January/ Shevat

IN ISRAELPast and present

“Only a 'miracle' could save Ariel Sharon's life”,

doctors say

Former Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, gazes at the West Bank.

“The danger to former prime minister Ariel Sharon's life has escalated”, Sheba Medical Center Director Professor Ze'ev Rotstein said Monday.

Ten Thousand Migrants Rally Outside Foreign Embassies in

Tel Aviv

Tens of thousands of African asylum-seekers marched through central Tel Aviv to Rabin Square on Sunday, where they held a demonstration demanding Israel to recognize their asylum requests and cease from imprisoning them in detention facilities in the South.

Karine A AffairThe Karine A Affair, also known as Operation Noah's Ark, was an Israeli military action in January 2002 in which Israeli forces seized MV Karine A, which, according to IDF, was a Palestinian freighter in the Red Sea.The vessel found was carrying:

50 tons of weapons, including short-

range Katyusha rockets, antitank missiles, and high explosives

KARIN A

The cargo

FruitPri

"For the human is like a tree in the field." (Deuteronomy 20:19)

Occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Sh'vat. It is also called "Rosh HaShanah La'Ilanot", literally "New Year of the Trees". This is the season in which the earliest-blooming trees in the Land of Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle.

Tu BiShvat symbolizes nature and concern for the environment. In Israel, the most common activity associated with this holiday is planting trees and eating dried fruits.

Tu Bishvat

Kids in Israel planting trees and dancing.

Dish of the month:Tripolitanian/Lybian

MafrumIngredients:

Stuffing1 pound ground beef1 onion, grated1 cup parsley1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon pepper1/4 teaspoon ground

Potatoes5 medium potatoes of any type, peeled (or eggplant or whole artichoke hearts )Also possible zucchini or onions2 teaspoons saltflour for dredging2 eggs, beaten + teaspoon tomato pureeoil for frying

Sauce 2 large tomatoes, sliced 1 medium onion, sliced thin 2 cups water in which is dissolved 1 tablespoon tomato paste

How to make:1) Mix stuffing ingredients together and set aside.2) Slice each potato lengthwise, cutting slices like sandwiches, each two slices are not sliced all the way through. Each potato yields about two or three “sandwiches”. Eggplants should also be cut in slices of medium thickness.3) Sprinkle all of the slices inside and out with the salt. Let stand for 5 minutes. Rinse off with water and dry on a towel. 4) Stuff the inside of each potato “sandwich” with about 1/4 cup of the stuffing. Cup it in the palm of the hand to tighten it gently. When using artichoke hearts, there is no ‘sandwich.’ Instead the meat is packed tightly in the indentation in the center of the heart.5) Roll each Mafrum in the flour and then in the beaten eggs.6) Heat the oil in frying pan, and fry the stuffed vegetables over moderate heat for 5 minutes, until both sides are lightly brown.Sauce: Place the tomato slices on the bottom of a lightly oiled pan. Cover with the onion slices, and the potatoes that did not make it into slices. Place the fried stuffed potatoes on top. Add the water and tomato paste with a spoonful of the same spices added to the mixture. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, over low heat for 20 minutes. Serve warm with rice or couscousNOTE! If you stuff zucchini or onions you do not fry them but cook them in the gravy.

This is Lital’s favoutire dish so if you make it please call and invite her to try some!!!!!!

The song that was elected as best song in Israel for the year of 2013:

FREE WI-FI Where?!Yes, it is true- the city of Tel- Aviv offers free Wi-Fi spots across the city.

Both visitors and residents in the ‘city that never sleeps’ can now

benefit from a citywide Wi-Fi scheme - run by Motorola Solutions.

Tel Aviv is already known as one of the world’s leading tech hubs,

with many of the world’s tech giants having set up shop here, so

this is just another move in the right direction for the city.

Join us January 16 at the Tel-Aviv Café for an Israeli night! On the menu: Israeli coffee and sweets + a mini-Hebrew lesson with Lital.Cost: $10 per person, $5 students. To reserve call 204-2084 or jrt@jccbuffalo.org

ISRAELI GAME OF THE MONTH

Dag MaluachI honestly have no clue why but the translation is “Stinky Fish” . How to play:One kid volunteers to close his eyes and count to 3 ( He is “The Counter”), while leaning on a wall (or anything that can be a potential line). The other kids need to stand about 10 steps behind him in a straight row. While “The Counter” is counting to 3 with his eyes closed, their goal is to get as close as possible to him. Once the counter finishes counting to 3, he shouts “DAG MALUACH!” As soon as he finishes shouting, the kids have to all immediately stop moving and stay frozen as they are. The counter needs to turn around as fast as possible after he finishes counting, and see if any other kids are moving. If he catches a kid moving after he finishes counting and shouts, that kid needs to go to the beginning of the line and start all over again. While they are frozen, the counter can move their hands/legs in funny ways, making funny positions. Once he is done, he goes back to count again and so forth. The counter’s goal is to prevent the kids from getting close to the wall he is leaning on while counting. The first kid who touches the wall is now the new counter.