tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81143885884851137272024-03-14T06:10:21.454+02:00Delicious JerusalemEverything delicious about living in Jerusalem, where Heaven and Earth come together and everyone wants a piece of the action!Lorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.comBlogger193125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-33525524480159744252013-06-21T08:30:00.000+03:002013-06-21T08:31:37.701+03:00Stick It To Darkness: Shine Your Light!This week's Torah Portion is Balak, one of the most extraordinary passages in the Torah.
The Midrash says that certain things were created during Shkiah, that brief portion of the day called twilight, on the eve of the first Shabbat - amongst them, the mouth of Bilam's donkey, which spoke.
Another one of those created at the very last minute things was the soul of Moshiach, that root neshama Lorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-45111445611955713212013-06-16T23:01:00.000+03:002013-06-16T23:01:04.003+03:00Jerusalem Songs
More than anything in my journey of Aliyah which began in March 2007, music has played a central and defining role in my daily life - so much so, that (as you know!) I co-founded an Internet Radio Station in Jerusalem in 2009.
Jerusalem songs - those songs which evoke such longing for the Holy City, sung by those of us who languish in the gap between Jerusalem Above and Jerusalem Lorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-67224701794360675842013-06-13T17:18:00.000+03:002013-06-13T17:18:16.632+03:00Jerusalem - A Formula 1 City or a Formula 613 City?
Surely there is a genetic component to the madness that comes upon the male of the species whenever a racing car is in the vicinity. Old and young alike turn into little boys (regardless of age), and little boys love fast racing cars.
Hence my supposition that Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat whom, up until now has received my full support for his initiatives attempting to bridge the reality gap Lorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-3999639649321309672012-12-04T06:48:00.000+02:002012-12-04T06:48:04.072+02:00Morning in Jerusalem
Darkness.
The wind is blowing and the muezzins are wailing at the edge of the Judean Hills. O, Jerusalem.
Your gold and pink-tipped dawn entices mornings for a thousand thousand years.
Who
are we to press ourselves against the fabric of your eternal skirts,
you who clothe yourself in the dawn and throw back the windows of the
sky to cry to Heaven ...
Who are we to seek your Lorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-72549077220931818652010-11-24T10:11:00.000+02:002010-11-24T10:11:11.339+02:00Comfortably Numb VS. Uncomfortably FrumSome 40+ hours after breaking (and dislocating!) my left arm's Radius bone, Dr. Percoset finally arrived on the scene, thank G-d.
Now that pain management is possible I'm balancing my need to be Comfortably Numb with the necessity of being Uncomfortably Frum.
That is: I'm considering the halachic necessity of bringing a lawsuit against the owners of the bakery/cafe where this accident occurred Lorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-44655910619520702442010-11-21T11:00:00.002+02:002010-11-21T11:14:31.563+02:00Humering the Radius, Depending on the Kindness of StrangersThis may be my first-ever 1-handed blog entry as I fell backwards off a porch on Friday and broke my left Radius - displaced it as well - and after 2 trips to the Emergency Room in Tzfat sandwiched between Shabbos Parsha Vayishlach - I have to say this isn't what I meant by road TRIP, Lord!
I came to Tzvat to have adventures with my friends Andy and Nili Alpern - but instead Andy became myLorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-19707551879478590802010-11-18T07:48:00.001+02:002010-11-18T11:25:00.388+02:00The Road Goes Ever On and On...Bat Ayin - a beautiful, natural, organic, glowy-flowy enclave of the Eco-Torah hippie lifestyle located in the beautiful Gush area southeast of Jerusalem.
Staying in the home of Rebbetzin Chana Bracha Siegelbaum, who is the head of the Midreshet B'erot Bat Ayin, an educational program for women and the author of "Women at the Crossroads," a woman's perspective on the weekly Torah portions.Lorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-18471432664062692292010-11-17T08:01:00.000+02:002010-11-17T08:01:09.254+02:00When in Doubt, Take a Road TripIt's time to go on Tiyule, as we say in (broken) Hebrew.
Provoked beyond mere vexation at the interminable "Endless Summer, Part 3" weather and unable to wait anymore - "Ain le ode savlanut, b'claal!" I'm on my way to raise up holy sparks from below and liberate Heaven's blessings from above. The only way I know how to do that is to GO SOMEWHERE.
