Furry Fundraiser

Furry Fundraiser

Remember my old friend the Lady in Red, who used to live in the park nearby? As you may remember, last winter she became seriously ill. Turns out that the person who took her in ran up a lot of expenses with her vet care.

When they took her in, I promised to help with the vet expenses... which proved to be much more than anyone expected. Three oral surgeries, a bout with diabetes... the bills ran up. And up. And up.

Lady recovered from diabetes several weeks ago. She is healthy now and the worst appears to be behind us. But the vet bills have left quite a hole in the bank account, and now I could use some help.

(UPDATE: PayPal is now an option, thanks to some very kind friends. The button is at the top of the right-hand sidebar.)

Any amount is welcome. If you would like to help—and if you can—please click the donation button at the top of the right-hand sidebar or get in touch with me at rahel dot jaskow at gmail dot com.

P.S. Thank you, Laurence. Thank you, Meryl. And thank you to the people who have already offered their help. Much, much appreciated.

P.P.S. The Friday Ark. The Carnival of the Cats.

I’ve Been Down That Road Before

I’ve Been Down That Road Before

... specifically, with this taxi driver.

As Jerusalem’s only female Muslim taxi driver, Mrs Bahr, wearing a white headscarf, cuts a distinctive figure in the city's taxi-driving community.

“People always think I’m Jewish at first,” says Mrs Bahr, who speaks conversational Hebrew.

“But then I tell them that I’m Muslim and they are even more surprised. They say it’s brilliant, it’s fantastic.”

I agree. I was in Majda al-Bahr’s cab a while back, and I even blogged about it. Yup, it’s a small world indeed!

And about the Islamic fundamentalist types who don’t like the fact that Ms. al-Bahr drives a cab for a living: wouldn’t they feel secure knowing that there’s a woman taxi driver out there for the women and girls of their community? At least they know she will never make a pass at them, and with her there will be no testosterone-induced rage at the wheel. What’s not to like?

The BBC article says that she sits on the board of a local transport union, too. Way to go, Ms. al-Bahr. Way to go.

Nice Shirt!

Nice Shirt!

So I’m on the bus headed home yesterday afternoon, and I saw that the man sitting in front of me was wearing a great t-shirt. I asked him whether I could photograph it, and he said yes.

Well, you can’t argue with the truth. Nations and empires that mess with the Jews end up gone. This t-shirt lists most if not all of them.

Take that, antisemites of the world.

(Turns out that the Moriah Bookstore in the Old City carries these t-shirts. There may be other places to get them but that was where the man on the bus got his.)

The Jerusalem War Cemetery on Mt. Scopus

The Jerusalem War Cemetery on Mt. Scopus

Yesterday I headed to Hadassah Hospital on Mt. Scopus for an annual routine test. On the way out, I decided to take a closer look at the nearby Jerusalem War Cemetery.

Although the graves in the cemetery are approximately ninety years old, the cemetery is in excellent condition. I saw a team of gardeners employed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission working there, one of whom helpfully directed me to the Jewish section (located on the far left, second section as one ascends from the street).

The grave next to the Jewish one is that of an unknown soldier. The inscription reads: “A soldier of the Great War, known unto God.” I would have taken more pictures, but as the above photo shows, the sprinklers were on at the time, so I couldn’t get much closer.

Farther up, near the memorial chapel, is a memorial wall inscribed with the names of more than three thousand soldiers who fell in the Middle East whose burial places are unknown.

The cemetery also contains the graves of several Turkish and German soldiers, who presumably died as prisoners of war.

Besides the war cemeteries in Jerusalem (including the Indian Cemetery in Jerusalem, for Sikh and Muslim soldiers from India who fought and fell here), there are other cemeteries in Beer Sheva, Ramle and Haifa. (There is also one in Gaza, but I am not sure how accessible it is these days. It was vandalized in 2004.)

Today is Tisha be-Av (the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av), the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. Today we remember our destroyed Temples and our exiled people, and all the catastrophes that befell us throughout history.

So, my half-dozen readers may ask, what does a war cemetery on Mt. Scopus have to do with Tisha be-Av?

If I remember correctly, World War I began on Tisha be-Av, and as terrible and tragic as it was, its effects lasted far beyond Armistice Day. I felt that it would be appropriate to remember these fallen soldiers the day before the anniversary on which the war started. And, as Treppenwitz pointed out in a post from March 2006, we owe a great debt to their memory.

An easy fast.

Stretching Out

Stretching Out

Her Ladyship stretches out one hot summer day, showing her fuzzy tummy.

“What’re you lookin’ at?”

The Friday Ark.

The Carnival of the Cats.

(And yes, I hope to start writing again soon, instead of just posting cat pictures. I have been extremely busy over the past weeks, but things are calming down, at least for now.)

Cool Cat Cools Off

Cool Cat Cools Off

Her Ladyship cools off on cool stone:

Friday Ark.

Carnival of the Cats.

