by Debra | Apr 14, 2024 | Business, Culture, Featured Slider, Israel, jewish, jewish news, News, October 7, school, Terrorism
By
Debra Rich Gettleman
If you were asked to join a club founded by Chaim Weizmann, Martin Buber, Berthold Feiwel, and later joined by Albert Einstein, would you do it? Wait. Before you answer, what if the “club” was actually a technical learning institution, a university perhaps, that started in 1924 and would ultimately provide the moral, scientific, cultural and economic foundation for the Jewish homeland?
From the first class of 17 students in 1924 to the present, the Technion leads Israel and the world in building innovative technology, advanced medical breakthroughs, artificial intelligence, and previously unimaginable defense innovations. Considered “a light unto the nations,” the Technion has and continues to push science, engineering, and technology forward into unknown territory for Israel and the world.
As the Technion marks its centennial, they served breakfast here in Phoenix co-chaired by Dr. Daniel and Sharona Feller, Randi and Alan Jablin, and Julee Landau-Shahon and Robert Shahon. In addition to breakfast, we were served a fascinating program with Professor Moran Bercovici, a renowned scientist with a list of prestigious awards too numerous to mention (due to my word count limit). The youngest full professor at the Technion, Bercovici, a mechanical engineer, established and currently heads the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering’s Fluidic Technologies Laboratory.
While some of his technical content was beyond my grasp, (he spoke of spheres and gravity, pressure and polymers), I got the gist that he had figured out a way to shape liquid volumes into useful optical components. He basically discovered how to use liquid droplets to make eyeglasses, thereby revolutionizing the 300-year-old process of machine grinding that takes forever and due to its waste, is environmentally detrimental.
By the way, he also collaborates with NASA and is designing a space telescope that’ll exponentially surpass James Webb’s telescopic achievement whose focal length is a mere 131.4 meters. Full disclosure, his accomplishments gave me some much-needed perspective on my morning’s Sudoko frustration.
Our keynote speaker that morning was New York Times and Wall Steet Journal bestselling author, Saul Singer. Whose wildly popular book, “Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle,” co-authored with Dan Senor has been translated into 35 languages.
Singer lectures around the world on what makes countries and companies innovative. Did you know Israel has more start-up companies per capita than anywhere in the world? In his new, already New York Times bestseller, “The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Troubled World,” also co-authored with Dan Senor, Singer unveils some fascinating insights into the relationship between happiness, resiliency, and nation growth. He also outlines some startling statistics on population replacement, which keeps countries young and growing, versus the US and most every other wealthy country’s descension into demographic collapse.
Singer described Israel’s vibrancy and resilience and pointed out how Israel shifted from the depths of division on October 6th to the heights of unity on October 7th. “We will win,” he said, “We have to win. But we must stay unified, or our strength will be sapped out of us.” Then he quoted beloved Fauda actor wounded in Gaza, Idan Amedi, and continued, “The Israelis are the strongest in the world, when we are united, we are invincible.”
To learn more about The Technion, visit their website.
by Debra | Apr 10, 2024 | Bucket List Destinations, Featured Slider, Israel, jewish, jewish news, Judaism, October 7, Terrorism, tikun olam, Travel
By
Debra Rich Gettleman
This is not a travel slogan. Israel needs you. NOW! We American Jews have done a lot to help Israel over these past months of war. Israel is grateful for our prayers, our financial bolstering, our energy and outspoken support. But what Israel needs now is you. Your presence is required.
I’ve just returned from 3 weeks in Israel. I admit, I was fearful. I wondered if we’d make it back safely. I worried about everything, the plane, the busses, the driving up and down the coast, the Old City in Jerusalem during Ramadan, the M16s strewn over the shoulders of boys younger than my own two kids. Whenever I told people I was going to Israel, they always said the same thing. “Why? Why would you go now? It’s a war zone.”
Me and the fam in Jerusalem!
Full disclosure, I went because my oldest son is in Jerusalem for his first year of Rabbinic school at Hebrew Union College. If it hadn’t been for him, I very likely would not have decided, “Hey, let’s go to Israel while they’re in the middle off a horrific war in a volatile region where their very existence is under fire.” I would’ve probably flown to Kona, eaten sushi, and chilled out with a Mai Tai on the beach. But now that I’ve gone, I have a message for American Jews. Go to Israel. Now.
