Boy, Did I Do A Lot Do In Eilat!

Shalom Yeladim, Morot ve'Morim:
Times flies when you’re having fun and I’ve had the most fabulous, fly-full vacation this summer. In fact I just returned from Eilat. WHAT!!!! Eilat???? Isn’t it sizzling, burning hot there? And didn’t Israel just have one of the worst heat waves in its history? Yes, that is all true. But it’s hot and dry in Eilat (10% humidity!), and there’s so much water all around to cool off in, that you hardly feel the heat.

In fact – get ready for this – Eilat is the favorite summer vacation spot for Israelis, especially families. So much to do – like swimming with the dolphins at Dolphin Reef. I did that and the dolphins snorted me out of their nostrils. When they did, I flew all the way over to the Marine Park Underwater Observatory to see colorful fish, sea turtles and sharks. Oooooh. Scary! Those sharks made me wonder what’s it’s like to snorkel in the Red Sea. So I did that as well. No sharks there. What a relief! All I could think of was how Moses split this sea in half so he and the Children of Israel could cross it. I still can’t figure it out. I know, I know, he had help from a higher source. But, hey -- I can fly pretty high too! Up in the sky, the wind swept me over to the Kings City theme park where a lot of fun-filled activities helped me journey into the past – I mean the real past, like thousands of years ago. You’ve got it. I met Moses, Pharaoh, King David and King Solomon. I played Bet You Can’t Catch Me with each one and you know who won – ZVUVI!!! I am king of the high flyers.

So, I’m flying high, feeling great about myself and thinking of different ways I can drive teachers crazy when school starts September 1st. After all, I’m more than a zvuv – fly. I’m a shovav – a cutie on the wild side. You gotta love me!

Le’hitraot…Zvuvi

America has the Golden Retriever, the French have Poodles & We have the Canaan Dog

Shalom Yeladim:
It’s me Zvuvi – the national fly of Israel. Today I want you to meet the national dog of Israel – the Canaan dog - a beautiful, proud guard dog. Canaan dog has been around for a VERY LONG time. So long that archaeologists have found the remains of dogs in two ancient caves. It makes sense that these dogs are called Canaan because that’s the original name of the Land of Israel. A few weeks ago while I was flying around, I heard some people talk about a newspaper article written on the Canaan dog. Actually, it was written about the lady who set up the first guard dog unit for Israel’s army. Her name was Dr. Rudolphina Menzel. She moved here ten years before our War of Independence and came up with the idea of using the Canaan dog to protect the areas where the Jews lived. The Haganah – which was the Jewish army back then – heard about her and asked her to help them build an army unit using these dogs. Thanks to her, to this day the Israel Defense Force has a special, elite unit for training dogs.

You want to know what’s so good about the Canaan dog? Aside from being beautiful, it has a strong survival instinct. It reacts quickly to danger and barks right away when it sees or senses a stranger. It’s very smart and learns quickly. It is also good with children it knows. You know what that means? The Canaan dog is the perfect family guard dog. Today, the Shaar Hagay Kennels outside of Jerusalem continues Dr. Menzel’s work of breeding Canaan dogs. You can virtually visit them right now. Tell them Zvuvi sent you. And guess what? You don’t have to go to Israel to get a Canaan dog. There’s a Canaan Dog Club of America.

I’ve got to go. NOW! A Canaan dog is furiously wagging its tail at me. All I did was buzz by to check if it could see me. O.K., O.K., so I jumped on its nose a few times. That doesn’t mean it has to bark so loudly.
Byyyyyyeeeeeeee…Zvuvi

We Just Celebrated Jerusalem Day

Shalom Yeladim:
I just had a “wail” of a time in Jerusalem, celebrating Jerusalem Day. Jerusalem is our capital city. It’s been our capital for a VERY long time – ever since King David ruled over the Kingdom of Israel. That’s why Jerusalem is also called the City of David. In fact, you won’t believe this, but legend has it that Jerusalem has 70 names!!! I guess that’s because it’s the most important city for the Jewish people. Hey, don’t we say “Next Year in Jerusalem” every Passover? That proves how important this city is for us. So when it became divided in 1948 – during our War of Independence – we were determined to make it whole again. Which is exactly what we did in 1967. We fought our famous 6-Day War, recaptured the part of Jerusalem that was taken away from us, and turned it into a united capital city. Ever since then we celebrate Yom Yerushalayim – Jerusalem Day. In my book – Zvuvi’s Israel –Jerusalem is the first city that I visit. I have a special treat for you. I am going to take you on my book tour of Jerusalem right now.
Have a good, and make sure you read all three pages…Zvuvi

Rain on Lag B’Omer!!!!

