Srugim and Haolim - 2 new Israeli TV shows that I can relate to

by: Rebecca

Srugim - new show about singles in Katamon

Lately, I don’t relate much to the characters in TV shows - doctors with tough decisions to make (Grey’s Anatomy), moms that sell pot to support their kids (Weeds), a secret call girl in London (Secret Diary of a Call Girl), etc.

As Esther points out, Sex and the City comes closest in its understanding of the ups and downs of being single in a city but obviously does not touch on the Jewish scene. Yes, Charlotte converts to Judaism, but it’s not quite telling of the singles scene on the Upper West Side in NYC or the German Colony in Jerusalem.

In contrast, the characters in Srugim, a new Israeli drama on Yes!, focuses on the singles scene in the Katamon area in Jerusalem so accurately I feel like I’ll be invited to their next Shabbat meal and end up on the set. The show included shots of Burgers Bar and Coffee Mill on Emek Refaim, so I was even looking for myself in the background somewhere. On top of that, I even knew one of the actresses, Shira Katz, who plays Stacy, the American neighbor. A little too close for comfort? Maybe, but I really got a kick out of it and couldn’t turn away, and I’m definitely waiting for the next episode. You can watch the show online in Hebrew with Hebrew subtitles. Explorer and Safari only.

Srugim - show about Israeli singles living in Katamon, Jerusalem

I first heard about the show from a Twitter friend, and have enjoyed reading everyone’s take on the new show.

The other show, which hasn’t aired yet, but looks promising, is HaOlim - The Reality of Aliyah in Israel, which I first read about on Jewlicious. HaOlim plans to pick 8 people from around the world who are planning to make Aliyah. They’re going to live on a kibbutz, go on crazy adventures around Israel, and the winner gets a pimped out Tel Aviv apartment, car, and their dream job.

I think it should be called Real World Israel, since it looks like it’s more about how 8 people get along, than how they will interact with Israelis. As Molly and I have decided, a real HaOlim show should include missions like a dreaded visit to Misrad Hapnim, BItuach Leumi, and Mas Hachnasa. And all in one day! That’s where the real fun begins and your true character begins to show.

I wonder if this show will touch on the less than glamorous hassles that every Oleh needs to go through. Although, I can only imagine a camera being allowed in to one of these government institutions(yeah right), so I guess it wouldn’t make for very good TV.  Although, movie producer extraordinnaire, Molly, did get an inside look at the Misrad Haklita / TV Tax Authority at quite a critical moment…

But I think I’ll definitely be able to relate to arriving in Israel and trying to figure out the language, the culture, and community living.

Here’s the trailer for HaOlim:

July 1, 2008 | If I ran Israel, Jerusalem Scene, Videos | 7 Comments

The Big Felafel featured on Guy Kawasaki’s Alltop Israel page

by: Rebecca

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Alltop says you can think of their site as a “digital magazine rack” that collects stories from “all the top” sites on the web. They group the info “into individual Alltop sites based on topics such as environment, photography, science,” and now Israel!  The Israel page features many of the big name bloggers in Israel, and also some new bloggers I hadn’t heard of that I’ll have to catch up on. You can read more about Guy Kawasaki, the man behind Alltop  and how it got started on the about page. Thanks Guy for listing The Big Felafel!

The greatest part about Alltop is that Guy listens to his Twitter friends’ recommendations for who to list as the top blogs for each category. All 15,000 + friends. He’s even following The Big Felafel, if you can believe it.  That’s why Twitter is so easy to love, it connects you to people you would’ve never been able to talk to otherwise.

June 30, 2008 | Wisdom Gained | Leave a Comment

When is - free online tool to find out the date of the next holiday

by: Rebecca

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Right before each Jewish holiday, I go to good ol’ Google and search for the dates and candle lighting times. This works ok, but I just found something way,way better. When-is.com lets you easily look up the dates of Jewish holidays, civil holidays, and other religions’ holidays - in case you were wondering what kind of day Kwanzaa comes out on this year.

Here’s one that I was curious about - when is Tisha B’av this year? Here’s a screenshot from when-is.com

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Unfortunately, When-is doesn’t give you candlelighting times, but it does help you fill in those lesser-known Jewish holidays to calendars that you (gasp) write in by hand. I still can’t give up the Staples monthly calendar. Even if I hardly use it, I feel like my life will fall apart the one year I decide not to get it.  I have yet to find one monthly-layout calendar in Israel, so if you know where to get one, please let me know.

June 24, 2008 | Essentials, Wisdom Gained | 2 Comments

Attention Chocolate Lovers: How to find the best chocolate in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, the Galilee, and more

by: Rebecca

Dark, white, truffles, bars, bittersweet, milk, fondue - if any or all of these types of chocolate make your mouth water, get ready for Sandra Andrews-Strasko’s Guide to Chocolate in Jerusalem, Guide to Chocolate in Tel Aviv, Guide to Chocolate in the Golan and Galilee and Guide to Chocolate in Israel.

Sandra’s guides detail each chocolate spot with the location, website, telephone number, if it’s kosher, type of store (restaurant, retail, etc.), and an honest review and recommendation.The ratings “take into account the quality of the chocolate, service and overall atmosphere of the seller”.

The most detailed review is about little-known “Chocolat” at 8 Arlozorov St. in Jerusalem that carries a range of different chocolates from truffles and fondue to chocolates I never heard of or realized were available in this part of town. To top it off, Chocolat shares the name of the famous movie, Chocolat, and could easily turn its own story into the sequel.

Sandra, if you’re reading this, and ever decide to update your chocolate guides, I offer my exquisite taste-testing talents.

