On the ride there, Troy Bowers, who played overseas in Israel with Rishon Lezion
as well as teams across Europe, shared his drive to “bring team and community together.” Representing the Knicks organization, Troy’s philosophy is that “even if you get just one kid to listen, that’s a wonderful day.”

The school that we would be visiting for a basketball clinic was in Brownsville, far out in Brooklyn. The students at Thelma J. Hamilton High School have it tough, and athletes arguably have it even harder, having to balance family issues with school and late hours of practice. As basketball players, they are incredibly gifted, having recently won the city championship. While there is a lot Tal Brody and Troy Bowers can teach them about the fundamentals of the game, yesterday’s practice was about teaching these young kids their roles in society.

Predominantly African-American today, Brownsville students were familiar with the amazing athletes and individuals that have come out of their neighborhood, but when asked by their coach if they knew how many Jewish basketball players had come from Brownsville, the universal answer was “none.”

The students were stunned to learn that Brownsville produced NBA legends like Red Holzman who were Jewish. In a powerful moment, their coach, Ted Gustus said remarked that “we don’t own the word ‘ghetto,’” referring to the shared bond the African-American and Jewish community have in their very own neighborhood.

Tal Brody Receving the "You Are the Man" Award

Making it to the NBA is extremely competitive, but as Tal Brody mentioned, “today you have a lot more opportunities to play basketball,” referring to leagues in Israel and Europe. Currently, there are 80 NBA players from overseas, and the European leagues have matured to the point where the salaries are much more impressive, enticing players to choose the European leagues over gambling with a shot at the NBA.

Troy Bowers is an amazing motivational speaker, and was recently awarded the
“Values of the Game” award by NBA Commissioner David Stern. He imparted a very important message to the young athletes about their roles on the court, in their families, and in their community. The point that he stressed most was knowing what your goals are, and writing them down, and having a plan. Whatever it is that they want to accomplish, whether its being a professional athlete, a doctor, or electrician, “do it because it’s actually in your heart.”

One of the common themes Troy sees is people “being followers, not leaders.” The path towards the NBA is enticing, but ultimately not rewarding if you don’t do it for the right reasons.

One of the standout players at the clinic wasn’t a high school student at all. Nathaniel Lester is an inspiring person who graduated as an all-city player under coach Gustus and went on to graduate from Hofstra in just 3 and a half years. A model for his Alma Matter and community, Nathaniel is currently working on getting his Master’s. If it wasn’t enough to have legendary players like Tal Brody teaching them about the game, having someone from their own community, who grew up like they did, definitely taught them some very important lessons about doing right by yourself.

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“I am thrilled to welcome mayor Yahav to our city to rejuvenate our long-standing sister-city relationship,” said San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. “Together, we will find new ways to showcase the dynamic and significant contributions to society cultivated by the shared values and cultural landscape of our two great cities.”

Haifa, the third-largest city in Israel, has a population of almost 600,000 throughout its metropolitan area. While the majority of its citizens are Jewish, Haifa’s residents consist of Arab, Christian, Bahai, and other communities intermingling and living side-by-side. Much like the San Francisco Bay Area, Haifa is home to a major seaport, prominent academic institutions, and high-tech centers that nurture a culture of innovation and economic development. It is also home to the Bahá’í World Centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Earlier this year, Mayor Newsom appointed the Chairman of the San Francisco-Haifa Sister City Committee, Arthur Wachtel. Wachtel also serves as national chair of the American Society of the University of Haifa. The San Francisco-Haifa Sister Cities Committee is comprised of several community and business leaders in San Francisco and Haifa working to strengthen the relationship between the two cities. Members of the committee include Roselyn “Cissie” Swig; Dan Schifrin of the Contemporary Jewish Museum; Donny Inbar of the Israel Center-San Francisco Jewish Community Federation, Inbal Rivlin of the Haifa Foundation; Haifa-born Joe Alouf, Ariel Notcovich and Avi Katz; and Jack Kadesh, Pacific Northwest representative of the Technion, the Haifa-based institute of technology.

Mayor Yahav and Mayor Newsom participated in a reception at San Francisco City Hall along with representatives from the San Francisco-Haifa Sister City Committee, several elected officials, business and community leaders. The visit included a VIP reception and Gala Screening of the Israeli film The Matchmaker in San Francisco and Palo Alto, and an appearance by Mayor Yahav at the World Affairs Council in San Francisco.

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The praise for Tel Aviv continues as Lonely Planet names it as one of the top 10 cities to visit in 2011!

Described as “a modern Sin City on the sea rather than an ancient Holy City on a hill” Tel Aviv is always alive with concerts, cafes, and attractions.  The beach provides a nice escape from the art galleries and outdoor concerts while the cafes provide ice cold drinks to quench the heat of the sun.

On second thought, it is harder to live in Tel Aviv than most other cities in the world (you need to go to work while the waves are perfect and the sun is just right).

Luckily for Tel Avivians the city never sleeps and that the night is just as adventurous as the day (if not more so).

Click here to read more about this must visit city of 2011: Tel Aviv.

Ready to start planning your trip to Tel Aviv?  Then click here to see what to do, where to go, and what to see!

