In memory of my father

Shalom Everyone!

Wednesday, the 12th of Adar, is my father's 35th yahrzeit.
Please put a few coins in any charity box in memory of:
Avraham Itzhak ben Yaakov Meir z"l
Thank you!

You can read an article I wrote in memory of my father at:
https://jr.co.il/richman/in-memory-of-my-father.htm

May his memory be for a blessing.

Updated: Educational and Fun Resources for Purim:
https://jr.co.il/hotsites/purim.htm

Updated: Over 750 Purim Videos:
https://jr.co.il/videos/purim-videos.htm

Updated: Purim Photo Gallery
https://jr.co.il/hotsites/purim-photos.htm

Please continue to pray for and support Israel.
https://jr.co.il/prayers/

May the wounded have a complete and speedy recovery.
May the hostages be freed now.
May God protect the IDF, the police, the security forces
and all of Am Yisrael.

Happy Purim!
Purim Sameach!
Jacob

In memory of my mother

Shalom Everyone!

Wednesday, the 5th of Adar - March 5, is my mother's 12th yahrzeit.

Please put a few coins in any charity box in memory of:
Hennia Rachel Bat Shmuel Moonie a"h
Thank you!

You can read an article I wrote in memory of my mother at:
https://jr.co.il/richman/in-memory-of-my-mother.htm

May her memory be for a blessing.

Please continue to pray for and support Israel.
https://jr.co.il/prayers/

May the wounded have a complete and speedy recovery.
May the hostages be freed now.
May God protect the IDF, the police, the security forces
and all of Am Yisrael.

Have a good night,
Jacob

Educational and Fun Resources for Purim

Hi Everyone!

Purim, the fun-filled Jewish holiday, falls on the
14th of the Hebrew month of Adar. This year Purim
begins Thursday night - March 13, 2025.
In Jerusalem it begins on Saturday night.
 
The following resources will help you appreciate and 
enjoy the holiday.
 
The Jewish Trivia Quiz
https://jewish-trivia.com
 
Purim Trivia
Why do people eat poppy seeds on Purim ? 
From what 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 
quiz. There are two levels of questions, two timer settings.
Both kids and adults will find it enjoyable.
 
Learn Hebrew Words - Purim
https://jr.co.il/hebrew/purim.htm
 
Free Purim Clipart 
https://jewish-clipart.com/
 
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. 
 
Purim Stickers for Whatsapp
https://jr.co.il/stickers


Purim Stickers for Telegram
https://t.me/addstickers/Jholidays


Purim Humor Files - Purim Shpiel / Plays and funny stuff
https://jr.co.il/humor/purim.htm
Worth printing several to entertain your guests at the 
Purim Seudah - festive meal.
 
Purim Videos on YouTube
https://jr.co.il/videos/purim-videos.htm
Over 700 videos ranging from Purim Shpiels to funny gags.
For 2025, the Hebrew song "Tamid Ohev Oti" - Always Loves Me
is featured by 3 groups: Six13, The Maccabeats and TV Newscasters.
New videos will be added as we get closer to Purim.
 
My Playlist of Purim Songs on Spotify
http://bit.ly/spotify-jrichman-purim

Purim Photo Gallery
https://jr.co.il/hotsites/purim-photos.htm


Purim Coloring Pages:
https://jr.co.il/hotsites/purim.htm#coloringpages


Megilat Esther - Online and PDF - English and Hebrew Versions
https://jr.co.il/hotsites/purim.htm#megilatesther

Purim Hebrew song pages.
including Hebrew videos, Hebrew lyrics,
English translations and English transliterations
https://jr.co.il/hotsites/purim.htm#songs


To learn more about Purim, I posted on my website 
94 site links, ranging from from laws and customs to games and 
recipes. Site languages include English, Hebrew, Russian, 
Spanish, French, Portuguese, German and Italian.
The address is:
https://jr.co.il/hotsites/purim.htm
All the links in this message are included on the hotsites page.
 
