Maybe our blogger community can help

I got this from Superraizy:

Elliot Jaffe, who writes the blog Weekend Hospitality, has a son who has been diagnosed with Chronic Renal Failure. Elliot writes "Simply put, both his kidneys are damaged and scarred from some infection or defect that happened years ago. They will likely cease to function sometime within the next six months... the best solution for Asaf is a kidney transplant... Live organ donors are considered the best option for kidney transplants. The percentage of successful transplants is higher from a live donor and the transplanted kidney has a longer chance of surviving in the recipient's body. Please contact us if you know of anyone who might be willing to donate one of their kidneys to Asaf. The process takes about six months and requires numerous meetings with doctors, social workers, psychologists and committees to make sure that the decision is freely made and will not jeopardize the donor or the recipient. The recovery time for the donor after the transplant can be as fast at 3-4 days." You can read Elliot's entire post here. The Jaffes, who live in Israel, have also posted a letter about their search here on the Jerusalem Post website.
Elliot says that Asaf will probably need a kidney transplant within the next 12 months. All of his close relatives have been eliminated as potential donors. To donate, you must be in perfect health and have blood type B or O. The Jaffes can be reached at their blog or at elliot_jaffe@yahoo.com.
Please help publicize Asaf's case by linking to Elliot's post or letter.
May Hashem grant Asaf Jaffe a refuah shleimah.

Here, my friends, is where we can wield the power of the Jewish blogosphere. I have a small blog, but if all you guys who stop by who have blogs link up to Elliot's blog, and then your blogger friends link up to their blogs and reach their visitors and so on and so on and so on. All of our small, and maybe not-so-small blogs could potentially reach huge amounts of people. What your politics or religious views are don't matter. We can reach all different kinds of Jews everywhere, and perhaps somewhere amongst our readers is a donor that can save this young man's life.

Several years ago at the Synagogue we went to in Woodmere, NY, the call went out that a member of our shul needed a kidney. Another member of our shul was tested and was a match. In the blink of an eye he gave his kidney away, and never looked back. His wife and children were extremely proud of him, as they well should be. I was proud to be a part of the same congregation. What a huge mitzvah.

We are all responsible for each other. If this were my child....

Wishing Asaf a Refuah Shleima, a speedy recovery.

Butterflies in my stomach

That time of year. Back to school for the kids. Of course, I'm nervous about how they will do. They have all improved their Hebrew, but academic language is still quite difficult for them. This year more will be expected from them. They have many challenges ahead, as we all do. With G-d's help (and some tutors), they'll be okay. I'm sure you'll get to hear more on the subject as the year progresses.

As for me, I have decided that it's time to return to more full-time work. I am a speech pathologist and have worked with children for many years. In March of this year a job practically fell into my lap and I have been working about 6 hours a week. The administration of the school has asked me to expand my hours and I will be working four fairly full days a week. I'll be home by 3, in time to supervise the homework and cook dinner and be pulled in many different directions.

I'm sure you'll get to hear about that as well.

In other news, I got a 96 on my ulpan test, Ramah (level) Daled (D)--"very high". (I have no idea how The Cheater did on her test). I feel good about how my language skills are developing, although I know I have a long way to go. Joining the work force will only help in that area.

Also, my friend Gila, who will be coming over for some matzoh balls very soon, has Haveil Havalim up. She did a really good job, so go over to her blog and read through it.

It's been a really great first summer in Israel. I am sorry to see it end. I've had a chance to write alot; I'm afraid that my posting will be more infrequent now. But I still intend to read and write and comment. I really do enjoy being part of the blogging community.

So stay tuned.

Uh-Oh.

Just got back from Mega, the big supermarket here in Modi'in. Grocery shopping is my most hated chore, especially when I have one of those huge shopping lists. This week I decided to treat myself to home delivery, because, well, I'm worth it.

The first time I treated myself to home delivery, (months and months ago), I just let the stuff sit on the counter. The cashier very snidely said that I still have to bag the stuff and put the bags in the boxes. Well, I'm paying extra for home delivery, shouldn't someone do that for me??? Sheesh.

This time, I knew what had to be done. As I started lifting a box of water, the cashier started screeching, "no, no, no!". I looked at her, puzzled, as she came running around to my shopping cart. "I'll help you," she said.

I almost fainted. Israeli cashiers are not trained to help the customer. Trust me on that one.

I said, "That's okay, I can do it." She replied, "No, you shouldn't be lifting this stuff" and looked pointedly at my mid-section. I looked down to see what she was staring at, and then the light bulb went off in my head.

She thinks I'm pregnant!

Perhaps I shouldn't be wearing these empire-waisted shirts that Mazi brought me from America.

I smiled, almost laughed, at the cashier, opened my mouth to disabuse her of the notion and then--G-d forgive me, but I stood back and watched as she loaded all my groceries into bags and then boxes. I even touched my belly a couple of times for effect.

