joined on 11/03/06
last updated 11/09/07
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about me
i wanna know what sparks your fire.
Who is truly responsible for killing innocent people in Gaza?
(blog entry)
I want to point out that the news media are negligent in their responsibility to show the brutality that Israel is up against. Hamas and Hezballa purposefully go into dense civilian neighborhoods, set up weapons stashes, and fire rockets into Isr...
read more
Shalom Haverim
(blog entry)
I know, you're thinking, 'it's another one.' but when we're looking into each other's eyes, it feels some something big!!! I have many places to stay but have been staying with her instead - and she wants me over all the time. Both of us have a h...
read more
ideas
(blog entry)
Hi,
I'm hoping to go to your neighborhood to play sometime soon...
let me know when its a good time - or perhaps out in the shade somewhere for a picnic, with a football...or the waves...
I felt an urge to update you with some of my project...
read more
singing harmonies
(blog entry)
She was pouring tea and listening. When she spoke, she cut through the confusion and offered insights that I could digest. For example, she traveled as a WWOOFer in New Zealand, yet loving nature and seeing the possibilities of farming in harmon...
read more
for dinner
(blog entry)
There it was, glistening in the light
it's skin yellow and dripping from the year's first rain
i reached out and touched the lemon.
It fell off into my hand
as if it wanted to be eaten for dinner.
I've been neglecting my blog lately in favo...
read more
Slow Foods Recipes
(blog entry)
For a more printable version go to docs.google.com/Doc
Folks in the city these days are in such a rush that often the simple, important things in life are passed by and forgotten. The Slow Foods movement is about ma...
read more
Community Weaving
(blog entry)
COMMUNITY WEAVING
Description of the current situation and
the need of this project
The Galilee region of Israel is characterized by Arab and Jewish neighborhoods and villages in close proximity to each other. Nevertheless, due to a disconne...
read more
Mother of Invention : Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement
(blog entry)
Her smile beamed contagiously as she walked on stage amidst an audience of clapping guests in New York's Natural History Museum. When the applause diminished she began to fill the quiet auditorium with her story, told in a unique Kenyan/Kansas acc...
read more
Shachar Erez
(blog entry)
I was born in Nahariyah and spent my formative years in Kibbutz Adamit. The photos of my parents' wedding shows Ema's belly at about 7 months with my sister. My parents got ready for the pleasant surprise of having children. I admire their abili...
read more
strange dream
(blog entry)
While in Israel I had a dream. A beautiful woman whom I've never met and I were having fun together. We found ourselves alone in a room and started making out. I looked in her eyes and had a sure feeling that I want to have kids with her. This...
read more
Adamit
(blog entry)
We began the steep climb up a windy road to the place where I spent my earliest years. The rich blue Mediterranean Sea was in view to the west. Behind us lay fields of grain and sunflowers. I asked Amos where Lebanon begins and he pointed to a ...
read more
A Whole New World
(blog entry)
I decided to visit another permaculture project called Adamama (Mother Earth) that I've heard good things about. Gur sounded like a kind man on the phone and when he picked me up from the bus stop, I could tell that I am in good hands.
The f...
read more
Bedouin flowers in the desert
(blog entry)
I got involved with a popular education organization called Shatil (seedling) www.shatil.org.il that supports the work of grassroots organizations in Israel. They tend to help the people who are most outside the system and who have the least reso...
read more
Ha kol le tovah - all is for good
(blog entry)
Fajoya flowers are in bloom in one of the trees here. They are incredible! I hear that the fruit is worth waiting around for. Every morning I wake up without an alarm, which is a great way to start the day. I let the chickens out of their hous...
read more
Seedlings (Shatilim)
(blog entry)
Nighttime lead my feet towards my room when I stopped to say hi to a new person who was laying on a hammock. Like a torrent of warm cinnamon tea, love poured from her in every word she spoke. I was somewhat shocked, or at least taken aback. Wow...
read more
Air Raid Siren
(blog entry)
As the air raid siren in Jerusalem wailed it's anguished warning, everything stopped. The siren was heard over the radio in the entire nation of Israel. I stopped washing the pans and stood silently, knowing that the entire nation, including the ...
read more
So precious!
photo posted 04/17
This is my brother Ishai and my sister's 6 month old baby Eliana Rose
photo posted 04/17
This is my sister Ayala and her two year old little manipoo, Sammy ...
photo posted 04/17
Folk School
(blog entry)
Do you have a skill, hobby or creative outlet that enriches your life without needing much money? If you think that others might enjoy learning it, would you like to introduce them to this new way to love life by guiding a workshop?
