Israel Space Week - Free Events!

Israel Space Week is going on now! From Jan 28 - Feb 6, 2018, the Israel Space Agency has lots of free events scheduled, but they didn't post them on their English language website.

So here's the rundown of what is going on:
(My apologies if an event or two was left off this list, and my apologies if any events that require advance registration are already closed.)

Jan 28 - Feb 1 (multi-day - choose a day to go!)

Israel Space Academy 2018 
for ages 7-14, and their families
16:00 - 20:30
"Eretz Israel" Museum, Ramat Aviv, 03-5114070
Advance Registration Required

Jan 28-30 (multi day event)

The 13th International Space Conference in Memory of Ilan Ramon
Advance Registration Required.
In English
Jan 28 is an introductory workshop offsite
The conference (Jan 29-30) will take place at Tel Aviv Univ.

Jan 28:

Looking Upwards - in Arabic
For the whole family
FREE
18:30 -22:00
Taibe
For more information, call 09-7996672

"An Out-of-this-World Evening" 
program for all, in Hebrew
16:00-22:00
The Meyerhoff Youth Science Center, Hebrew U. Givat Ram Campus
Free, no registration required

Jan 28-29

"Looking Upwards"
 program for the whole family 
IN ARABIC
17:00 - 22:00  on Jan 28
18:00 - 21:00 on Jan 29
AlkaSami College, Baka-al-Garbiyye
Free. 

Jan 29

"Science Between the Stars"
Davidson Institute, Rechovot
4pm-10pm

Lectures for the Charedi Community
for women and girls only 4-6pm
for men and boys only 7-9pm
in Jerusalem at the Minhal Kehilati Eshkolot
Magen HaElef 3, Jerusalem

Jan 30

"Journey to Another Planet"
for all
17:00 - 21:00
You-niversity, in Nahariya
(Zemenhoff 10)

"Journey to the Stars"
Family-friendly
16:00 -22:00
Blumfield Science Museum, Jerusalem

Free and open to the public

"Looking Upwards"
program for the whole family
19:00 - 22:00
Mitzpe Givatayim

Free. For more info: 03-5731152

In the Neighborhood of Our Solar System
Technoda, Hadera
8:00pm - 9:30pm
Ages 10+
Free

Jan 31

"Journey Between the Stars"
ages 4-14 yrs, and their parents
16:30 - 22:00
MadaTech in Haifa
Free and Open to the Public

The 7th Annual Ramon Conference for Space Education
For Educators
Advance Registration Required
2:30-7:30pm
Bar Ilan University

Workshops at Planetanya
ages 11+
18:30 - 22:00
Netanya. For more information and to register: 09-7485760
Registration Required

"Looking Upwards" - A Journey through the Heavens
Family-friendly
16:00 - 20:00

Ilan Ramon Youth Physics Center, Ben Gurion University

Annual Event Honoring Col. Ilan Ramon and the STS-107 Crew and Assaf Ramon

12:45pm

W.A. Minkoff Senate Hall, BGU Marcus Family Campus, Beer-Sheva

Following the conference, the public is invited to the Ilan Ramon Youth Physics Center

for further activities and telescopic observations, starting at 4:00 p.m.

Feb 1

Online Lecture for Students:
"How to Survive an Alien Attack"
12:30-1:15pm
More info from the Ministry of Education

"Who wants to go to Space?"
for ages 7+ 
17:00 - 22:00
Park Carasso
Be'er Sheva

Looking Upwards
The Ilan Ramon Druze Space Center
For the whole family
19:00 -22:00
Yarka

04-956-6220

To be [Space Explorers] - or not to Be
Ort Braude College in Carmiel
Snunit 51
Ages 7-14
17:00 - 22:00 

Free and Open to the Public

Online Lecture 
The Journey to Mars
12:30 - 13:15
In Arabic, for students in grades 9-12

Advance Registration Required

Online Lecture
Evolution of the universe and Star Formation
11:00 -11:45am
In Hebrew, for students in grades 4-6

Advance Registration Required


Happy Space Learning! Enjoy!

