It’s hard to believe that Israel had no microbreweries just a few years ago. Now the country is practically awash in ales. Israel has more than 20 licensed “boutique” breweries and a rapidly evolving drinking culture. Since the 1950s, the Israeli beer industry typically has been dominated by two breweries at a time. Since the…
The somewhat calm demeanor I acquired growing up in the United States has been constantly challenged by living in Israel for more than 31 years. Nowhere is this more evident than in driving. While I try to maintain the basic courtesy and caution imbued in me in the green tranquility of the U.S., it is…
I am not a large woman. My shoulders span a mere 15 ½ inches across, yet in the days following the fall that broke my daughter’s back, they carried what felt like an impossibly heavy load. My strength came from many sources. It began with my husband, who reacted with such a tender and loving…
Poor parents, we’re so misunderstood. We’re just trying to do the right thing and protect our kids from a devastating legume and then someone throws a bunch of annoying facts around and we have to face the truth. We are responsible for the peanut anaphylaxis plaguing our offspring. I know, it’s, like, so hard to…
Where do people tend to gather at a dinner party? In the kitchen, of course, and that is why the word is so prominently featured in the name of Chelsea’s Kitchen. The kitchen is also the first thing you see and become a part of as you enter. One quickly senses that this place is…
Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and New Year’s Eve … the trifecta of reasons for over-indulging! Now that the excesses of the holidays are behind us, it’s time to get back to a more reasonable routine of healthier eating, regular exercise and a bit more sleep. In our house, January means ski season. Since our son is a…
The argument about what is and isn’t a traditional deli is quite controversial. People start pulling out their family trees and comparing notes, saying that their family came from this one specific region on the corner of a hill in Israel, so they’re the most authentic, but then the other guy claims that because he…
Whether you live in the colder climes of the state or are headed to the slopes for some recreation this winter, you’ll want a few cozy styles in your collection this season. Even on a ski vacation, you need some casual, stylish clothes to wear while you’re not actually skiing or snowboarding. This winter, vests…
As a child, I always dreaded going to Hebrew school. Although it was only a few blocks from my public school, the lonely bike ride felt like miles as I watched my friends walk away in the opposite direction, arms linked together like a gum chain. Being Jewish in the small town in which I…
The seaside town of Jaffa, Israel, just south of Tel Aviv, was once a regional hub of shoe manufacturing. In the past several decades, however, Jaffa’s footwear sector has become just another casualty of China’s industrial machine. While the local shoemaking supply chain has all but disappeared, a young couple of artisan shoe and sandal…
