Good evening from Ra'anana Israel. It has been a busy few months but I am going to cover a variety of topics - not necessarily as much focused on politics or Israeli legal developments as some of my more recent blogs. Instead, perhaps a few other stories that might interest you. Of course, I will probably stick some discussion of Israeli politics in here but I'm starting a bit differently. Here goes.
1. Milk Revolution
Most interestingly, it has been certified as Kosher and Pareve (Neither dairy nor meat) by the highest levels of Kashruth authorities in Israel and by the OU in the U.S.
For those who keep kosher - and would like a cappuccino or other traditionally dairy dessert after a meat meal, the options until now have included products made with soy, coconut, almonds or rice. (Maybe there are others as well). But this is now a game changer. Since it looks, tastes and acts like regular milk, you can now have a regular cappuccino after a meat meal - or cheeses can be made with this product. Or many other traditionally dairy desserts.
In Israel, for example, most wedding halls are strictly Kosher and most are designated as having meat kitchens. After a wedding meal, you can usually get a cappuccino made using one of the milks I have mentioned above - soy, coconut, almond, rice etc., But these usually have their own unique taste and are not nearly the same as milk. (Which is fine because we are used to having these rules in place).
But now - you will be able to order a cappuccino that will pretty much look and taste like a regular cappuccino.
That's just one small mention of the uses of this new milk but if it takes off, it will probably spread like wildfire in the observant Jewish community. It is probably not Kosher for Passover (made from yeast) and is apparently nut free and lactose free. And of course no cows are required. Sales just began in October 2025.
I bought a container of it this week and I intend to try it. I'll have to report back.
2. Sports News
I know some of you roll your eyes when you get to the sports section of my blog (if it is included) but it is usually connected in some way to the theme of the blog. So bear with me.
A. Olympics
Israel has sent a delegation of 9 athletes to the 2026 Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, competing in five different sports. Israel has two skiers (alpine skiing), 4 bobsledders (a men's team), 1 cross-country skier, 1 figure skater and 1 brave soul competing in the "skeleton."
Israel's bobsled team reported that their apartment in the Olympic village was burglarized on February 7th. Their suitcases, shoes, equipment and passports were stolen. The robbery is being investigated by Italian police.
Not sure whether Israel has a chance at any medals but it is nice to see some representation.
There are also at least 8 other Jewish (non-Israeli) athletes participating including Aerin Frankel, the Team USA women's hockey goaltender, Avital Carroll, a mogul skier representing Austria, Emery Lehman, a speed skater from the U.S., Jack Hughes, Quinn Hughes and Jeremy Swayman, all hockey players for the U.S. men's team, and Korey Dropkin, a curler for the U.S. Yes, there are Jewish curlers.
There may be others but those are the names I have been able to find.
Here in Israel, there are at least 4 different cable networks (sports channels) showing Olympics night and day - including the various hockey games. I watched the Canadian women secure their first victory and we are all set to see them face off against the Czech team tonight. I am really looking forward to the Canadian "dream team" hitting the ice later this week - the Canadian men's hockey team - truly an amazing chance to see Canada's best hockey players all on one team.
B. Super Bowl
Congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks on their Superbowl win over the New England Patriots. It was not the most exciting game ever though the Seattle defence was incredible. I watched it on an Israeli sports channel which featured Israeli commentators using all sorts of funny lines. My favourite was (In English with a thick Israeli accent) "the New England Patriots offence is very offensive tonight..."
Here we watched the game starting at 1:30 a.m., after seeing the Green Day kick off show at 1 a.m. I think bed time was around 5:30 a.m. after watching the final ceremonies etc.,
Can't say that I loved the Bad Bunny half-time show, though I have read some interesting articles about everything that was referenced and can appreciate that much thought was put into it even if it wasn't my type of music. For me, it was probably more enjoyable than the previous year's Kendrick Lamar show though there was also quite a bit of thought put into that performance - even if the music genre wasn't my thing. I had no interest in watching the Turning Point alternative half-time show. I'll leave it at that.
Once the Olympics end, I get a bunch of free time for other pursuits - unless I become an avid March Madness college basketball fan - though that is looking fairly unlikely as of now. By mid to late April, hockey playoffs will start and that is one of my favourite things to watch and can be all consuming until mid-June.
3. Flights To and From Israel
As you may know, Air Canada resumed its direct flights to Israel from Toronto and I have been taking advantage of that. The prices have been okay though they have not been filling up the planes - perhaps because of the uncertainty as to whether Air Canada will continue to fly. Having a direct flight is terrific, especially after not having any direct flights available during the war and before that during Covid.
El Al was apparently considering adding a range of new cities - some were hoping that would include Toronto. But instead, El Al announced a number of new direct destinations from Israel - Hanoi, Manila and Seoul and a number of others - but still no Toronto.
Meanwhile, Air Canada completely revamped its Aeroplan program effective January 1, 2026, to focus almost exclusively on money spent with Air Canada rather than miles travelled. This is a terrible change for long distance "commuters" who were able to pick up lots of Aeroplan miles at a fairly reasonable cost. Now, the more you spend, the more Aeroplan points you get and that is just about it.
To give you an example, I was flying "Flex" between Toronto and Tel-Aviv, which meant earning 5,750 each way or 11,500 for a round trip in 2025. In addition, "Super Elite" members would get a bonus of another 5,750 each way, while 75K status members would get 4,312. This means that for a round trip up to December 31, 2025, I was earning a total of about 23,000 Aeroplan miles for one round trip to Israel.
