New Biblical Site Discovered in Jerusalem, City of David

Photo from Wikivoyage.

Let's hope the promised peace from January 2025 will allow us to visit areas which have been inaccessible.

An exciting new discovery from Archaeologists in Jerusalem. A biblical character is recorded as having destroyed local temples, one of which was hidden to save it and the artifacts in it. 

Archaeologists have recently revealed the buried bulding they believe to be the mostly a destroyed local temple. It contains floor channels which could have been runaways for blood from sacrifice on an altar. 

An obelisk which was worshipped remains, and evidence of oil. 

The destroyer, Hezekiah, was recorded in the New Testament as being an ancestor of a Jesus.  

I was shocked to read that a leader had destroyed a pagan temple. And destroyed a little local temple in order to promote a larger central temple so that he had control. How many times has this happened in history? Many. 

In the UK and probably elsewhere Roman temples were build on hilltops previously occupied by pagan buildings.  

Nonetheless, a fascinating discovery from long, long ago.

Useful Website

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14291409/Shrine-Bible-sealed-Jesus-ancestor-OPENED-3-000-years.html

Tel Aviv Museum of Art - Modern Art, Monet and More Marvels

 

Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Sharot family photo. Copyright. 

The Tel Aviv Museum of Art has several buildings featuring paintings by Impressionists and names you will know, such as Monet, and Pissaro, as well as  photography, 

Sculpture is by such well known names as Rodin and Henry Moore. 

Plus a fine restaurant. 

It is in the list of the world's top 10 art museums to visit, in fact in the top 50.

When I looked at their website in September 2023 I saw that they are closed Sunday and Monday, open Tuesday to Saturday. Seniors half price, and other reductions. Check their wesite for the latest intormation.

Useful Websites

https://www.tamuseum.org.il/en/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Aviv_Museum_of_Art

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Museums_in_Tel_Aviv-Yafo

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Food & Drink by country E-K England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, from cheddar and stilton, to kir and sake

 England

Food - savoury

Cheddar cheese, stilton blue cheese 

Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.

Fish and chips.

Sweet

battenburg cake, Crumpets, Scones

Cadbury's chocolate

Fox's biscuits

UK ice cream brands, tubs, bars and sticks, include Cornetto, Mangum, Ben & Jerry's, Haagen Daz.

Wine

Sparkling white wine from Nyetimber and others.

Cider. Beer.

France

Food - Savoury

baguette, coq au vin, duck a l'orange, French onion soup

Food - Sweet

chocolatines (pain au chocolat), croissant, nougat, macarons

Drinks

Bordeau, Burgundy, Champagne, Kir (aligote grape and cassis which is black currant) 

Dubonnet, a sweet, fortified red wine, drunk as an aperitif.

Germany

Food - Savoury

Wurst (sasages)

Food - sweet

Stollen

Drink

Riesling

Greece

Food savoury

rice in vine leaves, moussaka

Sweet

baklava, kataife, 

Drinks

Ouzo (anise plant which gives us aniseeed)

Greek coffee

Hungary

Food, savoury. 

Hungarian ghoulash is the national dish of Hungary. 

Food - sweet

Hungary has a marzipan museum, in Budapest, the capital city. The museum's name is the Szabo Marcipan Museum.

Wine

Bull's blood wine

India & Pakistan

Food - savoury

Tandoori chicken

Food sweet

Gulub Jamun

Jelabi

Drink

Lassi - sweet, sour, mango

Ireland

Food - Irish stew, sourdough bread, 

Drink

Guinness

whisky (no e, the e is Scottish whiskey)

Israel

Food - savoury

Israeli salad.

Kosher food

Food - sweet

Halva, slabs of wrapped confectionery, based on sesame seeds.

Parve - neutral, not containing milk, nor a meat product or by-product such as gelatine, therefore can be eaten at both meat only or milk only meals and restaurants.

Kosher wine

meshuval - heated to a high temperature or pasteurised, and can then be already purified and safe to be handled by non-observant Jews and non-Jewish catering staff.

