Makin' Challah, or, Challah Life with Jade

Remember that old SNL skit, "Makin' Copies?"

Well, this isn't that.

This morning I made challah.  It is one of the 3 special mitzvot dedicated especially for woman.  I most gratefully thank Leah Shemtov for teaching me, in conjunction with my own reading in the Spice and Spirit Cookbook (which phans so avidly refer to it as the "purple cookbook"  no joke), the specifics of how to carry out this very holy act which will bring great peace to one's own home and the world.

This is the dough at 8:08am this morning (see clock).  I mixed up the dough sometime in the middle of the night, around 2:40am perhaps.

This is the actual challah.  The word itself, challah, or in Hebrew lihafrish means "to separate."  So, this is the piece I pulled off of the main big batch.  Notice it is next to the big bowl in photo #1 as well.  This is just a close-up.

Next, you burn it to a crisp in remembrance of the destruction of the Holy Temple (Beit haMikdash) in Jerusalem.  It is a sign of being hopeful for the rebuilding of the 3rd Temple, a time of redemption.   I know this sounds very, very, very bizarro to the untrained ear and mind.  But I am starting to make more sense of this part of the holy act (that is, after all, one of the meanings behind the word mitzvah).  Just the fact that I have posted my challah making this morning tells me the time is closer.  We'll get there.

Unbaked, braided loaves

Paint with egg.  Thanks again to Leah Shemtov; this egg brush is a product of her most excellent program at the Chabad House of Stamford.   Notice also mama's last remaining purple nail polish from last week!  (mama being me, Loony)

Aw, sweet sweet boy. He is a yum-bun.
This, my phriends, is The Wolfman's Brother.  He is almost 4 1/2.  He is making a robot challah.

Said robot.  Pretty spacey, right?  Do you see the two eyes and the tentacles? Pretty out there and phunky!



And, ladies and gentleman, the Pièce de résistance...

Challah Life with Jade.  (sorta like Still Life With Apples?   Cézanne anyone?  Do you know that I *still* have never made it to the Getty, where said painting resides?  The Original Bandana Boy (in my own existence) lived right near there but at the time of our acquaintance it was either closed or we couldn't get tickets.)

In wanting to capture an artful look at my homemade challahs, I just "grabbed" (though it isn't nice to grab) one of Stango's jade plants on the windowsill.  But since nothing happens by chance and everything happens for a reason, I ask the Nunever to really think deep and hard at the fact that I just seemingly randomly took a Jade plant.  Indeed, I was in a rush as it is Friday morning and the last thing I should be doing is blogging about interconnectivity, blah blah blah.

It is weird, I texted Jade the other night after we saw her at the end of the NYE 12/31/11 show that I don't use Jade (I like using her real name but then again the name I call her by isn't her original anyway...and hey Nun, neither is yours!).  Ask her if I wrote something to that effect.

However, it seems apropos that I have a Jade plant and I do hope that Jade and the Nunever will make an appearance on the Whole Phamily scene because it pretty much seems like the stars are aligned.

No, I don't know much about astrology.  But I asked Schwee about it last shabbes.  He knows a lot, but women like Cute Indian Girl and PurpleGirl and other women out there know more.  I don't want to misrepresent him.  But he is a scientist and he believes in physics and formulas.  And yet, Schwee is pretty much out of this orbit.  PurpleGirl, do you remember at mine and Stango's wedding, the guys who were rapping the machetunim song?  Schwee is one of those dudes.  Really smart, really out there.  Really not intimidated by that stuff any more because we can all benefit.  I mean, the dude is an Argentinian (or I could sound highbrow and say Argentine) tango dancer!

Nunever.  Jade.  Like my Mid-century kitchen furniture?

Why it is important to remember a person's name.

Our new cleaning help has an unsual name and I am having a hard time remembering it.  Her name is spelled Atysha and pronounced "Ah-tee-sha."  For a week or so I thought it was "Akysha."  I also lost her phone number numerous times.  Call me a busy mama of 3, which is what I am.

Earlier today I picked up my kinderlach (Concealed Light, the Wolfman, and The Wolfman's Brother) at school and decided to finally be a bit more friendly than I had in the past with the new security guard.  After all, the school encouraged all of the phamilies to do so.  I am proud of their school for implementing a more rigorous security system.

So, I finally decided, what they heck, ask the young man his name.  It was Tevin.  Ok, easy enough to remember as I knew one Tevin growing up.

And now to the connectivity.

When Atysha told me her name later in the day, I tried explaining to her that I can easily remember her name now because she has a "T" in it and that Tevin starts with a T and both of these name-recall incidents happened on the same day.

I think I lost her.

She offered a simpler, more eloquent tool:  think of her name Atysha as rhyming with "teacher".

 I am looking forward to having Atysha here and hope she will do a great job helping me keep our home in order.

The Basketball Coach

Though I already wrote him a handwritten note, since this is the ultimate expression of class (which Derek Blasberg recently wrote in his book Very Classy (click on that link to the Washington Post review from 12/2/11) which my own mother reared me properly to do, I have to thank one person in particular for his role in this phishy journey.

PurpleGirl's brother (not blood brother but her soul brotha), The Basketball Coach, is a tall guy.  He is gregarious and a true mentch.  He also happens to be very tall and easy to pick out of a crowd.  So, over the years when I would go to shows and my heart would be pining for my dear soul sista PurpleGirl (because I knew she was at the shows but it wasn't our custom to make a plan to meet) I would keep my little eye out for the Coach.  

Because everything happens for a reason, I often spotted the Coach, and would ask him to lead me to PurpleGirl.  And that would happen over and over again.

Which leads me to remembering seeing the Coach in the Hartford parking lot a few years ago where I met the very holy M.C. and his kallah as they belted out "Rider" (if you ever see a very sweet, cute, petite, married mandolin-playing duo in Israel please say hello).  Seemingly out of nowhere runs along the Coach, and he is sending his regards to me.

Just about this same time is when I saw the mysterious purveyor (I say this because I haven't seen him again since then) who was selling the Mr. Snuffleupagus's sister (or cousin) Alice t-shirt that you will only find from him because he created it (and was a staple on Dead tour, but as I only saw them once, in 1994, yes, I am a late-bloomer but all in my right time, I never saw that shirt before or after).  I  have since asked the Coach numerous times if he sees this shirt to please get me one and I will pay him back.  So, all of you 5 faithful readers out there, if you see that shirt please buy me one and you will make Loony smile, smile, smile.

Coach, you is da bomb!  (I mentioned that good-ole phrase to my 2nd son the Wolfman the other night and he had no clue.  It was really sweet trying to explain it to him).