Feedback is welcome.
Enjoy!

Please share. Thank you!

Please continue to pray for and support Israel.
https://jr.co.il/prayers/
May the wounded have a complete and speedy recovery.
May the hostages be freed now.
May God protect the IDF, the police, the security forces
and all of Am Yisrael.

Shavua Tov!
and an early Happy Purim!
Jacob 

New Book Recommendation

Hi Everyone!

This week, I updated my book recommendations at:
https://jr.co.il/recommend/books.htm

There are 10 books on the list which I highly recommend.
The links I put with each book are not affiliate links.
I do not sell books. I simply like the books.

The latest addition is:
Jewish & Israel Trivia
by Ben Herskowitz

Back in the old country, one of the games we played at home
was Trivial Pursuit. I remember that we also had the extra
Silver Screen card set.

This new book, just published in Israel and will be available
in March in the USA, reminds me of the game.
The author, Ben Herskowitz, lives in my neighborhood, so I was
able to get a copy right off the press.
If you like learning interesting facts with twists of humor, you will
like this book.

Enjoy!
Please share. Thank You!

Please continue to pray for and support Israel.
https://jr.co.il/prayers/

May the wounded have a complete and speedy recovery.
May the hostages be freed now.
May God protect the IDF, the police, the security forces
and all of Am Yisrael.

Stay warm and have a good night!
Jacob

Update: YouTube and Spotify Playlsts

Hi Everyone!

I added 3 new Youtube playlists to my playlist page:
https://jr.co.il/yp

* The Midnight Special
* Yiddish Songs - Male
* Yiddish Songs - Female

The first addition is a selection of English songs that were
performed live on the Midnight Special back in the 70s.
Wolfman Jack hosted the show from 1973 to 1981.

The two Yiddish groups include known oldie songs.
As a start, I included many songs performed by Theodore Bikel
and on the the female list the Barry sisters.
I do not know Yiddish, so I welcome song recommendations
that are on Youtube and are sharable.
I noticed on Youtube, that there are several "flirtatious"
female groups that are working on jazzing up Yidish oldies.
Nice idea but I think several have gone overboard.
I will pass on them and any Yiddish songs that I consider
stepping out of bounds. Yes, this will be problematic
because I do not know the language. I will need to review
suggestions with friends.

As many of you may have noticed, over the past several months,v Youtube has been pushing way too many ads at visitors. I use
their free service and the ads are not that bad when playing a
ready made playlist. As the saying goes, "no free lunches".

I continue to update the podcasts list at:
https://jr.co.il/links/#podcasts
There are 84 podcasts that you can listen to at home, office or
on the move.

Besides Youtube, I have 42 playlists on Spotify at:
https://jr.co.il/spotify.htm

I also use their free service, Audio ads pop after several songs.

The new playlists include:
* Y-Studs
* Kippalive
* Six13
* The Maccabeats
* Kids Hebrew Short Stories
* Yiddish - Male Vocals
* Yiddish - Female Vocals

On Youtube, I watch various podcasts, live news, and high-tech videos.

For music, I usually listen to my mp3 collection on my phone.
Over the years, I extracted the music files from my CDs to mp3 files
and loaded many onto my phone. I no longer use the CDs.

Using the free VLC Android phone app, I created my own personal playlists.
I also have a Windows version of VLC on my computer, which I use to
play music and videos.
I am not connected or affliated to the VLC development group
but I highly recommend this free, open source program.

Enjoy the music and please share. Thank you!.

Please continue to pray for and support Israel.
https://jr.co.il/prayers/

May the wounded have a complete and speedy recovery.
May the hostages be freed now.
May God protect the IDF, the police, the security forces
and all of Am Yisrael.

Have a good week!
Shavua Tov!
Jacob

Sunset over Jerusalem + JR Updates

Hi Everyone!