Rules vary from country to country, rabbi to rabbi and year to year and product to product. Please consult locally.

Sabra chocolate orange liqueur

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabra_liqueur

Italy

Savoury

Pasta spaghetti bolognaise, carbonara 

Sweets

Amaretti di Saronno macaroons

Bitter and crunchy little biscuits in half moon shapes.

Ferrero Rocher chocolates

Nutella hazelnut spread

Zabaglione

Cassata Siciliana

biscotti

Drinks

Asti spumante

Prosecco

Illy coffee

Jamaica

Japan

Food

sushi - rice cylinders with topping of  raw fish or egg

Drink

sake - rice wine

Korea

Food - Kimchi (pickles)

Drink - Soju - rice wine

Big New Jewish Museum, ANU, in Tel Aviv, Free Entry Sponsored During Passover by Hapoalim bank 9a look a synagogue models, Balfour, Herzl, Mendelssohn

Tel Aviv is my second favourite city in Israel after Jerusalem, because of the art deco architecture, known as Bauhaus, a German word. There is a museum on Bauhaus, another on Bialik who promoted the Hebrew language, and about 15 more museums for you to visit.

Haus is German for house. But let's look at ANU museum.

Jerusalem has history dating back to biblical times. But Tel Aviv, founded in the early 1900s, is all history from the era of my parents and grandparents, and myself, as I lived through the second half of the 1900s.

ANU

Now there's a new, extensive museum, the world's largest museum on Judaism. It is on the university campus. (And much more cheerful than Yad Vashem, which is about the holocaust.) An Israeli bank, Hapoalim, has sponsored free entry during Passover. There are also concessions or rather discounts during paid for days for various other groups. Children under five free.

ANU

The word anu is Hebrew for we.

Beit Hatefutsoth

Beit means building or house. (Think of the city of Beth lehem which means house of bread or bakersy.) Ha is Hebrew for the. tefutsoth means diaspora.

Characters of different levels of orthodoxy, from different countries, with different beliefs.

Characters you might recognize in the photo s below, at the top the Vilna Gaon (gaon translates as guru or genius),  

the museum features the desk of Balfour (famous for the Balfour declaration), Herzl, 

Picture by Sodabottle from article on ANU in Wikipedia.

Top left is Moses Mendelsohnn, son of a man called Mendel, who started the name Mendelssohn, whose son had curvature of the spine, and whose grandson Felix was the composer who wrote the Wedding March.

A striking exhibit from Beit Hatefutsoth. ANU museum, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Leonard Cohen

You start on the top or third floor, with the present day. What might you recognize? Leonard Cohen, singer, a very interesting history of a modern jew who dipped in and out of Judaism and Israel. Following links, I found his song, Hallelujah, on You Tube, sung in Yiddish.

Jewish Hero In China

Other heroes include the Austrian Jewish doctor, Jakob Rosenfeld, who went to China, (on the side of the Communists) was given the highest honour, to a foreigner for the first time, for saving soldiers, villagers, whatever was needed, helping with childbirth. He is now a hero in China.

The Sad Story of Sol

On a sadder note, there is a Jewish girl who was executed in Morocco. As a teenager, aged 17 years old, she appears to have had an argument with her mother, and maybe switched to the local majority Muslim religion, with the encouragement of a devout Muslim next door neighbour, converted back, or not, and been executed.

 I have read several versions of her life story or rather death story, are given, both from the time or shortly afterwards, and later

Her grave is in Morocco in a Jewish cemetery. Now she has a place in this museum in Israel.. Oddly, or happily, she is revered by as a martyr and saint by both the Jews and Moslems.

Nowadays people of both religious persuasions are enthused by her apparent devotion to her old or new religion, and refusal to convert, or stay converted. 

You might be appalled that a young seventeen year old girl should lose her life, and be sacrificed or persuaded to sacrifice herself, not to save another person's life, but for a system of belief. But if you want to enjoy a holiday, it's best not to get upset about something which happened many years ago. You can read about this sad but fascinating story and try to decide what you think really happened.

