Posted Pictures of Second Hakafot

Hi Everyone!

Tonight (Tuesday night after chag in Israel) I took pictures of the second hakafot at S'deh Chemed in Ma'aleh Adumim.

I posted 285 pictures on my website at:
http://www.jr.co.il/ma/pic/2008/ma277.htm

When the first page comes up, press the F11 key on the top of your keyboard for a full page view. Use the icon buttons on the bottom of each page to navigate.

Have a good day,
Jacob

New Israeli Educational Stamps Posted Online

Hi Everyone!

I scanned and posted on my website the new Israeli stamps that were issued in September 2008. I included the stamp itself, the first day cover, and an English and a Hebrew flyer about the stamp.

- Festivals 2008 Torah Crowns

- Rabbis: Forerunners of Zionism

- Medicinal Herbs and Spices

The new stamps are located at:
http://www.jr.co.il/pictures/stamps/index-2008.html

The top of the web page should display the date October 13, 2008. If the page has an older date, hold the control key and press the F5 key to refresh your browser with the updated page.

Have a joyous Sukkot!
Chag Sameach,
Jacob

Educational resources for Sukkot

Hi Everyone!

Sukkot is the Jewish holiday that commemorates how protective "Clouds of Glory" surrounded the Jewish people after leaving Egypt during the forty years of wandering in the desert. It also commemorates how the Jews lived in temporary dwellings during that same time.
Sukkot begins Monday night, October 13, 2008.

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

has several entertaining features to celebrate Sukkot:

Jewish Trivia Quiz: Sukkot

What is the Hebrew date of the first day of Sukkot ?
What is another name for the Sukkot holiday ?
What does Sukkot commemorate ?
What is the minimum area of a Sukkah as defined in the Talmud ?
What is the maximum height of a Sukkah ?
What does the Aramaic word "Ushpizin" mean ?
Who gets called to the Torah reading on Simchat Torah ?

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.

Additional Sukkot resources and games on the J site include:
Free Sukkot Clipart
The Hebrew Hangman Game
The Multilingual Word Search Game (English / Hebrew / Russian)
My Hebrew Songbook (Hebrew Song Lyrics)
My Jewish Coloring Book (online / offline)

The J site has something for everyone, but if that is not enough, I posted on my website 62 links about Sukkot, from laws and customs to games and recipes. Site languages include English, Hebrew, Russian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German and Italian.

All 62 links have been reviewed / checked this week.

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

I also created a list of 16 cool Sukkot YouTube videos.
The address is:
http://www.jr.co.il/videos/sukkot-videos.htm

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

Enjoy!
Happy Sukkot!
Jacob

62 Cool YouTube Rosh HaShana Videos

Hi Everyone!

I created a list of 62 cool Rosh HaShana YouTube videos.
There is something for everyone.

The list includes:

Shana tova! Ma chadash, Tapuach Im Dvash Animation
Happy New Year 5769 (Second Life)
Shana Tova (Hebrew remix of muppets song)
The Four Traditional Shofar Blasts
Nasrallah's Happy New Year clip
Rosh Hashanah Girl
Shana Tova from Tijuana
Rosh Hashana: Sticky 'n Sweet New Year
Happy New Year for Jewish Mothers
Head of the Year (Rosh HaShana Mix)
Rosh Hashana Rap
Prepare for Rosh Hashanah-Elul JewU
WebYeshiva: Blowing the Shofar in Elul
Rosh HaShana Foods - Sephardi style
Shana Tova Song - Parpar Nechmad (with Ofra Haza)
Bashana Haba'ah - Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme
Bashana Haba'a in Yiddish
The Alexandria Kleztet - Bashana Haba'a (from Chile)
Kol Ish - BaShana HaBa'ah
and many more.....

The address is:
http://www.jr.co.il/videos/rosh-hashana-videos.htm

Enjoy!
Shana Tova - Have a Good Year!
Jacob

Welcome Home to the New Olim (and pictures)

Hi Everyone!

On Monday morning, September 8, 2008, I was at Ben-Gurion airport to greet the new olim that made aliyah from North America to Israel.

There were 235 olim on the flight including 91 singles (including 18 joining the IDF) and 34 families with 53 children. The youngest oleh in the group is three months old and the oldest oleh is 85 years old. The flight also included 10 dogs.

I took 272 pictures of the exciting event and I posted them online at:
http://www.jr.co.il/pictures/israel/history/2008/a404.htm

I also copied 260 of the 272 pictures to Facebook for name tagging.
There are five sets of pictures and the address of the first set is:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=50918&id=553691548

If you have a Facebook acccount and you are in the pictures or see someone you know, please feel free to name tag the pictures.

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

Shana Tova - Have a Good Year,
Jacob

My Hebrew Name on Facebook passes 120,000 installations

Hi Everyone!

My Facebook application called My Hebrew Name, which I launched in October 2007, passed 120,000 installations.

If you would like to display your Hebrew name on your Facebook profile, visit:
http://apps.facebook.com/myhebrewname/

If you would like to use the program outside of Facebook, visit:
http://www.my-hebrew-name.com/

Feedback is welcome!
Shavua Tov - Have a Good Week,
Jacob

Educational resources for the Jewish New Year

Hi Everyone!

Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year 5769, begins Monday night, September 29, 2008.

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

has several entertaining features to celebrate the new year:

Jewish Trivia Quiz: Rosh Hashana
Which special prayer is said in the days before Rosh Hashana ?
Which group of foods is customary to eat on Rosh Hashana ?
What are the other three names of Rosh Hashana ?
How many times is the shofar sounded during Rosh Hashana ?
Which food is customary NOT to eat on Rosh Hashana ?

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.

Additional Rosh Hashana resources and games on the J site include:

Free Rosh Hashana Clipart
The Multilingual Word Search Game (English / Hebrew / Russian)
The Hebrew Hangman Game
My Hebrew Songbook (Hebrew Song Lyrics)
My Jewish Coloring Book (online / offline)

The J site has something for everyone, but if that is not enough, I posted on my website 82 links about Rosh Hashana, from laws and customs to games and recipes.

Site languages include English, Hebrew, French, German, Italian, Portugese, Russian and Spanish.

All 82 links have been reviewed / checked this week.

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

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

Enjoy!
Shana Tova - Have a Good Year,
Jacob