Today, February 13, I took a cool photo of sunset over Jerusalem.
I took the photograph from a playground in Ma'ale Adumim.
I posted the photo at:
https://jr.co.il/ma/pic/2025/ma1568.htm

This month I added many images to the the Shabbat Shalom image page at:
https://jr.co.il/shabbat-shalom/
Depending on your Internet connection, it may take 15-60 seconds
to load all 575 images

Clever Humor additions:
https://jr.co.il/humor/clever-humor.htm
* Shoe Repair
* Free Snow Shoveling Class Tomorrow
* Why I Do Not Dust
* Fast Food

Funny Wildlife Photos
https://jr.co.il/humor/fwp.htm

Funny Snowmen
https://jr.co.il/humor/funny-snowmen.htm

Additions to The Snoopy Page at:
https://jr.co.il/humor/snoopy.htm

Enjoy!
Please share. Thank you!

Please continue to pray for and support Israel.
https://jr.co.il/prayers/

May the wounded have a complete and speedy recovery.
May the hostages be freed now.
May God protect the IDF, the police, the security forces
and all of Am Yisrael.

Shabbat Shalom!
Jacob

English - Hebrew Computers / Communications Vocabulary

Hi Everyone!
Do you know the Hebrew words for:
artificial intelligence, backup, bandwidth, communications, compression,
computer, connection, content, data, default, documentation, email,
file, folder, keyboard, mouse, password, printer, router,
scanner, social network?

Start learning 200 computers/communications related words at:
https://jr.co.il/hebrew/computers-communications.htm

Please share. Thank you!

Please continue to pray for and support Israel.
https://jr.co.il/prayers/

May the wounded have a complete and speedy recovery.
May the hostages be freed now.
May God protect the IDF, the police, the security forces
and all of Am Yisrael.

Have a good week!
Shavua Tov!
Jacob

New Israeli Stamps and Educational and Fun Resources for Tu B'Shvat

Hi Everyone!

I posted online images of the new Israeli stamps that 
will be issued in February 2025.
https://jr.co.il/stamps/index-2025.html

Under each stamp is a link to a Hebrew / English PDF file 
with information about the stamp.

The National Library of Israel
* Reading Hall
* Special Collections Reading Hall
* Central staircase

* Ravshatzim and Standby Teams
- The Local Shield of the State of Israel

Embroidery in Eretz Israel
* Bedouin Embroidery
* Ethiopian Embroidery

The Textile Industry in the Land of Israel
* Printed Fabric, 1936–1938
PTP - Palestine Textile Prints
* Industrial Knitwear
Eld Knitting Factory, 1960s
* Molidor Fabric, 1975, "Rikma"

* 100 Years Since the Technion
Opened its Doors to its First Group of Students

* Blossoming in the South
(ATM Machine Label)

Enjoy!
Please share. Thank You!
----------------------
Tu B'Shvat, the New Year for Trees, falls on the 15th of the
Hebrew month of Shvat, February 13 this year - 5785/ 2025.

This Jewish mini-holiday is of major importance to our
appreciation of nature and our relationship to it.
It is customary to plant trees and partake of the fruits of
the land of Israel to mark the occasion. 

Many people in Israel and all over the world will participate in 
eating fruits at a Tu B'shvat Seder.

The Jewish Trivia Quiz: Tu B'Shvat
https://jewish-trivia.com

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
quiz. There are two levels of questions, two timer settings.
Both kids and adults will find it enjoyable.

Learn Hebrew Words - Tu B'Shvat
https://jr.co.il/hebrew/tu-bshvat.htm
Tu B'Shvat Hebrew words and terms
with English transliterations and translations

My English Hebrew Dictionary - Tu B'Shvat Vocabulary Study Sheets
101 Tu B'Shvat related words
https://english-hebrew-dictionary.com/tu-bshvat-1.htm

Free Tu B'Shvat Clipart
https://jewish-clipart.com

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.

