1948
The State of Israel is founded
Israel declares independence as British leave Palestine

1956
The Sinai campaign
Secret ploy to thwart Egyptian blockade backfires

1967
The Six-Day War
Israel’s boundaries dramatically extended after thwarting surprise strike by Arab states

1973
Yom Kippur War (October)
Egypt in surprise attack over Suez on Yom Kippur

1977 - 1979
Egyptian-Israeli peace
Agreement over Sinai signals end to 30 years of war
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, US President Jimmy Carter and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin sign the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel on March 26, 1979

1982
Lebanon invasion
Israel targets southern Lebanon to stop rockets and incursion

1987
First Intifada
PLO declares holy war on Israel
Thousands of Arabs emerge from the Nusseirat refugee camp during the Palestinian uprising in 1987

1993
Oslo agreement
PLO eyes political benefits of two-state solution
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat sign the 1993 peace agreement with the encouragement of US President Bill Clinton

2000
Second Intifada
PLO fails to grab chance for peace and cynically maneuvers for another political war.
Peace talks fail and trigger fresh bloodshed

2005
Gaza withdrawal
Security wall goes up as Israel pulls out of Gaza

2006
Lebanon war
Ambush and hostage taking of Israeli soldiers sparks new conflict with Hezbollah
Weak Olmert government ultimately has to withdraw troops

2008
Israel now
Continues to be the only Democratic nation in the region, a prosperous technology leader, has perhaps lost some of the idealism of 1948, still on a knife-edge, but with many years yet to become a mature nation state

45 matza balls

This recipe has been handed down from generation to generation in my family. It is Westphalian and Alsatian. If you are afraid of using chicken fat, try half chicken fat and half olive oil.

14 matzos

2 medium white onions, chopped coarsely

3/4 c melted chicken fat and/or goose fat

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 tsp salt, you made want to add more

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground nutmeg

7 eggs, lightly beaten with a fork

1/8 cup matza meal

Additional matza meal for rolling

For photos and method see…
link: Baroness Tapuzina

Esther Ofarim sings Veotach in Hamburg 1998
Esther Ofarim has had a long and distinguished solo career after splitting from her husband Abi. She continues to perform primarily in Israel and Germany. In the English speaking countries she seems to have fallen somewhat out of sight. But thanks to Youtube we can enjoy some of her many recorded performances.

link: Esther Ofarim sings Shecharchoret

Sarah Aroeste started attending music school at age 12. Sarah spent the next 10 years (including her 4 years at Yale University) training as a classical singer. During that time she won several competitions and sang in various international venues, most notably Tanglewood Music Festival and the Israel Vocal Arts Institute. While singing in Israel in 1997, Sarah met Nico Castel, the world-renowned diction coach of the Metropolitan Opera, and one of the world’s leading experts on Ladino, a form of Castillian Spanish and the language of Sarah’s Sephardic family. Sarah started studying Ladino music and culture with Castel, and upon her return to America she began incorporating Ladino into her concerts. In time, Sarah realized that very few people in America were familiar with Ladino and Sephardic music, so she founded her own music production company, Aroeste Music LLC, to expose this geography of music and make it more accessible to a new and wider audience. Combining the various influences that have shaped her, Sarah has created a musical style that mixes traditional Mediterranean Sephardic music with contemporary sensibilities such as rock, funk, jazz and blues. In 2001 Aroeste launched the Sarah Aroeste Band, the world’s first (and as yet only) Ladino Rock band.

link: Sarah Aroeste

Taking advantage of the new Thomson Fly flights to Israel?

Well this web site can help you find your way around Tel Aviv

link: Tel Aviv City

I just came across this web site (via Lisa Goldman) and thought I’d share it with you…

Nextbook is a non-profit organization which commissions books on Jewish themes, sponsors public lectures, readings, and performances in cities around the country, and publishes an online magazine. The website, Nextbook.org, contains information on all of these projects and also maintains an annotated list of recommended books.

Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation

The “Manchester Klezmer” band

Susannah Cogger (treasurer)
Fiona Frank (event organiser)
of the Lancaster & Lakes Jewish Community

The Lancaster and Lakes Jewish Community have a new web site…

http://lancslakesjc.blogspot.com/

They also have a music social event coming up this weekend…

Saturday 29th September: Klezmer Dance led by Sue Cooper with band Manchester Klezmer, which will take place on at the Gregson Arts and Community Centre, Moorgate, Lancaster, starting 7.45. Tickets £8 in advance, £10 on the door