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VOL. 5 #189

• OCTOBER 6, 2014 • ‫י"ב תשרי תשע"ה‬

SUKKOT REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE

WORLDWIDE SHABBOS PROJECT

30,427

HAPPY WEEKLY READERS :)

Chol HaMoed Doings

Liking Your Landlord Home Make-Overs from a Pro how to draw with devorah benedict

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#189 VOL. 5

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• ‫תשע"ה‬ 3, 2014

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HOSTING DO’S AND DON’T’S

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Managing Editor Varda Branfman printeR

Distribution Kobi Hafatzot Contributing Writers Dr. Miriam Adahan, Rabbi Alon Bruckenstein, Meira Cantor, Chava Dumas, Rabbi Issamar Ginzberg, Rose Jacobson, Rabbi Dovid Kaplan, Vardah Littman, Daniel Meijers, Nesanel Safran, Elya Stromberg, Roland Teichholz, Yael Tusk, Tzirel Chana, Nechama Wachsman Publisher The English Update Office: 02 801-8001 Fax: 02 628-3283 POB 57157 Jerusalem 91576 Advertising Department: ads@teu.co.il Mazal Tovs and Classifieds: buzz@teu.co.il Deadline: Monday 12 pm Visit us online: www.teu.co.il THE ENGLISH UPDATE is not responsible for the content or reliability of the articles, advertisements, book reviews, or other material, nor the kashrus of products or services. All political advertisements are the responsibility of and sponsored by the political parties represented.

GI VIN G

SHAB T PROJEC

OF LD HE WOR

Dear Readers,

ccasionally on Shabbos, a car will make a wrong turn off the highway and end up in our neighborhood which is closed to traffic on that holy day of the week. I’ve observed the alarmed face of the driver when he realizes his mistake and quickly makes a U-turn to escape as if we are going to hunt him down. I watch him hit the accelerator and speed back to his former reality with its illusion that Shabbos is simply a day like any other and has no special distinction, except for providing a much needed vacation from work. When I see a car like that which has wandered off course (to a place that is really “on course”), my first instinct is to invite the driver and passengers to enter our Shabbos reality. Those who have never experienced a real Shabbos don’t know what they are missing. They don’t know about the priceless inheritance just sitting in the bank vault waiting for them to claim. Last year, Parshas Lech Lecha, in South Africa, the entire Jewish community did what I dreamed of doing—they “stopped that car” and reached out to share the gift of Shabbos with those Jewish passengers. They united in an ambitious project, complete with billboard advertisements, Thursday night challah bake-ins, and Shabbos Handbooks, to give every Jewish individual and family the opportunity to have a halachic Shabbos. They offered not just a Friday night dinner but a whole, complete Shabbos from candle lighting all the way through to Havdalah. The response to South Africa’s Shabbos Project was unexpected and enormous. Approximately 75% of the Jews in South Africa kept that Shabbos, many of them for the very first time in their lives. This coming Parshas Noach, the Shabbos Project that was launched in South Africa last year will be turning into a global phenomenon-you can read about it in this week’s expanded Sukkos issue. In more than 340 cities across the globe, from Panama City to Hong Kong, from Toronto to Melbourne, including Jerusalem and other cities in Eretz Yisrael, observant families will be hosting neighbors, colleagues from work, university students, and unaffiliated Jews from all walks of life for a full, halachic Shabbos in their homes. Shabbos is a gift like no other that has the power to unite us through its beauty, pleasure, and holy taste of serenity. On that one Shabbos, Parshas Noach, we can all be sitting together as if in a sukkah that spreads across the entire world.

Wishing you a beautiful Yom Tov,

Varda Branfman THE ENGLISH UPDATE editor@teu.co.il

PLEASE NOTE...

The next issue of The English Update will come out on: October 30

CHAG SAMEACH!!

THE JEWISH WEEKLY ENGLISH MAGAZINE

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‫שעות פעילות מרפאות מאוחדת‬ ‫ברמת אשכול ובסנהדריה בחג הסוכות‬ ‫מרפאה‬

‫יום ד’‬ ‫י”ד בתשרי‬ ‫ערב חג‬ ‫‪8.10.14‬‬

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‫יום א’‬ ‫י”ח בתשרי‬ ‫חול המועד‬ ‫‪12.10.14‬‬

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‫יום ג’‬ ‫כ’ בתשרי‬ ‫חול המועד‬ ‫‪14.10.14‬‬

‫יום ד’‬ ‫כ”א בתשרי‬ ‫ערב שמחת תורה‬ ‫‪15.10.14‬‬

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VOL. 5 #188 • S E P T E M B E R 22, 2014

I am sorry to remind your readership that there are predators everywhere, no matter the kindliness of the neighborhood, or shul affiliation.

Referring to last week’s article “The Hidden World,” I was quite surprised at the naiveté of the writer, who

remembers "being warned as children about the world of strangers 'out there," but now isn't suspicious or fearful because she lives in "a world of kindness." The friendly cookie man does not worry her because he "prayed daily in our synagogue with us." I am sorry to remind your readership that there are predators everywhere, no matter the kindliness of the neighborhood, or shul affiliation. Please be careful not to publish such dangerous and unsubstantiated claims. Perhaps the magazine can feature an article about child safety. -R.S. Ms. Tusk’s cholesterol article has prompted me to respond . I am a physical organic chemist and familiar

with the basics of good research and responsible reporting. Ms. Tusk's friend heard from friends that statins might cause memory loss. She asked her doctor who never heard of the connection. I checked the insert included with each prescription. Memory loss and confusion are mentioned three separate times. The problem is with the doctor and not the pharmaceutical information. Ms. Tusk feels her friend would stay lucid until her 90s. At least 35 million people in the world today have dementia. I know many people who are affected - all of them had been 'sharp as a tack,’ and most were nowhere near statins. Cholesterol is manufactured by the body and from various foods. Lipoproteins are not cholesterol. They 'carry' the cholesterol to various parts of the body. High density lipoproteins are considered good carriers because they, unlike low density lipoproteins, do not get caught in the arteries and cause plaque. Plaques can constrict or block blood vessels leading to the heart. They can also dislodge and cause further damage such as stroke. The plaques are not solely cholesterol, but that is another topic. Ms. Tusk’s comment about brain starvation from lack of cholesterol is a vast oversimplification. Her article is filled with oversimplification, misstatements, and innuendo. I would hope that the doctors’ pledge would also apply to her, "First do no harm." The health of her readers may depend on her words. -S.A.Z.

Yael Tusk responds: I have seen innumerable patients who were suffering from side effects from their medications. But when they asked their

THE ENGLISH UPDATE

doctors, they were told it was unrelated. This was despite the fact that drug inserts listed these side effects. I encourage everyone to read package inserts before beginning to take any medication. Pharmaceutical companies acknowledge that cholesterol lowering drugs can cause memory loss and confusion. Does this fact make cognitive deterioration acceptable, should it occur? If someone taking statins begins to lose their memory, there may be other factors contributing to their memory loss (such as an overload of mercury or aluminum in the brain). It may, however, be the statins causing the problem, as the package insert warns. It is also possible that memory may improve if statins are abandoned. Finally, Hypocrates’ “first do no harm” can be perfectly applied to statins. If they can cause dementia, along with many other possible side effects, is it justifiable to prescribe them? No one needs to sacrifice their brains or vitality to prevent disease. Medicine does not have to harm in order to heal or prolong life. In light of the fact that safe, effective, and natural medicine exists, drugs with side effects are totally unnecessary. Most of us have been convinced for our whole lives that cholesterol is a disease causing substance (please see my column this week for more on the subject). It can be difficult to see it any other way. As Mark Twain so aptly put it, “It’s easier to fool people than to convince people that they’ve been fooled.” Regarding your full- length article on the heart- breaking death of the late Aharon Sofer, a”h , it would have been appropriate to mention the factors

that most likely contributed to the terrible tragedy -- in order to help minimize the chances of further tragedies in the future. We must teach our young, precious yeshiva students safety rules about hiking on a hot, summer afternoon in Israel with advice gleaned from experts about the type of clothing that should be worn (from head to toe), how much water should be taken along, and the importance of taking cell phones, even if they have to be borrowed temporarily. Apparently, United Hatzalah offers a free smartphone app that sends out a distress call and tracks the user’s location via GPS technology with one touch. It is our responsibility, as Torah Jews (and especially as rabbis) to stress and publicize these facts -- before digging deeper for other inspiring, symbolic messages. -Rabbi Yitzhak Frank, Jerusalem

SUKOT

Business

‫תשע"ה‬

The Business of Real Estate

REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE

Rabbi Issamar Ginzberg Monetized Intellect Consulting The Ba’al Eitza and Acclaimed Marketing Expert 718 971-5220 issamar@issamar.com www.issamar.com

This week’s UPDATE is focused on real estate. Having been licensed as a real estate agent in the state of New York, and having closed tens of millions of dollars in mortgage loans, I know a thing or two about real estate, baruch Hashem. And, if you count the many real estate transactions I’ve been involved in on behalf of clients, the numbers rise well above that. But wait, this is not a real estate column. Let’s try talking about real estate in the context of business. That way, we can be fair to all our readers-- the many folks here for Sukkos who are interested in real estate, and the many longtime readers who would not want this space devoted to something other than the reason they eagerly await this column every week. First on my list of different types of real estate is land. Land is an alligator. This means that when you buy land, you are buying an asset which, while its value is likely to rise over the longer term, is presently an asset that costs money each and every month in carry costs (taxes, insurance, etc.). Of course that changes when you do something with the land that makes it carry itself when the zoning allows it. Like what? Some possibilities are a parking lot for cars, a vegetable patch for planting potatoes, or using the land to build something that is not meant to make money, but is meant to provide an amount sufficient to cover you for the long term, cash flow wise, until the city grows, the zoning changes, or you are ready to do something “heavier” with the property. Here’s one reason you often see in Europe and the USA self-storage facilities dotting the landscape outside the towns (besides for the fact that we live in a society that likes to store stuff, which is a column for another week). It’s a way to have land purchased for investment and “pay its own way” for the next dozen to two dozen years with something cheap, which requires no insulation or plumbing and generates income to pay off the investment made in that land. And, the next type of real estate is real estate of the mind. Every time I open An UPDATE, HAMODIA, MISHPACHA, YATED, AMI, or any other Jewish publication, I have a big nisayon. I am bound to see anywhere from 2-25 pages of ads which tout the latest real estate projects for sale here in

THE ENGLISH UPDATE

Yerushalayim and the surrounding areas. These ads are produced by well-meaning, creative, and talented ad agencies which (almost) all share the same problem. For the most part, these ads are interchangeable. What do I mean? Ask someone else to take all the ads from this week’s paper and color over the project name with black marker. Now try to figure out which project is which. It’s harder than you think! Ads need to be direct, they need to produce trackable results, and they need to, in most cases, increase the mental real estate in the client’s mind for whatever thing they are trying to target. Every time you see this column, you ever so slightly increase the mental real estate and believability of the writer to assist you in growing your business and making more money. And that’s exactly why I write it! When you think real estate, what is the first name that comes to your mind? When you think of luxury real estate, what name comes to mind first? That company, person, or project has the best shot of having you want to go to them, but that can easily be changed by a good broker because… You are looking for something, and so you are more likely to shop around! The best time to get a client is before they’re shopping around. By the time they’re shopping around, it’s all about price for value first. If you can get them to come to you before they start looking around, you are not competing on a price basis but a service one. Thus, you are more likely to, iy”H, to bring the client what they need and do more business. Halacha tells us that only those people who own land are obligated to be oleh regel. This is because coming to Yerushalayim three times a year is even more important to those that have “roots” or real estate elsewhere. It’s a pleasure and honor to have so many guests here for the Yomim Tovim. Welcome to Yerushalayim! Harachaman hu yakim lanu es sukkas Dovid hanofeles. May we all be privileged to live here together forever with Mashiach tzidkenu, amen!

Sign up for the free weekly audio. It’s been getting rave reviews. Email englishupdate@issamar.com today and have valuable business tips sent straight to your inbox.