Tu B'Shvat Photo Gallery
https://jr.co.il/hotsites/tu-b-shvat-photos.htm

76 Tu B'Shvat Videos
https://jr.co.il/videos/tu-bshvat-videos.htm

To learn more about Tu B'Shvat, I posted on my website
86 links about Tu B'Shvat, ranging from Tu B'Shvat Seders and 
customs to graphics and recipes and songs. Site languages include 
English, Hebrew, Russian, Spanish, French, 
Portuguese and German.

The web address is:
https://jr.co.il/hotsites/tu-b-shvat.htm

Enjoy!

Please share. Thank You!
----------------------
Please continue to pray for and support Israel.
https://jr.co.il/prayers/

May the wounded have a complete and speedy recovery.
May the hostages be freed now.
May God protect the IDF, the police, the security forcesv and all of Am Yisrael.

Have a good day,
Jacob

New: Learn Hebrew Words - Tu B'Shvat

Hi Everyone!

I added many new topics to the Learn Hebrew Words pages at:
https://jr.co.il/hebrew

The Tu B'Shvat page has 102 words and terms
with English transliterations and translations
https://jr.co.il/hebrew/tu-bshvat.htm

The Learn Hebrew Words pages are unique from other dictionary
pages I created in the past. Each topic is one long page and formatted
for easy viewing and scrolling on computers, tablets or cell phones.
My other sites presented the text in graphic format. This site
uses text characters. The Hebrew with nikud and English text
can be copied and pasted into other applications like word processors,
email, Whatsapp, etc...
Note: These pages are not formatted for printing.
If you want to print formatted study sheets you can visit:
My English Hebrew Dictionary at:
https://english-hebrew-dictionary.com/

Below are the current subjects of Learn Hebrew Words:

Shabbat
Jewish Calendar
Rosh Hashana
Sukkot
Chanukah
Tu B'Shvat
Purim

Passover
Lag Ba'Omer
Shavuot

Jerusalem
Israel

Best Wishes
Business
Clothes
Colors
Economics
Employment
Food
Food: Beverages
Food: Cooking and Baking - 190 words/terms
Food: Fruit
Food: Label - nutrional info
Food: Meatv Food: Nuts
Food: Spices
Food: Vegetables
Renting an Apartment
Restaurant
Winter

Jewish Proverbs and Sayings
Israeli Sayings
Hebrew Riddles
Hebrew Tongue Twisters

I plan to add several new subjects soon.

Feedback is welcome!
Please share. Thank You!

Please continue to pray for and support Israel.
https://jr.co.il/prayers/

May the wounded have a complete and speedy recovery.
May the hostages be freed now.
May God protect the IDF, the police, the security forces
and all of Am Yisrael.

Chodesh Tov and Shabbat Shalom! Jacob

Educational Resources for International Holocaust Remembrance Day - January 27

Shalom.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day is January 27.

On my website, there are 170+ links to learn about the Holocaust.
Site languages include English, Hebrew, French, German,
Italian, Russian, and Spanish.
https://jr.co.il/hotsites/holocaust.htm

Since I created the page in 1997, I have been updating it
at least 2 times a year: before International Holocaust 
Remembrance Day - January 27 and before 
Yom HaShoah - this year on April 24, 2025.
If a site is no longer online, I try to find an archive copy of
the site in archive.org.

Over 21 years ago, in September 2003, IAF jets flew over Auschwitz
to commemorate holocaust victims. Images and a video of the
event are posted at:
https://jr.co.il/pictures/israel/history/f15-jets-over-auschwitz.htm


Please share this message. Thank you.

We must not forget.

Please continue to pray for and support Israel.
https://jr.co.il/prayers/

May the wounded have a complete and speedy recovery.
May the hostages be freed now.
May God protect the IDF, the police, the security forces
and all of Am Yisrael.

Shavua Tov,
Jacob

Large JR Update

Hi Everyone!

Here are recent updates to my site.

