Kinneret All-Women Swim for Sadnat-Shiluv

Let’s help Vivienne Glaser fulfill her million shekel dream. Vivienne wants to build two hostels in Gush Etzion for special-needs children (with learning disabilities or Down’s Syndrome).
Vivienne is so serious about making this happen, she’s already planned her first major fundraising event – An All Women’s Swim in the Kinneret on Wednesday, June 16, IY”H, to benefit Sadnat Shiluv in Rosh Tzurim .
Everyone reading this article can make this swim a success by sponsoring: a swimmer, transportation, or anything from sun-tan lotion, liquid high-energy food, or towels to long T-Shirts for the women swimmers. Together, we can make Vivienne’s dream for a better life for at least a dozen special-needs children come true. Contact Swim4sadna@gmail.com.
What's it for?
Sadnat Shiluv encourages maximum integration of special people into the community. It works with children from kindergarten and elementary school until young adulthood. Currently, its only hostel houses six young adults and offers them a place to live, work, study and lead an independent life while being an active part of the Rosh Tzurim community. Vivienne has made it her personal goal to try to build another two hostels.
Vivienne told Voices that there’s usually an Annual Swim across the Kinneret in the middle of September, “but it’s a mixed swim and it’s always on Shabbat.”
Women who have always wanted to participate in a Kinneret Swim, but were unable to do so because of the mixed swimming or Sabbath scheduling, can now join in. Of course, the event is not only for religious women. Vivienne said, “Today 30% of sports in Israel are women only. It's become very trendy.”
Vivienne’s weekday swim will have two courses – Maagan to Tzemach, 1.5 kilometers (60 lengths in a 25 meter pool); and HaOn to Tzemach, 3.5 kilometers (you do the math).
Sadnat Shiluv Hostel
Vivienne’s dream took shape when, her son Elchie, 19, entered the Sadnat Shiluv hostel in Rosh Tzurim after having been educated in its school. Five other young people, aged 17 to 23, live there too. Vivienne commented, “It proved fantastic for Elchie. It's five minutes from home. I haven't sent him away. I can pick him up for a simcha, the dentist, and he can pop home to be with his friends too.”
Vivienne wants to give the same happiness to other youngsters. There are currently seven young adults, mostly from Gush Etzion, on a waiting list to enter a hostel.
The Sadnat-Shiluv under the direction of visionary Noa Mandelbaum and educator Tamar Hechsher has created the most unique institution, Vivienne said. “They need to be empowered. There's nothing like the Gush for an area where chesed, ahavat chinam (uncompromising love) and everything else good can be showcased.”
In the elementary school 400 kids learn with about five special kids in every mainstream class of 20. The special kids can have any combination of disabilities, she noted. “It’s an interesting combination per class. And the whole idea is that they become part of society.”
More about the school, IY”H. Meanwhile, register at http://www.shvoong.co.il/ or email Swim4sadna@gmail.com.

Passport Poses

I took one of my daughters-in-law and a granddaughter to get passport pictures tonight. My granddaughter went first. The photographer put her on a box, pulled out his digital camera and "snap". Okay, for good measure, "snap" again. The pictures were adorable, gorgeous, whatta smile on that kid, bli ayin hara.

Then he snapped my daughter-in-law. She whooshed her hair, flashed a smile, and the camera flashed too. "Click," okay, "click again." "Click," "click." She could have picked any of the photos. They could have been in Cosmo. She was gorgeous in them all, bli ayin hara. Both my daughter-in-law and granddaughter have these giant wanna-hug-you smiles that make you just love them. So, while most people have dorky passports that they want to hide, theirs will be uncommonly lovely. I'm happy for them, truly.

Next, I was up. I had to stand against the white backdrop. I gave my biggest (as my daughter calls it...) fake smile. He snapped. No good. I looked like a giant face with tiny eyes. Again, "snap". The light glared on my glasses. Again...oops. More glare. He turned the camera upside down. Glare still.