Combining (not to be confused with "Lorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-56446965018504538402010-11-14T09:15:00.000+02:002010-11-14T09:15:37.848+02:00Why Should a Perfectly Good Blog Go Untended Just Because I'm So Damn Busy?OK, so is it a crime to let a year and a half go by without writing on this blog? Has Facebook replaced blogging for me, am I totally absorbed with Radio Free Nachlaot to the exclusion of everything else, do I cringe a little at my own wide-eyed optimism and unwavering cheerfulness when I read through the history of this blog - begun when I first made Aliyah in the Spring of 2007, when my eyes Lorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-73847952884193499222009-06-26T20:26:00.004+03:002010-11-17T08:24:01.969+02:00Weeping for Tammuz
WEEPING FOR TAMMUZ
Was it my window, open to the nightInviting dark honeysuckled air, giving breath to my dreamsThat made him think he could simplyEnterUnbidden,And bend his golden headTo kiss my sleeping eyes awake?
I only saw him for a moment (if I really saw him at all):Golden green shimmering silver goodbye...But I heard him sighAnd with his kiss my eyes were open to the nightAnd I took Lorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-36842842319088443772009-04-16T01:52:00.007+03:002009-04-16T17:55:38.212+03:00Afghans Stone Women Protesting Sex LawKABUL (April 15) -- A group of some 1,000 Afghans swarmed a demonstration of 300 women protesting against a new conservative marriage law on Wednesday. The women were pelted with small stones as police struggled to keep the two groups apart.The law, passed last month, says a husband can demand sex with his wife every four days unless she is ill or would be harmed by intercourse — a clause that Lorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-78323610434553169992009-04-13T09:40:00.003+03:002009-04-13T09:46:58.530+03:00Nasrallah to Ahmadinejad - "If Loving You is Wrong, I Don't Want to be Right!" By far the cutest couple since Satan and Sadaam Hussain hooked up in The South Park Movie! Insider reports indicate that during their recent meeting, Iranian President Ahmadinejad serenaded Hezbollah leader Nasrallah with a heartfelt rendition of the classic tune, "If Loving You is Wrong, I Don't Want to be Right!" We were unable to verify whether Ahmadinejad chose the Luther Ingram version or Lorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-14469841364044720682009-04-10T11:06:00.004+03:002009-04-10T11:18:12.078+03:00Counting The (H)Omer, the Simpsons Way!Counting the Omer has never been more fun! OK, there are lots of other, shall we say, more overtly spiritual ways to count the Omer (most notably Rabbi Simon Jacobson's "Spiritual Guide to Counting the Omer" which I've used for the last 4 years) but if you want some semblance of fun and the occasional smile and laugh to intrude into your spiritual life, it doesn't get better than this. CLICK HERELorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-60683128637369640602009-04-01T11:09:00.003+03:002009-04-01T11:31:57.753+03:00The End isn't Near, It's HEREIt's obvious to anyone with eyes to see on the ground here in Jerusalem that THIS IS IT. We're in it, Geula is upon us and we should lift up our eyes because our redemption is near.Is the shit hitting the proverbial fan in your life? In the lives of people around you? Has "crisis" become a commonplace and constant feature in your daily existence? As on Earth, so in Heaven - and conversely, even Lorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-68151555592067121862009-02-28T23:34:00.005+02:002009-03-01T00:29:06.684+02:00Pakistan & Somalia Cave to Islamic Terrorists Demand for Sharia Law - YOU'RE NEXT, EUROPEWhy is no one talking about the fact that within the last 10 days, the governments of two countries have succumbed to blackmail by terrorists and surrendered entire regions of their own lands to he rule of Islamic Fundamentalist Sharia Law.On February 18th, CNN reported: Pakistani government officials announced Monday an agreement with the Taliban to allow strict Islamic law, or sharia, to be Lorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-43340220460066352812009-02-15T12:24:00.003+02:002009-02-15T13:24:58.952+02:00Boycott Sony Ericsson until they demand Dubai grants a visa to Israeli tennis player!While the World Tennis Association (WTA) caves to Arab pressure and allows the Sony Ericcson Tour to continue to be played in Dubai, even after the UAE violated the WTA's written policy by denying a visa to Israeli tennis player Shaharr Peer, there is still something to be done.BOYCOTT SONY ERICSSON and call their Investor Relations / PR people and tell them why!Follow the money. Without Sony Lorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-7429852488489249422009-02-13T11:09:00.002+02:002009-02-13T11:23:18.331+02:00Pig