Interview with journalist Joel Leyden who read " Leaving Home...."

Please find my comments below:






On Sat, Dec 11, 2010 at 10:05 AM, jason alster wrote:



Hi Joel,

I would like to interview you for my blog on the book. Can you answer the following questions about the book for me.

One - Why did you like the book?



The book is written by an American who has lived in Israel for over 20 years and has observed this tiny, democratic state with the accuracy of a medical scientist, for which Jason is. Furthermore, Jason is a gifted, natural writer - able to articulate all that he has witnessed and deliver it into exciting nouns, verbs and adjectives that equal some of today's most respected, read authors. It is an honest, objective, no hold punches account of Israel which maintains its own integrity while supporting the Jewish state.





Two- As an American who lived in Israel and came back to the USA to visit , was there something in the book you identified with?



Everything. Except for taking out emegency anti chemical war medicine and injecting it through my thumb ;>





Three- What did you learn from the book that you did not know previously?

Nothing. Jason and I have shared similar journeys through Israel and .... survived!



Four- In the short time since you read the book , how has the book influenced you or changed your life?



I feel that it is required reading for every person who is contemplating making Aliya, has made Aliya and cares to understand the inner workings of Israeli culture. It provides support for those who have made Aliya and those who have returned from their tour of duty in defending the Jewish nation.





Five - Whom do you think will benefit from the messages in the book?

Six - What did you think was the most important message?



From experiencing an Israeli McDonalds, the Aliyah experience (12 chapters are dedicated to this process), enjoying the colorful historical, biblical history, shopping, driving, marriage and divorce, doing business and then returning to your native country - this book covers it all. Learning how to "expect the unexpected" and survive. Learning to appreciate and adapt to completely opposing cultures (Israel is polychronic - relationship oriented while the US is monochronic - rule oriented) without judging which is right or wrong but rather embracing the differences is what makes this truly informative book shine.





Joel Leyden begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting serves a senior media consultant to the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is a professional journalist, publisher of the Israel News Agency, an Internet social networking pioneer, former IDF officer and an international cross-cultural consultant.









Thanks,

Jason Alster MSc

--

I added a facebook page

I added a facebook page where people can follow my thoughts and others about moving from one country to another. Jason


http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Leaving-Home-Going-Home-Returning-Home-Israel-US/114389235295677?v=wall

My Delicious Secret Hummus Recipe

https://www.createspace.com/1000252310

Author interview in this month's CAPA Authority magazine

I don't know who is on this months cover of Rolling Stone magazine. However , I am in this month's Authority magazine by CAPA . The Connecticut Authors and Publishers. Have a look.


http://www.aboutcapa.com/

I will soon be giving lectures at the following locales soon. Please come and tell a friend.


1) : 9/16/10 7:00 PM Wethersfield Library , Wethersfield CT . http://www.wethersfieldlibrary.org/news/upcoming.html

2): 9/ 21/10 7: 00 PM Burgundy books, East Haddam ,

near Goodspead opera house. Please register

http://www.burgundybooks.com/

I will be giving lectures at the following locales soon.

Hi, there

I will be giving lectures at the following locales soon. Please come and tell a friend. Thanks Jason.

1) : 9/16/10     7:00 PM    Wethersfield Library , Wethersfield CT .  http://www.wethersfieldlibrary.org/news/upcoming.html



2): 9/ 21/10     7: 00 PM Burgundy books, East Haddam ,
near Goodspead opera house. Please register

http://www.burgundybooks.com/

Meet the author , Jason Alster MSc dates and places

Hi fans ,
I will be speaking and signing books at the following locations and dates.
September 15th at the West Hartford JCC , 12: 00 PM

September 16th 7:00 PM at the Wethersfield Library , http://www.wethersfieldlibrary.org/news/upcoming.html

The New England  Eastern States Big E at the Connecticut Authors stand in the CT pavilion on days Sunday Sept , 19th afternoon; Sept 26th late afternoon; Sept 28th , afternoon; October 3rd morning and afternoon.

http://www.aboutcapa.com/

September 21th 7:PM at Burgundy books in East Haddam by the Goodspead Opera House.
http://www.burgundybooks.com/

and October 24th at 3PM at ESSEX BOOKS in Essex , CT.
 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Essex-CT/Essex-Books/181606072165

Review for Leaving Home ... on Amazon.com

5.0 out of 5 stars Becoming A Citizen of the World in Israel, the United States and Europe, July 15, 2010


By Christopher Meade - See all my reviews



This review is from: Leaving Home, Going Home, Returning Home: A Hebrew American's Sojourn in the Land of Israel (Paperback)

In 1996 I traveled to Israel on a pilgrimage with about twenty Catholics. I left with a sense of gratitude for the dynamic culture of modern day Israel with its diverse population of Jews, Palestinians and Arabs. Without fail, when I share with others that I spent a few weeks in Israel, most respond that they would love to visit but are afraid that the region is too dangerous and volatile to venture into.