What you can really do to help Israel
Recently repaired bar in Sefad after Hamas bomb took off the roof and adjacent room
So many of us are sitting at home glued to our own cable news networks, wringing our hands, wondering what we can do for the hostages, for the war effort, for our own safety right here in America. We genuinely want to help. We send money. We follow pro-Israel influencers on Instagram. We write letters to soldiers and our government officials urging them to continue to support Israel. That’s all wonderful. But what Israel needs right now is us, our physical presence. “No one is coming,” said every shop keeper, museum docent, and tour guide everywhere. What were once thriving galleries, jewelry stores, and markets are now desolate. rows of boarded up shuttered store fronts and empty streets.
We stood at the wailing wall (yes, in separate sections, argh!) with a dozen other Jews. We walked through the ruins of Masada alone. Our guides in Jerusalem, Haifa, Hebron, and Safed, were so incredibly grateful, simply because we came. Israel’s economy needs us. But more than anything, the people of Israel need to see our faces. They need to tell us their stories. They need to feel our tangible support.
It’s like when a family member dies. You send food. You plant trees. You express your sympathy on social media. But it’s not until you walk into that shiva minyan in the house that you grew up in that mourners find true comfort and hope to go on.
Go there. Buy stuff. Take tours. Eat at street vendor booths and restaurants. Stay at hotels. Rent umbrellas at the beach. Drop coins in every donation box at every holy site and historic monument. Tip well for services. Go. Now.
I bought a beautiful silver bracelet from a craftsman in Safed. He held the bills in his hands, tears in his eyes. He said he opens his shop every day in spite of the fact that no one ever comes. He keeps making jewelry and asking Hashem to send tourists again. He said we were G-d’s answer and that tonight he could feed his family again. It sounds dramatic. But it’s true.
The safest place on earth right now
A friend told me his “gratitude” is hyperbolic tourist shtick. I don’t care. I see every other shop boarded up and rows of empty cobblestone streets that used to be teeming with people, abandoned. Our host at our BnB in the mountains of Rosh Pinah greeted us saying, “You are so brave. Everyone is afraid to come.”
One morning, as we sat in the garden on the edge of Safed’s old city, we heard loud buzzing above and saw a dozen F16s flying overhead. The fear must have registered on my face and our friend said, “You know right now you are in the safest place in the world; guarded by the IDF.”
It’s true. And it’s true that we are safer there than in the streets of New York, Chicago, San Francisco, or a host of other US cities. Heck, more people die in bathtubs than as tourists in Israel. (Okay, I don’t know if that’s an actual fact. But I’m pretty sure it’s true.)
Israel needs you to go there, to be there, to share in its joys and sorrows. To bring your own light and energy to its shores. Please go. If not now, when?
p.s. When you go, tell them the tall red head from Arizona sent you!
by Debra | Mar 28, 2024 | Israel, October 7
By Debra Rich Gettleman
Everything changed on October 7th, 2023.
The world felt different; more frightening, more chaotic, more imbalanced.
Collectively, Jews all over the globe felt the horrific pain that Hamas had inflicted.
At first, we felt the world had our backs. We believed any civilized culture supported us after the worst genocidal attack against Jews since the holocaust. After all our devotion to social justice, our loyalty to those in pain, our commitment to support those without a voice, it was time for the world to stand with us, to make sure every hostage would be released.
But as time marched on, support for Israel and American Jews started to wane. Political powers became critical. Governments ignored the horrors and atrocities perpetrated against us. The optimism of saving all our hostages dwindled. We began feeling unsafe in our own neighborhoods. Some of us chose to hide our Jewishness to maintain some sort of social equilibrium and not draw attention to ourselves.
Our kids began to face antisemitism on playgrounds, in high schools, and across college campuses. We felt it at work, in town squares, and at local events in our own neighborhoods. The similarities to centuries of past pogroms became undeniable.
It is now more than 4 months after Hamas’ brutal massacre. Over 130 hostages remain in captivity. Many of them perhaps dead already. At least 8 Americans are still being held by Hamas militants. Hostages who have been released report sexual abuse and suffocating conditions. They relay tales of beatings, lice, and lack of food. Many of the hostages suffer from life threatening viral and bacterial infections like salmonella, hepatitis A, and pneumonia.
The slogan “Never Again,” seemed slightly archaic to modern American Jews before October 7th. Sure, we said it. But the idea that we Jews would ever be targeted like we were in Hitler’s Germany, was absurd to say the least. But like so many Shoah survivors told us, they too never imagined anything as barbaric as mass gassings, firing squads, and brutal torture and destruction could ever befall them.
Before the Nazi regime took over, Jews were wealthy pillars of society, cultural ambassadors, and high-level professionals. Just as they are today. And yet, it is happening again. The hate has been unleashed and so many of us feel threatened and deeply concerned for our future.
