Tibetan Prayer Flags: Shalom, Janis Joplin.

You've seen 'em, but never before with Jewish prayers.  Tibetan prayer flags are those colorful fabric squares that usually contain traditional Buddist prayers.  A few years ago we saw a Jewish interpretation of them at our friend Jonathan and Gail's very beautiful home, and convinced them to bring one back for us on their next visit to Israel.

from www.tevelbtzedek.org     The prayer is in Hebrew and comes from Rav Natan of Nemerov

The flags are produced by Tevel B'tzedek, which is an Israel-based non-profit organization promoting social and environmental justice and founded by Rabbi Micha Odenheimer.  They do good work in Haiti and Nepal, helping impoverished people benefit from programs addressing education, health, sustainable agriculture and more.  Israelis love to backpack through Nepal after their army service, so it is a win-win.

Finally the flags are available through Tevel B'tzedek directly!

They are $15 each.

You can email tevelflags@gmail.com directly to order as well.

Tell them the Whole Phamily sent you, and please remember that I have no arrangements with any of the products I promote.  At the moment I am doin' it from the goodness of my heart, and because I have a lot of love for chevre (friends).  And I didn't mean goat cheese.

But with all of my good ideas, I do hope to monetize in the near future.

Suggestions?





Kudos to my 11th grade English teacher for playing that one for us on the sleepy Wednesday before Thanksgiving weekend.

Thanks, McWilliams.

Tu B'Shevat is coming to Philly

From our melava malka on Saturday night (with Stango and Concealed Light and, if you listen closely, the Wolfman or his brother on percussion which was a plastic bottle):






Here is our Concealed Light yesterday afternoon.






 And then a coupla minutes later she picks up our new melodica.


 
Tune written by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach z'l


Recently, I had the greatest honor to meet the acquaintance of Nigel Savage, founder of Hazon.  He has transformed Jewish philanthropy through his organization.  Hazon wants you to help "create healthier and more sustainable communities in the Jewish world and beyond."  Sue, a new friend of mine who was introduced to the organization through its trademark bike ride, told me that involvement with Hazon has transformed her life.  She recently celebrated her Bat Mitzvah, having previously only a minimal knowledge of the alef-beit.  I met her last summer through the Hazon CSA, thinking it would be a good way to connect with the Jewish community here in Philadelphia.

I invite you to join us for a shmooze at "Taste of Hazon"

(it is a Tu B'Shevat benefit, and by invite I mean you register for yourself.  One day we would love to sponsor a table.  We'll get there.)

February 7, 2012
cocktails at 5:45pm
program and dinner at 6:45pm
National Museum of Jewish History Gala Ballroom
101 South Independent Mall East, Philadelphia

Me Gustas Tu to Ahava

We just came across this lovely piece by Manu Chao, which we think promotes world unity through love.



If you haven't heard this beautiful Israeli song called Yachad - Shir La'Ahava by Gaya Band & Din Din Aviv, which is a song of love, together, heart to heart, you should.

We think this one is also universal...



Shabbat Shalom to the Ganse Mishpucha!

The Aliyah Revolution...with an antelope sticker to boot!

Just a few posts ago we were discussing the name Fleicsher...

well, Kumah is doing it right, with their eye on the prize...Zion (aka Israel).  And with a Fleisher leading the group.  Let's get to Israel, or at least check out Yishai Fleisher's videos.  He's got a great message and gets it across with fluidity.  We like it.  It speaks to us.  And he even speaks at the conservative shul in Newton!  Didn't you know someone at Newton North?  Or was it South?  Gotta love the library in Newton.  Love that place.  And, one final connected thought:  fig newtons aren't as healthy as you once thought.

Check out that above-listed video - for current heads in the know, that antelope sticker in the first 5 seconds is spot-on!  Love, love, love it!  It surely made us smile, smile, smile.

Here's a great antelope we had the privilege of seeing at SPAC last summer:




Decent sound.

We happened to be outside of the pavillion that you see in this video.  We were on the open grassy field just behind the family section.  This beautiful upstate lawn was devoid of New York City crowds.  Now that's the way to be.  Especially for running antelopes.

