Israel Adventures-Sisters Trip!

A couple months ago, I had the amazing opportunity of a lifetime to travel to the Holy Land, the Land of Israel, along with my sisters Chanie and Aliza. This was our first lengthy sisters trip as adults, since I got married while they were still young teens. My wonderful husband assured me that it was ok for me to go, and even encouraged me to – he’s the best

It was just the most magical, beautiful time. Firstly, as close as we are, back at home each of us is busy with daily life. Being together for a longer than normal period of time, we forged an even stronger bond – shared experiences are priceless! And while it was super hard to leave my husband and kids (I stayed up late at night to catch them after school for “face-timing” since Israel is 7 hours ahead), it was a time to think about just me and know that they were being well taken care of.

I’ve been to Israel before, but I can never get enough. There is such rich history under every stone. I always wish I could transpose myself to another time, when a now-quiet area had hustle and bustle, when you could hear ancient voices and see ancient life. What’s the story each tree can tell? This trip – although we did have fun:) – concentrated on our shared love of history, particularly Jewish history, in this historically rich country. Chanie teaches about the Arab-Israeli conflict, using her experience in international law, and both Aliza and I love history, so it was perfection.

Below are some pics of our adventures. Aliza being ever so creative put together a video you can check it out here! Enjoy!

 

On our way to meet family for breakfast

 

Photobombed by chayalim!

 

View of the Kineret

 

Walking in Jerusalem

 

Mid century window-doors from an Indian shul, brought over to the Israel Museum. History at my fingertips…

 

Horseback riding in Netanya

 

Sooooo much more to share but I will leave you guys with one last pic. This is me walking in the Golan Heights on the trail to a memorial created by friends of the 4 taken too young heroes/terror victims from Yeshivat Otniel murdered in 2002. You can read about it here. All our honor and respect for the thousands of victims who have been murdered for living in and defending our homeland.

 

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Now I Need the Girls!

Although my fingers feel heavy, my stomach feels queasy and my mind is thick with thoughts of the 3 boys Eyal, Gil-ad and Naftali, innocent children brutally kidnapped and murdered by Hamas, I push myself to try to help a fellow Jew. I dedicate this post in their honor. Even if no shidduch comes about from trying, may your efforts be an aliyah for their nashamot.

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Thanks so much for all the personal messages I received supporting me in doing my share to help singles.

In my last post (find it here), I requested specifically for people to pass on information about guys they know who are single as I was short on guys. I am happy to say I have received a nice amount of guys (yay!) to work with so I am really accepting info on ALL girls and guys you know! To be more direct, I am most familiar with and have worked with modern orthodox to yeshivish types and anything within that spectrum. Again, I ask of you all, think of people maybe a step further than your immediate circle, friends siblings, co-workers, boss’s child, child’s friend’s siblings. You NEVER know how it will come about. The shidduch I made came about after randomly meeting a stranger on the Brooklyn College campus who knew someone for someone I knew and the rest is history;)

Feel free to forward infos + pic to letsmakeashidduch@gmail.com. Feel free to contact me with any questions as well.

Please make sure there is a contact number to the single (or go-between) and a brief description of what the person is about, how they see themselves religiously and what type of person they are looking for. This helps me differentiate one from another as simple technical details do not help in me understanding what they’re about.

I really try to be non-judgmental, to understand each person’s needs, listen well to their requests in what they are looking for and how they describe their hashkafot.

Thanks so much!

 

PS I am working on something that will allow singles themselves to peruse through other singles out there and possibly help someone find their bashert on their own. I will be available to do the communication at first if they feel more comfortable that way. Details to follow!

Shidduchim and How YOU Can Help

As some of you may know, I’ve been actively involved in Shidduchim for many years. I’ve made one Shidduch so I know I can do it again 🙂

Unfortunately, my list trails with girls. And although I’ll accept any girl’s info, I’m truly seeking your help to find guys for my girls, ranging from Modern Orthodox to Yeshivish.

SO, I created an email just for shidduchim. Please feel free to send questions, profiles, and pictures to letsmakeashidduch@gmail.com.

My biggest pet peeve is when I get information that reads like a job resume, with all the technical details but without any description of the single as a person– I cannot help you if all I know is his/her camp, bungalow colony, references, and whether or not he or she was valedictorian. I don’t know the person from a hole in the wall, so if you’re coming to me for help I need to know whether the single is an atheist, conservative, Yeshivish, learning, wears skirts, pants, or turbans. I exaggerate, of course, but you get the idea. The more I read about you (not too long, save that for the date!) the better feel I get.

So please be sure there is a paragraph on what you or the single is looking for type-wise, hashkafically, religiously. Also, I need pictures. If you’d like me not to share them, please specify, but I need to see what you look like. It helps me remember you as I’m a visual person.

