THE SUFGANIOT RATER IS IN

Tomorrow marks the first day of Chanukah and I already jumped into the Hanukkah spirit (see that's 2 different spellings of the holiday, does it really matter how you spell it), with my first two Sufganiot. They were from Isaac's bake shop on Ave. J between east 14th and 15th, and it was much like last year, still a dollar fifty and still rated a 7 (out of ten) and the service was a little slow but friendly. The Sufgania had some good jelly a decent pocketful I might add, the dough was a little dry but for 1.50 it shouldn't have been. Over all its rated a six.

I originally didn't want to go there, I was heading for Ostrovitsky's on east 12th, but they were sold out! that's right sold out before the first night. Being that I liked them last year and wanted to check out their service which I never got to, and they were only a dollar 25 I assumed they would be my best bet. I was disappointed and instead I headed to Isaac's bake shop.

In front of Isaac's they had a sign "Home made donuts, sufganiot (in Hebrew), sold here". Two things wrong with that. One, sufganiot are correctly translated as Israeli styled jelly donuts not home made, and even according to most Sufganiot am ha'aratzim they call it jelly donuts nothing about home made. And two, how could it be home made if its in a bakery?! I got no answers to that.

Yes people just like last year I will test my stomach of steel, and to those who wish to come and join me on my trips to try all the bakeries, (ahem) G6 (cough) Sally hazel, just give me shout, Child ish you in for another round? As always if you have any specific suggestions for me do tell, because I'm here to pay the price so you get it right.

Frummie Love Story Part VII: Dumping the shadchan

As the name came out of the Chaveirim guys mouth Chana felt an excitement with visions flashing before her eyes about all the different circumstances her and the bochur, Yitzchak Pomerantz, will encounter together. She had too many questions as to why he knew his license plate number to begin with, she was left in mystery and excitement, two emotions that when mixed lead to one curious energetic person.

The whole ride home in the repaired car Chana was trying to figure out the reason she found out in the most obscure way. After much thought and talking it out with Rifky, they decided it was hashgacha pratis in the making, it could only be the hand of g-d. This made Chana feel even closer to hashem, just the feeling of hashem guiding you in what you do is an amazing feeling. But of course this wasn't IT, IT was actually going on a romantic date with him and marrying while the sun is setting, then living the rest of their romantic lives together, that was IT and not just knowing he existed and his name.

Chana started to inquire about him without a shadchan, a big no no, what kind of girl would do this without a shadchan? surely one that's off the derech. Well our Chana was not off the D, but she was afraid that the shadchan would ruin her chances of marrying him because they want him for "better" girls. She was not considered the best girl out on the market, she was closing in her 22nd birthday, and being that she turned down other boys she was considered picky.

So she found herself in the lead role of detective. She found out which yeshiva he goes to, only by using her shadchan detective skills was she able to master this one, even she was surprised by how she found out. He went to a well known yeshiva located right in the heart of Midwood, one that actually had a good reputation for quality bochurim when it came to shalom bayis. Many other things were found out from constant spying on him and inquiring about him, including his amazing personality and how understanding he was of everyone.

All was perfect by the time the day of rest, shabbos, came about. Chana had fulfilled almost everything she needed to know about him before she could go on a date with him. As shabbos came with its sanctity and purity Chana felt as though her other part was coming into her to make her complete. A unity within herself, truly one of the best feelings out there.

MIDWOOD AS ONLY AN INTERNET NEWSITE CAN PORTRAY

I found this on Vos iz neias, its a whole article on Midwood in Brooklyn. Read and then wonder why we have that brooklyn attitude.

Brooklyn, NY - Many blocks in Midwood, with its rows of orderly detached homes and private driveways, give the feeling of a carefully planned suburb - a serene surprise after turning off a thoroughfare like Coney Island Avenue or Ocean Parkway.

But closer inspection reveals that the landscape has, in fact, been altered: on virtually every block, at least one or two homes have been significantly expanded - built up, built out, even built down.

The larger homes blend in as best they can with their smaller neighbors, but their oversized shadows are hard to miss: they are evidence of the wealth and the larger families that a thriving Orthodox Jewish population has brought to Midwood in recent years.

"Midwood has always been Jewish, but it wasn't always Orthodox," said David Maryl, a broker at Jacob Gold Realty. "Now for every family that's moving out, it's an Orthodox family moving in."

Brooklyn's Community Board 14, which covers the eastern half of Midwood, fields several home expansion requests each month from the area, said Alvin M. Berk, the board's chairman.

He said the board first noted the steady trickle of requests about eight years ago and now handles about 30 a year. "This seems to be a fairly high rate of building expansion," he said. "But there's generally no opposition - maybe just some concerns about a proposed enlargement reducing a neighbor's light and air." But applicants often make concessions to ease those concerns, he added.

