Nassau Notes

Where are the Door and the Window?

2008-07-05T05:38:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Dana and I were cleaning up the floor of the house (we have cleaned the floor a number of times since then and clean it more often than every few weeks). In the process Dana could not find the spool of thread that had fallen on the floor earlier in the morning. I also was also not able to find the door and window to Ilan's Baby Einstein Puzzle Book, which he received as a gift from Batya Levi, and the elephant to his safari tractor. After vacuuming and cleaning the floor we were still unable to locate any of these items. The next day Dana found the spool of thread in its proper place, in the drawer. She asked me if I put it there, which I had not. Dana did not think that she had put it back and wondered if Ilan had possibly put it there. Later that day, after Ilan had awoken from his nap, I asked him if he knew where the door and the window from his puzzle book were. Without skipping a beat, he walked over to the sewing table, which also doubles as a television stand, lifted up the cloth covering the table and opened one of the top drawers. I looked down and there inside were the door and window to his puzzle book. I was shocked that he intentionally placed them in the drawer and that he remembered where he placed them over a day later. It also solved the mystery of how the thread was in the right drawer. Incidentally, we still have not been able to find Ilan's elephant.

Walking in the Footsteps of ...

2008-07-05T05:20:00.001-07:00

Chaco.

During our nearly five months in Israel, we have have tried to explore every region of the land. Each year thousands of tourists travel to Israel with the hopes of walking in the footsteps of Jesus. While the land has changed over the last two thousand years and there are only a couple Roman streets in the country dating back to the first century, our travels around Israel have at certainly left their mark on my feet. This picture is from over a month ago (they are even darker now). At the very least, my feet are a tribute to my Chaco sandals. I should probably send a picture of my feet into their website.

Haman's Gallows Raised Again

2008-06-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

News Flash!

Final in Euro 2008 Football Championship

Spain 1 - 0 Germany

Germany loses in a poetic defeat!

See previous post for explanation.

Football and Haman's Gallows?

2008-06-29T03:37:00.000-07:00

This evening the Euro 2008 Football Championship will take place at Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna between Germany and Spain. (For those Americans who are woefully illiterate, "soccer," is what the rest of the world refers to as "football," which is much more appropriate nomenclature, since in this sport the players actually use their feet, unlike American "football"). Yet, this stadium does not have such an honorable past. Nearly sixty-nine years ago, in September of 1939, the Gestapo imprisoned over 1,000 Jewish men in the stadium, in order to conduct racist anthropological studies on them. Of the over 1,000 men imprisoned in the stadium, only 26 survived the war; most of the prisoners were sent to Buchenwald, where they were eventually murdered by the Nazis. This horrific incident was only the beginning to the Nazi genocide of the Jewish people, in which they murdered 6 million Jews. Despite Hitler's attempt to annihilate the Jews, his Third Reich crumbled and he died the death of a coward when he killed himself in his bunker under Berlin.
The Jewish people survived the war, including my grandparents, who were both interned in Auschwitz, but the Nazi regime suffered the fate of every other nation that has risen up against Israel. Pharaoh, Babylon, Assyria, Rome, Antiochus IV and Nazi Germany have all attacked us, but only we have survived and they are forgotten, except in the annals of history. During the Persian period, Haman decided that he would destroy the Jewish people and erected gallows, in which he intended to execute his adversary, Mordechai. In the end, it was not Mordecai, but Haman, who lost his life in his own gallows.
Will Ernst Happel Stadium serve the same function for Germany as Haman's gallows did for Haman about 2500 years ago? While I don't have a habit of rooting for Spain, tonight I will be eating tapas and cheering on Spain in hopes of seeing Germany ironically suffering defeat in the same stadium the Nazis used nearly sixty-nine years ago for their racist experimentation. Although I don't think God gets involved in the outcome of sporting events (the Dodger's 20 year draught is evidence enough), I think that it would be poetic justice to see Germany lose tonight; therefore, I am rooting with the Murphy's for a Spanish victory.

*If you are interested in this period of history pick up Gershon Evan. Winds of Life: The Destinies of a Young Viennese Jew 1938-1958. CA: Ariadne Press, 1999.

Tiyulim Around Israel

2008-06-29T01:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our recent travels, obviously not all nor the most notable, since we have well over 3,000 pictures from the last few months.

Ilan handing Ima her shoe in the gate at Tel Dan.

For the significance of this event see the book of Ruth (Ruth 4:1-12) and the Jewish ceremony of Chalitzah (Tractate Yevan).

The Nassau and Vaccaro families in Acco.

Abba and son under a waterfall at Ein Gedi.

Overlooking Qumran

Ilan placing a stone on Ben Gurion's tomb, a Jewish tradition.

