Report card time is coming up, so we’re all gearing ourselves up to put on a good show for our kids, telling them how proud we are of them. A 92 in social studies? Yes, very nice. A 95 in language? Bravo, huzzah! The “chef of the future” award in home economics? My son/daughter, the genius!
But what’s this? A 99 in – ALGEBRA!? Finally, a real academic achievement! Now the celebration can really begin! Not to take anything away from the other no-doubt essential subjects our children will undoubtedly draw …

Okay, so maybe Israelis haven’t quite gotten down the concept of “line” as we Westerners understand it, and maybe they speak at a decibel level far above what the human ear can tolerate – at a mile (sorry, kilometer!) – a minute. But they have their good points: As a group, Israelis are very honest. How do I know? All it takes is a few minutes of surfing around the new Israeli lost and found site, Ebood (http://www.ebood.co.il). If you’ve lost something, don’t give up; Ebood is a …

Kermit the frog was right It’s not easy being green – a greenhorn, that is. It’s an old-fashioned kind of word, what they used to call European immigrants to the New World 100 or so years ago. But guess what – history is repeating itself! Don’t believe me? Just listen to your kids having a mile-a-minute (sorry, kilometer a minute!) conversation in Hebrew with their Israeli friends, and see how much of it you can follow! A greenhorn, of course, is a clueless newcomer. And while many of …