Ora Laughs

I don't mind changing diapers. I hate feeding. Baths are in the middle.

Today I reached right under Ora's chin to clean her neck and she let out a loud giggle. It made today's bathing duty all worth it.

**********

3,000 Americans die every year while waiting for a bone marrow donation (and many more die from complications due to partially matched donations). Click here to register with the bone marrow donor registry and you can be the one who lowers it to 2,999.

Elokim Sheli: Uzi Chitman to Kinderlach

There is a very catchy old Israeli song that I like, "Ratziti Sheteda," aka "Elokim Sheli" (Hebrew lyrics with English translation here). Here is the author, the legendary Uzi Chitman, singing it:


This song has been sung by various singers in various versions. Some have changed the words (a little or a lot) and most have introduced their own style. By far the most bizarre is this version by Kinderlach and Yisrael Rand. I'm not a fan of bans, but now I completely understand the Lipa ban. This is just wrong. Who do Kinderlach think they are? New Kids on the Block? (Yes, I'm a hypocrite. Sue me.) And I also thought it strange they would sing a song I thought was a bit sacreligious.

My favorite is the Hebrew-English version by Liel Kolet. I'm not a fan of Israelis singing in English, but Liel pulls it off. Note the changes in the English.

In this version by Hadag Nachash the original is barely recognizable:

There is also this version by Harel Skaat and Roni Duani, but it isn't anything special or unusual. Frankly its boring, particularly in light of the above versions.


Finally, in sign language:

Happy Fathers Day--Save a Life

Give a father the best Fathers Day present--save his child's life. If you haven't been swabbed for the bone marrow registry, you can do so today at the Talmud Torah of Flabush (click here) or in Passaic (here).

Childhood Friendships: Quick Review of "Super 8"

I saw "Super 8" last night. It revolves around a group of small-town pre-teens who while filming an amateur zombie movie stumble across an extraterrestrial being on the run from ruthless military types.

I'll tell you below what I thought of the movie overall, but first I want to note that I really enjoyed that at the center of the story was the close friendship of the 5 pre-teen protagonists. I seem to have a soft spot for these types of movies--"Stand By Me," "Sandlot" and "Goonies" come to mind. Sure "Super 8" could have been easily been scripted without this pure adolescent camaraderie dynamic, but then it would have just been a typical horror flick with its stock adolescent characters.

Overall "Super 8" fell short and I think it had a lot more potential. I left the theater feeling like I had just watched a modern remake of ET (with some "Goonies"-type kids thrown in). Yes, the camaraderie dynamic was compelling, the kids' acting was great and I did jump out of my seat a couple of times even though I'm not generally a jumper. But unlike "Sandlot" and "Goonies," which I can watch over and over, I doubt I'd elect to see "Super 8" again, the intense camaraderie notwithstanding.

The truth is I even felt a bit ripped off, particularly for having seen it in IMAX. But it's ok, as at the very least I did get to spend the evening with two of my own long-time friends as we continue our real life camaraderie.

(Q-tips can save a life. If you haven't been swabbed for the bone marrow registry, please click here.)

Go to the Parade, Save a Life

If you are attending the Salute to Israel Parade this Sunday, please stop along the way at the Jewish Community Center (Amsterdam and 76th) and get swabbed. You can help save the life of one-year-old Ayelet Galena or someone else in need of a bone marrow transplant. For more information, click here.

Happy Yom Yerushalayim

Israel's Liel Kolet teams up with the legendary Klaus Maine of the Scorpions to sing an English rendition of everyone's perennial favorite, Naomi Shemer's "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav" (Jerusalem of Gold):

Ofra Haza's angelic version of the original Hebrew:

One more duet with Liel Kolet and Klaus Maine, this time singing a special version of the Scorpions' own classic "Send Me an Angel."

According to Wiki (here) Liel has recorded five songs with the Scorpions. I'm not a fan of Israeli singers performing in English, but she does a pretty decent job of pulling it off.