Ilan and Abba in a cave at Bet Guvrin.

Cave 128, the cave I helped excavate ten years ago. Bet Guvrin is one of my favorite sites in Israel, sadly many tourists miss it.

The Nassau Mishpocha at Ein Afek.

Ilan at Tel Avdat, an ancient Nabatean trading post.

Transform Our Soul

2008-06-29T01:09:00.001-07:00

The settlers of the Kinneret Courtyard, who established their community on the southern shores of the Kinneret during the Second Aliyah, believed that they had to transform the Jewish homeland by cultivating the ground. The members of this community included: A.D. Gordon, Berl Katzenelson, Ben Zion Yisraeli, Zalman Shazar, Yosef Bussel, Shmuel Dayan, Yitzhak Tabenkin, Levi Eshkol and Rachel, the poetess. I visited the courtyard on my first stay in Israel back in 1997. Since then I have been impressed by the community's statement, "We come to this country to transform the landscape by doing so we will transform our souls."

Recent Barbecue Pictures

2008-04-28T06:53:00.000-07:00

Pesach (Passover) is a time for barbecuing in Israel. Here are some pictures of our barbecue experiences this past week.

Our good friend Amir invited us over to his parent's house for a barbecue. Zion and Ruthi are great hosts.

Passing Gas

2008-04-19T05:25:00.000-07:00

The gas grill, that is.

Anyone remotely familiar with our family knows that Dana is the chef in the family. Despite her love for cooking, there are a few types of cuisine that are my domain. When I say "few," I am not trying to be modest; my small culinary repertoire includes guacamole (a staple in any Californian diet), schnitzel and barbecue. I learned to make schnitzel ten years ago when I worked in the kitchen of Hotel Ramat Rachel (a kibbutz on the southern end of Jerusalem) and currently in the process of perfecting the recipe every week for our Shabbat dinners.

I have been in charge of the barbecue since we were married nearly eight years ago. One of our first purchases after our wedding was a nice gas grill from Home Depot. Ever since then, barbecue has been one of the staple cuisines in the Nassau household. In the summer months, we usually use the grill at least twice a week. Unfortunately, when we moved to Dallas we had to leave the grill in Chicago. We had to rely upon the communal barbecues for our grilling needs, yet perfected cooking steak to the extent that on celebratory occasions we have come to prefer grilling steak at home as opposed to going out for a steak dinner. We knew that once we settle into our own home that a new grill would be one of our initial purchases.

Barbecue is very popular in Israel. It is not uncommon to make a visit to a park or anywhere there are picnic tables and find the accompanying smell of meat cooking over charcoal. Thus, when we moved to Israel, we aquired a new Israeli style grill (see picture below). Yet, Israeli grills are considerably different than their American counterparts. They are more like "hibachi" style grills and are meant to be portable. They are typically quite small and heat using charcoal, not propane. I have often considered trying a charcoal grill, but I have always used a gas grill (as do most Americans), since it is difficult to get charcoal to the right temperature and it is a longer process. Propane is just easier.

After a week of real charcoal barbecues (see Dana's blog), I can't go back to gas. While propane is easier and invites more frequent use, charcoal provides both a better flavor and a better barbecue experience. After a long and a 7 1/2 year affair, I must say "Good-bye propane." Thus, I am pleased to announce that when we return to the States, one of our first purchases will be a new "Weber Charcoal Grill."

Here are some pictures from our first attempt at grilling with charcoal, Israeli style.

Abba

2008-04-11T01:34:00.001-07:00

Ever since Ilan was born, we, Dana and I, have referred to ourselves as Ima and Abba (the Hebrew, technically Aramaic, terms for Mom and Dad). Despite our best efforts, when Ilan started talking he sporadically referred to me as either "cot" or "dada," or even "baba." A few months ago he started addressing Dana as "mommy," (soon, he applied this term to me also). Often, while we are driving, the conversation sounds something like: "Mommy!" "Yes, baby." "Cookie!!" "Mommy!" "Yes, baby." "Cookie." This dialogue can repeat for long intervals. While Dana prefers the term Ima to "mommy," I don't think she could ever get tired of hearing Ilan say "mommy." Finally, about a month ago Ilan started calling me "ABBA" (not to be confused for the Swedish rock group). A couple weeks ago when I walked in the door, Ilan exclaimed "Abba!" and, needless to say, my heart leapt. Sometimes in the morning, we can hear him talking to himself in his crib saying, "Mommy, Abba, Mommy, Abba." We turn to each other and smile.