I think it should be said that many Moroccan Muslims and Jews are friends, and the same goes for Singaporeans and Israelis, as well as some modern Arab leaders and Israelis.

Is this a true story? Apparently, yes. Her grave is in Morocco. It is small but attractive, like a little house with a blue roof.

On a lighter note, there's a section on humour. 

You can see synagogues from all over the world. Basically, the middle floor is about diversity. All countries. All eras.

The ground floor is about what is in common, the bible, synagogues and symbolism.

Jewish Food

ANU museum has another area on food. 

(A kosher cafe is on site.)

There's plenty more, and you can read about it all on the museum's own websites, Wikipedia and all over the place.

Bank Hapoalim sponsors free entry to 170 places in Israel over this holiday and other holidays. You have to book tickets online.

 Useful Websites

https://www.anumuseum.org.il/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANU_-_Museum_of_the_Jewish_People

https://www.anumuseum.org.il/events/passover/?fbclid=IwAR2HnzNMIwxiGUZSZdO_iI7HyLZjEC8du2MjDjq01J8F7mX4aehJ2cAizJs

https://www.anumuseum.org.il/blog-items/solica-legendary-martyr-morocco/?fbclid=IwAR2HnzNMIwxiGUZSZdO_iI7HyLZjEC8du2MjDjq01J8F7mX4aehJ2cAizJs

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Hachuel

For Jewish food and recipes see

https://www.foodish.org/en/

MARTIN Luther King Jnr Memorials in Boston, Washington DC and worldwide

A new Martin Luther King Jnr memorial is in Boston, USA, New in Jan 2023. It shows no head, just the giant arms of Martin Luther King embracing his wife Coretta family on receiving his sward.

This is not the first memorial to him Another, in Washington DC, also on the East coast, is a conventional statue, which depicts most of the legs, the man's body and arms and face, which I prefer.

Coretta comforting their daughter. A prize winning photo.

Peaceful water surrounding of sarcophagus (burial place) of MLK and his wife Coretta in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Close up of memorial to MLK and his wife

Other statues are in Mexico City and Nigeria.

MLK statue in Nigeria. 

Busts and memorials are in many other places in the USA including California, and Memphis where MLK Jnr lived, and other cities in other countries including London, England, and Israel.

MLK statue in Mexico City, Mexico.

Details of all the origins of photos are in the Wikipedia articles.

January 15th, Martin Luther King Jnr's birthday, is a national holiday in the USA.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_memorials_to_Martin_Luther_King_Jr.

Photo of the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial in Washington DC. Taken from the National Park Service website, and identified there as a NPS photo.
Author or copyright owner	Original work: The photo is created by an employee of the U.S. govt (Natl Park Service) as part of his official duties. However, the sculptor holds the copyright for the actual sculpture that is part of the NPS memorial. Depiction: Photo is created by employee of U.S. Govt (National Park Service) - but image copyright is owned by sculptor. However I believe this is fair use as a 2-dimensional reproduction of a 3-D sculpture, for use in an article that explicitly describes controversy over depiction of MLK in terms of whether or not it is "overly stern," and whether or not the use of white granite is appropriate for a sculpture of a black man.
Source (WP:NFCC#4)	http://www.nps.gov/mlkm/images/DSC_0288.jpg
Date of publication	Original work: Uploaded to wipedia August 2, 2012. Depiction: Uploaded from NPS website August 2, 2012
Use in article (WP:NFCC#7)	Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
Purpose of use in article (WP:NFCC#8)	To support encyclopedic discussion of this work in this article. The illustration is specifically needed to support the following point(s): There is controversy over the way MLK is depicted in this sculpture, as to whether he appears "overly stern," and the use of white granite to depict the image of a black man. This image helps readers understand these controversies discussed in the article.
Not replaceable with free media because (WP:NFCC#1)	Not easily replaceable because sculptor owns copyright regardless of photographer who takes the photo, and therefore it is believed no "free image" is available.
Minimal use (WP:NFCC#3)	Although multiple images of this sculpture are available on the NPS website (and other govt websites, including that of the White House), only this one has been used in this article to support the discussions of it (and the controversies associated with its depiction of its subject, MLK Jr) for this article.
Respect for commercial opportunities (WP:NFCC#2)	It is believed that the use of this image in an article that names the sculptor will help strengthen his reputation and therefore help him in terms of future commercial success rather than hurt him in any way.
Other information	The image was created and published by an official employee of the U.S. Govt (National Park Service) in the official performance of his duties, and posted on an official U.S. govt website for the NPS, which would normally put the photograph in the realm of public domain. However, because it depicts a sculpture the copyright remains the possession of the sculptor. Because of this copyright situation, no alternative depiction could be suitably created. This use of a 2D reproduction of a 3D sculptor might not be deemed fair-use in all countries, but I believe it meets the criteria for the English Wikipedia in terms of U.S. copyright laws.

