Hi All
My phone's photo-email upload service appears to be faulty, which is why you haven't received any updates lately - yay?. (I think i have to reload the phone OS - yay not.)
The following is what we have done this week during Sukkot Mo'ed - very busy - and go to the picasa online album(link below) to checkout this weeks pics:
5th - Monday - Birkat Cohanim&Aviad-Cohens&BatAyin boys to BetShemesh:
This was an awesome day. Seeing birkat cohanim at the Kotel, which is basically the focus/highlight of Sukkot (a pilgrimage festival) was on Monday. We got there, in the heat and with the crowd of about 40,000, at about 10.15am, and found a spot over-looking the plaza on rehov kotel hama'aravi. 5mins later the cohanim began their priestly blessing during which the crowd was absolutely silent and still. An awesome awesome few minutes and an extraordinary experience. All Jews should aim to experience this at least once in their lives - sooner rather than later. (happens on Pesach, Shavuot & Succot)
For lunch in our Succah we had Dalia&Benny - M&D's good friends. They have been really helpful in getting our kids into school for a month - starting this Monday. We owe them big time for helping to make this experience complete... Akiva Moshel (teenager neighbour from Melbourne) stayed over and he came to Kotel with us as he is a cohen - a great honour for us. That night i drove him back to Bat Ayin, we picked up some of his mates and i drove them to Bet Shemesh for a big youth concert. Good fun. He found his way back to our place afterwards and slept the night.
6th - Tuesday - Bat Ayin&Gavna
We all drove Akiva back to his home in BatAyin the next morning. It is over the 'green line', near Efrat, Betar, and Gush Etzion, so there's lots of high concrete walls and razor wire beside the road, and major roads go through big long tunnels under some arab towns. BatAyin is perched on one of the highest peaks in the region (hence 'ayin' = eye) and it's a bit like looking at a map of Israel - we could see J'lem, Betar, Bet Shemesh, Ashdod, Ashkelon and all the way to the Mediterranean. Quite spectacular scenery, and Akiva showed us around the settlement. There is a 2000yo spring, some old ruins and some caves. Quite a lot of fun. We also had lunch nearby at the Succah in Gavna restaurant which overlooks all this landscape. Very pretty and great food. For the thrillseekers, the view also overlooked an amazing flying fox which goes for several hundred metres over a valley. I'd love to do that...
When we got back home at 5 i absolutely crashed in bed.
7th - Wednesday - Frumkes&Yacobinski's
Oy, a big day, perhaps too much. But lovely to meet up with family. We drove to Rishon LeZion Ma'arav(West) and met Zaida Dave Neistat's 2nd cousin - Shlomo Frumkes and his wife Ofra and their grandkids. Such lovely and warm and hospitable people. This is a new part of the family that only by chance did we make contact with them - due to a school roots project made by their grandson Guy(now 17 and a real mensch) a few years ago, and Evelynne finding a copy of his project on the internet - incredible hashgacha pratit. They live in the new section of R.L.Z. and the area reminds me very much of Main Beach near Surfers. A gorgeous, tropical-style area which would be perfect to visit, and nearby is a fabulous beach. The Frumkes' live in a 6th floor penthouse overlooking the region. They took us out to see Rochelle's g.g.grandparents' house (from around 1880), and then to their gravesite in a very honourable position near the top of the hill at the old RLZ cemetery - just beside Edmund DeRothschild (of Carmel Winery, Chateau Lefite). They were pioneers of RLZ. Whilst Ofra got lunch ready for us, Shlomo took us to the beach - its quite amazing (check the pics). Lunch was copious amounts of delicious yiddishe food - thanks Ofra&Guy.
Around 5 we said our goodbye's and travelled another 20mins to Gedera to have dinner with Isaac's 1st cousin Dudu&Irit Yacobinski and their kids Mor,Chen&Shai. They made us feel very much at home and we had pizza&quiche for dinner. Yum. The kids got presents of some craft stuff which thankfully kept them entertained. It was a lovely evening.
8th - Thursday - Salkin's&Galili's
Today we were invited for brunch to David&Rachel Salkin (Mark's brother) in Bet Shemesh. Being in the company of David,Rachel and kids was virtually like being with surrogate siblings. Despite not being blood relatives and rarely seeing them, they know so much about us and us about them that it was a very comfortable and homely atmosphere - a feeling you rarely get when you're a million miles from home. A big thank you to them for their hospitality. Our girls felt right at home with Yaela and Yonatan.
After over-staying our brunch welcome, we finally left the Salkins around 4 and got back to our J'lem home around 5. Shortly after a whirlwind clean up and Succah preparation, my cousin Shlomi Galili, wife Ronit and kids Tomer and Zohar came over for a 'light' dinner. They had been across the road at Gan Sacker so we were grateful they stayed on to share some time with us. I'm happy we got the opportunity to see them. We just relaxed in the Succah, had some beer, and shmoozed. It was a nice time and their boys got along quite well with Talia&Gaby - because they were all wild together!
9th - Friday - hopefully get an early start to the day of rest!
.... This day is yet to dawn, but a much lighter day is planned. We'll try to see my Zaida's house in Mea Shearim and then do some food shopping at the Shuq (M.Yehuda) for Shabbos-YomTov. Beth's staying over and Gidon&Hadas are coming for dinner too.
Chag Sameach
P
Latest update from the Steinbergs In Israel...
Blog online: http://steinbergsinisrael.blogspot.com
Web photo album: http://picasaweb.google.com/steinbergpicasa
GoogleMaps Steinberg Israel Tour: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=101845790702321945414.00046ae3bb9b8c8d66f12
Skype Paul username: 'paulsteinberg'
Skype Steinberg Family username: 'prsteinberg'
Jerusalem address: 27 Narkis, Nahlaot.
Telephone: (03) 9015-9718 (local call in Australia)
Telephone: +972-(0)52-3396805 (in Israel)
Time: Melbourne Aust (AEST) minus -8 hours (e.g. Melb 9am=J'lem 1am)
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