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Sara Jacobovici
Part One:
Our identities are shaped by the accounts of our lives found in our stories or narratives. The word “narrative” reflects the multi-storied nature of our identities and related meanings. A common metaphor that threads its way into and across our stories is that of a journey. And these journeys are both internally and externally experienced. “Lech lecha,” God’s instruction to Abraham, symbolizes that relationship; we are constantly going somewhere and in turn we are going to “ourselves.”
Fast forward to an “Only in Israel” moment: I am sitting on a patch of beach in Tel Aviv with a handful of ulpan students. It is the end of an intensive course and we all prepared (in Hebrew) a story for our last gathering. One of the students is a young man of East Asian origin who spoke a beautiful Hebrew and was the envy of all. “Tell them what you studied at Berkeley,” encourages his instructor. “Yiddish, responds the young man. “Go ahead”, says his instructor, “sing the song you learned.” This young man of East Asian descent, who grew up in the US, having studied Yiddish in Berkeley, attending ulpan in Tel Aviv, begins to sing Oyfn Pripetshik (Yiddish/Hebrew: אויפן פריפעטשיק) (English: translation: On the Cooking Stove) a song written in Yiddish by M.M. Warshawsky (1848–1907). What a journey! What a story! by Jessica Steinberg  It was the end of Hilla Shamia’s four years at the Holon Institute of Technology and she had to choose a final project. It was intended to be a thesis of sorts for her degree in industrial design, but an even better outcome for her would be the creation of a masterpiece that could lead her out of academia and into the real world.
“I kept on thinking about how I find joy in nature,” said Shamia, sitting in a bustling cafe in Jaffa’s Shuk Hapishpushim quarter. “Nature has paths and things get stuck along the way. I wanted to do the same with wood, to take it and do something to it that’s never been done.” What Shamia ended up designing was furniture created by wood casting. She took entire tree trunks of cypress and eucalyptus — purchased at a lumber yard up north — and poured molten aluminum directly into their wooden surface. The exterior was burned by the process, and the entire plank of wood was then cut lengthwise and inserted into a metal frame to create the final structure.  We're thrilled to receive our very first Moving Story at OTM! This blog belongs to our readers, so comment, share, and submit the stories you find here to inspire others with the support that a few knowing words can bring. Eileen writes:After living abroad alone for several years, I suddenly found myself at the age of 63, returning to my family and community. I knew the largish house I owned would be expensive to heat and to care for, and, since I was alone, I preferred something smaller and more intimate. I also knew I needed wood underneath my feet, so I opted for a small cabin near my children. Just enough privacy and just enough closeness for being "grandma."
I was very lucky to have both my children and their spouses to move me and the jeep and wagon that they used to place all of the big appliances and furniture on. The weather was in our favor, and the former tenant moved out just in time for the painter to put a fresh coat of cream colored paint on the white walls, giving it a warmer glow and feel.  Breezy, fluffy, and snuggly Milega seating is as close to cloud nine as you can get. They’re lightweight and ultra-mobile, and maintain their cush over time. Offered in many sizes, there’s a cloud for any space! Seven Reasons to Sink into Milega BeanBag Furniture: Deuteronomy and House AcquisitionI contacted Rabbi Arik Enkin yesterday to ask him about the Torah, in terms of how it represents the home outside of the obvious fact that virtuous teachings begin in the home. That is, where is housing mentioned? He directed me to Deuteronomy 20:5-7.
Naturally, after a thorough search, there were many fabulous sources and articles from which to choose to study, but I include Torah.org's work here for the simple reason that I found Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld's presentation of the law the easiest to grasp! With respect to Mr. Rosenfeld, I scratched several passages that took the article slightly off course, in my opinion, so I could present the writing to our readership in the clearest possible way. Enjoy :)
So ElegantI'm particularly fond of the elegance that hanging lamps bring. Just one in a room acts like jewelry off the finest ear lobe! I just might give myself a treat this summer and get this glass and metal jobby... so sharp for a dining room! (Notice the track lighting in the background? Spatial and linear—the perfect combo.)
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Interviews and Culture PageHere we share the (moving) moving stories of our fabulous clients, plus tidbits of information on Jewish culture and community to make your reading experience unforgettably enjoyable. Archives
April 2017
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