SUKOT

‫תשע"ה‬

REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE

SUKOT

by Elisheva Soloveitchik

‫תשע"ה‬

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFULLY RENTING OUT YOUR APARTMENT

REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE

•

There is no house just like yours, that's for sure. But they don't know it yet. If you make it too difficult for the potential renters to come and see your house, they'll just go on to the next one on their list. Be flexible with the times of showing your apartment. If it's hard for you, leave the keys with the broker. Worst case scenario: he may lose them . . . . Light and air are not luxuries, especially in Israel. Open windows, lift up shutters, and switch on electric lights. Even a stunning apartment could look dull and depressing when no natural light is coming in. You probably feel that if your apartment is on the rental market, and you want potential renters to be impressed, you have to tidy up and clean, wash the dishes, and have the house ready for Shabbos every day of the week? Surprise, surprise - it won’t hurt, but it's not that necessary. It's enough to get the entrance and living room neat (no piles of laundry to fold, no school bags on the floor, etc.) Anddon't forget! Don't leave the garbage bag behind the door… the effect of the entrance is crucial even before entering the apartment! Our kids are the cutest, but they are not part of the deal. Ideally, the house should be vacant and as few people around as possible. As is, people don't feel that comfortable walking into your bedroom, bathrooms, and your kishkas. They would feel better if you don’t walk behind them explaining where the kitchen or the bathrooms are (trust me, they would guess themselves). Make the house available for them to wander around.

THE ENGLISH UPDATE

• Yes, they are strangers. Although they might rent your place, and you might be really good friends one day, they are not part of the family. A good idea would be to remove personal family pictures from the wall. Very personal items around the house could make it difficult for them to connect to your house and to "feel at home." •

Make them feel they are welcome visitors. Cool the house for them in the summer. Offer drinks. Create a good smell – baking cinnamon cake in the oven would do the job. Make it a pleasant visit, but don't forget they didn't come to keep your company! Let them leave as soon as they are done getting all the information they are asking for.

•

One of the specifications for a good rental is "a great landlord." Make sure to fit the bill! Don't make a fuss out of little things to fix or add to the apartment, be flexible with their requests, come towards them. When it comes to young renters, especially when they are far away from home, they will appreciate a great landlord no less than a renovated kitchen!

•

And last but not least – take advantage of the service of a professional broker. The common custom here is that only the renters pay a broker's fee and not the owner. Enjoy your advantage and get professional help.

Construction is underway! Fully bank guaranteed

NO PRESSURE TO SE LL! You give a down payme nt now & pay the rest when you move in!

CALL NOW- Nati: 052 421-3333 | Shraga: 050 234-2000 | OFFICE 02 659-5500 / gesher6@012.net.il

‫תשע"ה‬

Har Nof Park

SUKOT

YOUR DREAM APARTMENT IN CENTRAL HAR NOF’S LAST BUILDING PROJECT

REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE

WITH A SUKKAH PORCH LIKE THIS, HOW MANY GUESTS CAN YOU INVITE?

SUKOT

Achiya Navon

‫תשע"ה‬ REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE

Is renting an apartment easy? Well, it depends who you ask. Everyone has different things that are important to them. Some people prefer a quiet apartment with a large, private garden, while others prefer a smaller apartment with a central location. In addition to personal preferences, there are some general rules which apply to everyone. What is important and what should you be aware of when renting an apartment? The Apartment 1)Look at the apartment several times at different hours of the day. At least one time should be during the daytime so that you will know about the noise level in the area, whether the apartment gets enough natural light and also be able to see its physical condition both on the inside and outside. Try to meet and speak with a neighbor and gain information. Remember that an apartment with a northern exposure will have less natural light, but will also be more comfortable during warmer months. An apartment with a southern exposure will have more sun all year round and also absorb more heat. 2) What is being left in the apartment must be made clear. This includes appliances, air conditioning units, water heating systems, etc. It also has to be made clear who is responsible if something should break. It is important to know who is responsible for repairs and for what duration of time. Sometimes something breaks (air conditioner, hot water heater) that seems a lot more important to the tenant than the owner. An owner is obligated to fix the things that he has agreed to be responsible for within a reasonable amount of time, which in this case, is considered 48 hours from the time of notification. It is important to stipulate in your contract that if the repair is not made within a reasonable amount of time, the tenant is allowed to call his own repair service and present the bill to the owner. 3) It is very advisable to photograph the apartment before you move in. This is to prevent the landlord from claiming that you caused damage that was already there. 4) Find out how much the Vaad Bayit payments are. There could be a lot of surprises here. Sometimes the

THE ENGLISH UPDATE

Vaad Bayit payments cover some major costs that should really be paid by the landlord. Find out. This includes general improvements to the building – i.e. new roof, changing of plumbing pipes. The Lease 5) Exactly what is covered by your rent should be very clear. Sometimes rent is just rent. But, other times, it could include Vaad Bayit, municipal taxes or utilities. 6) It is important to have clear provisions about what happens should you want to terminate your lease before the time or if you will decide to extend it. Generally, the owner may expect you to find someone to take over the apartment if you leave before your lease is up. The issue of how much advance notice must be given should also be made clear. 7) Provisions should also be made to allow you to remain in the apartment until your lease is up, even if the owner should sell the apartment. If the tenant is not allowed to remain in the apartment, he should be compensated. 8) The lease should make it clear when the owner is allowed to enter the apartment. The owner should not be allowed to enter the apartment without consent of the tenant. 9) The owner should not make major renovations while the tenant is living in the apartment. Warnings 10) It is important to make sure that the person renting the apartment to you is actually the rightful legal owner. It is possible to check this out by looking up the “tabu” on the Ministry of Justice website. 11) Never give the landlord ‘open’ checks. If you have to give ‘head checks,” write in the specific sum. Make sure to write on the check “for the beneficiary only.” 12) Be aware that writing “FOR SECURITY ONLY” does not prevent a security check from being depositied! Stipulate in your lease that the landlord may not use your security check without informing you first. Make sure your security check is returned to you when you move out. Many landlords will look for excuses to cash these checks.

‫‪ front‬פרונט‬

‫‪REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE‬‬

‫בין רמת שלמה ורמות‪ ,‬בסמוך לעורקי התחבורה המרכזיים ומרכזי המסחר‬ ‫והעסקים‪ .‬מול נוף בראשית עוצר נשימה ובצמוד לשכונה שקטה ופסטורלית‪.‬‬ ‫כאן נבנית שכונת היוקרה החדשה של ירושלים‪ ,‬שכונה חלומית המשלבת‬ ‫תרבות עשירה יחד עם איכות חיים וחיי קהילה תוססים‪ .‬הבנייה מתבצעת ברמה‬ ‫הגבוהה ביותר על ידי חברת זורייבין ‪ ISA‬הבונה את העתיד של ירושלים‪.‬‬

‫בואו לממש חלום ישן של בית משלכם במצפה רמות‪.‬‬ ‫השכונה החדשה של ירושלים‪.‬‬

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‫‪1-700-504420‬‬

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‫ההדמיות להמחשה בלבד!‬

‫איכות חיים‬ ‫שלא ידעה ירושלים‬

SUKOT

by C B

‫תשע"ה‬

Despite Housing Crisis and Economy: Israeli Construction Standards Break Records The standards are led by the Nofei Israel company in the Ramat Givat Zeev project which combines highly invested development and excellent schools

REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE

The housing crisis in Israel and the economy do not seem to be having an effect on the building standards in the country: standards appear to be breaking records even compared to other countries. The prices of housing in Israel continue to spike, and it is ranked in the top five countries in the world on a scale of price per meter. The demand for apartments in Israel spans Jewish communities all over the world, in part because of rising anti-Semitism, which has galvanized thousands who can afford it to realize their dream of purchasing a home in Israel and making aliyah. The high demands are affected not only by the wave of foreign investors, but also because of the high birth rate in Israel, which creates a tremendous shortage of apartments and a constant rise in prices. Add to that the current standstill of new housing starts, and you have a situation where prices are skyrocketing. And despite all the difficulties involved in purchasing an apartment in Israel, and despite the high price per meter, people from abroad as well as those seeking to improve their housing situation in Israel insist on the highest standards of quality for their apartments. The company that leads the pack in these standards is Nofei Israel, which has turned the Ramat Givat Zeev neighborhood into the Caesaria of Jerusalem as regards the luxurious standards of the apartments and homes and the surrounding development. Ramat Givat Zeev has set new standards for the

THE ENGLISH UPDATE

term quality of life. Aside for the massive development investment, which includes wide roads, green parks, elegant fountains, tennis courts, a country club and more, the developers have set a new trend for schools in the neighborhood, and plan to have all the schools housed in spacious, fully constructed buildings, and directed by veteran chinuch personality Rabbi Eli Paley. The combination between the excellent education and the quality of life, at the highest level of development investment seen in Israel, has generated an exceptionally high demand. Even before construction has begun, 65 percent of the project has been sold, an unprecedented rate of sales for a new neighborhood. Real estate experts predict that once the neighborhood is populated, the prices will rise even higher, because there is no such neighborhood, and many buyers will be ready to pay any price to be able to live there. It is expected to exceed even the luxury neighborhoods in Jerusalem in quality and living standards. Ramat Givat Zeev is the flagship project of Nofei Israel, which leads in the real estate field with a solid record of creating housing solutions for the Orthodox communities in Israel. The neighborhood offers varied housing options, including some 150 private homes, with individualized floor plans, and two family cottages, as well as 250 large apartments. It should be noted that most of the private lots have been sold, and marketing of the apartments is in full swing.

REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE

‫תשע"ה‬

www.HandymanTzvi.com

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‫תשע"ה‬ REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE

An inside look at Israeli real estate prices

THE ENGLISH UPDATE

by Shia Getter

ESTIMATED # MONTHS THAT THE SUPPLY WILL LAST

em es

ev a Sh

ta n

hk el

Ti h

Pe t

0 Ha ifa

0 ya

ho vo t

kv a

Av i

Let’s look at the numbers: The year 2013 began with approximately 21,000 new homes available nationwide. The first half of that year, these homes sold

135

Insufficient construction

Te l

Long delays from approval until construction begins

Dwindling supply of apartments

180

WHY IS REAL ESTATE ALWAYS ON A NATURAL RISE IN ISRAEL?

# UNITS SOLD PER MONTH

Inflation index

Booming population growth

Government tax revenue

Shortage of available land

at a stunning pace of 2,040 per month. Simple analysis states that unless residential construction picks up – and fast, the supply of new homes in Israel should be depleted within ten months. The situation in Jerusalem is slightly less grim, with the reserve supply of apartments predicted to last about a year and a half. However with an average of 153 new apartments sold monthly, Jerusalem also tops the chart of the nation’s housing sales.

SUPPLY VERSUS DEMAND The amount of residential units in Israel consistently lags behind the ever-growing number of households. Simply put, housing supply never meets demand.

# UNITS SOLD PER MONTH (2040 units Nationwide)

ESTIMATED # MONTHS THAT THE SUPPLY WILL LAST

THE INCREASING GAP BETWEEN SUPPLY AND DEMAND

REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE

In 2012, there were an estimated 2,470,000 households and only 2,369,000 apartments. The nationwide housing shortage was computed at a whopping 101,000 apartments. Take a leap to the year 2035. Based on trends and data analyzed in August 2013, the Central Bureau of Statistics estimates that about a million more Israeli households will have emerged by then. So if the next twenty years continue along the same graph as the last twenty years, a staggering shortage of 111,000 units will be reached. Unless construction in Israel shifts into turbo, it’s quite clear that the gap between need and availability will only get wider. The government’s housing program approved a yearly construction volume of between 40,000 to 45,000 units. Yet according to CBS’s estimates of a million more households in Israel by 2035, at least 50,000 new housing units must be constructed annually in order to cover the shortage and ensure a surplus supply of apartments nationwide.