Old school 1970's sweatbands

You know exactly the type.  Either your dad or grandfather wore them to play tennis or to go jogging.  When I mentioned a couple of years ago that I think there should be a revival of them, I was strongly discouraged.  I thought they would be a good fundraiser for our local JCC, embroidered with their name.  But, we didn't have an investor or a plan of how to sell them, so the idea just fizzled out.

And then, boom, they show up on Phish dry goods, embroidered with Phish's name.

I still get the dour remarks, "Loony, no, please, don't do it."  "Loony, you will look ridiculous"  So, I heed the call of the fashion police and I don't wear them.

On 1st night's show there were a group of teenagers with one of the dads in front of us.  It was all their first show.  And the son was geared up in full regalia:  red & white headband, wristbands, and a red & white t-shirt where the image is of a bass guitar's head in white.  I complimented the dad and told him he should be proud of his son.  The teen was dressed quite tidily...proper I would even venture to say.

Here's what I have to say about tri-color sweatbands:

The are all the rage.

And when you rage wearing terry headbands at a show, they give you that rock-star-quality aura.

Mr. T...I certainly don't pity da fool

Of course I loved "The A Team" growing up in the 1980s, but I am not talking about that Mr. T.

Over the NYE run of shows, this holiday magnet card landed in my hands from a member of the Whole Phamily, Ms. A.  This is her son, let's call him Mr. (or, really, since he is a young boy, Master) T.

Thank you for this lovely message.  The dancing stars, the cute boy with the long hair (my very own Wolfman used to also have long hair), the purple.  Ms. A has known the original PurpleGirl for years and years.

However Reba and I were just having a discussion about how the classic "Happy Hannukah" has devolved into the more generic Happy Holidays.  There was a discussion on Kveller  regarding the sending of cards by Jews at this time of year rather than at Rosh Hashana, which is the more traditional time to send cards.

For Stango and I personally, we have made it a custom to follow the Jewish calendar and send out a card with a phamily photo in September.

By saying Happy Holidays, there is a watering-down of the message.

Trust me, Ms. A, I am not blaming you, it is just a sign of our culture.  Even my alma mater (for Junior year abroad), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, sent out an end-of-year solicitation with the words "happy holidays" in the subject line. I was pretty appalled that an overtly Jewish institution would be so generic, but Stango justified it by stating they didn't want to offend anyone (particularly their big donors).

I fully understand that we all have phine phine phriends, many of whom don't celebrate Hanukkah and therefore why would I wish them a happy hanukkah?  Yet, on the flipside, pretty much everyone out there wishes everyone a "Merry Xmas."

Isn't that a double standard?

Time to step up to the plate as proud, educated and identified Jews!  You, Reba, are clearly one of them.  And how nice it was of you to order a Shabbes dinner for Phluffhead's dad who is currently hospitalized.  Can you pass on a refuah shlaima to him from Stango and me?

Tartan and Free in Northampton NYE 12/31/11

I feel connected to the following YouTube because my very own Grandpa Archie was a Nova Scotian, specifically a Cape Breton boy  (oh, if he could only be here to say, "ya goin' to chorch today, Joe"  and then, ah....Mr. Medjuck (of 127 Fayette Boulevard), "I think you're a little drunk," and Grandpa Archie would say, "No, I'm only drunk on soda pop"

and he loved his tartan.

Ok, phine, the seniors here are wearing Dress Stewart (I think?) but, still...a tartan is a tartan is a tartan and I thank Phluffhead for passing this one on.  See, if you subscribed to me, you would see I gave you credit where credit is due!

Reading Rainbow and LeVar Burton

Like many kids raised in the '80s, Reading Rainbow, the award-winning PBS show that encouraged children to read by mixing in great music, child book-readers, and funky animation, was a staple. More so for my sister, Reba, who was born in 1980, since this show began its run in 1983, and ran through 2006, but I enjoyed particularly the opening sequence. The song, sung so beautifully by an awesome soulful female vocalist, is ingrained in my memory forever.


 

 thank you www.retrojunk.com for allowing me to post that YouTube. You get full credit for posting that on YouTube. It belongs fully to you. But all ideas going forward regarding why I am blogging about Reading Rainbow are mine.

 Further to Mr. Burton:  He is great, and yet I must admit I still have never seen Roots, which also made him famous. And I digress.

 Back to Reading Rainbow. What does this have to do with the WholePhamily? The first two nights of Phish's NYE run at MSG last week, December 28 and 29th 2011, I happened to visit one of my favorite tables as of late, the Waterwheel Foundation. Gotta give it to those guys for recognizing the value and need for such an organization within their larger for-profit venture.

 I love seeing what products are there. Last summer I saw a fantastic photo from their NYE show at MSG in 1995 when all of the huge white balls came down. I joked with the seller that it was all "about the visuals" (thank you Stango for feeding me those verbal ideas and so humorously, too). He laughed. But the price...$600 or so...I mean, for me personally I am not into Phish memoirbilia, though it was lovely to invoke that real experience I had (Mik the Fish and I sat directly behind the stage I think in section 69 and those huge balls all came rolling back towards us, it was really a sight to see).

 Back to last Thursday... I saw a phantastic sticker that said "Read the Book" with a rainbow underneath it. Clearly, if you didn't know much about Phishisms, you wouldn't get it. When I mentioned this to Stango he had no idea what the reference was. But if you have the cultural background, you know that it is a direct reference to LeVar Burton's Reading Rainbow, and you felt happy because it created a link between a happy childhood memory and the HPB

 aka the Helping Phriendly Book.

 At this moment I have Lizard's in my brain. Go figure  (hamayvin yavin...translated:  if you get it, you get it, more literally it means, "those who understand will understand"  If I could only say that about the 613, the taryag, then I would be getting somewhere.  Which reminds me of how much I LOVE seeing a Phish show at MSG and through the show glancing up about the stage at the Horowitz jersey...613.  Stango or Nunever said that this was likely done on purpose...I mean, it ***is*** New York, after all!  But at a Phish show, well...kal v'chomer, dude!!!).   I won't make you go searching...613 refers to the number of commandments in the Torah.  And taryag is the numerical equivalent...so when people refer to the 613 mitzvot, they will often say, "the taryag mitzvot."


 

Because everything happens for a reason, it is apropos that the particular link that I chose comes from a show that I believe I was at (I only doubt this because I am too lazy to see if they were in Amherst on 10/24/10 for just that one night or two)...by the way, what a terrific venue. Nunever, Stango and I truly had a lovely time at the show. Thanks Nunever for a smooth ride up to Northampton in your beemer station wagon which you know I love driving.