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There is really so much I’d love to discuss on this topic but I’ll rein myself in (or try;)) and concentrate on how we can help the singles who remain after the initial burst of engagements post high school/seminary/college.

For many, “Shidduchim” means excitement, a whirlwind of fun and joy – but for many, many others, it connotes loneliness, judgment, and hardship.

Although I didn’t get married late myself, I feel a super strong connection with and sympathy for singles in our community, who leave weddings happy for their friends but with sadness in their hearts. For once their friends are married, and many begin having children, these singles are left behind in the dust. It’s very difficult to live in a community where laughing kids and a husband to link your arm into are the norm when you have neither.

And here’s the biggest problem:

So many times I’ve asked people if they know any guys – or even girls – whom I can set up with a particular person, and the expression of not only lack of effort but interest breaks my heart. I cringe when right off the bat they say they don’t know anyone.

No, a name may not come to mind immediately. But pause for a minute. Think of your neighbor, your son’s friend, your co-worker’s daughter.

It’s a regrettable truth that once people gets married, they tend to forget how hard it is to be single. Marriage, kids, life keeps us all busy. I know that personally. I don’t think anyone is intentionally thoughtless.

And of course there are people who focus their time and energy on other wonderful endeavors – collecting for the less fortunate, making rounds in hospitals, etc. – and Kol HaKavod to them. If they can’t concentrate full time on Shidduchim, that’s understandable.

 

 

But it would be really amazing if people stopped for just a minute, thought about the singles they might possibly know, and passed those names on to someone who does focus on setting people up. It’s all about connections.

And singles out there, please don’t be shy about asking for yourselves. It’s uncomfortable, awkward, and maybe you feel embarrassed. But do it for no one else but yourselves. You never know when you may hit the jackpot.

SO EVERYONE I NEED YOUR HELP!!

Please take a moment: if you’re not single or looking, think of your friend’s brother, sister, neighbor, Shul member, cousin’s kid. You never know.

Send me names, profiles, and pictures, and maybe we can work some magic!

Thanks everyone!

~Devorah

Yom Ha’atzmaut and My Sister’s Fascinating Blog

Israel’s Independence Day is celebrated on the fifth day of the month of Iyar, which is the Hebrew date of the formal establishment of the state, when members of the “provisional government” read and signed a Declaration of Independence in Tel Aviv. The original date corresponded to May 14, 1948.

In honor of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, which falls out today, and yesterday’s Yom Hazikaron, Day of Remembrance for the Fallen Soldiers of Israel and Victims of Terrorism, I would like to share my sister Chanie (Susana) Scheiner’s amazing blog called Israel Unlocked.  Sometimes it is down due to editing.

Chanie so eloquently and articulately takes the issues of the Arab-Israeli conflict of years before to current times, and helps her readers understand the root of the matter. As an attorney she shares not only her personal views, but also international laws pertaining to the situation.

I love the tagline of her blog:

“The truly righteous don’t complain about ignorance; rather, they add wisdom.” – Rav Kook

She believes, as do I, that it’s crucial to share, learn, discuss and most of all be knowledgeable about all that is Israel. For people who stand with Israel, especially Jewish people who absolutely should (my views on that are worth another post here:)) the more educated we are, the better we can stand up for ourselves be it physically and verbally.

Please feel free to share her blog, comment and share your views or ask questions-she is very well versed in a lot of the difficult issues of the conflict. In her words:

“I encourage civil discourse on the topic and I’m open to comments, questions, and suggestions concerning this blog or the conflict.”

 

Here is a direct link to pages of legal analysis of the conflict which is simplified for the lay person;)

 

Her latest post:

Cruelty or Compassion? You Be the Judge

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To end, I would like to say that I am ever so grateful to the IDF who put themselves in harm’s way to allow the freedom for Jews and other people to visit and live in the beautiful Land of Milk and Honey. From all the way in America:

AM YISRAEL CHAI!

Stain removal trick-it really works!

This week I noticed a 4″ diameter stain on my fave greyish denimish skirt! No idea where it came from (a cooking splatter does NOT look like that). Panic mode set in. It was almost as dramatic as it sounds lol.

Level one of damage control consisted of a bunch of spritzes of Shout Stain Remover. I left it overnight and the next AM rinsed it to find nothing changed. Bahahawaaaaa!!! I spritzed more.

I then remembered I had read somewhere sometime about shampoo taking out greasy stains. Makes sense I guess. Greasy hair, greasy stains…I tried it. I poured some

 

Following my age-old dream…

Hi Everyone!

So the other day I got hooked on a dream I’ve had forever-to learn how to play the guitar!