Does the Government Want Prices to Drop?

oCTOBER 3, 2014

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‫תשע"ה‬

The Israeli government has aimed a number of new policies at lowering housing costs. However, it seems that the State may not actually be so interested in lowering the prices. After all, don’t they know what the rest of us know, that the only way to lower prices in Israel is to increase supply to meet demand? But the ILA is trying to protect the income it makes on land sales, which is why all its attempts thus far have hardly affected the State coffer. In a study done by Madlan and published by Calcalist a few months ago, the

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‫תשע"ה‬ REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE

State canceled tenders for over 1,000 apartments in 2013 because the offers were too low. They continue to cancel land tenders for this reason this year. If they don’t receive a tender at their minimum price, their policy is to put that land on hold, then a few months later adjust the minimum price to match more recent sale prices of parallel projects, and look for a contractor who will pay that slightly higher price. This puts land that is ready for construction in bureaucratic stall and ends up offering the apartments to the public at a higher price. For example, four lots in Tirat Carmel near Haifa were up for tender in January 2013. On one lots, the highest bid was NIS 125,000 per unit, which was NIS 3,000 lower than minimum. According to Madlan, that lot stalled for six months before it was put up again. This time it was sold for NIS 132,000 per unit. The State’s not accepting the initial price caused a sixmonth stall and a mark-up of NIS 7,000.

New policies Minister of Finance Yair Lapid’s law proposal – granting a VAT free benefit to certain first-time home owners – is supposed to be the beginning of a solution. However the government is still arguing about whether the available supply is enough to allow for the plan, as 0% VAT would ultimately increase demand. Value Added Tax in Israel is 18% and is added to many products and services, including construction materials and a finished home sold by a developer company. When buying a home, the VAT is included in the final price quoted to the buyer, so cutting out that tax would translate into a 15.5% reduction from the final market price, for buyers who meet the criteria. The plan is controversial, but many are hopeful that it will positively affect the market. A price control program proposed this past March is being considered in parallel. This “target price” plan would sell certain apartments at a regulated price, about 15% below market average. The program would award land development contracts to builders who guarantee to sell their homes at 80% of market price without compromising on quality. This is a form of target costing, where the final price is decided on in advance. The materials must be standard in order for the apartments to qualify, and therefore one of the only variables which

THE ENGLISH UPDATE

can be lowered in order to create these thousands of affordable units is the bidding price. In other words, the ILA would be finally agreeing to lower their land income under these standardized conditions that ensure that the buyers will be the ones to benefit.

Legislation keeps demand rising, without enough supply How far the government is willing to go to lower prices is yet to be seen; meanwhile, the process is taking a number of months, as the plan is still attracting legitimate criticism. Meanwhile, the real estate market faces an unusual stall, as buyers who are or may be eligible for the benefit sit and wait. The benefit targets young couples with at least one child, or individuals over thirty-five, who have done army service and have not owned a home since 1995. None of these potential candidates are going to buy right now when they could wait and save 15.5%. Contractors are likewise waiting with their unbuilt projects until regulations are finalized. These months of not knowing exactly what the criteria are and which apartments will qualify, may hold up the construction industry by 20% – meaning that by the time the law begins to apply – if that happens this winter – the market will have held off on the building of 8,000 units. What this means, aside from the temporary loss of income to contractors and real estate professionals, is that when these plans do go into effect, the market will be completely saturated. In its natural state, real estate in central Israel suffers from a supply shortage. After months of stalled building and 20% less buyers, all those people who were waiting to buy, and many more, will jump on those discounted apartments, and there will be nowhere near enough. And what happens when demand hugely outpaces supply? Prices increase yet again. Shia Getter is the CEO of The Getter Group, a full-range real estate services firm in Jerusalem catering to the Anglo investor. He is a noted expert, columnist, and the author of “Everything You Need to Know about Buying Real Estate in Israel.” He and his professional team manage many upscale Jerusalem properties and have helped countless people buy, sell, and renovate property in Israel. Contact mail@thegettergroup.com for further information.

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Join Matityahu and design your private home today! For more information, contact +972-54-438-5090 or email: Klita@Matityahu.org

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Feel at home in our vibrant Torah community

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by Daniella Simone

‫תשע"ה‬

FEEL AT HOME: An Exclusive, American-Style Torah Community Opens Up to New Members Moshav Matityahu is adding 50 new private family homes

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In the pastoral hills of Central Israel, Moshav Matityahu is expanding, seeking to welcome 50 new families into its flourishing Torah community. As part of the "New Matityahu," the exclusive project is tailored to religious English-speaking families planning for a future aliyah date and those seeking to relocate from within Israel. Nearly half of the homes in the new neighborhood already have been sold. Since 1981, Moshav Matityahu has provided the perfect blend of ingredients for an excellent quality of life: an emphasis on Torah, a beautiful and ideal location, and a calm, family-focused atmosphere. Of the 120 families currently living on the moshav, many are from North America. Moshav Matityahu is a unified community centered upon a Torah-driven and family-centered life. Rabbi Zev Leff shlit’a infuses the community with Torah and inspiration. There are frequent shiurim, both in English and Hebrew, and a variety of other religious services, plus activities geared for new olim. The synergy of rural and urban living, Moshav Matityahu sits in the perfect location – adjacent to Modi'in Illit (Kiryat Sefer) yet secluded in a luscious green landscape. As a blossoming Charedi city, Modi'in Illit grants residents of Moshav Matityahu easy access to grocery shopping, health care clinics, hundreds of schools and yeshivas, and other urban facilities. All amenities are in walking distance from the moshav. Modi'in is a short drive away, offering a modern shopping mall, train station, restaurants and more. In addition, Moshav Matityahu sits halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, with frequent public transportation available

to many destinations. Many community members seek employment in both regions of Israel because of the central location. Gated off from the big city of Modi'in Illit, the moshav itself has numerous parks, allowing residents to breathe the fresh country air. With a focus on raising healthy religious families, moshav members enjoy a calm, secluded setting yet live with the maximized comforts of having all the amenities of a city nearby. Moshav Matityahu is a vibrant community in an ideal location, giving religious families seeking an American lifestyle in Israel all they could ever need. In Israel, there is no other place with so many amenities for Torah observant families.

The New Project New residents have the unique opportunity to own a spacious, private home with garden space and gorgeous views of the surrounding landscapes. In the new project, buyers can own seven-bedroom homes, built according to high standards and fully optimized for individual needs. In addition to the new homes, the expansion includes a brand new swimming pool, sports fields, kindergartens and a new synagogue. At a later stage of the development, an industrial business zone will be added to provide more commercial space for residents. Moshav Matityahu continues to grow into a prime destination for religious families. Interested families are encouraged to apply. For more information, contact Moshav Matityahu at +972-8-914-4777 or +972-54-438-5090

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REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE

Magnificent Luxurious Villa | Top Location 500 sq/m over 600 sq/m | Very High Standard New! Modern! Spacious! | Elevator | Swimming pool

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by Yaakov Chetzroni.

‫תשע"ה‬ REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE

Community and Profit in Business Loans Israel is suffering from a credit crunch. A large number of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are vying for business loans that the major banks cannot supply. The banking system, comprised of large and heavily-regulated banks, is tilted towards the largest of Israeli companies, and is often accused of under-supplying credit to small businesses. SMEs are considered a major engine of economic growth and employment, yet most have difficulties in securing business loans even for profitable ventures. The problem stems from the heavy-handed regulation with which the major banks contend, as well as the tendency of large financial institutions to self-regulate via clear-cut categories according to which they operate – at the expense of being able to adapt to the differing circumstances each SME contends with. The result is known as a “credit crunch” – good businesses unable to secure loans that would allow them to invest in widening their reach, expanding their market, and creating growth. On the other side of the market, many small investors and members of the public find themselves with money in the bank – but little profit to show for it. Bank deposits are notorious for their low returns, despite the fact that they are the major source of funds eventually funneled towards loans and investments from which the banks profit handsomely. BTB – Be The Bank, entered this arena in order to make a difference, and allow the small businesses to interact directly with the small investors, creating profit for both. SMEs with stable businesses and verifiable growth opportunities can apply for loans, after being screened by analysts from Dun and Bradstreet and BTB’s internal credit committee. Each loan is individually assessed, and if approved,

THE ENGLISH UPDATE

granted a credit rating and appropriate interest rate. On the other side of the market, investors choose an amount they wish to invest, which is then distributed by BTB between the different available loans, all of which satisfied exacting scrutiny of internal and external analysts. The investment is diversified by separating it into small amounts, with each going into a different loan, so that each investor is eventually lending to many different pre-approved businesses. The result allows SMEs access to credit, while creating high returns and low risk for the investor. Returns average between 5-12% annually, and diversification (as well as internal and external credit ratings) reduce risk to create a high-yield low-risk investment. BTB allows both sides of the market to prosper, while solving a social and economic problem. Highend professionalism combines with communitybased funding, to create an opportunity for all. Businesses are allowed the credit necessary for growth, while investors are allowed the returns they deserve. Good for the economy and good for the individuals involved, BTB is the next step in community-based funding. All operations are audited by Fahn Kanne Grant Thornton, and the strategic partnership with Dun and Bradstreet adds quality and reduces risk for all involved. BTB’s prestigious board of directors includes experts from all aspects of financial industry and regulation, ensuring a business opportunity that is profitable, safe, and socially responsible. Religious investors are invited to view BTB’s heter iska and all are invited to our website (www.btbisrael.co.il) and telephone operators (050-510-0105) for further details. Help us help businesses grow and the economy prosper!

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BUYER’S BROKERAGE comprehensive property buyers assistance.

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by Tzvi Herskowitz

‫תשע"ה‬ REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE

TEN TIPS TO HELP YOU GET THOSE RENOVATIONS DONE RIGHT Thinking of doing that long awaited renovation on a room or an entire house? You just bought an apartment and want to redo it from under the floor to the ceiling? Here we have put together a couple of useful tips that will, hopefully, help you do it best and may save you aggravation down the line. Budgeting: Whatever you plan for the cost, generally it will turn out being between 5% and 15% more. There will always be items you need, additions you forgot to include in the contract, and a contractor who wants more money, etc., so make sure you have money on the side to cover the extra expenses.

Interior Designer: How important is it to take an interior designer? The answer is “VERY, VERY!” An Interior designer will help you make the best use of the space provided, and the more experienced the interior designer, the more useful tips and ideas you can get. This holds true whether you are redoing an entire apartment or just the bathroom.

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Research: Research products, visit friends who renovated, visit stores, get ideas, and look around. It’s worth a delay to get the best products at the best prices.

Use ONE Contractor for the entire project: I recently joined a team on a project after the shell was built. The owner had been offered a cheap price to build the shell and he took the offer. Later, the interior contractor did his work. Along came winter and the accompanying problems-- leaks, condensation, etc. So he called contractor #1 who said “not me!” Contractor #2 also said “not me!” From my experience, the chances are that the contractor who built the shell was to blame, but how do you go prove it?

As this story illustrates, it may seem cheaper to use two contractors, but the savings very often turn out to be big losses. If you use one contractor, he is responsible for any problems that will arise.

Insurance: Contracting insurance can get expensive (yes, there does exist such a thing), especially on bigger/longer jobs. Not having insurance can turn out to be many times more expensive. You may have heard the story, about a year ago, about a yungerman who was walking to the local makolet with two children. Two stories above the entrance, “someone” was adding to an existing building when a piece of Yerushalmi stone came loose, fell, and hit the yungerman and his child, seriously injuring both of them. Luckily, for all parties concerned, the

BNEI TORAH COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION IN JERUSALEM under the guidance of

Rabbi Yisrael Goelman shlita Rav – Shaarei Tevunah Community Ramot Aleph We hereby announce that due to the great demand for affordable apartments in the Jerusalem area, we are forming an acquisition group to build on land that has been purchased in the Ramot Aleph neighborhood. It is our goal to create a new high quality of life Torah community.

02 570-2079 Call for appointment.

‫תשע"ה‬

Registration will take place at: 31 Malchei Yisrael

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This project will be managed by the Diyur L’Maaseh Group (successful developers of a project in Givat Zev). Legal accompaniment will be provided by the ofces of Attorney Ron Gazit Rottenberg & Company.

REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE

HADAR RAMOT

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‫תשע"ה‬

“someone” had taken out his own

Kitchen: What types of wood will

not worth saving money, even if the

policy and was covered for what

he by using? What sinks? Taps? What

contractor tells you there is no need

happened.

hinges? What company will he use

for them.

REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE

Insurance is the responsibility of

for the accessories? BLUM is the

Remember: If things go wrong, the

the contractor. Make sure he signs

most popular, but is this what you

contractor will probably be too busy

a paper to the effect that he has all

paid for?

to speak to you.

