Using Technology to tell you I am ok

Another terrorist bulldozer attach near my neighborhood and it means I need to change my status on Facebook, MSN Messenger, Gtalk and twitter to let everyone know I am ok.


It makes life a bit easier to share the news via the web and lucky for me most of the people I know use one of the many different services listed above.

Changing my status online doesnt stop the influx of "are you ok" phone calls but it definitely helps me share the news with those who don't live in Jerusalem or even in this region with my status.

My parents are still in New York and since we are 7 hours ahead I have to notify them before they even awake that I am ok.

Right now I am updating the twitterverse with whats going.

Looking forward to the day my status online no longer needs to be updated to tell people that I am ok

Jewish Blogger Meetup in Jerusalem & Online

Nefesh B'Nefesh is hosting a Jewish Blogger Conference August 20, 2008. Participants are invited to come to the event in person or attend online.

I look forward to meeting the people behind the blogs I love to read. I think they should include those of us who are in the micr-blogging community as well. Luckily for me I live in both the blogging and micro-blogging worlds.

Convention Schedule:

5:00 – 6:00 pm 'Meat' & Greet:
Mingle and network with fellow bloggers

6:00 – 6:10 pm Introduction:
Benzi Kluwgant, Marketing & Communications Manager, Nefesh B'Nefesh

6:10 – 6:50 pm Panel Discussion: Taking Jblogging to the next level: Increasing your readership, reach and influence
Blogger Panelists: Treppenwitz, Jewlicious, IsraelMatzav, Hirhurim


6:50 – 7:00 pm Break – Light Refreshments

7:00 – 7:15 pm Comedy performance by FrumSatire:
The Rantings of a Frum Yid with a Warped Perspective

7:15 –7:40 pm
Branding Israel - From Vision to Reality
Zavi Apfelbaum, Director of Brand Management, Foreign Ministry

7:40 –8:15 pm Building Israel One Post at a Time
Open Discussion with Blogger Panelists:
Oleh Girl, My Shrapnel, My Right Word, Treppenwitz

8:15 – 8:30 pm Closing Remarks:
Danny Oberman, Executive VP of Israel Operations, Nefesh B'Nefesh

8:30 pm Dessert

All food is strictly mehadrin

My heart hurts

My heart has been aching all day over the news that Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser were returned to Israel in coffins. I hoped and wished like the rest of the country that our boys would be returned to us alive and my heart now aches for the loss of these two men and for their loved ones.

And now my thoughts turn to the parents of two more captive soldiers Ron Arad and Gilad Shalit and my heart aches for them too.


I never knew this kind of heartache existed before I moved to Israel four years ago. My aliyah anniversary just passed and I have been unable to write about my anniversary of moving from the United States to Israel and gaining citizenship from another country.

I write this post sitting in the same cafe that I celebrated my third aliyah anniversary with my parents last year and all I can feel is heartache.

Before moving to Israel and never ached for my fellow citizens. I never felt true pride for my country until I moved here. I never felt such anger and disappointment at my country until I moved here. I never felt such disgust at the political system until I moved here.

And yet I never felt like I was part of a country until I moved here.


I am thankful for the support network of friends, family and G-d that helped my dream to live here come true. Sometimes I just want to live an easier life. One where I don't feel heartache when soldiers are return to their country in coffins.

My heart aches and I just want it to stop.

Karma and Ovens

I believe that if you do good to others then good will come back to you at some point in the future.

I wanted to elaborate on my personal karma story and it involves ovens. (yes the kind you use to cook inedible food and make it edible).

Three years ago I moved into my own apartment and I had to furnish the apartment including some of the electrical items. I decided that since I wanted to furnish the apartment with some really good pieces of furniture other items would have to be used. I went to a used furniture and appliance store in the ultra orthodox neighborhood of Meah Shearim to find an oven and washing machine.

I ended up buying both items in one store and when it was delievered I realized that I didnt want to cook in my apartment. The landlords had just re-done the kitchen but it was done cheaply and the gas pipe (which was rubber not copper connected the oven to the gas switch and it trailed under the new counters and sink. I felt that the gas tube must have been punctured and didnt want to risk blowing myself up due to a gas leak.