 Back to Gamehenge, it is a made up story, which I know indeed was a document written for a college paper (thesis, right?), but it is rooted in great truths (something like being a good person and always looking towards the light).

Speaking of truth, a big shout out to Brandeis University whose motto is "Truth, Even Unto its Innermost Parts."  As a Brandeisian, I can safely offer up a thank you to Louis B himself (pronounced Looey...again, hamayvin yavin) for being a Supreme Court Justice in the first place so the Jewish community could have a person after which to name a university.  And a phine university it is.  With most excellent research phacilities and phaculty.

Emet = truth

Oh, and a hearty mazal tov upon the recent appointment of the school's new president, Frederick Lawrence, and a baruch dayan emet to the family of Evelyn Handler, the school's 5th president who was niftar in a fatal car crash.  See, President Handler, despite the fact that you succeded in getting the Hebrew letters that spell emet off of the school's crest in the 1980's (they were later reinstated.  I mean, c'mon, even Yale has Hebrew on its crest.  It is a classic language!), as Jews we still respect our tradition when you are gone and include that word when acknowledging your passing into the next world (is it olam haba when you die?  I do not have the answer to that, but I think not.  Not until moshiach comes.  Oh, right, yes I forget, t'chiat hamaytim.  So, indeed, yes Mrs. Handler you are simply in another place right now.  Who knows, maybe you are kvelling over me right now because I am the only person who has chosen to include you in her blog  And what a blog this is, all the cool kids who drink yummy juicy beverages and Kool-Aid like to read this.  But in Loony's case, it is actually the real Kool-Aid (which I won't drink any more due to food coloring.  Actually, that isn't so true.  I would still drink it.  Just as a special occassion type thing), but not the Timothy Leary type.

Back to the song Lizards, "The trick was to surrender to the flow" always gets a big cheer, but in real life I would say to go with the flow, and just always go with it.  That is what the original PurpleGirl encouraged me to do (I say original because you have many women at shows who like to wear purple, which I think is so terrific, but there is only one and one and only original PurpleGirl at Phish shows.

And she is my very, very , very, very, very, very good phriend.  Yep, we go wayyyyyyyy back.  This is true!

 Though I do give a big shout out to Mik the Fish for schooling me in the wonders of The Color Purple.

(not to be confused with the film that Oprah and Whoopi Goldberg star in)

By the time Saturday night rolled around and Stango came to that show, I wanted him to come with me to the Waterwheel table, and lo and behold, no stickers left (I was so willing and ready to purchase one for the Odyssey). They were donated by someone to Waterwheel and were being sold for $5. Great, awesome, but ya know what, I didn't need that anyway.

The WholePhamily's stuff isn't being donated to Waterwheel, sorry folks.  But (shameless shameless plug here...) we can trade our swag for laminates  (yes, a girl can dream, right?  As if!  I mean, that is the type of thing for very important people type stuff and who am I if not l'il Loony)  for me, Nunever, Stango, Reba and Phluffhead (since they are so central to the WholePhamily despite the fact that Reba thinks I am totally off my rocker for talking on and on about the ganse mishpucha at shows.  Actually Stango does, too.  And Nunever.  ok, ok, yeah, this is all going way too far.  Truth be told, I uttered not *once* about this concept during the NYE run, since I really don't want to get into anyone's faces and I know everyone is there just to have a real good time.  But for all intents and purposes, that is my real family at the shows.  Even though Nunever and I aren't blood, we are like brother/sister.  And not like I call Reba and Phluffhead that in real life, and anyone who knows about the Stango-Loony affair knows that when Stango was only Stango it wasn't really a good thing, yet.)

But, as I determined in the middle of the night last night  (indeed, I am writing this on less than 2 hours sleep last night, and I realize of course that I am sacrificing my family's needs right now by blogging and not doing the stuff I need to get done, now *that* isn't good, is it?), I would really be super satisfied if my laminate was numbered 127, as that is a very special number to me very near and dear to my heart.  I know this is a really tall order so if I am being totally high maintenance right now, I will tone it down a few notches.  Okay, okay, it really doesn't have to have that number.  But wouldn't that be fun?!

Oooh, which reminds me, did you see me wearing my purple fleece "fun hat" at the show the other night?  What a score that was from Amsterdam in 2002 (my 30th birthday/1 year anniversary trip with Stango, and boy, what a trip that was!  Life changing in certain ways.  That's where we met the Ninja Rebbe.  But about him another time...)

Next time you're in Syracuse, go visit 127 Fayette Boulevard.  You will start to begin to understand some of the connections.  (just remind me that it has to do with sarah imeinu)  As well as my own mother Soroh Gittel herself [hi mom!  Don't you have mah jongg today, or is that on Tuesdays?  I can't really remember your schedule, sorry! ]

I decided last night that when I get together the swag for the WholePhamily, I will be keeping it close to my own ganse mishpucha (though Reba has stated she doesn't wear shirts to a show as a crew, and I agree this is not really my style either; I was never one to want to draw attention to myself), because I must admit,  it is a pretty darn good idea.

If you are a Phishhead.
And you are a phamily person.
Who likes to say phantastic and outrageous..
And the Phliers. (ok, ok, I know it is Fliers)
And is philosophical.
And phriendly.
and phirst and phoremost,
   an honest and decent human being who wants to do good, be good, follow the derech ha tov  (the good path), and be modest while being clear about her point.

Talk about verbosity!

So, here's what I have to say to you, Title 17 of the United States Code: Phishheads have disregard for you in the lot scene/popular culture element of seeing shows. (I really didn't want to have to elaborate here, but to clarify, we are referring to Copyright law.)  And that is all good because without that we wouldn't have a forum where the ideas can flow freely and disburse throughout the world.

 But not Loony. My idea I will be carrying out asap and I will own it and wear it proudly.  But maybe just around town.  Or, even better, if we can lobby Stango and the Nunever to go to Mountain Jam, that would be the place to debut the shirt in public.  Cuz me really has been jonesin' to get a karma wash!  That looks fun and good for the kinderlach, too!

Heady lot shirts

All you Phishheads know that a certain segment of the culture at shows is the creative t-shirts that people wear.  A mocking reclamation of corporate America, the shirts often display common brand images that have been morphed into insider song references.  Like Art Spiegelman's Wacky Packages created for Topps Bubble Gum, they are meant to be humorous and fun.  The difference is that Wacky Packages were mainstream as well as very dark.  You  could go into any place where they already were selling baseball cards (in my case, it was Cedar Heights Variety store...I still remember that blended smell of tobacco and gum and walking on a hardwood floor) and get Wacky Packages.  Shirts aren't generally sold in any commercial venue.  And Wacky Packages were warped and weird...dare I say they were wacky.  Phish lot shirts are more fun, light, and happy, happy happy.  