Earlier this week we took a day trip to the northern shore of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). As we were walking around the remains of the synagogue at Kefar Nachum (Capernaum) Ilan started yelling "Abba! Abba! Abba! Abba!" I could hear the surrounding tourists (from the United States, Germany and elsewhere) comment to each other, quietly, "Abba" and then smile. There are very few things in life better than hearing your one-and-a-half year old son joyfully exclaim, "Abba!" During my last stint in Israel, I would walk around the kibbutz and hear little children call for their dads, saying, "Abba." At the time, I can remember thinking how precious the sound of a child calling for his/her "Abba."

In one episode of The Office Jim looses his most significant sale of the year, which is worth 25% of his yearly commission, to his annoying associate, Dwight Schrute. After sitting through monotonous seminars all day, Jim's love interest, Pam, falls asleep on his shoulder. Jim concludes that it was "not a bad day."

Even though we received an Israeli parking ticket later in the day, after hearing my son proclaim, "Abba! Abba! Abba!" in a crowded archeological site, I have to agree with Jim, it was "not a bad day." In fact, it was a wonderful day.

This has made me reflect upon my relationship with God, my Father. If I am pleased to hear my son address me as "Abba," then how much more is my "Father" pleased when I cry out to Him. God has given his children His Spirit and through the Spirit we are able to call out to Him as our "Abba" (Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6).

Master of the House

2008-04-10T13:24:00.000-07:00

Earlier today Dana prohibited me from editing her blog; therefore, after a long hiatus (this is an understatement), I have reinstated my own blog, in which I am master of my own domain. Inspired by Les Miserables, I should sing, "Master of the House," but Dana does not allow me to sing in the house, or anywhere in her remote vicinity (actually, Dana does not try to control when and where I can sing, even though anyone who has ever heard me sing would not fault her from completely outlawing any attempt at music). Despite the enormous lapse in time, I do have an excuse for the dormant state of this blog. Recently, I finished my thesis, graduated from seminary and moved across the country, in the midst of chasing Ilan all around the world, literally. Thus, I have had to limit my other activities. The six-fingered man correctly says, "If you don't have your health, you don't have anything." While I doubt anyone, including Dana, will care what I have to say, I have decided to start blogging a little more frequently now that my life is a little less crazy. So I have created a world in which I can make sure all Israeli cities are spelled properly, such as Zippori. Despite taking six semesters of Greek, I still prefer Hebrew names for Israeli towns, like Zippori, instead of their Hellenized counterparts, like Sepphoris. So, I am returning to my own blog, where I am "Master of My House, Keeper of the Zoo."

Proof that I have chased Ilan around the world.

The Great Physician

2006-10-23T14:13:00.000-07:00

On Thursday Ilan had an appointment with the Ear, Nose and Throat doctor, who, after looking at his vocal cords, said that they are "fully functioning" and look "completely normal." He says he can't explain why they weren't moving and are now. I think I can, though. Prayer and the hand of God. Our God is truly wonderful! He has reached out his hand and healed our son! Thank you for your prayers!!

Update on Ilan

2006-10-06T15:52:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how much Ilan has changed in his short six weeks. He is really taking in his environment and loves to stare at our books. I think the variety of colors keep him interested. His next appointment with the Ear, Nose and Throat doctor will be October 19th. At that time the doctor will place the scope down Ilan's throat to take a look at his vocal cords. Please continue to pray that there will be additional and eventually complete movement in his vocal cords.

Birth Announcement

2006-09-24T12:07:00.000-07:00

More Pics

2006-09-02T20:37:00.000-07:00

Baby Ilan

2006-09-02T20:26:00.000-07:00

The Best and Worst of Times

2006-09-02T17:20:00.000-07:00

This last week has been the most wonderful and difficult weeks of our lives. We have been on an emotional roller coaster of elation and despondency.

Ilan Joseph Nassau arrived last week on August 24th at 10:53. He weighed 8.6 lbs and was 19.25 inches long at birth. Ilan is an Israeli name meaning tree. We pray Ilan grows up to be the man who is like a tree firmly planted by the rivers of water (Psalm 1:2-3). Mom showed incredible strength and endurance during labor, giving birth without the assistance of pain relievers. Abba is so proud of both Dana and his new son Ilan.

Here is a daily recount of our roller coaster ride.

Thursday 24th - Dana spent the day in early labor. We went to the hospital around 7:00pm. Dana spent the next 3 hours or so working through some really strong contractions. A little before 10:30 Dana's water broke and she began to push for about 35 minutes. We were so excited when Ilan arrived a short time later at 10:53.

Friday 25th - We spent the day adoring our new baby and receiving visitors at the hospital. His crying was rather irregular; therefore the pediatrician had his oxygen intake monitored for a couple of hours. Although his oxygen levels were fine, she contacted an ENT to examine Ilan's breathing. We began to worry about Ilan's condition.

