The Big Felafel to be on Social Media & Aliyah Panel at the Second Jewish Bloggers Convention
After unexpectedly being listed as one of the 100 Most Influential Jewish Twitterers, The Big Felafel is finally getting its crack at stardom, more specifically, stardom amongst Jewish bloggers who live in Israel or want to move to Israel.
I am really flattered to have been asked to be on the panel “Aliyah Doesn’t End At the Airport! Employing Social Media for a successful Aliyah” at the upcoming Second Jewish Bloggers Convention in Jerusalem. Personally, I think it’s more fun to be in the audience and make wisecracks, but this year I’ll be on the stage and have to leave the peanut gallery to everyone else.
Besides being ridiculously addictive and at times stalker-esque, it really is amazing how many people I’ve interacted with and how much I’ve learned via social media – blogging, twittering, facebook, linkedin, etc. And, although we haven’t written much lately on The Big F, since August is the vacation month in Israel, I hope we’ve also been able to share our knowledge and help others with their Israel journey.
The best part of the conference last year was meeting fellow bloggers and seeing the person behind the blog. This year it will be fun to meet people behind the tweet, as well.
Other posts about the conference:
Jewish Blog-Con: A Zionist Love Story – loved it! Orit Arfa likens Israel to a lover and confesses her feelings through the good and the bad.
The Details:
September 13, 2009
2-10pm: what? you’ve never been to an 8 hour conference?! Well, at least snack time is included. But I think nap time might be needed as well. I guess the thinking was to make the convention convenient for people in the US.
Registration:
LIVE in Jerusalem: You can register for the actual, real-life, in-the-flesh, come-out-of-your-shell-and-meet-people conference in Jerusalem (50 NIS includes buffet dinner) here: jbloggers.org
LIVE in your home via Webcast: You can watch it live over the web, but you still have to register here: jbloggers.org
The schedule:
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM Registration and Workshops
Workshops
2:30 – 3:00 PM
Session 1A
Monetizing your blog:
Dos, Don’ts and Great Expectations.
with Stephen Leavitt
Session 1B
Networking for Money:
Your Social Network has value.”Give and ye shall receive”.
with David Abitbol
Session 1C
Defending Israel Through Social Media Tools:
with Jameel@Muqata, Israel Matzav, Yishai Fleisher and Ashley Perry
Will not be webcast or recorded.
Space is limited.
3:05 – 3:45 PM
Session 2A
The Business of Blogging:
Using your blog to build a sustainable business and recurring income.
with Zack Miller
Session 2B
Twittering for Bloggers:
#JBloggers Everything you ever wanted to know, but were afraid to ask. From Intro to Expert.
with Ahuvah Berger
3:50 – 4:30 PM
Session 3A
Fascinated with Facebook:
How to use Facebook to promote yourself, your blog, your products and your services.
with Jacob Richman
Session 3B
Twittering for Bloggers:
#JBloggers Everything you ever wanted to know, but were afraid to ask. From Intro to Expert.
with Ahuvah Berger
Session 3C
Be a Better Blogger:
Nobody cares what you ate for breakfast: How to write the compelling blog post to build readership.
with David “Treppenwitz” Bogner
4:30 – 5:00 PM Networking time: Meet your fellow bloggers.
Light refreshments will be served
Convention
5:00 PM (10:00 AM EST) Opening Remarks
5:10 – 5:25 PM Convention Kickoff Speaker:
How Social Media is Influencing Community
David Horovitz, Editor in Chief, The Jerusalem Post
5:30 – 6:45 PM First Panel: Jewish 2.0
Social Media and the Future of the Jewish Community
Panelists:
David Kelsey / Jewcy (News and Media), Yonasan (Jonathan) Rosenblum / The Jerusalem Post (Religion), Orit Arfa / LA Jewish Journal (Community), Tova Serkin / JGooders (Philanthropy)
Moderator: Danielle Sheldon /Jewlicious
7:00 – 7:45 PM Dinner
7:45 – 8:00 PM Comedy with Benji Lovitt “What War Zone“
8:00 – 8:45 PM Keynote Speaker: Defending Israel Online
Ron Dermer: Senior Adviser to the Prime Minister of Israel
to be followed by Q&A
8:45 – 9:45 PM Second Panel: Aliyah Doesn’t End At the Airport!
Employing Social Media for a successful Aliyah
Panelists:
Clifton Flack / JobShuk, Zev Stub / Janglo,
Rebecca Markowitz / “The Big Felafel“, Marc Rosenberg (Nefesh B’Nefesh)
Moderator: Allison Kaplan Sommer
With Q&A at the end.
