The Manchester Garden in the Jerusalem Forest

Another plaque was found late February 2019, proclaiming this area to be a garden forest planted by the Jewish Sportsmen's Committee of Manchester, England.

The Hungarian Zionists' part of the Jerusalem Forest

The plaque to commemorate the Hungarian Zionist Students, stating that this part of the Jerusalem Forest is the Maccabiah Forest. Early March 2019

The Ottawa Road In Jerusalem

In the Jerusalem Forest, below Har Nof and Har Herzl, the road leading out of Jerusalem has been built in 1992 with the help of the Morning Prayer Group of Ottawa's Agudath Israel congregation.
Also mentioned are Dorothy and Herb Nadolny,
Dundi and Lyon Sachs of Montreal
Robert and Roger Greenberg
Minto Development, Inc.
The plaque's location is here. Early April 2019.

How Shreiml is also from Mt. Sinai

From Wikipedia. License here.

Shtreiml is an old German word that became preserved in Yiddish as something that is made of streaks or streams of furry animal tails.

Having heard the most ridiculous fantasies about this hassidish head gear, I checked out Wikipedia articles on English, Hebrew and Russian.

Hassidim do succeed in mystifying their fantasies, and these fantasies do sync with the first accounts I heard.

The first one said that a shtreiml has a deep secret meaning that was explained only on Mt. Sinai and was handed down only through the leaders (admors, or admorim: an acronym, which the Hassidim might not be aware that in Yiddish also alludes to "someone to admire," ADoneinu, MOreinu, Rabeinu - our master, our teacher, our rabbi) of Hassidic dynasties.

"Did we wear shtreiml at Mt. Sinai?" I asked one. "Of course, together with the rekel (plain black long coat) or a kapoteh" (velvet or satin long coat).

More interesting explanations from Hassidic sources I found on Wikipedia.

A shtreiml is holy because it was included in the tzitzis commandment, and it must contain 13, 26 or 39 animal tails.

A shtreiml might not be so ancient, but old enough to originate from our time in Spain, and it is a Spanish (!) word and an article of clothing(!), which was to mark all Jews, and we just kept on wearing the headgear as a matter of our identity.

So there is no end to hassidic imagination!

This is another theory behind the air shafts of the Egyptian pyramids

The Khufu pyramid is known to have air shafts connecting the King's burial chamber tot he outside. Except in 1992 and 2002 explorer robots discovered the shafts to be plugged by a well fitted stones with copper handles.

Several theories have been proposed and disproved. One held that these were star shafts, but the scientists quickly realized the slight curving of a shaft would never afford anyone a view of any star.  Another shrot-lived theory was that these were resonators for frequencies between 5 and 6 kHz, to produce am awe-inspiring sound effect. The shafts however, are plugged, so they could not work as intended.

Maybe it is the time to mention Medrash, which says that the Pharaoh of Egypt was a cubit tall.
Since the Pharaohs are really/supposedly buried in the Valley of Kings, maybe they were REALLY cubit tall, REALLY buried in the Pyramids, and provided with the shafts in belief that they could crawl up in them in after life to join their favorite stars?

Hydrocarbon Art Still Here

apparently these hydrocarbon molecular graffiti are alive

this landing site that already had a Cessna was found here

and this cluster of wharehouses next to anlonely flower was here

these are some more of the excellent hydrocarbon airplane formations, located here

back in Dcember 27, 2007 it was already this side of town

This is the secret of the Pharisees:

Pharisee has actually a very different meaning.
It means two simultaneous concepts:

(1) pruSHIM - means  separated ones, or the ones who separate themselves from government (Roman, European, Communist), from corrupt preaching or preachers, from corrupt officials, from people with bad manners, from uncleanliness, and

(2) paruSHIM, the purveyors of perushim, or commentators of Biblical teachings, as opposed to the Sadducee, who relied on literal observance of Biblical precepts, and disappeared, intermarried or, surprisingly having no skills to negotiate survival with brutal authorities, killed off.

This is why Pharisees have been totally successful, for being able to survive and give the world the nation of scientists, inventors, musicians and actors.

There are few of those who reinvent the Sadduccee wheel and call themselves Karaites. Last time I checked they used the standard rabbinical Pentateuch, siddur, and all other liturgical material central to the rabbinical Judaism. Maybe you're happy to for being a Rabbinical Jew.

This Is How Sultans Hoped to Stop Prophets

This is a panorama I always wanted to capture.

It's the view towards the Golden Gate which has been bricked closed.

