a couple of minutes in the toaster I received a warm sandwich that was unlike any other I have ever tasted. I don't believe that I have ever enjoyed a sandwich in Israel that much. The sandwich was served with two salads on the side. One was a raw vegetable salad, the other was a cooked eggplant salad that I mentioned looked particularly good and a mixed cooked salad of red, yellow and green peppers.
Another client in the restaurant ordered French fries with his frankfurters. They were perfectly, but perfectly, prepared. I had to restrain myself not to order them.
Yaniv's advertisement in Hebrew says that he offers: a selection of cold cuts and meats, omelets, home-made humus, grilled breast of chicken (which can be had in a salad as well), schnitzel, hot dogs, sabiah and a wide selection of salads, which are enhanced by Yaniv's special dressings. Additionally, the ad promises a special of the day every day.
Shetz Food is the kind of place that one can become a regular in and never get bored. The selection of delicacies just goes on and on.
There is a parve coffee bar at Shetz food and a selection of cold drinks as well.
This restaurant is going to be a hit. There is plenty of room for them to expand into and for tables to be placed outside the restaurant. They're going to need that space as people discover Shetz Food. I believe they are going to make a major contribution to the business base of the southern part of Tzfat. The atmosphere is homey as Yaniv's slogan promises, and the food, while simple, is one-of-a-kind. As there is a great deal of parking in the area and the inside of the mall is decorated nicely, people will, no doubt, drive down to the "downtown" of Tzfat for a great sandwich or terrific take-away.
The catering that he provides is a real boon. I, for one, could not prepare a comparable meal without a good deal of work and not much less expense.
The prices are very reasonable at Shetz Food.
You can reach Yaniv at 077-9155570.
The exact address is: Weitzman Street #20, Dubek Shopping Center, Tzfat
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
Welcome to Menagerie
Oh, you're going to like this Menagerie. It's not a zoo at all and you don't have to worry about the animals eating you. You get to eat them! And delightfully sweet they are too. You see, Menagerie is a unique specialty bakery, confectionery and coffee shop.
You needn't read Hebrew to enjoy their site. Just wander from link to link and feast your eyes on the photos of the creations to be found at Menagerie. Imagine the aromas and flavors. The reality is far better than just imagining.
http://tinyurl.com/39c2vf
My son and I attended the opening evening of Menagerie in Rosh Pina (a town adjacent to and just 15 minutes traveling away from Tzfat [Safed]), which is on the old main road very close to Center HaGalil.
The tables were laden with cakes, cookies and pastries of every sort – one more delicious than the next. Wine was served too, as were samplings of their specialty soft drinks.
The atmosphere is sophisticated, yet relaxed. Erstwhile strangers initiated conversation with one another and a feeling of 'this is my kind of place' was had by all. Galit and her staff know how to make people feel comfortable and like valuable clientele.
Having tasted samples of Galit's creativity, I return to Menagerie regularly when in Rosh Pina.
The owner of Menagerie, Galit Cohen, is a sculptress as well as a master pastry chef and chocolatier. She's an artist. There is no other word to describe her talent. Each cake is a creation. Each novelty is inspired and executed with exquisite ability. And how sweet and delectable the media of her art are!
Marvelous candies are on sale at Menagerie too. Unlike the cakes, which are most reasonably priced, the candies are quite pricey.
Galit does not keep her secrets to herself. She conducts many bakery workshops and invites English-speakers to attend. Among the workshops offered at Menagerie are: drawing on sugar dough, basic sculpting with sugar dough, advanced sculpting with sugar dough, decorating cookies, pastry baking, the wonders of phyllo dough, making cream puffs and éclairs, chocolate and praline making. Come one, come all! Experience the pure, childlike joy of sculpting in sugar, chocolate and cream. It's a fantasy come true.
Menagerie is under Rabbinical Kashrut Supervision.
The phone number is (04) 693-5703.
I'm sure that you, like me, will enjoy every minute there and wish to return often.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
Oh, you're going to like this Menagerie. It's not a zoo at all and you don't have to worry about the animals eating you. You get to eat them! And delightfully sweet they are too. You see, Menagerie is a unique specialty bakery, confectionery and coffee shop.
You needn't read Hebrew to enjoy their site. Just wander from link to link and feast your eyes on the photos of the creations to be found at Menagerie. Imagine the aromas and flavors. The reality is far better than just imagining.
http://tinyurl.com/39c2vf
My son and I attended the opening evening of Menagerie in Rosh Pina (a town adjacent to and just 15 minutes traveling away from Tzfat [Safed]), which is on the old main road very close to Center HaGalil.
The tables were laden with cakes, cookies and pastries of every sort – one more delicious than the next. Wine was served too, as were samplings of their specialty soft drinks.
The atmosphere is sophisticated, yet relaxed. Erstwhile strangers initiated conversation with one another and a feeling of 'this is my kind of place' was had by all. Galit and her staff know how to make people feel comfortable and like valuable clientele.
Having tasted samples of Galit's creativity, I return to Menagerie regularly when in Rosh Pina.
The owner of Menagerie, Galit Cohen, is a sculptress as well as a master pastry chef and chocolatier. She's an artist. There is no other word to describe her talent. Each cake is a creation. Each novelty is inspired and executed with exquisite ability. And how sweet and delectable the media of her art are!
Marvelous candies are on sale at Menagerie too. Unlike the cakes, which are most reasonably priced, the candies are quite pricey.
Galit does not keep her secrets to herself. She conducts many bakery workshops and invites English-speakers to attend. Among the workshops offered at Menagerie are: drawing on sugar dough, basic sculpting with sugar dough, advanced sculpting with sugar dough, decorating cookies, pastry baking, the wonders of phyllo dough, making cream puffs and éclairs, chocolate and praline making. Come one, come all! Experience the pure, childlike joy of sculpting in sugar, chocolate and cream. It's a fantasy come true.
Menagerie is under Rabbinical Kashrut Supervision.
The phone number is (04) 693-5703.
I'm sure that you, like me, will enjoy every minute there and wish to return often.
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
SINKHOLE!
On the main drag no less.
Estimated at being between 30 and 50 feet deep.
http://tinyurl.com/2allzw
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat :0(Safed)
On the main drag no less.
Estimated at being between 30 and 50 feet deep.
http://tinyurl.com/2allzw
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat :0(Safed)
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Here in David's Succah - כָּאן בְּסֻכַּת דָּוָד
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ב"ה תושב"ע היא הנקוד והטעמים של תושב"כ . אי אפשר להפריד בין תושב"כ ותושב"ע כי אי אפשר להגות בתורה בלי להוס...