But this time, we are not becoming victims. This time, With the help of so many strong Jewish and non-Jewish voices in business, politics, academia, and entertainment, we are building a shelter of solidarity that will allow us to stand up to evil and hatred all over the world. We are not alone. And we will not be defeated.
Israel will defend herself. American Jews will support her. Whether we agree or disagree on exactly how these battles are fought, we know one thing for certain: if we are not for ourselves, then who will be for us?
by Debra | Dec 26, 2023 | cooking, Featured Slider, Health & Wellness, Influencer, Interviews, jewish chef, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Parenting, Profiles
As far back as Ilana Muhlstein can remember she struggled mightily with her weight. As a morbidly obese child whose weight was the center of her family’s focus, she took comfort in sitting on a stool in front of the tv mindlessly eating to stuff down feelings about her chaotic family life and her parents’ multiple break-ups and reunions. “My stability,” Ilana tells me, “Became my stool in front of the television inside the kitchen with the pantry to go through. There were no family meals. It was just me and a bunch of snacks or takeout food.”
When she turned 8, her family doctor sent her to weight loss camp where she had to get weighed and measured, take before and after photos, and participate in 12 hours of cardio a day. With small-portioned meals, she always lost weight. But as soon as the school year restarted, she was back on her stool in the kitchen and gained it all back.
As is the case with yo-yo dieting, Ilana explains, “I could rely on losing some weight each summer. But I kept gaining the weight back, and more, which is what most people do with yo-yo
Diets.” She adds, “By the time I was 13 years old, I weighed way over 200 pounds, and I was a size 20.”
Going into high school, Ilana was determined to “get it together.” Without parental support, Ilana was on her own. Her parents also struggled with their weight and Ilana decided to change her life, her lifestyle, and her mindset.
She knew that limiting portions didn’t work well for her. She confesses to being a “volume eater.” “I like to eat a lot,” she shares, “So, I just have to focus on water first and veggies. I also tried to keep my mindset towards something positive; what can I eat, versus, what can’t I eat.”
That positive mindset along with other tools is what Ilana used to formulate her wildly successful 2B Mindset program. She’s got a book, an upcoming cookbook, a line of table and house wears, and a healthy meal delivery service. And she’s currently piloting a healthy Kosher meal delivery service. She proudly announces, “The meal delivery service is all throughout the country. We’re in 43 states and growing.” Unfortunately for this Kosher journalist, the Kosher service is only in Los Angeles at this point.
I ask her about the quality of the Kosher meals, having suffered through years of Kosher airline meals and wedding entrees. She honestly reports “The flavor is unbelievable. They taste incredible. It’s by far the best Kosher takeout in Los Angeles.” However, she does admit that they need a bit of tweaking. “They need a bit more veggies,” she notes. “I always want to add in more veggies. It’s the dietician in me.”
Yes, in addition to being an author, internet influencer, and successful entrepreneur, Ilana Muhlstein is a registered dietician. When she decided to turn her passion for healthy eating into a career, she knew she needed to boost her credibility and decided to enroll in a master’s program in nutrition.
The 2B Mindset program
As a devout calorie counter, I mention that there are no caloric values on any of her recipes. “We don’t count calories,” she asserts, and she questions my “devout” status, “I’m surprised that you can say ‘devout.’ Calorie counting is one of those things that I find not to be sustainable.” I sheepishly admit to not always being as diligent as I think I am.
Her straight-forward philosophy strikes me as brilliant. “I decided early on if I didn’t want to do it forever, I don’t want to do it,” she adds, “I didn’t even know calorie counting existed when I was a teenager and started to lose my weight. There was Weight Watcher points, but you had to have a textbook and a chart to look stuff up. Okay bread is 80 calories. You had to use pen and paper so that was something I didn’t ever try as a kid.”
Her way of self-monitoring is getting on the scale. “I do love the scale,” she smiles, “If I focused on filling up my plate with half veggies at lunch and tried to transform my carbs from being silly ones, like banana bread, to a fiber filled one, like a banana, and had protein at all my meals, I went on a scale and saw what was happening.”
Ilana lost her first 75 pounds without ever counting calories. She taught weight loss classes at UCLA prior to creating the 2B Mindset program and actually tried recommending calorie counting apps like “My Fitness Pal” to her students. But she discovered that monitoring the calories didn’t help people keep the weight off. In fact, it kept people’s mindsets on deprivation. “They were always feeling deprived.” Ilana reasoned, “They felt lost at events and parties. They couldn’t track their calories at a restaurant. So, they just wouldn’t track at all.” She also brings up the calorie counters who munched on three Oreos, calling it dinner, and justifying that it was under 400 calories. (Okay, I admit it. I’ve done it.)
