POSTCARD FROM TEL AVIV 2

Tuesday started out as a lovely day! Marc picked me up at Jennifer's and we drove to Hadera to visit our 92 year old Great Aunt Bruria and her son Ilan and wife Yael. We got there fine but the car was making short jerks and we were both wondering. Marc's Nissan is electric inside, not the kind you plug in.

We got there fine tho a bit concerned, visited for a few hours and had lunch at the very Kosher cheese shop nearby; weather great, ninety two year old Bruria the same as every prior year and we departed to avoid the Tel Aviv traffic. We made it with the car jerking part way and suddenly the car just came to an abrupt stop on the freeway. As luck would have it, a motorcycle cop pulled up and pushed us to the side of the freeway with the help of a truck driver who was on the nearby off ramp.

Marc called his Israel company and after much discussion they said they would send a tow truck but had no idea when. He was concerned how I would get to Tel Aviv and I was the hero of the day. I noticed at the end of the nearby off ramp was a gas station so we climbed over a barrier to get off the freeway and walked down the ramp and someone called a cab for me. It only cost 200 NIS (or $57.15) and worth every penny. The tow truck eventually came 4 hours later and gave his battery a jolt and he drove home by 8:45! Took his car in to the shop the next day and since it was so new (a year and a half) they serviced it for nothing.

The next day another movie at 11am! Cannot rave enough; a French Holocaust film about a jeweler and his wife and his assistant and his wife. Full of unexpected twists and turns you would never suspect or expect! ''Farewell Mr. Haffman'' with Daniel Autiel. A must see! The acting and story line so great I could see it again, with subtitles in English of course! Had lunch at home and walked all over on errands. I think it was 3.5 miles.

That night the four of us incl Simone ate at a lovely restaurant called Cafe Noir that Simone, Herbie, Moses and I had eaten last year. Then we walked to a dessert place the Langs loved and it went out of business so we found an ice cream place and treated ourselves! Second night this week Jennifer and I had ice cream-oy!

The city puts benches all over and people decorate them. This one is obviously about love!

 

         There is a lot of graffiti here like in the states but then there is some real art too! Very fun!

Today we went to a lecture in the morning that was at a beautiful home of the president of an organization Jennifer belongs to:  International  Women's Club.  The lecture was on the History of Israel by a college professor who spoke for 90 minutes non stop and no water! As Jennifer said, next time he speaks, she is not going. Some of it was interesting but there are not too many people who should speak more than an hour! Then we had a nice lunch in a nearby cafe previously owned by the chef who introduced real bread (other than sliced white) into Israel.

We drove north to a furniture store than south to another furniture store then home.

Comedy Night at NEFISHBNEFISH, the organization that brings olim (new immigrants from other countries to live in Israel.) They present all kinds of activities and the kippah wearing British director is terrific! The 3 comedians, 1 woman (not good) and 2 men (great) were very entertaining. The third, an Israeli, is new to performing and what I could hear/understand was hilarious. Unfortunately hearing aids in a crowd and an Israeli accent made it very difficult.

The room was set up for an audience but the next night it was all decorated for Thanksgiving and tho  the food was 2 hours late, it was pretty good. There were 75 people mostly Jennifer and Philippe's age and older with tables and chairs for everyone. Eating at 9 wasn't particularly fun but out of everyone's control. We even played Thanksgiving Bingo while waiting for the food!

Dessert was apple something and ice cream chocolate squares, pareve of course! In the background is Dov, (with microphone) head of the relatively new NEFISHBNEFISH Tel Aviv office.

Today the senior Langs arrived and to give them space I went to visit Jennifer's friend Dorothy also 85. She lives nearby and we took a long walk, stopped for coffee, returned to her apartment to read  a fascinating article on Alzheimer's care in France from The New Yorker. We visited a gallery across the street that had a fabulous photography exhibit. The photographer was there and we had a delightful conversation. She photographs a flower a day among other scenes of nature.

Dinner tonight was an incredible treat. Friends of Jennifer and Philippe invited us to dinner. They live in the same building we rented in last year and the Langs live in  the same complex but a different building. They gutted the interior walls and made a spectacular home with a master bedroom and bath. They moved  with their 2 daughters and twin sons from Australia some years ago. Besides being an incredible cook Thea is a concert piano player and a lawyer. Ben volunteers for Guide Dogs (not just for the Blind but also for other problems.

The first thing I noticed was an incredibly unusual piano. So Ed gave me a tour. He saw it somewhere and decided he had to have one so he commissioned it. It's glass and you can see the insides when its raised and watch the keys move when its played. I'm afraid I begged Thea until she played a few minutes of spectacular classical music. And the view of the city is also spectacular!

 A third 11am movie: Don't miss The Fabelmans. Wow, did Speilberg bare his kishkies! No wonder he needed Tony Kushner to help write! They seem to get all our movies when we do which is great for them! 

The senior Langs are here for a few days as their place in Netanya was rented. A taxi just took them. It's been a full house and now Daniella has arrived from NY. And things are moving along slowly in the apartment but they are getting done! Things move very slowly here with remodeling!

Till next time!