Succot food porn: Shakin' it like you just don't care (video)

Halva at Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda open-air market
(Photo: Dave Bender)

Halva. About four trillion tooth-melting calories per serving as a Succot festival dessert. That's why we are commanded to do the following acts daily for the week-long holiday:

For more about Succot, click here.


I'll try to post more pics before the holiday comes in this evening, so please check back later.

HT: Yo Yenta

(Cross-posted at Israelity)

How do you say 'Coming out of the closet' in Arabic?

Brian Whitaker at the UK’s Guardian, has a lenghty article about the experiences of an Israeli Arab lesbian (who prefers considering herself Palestinian) who went public in 2003, after giving an interview to Yediot Ahronot:

“All of a sudden, the Arab population of her home town [in northern Israel], which she generally assumed to have no interest in the literary supplements of Hebrew newspapers, seemed to have read the article and had something to say about her. Local corner shop owners made photocopies and distributed it, because, after all, everyone knew it was about the daughter of so-and-so from their own town.

“The consequences of that article were far more serious than Ms Morcos had imagined: her car windows were smashed and tyres were punctured several times, she received innumerable threatening letters and phone calls, and, to top it all, ‘coincidentally’ lost her job as a school teacher, since parents of pupils complained that they did not want her as a teacher.”

Since this is the Guardian, Israel must, of course, come in for a body slam, but Whitaker does first point out Israel’s (relative) openess to homosexuality:

Israel legalised same-sex relations between men in 1988. Four years later, it went a step further and became the only country in the Middle East that outlaws discrimination based on sexuality. A series of court cases then put the theory into practice - for example, when El Al was forced to provide a free ticket for the partner of a gay flight attendant, as the airline already did for the partners of its straight employees.

These are undisputed achievements but they have also become a propaganda tool, reinforcing Israel’s claim to be the only liberal, democratic society in the Middle East. At the same time, highlighting Israel’s association with gay rights has made life more difficult for gay Arabs, adding grist to the popular notion that homosexuality is a “disease” spread by foreigners.

Interesting reading.

(Cross-posted at Israelity)

Sderot: Palestinians aiding Israel caught between a Kassam and a hard place (Video, Podcast)

The government is relocating hundreds of Palestinians who have aided Israel in - wait for it - Sderot, the bullseye of thousands of Kassam rockets from nearby Gaza.

According to Ynew News,

The falling property values allowed many families of Palestinian cooperating with the Israeli government and defense forces to buy homes, even mansions, in the more targeted areas of the city.

In the past six months, some ten Palestinian families arrived in Sderot, joining the 250-300 Palestinians already living there. Attorney Nathan Shreiber, who represents the Palestinians in the region, told Ynet that lowered housing costs are not the only incentive for the families to move to Sderot.

"As the situation in Gaza escalates, so the flow of people will increase," he says.

Eli Moyal, the town's beleagured mayor must feel sandbagged about this development. Here's what he told Americans when I spoke with him (audio podcast) about coping with Kassams. And here is the video of his comments at a press conference.




Sderot resident and youth counselor, Avital Morer, 19.
Click here if video does not appear. (Video: Dave Bender)


Morer told me her feelings about the situation (audio podcast) in an interview at the height of the bombardment.

(Cross-posted at Israelity)

JerusalemOnline news update: 00:00, Oct. 5th (Video - Channel 2 TV)

• Rice assures Abbas of US support
• Al-Qaida threatens PA officials
• Russian FM: kidnapped Israelis in good health
  
  
  
  Click on image for latest Israel
  Channel Two news update
  

'Rejoice Over Jerusalem' (Photo)

Rejoice Over Jerusalem (Photo: Dave Bender)

A little* something for the upcoming Succot Feast of Tabernacles holiday.

Stayed up until 0300 getting this one, so I appreciate the second verse on the Psalm below; a view of Jerusalem looking north towards the Malcha Mall area (foreground) from the edge the southernmost neighborhood of Gilo (Gilo = rejoice in Hebrew).

Lots of Photoshop tweaking to cut through the late night dew, but still bring out the definition in the clouds, and, in general - clarify. Also, not to mention a quick (but friendly!) ID'ing by a police patrol wondering what - or who - I was REALLY trying to photograph, alone, so late at night... (good thing they're out there, though...)