Jason Alster's book offers to would be travelers an enjoyable account of one man's decision to make a life in Israel over a twenty-year period. He captures the joy and thrill of an American Jew learning about a new culture with its distinctive cuisine, economy and historical narrative. Living through the anxiety produced by the Gulf War and periodic episodes of terrorism he manages to fall in love, marry, raise two daughters and embrace with open arms the joy of reconnecting with his Jewish heritage.

The book's charm revolves around its personal and funny anecdotes. I especially enjoyed the story of the couple who sought out Mr. Alster's biofeedback services to reduce stress and blood-pressure issues. As the husband sat down to begin his session his chair gave way and he harmlessly fell to the ground. Laughter can be a great stress reducer.

For those interested in getting beyond the often ominous headlines in the news about Israel and the Middle East, for those who would like to understand what it's really like to live in that nation and, perhaps, one day visit Mr. Alster's book is a great place to start.

Author of Icons & Iconoclasts

Icons & Iconoclasts: How Secrecy and Denial Shattered the Catholic Church's Prestige - And How It Can Recover

Interview with Barry Eva

Jason Alster interview


"A book and a Chat " 7/22 at 6: 30, PM EST.

to talk about his latest book " Leaving Home, Going Home , Returning Home : A Hebrew American's Sojourn in the Land of Israel."

Location: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Across-the-Pond

Interview with Harry Rinker of the Authors show ):

just received the taped interview from when I appeared on the Harry Rinker " Meet the Author " show and listened to my book interview. ( Leaving Home, Going Home, Returning Home ) I realized how professional it was, and I know why. He actually read the whole book as he said he does , before the interviews. That is in contrast to some of the other author interviews I have done where the book was skimmed through or the reviewer had their own set of standardized questions that might or might not totally fit the book or author's purpose.




For those interested in hearing the interview , the download is at:



http://www.megaupload.com/?d=M403KO9W





The book is a non-fiction novel about my adventures in Israel and discusses living abroad and the return.





Alster interview.

Don't Touch the Shwarna

Post Script and Eilat Fish

Post Script and Eilat Fish


In the autumn of 2007, there was a philatelic convention in Hartford, Connecticut. I went because I use to collect stamps as a kid. Both my parents collected stamps and got me interested. My mom would save postcards of friends traveling the world over, and my dad once had a valuable stamp collection in Europe, but German soldiers took it away from him when they invaded his home in Poland. Since moving to the USA, he continued his stamp-collecting hobby and purchased many stamps from around the world. He liked to collect stamps from Europe, especially from countries that did not exist anymore. He probably thought that would make them rare. My mom, on the other hand, collected the American commemoratives. Going over their collection, I learned about history, languages, coin of the realm, and geography. Both my mom and dad collected Israeli stamps and already I was struck by how beautiful they were, for a small country. I also remember seeing Israeli stamps at Hebrew school because some of my classmates collected them and traded them like baseball cards. The ones that stood out the most to me were the stamps of the tropical Eilat fish of the Red Sea coral reef. Maybe because they were exotic for someone use to swimming in Long Island Sound. I even received Israeli stamps as a gift from a Jewish neighbor whose home I was invited to for Sabbath meals. A square block made of four triangular stamps commemorated an archaeological find from biblical times in Tzipori, northern Israel. Known as the Mona Lisa of the Galilee, the image was of a Roman woman’s face on a mosaic floor, and it became even more famous once a line of beauty products in Israel used this mosaic as a logo. Of course, when I lived in Israel I got to visit the mosaic at its location.

At the entrance to the convention was an Israeli blue and white flag advertising an Israeli stamp dealer. I went there first. The dealer dealt with Judaica stamps as well as Israeli stamps. I brought some of my parent’s stamps with me to appraise and possibly sell a few, and I knew there were some old Israeli stamps mixed in. Sitting at the table before me was an elderly couple who wanted to purchase Israeli stamps for their grandson who was going to have a bar- mitzvah. Nice idea for a gift, I chuckled. The stamps I had with me I brought with me from Israel, and others were sent to me from my father by mail before he passed away. I left about half the collection with my daughters in the hopes that they would learn about the world through stamps as I did.