Unless you look carefully, you probably don't even realize that a Phish t shirt is different than the original.  Sure, it is in clear violation of Title 17 of the United States Code, but who the heck really cares?  The big corporations have bigger phish to phfry than to go after those folks who created the "YEM" t-shirt that looks like the IBM logo.  But, you still won't be able to see it or buy it online because we be smart pholks and know that would be pretty darn silly to post online!

It is all in good fun and happiness, and chances are that those YEM shirt wearers are big fans of International Business Machines, or more likely their own fathers worked for big blue and enabled them to have a nice house in Larchmont which enabled them to get into a good school which enabled them to be enabled and enabled and enabled and fall into listening to Phish (because most likely they were a huge computer nerd or stats guy or sports fan who by their very nature are stats guys) which led them to love You Enjoy Myself (because of course when you are in Florence and visit the Uffizi you are happy to know you know this song...or the flipside could be that you , and this would be my own personal experience, had visited the Uffizi during college and had no clue about this song at that time, and only later did you learn the song and come to appreciate its funniness).

I must admit that a very fun past time of mine over the years has been to observe all the variety of shirts out there.  I am not alone in this game...my brother in law told me of an awesome shirt riffing on the Re/Max logo which has the familiar hot air balloon with the word Reba in it.  Only a phan would get that.  (Reba is a Phish song)

This is not unique to Phish:  The Grateful Dead also had its own t-shirt culture.  My very own husband, Stango, had a shirt based on the song "Cosmic Charlie" which featured Snoopy and Charlie Brown.  After viewing its stained pits and holes, I decided that it was worth a shot on selling on ebay, and somewhere around 2002 I sold it to a person in Japan for somewhere around $75.  Yes, for a stained-pit t-shirt.

Here comes the bride, all dressed in white

This wedding in Israel has a grooving, moving vibe.  Check out what looks like was a raging party.  The blend of the American and Israeli influence here can be heard through the music and seen through the people.

What a beautiful couple!






Mazal tov to your whole phamily!

p.s.:  I don't know the names of the artists singing, but it sounds like Aron Razel...please correct me if I am wrong.

Maui X-Mas

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know that December 25, 2011 is now long past, but if you still are in the holiday spirit you will be 100% entertained by Jeremy Safron's latest and greatest.



For entertainment sake, Mr. Safron is fully there, but if you start to think about it on a deeper level, there is much greatness to his message. Spread more rainbows, remember the promise, and always smile, smile, smile. Oh, and of course always Speak Nicely.

Surely, Mr. Safron is somehow familially connected to Jonathan Safran Foer. Oy, still must finish Eating Animals.

A more eloquent review of "Ya'alili"

Martin Bodek writes a much more detailed and critical review of "Ya'alili" worth a read.

Ya'alili = What you make of it

We have been hearing this song every day at Ramah Day Camp in Nyack, where we are spending our July days and where the campers dance to this song every day (it is one of this summer's theme songs that is to be performed at July's zimriyah).

If this isn't a celebration of Jewish unity, we don't know what is! Loving the blend of different cultures within the Jewish world. Not simply when the band, 8th Day, sing, "Ashkenazi and Sephardi" but when they say "Tanz tanz tanz habibi," a blend of Yiddish for "dance" and Israeli/Arabic slang for "my sweet friend."




The Whole Phamily that is gathered in this video (which, sadly, ends of being a bit of a promo for the Brooklyn kosher food store Pomegranate, which to tell you the truth we were not terribly impressed by contrary to mainstream opinion, although the marketing and cleanliness of the store we recognize is superb) is really a joy to watch!

Great performance, tune, and overall message, 8th Day!

It don't hoit that the Marcus brothers are Lubavitchers...the Rebbe has done his holy work yet again.

Modesty is a virtue

Jewish women and men practice "tznius" which is a way of saying modesty.  Modest in dress and behavior, these will ultimately lead to great blessing and a good life.

Just listen to what Chaya Sari says. Is she going viral in the Jewish world?




Love the blend of Yiddish and English.
Love the whatevers.
Love the story about shoes.
Love the daquiri reference...yes they have "a bissel bronfen" (liquor) in them.
Love that Miami is a beautiful content. Indeed, the geography is just stunning.
Love the tuna salad sandwiches. Mamish like a picnic.

It's Adar, let's get super happy

Not only is today the new moon...

(And in case you didn't already read why this is a Jewish holiday especially for the women-folk, check out that old post of ours just one 'mo time...)

...It's the Jewish month of Adar

That means Purim is sure around the corner!

So, exactly ***why*** did I do those 2 loads of laundry today?  I thought Rosh Chodesh was mama's day off...

Check out Reb Moshe of Tzfat's crazy Purim party last year. 

We believe this firmly...

Thank you to Josh Fleet for your wonderful piece about Phish and Judaism in yesterday's Huffington Post. We couldn't agree more!

Well worth your time.

Let this serve as a reminder to make sure you get in your ticket requests for the 1st leg of Summer Tour!




While you're at it, you can yank on your tunic and dangle your stash.

Jews can be organ donors

Just when you thought it wasn't a Jewish thing to donate your organs, think again.

Freiheit is the Birthright of Our People

Freiheit. Freedom in Dutch, German and other Germanic languages.

And there ain't much of it these days in Europe, according to the testimony of Geert Wilders of The Netherlands.

The Shoah is way behind us, folks.

The Shah (and similar militant Islamists of today) is not.

This is important stuff for peace-loving, world-unity and freedom loving Whole Phamily-niks.

That's right, the women are smarter

We have talked about Rosh Chodesh once so far on this blog.  What we didn't mention there was the reason for why women were given the holiday of the Jewish New Moon as a gift of their own.  The Jews were getting antsy and had the shpilkas.  Familiar story?  We are so anxious and nervous and chatty and just don't know how to wait and listen.  See Woody Allen for more on that.  Anyway, yeah so we just couldn't wait any more when Moses was up on Mount Sinai getting the holy words of the Torah from God.  Believe it or not, but the story goes that they decide to build an edifice of their own.  Forget you, God, essentially is what they were saying, and they built the Golden Calf.  All the gold they had was thrown in to the bubbling pot.  They danced and sang around their very own creation.  Better than waiting, right?

Umm...wait a second, throw in your precious jewelry?  To build an idol?  A God-like symbol?

