Little Bo Peep has lost her… cows?

Warning: The following post may exceed the recommended daily allowance for parental boasting. Proceed at your own risk.

It’s like watching a train wreck.

What with Yom HaAtzma’ut and even Pesach Sheni behind us, it’s just a matter of days before Lag BaOmer arrives in all its flaming, sooty, and incomprehensible glory.

For those just tuning in, Lag BaOmer, aka “the Night of the Tightly Sealed Windows,” consistently ranks (at least for adults) alongside Chodesh Irgun at the very top of the annual “what time of year do you dread the most” poll.

But while there’s absolutely nothing one can do to prevent Lag BaOmer from happening, one CAN turn to the time-honored traditions of avoidance and denial in a desperate attempt at mitigating some of its inherent unpleasantness.

To this end – and with your indulgence, of course - I’d like to take a few minutes to remind myself that being the Anglo parent of Israeli offspring isn’t always about heaps of smoke-infused laundry and enough stockpiled wood to light up, well, a small country…

After all, upon occasion, those very same Israeli offspring have a habit of accomplishing some pretty amazing things.

(Yes, this is where the aforementioned parental bragging begins…)

For instance, as you may recall, a few months ago I featured a poster that a certain Shiputzim daughter had skillfully drawn for her Mishnah class.

Recently, she had to make another project for the same class, and this time, she chose to make a diorama about Bava Metzia 2:9, which asks, “what is an aveidah (a lost item)?”

As you can see in the following pictures, the right side represents a case which isn’t considered to be an aveidah (“one who found a donkey or a cow grazing along the road”), and the left side depicts an example of something that IS an aveidah (“a cow runs among the vineyards”):

As always, please click on the pictures for a much better view.

</parental boasting>

What is your preferred method for dealing with Lag BaOmer’s nuisances?

!שבת שלום ומבורך

A Tale of Two Moments

For me, two distinct moments defined this year’s Yom HaZikaron-Yom HaAtzma’ut continuum:

Yom HaZikaron 5774 - Monday, May 5, 2014
11:00 AM

OS (=Our Soldier) stands at attention in one of Israel’s military cemeteries.

Although he’s wearing his dress army uniform, a scraggly mustache and beard obscure part of his face. Normally, this would be against military regulations.

But today, no one minds. In the IDF, the Jewish army, religious soldiers are exempt from shaving during the Sefirat HaOmer period.

As the siren wails, OS looks down solemnly at the grave of his former elementary school classmate, a hero who was killed while defending Eretz Yisrael and Am Yisrael.

T. stands a few feet away. He too was one of OS’s former classmates. The night before, T. appeared on national television. An officer cadet, he was chosen to be part of the honor guard participating in the Yom HaZikaron torch-lighting ceremony at the Kotel.

Yom HaAtzma’ut 5774 - Tuesday, May 6, 2014
12:30 PM

The entire Shiputzim family – including OS, who’s home on a short leave for the holiday - is driving along Kvish 6, the Trans-Israel Highway, on the way to the gorgeous Shomron for a wonderful BBQ (i.e. a mangal or al ha’eish, for the Hebraically-oriented amongst you) replete with great food and great company.

Kvish 6 is a marvel of Israeli engineering and ingenuity. A toll-road without any toll booths to impede traffic or serve as ugly blots on the scenery, its tunnels blend seamlessly into the Biblical landscape.

The Israeli flag attached to the car window whips merrily in the wind. Blue and white flags lining the side of the highway wave back, and electronic signs wish the travelers a happy Yom HaAtzma’ut.

Inside the car, the usual sibling squabbles (“He’s looking at me!” “She’s touching me!”) are surprisingly absent.

Perhaps the lull in the hostilities is due to the fact that everyone is simply enjoying the rare family outing. After all, in recent years, there have been very few occasions when the entire family was home and able to go on trips.

Or perhaps it’s because the Chidon HaTanach (the International Bible Quiz) is playing on the radio. Like most Israelis, the Shiputzim family has a close connection to at least one of the young contestants, and watching or, as in this case, listening to the Chidon is a cherished Yom HaAtzma’ut tradition.

Kvish 6 – Yom HaAtzma’ut 5774 (As always, please click on the pictures for a much better view.)

What small yet meaningful moments defined Yom HaZikaron/Yom HaAtzma’ut 5774 for you?