Everyone except them has been hoping to witness a prophet announcing the coming of Messiah. The nations of the world pray or bury here. But as soon as they hogged the city, the sultans walled up the gate, buried the masons right below it, all in hopes of "stopping God" from sending his messengers and a savior son of David through the gate. I wonder if anyone asked them,can a mortal stop God?

Heart-labeled religious books.

This is some mystery. These are just some of religious books that I have seen marked with a heart. My grandfather's 1950's Mipi Olelim at the bottom, on top of the modern-day edition.
The books I have checked so far are Talmud, Mishanyos, siddurim. But nobody knows why the heart. Maybe it is something to do with the life in the diaspora, to mark a religious book with a special but non-specific symbol. To avoid the probing eye of an antisemitic authority.

The Plaque to Harry Sacher

Harry Sacher was a major Zionist statesman and had a large park in Jerusalem named after him. (HisWikipedia page.) This is a memorial plaque on Mount Herzl declaring that the forest (more like a thin grove) on the mountain in his name. Early April 2019

This Machine Produces Water From Air

Yesterday I was at the Western Wall and was spared having to look for fresh cold water, because I found this new machine facing the women's section. The machine hummed, and dispensed cold fresh distilled water by pulsating semi-bubbly streams. I looked up the info on the manufacturer's site (Watergen), and it is what it says on the information around the machine. It probably works in a way like a chiller or air dehumidifier and produces crystal clear mineral-free, sediment-free pure water.

This string is red and not really Jewish.

The Red string is being sold by the beggar women on the approaches to the western wall of the Temple Mount, and they have no basis in Judaism.

The string has been used by the ancient Hindus probably predating the Israelite exodus from Egypt. The Hindus have been using it for almsot the same claimed purpose that charlatans thought up only recently, as an amulet. Maybe they borrowed the concept straight from Indians. 

The youth following the Hassidic charismatic teachings easily get inspiration from the Hassidic amateurs in the form of quotations from Zohar, which tangentially mention a colored string, if translated into English.

A an obscure and little studied book from 400 years ago called coincidentally The Thread Of Compassion (חוט חמלה) speaks of no color, but of attaching a string to one's clothes as a reminder of an elaborately analyzed personal trait, not mentioning any property of the string to guard anyone, nor does it discuss where on one clothes to attach the string.

Some modern-day peddlers claim that the red strings have been snipped from a kilometer-long thread wound around the Rachel's Tomb, thereby absorbing the tomb's magic powers.

None of them mention, together with their cheerleaders, the more learned Zohar fans, that the red strings bear the mystical powers because the midwife attached a red, or crimson, or scarlet string to Judah's newborn son (Genesis 38:28).

But the string was not red, but crimson, and this event deserved the color its own place in Temple observance as commanded by God in Torah.

The crimson string was attached to Zerach, not to Peretz.

Judah was Leah's son, not Rachel's.

There was a great uncertainty as to what red color is. Actually, even black was an uncertain color (Talmud Niddah 20).

Visitors to the Western Wall, however, use common sense. I have never seen any of the throngs to stop and actually buy the string.

A Sober Way Of Looking At Hassidism and Ethics

Hassidus, or hassidic movements started in 17th century, as a result of Cossack pogroms in Poland and Ukraine, which was a part of it. Also due to a Jewish false Messiah phenomenon of Shabtay Tzvi. 

Jewish life was of grueling work in poverty, and in fear for one's life, and not even safe to move within a village. The rabbinic leaders introduced song and dance to brighten up Jewish life, and were the nearly only ones to learn Torah, leaving the average followers to sing and dance, and admire the rebbe (not coincidentally in Hebrew such a rebbe is really called an Admor, an acronym, which they don't know that in Yiddish also alludes to someone to admire. (Adoneinu, Moreinu, Rabeinu - our master, our teacher, our rabbi)

The hassidim developed a Sephardic liturgical rite, abandoned the original Ashkenaz rite, added the clothing styles of the host Polish or Ukrainian villages, and accounts of near magic deeds and talents of their Admor's dynasty. And they nearly abandoned the yeshiva as the basis of learning. So in effect, hassidus became the first reform movement(s).

Every hassidic sect bravely teaches mysticism and things like afterlife included.

The mainstream, or mainstay Judaism, called Litvishe, is based on everyone learning Torah, which includes oral tradition, which of course includes Ethics, or Mussar (מוסר, not мусор, garbage in Russian, as some Hasidim say humorously). This Mussar learning starts with the famous Pirkey Avos printed in every prayer book. Mussar is or was taught at these yeshivas in Jewish-defined Lithuania, which includes Lithuania proper (Vilna, Mir, Ponevezh), Slabodka, Novhorodok and Slonim (Belarus), Brisk (Brest Litovsk, Belarus-Ukraine-Poland), and Zhitomir (Ukraine). Jews born in Central Europe  naturally choose to associate with the Lithuanian observance and rite, which is practically the same as the notable law authorities at the Pressburg Yeshiva (Bratislava), such as Nodeh BiYehuda and Hatam Sofer.