Having a pre -agreed arbitrator:

Taking a personal supervisor and project manager:

the necessary insurance; it should be included in the contract. You can also take out your own additional policy for added coverage.

This should be a part of the contract and can save hours (months)

Contract:

of heartache and expense. Remember

Yes, make sure you have an

a contract is a legal document and

itemized contract. Write as much as you can, take a receipt for any money that changes hands, and make sure you know and understand what is written. If you need to, pay someone to help you prepare the contract-- it will always be money well spent. Here are some examples of why the contract is so vital. Floor tiles: The contractor offered to buy them for you. He will most likely buy the cheapest ones, and they can be as low as 30 shekels/sq. meter, not the 250 shekels ones you envisaged in your salon. He was offering 40/40 in the entire house, and you always dreamed of 80/80. Sweet dreams, because if it’s not in

binding.

who has zero experience to be in the

When I need to order some work

house while the work is being done.

and I may not be familiar with

This will ensure better work once the

the price, I will try to always bring

contractor knows that someone is

three contractors to give a price.

watching his back.

The cheapest is usually exactly that.

Taking a personal supervisor

The most expensive may be trying

has the benefit of having another

to take you for a ride. Try going for

experienced opinion on your team

the middle price or at least use it as

and can help you manage your

a reference. However, be fair: Don’t call a contractor to give you a price if you have no intention of using him. His time costs him money, and he comes to give you a quote because he wants the job.

DON’T, it’s just not worth it. There

pipes on the market today, and he will

are legal standards that the contractor

go for the cheapest. “It works, right?”

should be liable for. Don’t try to cut

But you may find it worth investing a

corners, because there are generally

little more and getting better quality.

good reasons for the standards. It’s

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Plumbing: There are many types of

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Cutting corners:

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THE ENGLISH UPDATE

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REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE

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by Avner Slater, Esq.

The

‫תשע"ה‬

Gift Of

REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE

ne of the greatest fears of property owners in the United States is inheritance tax. To avoid this tax, they will go to great lengths and pay a lot of money in legal fees in order to have all their assets transferred into trusts. Here in Eretz Yisrael we don't have to worry about that, not only because most of us don't have any assets to worry about… but also because there is no inheritance tax. That said, I do recommend writing a will, in which you can give instructions regarding your assets after your passing to the world of truth. We've discussed wills in detail in a previous article, so I will just add that although there are no taxes when receiving property by inheritance, there are tax ramifications to consider when selling that same property (by the heir). Some people however, don't want to wait that long. They don't trust the system, or don't want their kids to have to go through the probate process. There is a possibility of gifting real estate. This is known as Ha'avara Le'lo Tmura, which means a transfer without compensation. If this is the route you choose, there are some things you should know. Gifts apply only to first degree relatives; however they are not all equal. When gifting real estate to a child (or other direct descendant), there is no tax to be paid by the giver. The receiver, however, will have to pay one-third of normal purchase tax. For example, if you own an apartment, and your parents gift you a second apartment, normal purchase tax on a second apartment would start at 5% (and go up according to the price of the apartment), so as the receiver of this gift, you will be charged one-third of 5%. Gifting to a parent, would be the same. When gifting to a spouse, who is living with you in the apartment being gifted, there is no tax to be paid

THE ENGLISH UPDATE

Real Estate at all, not by the giver, nor by the receiver. However, if you are not living together or not living in this apartment at all, then the law is the same as when gifting to a child—onethird of the normal purchase tax. According to the recent changes in the real estate tax law, gifting to a sibling is no longer perceived as a gift, and therefore the full purchase tax is required. This is because the tax authorities assume that most people don't gift apartments to their siblings, unless there's a hidden motive, such as tax evasion. There are exceptions to this rule—for instance, where the apartment being gifted was itself a gift or an inheritance from a parent or grandparent. With any of the above gifts there is a "cooling period," i.e., in order to make sure the point of the gift was not for the purpose of evading taxes. The receiver of the real estate must own it for four years before being able to sell it, or three years in a case where the receiver actually lived in it. Obviously, you may sell before the end of this period, but in that case, you will be required to pay the capital gains tax, that the giver would have had to pay, had he sold the apartment and not gifted it. To summarize, in general it seems that bequeathing your assets to you children (or anyone else) through a yerusha process would save you some money and therefore make more sense. However, if you'd like your beneficiaries to be able to thank you in person while you're still alive and you don't mind some purchase tax, then go ahead and give the gift. Avner Slater, LL.M. is a real estate attorney living in Ramat Eshkol. He may be reached at SlaterEsq@gmail.com, or by phone: 02-582-5210. This article is not to be considered as legal advice or opinion. For legal advice, please contact legal counsel directly.

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Enjoy social and financial benefits

Perspective

by Eliya Stromberg

The Anatomy of Change

ere is a great new year’s question: “Considering how hard it is to change, is there anything

you can do to make change easier?” Contemporary thinkers on the subject of change say: “Yes. Three things will make it easier to change” (Chip Heath and Dan Heath in their book Switch: How to change things when change is hard). They are: 1. Recognize that what you frame as a “people” problem may actually be a “situation” problem. 2. Giving up at making a change may be from “self-control exhaustion” not lack of emotional commitment or laziness. 3. Resistance to making change may result from lack of clarity about what to do.

It’s Not the People, It’s the Situation Ezra, a teenager, leaves his dirty clothes all over the house. The clothes pile up in his bedroom, they sit on Ezra’s desk, on his bed, everywhere. His mother can’t stand the mess or the smell from Ezra’s bedroom. Daniel, who shares the room with Ezra, is neat and orderly and feels frustrated by the mess. Daniel usually winds up picking up Ezra’s clothes and taking them to the laundry room. Ezra’s father has begged, bribed, and threatened Ezra, but the words don’t stick. The parents now think that Ezra has a problem: He doesn’t care about his belongings, he is inconsiderate of Daniel and he disregards what his parents tell him. They are worried that Ezra may never grow out of this inappropriate behavior. The father wants “professional” help to deal with Ezra’s “problem.” I would suggest putting a tall laundry basket in the boys’

bedroom and have Daniel challenge Ezra to “free throw” his clothes into the basket each night. If the “situation” changes, Ezra may stop having a “problem.” Very often, what you think is a “person” problem may actually be a “situation” problem. “Situation” problems are much easier to change than “people” problems.

Dealing with Control Burn - Out

Self -

Of course, change is not always so simple. Often change requires a change of heart and a change of mind. To compound the issue, the heart and mind often work against each other. A man in his mid-50s wants to reframe how he relates to a weight loss program his doctor and trainer put together for him. The doctor advised losing up to 17 kilos in addition to taking blood pressure medication. The trainer designed a program of counting calories, monitoring cardiovascular performance, weigh-ins, and selfrecorded blood pressure readings. The man knows how important it is to bring down his high blood pressure, and he knows that overeating undermines his goal. He actually likes jogging in the morning, and he understands how vital is all the data collecting he is asked to do—his mind is in total agreement with his doctor and trainer. But even with all the mental acceptance of the value of his program, he burns out. His wife tells him that he is either uncommitted emotionally or just plain lazy. His trainer tells him, “No pain, no gain.” His doctor says, “You don’t want to think about what might happen to you without the program.” I would say to him: Most behavior that a person tries to change is generally more automatic than self-supervised. You normally eat without thinking

about caloric intake, weight gain, blood pressure, and cardiovascular tradeoffs. While your weight-loss program exercises your body, it also exercises your self-control. Chip and Dan Heath in their book Switch liken the exercise of self-control to weight-lifting: With each repetition of the lift, the muscles tire, until a point is reached where a person just can’t lift another time. So too with self-control: When a person gets to a point where emotionally he feels it’s too hard, it’s no fun, I’m not good at this, he quits. His self-control has been exhausted. The bigger the amount of change required, the more demand on a person’s self-control. As the selfcontrol becomes exhausted, so does one’s mental ability to think creatively, to focus, to inhibit his impulses, and to stick to it when frustration sets in or failure occurs---all the behaviors needed to change successfully. If you experience burn out or failure, don’t give up the program. Talk to your doctor and trainer (and your wife) about how to modify your program so that the change process is less tiring to your emotional/mental state.

Finding Clarity It is also easier to change when you have clarity about what to change. A father needs help to decide whether he should let his son, daughter-in-law, and ten month old granddaughter move into his house for a period of time. His son has been saying for over three months that it’s difficult settling into the neighborhood of their rental, on top of which he’s not meeting his monthly expenses. He’s asking for six months back at home to save money and to locate a more suitable rental. Emotionally, the father wants to provide for his son, and thinks: Let continued on page 54

THE ENGLISH UPDATE

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Cholesterol Controversy Under the microscope

Yael Tusk, MS, OM is a U.S. board certified practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine. She resides in Jerusalem, where she treats both adults and children, and gives classes on hypnosis for childbirth. She can be reached at: 02-581-7415, or 052-768-4438

The cholesterol hypothesis is an ever changing theory. No matter how much contradictory evidence arises, the medical community tenaciously holds onto its doctrine. Around the turn of the 20th century, scientists were able to observe arterial plaques under the microscope. They discovered that cholesterol was one of the main components of these plaques. Scientists concluded that cholesterol builds up on arterial walls and causes blockages. However, there were other components in those plaques that were overlooked by the history-making scientists, such as calcium. The same reasoning that led scientists to presume that cholesterol causes heart disease could have occurred with calcium.

What if they’d found the calcium? There is a notion in the medical community that the lower the cholesterol, the better. Just imagine if those early scientists had found calcium in the plaques instead of cholesterol. The fact that calcium is present in arterial plaques would not induce us to reduce our dietary intake. Nor would anyone take calcium-lowering medication. This is because calcium has never been labeled as a cause of heart disease, even though it is found in the very same plaques that contain cholesterol.

Does cholesterol really get stuck by accident? The fact that cholesterol is found in arterial plaques led to the mistaken notion that cholesterol is the cause of blockages. If this was true, then evidence would have shown a higher rate of heart disease in populations with higher cholesterol levels. Numerous studies have proven that this is not the case. The theory that plaques form as a result of bulky cholesterol getting stuck en route was just that. A theory. While plaque accumulation can cause blockages and lead to heart attacks, they don’t form at random. What’s really happening makes a lot more sense

Damaged blood vessels The plaques form to heal cell wall damage. Every time there is a breakage in an arterial wall, the body uses calcium, cholesterol, and other components to repair the damage. Blood vessel damage can lead to accumulation of plaques which may cause total blockage and may result in a full-blown heart attack. In other words, the plaques are not just accidental accumulation of cholesterol, but the body’s attempt to repair damaged tissue.

THE ENGLISH UPDATE

“But if I go off statins, my cholesterol level may skyrocket!” After the previous installment of this series, I received phone calls from several people concerned about taking statins. While they didn’t like the medication, they feared that if they stopped taking it, their cholesterol levels would rise. In all likelihood, should they go off their meds, their cholesterol will go up. But that’s a good thing, because we need cholesterol, and there is no reason to fear a rising cholesterol level. Statins are very effective in lowering cholesterol. They do so by blocking our liver’s production of cholesterol. I cannot emphasize enough that the liver is not producing cholesterol by accident. It will produce exactly as much as the body needs. By blocking cholesterol production we can only cause harm. Our generation is experiencing an epidemic of medical diagnosis. It’s hard to go to the doctor without being told that something is wrong with you. Whenever these diagnoses affect a large portion of the population, there are a number of explanations. 1. It’s not a real disease. High cholesterol is a good example of this. There is no plausible medical explanation for why or how the body is malfunctioning, except for some theoretical underlying defect. No pathology has been found. This is pure evolutionary biology, sprouting from an atheistic conception of reality, where disease is the result of haphazard uncontrolled mistakes. 2. Mankind is causing the problem. Experience shows that the root cause of most genuine health problems is humanity’s poor choices. Smoking, drugs, nuclear radiation, pollution, poor hygiene and nutrition are just a few examples of how we are hurting ourselves. This is actually our biggest health threat. 3. Fate and providence. Sometimes we do the best we can but get sick nonetheless. When we are presented with disease theories based on spontaneous error, remember that atheism is at the epicenter of modern medicine. Belief in evolution invariably leads to many false conclusions about defective organisms. Don’t be deceived by fancy terminology like “hypercholesteremia”. Big words often obscure faulty science. A patient of mine sent me the following message, “Doctors make us afraid of our own bodies. This is precisely what I’ve been going through almost my entire life, in mortal fear of the enemy, my body.” Our bodies are our number one ally. Not our worst enemy.