I took off my glasses and still tried to smile. I looked more bizarre than ever without my glasses. It was evident, I couldn't even see the camera that had been aimed at me.

Glasses back on, I tilted my head this way and that, trying to avoid the glare. I smiled. I stayed stone faced. I smiled w-i-d-e-l-y. I smiled coyly. I laughed. I almost cried. He shot the camera one way, then the other, right side up, up side down. He banged the camera. He changed the batteries. He changed the memory card. He snapped again. He turned on the lights. He turned off the lights. He snapped and snapped.

Finally the good-natured photographer handed me the camera and said, "Pick one." Oy vey. Despite his most valiant efforts, the photos were all the dorky kind.

My daughter-in-law tried to make me feel better. "You almost never travel. Almost no one will ever see your passport."

Hm, yet another incentive for never leaving Israel.

Sick in Bed - Mental Vacation

I was feeling a bit under the weather today - so much so. that I decided to lie down and take it easy for a few hours. Some folks, when in this situation, would pick up a good book or turn on an old movie. I grabbed a copy of a recent New York Times, left behind by one of my visiting American relatives.

What a mechaya (a pleasure!!).

I got a real look into American society in this Sunday issue, and I felt like I was on vacation all across the USA.

Firstly, I must point out that there was NO news about Israel - none. Four sections of the paper and nothing at all about Israel. That itself made the read worthwhile. The newspaper just focused on wild and wacky America.

Wet & Wild USA

A full third of the front page talked about the desire and need of surfboarders to do wild aerial stunts. The paper also discussed the growing number of senators, coaches and sports figures, students, motorists, musicians and even police officers who are "flipping" an annoyed finger at authority figures or anyone else for that matter.

Jay Says

A full half page was devoted to what TV's Jay Leno said the night before, and what David Letterman thought was important. A large part of their monologues were quoted. I kid you not.

There was an article about Mommies who blog, and another about Mommies who raise chickens, instead of fighting the rat race in the corporate world. And then there was advice to other women to jumpstart new careers by marrying celebrities and then dropping them.

Not a Word on Israel

The closest news about Israel didn't actually talk about Israel. It was about the thousands of "Palestinians" who are being stripped of their Jordanian citizenship so that they will not be able to vote any more in Jordan. It seems that Jordan is split almost exactly in half - 50% of their population was born West of the Jordan and 50% were born East. And the government doesn't want those Westerners ("Palestinians by birth or by grandparents' birth") to have any power in Jordan. It seems King Abdullah is terrified of a possible push for "Jordan is Palestine."

Making It in America

With a US President that possesses a golden tongue, many books are now pushing Americans to increase their vocabulary. Folks that want you to buy their vocabulary books say, "Size matters." Folks that want you to know the truth say that while it's important to sound smart to get ahead in this world, you shouldn't sound too smart.

Dreams and Deals

The last, but most interesting article, I read was on President Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. In about 1nine pages, the writer follows around ruthless Rahm and his friends/co-workers and watches him try to make the President's dream happen by cutting as many deals as possible. This must be one tense guy. Called a "Malcolm X Democrat", Emanuel is always in the hot seat, expected to produce for Obama. Unfortunately, he hasn't made the magic. Seems that he's dammed if he does, and dammed if he doesn't. But of course to me, the most important point of the story was that the author spoke about Rahm's pushing on issues of health care, banking, housing, big government, etc. etc. and not a word on Israel.

We in Israel are so obsessed with the thought that the whole world has its eye on us. Well, it simply ain't true.

Tonight, some judge in Tulsa Oklahoma is holding his arresting officer in contempt for improper hand motions. A Mommy is blogging about being a "tomato-canning feminist." America is settling down to watch Jay Leno. And Rahm Emanuel is worrying about his job. But no one is talking about Israel. Isn't that great? And with that comfort, I bid you all a peaceful night.

Dead Sea - Israel's Natural Wonder of the World

I received an email to vote for the Dead Sea as one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World. Having recently seen it on a tiyul to the Jordan Valley, I concur that it is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.

