13-year-old Israeli girl stabbed to death in her bedroom.Unconscionable Terrorist Attack. The Sick Mind of Hamas Terrorism

13-year-old Israeli girl stabbed to death in her bedroom



Hallel Yaffa Ariel, 13, was killed in her bedroom

A13-year-old Israeli girl was stabbed to death in her bedroom yesterday by a Palestinian attacker who scaled a security fence and crept into the family home.

Hallel Yaffe Ariel was murdered while she slept inside her house in Kiryat Arba, an Israeli settlement near Hebron in the occupied West Bank.

The killing of a child rocked Israel and threatens to bring about a new escalation in violence after several weeks of relative calm in the region.

The attack was condemned by governments around the world and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, called it a crime of "bloodlust and inhumanity".
Israeli soldiers set a check point at the entrance of Kryat Arba settlement CREDIT: ABED AL-HASHLAMOUN /EPA


The killer, identified by Palestinian authorities as Mohammad Tra'ayra, a 19-year-old from a nearby village, entered Kiryat Arba early on Thursday and broke into the Ariels' house.

He killed Hallel in her bed and photographs released by the Israeli military showed blood stained across the floor and mattress in the child's room.

“She was stabbed many, many times. Mostly in her back,” said a doctor at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek hospital, where she was treated.

Israeli security guards responded and the attacker managed to stab one of them before Tra'ayra was shot dead. The guard suffered moderate injuries.

Hallel's mother, Rena, said her daughter was on holiday from school and had been sleeping in "like all teenagers on vacation".

"I am a mother, I am not saying anything, I only ask that everyone think about the pain and come to comfort us and give us strength," she said.



Kiryat Arba is an Israeli settlement of around 8,000 people on the outskirts of the Palestinian city of Hebron, which has long been a flashpoint for violence.

Around 500 Israeli settlers live inside Hebron under the protection of hundreds of Israeli troops and often clash with the city's Palestinian residents.

Mrs Ariel said the violence would not drive Israeli settlers from the area. "Kiryat Arba is ours and it's still a place you can live in," she said.

Mr Netanyahu promised "strong and determined action" in response.


The entire nation deeply identifies with the family's pain and declares to the murderers: You will not break us.

We will continue to take strong and determined action against terrorism everywhere and at all times.

The entire world needs to condemn this murder just as it condemned the terrorist attacks in Orlando and Brussels.

While Britain considers Kiryat Arba and other settlements to be illegal under international law, the UK's ambassador to Israel, David Quarrey, was quick to condemn the killing.

"There can be no possible justification for murder of a 13-year-old girl in her bed," said Mr Quarrey.



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David Quarrey @DavidQuarrey


Condemn today's horrific terrorist attack. Can be no possible justification for murder of 13 year old girl in her bed.
12:46 PM - 30 Jun 2016

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The US State Department called it an "unconscionable terrorist attack".

Hallel was the first young Israeli child to be killed since a wave of violence began in the region in October.

Over the past eight months, Palestinians have killed 33 Israelis and two visiting Americans in wave of attacks, mainly involving knives but occasionally guns or cars.

Israeli forces have killed at least 198 Palestinians, the majority of whom were shot while trying to carry out attacks, according to the Israeli government.

Several young Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli forces, including a brother and sister killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza in March.

The 19-year-old stabber is not believed to be part of any organised Palestinian faction and, like many of other young attackers, appears to have acted on his own.

He wrote repeatedly on Facebook about his desire to be "a martyr" and shortly before the attack composed a poem eulogising a Palestinian woman who allegedly carried out a car ramming attack at Kiryat Arba.

The killing poses a challenge for Israel's new defence minister, Avigdor Lieberman.

Mr Lieberman is the head of an ultra-nationalist party and promised tough measures against Palestinians militants but the young "lone wolf" attackers leave him with few targets to focus on.

Israeli forces surrounded the attacker's village of Bani Na'im and are likely to demolish his family's home as part of a policy the Israeli government says deters future attacks.

Human rights groups condemn the demolition policy as "collective punishment".

"Destroying the home of the attacker’s relatives and canceling their work permits is an unlawful collective punishment, causing suffering for family members who committed no crime,” said Human Rights Watch.

The killing comes three weeks after two Palestinian gunmen killed four Israelis as they ate dinner at a restaurant in Tel Aviv.

Two weeks after that Israeli troops killed a 15-year-old Palestinian boy coming home the swimming pool as they hunted for another group of youths who had been throwing rocks at a motorway.

Sweet Ricotta & Strawberry Bourekas Recipe

Sweet Ricotta & Strawberry Bourekas

1. Yield:Makes 12

I’m a cheese and dairy fanatic. So for obvious reasons my favorite holiday is Shavuot. This is when spring has sprung and my family makes a whole spread of cheese and dairy filled foods and desserts. There is always a whole ton of different cheeses, spreads, breads, fluffy cheesecake, kugel, blintzes, and, my absolute favorite, bourekas–puff pastry or a simple butter pie dough filled with cheese and either potato, mushrooms, or spinach. When you manage to get one hot out of the oven they’re heavenly!