Make a travel hanukiah or a DIY menorah - plus Jewish Holiday crafts for kids and kosher wine gifts

You can make a travel menorah from a lidded metal tin used for small sweets or breath mints. Inside you put ten metal bolts with large enough holes in the middle. 

Why ten? Because the ninth servant candle to light the other eight must be lower or higher for symbolism and convenience so you can identify it. 

At the destination you will need oil, olive oil or any oil. You can serve olives with the olive oil candles.

To make a wick you spiral or knotted unwaxed cotton. So take a cotton reel with you. To put it in a pocket or small purse, use a cotton spoon, a bobbin or a travel cotton set which has a thin cotton spool of long card. 

For a tee-shirt with Hebrew or English texts and colours, Judaicawebstore has tee-shirt designed in Israel and printed in the USA. I like the modern jokes such as a play on the words Moses and a tablet. You can switch between the American and the UK websites.

What can you take, if invited to a party? Waitrose in Harrow & Wealdstone stocks kosher Kedem red grape juice.

If you are invited to a hanukah party, you might want to check out the website of kedem about kosher wines. They explain kosher wines and meshuval. They supply their own brands of grape juice and wine, as well as well known brands such as Rothschild.

Gifts - children can be given foil covered chocolate.

 Useful Websites

https://www.judaicawebstore.co.uk/

https://biblebeltbalabusta.com/2014/12/03/oil-menorahs-diy-or-buy/

https://www.judaicawebstore.com/guides/guide-to-israeli-clothing/

https://kedemeurope.com/faqs/

https://harpers.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/29276/Majestic_lists_Kosher_wines_for_first_time.html

https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=kosher+wine+shop&find_loc=New+York%2C+NY

https://www.kosherwine.co.uk/ (Gravpevine in central London)

https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Holiday-Crafts-Little-Hands/dp/092937147X

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Holijolly-Hanukkah-Wrapping-Paper-Roll/

Please share links to your favourite blog posts.

What the Jewish Harvest Festival of Sukkot means for Jewish families and friends, businesses and customers, and buyers and sellers of sukkoth tee-shirts

Angela Lansbury in a sukkah at a home in the UK. It is in a back garden.

Oct 2020. Angela Lansbury in a sukkah in London in a back garden.

UK

Today Monday 10th October 2022 and tomorrow Tuesday 11th October 2022, some Jewish businesses in London, England are closed for Sukkot. For two days. In the UK orthodox Jewish families celebrate for two days, on festivals which are only one day in Israel, in order to be sure to be celebrating at the same time as Israel even if the date in Isreal spans two days elsewhere. If your estate agent (Americans say realtor) in London, England, is closed, don't worry, read the signs. They are probably opening again on Wednesday.

 You might be invited to a neighbour's sukkos, or to one built in a synagogue. 

What is the sukkos (temporary building) celebrating sukkot (the festival). I typed restival, a happy typo.

Israel

In Israel, you can see the little huts hung with fruit on balconies of blocks of flats in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and elsewhere.   The rule is that you can build it only if you can see the sky, so on a penthouse would be ok, not indoors nor a covered area and bad luck if your balcony has another directly above it.

Jerusalem and Tel Aviv also have festivities such as the parade in Jerusalem called the Jerusalem march.