Maybe I'll just wear the shirts when I do the grocery shopping.

Never let 'em see you sweat

One of the kids was watching Kindergarten Cop the other day. I stopped for a second and saw Arnold complaining that the kindergartners he was "teaching" were running amok. His friend gives him some advice:

Phoebe: [advising Kimble on how to be a teacher] Look, you've got to treat this like any other police situation. You walk into it showing fear, you're dead. And those kids know you're scared.
Detective John Kimble: [looks at her a moment then nods] No fear.
Phoebe: No fear.

Last night NBN held a Parent Education Forum here in Modi'in. At the last minute I decided to go, not holding out much hope that I would learn anything new, since I had attended events like this before.

I'm glad I went.

First of all, there was a session on high school students and the tests they must take (Bagruiot) if they ever want a chance of attending university. It was the first time I ever got a clear explanation of how this system works.

The other session was a more touchy-feely session, geared more towards those who just got off the boat this summer. But I felt I gained much from it.

The presenter noted that when you make Aliyah, you lose a certain amount of confidence: the language barrier, cultural differences, and most critically, perhaps, as a parent. You bring your kids here and its not easy for them. If they were good students in America, suddenly they feel stupid. And if they weren't good students in America, they feel really stupid. They miss their friends and their routine. And they blame you for it.

And you blame yourself for it.

And the kids know that. If you lose your confidence and become afraid, your kids are going to pick up on that in a second.

It happened to me several times over the year. What did I do? I thought. We had a perfectly nice life in Cedarhurst, the kids were settled and happy in their schools, they were actually learning, why did I create problems for myself, and for them?

When you start to think like that, you encounter problems. Your kids are staying up later than they should. You are allowing them certain freedoms they probably shouldn't have. If they tell you they feel sick, you let them stay home from school (we're talking those vague symptoms like a stomachache, not a raging fever--you know, the kind where as soon as the other kids leave they look at you expectantly and say, so what are we doing today? Yeah, that kind).

In general, the kids realize that on some level you have lost that confidence that brought you to this country. This is of course, very scary for them. How can they build their attachment and confidence in their new home if their own parents are struggling with it?

I myself did struggle with this at certain points during the year, but I am starting to feel a return of that old confidence. In America, I was a strong parent, setting up certain limits that I felt were appropriate for my kids. I lost a bit of that over here, partially due to a crisis in confidence (as in, did I screw my kids up forever?). But I am beginning to regain this balance. I am their parent. We made this decision to come here after much debate and soul-searching. We made this decision because we believed that Jews should live in Israel, and we could no longer go on believing one thing and living another. We stand by this decision and my kids have to learn to live with it. They have to adapt.

Please don't take that the wrong way. I am not unsympathetic to what they are going through. I know it is hard for them. I just need to teach them to cope with this struggle. And one of the best ways to do that is to show them how I am coping, indeed to show them that I am coping and not falling apart everytime a difficulty arises. And that I am still in charge around here and they have to live by the rules of the house even if life is difficult. This is a gift I can give to them and what I must remember as we approach the pressures of the school year.

So as my friend Ahnold would say:

Hasta La Vista, Baby.

Housekeeping

First of all, Haveil Havalim is up at Yehuda's Place. There is a comprehensive round-up of the convention over there. I'm not included, but that's okay. I have no ego anyway. Sniff. Yehuda may or may not be the person who a friend of mine met square dancing, but that is a non-sequitor.

Also, I'm adding a bunch of bloggers to my blogroll. I enjoy their blogs, and you might, too. I met some of them at the convention (and wrote about it here and here). It really was a pleasure to see the faces behind the blogs. Others are blogs I've been meaning to put on the blogroll and am just getting around to it now.

That's it for now. I'm coming up on another anniversary, so I've been writing in my head. Will soon put it in the computer.

Man Enough to Wear a Purse

Meet QuietusLeo. (Yes, yet another blog to get addicted to). He has been an occasional commenter over here, as I have been over at his blog. I had the pleasure of meeting "Sandman", as he refers to himself, at the very end of the Blogger's Conference. It was one of the best conversations I had all night.

Sandman is an anesthesiologist who writes about his experiences at the hospital he practises, which I believe is in Be'er Sheva, where he lives. He was born here, but was raised in the states. After finishing college he came back to live here in Israel, stating he never felt at home in the states. (Forgive me, Sandman, if I messed up a little on the facts). We talked at length about the state of medicine in Israel. Doctors in this country make tiny salaries and have to supplement the base incomes with extra on-call hours and some private work. As someone who knows very well the knowledge and talent that doctors have I think this is such a shame. Israel's brightest do not run to medical school, or if they do, they often leave the country. I've gotten bills from anesthesiologists in the states. If Sandman chose to practise there, he could be living the life of Riley. And don't talk to me about how doctors in the states don't make what they used to. If you're a competent physician,chances are you are making a more than decent living. I hope that someday soon Israel wakes up and realizes that undervaluing our doctors is detrimental to us all.

