Archive | 2011 | December | 21

Israeli DJ Tomer G has been named in the top 3 best DJ’s by national French TV channel TF1′s music show “Toute la Musique”. The music remixer/producer is joined by successful world renowned Dj’s Bob Sinclar and fellow Jew David Guetta, all from France, where Tomer G is signed under Heben Music label, distributed worldwide by Warner Music Group.

Tomer G has already made a name for, remixing big pop stars (Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears), and reaching no. 1 on the US Billboard Dance Charts with his club remix of Kat DeLuna’s hit “Whine Up”. He is scheduled to release his first solo album in Europe soon, while his current effort, a remix of White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” (YouTube link below), was chosen as the official anthem for the French soccer team to the upcoming UEFA European Football Championship in Poland and Ukraine.

Watch a clip from the TF1 show, but be advised to brush up on your French before

Source: Abbanibi.com

Scott re-discovers his Jewish roots… leads to a Kardashian Shabbath Dinner…. Is an Israel trip next ?

Happy Hanukkah! In honor of Hanukkah, I’m posting one traditional recipe per day during the holiday, which starts today and ends December 28. I’m kicking off our eight days of recipes with this yum looking challah bread.

When I was a wee girl at Hebrew school…that’s right, Hebrew school three times a week and Friday night services once a month, I remember the greatest challah bread ever…we made it ourselves, all the little people! It was in the Bay Area, so maybe that’s why the bread was so good (water thing). But I have never met a challah since that was as good as the Temple Beth Jacob challah in San Mateo.

I am curious if this one would be nearly as good…I look forward to hearing what you all think of it!

Vegan Challah

Ingredients

•       1 small yam, about 5 to 6 ounces
•       3 cups water
•       1 teaspoon salt
•       4 to 5 tablespoons brown rice syrup, divided
•       2 tablespoons baking yeast
•       6 to 7 cups unbleached white flour
•       Canola or olive oil
•       Non-dairy margarine or vegetable spray
•       1/4 cup water
•       Poppy seeds or sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Peel yam and dice. Boil in water and simmer until soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and place into blender with 2 cups of cooking water and blend for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add remaining cooking water if needed, or sufficient cold water, to make a total of 2-1/2 cups of liquid. Alternatively, bake yam in microwave for 5 minutes, then peel and puree with water to yield 2-1/2 cups of liquid.
2. In a large mixing bowl, place puree, salt, and 3 to 4 tablespoon brown rice syrup. Mix ingredients and allow to cool until slightly warm. Add the yeast, stir, and let soften for 10 minutes.
3. Stir in flour, one cup at a time, until the mixing spoon moves the mass of dough in one lump. Spread 1/2 cup of flour over your work surface, and empty mixing bowl onto the floured surface. Sprinkle a little flour on the dough, and knead it in.
4. Continue kneading dough, sprinkling only enough flour on the board to prevent sticking. After about 10 minutes, the dough should be smooth, bouncy, and elastic. It should spring back when you press it down.
5. Let dough rest for a minute or two while you scrape out and oil the mixing bowl with 1 to 2 tablespoons canola or olive oil. Knead dough again for 2 to 3 minutes. Place dough in oiled bowl and turn dough so the top is oiled. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and keep warm until dough doubles in bulk (1 to 2 hours).
6. To braid the challah, flour your work surface again, and divide half the dough into 3 equal pieces. Using both hands, squeeze each piece into a rope 1 inch thick and 12 inches long. Roll out each rope so you have 3 ropes about 15 inches long. Place the three ropes side by side on your work surface and pinch the three ropes together at one end. Starting from this pinched end, braid the three ropes together. When the braiding is complete, seal the braid by pinching the ends together. Place the braided challah in the center of one of the greased cookie sheets.
7. To coil the challah, press down the remaining dough and squeeze into a rope about 15 inches long. Then roll it into a rope about 24 inches long. Take one end as the starting point, and coil the rest of the rope around it, so that it resembles a snail. Tuck the end of the rope under the coil, and place the challah in the center of the remaining greased cookie sheet.
8. Set cookie sheets in a warm spot, cover the braided and coiled loaves with a light cloth or paper towel, and allow to rise for 30 to 40 minutes.
9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix 1 tablespoon of brown rice syrup with 1/4 cup water to make a glaze. Using a soft pastry brush or the edge of a folded paper towel, paint the surface of the challah loaves with the glaze. Sprinkle the glazed surfaces with sesame seeds or poppy seeds. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets at once and set loaves on a rack to cool. When ready to serve, break apart the bread by hand and enjoy!

If you try this recipe, let me know how it goes! Next up is homemade applesauce, so be sure to check back tomorrow! How are you celebrating Hanukkah?

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US audiences were first to be introduced to Meital Dohan as Yael Hoffman on Showtime’s TV hit ‘Weeds,’ and as a guest star in ‘The Sopranos,’ and since then she’s added to her resume the TV series ‘Woke Up Dead,’ TV movie ‘Monogomay’ with co-stars Rashida Jones (‘Parks and Rec.’) and Chris Messina (‘Damages’)and more.

On stage, Meital recently co-starred as Abby with John Ventimiglia (The Sopranos) in the Off-Broadway and LA productions of Anthony Neilson’s play “Stitching,” which is now being developed into a feature film directed by Bernard Rose (Candy Man). Meital was described as “Extremely Gorgeous…” by the New York Times and “breathtaking” by Variety Magazine. Meital (pronounced “Mey-tål”) was born Meital Dohan in Tel Aviv.