Flag Friday: 5774 Edition

As veteran Our Shiputzim readers know, Flag Friday (i.e. the first Friday after Rosh Chodesh Iyar) is the day we here in TRLEOOB* decorate the house and car in honor of Yom HaAtzma’ut.

This year Prime Minister Netanyahu decided to get in on all the fun:

Have you put up your flags yet?

שבת שלום ומבורך!

_________

*TRLEOOB=the real life equivalent of our blog

Iyar Top Ten

The Our Shiputzim Editorial Board proudly presents:

The Top 10 Reasons That Iyar Rates As One of the Twelve Best Months to Be Living in Israel

10) The entire country is decorated in blue and white.

9) The IDF – which, as I’ve noted before, does its very best to ensure that religious soldiers’ needs are met – automatically grants shaving exemptions for the duration of Sefirah to any soldier who so requests.

8) The shaving exemption even applies to IDF soldiers appearing on national television during the Yom HaZikaron ceremony at the Kotel.

7) In any given year, at least one of your kids is chosen to play an active role in a Yom HaZikaron/Yom HaAtzma’ut ceremony – whether in gan, school, your community, or even the army.

6) Three years after I first shared my in-laws’ incredible pictures of the Kotel in the summer of 1967, that post continues to be extremely popular - especially in the weeks leading up to Yom Yerushalayim.

5) That satisfying feeling of accomplishment you get after successfully completing yet-another Iyar Challenge (i.e. supplying each of your kids with enough white shirts to make it through the first week of Iyar).

4) The amazing seasonal music. (See, for example, Udi Davidi’s beautiful Hitna'ari (including a translation).)

3) Four words: Yom HaAtzma’ut in Israel. There’s nothing like it!

2) The way the Pesach/Yom HaShoah/Yom HaZikaron/Yom HaAtzma’ut/Yom Yerushalayim/Shavuot continuum serves as a poignant reminder that the future of the Jewish People is here in Israel, where we’re B”H privileged to have front row seats on Jewish history.

1) The newly-minted four-day Lag BaOmer weekend…

!שבת שלום ול”ג-ל”ד שמח

Hinei Rakevet…

In between partying at last night’s wonderful Yom HaAtzma’ut celebration, watching the Chidon HaTanach earlier today, and then enjoying a delicious BBQ (i.e. a mangal, for the Hebraically-oriented amongst you), the Shiputzim family managed to find time to revisit Israel's version of the bridge to nowhere.

As you may recall, the bridge was built for the high-speed train which will eventually run from Tel Aviv to Yerushalayim.

Since those pictures were taken, considerable progress has been made, and in honor of Yom HaAtzma’ut, Israel Railways offered free bus tours of the bridge and the tunnels behind it.

In addition, they had set up a festive fairground of sorts – complete with various attractions for the entire family.

As always, click on the pictures for a better view:

There were entertainers and patriotically-shaped balloons:

Other attractions included model trains, a picnic area, blue and white Lego, a movie, and inflatable rides for the kids:

Rounded concrete slabs which are used to line the tunnels and are installed robotically:

The erstwhile bridge-to-nowhere:

One of the tunnels:

The bridge leading into the tunnels:

Looking down at families on a Yom HaAtzma’ut hike in the valley below the bridge:

And finally, a video from inside the tunnel, which was bedecked with flashing lights in honor of Yom HaAtzma’ut. As you can hear, the bus driver played loud music, and if you watch carefully, you can catch a brief glimpse of the tour guide:

מועדים לשמחה

!לאלתר לגאולה שלמה

Happy Yom HaAtzma’ut to all!

Only in Israel: Restaurant edition

Last week, YZG and I found ourselves driving  to Tel Aviv.

After parking our car, we started walking toward our destination when we were stopped by the guard at the entrance to the parking lot.

He seemed to sense that we are from out of town (where town=Tel Aviv, not New York… :-)).

Was it the fact that we missed our exit driving into the city that gave us away?

Or was he simply being prophetic and accurately predicting that later that evening, we would – as we ALWAYS do at the end of every. single. visit to Tel Aviv - have trouble finding our way back onto the highway?

I don’t know.

But I do know that the friendly guard was clearly trying to be helpful when he asked us where we were going.

We told him that we were going to a certain restaurant, and the Russian-accented, bareheaded guard immediately replied, “Is that kosher?”

We thanked him for his concern and assured him that we had checked it out in advance and that the restaurant was indeed kosher l’mehadrin.