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I s r a e l 's S u p e r F r u i t Your Salads ate Seeds into Smuggle Pomegran this Sukkos

The pomegranate, one of Eretz Yisrael's seven species, has some potent health benefits which most doctors knew nothing about until recently. This most exotic and regal crown-bearing fruit with dazzling ruby-like gem seeds has always Pomegranate been a and Mango Sa lad Salad ingred favorite ients: of mine, seeds of one po megranate but my 1 large or two small mangoes interest in cut into cubes its health 4 kiwis sliced benefits 1 head of lettu was really ce peaked 15 Dressing ingredients:

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Three of the pomegranate’s many healing properties are extra exciting! 1. It has been shown to be the most powerful anti-oxidant of all fruits. Anti-oxidants of course highly recommended in fighting cancer due to their ability to block free radicals. 2. Every aspect of the tree, especially the bark, has anti parasitical qualities to it which means this fruit is a blood cleanser, a most important foundation of health. Its blood-like juice seems to hint at this fact. 3. A report published in a recent issue of the American Association for Cancer Research reveals that compounds found in pomegranates have suppressive effects on the proliferation of breast cancer cells. Pomegranate seed oil triggers apoptosis, a self-destruct mechanism in breast cancer cells, while pomegranate juice is toxic to most estrogen dependent breast cancer cells. Dr. Ephraim Lansky who headed a study by the Israel Institute of Technology on pomegranates’ healing properties explains that, “Pomegranates are unique in that the

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Place all ingred ients together in a salad bowl and gent ly mix with the dressing. Orange

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2 heads romaine lettuce

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2 oranges peeled and slic

2 cups pomegranate seeds ½ cup pecans, chopped

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ts: years 5 Tbsp apple cider vinega r ago. Juice of one orange One morning I stopped by a juice bar in Tear romaine and place on plate in a circle. Place ora downtown Jerusalem. This never happened nge slices on top of the lettuce. Sprinkle with the pomegranate see ds and top with the pecan pieces. Pou before but on that day the woman making the r dressing over top. drinks specifically asked me if I was having any health issues for which I needed a special drink. I told her about an ongoing health issue that my doctor had assured me would clear up “soon enough” six weeks earlier. “Pomegranate juice, of course – effective for all issues of hormonal combinations inherent in the fruit seem to be helpful that type!” she declared. I downed their tallest glass of the stuff both for the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.” and took more home with me. 36 hours later the issue was gone. Does this fruit deserve its crown or I thought that was the coolest thing! Yes, it could have been what? a coincidence but all evidence certainly pointed in the way of To get the most health benefits eat at least a couple of bowlfuls the pomegranate. I wasn’t exactly a raw food maven back then of pomegranate seeds per week or have a glass of pomegranate but it doesn’t take one to understand that some foods have some juice several times a week when in season, and supplement with potent health benefits that doctors just aren't aware of. As more organic bottled juice and oil extracts from reputable sources research is being done and word is getting out, more and more throughout the year. (Pomegranates are in season September medical doctors are recommending pomegranate juice and - January). Please note that pomegranate consumption might extracts to some of their cancer patients. interfere with certain medications so consult with your health care

provider about drug interactions. Yardena Slater is certified in Raw Food Nutrition and Natural Detoxification. She can be reached at holyhealthiness@gmail.com with more info on her website www.holyhealthiness.com.

THE ENGLISH UPDATE

Non-Fiction

by Sara Debbie Gutfreund

A Sukkah Made of Snow

Stranded on a mountain, under the stars, I felt fear and G-d’s protective love. The mountain didn’t have enough challenging trails. That’s what a group of us decided after a few boring runs down black diamond slopes that would have been considered beginners’ material at places we were used to skiing. On that foggy, freezing afternoon, we stood beneath icicle clad pine trees and considered making our own way down. I can’t remember who finally convinced the rest of the group, but soon we were all ducking underneath a yellow caution tape that was strung between two huge trees, ignoring the sign beside it: Danger! Do Not Ski Off the Marked Trails. The run was perfect. The snow was powdery, the slope was steep and the thrill of carving our own path was off-setting the fear of the unknown terrain below us. But then Brenda, who was at the front of the group, skidded to a stop and called out to us. “Slow down. I think we might be stuck.” We reached her and gazed out at the steep cliff just inches from our skis. A powerful wind whipped around us as Brenda’s voice echoed off of the mountain. “Maybe we should try to jump it?” she shouted. “Are you crazy? We’ll die if we jump,” Linda said. “We don’t know if there’s snow below or rocks below. No one’s jumping.” There was an awful moment of silence as the tree branches shook, slivers of ice jarring into each other. Didn’t you see the sign? Didn’t you see the yellow tape? I took off my skis and felt my boots sink into the snow. “Let’s walk through the forest that way and see if we can find a way out,” I suggested. The air filled with the clicking of everyone’s skis being released mingled with the unspoken fear among us. This was in the era before kids carried cell phones; we were completely on our own. What if we couldn’t find our way? What if it gets darker and colder? What if we had all just made the last and dumbest choice of our young lives? What if we didn’t get second chances? Trudging through the forest with our skis on our shoulders, we tried to make light conversation to dilute the panic that grew stronger as the day got colder. The sky began to darken and we were out of ideas and energy. I sat down beneath a tree, and Karen slumped down beside me. “You guys better get up. You can’t sit down in this kind of temperature. Just keep walking. Guys, get up!” Linda’s voice sounded like it was thousands of miles away even though she was standing right above us. “We can’t go any further,” Karen insisted. Brenda’s face fell as she urged Linda to follow her. “We’ll go ahead and get help. We have to go faster.” Karen and I sat in silence as the wind piled the snow around us like walls of soft cotton. I was terrified. What if this is it? Right here on this freezing mountain, just because I didn’t want to stay on the trails? “Aren’t you religious?” Karen asked me, the words coming

THE ENGLISH UPDATE

out in frozen, stuttered exhales. I nodded and looked up at the bare branches above us, yearning to touch the sunset drenched sky. “So what do we say at a time like this?” Karen asked. “The Shema. My grandma taught me to say the Shema whenever I’m afraid.” “How does it go?” Karen asked. I began to teach her the beloved prayer of my childhood, word for word. The lullaby that had chased away all my pain; the sentence that had anchored a place for me in an anchorless world. Around us, the walls of snow grew higher. And the branches stretched out above us like a roof made of prayer. “This reminds me of our sukkah,” I said to Karen. I described to her the walls of our sukkah, and the way we could see pieces of the stars through the branches above us, like jewels that could set the soul on fire. I spoke about the gleaming china and the steam of the chicken soup hitting the cold air. About the decorations and the songs and the guests who would sit bundled on the folding chairs. I spoke about how the moonlight made the silver sparkle and how on some nights the wind would rustle the white tablecloth like a rippling, majestic cloud. “You’re lucky. I wish I had seen a sukkah,” Karen said, her voice fading. But her words echoed inside of me. I was so lucky. I had a life that had been graced with a shelter for my soul. Year after year, I felt G-d’s embrace as He held me there, showing me that He was happy to have me back in His palace made of stars and moonlight and rippling tablecloths. I had known the comfort of faith surrounding me on all the sides. I had felt the joy of being cradled in G-d’s unconditional love. No matter how far off the trail I had gone, He had always invited me back inside. Inward bound, every year, I had left behind all the places that were fleeting and disappointing; I had basked in the beauty of the truth, embraced by the purity of the sukkah’s all-encompassing protection. As I gazed at the ice sparkling off the tree branches above me and at the walls of snow around me, I saw that He was sheltering me now as well. With all the sukkahs that I had ever known and would ever know. With the words of the Shema rising in the air above me. And with the sound of help arriving as footsteps grew closer. Brenda and Linda had found the ski patrol. We could hear the voices growing closer as the first stars appeared through the trees above us. I can still hear the echo of that Shema that rose above and beyond us on that freezing day. Year after year as I sit in the sukkah, I remember how blessed I am. I was welcomed back into His palace made of stars and moonlight and unfathomable love. I was held in a sukkah made of snow. Reprinted with permission of the author from Aish.com.

Fiction

THE SEABRIEZES AND THE STORM Read this story to the children in the sukkah for some quality time together. Or give it to the older children to read alone.

Seal Harbor is small and quiet compared to Brooklyn where the Seabrieze Family formerly made their home. In Brooklyn, city block follows city block. In Seal Harbor, with only two main streets that form a T, you can walk from one end of the city proper to the other in a matter of minutes. By any standards, the city is tiny, and it has only one of everything: one pharmacy, one five and ten cent store, one book store with one local newspaper, one hardware store, etc. The exception is restaurants. There must be at least ten, and they are always full during tourist season. By the end of October, the town gets even smaller and quieter. One by one, the restaurants are boarded up for the winter, and the streets slowly empty of tourists in floppy hats and baseball caps. The sightseeing boat stops coming past with a loudspeaker saying its boring refrain: “On your left, the house where Nelson Rockefeller was born…” All the bells, horns, and noisy traffic of sailboats and cruise ships go silent except for the crying seagulls and a lonely foghorn on overcast days. Then the Atlantic Ocean seems more gigantic than before, and the smudge on the map that is Seal Harbor becomes a speck. If Seal Harbor is small and quiet, as far as cities go, then the natural scenery surrounding it is giant-sized and booming. Ocean vistas with crashing surf, mountains and cliffs, mammoth cumulous clouds racing across a wide open sky. Little Aharon Shloime lay hidden in the tall, dry grasses down in the overgrown field on the side of the house facing the sea. He tried to be as quiet as he could while waiting to be found. What he didn’t know was that Ruchella had stopped looking. The band aid on her little pinky had fallen off somewhere in the field behind their house next to the sea, and she was in the process of getting another one. Shloime noticed the difference in the field from just a few weeks ago when it was still green. The smell was different, no longer a green smell. Now it had a brown smell. There were brittle, dry leaves and stalks that crackled when you walked and poked through your socks if you weren’t careful. He was lying face down with his cheek flush to the ground. Confident that the camouflage of his brown, wooly sweater would make Ruchella look twice before she registered it was him. He was impatient and wanted to see her already with the look on her face of triumph at finding him.