So why not have sweet bourekas on the table too? I will be taking care of that this year. These are filled with a sweetened ricotta cheese and macerated strawberries since they are in season. No fresh strawberries around? Try using jam in whatever flavor you like.   

You can also make these ahead and freeze them, baking one by one for a midnight snack if you really want. The beauty of bourekas is that you can bake them even if they are frozen. I love a good make-ahead recipe when I know I’m making a whole slew of things during the holidays.

Ingredients

1 sheet of puff pastry, cut into 3 ½” - 4” squares
¾ cup finely diced strawberries
½ tsp sugar
¾ cup ricotta
1 ½ Tbsp sugar
½ tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1 egg
coarse sugar

Directions

Mix the diced strawberries and sugar (1/2 tsp) in a small bowl and allow to sit for 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine the ricotta with the sugar (1 ½ tbsp) and the vanilla bean paste.

Prepare an egg wash by whisking the egg with a splash of water. Line a sheet pan with tin foil and coat with a bit of cooking spray.

Fill each square with about 2 teaspoons of ricotta filling and about a teaspoon of strawberries leaving at least a 1/4 “ border. Brush some egg wash along the edges of the puff pastry and seal them into triangles. Use a fork to press down along the edges. Brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with lots of coarse sugar.

Transfer the bourekas to the prepared sheet pan and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. At this point you can transfer them to ziplock bags and keep frozen until you’re ready to bake them.

Pre-heat the oven to 400˚F and bake until golden brown and flakey, about 18-20 minutes. Enjoy!

Dalida Restaurant in the Lewinsky Market in Tel Aviv

Brioche and steak

Dalida Restaurant in the Lewinsky Street Market( one of the lesser food markets in Tel Aviv) is that rare combination of a casual tavern with a chef who trained in a Michelin starred restaurant in France; the dominant cuisine is Arabic, with Italian, French and even Japanese influences

The unassuming exterior and rather funky interior is not what I had expected from a restaurant about whose food had created such a buzz, but it is easy to settle in and relax at Dalida. The young and friendly bilingual staff quickly bring a dish of nicely seasoned white fava beans to the table, with a carafe of water, lemon slices and menus in Hebrew and English for both food and alcohol.

Dalida has a satellite bar across the street, but the restaurant also has a well-stocked bar, which mixes eight specialty cocktails. Each house cocktail—like all drinks, including wine and beer—come in three sizes: glass, carafe and liter pitcher.

We ordered two of these cocktails: a Punch Berlin and a long margarita. The former blends white wine, vodka, and ginger ale with pieces of fresh fruit apple and pear and sprigs of mint. The drink needs to be left to steep for a while in order to be infused with the fruit, but it still tastes mostly of wine and mint.

The long margarita, meanwhile—tequila, orange liqueur and ginger ale, with a lemon wedge—is really no improvement over a classic margarita; nevertheless, both this and the Punch Berlin are refreshing drinks on a warm summer’s day or evening.




Dalia with its rather funky interior.

The food menu is divided into three categories of dishes by size: small, medium and large. In addition, there are seasonal specials that change every few months.

Our waitress recommended starting with one of Dalida’s most popular appetizers: spicy feta brûlée. This creation of Chef Dan Zoaretz is certainly inventive: salty white cheese turned pink from being seasoned generously with hot paprika, under a crust of burnt sugar. The zingy contrast of sweet with spicy is positively addictive, and reason enough for a return visit. Although this dish is in the small category, it is actually quite filling when spread on the accompanying half-loaf of crusty rustic bread.

Our second small plate was the lamb kebab: two tiny ground lamb patties in tehina with roasted white onion. The surprise ingredient here is pistachio; the succulent kebabs burst into flavor with each bite.

Our salad selection was the baked fennel with olives, dried cranberries, caraway and mint. dressed lightly with raw tehina. The fennel, which had been marinated in a confit of garlic and lemon, had a muted, mellow taste enhanced by the sweetness of the dried fruit. All in all, the dish, which was served on lafa, was distinctive and well-balanced.



Baked fennel with olives salad

Our waitress’s second recommendation of the evening was the brioche steak, which certainly sounded intriguing—not least because I like both brioche and steak. Except she forgot to explain that the steak refers not to beef but rather the especially thick slab of the soft bread. The disappointment did not last long, however, since the brioche was flanked by two bones filled with rich marrow and drenched in a beef and hibiscus stock. The gravy, while quite good, fortunately did not seep into the hollow of the bone or overwhelm the rich, succulent marrow. The superb dish was accented by a delicate Jerusalem artichoke cream, robust whole chestnuts, and an actual hibiscus flower.



Brioche and steak.