!מי כעמך ישראל
“Who is like Your nation Israel…”
(Divrei HaYamim I 17:21)

And on a related note, Latma has a new song for Yom HaAtzma’ut 5773:

Dig, dig, dig, dig your shovel deep

Note: If you’re looking for an intelligent analysis of yesterday’s shakeup of Israel’s political landscape, you’ve come to the wrong place. (I suggest you check out Jameel’s list of winners and losers instead.) Because the only thing I have to say on the subject is that it’s quite disappointing. I mean, here in TRLEOOB*, we were really looking forward to having a day off… :-)

***

It was Monday, the second day of Rosh Chodesh Iyar, and I was busy patting myself on the back over a job well done.

You see, the Iyar Challenge was underway, and by all indications, it was going to be a huge success.

I had calculated the optimal time to do laundry during the week; each of the kids knew which shirt to wear each day; and I had even managed to convince a certain young man of my acquaintance not to wear a certain shirt from his collection…

And then… [cue: dramatic music] one of the Shiputzim daughters (henceforth, OOTSD) walked in the door.

She needed a few things for her school’s upcoming Yom HaZikaron/Yom HaAtzma’ut ceremony, she told me.

Still deep in the throes of congratulating myself, I wasn’t concerned.

“Bring it on!” I may even have said.

And so she did…

Her class was dramatizing Yoram Taharlev’s “Ein Kvar Derech Chazarah” (“No Way Back Anymore”):

The lyrics are available here.

OOTSD was supposed to dress up as one of the Bilu’im, and her costume had to include a checked shirt, a straw hat or a kova tembel, and a farming or work tool.

Suddenly, I wasn’t feeling so confident anymore…

Because while we had no trouble finding a suitable shirt and hat, I had no idea how to approach the third item on the list.

After all, we’re not exactly the kind of family that just happens to have spare agricultural implements lying around.

Especially since not just ANY agricultural implement would do. It couldn’t be valuable, because OOTSD was taking it to school. It couldn’t be too heavy, because she was going to be dancing with it.

And, most importantly, it had to pass muster with OOTSD’s discriminating teenage sister…

But fortunately, YZG – aka He Who Successfully Built a Model of the Mizbei’ach in Just a Few Hours – once again stepped in and saved the day.

After grabbing a cardboard tube and some heavy duty aluminum foil, he produced this:

Amazingly, not only did the aforementioned teenage sister approve, but when OOTSD brought the shovel to school, her friends said that it was “magniv” (loosely, cool).

Which, by all accounts, is very high praise indeed…

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*TRLEOOB=the real life equivalent of our blog

The Iyar Challenge

Whew!

That was close!

But, B”H, I think we did it. Another (more or less) successful Iyar Challenge has been completed…

{catches breath and heaves a huge sigh of relief}

What’s that you say?

You’ve never heard of the Iyar Challenge?

Well, then, I suppose I’m going to have to write a post about it. (And look! By a fortunate coincidence, this post’s title is all about this very topic… ;-))

I should begin by explaining that the term “Iyar Challenge” suggests different things to different people. For instance:

• For cheesecake fans, it refers to counting Sefirah with a brachah every night until Shavuot.
• For Israeli kids, it implies collecting ridiculous amounts of wood for the Lag BaOmer bonfire.
• For Israeli teens, it alludes to the odd custom of staying out all night - right in the middle of bagrut season.

But as parents of Israeli schoolchildren are well-aware, the real Iyar Challenge is ensuring that one’s offspring have enough white shirts to make it through the first week of Iyar.

Because after all, the beginning of Iyar is essentially one long kacholavan day - including most of the following:

• Two days of Rosh Chodesh
• The day before Yom HaZikaron (i.e. the day when many gannanot celebrate Yom HaAtzma’ut with their young charges)
• Yom HaZikaron
• Yom HaAtzma’ut, at night (assuming, that is, that the Yom HaZikaron shirt is no longer, um, as white as it could be…)
• Yom HaAtzma’ut, during the day
• One or two Shabbatot (depending on the year)

In other words, we’re talking about a minimum of 5-6 white shirts per child – and, usually,  a great deal more than that – within a 7-8 day span!

Furthermore, remember that the Iyar Challenge comes right on the heels of Pesach and the countless white shirts that it entails…

Note: The jury is still out on whether school uniforms are helpful or a hindrance in this regard. On one hand, the overall white shirt supply is increased. But on the other hand, most of the white shirts can now only be worn on Shabbat and Yom HaAtzma’ut itself. </note>

Thus, as you can see, the Iyar Challenge is extremely demanding.