The Lady in Red, Kitty Yoga, and You

The Lady in Red, Kitty Yoga, and You

From a recent visit with my old friend, the Lady in Red:

(The title of this post is taken from the well-known television series Lilias, Yoga and You, which ran on PBS from 1972 to 1992.)

Check out today’s Friday Ark, and the Carnival of the Cats on Sunday.

Missy, What Do You See?

Missy, What Do You See?

A nonchalant Missy perches on the stone wall, watching the world go by.

Check out the Friday Ark, up at The Modulator tomorrow. And check out the Carnival of the Cats home page to see where the next Carnival will be.

Mr. Neighborcat, Sitting in a Tree

Mr. Neighborcat, Sitting in a Tree

Since I took this picture at around dinnertime, I’m betting that Mr. Neighborcat is scoping out a bird or two for an appetizer.

Catch today’s Friday Ark at The Modulator, and stay tuned to the Carnival of the Cats home page to see where next week’s Carnival of the Cats will be.

Peek-a-Boo

Peek-a-Boo

Lady in Red, I see you!

Catch today’s Friday Ark at The Modulator, and check at the Carnival of the Cats home page to see where Sunday’s carnival will be.

Intruder Alert!

Intruder Alert!

Well, it was an intruder alert as far as Her Ladyship was concerned. Missy was perfectly willing to make friends.

The intruders were a tux and a gray tabby, possibly related. I had never seen them before. They entered at one side of the garden and exited the other, moving so quickly that I didn’t have time to get my camera out to take a picture of them.

So all I got were the reactions of the two resident cats. Check out Her Ladyship’s raised hackles and poofy tail. And check out Missy’s lack thereof.

O the difference between cat and cat!

Catch today’s Friday Ark, and check out the Carnival of the Cats home page to see where the Carnival will be this coming Sunday.

Foot Pillow

Foot Pillow

I was changing the water in the yard when Her Ladyship came over to me with a demand for attention. I barely had time to put the bowl of water down before she flopped down on her side with her head on my foot.

Don’t believe me? I have photographic proof! Yes, I somehow managed to get out the camera without disturbing Her Ladyship. She flipped from foot to foot, too, but I didn’t manage to get that on camera.

Check out today’s Friday Ark. The next Carnival of the Cats will be up at Justin’s Random Thoughts on Sunday.

A Study in Black and White

A Study in Black and White

Missy in the yard:

I really like black-and-white photography.

Today’s Friday Ark is up. Check out the Carnival of the Cats home page to find out where the next Carnival will be.

Camouflage

Camouflage

Her Ladyship blends in with the scenery:

Check out today’s Friday Ark. The Carnival of the Cats will be at The Catblogosphere on Sunday.

Urban Wheat

Urban Wheat

So I’m in one of Jerusalem’s industrial areas, about to cross a street. I look down and what do I see?

(Click to enlarge.)

What? Wheat!

This is pretty unusual. Wild barley and oats grow all over the city, but this is the first time I’ve actually seen wheat growing wild here (or anywhere else, for that matter).

Wheat. Wow.

Scaring the Birds Again, Eh?

Scaring the Birds Again, Eh?

When I went out to work one morning this past week, I heard the birds making a racket in the trees overhead. I didn’t know why until these two came sauntering out of the bushes to say hello.

Check out the 138th edition of the Friday Ark. And check out the Carnival of the Cats home page to see where the next CotC will be.

Interesting Bug

Interesting Bug

(Click to enlarge.)

I wonder what it is.

Kitty Muscles In

Kitty Muscles In

The lion is the symbol of Jerusalem. Recently, someone in my neighborhood decided to give the rampant Jerusalem lion a bit of competition:

I have no complaints!

An Honor from 6,000 Miles Away

An Honor from 6,000 Miles Away

Meryl Yourish has said on her blog that one of her jobs is teaching little Jews to be big Jews—in other words, teaching at her local religious school. I’ve been reading her descriptions of her classes for several years now, and more than once I’ve told her that I would love to be in her classroom.

Well, yesterday it happened.

I felt like saying hi to Meryl, so I sent her an IM. Turns out she was in class and online... and the next thing I knew, my living room in Jerusalem and her classroom in Richmond were linked through GoogleTalk!

Well, I’ve always said that the Internet is miraculous.

It was absolutely lovely. I heard her pupils’ voices and even got to sing one of my favorite songs with them: Uzi Hitman’s version of “Adon Olam.” By the time we said goodbye I was grinning from ear to ear and even a bit misty in the eyes.

Thank you, Meryl. What an honor.

(Can we do it again? I’ll go collect some more songs...)

Missy and Her Ladyship: Friends At Last?

Missy and Her Ladyship: Friends At Last?

Missy and Her Ladyship in a very rare pose, captured in pixels by my friend, their human companion:

Could it be friendship at last?

Check out the Friday Ark and the upcoming Carnival of the Cats, which will be at The Scratching Post on Sunday.