No, no, said the women.  We will not part with our adornments!  What foolish women would do such a thing?  Not us Jewesses.  No way!  We keep our jewels, God or not.

So the women kept their gold and their mirrors.  They had patience.  They knew that God would eventually deliver.  Just take a deep breath and rely on your intuition.  And, indeed, Moses eventually appears with the written words.  The women are gifted the holiday of the New Moon.

The Independent Prayer Group aka Minyan

Ritually speaking, perhaps the biggest grassroots occurrance within the Jewish community in the past ten years is the Independent Minyan. Folks wanting traditional Hebrew liturgy without the structure of the large synagogue have formed their own prayer groups throughout the States and in Israel.

We are big fans.

We love the Hadar Shavout Retreat.

We'll avert any further writing responsibilities on the topic (since our Journalism degree didn't help us much with our writing skills) and leave it for you to check out this recent blog post on Jewschool about the trend.

And for some more fun, check out Kehillat Hadar's recent move:

And You Should be a Blessing

Two weeks ago, the Jewish world lost one of its most prominent musicians of our generation:  Debbie Friedman.  We didn't grow up with her songs, but it has become apparent to us over the past days that many others have, especially those who grew up in the Reform movement. We had the privilege of attending one of her women's seders in Manhattan in 1999.

Here is one of her more familiar songs:




She didn't just sing Jewish-themed songs. Here is her Thanksgiving Song:




May Debbie Friedman's memory be a blessing.

Plain White T's: Rhythm of Love

We don't listen to much new music, but we simply love this tune that went live last July.

Plain White T's is the band.
No, we don't think they're Jewish.

And yet there are many reasons why this song earns its spot on the Whole Phamily:

• The tune itself is feel-good, positive, heart-warming.
• The band's name evokes minimalism as well as Hanes and Fruit of the Loom.  Simplicity + 100% cotton = A good thing.
• The video features a vintage Mercedez-Benz:  our dream car (we prefer a '79-'82 300 series, whereas the model in the video looks more early to mid '70s).
• The tune is featured at the end of the newly-released No Strings Attached, starring the lovely and soon-to-be Yiddeshe mammeh  Natalie Portman (who we saw in 1997 in The Diary of Anne Frank on Broadway).  We were psyched to learn that Ivan Reitman is still pals with our cousin Joe Medjuck who was a co-producer (no, we've never met Joe, have been told he's a great guy, and yes, Grandpa Archie loved kippered snacks and telling stories of his growing up;  affect a Cape Breton accent:  "When I was a little boy in Caledonia....]
• The length of the video itself is 3:29 minutes, which is a significant number for us as it is the 3 digit telephone exchange we grew up with.  Remember, we like numerical synchronicity?

Now just watch and listen, it's good stuff!

Falafel Chips by Flamous Organics and a man named Sam

At our local greengrocer we came across a delicious snack (although they are not raw like we were touting in yesterday's post) called falafel chips.  They are a corn tortilla chip base with falafel flavor.  The high quality of this product us struck us immediately:  No hidden ingredients (like MSG masked as the word spices, torula yeast or Autolyzed Yeast Extract), lots of certifications (they're kosher, USDA Organic certified, and even tout the Kid Kritics stamp of approval to name just a few), and offered in both spicy and original flavors.  They are the perfect chip paired with hummus.

 Remember when we wrote about why hummus should be found in every town in America? 

The company's CEO, Sam Shehayeb, appears to be quite a nice man and we wish the company much success.  We know nothing about the name Shehayeb except that obviously it is not Ashkenazic in origin.  We doubt he is Jewish, although it certainly is possible.  We venture to guess he is Lebanese-born. 

Either way, we think that if we all share in some of these healthy falafel chips with a bowl of hummus  (while listening to Michael Franti), the world will move towards a happier, more unified place.  We are, indeed, the Whole Phamily, after all!

Will the Meditteranean Diet save the world?

At least it will get our hearts and brains healthier, which is a very good place to start.

Getting Raw. Getting Back to the Land in a Final Frontier of our Good Ole U.S. of A.

Getting back to our roots as at least partially a blog about Jewish names, we are currently interested in the last name Safron.

We have mentioned one Safran who has hit popular culture big time.  But we didn't get terribly into its meaning.

We have now come across a Jeremy with the last name Safron, and we venture to think that the names are related and they are simply different spellings. 

(side note:  How can we really trust what we can grab on the Internet?  We need an Onomast.  We also should read this article about Jewish names.  Dr. Aaron Demsky is the person who could make sense of any of this.  Safran and Safron the same thing?  Does the Jewish version really lead to the yellow spice  (this site states the "Jewish name is mainly ornamental," leading us to believe no connection there for the Jews)?   Umm.. can folks with this family name in the Jewish world lay claim to the Safran family crest?  Nah...that last part doesn't sound terribly kosher.  It's not like we come from Sheffield, Shetland or Stuart stock.  Those are all Other S's.)

Our humble guess is that Safran and Safron are connected to the Jewish name root Shapiro, which comes from the word "sofer," meaning scribe (our trustworthy torah, mezuzah and tefillin writers of yesteryear...add in another item writable on parchment and you get the whole megillah).


The Magilla Gorilla Show
Uploaded by AH3RD. - Full seasons and entire episodes online.

(side note:  No, neither Hanna nor Barbera were Jewish, but Barbera was born on the Lower East Side and presumably grew up around many Jews, having been exposed to the word megillah possibly while frolicking the halls of Erasmus Hall High School .  Just our guess....)

Back to Safran-Safron-Sofer connection:

You get variations such as Schapiro (as in the wine), Sapir, Safer (as in Morley), Shufro, Shaefer (as in the beer, but highly unlikely those were Jews), Shaffer (as in Paul)...have you caught on to our groove yet?

Now back to Jeremy Safron.

He's a raw foodist, a pioneer in the raw food world.  He is an inventor.  He is youthful.  He is into video games and martial arts, in a peaceful way, if you can imagine that.  He bottles Living Clay  (reminds us of Dead Sea mud, no?).   He created the most delicious snack food, PowerWraps (he sold his idea), which we are trying to get more New Yorkers to enjoy.  Would you believe you can only get them in one spot in NYC?   Jeremy lives in one of the most beautiful places in our country on the island of Maui.   Like all good hippies, we were there in 2002.  We have visited the town of Paia, picked up necessities for our week, saw the road to Haiku up on the right before the infamous Road to Hana begins, spent time at the Tradewinds Cottages, hiked into the Bamboo Forest, and even ate a fresh meat coconut cut by Mike with a machete (for $5...we were ok with that).  How can we forget the vintage bubble letter name mugs produced by Carmel-by-the-Sea that were hanging at Grandma's Coffee (they aren't for sale, just for use by locals...good thing we still have our own from 1980)

Perhaps we could have simplified the above-written paragraph into a haiku of our own.