Discounts: Attractions/Activities/Entertainment

(This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission when you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!) 

I love being able to bring you the best of Groupon's deals - some of these you definitely don't want to miss!

Sometimes, the best way to get from Point A to Point B is with a car - and that's why car rentals are awesome for people who don't own one! I'm really happy to tell you that Groupon has brought back the Budget Car Rental Discount - as low as 77nis per day! Some things to keep in mind: these vouchers must be used by March 22, 2018. You can buy up to 14 of them and use them consecutively to customize your rental period (use for rentals between 1 and 14 days at a time). Includes up to 99 km/day.  Additional kilometers will be charged extra. Pick up and return at the airport will incur additional fees. Pick up or drop off in Eilat will also incur additional fees. No refunds on unused Groupons if you have to end your rental contract early.

Click here for Restaurant Deals -- if you're going out, do it the smart way and buy a discount voucher first!

Planning a Day Out? Check out these deals (Vouchers vary from slight discounts to 50% off or more!):

Jumping/Trampoline Parks:

• Ra'anana My Jump
• Haifa My Jump 
• Ashdod 2Jump 
• Netanya 2Jump 
• Netanya Sukariyot Koftzot 
• Kiryat Bialik The White Pool 
• Flip Up Pardesiya

Petting Zoos/Zoos/Botanical Gardens

• Deganya Petting Zoo
• Agam Chai Yiron
• Ein Gedi Botanical Gardens

Bowling:

• Chutzot Hamifratz (Haifa)                 
• Be'er Sheva 
• Beit Shemesh  
• Herzliya  
• Kiryat Ono 
• Modiin  
• Netanya 
• Jerusalem  
• Ashkelon  
• Be'er Sheva (Big)
• Ra'anana (combo ticket at MyJump)

Virtual Reality Games:

•  Ashkelon 
• Atlit
• Ramat Yishai 
• Eilat 
• Migdal Ha'Emek 
• Herzliya Flight Simulator

Laser Tag and similar:

• Cinema City Glilot 
• Ra'anana Laser Street
• Haifa
• Airsoft (Eilat)

Art Workshops:

• Pottery (Kfar Saba)
• Pottery (Kfar Saba) 
• Face Painting (Ramat Gan) 
• Paint Pub (Tel Aviv)
• Paint Date (Tel Aviv)
• Sculpture (Tel Aviv)
• Mosaics (Gesher HaZiv) 
• Mosaics (Karkur) 
• Glass Mosaics (Jerusalem)
• Ceramics (Tel Aviv)

Escape Rooms:

• The Syrian Spy or The Enchanted Treasure (Eilat)
• Brainscape - The Catacomb (Petach Tikvah)
• Ex Room - Artificial Intelligence (Tel Aviv)
• Ex Room (SAW) (Tel Aviv)
• Out of the Box (TA)
• Paradox Escape Zone (Tel Aviv) 
• Jerusalem Treasure (Ramat Gan)
• Security Breach (Petach Tikvah) 
• Stargate (Jerusalem) 
• The Black Pearl (Haifa) 
• The Imitator (Haifa) 
• Escape Zone (Rishon) 
• The Da Vinci Secret (Rishon)
• Baker Street (Rishon)
• Rescue Team (child-friendly) (Rishon) 
• Escape Zone (Rechovot)
• Houdini (Tel Aviv)

Get 10% off when you use code "Kosherfrugal" at the Maimonides Puzzle Room in Tiberias

Karaoke

• Ashdod
• Netanya
• Beer Sheva
• Rishon

Ice Skating 

• Maalot 
• Eilat

Museums

• Marzipan Museum (Kfar Tavor)

I'll add more deals to the Groupon Facebook group as I find them! See you there!