Imagine a ...
read more
oasis
(blog entry)
Oasis
As the bus passed the outskirts of Tel Aviv, the landscape quickly became a desert, with the shrubs fading away the deeper we drove. Our driver soared along the road that meandered amongst the hills, revealing some of the most stunning b...
read more
My old friend Mike has revealed my true identity
(blog entry)
Shachar,
Since I never could read those articles you send I still have no idea where you are or how your trip is going. So, I thought I'd write and ask.
Where are you?
How is your trip going?
I'm sure you're having fun and on some wacky adven...
read more
new ancient ground
(blog entry)
I arrived at the old airport in Bangkok ready to let the adventure continue, in it's new way. I recognized the guy standing next to me as an Israeli. Asking if he's going to Tel Aviv we started talking and sparked up a friendship. I asked him w...
read more
movin on
(blog entry)
I left the wonderful ecovillage that is growing around Pun Pun in Thailand this afternoon. Going around hugging everyone goodbye was warm and sweet. When I was walking up the hill to get my bags and the realization that this is the last time I'l...
read more
Foolish Love
(blog entry)
Foolish Love
(This was written in mid-January. Thank goodness, since then we’ve established the nurturing friendship that was supposed to happen. I’m publishing this because it is my strongest lesson yet in being aware of one of the most insid...
read more
The Promise Land
(blog entry)
The Promise Land
They walked down from the forest in Northern Thailand to where I was making mud for an earthen home. There were six of them. Men and women enjoying an afternoon hike after a morning of working. One of them I did not know. I...
read more
The Patience of the Sages
(blog entry)
The Patience of the Sages
I walked from Thailand into Myanmar and felt a sudden wave of collective grief shown in the faces of the people there. Even at the border crossing, where there is certainly more money being made than in other parts of...
read more
From Bangkok to Pun Pun
(blog entry)
Bangkok is a huge, noisy bustling city full of commerce, culture and tourism. The hostel where I stayed was in a small alley off of a popular shopping road. Walking by people I noticed that they give a smile when I say 'hi' and then go back to t...
read more
Leaving the nest again
(blog entry)
Leaving the nest, again
I went to LA to meet my beautiful baby niece Eliana Rose. When I last saw my sister
Ayala, tears welled up in her eyes and she was sad that I won't get to be with the kids while they are still little.
I took Amtrak...
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I'm off to Thailand
(blog entry)
11.07.2006
I'm off to Thailand
I'm traveling with the spirit and love of everyone in the many places I've been who has made my life so beautiful. On November 12 we are leaving from San Francisco to Thailand on the beginnings of a trip to m...
read more
Peace and Tranquility
(blog entry)
Peace and Tranquility
While I was a massage therapist/pta in LA, one of my patients was telling me about her adventures in Bhutan. She was high in the Himalayas with a high Buddhist Lama getting high on life. Before she left, she asked the Lama...
read more
The Rat Race
(blog entry)
The Rat Race
I've heard that 'Whether or not you win or lose, you're still a rat' -
and can the part of you that loves life truly win unless we all win?
I've also read that '..no one who is in a hurry is quite civilized..'
yet often we sc...
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Do you want to live deliciously instead of running the rat race?
(blog entry)
I've been learning about various organizations that bring people from various living situations together to make living fruitful and delightful…
A gander at the following websites would give you lots of alternatives for a better life than hustl...
read more
Rolling Through Color
(blog entry)
rolling through color
10-9-2006 Highway 79 South – Adirondack Trailways Bus - USA
Autumn is in full swing! Every other tree is red, yellow, orange, green or bare. Walking away from Taryn this morning was both sweet and difficult. I can stil...
