No Angry Birds Over Here

Shalom Girls and Boys:

I am sooo excited. Remember I mentioned Israel's Minister of Education in my last post? Guess what? His ministry is at it again, only this time they've decided to use a project in biodiversity to help encourage us to live in peace with our Arab neighbors. And the best thing? It's a project revolving around beings that have wings and fly.
Yup. You guessed it....

BIRDS! As in these friendly feathered creatures.

Aren't they the picture of peace? We don't have any angry birds over here. Angry people...sometimes. But not birds. In fact, last year I wrote a post all about birds in Israel. Maybe that's what inspired the Education Ministry? I sure hope so.

Their new project called Ken La Tzipor -- Yes to Birds -- is being organized together with the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel and it's being used in all the schools located in Israel's northern region. I mean ALL the schools. Every school where Israeli Jews and Arabs attend. A lot of Israeli Arabs live up north, which is why this project is meant to promote peaceful coexistence through biodiversity. How? Every Jewish and Arab student up north is going to be asked to pick their favorite bird as part of a lesson in coexistence. To help them choose they're going to receive special workbooks on birds in Israel, and playing cards that have pictures and information on all the fine feathered friends living over here. Not the half billion that pass by every Spring and Fall (230 species!) The ones that call Israel their home.

My first question is, are they going to have a party or a meeting for the Jewish and Arab students picking the same birds? I hope so. Stay tuned. I'm going to try to find out.

My next question is, what about the rest of us who fly and have wings? Peace through insect biodiversity. That's edgy, don't you think?  What's that? You say no, it has too much sting.
We'll see.
Le'Hitraot...Zvuvi


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Zvuvi is Watching His Diet

Shalom Girls & Boys:

What will it be? A cream cheese or a chocolate spread sandwich?
CHO-CO-LATE, CHO-CO-LATE. That's what real Israeli kids eat -- or USED TO EAT during the 10 o'clock snack break at school. And if the school day lasted until 2:30 p.m., then for lunch too! But not any more. Nuh, uh. Today it's a real NO NO because  a lot of Israeli kids have gotten...um...I'm just gonna say it. FAT!

There used to be a time when it was hard to find a fat Israeli kid. We used to come home, do our homework and then s-w-i-s-h out of the house we went, straight to the park, playground, anywhere outdoors where we could play soccer, climb trees and ride our bikes. But then our country became this hi-tech capital, with a computer in practically every home, and...you know the story. You've got the same problem. We're all sitting on our tachat -- that's backside in Hebrew -- much too much and snacking while we're playing, and gaining pounds and inches.

Not good, said Gideon Saar, Israel's Minister of Education, when he saw the latest kids' health and weight statistics. So starting this year he's insisting on healthy eating in school. The Education Ministry is even giving kids colorful boxes divided into sections for fruits, vegetables and healthy sandwiches. Minister Saar says now he's going to go after the vending machines. I mean give a kid a break! Or at least a toffy. Not him. Instead, he's coupled healthy eating with a new Move Your Body program.  Instead of sitting and eating, we're doing Zumba in school.

You know what they say: If you can't beat them, join them. So now I'm going to school so I can be schooled in healthy eating habits. The principal says I have to make sure that my parents eat healthy as well. She didn't like it when I told her they always eat on the fly.
ZVU-VI she shouted. What kind of sandwich did your mother make for you today?
I opened my colorful lunch box that Eema packed with cucumbers, carrots and apple slices. Slowly, I lifted the top of the pita bread and peeked inside the sandwich.
Hummus and tehini I mumbled.
EXCELLENT! she said.



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I'm On My Way to See the Largest Simhat Torah Flag

Shalom Girls & Boys:
It's Rally Round the Flag time. The Simhat Torah flag. We're all going to dance and sing, and wave our flags. But first I'm flying over to the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv where they have a really cool exhibit of Simhat Torah flags through the ages. The coolest flag of all is the largest Simhat Torah flag ever.

This got me thinking: How and when did we Jews start the custom of making special Simhat Torah flags to hand out to kids like you and me, so that we can march (or fly) around the synagogue with them? Sometimes I can be serious (not often, it's bad for my image), so I did a little research and here's what I discovered. The tradition of making flags goes all the way back to 17th Century Ashkenaz, which was in Eastern Europe. I even found sample flags. Maybe they'll be some of the flags I'll see today!

I must be getting really serious (Oh, oh, time to take my temperature!). I even found a historian at Tel Aviv University named Dr. Chaim Grossman who researched Simhat Torah flags. He says the flags created in Ashkenaz were made out of such thin paper that there was no way kids like you and me were going to take good care of them. So sorry, there are no flags going allll the way back. Dr. Grossman also doesn't know exactly how the custom began, but he thinks it was probably taken from a different culture.