Food Recall - Ground Beef

Of Yerushalayim and the Ministry of Health have announced a recall of the following product:

Brand: Maadanei HaGalil
Product: Frozen Ground Beef
Size: 500g
Barcode: 7290003415090
Production Date: 19-12-2017
Expiration date: 19-2-2018

The product is being recalled because tests showed it may be contaminated with Salmonella.

If you have purchased this product DO NOT EAT IT. You may return it to the store where purchased to obtain a refund.

Please call Maadanei HaGalil Customer Service at 03-735-7100 with any questions or concerns.

Food Recall - Frozen Kebabs

Of Yerushalayim and the Ministry of Health have announced a recall of the following product:

Brand: OF Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Poultry)
Product: Frozen Chicken Kebabs, made of spiced ground chicken and vegetarian protein
Size: 500g
Production Date: 28-11-17
Expiration date: 28-1-18






The product is being recalled because tests showed it may be contaminated with Salmonella.

If you have purchased this product DO NOT EAT IT. You may return it to the store where purchased to obtain a refund.

Please call Of Yerushalayim Customer Service at 02-585-2336 with any questions or concerns.

Orlah Fruits - Update for Shvat 5778

This post is a follow up to the Kashrut for New Olim post. If you haven't seen it yet, please check it out -- there's important information there! 

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES in Israel - Specific Kashrut Issues

Unlike in other parts of the world, in Israel, fruits and vegetables are NOT automatically "kosher" - here we need to make sure that they are not "orlah" fruits (harvested during a tree's first 3 yrs, with other rules applying to year 4) and that trumot and ma'asrot have been taken (from both fruits and vegetables). 

If you shop at a market that doesn't have an ishur kashrut (kosher certification) on their produce, you'll need to investigate these issues further, if you are interested in adhering to the halachot of the Land of Israel OR if you regularly host people who assume the food in your home is kosher! I must say that it's important to familarize yourself with these special halachot, as they are part of keeping kosher in Israel! (If you say you keep Kosher in Israel, everyone assumes that you have taken care of these issues; and if you don't, then you may be unwittingly putting someone in a situation they don't want to be in!) 

It's definitely possible to take trumot and maasrot on your own (I do it often), so vegetables are easiest to buy without a teudah, as that is all you need to do (and very often, it would be without a bracha). Some of the fruits on the market may be ok to purchase even from a non-certified establishment and just take trumot and maasrot, because of the extremely low percentage of orlah fruits being sold, but those lists change frequently, so you'll constantly need to stay up-to-date.

Other fruits can be a problem, because of a high possibility that they are orlah (from the first 3 yrs after the tree was planted). I have recently begun to post a monthly update on my website, with a list of the fruits where the percentage of orlah fruits on the open market is greater than 0.5%. These fruits should only be bought from a reputable source that does not sell orlah fruits (i.e. a place with a teudah):

ORLAH Update for Shvat 5778

Fruits to AVOID buying without a teudah:

• Avocado - Ettinger variety, Haas variety, and one similar to Ettinger called Ruti
• Blueberries
• Lemon
• Lime
• Papaya
• Prickly Pear (Sabra Fruit)
• Starfruit
• Passionfruit
• Clementines - Murcott variety, Hadas Variety, and Tami variety
• Valencia Oranges

Please be sure to speak with your personal Halachic Authority about purchasing fruit in Israel without a teudah. Not everyone holds by the 0.5% threshold. This information is just for informational purposes and is not a halachic psak! Even if you follow a psak that relies on the 0.5% threshold, you still must take trumot and maasrot on all produce grown in Israel (or be sure it has been taken), in order to fulfill your halachic obligations.

Also, be aware that this list does NOT apply to fruit grown by an individual. If your friend has a fruit tree, you'll need to find out how old it is! 

I hope you find this helpful! Please follow my Facebook page and don't miss out on updates and other posts!