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The City of Brotherly Love
(blog entry)
The City of Brotherly Love
10-10-2006 Philadelphia, PA, USA
Arriving in Philadelphia was both shocking and warm. The oldness of the city was fascinating; walking on bricks that were laid out over 200 years ago is a new experience for me. Th...
read more
his last song of the day
(blog entry)
his last song of the day
9-30-2006 – Ithaca, NY – USA
A murmur of conversation fills the spaces between guitar notes and lyrics sung soulfully. The Ithaca Apple Harvest Festival on a crisp Saturday afternoon brings the town together. I can ...
read more
at our fingertips and the tips of our tongues
(blog entry)
at our fingertips and the tip of our tongues
10-4-2006 Ithaca, NY – USA
Hardly thinking – just letting my fingers dance on the strings and feeling the beauty of life and the tears of loved ones.
I feel so fortunate to be alive – awake amon...
read more
can't let rain stop me
(blog entry)
can't let rain stop me
9-28-2006 – Ithaca, NY – USA
I’ve already met a handful of kind people here. Dana was right about this being an easy place to get comfortable. I’ve never lived inland, but there are plenty of waterways here.
Its rain...
read more
God Laughing
(blog entry)
God Laughing
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
God laughing
Before I began my travels a lot of people asked me what my plans are. Most were surprised and didn't know how to respond to the reality that I don't have a set plan. I have options and am go...
read more
Into the Great Wide Open
(blog entry)
Into the Great Wide Open
Sunday I pulled up anchor and took off.
It seemed crazy to leave an amazing family and bunch of friends, plus two wonderful jobs to go traveling without a set destination or plan. I have a guidebook of organic farms ...
read more
I'm off to Thailand!
(blog entry)
I'm traveling with the spirit and love of everyone in the many places I've been who has made my life so beautiful. On November 12 we are leaving from San Francisco to Thailand on the beginnings of a trip to meet many wonderful people who are maki...
read more
I want to point out that the news media are negligent in their responsibility to show the brutality that Israel is up against. Hamas and Hezballa purposefully go into dense civilian neighborhoods, set up weapons stashes, and fire rockets into Israeli civilian centers. They drag women and children into buildings and fire at Israeli troops who come in to get these rockets and mortars. Yet somehow, the media and the UN (who should have stopped the weapons from getting to Hamas and Hezballa) b...
read more
I know, you're thinking, 'it's another one.' but when we're looking into each other's eyes, it feels some something big!!! I have many places to stay but have been staying with her instead - and she wants me over all the time. Both of us have a history of running away from relationships, so it's possible that the pattern will resurface, but I don't think so. We're also both ready at the same time and to me, she's AMAZING! She's kind, really bright, with it, sexy, beautiful voice and insigh...
read more
Hi,
I'm hoping to go to your neighborhood to play sometime soon...
let me know when its a good time - or perhaps out in the shade somewhere for a picnic, with a football...or the waves...
I felt an urge to update you with some of my projects and ideas...
We've sent in some crucial applications, though I'm sad that we've been focusing efforts on big American, temporary gigs, rather than go for local investment. Anyway, the big, new gigs are a chance to establish ourselves, while we ta...
read more
She was pouring tea and listening. When she spoke, she cut through the confusion and offered insights that I could digest. For example, she traveled as a WWOOFer in New Zealand, yet loving nature and seeing the possibilities of farming in harmony with nature, she understood that the Russian Jewish immigrants in 1905 were getting connected with the earth, even though they used chemicals to farm. In a foreign tongue, she was able to express that from the point of view of people who were not ...
read more
There it was, glistening in the light
it's skin yellow and dripping from the year's first rain
i reached out and touched the lemon.
It fell off into my hand
as if it wanted to be eaten for dinner.
I've been neglecting my blog lately in favor of researching and writing grant proposals. This is the first time I've had people's jobs other than myself on the line and I finally feel like I'm catching up with myself.
I've managed to secure my rights as an immigrant here in Sunny Israel...
read more
For a more printable version go to docs.google.com/Doc
Folks in the city these days are in such a rush that often the simple, important things in life are passed by and forgotten. The Slow Foods movement is about making living delicious. This bag of simple recipes are meant to be prepared with a loved one.