Oddly enough, I was almost arrested once because of my dad's stamps. When I returned to the USA from Israel, I made a stop at Budapest, Hungary for a three-day tour. At the airport, the customs officer asked me if I had anything to declare. I said I had nothing, yet he inspected my luggage anyway and saw the stamps I kept in a waterproof pouch. He pulled me over to the side and interrogated me about the contents of the pouch, and I told him it was just my father’s stamp collection. Bristling, he asks why I did not declare them, and I told him I am on the way to America and am just passing through. That only seemed to rattle him more, and he retorted, "So what? You are still entering Hungary!” I wondered if he resented that I was an American, thought I was smuggling, or just wanted a bribe. Hungary was once a communist country, and I began to sense I just might have a problem, but I knew better than to show any fear. He pressed me further, demanding to know how much the stamps are worth and if I plotted to sell any in Hungary. I supposed they actually were worth some money, but had no accurate idea of what that money that could be since I never had them appraised. Regardless, I calmly stated back to the guard that they are not worth much and that they had sentimental value, being that they were from my late father’s collection. He waits a long moment looking at me, and I suspected once more that he was perhaps merely waiting for a bribe, but I had no experience in handling bribes so I did not offer one. I did once witness something like this when I went to another previous Russian satellite country of Bulgaria, and the airport police wanted a tourist to surrender his Marlboro cigarettes. Just like in the corny TV shows about the Cold War, I put some conviction in my voice and repeat, "I am a tourist, and I am going to America." He finally opted then to let me pass, maybe at last figuring I was just a small fry. Hey, I was coming from Israel, after all.

At the convention, I show the stamps to the dealer, still in that same rainproof pouch, and told him they are from 40-50 years ago. Many from countries heralded from the old British Empire and no longer existed and a collection from Ethiopia. I have no idea why my father collected stamps from Ethiopia. The stamp dealer zipped through them, shrugged, and muttered how they weren’t anything special or worth his money. My jaw dropped. I almost was arrested for these! Taking note of my reaction, the dealer left me with some words of wisdom that I heard once before from a coin collector: "If you did not pay a significant sum of money for them to begin with, they are probably not worth much.”

Discouraged, I hunted for a second opinion and found an international stamp dealer trading in stamps from both Israel and from the Palestine Authority (PA). I ask if I can see the Palestinian stamps, and he cheered me on, noting how they were selling fast since they were going out of print. No kidding, I thought, considering how the PA had splintered since the Hamas revolt. Here was the first time I laid eyes on stamps from the PA, which offices were only about two hours away from where I once lived, and I was taken aback by their beauty. We were neighbors in a sense, yet we lived in very different worlds apart. I wondered, being neighbors and in a technical peace agreement, if any of the Palestinian stamps had acknowledged their Israeli neighbors. Some of the stamps commemorated Yassir Arafat, the late PA chairman, visiting different dignitaries. He was always visiting a dignitary to try and gain support for a Palestinian state. The more pleasing stamps commemorated Christian holy sites like Bethlehem and the Christian holidays. I then considered to whom were the mostly Moslem Palestinians trying to sell their wares, bearing in mind that Christians made up the majority in many parts of the world. The prettiest stamps were of the flowers, trees, fruits, and birds of the area, of what they called Palestine, and I was struck by how strange I felt looking at them. These were the same flowers, trees, fruits and birds of Israel – my Israel – I felt cheated in some way. Were these two different nations living on the same land, one trying to usurp the other or commit identity theft? Or, were these two interrelated peoples sharing the same land and glorifying her common bounty? The answer came with the last stamp I saw from the batch. It bore both the Israeli and Palestine flags poised behind the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin alongside Yassir Arafat and shaking hands. That famous handshake took place in front of President Bill Clinton on the White House lawn following the Oslo peace agreement. For me, this stamp answered another question most Israelis have: do the Palestinians recognize Israel? I would have to assume that if the Israeli flag is on one of the PA stamps, then they do, or they at least intended to back when the stamp was issued.