As the fresh fish of the day was trout, we chose that for our main course. Unusually, the filet was served in strips, alternated with roasted greens, king brown mushrooms, and caramelized carrots, as well as smears of kohlrabi cream and dabs of purslane and sorrel pesto. The pink fish, served at room temperature, was perfectly cooked and simply melted in the mouth. The sides added to the presentation, but not much to the flavor, which was fine: the fish needed nothing additional to improve on it, except maybe for the occasional dab of the herb pesto. You won’t find better than this even in a restaurant that specializes in fish and seafood.

Our main courses were washed down nicely with Dalida’s signature red sangria.

The six desserts on the menu presented us with some tough choices, which we whittled down to the cannoli and what looked to be a chocolate extravaganza.

The cannoli were filled with a mascarpone cream infused with Zacapa rum and served on an iced tropical fruit salad. The pastry wrapping was fortified with chia seeds, rendering it crisper, while the cream filling was heavenly.



Pepper creme brulee

The dessert named “I love chocolate” featured chocolate mousse encased in a chocolate shell atop a round almond financier, alongside a slew of other exotic ingredient, including cardamom caramel, pralines with the consistency of soft fudge, 70 percent chocolate brûlée—like mousse on steroids—salted pretzel nougatine and banana chips, all garnished with creme patissière. It is delicious fun playing with all these flavors and textures.

Dalida has some creative pricing policies, such as weekday cinq-à-sept hours when most dishes are half-price, and sharing menus for four to seven people. It is worth checking for occasional promotions as well—whatever makes it affordable to try this place at least once.

Dalida
7 Zevulun St., Tel Aviv
Tel. (03) 536-9627

Some Breakfast Excursions in Zion

At a small hotel in the heart of the Jaffa flea market, a breakfast big on quality
Israeli breakfast is a term known to any tourist who has ever visited the country. The extravaganza of all breakfasts includes, and is not limited to, eggs any style, shakshuka, chopped salad, roasted eggplant, tahini, avocado salad, pickles, lox and herring, fresh and hard cheeses, breads and pita, babka and danishes and excellent coffee (an Israeli obsession). 

Whether it is served on long buffet tables at hotel dining rooms or on a tray filled with mini ramekins directly to your table at a restaurant, the breakfast is not to be missed, although sightseeings after such meal is not an easy task. Learn from Israelis and indulge on such breakfast on lazy days only, such as Friday morning.

Israeli breakfast has probably evolved from the kibbutz breakfast, served in the communal dining room for early morning workers as they returned from romantic tasks such as milking the cows or picking cotton. When visiting kibbutzing back when I was 16 and on the first of many journeys to Zion as a Currency Mule for my parents  during South Africa's Exchange Control , breakfast may have seemed the most exciting aspect of kibbutz life for me, but it was rarely anything more than (the best) cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, chopped vegetable salad, rye bread and milk. And it was absolutely delicious.

Visiting Israel soon? Here’s a list of not-to-be-missed breakfast places. Otherwise, here’s a menu and recipes for a full, wonderful, easy-to-make Israeli breakfast that will transport you right to a Middle Eastern summer day on the beach. Or the kibbutz.
Israeli breakfast menu
Kubaneh challah or rolls served with spicy tomato sauce
Eajeh/arouq herb omelette
Avocado salad
Labneh tzatziki with watercress
Simple tahini sauce
Fried eggplant in lemon and mint
Chopped vegetable salad
Cold brew coffee with cardamom

Great places to eat breakfast in Tel Aviv:


Whether it’s to meet friends, get rid of a hangover, impress a girl… breakfasts have become one of the most important and talked about meals in a Tel Avivis schedule. Here are some of our favourite places for breakfast in Tel Aviv…

Benedict

Loved by old, young and everyone in between alike, Benedict is a breakfast institution in Tel Aviv. Serving breakfast 24/7, it is great if you are looking to impress that special someone the morning after a fun night, or just treat yourself to a nostalgic breakfast complete with full English fry-up. The freshly baked hot bread fills you with warmth, topped with delicious chocolate spread. Remember to book in advance or be prepared for queues… you are not the only one with the Benedict craving!

Benedict has two branches in Tel Aviv – Ben Yehuda 171 and Rothschild 29.
Nola American Bakery



When you sit in Nola (which stands for standing for New Orleans, Louisiana), you feel like you are sitting in a diner in the American South. All the breads, cakes and cookies are freshly baked in their bakery, and the rest of the menu is filled with American treats, complete with hash browns.

Dizengoff 197.

Bucke



Bucke has a real neighbourhood restaurant feel to it: with friendly waiters, a local clientele, and a simple yet delicious menu. The best definition of the food is ‘Israeli breakfast’ – eggs and salads, fresh juice and warm bread. They have a great sharing plate with loads of little salads, and one of the best shakshukas in Tel Aviv!

Ahad Haam 91.

