Jeffrey Seidel - Judaizer of the Secular Masses!

 

(May 15, 2000) Most American visitors will recognize the name on this card.  Jeffrey comes off like a real nut, but his heart is in the right place.  You could usually find him hanging out around the Kotel looking (hunting?) for the secular visitors.  You'll always have a free place to stay as long as you can handle the Orthodox lifestyle.

Check out Jeffrey's WEBSITE for further reading...

Bus Trip Through the Desert (6/2000)

Anyone who has ever had to sit on a long-distance Israeli bus knows how they can seriously suck.  There is always some douchebag who likes to keep a window open when everyone else just wants to relax in the air conditioning!

My friend Anya and I were leaving the hot comfort of Eilat for the cooler temperatures of Jerusalem.

"Keeping The Faith" Ticket Stub

(June 9, 2000) An odd, but appropriate choice for a movie in Israel!

Kai Fresh Sushi - Tel Aviv

Kai Fresh Sushi ephemera!

My cousin took us for a night out in Tel Aviv, and we all agreed upon sushi.  A great little joint to grab your sushi off a conveyor belt.  So, over raw fish and beer, we caught up on each others' lives and had a fantastic dinner.  One thing I'll never forget is that my oldest son felt like misbehaving and laid his head next to the conveyor belt so he could lick each dish as it passed by.

Get Yer Kippot Here!

When you are in Jerusalem, you're bound to drop by Ben Yehuda Street, the center of the city's tourist universe.  If you are looking for kippot, this area ain't exactly cheap.  However, if you really need a kippa NOW (as I did) this is a great place to go.  Just off Ben Yehuda is Joel /Yoel Salomon Street, and that's where Michael Kippa Center is.  The woman behind the counter was wonderful, offering our boys water while we went through drawers of kippot.

Yoel Salomon Street, Jerusalem

Public Image Limited at the Heineken Music Festival - Tel Aviv

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the festival, but I snagged this ad from Yedioth Ahronoth.  More and more international acts are hitting the shores of Israel, even if a few acts use politics to hide their anti-Semitism and refuse to play.

Napkin from the Americana Hotel - Eilat 2007

No matter how much you love to spend time with family, you ALWAYS need to get away to keep your sanity.  We rented a car, which my brother-in-law graciously drove, and headed south to Eilat.  We ended up at the Americana Hotel.  Nothing fancy, but just what we needed:  beds, TV, proximity to the tayelet, and it was cheap.

OTZMA X (1995-96)

I really can't explain how important the OTZMA program was in the context of my life.  After graduating college, I went on this 10-month journey (I actually stretched it to a year), and haven't been the same since.  My connections to Israel and Judaism strengthened and I now see this experience as one of the important milestones in my life.  Birth, College, OTZMA, Marriage, Children:  It may sound like I am going over the top, but trust me, I'm not.  The "X" means this was the 10th iteration of the program.

This photo (that's me in the back row/center - eyes closed, of course) was taken at the end of our initial 3-month stay at Kibbutz Ma'ayan Tzvi, where I volunteered as a gardener.  No, not planting tomatoes like your grandma, but essentially landscaping and irrigating the entire kibbutz.  I had a ball and was thankful I wasn't working down in the fish ponds.

My connection to the Land of Israel has only strengthened since 1996.  I have returned numerous times, and was married in Haifa in 2002.

Later in the program I was stationed elsewhere in Israel, specifically Beit She'an in the North, but I often skipped out on my "duties" (volunteering at a school) to go have fun with my Israeli boss-turned-friend who lived down the road at Kibbutz Nir David.

I encourage any recent college grad to check out the program at www.otzma.com.