A sukkah is built outdoors by Jews, albeit leaning against the house wall. 

However, the Samaritans build a sukkah indoors, because they had to do so under Byzantine persecution and have kept up the practice.

Samaritan sukkah indoors. Photo from Wikipedia.

I like the way the Samaritan sukkah has the fruit arranged in concentric circles of different colours.

India

When I was in India I saw a hut built in the middle of  a field. My driver-guide said it was for the workers to guard the crops of the harvest.

In London I have been in three different sukkas.

You are supposed to eat all your meals in the sukkah. Just pray that it doesn't rain.

You can buy the components for building one online.

If you get invited to a meal or an event in a sukkah, you could wear an oufit featuring fruit.

You can buy Sukkoth tee shirts and dresses online from Red bubble and others, for about twenty dollars, plus postage, and upwards. Look out for bargains in the sales after the festival is over. 

I bought a shirt with grapes. You find items with grape themes in shops attached to wineries. Items for sukkoth might be in Jewish museums of Jewish souvenir shops.

Angela Lansbury in grape theme shirt.

Useful blogs, websites, videos

Info on the festival

ISRAEL

https://www.touristisrael.com/things-to-do-for-sukkot-on-israel/2615/#:~:text=The%20first%20and%20last%20days,to%20celebrate%20with%20their%20families.

https://www.touristisrael.com/sukkot-in-jerusalem/8164/

https://www.touristisrael.com/jerusalem-march/8176/

UK

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-jewish-harvest-festival-of-sukkah.html?m=0

Buying a sukkah

https://sukkahmart.co.uk/

https://www.alephbeta.org/playlist/sukkot-meaning-why-we-celebrate?utm_source=facebook

Clothes

Redbubble.com online shop, tee-shirts for Sukkoth

Redbubble.com shop

Useful Websites

Sukkot tee shirts

https://www.redbubble.com/shop/sukkot+womens-clothing

https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/Funny-Happy-Sukkot-Day-Jewish-Holiday-by-SkyCloudBlue/94492124.IJ6L0.XYZ

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Weddings Worldwide: You can marry on a train in Florida, in a hotel garden or ski slope in America, on a beach in Hawaii, or the Maldives, outdoors in a field in Israel, on a rooftop in Singapore, UK Kew or zoo

American Weddings

Brightline is a privately owned railway  line which has served as a marriage venue for a wedding in 2022. 

I have witnessed a wedding (as the official witness) on a cruise ship out of Florida, but this is the first time I have heard of a wedding on a train.

The train wedding couple did not meet on the train. They met when the husband to be was renting property (Americans say leasing) from his bride-to be. They had many dates taking the train and the bride thought the train ride was the most romantic part of the date. 

The train company sectioned off part of the train for the ceremony and reception afterwards. Photos were taken on the train and at the station. 

UK Weddings & Emergency vehicles

In England I have seen many reports of unusual carriages to the wedding venue, usually connected with the jobs of one of the spouses or their family. A nostalgic horse and carriage is quite common.

 I recall a double decker bus being used. Also I recall one case of the bridal party stuck when the road was impassable. Emergency service vehicles (a fire engine) came to the rescue.

Israel Outdoors

I attended a wedding of a relative by marriage in Israel. The incoming security stopped me and asked me the bride's name. The wedding invitation was all in Hebrew and I hadn't a clue. (Her name was Ayala.) We took a taxi from the airport. The taxi driver had trouble locating the venue so we arrived later than expected.

Australia's Public Parks

I have also seen weddings in public parks in Australia. The problem with public parks is that strangers can come along and heckle or  intrude on photos. Not to mention wandering dogs!

I have also seen pictures of ski scenes in weddings, and under-water ceremonies.