Oh, and to those who would insist that the Chidon HaTanach is the real Iyar Challenge, all I can say is: You obviously aren’t responsible for your family’s laundry…

How do you handle the Iyar Challenge?

________

P.S. The latest Haveil Havalim is available here. Special thanks to Susan for including my tribute to my grandmother z”l.

Yom HaAtzma’ut 5771

Last year, Leora suggested that I post pictures of Flag Friday (the day we decorate our house and car in honor of Yom HaAtzma’ut).

And, so, here’s what TRLEOOB* looks like when it’s all bedecked in blue and white:

(As always, please feel free to click on the pictures for a closer view.)

Blowing in the wind 

 The view from inside

The view from outside

Even the neighbors got into the act.

---------

מועדים לשמחה

לאלתר לגאולה שלמה!

Happy Yom HaAtzma’ut to all!

___________

*TRLEOOB=the real life equivalent of our blog

Yom HaZikaron 5771

Several items of note:

1) Jameel shares a fascinating video about the Machal volunteers who came from abroad to fight and help the nascent State of Israel during the War of Independence.

2) Here’s something to bookmark for next year IY”H: Pragmatic Attic has a great collection of Pesach recipes from around the J-Blogosphere. Special thanks to her for including my pseudo-gebrochts Pesach rolls as well as my non-gebrochts broccoli kugel.

3) The newest Kosher Cooking Carnival is available here. Special thanks to Leora, who also included my Pesach rolls.

4) And finally, the latest Haveil Havalim is available here. Special thanks to Esser Agaroth for including my explanation of why we celebrate on Yom HaAtzma’ut.

----

“אל מלא רחמים שוכן במרומים, המצא מנוחה נכונה על כנפי השכינה במעלות קדושים טהורים וגיבורים… לנשמות הקדושים שנלחמו בכל מערכות ישראל… ושנפלו במלחמתם ומסרו נפשם על קדושת השם, העם והארץ… וינוחו בשלום על משכבותיהם ותעמוד לכל ישראל זכותם… ונאמר אמן.”

“O God, full of mercy, Who dwells in the Heavens, deliver proper rest on the wings of the Divine Presence, in the ascents of the holy, the pure, and the courageous… for the holy souls who fought in all of Israel’s battles… and fell in their wars and gave their lives to sanctify Hashem’s Name, the nation, and the Land… And may they rest in peace on their resting places, and may their merit stand for all of Israel… And we shall say: Amen.” (From the memorial service for the IDF fallen soldiers*)

_________

*The above translation is courtesy of the official Our Shiputzim Hebrew-English translator. Please note that she’s available for translation work. For more information, contact me at OurShiputzim at gmail dot com, and I’ll gladly forward all serious inquiries to her.

A letter to an American friend

Warning: The following post may exceed the recommended daily allowance for overt and blatant religious-Zionism. Proceed at your own risk.

My Dear Friend,

You don’t know me, and I doubt you’ve heard of my blog. Indeed, chances are – you’ll never see this letter.

Which is why you’re probably wondering why I addressed you as my friend… and why I’m writing to you in the first place.

To answer the former question, I not only call you “friend” in the general, “kol Yisrael areivim zeh la’zeh” (literally, “all of Israel are guarantors for each other” – BT Shavuot 39a) sense, but also because you seem like a very nice person, and I’m sure we’d hit it off if we ever met in real life.

As to why I’m writing to you, well, I read something you wrote, and I must respond.

You were discussing Yom HaAtzma’ut, and you referred to it as “a controversial and horribly divisive day” [sic]. Furthermore, you declared, every year, you “dread” [sic] the holiday and can’t wait for it to be over.

I was shocked!

How could a Torah-committed, mitzvah-observant person - such as yourself - not recognize the Yad Hashem (Hand of Hashem) behind the State of Israel’s establishment??

How could you possibly allude to a commemoration of that clearly miraculous and Divinely-ordained event as “controversial”??

Is your objection that Yom HaAtzma’ut falls during Sefirah?? Don’t you realize that it was HaKadosh Baruch Hu’s Will that the State of Israel come into existence precisely during this time of year??

And then my initial shock turned to sorrow.