SEVEN MAN-MADE WONDERS

I went to the site to vote, http://www.new7wonders.com/en/ , and I read up on the last vote that they held for the 7 man-made Wonders of the Modern World, which were named in 2007 after millions of votes were cast. They included: Chichenitza, New Mexico, JC Statue in Brazil, Colosseum of Italy, Taj Mahal of India, Great Wall of China, Petra in Jordan and Machu Picchu in Peru.
I had remembered as a child learning that King Solomon's Temple was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – lauded for its magnificence and masterful building. But after delving further, it seems that the original list was made by one man as a kind of travel guide for Greeks, "Plato, don't miss this." And the second wonders added the Holy Temple for a while when it added other non-Greek structures.
This new contest for natural wonders is in its third stage in which the wonders will be chosen by about 1 billion votes. The Official Declaration of the New7Wonders of Nature will be on 11.11.11. It features forests, cliffs, volcanoes, waterfalls, canyons and remote islands all over the world. They are each a reason to bless the Creator of the Universe for the breath-taking phenomena that He crafted.
Israel's wonder, the Dead Sea, is currently ranked #9, so it needs your help to move up on the list.

MEANWHILE...TOPPING THE LIST
Thus far, the top nine are:
Kilimanjaro - inactive strato-volcano in north-eastern Tanzania. It is the tallest free-standing mountain in the world.
Milford Sound – beautiful site southwest of New Zealand’s South Island.
Mud Volcanoes – a gloopy site in Gobustan, Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea.
Vesuvius - volcano east of Naples, Italy - one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world.
Great Barrier Reef - planet’s largest coral reef system, Papua, New Guinea
Matterhorn/Cervino - most familiar mountain in the European Alps. On the border between Switzerland and Italy.
Black Forest - wooded mountain range in southwestern Germany.
Uluru - one of Australia's most recognizable natural icons.
Dead Sea -This is its description: The Dead Sea is a salt lake between Palestine and Israel to the west and Jordan to the east. At 420 metres below sea level, its shores are the lowest point on Earth that are on dry land. With 30 percent salinity, it is 8.6 times saltier than the ocean. – The campaign says that voting for the Dead Sea is a vote for Peace.
Well, I'm for peace (I don't even mind shopping with Arabs in Rami Levi), but I was taken about when I read the description of the Dead Sea, as lying between Israel, Jordan and Palestine. First of all, as far as I know, there's a Palestinian Authority, but no Palestine. Secondly, unless Israel is planning to give away the strategically vital Jordan Valley, just where does "Palestine" fit in here? The Dead Sea lies between Israel and Jordan and doesn't touch any area that could be called Palestine, unless the government is planning yet another surprise for the Jewish People.
A MEDICINAL WONDER

Anyway, despite this incorrect reference, I'm still voting for the Dead Sea. Unlike any of the other wonders listed, the Dead Sea has medicinal powers that cure people of all kinds of skin diseases. Swimming with giant turtles off the Galapagos Islands is thrilling, exploring the Great Barrier Reef is uplifting, climbing Kilimanjaro might be the experience of a life-time, but none of these can cure a person's health problems.

The Dead Sea waters helped the eczema on my sister's elbows and the psoriasis on my grandbaby's bottom. The waters cure tens of thousands of international visitors every year. From a sea of "death" comes enlivening properties that cure terrible skin ailments. That truly is a wonder.

OTHER VOTES
I'm also voting for some wonders NOT in the top ten:
Colorado's Grand Canyon, Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, and the Komodo Islands of Indonesia.
Cast your vote for the Dead Sea and other wonders at: http://www.new7wonders.com/community/en/new7wonders/new7wonders_of_nature/voting

All the wonders represent G-d's artistic tapestry, incomparable to all other things in the world. King David states in Tehillim (Psalms), "Ma Rabu maasecha Hashem Kulim Be'Chachma aasisah - How many are your works - they are all made with Wisdom."

If we could only appreciate and care for these beautiful works, the entire planet would be a safer place.