Singapore's Rooftop Wedding Receptions

I attended a wedding on a rooftop in Singapore. While we were circling before the wedding we had a chance to take photo of the bride and ourselves against the distant scenery. Once we were seated, because of the high safety wall, we did not see the scenery at all. That was okay. We were more interested in the food and talking to each other. However, at 7 pm in Singapore the sun sets. Later, the view had vanished. Just some lights in the darkness far away. So it's a good thing to arrive early at a scenic destination to get photos. The bride and groom and official photographers might be monopolising the best spots, and, of course, they have priority. So, if you are a guest, arrive early.

Botanical Gardens Bandstand

And another in a restaurant in the Botanical Gardens, after a ceremony planned for the bandstand. The officiant was late. 

The bride wanted photos of exchanging vows on the bandstand at sunset. So we rushed to do a mock ceremony. 

As a Toastmaster I was able to improvise the mock ceremony. I had a few stage-whisper prompts from those standing alongside. 

Afterwards the officiant arrived as the dinner was being served at the allotted time. The real ceremony was performed indoors.

Useful websites

USA

Train

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brightline

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11211743/Florida-couple-married-Brightline-TRAIN-using-meet-one-dates.html

Ski Slope

https://www.herecomestheguide.com/wedding-venues/type/ski-resort

Boat

Singapore

https://www.facebook.com/vineyardhortpark (Singapore)

https://vogue.sg/the-best-unconventional-wedding-venues-in-singapore/

UK

You could get married at Kew Gardens in London. Going north, you could get your wedding photos at Ness Gardens in Liverpool.

You can hire a classic fire engine.

https://www.classicfireengines.co.uk/fire-engine-weddings/

My son got married indoors in London. However, just before the ceremony, the photographer unexpectedly walked us across to a tiny park we had never noticed with feature of rocks and tumbling plants. A look at a map might show you the nearest park to an indoor venue.

Angela in an Ann Balon dress and Marks & Spencer fascinator at her son's wedding in the UK. Pre-wedding photo in the nearby public greenery.

UK

https://www.kew.org/venue-hire/civil-ceremonies

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Warning - so called temporary tattoos can cause permanent scarring

I see warnings on bottles of hair dye that you should not use it if you have recently had henna tattoos. I always wondered why. Now I think I know why.

Now I see that some henna tattoos contain black henna which can cause allergic reactions and scarring. The scary thing is that you can have a painful and ugly reaction to the henna tattoo several days afterwards. Pitting of the skin. Or raised, lumpy scars and welts.  You could end up in hospital. And/or have permanent scarring. That is not what you want on your face, or indeed, anywhere.

I would not want the pain, the unsightly scars, nor to have to avoid hair dyes.

I have always admired the henna tattoos on women's hands, which are done for weddings. However, I already have allergies to shellfish. One hot year, when I was aged 16, there was a long hot summer, starting from the month of march, with a glut of strawberries, which I ate every day, then one day in June, around the time of my exams, I developed swelling in reaction. At first we thought it was a stress reaction to exams. But the GP (general practitioner - British term) diagnosed the reaction being an allergy, and we realized  the cause was the strawberries. Luckily, when I was about 21, I found, little by little, that I could eat strawberries with no reaction. 

Now, when travelling, or at home, I avoid shellfish. I shall avoid henna dyes, too. Apparently, in some countries they are banned. In others, the people applying them, like the customers, may be unaware of the risks.

Picture credit Wiki AKS.9955 -

In addition to Indian and Asian and Middle Eastern wedding preparations, you might see tattoos offered in markets, night markets, and seasonally, such as in the USA for Halloween.

You can read warnings about safety in foreign countries in Wikivoyage and on the US government websites and if you live elsewhere on your government's websites about travel overseas - look on the passport and visa pages and you then start to find links.  Other information is in Tripadvisor. The use of temporary tattoos is worldwide, for example, from America, Australia, Indonesia, the UK, Israel, when travelling around your own home town or city or country or travelling abroad.

Products which are allowed for hair dye for twenty minutes are not allowed against the skin, to be worn all day, or injected permanently. Bans are in place in the EU and elsewhere. Hair dyes warn you to do a test on a small area of skin several hours in advance of applying it all over your head.  

