Israel Just Broke the Record for Largest Shabbat Dinner!

Shalom Girls and Boys:

My head is still buzzing from meeting all the people attending the largest ever Shabbat dinner. Can you believe? Two thousand, two hundred and twenty six guests? Make that twenty seven. I didn't officially sign up.

Where did this happen? In Tel Aviv, of course! The same city Lonely Planet ranks among the top 12 action packed metropolises! The same place ranked as the 9th best beach city in the world by National Geographic! And now, the same city that is home to the Guinness World Record for the largest Shabbat dinner!  Kol HaKavod Tel Aviv!

How do I know that this was the largest ? A Guinness World Record adjudicator -- that means someone who judges an event -- monitored the meal, making sure that all Shabbat laws were kept. And he made sure there was a headcount. Poor me. He kept on trying to swat my head off. I was only trying to help. He just didn't get it.

What can I say? It was unforgettable! Jews from all over came. I'll let you read all about it.
And I want to thank White Shabbat for organizing it. You guys are so terrific that I've decided from now on, every Thursday I'm going to sing I'm Dreaming of a White Shabbat. 
But today is Sunday, so for now I'm going to wish all of you a Shavua Tov -- a good week!

I'm Celebrating Sukkot with the Children of B'nei Menashe

Shalom Yeladim:

I want to introduce you to my new friends.

These boys belong to a community called B'nei Menashe. The people of this community say they are descendants of the tribe of Menashe which was sent into exile more than 27 centuries ago by the Assyrian Empire. In other words, the B'nei Menashe claim they are one of the lost 10 tribes!

Do you know what the words B'nei Menashe -- בני מנשה --  mean?
That's right, the sons and daughters of Menashe.

Let's go back to the time of the Bible. Who was Menashe?
He was one of Joseph's two sons. The other son was Ephraim. Many fathers bless their sons on Friday night by reciting the blessing
ישמחה אלוקים כאפריים ומנשה -- May God make you like Ephraim and Menashe.

Why this blessing?
Because Jacob blessed his two grandsons instead of their father Joseph. He wanted them to become role models for all Jews.
Here's an interesting thought: Their mother was Egyptian. Now, that's something to discuss!

Where do today's  B'nei Menashe come from?
North East India. Somewhere between Mynamar and Bangladesh is a piece of land where the Bnei Menashe have been living a Jewish way of life. Their customs and beliefs are very similar to the Biblical Children of Israel. 

AWESOME!!!!
So awesome, that when an Israeli organization called Shavei Yisrael found about them and discovered that the B'nei Menashe want to return to live in the Jewish homeland, the organization's director -- Michael Freund -- travelled to India to meet them.  Sure enough, he discovered that they celebrate Sukkot just like the rest of us. Maybe that's when he decided he would do everything to help bring this community back to Israel?!

So far, Shavei Yisrael has brought 2000 members of the B'nei Menashe to Israel. That's how I met my new friends. Close to 7,000 are still waiting back in India. I'm looking forward to meeting ALL of them, AND I'm looking forward to meeting other long lost Jews brought over by Shavei Israel.

You gotta admit: you and I, we belong to an interesting nation.

Chag Sameach!!!!




Photo Credit

I Just Have to Share This

I'm flying in again this week 'cause I have to share this article I just read on Ynet. I know you don't get excited when presidents or presidential candidates open a FB page, but hey, our president is 89 years old, still going strong, still cool. Have a read:

Zuckerberg to help Peres launch Facebook page President joins world of social networking, launches Israeli, international Facebook pages with help of Mark Zuckerberg Yair Altman Published:  02.24.12, 09:31 / Israel News The president of the State of Israel is joining Facebook and is set to receive a near-royal welcome. Shimon Peres is planning on taking advantage of the social network to call on citizens of the world to ask him questions through his official page on the site and even to suggest ideas that could promote peace in the Middle East. Peres' page in its Israeli version will be launched on Friday and the international version will be launched with more pomp and ceremony at the Facebook headquarters in San Francisco.