Finally Something About the Issues

Way back when I wrote:

Am I the only one who thinks that the upcoming presidential elections are nothing but a popularity contest? The only issue that I am aware of is the American military presence in Iraq. I would really like to see a table that would summarize the candidates and their positions with regards to the issues. The rows of the table would contain the issues, and the columns would contain the names of the candidates. Does something like this exist, or is the public more interested in what the candidates eat for breakfast?

Finally someone posted the table that I was looking for. Check out 2008 Presidential Candidate Comparison Talking Points.

The Observation Tower on Mount Tir'an

We could see the tower from Mitzpe Netofa. This seemed like an irresistible attraction. The view from there must be tremendous! A quick look at the map showed a dirt road that leads up to the tower. The entire X family gets into their Mitsubishi Spacewagon and starts the journey.



In the photo above you can see the tower is sticking out on the left side of the horizon. A word for the wise: Don't travel on dirt roads in the Galilee mountains with a Mitsubishi Spacewagon. Take a jeep or some other "rechev shetach". Not only that: make sure that you have a detailed map for hikers, the kind that The Society for the Protection of Nature puts out. I should have known better. Mea Culpa!

My oldest son was at the wheel and I was sitting by his side, playing navigator with the map in hand. The wife and the other kids were in the back seats. The road is not in good shape. Some parts of the road were alright, but others were bumpy and full of potholes.

"Dad, with this journey you have fulfilled the obligation of taking us on a jeep trip," jibed my son. In the meantime nobody is panicking. Good.

Then we came to the fork in the road. "This isn't on the map!" I thought to myself. "Turn right," I said to my son, relying on my sense of direction.

"Dad, the fuel light is lit. We are running out of gas."

We continue forward and we see a pickup truck with the Jewish National Fund insignia on it. "Follow him," I commanded.

Sure enough, the JNF truck brings us to the observation tower on the top of the mountain. I am happy, and so is everyone else. We climb up to the top. A group of ultra-Orthodox Jews that arrived before us is singing sections of the High Holiday prayers, in two part harmony. One of them embarks on an embellished cantorial solo. A cool breeze caresses us as we enjoy the view.



All good things must come to an end. How do we get out of here? Someone else who is on the mountain had one of those hiker's maps from The Society for the Protection of Nature. Thank God! "Go on the green path, turn right on the blue path, and turn left on the black path. That will bring you to the rear gate of Mitzpe Netofa."

The colors he was referring to are lines that are painted every so often on stones on the side of the path. We follow the instructions. The path in front of us now makes the earlier path look like a superhighway. "Son, let me take over, I have more experience."

I take the wheel and press down on the gas. My son doesn't understand how I can drive so fast on such a bad road. Then I stop. In front of me is a section that looks unpassable for a Mitsubishi Spacewagon. The "low fuel" light is still lit. I imagine myself standing before a firing squad comprised of my kids, commanded by my wife: "Cock your weapons. Ready, aim..."

If we get stuck here I'm in big trouble!

I say a silent prayer and continue slowly. Somehow I successfully maneuver the car and we pass what I though was impassable. In front of us is the rear gate of Mitzpe Netofa, and it is locked.

"Excuse me, could you open up the gate for us?" I yell to someone in the distance.

"No, I don't have a key. Turn around and travel back to the main entrance."

"I can't, I'm low on gas," I plead. The guy gives me the kind of look that informs me that he thinks that I am an idiot, even if he doesn't vocalize the thought.

"The guy who has the key is davenning Mincha now. After he's done he'll open it for you."

Mincha! How could I forget? It's almost sunset. I face south in the direction of Jerusalem and pray the afternoon prayers among beautiful pastoral surroundings.

Finally the guy with the key shows up. "Please forgive me for bothering you to open up the gate," I say.

"No problem. How did you get here?" he asks.

"We were on Mount Tir'an."

"Why didn't you go tho the main entrance?"

"We're low on gas," I answer. He sticks his head in the car and takes a look at the gas gauge.