Hotel Montefiore Restaurant



Hotel Montefiore’s Restaurant serves brasserie cuisine in stylishly elegant surroundings. Unlike many hotel restaurants, the Montefiore’s is an attraction in and of itself: trendy locals and well-to-do business types are among the worldly clientele that flocks here to enjoy lavish breakfasts. Round off your cosmopolitan breakfast with a delicious morning cocktail. (also from the same owner, The Brasserie in Kikar Rabin)

Montefiore 36.

Café Xoho



Started by two Olim Chadashim, Café Xoho is a firm favourite amongst the cool international crowd. Laid back deco, delicious healthy vegetarian home-made food, and a good strong coffee. All-day breakfast favourites include bagels and burritos.

Cafe XoHo also appears in Secret Tel Aviv’s Best Vegan/ Vegetarian Restaurants blog post.

Gordon 17.

*** Get a free cookie with your meal at Cafe XoHo with the Secret Tel Aviv VIP Card***
Orna and Ella

There’s something refreshing about Orna and Ella. Crisp white table-clothes, very simple décor, hipster waiters, and homemade food. Their breakfasts are simple yet fulfilling, their shakshuka is not huge but definitely delicious, and the dips for the bread are fantastic – they even have a few extra ones if you ask nicely. Try and book in advance, they can be busy. [UPDATE – since writing this post, Orna and Ella have put their prices up, and now charge extra for all the nice little dips that used to be free].

Shenkin 33.

Dallal



Located in Neve Tzedek, Dallal is a really special place to go for breakfast. The atmosphere is relaxed, the decoration meticulous. Similary with the food, the choices are simple, but with a delicious gourmet twist. For the summer there is a lovely outdoor patio, and for the hangovers there is an extensive cocktail list.

Shabazi 10.

La Gaterie King George



A little bit of Paris on King George. La Gaterie is more of a café than a restaurant and they only serve croissants – but wow, they know how to make a croissant! On the savory side take your pick of poached egg, and lots of different cheeses and hams; for the sweet-toothed check out the croissant with chocolate mascarpone. Comes with a nice strong coffee. (there is also a sister restaurant on Ben Yehuda 184, however this does not open until 8pm).

King George 97.

Sandwich Shel Itzik V Ruti

The place is almost as old as Tel Aviv. It’s only open until about 11am (sometimes even earlier if they run out of food), there only a few things to choose from (lechmania or pita filled with either shakshuka, tuna salad, carrot salad, eggplant salad), there’s nowhere to sit, and usually a little queue – but OMG the sandwiches are amazing!
Shenkin 53.

Rasberry Cheesecake Brownie Recipe

There is no one perfect brownie recipe because everyone’s favorite recipe is the perfect recipe. They can be more fudge like or cake like and contain nuts or not and here is my favorite part, should contain any kind (or multiple kinds) of chocolate you like. You can use milk, semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate and for those who are allergic to or just don’t like chocolate there is a variation on the brownie theme that is make with brown sugar and without chocolate called a blonde brownie. While these non chocolate brownies are fine, for me, they are like eating diet ice cream. The concept works but there is just something not quite right about it.

So this week’s culinary gift to you is a recipe loaded with bunches of ooey gooey delicious chocolate that is over the top, kill me with calories wonderful.

RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE BROWNIES (dairy)

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup cocoa, sifted
1/2 cup flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 large eggs
8 ounces melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla

Cheesecake Layer
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup raspberry jam
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons flour
6 oz. fresh raspberry

Preheat oven to 350 Line pan 9X13 pan with parchment paper so that it hangs over the sides.

In the bowl of a food process combine the brown and white and pulse to combine. Remove from the bowl and set aside. Combine the cocoa, flour and salt in a food processor bowl and pulse to combine then set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted whisk the eggs until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the vanilla and sugars, and mix to combine. Add in the butter and mix to combine. Add the flour and mix to combine. Set aside the batter.

Raspberry cheesecake layer:

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the cream cheese, jam, egg, vanilla, salt and flour. Mix until the mixture is combined about 3 or 4 minutes.

Pour 3/4 of brownie batter into pan. Gently spoon the cheesecake layer all over the top. Using a spoon or spatula sprinkle remaining brownie batter on top of raspberry cheesecake layer.  Gently swirl the cheesecake layer through brownie mixture but don’t over mix. Drop the fresh raspberries all over the top them gently push them into the batter. Bake for 45 minutes or a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean. Remove the brownies from oven and cool on rack. Cool completely before cutting. Serves 6 to 8

Tastes from Zion: Yiddish versus Hebrew and Jewish Humour in Zion

Tastes from Zion: Yiddish versus Hebrew and Jewish Humour in Zion: Jews and Bars .... A Jew walks into a bar.... much like Hebrew versus Yiddish  Sebastian James Henry Stevenson- Oakly-Halekile goes to...