Food Recall - Shufersal Frozen Vegetables

Today's recall is due to Listeria contamination:

Brand: Shufersal Brand
Product Name: Frozen Peas & Carrots 
Size: 800g
Barcode: 7296073224907
Expiration Date: 01/2020
Manufactured by: Ardo (Belgium)
Batch Code: L267211A11


Consumers who have purchased this product are instructed NOT TO USE IT. Return it to the store for a refund!

Please direct any questions to Shufersal Customer Service at 1-800-68-68-68

Ma'anak Avodah - What you need to know!

Maybe you've heard about this already, and maybe this is new information for you. There is a reverse-tax benefit in Israel for low-income families. It's called the "Maanak Avodah" or "Working Grant". The point of this grant is to put more money in your pocket if you earn less than a certain amount of money!

Please don't miss out on this if you qualify - apply as soon as possible in order to avoid disappointment later. It won't take much of your time to apply, and you can do it now, BEFORE YOU FORGET! Right now, you can apply for the 2016 grant AND for the 2017 grant. The application deadline is supposed to be November 30 of each year, but the system is currently still accepting late applications for the 2016 fiscal year.
  
Updated information for the 2017 grant: 
Who can apply for this grant?

You can apply for this grant if: 

1. You were employed or self employed
 
2. You were 23 years of age or older, with minor children, or 55 years of age or above, without minor children
 
3. You did not own more than 50% of a property or rights to a property in the 2016 tax year, other than your primary residence
 
4. If you have one or two children, or are age 55+ without children, and your average monthly income falls between 2,060 and 6,126 you may be eligible for this grant. If you are a single parent of 1-2 children (with custody of your minor children), average monthly income must fall between 1,270 and 9,400 NIS
 
5. If you have 3 or more children, and your average monthly income falls between 2,060 NIS and 6,736 NIS, you may be eligible for this grant. If you are a single parent of 3 or more children (with custody), you may qualify if your income is between 1,270 and 11,474 NIS per month.

How do you apply? 

Online, if you have applied at least once in the last TWO years.

If you have not applied in the last 2 years, all you have to do is go to the post office and answer a few questions. BE SURE to bring your teudat zehut (ID card) and either your checkbook or an "ishur" from your bank that you have an account with them. Please keep any paperwork you receive at the post office and/or in the mail. 

If you have questions after you've applied, or to check the status of your application, you can call *4954 or 1-222-4954 or 02-565-6400 to speak with the Tax Authority. 

How much can you expect to receive? 

The amount you receive will vary depending on your circumstances, and if you qualify, will vary from 20 shekels/month to 720 shekels/month (240 shekels yearly to 8,640 shekels yearly). (These amounts are based upon older information, and I'll update when the exact amounts for this year are published.)

Your spouse's income may affect your eligibility, as may various other factors.

I hope this helps some of you out there! It's worth it to check if you are eligible.

Please share this information with your friends and family who may benefit from it!

Smoked Salmon Recall!

There's been another smoked salmon recall you should know about!

Here are the details of the recall:


Company: Shamir Salads
Name of the Product: Frozen Sliced Smoked Salmon Fillet 
Package Sizes: 100g
Production Date: 19 November 2017
Expiration Date: 18 May 2018

The product is being recalled because it tested positive for Listeria contamination.

If you have purchased a product affected by this recall, DO NOT USE IT.

If you have purchased this product, please contact the company at 03-555-6666 to arrange for a refund

Be sure to share this post with anyone who may have purchased this product!

Follow me on Facebook to stay up to date with recalls and other information!

Subsidized Eye Exams and Glasses!

Residents of Northern Israel - it's back! Here's another chance to get a really affordable eye exam and glasses!

This week - Wednesday, January 17, 2018, and Thursday, January 18, 2018 - you have another chance to get subsidized eye exams and glasses, this time in Karmiel. You'll be able to get a pair of glasses - frames + lenses for just 100 shekels or brand name sunglasses for 50 shekels! There is an option to have this fee waived in case of need, just ask at the event.