THE ENGLISH UPDATE

But he was old enough to know how to wait. Slowly and carefully, inch by inch, he rolled on to his back. He watched the giant gray clouds racing across the sky. He noticed that the wind which was usually a background swoosh sounded as loud as his father’s car on the gravel in the driveway. Pieces of brush and leaves were flying through the air over his head. They twirled and danced. Between the clouds, the wind, and the leaves, he was busy watching while he waited for Ruchella to come. Meanwhile, up at the house, Aidel Seabrieze was fast asleep on the couch in the living room. She had intended to do some reading while the children played hide and seek in the back yard, but she hadn’t even finished a page before sleep overcame her. When the phone rang, she jumped up feeling a bit woozy. It was her husband calling from the lab. “Aidel, there’s a storm front coming in fast from the ocean. They’ve posted small craft warnings. Can you take in the lawn furniture? I’ll finish up here and head home in about an hour.” It was their first storm since they moved to the new house. Even though they were smack in the middle of storm season, it wasn’t often that one of the tropical storms would make its way as far north as the Maine Coast. Usually it was only the tail end of a storm that reached the Island, but it could still carry gale winds of 50 or 60 miles per hour. Nathan, always the scientist, explained that cold air from Canada, moist air from the Atlantic, and dry air from the Midwest all collided off the coast of Maine, and only Hashem knew what was going to happen. When Aidel put down the phone, she quickly ran to call in the children. On the way, she found Ruchella on the floor surrounded by the contents of the band aid box. She was trying on different sizes and shapes to see which one would be most suited to the tiny papercut on her tiny little pinky. “Where’s Shloime?” “He’s waiting for me in the field. It’s his turn to hide.” Aidel Seabrieze grabbed her coat from the hook by the door and ran out to the veranda. From where she stood, she could see the turbulence in the normally tranquil bay. And one brave fishing boat valiantly making its way slowly back to shore. By the time she reached the field, a fine rain was falling. The wind had knocked down all the lawn furniture, and it was howling so loud that she could hardly hear herself calling, “Shloime,

Shloime.” She couldn’t wait until she would find him and scoop him up in her arms. Aidel Seabrieze knew her little boy. He would still be waiting for his big sister to find him. But he must be feeling wet and cold, and she was longing to bundle him up at home next to the fire. That was a comforting thought. She prayed, “Hashem, keep him safe and warm,” It was a big field to search, and she tried to let her intuition guide her steps through the tall grasses. She did this whenever she lost something. She would try to get quiet and silently ask “Where are you?” Then she could feel herself gravitate towards the lost object like a magnet. She found all kinds of lost objects that way, but this was different. It was her little boy who was lost somewhere in the field. Still she used the same principle. That and davening to Hashem to guide her steps. She was heading in the direction of the stone wall, marking the boundary between their property and the property of the judge who lived next door. With each step, she braced herself against the howling wind. Once the rain started, Shloime tried to stand up, but the wind just bowled him down. He rolled onto his stomach, and with his cheek flush against the ground, he felt a giant droplet of rain splash on the back of his neck. It was cold and made him shiver. He was used to feeling raindrops on his face and hearing claps of thunder. But now the thunder was so loud that he covered his ears with his hands. When he peeked from behind, he saw a gash of silver lightning slitting open the sky. He was frightened, cold, and wet, and since he was still such a little boy and had never learned in cheder, he said the only prayer he knew—the Shema. He knew the words from saying it with his mother every night as she tucked the covers in around him and kissed him goodnight. Nathan Seabrieze watched the heightening drama of the storm over his glasses as he tried to concentrate on the test results for his latest experiment. He had a stunning view of the ocean through the window in his lab. Usually a placid blue, the ocean now showed him another of its faces. Nathan watched as the white peaks of waves broke against the rocks. Then the driving rain started, and visibility was impaired. In those seconds when the lightening flashed and the thunder crackled, he could see the stormy sea lit up. He had never said the blessing with so much feeling: “Blessed are You,

by Varda Branfman

Hashem, our G-d, King of the universe, for His strength and His power fill the universe.” The panes of glass in the windows in his office were rattling with the force of the wind. He quickly collected all the papers on his desk and deposited them in his attache case. Then he grabbed his coat and umbrella. Dr. Seabrieze tried to open his umbrella on the way to his car, but it flew out of his hands and went rolling down the front lawn of the lab. The parking lot was emptying out as all the lab technicians, doctors, and secretaries were going home because of the storm. The headlights of their cars criss-crossed each other and looked eerily tiny and ineffectual. Dr. Seabrieze joined the line of cars snaking their way out to the main road. He wondered if his usual route home would be passable because of the driving rain. Aidel labored with every step she took against the raging winds. She remembered from her high school science course the danger of standing next to trees during a lightning storm, but she couldn’t remember why. Her husband would know the reason. It was useless to call out Shloime’s name, but she found herself spontaneously speaking to Hashem and asking him to protect her little boy and help her to find him. A stand of poplars grew next to the stone wall by the judge’s house. Shloime liked to peel the bark off their trunks and give the peels to Ruchella as a friendship offering. As Aidel neared the poplars whose tops were bent back in the storm, a little voice inside her head whispered “warm,” and then “hot” as she pushed closer. He was huddled into a ball, and the first thing she saw was his brown sweater and then the heels of his little sport shoes. She felt her heart burst with gratitude as she bent down, still fighting the wind, turned him around to face her, and pulled him towards her. He buried his face in her neck and clung to her. Aidel hadn’t stopped talking to Hashem, and now she was thanking Him over and over again. It was easier going back to the house in the direction of the wind which made her feel she was flying like an eagle clutching her young in her pinions. They had only gone about 50 feet when they heard a deafening clap of thunder. She turned around just in time to see the tallest of the poplars being split down the middle by a giant spear of lightening. There wasn’t time to stop and think about all the “what if ’s.” The wind kept pushing them

she found herself speaking to Hashem and asking him to protect her little boy

oCTOBER 3, 2014

Hashem waits and waits, and we don’t even bother to look.”

forward in the direction of the house which was exactly where they wanted to go. It wasn’t until they had climbed up to the veranda that Aidel realized she was completely exhausted and needed to pry open the porch door with the last ounce of her strength. She stood in the living room still holding Shloime tightly and shaking from the cold and the rush of her emotions. They were both dripping wet, and she finally put him down on his feet as she set about to get them dry and warm. Ruchella had long ago found the perfect bandaid for her papercut. She had spent the last 20 minutes with her nose against the picture window hoping any minute to see her mother and Shloime appear. Like Shloime, she had said the Shema over and over again as she prayed that Hashem bring her mother and little brother home safely. Now she stood with a big smile on her face helping Shloime take off his dripping wet brown sweater. He looked up at her and asked simply, “Where were you? I was waiting.” She wanted to hug and kiss him, but he was too wet. Her mother had run to get towels, blankets, Shloime’s warm winter pajamas, and his wooly socks. They finally got dry, and then Aidel kindled a fire in the living room fireplace so they could get really warm. They sat as close to the fire as they could and drank hot carob milk with honey. They could feel the house shaking from the gale winds as Aidel told her children a Chassidishe story that she thought they might appreciate after their adventure in the storm. It was a story about a Rebbe and his little grandson. One day the boy came running into his grandfather’s study. He was crying bitterly. While playing hide and seek, he had discovered a wonderful hiding place under the stairwell. He was proud of himself and waited patiently for his brother to find him or give up and call out his name. But neither happened, and after more than an hour, he emerged from this excellent hiding place and went looking for his older brother who had walked away and completely forgotten to look for him. When the Rebbe heard the story, he also began to cry. When he had finally calmed down, he explained to his grandson, “Only now do I realize how Hashem must feel when He hides himself with the purpose of being found. He waits and waits, and we don’t even bother to look.” Even Shloime seemed to understand the story, and anyway he liked all his mother’s stories

THE ENGLISH UPDATE

because of the sweet sound of her voice and the way her eyes opened wide and how her hands formed shapes in the air. They knew the storm was winding down when the walls of the house stopped shaking, and the sound of a howling turned into a groaning. It was still loud enough that they didn’t hear their father’s car on the gravel in the driveway. When he opened the front door, a gust of wind swooped in and reached them by the fireplace where the flames leaped up. Ruchella and Shloime ran over to their father and hugged him around the knees. “Aidel, it took me forever to get home. The shore road was washed out, and I had to take back roads.” Nathan Seabrieze shed his coat and bent down to kiss his children. “Abba, Abba, you won’t believe what happened,” Ruchella opened. Aidel Seabrieze smiled, but she stayed silent so the children could tell him their version of the story. “We were playing hide and seek, and then the storm came, and Shloime was out in the field. And then Ima…..” Ruchella who was so much more articulate than her little brother told over their adventure from beginning to end while Shloime just kept saying, “Abba, Abba, Abba, Abba” as if that one word could encapsulate all his fear and longing and awe at the magnitude of the storm and his experience in the middle of it. Aidel warmed up the left-over chicken soup from Shabbos. And then they all sat together by the fire, eating soup and popcorn. The children fell asleep with their heads in their parents’ laps. Aidel had saved the best part of the story, the miraculous part about the lightning and the poplar tree, for when the children were sleeping. She hadn’t wanted to frighten them When she told her husband, they both sat silently for a long moment. Then they carried the children up to bed, Ruchella in her father’s arms, and Shloime in his mother’s arms. Aidel could hear he rain drumming on the window pane. It sounded like a simple rainfall in the evening instead of the vestiges of a ferocious storm that had passed over them. Shloime looked angelic in his sleep as his mother gently laid him down in his bed. Suddenly, he picked up his head, and with his eyes still closed, he said with his usual brevity, “Hashem is big.” And then he turned back to his peaceful sleep.

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Out & About by Vardah Littman

Photos by Rimonah Traub

Bringing Ancient Beit She’an BACK TO LIFE The dazzling, multi-media, multi-sensory night tour that was launched a few years ago, on and around Tel Beit She’an gives you a dramatic glimpse into the Tannaic and Amoraic period. The three million dollar project is the first of its kind in the world in an archaeological site, and the fourth largest in the world. The outdoor sound and light audiovisual project is located to the north side of the modern city of Beit She’an which is in the southeast corner of the Galilee, south of the Harod Creek which flows from the foothills of the Gilboa Mountain. The Jordan River flows five kilometers to the east of the site which is 27 kilometers from the Kinneret. Tel Beit She’an, rising 50 meters above its surroundings, has a spectacular view of the great city at its foot and of the Beit She’an Valley. Located at the mid-point of the crossroads between the Jordan Valley and the Jezre’el Valley, it was a major city and the strategic “key to the Galilee region.” Situated in a most fertile area with abundant water, Chazal said about this area: "If the Garden of Eden is in the land of Israel, then its gate is Beit She’an." It is of no surprise, then, that the site has been almost continuously settled from the ancient period to the present. Although the place is set up as a pagan city, we have records that there were many Jews living in the town and the site affords us important insights into the nature of their challenges. It gives us the correct perspective on midrashim of Chazal that tell us how even though the Jews of Beit She’an lived side by side with the idolatrous Greeks, they did not decorate their homes with Greek ornamentations. When you take this tour of the city, you can also understand what Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai meant when he spoke out against the Romans saying that they had built up the empire for their own benefit.

THE ENGLISH UPDATE

History This city is listed as one of the cities that were conquered by Pharaoh Thutmose III and was designated as the seat of Egyptian rule in the country. The city is also mentioned in the Amarna letters, an Egyptian archive of clay tablets. This mighty Canaanite city was in the chelek of the tribe of Menashe, but we are informed in Shoftim (1: 27) that the tribe of Menashe did not take it over. They had become lax and therefore did not complete the conquest, despite the fact Hashem was on their side. They were clearly stronger then those inhabiting the city as they imposed taxes on them and could have driven them out. By their actions, they set up an unfortunate example that other tribes followed. At the end of the first book of Shmuel, we hear how Saul’s body was hung on the walls of Beit She’an after the battle on Mount Gilboa. The text here (31: 8-10) points out the futility of idolatry –the Philistines needed to announce and make a big to-do in their temples, so their idols of gold and silver would know they had triumphed over their enemies. The inhabitants of Yavesh Gilad travelled throughout the night and removed the bodies of Saul and his sons from the walls of Beit She’an. They then buried them under a tree in Yavesh. The Canaanite/Philistine city was burned by Dovid HaMelech. His son, Shlomo HaMelech, rebuilt it and made it a major administration city (Melachim Alef; 4: 7 -12). After Shlomo HaMelech’s death, Egypt's Shishak invaded Israel (Melachim Aleph 14: 25). According to the Pharaoh's hieroglyphic inscriptions, Beit She’an is listed as one of the cities that he captured, and Beit She’an's governor is pictured being led into captivity in Egypt.

On Chol HaMoed Sukkos, take the family for a visit to this ancient piece of valuable real estate that has been revitalized as a stunning multi - media attraction. Later, the Assyrians captured the Galilee (Melachim Beth 15:29) and destroyed Beit She’an to its foundations. The town was resettled during the time of Alexander the Great. It became a pagan city and the Greeks claimed that it had been founded by the wine god Dionysus who lived in the city. Their legend also claims that his wet-nurse Nysa was buried in the city, so it was named Nysa-Scythopolis (Scython-Polis) or Nisa. The Dionysus cult was widespread in the city. Yochanan Horcanus conquered the lower Galilee and Jezre’el Valley, including the city of Scythopolis. Jews who settled in the city returned its original name - Beit She’an.

in favor of Tiberias. It was renamed Beisan, which preserved the ancient name. In 749, a devastating earthquake caused the destruction and leveling of the city. The earthquake is evident in all areas of excavation which includes dozens of massive columns that toppled over in the same direction In the 12th century, Crusaders built a fortress south of the Tel, reusing the stones from the ruins of the city. After their defeat, the city of Beisan declined further. During the Middle Ages, Beisan was a small village with no importance. Beisan became a larger town after the railroad was laid close to the village in the beginning of the twentieth century. The new city of Beit She’an was established in 1949 in the deserted Arab village of Beisan.