I went ahead and bought some of those Palestinian stamps, although I could not get any first issues since they had sold out. These stamps inspired me to make a collection in which Arab stamps commemorate – or at least recognize in some fashion – Israeli culture, and vice versa. I already had purchased Israeli stamps commemorating Arab culture that I knew existed before coming to the convention, so it seemed like the perfect idea. At the basic level, every Israeli stamp has the words “Israel Post” in three official languages: Hebrew, English and Arabic. I went back to the first Israeli stamp dealer and asked if he had Israeli stamps with an Arab motif and was disappointed to hear him say an emphatic “no!” I then asked him if he by any chance had Palestine Authority stamps, thinking maybe I could get a first issue from him. He glared at me and sharply shook his head, and I realized perhaps I hit a nerve. In that I noticed another change that came over me by living in Israel. I had experienced living and working with Arabs as neighbors and respected them as people, even if they had a different and conflicting political agenda than mine.

When I returned home, I searched for Israeli-Arab stamps online and found that Israel did commemorate Arab culture with a stamp in 1971 of the historic El Jazzar Mosque in Acre. There was also a “land of three religions” stamp with a picture of a mosque and also a Dome of the Rock stamp in 1981. In addition, there was a stamp commemorating the late King Hussein of Jordan who signed a peace treaty with Israel. But then, my surfing for stamps came across this bothersome warning: “Beware, if you want to visit an Arab country, make sure you don't have an Israeli stamp in your passport.”

 

Review by Amazon.com top 500 reviewer Norm Goldman

Part memoir and part travelogue, Jason Alster with his Leaving Home, Going Home, Returning Home: A Hebrew American's Sojourn in the Land of Israel reminisces about his experiences when he made Aliyah to Israel in 1984 at the age of twenty-eight, and where he lived until returning to the USA in 2007.




The term Aliyah in Hebrew means “going up” both spiritually and physically. As Alster informs us, the geographic and spiritual center of Israel is Jerusalem, situated on a high mountain, and thus you need to go up to get there. It is an important Jewish cultural concept and a key element of Zionism, which is enshrined into Israel's Law of Return. Someone who makes Aliyah is called an oleh, if a male or olah, if a female and olim if in the plural.





At the age of twelve, Alster had his first inkling that one day he would be make Aliyah to Israel. This came while attending Bible class at the Yeshiva of Hartford Hebrew Academy. It was not until sixteen years later that he actually took the plunge. According to Alster, the principal reason for his move to Israel was that he was searching for his real home and homeland and he didn't want to be a minority anymore. Later, when people would ask him why he moved to Israel, he would tell them that his father originally planned on making Aliyah and he came instead.



Leaving Home, Going Home, Returning Home is a deeply personal adventure, wherein Alster chronicles the process of his immersion into a society, culture and language far different from his native USA. Surprises were abundant, beginning with his initial meeting with an Israeli representative that tried to dissuade him from moving to Israel. After all, was this not the official policy of Israel to invite people to her land? As he later discovered, stated policy and reality are two different animals. Interestingly, Alster wasn't sure what he was going to do in Israel and perhaps this was the key to his adaptation. As he states, he expected to live a normal life, watch TV, go to the movies, work and raise a family-”Israel for better or for worse.”



Written in a highly readable style that is both enlightening and at times funny, this fascinating memoir provides the reader with a window and unique perspective of Israeli life. One of its principal strengths is the number of interesting fly-on-the wall anecdotes scattered throughout. One such account is the chapter entitled “Don't touch the shawarma, no matter how delicious.” Alster had a rude awakening when he discovered that his shawarma sandwiches were not one hundred percent meat but rather fifty percent pure fat and the remainder meat. Another was his agonizing experience with an Israeli builder-something, by the way, could very well have taken place in my home-town of Montreal. Also sprinkled throughout are interesting tidbits of information. For example, I have been eating tilapia for many years and I never knew that it was the same famous St. Peter's fish that my wife and I ate several years ago while visiting Tiberius. It is fished from the Sea of Galilee (Kineret).



Among Alster's many vocations is that of a biofeedback practitioner/learning specialist, who has over the years helped hundreds of learning challenged students with Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) dylexia, and test anxiety to succeed in school. Consequently, a great deal of ink, and perhaps a trifle too much, is devoted to his experiences in working in this field and applying his specialized knowledge while living in Israel. In fact, he was very much sought after, as he was one of the few experts in Israel during his sojourn.



Leaving Home, Going Home, Returning Home is a mosaic of vivid snapshots that clearly exhibits a remarkable insight into the heterogeneous and dynamic culture of Israel, while at the same time conveying to the reader the nuances of feelings, as well as the harshness of reality. And for anyone contemplating aliyah or even visiting Israel, this is a must read.

