Happy birthday, Israel!

The hilarious Benji Lovitt has written his fifth annual "What I love about Israel" list - this year with, of course, 64 items.

A few years ago, I wrote my own list, 13 things I love about Israel. I'm not as funny as Benji but here they are....

1. Felafel with cheeps and charif and pickles. Mmmmmm....

2. Walking on Ben Yehuda on Motzei Shabbat.

3. Watching kids play in parks that are full of ancient artifacts.

4. The whale sculpture in Old Jaffa.

5. Seeing Israeli kids riding the buses, hanging out, running around, just being kids and speaking Hebrew!

6. Spotting the blue paint in Tsfat.

7. Bumper stickers!!!!

8. The grottos of Rosh Hanikra, especially when the water levels are really high....

9. Watching the faces of first-timers when they really do float in the Dead Sea.

10. Reading Rachel's poems at her graveside.

11. Knowing that the young men and women carrying those big guns are Jewish kids ready to defend their homes and families.

12. Feeling Shabbat as it comes into Jerusalem...the frenzy of activity followed by the lovely calm. (And the shuk - rugelach and tomatoes and hummus and pita and spices and oranges and.....)

13. Feeling like I'm coming home.

Happy birthday, Israel. May you be safe and healthy and proud.

Matzah Meal Popovers {recipe}

1 1/2 cups of water
1/2 cup of oil
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 cups matzah cake meal
7 eggs

Combine water and oil, bring to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in the dry ingredients until it pulls away from the sides of the pan. Allow to cool slightly. Beat in the eggs one at a time, until well blended. Allow to rest for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a muffin pan, and fill the cups. Bake for 30-40 minutes until brown and puffy. Remove from oven and turn out onto a towel to cool. Serve warm with butter, or make sandwiches with tuna, or whatever you like!

Yum!

What's your favorite Passover recipe?

The 15th of Nisan Approaches

Three hundred years ago a ship called the Mayflower set sail to the New World. This was a great event in the history of England. Yet I wonder if there is one Englishman who knows at what time the ship set sail? Do the English know how many people embarked on this voyage? What quality of bread did they eat? Yet more than three thousand years ago, before the Mayflower set sail, the Jews left Egypt. Every Jew in the world, even in America or Soviet Russia, knows on exactly what date they left – the fifteenth of the month of Nisan; everyone knows what kind of bread the Jews ate. Even today the Jews worldwide eat matzah on the 15th of Nisan. They retell the story of the Exodus and all the troubles Jews have endured since being exiled. They conclude this evening with two statements: “This year slaves. Next year, free men. This year here. Next year in Jerusalem, in Zion, in Eretz Yisrael.” That is the nature of the Jews. - David Ben Gurion, 1947

Wishing you and your family a Chag Sameach, a sweet and healthy Passover holiday!