Track Track Track
No counting calories. But Ilana is a firm proponent of food tracking. Her program includes food tracking forms, and she highly recommends keeping a food journal. “Just writing down your food every day, despite calories or macros or points, you’re going to lose weight, because you become more mindful of your eating choices.
“I have so much trouble tracking my food,” I tell her. “I know it works. But I just can’t seem to make myself do it.”
“It’s funny,” she laughs, “People will do anything but that. They’ll do super hard workouts or really intense fitness classes, and they’ll throw out their backs, and it’s really expensive. They do all these things before they’ll just write down what they eat in a day. It’s almost like a sense of honesty that people have to come to.”
I fess up to having a rough time with the honesty in this case and share that if I eat something bad, I just give up and don’t want to write down anything for the rest of the day.
“That’s so unproductive,” she gently advises, “Because it’s in those moments that you have to write it down, so it doesn’t reoccur. If you don’t write it down, it’s gonna keep happening.”
There Are No Bad Foods
And once we err, the negative self-talk tends to take over. Ilana recommends taking the blame off yourself and putting it on those triggering overly addictive over processed foods. We discuss a binge on chocolate covered M&Ms and she stops me cold. “You’re not the problem. They are. They’re the problem. They’re made with so much sugar, salt, and fat, and millions of dollars of marketing and research to make them so addictive. So, once you pop, you can’t stop.”
She urges dieters to recognize that foods aren’t “bad.” But keeping certain foods in the house in an open bowl, may not be good for them.
Delicious & Simple
She’s super excited about her new cookbook, Love The Foods That Love You Back. “It’s like every page is going to unlock the next mindset step,” she asserts. The recipes are simple (and I can attest to that, because I am a devout non-chef and I’ve been loving these easy to prepare dishes.)
“People need to realize, okay, portobello mushroom caps, tomato sauce, and cheese. It’s easy, simple. Then you make it. You eat it. And you’re like, wow, that was actually quite satisfying and filling.” She lays out her mindset process, “Then you go on the scale the next day or later and you realize you actually lost weight. And that gives you confidence, like, I don’t have to restrict to lose weight. I have to eat more of the right things to lose weight which is actually more sustainable.”
Desserts
I inquire about my personal passion, desserts. Ilana declares, “I always say treat, not cheat. Don’t focus on cheating because it puts you in that negative self-talk place. I recommend you give your body what it needs before you give your body what your feelings or cravings want.
So, desserts work. But I’m a big believer of eating your meal first and getting full and satisfied. Then you’ll be in a better place in terms of self-control to have one piece of something and move on. If you go in hungry and the first thing you eat is sugar, you’re down a vicious highway of addictive eating patterns. And no one goes from a brownie back to a cucumber.”
Nutrition as a Parenting Tool
Ilana grew up modern orthodox on the upper west side in Manhattan with family members who always struggled with weight. One of her oldest memories is sitting at a Shabbat table with her dad who took a big slab of challah slathered in mayonnaise and chrain (horseradish), topped it with gefilte fish and basically consumed a 400-calorie appetizer. When he looked across the table at his 9-year-old obese daughter making the exact same thing, something clicked in him. Modelling good eating habits is everything. She’s committed to doing that with her three kids who are 9, 5, and 2.
In fact, Ilana is currently working on a kids’ nutrition program. “I’ve always wanted to do this,” she earnestly explains, “Based on my background, my mission is to curb the child obesity crisis in America.”
“Nutrition,” Ilana insists, “Is a key parenting tool. A lot of parents get so distracted with piano lessons and chess lessons and a million other things. And that’s all great. But if your kid doesn’t eat well, then you’re not really setting them up for long-term success. Having a healthy relationship with food and learning healthy habits and seeing parents model healthy eating habits can really set a kid up for the rest of their lives.”
2B Mindset: The Basic Principles
Water First
Water helps keep you full so you can make better food choices throughout the day. You should drink half your weight in ounces at a minimum each day.
Veggies Most
They help keep you full and satisfied so you can
make better food choices throughout the day!
Out of Sight Out of Mind (OOSOOM)
Put tempting foods away where you can’t see
them. So, you can stay focused on your goals!
Keep Two Hands on the Wheel
Keeping your hands busy holding a cup of tea
or water at a party helps keeps you safe from
overeating.
Dinner and Done. Find Other Fun
Nighttime eating can be challenging. Find a post dinner
activity that is productive, not destructive,
so, you can stay focused on your goals!
TRACK TRACK TRACK
It only takes a few minutes each day and the
more information you input, the more insight
you’ll have into what works for you—and what
will empower you to stay on track.