9:45 – 10:00 PM Closing remarks
Hope to see you there! If you’re still around and not too tired, please come say hi!
The Bomb Still Explodes: The Hebrew University Bombing 7 Years Later
Frank Sinatra Cafeteria Memorial
Yesterday I took part in a live twitter chat with Maia Sigal Leslau, a victim of the Hebrew University bombing. The terrorist attack took place on July 31st, 2002 at the Frank Sinatra Cafeteria on the Mt. Scopus campus. The Hebrew University was intentionally targeted because it stands as a symbol to the revitalization of the Jewish people and is home to thousands of students from all over the world.
The bomb— a cell phone in a bag on the table of the bustling café, where students gathered mid day to eat a quick lunch or take a much needed break—went off and killed nine people and injured over eighty. One of those nine was my friend Marla Bennett.
I remember the phone call about her death that changed my world forever. I was in complete denial and to this day I have not really accepted her passing. I remember demanding proof that they knew it was her, that they knew she was dead. And even though I got my answer it never felt real.
Marla Bennett, 24-years-old z"l
Yesterday, the opportunity to speak with Maia helped me cope with reality. She personally told me about the bombing from her point of view. She didn’t hear the bomb go off, but she said she knew something was wrong. She was alert and asked her friend to take her bag and call her mother.
Maia survived despite shrapnel piercing her brain. She lost sight in her eye and still has scars, not to mention the emotional scaring. I would think that anyone that survived the bombing would be afraid, angry and have a loss of faith. But not Maia. She is a strong willed young woman, who actually became more religious since the bombing.
Maia is inspiring. She not only inspires me to be more thankful of what I have, but made me realize that if Marla had survived the bombing she too would be like Maia. Marla would be strong and do her best to stay positive in the face of evil. Marla was the nicest person I ever met. Nice as in good intentions, a big heart, a never ending smile and hope that survived her death.
The chat may have been short with 140 characters at a time, but the message is long lasting.
Thank you Maia for your candor.
Marla not a day goes by that I don’t wish you were still alive.
Below please find some of Maia’s comments during the conversation. The twitter chat took place through Hebrew University’s twitter account: @HebrewU (English) and @HebrewU_heb (Hebrew).
@FelafelBalls I’m getting over it every day, every morning when I get up and thank G-d for being in this world, for being alive.10:06 AM Jul 28th
@slerner #izkor I became religious after the bombing, understanding and believing this is the hand of G-d keeping me alive.10:16 AM Jul 28th
@charliekalech #izkor I’m sad abt the 9 people who are not w/ us any more. I’m sorry for myself that someone changed my life without asking.10:12 AM Jul 28th
@dejerusalem #izkor The bombing was not really a surprise, sad to say. During 2002 it was a daily routine in Jerusalem.10:36 AM Jul 28th
@miriamschwab #izkor It’s on July 31, the memorial will be held tmrw on campus. My lesson: We have only one Land, this is the true home.10:53 AM Jul 28th
@dejerusalem #izkor I’m one of the lucky ones, I’m a survivor. I always remember I could have been a victim. It is always with me.11:02 AM Jul 28th
Israel PR: Leave it to the Youth and Put it on Facebook
Israel’s PR for Israel is crap. That of course is an understatement. But this past Sunday Hebrew University students decided to contribute their young and savvy minds to help fix the problem. The students, currently StandWithUs Fellows, launched a Facebook tool called Israpedia to promote their country.
With already 3,000 Facebook friends using the application, the tool is bound to make PR history in
a country where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs only joined Twitter last week. The idea is similar to that of Kassam Counts and is actually built by the same developers. Like Kassam Counts, Israpedia takes over your status message on Facebook and makes updates for you. The difference is that Kassam Counts was updating how many rockets were fired into Israel, where as Israepedia will supply interesting facts about Israel as your status updates.
The idea is that Israel has many sides to it, but somehow the news just likes to focus on the one bloody aspect forgetting that this country also invented a method to get rid of bad breath through the use of laser technology–for example (brought to you by Israpedia). The random facts go beyond the conflict and shed light on Israel’s magnificent achievements, rather than its war statistics.
The students have put their heart and mind into this project and have shown the rest of their peers that we all have the potential to make this country a better place and let the world know that were awesome too.