Yiddish versus Hebrew and Jewish Humour in Zion

Jews and Bars .... A Jew walks into a bar.... much like Hebrew versus Yiddish 





Sebastian James Henry Stevenson- Oakly-Halekile goes to watch Manchester United play Bacon on Friday from Hashemknowswhere on the Uconmenot Village in the County of  Stokely Isle.  , brink and you miss it, who have made it through to the FA Cup first round.draw and for the hell of it puts a a fifty   at 25,000 to one on Bacon and Friday to win. Given that the population of .Hashemknowswhere on the Uconmenot  village has just 14 males under 35, José Mário dos Santos Mourinho  field just the bench warmers of this 2nd  reserves squad. Old Trafford is filled to capacity as the United Faithfully expect a goal fiesta like none before it. The Bacon on Friday squad play their hearts out . Goalless until into 2 minute of stoppage time when they win a corner. Paddy Mechane steps up to take it.  Ball whistles  in and Paddy Joelcane walks on water and connects with a blind backward bicycle kick. The ball sails into the net and Bacon on Friday win the upset of the millenium.

Sebastian James Henry Stevenson- Oakly-Halekile cannot believe his luck . Collects his 1,250,000 quid in cash and walks into the nearest  bar overflowing with Manchester United supporters drowning their sorrows in beer and whisky chasers..    Sebastian James Henry Stevenson- Oakly-Halekile steps up to the bar and shoutsat the baman "Drinks are on the Me" but sees a couple both dresses in black at the end of the bar. He with ear locks dangling to his belly button, clutching a book with a Star of David with frilly threads dangling from holes in his white shirt. She in black from toe to neck and matching doekie  thing on her head and a  prominent Star of David around her neck.....Sebastian James Henry Stevenson- Oakly-Halekile, shouts again, "Drinks are on the Me except for those two Kikes at the end of the bar.". The bar goes wild and orders for a pint and  whiskey chasers come think and thin. from 209 in the bar who text and instagram friends and foe in nearby bars. They pound Sebastian James Henry Stevenson- Oakly-Halekile on the back and start singing his name . The Kike couple in the corner , beam and high five themselves  to Sebastian James Henry Stevenson- Oakly-Halekile puzzlement which pisses him off no end .  Sebastian James Henry Stevenson- Oakly-Halekile shouts again and again and again, "Another round for the House. drinks are on Me excepts for that godforsaken Kike couple " . The patrons have now grown to 3067 and orders are now a pint and a bottle of Highland 40 year Supreme chaser on the side .  Mrs Kike has now divested herself of everything black and i with flowing brown hair and just a Victoria Secrets pink slip and matching red bra and thong set , is doing the can can to the songs of praise that the patrons are singing to Sebastian James Henry Stevenson- Oakly-Halekile. with Mr. Kike accompanying them on the piano.  Sebastian James Henry Stevenson- Oakly-Halekile now down to his last pound turns to the barman and asks , "What the fxxk, why are the Kikes so happy to be excluded from my "Drinks are on me" repeatly?" ..... the Barman replies " Kikes ? Hey that is Mendel Dovid Chaim and Shoshana Chanya Ruthie Shabelowitz- Cohen.... they own the bar"
  .
Yiddish is a Germanic language, Hebrew is Semitic. That is the obvious difference.

Yiddish developed from High German that had two branches - German and Yiddish. Yiddish and German are somewhat similar but Yiddish even though it is Germanic throughout history had a lot of influence from Slavic languages and compared to German, a more loan words coming from them. It is the language that was and still is used by Ashkenazi Jews (Jews from Central and Eastern Europe). Yiddish generally has a lot in common with German and other Germanic languages and to some extent, Slavic languages as well. The only thing that makes people think that it is related to Hebrew is the fact that it is written in the Hebrew alphabet (or better to say abjad?).

Hebrew on the other hand belongs to the Semitic language family. It is closely related to Arabic and Amharic (though not completely intelligible with them). Hebrew was used mostly for liturgical purposes in history and Jews didn’t speak it. They mostly used Aramaic and various other languages (Ladino, Yiddish, Judeo-Arabic). Aramaic died out and since Jews were living in various places and when they started immigrating to Israel, they needed a language that will be common for them as they didn’t spoke the same language at that time (Jews from the Iberian peninsula spoke Ladino, Jews from North Africa and ME spoke various dialects of Arabic and Jews from Central and Eastern Europe spoke Yiddish). Hebrew was their ancestral language that was never actually spoken but since they thought of Israel as their ancestral land and Hebrew as their ancestral language, they revived it. As more and more Jews were immigrating to Israel, to avoid anti-Semitism, more and more children were born and they started learning Hebrew from a young age and thus becoming native speakers of it. That continued and a whole new generation of native speakers of Hebrew was created. It went from having 0 native speakers (and speakers in general) to having more than 8 milion today. It is the only known example of this kind of thing happening.