"You got enough gas to get to Afula!" he exclaims.

"But the light was lit," I protest.

"When the light goes on you can still travel about 40 kilometers!"

I wasn't in the mood to argue with my benefactor, especially since he was probably right. The main thing is that I didn't face a firing squad that night.

HH #180

Haveil Havalim 180 (ten times chai) is at My Shrapnel. Gila did a really good job so be sure to check it out.

Mount Tabor

Mount Tabor is best known as the place where Barak gathers the children of Israel before the battle with Sisera in the book of Judges:

And they told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor. 13 And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth-goiim, unto the brook Kishon. 14 And Deborah said unto Barak: 'Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thy hand; is not the LORD gone out before thee?' So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. 15 And the LORD discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot, and fled away on his feet. 16 But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth-goiim; and all the host of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; there was not a man left.

I snapped this picture while I was at a gas station. However, we didn't stop to buy gas. My youngest son got car sick and puked on my wife. We stopped at the gas station so that they could both get cleaned up.

Aren't you glad that I shared this with you?

Mitzpe Netofa

The X family ordered a "zimmer" in a religious town in the Lower Galilee called Mitzpe Netofa. "Zimmer" means room in German and in Yiddish. But this zimmer was really a small three bedroom apartment. The X family is large enough to make renting a zimmer much more economical than renting a room/rooms in a hotel. This Zimmer served as our starting point for touring the Galilee.

Mitzpe Netofa seems like a fantastic place. The people are friendly, the air is clean, the view is beautiful. Most of the families live in private homes with well tended gardens. Many of these gardens have fruit trees. We saw lemons, pomegranates, apples, and pomelo, just to name a few.

There are even some native English speakers that have made their home in this section of paradise. I met one on Shabbat in the synagogue. He said that the next time we come to Mitzpe Netofa we can stay with him. I asked him if he had a zimmer and he said that he is inviting us to come to his house, free of charge. That's pretty wild to get that kind of invitation after a five minute chat after shacharit!

Another English speaker I met is one of those jet age commuters. Most of the year he is in Israel. A total of three months during the year he is abroad, where he has a job that is high paying enough to support him and his family for the rest of the year. That is pretty neat. On the other hand I am happy that my talents and efforts are contributing directly to the Israeli economy and society, and not to another nation.

I'll close this post off with a pic. This is what Mitzpe Netofa looks like from Mt. Tir'an:

On Mount Gilboa

Lately I was offline, on vacation for a few days in the Galilee. The Galilee is simply beautiful, a feast for the eyes! I hope to share with you all a few pictures from the trip so that you will see what I mean.

On the war north we took a "detour" to Gilboa mountains. These mountains are probably best known as being the place where King Saul and his sons fell in battle against the Philistines (1 Samuel Chapter 31):

1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. 2 And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. 3 And the battle went sore against Saul, an the archers overtook him; and he was in great anguish by reason of the archers. 4 Then said Saul to his armour-bearer: 'Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and make a mock of me.' But his armour-bearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword, and fell upon it. 5 And when his armour-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell upon his sword, and died with him. 6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armour-bearer, and all his men, that same day together. 7 And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

When David heard about this terrible defeat and the death of Saul and his sons, he curses the mountains of Gilboa in his famous lamentation (2 Samuel Chapter 1):

17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son, 18 and said--To teach the sons of Judah the bow. Behold, it is written in the book of Jashar: 19 Thy beauty, O Israel, upon thy high places is slain! How are the mighty fallen! 20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. 21 Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew nor rain upon you, neither fields of choice fruits; for there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil. 22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty. 23 Saul and Jonathan, the lovely and the pleasant in their lives, even in their death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. 24 Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel. 25 How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan upon thy high places is slain! 26 I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant hast thou been unto me; wonderful was thy love to me, passing the love of women. 27 How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

Baruch Hashem, the Philistines are long gone. The people of Israel have returned to the Gilboa mountains and their surroundings. The view is spectacular. This pic does not do it justice, but it's better than nothing. Click on it for an enlargement:

Jblogger Convention

I was at the Jblogger Convention. It was great! Unfortunately I had to leave early.