Fast forward a month later when a friend reached out to see if I knew anyone who might have a spare oven. He was/is a chef and the kitchen wasnt large enough to install his oven and he needed an oven. I figured that there was no reason not to lend him my oven until I needed it back. It was just collecting dust in my apartment and he was a chef who would undoubtedly cook food for me if he had an oven.

I made him promise that if/when I wanted the oven back I would get it (and he would deliver it to me) since he was just loaning my oven for the "time being".

A few months later my friend the chef and his roommates all had to move out of their apartment quickly and it was right before my friends was going to the States for a two month visit. My oven got left behind at the old apartment in the whole big mess and I was not a happy camper.

I shared w/ my friend the chef that it was not his to leave behind and that he owed me an oven. He had one but it wasnt in Jerusalem and he was unable to bring it to me. I decided that maybe it was best just to have the oven donated to a charity than deal with the logistics of hiring someone to bring an oven to my new apartment which came with an oven/fridge.

Fast forward to June 2008.
In Israel the gas company once in a while (and i have no idea how frequently they do this) come to check on the gas in an apartment. Lucky for me the old oven owned by the landlords was leaking gas and according to law my gas had to be turned off until the oven was fixed or I replaced it. I had no desire to buy a brand new oven (I am moving hopefully in September and do not want to buy more things to move). The day before this entire gas being shut off saga began my friend Talia shared with me that she was getting a new oven and that she wanted to get rid of the old one - anyone need it. Now when she offered it I still had gas but a day later I messaged her on Twitter and asked her if she still had the oven. Lucky for me she did but I had to figure out a way to transport the oven from a community near Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Crap. Hiring a mover would cost a lot of money to transport it and I didnt think my friend's had a car big enough to fit it into.

Somehow my roommate from heaven found two friends who were willing to pick it up and drop it off by us. The time my friends w/ the extra oven was able to be home was the exact time my roommate's friends were able to pick up the oven.

I came home from a very long day at the TWS2008 conference and low and behold in front of my third floor walk-up apartment was an oven just sitting there.

**********************************************************************

The gas got turned on the next morning, I cleaned and kashered the oven and then I cooked myself some yummy food using my Karma-oven

Shabbat Cake

Friday in Israel is like a Sunday, a day off of work. Typically I spend the day lounging around, meeting up with friends, running errands and cooking/baking.

I dont know about you folks but I love to bake except I cannot bake from scratch. I don't know why but I just cannot back from a recipe. Every time the cake falls, tastes weird and other embarrassing results.

My solution:

Dunkin Hines Cake Mix and add to the mix to make it my own.

My additions:

1. Adding in vanilla, ground nutmeg or cloves to the white cake mix to give it a different taste.


2. I like eating layered cake so my solution is to let the cake cool down and once it is totally cool I use a long piece of Unflavored dental floss and slice it through the entire cake. Then I take the top part and place it elsewhere and spread an icing in the middle and then CAREFULLY i place the top of the cake back on and Ice the top of the cake (and sides if your feeling adventurous).


3. Turing a boring cake into an alcoholic one. I let the cake sit and semi- cool and then I drizzle liquor all over it and it seeps down into the cake and gives the eater an unexpected gift. I use a liquor that is similar in taste to the cake mix. Ammeratto, chocolate, brandy and even vodka are great additions.

4.Icing. I love icing and there are many different kinds of icing you can make. I make alcoholic icing, sugar icing, berry jam icing and more. I like to look online for easy 1 2 3 recipes.


5.Alcoholic Icing: To make an alcoholic icing you need one teaspoon of any flavored liquor (I prefer brandy, amaretto or chocolate liquor) and mix it a bowl with four packets of confectionery sugar. The icing is going to look like a glaze. and you spread it over the top of the cake and let it sit in the fridge to harden.


6.Sugar Icing:
One whole stick of margarine at room temperature (a bit soft)and 3 cups of confectionery sugar, a drizzle of lemon juice and 1/3 of Rich's parve cream. Mix until smooth and spread on the cake


7.Jelly Icing:
One small jar of any tpye of Jelly (I prefer berry jam's) at room temperature and I like to use it in the middle layer of the cake. Sometimes I even keep a bit of the jam on the site and mix it into the Sugar Icing and spread on the top of the cake.


Preparation time for a Shabbat Cake takes 5 minutes, Preparation time for icing takes 5 minutes and hours of pleasure eating Shabbat Cake.

Shabbat Shalom!


Dream Cake