The Whole Phamily is a network of Jewish names. Jews have only had surnames for a few hundred years. First names, on the other hand, have been around for time immemorial. It was always "child, son/daughter _of_". Like, "Isaac, son of Abraham and Sarah." On headstones, the deceased is usually commemorated by their first name, child of their parent's first name. Getting called up to the Torah is done similarly. Like it or not, our names actually do connect us to the past, present, and future. All together, they make up one greater family. The ganse mishpucha* as it were.

Is your last name Gold, Goldberg, Goldstein? Silver, Silverberg, Silverstein, Silverman? What about Field, Feldman, Feldstein? Or, Cohen, Cohane, Coen, Katz? Perhaps you have known a Fisher, Fishman, or Fish.

Do the names Shapiro, Shufro, Shafran sound familiar? Have you had a friend named Bernstein or any of the various Rosen Rosens (a tilt of the head to Fletch)?

These are all some of the very obvious Jewish names, but there are so many more. Naturally many of the original Jewish names that families took on in their homelands before arriving in North America were changed. Blobstein went to Blaine. Eisenberg became Eis. Altman became Alan.

The Whole Phamily's proprietary database will allow you to enter in your own family name and see what we have about it. Or perhaps you already know that Mullens was originally Mulinsky. Write it up and tell us that story.

Why should you care about your name, anyway?

And, what does it matter that it is a Jewish name?

Isn't your name a good name?

Don't you use it every day?

*ganse mishpucha: Yiddish phrase for "whole family"

What exactly is the Whole Phamily?

We could say it is about unity, the gathering of peoples across geograpahy, spanning time and history.

We could say it is about our own familial unit. The mama, papa, children. What makes us whole? Is it just our nuclear family? Does it include our extended family like grandparents, aunts, uncles?

What is the Whole Phamily all about today in these United States of America?

As we heard over and over on the Free to Be You and Me record, the 70's child gold standard produced by the Ms. Foundation, "Brothers and sisters, sisters and brothers each and every one.  Every mother's daughter, every father's son."

Our Latino brethren living the immigrant experience. Savoring the foods of their homelands. Powering our service industry so those who are more established in this country can live their American lives. Living mulitgenerationally. Enjoying whole family outings, grilling meats in parks across the country. Plopping their children in front of Sesame Street so they can inculcate the next generation with the native language. Finally entering into the political and academic arena.

Our African American brothers and sisters enjoying the freedom all peoples deserve.

Our innate desire in our country today to return back to the basics, back to real food and real experiences while embracing the power of technology.

The Whole Phamily is about connectivity between all peoples, experiences, objects, and geographical locales. What has happened on the land 100 years ago might not be so disconnected to what might be happening there today.

The Whole Phamily most certainly includes "The Ganse Mishpucha," referring specifically to those Jews in America whose families originate from the Yiddish-speaking countries of Eastern Europe.

Who was that great grandfather of mine who came over in 1905 from what is now Belarus? Who were *his parents*? What did become of his 3 brothers who share the same obscure last name of mine? What was Yisroel Bear's yichus, if any? Why was he named Yisroel Bear? With which rebbe did my family align themselves? What were the women like?

Today so many people are reconnecting with their lost families through the likes of Facebook and other social networking services. How can we reclaim the lost stories, or those that still remain with our 60+ year remaining family members, those who had the connection to this 1st wave of large-scale Jewish immigration (setting aside the German immigration/Charleston of the 19th Century). Will we get the information of the names of people in the photos, the family stories before they are lost and gone forever?

The Whole Phamily resides in many of our homes. Look for that shoebox of old photos, or that photo album with the black corners. Therein lie clues to our past. Unlike today where we take photos of everything and anything, the family photos of yesteryear are exactly that: family photos with a few friends sprinkled in. What will happen in generations to come that will , hopefully, view our photos if we ever get around to printing them, who will see so many people that aren't family. Ask your parents and grandparents to sit with you. Scan your photos. Label them. Protect their information but also find out what is in them.

The Whole Phamily asks: where are you phrum?

Phrum?

The answer to that question depends on how you read it.