Or not.
Amazing stuff way out there. 

And a whole lotta Jews, too.



Further to our point:  we are all linked and and if we seek out the goodness on the earth (as you might know, Ram Dass is doing much better than he had and is running his retreats), the earth will be a better place.  So glad to learn that, indeed, the former Richard Alpert has met with Reb Zalman.

At long last, we present Jeremy Safron, author of The Raw Truth:  The Art of Preparing Living Foods.  We believe very much in illumination, however we do believe that Everything truly is connected.

Seedlings Turn Overnight to Sunflowers, Blossoming Even As We Gaze

No, that's not Zeppelin.

Perhaps the above-mentioned quotation doesn't ring as quick a bell as the title of the song in which it appears:  "Sunrise, Sunset."  Seedlings and sunflowers don't right out there scream "Jewish."  And yet, a simple utterance of the two words sunrise and sunset together in one sentence will get most American Jews (and even many non Jews) above a certain age swooning and swaying all at the same time.  Yuck.





We must admit, Fiddler on the Roof was never a big draw for us.  We had little desire to pay attention during a screening in a social studies class at Spanish River High School while visiting a teen tour boyfriend in Boca, instead dreaming up what crazy stuff his fellow Louis Vuitton wallet-carrying-buddies would do at their poker game and BBYO scavenger hunt later that night.  We missed its 2nd and 3rd Broadway revivals, in 1981 and 1990 respectively.  We have seen clips of the film, but never the whole thing.  We figured that gazing down from the balcony on high holidays at the film's lead actor, Chaim Topol, who attended our family's synagogue in the '80s, was enough.

Honestly, the music never really grabbed us (yes, we know it received some Academy Awards.  With music by John Williams.  Yes, we know he's big.  Still, no grab).

Until today.


Driving home from the pharmacy this afternoon, we were listening to our children's Jewish 'till You're Satisfied  CD by the Funkey Monkeys. The CD has a lot of classics you may have heard at camp, Hebrew school, or youth groups, but these versions are updated, funked up, and totally raging.

So, check out this two-year-old soul version (complete with a horns section) of the classic song your grandparents cried to at the silver screen in 1971.  And feel free to tell your Grandma Beverly about it in West Palm.  It will get her rockin'.  Maybe she'll even share it with her Mah Jongg group.

Here's the Zeppelin you were thought you might get.  And it is from just 2 years after Fiddler, no less!

More on the Fleish...

We're all about the carne...I mean, who didn't love the classic 80's Wendy's commercial?



Just a few days ago we were all about names with Fleish in it...then we came across another Fleischer...and well, whaddya know, here's yet another...this time a Fleischer, purveyors of grass-fed meat with family roots in kosher meat, now full-on treif.

Martha Stewart has hooked in, but she ain't a Yid.

Not that we want to be preachy...

Smashbox Studios and the Factors

Thank you, Max Factor nee Maximilian Faktorowicz, for building a cosmetic empire that enabled your great grandchildren Dean and Davis Factor to have the wherewithall and chutzpah to open the groundbreaking Smashbox Studios in 1990 (the year yours truly graduated from high school!).

courtesy of beverlyhillspeople.com

 While we are so far removed -- geographically at least -- from LA culture (we feel blessed we do not have to endure freeways...though Bloomberg's roads ain't that well-cared-for), we totally DUG their ad appearing in this month's V Magazine for their Yello Creative Culture Blog they put out with Quixote Studios.

Can't find the ad online...and we're totally dinosaurs without a scanner...but pretty good blog.  We love so many of their connections.  Alphabetized words, written in black on a yellow background, listing all sorts of funky stuff.

Dug it, dig it, we simply thought pretty darn good shtuff.

Now, where on earth are there any Faktorowicz folks left?

Our friend Howard Factor, of no relation to the cosmetic family, was a fine, fine individual.  We're trying to keep the place up. 



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.

Chaiken & Capone

Chaiken & Capone.
Remember them from the 90s?

Some people we knew called them fancy pants.

They were definitely pants for urban young women.

They were too expensive for us at the time, but we found one pair on sale.

We felt like a million bucks, no joke.




We imagine that the Chaiken element is Jewish, the Capone, um...not.

In any event, we are thrilled to hear that Julie Chaiken is back with her fashion label of urban contemporary women's clothing.




Mazal tov, congrats to Julie Chaiken!

In case you were looking for some meaning into the name Chaiken, here's a fun read.

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Three is, quite indeed, a Magic Number, but 18 is the highest and means Life

We didn't really love to watch TV when we were growing up in the 70s and 80s (strange, right?), but we became acquainted with Schoolhouse Rock's "Three is a Magic Number" at a Gathering of the Vibes outdoor music festival some time in the late 90s or early 2000's.  Its writer, composer, and original performer, Bob Dorough, was there in Bridgeport, Connecticut on a side stage performing some of Gen X's most iconic memories from Saturday morning cartoons.  While the main stage mainly occupied jam bands such as the Radiators (we linked you to their Zeke's copyrwritten "Fish Head Manifesto," a deep piece of prose in its own right), Rat Dog, Deep Banana Blackout and moe, we were drawn to the side stage. We remember getting really down with this song in particular.  And we mean reallllllllllllllllly digging it, grooving to it, and thinking of its meaning other than simple math.

Wait, isn't that what Schoolhouse Rock intended to do?
Get its listeners to rock out?

First, a posthumous thank you to its brilliant creator, ad exec and Yalie David McCall.  and industry exec Michael Eisner (whose Wikipedia entry attributes much of his success to canoe camp in Vermont as a boy...good stuff!), for bringing it to the American people.  Wow, that is pretty early in Eisner's career. 




A little bit of background with regard to the number 3 in Judaism:

1.  The 3rd day of creation (Tuesday, duh) the only day during the creation of the world when the infamous line "and it was good" is mentioned twice.  There is a custom among certain Jews to get married on this day because it offers good luck.

2.  There were 3 patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob)

3.  (Question:  are you thinking, well, there is also the  Holy Trinity in Christianity, so it's not just Jews who hold this number is high regard?  Indeed, you are correct!  Dorough himself said it is an "ancient magic trinity." There is something there, we agree, but this is a site leaning more Jewish but we'll give you that.  There is something there.  Indeed, when a person can be named after their father and grandfather and given the suffix "III" and then from there get the nickname "Trey" that, too, is significant.)  Ok, so there's your answer for number 3.  Meaningful and unifying all the same.