Check out their facts page at http://www.israpedia.info/facts1.html
For the application: http://www.facebook.com/tos.php?api_key=07a32905120b031dd6b8273ba4b70128&next=&v=1.0&canvas
Stuff Israeli People Like #9: Faxes (and a survival guide)
The dreaded fax-lover
They don’t warn you about it in the Nefesh B’nefesh aliyah catalog, but Israelis are still, in the year 2009, in love with the fax machine. They do enjoy the wonderful world of email as well, but are still loyal to the fax. I can almost understand using a fax for business to business transactions. Maybe. But, most people in Israel (or at least, that I know) live in a fax-free environment. Mostly because there shouldn’t be a need for it anymore. Sometimes I have the energy to explain to a fax-lover how to scan and email, but often, I just find myself throwing my arms in the air and giving up. Luckily, I’ve come across some decent online solutions if you’re in dire need of a fax service in Israel.
- Myfax.co.il – For free, you can get a temporary fax number. The fax-lover will send you a fax and you’ll receive it in your email.
- Freefax.co.il - If you need to send a fax to a fax-lover, then you can upload your document, enter the fax number, and click send.
- Interfax.net – You can send and receive faxes through email with this service. It costs 50 agurot (~12 cents) per page to send a fax. It costs 64 shekels a month to receive faxes through your email. (Steep!)
Here’s a scene from Office Space which aptly expresses how I feel about the fax:
[warning: explicit lyrics]
If you’re interested in seeing more stuff that Israelis like, read this post: Stuff Israeli People Like #1-8
Before you rent an apartment in Israel, check citip.co.il
I just found out about a great website, Citip.co.il, for renters to find out the truth about the landlords and buildings for the place they’re about to rent. Citip”s tagline is “What they didn’t tell you about the place” and that’s exactly what the site is for. You can search by address and read reviews by past tenants or post one yourself to prevent people from unpleasant surprises before they make the commitment to sign the contract. Power to the little people!
Also, if you’re apartment hunting, be very, very wary of Craiglist – people have tried to scam me 3 times already. Here’s a list of housing websites for apartments in Israel.
Get Your Fourth of July Party on in Jerusalem!
If you’re a former U.S. citizen, you know that even though you live in Israel, giving up certain American holidays is not easy. Case in point: the Fourth of July, Independence Day. While July 4th celebrations mirror those of Israel’s Independence Day, not celebrating the actual day, Fourth of July, is just too much!
I can b-b-q any day of the year (not really, but I could try and find someone that would b-b-q for me everyday of the year) but there is something that makes the meat a little juicer on Fourth of July. I could watch fire crackers go off almost everyday throughout the summer, thanks to the loads of weddings in Jerusalem, but the fireworks of Fourth of July seem to sparkle and crack just a little bit more.
What I am saying is celebrating Fourth of July does not end when you make Aliyah from America. You can’t give up the cheerleader in you that wants to jump for joy on that particular day. It’s not that I am rooting for America’s independence but more for my hamburger, day off and awesome display of fireworks in the middle of summer, that’s the essence of the big day—a day that can leave a big hole if you don’t celebrate properly.
So, here are a few ways to party down for the holiday. Do one or all of them, but just don’t forget to celebrate and fill the hole (and the stomach)!
Themed Shabbat meal: Yes friends, if you like cheesy then take advantage of this year’s celebrations which fall on Shabbat day. You can have b-b-qs (if you keep Shabbat then b-b-q right before Shabbat comes in and keep meat on hot grill or hot plate), make cakes with red, white and blue frosting and make sure to invite lots of friends who bring lots of drinks!
Saturday Night go out:
Summer on the “Roof”:
10:30pm
B-B-Q & Bar
Live musical performances: Remedy and Holler Band and more!
Fireworks at midnight
Location: 37 Pe’er Kening (Talpiot, across from the Hadar mall)
Tickets cost NIS 80, but if you reserve them before then it’s NIS 60! There are also special group prices. For more info or to order tickets call Gita at 052-562-4488 or Assaf at 054-396-0799
Get Started Early: July 1, 2009
Starting at 3pm
AACI’s Independence Day Celebrations
Schedule of Events:
2:30pm Grand Opening:
Exhibitions, hot dogs & refreshments for sale, tickets for movies on sale, music, AACI table selling raffle tickets and tickets to Roy Zaltsman performance, Chinese Auction and more!
3:00pm Screening of It Happened One Night, Screening for Children of Chihuahua of Beverly Hills
5:00pm Screening of Fargo, Screening for Children of Aliens vs. Monsters
7:00pm Live Performance of Roy Zaltsman Special Telepathy Show, Screening for Children of Hotel for Dogs
7:45pm AACI Hai Society Reception (by invitation only)
8:45pm Greetings
9:00pm Israel’s Premiere Screening of Public Enemies
Movies/Show NIS 28 each (Special Reduced Price)
To Order Tickets Online go to: www.jer-cin.org.il/Default.aspx?Lang=En
For Directions go to: tickets.jer-cin.org.il/Cinematheque/Getting%20Here…
Hotdogs for Sale! -Kosher-
Apple Pie/Brownies
Chocolate Chip Cookies for Sale!