I have a lot to say about the convention but I don't have time! Tomorrow the X family is going on vacation and I got to pack.

I had the privilege of meeting many jbloggers. Among them: Jameel, Batya, Yisrael, RivkA, Akiva, Rafi, Chardal, Yaakov, Benji and Aussie Dave. Sorry if I left anybody out. I've got to run.

Blogger Bibi also showed up:



Speaking of jbloggers, Olah Chadasha became a mother. Mazal Tov!

Thank You Israel Freedom Fighters

This sign is on the "Yahav" building in Romema. The contribution of the "Lehi" underground in liberating Jerusalem is not well known. Many Jerusalem neighborhoods were conquered by this small but dedicated group. Thank you so much, Israel Freedom Fighters!

Unfortunately signs like these are often vandalized. Someone does not like them. Notice the difference between what is written in Hebrew and the English translation:

Blogging For Aliyah

I blog for Aliyah . I believe that living in Israel is one of the positive precepts of the Torah, and as such I believe that every Jew should make his home here. If this is "agenda blogging" than I have an agenda! If what I have published here in my modest corner of the jblogosphere has increased the love of the land of Israel, the people of Israel, and/or the love of Torah among even one reader, let this be my reward.

There is a wise saying: "Not everything you think should be said, not everything you say should be written, and not everything you write has to be published." This is particularly true when it comes to blogging about the land of Israel and its inhabitants. Some jbloggers that are like flies; they abandon the healthy flesh and only seek the sores. These grumblers spread a bad report about the land, often while sitting on the other side of the Atlantic. "Let my soul not come into their council; unto their assembly let my glory not be united...(Genesis 49:6)". A jblogger should accustom himself to seeing the "good of Jerusalem (Psalms 128:5)".

Nefesh B'Nefesh, by sponsoring the upcoming blogger conference, has acknowledged the power of blogs as a way to encourage Aliyah. By reading Israeli blogs, Jews from all over the diaspora get an insider's view of Israel. Instead of seeing the Middle East through the anti-Israel biased eyes of the news wires and their Arab stringers, blogs give these Jews the opportunity to see Israel through the eyes of people similar to themselves. These Israeli bloggers are immigrants from English speaking countries. They did not come as refugees fleeing war, anti-Semitism or an insane tyrant! They came to Israel because of their love of the land. This love of the land is what sustains them and helps them overcome all obstacles. If a Jew currently living in the diaspora is searching for a way to make aliya successfully, these blogs provide a living example of how it is done.

At the end of the Kuzari the Rabbi leaves the King of the Khazars in order to leave for the land of Israel. The Rabbi explains that even when the land of Israel is desolate it is a great Mitzvah to live there. Not only that, is also a great Mitzvah to arouse in others the love of the land. I have no doubt that that many of the English speaking Israeli bloggers have done a great job arousing the love of the land of Israel in the hearts of many of their brothers and sisters that are still in the diaspora. This is an agenda that they can be proud of!

This is not Photoshopped

I used the "mspaint" program that comes with Windows.

HH #178

Well, he's blogging there in Allentown
And it's hard to keep a good man down...

No Na Nach Nacma Nachman Me'Uman Here (Yet)

The bridge is still clean. I suspect that the pic that Rafi put up is photoshopped.

Alternative Jblogger Conference

Due to the dissatisfaction that a number of jbloggers have expressed with regards to Nefesh B'Nefesh's First International Jewish Bloggers Convention, an alternative convention is being organized. The dissenting bloggers are planning to hold their convention on the 4th of November, in order to coincide with the 13th anniversary of the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. The convention is open to bloggers of all nationalities, especially Arabs.