Shalom Yeladim:
The weather is getting weird – for you and for us. I heard that America had a snowstorm in the northeast in late April. Now Israel is getting rain on Lag B’Omer! Remember in my Purim blog I asked the rain not to go away? Looks like someone was listening. But hey, on Lag B’Omer? That’s raining on my bonfire! And that’s raining on the parade of all the Israeli kids – mainly boys – who have been using shopping carts to collect huge wood planks for the past two months. I’m not kidding. You see the picture of the shopping carts with the wood in them? That’s what kids all over Israel have been pushing and wheeling to their favorite secret storage spots where they hide the wood. Lag B’Omer is their holiday. There are medurot – bonfires – all over Israel. Even pre-schools and kindergartens invite parents to a group medura. If you’re flying to Israel and landing on Log B’Omer night, it can be pretty scary to look down from on high. The country looks like it’s in flames. But don’t worry, the El Al pilots usually warn passengers ahead of time. The problem with Lag B’Omer is that the air pollution level really jumps for a few hours, and all the smoke is not good for kids with asthma. So I guess the rain is a blessing in disguise because the pollution won’t be that bad this year.
My favorite bonfire site is on the beach. Since Israel is a Mediterranean country, we have a long coastline for setting up bonfires. Listening to the combination of the burning, crackling wood and the crashing of the waves really lights my fire. And no. I am not a fire fly. But I am all fired up about roasting some marshmallows.
Be’tay’ahvon…Hearty appetite...Zvuvi
Pssst…I almost forgot to tell you. There’s no school on Lag B’omer day. If there would be, I’d fire off a complaint!

Israel Independence Day is My Kind of Yummy Holiday

Shalom Yeladim:
Look at the picture of the meats grilling. That’s how we do barbecues in Israel. Another two days is Yom Ha’atzmaut and I’m going to have a flylicious time. Yum, yum. I’m already licking my lips just thinking about all the mahngles – barbecues – that are going to dot the public parks and beaches. Families, friends, you name it, take their travelling grills, fan the coals until they’re hot, then place all types of meats on the grill. Mm, Mm do I love the smell. I can smell a barbecue miles away and there are miles and miles of them on Israel Independence Day. You can imagine how many miles I log in on that day, jumping from one grill to the other. I’ll admit that not everyone is happy to see me. They greet me with open swatting arms, but I’m too fast for them to catch.
So what kinds of meat do we grill? Just like the United States, Israel is a melting pot. That means we have people living here who originated from all over the world, and we melt or blend together into one big pot, or country. Which brings me back to the grilling. We LOVE grilling Kabab – a type of roasted meat that comes from Turkey. We also adore Shishlik – a Central Asian way of roasting cubes of lamb on a stick with pieces of onion, pepper and tomatoes threaded in between the cubes. We lick our lips over American Beef Hotdogs – although most Israeli hotdogs are made from chicken. Do you believe!!! Speaking of chicken – we grill that too, and of course, steaks.
No Israeli barbecue is complete without pita breads, hummus, tehina and different types of salads.
Just talking about all of this food is making me drool. I’ve got to fly and get myself ready. I know that most people wouldn’t hurt a fly, but on Yom Ha’Atzmaut there’s a lot of flying off the handle when I come buzzing around.
Beh Tai’Avon. Hearty Appetite…Zvuvi

The First Kibbutz Just Celebrated Its 100th Birthday!

Shalom Yeladim:
Kibbutz Degania Alef – the first kibbutz ever – just celebrated its 100th birthday. Wow – that’s a lot of years! For us, the kibbutzim are like the Wild West for you. Your pioneers went out West in covered wagons and fought the Indians to settle your land. Our pioneers fought deadly raids by Arabs and deadly mosquitoes spreading malaria. They had no farming experience at all, but that didn’t stop them. They came to Israel to work the land and turn it into a Garden of Eden. You see the black and white picture above of people from way back when standing next to a building. They were some of the pioneers who founded Kibbutz Degania Alef near Lake Kinneret. Back then a kibbutz was a communal farm which made its living from agriculture. They grew all sorts of fruits and vegetables, raised chickens, turkeys and cows. No one was paid for the work. The income went to the kibbutz so that everyone could continue living there. These farms grew into beautiful communities, where everything was shared – even eating together and taking care of the children. Look at the other black & white photos I’ve posted above. There’s one of an original kibbutz dining hall. And, take a look at the second picture. A bunch of children are getting ready for bed. You won’t believe it, but many kibbutzim (not Degania Alef) had the children living together, visiting their parents during the day.

All of that has changed, as you can see from the colored photo with the Hebrew sign. That’s the way Kibbutz Degania Alef looks today. The kibbutzim no longer rely on agriculture for making money. Most have advanced industries dealing in just about everything – from fancy eyeglass lenses to wet wipes. Several even operate beautiful hotels located on kibbutzim, with lots of fun-filled activities for kids. Every adult earns his or her own salary. Children live with their parents, and families eat together, each in its own home. Still, the original kibbutz concept plays a very special role in Israel’s history. There is even a Kibbutz folk singing troupe called “The Gevatron”. I’d like you to listen to some of their songs. They are SOOO popular that two years ago on Yom Ha’Atzmaut – Israel Independence Day – they performed with an Israeli Rap singer. See for yourself and get ready for this year’s Israel Independence Day Celebration in your school.
Tehenu. Enjoy…Zvuvi

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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