Friday 18 December 2015

151218 Shabbat Shalom to my children

151218
18th December 2015

Shabbat Shalom dear friends.

This Shabbat is going to be the most wonderful Shabbat – all three of my children are in Jerusalem together – plus my daughter in law and two of the overseas grandchildren. I admit to being greedy and wanting everyone but the sheer joy of knowing I wake up in the morning and the apartment is full of activity and chaos makes me swell with the sheer joy of it!! Daniel came a day earlier and Rachel and I were at Ben Gurion to greet him – with a welcome balloon and a bag of his favourite fried gefilte fish!!!!!

Olivia and Zachary ran up the stairs to the apartment and immediately raced out to the veranda – you know the one I write about – and absorbed the panorama before them. Gideon, Stephanie and Daniel soon joined them despite the post-rain dampness. Zachary is convinced that he can see the whole world from there – a logical conclusion for a six year old, but Olivia was more interested in seeing the remains of the pomegranates on the tree, a rare sight in the UK! This morning they were even more amazed at the sight set before them. They had great fun with Saba Zvi, well children always do, and Zvi tried to persuade them to eat a Sabra, the delicious, juicy fruit under the spiky exterior, but it was just a bit too weird for them!!!!

So that is the reason I will skip through my newsletter this week. They all went off to the Israel Museum this morning – Gideon wants his children to see the model of Jerusalem in the Second Temple Period and of course the incredible array of Judaica and the synagogues brought from former Jewish communities. Rachel will soon be here with Yosef, Talia and Ayala and we will all have fun before she has to take them home for Shabbat.

Tonight Amiad, Noga and Zvi's little grandchildren Ella and Yonatan will be with us for supper, with all of my boys favourite foods, then tomorrow we may well walk to the Jerusalem Zoo nearby. Tomorrow night Zvi will take them all to the Kotel, the Western Wall because one cannot be in Jerusalem with the Kotel. Sunday – uncertain but I think we will go to Cinema City and the incredible Noahs Ark https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uN58MLTVJI . Dan leaves Sunday night and Monday we may well go out to Little Israel on the way to the airport.

So only good news since I don't want to break my mood

Yitzchak Perlman is not only a brilliant violinist and maestro – he is a Mensch. I am happy to say he has been awarded the Genesis Prize http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Renowned-violinist-Itzhak-Perlman-awarded-2016-Genesis-Prize-437329

We had a wonderful visit with Andrew White again – and of course with Hanna – and Hanna told me all about Taybeh Beer, an apparently wonderful beer produced in one of the few remaining Christian villages in the PA. If you see it buy it!!! http://taybehbeer.com/

So all of you preparing for Christmas – I mean the real thing not the gift part – I wish you a beautiful Advent and I will talk to you when I get my breath back after the visit ------ my Royal visit!! I suppose you can hear how happy I am!

And so to music
Al Kol Eleh is the most important song in Israel – for me. Above all these. The Honey and the Sting, the bitter and the sweet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Iq9JZyAgAY

Finally – the traditional Shabbat Songs – hope you love them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCMBkxr2WSc

Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem, which today is even more gorgeous than ever. My boys will sing Kiddush with Saba Zvi, I will light candles with my beloved daughter in law and little Olivia, Rachel is baking the Challot, Shabbat. Truly Shabbat Shalom enjoying the view from our verandah.

Much love to all
Sheila




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