It saddened me to think that here you are, a self-professed Heaven-fearing individual, and yet, you lack any feeling of hakarat hatov (gratitude) for the wonderful gift we received 63 years ago!

As a result of this extraordinary, one-of-a-kind gift, any Jew who so desires can now make his/her home in our beautiful, blessed Land.

For 2000 years, our grandparents and great-grandparents could only dream of observing the mitzvot hat’luyot baAretz (the Land of Israel-dependent mitzvot) as well as the great mitzvah of yishuv Eretz Yisrael (settling/dwelling in the Land of Israel).

But because of this gift, we’re now privileged to have their dreams as our reality.

And, finally, my sadness changed to pity.

Yes, that’s right.

I feel sorry for you, because you have absolutely no idea what you’re missing.

Because as any Israeli could tell you, Yom HaAtzma'ut isn’t “divisive” [sic] at all. Quite the opposite, in fact.

For nothing - and I mean nothing - says achdut (unity) like Yom HaAtzma’ut.

You see, the vast majority of the country’s citizens [with the possible exception of a few, completely irrelevant, fringe elements] spend the day celebrating and thanking Hashem and His messengers for His incredible chessed (loving-kindness)… each in their own unique way.

In the evening, we all attend various Yom HaAtzma’ut celebrations – either as active participants or simply to catch a glimpse of the fireworks - and/or watch the national ceremony on TV.

During the day, we cheer on our favorite Chidon HaTanach (National Bible Contest) contestants. (Israel is such a small country - that no one is more than  one or two degrees of separation away from at least one of the competitors!)

And, of course, we flock to the country’s lovely parks and enjoy what essentially serves as one, giant, national BBQ.

Unlike on other festivals - when we generally encounter only our immediate families and members of our own communities - on Yom HaAtzma’ut, we come in contact with our fellow Israelis, from every walk of life.

And when we do, we greet each other with hearty cries of “chag samei’ach!”

I eagerly look forward to the day when you can join us here in Eretz Yisrael and experience Yom HaAtzma’ut for yourself!

!חודש טוב, שבת שלום ויום העצמאות שמח

Fine Arts Friday: Calendar edition

Every summer, in what has become an annual tradition, my mother prepares a family calendar for the upcoming year.

These beautiful printed-and-bound calendars contain family photos and mark everyone’s birthdays, anniversaries, and other important milestones.

Normally, my mother decorates the pages herself, but this time, she asked some of the grandchildren to provide appropriate drawings.

Three of the Shiputzim kids were among those assigned specific months, and here’s what they came up with (in ascending order, according to the young artists’ ages).

As always, feel free to click on the pictures for a closer view:

February 2011 (roughly corresponding to Adar I 5771)

May 2011 (roughly corresponding to Iyar 5771, including Yom HaAtzma’ut)

October 2010 (roughly corresponding to MarCheshvan 5771, including Rachel Imeinu’s yahrzeit)

!שבת שלום ומבורך

Blue and white on Israel’s highways

Breaking with our usual custom of avoiding the Yom HaAtzma’ut traffic, the Shiputzim family hit the road today.

Flags were everywhere:

  Even on police cars:

And electronic road signs:

There were other electronic signs as well:

  (As always, click on the pictures for a closer look.) 

!מועדים לשמחה לאלתר לגאולה שלמה

Happy Yom HaAtzma’ut!

Flag Friday

Back in the inaugural – and, most likely, final - edition of Fish Tank Friday, I wrote:

“As you may have figured out by now, I’ve never found a fake-themed Friday which I haven’t favored. For instance, would you fancy a future post entitled, “Faux Themes Friday”? I could focus on all the forced yet fascinating Friday themes which have been featured on this forum…”

Indeed, a quick glance at the list of labels in the sidebar to the right indicates that this blog has no shortage of fake Friday themes. (The aforementioned Fish Tank Friday is, of course, one of the more egregious examples.)

Moreover, I’m always on the lookout for more.

Hence, this post.

You see, last year at this time, I asked:

“When is the right time to decorate one’s house and car with Israeli flags?”

And then added:

“Here in TRLEOOB (the real life equivalent of our blog), we usually get around to doing it on or about Rosh Chodesh Iyar.”

But earlier this week, as Rosh Chodesh Iyar approached and I wondered if we should perhaps start decorating, YZG correctly observed that we actually always end up hanging the flags on the Friday before Yom HaAtzma’ut. (This is simply a matter of convenience, because like most Israelis, we both have Fridays off.)

