Letters from Lightstone: Sites and Sounds of Israel, Part 19

Follow ZoomerMedia’s Marilyn Lightstone as she travels to Israel this summer to bring you first-hand coverage of this culturally rich country. In this dispatch, she sends a letter to Moses Znaimer.

Dear Moses,

Had you been with me as I strolled the ancient streets of Jaffa, I feel certain you would have encouraged me to go into Rachel Arbel’s shop, where all her jewellery designs incorporate bits of ancient Roman glass found during archaeological digs.

There’s a lot of this jewelry to be seen around the country, but nowhere else have I seen specimens as beautifully striking as Rachel’s.

Liat (whose picture is among the photos I’ve posted) was looking after the shop in Rachel’s absence. She was a delight and gifted me with a bottle of wine from Rachel’s vineyard. I gave it to Sunny, with the stipulation that she share it with her family at the next Shabbat dinner and raise a glass to all of her friends back in Canada.

A general note to everyone who’s fond of poking around flea markets, shops full of of bric a brac, textiles, china and furniture (which reminded me so much of my Bubby Jenny and Grandpa Jack) is to go visit soon, because the area is transforming rapidly, and trendy shops, condos and hotels are on the way.

No more to come, as I’m off to Ben Gurion Airport in the morning enroute to Toronto, and to the one I hold most dear…

Marilyn

Marilyn Lightstone is the host of the nightly radio series Nocturne on the New Classical 96.3 (a ZoomerMedia property).