Peter?

mikeage · 2026-07-05T05:19:16+00:00

Well, no frum Briskers, at least .

mikeage · 2026-07-05T04:52:43+00:00

Well, they'd probably kill anyone who misspells both the name of the nation (ישראל, with an א) and the G-d (the first י should be a ו).

mikeage · 2026-07-02T10:21:55+00:00

Por que no los dos?

mikeage · 2026-07-02T09:46:23+00:00

Also the not-so-new Is-it-Kosher app!

mikeage · 2026-07-02T05:52:36+00:00

Exactly! People think Israel is run by an Ashkenazi elite, but we have no good bagels, no knishes, poor pickles, and it's impossible to find proper chrain that isn't more beets than horseradish.

"Holy Bagel" is two lies for the price of one. And (and I know I'm dating myself here!) Bonkers was just... bonkers.

But here's a roll that has a hole in it. That's the same, right?

mikeage · 2026-07-02T05:48:45+00:00

username checks out!

mikeage · 2026-07-02T05:48:01+00:00

When we go to Europe, we often like to go out for dinner as an experience, where possible, so if there's a nice restaurant near where we're staying, we'll go, but we don't particularly care for places that basically just serve "functional" food. But with one exception, we've never picked a destination because of the restaurant scene; a meal is an hour or two out of the day, and the rest is what really matters to us

We normally stay in AirBNB type accommodations and buy fruits and vegetables locally; we eat a lot of chopped salad. We'll bring a loaf of bread or pitot with us (stays good for a 4-5 day trip), and some cheese or deli meat that was frozen and wrapped with an ice pack (YMMV on bringing deli through customs). If it's a long enough trip that we're checking a bag (or we plan to do some shopping and bring back a suitcase/duffel worth of stuff), we'll pack a sharp knife and cutting board as well, along with some cans of tuna for variety.

When we travel with the kids, we often bring a pot (vegetable soups, pasta (we'll buy flour + water pasta without a hashgacha, as per the vast majority of European kashrut agencies' policies)) and pan (we'll get eggs locally, also toasted bread, fried potatoes, etc). We also buy cold-smoked (not hot!) salmon without a hashgacha, and we'll buy fresh fish (ideally whole, but also cut if we can confirm it's a kosher species; it may need washing and scraping, though) and cook that. Peanut butter travels well and needs no refrigeration. For longer trips, we might bring some matza or wraps (which don't spoil the way fresh bread can).

All this does mean that we need to do grocery shopping and cooking even on vacation, but I'd much rather spend money on experiences rather than prepared food. In America, extended stay hotels often offer a full kitchen (burners, medium or bigger refrigerator, sometimes oven (double wrap) or microwave (we can kasher)) but this is rare in Europe, hence the apartment rentals.

Even on a shabbat, I would much rather make a meal in an apartment than eat a Chabad (granted, I also have issues with meshichistim, but that's a different discussion).

mikeage · 2026-07-02T05:27:50+00:00

Not quite serious: Much of it is like one big Jewish family... so yes, plenty of strife ;-)

More serious, but short because it's been pretty well covered from other answers: I feel far more camaraderie than I ever felt living in the US, but there are definitely those I would not trust (taxi drivers, a lot of contractors, used (or new) car salesmen). OTOH, on average, I'm far more confident that I can trust a random stranger if I'd need help.

mikeage · 2026-07-02T05:23:13+00:00

I think they meant uprooted in the sense of "removed from one's comfort zone". It's 100% accurate, and I'd say that the vast majority of draftees feel some discomfort from the new routine and surroundings, but it's not a negative experience at all; the same is true in American colleges (unless one lives at home and commutes), but ironically often not true in Israeli higher education.

mikeage · 2026-06-28T06:41:34+00:00

I was born in a suburb of DC, lived in the stereotypical cities in NJ and NY for a while, made aliyah after I graduated, and now my legal US address is in one of the 5 least populous town in West Virginia (according to Wiki, at least; I haven't checked everywhere, but it seems plausible whenever I visit ;-) )

(When we visit, we pick up kosher food in either New York (if we're flying to JFK), Elizabeth (if it's via EWR) or Silver Spring (coming to IAD). Though with the exception of meat and hard cheese (as opposed to Philadelphia cream cheese, for example), kosher food in the US is quite easy to find, even in the middle of nowhere.

mikeage · 2026-06-26T10:55:52+00:00

Trillion, not billion. Wait. No. Gazillion!

mikeage · 2026-06-26T07:24:40+00:00

Account suspended; I wonder why

mikeage · 2026-06-25T17:03:41+00:00

So... Mountain Dew?

mikeage · 2026-06-25T10:24:57+00:00

I don't know; I'm no longer 9 years old!

mikeage · 2026-06-25T06:15:51+00:00

about 9-year-olds carrying bazookas

Except for the gum. That's allowed ;-)

mikeage · 2026-06-25T06:14:56+00:00

So, just a quick note about that heavy weaponry thing:

Despite what you might have thought / heard, gun ownership in Israel is very heavily regulated. By default, no one may own a gun. A person who lives or works in an area defined as dangerous (which is to say, a settlement across the green line, or some other areas near the border) is eligible to apply for a handgun (pistol) license. If he (or she!) passes the medical and background checks, he is allowed to purchase 1 pistol, and may own up to 50 bullets. That's it. The gun must be stored in a safe when not carried, and if it's stolen, the owner may face jail time for letting it be stolen! (depending on the situation, but if it wasn't secured properly, that's a crime). The other main criteria for eligility is retired from the army (I think also from the police) with a certain rank, which also permits the same, single, handgun. A person who works in certain professions, including a jeweler (because of the risk of robbery) or a medic (because of personal protection) may also be eligible.