And so, thanks to YZG, was born a new annual tradition: Flag Friday - the day we decorate our house and car in honor of Yom HaAtzma’ut… and then blog about it.

Tell me. Does it GET more exciting than that?

!שבת שלום ומבורך

P.S. The latest Kosher Cooking Carnival is available here. Special thanks to Shimshonit for including my charoset post.

Folding Friday: Yom HaAtzma’ut edition

B”H, we were privileged to enjoy a truly wonderful Yom HaAtzma’ut.

The morning was spent at Yad L’Shiryon, the IDF Armored Corps Museum in Latrun.

We actually hadn’t been in a while. You see, whenever we suggest a visit, the kids inevitably start to complain, “Not again! We go every year…”

But this year, we called their bluff. A few days before Yom HaAtzma’ut, YZG asked the kids a few questions about the museum. Their responses showed that they weren’t exactly the Latrun experts they had claimed to be. In fact, the younger kids barely remembered being there at all.

And so, we grabbed hats and water bottles and set out.

In the end, everyone had a great time, and as usual, the highlight was the huge collection of tanks:

Visitors are permitted to climb on most of the tanks.

During the course of the visit, the Shiputzim family was pleased to bump into our barbecue guests as well as occasional commenter Be-All-You-Can-Be (coincidentally, this blog’s official military adviser) and his wife and family.

Speaking of our guests, thanks to Ein Shem for manning the mangal and sharing some of his nafnaf knowledge with YZG; to RCT for bringing two (!) types of delicious cookies; and to YAT, who helped MAG set the table and fold all the napkins in a Yom HaAtzma’ut-themed shape:

Napkin-folding instructions are available upon request.

In addition, thank you to all the members of the Shiputzim family – each of whom did their share to ensure that we BA”H had a very special Yom HaAtzma’ut.

On a somewhat related note, due to the fact that the Chief of Photography is rather preoccupied with bagruyot (matriculation exams)* and all that they entail, there are no available pictures of either the food or the grill itself. The Our Shiputzim management regrets any inconvenience this may have caused…

!שבת שלום ומבורך

_______

* Watch this space for an upcoming post about bagruyot…

Yom HaAtzma’ut!

Without a doubt, if there was a competition for the top ten reasons to make aliyah, Yom HaAtzma’ut would definitely make the cut.

I mean, it doesn’t get much cooler than experiencing Yom HaAtzma’ut in Israel… as an Israeli.

This is the eleventh Yom HaAtzma’ut (BA”H) since our aliyah, and I can honestly say that it gets better every year.

We went to our local Yom HaAtzma’ut celebration tonight and stayed much later than we usually do. Depending how tired everyone is when they wake up, we may go on a tiyul in the morning. And in the afternoon, noted Our Shiputzim commenter YAT, his parents Ein Shem and RCT, and all his siblings are IY”H joining us here in TRLEOOB for the traditional mangal (i.e. BBQ).

Feel free to stop by and join us if you happen to be in the area! As we say here in Israel, אנא קחו את זה כהזמנה אישית - i.e., please consider this to be a personal invitation…

מועדים לשמחה לאלתר לגאולה שלמה

Happy Yom HaAtzma’ut to all!

Raise the flag

Now that all the Pesach stuff has been put away and we’ve all resumed our regular daily schedules, it feels as if Pesach has been over for weeks.

Of course, the truth is that it’s only been a few days, but nonetheless, we’re all more than ready for the next vacation.

Fortunately, ‘tis the season when we don’t go more than a week or two without another festival – minor or otherwise.

In other words, it’s time for that annual debate which is no doubt taking place in homes across Israel this very minute: When is the right time to decorate one’s house and car with Israeli flags?

Here in TRLEEOB (the real life equivalent of our blog), we usually get around to doing it on or about Rosh Chodesh Iyar.

And then we leave them hanging until the day after Yom Yerushalayim.

How about you?

Roof views - Yom Ha'atzmaut edition

Happy Yom Ha'atzmaut!!!

Obviously, no work was done today (although the official inspection team did make an appearance.) However, our crack photography team never rests, and so, as promised, here are some more roof views:

View #1:

View #2:

View #3:

View #4:

In other news, the kablan said that they're IY"H coming to put in the bathroom floor tomorrow. This way the floor can dry by Sunday, and then they can come do the bathroom walls.

Finally, please keep those comments coming. We love hearing from you.