So, you know what I did? I looked up the history of flags.  I gotta be honest. It just wasn't fun enough. So I found something better. How to make a Simhat Torah flag  and a Youtube clip of Simhat Torah in Israel.

Gotta go. But first a quick quiz: what flies? Answer: Simhat Torah flags and Zvuvi.
Le-hit-ra-ot.....

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We Just Had Our First Serious Rainfall

We had a surprise visitor yesterday -- Mr. Rain.
Sounds funny to you, but rain in September is almost unheard of in Israel. A huge downpour like the one we had yesterday -- that's a miracle! Do you think it means we're going to have a good year? I hope so. After all, Rosh Hashanah is only a few days away and we don't start praying for rain until Shmini Atzeret/Simhat Torah.

Why do we pray for rain? Because Israel has a dry climate with a short rainy season that begins in October and ends in April.

October's rain is not really rain -- more like spitting. A few drops and poof, it's over. November is a little bit better. December-February are the 3 months we count on. If it doesn't rain we're in trouble. We have very few water resources and our population is growing, making us one thirsty country. Our main water source is Lake Kinneret. We constantly measure its water level to check if we're O.K. Unfortunately, very often it only reaches the red "Danger" line or under it, which means we're having a tough time.

So the fact that it rained soooo early and soooo much -- that's BIG TIME news for us.

The importance of rain is not anything new to the Land of Israel.
Hey, I have an assignment for you. Find out how many times rain is mentioned in the Bible....where, when and why. Once you have the results, write and tell me.

Shana Tova...a sweet, wet year
Zvuvi


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We Should All Be Schooled in Tolerance

Shalom Yeladim from Grades 4, 5 & 6:

I don't usually speak to specific grades, but this time I've got a problem that I want to share with you.

The school year started in Israel and schools opened as usual – that is, most schools. Many parents of children attending the Ner Etzion school in the city of Petach Tikva refused to let the school doors open. Why? Because this school is located in a neighborhood where everybody comes from Ethiopia and a lot of these parents want their children to be integrated into schools outside their neighborhood, attended by all types of Israelis.

Here's the thing – not all parents sending their children to Ner Etzion agree to send them to other schools. There are some who want their children to stay together in this school because they feel it is easier to learn in a place where everyone is alike – physically, financially and with the same educational background.

What should an Ethiopian parent in Israel do? What should the schools do? It's a tough choice with no simple answers, but maybe you can find some creative solutions.

Here's what I want you to do. First of all, learn all about Ethiopian Jews -- their history and how they came to Israel. Teachers, you can use this link to help you.

Next, I want you to divide up into groups with some of you pretending you are Ethiopians and the rest of you being you, Jews living in the United States, Canada, England and Australia. The Ethiopian children want to be part of your class but they are so different from you. Be honest. Would you accept them as equals? Invite them to your house? Go paint-balling with them? Help them with their school work? How can you help them feel that they're just like you? Because I'm going to be honest with you – I feel that all of us have to stick to the principal Kohl Yisrael Areivim Zeh La'Zeh – All Jews must help and care for each other.

Once you come up with some ideas, write and tell me so that I can pass them on to friends over here in Israel.

Toda Raba...Zvuvi

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A Happy Ending to the Summer Vacation

Shalom Yeladim:

Sorry I haven't been in touch for a while but I've been kinda busy buzzing around this summer. Yesterday evening I did the coolest thing. I made a fly line to the Eretz Yisrael Museum in Tel Aviv to see the most spectacular fairy tale sand sculptures. Sculptors from the World Sand Sculpting Academy in The Hague – that's in Holland – came to Israel, took over the museum's courtyard and made gigantic sand sculptures from 700 tons of sand! Two represent Bible stories – like the Tower of Babel. The rest are interpretations of our favorite fairy tales – like The Little Mermaid. I took these two photos on the fly but I found a YouTube clip so that you can virtually enjoy our happy ending to our summer vacation.

Le'Hitraot...Zvuvi

I Just Appeared at The Pittsburgh Folk Festival

Shalom Yeladim:

I was in Pittsburgh last week when they held their 54th International Folk Festival. This year the festival planners decided that every country should be represented by a children's book. Yup...you guessed it. I was Israel's proud ambassador. All the pannels of the Israel pavillion had pictures from my book. You'll see me as well, because hey, I love being a fly on a wall. Hope you enjoy the photos and THANK YOU PITTSBURGH for making me feel so at home.

Le'Hitraot...Zvuvi