Other Litvishe authorities are not necessarily from Eastern Europe, since the rule is to go and learn from the brightest Jewish law rabbi. The names like Yakov Emden( a.k.a. Yabetz, see the blog label), Nodeh BiYehuda, Hatam Sofer all from Central Europe, the famous Litvishe authority called Hagro, and Shaagas Aryeh ( see the blog label), who ventured all over Europe, and upbraided many communities and their leaders.

Later significant authorities are the famous Chofetz Hayim, Moshe Feinstein (Belarus-Russia-USA) - the source for all American and the rest of Ashkenazis, and Shlomo Zalman Oyerbach, the source of law for all Ashkenazim in Israel, which may include R. Feinstein. Other great and later authroties are R. Soloveichik, R. Hutner, R. Sorotzkin, and R. Aharon Kotler.

The reminder to learn quetly at a Hagro shul.

So the Litvishe are a low key, quiet observant Jews who are following the principles as I defined in the 3 Principles below, know Tora and talmud well, are very skeptical about the hassidic superstitions, tales, cultish shenanigans, and are boring, compared to hassidic song and dance shpiels. So hassidim stick out, and demonstratively hijack Jewish heritage, sometimes teaching the unlearned that their particular village is the only true inheritor and even to say that their Eastern European traditions originate from the Revelation at Mount Sinai.

The hassidim stick out in USA, of course. The natural attraction works, and the American girls influx at the Neveh girl's prep school, obviously influenced its ideology. It used to be a rational Litvishe prep school, and what is heard means it is more fun studying there if more hassidic concepts are being taught. Another of their concepts is something they dug out from mysticism, that in the 17th century they somehow received the gift of the feminine heart, and this is the Hasidim's attraction for and from women and homosexuals. it's enough to note the wedding and commercial songs sung by men in soprano voices, or even entire boys' choir sounding as a flock of little girls.

Of course nobody knows about afterlife, and according to the mainstream/mainstay authorities, nobody has the right to tell a girl/young woman - not one's daughter - about afterlife, or such concepts. Sadly many open-minded girls fall for the charismatic mystics who turn out to be molesters, abusers, manipulators, con artists and their wives/assistants.

So a hassidic women's school would push for a narrow minded dogma, where electronics are mystically evil; all the while a Litvishe school would teach a woman its rational, analytical thought, and sometimes dry Jewish practical law (kashrus, shabbos, children's education, and practical specialties like CPA, graphic design, computer/web engineering, or special ed.)

Hassidim rely on learning Torah for its mysterious, charismatic value, as if it is a mass effort to impress themselves and the mass of non-osbervant Jews with their Admor's deeds of near-hocus-pocus miracles.

A Hassid supervisor 

To give Hassidim credit: they preserved the Jewish practices from Eastern Europe, they insist on saving and speaking Yiddish, and they point out that working for a living is a divinely permitted by Torah. That is seen at the diamond exchanges in NYC, Belgium and Israel. Most of Litvishe Jews try to learn full time, almost 18 hours a day, based on the precept of Toroso Emunaso ("Torah is His Profession").

The three main concepts of Litvishe ethics

Litvishe principles below have been confirmed by a mashgiach (councellor) of the Pachad Itzhak yeshiva, Har Nof:

1. "What is this? Who am I?" the equivalent of Yiddish Shayach nisht - “not for me, does not belong to me”

What is this - is this for me? Who am I to need this? To want this? Do I know enough to say/do things on an impulse? Am I ready for the consequences? Can I be responsible afterwards?
Based on these Torah concepts: Guard your eyes, Do Not Covet, How to Reproach

2. Do not do any holy deeds at someone else’s expense, whether they know it or not.

Not to ask less observant, non-observant, ignorant, or gentiles to perform tasks which free you up to perform liturgical functions, spiritual endeavors, strictures, etc.

Women who due to political ideologies want to demonstratively pray the men's ritual, among men, or even among women, should not embarrass the mainstream women.

based on Torah concepts:

Pirkey Avos - Separate yourself from the government: do not accept government money, do not get involved with party, government, etc, and do not let yourself, your family, your community be influenced by parties, government, political favors, rewards, reforms

Do not do anything to anyone that you don't want to be done to you.

Love your neighbor (re’akha), first of all means your neigh (old English nearest dear one), like the wife, but not a geographic neighbor.