4.  Three is strength, in Hebrew "chazakah."  When something occurs once in the world, this is normal, this is usual.  Two times, now we're talking.  Three times?  Now that is a miracle.  And that miracle is strength.  Check out Askmoses for more on that.  The holiest of holies the Lubavitcher Stango, a concealed great of our time, said as much the eve of his wedding just moments before the start of Chanuka in the year of segula b'yisrael.   For further reference, check the video Makin' it Halachic which is currently unavailable online.  Hoping to upload it one of this many moons (if you read thus far, you should know that we aren't too terribly off on a tangent, but it's not like this is available to put out there for the masses.  Yet).

Ok, we lost you there, let's get back to earth.

A quick check on the covers of this song include a sample by De La Soul, a cover by Blind Melon, and a modern version by Jack Johnson with regard to the environment.

Here is Blind Melon's cover, a nice sound.






Jack Johnson went to Hawaii to discover the meaning of aloha.  (We are big believers in being here, now.  Not sure if Johnson is acquainted with the Ram Dass, nee Richard Alpert.).



He gets to the number 18 (3 times 3 times 3) the 18th letter of the alphabet is R.  He takes Bob Dorough's iconic song and uses it to talk about the environment.

We are only guessing that Mr. Johnson, who is singing the environmental message about reduce, reuse and recycle (very different 3 R's that existed in the mid-century rubric of reading, 'riting, 'rithmetic) didn't realize at the time that 18 is the numeric equivalent in Judaism to life.  and one very important to Judaism and Torah values (indeed, we are approaching Jewish Arbor Day called Tu B'Shvat, the birthday of the trees) ).

Or maybe he did.

If so, he wasn't overt.

In any event, thank you to the Annenberg Foundation for funding this very wise re-writing of this iconic song for us Gen X'ers. 

Back to the number 18.  Or was it the 3 Rs?

L'Chayim!  L'Chaim?
We actually never fully watched Fiddler from beginning to end, but you do remember this scene, we hope:




L'Chayim, that famous word to so many even bagels and lox Jews, is equal in gematria, or Jewish numerology, 18.  To life, as it were, is a combination of the Hebrew letters "chet" and "yud."  You know, "Chai"?  How many Jews have you known to wear a gold chai around their neck (ugh, a bit gauche for us, but maybe that's just a hangup of ours).  A nice, big hairy chest with a nice thick gold chai nestled somewhere in there.  Reminds us of Grandpa Al, whom we loved so much, especially when he was all leathery tan after a winter in West Palm.  Remember the trips to Boca and Delray, and how can we pass up Worth Avenue.  End the day with an early bird special (dinner at 4pm, we are so glad we had grandparents in Florida) and pick up some groceries at Publix, and we're golden.

So essentially, we have been thinking a lot lately about how 3 is a magic number.  It is currently a Tuesday as we write this, and we woke up in the middle of the night thinking about this tune.  We didn't know that Jack Johnson made it into an environmental message.  Our friends' connection to the Jewish concept of Teva, or nature, would appreciate that.  (yes, there is also the Teva sandal company and Israeli-based Teva pharmaceutical company, both worthy ventures in their own rights...we aren't sure if the sandal company's founder, Mark Thatcher, is Jewish, but he spent time in Israel from which he borrowed the Hebrew word for nature).

And it's getting very close, about 2 weeks to go, to the Jewish Arbor Day, aka

Tu B'Shvat

In summing up, the moral seems a little bit obscure (it often comes back to Phish, doesn't it?  Check out this video of their song Cavern where they perform the "in summing up" phrase towards the end of the song):



The moral:


Go hug a tree!

Julia Butterfly Hill , though not Jewish, surely did this in the 90s.

Our tradition has been loving trees for centuries.  Click on the Eitz Chayim/Tree of Life link here for a beautiful expression of this idea by Oy Baby.

Shiva Ambulette in the heart of Da Bronx

Um...is this a morbid joke?

Are they on their way to or from the shiva house?

We thought that ambulettes transport the living.

For the clients of Shiva Ambulette, we wish the following:

1.  Are unaware of Jewish reference
2.  Look at the sunny side of the street
3.  Find good bagels and lox at the shiva house itself.

Oy vey!

A Rubens painting that shows Miriam the Prophetess in Vienna

Phiten, titanium and kabbalah

Fleischmanns and talking mano a mano

There is a town in the Catskills called Fleischmanns, which, loosely translated, means:  meat man.  Likely those with the root "fleisch" in their last name (Fleischer included) were, in the old country, butchers.

1/4/10 *edited to add*:  Why we didn't mention Ari Fleischer is beyond us.  I guess we're just not the politcal type.

And how it is that we just came to learn of the film Zombieland, directed by Ruben Fleischer, isn't too far fetched.  We love Abigail Breslin...as family pholks, we recently watched her in American Girl:  Kit Kittredge.  Joan Cusack was, as usual, superbly entertaining.  No neck brace ala Sixteen Candles, no water fountain, but all of her spunk and pizazz still there.

Back to the Fleisch...

For those of us who grew up Kosher, we are all familiar with Fleischmann's margarine, which as educated consumers now, we believe to be not working towards a positive goal...aside from margarine's proven track record as being bad for the body, they are owned by the corporate conglomerate ConAgra.  Not big fans of corporate food industrialization.  But that's for another day.  Or at least for discussion with the Jew and Carrot folks.

Fleisch = Meat

There is also Fleischmann's Yeast, also owned by a large food conglomerate, albeit smaller-sounding and British-based.

Today we met quite an erudite, helpful man, a real landsman, who grew up in the '40s outside of the town of Fleischmanns.  He is of the JTS-ilk, totally old school seminary style.  Though he said he would never want to go back (he lives comfortably in Manhattan), his upbringing there helped him form solid memories of a good life.  Phone calls were made via picking up their old rotary and connecting to an operator who would then make the connection to a call down in the city.

We were talking about computers that run automobile dashboards.
How they often fail.
How a manual car, with a 6 speed engine and no computer behind it, can run smooth as a whistle for years.
But we need the computers.   We are, indeed, in a digital age, there is no denying that.
But going back to a time when we just connect face to face.

Real, live interactions with our peeps.


Talking about fleisch and meat, did you catch the multi-ethnic Meatstick at MSG on 12/31/10?
Now, *that* is fun stuff!