RECIPES:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1s9zKkzhg-SqPtIkenk-5lk1IHOXeXp0R/view?usp=drive_web
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bvGNogM_TX7wfDkrqyyhBgNZDTJCZ3v6/view?usp=drive_web
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18TgYD7nu_2aNfjCH9BYtSzRrxtyfL5eM/view?usp=drive_web
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KaCsIc45CgIkBTRLJJ0KSfErn-30xiX3/view?usp=drive_web
by Debra | Dec 24, 2023 | Celebrity, dating, Family, Interviews, Israel, Judaism, netflix, Profiles, Weddings
By Debra Rich Gettleman
I haven’t had a crush since I was 12 and I first saw Leif Garrett on the cover of Tiger Beat magazine. Now, at the ripe old age of…older, I have fallen once again. After interviewing iconic Israeli matchmaker, Aleeza Ben Shalom, I am completely infatuated.
To say that Aleeza Ben Shalom is effortlessly engaging, delightfully effervescent, and outrageously entertaining, doesn’t come close to describing the woman. She is truly resplendent.
It’s no wonder she hosts the successful Netflix series, Jewish Matchmaking, and is bringing a new light across the United States in her whirlwind Unity tour.
Dating in Serious Times
We started our conversation by exchanging stories about Israel and the war. I asked how she was doing? “How are we doing? We are…holding it together,” she tells me. “In Israel, you can’t just siton your phone and be depressed. You can’t sit and cry because food has to be delivered, supplies need to be packed up, someone has to do carpool because someone’s husband is going to Gaza. It’s just a team effort. In Israel, anything to help anybody is a part of the greater picture.”
As we move into the dating discussion, I find it a bit challenging to veer into what seems like a lighter topic. I relate that I’m having trouble not being consumed by the bad news, the bad press, and the mounting hatred of the Jews worldwide. I share that I’m struggling to write a story about donuts in Israel for our Chanukah issue and how it feels so insignificant during these dark times.
“First of all,” Aleeza corrected, “You are not just writing about donuts. You’re writing about the Jews being a light unto the world…In this time of darkness, we cannot wait to spread light until Chanukah when we have the brightest light. We have to start now.”
It’s the same with dating, she exclaims. Looking at our current crisis, “It’s the single most important thing we can do as a Jewish people. Look, we have a past. We know our history. We have a present. We know what’s going on right now. If we are not dating and helping Jews marry other Jews, we won’t have a future.”
Soldiers Finding Soulmates
Aleeza passionately shares that we are fighting a physical war on the ground as well as a spiritual war for our own people. She reports numerous stories of soldiers on the front-line receiving food and supplies with names and phone numbers of the single women who packed them. “And the soldiers are calling!” she beams. One story involved a soldier who called a potential mate only to learn that she was half his age. At first disappointed, he recovered and told her that there were lots of single men her age around and offered to set her up if she would find someone for him. Aleeza saw the video and wants him to know that after the war, she has a job for him!
“It is not every man for himself,” Aleeza insists. “It’s every man for every man.” She forcefully declares that it is “dachuf,” the Hebrew word for “urgent.” “There is no greater work in the world today,” she affirms. “There won’t be future for the Jewish people unless we’re building it today.”
I inquire about business these days and she tells me that unfortunately both war and covid are great for matchmaking. When people contemplate the end of the world, they get very motivated to find their soulmates.
Ben Shalom is living proof of the “do what you love, and the money will follow,” tenet. She started matchmaking as a volunteer after her son was born in search of some much-needed adult connection. She loved it and realized she was great at it.
When she and her family moved to Israel 2 and a half years ago, it didn’t take much to convince her husband, Gershon, that she should matchmake full time, and take over the role of breadwinner while he stayed home with their 5 children.
She jokes about “inadvertently retiring him,” but she doesn’t regret a moment. “He’s doing the most important job in the world. I’ll take the responsibility for our income.”
Live Matchmaking
Her live matchmaking show is traveling around the country while she continues to train coaches and matchmakers through her website, marriagemindedmentor.com. “I want to train other people so they can start their own businesses.”
My expression gives away my concern about how that business model might not be the best choice for her continued success. She picks up on it immediately and tells me, “I don’t believe in competition. I believe in collaboration.” She adds, “Dating is not an easy process, not in this world today. We help figure it out so it’s easier, faster, and more fun.”
For everyone in search of their soulmate, Ben Shalom reminds, “There is already a match in somebody’s world. They just don’t see it or know it yet.”
For more information about Aleeza Ben Shalom:
Read Aleeza’s books: Get Real Get Married & Virtual Dating
Listen to her podcast: Matchmaker Matchmaker and The Yentas
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