The Convention Schedule:

5:00 – 6:00 pm 'Meat' & Greet
Mingle and Network with Fellow Bloggers Over a Deli Buffet
(all food is strictly Halal under the supervision of Sheikh Muhammed Abu-Taref and his sons)

6:00 – 6:15 pm Introduction:
Ismail Haniyeh, senior political leader of Hamas and former Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority
Shimon Peres, MC

6:15 – 7:00 pm Lecture:
Getting in Bed With the Enemy: New Vistas in Arab-Jewish Relations
Tali Battata, Israeli activist

7:00 – 7:15 pm Break – Light Refreshments

7:15 – 7:30 pm Panel Discussion:
Rubashkin: The Tip of the Iceberg of Jewish Cruelty?
Elsie the Cow, Benny the Bull, Gladys the Cow

7:30 –8:00 pm Branding Eurabia - From Vision to Reality
Sheikh Na'al Abuk

8:00 –8:45 pm Destroying Israel One Post-Zionist at a Time
Open Discussion with Blogger Panelists:
Yerida Girl, My Left Word
Yuli Tamir, MC

8:45 –9:00 pm Closing Remarks:
Ehud Olmert, Lame Duck
9:00 pm Dessert

The convention will be held at the site of the Arab villiage of Dir Yassin. Discounts will be given to bloggers that wish to check in to the nearby Kefar Shaul Hospital for the Mentally Ill.

Carry Me in Your Heart: The Life and Legacy of Sarah Schenirer

I have been reading a lot lately. The latest book which I just finished is "Sa'uni Belibchen", which is the Hebrew version of "Carry Me in Your Heart: The Life and Legacy of Sarah Schenirer, Founder and Visionary of the Bais Yaakov Movement ". The author of the book, Pearl Benisch, knew Schenirer personally and was one of her students. A friend of my youngest daughter lent her the book, and after she was done I read it as well. Too bad she didn't bring home the original English version. I could have finished it in half the time!

I found the book fascinating and inspiring. One of the things that I learned about Sarah Schenirer was that she was deeply influenced by Rabbi Shimshon Refael Hirsch. This came as somewhat of a surprise. My girls, who learn in Bais Yaakov schools, rarely mention anything in the name of Rabbi Hirsch. However, a quick search on the internet verified Hirsch's influence on Shenirer:

"I assume you've heard of Soroh Schenirer o'h." Mrs. Schenirer was a native of Catholic Poland. She arrived in Vienna together with a flood of other Jewish immigrants during the First World War and she lived in an attic that was owned by a Jewish woman. On her first Shabbos in Vienna — it was Shabbos Chanukah — she asked her landlady to direct her to a beis haknesses and, following her instructions, she arrived in the beis haknesses in Stampfer Gasse. There, Mrs. Schenirer listened to the rov, Rav Dr. Moshe Flesch z'l, speaking with pathos about the heroism of the Maccabees. The rabbi called upon his listeners to learn from the Maccabees' example and to fight for themselves and for their Judaism. Impressed by the talk, Mrs. Schenirer approached the rov afterwards and asked him where she could learn more.

"I learned in the Frankfurt Yeshiva," he told her. "The ideas that I quoted in my talk belong to Rav S. R. Hirsch."

Rav Flesch directed the interested seamstress to the writings of Rav Hirsch and of Rabbi Dr. Marcus Lehmann zt'l. Henceforth, Mrs. Schenirer would come to the beis haknesses every Shabbos to hear the rabbi's talk. Few, if any, other women were there listening. Soroh Schenirer's eventual conclusion was that she had to return to Cracow to teach Jewish girls about their religion.

With the learning that she had absorbed in Vienna she returned to Cracow, gathered a group of Jewish girls and with her vision and burning enthusiasm, laid the foundation for Bais Yaakov.