Darkeyo Darkey Noam vNativoteyo Shalom -Mishley -(Torah ways must be pleasant, with no inconveniences, crudeness, negativity, deceit).

3. Do not do anything you don’t understand: no mysticism, no charismatic movements, no Chassidus, no new rituals, procedures, rites, symbols. We have no prophets, no messengers, or men of clairvoyance to introduce amulets, rites, recitations. Secrets are juxtaposed to learning the Torah as explicitly taught to us, and are the tools for manipulating the less learned.

Challenge and analyze rulings, even the recent ones i.e. from the past 200 years (as expressed by Hagra and his brother)

Mitzva observance must be consistent, peaceful, and enjoyable

based on Torah concepts:

Be innocent before your God (Tiyu tmimim lifney Hashem elokekha).

You shall learn this Torah.

Torah is not in heaven, or beyond the seas, for you to venture far, it is in on the tip of your tongue.

China's Top Brass On Mount Herzl.

On a warm and sunny afternoon of Febnryary 3, 2015, a delegation of People's Republic of China was found in the middle of a photo op on Mount Herzl at the entrance to the Yad Vashem site.

Note the perfect military bearing and smart dress.

The fourth officer from the left later enlightened me about the Nanjing massacre in 1937, predating the Holocaust.

Jewish Math: The Jerusalem Syndrome

This is how the absolute value of Jerusalem Syndrome (JS) is calculated

JS =

(ancient structures)/(piles of ancient rock) + 

total length of history lectures +

political pressure perceived + 

number of different nationalities present + 

perception of a supernatural presence +

(number of people at the Western Wall)*(languages spoken)

Iced Coffee From Thailand, and a 200 Liters Of Raspberry Puree.

Near a construction site this was found in the litter. TASCO is a British grocery chain. This "iced" coffee was made by Vara Foods in Thailand. The product has the Hallal stamp of approval. A typical Jewish question: why does it need to be Hallal? Just like in kashrus, to make sure it was not made with the equipment that processed ham? Or some Thai employee not dropped a piece of pork rind in the coffee metering valve?

And at another construction site, behold this huge drum that held raspberry puree. A typical squat drum that is used by oil and chemical industries holds 55 gallons. In Europe they state to hold 200 liters. This drum looks bigger, maybe to hold 250 liters. I can't imagine a plant or a restaurant anywhere near Jerusalem that produces raspberry-containing dessert. Maybe there is one in Ramallah. Looking up the initials in the upper corner of the label, I found that it is SVZ, of Netherlands, and a leading supplier of aseptic fruit in Europe. They do have kosher and Hallal products. Now we know. The drum is just too handy to pass up when you need to pour a pillar of concrete.

Another cute wine press

Right under the Yad Vashem's Holocaust memorial car, a small wine press, with its juice drain is preserved. March 2019

Jewish graffiti in Arabic

No local Arab could understand what this is. It turns out to be a Jewish name 'Hananel, חננאל, April 2019.
It's not clear why Arabic people could not make sense of it. Someone almost got a Google Translate rendition as 'HNNEEL'.

Exploring The Valley of the Gehinnom And A Sudden Lunch At A Hole Into The Netherworld.Then Hakeldama. And Saddam.

I just had to revisit the valley of Gehinnom. Panoramic shots!

The top center - one can see spooky, millennia-old caves with mortuary tunnels.

The Valley widens into the famous Hakeldama, (in Jeremiah), or Field of Blood in Aramaic. The seeping spring water keeps the trees green in this rainless season. 

For me the place means a peaceful lunch break. 

In this grotto I found this chair. In the back of this grotto you can see a gaping hole. I said Greetings in 6 languages, English, Russian, Yiddish, Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, and heard nothing but resounding echoes of myself. I threw a rock, and it took a long time to hit the bottom. I forgot to count the seconds.

I cleaned up the chair, had a snack of granola and dried peas, drank plenty of water. 

 I came out of the valley. An Arab saw me, and told me all I already knew about the place, added a slightly changed Islamic version, and then raised his finger and almost whispered: "It's is very bad to be here, because the spirit Saddam Hussein is here, underground."

I do like panoramas.

Beit Zait reservoir

May 7th. Panoramic view from the eastern shore, showing the level already receding due to the end of the rainy season.  The volume  of water has never been enough for Jerusalem, but it helps replenish the aquifer that might be feeding the Siloan Spring in the City of David.

this is where the reservoir gets the inflow from Sorek

The upper western bank, eroded, exposing layers.Clover and native hops found in the growth.

The view at the dam.

The view downstream from the dam.

Arabic graffiti at a construction site

Arab construction workers may be underestimated as having an artistic streak. December 2017.