In memory of the Holocaust :An Artist in Search of his Mentor: A story about roots and tolerance

An Artist in Search of his Mentor: A story about roots and tolerance


In Creative Painting for the Young Artist, a book I conceived about developing one’s artistic expression, one of the suggestions I give is to find a mentor to emulate. Unpredictably, my mentor became my artist grandfather, Jozef Alster. Jozef was liberated by the US army from the Buchenwald concentration camp, only to die a few days later from pneumonia, and right before my father had a chance to reunite with him. All through my childhood, I longed to know him, and one day I finally did.

A beautiful painting of a ruined medieval castle hung above my father's bed. The yellow stoned castle looked mystical and was perched high above a crest on a towering green mountain, easily a backdrop to some Dungeons and Dragons game. I wondered if the castle was real or from fantasy, like something out of a Brothers’ Grimm fairy tale. In the corner, it was signed “J. Alster.” I asked my father who “J. Alster” was, and he told me that it was his father, Jozef Alster, which happened to be where my Hebrew namesake came from. I questioned, who exactly is the fellow I have the honor to be named after and where was he hiding? I never met him. If he isn’t around then so- be -it I suppose. But how did the painting get here, above my father's bed? And come to think of it, if this painting was the work of one of my family, then why can’t I paint like this? I knew I had problems drawing a straight line properly. Why doesn't he come and offer to teach me how to draw and paint? All these questions were quite intriguing for a young lad just running out to play.

I asked my father where he was born, and he told me he came from the city of Wodavitza, Poland – the same city where the Polish Pope came from. I was amazed. I asked my father if he met the Pope as a boy, and he answered, "Yes, I must have. It was a small town. I must have bumped into him walking on the street or playing soccer in the park." The castle in the painting must be in Poland, I surmised. My father brought me along to visit his Aunt Sara in Crown Heights, New York. I was psyched to make this trip, thinking maybe my granddad would be there too. Sure enough, paintings from my grandfather adorned her walls, and a real large one hung behind the dining table, right behind me when I sat down to eat. Sadly, my grandfather was nowhere to be found. I asked my father how my aunt got the paintings from grandfather. The story began, Jozef Alster sold Aunt Sarah the paintings in Germany, and that's how they were saved. Aunt Sarah then gave a few of these precious paintings to my father when he arrived in the USA. Unfortunately, I was told, grandfather is no longer around, (but at that point in my life, my father did not reveal the exact reason why.)

This was confusing to me then, as I was just a young lad. Apparently now I have an aunt from Germany, a father from Poland, and a grandfather from both Germany and Poland. Before the war, as the stories would begin, all the others moved to Germany from Poland to have a better life, but were forced back to Poland when the Reich gained power. My aunt's family immigrated to the USA from Germany before the war, as Albert Einstein did, and brought the paintings they acquired from my grandfather. Thus his works of art were preserved. Yet, the mystery of the painting in my father’s room remained. Where then, was that castle my grandfather painted? Was it in Germany, Poland, or somewhere else entirely? Did it even exist? The rest of my family that I visited did not know for sure, but they did say he painted while vacationing somewhere in Germany. Germany then is the location.

Either way, I felt it was a real pity and a real loss that my grandfather was not around to teach me to paint and draw. I could not even draw a straight line if my life depended on it. Then one day, when I was 22 years old, I was required to enroll in an art appreciation class in college. Showing some photos of ancient Egyptian art and then comparing them to Renaissance art, the professor said something that changed my life. He declared that art progressed with time, and that anyone – yes, anyone – could be an artist. I almost fell off my chair. Anyone can be an artist? Anyone could be taught to paint? I was under the impression then that you have to have been born with artistic talent. After that breakthrough, I signed up for an art instruction class, put out my first painting in 1977, and from that day led a life embellished with art.

After twenty years of painting, visiting museums, and going to workshops, I have to say I produced and sold some quality artwork. I was so proud of what I was able to create and of my newfound confidence in this ability, I wanted to share it with anyone else who struggled as I did to make this possible, and thus Creative Painting for the Young Artist was born. In this book, I describe how to build one’s ability to express oneself creatively through art amongst examples of my art throughout the years, mostly consisting of pastel paintings of various scenes in Israel. As I mentioned earlier in this chapter, one of the main highlights in my book is to encourage new artists to find a mentor. I wanted my grandfather to be my mentor somehow, so as a memorial to him, I featured one of his paintings in the book. Seeking to determine if the painting was from a professional or a layman I gave the painting my personal critique. My grandfather’s work was a shining example how a true artist would use composition, perspective, focal and vanishing points, visual movement, and how to detail the area of interest. It was through this book that I at last met my mentor, my dear grandfather, and brought him back to life.