I’ve never played an instrument (I wish they would have given us the option at school), but have always loved music. Particularly the piano and even more so the guitar. I’ve has these thoughts of attempting but they come and go.

We recently watched the Disney movie Frozen, and my girls are obsessed with it! They love to sing Do you wanna build a snowman and Let it go from the movie. I confess, I do too. So while we were belting it out, I thought guitar accompanying it would be so amazing. I know to be able to play that is a long time away, but you’ve got to start somewhere, right?

My most fave new makeup brush (and why Iv’e been MIA)

So sorry to all my followers for having been MIA!

So much has happened since my last post, the most major being Hurricane Sandy 😦 and the time consuming after-effects. I can write a whole blog post just on my family’s experience on having gone through it (while being at home), what it was like dealing with all insurance companies (we are still in the long process) and having to literally rebuild our home from scratch due to foundation damage from the storm. That’s all for another time…

Anyway, so I for sure have more than enough makeup brushes than one needs to apply every single item of makeup possible during one sitting but when I saw this baby I had to try it! It’s the LY20 Super Fan Brush by Louise Young which I purchased at Nordstrom. I actually own another fan brush (well two but I had given the other away to my sister as I didn’t find that much use for it) which is the Laura Mercier one. The concept behind the fan brush is that it’s bristles generally aren’t tightly packed and that along with it’s unique shape makes it perfect for dusting. That could be dusting on highlight or it’s also perfect for dusting away eyeshadow fallout. It’s meant to be a light touch brush.

Well, The Louise Young brush is anything but that! It’s got the same basic shape but that’s where its similarities to other fan brushes I have seen stop! First of all it’s HUGE! Like literally it’s more than double the size of your standard brush. It’s also very densely packed and the bristles are firmer-yet super soft.

The fascinating world of Pinterest

A few months ago I joined Pinterest.

I had originally read an article about this up and coming pin-board style site where users can create themed albums by allowing it’s users to browse other people’s albums. If a user finds photos in someone else’s album that they would like to incorporate into their own, they “re-pin” it to their own album. These albums can be titled anything but some popular ones are Hair, Makeup, My style, DIY, Beautiful, Dream home etc.

It’s interesting to note that in North America about 83% of users are women!

I especially love the inspirations I get by seeing other people’s My style pins. It is also a phenomenal advertising tool. If you have something you create and either sell or want to show the world, this is a great place to do it and reach a world full of people who may have never stumbled (a great web tip as well!) upon your website or work.

If you are on Pinterest definitely follow me and I will do the same to you!

Tinkerbell costume for Purim

My, where has the time gone?

This year Purim falls out on March 8th. (Read about Purim here on the Aish website or this Wikipedia article.)

In honor of Purim, my daughters’ school had a carnival and the kids went to school all dressed in their costumes! This year they wanted to be Tinkerbell. I believe this comes from their obsession show Jake and the Neverland Pirates. While the show is loosely based on Peter Pan, the cast is different and between you and me, there is no Tinkerbell on this show, but who’s gonna burst their bubble right? lol

Here are some pictures I took today of my girls all dressed up! Below I will tell you how I put it all together!

Costume: Purchased from 2 different buyers on Amazon. I was hoping they wouldn’t notice the slight differences in the costumes (one had more glittery wings than the other and the flower at the waist is a bit different). Thank goodness only my very perceptive 5 year old did, so I let her choose which wings she wanted. It is cold here in New York so they are wearing t-shirts and tights.

Shoes: Found them at a Disney store (perfect!). If you look closely, you will notice the original green elastic strap it came with. Although it held the foot better than I thought it would, I wished it was located closer to the ankle like a real mary jane. As they ran around the house with them they kept slipping off. So my creative self (pat on the back here;)) found the perfect pink organza ribbon to match the material under the butterfly at the toe part and used it to make an additional strap. I punctured holes at the sides of the shoes, ran the ribbon through and voilà. It worked.

Makeup: Thanks to my Coastal Scents 88 color eye shadow palette, I had plenty of lime greens, yellows and greens to create this look. With Yellows and Lime Greens I covered the entire lid, and added darker greens at the outer corners for a more wing tipped look. A tad of pink blush to liven up the cheeks and some shimmer makeup on the cheeks and forehead (not really visible in the pictures).

Hair: A top knot bun. Well, almost-I did the quickie version.

That’s it! You like? Let me know!

Chag Sameach (Happy Holiday!)

*Update* My challah adventure

If you’ve been a follower for a little while here, you may know I have been trying out different challah recipes. ( You can read the post here.)

I mentioned I was considering meshing two recipes as each had results I loved.

I am thrilled to say (I know it’s just challah lol) I did just that and it came out delicious! I probably will tinker with it a bit more but I really love how it came out.

Here is the recipe and if