Saidels Bakery & Herby’s Bakeshop
Location: Jerusalem Cinemateque 11 Hebron St. For more information about the celebration, call 02-561-7151
Beware of Craigslist Jerusalem West Africa Scam
My blood is boiling right now. And not because it’s a hot Israeli summer day without air conditioning. I am in apartment hunting mode – and I really mean hunting – vest, rifle, and all. I search at least 10 apartment websites every day and am desperate to find a good deal before someone else does. One of the sites I check is Craiglist and I saw a listing for ILS 2000 for a fully furnished 1 bedroom apartment on King George st. The pictures attached looked a little too stock photography/hotel – esque but when you’re desparately apartment hunting in Jerusalem and you see a deal like that, you can’t look away. I emailed the person who posted the ad asking about seeing the apartment and here’s what they wrote back: ["Stefano" dolphinbaby11@gmail.com]
Hi,
thanks for the message. I attached all the pics i have of the
apartment to show that it is fully furnished. I will be renting this
55sqm apartment out for 2000 ILS per month, all bills inclusive.The
apartment is located in the center of Jerusalem on “Hamalech George”
(King George), just three minutes away from “Ben Yehuda st”, two
minutes from the “Beit Hakneset Hagadol” and twenty minutes from “The
Kotel” (The Western Wall). Near Transportation, Shopping, SynagogueI am renting this apartment out because i am presently out of
Jerusalem, but you can reach me on 002348053001972. We can further
discuss details on phone. I am a volunteer for Anti-HIV campaign
programs in West Africa. I really hope that you will take good care of the apartment.
The utilities in the house are maintained from the rent. It is a
private apartment,all for you.The apartment was furnished to my taste and that is why i want you to
take good care of it as if it were yours. You can be rest assured that
the apartment will be available for your desired duration of stay if
you make a deposit payment now because i am not in town and will not
be there anytime soon. I did not entrust the apartment in the care of
any agent or anyone. The keys of the apartment are here with me.I will send you the keys and documents of the house once you make an
initial deposit.If you are interested in renting the house,i will send
you the application form so that i can have and verify your
information before renting out the apartment to you.Regards,
Stefano.
After telling a few people about the Craigslist listing, my suspicions were confirmed with people telling me they knew someone who fell for this scam, sent a month’s deposit, and never heard from the guy again. So, I looked in Google for “west africa craigslist scam” and sure enough found tons of people warning others not to fall for the scam.
As if this weren’t enough, I had also emailed another listing on Craiglist that had a fully furnished 2 bedroom apartment in Old Katamon. Surely enough, the guy wrote me about his family being in West Africa and when I sent a follow up email demanding to see the apartment first, he sent me the following: (notice that he says the apartment is on Kanfei Nesharim which is in Givat Shaul, not Old Katamon, and not even close):
The cost of the apartment per month ILS2000
the full address of the apartment is :kanfei nesharim street 20 jerusalem,israel youcan go there and see the place yourself and i am quite sure you will like the environment because it is very secured and safe.here is my cell phone number+2347064945797 contact me as soon as possible to know the lastest development so that i know when to contact my Lawyer and start to prepare the paperwork and then later Dhl the keys to the apartment to you after the deposit of the first month rent.Hope to hear from you soon..-JOHN DAVIES [revjohn44@gmail.com]
So please, please, warn others about this scam so that this guy does not get away with it!!
Here are some other links I found about the West Africa apartment scam:
- List of fake names and email addresses used on Craigslist
- Go West Africa – Craigs List Scam
- Craigslist Rental Scam
- Craigslist had a house for rent – owner claims be in West Africa
Freedom of Speech: Israel Isn’t Iran or is it?
It’s in the news, it’s on twitter and even CNN is using Youtube to get their information about the latest and breaking news in Iran as their citizens battle for freedom of speech and right to fair elections continues. But here in Israel news of freedom of speech being denied doesn’t seem to make the headlines around the world, on social media or even in Israel’s own media.
Last week Islamic Movement Northern Branch Leader Sheikh Raed Salah was finally granted permission to speak at Haifa University. Sheikh Salah is an Arab-Israeli and the former mayor of Umm el-Fahm. He was imprisoned for two years in 2003 for raising millions for Hamas and in 2007 he organized riots against an archeological dig and a new pedestrian bridge near the Temple Mount.