Here is another example describing Hirsch's influence:

Serving Hashem with joy was a principle that guided her efforts. For example, during the summers, she would bring teenage girls from the ghetto slums of the Polish cities to an uplifting rustic camp site in the wooded Polish mountains. There was a joyous Chassidic spirit at these summer retreats which included much singing and dancing, as well as an emphasis on heartfelt prayer. She was joined by educators from Germany who were followers of the universal Torah approach of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, such as Dr. Leo Deutschlander and Dr. Judith Grunfeld. There, under an open sky, the students would study the Psalms in depth, and the words of King David became alive as they meditated on the wonders and beauty of Hashem's creation. They would also study Rabbi Hirsch's writings which explore the universal vision of the Torah; in fact, Sarah also gave a course on Rabbi Hirsch’s “Nineteen Letters” during the year. Through Rabbi Hirsch's writings, the students began to appreciate how Torah teachings can transform and elevate the entire world, and they no longer felt a strong attraction to the secular movements of their day which were seeking to transform the world. Their joy in being Jewish was reinforced by a new pride in the universal role of the Jewish people - a people that are destined to become an ethical and spiritual model for all the peoples of the earth. They therefore began to dedicate their lives to renewing the inner strengths of our people.

After a little more searching I revealed that Rabbi Hirsch had already established in Frankfurt organized learning for religious girls (the Realschule) as early as 1853! This also had an influence on Sarah Schenirer:

Sarah Schenirer discovered that Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch had developed an educational structure for Jewish girls in Germany, and she was inspired to do something similar in Poland. Her goal was to start a network of Torah schools for Jewish girls, and although she initially faced some opposition, she won the support of most of the leading Torah sages of her era, including the Chofetz Chaim. The international Torah organization "Agudath Israel" began to fund her first school, and it provided her with a skilled administrator, Dr. Leo (Shmuel) Deutschlander, who was from the community developed by Rabbi Hirsch.

I already mentioned that my daughters rarely mention Rabbi Hirsch. What happened to Beis Yaakov?:

There was a major difference, however, between the Bais Yaacov of Williamsburg and the Bais Yaacov of Poland in pre-war Europe. The Bais Yaacov movement in Poland emphasized the universal Torah teachings of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, while the Bais Yaacov of Williamsburg did not give Rabbi Hirsch's teachings the same emphasis. Why were Rabbi Hirsch's teachings regarding the Torah's universal vision no longer the main focus? Most of the teachers and students at the American Bais Yaakov were Holocaust survivors who felt a need to turn inward after experiencing the hatred of the Gentiles around them and the horrors of the Holocaust. They knew that most of the "humanistic" intellectuals and artists of Germany actively supported the brutal persecution of the Jewish people. They also knew that most of the "enlightened" countries closed their doors to Jews who were trying to escape the Holocaust. In addition, they knew that most of the Christian religious leaders of Europe did not protest the organized murder of millions of Jewish men, women, and children; moreover, many Christians in the countries occupied by the Germans actively assisted the Germans in rounding up the Jews for the death camps. In fact, a number of Jewish survivors of the Holocaust who returned to Poland after the war were murdered in Polish pogroms! It is understandable that these survivors felt the need to first heal themselves before worrying about the world which had abandoned their suffering people.

In addition, these survivors did not have the strong attraction to secular western culture which an earlier generation of Bais Yaakov students had once experienced, and their feelings are expressed in the following memoir of Dr. Judith Grunfeld:

"Almost seventy years have passed since, and we have today most unfortunately an easy enough means of demonstrating that all cultures which we then venerated have revealed themselves to be nothing but a flimsy veneer covering over diabolical inhumanity. European humanitarian ideas so prevalent then, so much on the tip of everyone's tongue, preached by leading university representatives, have been proven utterly hollow. For they did not succeed in preventing, and indeed could be said to be frequently instrumental in strirring up the raging, terrible fire of man's inhumanity to man." ("Rebbitzen Grunfeld" by Miriam Dansky, p. 72)

I imagine that what is true about Williamsburg is also true about Israel. The teachings of Rabbi Hirsch are apparently another victim of the Holocaust.

In any case I highly recommend "Carry Me in Your Heart". The book is informative and inspiring.

This Will Put a Smile On Your Face

Post 9th of Av Post

1) Simply Jews did a simply fantastic HH #177.

