New Facebook Application: Send Jewish Stickers

Hi Everyone!

I created a new, free, Facebook application called:
Send Jewish Stickers.

Within Facebook, you can select from seventy five cool Jewish stickers and send them to your Facebook friends. The stickers cover a wide range of topics from Mazel Tov's to Purim Mishloach Manot.

The address is:
http://apps.facebook.com/jewish-stickers/

Feedback is welcome.

Chodesh Tov,
Jacob

Judaism from a Vending Machine

Hi Everyone!

Last Thursday I was in the Jerusalem central bus station and I noticed an unusual vending machine on the second floor between the middle staircase and the escalotors.

The vending machine did not have candy bars or potato chips or soda. The vending machine was offering books to learn Jewish laws and customs. This was the first time I saw this type of vending machine. I happened to have my camera with me so I snapped some pictures and posted them on my website at:

http://www.jr.co.il/pictures/israel/things/judaism-from-a-vending-machine.htm

Enjoy the pictures.

Chodesh Tov,
Jacob

Welcome Home to the New Olim from Yemen

Hi Everyone!

On Thursday, February 19, under the cover of secrecy, a group of ten Jews from Yemen, nine of them members of the Ben-Yisrael family, made aliyah to Israel.

I posted articles and pictures of this historic event at:
http://www.jr.co.il/pictures/israel/history/aliyah.htm

May the aliyah from all over of the world grow and bring more Jews back to their homeland, Eretz Yisrael.

Shabbat Shalom,
Jacob

Updated Ma'ale Adumim Online Bus Schedules

Hi Everyone!

Tonight I redid all the online Ma'ale Adumim bus schedules. Using Egged's online schedules, I created the new pages in a format that is easy to read and print.

The new pages are dated February 19, 2009 and the address is:
http://www.jr.co.il/ma/ma-bus.htm

Have a good day,
Jacob

Purim on the J site, 68 Cool Purim Videos, 82 Purim Hotsites

Hi Everyone!

Purim, the fun-filled Jewish holiday, falls on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar. This year Purim begins Monday night March 9, 2009. (In Jerusalem it is celebrated one day later.)

The J Site - Jewish Education and Entertainment
http://www.j.co.il

has several entertaining features for Purim:

Purim Trivia

Why do people eat poppy seeds on Purim ?
From which tribe was Mordecai ?
Why was Haman angry at Mordechai ?
Who was queen of Persia before Esther ?
Esther had another name, what was it ?
How many times is Haman's name mentioned in the megillah ?
What did the king do when he couldn't sleep ?
What does the word "Esther" mean ?
How many advisors did king Achashverosh have ?

The above questions are examples from the multiple choice
Flash quiz. There are two levels of questions, two timer settings.
Both kids and adults will find it enjoyable.

Purim Clipart

Whether you need a picture to attach to your "Mishloach Manot", a picture for your child's class project, a graphic for your synagogue, Hillel or JCC Purim announcement, the Jewish Clipart Database has the pictures for you. You can copy, save and print the graphics in three different sizes.

Additional Purim resources and games on the J site include:
Purim Word Search Game (English, Hebrew, Russian)
My Jewish Coloring Book - Purim Pictures
Hebrew Hangman - Purim
Hebrew Purim Songs with Vowels (Nikud)

The J site has something for everyone, but if that is not enough, there are now 82 Purim links on my holiday hotsites. The sites have everything ranging from laws and customs to games and recipes. Site languages include English, Hebrew, Russian, Spanish, French, Portugese and German.

All 82 links have been reviewed / checked over the past week.

The address is:
http://www.jr.co.il/hotsites/j-hdaypu.htm

and......
I posted a list of 68 cool Purim videos on YouTube ranging from funny songs, plays, parades and Purim Shpiel.
Enjoy the videos at:
http://www.jr.co.il/videos/purim-videos.htm

Please forward this message to family and friends, so they may benefit from these holiday resources.

An early Happy Purim!
Jacob

Uploaded Seven New Learn English Videos

Hi Everyone!

I uploaded seven new Learn English videos to the Internet.

The topics of the new videos are:
Animals, Clothing and Accessories, Fruit and Vegetables,
Fun and Entertainment, In the Kitchen, Let's Eat,
The Human Body

The videos include a photograph of each item and an English audio track with the correct pronunciation of each word.

The address is:
http://www.my-english-dictionary.com/videos.htm

The videos were created with selected images and audio files from the Learn English with Pictures and Audio website. There is a link from the video page back to the main site which includes 408 words, photographs and audio tracks.

Feedback is welcome.

Have a good day,
Jacob

Tu B'Shvat (The New Year for Trees) on the J Site and 50 Hotsites

Hi Everyone!

Tu B'Shvat, the New Year for Trees, falls on the 15th of the Hebrew month of Shvat, February 9 this year (5769 / 2009). This Jewish mini-holiday is of major importance to our appreciation of Nature and our relationship to it.

The J Site - Jewish Education and Entertainment
http://www.j.co.il

has several entertaining features to celebrate Tu B'Shvat:

Jewish Trivia Quiz: Tu B'Shvat
Which fruit is used to make wine ?
When did Kabbalists originate the Tu B'shvat Seder ?
How many glasses of wine are drunk at the Tu B'Shvat seder ?
What branch of a tree did the dove bring back after the flood ?
How many days does the Hebrew month of Shvat have ?
What is associated with both Chanukah and Tu B'Shvat ?
In Israel, what happens to trees starting on the 15th of Shvat ?
Since 1901, how many trees has the Jewish National Fund
planted in Israel ?
According to the Torah, which fruits did the spies bring to the
children of Israel in the wilderness ?

The above questions are examples from the multiple choice Flash quiz. There are two levels of questions, two timer settings. Both kids and adults will find it enjoyable.

Tu B'Shvat Clipart
Whether you need a picture for your child's class project, a graphic for your synagogue, Hillel or JCC Tu B'Shvat announcement, the Jewish Clipart Database has the pictures for you. You can copy, save and print the graphics in three different sizes.

Multilingual Word Search Game: Tu B'Shvat
Enter the Multilingual Word Search game and choose the language you would like to play in: English, Hebrew or Russian. There is an easy mode for the kids and a harder mode for us big kids. Each game is randomly generated. You can even print out a blank game (and the solution page) for offline playing.

Hebrew Hangman - Tu B'Shvat
It's the classic Hangman game recreated in an online Flash version. If you expect your simple "hang the man by the rope" drawing then you are in for a surprise.

My Hebrew Song Book - Tu B'Shvat Hebrew songs (with vowels) for viewing and printing. All songs are in graphic format so you do not need Hebrew installed to view or print them.

The J site has something for everyone, but if that is not enough, I posted on my website 50 links about Tu B'Shvat, from history and customs to graphics and recipes. Site languages include English, Hebrew, Russian, Spanish, French, Portuguese and German.
All 50 links have been reviewed / checked this week.

The web address is:
http://www.jr.co.il/hotsites/j-hdaytu.htm

Please forward this message to relatives and friends, so they may benefit from these holiday resources.

Enjoy!
Jacob