Tag Archives: Memories

Celebrating with Bread

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Bread is a common food in every culture I can think of. One of my favorite breads from Israel is Challah Bread.

Challah is a brioche-type bread made with eggs. It is sweetened with honey and uses oil instead of the butter used in brioche. If you search for recipes, you can find many of them. And I’m sure, at least from the bakers I know, there are lots of variations of each one. I use the same recipe as my daughter, but both of us change it for different situations. The most significant difference I’ve found is the amount of honey to use.

Challah is a bread of celebration and is commonly served on Shabbat. This bread is braided into a loaf as in these pictures. Since I consider anytime I’m with family and friends as a celebration, I make it a lot.

During the celebrations of Rosh Hashana, Yom Kipper [as one of the foods used to break the fast of Yom Kipper], and Sukkot, challah is braided into a circle or a crown. The circle is studded with raisins. I also found one reference to braiding it into a crown in honor of Queen Esther on Purim.

While it isn’t tradition, I’ve found using challah as the base for cinnamon rolls can be very popular during coffee time at church.

Picture of Challah bread my daughter made.
Another picture of my daughter’s challah.

Changes in Appearance, but not the Message.

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As I’ve faced challenges over the last few weeks, I’ve spent a lot of time seeking the answer for the challenges in prayer.

As I look through pictures of my time in Israel, I remember when I took my pictures of the pool of Bethesda.

Jesus healed a man here according to John 5:15. A man who learned Jesus could heal him rather than wait for a man to help him get into the pool when it was stirred by an angel.

It still portrays a message to hope. It reminds me God is ready to show me the answer through the work of His Son.

I try to imagine what this looked like in the time of Jesus. I’m sure it was much different than today. Standing at the railing which prevents anyone from climbing down to the pool, I was reminded once more that what this looks like is not as important as the saving message of Jesus.

The pool of Bethesda doesn’t look much like a pool to me. It’s hard to imagine a multitude of people here. I’m rethinking the different definitions of “multitude.”
The water looks brown in this picture and very small. Scripture tells us there were five porches filled with people around the pool. Scientists tell us ground level is higher today than it was in Jesus’ time. But I still think it is a long way down there.

Checking off the boxes … or Not.

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One Saturday evening, while in Israel, our group was invited to attend the last meal of Shabbat at the home of a friend named Jeremy. He is an orthodox Jew who teaches the Torah.


We walked to his home in the Old City of Jerusalem. The entrance is in what looks like a wall on a street too small for a car. There are walls with doors on both sides.


I didn’t take my camera because orthodox Jews believe no work can be done on the Sabbath. Also, the Jewish individual cannot ask someone else to work. Taking a picture is considered work. So is turning on or off any switches is considered work.

With all of us in the small apartment, it was getting too warm.


Jeremy started talking about the new air conditioner he installed and how he put the switch close to where one of our leaders, Marty, was standing. It took a little time, but Marty finally figured out Jeremy wanted the air conditioner turned on. Since Marty was not an orthodox Jew and was not specifically asked, he turned it on.


Throughout the excellent meal, Jeremy taught us about the various meanings of different actions.


At the end of the meal, sweet herbs were passed around. Shabbat, a special time with God was coming to an end. The spices were to help us deal with the grief of ending our time with only God and going back to our duties in this world.


That day, and many days since, I think about how easy it can be to be busy, rushing through my time of worship and prayer. I can then check off the box marked prayer and worship to go on to all the other things on my To-Do list.


There is nothing as sweet and wonderful as my time with God. And I am sad when that To-Do list pulls me away.

Since I couldn’t take pictures that night, I later purchased this bag of sweet herbs. There is no specific list of herbs used to ward off the sadness of leaving time with God. Lavender is one ingredient included in most mixes. I keep this small bag of herbs on my desk to remind me to slow down and focus on my prayer and worship time.

Yad Vashem Memorial Pin

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The Yad Vashem Memorial Pin

One of my most treasured purchases in Israel is this Yad Vashem Memorial Pin because it has so many deep meanings and memories.

Yad Vashem is Israel’s official memorial to all who died in the Holocaust. The Jews who died are remembered as are the Gentiles who helped them in the fight against Nazi Germany.

The blurb inside the packaging says “The barbed wire stem recalls the pain and trauma of the Holocaust, while the leaves stemming from the wire symbolize the rebirth and hope that emerged in the wake of this unparalleled tragedy. Wearing this pin expresses your commitment to remembering the past in order to ensure a better future for our children.”

I’ve worn a pin like this several times. I should say I’ve worn and broken pins like this one. Now I keep it safely in the packaging. The pin is made of soft pewter and is fragile.

Even the easy breakage of the pin adds to the meaning for me as I listen to the chaos and hate circling our world today. So many people behave as though they only see the barb wire and ignore the leaves. For me, as a Christian, I see Jesus in the leaves. He is my hope.

NOTE: This was on my heart today when I set up a different blog, so I changed the subject. I will be blogging about how we felt when we visited Yad Vashem in January.

First Arrival

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Impressions from Israel

It was 2005 when Roy and I traveled to Israel for the first time. Roy had a lot of experience traveling outside the United States, but international travel was a new experience for me. We traveled with a dance group from our daughter’s church. Jennifer was a member of the Israeli Celebration Dancers.

I doubt it is unique to have some travel jitters. But I didn’t expect what happened when we landed in Tel Aviv.

As the plane touched down the passengers clapped and cheered. Was it the joy of being back on land or the joy of being in Israel? I’m still not sure.

Seats off kilter
I can’t let go!

Trouble attacked when it was time to leave the plane. I could not let go of the arms of my seat. Fear glued my hands in place. I refused to leave the plane until it returned to the United States.

I was terrified I would embarrass myself or my country. Not sure why or how, but I was sure the embarrassment was real.

Not even sure what that means.

Jennifer and her friend gently pried my fingers from the arm of the seat, while Roy reassured me. They held my hands as they guided me off the plane. Roy walked close behind us. I think he was there to support me, but it might have been to keep me from running back to my seat. We were the last to leave.

We returned to Israel three times since they helped me off the plane. All three times I felt like I was coming home.

Now, I view times of terror during new experiences as a barrier trying to prevent me from receiving a blessing.

As I write my book titled Jesus Gets Hand-Me-Downs, I find my impressions of Israel put me in touch with my characters in the story and my movement on the path to publication.