Sandman made a choice in his life. He lives here because he feels comfortable living here. That's it. I don't know if he thinks about living in the states or what he could be earning there. But now he is here, caring about this country and helping to save lives. Didn't they used to call people like that "idealists"? And aren't we glad there are still people like that around?

Sandman, being very Israeli in many ways, wears that man-purse that is so popular here. A while ago, I teased him about it over at Trep's blog. I keep telling Isaac I'm going to buy him one, but he says he'll never be that Israeli. I actually agreed with Sandman when he said he was man enough to carry that purse.

As long as you don't have a lipstick in there.

Name Dropping....or How I Got to Meet the Stars of the J-Blogosphere

Spent a good part of the day reading blogs reactions to yesterday's convention. Some got pretty snarky but were kind of funny. Let's not take ourselves to seriously, guys. For me the whole thing was just a fun event. I went to meet people I knew, but yet didn't. It was an experience unlike any I had ever had before. I'm starting to think of some of these bloggers as friends. Weird.

Just a note--it wasn't like a Trekkie convention at all. Captain Kirk was nowhere to be found.

So here goes:



Here's Ruti Mizrachi. She left her first comment on my recent Gratitude post. Also crazy enough to make Aliyah with teens.





There's RivkA of Coffee and Chemo. Unfortunately most of us know someone living with cancer. RivkA really tells you what that's like in a tender, humorous way. (And that's me with her; I believe I'm "outing" myself on my blog!)





Here are Oleh Girl, Safranit, and Zehava (because behind every great man blogger is a woman saying, "You sure you want to write that?")



That's Trep, the only blogger who got to do both panels and sit in business class on the NBN flight. "Be nice", he said.





That's Bibi asking how many of us are living in Israel. Lots of raised hands. "This is your land, this is your city and it will stay your city", he said.

Lots of security around, especially when Bibi was there. You can always tell the security people by the curly wire behind their ears, and the dark madras shirts. It's a look I guess. The soldier girl worked for Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) and held her hand up high near the speaker for the 40 minutes that Bibi spoke (yes, he spoke that long). In general, I didn't worry about security; I noticed lots of people packing guns. And you know how I love Jews carrying weapons.

My Shrapnel's Gila. As intelligent and witty in real life as she is on the blog. "I write for me", she said, during her presentation on one of the panels. (Don't we all?)

I also met, but didn't take pictures of Batya, Mom, Baka Diary, Chayyei Sarah, Rafi G., Commenter Abbi (who brought quite a babe to the convention), Eli's mom, and Robert Avrech of Seraphic Secret (he was chatting with Trep when I went to say hello. I wanted a picture, but was totally embarrassed to ask--felt like a groupie. Oh well. Maybe next year).

I didn't get to meet West Bank Mom or Joe Settler who were there. Emah S. and RR couldn't make it and I was truly disappointed when I heard that Jack (current manager of Haveil Havalim) didn't make it after all. I hope all is well, Jack.

I was thinking of linking to every blog I read that talked about the convention, but I'm to lazy to do that. Jameel probably has one of the most comprehensive blogrolls, so if you go there you can link to all the snarky, witty commentary you want.

Overall I thought the convention was fun. The organizers did a good job and I'm sure will do even better next year. I think some bloggers, and perhaps organizers took themselves a bit to seriously. There are certain things that could be improved upon in my opinion:

1. I think most bloggers wanted more "meet and greet" time.
2. Bibi was a fun surprise, but he spoke way to long. [Is he the best we've got for Prime Minister? Sigh.] I personally wanted to hear more from the panelists, and from Frum Satire--whose comedy routine brought a chuckle or two.
3. The panelists should probably have had more direction in what they were going to speak about. It was all quite vague and general. Any tips they gave about increasing traffic were pretty basic stuff, even for a computer illiterate like me.
4. I personally would have liked to have more interaction with the bloggers who were participating via the web.
5. A waffle maker for a raffle? The only one hoping to win was Jameel (who still owes a bunch of us some waffles).
6. Food was good, but we definitely needed Russian dressing for the turkey.

This was NBN's baby, so of course they had a specific agenda, to promote Aliyah. That's okay with me. The purpose of my blog is to express myself and to write. The fact that I happened to have made Aliyah jives with NBN's agenda. For now. As far as increasing traffic by linking and promoting and blah blah blah, well that's not for me either. This is a hobby for me, not a profession. I like and want people to read the blog,but I'm not willing to spend that much time or effort to make that happen.

I have one more post about the convention, actually about a specific blogger that I met, to put up tomorrow, and then I think I will have finished beating this dead horse.

For now, good night.