Hi, welcome to my new blog, Modest Jerusalem! I want Modest Jerusalem to be an open forum and place to share daily life inspirations, from all over the world, with a touch of Jerusalem, Israel-my current home.
This blog is part of a wonderful journey of self discovery, both through motherhood, religion, language and marriage. This is my second blog. I started cafeavra.org in June 2010 while volunteering and living in East Africa (Kenya and Uganda) and focusing mostly on human rights and refugee issues in the region. It followed me through my aliyah to Israel in early 2011, and Cafe Avra Productions exists today as a small video editing business (Osek Patur) based in Jerusalem, which mainly works with non-profits. Let’s say this is my “day-job” and one I feel really blessed to do.
However, since settling in Jerusalem, my whole world has grown on so many levels of the senses. From marrying my wonderful Yerushalmi husband Rami, learning the beautiful Hebrew Language from scratch, tasting and learning the cuisines of Rami’s Parents (his mother is Turkish and father is Yemenite), giving birth to two wonderful young boys, Ovadia Shalom (now 3) and Natan Shimon (now 15 months), becoming a mother in a country that although is mine, I didn’t grow up here, and so many other things like being able to grow herbs all year, and taking walks almost every day in winter…my daily inspirations are ones that I want to share.
It should be noted that my inspirations are not just local, but truly international. They resonate from my past travels and studies, through many of the wonderful blogs I read daily, such as cupofjo.com and atelierdore.com, the instagram accounts I follow, the non-profit organizations and causes I support, and various other sources, friendships, and personal encounters.
And why “Modest Jerusalem”?
I feel that this concept will be more understood as this blog develops, but my thinking is that as a Modern-Orthodox Jew with a global past and a more or less local future ahead of me, both myself, and my husband, want and try on a daily basis to combine being modest in our daily lives here in Jerusalem, but also being open-minded, global and accepting of all the types of people who live in this beautiful country. So the word Modest here has almost a double meaning.
I look forward to sharing with you many stories in the coming weeks, months and I hope years. Please do post comments and share with me your thoughts.
Modest Jerusalem 