Rather than building a larger home, Bill and Diana Spiegel bought one. They've moved about a mile east. "We love the area," Mr. Spiegel said.

They walk more than a mile each way to attend the synagogue in their old area, because "we have a little separation anxiety," he said. But on their way, they probably pass more than a dozen synagogues; they will probably switch to one nearby once the weather turns cold. "It seems like there's a real sense of community here, and they welcome you," Mr. Spiegel said.

Brokers say that Orthodox families first moved into Midwood about 25 years ago as they were priced out of Borough Park, a better established Orthodox neighborhood to the west. Nowadays, Midwood is "very sought after, because people want to be near family and friends, a yeshiva or a synagogue affiliation," said Sora David, a broker with Eisberg Lenz Real Estate. Being within walking distance of a synagogue is critical for those who observe Orthodox Jewish laws forbidding driving and other activities on the Sabbath.

There are dozens of synagogues and many yeshivas scattered throughout Midwood. Some Hasidic synagogues, known as shtibls, are in single-family homes where the rabbi might live upstairs and the congregation might meet on the first floor.

Mr. Berk says synagogues are allowed as of right in any residential zone. But many of them have growing congregations that eventually require more space. He said that the community board had fielded and helped approve many applications for variances to turn houses into larger synagogues.

Midwood lies south of Flatbush and Brooklyn College, and north of Marine Park. Its eastern and western borders have expanded in recent years, pushing out to McDonald Avenue on the west and Flatbush Avenue on the east. "As people have moved in, they've expanded the boundaries," said Raizy Brisman, the owner of Brisman Realty.

Between Nostrand and Flatbush Avenues, younger Orthodox families first moved into the East 30s about five years ago; prices were lower there than in the East 20s and East 10s, she said. That area used to be considered part of Flatbush or East Flatbush, she said, "but it's all semantics. It's called Midwood now, because if you called it East Flatbush, the value for it would be less."

Most homes sit on 40-by-100-foot lots and were built in the early part of the 20th century. The vast majority are detached single-family homes, but there are some two-families, as well as some semiattached and attached houses. There are also some rental and co-op buildings along parts of Avenue K and Ocean Parkway.

Brokers refer to an exclusive pocket between East Seventh and East Ninth Streets, running from Avenue I to Avenue K, as Midwood Manor. Many of its homes are on larger lots, and "it's more manicured and very sought after," said Abraham Steinmetz, the owner of Steinmetz Real Estate. "But there's very little available there. You're lucky to see one or two houses available in a year."

The neighborhoods known as Midwood Park, West Midwood and South Midwood are all actually north of Midwood proper and were developed as parts of Victorian Flatbush.

During the recent building boom, developers tore down some single-family homes along Ocean Avenue and off Ocean Parkway and replaced them with six-unit condominiums. But brokers say that because the condos are primarily made up of one- and two-bedroom apartments, they do not appeal to large Orthodox families and have not sold well, although some units have sold to Russian immigrants.

The area is mostly residential, with a few commercial streets. Yeshivas and synagogues often blend right in - in unassuming converted office buildings or on strictly residential streets.

Brokers say that prices in Midwood have dropped 10 to 15 percent in the last year. Homes tend to sell by word of mouth, and at any given time, there are only about 40 homes on the market.

An attached home on a busy street can sell for $400,000 to $500,000, but detached homes start at $600,000 and run over $2 million, depending on its size. Most houses in the East 20s, considered the oldest part of Midwood, are detached, with three to five bedrooms and private driveways, and sell for over $1 million.

The larger homes in Midwood Manor start at about $2 million and run above $5 million.

Along Ocean Parkway, one-bedroom co-ops sell for less then $200,000, two-bedrooms for about $250,000. On Ocean Avenue, one-bedroom condos sell for about $275,000, two-bedrooms $400,000.

Most Orthodox children attend local yeshivas. The Yeshiva of Flatbush is perhaps the best known, with classes from preschool through high school.

Midwood's appeal is its quiet residential quality. On school days, yellow buses fill the streets, ferrying children to and from their different yeshivas. Traffic along the shopping strips on Avenues J and M can be downright dangerous, as drivers double-park to get their shopping done. But the streets grow quiet at sundown on Friday, with the start of the Sabbath, and most stores stay shuttered until Sunday.

Avenue J's commercial strip, between Coney Island Avenue and East 16th Street, is filled with kosher restaurants, delis and bakeries. Di Fara Pizza, at East 15th Street, harks back to Midwood's more Italian past. It's known for its $5 slice, handmade with imported ingredients by the pizzeria's septuagenarian founder, Domenico DeMarco. Avenue M's shops run from Ocean Avenue to Ocean Parkway. In addition to kosher pizzerias and kosher and Russian supermarkets, the street has discount stores and chains like Godiva.