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For the past 12 years, Hiriya, a garbage dump outside Tel Aviv, has not accepted anymore refuse.  Instead the site, the largest pile of garbage in Israel, has been transformed into a model of environmental sustainability. With three recycling plants, an environmental education center, a reed bed to treat waste water, and a facility to turn methane bio gas into a source of energy for a nearby textile company, Hiriya isn’t exactly what comes to mind when one thinks about a rotting garbage dump.

But why stop there? German architect Peter Latz has an even bigger vision of what the site can become. Latz and his office won a competition to transform Hiriya, the largest open space in the overcrowded Dan region into a full-fledged park.

Latz has succeeded in turning industrial wastelands into parks before, using a unique approach.  Instead of rejecting the industrial past of a site, he tries to preserve the memory of what a place was.  He explained in an interview with the Jerusalem Post: “I leave enough elements to see what was before, but I also change it…One of my philosophies is to use all the elements, even if they’re not very gentle, because people are curious.”

For Hiriya, the recycling plants will remain and offer observation decks along a walking path; the massive hydraulic system of the park will become part of a climbing wall, and canals that help protect the site from floods will also serve as walking and biking paths.

While the site will not be completely transformed for another 25 years, one day children may be asking their parents if they can go play in the dump.

Photo courtesy of pshab on flickr, used under Creative Commons License.

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It’s not only pure solace on a chilly day, but also a true remedy for colds, sore throats, and even broken hearts!

People say that mothers know best but let me tell you, Jewish grandmothers know even better. And if this is their recommendation, I believe them.

Even if you don’t have your grandma around, you can cook it yourself. It’s very easy and only requires basic ingredients. To make things even easier, you can search for “winter package” in your supermarket. It contains the basic elements of this soup: parsley and/or celery root, onion, potato, carrot and a few dill strings.

One thing to bear in mind: the chicken you use must be fresh! You could use different parts. Even cheaper parts like wings or neck will do just fine. I personally love to use drumsticks (aka “poolke” in Yiddish).  Also, for a meatier flavor use chicken, turkey, and beef knee joint bones.

Classic Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

8-10 drumsticks

1 bunch dill, tied

1 bunch parsley, tied

2 onion, quartered

2-3 carrots cut coarsely

1 parsnip, cut coarsely (can sub for turnip)

1 celery root, cut coarsely

1 parsley root, cut coarsely

2 potatoes cut coarsely

Salt

10 black peppercorns

1-2 bay leaves

Method:

1. Line the bottom of a large pot the drumsticks (and other parts or bones if you have them).
2. Add 2 ½ quarts of water and bring to boil. Skim the foam that forms on top.
3. Add the vegetables, bay leaves, salt and pepper and bring again to boil.
4. Cook covered on a low heat for about an hour.
5. Add the herbs. Cook for another 20 minutes. Towards the end of the cooking, taste and adjust the seasoning.
6. Turn off the heat. If you like, remove some or all of the herbs from the soup (for a clear soup).

Serve to the ones you love

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Levivot is the Hebrew word for fried potato pancakes—known as latkes. While traditional latkes are made from potatoes, today, people who love to cook are using all sorts of vegetables. There are many creative versions to the traditional latkes recipe, such as sweet potato, leek, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, cheese and even avocado! 
 
For this special occasion, I’m sharing with you a winner recipe from the fabulous “Orna and Ella” bistro, based in Tel Aviv. If I had to form a list of the 10 best eateries in Tel Aviv, “Orna and Ella” would certainly be at the top. It serves the best that the Israeli kitchen has to offer, with a homey yet sophisticated menu that uses healthy and fresh ingredients. Whenever I visit “Orna and Ella,” I always face the dilemma of ordering the same old favorites (white fish ceviche, rice and vegetables prepared in Turkish style, the “everything salad”) or trying something new that would probably knock my socks off.

One thing’s for certain—their sweet potato pancakes are killer.   

“Levivot Batata” (fried sweet potato pancakes)

Ingredients
 
2.2 pounds peeled sweet potatoes
1 spoon soy sauce (good quality)
1 cup flour
½ teaspoon salt 
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Butter for frying

For the sauce:
1 ¼ cup sour cream (can be substituted with rich yogurt)
2 spoons mayonnaise
2- 3 spoons finely chopped chives
2 drops of lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Peel the skin of the sweet potatoes and cut them into quarters.
2. In a large pot, cook the sweet potatoes in water until they get softened (about 40 minutes).
3. Put the potatoes aside in a strainer and let them dry and become completely chilled.
4. In a large bowl, mash the sweet potatoes and add the soy, flour, salt and pepper. Mix and mash them until you get a uniform mixture.
5. Mold the pancakes using your hands or a spoon (the mixture is very sticky so you could try to wet your hands while creating the pancakes).
6. Heat the butter on a Teflon frying pan.
7. Fry the pancakes over a low fire for a few minutes on each side, until they’re nicely browned. 
8. Mix the ingredients of the sauce. Season to taste.
9. Serve the pancakes while they are hot with the sauce on the side.

Be-te-avon!!!

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