CandyA Google search will yield 3,980,000 results for the phrase "Pig Candy."This should be alarming to anyone...and yet!What's next, candied fetal piglets?Lorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-41580648270903828672009-02-10T17:08:00.002+02:002009-02-10T17:13:49.126+02:00Krembo May Save Israeli Politics After All!A treat for every voter Twenty-one-year-old Amotz Eyal launches campaign intended to increase voter turnout on Election Day Daniel Edelson P{margin:0;} UL{margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;margin-right: 16; padding-right:0;} OL{margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;margin-right: 32; padding-right:0;} H3.pHeader {margin-bottom:3px;COLOR: #192862;font-size: 16px;font-weight: bold;margin-top:Lorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-73924969553110206502008-12-28T22:21:00.003+02:002008-12-28T22:27:26.473+02:00Tsafrir Ronen - baruch dayan emetToday I found out my dear friend, colleague and eternal fighter for the Land of Israel, Tsafrir Ronen, had died of a heart attack during Shabbat. He was 53 and leaves behind his beloved wife Judy and three beautiful daughters.Tsafrir was incredibly special. He's "appeared" on this very blog several times, and has been an important friend to me since making Aliyah. We worked together extensively Lorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-19116632679948618092008-12-23T16:18:00.001+02:002008-12-23T16:23:15.044+02:00b'ezrat HaShem ... Here Comes The Rain!Israeli farmers perform rain ritualDecember 22, 2008 JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israeli farmers re-created a ritual described by a 16th century Jewish scholar in the hopes of bringing rain. The farmers from the Upper Galilee, led by Rabbi Eliyahu Biton, onLorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-176626538540973222008-12-22T09:02:00.003+02:002008-12-22T09:11:55.064+02:00Chanukkah in the ShukErev Chanukkah in Mahanae Yehuda shuk, the giant menorah being prepared to light up the night for all. You won't see a Christmas tree here nor will you hear the jingle-jangle of bells, reindeer whinnying nor yuletide caroles being sung by a choir - although you may see folks dressed up like Eskimos.Lorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-21809817238974402562008-11-12T00:26:00.005+02:002008-11-12T00:41:03.134+02:00My First Vote as an Israeli Citizen"Democracy in Action" - at least that's what it looked like in the Rehavia neighborhood of Jerusalem, where I exercised my civic duty by casting my first-ever ballot as an Israeli Citizen. The Jerusalem Mayoral race has been far more pressing than the recent US Presidential Elections, and, sticking with that analogy, it looks like my boy Nir Barkat will in fact be the next Mayor of the Holy City.Lorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-53495192736018017132008-10-29T08:25:00.004+02:002008-10-29T08:38:11.604+02:00Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan - Slither, Sting or Soar!Happy Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan - although "happy" isn't usually an adjective associated with either the Hebrew month of "Mar" Cheshvan ("Mar" meaning "bitter") or Scorpio (Akrav), not typically perceived as a "happy" sign. Intense, yes. Powerful, yes. Transformative, yes. Painful? Often!The gift of Cheshvan is the gift of intensity and the accompanying insights one obtains when turning that Lorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-49042566368688945242008-10-18T23:20:00.002+02:002008-10-18T23:57:00.939+02:00North American Jewish Database Created by Christians Targeting Jews for Aliyah - or Targeting Jews for "Removal?"Tonight the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem hosted "Israeli Night," capping off their annual "Feast of Tabernacles" celebration which brought nearly 10,000 Christians from around the world to Jerusalem. Malcom Hedding (pictured), ICEJ's Executive Director, on stage with former Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Ayalon( pictured), introduced a mysterious pot-bellied Russian man (notLorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8114388588485113727.post-65822791777826961452008-10-07T16:40:00.004+02:002008-10-07T17:21:37.956+02:00Kaparh, Chickens, Coins and pre-Yom Kippur PreparationsFeathers flew and brachot blew by all day in Jerusalem's Machane Yehuda Shuk, where pre-Yom Kippur "Kaparah" was being perfomed by a variety of vendors. One might swing a chicken overhead while reading the prayers (pictured) or one might give money to a local tzaddick who will hold it over your head while praying blessings down upon you. Either way, it's all part of the preparations for the most Lorelai Kudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01938582267173437667noreply@blogger.com1