Sheikh Raed Salah
Despite his track record Haifa University allowed Sheikh Salah to speak on campus. This sounds like freedom of speech. Point one goes to Israel. But who was allowed to attend the speech, not Jews. In a Jewish State at a Government Educational Institution, Jews were forbidden and denied access to participate in the discussion. Point one removed from Israel and add a negative thousand.
Sheikh Salah told Arab students to sacrifice themselves as shahids in the war against Israel. He claimed that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu plans to dig tunnels under the al-Aksa mosque and replace it with a Jewish Temple and added that “We will not compromise on our principles or holy sites. We prefer to die as shahids and will welcome death joyfully.” This prompted chants of “Allahu Akbar (God is Great).
Meanwhile the lecture — if you would like to call it that— went on with cheers as Sheikh Salah’s incited hate, Jewish students gathered outside reciting “this isn’t Teheran.” They were not let in and instead clashed with Israeli police. Apparently freedom of speech is a one-way road.
Let me ask you this: If there had been an Israeli right-wing extremist that wanted to speak on campus would Israel allow him to do so? Would Israel ban Arabs from going? And if so, would that make the news?
Link to Sheikh Read Salah’s speech - YoutTube
A New Taste of the Jerusalem Food Scene
I tend to use this blog as place to rant and rage about the frustrations of daily life in Israel. Whether it’s dealing with the special customer service providers, crying about bureaucratic offices or sulking over lack of food choice in Jerusalem, it’s normally me and not my skinny friend and co-blogger Rebecca who uses this as a forum for complaint.
But today the only tears you will find are those of great joy. What could make me feel this way? Did I hear you say food? That’s right, I’m giving you two reasons to put the frustration aside and literally eat up the good news.
Reason #1: The Ye Old English Tea Room
Friends, the Ye Old English Tea Room is not only a super cute café, but more importantly they serve pancakes, French toast and real maple syrup. If you close your eyes you can actually imagine you are having brunch on a real Sunday, 
even if they only serve breakfast on Friday. The rest of their menu has a more classical English style taste, but everything is very fresh and only cooked after you order it.
I have been there twice and walked away happy each time. The first time I ordered a sandwich sampler and then shared my plate with my friends who had ordered equally delicious items from cranberry breads and scones to traditional potato pies. They also have traditional teas and tomato juice (that they bring with Tabasco 
sauce, Worchester sauce and salt and pepper- a meal in itself).
My second trip was a Friday so naturally I chose to have pancakes and skinny friend and co-blooger Rebecca had French toast. We both enjoyed the meal practically licking the plate (well maybe that was just me). The meals cost around NIS 45-55, so if you are two people you will spend around NIS 100- that’s not too bad! And of course I have added a link to an Eluna 10% discount coupon for all us shekel pinchers!
I said it earlier, but the café is beautifully designed, with lots of light, exquisite colors and decorative furniture, not to mention a little play house for the kids. And you’ll also find a guest book where you can add suggestions. What did I say: I asked that there be a bottomless pot of coffee that comes with a breakfast meal and that of course the breakfast meal should be served daily!
Click here to get your 10% coupon
Reason #2: Rumor has it Mexican food is coming our way!
If you recall, in an earlier post about the lack of Mexican food, I pooped my pants over the deficit of any real salsa to be found across Jerusalem. The post generated other angry citizens that too were frustrated with the burrito-less city — but break out the tamales because Mexican is making a comeback! According to a comment on the post, Benyamin 
writes: Good News! Long time Israel resident and Canadian guy ‘Mike’ (formerly of Mike’s Place – not the founder) has opened ‘Mike’s Kitchen’ in association with Yankee’s Bar near Zion Square. So why is this good news? Because he is developing a menu that includes some Mexican favorites and this former Angelino is assisting him. While the menu is a bit on the eclectic side, the Mexican dishes will be authentic Los Angeles taquiera style food. You know, Sonora with the L.A. touch!”
Don’t let the tears drip on the computer keys, but take it all in. The restaurant is set to open at the end of June, just in time for summer burritos every day of the week! Benyamin later wrote he hopes to add his own, “personal enchiladas, hand-made frijoles and tortilla chips with red and avocado salsas,” for the big opening day. Benyamin, tell us where and when and we will be there, drooling and ready!
CNN World Report: Jerusalem’s YMCA Preschool
This week my piece for Israel21C on Jerusalem’s YMCA Preschool was on CNN World Report. It starts around 9 minutes. I love this show because it takes news stories from around the world to show what’s going on in those countries, as opposed to what the media thinks is most relevant in those places.