Saturday the 26th - The ENT came early in the morning and ran some tests on Ilan. He diagnosed Ilan as have bilateral paralysis of his vocal cords. The vocal cords have three functions. They close to create noise and keep food out of the airway. They also open to allow breathing. Since Ilan's vocal cords are paralyzed he is not able to get the amount of oxygen needed for a child to develop properly. The ENT said that Ilan will likely need a tracheotomy so that he can get enough oxygen and possible surgery in a couple years to fix his vocal cords. He wanted to run some tests to see if there might be neurological causes. The sonogram of his brain came out completely normal. Ilan spent the afternoon on the monitor for more observation. We spent the day in tears. After the monitoring our pediatrician decided to release Ilan to go home, but we would have to use a home monitor on him while he is sleeping. We actually felt relieved about it because every parent worries about their child's breathing while he/she sleeps. At least this way we would have something to alert us if he is not breathing enough.

Sunday the 27th - Ilan came home from the hospital and tried to get into a routine. We really love our little boy Ilan. We are excited to have Ilan home, but are worried about what he may have to go through in the coming months.

Monday the 28th - I began emailing and contacting anyone I knew to ask for prayer for Ilan's condition. I also continued in our preparations for Ilan's planned bris (circumcision) on Friday morning. We tried to learn whatever we could about vocal cord paralysis in infants.

Tuesday the 29th - Today all of Dallas Seminary prayed for Ilan during chapel and before the start of every class. People from around the country told us that they were praying for Ilan. In the morning we had a pediatrician visit. She told us that his cry is getting worse and instructed us to see the ENT again. That afternoon we went to the ENT"s office for a more complete examination of his throat. The ENT used a scope to look down Ilan's throat and showed us his vocal cords. It looked like the left vocal cord was twitching, which he said was more movement than on Saturday, but he wasn't sure there was actually twitching because it could have been from the other movement in the area. He recommended we have a tracheotomy done the next day. We were devastated by the news.
I had alerted people to pray for Ilan already, but at this point I contacted whoever I could to ask for fervent prayer for Ilan. The seminary continued praying for him in chapel and in classes, several churches prayed and many friends and friends of friends were fasting and praying around the country. That evening several neighbors (some of whom we had never met) came over to pray and lay hands on him. We have been truly overwhelmed and blessed by the support we have received. Yet our hearts were broken over the difficulties ahead for Ilan.

Wednesday the 30th - The whole day had a dark shadow over it. How could it not? We were praying and hoping for a miracle, but prepared for the worst. We cried more in the past week than we ever had before. We met the anethesiologist and the ENT in the recovery room and they went over what they were planning to do. The first step was to send a scope in deeper for more assesment and to see if any other part of his airway is obstructed. He would then come talk with us before performing the tracheotomy. When he came into the waiting room he said, "We're finished the examination and I think we're done for the night." We couldn't believe our ears. He said the left vocal cord is now moving. He was really surprised and doesn't believe he is immediate need of the tracheotomy. He wants to keep observing him to see how his condition changes. Amazing. We have witnessed a MIRACLE. God answered our prayers and we avoided the tracheotomy. We are not out of the woods, but there is soooo much more hope than the night before. Please continue to pray that his vocal cords will have full movement.

On Tuesday night Dana and I said to each other that we believe God can heal Ilan, but we just weren't sure if He would. Why does God heal some and not others? There are thousands of people who have prayed for this little boy and have had their faith encouraged by God's answer. I know that there are lots of people who don't have a relationship with God, but have seen Him work on our son's behalf. Both Dana and I have been changed so much by this experience. We have understand the pain of having a sick child and have seen how the community of faith can rise up to support each other when we are in need. We have understood the power of prayer and we will never be the same. We were surprised by God's goodness to us even though He has a history of amazing us with open doors and provision. Why do we doubt His benevolence toward us? He has been abundantly better to us than we deserve. Right now our hearts are filled with gratitude.
I don't think we will feel completely at ease until the Dr. says that both vocal cords are moving, but I have faith that God will continue to heal our son. Please continue to pray with us for his recovery.

We have experienced the power and importance of community. In our individualistic society I often forget the importance of community. Many people have come up to me with tears in their eyes to tell me that they are praying for Ilan. We are overwhelmed by the love we have experienced from so many people. We have also seen the power of prayer. I know that God is capable of miracles, but I don't usually expect to see them in my own life. God has answered the prayer of thousands of people.

We believe God will completely heal Ilan. Please join us in fasting and praying for Ilan's complete healing.

Inaugural Blog

2006-07-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Nassau Family blog. Mishpachah in Hebrew means family. So we have chosen "Nassau Mishpachah" as the title for our new blog site. We hope you enjoy following the progress of our Mishpachah.