New Hebrew song page:
Kama Tov Shebata Habayta
How Good is it That You Came Home
https://jr.co.il/kama-tov-shebata-habayta.htm

I translated to English an interesting article about
a large IDF project in the Negev:
The New Intelligence Center
by Elyashiv Raichner
https://jr.co.il/articles/the-new-intelligence-center.htm

I added five new playlists to my Youtube page:
https://jr.co.il/yp/#six13
https://jr.co.il/yp/#maccabeats
https://jr.co.il/yp/#kippalive
https://jr.co.il/yp/#y-studs
https://jr.co.il/yp/#fountainheads

New JR Links:

Parsha pages
https://jr.co.il/links/#parsha
- Chabad: The Complete Tanach with Rashi - Hebrew and English

Podcasts
https://jr.co.il/links/#podcasts
- United Hatzalah: Masters of Emergency
- Chana Studley: The Mind Body Institute
- Monday Motivation with Lesley Kaplan

Technology Podcasts
https://jr.co.il/links/#technology-podcasts
- Popular Science: The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

Prayers
https://jr.co.il/links/#prayers
- Sheva Brachot

Jewish Food
https://jr.co.il/links/#jewish-food
- Buzzfeed: Americans Try Israeli Snacks
- Buzzfeed: Americans Try Israeli Food For The First Time
- Israeli Supermarket Tour
- Their First Ever Taste of Israeli Snacks!

Youtube Jewish Educational Channels
https://jr.co.il/links/#youtube-jewishv - "Midrash on every Parsha: 6-8 minutes video summaries" v - Living Lchaim
- Rabbi Simon Jacobson at Meaningful Life Center
- Video Tzevet - Hebrew

A;iyah Oriented Sites
https://jr.co.il/links/#aliyah
- Ministry of Aliyah and Integration: The First Days in Israel
- VAT and Import Deposit Fee Calculator
- Driver's Ed Practice Questions & Road Signs
- iHerb Coupon Finder


Tips and Advice: Videos about Aliyah to Israel
https://jr.co.il/links/#aliyah-videos
- NBN Youtube Webinars
- Olim Advisors Youtube Webinars
- Jerusalem Unplugged podcast about Olim for Olim
- Tamar Meisels: Groceries in Israel
- Tamar Meisels: Israel, personal development, family tips and cooking.

Israel Emergency Pages
https://jr.co.il/links/#israel-emergency
- JR Backup Tutorial
- Your Google Drive Phone & Whatsapp Backups
- Google Takeout: Export your Google Data
- Backup your phone contacts

Youtube Technology Channels
https://jr.co.il/links/#youtube-technology
- Wonder Documentaries
- The Impossible Build - Mega Projects, Innovation, Construction
- Progress - Tech Science Documentaries
- UltiumTech
- Free Documentary - Engineering
- Morning Brew
- Interesting Engineering
- Bloomberg Originals
- Billion Dollar Builds

Lost in Translation
Hebrew to English funny translation mistakes
https://jr.co.il/humor/lost-in-translation.htm
119 - Pull
118 - Entry of Animals is Prohibited

Happy Chanukah from the Mossad
https://jr.co.il/humor/chanuka137.htm

Jewish Cartoons from around the Net
https://jr.co.il/humor/jewish-cartoons.htm
- First Time at a Bat Mitzvah
- Advice from a Matzo Ball
- The Challigator!
- What is your Pickle Personality?

Old Tech Humor
https://jr.co.il/humor/old-tech-humor.htm
- Just for the Record
- Texting in the '80s
- You Might Be Old If...

Clever Humor
https://jr.co.il/humor/clever-humor.htm
- Quotes of Steven Wright
- Library Humor
- Boo-Boo
- Fitness Protection Program
- Funny English Contradictions
v Enjoy!
Please share. Thank you!

Please continue to pray for and support Israel.
https://jr.co.il/prayers/

May the wounded have a complete and speedy recovery.
May the hostages be freed now.
May God protect the IDF, the police, the security forces
and all of Am Yisrael.

Stay Safe and Warm.
Shabbat Shalom!
Jacob

The Jewish Trivia Quiz Update and Hebrew Language Day

Hi Everyone!