The event will take place at Pitchon Lev, Rechov HaLevona 1, Karmiel. Eye exams are available both days from 10am - 7pm. 

Please bring your glasses if you just need new glasses with the same prescription as your old ones, OR if you have a written script for your new prescription, bring that in order to save time. If you don't have an up-to-date prescription, you can have an eye exam done there, but there may be a line.

You'll be able to get a pair of glasses (standard frames + standard lenses!) for just 100 shekels! Specialty lenses are subsidized on a different scale (multifocals, for example, will cost 600nis and transition lenses for most prescriptions will cost 300nis - still a really awesome deal! My high index lenses cost an extra 200nis, the cost varies by exactly what you need), and some frames are a bit more expensive, but still affordable. Subsidies are available - ask the person in charge if you cannot afford the 100 shekel fee.

Please note: Glasses are not made on the spot. You will receive a text message when they are ready to be picked up, at the same place where you order them.

Hope this helps some of you out there! There's been a lot of discussion about the cost of glasses lately.

Be sure not to miss out on more ways to save money - find me on Facebook! 

I'm sure there will be similar programs in other towns - please let me know if you know of any!

P.S. I am not affiliated with the organizations sponsoring this or any similar events. I was not compensated to post this information. I received a press release, and have passed this information on as a public service. 

18 Ways to Save in Israel in 2018

People are always looking for more ways to save money - we all would rather spend our money on the things that are important to us! If we're not careful, though, we often spend too much money just keeping up with life! This is the year to get things in order so you can spend less money on the less important things, and get more out of life! So today I'm sharing some of my favorite tips for reducing your expenses so 2018 will be all around great!

1. Call your phone company, cable company, internet provider, and insurance companies (as applicable) to negotiate better rates. You can often save a lot just by asking for a lower rate!

2. Make sure your water company knows how many people live in your home (the more people you have living there, the more water you can use at the lower tariff) - update them when you have a change in family circumstances, or when you move.

3. Check that you are getting any Arnona discounts you may be eligible for.

4. Always shop with a list and a budget, and stick to it. Don't spend more than you've allotted for whatever it is, be it food, shoes, clothing, or whatever. If you must spend more than you planned, you'll need to compensate by cutting back somewhere else, or you quickly fall into the overspending trap! The easiest way to be sure you don't spend more than you budgeted is to pay in cash and don't use a credit card. If you don't like to carry cash, you will need to be super disciplined with your credit card purchases!

5. Only buy items you really need. If you see something and think you need it, don't buy it right away. Go home and really think it over. If it really is something that will improve your life or save you money, go back and buy it (after doing some comparison shopping. Sometimes those gadgets are much less expensive online, from stores like aliexpress (see my online shopping guide for more ways to shop online). You can also get help finding a great deal in the Groupon Israel's Best Deals Facebook group!

6. Cook your own food. Stop buying food - whether it's restaurant food, takeout food, or frozen prepared food, it's almost always more cost effective to cook a simple meal. (Need a recipe? I've got lots of recipes for you!) Save eating out for special occasions only!

7. Buy secondhand whenever possible. Turn this into a source of pride, not shame. Secondhand purchases do a lot to save energy and resources. Convince yourself (and your kids) that this will do a world of good. (**Even better - scavenge or dumpster dive if you are up for it! We have scavenged many perfectly good and useful items over the years!)

8. Accept hand me downs. People give things away all the time - much of it is still perfectly useful. Join your local "freeswap" style group to connect with others!

9. Walk or ride a bike to get around whenever possible. Gas is EXPENSIVE in this country. Walking is free. Sure, that means a little more time and possibly carrying some heavy items home when doing errands, but it saves a ton that whenever I do things locally, I walk! And it ensures we get moving, too! 

10. Use the library instead of buying books. Or go to book swaps! (If you're local to me, there's a book swap shelf outside my house - feel free to use it!)