Remedies include drinking water to rehydrate because your body is sending water to the damaged area, and calling into the nearest pharmacist or drug store or a dermatologist or GP. In the UK there is a free NHS (National health service) helpline, NHS direct.

Useful Websites

 www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11090265/Bali-Melbourne-mums-worst-nightmare-comes-true-holiday.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ico=taboola_feed_article_desktop_news

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehndi#/media/File:Mehndi_front.JPG

https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-products/temporary-tattoos-hennamehndi-and-black-henna-fact-sheet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagua_tattoo

https://www.britishskinfoundation.org.uk/the-dangers-of-black-henna-temporary-tattoos

Sholom Aleichem and where to see his memorials in Netanya in Israel and in the Ukraine

Sholom Aleichem created the characters such as Tevye featured in the film (movie) Fiddler on the Roof.

 USA

Ukraine

Israel

Sholom Aleichem statue in Netanya, near Tel Aviv, Israel. Photo from Wikipedia.

Sholom Aleichem memorial in Bohuslav, Kiev province, Ukraine

Netanya, near Tel Aviv, Israel. 

Picture from Wikipedia article on the man.

Sholom Aleichem In Hebrew

Sholom Aleichem was his pen name. It means peace be with you in Hebrew and Yiddish. Sholom, like salaam in Arabic, means peace. The capital city of Jerusalem also contains the word salem. The consonants are s, l, and m. The vowels change with time and place. 

The Moustache Fashion

I like to see the portrait of the man which shows the moustache which was the fashion of the day. Then clean water was not so abundant and people were poorer and could not necessarily afford to visit the barber and did not have electric razors. 

The clean shaven look came in during WWI. Then soldiers had short hair and not beards nor moustaches because they had to wear helmets or gas masks in the army. 

Later beards and moustaches became the bohemian, artistic look. Writers, songwriters, musicians, singers. Then in the nineteen sixties, the hippy look. 

Later still associated with primitives. On the one hand, this can be associated with good, simple, healthy and virtuous and honest, or uncultured. It could be associated with orthodox, traditional religious - or violent, aggressive terrorists. But in his era, it evokes a look which is artistic and romantic.  

Now let's look at the text. It is Cyrillic. Best known to most people outside Europe as Russian, which is almost the same as the lettering used in Bulgaria, I discovered on holiday in Bulgaria.

Unlike the earlier language of Hebrew, Cyrillic, named after Cyril, a priest, combines Greek and Hebrew letters. 

What looks like a W is the sound for Sh in Sholom. 

Once you recognize the Sh, it is easy to see the letters Sh-M A-L is his name, Sholom and Aleichem. 

The L looks a bit like you are starting to write a lower case l, in cursive or italic with an upward curve. Then you come down as if about to write a capital L, but you can't be bothered to finish it with the line across the bottom as you already have a line across the top, and Hebrew and Cyrillic have lots of letters which seem to be upside down or back to front or left to right. (Of course, our writing came later, so we are the ones who changed it.) 

The X is the sound like clearing your throat, like the Scottish ch in loch as in Loch Lomond.

I am a teacher of English and other languages, which I am always learning when I travel. 

Tel Aviv

Whilst I am on the subject of language, the word Tel Aviv means hill of spring, or springtime. You will see the word Tel on modern maps of the middle east. Aviv or Aviva is a girl's name. Like the word April, for the month, and the girl's name, April, for girls born in the month of April.  Tel Aviv has the old city up on the hill, and the suburbs spread along the sandy beach. The city was founded in 1909. 

Tel Aviv's Art Deco

Architecturally, many modern buildings, now historic, are from the nineteen thirties, which to me looks like art deco (deco short for decorative), but which is strictly speaking called Bauhaus. Haus is German for house.   

Netanya

Netanya is north of Tel Aviv. It is named after Nathan, the co-owner of Macys department store. Nathan's brother died on the Titanic. 

Useful Websites

Why and How To Pack towels and swimsuits for possible swimming

I like to have a swimsuit with me on holiday, even if I am not expecting to go swimming. You might stop for lunch at a hotel with a pool. In Cyprus we went on a morning walk up to see a waterfall. 