The keys here are: have fun, keep it simple, keep it balanced (flavors and oil/acidity), taste it, smell it and paint it on your friend's skin with your ...
read more
COMMUNITY WEAVING
Description of the current situation and
the need of this project
The Galilee region of Israel is characterized by Arab and Jewish neighborhoods and villages in close proximity to each other. Nevertheless, due to a disconnect between cultures, riots erupted at the beginning of this decade. The tension has only heightened after the recent war with Hezbollah. Maarag has been facilitating dialogs between groups of people for over 15 years, but after the war, it was dif...
read more
Her smile beamed contagiously as she walked on stage amidst an audience of clapping guests in New York's Natural History Museum. When the applause diminished she began to fill the quiet auditorium with her story, told in a unique Kenyan/Kansas accent.
As a young girl Wangari Maathai's brother asked their mother why he was going to school, but Wangari was not. This innocent curiosity led her to enroll her daughter, who did not know what writing was, into a village school 3 miles from thei...
read more
I was born in Nahariyah and spent my formative years in Kibbutz Adamit. The photos of my parents' wedding shows Ema's belly at about 7 months with my sister. My parents got ready for the pleasant surprise of having children. I admire their ability to change their lives and put their children first. On the Kibbutz the children were the focus. But, family members in Los Angeles were getting Alsheimers and heart disease, so we moved to Los Angeles when I was 6.
It wasn't an easy transiti...
read more
While in Israel I had a dream. A beautiful woman whom I've never met and I were having fun together. We found ourselves alone in a room and started making out. I looked in her eyes and had a sure feeling that I want to have kids with her. This, of course, woke me up. I thought, 'I don't know this woman. It must be nature's way of telling me that I'm ready to be a papa.' I was looking at those one-piece baby jump suits and going, 'ohhh..soo cute! gubu gubu...'
About 9 days later I we...
read more
We began the steep climb up a windy road to the place where I spent my earliest years. The rich blue Mediterranean Sea was in view to the west. Behind us lay fields of grain and sunflowers. I asked Amos where Lebanon begins and he pointed to a hill after we wound around to view the north. There was a patrol road marking the border.
The Kibbutz where I was born is buildings and orchard in a forest on a hill. Amos answered my curiosity by bringing me to visit a couple of Erez trees be...
read more
I decided to visit another permaculture project called Adamama (Mother Earth) that I've heard good things about. Gur sounded like a kind man on the phone and when he picked me up from the bus stop, I could tell that I am in good hands.
The farm has fruit trees and gardens everywhere, as well as a large plant nursery. They have numerous workshops here as well as a summer recreation day camp for local kids. I'm having a good time living naturally and eating well.
I got in touch wit...
read more
I got involved with a popular education organization called Shatil (seedling) www.shatil.org.il that supports the work of grassroots organizations in Israel. They tend to help the people who are most outside the system and who have the least resources. I let them know that I would be happy to edit grant proposals and reports.
Soon after I started working on a report from a Bedouin women's group called Ma'an (together). Their culture is losing it's nomadic and agrarian ways to urbaniza...
read more
Fajoya flowers are in bloom in one of the trees here. They are incredible! I hear that the fruit is worth waiting around for. Every morning I wake up without an alarm, which is a great way to start the day. I let the chickens out of their house, change the water, give them food and collect eggs. I choose a compost pile to give my warm, nutritious pee pee. A lot of my friends are still sleeping, so I quietly get a fruit to take for my morning walk. Sometimes I take off my shirt to feel t...
read more
Nighttime lead my feet towards my room when I stopped to say hi to a new person who was laying on a hammock. Like a torrent of warm cinnamon tea, love poured from her in every word she spoke. I was somewhat shocked, or at least taken aback. Wow! She invited me to sit down and I don't remember exactly what we said to each other, but I remember the feeling that we could be good friends. I do remember Maya's passion for plants and her excitement about how well they are growing at a place ca...
read more
As the air raid siren in Jerusalem wailed it's anguished warning, everything stopped. The siren was heard over the radio in the entire nation of Israel. I stopped washing the pans and stood silently, knowing that the entire nation, including the cars in Tel Aviv, the airport and the teachers in the schools stopped for a while and listened. It may be that the only sound heard in the Jewish state was this siren.