11. Don't pay for TV access. It's just not worth it when you can almost always stream your favorite shows online!

12. Take short showers! If you can shower Israeli style, turning the water on only to get wet and then rinse off, you'll really lower your water consumption.

13. Drink water. If your water has an unpleasant taste, get a simple filtration system, like a Brita pitcher. No need for a pricey, water wasting reverse osmosis system. We also like to add orange or lemon slices to our water in order to enhance the taste! It's easy and really inexpensive (especially if you or a neighbor has a citrus tree)!

14. Find free alternatives to expensive "needs". My computer was dying. I abandoned Windows and gave my computer a new lease on life by installing Linux.

15. Make homemade cleaning solutions instead of buying pricey bottles of cleaner. Not only will this save you money, it will save you from exposure to questionable chemicals used in many commercial cleaning products. (I use baking soda, vinegar, and simple soaps or natural detergents to do most of my cleaning. I add essential oils for fragrance purposes)

16. Learn to cut your kids' hair. This will really save you a lot, especially if you have a whole crew of kids! If you're brave enough, swap hair cutting with a friend, too, so you can save on your own haircuts as well!

17. Use low-energy lightbulbs. Swap out older style lightbulbs with LED bulbs when you need to replace them. I recommend you choose "warm white" instead of regular white - it's easier on the eyes.

18. Keep your mazgan filters clean - cleaning them regularly will keep your mazgan working more efficiently, and will save money on your heating and cooling bills!

There are lots of other everyday ways to save money, so please share your favorite tips in the comments!

Discount Entertainment!

(This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission when you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!) 

I love being able to bring you the best of Groupon's deals - some of these you definitely don't want to miss!

Sometimes, the best way to get from Point A to Point B is with a car - and that's why car rentals are awesome for people who don't own one! I'm really happy to tell you that Groupon has brought back the Budget Car Rental Discount - as low as 77nis per day! Some things to keep in mind: these vouchers must be used by March 22, 2018. You can buy up to 14 of them and use them consecutively to customize your rental period (use for rentals between 1 and 14 days at a time). Includes up to 99 km/day.  Additional kilometers will be charged extra. Pick up and return at the airport will incur additional fees. Pick up or drop off in Eilat will also incur additional fees. No refunds on unused Groupons if you have to end your rental contract early.

Click here for Restaurant Deals -- if you're going out, do it the smart way and buy a discount voucher first!

Planning a Day Out? Check out these deals (Vouchers vary from slight discounts to 50% off or more!):


Bowling - Chutzot Hamifratz (Haifa)
                 Be'er Sheva / Beit Shemesh / Herzliya / Kiryat Ono 
               Modiin / Netanya / Jerusalem / Ashkelon
                         Be'er Sheva (Big)

Virtual Reality Games - Ashkelon / Ramat Yishai / Eilat / Migdal Ha'Emek 

Laser Tag - Cinema City Glilot / Haifa / 

Escape Rooms -- Brainscape (Petach Tikvah) / Ex Room (SAW) (Tel Aviv) / Out of the Box (TA) / Paradox Escape Zone (Tel Aviv) / Jerusalem Treasure (Ramat Gan) / Security Breach (Petach Tikvah) / Stargate (Jerusalem) / The Black Pearl (Haifa) / The Imitator (Haifa) / Terror Cell (Kiryat Motzkin) / Escape Zone (Rishon) / The Da Vinci Secret (Rishon) / Baker Street (Rishon) / Rescue Team (child-friendly) (Rishon) / Escape Zone (Rechovot) / Houdini (Tel Aviv)

Get 10% off when you use code "Kosherfrugal" at the Maimonides Puzzle Room in Tiberias

Escapeland in Haifa - This is a maze game, in the dark. Be warned there is no light. Reservations required. Use the Groupon by the end of January.

Ice Skating - Maalot 

I'll add more deals to the Groupon Facebook group as I find them! See you there!