President Obama is Back, Just in Time for His White House Seder

Shalom Girls & Boys:

I'm back...in Israel that is.

You guessed it -- I was that fly on the wall in Air Force 1 en route to Jordan.  It was delayed because of a sandstorm, so I decided to wing it and take a chance.  I flew in like barak -- lightning -- just as the door was about to close, because I wanted to be right near Barak's ear.  

There I was, me and the Prez as he checked off some of the places he saw in Israel: Mount Herzl, Yitzhak Rabin's Grave & Yad Va'Shem.

This got me thinking: is he going to make a connection between these three places and the Passover story at his White House Seder? 

Here's my take on how these three landmarks tie in with Passover.

1. Mount Herzl has a museum all about Israel's founding father -- Theodor Herzl. Even though Abraham is the founding father of the Jewish nation, let's face it -- round 2 belongs to Moses and he was a lot like Herzl. Because he witnessed a terrible wrongdoing happen to a Jew, he decided to bring the Jews back to the Promised Land.  Sound familiar? Isn't that how Moses got started?

2. Yitzhak Rabin was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel and a military hero who fought in Israel's War of Independence. Yes, I know, Moses didn't fight any wars on a battlefield -- that was left to Joshua. Still, he waged the first battle and the most important one -- releasing the Jews from Pharaoh's slavery. 

3. Yad Va'shem is the world's central Holocaust memorial dedicated to the 6 million Jews who died, and like Moses, they never made it to the Promised Land.

So what do you think? It's beginning to feel a lot like Passover? I'm too pressed for time to fly all the way to the White House and make it back here in Israel in time for the Seder, so can any of you pass this on to President Obama? Tell him it's Zvuvi's commentary on why his trip was different from all other trips.

חג שמח

White House Photo Credit

  

Israeli Arabs LOVE Eating Matza!

Shalom Girls & Boys:

Since Passover is just around the corner, I'm on my way to buy Matza and you'll never guess where.  Not at the supermarket.  Not at the local makolet -- grocery store. Not in the shuk -- outdoor market.
Nope.
I'm buzzing by Jaffa (next to Tel Aviv), Umm el-Fahm (a city up north) and Nazareth (another city up north) where many Israeli Arabs live. You can't believe the amount of Matza they sell there.  In fact, if I don't rush it will be sold out.

Israeli Arabs say that nothing beats Matza. It's a delicacy they wait for once a year.  They love the taste. They love the texture. They eat it from the start of Passover to the end. Then they run out and buy some more.

Who would believe? Do we live in a crazy country or not?  Matza -- the bread of affliction symbolizing our flight to freedom from the Egyptians -- brings Arabs and Jews together??!! Well, not exactly. The fact is that not all Israeli Jews look forward to eating it. They kvetch that it doesn't fill them up like bread, has too many carbs and crumbles too quickly. You name it, there's a complaint, which is only fitting for this holiday since the Bible reports that once we were in the desert we proved that we were (and still are) a nation of kvetchers. And get this! Do you know what many of us in Tel Aviv look forward to on Passover? Actually, on the night Passover ends? We can't wait to go to Jaffa.


To be more exact -- we go to the Abulafia bakery to savor the taste of freshly baked pita bread and other baked goodies.

So I guess, the best way to an Israeli Jew and an Israeli Arab's heart is through the stomach. Passover is proof of the pudding -- Kosher for Passover pudding that is.

Chag Sameach...Zvuvi


Matza photo credit
Pita bread photo credit

I'm Crossing the Red Sea

Shalom Girls & Boys:

You know what I like about living in Israel? I've got several  "Like"s but one of the things I like best is that I can go to the places I read about in the Bible.

Passover is just a few weeks away and I'm reading all about the Children of Israel leaving Egypt.


Way back then there was no GPS.  It could be that there was a short route to The Promised Land, but Moses chose the long way around, through the desert to the Red Sea, which parted in 2, making a beeline straight to the Promised Land.

Hey, shouldn't that be a flyline?
I know...STOP with the puns!
Still, I'm going to take a ZvuviLine to the Red Sea.
Here it is. The body of water that the Children of Israel crossed.

Isn't it beautiful? You can even see some coral reefs. Today, the Red Sea brings you directly to Eilat, the southernmost city in Israel. The temperature in this city can get really hot, but it's one of the coolest places around. I love flying over to the Coral World Underwater Observatory where I get a fly's eye view of the most amazing fish. They are the residents of the Red Sea, and I'm kinda wondering: when the sea divided into 2 and The Children of Israel walked on the dry path in the middle, did they see fish floating in the waves if they looked to the left or the right? If they did, it had to be very distracting. It's hard to concentrate on running away from the Egyptians when you see fish like this:

Sounds fishy to you? Come to Israel for Passover and see for yourself.
Le'Hitraot...Zvuvi





Like Photo Credit
Red Sea Photo Credit
Fish 1 Photo Credit

I Know I’m Energetic, but on Passover I’m Full of Beans!

It’s that time of the year again. We’re all thinking about Passover and the family getting together for the Seder. I know I am. School is already out. Everyone’s cleaning their house and all the mothers are planning their menus for the Seder night. Yes, I didn’t say nights. That’s because we only celebrate one Seder night and if you think I’m pretty bouncy now, wait till you see me at the Passover Seder. I’m full of energy. “No way,” you say, “Zvuvi can’t be more energetic than he already is.” Well, I am. I’m a virtual jumping bean and I’m going to spill the beans about why. I’m what they call in Israel a “Mizrachi.” That means my family comes from Middle Eastern countries. A lot of Israelis have their roots in Morocco, Iraq, Syria and other countries in Israel’s neighborhood. So do Israeli flies. My mother’s family comes from Turkey and my father’s family comes from where the Passover story took place – Egypt. We Mizrachi folks (people & flies) believe that it’s O.K. to eat legumes on Passover. That means kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, peanuts, even rice and all other yummy kinds of legumes are part of our Passover menu. “No way,” you say again, “that’s a lot of hot air!”
No it’s not. Well, O.K., maybe hot air and beans go together, but honestly, I’m telling you the truth. Our rabbis don’t agree with the Ashkenazic rabbis who centuries ago said lentils are a “no-no” for the Passover diet because they resemble leavened food when they swell up. That’s why when Israelis do their Passover shopping they have to look carefully at the ingredients on all the packaging. Some foods will say Ocheli Kitniyot: “For Legume Eaters”.
You know what’s happening now? Don’t groan – more and more Ashkenazim are asking themselves “to bean or not to bean – that is the question!”

Happy Passover cooking!
Zvuvi


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