Monday, March 27, 2017

A view of the Western Hills of Jerusalem

 Take a sneak peek a the Western Hills of Jerusalem, If you look carefully you can see the main highway work going on.  Beautiful spring day, the buds are just coming out on the trees.  Come to Jerusalem!

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Ivenka Trump's problematic move into the White House.

Donald Trump continues to fan the flames of controversy by giving his daughter Ivenka Trump a West Wing office.  She is not an employee of the Trump Administration and is "volunteering."  But she will have access to classified documents.  She will be giving her advice to her father in all matters. ivanka-daughter.jpg

What is this?  A private citizen with  security clearance?  She gets an office in the White House?
Even though she has taken herself off the day to day workings of her company, what is she doing?

There is a reason that the laws of the United States prohibit close relatives working in the White House.  http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-ivanka-west-wing-20170320-story.html?utm_source=Today%27s+Headlines&utm_campaign=0416889107-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2016_12_12&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b04355194f-0416889107-80487437

Many people, not just the "news outlets" are not only raising their eyebrows but are worried about the effect that this is going to have on American Democracy.


Her husband is already working for Trump, and now Ivanka.  I hear alarm bells and it not only me.  I think that the country is in shock.

As for Ivanka's conversion to Orthodox Judaism, I feel that maybe she did go through classes, and go to the Mikve, change her name to Yael, she maybe keeps kosher,  but as you can see from the picture, she doesn't dress like an Orthodox Jewish woman.  She doesn't cover her hair and her dresses are not modest.  These are the two main mitzvot that an Orthodox Jewish woman has to follow.  If she is not Orthodox, then come out and say so.  Don't insult the millions of Orthodox Jewish women who have taken upon ourselves the proper observance of being Jewish.  Is she cleaning for Passover?  I am.  I do a bit each day.

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Thursday, March 16, 2017

Jerusalem Marathon

If you have plans or appointments in Jerusalem center tomorrow, I would cancel them.

This is the proper link in English for all the street closures that are due to take place some tonight and the rest tomorrow https://www.jerusalem.muni.il/en/Culture/Culture/Pages/maraton.aspx



I did have a dentist appointment, but I cancelled it to next week.

If you want to go see the Marathon, then be careful and keep your eyes and ears open.  I hope that there will be enough security and army deployed to deter any and all untoward activities.

Good Luck to all the runners and their families!

Have Fun and Stay Safe!
Rachael Orbach 

Failure as a way to succeed - Editorial

I just read an article that says that Failure can be a springboard to succeed.  According to Jewish tradition, in order to succeed, you have to fail 7 times and then each time get up.  I feel the key is the second part of the process. 

I have an example of this in my own life.  While I was at UCLA, they had American Idol TV show come to find new talent.  Well, I had been a musician for years and year, I played clarinet in the Concert Band. But I also like to sing and play the guitar.  So I signed up like everybody else. 

I practiced my song, at work, while eating dinner I hummed and played air guitar on the bus. 
I was happy, confident. 

The day came.  I was nervous, who wouldn't be? My time came to go on stage.  I was calm. 

They called me.  I went on stage.  My mind went blank.  My fingers didn't work.  I had to walk off. the stage.  No one said anything and they called the next name.  
I didn't cry,  I just knew that I didn't have it in me to be the next American Idol. 

But I continued to play in the Concert Band and perform with my group. 
Years later I formed my own group, but I was always careful not to be solo. 

Fast forward to 2017.  I now perform with my husband, David Orbach. We have played lots of concerts, and have lots of videos on YouTube, Go ahead and find them.  No problem. 

We were contracted to play at an Beit Avot Beit Tovei HaIr.  a nice place, We had to be there at 7:30 sharp,  So David dropped me off at 6:45pm , I set up the stage, had the piano ready and plugged in all the amplifiers and microphones.  Only one problem.  David had to go get the piano player.  So 7:15pm.  No David, no piano player.   7:25pm not here yet.  I set up the camera.  7:27pm,  Oh well, I put together the clarinet.  7:29pm Oh, it looks like I will have to play solo.  Can I do this?  There are 200+ people here.  Oh, one of my clarinet students just showed up.  Ok, 7:30pm.  I have to do this.  

I opened my music folder of songs that I like to play that are not on our songlist for the night.  I start with Jewish folk songs.  I have to speak too???  Yes, ok, I can do this.  Yes 

7:31pm. one minute late I start.  I play 3 songs,  I'm not so nervous, interesting.  I introduce more, I speak in Hebrew,  someone from the crowd asks me to also speak in English.  Ok, no problem.  I play some Klezmer songs, a wedding song, an Ofra Hazza song, before I know it a half hour has passed, and at 8:00pm. just as I almost start with our songlist, David and the piano player show up!!  

I jump up and down inside myself.  I played a half hour solo!  I did it!!

We then do the rest of the show and I am calm and confident.  

What is the lesson to be learned?  If you fail, you have to get up again.  I hope that it won't take 25 years to get up again for you. but for me it doesn't matter how long it took, now I know that I can play solo!! 

Rachael Alice Orbach 

Monday, March 6, 2017

Welcome to Hanni's Purim video







If you are going to be in Jerusalem on Thursday, and you need Purim gifts, then contact Hanni at  hannihar@gmail.com  She will be at the Israel Center with these fun products!



Then you can also attend a few classes there to get in the mood for Purim!




Thursday, March 2, 2017

It is time for Doctors to be on TIME!

Doctors have responsibilities to their patients to give them excellent medical care, that is a given.  If you are in the hospital, you are not on a time table.  You wait for the doctor to finish the emergency case that just came up. That is expected and if you are the emergency case, then you will expect to get taken care of first.

But in a clinic setting, the doctor should at least show up at the appointed time.  Last week I had to take my daughter to a specialist, and the doctor showed up 1 hour late!!

I teach students on-line  as my main job and I had to cancel many classes to take my daughter to this doctor, and I had to wait and wait for him to even arrive!  If he would have just started his appointments when he planned to arrive, ( an hour late) then I wouldn't have had to cancel so many students and lose money.  I don't get paid for sick days, or if I have to take off.  - That's the problem with free-lance teaching. . .

So, let's urge doctors also to give patients the courtesy of arriving on time!  Teachers do it, businessmen do it, regular workers do it, why not doctors?

The time has arrived for doctors to know that being on time matters.  A LOT!

New Mandolin for Sale! !מנגלוינה למכירה

Mandolin is a very beautiful sounding instrument.  It has a pair of strings tuned to G  D  A  E  similiar to the violin.  We use a pick to p...