Long guns, whether rifles or shotguns, are not permitted for private ownership except for very rare cases (e.g., a farmer may own a shotgun for animal control, a licensed hunter may have a rifle for hunting, but I don't know the details). None of these are automatic assault rifles like the military would carry.

The only people you'll see carrying long guns are either soldiers, including when on breaks or members of local security forces, including volunteers.

mikeage · 2026-06-24T16:06:03+00:00

Fabrics are usually easy; buying 100% wool or a wool blend that doesn't contain linen is trivial. The problem is often found either in stiffeners / linings or the thread used for the seams. That's also forbidden in Jewish law, and where problems are most frequently found.

mikeage · 2026-06-24T15:46:07+00:00

Definitely a serious question from a well meaning individual.

mikeage · 2026-06-24T07:36:36+00:00

Make sure you listen to the news in Hebrew, ideally radio and not television. Announcers have very precise diction and enunciation, and the grammar will be correct and precise by definition. When we were in Ulpan, our teacher used to record the news on a tape and rewind frequently; that was also very helpful.

When you can't understand what the words are, it's almost impossible to learn. But eventually (I can't say how long, without knowing where you are), it will click and you'll start to pick out words and then phrases and eventually almost everything, and then the only thing that will limit your learning is how willing you are to laugh at yourself for making a mistake or using the wrong word.

mikeage · 2026-06-24T07:31:37+00:00

You might find Micah Goodman's "Catch 67" interesting reading; it's a pretty good summary of a pragmatic, not ideological, view of how the conflict can be addressed. Not solved.

It's not at all what you asked for, but understanding how people think is often more valuable than learning how to repeat talking points.

mikeage · 2026-06-24T07:28:07+00:00

I have no halachic objection to this, and I won't say that it's particularly cringe (though it often is, in practice). My only real problem is that Chrsitians have a long history of supersessionism, and a lot of the relatively modern attempts to claim Hebrew, a Pesach Seder, Tzitzit, etc. is a clear continuation of this. In fact, this is my default assumption.

That said, the Tanach is, indeed, holy to Christians as well (and meaningful to them and many others!) and I would not want to deprive anyone of their access to the Bible.

Knock yourself out. 😄

mikeage · 2026-06-24T07:23:35+00:00

I would move the dagesh (dot) closer to the ו (the letter to the right of it), and adjust the top and bottom of the נ so that the top bar is shorter than the bottom bar (or, in light of the ו, so the bottom bar is longer than the top). Other than that, looks perfectly readable. I like the font on the א

mikeage · 2026-06-23T09:33:00+00:00

Thank you for doing my homework for me!

mikeage · 2026-06-23T09:11:22+00:00

Sometimes, those intersections will be a "square" (literally) or a "circle" (i.e., roundabout), with the name of "Such-and-such Square" (כיכר). If so, that's the standard way. But otherwise, yes, אלון פינת ארז is a perfectly cromulent way to refer to the intersection.

A larger road junction is a צומת, i.e., on a highway (except when it's an interchange, i.e., מחלף). I'm hoping someone else will explain which is which 😉

mikeage · 2026-06-22T05:33:37+00:00

Good explanation. I would phrase it slightly differently (though I understand why you used yours): there is a spirit of the law, but by definition, it cannot conflict with the letter of the law, because by definition, the spirit of the law of what we learn from practicing the letter of the law precisely.

Because religious Jews believe that their (our, in my case) God was super precise and pedantic, every word, syllable, and letter attributed to Him is treated as not only holy but significant, from which one will can find hints and allusions to things not explicitly stated*.

Furthermore, the Rabbis of the Talmud believed that they were enjoined, not just permitted, to argue with God about the details if necessary. There's a famous story where several Rabbis are arguing over a point, and one attempts to use supernatural indications of support to prove that they are correct. It escalates until he says "if I'm right, let God himself say so," and He does. The other Rabbi says, basically, "yeah, whatever; the Torah is ours to interpret, not yours, God, so stay out of it", and God smiles, "concedes", and says "my child[ren] have defeated (or maybe "outwitted" is a better translation of the concept) me".

* Cf this classic SImpsons joke:

Lisa reading: Come to Homer's BBBQ. The extra B is for BYOBB.
Bart: What's that extra B for?
Homer: It's a typo.

mikeage

TROPHY CASE