A letter from Israel

Hummus plays a large role in the Israeli diet. Wherever you may find yourself eating something, from a picnic at the beach, an end-of-year party or a conference in a smart hotel - there you are sure to find a plate of hummus. There are even restaurants in Israel that ONLY serve hummus and no other kind of food. These restaurants, known as a "hummusia" in Hebrew are very popular and Israelis often argue about which hummusia serves the best hummus. Some people like their hummus with cooked fava beans and/ or boiled chickpea kernels, others insist on a boiled egg in their plate (not me!) and others just want a sprinkling of paprika and a dash of  olive oil. Which ever way you like to eat it, hummus is very healthy, very filling and a great vegetarian dish. It is made out mashed chickpeas (garbanzo beans), olive oil and seasoning. A good plate of hummus MUST be accompanied by a few decent pitot (plural for pita bread). One eats the hummus by breaking of a piece of the p

"Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is  vanity."  Kohelet 1  (Ecclesiates)  I have the honor again to host  Haveil Havalim  - a carnival of Jewish and Israeli blogs.The Haveil Havalim blog carnival was founded by  Soccer Dad  and every week a different blogger takes a turn to host a weekly collection of blog posts. The name "Haveil Havalim" means "Vanity of the Vanities" and is taken from the book Ecclesiates in the Tanach (the Jewish Bible).  If you blog about Israel or Jewish-related subjects, please feel free to join the  Haveil Havalim   Facebook group   or go and have a look at the  Haveil Havalim website . Batya Medad at Shiloh Musings says   why she thinks the university center in Ariel should be named the Ariel University. And in Me-ander she thinks about her aunt's funeral in New York while she is at a memorial service in Israel in Being Two Places at Once . Susan Esther Barnes at the Jewish Journal.com

Well, maybe survive is too strong a word... one does not  survive  the Israeli summer heat. It is more like you barely manage to grasp on to life while your eyeballs are being melted to the back of skull. You are constantly tired because it is too hot to sleep and your children are cranky because they are all hot and bothered. And if you DARE put a bare foot on an Israeli beach - then it is, well then it is like an instant barbecue!    Eating large ice creams will definitely help you to survive the Israeli summer. Okay, I exaggerate. But only a little bit. It is HOT in Israel in the summer and everybody is more irritable than unusual. And yes, Israelis can be more  irritable than unusual :) So, if you are thinking of coming to visit Israel in the summer months (or already live in Israel) here are a few tips on how to survive the Israeli summer. 1. Buy the largest, most expensive air conditioner that you can afford. Switch it on and do NOT leave the house! If you are a touri