A great portion of Israeli Jews today are of Mizrahi-Sephardi/Ashkenazi descent. Hebrew is a common language for three groups - Mizrahi/Sephardi, Ashkenazi and Ethiopian Jews. While a lot of Ashkenazi Jews still speak Yiddish and are trying to keep the language alive, Hebrew is becoming more and more important because again, for most Jews, it is their ancestral language and the only common language between Jews of various backgrounds. Number of Yiddish speakers is increasing, especially in the Haredi community. Most Jews speak Hebrew today and Yiddish is the second language spoken by Jews when comparing number of native/L2 speakers. Other languages like Ladino or Judeo-Arabic are slowly dying out. Essentially, Yiddish is a language used primarily by Ashkenazi Jews while Hebrew is used by everyone - Mizrahi/Sephardi, Ashkenazi and Ethiopian Jews.

Two Jews Step into a Bar. One of them is leading a giraffe. They get drinks, and they feed drinks to the giraffe as well. The giraffe gets very drunk and passes out on the floor. The guy who brought him in steps over him on the way to the exit, and the second guy says, "Hey, you can't leave that lyin' there!" The first guy says, "It's not a lion, it's a giraffe."

The Capitan Restaurant..... Great Greek food .... Shul Hacarmel in the White Cityof Tel Aviv in Zion

The Capitan Restaurant..... Great Greek food .... Shul Hacarmel in the White Cityof Tel Aviv in Zion

There’s a new Captain in Tel Aviv ! This time, a little Greek restaurant calledCapitan snuggled beside the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv. It’s blue and white and checked out with natty napkins and table mats which proudly pretties up the food.

If you enjoy hearty but simple Greek cuisine in a Mediterranean setting this is the place.  Still within buzz distance of the market but with it own gentle atmosphere it’s a great eatery to flop after the heavy shop.  Sweet man and I with bags laden with fruit and veg sat down to sample some delights and drink a long cool beer in the process!

The Captain restaurant is a bright and chirpy in decor like the little Greek tavernas on those lovely laid-back islands.  It stands out like the six-month newbie it is on the block, surrounded by its more established and tatty street neighbors. The  interior has been designed to do the Greeks proud sporting a lovely bar and high tables with blue gingham tablecloths and an unabashed open window to the kitchen.  As I am a sunshine girl we sat outside on high stools against a wooden bar to savor the surroundings and the food.

We ordered the special starter of dips, five in total. This included a refreshing tzatziki, a creamy masabacha, tahini, eggplant & feta , beet & tahini. All  served with chunky white bread .

Always being big-eyed ( rather than big bellied) we followed up with moussaka and chicken souvlaki.  The moussaka was plenty and heartwarmingly delicious and the souvlaki succulent and tender. I personally could have lived without the potato fries with the chicken as the skewers were laid on a greek bread and tzatziki. After all, I need to count my carb calories…

The plates were pleasantly presented and the chef Moshe, both friendly and helpful.

Go for early supper, enjoy the food and the music !

♥ Capitan

Address : 3, Rambam Street (off the Carmel Market)

Tel: +972-3-5759579

Reservations: No need

Opening hours : 17:00 until the last customer

Tash & Tasha Restaurant in Jaffa ....Dance with Georgians ... Lets Chacha, Khinkali and Khachapuri with a Vegan Imeruli and Ground Beef Acharuli -

A Drop of Chacha With Your Khachapuri? Israel's Georgian Food Scene Flourishes
A new place in Jaffa – Tash & Tasha – joins the recent wave 
of Georgian restaurants popping up around the country, 
offering fun, tasty and inexpensive food.

Acharuli khachapuri, a boat-shaped pastry filled with cheese and topped with a fried egg.

It seems that 2016 is shaping up as a good year for both Indian and Georgian cuisine. The popularity of Indian food has been surging here, as it is worldwide, with three new Indian restaurants opening, one after the other. And, after a long drought, Georgian eateries have been sprouting up all over the place. Veteran establishments like Deda in Givatayim have suddenly been opening new branches; Shota, at Kibbutz Shomrat in the Galilee, is expanding; and more restaurants in this genre are already planned. In the Krayot, near Haifa, for example, one can’t help but notice the growing number of places selling khachapuri and khinkali.


 Khachapuri

The trend continues with the recent launch of Tash & Tasha in Jaffa, on the former site of Sola. Sola was an Italian restaurant that took itself seriously. It was set in an old, dimly lit stone building and served a buttoned-up style of European food. Despite the many compliments it received from restaurant critics, it didn’t last very long. Just a few months after Sola’s closing, the space looks nothing like it did before. The stone building is the same, but it’s as though someone has suddenly turned on the lights, turned up the volume and injected a whole new, easygoing spirit into the place.
Mickey Mirel is already known as the young and funky member of the trio that opened the Georgian restaurant Supra on Rothschild Boulevard. He’s the one responsible for the folklore, lively music, and the live music shows on Sundays. Now, after much thought and planning, he and his wife Yifat have opened Tash & Tasha, the Georgian resto-bar in the 
narrow streets of the Jaffa flea market.