After publishing this tribute, I still could not help but wonder if I will ever discover where the castle painting was from. The Internet was now available to use as a resource. As far as I could tell, there were no paintings from Jozef Alster for sale or display on the net. Through Internet sites on the castles of Germany, I scoured for the skyline of that castle. Eventually I discovered, with stunning irony, a building called Alster Tower. According to the reference I found, this tower served as a playhouse but did not look like the castle Jozef painted. Its design resembled that of a defense tower similar to those on the Alster River in Germany near Hamburg, yet despite this military overtone, Alster Tower reportedly was intended for the entertainment of guests. Did my grandfather paint a tower after one of the towers on the Alster River in Hamburg? Or, better yet, knowing that he came originally from Poland, did my grandfather actually assume the German name "Alster" and signed his paintings so? If this was true somehow, could it be that he used this tactic to avoid expulsion from Germany as a Polish Jewish migrant?

I later found out that Alster is indeed a German name, but it was also used in Austria where my grandfather served during the First World War. “Alster” signified the magpie bird, a symbol of Austria. According to my research, Austria ruled parts of Poland before the Polish declared independence. Henceforth, Polish Jews like my grandfather really could have had a German name as Alster, and did.

Living in Israel in 2005, I planned to take a vacation with a Russian lady friend. She wanted to see the snow like in Russia, and I wanted a cool vacation from hot Israel. She wanted to have a companion who spoke English, feeling as though she could not navigate well in Germany with solely her native Russian or Hebrew. Since I had been to Switzerland and Frankfurt, Germany already, I suggested beautiful Bavaria, Germany. Close to the border with Switzerland and the Alps, Bavaria was teeming with castles there like the Neuschwanstein of Sleeping Beauty Disneyland fame. I was comfortable with visiting Germany by this point – the war was certainly over by now – and I thought that maybe, just maybe, I will see the castle my granddad painted there.

As I had predicted, Bavaria was just beautiful. The hills covered in snow, lakes, streams, and woodlands reminded me of wintry Vermont or New Hampshire. Maybe that is why my dad settled in New England – it reminded him of home somehow. We had a grand time touring the old Bavarian towns on the so-called "Romance Trail.” There were castles there all right, but not that ruined castle my grandfather depicted. We stayed at a hotel just under the Neuschwanstein, and I sat out on the porch at night. The sky was clear and the castle was all lit up with flickering stars in the distance.

The next day, we awoke to a Bavarian breakfast. We made plans to head back north and make some stops at the different towns along the way to Munich. I peered out the window and saw some snow flurries dusting over the blizzard that crept up overnight. We checked out and headed to clean off the car, which was parked out in the open. I had not driven in winter weather in quite some time, and after seeing all this, I wondered if we would even be able to make it out of the parking lot. Sure enough, our massive rented German Mercedes could not make it up the incline from the parking lot to the road. It was unbelievable. Again and again, our German juggernaut kept sliding back down the driveway. It was no match for the snow and ice without snow tires or proper chains. Being stuck in Bavaria was not too awful, but we did want to press on. I never imagined that I would be stranded in the Bavarian snow with a German car.

It was under these circumstances that I would meet with my second genuine German. Hans was a handsome young man whose parents owned the hotel. When I met him, I couldn’t help but think to myself, Hans is such a stereotypical German name. I was surprised it was still being used. With blond hair, blue eyes, and a quiet demeanor, he seemed like the poster child for the Hitler youth. He knew I was from Israel too, since we had registered our home addresses at the hotel and showed them our passports too. Hans’s mom had been out shoveling snow, and seeing that we were stranded, called Hans and told him to please help us. He tried for about a full 30 minutes to put on the snow chains on the tires for us. We did receive snow chains for the rental car at the airport in Munich, but as Murphy’s Law would have it, they turned out to be the wrong size. Hans told us he would have to drive us into town and get a new pair from the dealer, so we traveled five miles into town, got the right chains, and he spent another half hour in the snow strapping them on. With the new chains, we were able to make it up the incline to the road and the main roads were cleared. I wanted to give Hans special thanks. I gave him a copy of my art book with the photo of the German castle in it. A little melodramatically, I looked him in the eyes and just came out and told him, "My last name is Alster. Alster is a German name." Without giving it a second thought, I opened up to the page with my grandfather’s mysterious castle and showed it to him. "The castle in the book, my grandfather painted it. This is a German castle. Enjoy.” Thinking about the significance of what I was telling him, that I have German roots and heritage too, even if I am Jewish. I felt like I was trying to explain to him that Germany too was a homeland, and the relationship between Jews and Germans under even the simplest conditions will always be weighted by history. That it is alright for Jews now to visit Germany – the war is finally over. If other Jews visit Bavaria, I would hope that they will stay at his family’s wonderful hotel and be more than welcomed. Hans’ act of helping me was one of the kindest things anyone has done for me. We got into the car and drove off. A few miles down the road the chains fell right off again.