Over the past 2 weeks, I added 54 Torah parshas with
3,150 questions to the free Jewish Trivia Quiz site:
https://jewish-trivia.com

Today, the quiz has 71 topics with 4,184 multiple choice questions.

Topics include: Entertainment, Food, Israel - General,
Israel - Jerusalem, Israel - Places,
Jewish Holidays: Chanukah, Purim, Passover,
Rosh Hashana/Yom Kippur, Shavuot, Sukkot, Tu B'Shvat
Jewish Inventors and Innovations, Jewish Women, Rabbis,
Shabbat, Sports, 54 Torah Parshas.

Each topic has 2 levels of questions:
level 1 questions are geared to young students and
level 2 questions are geared to older students and adults.
You can choose your level of play and timer settings.
Choose 10 or 25 questions per quiz.

There is a print option if you want print your own customized quiz.

The site lets you share questions with your friends.
Examples:
On back of which Israeli coin, in use today, is a picture
of the temple candelabrum ?
You can share this question directly with the link:
https://jewish-trivia.com/q829

What is the main ingredient of falafel?
You can share this question directly with the link:v https://jewish-trivia.com/q938

There are social media buttons to share the quiz
or questions on social networks.
Feedback is welcome!
--------------
Hebrew Language Day is an Israeli national holiday
celebrated annually on the 21st of the Hebrew month of Tevet
This year it falls on January 21, 2025.

I updated the free resources to learn Hebrew at:
https://jr.co.il/hotsites/hebrew.htm

Please share these resources. Thank You!

Please continue to pray for and support Israel.
https://jr.co.il/prayers/

May the wounded have a complete and speedy recovery.
May the hostages be freed now.
May God protect the IDF, the police, the security forces
and all of Am Yisrael.

Stay Safe and Warm.
Have a good day.
Jacob

Learn Hebrew Words - Winter Vocabulary

Hi Everyone!

Do you know the Hebrew words for:
blanket, blizzard, boots, cloudy, coat, cold, cough,
fireplace, floods, flu, fog, frozen, gloves, hail, hat,
ice, insulation, rain, scarf, shovel, ski lift, slippery,
snow, snowball, snowplow, socks, soup, storm,
umbrella, wind, wintry?

Start learning 83 winter related words at:
https://jr.co.il/hebrew/winter.htm

Please share. Thank You!

Please continue to pray for and support Israel.
https://jr.co.il/prayers/

May the wounded have a complete and speedy recovery.
May the hostages be freed now.
May God protect the IDF, the police, the security forces
and all of Am Yisrael.

Stay Safe and Warm.
Have a good night.
Jacob

Updated: Backup Tutorial and Emergency / Important Israel Phone Numbers

Hi Everyone!

I found an old charger and I was able to charge / revive my
5 year old phone. Thank you to everyone that emailed me with
suggestions. I immediately did a Samsung and Whatsapp backup
to Google drive.
The charging now takes a long time and does not last long. At least I did not
lose anything and I switched my backups from weekly to daily while
I wait for my new phone. After doing more research, and with help,
I decided to order a Samsung A25.

When was the last time you backed up
your important files on your computer, tablet, smart phone?
What would happen if you lost or broke your smart phone?
Do you have a current backup of Whatsapp, your photos, videos
and contact / address phone?
Spend a few minutes doing backups to avoid big problems.

Today, I revised my backup tutorial at:
https://jr.co.il/training/backup-tutorial.htm

How to backup your Facebook, Gmail, Linkedin accounts, Whatsapp,
browser bookmarks, phone contacts, photos, videos and more...
Do not wait till it is too late. Backup Today!

I also updated my Israel Emergency and Important Phone Numbers at:
https://jr.co.il/phone.htm

Please share. Thank you!

Please continue to pray for and support Israel.
https://jr.co.il/prayers/

May the wounded have a complete and speedy recovery.
May the hostages be freed now.
May God protect the IDF, the police, the security forces
and all of Am Yisrael.

Shabbat Shalom!
Jacob