The Roman Period

Mult- Media Techniques

When the Romans conquered the land, the city was returned to gentile hands. It became the most important city in the north. Around the time of the destruction of the second Bais HaMikdash, Jewish residents were slaughtered by their neighbors, and the Romans restored the city to its former pagan state and name-- Scythopolis. At the time of Hadrian (117-138 CE), the city developed greatly, reaching its zenith after the Bar Kochba Revolt, during the reigns of the emperors Antonius Pius (138-161 CE) and Marcus Aurelius (161-180 CE), friend of Rabbeinu HaKodosh - Yehudah HaNasi. During this time of the consolidation of the Mishna, Roman pagans lived alongside Jews and Samaritans in the city. After Christianity became the official state religion of the Empire in the fourth century CE, the cruel arena battles between gladiators and wild beasts in the amphitheater was abandoned, however the city retained its pagan character. The city continued to prosper, as the pagan structures were converted to other uses since the majority of the population was Christian. After the Arab conquest in the first half of the seventh century, the city gradually fell into decline

Since a plain archaeological dig does not attract too many visitors, it was decided to set up the unearthed discoveries at the Tel as an ancient Roman city using multi-media/multi-sensory techniques of sound and light. It’s interesting to visit the excavation of Tel Beit She’an during the day, but there’s no comparison to the flashing and colors of 1,000 lamps in the night tour that almost seems to make it into a living city. The vast size of the show with its spectacular effect on all sides makes this an unforgettable experience. For instance, there is the colonnaded Palladius Cardo that was built in the Roman Period, and restored during the Byzantine period. It extends south to north from the theater to the foothills of the ancient Tel and had on both its sides a raised roofed sidewalk with shops, public houses, and tall Corinthian capital pillars. The multi-media show brings the cardo back to life as if in a time machine. This is done using changing light patterns, sounds of carriages and horses, donkeys braying, and projections of various images on the columns, structures, and walls. At the end of the road, projected images of caravans with loaded camels bringing merchandise into the city are seen on the nearby hills.

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“The international Shabbos Project is an opportunity for the entire Jewish world to keep one complete Shabbos together – from Friday evening just before sunset on October 24, until Saturday night after the stars have come out, on October 25,” explains Chief Rabbi Goldstein, “The beauty of this is that it is so practical and manageable. It’s only one Shabbos. It’s something everyone can do.” The international Shabbos Project is being described as "an experiment that has no precedent in modern Jewish history”. Final preparations are feverishly underway, coordinated by 1,200 partners in approximatley 200 cities and 34 countries.

KEEPING IT TOGETHER Rabbi Goldstein explains the significance of the project’s GLOBAL SHABBOS PROJECT tagline “Keeping It Together”: “Keeping it together means GALVANIZES THE JEWISH WORLD /theshabbosproject @ShabbosProject_ @shabbosproject keeping our lives together. Of course, there is the good International Shabbos Project food, sound sleep and deep relaxation we look forward to, The international Shabbos Project will take place in over but there’s more. Shabbos restores us, not just in a physical 200 cities around the world on the Shabbos of October 24 - 25 sense, but emotionally and spiritually as well, so that we this year. The concept is simple: Jews of all walks ofShabbat life, fromProject. The It’s simple: emerge Motzaei Shabbos as new human beings ready to Jews of all walks of life, of every age and from all across the spectrum – religious, secular and traditional; young face the weektowith all of itsone challenges and opportunities.” corners of the world – uniting experience and old, from all corners of the world – unitingcomplete to experience Shabbat together. Rabbi Goldstein believes that Shabbos has a special one full Shabbos together, in full accordance with halacha. power and resonance for our time. “Shabbos enables us up toAires join the global movement. From LA to London, Melbourne to Moscow,Sign Buenos to momentarily set aside the distractions, demands and theshabbosproject.org to Berlin, Jerusalem to Johannesburg, Toronto to Tokyo, in pressures of daily life, offering us the time and space to every corner of the globe, people are joining the biggest global renew our inner selves, and to revisit and reinvigorate Jewish identity initiative the world has ever seen. our most important relationships. Shabbos can hold us BACKGROUND together in a society where everything seems to be pulling The Shabbos Project is a social movement developed by the us apart.” Chief Rabbi of South Africa, Dr. Warren Goldstein. The first Crucially, The Shabbos Project is not merely about Shabbos Project took place in South Africa in October last performing a symbolic gesture to acknowledge Shabbat, year. On the Shabbos over which it ran, more than 75 percent but rather about keeping it properly, in full accordance with of South Africa’s 75,000 Jews kept a full halachic Shabbos, The Shulchan Aruch. For Rabbi Goldstein, authenticity is many for the first time in their lives. everything. The project drew people together in ways never seen before “The power of Torah is dependent on how closely it and news of its success spread rapidly, inspiring thousands of resembles that which Hashem originally gave us. This people around the world to bring the movement to their own approach is predicated on the idea that the real energy and communities. And so, the idea of an international Shabbos kedusha of Shabbos – its transformative power – is wholly Project – “One Shabbos celebrated and kept in full across the

THE ENGLISH UPDATE

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the Shabbos Project is the effect it can have – and did have in South Africa in 2013 – on shomer-Shabbos Jews. “Many observant Jews found it to be a very powerful experience. They took on projects to learn more hilchos Shabbos, and were strengthened by reaching out to family and friends and neighbors – not in a condescending manner, but by supporting them and offering to help them to feel part of the project. Ultimately, people drew newfound inspiration from being around so many others who were experiencing Shabbos for the first time in their lives.” Rabbi Goldstein believes The Shabbos Project is a stark reminder of the power of authentic, undiluted Torah to change the world; of its pressing relevance for all times and places. “This applies especially to the mitzva of Shabbos, which has been part of the very fabric of the universe from the beginning of Creation,” he explains. “Shabbos is the only mitzva the Gemara (Beitzah 16a) calls a matana — a gift. It is an incredible gift to Klal Yisrael, and if people experience its kedusha, beauty, and power in full – whatever their background may be – they are inspired. As we say in Tehillim, ‘Taamu ure’u ki tov — Taste it and see, for it is good’.” A possible reason for the unique power of Shabbos is that it is a mitzva that touches every aspect of the human condition. “Shabbos has an intellectual dimension, which relates to our belief system – it attests to the fact that G-d created the world, as we say in the Shabbos Kiddush. It has a spiritual dimension as well – we say special prayers on Shabbos and we sing the Shabbos zemiros. Shabbos also has an emotional dimension – in terms of the bonding between parents and children, between friends, within families and communities. And of course Shabbos has a physical dimension – we walk to synagogue, we eat delicious food, there is even a special mitzva to sleep.” That the mitzva of Shabbos has the power to transform the Jewish world – to revolutionize Klal Yisrael – can be derived from the words of Chazal. “The Gemora (Shabbos 118a) boldly asserts that if Klal Yisrael were to keep two Shabbosos, they would be immediately redeemed. HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, shlita, brought up this gemora when I met with him a few months back. HaRav Shmuel Kamenetsky, shlita, HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman, shlita, and HaRav Aharon Feldman, shlita, were also extremely excited when I told them about The Shabbos Project, and were particularly thrilled to hear of the incredible

THE ENGLISH UPDATE

response we’ve been getting from all manner of Jews around the world.” Key to the success of The Shabbos Project will be for shomrei-Shabbos communities across all hashkafos to put aside any superficial differences, embrace one another, and pour their collective efforts into making it work. This is about uniting for the sake of Klal Yisrael. “The concept of holding a global Shabbos Project for all of Klal Yisrael can create a tremendous achdus which can be very inspiring for those who are already shomer-Shabbos, and for those who are not. This is not just about the mitzva of keeping Shabbat – it’s also about being part of Klal Yisrael. We can all draw inspiration from one another and maximize the Kiddush Hashem.”

The message is a particularly timely one. “At this moment in time, in the aftermath of the Gaza War – and the pressures Jews everywhere have felt in its wake – the international Shabbos Project provides us with a unique, historic opportunity to give birth to a new sense of Jewish unity and Jewish identity. As Jews around the world, we will be doing this together. The power of that shared experience is unimaginable.” Ultimately, says Rabbi Goldstein, through the transformational mitzva of Shabbat, The Shabbos Project has the potential to elevate and unite Jews all across the world. “Let us join hands for Shabbos Parshas Noach and keep one global Shabbos together. By doing so, we can recharge our communities with an electric energy, excitement and enthusiasm, the likes of which has never been seen before. We can change Klal Yisrael forever.” How You Can Join the Effort? A woman from Telz Stone relates that when she first heard about the Shabbos Project, she was tremendously excited because she felt like it was the beginning of the Geula. She thought immediately of the song “Just One Shabbos and We’ll All Be Free…” As she started working with other volunteers on the project, she saw the following options for being involved that are open to all of us: sending out the video to as many people as possible, inviting a non-observant family, neighbor, or a friend from work over for Shabbos Noach, joining a committee in your area to work on practically implementing the challah bake, Shabbos preparations, or Melava Malka, learning Hilchos Shabbos to make your Shabbos more spiritual and uplifting, or simply being excited enough to daven for the success of the project. There’s a way for everyone to participate according to their ability. www.theshabbosproject.org

Recipes recipe by Tzirel Chana • kosherhomecooking.com

Festive Viennese Kipfels

A kipfel is a funny word to wrap around your tongue. Kipfel, not kipper or kichel? But that is the name of an all too little known Viennese nut drop cookie which is sweet in a subtle, nutty way. Melt in the mouth kipfels are bliss for the taste buds, and they are surprisingly easy to make. Here’s the recipe adapted from Marcie Goldman’s Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking.

Ingredients: • 1 cup butter (one Israeli bar of butter)

• 3/4 cup sugar • 2 cups flour • 1 cup finely ground nuts

(Goldman suggests toasted pecans or walnuts. My sister-inlaw, the person who introduced me to kipfels, says that her recipe calls for hazelnuts or almonds. I used toasted ground almonds.)

• ¼ teaspoon salt • 1 tsp vanilla • confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Directions: 1 Preheat oven to 350 F or 175 C. 2 Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 3 Cream the butter and the sugar. Add the flour, nuts, and vanilla until you have a stiff dough. Put it in the fridge for a bit–a half hour. I left mine in the fridge overnight.

4 Then break off little pieces and work them into balls or crescents. This is tedious work, the kind of thing some children absolutely love to do. Find one of them to help you.

5 Bake 15-20 minutes, until honey colored. 6 Cool, then roll in confectioner’s sugar, or eat as is. Freezes well.

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Inspiration by Naomi Markovic

Production and Post-Production: A Paradigm In the recording studio, there are two stages: Production and Post-Production. Production involves the recording process, creating the original, raw material. Post-Production is taking that material and editing it into a polished, finished product. To illustrate, if you want to make a CD of yourself singing, first you record the vocal tracks. You do the best you can, singing as accurately and smoothly as possible, on-key, on beat, and aiming for the feel that the songs are portraying. Production. Hopefully, the takes come out just the way you want them. In that case, while they may not need much editing, there are some finishing touches that are applied to create a consistent and polished sound effect which happens during Post-Production. Usually, though, Post-Production involves a lot more than applying a few effects. Maybe you sang some notes off-key, or too late, too early, or too quietly. Maybe you coughed in between lines. Or even talked in the middle of the interlude. As the engineer in the Post-Production process, my job is to listen through all the material and edit out anything that doesn't belong, and to make what you sang sound great, for example, by modifying the timing or pitch. At this time of year, with teshuva (hopefully still) on our minds, I've been finding the above model a particularly striking message for living and accomplishing spiritually. It's obvious that if you were investing in a project such as creating a CD you'd give it all the focus and energy possible to obtain the best possible results. You'd surely rehearse and have a game-plan going in to the studio, so you know

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exactly what you'll be singing. Once you're at the mic, you'd do your best to sing only what you're meant to be singing, with the correct lyrics and melody, as smoothly as you can. After all, you're paying for your time, and everything you're doing is being recorded for perpetuity. And so, our lives. Everything is being recorded. We're constantly producing the album of our lives. I find myself thinking about my "Production." Not only what we sing, but every word, act, and thought are observed by Hashem and recorded. At this time of year I wonder, what do I "sound" like? Hopefully, I have plenty of "good takes." Maybe I actually had kavana when I said a bracha. Or a kind word I offered lifted someone's morale. But what about all the times I botched up at the mic? I sang off-key, so to speak, or missed my cue. Mistakes made, opportunities lost in my album of life. Is my CD doomed? And then I consider "Post-Production." Wouldn't it be great to be able to go back to that awkward moment and fix it? Or undo that comment? In the studio, during Post-Production, I can go into the computer and nudge a phrase over to make it play earlier or later, or change the pitch of a word, or delete extraneous noise. At this time of year I'm reminded that, done properly, teshuva can actually change and correct the past. We can, retroactively, produce a masterpiece. May we all be recorded in the Book of Life for

a sweet new year. Naomi Markovic manages MarkoMusic Studio in Rechavia. She teaches piano and operates a professional recording studio for women, girls, schools, and seminaries. She can be reached at 052-712-1632 or pianomarko@gmail.com.