I left Germany without knowing where the castle was. In 2006, back in Zichron Yacov, Yom Ha’zikaron (Remembrance Day) had arrived and I was with my youngest daughter Limor. Reflecting on the Holocaust, "Dad,” she asked me, “what's the story again of the painting that survived the Holocaust? How did it get to Israel?” I told her that I have tried researching the castle’s origins in any way that I could think of, and that the best results turned up from a topographical map search of Germany focused in the Rhine area, far from Bavaria. Intrigued, Limor suggested I use Google images, which was brand new at the time. We searched for the words castle, Germany, and Rhine together, and voila! The very first photo that shows up is Drachensfels castle. Eureka! 10-4, BINGO, Kunta Kinte, that’s it! The ruined walls, the colors of the scenery, the windows in the towers, the adjacent hill – it was a perfect match, conjured with my daughter’s idea right before my eyes; "Limor, you did it.”

But, there are only two walls in the castle photo and three walls in the painting. Could it have been ruined during the war? That made no sense. If one wall was knocked off by a powerful blast, the chances are that the other walls would be damaged too. How come this ruined castle is in worse shape than the other castles in Germany, and still standing intact? Either the Allies saved the castles from destruction during the war, or someone bothered to renovate them quite well. If so, what happened to the third wall? If this was the same castle, had my grandfather merely taken some artistic license? We searched further and found “Drachensfels” meant “fallen dragon.” Dragons brought to mind dinosaurs, which brought to mind the premise of Jurassic Park, and I wondered if dinosaurs really could be resurrected through experiments with their DNA, perhaps I could somehow bring my granddad back to life as well so he could explain this great mystery. After all, why paint this castle out of all the castles in Germany? If I found its location, could I discover the position in which my grandfather created this painting? Above all, is there anything so special about it that the painting alone could not reveal? The painting itself was beginning to reveal her secrets.

I pushed onward, looking up Drachensfels Castle and Google yielded me more clues: “Drachensfels Castle is the remnant of a proud castle of which today only the high tower is still seen. The hill and the castle enjoy tremendous popularity and is a popular tourist destination. The view from the 1050-ft.-high summit is considered one of the most famous on the Rhine. The former masters of the castle, the Counts of Drachensfels had a winged, fire-spitting dragon in their coat of arms. In the last century, the stone quarries jeopardized the hilltop and the tower. These had been continually extended until the Government stepped in, taking over the peak and safeguarding the ruins from any further danger. “

Is my grandfather's painting, like a time machine, witness to the damage from the quarry? The third castle wall is now gone. Out of all the things a caption might say, here under the image of the castle, "In the last century, the hilltop and the tower were jeopardized by the stone quarries.” Yet, here, it fits in like another piece to the puzzle. Interestingly, one of the reasons artists paint nature scenes is to capture beautiful scenery for remembrance before it is swept away by modernity. Was Jozef an artist like that?

So, at last, I can make an educated guess as to why my grandfather painted this particular castle. It is popular in Germany as a tourist attraction and has a natural aura full of adventure stories and fantasy. Perhaps he might have thought he could sell it to one of the tourists just as I would with my own paintings of Israel. Whatever the truth, for me he survived the Holocaust through his art, and that he was certainly someone worthy of looking up to as a mentor.

 

New book decodes Israeli culture to Americans

New book decodes Israeli culture to Americans


The Jewish Ledger

By Cindy Mindell

Published: Wednesday, April 7, 2010 1:05 PM EDT















WEST HARTFORD - Jason Alster was in an Israeli movie theater when he decided to write a book. He was watching "Under the Tuscan Sun," a film version of the memoir by American writer Frances Mayes, who moves to Tuscany in search of a new life.



Alster, a Hartford native, made aliyah in 1984. "During the movie I realized that I had had similar experiences while moving to and living in a Mediterranean country," he says. "I too started anew, acclimated with the locals, and had funny and enlightening encounters with the characters I met. I became conscious that I was now really a part of this corner of the world. Couldn't I write a book about it?"