June 22, 2008 | Essentials, Wisdom Gained | Leave a Comment

Where the Efi is Waldo?

by: Rebecca

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It took almost four years of living in Israel to realize that “Where’s Waldo” is called “Where’s Effi” (eyfo effi) in Hebrew. It sounds cute and has alliteration which almost makes up for the fact that they Hebraicized his name. I guess he is already covering his head with a hat and looks Jewish anyway.

However, a true cause for concern is that Efi/Waldo cannot be found during his stint in Hollywood. After searching for 15 minutes with a friend, we were stumped. Effi just wasn’t there. 10 points for you if you found him on this page (see below).

Pictures taken at Hebrew Book Week at the old train station in Jerusalem.

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More Phobservations:

Phobservation #1: Are Israeli mopeds made of legos? [photos]

Phobservation #2: Do cats really get stuck in trees? Would you call the fire dept?

June 10, 2008 | Easily Amused, Jerusalem Scene, Wisdom Gained | Leave a Comment

Amusing Typo in Israel#3: Truly innovative diet technique

by: Rebecca

Typo in ad for diet in Israel

I get little scraps in my mailbox all the time for new trissim, plumbers, and now I got this, a new diet that includes “Personal Chocing”. The ad translates to the following:

Did they tell you that being skinny was going to be magic? Therefore, you need personal chocing. No magic, just results!

Hmm… maybe you eat, then they choke you, then you lose your appetite and get skinny?! Could be promising, but it does kind of sound magical…

My recommendation to all in charge of typos: Thanks for making me laugh, but to help your business, you might want to pay attention to those red squiggly lines in Word.

How awkward would it be if I had a typo in this post?! Better check it twice.

See Amusing Typo in Israel#1: The most unfortunate typo ever

June 4, 2008 | Easily Amused, funnnny | 1 Comment

Amusing Typo in Israel#2: 2tsp of Ground Farfic

by: Rebecca

ground farfic

In the supermarket last week, I picked up what seemed to look like garlic powder and when I saw the label “ground farfic” I just assumed that such a spice existed, and not being such a savvy chef, I just haven’t encountered recipes with it yet.

My question is this, if you narrow in on typo logic, wouldn’t it be something like “ground farkic”? Maybe the keyboard was broken and this was as close as they could come.

Advice for fellow farfic shoppers - just open up the container and take a big whiff and you’ll know for sure if it’s garlic or not. And, while I’m at it, shouldn’t it be garlic powder and not ground garlic. Details.

See Amusing Typo #1: The Most Unfortunate Typo Ever

June 1, 2008 | Easily Amused, funnnny | 2 Comments

From Comb Over to Potty Training: Old Prime Minister Meet Your New Competition

by: Molly

How about this for change - a city in Oklahoma has just voted the youngest Mayor into office. And when I say young, I mean diapers and training wheels, the kid is only 19-years-old. He beat out grandpa and actually has a campaign to back him up. How did he get voted in? Nope, this isn’t a popularity contest; it’s simpler than that. The citizens of Muskogee were fed up with the “same old political shenanigans” and decided to go with someone that has no baggage. The only weight he might be carrying is a beer bong, over his shoulder.

Could this be a solution for Israel’s political corruption too? While I am no fan of Prime Minister (maybe) Olmert, we all have to admit his lies, money laundering and house buying, is typical - what’s the word they used - “political shenanigans”, for Israel or any country for that matter. Barak, Netanyahu, Livni, they all have some kind of baggage that they will bring with them, if and when they play the role of Prime Minister. My only disappointment is that Olmert isn’t getting kicked out for bad hair. He sported that comb over for years and there were no repercussions!

That being said, a young person wouldn’t have a comb over, just like he wouldn’t have baggage. And if he or she is going to be the next Israeli Prime Minister, then they must be a toddler!

The search should start in preschools around the country. We’re looking for a kid that doesn’t poop his pants and understands the meaning of no. We want someone verbal, but identifies with nap time. Finally, we need someone with a good spirit, who sings along at song sessions and grabs a partner to dance in the middle of the circle.

If you know a child like this than please contact your local community representative and lets get this campaign together for the probable upcoming election.

And in the meantime, enjoy this video about Olmert I made over a year ago about his lies and of course his comb over. It is hard to believe he has lasted this long.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=080AngVyOTA

May 29, 2008 | Easily Amused | 2 Comments

Baboo: new apartment search website simplifies apt hunt in Israel

by: Rebecca

For all of you searching 8+ apartment websites in Israel every day to make sure you score the best deal in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, or anywhere else in Israel before the next guy, check out Baboo. Baboo (Hebrew only but worth the effort) collects information from a bunch of apartment websites including yad2, Madas, WinWin, and others and puts it all in one place to make your search less stressful.

May 28, 2008 | Wisdom Gained | 2 Comments

Jerusalem Seminars in June: using blogging and social media (Facebook, Digg, Friendfeed, etc.) for marketing

by: Rebecca

I’ve never really written about things related to my work here on the big felafel - but this seemed too important to pass up. I think there are a bunch of small businesses in Israel, especially in Jerusalem that are only slowly starting to realize, hey, why isn’t Janglo bringing in enough business? Make no mistake, I am no Janlgo critic, in fact, I’m as big an addict as they come in this part of the country. However, I’ve noticed that as I blog and become active in a whole slew of social networks, I’m finding out about opportunities, networking events, and connections that I probably wouldn’t have been aware of otherwise.

In short, I think plenty of Israeli co.s and non-profits could benefit from this upcoming 3-day seminar. If you think you know someone who would be interested, feel free to send them the info. To Register, click here.

Here is the agenda which I may or may not have helped out with: Continue »

May 26, 2008 | Jerusalem Scene, Wisdom Gained | 3 Comments

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