Khinkali, Georgian dumplings.Anatoly Michaello

What sets Tash & Tasha apart from all the other places that have opened lately? True to its promises, we found it very accessible pricewise, and that alone was enough to whet our appetite. The menu features a coarsely chopped Georgian 
salad (14 or 28 shekels), a selection of Georgian appetizers (32 shekels) that included rolled eggplant filled with nut and pomegranate paste, a spinach and nut dip on Georgian corn bread, and a beet, carrot and 
cilantro salad. There was also lobio, a seasoned paste made from red and white beans, which you might call the Georgian hummus (26 shekels).

These small dishes were prepared with a sure, precise hand, and a peek into the kitchen revealed two Georgian women busy kneading fresh dough. The savory pastries on offer included acharuli khachapuri, a large boat-shaped pastry filled with cheese and topped with a sunny-side-up egg (48 shekels); a round, cheese-filled bread called imeruli khachapuri (42 shekels) and a vegan imeruli filled with red beans or leek and spinach (42 shekels).


A variety of main dishes at Tash & Tasha include grilled lamb chops, chicken tenders and entrecote.Anatoly Michaello

For a more modern touch, the traditional pastries can also be ordered with toppings like shrimp and calamari in butter and garlic, smoked goose breast, spinach, chicken breast, mushrooms or Italian artichokes in olive oil. If you go all out like this, the huge pastries can easily make a meal in themselves.

There’s also chorziani, an acharuli filled with ground beef, tomatoes and parmesan (52 shekels) or meat khinkali (dumplings), for 45 shekels. You can also choose from grilled skewers of chicken tenders (39 shekels), entrecote or lamb ribs (75 shekels) served with Armenian lavash bread. All these come with salad, fries and rice.

The restaurant has a bar that serves red and white Georgian wines as well as an excellent chacha, the Georgian brandy that goes so well with this cuisine. On weekdays there is happy hour between 4 and 7 P.M with a 30 percent discount on all alcoholic drinks, as well as a 10-percent-off business lunch from noon to 4 P.M. We would be delighted to find some generous, innovative cocktails here in the future. They would be just the thing to enjoy while sitting at the outdoor tables right by the alleyways of the market.

For dessert, don’t pass up the churchkhela, a sausage-shaped candy made from nuts thickened with grape juice and hung up to dry in the sun. I’m not usually that keen on it, but this version was truly marvelous, not overly brittle and with a real home-made taste. It felt like it was served to us straight after being strung up, and was still fragrant and juicy.

Tash & Tasha promises to have deliveries available very soon, as well as longer hours and a lavish brunch full of 
surprises.

Tash and Tasha Restaurant

Address: Beit Eshel St 31, Tel Aviv-Yafo
Phone:03-677-1373
Hours:  · 12PM–12AM

Dominique Kitchen Bar served flavorful food at palatable prices.

Dominique Kitchen Bar. (photo credit:PR)

For the young executives working in the Ramat Gan Bourse, Dominique Kitchen Bar has long been the place to go for a quick inexpensive lunch between deals.

It is open in the evenings for dinner, and I recently visited with my dining companion to find out what trendy young Israelis are eating nowadays.

We were greeted by manageress Mika Salman and young chef Guy Tsarfati, both of whom emphasized how good it was to be working in a kosher restaurant and having Shabbat off to be with family. Well, some of us have known that for years.

The place is very clean and streamlined, rather hi-tech as befits its location, and colorful with red leather chairs, candles on the tables and a friendly informal atmosphere.

We asked Salman to bring us anything the chef especially wanted to showcase, as there is nothing we don’t eat.

First to arrive was a collection of dips and a basket of bread – but not just any old bread. There were ciabatta, toasted crispy whole wheat bread and a chunk of whole wheat bread studded with raisins, pine nuts, sesame seeds and watermelon seeds, which I could have eaten all evening. It was made, we were told, at the sister Dominique round the corner, which is a dairy restaurant and has a bakery attached.

The dips were also excellent – homemade tehina, tomato salsa with a za’atar kick and standard olive and balsamic.

Several starters arrived in quick succession: fried cauliflower, a very rich and creamy pate de foie with glace plums, a refreshing ceviche of fresh tuna and avocado dressed with coriander, diced salad and lemon, and a meatball on a skewer served with a beautiful pink sauce, which we discovered was made with tehina and roasted red peppers.

Although the napkins were paper not linen, the waitress replaced them at regular intervals which, in the end, probably turned out to be more hygienic, anyway.

The first main course to reach the table was the vegetarian option – gnocchi with fresh mushrooms, peas and carrot sticks (NIS 52). I’m not a huge fan of gnocchi, but this dish was definitely worth tasting.

Another veggie offering was potato carpaccio made from very thinly sliced potatoes (NIS 24). They stuck to the plate, and it was not an easy dish to sample – but full marks for creativity.

My companion chose the steak entrecote – at NIS 120, the most expensive dish on the menu – and pronounced it very satisfactory: tender, juicy, crispy yet rare. The potatoes that accompanied the meat were a revelation. Listed as “broken potatoes,” they had been baked, cut in half, crushed by hand and deep fried.