Coney Island Avenue, a much wider thoroughfare, has a range from auto repair shops and carwashes to ladies' wig shops, Judaica stores and kosher restaurants. Among these are Schnitzi, a schnitzel bar; and Carlos and Gabby's, a Mexican grill. Food bloggers compare Pomegranate, a gleaming new kosher supermarket, to Whole Foods.

Hmmm it doesnt seem to end there but oh well.

THE DREIDEL WORLD TOUR

After 2000 years from its invention, the dreidel is going worldwide in its first ever Dreidel World Tour. People from all around the world have fallen in love with the dreidel games, "Its so easy to win" said a random dreidel player. The dreidel game has been around for a while now, its a mystery why the dreidel has only now started to take the stage. We had a chance to talk to the man behind the WDT games, Gimpel Dreidelovitz. We asked him why he felt the need for the Jewish pastime to become such a popular game that it even has its own app on the IPhone? He answered "Ever since I was young the four cornered top amazed me with its history, I felt a connection towards it and wanted the world to have a share in it. So I went to the Polak Brothers, the makers of other household games such as Kollel-oply and Guess Jew, and here it is the fastest growing game in the world".

As of now there are over 40 casinos in America that have this game available, and many more in other countries around the world. People are supposed to pile into Israel this Chanukah for the World Dreidel Tour held in Jerusalem. Anyone can apply as long as you know how to spin a dreidel. Real ethnic Sufganiot will be available to those who attend the games. There are two types of Dreidel games played, the Israeli version with the P'oh and the chutz la'aretz version of Sham, they will be playing the first version though many find it hard to switch once they learned to play a certain way. People have become obsessed with the game, some wear sunglasses or baseball caps, some have have ear phones in their ears but nothings playing, and some dress up as Y'vanim or Maccabees, all to confuse another player. They have coined a term Dreidel Face, and then a shiksah singer made it a name of her song (Dreidel face knock off of poker face).One guy even put out a book on how to even the odds at dreidel, called eight rules to win eight nights.
The dreidel was once played by young kinderlach pretending to not be learning Torah, and now its played by people from all walks of life. I for one love to play dreidel, so I even got this little clip for you, enjoy.
World Dreidel Tour

HAVE SOME D'VA'AR TORAH

Of course there is a world of Torah on this parsha but if you need a quick one, here are some.

Over at Geshmack Torah he has a great little piece on why Rashi has two interpretations as to what the word V'yavek means. A real great piece of Torah and insight, it is a must say at the shabbos table.

Not to be outdone Garnel Ironheart wrote a whole d'vaar Torah on why Yaakov said Garti and all its hidden meanings.

Frummie Love Story Part VI: A Name

Shabbos had passed and the feelings Chana had were still strong. She saw her mothers face over shabbos, but it didn't matter to her what her mother thought anymore, she knew what was meant to be will happen.


During her sleep motzei shabbos she had a nightmare. She dreamt her mother saw her with the bochur and forbid Chana from marrying him, and was being dragged away from him only to see him get smaller and smaller in the distance. Chana woke up in a sweat at 4 in the morning, worrying that what she dreamt might happen caused her to have a sleepless night. She needed to remember/ relive what happened with her and the bochur in the dream before her mother saw because that was a great feeling, and when she did that, her mind would go into a state of black with images that could hardly be described or interpreted.


That Sunday morning she was tired, she gulped down some pure black coffee which she didn't like, and was off to find who that license plate number belonged to. She met up with her BFF Rifky, they planned to go to the nearest police station and have them check it out. When they got there they felt a little nervous. "Who goes to a police station to figure out license plate numbers", said Chana "I'm not liking this". "And wouldn't they ask us questions as to why we would want to know?" replied Rifky "I don't think we should do this". So they chickened out.

When they got back to the car the found out they had a flat tire, "Oh baruch hashem I knew I shouldn't have parked in the Ill slash your tires zone" said Rifky. They were stranded in front of a police station with no way to get back, what were they to do? (Join us next week when Frummy love Story continues.... Not!, no seriously join us next week anyway). They decided to call chaveirim.

Within moments the chaveirim were there ready to change the tires. While one of the guys was changing it they started some Jewish geography with him. Chana and Rifky looked at each other then nodded, they decided to ask him about the license plate number, maybe he know? When asked the helpful chaveirim guy looked at them in astonishment, he couldn't believe they knew the license plate of his wife's second cousins mechutans daughters 11Th grade teachers 1st cousin once removeds son!... ! Chana was ready to jump for joy but didn't want to jump in front of a man because that's not tznius. They asked for a name, Chana kept trying to guess what it will be in her mind before it came out of his mouth. Yitzchak Pomerantz the "mechanic" said.

NOT A REAL POST

I wanted to finish my Frummie Love story in one month but it wasn't going to happen, I knew so from the start. Guess I'm gonna be finished by next year at the pace I'm going.