I flew back in January, from Toronto to Tel Aviv, in flex and I earned a total (including bonuses) of 4,875 (instead of 11,500 including bonuses).
So for flyers like me, the program represents a massive devaluation.
On the other hand, if you go to Israel from Toronto 4 times a year and you buy business class tickets, let's say at $8,000 Canadian per round trip ticket, you would make Super Elite and enjoy all of the benefits that entails.
4. Stuart Razin Z"L
I recently lost a good friend, teacher, mentor (and avid blog reader of mine). Stuart Razin z"l passed away on January 17th.
Stuart had served as the Executive Director of Beth Tikvah Synagogue in Toronto where had played a key role in overseeing the growth of Beth Tikvah into a 1000+ member shul.
Before taking on the Executive Director role, he had served as the Principal of the school and had run the Hebrew High School program. I had the privilege of studying Holocaust literature with him.
I also worked with him as a Board Member of the shul while he was the Executive Director. One of the most memorable events that we worked on together was a fundraising concert where the great Israeli singer Chava Alberstein came to perform at Beth Tikvah.
Stuart and his late first wife Marsha Razin z"l made Aliyah to Israel, where their three children lived (or were in the process of moving to). Marsha was a wonderful and engaging teacher. Stuart and Marsha shared a wonderful life together for many years. After Marsha died, Stuart remarried to Jennifer. Stuart was tragically predeceased by his son Gideon 2019. Stuart will be missed by his large extended family of children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and so many people who loved him.
Over the years, Stuart and I spoke regularly. He attended at our family simchas and we would get together with him regularly.
Stuart was always up to date on the latest current events. He took an active interest in Israeli, American and Canadian politics and loved to speak for hours about the latest developments. He would regularly read this blog and then call or write to me to discuss things that I wrote.
While at Beth Tikvah, Stuart had been known for his amazing memory and his attention to each and every one of the members. He took a keen interest in people. He would ask about each family member, how they were doing, what they were up to - and then he would remember all of the information and keep it updated. He genuinely cared about each and every one of the people with whom he interacted.
For me and my family, he was always a pleasure to speak to, and always had interesting things to say and principled points of view. He was a true mensch and someone who I will dearly miss.
5. Israel - Latest News
I do not have too much too write this time - not because of a lack of topics - but more in the interest of keeping this blog to a reasonable length. Instead I will quickly mention a few things:
A. Iran
We continue to wait to see what the U.S. will do and whether it will attack Iran, either to harm Iran's nuclear ambitions, to damage Iran's missile program or to try to foment regime change in Iran. There has been lots of rhetoric, lots of threats and lots of speculation. An attack on Iran may well draw Israel into a war and we may face large barrages of missile attacks. Whether this will occur or not is unclear - and probably depends as much as anything on which side of the bed President Trump wakes up on any given day. Israelis seem to be relatively relaxed about it, all things considered, but it is a real powder keg that could go off any day.
B. Gaza
There continues to be a great deal of uncertainty as to how Gaza will be governed going forward, whether Hamas will disarm, whether there will be further rounds of intense fighting - and what, if anything, the U.S. and the international community will do to affect things in Gaza. Frankly, I have no idea where this is all headed but I am hoping that there will be some level of stability for Gaza and in the whole region.
C. Syria
With U.S. involvement, some progress seems to be taking place with Syria. For example, the Syrian government this week announced that it would restore a synagogue in Aleppo and permit or even encourage free Jewish worship there. If that is the start of a genuine change - we might even be able to visit Damascus in my lifetime (and perhaps Beirut). Let's not get ahead of ourselves, but anything is possible and these are really amazing developments.
D. Netanyahu's Trial
Prime Minister Netanyahu's trial continues to plug along. He is involved in several "fronts" to try to get out of it - including a possible plea bargain deal, a request for a pardon from the President of Israel (including recruiting Trump to pressure the President of Israel) and the possibility of a legislated end to the trial (which would probably never get passed the Israeli Supreme Court). The clock is ticking for Bibi and I believe he is hoping to get this all resolved before Israel's elections - scheduled to take place later this year. For Bibi trial watchers, this should be a really interesting period of time.
E. Israeli Elections
Israel will have an election this year before the end of October 2026. Some new parties are still in the process of amalgamating, registering or redefining themselves. We will probably not have the final list of competing parties and configurations until much closer to the election date. However, the polls are now predicting a fairly close race - with Prime Minister Netanyahu still having a reasonable shot at winning once again, much to the chagrin of his many detractors. Israeli politics promises to be super interesting over the coming months.
Okay these were all of the things I planned to cover for now. I will probably write a few much more political blogs in the coming months - as Israeli elections approach. For now, let's all enjoying the remaining month or so of winter and get ready for Purim which takes place starting on March 2, 2026 in the evening. Here in Ra'anana it is about 22C during the day. While I was in Toronto, we enjoyed a few days of -24C weather - which meant a 46C spread from one place to the other. That's a very big shift in temperature.
So to those of you in North America - it's "stay warm" and to those here in Israel - it's "enjoy the weather" (even though Israelis are upset that it is not yet warm enough to swim in the Mediterranean - though that can change as soon as early March).
Best regards to all - and for the most part, based on those reading this - stay warm!
