The marvelously beautiful Nazareth Iris is endemic to Israel and blooms right now in the eastern Galilee.
Photographed yesterday by my husband Uri Eshkar.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
NAZARETH IRIS - איריס נצרתי
The marvelously beautiful Nazareth Iris is endemic to Israel and blooms right now in the eastern Galilee.
Photographed yesterday by my husband Uri Eshkar.
Friday, March 25, 2011
BEAUTIFUL RAINSONG IN HEBREW
תאר לך מה יכול היה להיות
לא היו עוזרות שום מיטריות
בשמיים היו צומחות פיטריות
תאר לעצמך מה יכול היה להיות .
גשם גשם רוח קר ועבים.
גשם אין ירח ואין כוכבים
גשם יורד כמו איטריות של מים
גשם גשם יורד מן השמיים
גשם גשם יורד
גשם גשם עולה...
תחשוב בגדול תחשוב עם חיוך
אם הגשם היה הפוך
מן הסתם אנשים היו מתחילים
ללכת על הידיים
בשמיים היו ניקוות שלוליות
תאר לעצמך מה יכול היה להיות...
גשם גשם רוח קר ועבים ....
גשם גשם מילים ולחן אבנר שטראוס
http://www.avnerstrauss.com/
"Imagine the rain would fall upside down... umbrellas wouldn't help, mushrooms would grow in the sky and people would walk on their hands..."
For Sheva and Avi, for Gal and Alon, for Yasmin and Noam, and for whoever likes it.
Photo from a very rainy yesterday, by Uri Eshkar
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
EIN AVDAT- עין עבדת
Last year in February my husband and I visited Ein Avdat, a beautiful canyon in the Negev desert, located south of the kibbutz Sde Boker. It is two kilometers long and very narrow. The Hebrew word "Ein" describes a water source, usually a spring. Two deep pools are filled by several all year active springs, their origin still not completely understood, the water descending from falls. The gorge is splendid in many ways.
The rock formations are fantastic and of different colors. Evidence of prehistoric inhabitant was found, and much later Nabateans from the nearby city Avdat, their station along the Incence Route, used the canyon. In Byzantine time Christian monks occupied the caves in the gorge. Due to the ever present water supply the fauna is rich and the flora is lush for a desert. Many animals dwell there, among them the beautiful ibexes, who have no problem to climb the steep rocks.
Special trees are growing at the edges of the ponds, some of them are very old. Among them are poplar trees and salt bushes, both of them accommodate to the slightly salty water. This canyon is truly magnificent!
Some weeks ago my friend Vered too had an outing with her family to the Negev desert, to the Maktesh Ramon and to Ein Avdat. She made wonderful photos of the area, so most of the pictures here are hers and I added some of my husband's from a year ago. Enjoy the views of the desert and of the Ein Avdat oasis!
Photographs by Vered and Gadi Skolnik and Uri Eshkar.
Monday, March 21, 2011
SCULPTURE GARDEN IN GDERA
Yoma was born in 1936 in Tel Aviv and moved to Gdera in the seventies, living and creating there, as a hobby actually, ever since.
He collects car parts, iron scraps, rubber wheels, wood, stone, everything that suits his fancy and incites his creativity.
From these materials he fabricates astonishing pieces of art. It seems to me, that Yoma does not care if anyone likes what he does, if he can sell it, where to exhibit it, what will be its purpose - he just creates, obsessively, soulfully and wholeheartedly. From everything he can get his hands on he will shape some visionary image flowing out of his endless imagination - for me this is one very strong indication of a true artist.
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His play ground and his display ground is his court yard, the garden around his house. This is an open air museum par excellence and here he works and creates. It rains on it, dust and leaves and pine needles settle on it, rust is nibbling on the pieces, it does not bother him. All his skills he taught himself, he is an autodidact, who started his marvelous pastime around 40 years ago and he still goes on. The sculpture garden is open to the public, free of charge at all hours of the day. If you are lucky, Yoma will come out and have a chat with you, he has an outgoing vivid and nice personality, humor blinking in his eyes.
All photographs taken by Uri Eshkar.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
SHIVA - שבעה
My husband's mother passed away a week ago early in the morning and we buried her the same day, with the designated ceremony, according to Jewish custom. Then we "sat Shiva".
Shiva means being in the home of the deceased for seven days of mourning. The house is open to anyone who wants to visit and give condolences. Paying a visit to a Shiva is considered to be a "mizvah", a good deed.