It was the Israeli memorial day, to be followed by independence day. As I lis...
read more
Do you have a skill, hobby or creative outlet that enriches your life without needing much money? If you think that others might enjoy learning it, would you like to introduce them to this new way to love life by guiding a workshop?
Imagine a school where the teachers are always passionate about what they are teaching and the students can choose what they want to learn from 3 (or more) workshops weekly. People can sign up below to guide a workshop in anything from arts, music, dance, yog...
read more
Oasis
As the bus passed the outskirts of Tel Aviv, the landscape quickly became a desert, with the shrubs fading away the deeper we drove. Our driver soared along the road that meandered amongst the hills, revealing some of the most stunning barren land that I've ever seen. Some parts of the trip had an ethiric beauty so unuasual that I felt like I was on another planet.
The bus stoppped, as I asked, at a junction leading to Kibbutz Lotan, where I gathered my bags and thanked the woma...
read more
Shachar,
Since I never could read those articles you send I still have no idea where you are or how your trip is going. So, I thought I'd write and ask.
Where are you?
How is your trip going?
I'm sure you're having fun and on some wacky adventure. Just thinking about you.
Goooooo fair trade!
mike
----------
Hey buckarookoo!
OK. I put it up on a blog.
people.tribe.net/176cb692-...5dc04bf9da
I'm leaving for Israel tomorrow. I have many opportunities th...
read more
I arrived at the old airport in Bangkok ready to let the adventure continue, in it's new way. I recognized the guy standing next to me as an Israeli. Asking if he's going to Tel Aviv we started talking and sparked up a friendship. I asked him what he likes about living in Israel, which is his favorite place to be. He said that the people are warm, kind and loving and you can leave your doors unlocked. He said that many travelers, especially from places where quiet and privacy are highly ...
read more
I left the wonderful ecovillage that is growing around Pun Pun in Thailand this afternoon. Going around hugging everyone goodbye was warm and sweet. When I was walking up the hill to get my bags and the realization that this is the last time I'll be walking up this hill for a while tapped into the well of my emotions and I started to cry. Yao and some groovy guests were at the coffee shop and I gave them hugs and spend a few minutes with them before leaving.
I know that wherever I'm g...
read more
Foolish Love
(This was written in mid-January. Thank goodness, since then we’ve established the nurturing friendship that was supposed to happen. I’m publishing this because it is my strongest lesson yet in being aware of one of the most insidious perils of living; WANTING what isn’t here, rather than being in awe at the beauty of what is.)
The past few days have been a tropical storm of sadness, joy, heartbreak and rebirth. I've received an important lesson from life. I've learned...
read more
The Promise Land
They walked down from the forest in Northern Thailand to where I was making mud for an earthen home. There were six of them. Men and women enjoying an afternoon hike after a morning of working. One of them I did not know. I walked with them to a place where we can see the land around us. Birds sang peaceful songs and a gentle breeze caressed my sweaty, mud splattered body.
I began to talk with the newcomer. Our interaction has helped me to see a way for Israelis...
read more
The Patience of the Sages
I walked from Thailand into Myanmar and felt a sudden wave of collective grief shown in the faces of the people there. Even at the border crossing, where there is certainly more money being made than in other parts of the country, I sensed a depression that even the memories of my nephew's laughter couldn't shake.
After getting our passports stamped, we walked back towards the Thai border to catch the minibus ride before it leaves. A 12 year old boy with di...
read more
Bangkok is a huge, noisy bustling city full of commerce, culture and tourism. The hostel where I stayed was in a small alley off of a popular shopping road. Walking by people I noticed that they give a smile when I say 'hi' and then go back to their tired, somber mood. Even a street market I went to in Chiang Mai a few days later gave me a feeling of sadness for the merchants who sat and waited in hopes of someone stopping to buy something from them. The Thai gentleman who sat next to me ...
read more
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