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LEARNING TO DRAW 1

Start with (pencil) guidelines in the middle of the head and for the eyes.

Draw the eyes & eyebrows. Add the jaw bone.

Draw mouth just under 5 Add bangs to the original circle. Add ears at forehead and the small each side at the points where accentuation to the chin. the jawbone and head meet.

Add eyeballs & eyelashes. Draw nose just under eye line.

Now add kipah, neck and collar.

TIP: With just a slight change to the hair, the boy’s face becomes a girl’s.

The first part of the body to add is the arms.

Now add thumb, cuff and outline of shirt.

Add bent fingers. The second finger is partially hidden by thumb.

Add the decoration shown or create one of your own.

Add the finishing touches – sukkah boards, schach and creases in shirt.

Draw the window. You can draw guidelines (in pencil) over the boy to make sure lines are straight. These can be erased later.

Erase original guidelines which are no longer necessary.

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continued from page 30

come home to live. My parents were always there to help me. Besides, how can I resist having that gorgeous little girl of mine around to play with. On the other hand, the father also thinks: Having our son and his family at home will change the dynamics in the house and challenge the new-found closeness which my wife and I are experiencing in our “empty nest.” Plus, if it doesn’t work out and there’s friction, my relationship with my son and daughter-in-law could get ruined. The mother believes that a couple making it on their own will, in the long run, build the strongest home. The son keeps asking his father for a decision, but the father keeps putting him off. The father can’t decide what is the best solution. The reason he resists making a decision may be that he lacks clarity. The change specialists Chip Heath and Dan Heath (in their book Decisive: How to make better choices in life and work) suggest the four-step WRAP approach to gaining clarity:

comfortable” in your house. Avoid the emotional upheaval that might result from the arrangement not working out by having an exit plan. This new year, make change easier: 1. Change the situation so the “people” problem disappears; 2. If you feel burn out, or failure, don’t blame yourself; blame “self-control exhaustion” and modify your program; 3. If you feel resistance to making a decision, get clarity. Hatzlacha and shana tova. Eliya Stromberg, PhD, founded and directs FATHERSCONNECT.COM, an organization for fathers of children with special needs. He is the author of the forthcoming book, Chosen Fathers. He also counsels men how to reframe unworkable situations to make them work. Contact him at eliyastromberg@ gmail.com or 052-763-9135.

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Widen your options. Maybe the son can find a rental in the father’s neighborhood and the father can subsidize the rent. Encourage the son to look for a better rental and let moving home be a “Plan B” if it absolutely doesn’t work. Reality test your assumptions. Can you consult with friends who have taken an adult child back into the house? What were their experiences? Attain distance before deciding. What advice would you give a best friend who asked you? Consider your basic beliefs about what is good for your son. How do those beliefs play out in the “short-term” and “long-term”? Prepare to be wrong. What if you say “yes” and after six months they don’t move out? Maybe set up a condition that after six months your son pays you rent. Or you put some of the family’s belongings in storage before they move in so they don’t get “too

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FUN IDEAS FOR CHOL HAMOED

Sukkot activities in Har Chevron Area

Sunset show in Maale Hever – Udi Davidi and Kobi Aflalo Monday, October 13

Explore the ancient city of Susiya. Fascinating walking tour plus sound-and-light show in an ancient cave. Sunday-Wednesday: October 12-14: 10:00 am-5:00 pm Fridays erev chag: 9:00 am-2:00 pm Large sukkah on site Activities: Guided tours, street actors, pottery workshop, drumming circle, ancient well, narrow escape tunnel. New visitors center with Hebron Hills products. Gift for every family – a family photo on a magnet. Admission: Adults – NIS 29, children – NIS 35 family ticket – NIS 174, Information - 1-599-507-517 www.Atarsusya.co.il THE ENGLISH UPDATE

Naor & Avi Moshe

ETGARIM PARK Kfar Hayarok (Ramat Hasharon-Tel Aviv area)

October 12: 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm October 13-14: 9:30 am - 7:00 pm October 15: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm Discount for Update readers (with ad from Update) Admission – NIS 34 (instead of NIS 69); family of 4 - NIS 115 16 Attractions: Climbing wall, trampolines & gliders, egg collecting, maze hunt, circus acrobat workshop, wagon & tractor rides, reptile world, drumming circle, pony rides (up to age 10) rope bridge, chicken coop, barn Kosher sukkah in the shady park

Zuzu Segway Rides

Klezmer Parade

from the windmill in Yemin Moshe to Kever David Segway guided tours combine an exciting Hamelech on Har Tzion experience with tours of Jerusalem sites. at 1 pm on tuesday og Chol Hamoed Tours are available of the Jewish Quarter, Biblical This event is open to the public. Zoo, and Armon Hanetziv Segway tours operate on Chol Hamoed Sukkos between 9:00 am and 8:00 pm. For reservations and more information, call: 02-5661441, :http://www.zu-zu.co.il/

Beit Avi Chai Model Sukkot Exhibit

The Sukka design competition is an annual event at Beit Avi Chi and is highly anticipated. The exhibit is open on Chol Hamoed from 10:00 am7:00 pm Beit Avi Chai, 44 King George, 02-621-5300

The Moshav Chol HaMoed Sukkot Fair

Monday Oct 13th 2014 ‫ י“ט‬Tishrei 5755 aprox starting time 11:00 am . Moshav Mevo Modi’im (near Modiin) All Kavim buses stop at the Moshav for directions http://www.themoshav.co.il/fair Performances by top singers Appearance by Natan Sharansky Women’s tent, Shmita workshop Scavenger hunts, Biblical games for kids Arts & crafts booths, Beautiful shul Great food – kosher sukkah and much, much more Price: Adults 40 nis Children 25 nis Family with 3 or more children 140 NIS For more information themoshavfair@gmail.com

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Birkas Cohanim

Birkas Cohanim at the Kosel Sunday chol hamoed Shacharis: 8:45 Birkas Kohanim: 9:30 Mussaf: 10:15 Birkas Kohanim: 10:30

Photos by: Yoseph Goldsmith Naftali Hilger

Come and Share “A Painter’s Vision” on CholHaMoed NadjaMarks-Shaftonbegan painting when she was 15 years old, after going through a painful personal experience. Nadja explains how her mother “took me to an art class and encouraged me to paint what I was feeling. I immediately loved the texture of the paint and I loved the freedom of placing the paint on a new canvas.” A few years later, when it came time for Nadja to pick a major during her second year of college, she realized, through the process of elimination, that art was her first choice. While earning her degree in Studio Art,Nadja says: “I was constantly feeling the need to do something worthy of academia and didn’t know what to paint. I was overwhelmed with the big question of ‘what to communicate!?’” She tried copying old masters, or painting from life, but something was missing...then she realized what it was: “My own voice!” “My teacher looked me in the eyes one day and said, ‘The world is not waiting for the next Monet or Picasso, the world is waiting for the next Nadja.’ That’s when I realized my opinions count. And that’s when everything really started to change.” When talking about what inspires her, she responds, “Art is the product of how I see the world and how I see my relationship with Hashem, with the Jewish people, and ultimately with the whole world. The question of what we’re doing here on earth is pulling at me and nagging at me. Visions just come into my mind and I try to record them exactly as I see them without blockages and without ego. Often, I get deluged with visuals and I have to memorize every detail of them. Most of them aren’t meant to be kept to myself; I believe they belong to Am Yisrael. If someone stops me on my way to the studio, I’m thinking, I can’t speak now, these paintings are about to be birthed!” Nadja also teaches art classes in Jerusalem, inspiring others to paint. “Art is so subjective and I enjoy helping people communicate their feelings and visions. The only ‘wrong’ way to paint is to paint from a place of fear and ego. I try to teach people how to be a vessel for expression of their soul.”

THE ENGLISH UPDATE

Nadja joins three other painters in an art exhibit at AishHaTorah in the Old City, during CholHaMoed and opening on Sunday, October 12, 2014. The show is entitled “A Painter’s Vision” and includes the work of Nadja, as well as Sheva Chaya Servetter from Tzfat, Yitzchak Ben Yehuda from MoshavMevoModin, and ElyahSuccot from Jerusalem. Nadja elaborates: “I chose the three artists who, in my opinion, tap into and successfully bring down a very big and transcendent light in the process of painting. I’m honored and humbled for them to be a part of this show.” The show will be open to the public from 6pm until 11pm. General admission is 30 NIS and 15 NIS for students. The price of admission includes wine and refreshments. There will be music by the talented AttiasFamily Band, as well as surprise guests. Those in attendance will have the opportunity to meet all four of the show’s featured artists at the opening. The paintings will stay on display at Aish HaTorah until Wednesday, October 15, 2014.

Givat Hatachmoshet “Ammunition Hill”

Right near Ramat Eshkol – Maalot Dafna - a historic site of battles during the War of Independence and the Six Day War Panoramic view of Jerusalem from the top of the hill, which has a museum with bunkers, old tanks, 3D model of Jerusalem on the eve of the Six Day War (small fee), and an indoor museum with a short movie (22 minutes). Tours available by advance reservations. Large sukkah with activities for children Omega and challenging outdoor activities. Guided tours of the trenches every hour. Entrance is free Small fee for guided tours and 3D model Advance reservations recommended. Call: 052829393, ext. 1

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Formula One Exhibit

Take your kids to see the cars and motorcycles of the Formula One Race up close at the Train Station Compound. Located in a brand new exhibit hall, you will see videos, meet some of the drivers and see the cars up close. There will be simulators, interactive competitions, a place to take photos and large screens with videos of past Formula One races. The simulators are part of the Fan Zone which is an additional fee of 15 NIS. For the first time in Israel: The original Formula 1 Fan Zone, including race driving simulators, motor competitions, interactive remote control driving, huge screens, photo booths and attractions for all ages.The exhibit takes place in the new exhibition hall built in the parking lot behind the First Station. Tickets must be purchased for a specific day. October 12-14: 10:00 am-10:00 pm October 15: 9:00 am-2:00 pm October 16: 7:30 pm-11:00 pm Fan Zone: 15 NIS Exhibit: 45 NIS Tel: 02-653-5239

MIGDAL DAVID

located at the Jaffa gate Guided Tours for the whole family“This is the way Jerusalem’s Built” Tours on the Old City walls every half an hour 10 am – 4 pm beginning at Migdal David and ending at the kosel. English tours are at 11 am. Price includes entrance to the Museum. . Price: 60 NIS adults 50 NIS grandparents 35 NIS children Guided tours of the exhibition “Jerusalem: A Medical Diagnosis” takes participants on a journey of medical milestones of the city, examines the relationship between medicine and miracles and all that lies between them whilst exploring the hundreds of artifacts on display in the exhibition. English: -10:30 Hebrew at 11:00 and 12:00. The tour is included in the entrance price.

THE ENGLISH UPDATE

40 NIS – adults 18 NIS - children The Night Spectacular – Spectacular Sound and Light Show at the Tower of David Every evening, the story of Jerusalem unfolds in breathtaking images across the ancient walls of the Tower of David. The Night Spectacular is outside. Please dress warmly. It is advisable to book tickets in advance. Sunday – Tuesday, October 12-14 – at 7:00 pm, 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm Family Tickets available. For information, call 02 626-5347 or email info@tower.org.il.