Disabled, but not without abilities

The scene: a coffee shop. The actors: teens living with muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy. The plot: poking fun at how the able-bodied treat those who are not. With their new play "Please Be Seated", these spirited youngsters prove that not being able-bodied is anything but disabled.

Beit HaGalgalim, or House of Wheels, is a non-profit devoted to the rehabilitation and support of special needs youth. With 5 centers across Israel offering services to over 350 children, the organization gives these youth an opportunity to participate in activities that the might not usually get a chance to join in on, like kayaking and camping trips. One of their goals is to create an accessible culture- a culture that embraces those living with special needs, both physically and emotionally.

The play is performed entirely by youth living with special needs, and is intended to communicate to the audience that they are capable of creating, thinking, and speaking for themselves- and can have a sense of humor about the whole situation. The idea of putting on a play had been gelling around for several years now, and finally came to fruition with the "Please Be Seated" production. The act of creating and acting in this play is an empowering experience for many of the performers, who have both literally and figuratively found their voice on stage.

Modern Romance

Born and raised in Israel, Iris Braunstein Shemesh grew up surrounded by beautiful nature and a rich mosaic of cultures. She fuses these influences together when creating her unique jewelry pieces for Iris Design . Her dynamic jewelry reflects her passion for color, pattern, and the great outdoors. Bright florals, jungle animal prints, birds prints and angels combine to make these pieces pop! You are sure to get noticed with these romantic but modern designs.



Her design process is meticulous and precise. Iris starts with a resin base, which she favors because it is a lightweight material. She achieves a textured, three-dimensional look by combining rich fabrics, glistening silk paper, and decorative threads. Her charming hand-painted touches give each piece a personalized touch. Each piece is finished with a glossy coating of enamel and set with crystal to give it a lovely sparkle!



In addition to her jewelry designs, Iris also creates unusual and sweet gifts, like this Hamsa (good fortune charm) for the little princess!

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

We are resolved into the supreme air,
We are made one with what we touch and see,
With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,
With our young lives each spring impassioned tree
Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range
The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.

-Oscar Wilde

Glee!

Are you a Gleek? The song-and-dance show Glee has caught on like wildfire, with a ton of fans all over the globe. The Glee fever has spread to Israel, and a flash mob broke out in Dizengoff Mall (Tel Aviv) to promote the show.

Vivacious Viognier

Beautiful wines are one of Israel's many bountiful products. The Carmel and Galil region are dotted with picturesque vineyards that make for lovely day trips (complete with a delicious tasting session at the end!). Israel used to best known for Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Emerald Riesling, but it looks like there's a new kid on the block- the elusive and exclusive Viognier.

Viognier is somewhat of a pretty princess among grapes: its finicky and hard to grow, and actually almost became extinct about two decades ago. Thanks to some cloning changes that have made it a more reliable and sturdy strain,it is now making a comeback, much to the delight of wine connoisseurs everywhere. Recent successes with this white grape have shown that it may be particularly suited to Israel's hot and humid climate.

This well-rounded white wine has a unique aroma, fragrant with fruity notes such as pear and peaches. Some even notice a background touch of honeysuckle, making this unusual wine the perfect treat on a warm summers day. Only a few select wineries are producing Viognier, but should you manage to find this rare wine it will surely be worth it. Cheers!

Winter is finally here!

We can't beleive that winter is finally here!



The poetry of earth is never dead! ~ John Keats

Pictures taken by Almog Halili, on December 11th 2010.

Project Palozzo

With its mix of striking architectural styles and general state of slight dilapidation, the city of Tel Aviv is the perfect canvas for street artists. There's one artist who leaves his signature eggplant sketches on wall corners, and another who brightens up the pavement with his smiling daisies. From small tags to professionally rendered murals spanning entire building sides, street art is definitely a part of Tel Aviv's art scene.

Typically of course, street art is done outside- abandoned buildings, the sides of bus stops, and those retro air conditioner boxes all make for great impromptu art spaces. Street art mixes the high (precise artistic skills) and the low (cheap materials and a low budget gallery space) to make for an interactive and dynamic art form. Street art is spontaneous and of the people, it grabs you as go about your day instead of being tucked away safe behind museum walls. But what would happen if we moved art off the streets and back indoors...

Remember when your mom told you not to draw on the walls? Well a new indoor street art project, Project Palozzo is doing just that with, and producing awesomely creative results. Two illustrators (Zach Cohen and Ori Toor) and a sociology major (Yoav Tamir) are living together in a dilapidated house in Tel Aviv and turning it into a collaborative ongoing art project. According to their sassy little Tumblr, which they frequently update with photographs of their latest creations, the house was built by Yoav's grandfather but was uninhabited for quite a while and fell into a state of disrepair. Now these three are putting their combined skills together, transforming their space by painting, writing and drawing on the walls of their renovation project cum gallery. I wonder what their moms have to say about all this?

Project palazzo - Wall drawing timelapse from ori toor on Vimeo.

Haifa Haifa

As many of you may have read, the north of Israel has suffered from a serious forest fire, the likes of which have never before been seen in Israel.

The devastation is wide reaching and the loss of these precious forests will be felt for generations to come.

The fires that broke out suddenly in the Galilee spread rapidly and have destroyed 20% of the trees in the national forest.

Haifa, the largest city in the north, is a beautifully green area that slopes gently down into the Mediterranean. Many songs have been composed and sung in its honor, including this song sung by the Israeli Army Band.



If you or someone you know would like to contribute to the rehabilitation effort for the Carmel region, you can click here for a list of organizations.

Last night of "the Festival of Lights"

Happy Hanukkah everybody!
As the sun goes down the streets are filled with warm light spread from every Hanukkiya placed on the front of every house window. I wish these pictures will transfer the unique feeling in the streets of Israel, these past 8 days of Hanukkah - "The Festival of Lights"
Chag Sameach!
From Eastory - Gifts. Stories. People.