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18th December 2015
Shabbat Shalom dear friends.
This Shabbat is going to be the most wonderful Shabbat – all three of my
children are in Jerusalem together – plus my daughter in law and two of the
overseas grandchildren. I admit to being greedy and wanting everyone but the
sheer joy of knowing I wake up in the morning and the apartment is full of
activity and chaos makes me swell with the sheer joy of it!! Daniel came a day
earlier and Rachel and I were at Ben Gurion to greet him – with a welcome
balloon and a bag of his favourite fried gefilte fish!!!!!
Olivia and Zachary ran up the stairs to the apartment and immediately
raced out to the veranda – you know the one I write about – and absorbed the
panorama before them. Gideon, Stephanie and Daniel soon joined them despite the
post-rain dampness. Zachary is convinced that he can see the whole world from
there – a logical conclusion for a six year old, but Olivia was more interested
in seeing the remains of the pomegranates on the tree, a rare sight in the UK!
This morning they were even more amazed at the sight set before them. They had
great fun with Saba Zvi, well children always do, and Zvi tried to persuade
them to eat a Sabra, the delicious, juicy fruit under the spiky exterior, but
it was just a bit too weird for them!!!!
So that is the reason I will skip through my newsletter this week. They
all went off to the Israel Museum this morning – Gideon wants his children to
see the model of Jerusalem in the Second Temple Period and of course the
incredible array of Judaica and the synagogues brought from former Jewish
communities. Rachel will soon be here with Yosef, Talia and Ayala and we will
all have fun before she has to take them home for Shabbat.
Tonight Amiad, Noga and Zvi's little grandchildren Ella and Yonatan will
be with us for supper, with all of my boys favourite foods, then tomorrow we
may well walk to the Jerusalem Zoo nearby. Tomorrow night Zvi will take them
all to the Kotel, the Western Wall because one cannot be in Jerusalem with the
Kotel. Sunday – uncertain but I think we will go to Cinema City and the incredible
Noahs Ark https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uN58MLTVJI
. Dan leaves Sunday night and Monday we may well go out to Little Israel on the
way to the airport.
So only good news since I don't want to break my mood
Yitzchak Perlman is not only a brilliant violinist and maestro –
he is a Mensch. I am happy to say he has been awarded the Genesis Prize http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Renowned-violinist-Itzhak-Perlman-awarded-2016-Genesis-Prize-437329
We had a wonderful visit with Andrew White again – and of course with Hanna
– and Hanna told me all about Taybeh Beer, an apparently wonderful beer
produced in one of the few remaining Christian villages in the PA. If you see
it buy it!!! http://taybehbeer.com/
So all of you preparing for Christmas – I mean the real thing not the
gift part – I wish you a beautiful Advent and I will talk to you when I get my
breath back after the visit ------ my Royal visit!! I suppose you can hear how
happy I am!
And so to music
Al Kol Eleh is the most important song in Israel – for me. Above all
these. The Honey and the Sting, the bitter and the sweet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Iq9JZyAgAY
Finally – the traditional Shabbat Songs – hope you love them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCMBkxr2WSc
Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem, which today is even more gorgeous than
ever. My boys will sing Kiddush with Saba Zvi, I will light candles with my
beloved daughter in law and little Olivia, Rachel is baking the Challot,
Shabbat. Truly Shabbat Shalom enjoying the view from our verandah.
Much love to all
Sheila
You know, I Love You
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