Alexander Muss students find unlikely link at Jerusalem Matisyahu concert

Alexander Muss High School in Israel (AMHSI) is a program built on exploration and discovery. Students are inspired to live outside their books and encounter new ideas. On October 10, a group of 16- and 17-year-olds encountered authentic Israeli culture at a concert, although it was performed by an American artist. Matisyahu rocked Jerusalem that evening, but for the nearly two dozen AMHSI students, he rocked their hearts.

Matisyahu is an alum of the AMHSI program, a fact the students learned about days before the concert. For them, that connection made the artist's music more meaningful.

"This feels very cool. It's like I'm a part of something bigger," said Solomon Friedman, 16, speaking about his excitement at hearing Matisyahu in Jerusalem. "It really shows me that this path I am on, the path of learning at AMHSI, is one that can lead to success. It is very exciting and inspiring."

"I know Matisyahu's music," said Nathan Pitock, 17. "But I don’t know it that well. And it's something else to hear it in Israel, where Matisyahu got his start." 

Couple's generous bequest continues to impact JNF programs

Dr. Galli S. Ascher spent much of her life devoted to helping others as a medical doctor in the field of pathology with a specialty in hematology and cancers of the blood. When she passed away in February 2014 in Long Beach, Calif., she left a legacy of altruism that will continue through a generous bequest of over $4 million to JNF from the estate of Dr. Ascher and her late husband Lionel F. Ascher.

"The Aschers were big supporters of Israel," recalled Alan B. Unterman, a close family friend and trustee of the Ascher Family Trust. Unterman knew Galli since he was a young boy; his father, David Unterman, worked alongside her in the pathology department of the Veterans Administration Hospital in Long Beach for many years, where she held the position of chief pathologist.

"I grew up knowing the Aschers," he said. "They were present at my bris, bar mitzvah, Passover seders, and other celebrations. I remember them to be an eccentric couple. Galli was extremely opinionated, while Lionel was more bookish. They were always on the hunt for new and different things."

In the JNF Kitchen: Baked pita bread with lentils and feta

Photo: Etiel Zion

Pita is the quintessential Israeli bread, but it usually plays a supporting role to other dishes.This #RecipeOfTheWeek, Baked pita bread with lentils and feta gives pita bread a leading role.

This inventive recipe -- akin to pita lasagna -- is another delicious creation brought to us by Noa Zer. Noa, who lives in Moshav Paran in the Central Arava, heads the Resource Development Department at the Central Arava Regional Council, where she is responsible for fundraising as well as foreign affairs and connections to Jewish communities in the Diaspora.

Noa is married to a second-generation farmer from Paran and together they are starting their second agricultural season as pepper growers. The Central Arava is a key region– a focus of JNF’s Blueprint Negev initiative.

In the JNF Kitchen: Crispy potato and sage salad

This #RecipeOfTheWeek comes from Noa Zer. Noa was born and raised in the suburbs of Tel Aviv and moved to Moshav Paran in the Central Arava desert in 2011. She heads the resource development department at the Central Arava Regional Council, where she is responsible for fundraising as well as foreign affairs and connections to Jewish communities in the Diaspora. 

Noa is married to a second-generation farmer from Paran, and together they are starting their second agricultural season as pepper growers. The Central Arava, a region characterized by sharp climate changes, extreme topographical conditions, scarce water, and dramatic natural beauty is a key focus of JNF's Blueprint Negev initiative.

In the JNF Kitchen: Stuffed zucchinis and vine leaves

This #RecipeOfTheWeek is from the Druze village of Julis, one of the charming locations where GallilEATS organizes culinary experiences and cooking workshops. It is brought to you by GallilEATs owner Paul Nirens, who has lived in the rural Galilee region for almost 30 years and is a former chef who trained at one of Israel's leading culinary schools.

Paul describes Galilee as Israel's Provence or Tuscany; the region offers a bounty of top-quality, locally grown produce, including olives, fruits, and vegetables that have been staples since biblical days. In the last few years, the area has become a paradise for foodies and wine enthusiasts, offering boutique gourmet products ranging from cheeses, meats, breads, and conserves to beers, wines, and liqueurs.

Olive harvests and Templar tunnels: Unusual ways to celebrate Sukkot

By Daniel Peri

Aleh Negev is welcoming guests to its sukkah. 

What better way to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot than to visit special sites in Israel? From agricultural expos to wheelchair-accessible hiking trails, the Jewish National Fund has lots of ideas for fun and unusual ways to celebrate during this festive time of year. 

For registration information or inquires on any of the events below, please call 02-563-5638.

South 

Join the Sukkot celebration on Friday, September 25, at Aleh Negev - Nahalat Eran. Family, staff, donors, supporters, and residents of the rehabilitative community for the disabled will celebrate together in the Sukkah. We'll also have a Beit Hashoeva (water-drawing) celebration on September 29 -- a great party. Come be our "ushpizin" (guest)! Location: near Ofakim (1.5 hours from Jerusalem).

Starting over: A tree from Gaza plants new roots in rabbi's yard

Photo: Anne Taillandier

This road sign, a tangible reminder of Rabbi Eli Adler's life in Gaza, holds a prominent place at his new home 
in Halutza. 

By Leslie Katz 

Affixed to the outside wall of Rabbi Eli Adler's house in Israel's Negev desert is a road sign. Gush Qatif, it says in Hebrew, Arabic, and English. An arrow points left. Following the arrow would lead to the Gaza Strip, located a few miles away and the place where Adler lived and taught for years before Israel evacuated the rabbi and his community from the territory in 2005. But really, it could be inferred, the sign points to Adler's heart, where he holds a deep and lasting connection to the Gush Katif bloc of Jewish settlements he and his family called home. 

Adler now lives in one of three communities -- B'nei Netzarim, Neve, and Shlomit -- that make up Halutza, a small cluster of towns founded by Gush Katif evacuees. Where there once was only vast desert, Adler and other modern-day pioneers have in a short 10 years created a thriving world of homes, schools, synagogues, solar fields, and farms that yield bountiful crops unexpected in any desert.