At the top was a flat area where a girl who lived locally donned a swimsuit and waded forward and stood under the cold showing waterfall. They had travelled by car, so no problem with transporting a towel. 

Several people wanted to be photographed in the pool. I don't stand in running water in case of currents. However, many people like to do so.

On day trips to the beach, i sometimes try to pack a thin towel of the sort which is quick dry, just to dry my feet when paddling in the sea, or getting wet feet from unexpected waves on the beach.

I have also looked into adding velcro to turn a thin towel into a wrap around skirt or strapless dress. A towel dress with shoulder straps is more secure. I have also made a swimming pool throw-over by cutting a slit in the middle of an old, thin towel. You can buy towelling dresses.

I pack with my swimsuit and night dress in a handy place on top of my suitcase. On arrival at a hotel I ask what time the pool closes. I might want to rush to the pool before evening dinner.

 When I was a teenager in the late 1960s, I went on a holiday with a fellow student to Greece, Turkey and Israel. I travelled in a bikini. It acted as bra and pants. I showered in it. I swam in it. No need to undress.

After the swim, we would sit in the sun. The bikini was cotton and dried quickly. 

In countries requiring a one piece costume, you need another solution.

Kaledonia Waterfalls, Cyprus.

 1The solution is to have a large towel which somebody else, family or friend, can hold.

2 If you are alone, you could change behind a large umbrella.

3A wrap around skirt is another solution.

4 Or a wrap around dress.

5 Or a sarong.

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Nitt Witt Lodge - an Odd Place To Visit In California, USA

 

After you have seen ten Greek ruins in Greece, ten Roman ruins in Italy, ten national parks and ten bears in America or Canada, ten big trees in America, New Zealand and all over, ten homes of famous people whose books you never read, then what? Maybe something completely different, amusing, amazing, which does not require you to research the history of a country or read a classic book, just an amusement, and lots of amusing photos. I have seen shell houses and grottoes in the UK, mostly at seasides, and the Dancing house restaurant in Prague, capital of the Czech Republic (pricey, but even the all different chairs and paint your own paper  table mats are amusing). Here's a wonderful place to visit in California, the Nitt Witt House.

Apart from being a natural hoarder and collector of items others throw out, such as cans and bottles, how did the builder find all the practical bigger bits? At one point he was a city rubbish collector. That is an opportunity as well as an inspiration. He kept building all his life and lived into his nineties. Life was never dull for him. Every day a surprise, creativity. Joy in life. Alas, after he died, for a while it was empty and vandalised. But new owners restored it and opened it as a tourist attraction. Add it to your wish list.

A bit of fun.

Lessons Learned

An example of creativity.

How to avoid problems with planning permission.

How to be famous when you have no possessions and no skills.

How to beat boredom.

How to recycle.

It's on the California register of Historic Places. 

Here are some more to visit, maybe nearer to you. 

• 
  

Here are some more:

USA

• Watts Towers. Sabato "Simon" Rodia constructed towers of wire, concrete and fragments of tile and china, in theWattsneighborhood ofLos Angeles.   
• Baldassare Forestiere, another Italian immigrant in California born the same year as Rodia who built theForestiere Underground Gardens, inFresno.  
• ISRAEL
• Hermit House, a unique residence located inHerzliya,Israelwith intricate mosaics entirely constructed by one man over thirty years.   
• Mystery Castle, a house inPhoenix, Arizonabuilt in the 1930s in a similar style.  
• Rubel Castle, a house inGlendora, Californiaconstructed in a similar style.  
• Ferdinand Cheval, a French postman who constructed an "ideal palace" out of rocks in his spare time.
• Justo Gallego Martínez, a Spaniard who built his own cathedral.
• Grandma Prisbrey's Bottle Village. A woman who built a whole village of discarded bottles.
• House on the Rock Alex Jordan, Jr. constructed "Japanese House" atop rock pinnacle in Spring Green, WI.
• Coral Castle, a unique estate made entirely of hand-carved stone by an eccentric immigrant.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitt_Witt_Ridge