And that asterik up there? Well, friends (smirking photographers out there already know what's coming and can jump ahead to the Psalm); did you know that a nine megapixel camera, photographing ONE photograph in RAW format, and then translated and saved on a computer in .TIFF format takes up a freakin' ONE. HUNDRED. AND. THREE. megapixels?!

That's per shot. I shot about 30 images to get that final one above. Save your applause; a bigger hard drive will do for now...

Translation:
REJOICE OVER JERUSALEM

Chorus:
Rejoice with Jerusalem, be glad about her,
be glad all you that love her,
all who love her.

On your walls, Oh city of David
I have stationed watchmen,
all day and night.
(repeat)

Chorus

Do not fear, my servant Jacob,
for your enemies shall be scattered before you.
(repeat)

Chorus

Look about you and behold; see all
as they are all gathering and coming unto you.
(repeat)

Chorus

And your people
are all holy
and forever shall inherit the land.

Chorus

(Cross-posted at Israelity)

Tel Aviv: Azrieli Towers at night (Photos)

These are the Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv, nicely lit up in brilliant primary colors, akin to the square, triangle and circle primary shapes of the buildings themselves.

Make sure to click into the Flickr photos stream via the images to see hi-resolution views (tweaked with color correction, tonal range, sharpening and special sauce).

The rest of the portfolio is viewable via the Flickr badge at the upper left-hand side of the page.

Kudos, comments, critiques and blank checks gratefully accepted.


(Photo: Dave Bender)

(Photo: Dave Bender)

(Photo: Dave Bender)

(Cross-posted at Israelity)

Who REALLY owns the Internet! (Flash)

This is a wickedly good, thoroughly worked-out site of CT&TCOM, talking about who REALLY owns the Internet.

(The Flash animations demand a broadband hookup, and turn on your speakers)

(UPDATED) Arab bloggers ired at Israelis in Jordanian film school (Podcast)

From The Jerusalem Post:

Jordanian King Abdullah II's promise earlier this month to create a
Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts in Jordan (RSICA), which will include Israeli film students, has caused a stir among bloggers on line from all over the Middle East.

Click here for the audio podcast.

UPDATE: Well. It turns out that the above is not the real story at all, at least according to Jordanian blogger Mental mayhem:

First of all, the title of the Post's article -- Arab bloggers upset Jordanian school open to Israelis -- is completely inaccurate. It was not Arab bloggers who were upset. In fact, both Amin, Laith and myself were absolutely thrilled about the project. It was on-line commenters, most of whom were anonymous, that expressed dissatisfaction with the project. Obviously, the journalist who wrote this piece does not know the difference between a blogger and a commenter.

I also noticed that the journalist -- Ruth Eglash -- decided to highlight the exact same comments that I highlighted on my blog last week and without making any reference to my blog. It is obvious here that the journalist did not do a fair and forthright job, as she focused only on the negative comments and reported inaccurate information by referring to commenters as bloggers. What irresponsible journalism! without mentioning the fact that I, the blogger, was excited about the project

More from Jordanian blogger Black Iris.

And as Dave of Israellycool notes:

The Jerusalem Post has since changed the title of the offending article from Arab bloggers upset Jordanian school open to Israelis to Arab bloggers: Jordan school can't admit Israelis, without notifying of any correction.

If this is indeed the case, I stand corrected and apologize for inaccuracies in my report and podcast.

HT: Israellycool.

ET phone home (Photo)

(Photos: Dave Bender)

Two Bezek phone boxes after a face lift, in Jerusalem's Talpiot industrial zone.

A room with a view (Photo)

Yes, verily, Yom Kippur's 25-hour fast ended Sunday night (easily for all, I hope) to a volley of hammering and drilling throughout the Land, as Israelis raced to set up Succah booths for the week-long festivities beginning Friday evening.

(Photo: Dave Bender)

This vendor of Succah booths offers a room with a view of the Third Temple, as he sets up his wares in the parking lot of a Jerusalem mall.

A concise Succot to-do list is here. More background is here (for a start...).

I will try to shoot pics of the "best and the brightest" of this autumn's Succah fashions and post here (no doubt including the ever-popular Christmas garlands foisted off on unsuspecting Israelis...), so check back here thoughout the week.

(Cross-posted at Israelity)