I am not Jewish and when I first came to Israel many years ago, I found this tradition very strange. I could not understand why people would be content with many callers every day. I thought mourning to be something very individual and private and that I would like to be alone with my tears and sorrow and despair after losing someone beloved. I could not see how this could be shared with so many so short after the sad event. I changed my opinion completely. I attended many funerals here, and paid my respect at the Shivas that followed. I noticed to my astonishment how comforting this always was for the mourners and how it gave them an opportunity to start dealing with their grief. The different ethnic groups have individual practices, regarding for example prayers and refreshments and food for themselves and the visitors. But there are fundamental rules of how to practice the Shiva for all people of Jewish faith. Sitting Shiva is indispensable for the nearest relatives, which means parents, son, daughter, siblings and spouses. The Shiva lasts for seven days, during which the family members gather in the home of the deceased, but the Shiva can be held at other locations too. There are many rules and restrictions. Have a look about them at Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
No one in my husbands family is religious and the rules are not strictly enforced. But the sitting of the Shiva takes place. It was held in my father-in-law's home.
My parents-in-law arrived from Irak 1950, two years after the State of Israel was established. They started building a life and like any other newcomers encountered many hardships. There are a lot of stories to tell, and at our Shiva they got told. Many memories of my mother-in-law surfaced, and her husband, who was heartbroken by her loss, slowly calmed down. He got engulfed in the stories, especially those from Baghdad, and he even contributed to them, and within his cries there were smiles and even laughter. We put photo albums on the table and people loved to look at the pictures from old times and many had to add their own anecdote to them, spinning a yarn of events that span from Irak to Israel. This was all very dear and comforting, and interesting. I never tire of the tales of my husband's family and I heard some I still did not know. A Shiva can be an opportunity to bring the family closer together, to get hugs from friends and comforting and soothing words. My mother-in-law was very old and her time had come. But I attended Shivas of much more heartbreaking deaths - and still I got to see the same momentary wonderful results of the consolation the visitors gave to the mourners.
The seven days of Shiva for my mother-in-law are over. Her name was Tikva, which means hope, and it is not only my hope, but I know that she will be remembered and mentioned and talked about by all of us very often. Rest in peace Tikva!
Shiva means being in the home of the deceased for seven days of mourning. The house is open to anyone who wants to visit and give condolences. Paying a visit to a Shiva is considered to be a "mizvah", a good deed.
I am not Jewish and when I first came to Israel many years ago, I found this tradition very strange. I could not understand why people would be content with many callers every day. I thought mourning to be something very individual and private and that I would like to be alone with my tears and sorrow and despair after losing someone beloved. I could not see how this could be shared with so many so short after the sad event. I changed my opinion completely. I attended many funerals here, and paid my respect at the Shivas that followed. I noticed to my astonishment how comforting this always was for the mourners and how it gave them an opportunity to start dealing with their grief. The different ethnic groups have individual practices, regarding for example prayers and refreshments and food for themselves and the visitors. But there are fundamental rules of how to practice the Shiva for all people of Jewish faith. Sitting Shiva is indispensable for the nearest relatives, which means parents, son, daughter, siblings and spouses. The Shiva lasts for seven days, during which the family members gather in the home of the deceased, but the Shiva can be held at other locations too. There are many rules and restrictions. Have a look about them at Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
No one in my husbands family is religious and the rules are not strictly enforced. But the sitting of the Shiva takes place. It was held in my father-in-law's home.
My parents-in-law arrived from Irak 1950, two years after the State of Israel was established. They started building a life and like any other newcomers encountered many hardships. There are a lot of stories to tell, and at our Shiva they got told. Many memories of my mother-in-law surfaced, and her husband, who was heartbroken by her loss, slowly calmed down. He got engulfed in the stories, especially those from Baghdad, and he even contributed to them, and within his cries there were smiles and even laughter. We put photo albums on the table and people loved to look at the pictures from old times and many had to add their own anecdote to them, spinning a yarn of events that span from Irak to Israel. This was all very dear and comforting, and interesting. I never tire of the tales of my husband's family and I heard some I still did not know. A Shiva can be an opportunity to bring the family closer together, to get hugs from friends and comforting and soothing words. My mother-in-law was very old and her time had come. But I attended Shivas of much more heartbreaking deaths - and still I got to see the same momentary wonderful results of the consolation the visitors gave to the mourners.
The seven days of Shiva for my mother-in-law are over. Her name was Tikva, which means hope, and it is not only my hope, but I know that she will be remembered and mentioned and talked about by all of us very often. Rest in peace Tikva!
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