2) This morning as I was reciting the kinot I was wondering how the Jews living outside of the land of Israel feel when they recite Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi's Tzion HaLo Tish'ali?. Once upon a time it was quite difficult to move to the Land of Israel. Today the Nefesh B'Nefesh people even pay for your plane ticket! This inquiring mind would like to know.

3) Rafi had a nasty 9th of Av. Send him a "refuah shleimah".

4) This is related to number 2: How can I recite Psalms 119 when I am nowhere near the level of "love of Torah" that is described there?

Interesting News Stories Before 9th of Av

"Seculars Want Temple', as Fast of Av Begins Saturday Night:

Tabenkin has nationalist, political and historical reasons why the Temple and the Temple Mount are important. Asked if he has religious considerations as well, Tabenkin told Arutz-7's Ariel Kahane, "Well, the word 'religious' can be the subject of long discussions. Look, the Gerrer Rebbe once said, 'When the Haskalah [Enlightenment] came to the world, with science, physics, etc., we [the religious] left it for the secular Jews; when Zionism came to the world, we gave that too to the secular; and now we have also left the Repentance Movement for the secular.' Accordingly, it looks like we [the secular] will also have to build the Beit HaMikdash."

Female Soldier Asks Forgiveness of Gush Katif Expellees:

"There was an Ethiopian family that we moved out; it really broke my heart. I remember that there, even I cried. The father kept on giving his little daughter candies to give to us - the people who came to take them out - just so she wouldn't be afraid of us. He asked to speak with all of us, and explained that ever since he arrived from Ethiopia by foot in Operation Solomon [in 1991], he has been wandering in Israel among different caravan neighborhoods, and only here, in Kfar Darom, did he finally succeed in building his house. He asked us not to take him out forcefully, as he wanted to go out by himself. He took his little daughter in his hands, and his suitcase, and when he reached the door, he just broke down in tears and crying, held on to the doorpost and simply refused to part.

Kotel Lights to Be Dimmed for Tisha B'Av:

Lighting at the Kotel (Western Wall of the Temple in Jerusalem) will be dimmed Saturday night, for Tisha B'Av – the fast day marking the Jewish nation's mourning over the destruction of the First and Second Temples and other tragic events in its history.

Tens of thousands of Jews are expected to come to the Kotel courtyard on Saturday night and Sunday, to read prayers called Kinot or lamentations, and mourn the destruction of the Temple.

Ambulances will park near the Kotel to take care of anyone who needs medical attention during the fast.

Roll Over Rav Maimon

Yesterday I went to the 48th Oral Torah Conference at Mosad HaRav Kook. I was interested to hear Rabbi Avraham Sherman's lecture on "The Public Responsibility of a Conversion Court". Unfortunately the lecture was marred by hecklers in the audience. The hecklers, friends/associates/students of Rabbi Chaim Druckman, acted in a way that Rabbi Druckman is probably ashamed of. They came to protest Rabbi Sherman's controversial ruling, in which Rav Sherman takes Rabbi Druckman to task because he felt that Rabbi Druckman's court was not acting according to Jewish Law. However, their behavior was not only "degradation of a Torah scholar"(Rabbi Sherman), it was a desecration of the Holy Name: heckling a Torah scholar in Jerusalem during "the nine days"! Rav Maimon, the founder of Mosad HaRav Kook, was probably rolling in his grave. I cannot help but feel that their motivation was not "the honor of the Torah" but something else entirely. May God forgive them!

Rabbi Sherman mentioned several of the points that he made in his controversial ruling. For those that read the ruling, Rabbi Sherman's lecture was mostly "chazara" (review).

Here's an exclusive Cosmic X pic of Rav Sherman lecturing:

Cheaperkol

Here's a picture that I took of the Cheaperkol supermarket on Kanfei Nesharim Street in Giv'at Shaul. This store is known for carrying brands that you may remember from Chutz La'aretz like Kedem and Heinz. American immigrants from Har Nof frequent the place. My digital camera has a special night setting (i.e the shutter stays open longer). I rested the camera on something or other so the picture wouldn't come out fuzzy.

JBlogger Convention

I will be there, bli nedder! How about you?