They were quite as good as one can imagine they would be after going through such a process. The other main dish, pargiot with polenta, was very tasty and tender and felt healthy, with no fat to speak of (NIS 56).

We drank draught beer, but there is plenty of wine available at NIS 29 to NIS 35 a glass, as well as a large choice of bottled wine.

For dessert I chose crème caramel, without much hope that it would be anything like the real creambased thing, and I was pleasantly surprised. Made from coconut cream, it had the classic burnt caramel topping and was very acceptable. My chocolate-mad companion had a selection of chocolate-based goodies, which included a creamy mousse, petits fours and Florentines. He seemed very content with the choice.

After the meal, we chatted with chef Tsarfati, who had returned from several years in New York. He told us that although his early influences had been his Turkish family background, especially his Turkish grandmother, he now sees his work as being a fusion of Mediterranean, Eretz Yisraeli and modern gastronomic concepts.

Whatever the reasons, the chef certainly knows how to turn out a satisfying and creative meal. And the prices are very reasonable. We figured the same meal at a posh Tel Aviv eatery would be three times the price.

The writer was a guest of the restaurant.

Dominique Kitchen Bar
Kosher
2 Rehov Hilazon, Ramat Gan
Tel: (03) 751-1144
Mon to Thurs: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday: 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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Dining: Authentic Italian

CULTURE

By GLORIA DEUTSCH \

 

06/10/2016 15:17

Dining: Authentic Italian

• Gatto’s groove

• Holiday cheer

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The Tel Aviv Sheraton is hosting a month-long festival.

Olive Leaf Restaurant. (photo credit:PR)

During the whole of June, the Tel Aviv Sheraton is holding an Italian festival to show Israelis what Italian food is all about.

A well-known chef, Max Mariola, was brought over to plan the menus and show local chefs how to prepare the food in authentic Italian style.

Highlights of the festival included cooking classes with top Italian chefs and an Italian food market in the hotel lobby.

A festive dinner to launch the event was held this week in the Sheraton signature restaurant, the Olive Leaf, and the Italian ambassador, Francesco Maria Talo, was there mingling with the guests.

As the sun sank over the Mediterranean, guests drank Italian cocktails and listened to a two-man jazz combo playing unobtrusively in the background.

The snacks served were unexceptional, except for a small dish of fried fresh anchovies, which was a revelation. Who knew that anchovies could be so delicious and not at all salty? They went well with the variety of Italian kosher wines going around.

The dinner began with the usual basket of interesting bread and three dips – roasted garlic, pesto and oil and balsamic, which soon vanished as we waited for the first course.

This turned out to be the least successful of all the courses that were offered. On the menu it was described as a 65 degree egg, served with zucchini cream and flowers. Given our climate, a half-cooked egg is probably not the best choice, and the cream was very bland. The best part of the dish was the tempura-like flower, which was hot and crunchy.

Once this yellow, green and white concoction was removed, the second starter was much more appealing. It was listed as gnocchi with a fish ragu and olives. The gnocchi were crafted from mashed potatoes without the addition of flour, as the chef had heard that one of the diners needed glutenfree food. Although it was very tasty, I could not find a trace of an olive in my portion.

The situation improved even further with the arrival of the main course, which consisted of a piece of sea bass, lightly poached with cherry tomatoes, lots of garlic and chopped parsley.

This was perfectly cooked and very fresh, with a tantalizing garlicky flavor pervading the whole dish but not overwhelming it. The cubed courgettes and diced chunks of potato were all the accompaniment that was needed.

To end the meal, a modest dessert of diced fresh peaches in a wine glass topped with lemon sorbet appeared.

It was refreshing, and the sorbet was unusually creamy, but all the diners agreed that a drop of liqueur with the fruit would not have gone amiss.

The Sheraton is also offering business lunches within the framework of its Italian month. A three-course lunch will be available at NIS 250 and a four-course meal at NIS 350. There will be a good choice of imported kosher wines at NIS 25 a glass. These include a Chianti, a Montepulciano d’abruzzo (both dry red wines) and a Moscato dessert wine. Also on the wine list is a Spumante, described as an elegant white wine with a fresh and bubbly character.

A cooking class will be held on June 20 with Olive Leaf’s chef, Michele Bozzetto, and the cost is NIS 150. It can be booked at (03) 521-1122.

The Italian Trade Agency in Tel Aviv and its commissioner, Massimiliano Guido, are also involved in promoting the Sheraton Italian month and enthusiastic about their product.

“The Italian Festival 2016 in Tel Aviv is our invitation to discover throughout the month of June our world, our food, our culture: Italy!” he says.

The writer was a guest of the restaurant.

Olive Leaf Restaurant
Kosher
Sheraton Hotel, Tel Aviv
Tel: (03) 521-1122
Sunday to Thursday, 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m