Alster moved back to the U.S. in 2007 and published "Leaving Home, Going Home, Returning Home: A Hebrew American's Sojourn in the Land of Israel" in 2009. It's a guidebook of sorts, he says, not just for Jewish readers, "but for anybody interested in learning about Israeli culture."



After earning degrees from Yeshiva University and the College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (now the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey), Alster worked in neuro-electrodiagnostics in the college's neurology department and researched sleep disorders at the New York University Medical Center.



In 1984, at age 28, he moved to Israel, where he continued his work on sleep research and eventually became an expert in biofeedback, using the technique to treat sleep disorders, psychiatric disorders, ADD/ADHD, and learning disabilities.



After 23 years in Israel - where he served in the military, married and divorced, raised two daughters, and published two books - Alster started thinking about returning to the U.S. He had a life-threatening medical issue that defied treatment in Israel. He had several creative projects that he couldn't complete there. He decided to move back to his home town. "Leaving Home, Going Home, Returning Home" traces that journey, and offers a unique perspective on what is quirky, endearing, baffling, and infuriating about Israeli culture. Alster also looks at changes in American and Israeli cultures over the last two decades. For one, he says, Israel is becoming like any other modern nation in terms of its attitude toward immigration. Natan Sharansky, director of the Jewish Agency for Israel, recently announced that the agency is changing its focus from promoting aliyah to strengthening Jewish identity. "Most people say, 'That's nice,' but they don't understand how groundbreaking that is for Israel," Alster says. "Historically and religiously, a Jew should make aliyah - the Right of Return is a very basic tenet of Israel, and in the past, Israeli officials visiting the U.S., would encourage aliyah. A couple of million Russian Jews immigrated and there is no longer room."



"When I first moved to Israel, Israelis would say, 'You're joining the cause, we're surrounded by Arabs, we need every single person,' and I felt that I was part of the spirit," Alster says. "When the Jewish Agency changed its focus, and aliyah was taken over by organizations like Nefesh b'Nefesh and Birthright, Israelis said, 'We don't want more people coming and taking our jobs. We'll give you identity but you don't have to stay.' In my last year in Israel, you could cut the feeling with a knife."



Upon his return to the U.S., what most struck Alster was the change in race relations, one factor that had led to his decision to leave in the '80s. "In the '60s and '70s when I grew up in West Hartford, there were riots and incidents and the war in Vietnam," he says. "America is quieter today and the race relations are way better, even for a Jewish person. No one mentions the difference between being Jewish or not. Growing up, friends would ask, 'Didn't the Jews kill Jesus?' and I don't hear that at all today. That's partly because Israel has more of a presence: many people have visited or worked there or know someone who has, and they admire the country. The news from Israel is not all bad and many know what's going on. When you meet an Israeli on the street here, it's like meeting a person from any other foreign country."



Another notable change is the Israeli attitude toward those who choose to leave the country, once referred to in Hebrew as "yordim," or "those who descend," equivalent to treason. The stigma has disappeared, Alster says. As for his advice to those moving to either country, or back and forth, as he has, "You have to make home and self-actualize no matter where you are," he says. "If you can do those two things, you can acclimate anywhere."

Interview with Harry Rinker's Meet The Author Show

Connecticut author Jason Alster will interview  live on WXCI's "Meet the Author" Sunday , March 28th 2010 , 9:30 to 10 AM, EST . about his book / memoir on life in Israel." Leaving Home Going Home Returning Home: A Hebrew American's Sojourn In The Land Of Israel." Hosted by Harry L. Rinker from the radio station of Western Connecticut State University in Danbury.The program steams live on the Web at wxci.com. http://clubs.wcsu.edu/wxci/sched.html
 
See More WXCI - On-Air Schedule clubs.wcsu.edu

Connecticut author Jason Alster will be interviewed live on WXCI's "Meet the Author" Thursday , March 25th 2010

 about his book / memoir on life in Israel." Leaving Home Going Home Returning Home: A Hebrew American's Sojourn In The Land Of Israel." Israel , Aliya , Zionism , an American's perspective




The program hosted by Harry L. Rinker airs Thursday mornings from 9:30 to 10 from the student-run radio station of Western Connecticut State University in Danbury.



The program steams live on the Web at wxci.com. http://clubs.wcsu.edu/wxci/sched.html

Interview with the Authors Show March 18 2010

http://www.theauthorsshow.com/