Now the actress is turning pop singer, as she caught the attention of mega hip-hop producer Che Pope (Lauren Hill, Eminem, Dr. Dre) and they began to record her debut album “I’m In Hate With Love”, including such tracks as “Get to the Point” and “Nobody’s Got Time for Love”. Meital’s first release is the single “Yummy Boyz”. The track has been described as a “sexy, sassy electro-pop romp” along with the recently completed video that can best be described as… well, see for yourself.”

This week, Meital will be taking a step forward and will go on stage for the first time as a popstar. She’ll perform her debut single, ‘Yummy Boyz’ at the West Hollywood bar ‘Eleven.’ The performance is a special collaboration with Grindr, one of the biggest gay dating websites/apps, which is using Meital’s song as their theme song for a month. Doors for Fresh Fridays open at 10pm and they have a $5 cover.

Source: Abbanibi.com

(Sarah McBride) – Immigrants founded or cofounded almost half of 50 top venture-backed companies in the United States, a new study shows, underscoring some of the high stakes in potential immigration reform.

The venture capital community argues the study, completed by research group National Foundation for American Policy, proves the need to overhaul rules governing how entrepreneurs can immigrate to the United States to spur job development.

“It’s a gamble whether an entrepreneur should stay or leave right now, and that’s not how the immigration system should work,” said Mark Heesen, president of the National Venture Capital Association, on a call with reporters. “What we need is legislation that helps these entrepreneurs from outside the United States.”

Of the 50 top venture-backed companies, 23 had at least one immigrant founder, the study found. In addition, 37 of the 50 companies employed at least one immigrant in a key management position such as chief technology officer.

Companies with immigrant founders include some of Silicon Valley’s hot start-ups, such as textbook-rental service Chegg, founded by Indian Aayush Phumbhra and Briton Osman Rashid; online craft marketplace Etsy, founded by Swiss Haim Schoppik; and Web publisher Glam Media, founded by Indians Samir Arora and Raj Narayan.

The countries that supplied the most founders included India, Israel, Canada, Iran and New Zealand, the study found, and the immigrant-founded companies created an average of 150 jobs.

The study looked at the top 50 venture-backed companies as measured by research firm VentureSource, based on factors such as company growth and the amount of capital raised. VentureSource considered only companies valued at less than $1 billion.

Young companies and their backers say the rules are too cumbersome and encourage non-U.S. citizens to launch start-up businesses elsewhere, or bog down companies in red tape if they commit to basing in the United States.

One obstacle to the loosening of immigration rules for entrepreneurs is a tendency in Congress to consider legal and illegal immigration jointly, Heesen said. Because illegal-immigration issues are so divisive, he said, overall immigration reform has bogged down.

The NFAP identified bills pending in the House of Representatives and the Senate that would help through measures such as lowering the amount of capital an entrepreneur has to raise before being eligible for an immigrant visa.

(Source: http://www.nfap.com/pdf/NFAPPolicyBriefImmigrantFoundersandKeyPersonnelinAmericasTopVentureFundedCompanies.pdf )

Source: Reuters

13,000 people have annual subscriptions to the service, costing NIS 240 for city residents and NIS 280 for non-residents.

The number of people using Tel Aviv’s bicycle rental service is greater than anticipated and the rate of vandalism is much lower than expected, said Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai at a press conference on Tuesday, where he pronounced the program, inaugurated seven months ago, a success.

Some 13,000 people have purchased an annual subscription to the service, which costs NIS 240 for city residents and NIS 280 for non-residents.

Every day, about 5,500 bikes are rented at the city’s 141 rental stations, about half of which are in the city center.

The city announced on Tuesday that it was going to offer daily and weekly subscriptions, which would serve mainly tourists, at a cost of NIS 16 and NIS 60 respectively.

People will be able to use their credit card to purchase the daily and weekly subscriptions at the rental stations, whereas annual subscribers have to purchase an electronic chip either at the municipality or on the website of the bike provider, Tel Ofan.

Compared to other cities worldwide the cost of bike rental in Tel Aviv is not the highest, but is also certainly not the lowest; the weekly rental cost is relatively high. In London, a 24-hour rental costs the equivalent of NIS 5.90, but in Washington D.C. it costs the equivalent of NIS 26.50.

The director general of the Tel Aviv Economic Development Authority, Sharon Keren, said that demand had been high for daily rentals over the past two weeks’ pilot program. He said the delay in offering daily and weekly rental options had been due to technical difficulties in the rental system. “Daily subscribers are much more sensitive to problems than yearly subscribers. You come once, and if it doesn’t work, it’s a 100-percent failure. But for an annual subscriber, a problem [with the rental system] once in two weeks is not the end of the world,” he said.

Keren said they wanted to open 50 more rental stations in more outlying neighborhoods and focuses of high demand, such as the courthouse area, Florentine and the beach promenade.

Another possibility under discussion is free parking for Tel Ofan subscribers at the Ganei Yehoshua and nearby parking lots, encouraging commuters to leave their cars at the city’s outskirts.

The Tel Aviv Economic Development Authority is in talks with the municipalities of Ramat Gan and Herzliya to expand the project to those cities. The municipality of Givatayim is moving ahead on a separate project to rent electric bikes.

Source: Haaretz.com

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