A Tiny Island in Tunisia in North Africa

The island named Djerba off the coast of Tunisia is home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world.  Its synagogue., the oldest in North Africa, houses the oldest sefer Torah.   On the earth.  That exists anywhere.

Every year Jews pilgimmage there during the holiday of Lag Ba'Omer.  We just learned about this place that seems worlds apart from our cozy lives here in the U.S., and yet we are so connected.

And the population there?

Most of the Jews there are cohanim, descendants of the highest priestly tribe.  The ones who give you the famous "live long and prosper" blessing that Spock made famous on Star Trek (remember, Leonard Nimoy, too, is a cohane).  A whole community where literally all its Jews are cohanim?  Whoa.....talk about holy stuff.  Our question is, when it comes time for duchening, who is sitting in the shul to receive the priestly blessing?

What is the big deal you might ask?

from travelblog.org

We recently met someone who's father's family came from this town.  The father was raised in Tzfat, one of more than ten children in his family.  For anyone who knows about the town of Tzfat, this is the epicenter of the development of kabbalah.  Many of our great mystics learned there, and many are still drawn to the town's deep spiritual roots.

Deep stuff.  Deep, deep stuff.

By now everyone has heard about the Maccabeats

We figured that by yesteday everyone knew they had gone viral...




And indeed by this morning Yeshiva University's Maccabeats cover of the Dynamite acapella video by Mike Tompkins appeared on the Today show...

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Wishing you guys up in Washington Heights a Happy Hanukkah!

Now, we just want to know how your show was last night with Mattisyahu!

Did Dr. Dre ever spin the Dreidel?

Highly unlikely, but hey, ya never know.

The humble little dreidel is so part of our experience with Chanukah, and yet does anyone know why it's called a dreidel?


Ester Shahaf design

It's a Yiddish word, no doubt.

To "dre" is to spin. A dreidel spins.
When you add on the "el" that gives it diminutive, cutesy-ness element.
So it's a little spinning top.

The Whole Phamily loves Yiddish - it's part of our Ashkenasic heritage. And dreidel is in Yiddish.
But we like to say sivivon also, which is the Hebrew word for dreidel.

This is no Dr. Dre, but here's a familiar tune, "Oh Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah" in Yiddish.

Hummus Place will one day nourish many more Americans than just some lucky New Yorkers

If the claims asserted by last week's New York Jewish Week article about the growing hummus market in the US materialize, our favorite chickpea dip-spread will soon be on the plates of Americans nation-wide.


It's a hummus revolution, and it's happening from sea to shining sea.


Whole families will buy it right alongside their butter and cream cheese. 
Put it in wraps.
Bring it to school with baby carrots.


If it can be in supermarkets (Sabra is now America's #1 hummus) why not strip malls and food courts?


Enter Hummus Place in NYC.  There is room for more hummus.  The hummus revolution is brewing.

Here we are tonight at their St. Mark's Place location.  They have 5 total.  They want to franchise.


It's genius.


Middle Americans will soon be eating chummus from Mankato to Maui.  But they'll also want to get it when they go out.  What a nice healthy addition Hummus Place will be.


Tonight we tried Hummus Place's hummus fava:  delicious.  Topped with whole fava beans, Tahini, organic hard boiled egg, olive oil & spices.  Delicious.  Grilled eggplant with tehini:  superb.  Ambience wonderful, especially since we walked in 20 minutes before closing.  We were celebrating a birthday, and just like that, a kadaif dessert was brought to the table.  This delicious combination of shredded halva, ricotta cheese, and date honey was simply delectable.


We wish Hummus Place the greatest success possible.


Check out this You Tube from Keren Weinberg

Here's another Buxbaum

Julie Buxbaum is also a story teller.

Just more of the mainstream type.

Sorry we missed ya just a post ago.

Julie is bright (Penn and Harvard-educated).  She's likely a very good writer.  And, judging by their covers, her books look like the type we'd want to read.

We don't watch Oprah, but they look like they'd be Oprah books. 

We're quite sure that with the Harvard and Penn connections we'd do well at the Jewish geography game.  Thus the Whole Phamily gets stronger and smaller all at the same time.

Now if the Whole Phamily could only employ good writers...

Buxbaum the Storyteller

There are variations:  Buxbaum, Buckspan, Buchman, Buchweitz...we are only guessing that the meaning for "buch" is the word book.  Perhaps families with this surname were involved with production or selling of books.

If this is the case, then Yitzhak Buxbaum's name is very fitting.  He is a teller of sacred Jewish tales.  A master storyteller or maggid, Reb Yitzhak is a unique soul and brings the stories from the alter heim (Eastern European towns where so many of us originate from) into the 21st century.  His site is the Jewish Spirit Journal, a gateway to mysticism, spirituality and Kabbalah.

Maybe he can weave a story of the Whole Phamily and tell us exactly what we're doing here.

Jah Levi was Kid Goldstein growing up? Return!

We have just come across the reggae artist Jah Levi.  He is a spiritual healer.  According to his bio, he is a spiritual leader in two churches:  Essene and the Peruvian Soga del Alma.  We're not sure what it means to be a card-carrying member of the Native American church, but he's got one.  He is an herbalist and acupuncturist.   His music is entrancing.  We aren't too educated in reggae music, but Bob Marley's One Love sounds good to us.

And his father was folklorist Kenneth Goldstein (a historian on Adirondack music...full disclosure:  the Whole Phamily has deep roots to the ADKs...yes, we are all connected).

So give it up, Mr. Levi...we believe that you're connected deep, deep, deep.  We believe you have healing powers.  We believe you create great music. 

Not a smidge mention of the Jewish factor other than your father's last name.

Hmm....

Time to come on home!

Raz Hartman had a vision.  You can visualize it, too.  It starts with being in the Sinai desert, nothing at all on the horizon.  Then you see one little speck.  That speck turns out to be a person.  But it's not just one person, it's 10 people.  They get closer.  Not 10 people, it's 100 people.  As the mass gets closer, you realize it's not 100 but 1,000 people.  No, it's not just 1,000, it's more like tens of thousands.  Then you realize it's hundreds of thousands of people, all the Nation of Israel and they are all dancing and singing in the desert, walking closer toward you.  And you realize that the music is coming from the center of this mass of people.

This music is coming from the tribe of Levi.

This vision inspired a song called Shuva which is for sale CD Baby.  You can listen to just this one sample which is Track #7  (this one little track does not do justice).  This is the star song of the CD and it is not available to listen fully online.  The liner notes are important, as well.

Simply put:  Shuva means return.

In the meantime, we have a hankering to get back to the woods.  Frolicking around in Paul Smith's isn't too far away...