Open Search form

Nesanel Yoel Safran

Apply for a Blog

Jul 5, 2018, 8:05 AM

Cats and Stripes Forever

I guess I’ve become more Israeli than I thought, at least when it comes to cats. Here, by and large they are denizens of dumpsters, living paw to mouth, lean, mean…and everywhere. They’re perceived (especially by kids) as a...

Jul 2, 2018, 10:18 PM

Israeli summers are not like American summers. First of all, they’re about six months long (if you go according to temperature), which I suppose is a good thing, as the official summer months, largely falling under the shadow of the...

Jun 26, 2018, 9:59 PM

Growing up in mainstream suburban America, I can hardly think of a ‘dirtier’ word back then than censorship. It was the height of the cold war, and censoring was something that ‘bad’ countries like the USSR did and good countries...

Jun 18, 2018, 3:20 AM

Addiction is a skin disease

Addiction is a skin disease. I bet you never heard that one before. But it’s true. Let me explain. I was once at a communal bathhouse that had three pools to choose from. The first is unheated (not very popular, but used),...

Jun 13, 2018, 1:16 AM

Yemen Yearnings

As far as I know, I’m Ashkenazi through and through; Dad’s family hailing from Polish Galicia and Mom’s, a”h from Latvia. So there’s nothing in my lineage to account for the strong, natural draw I feel for all things...

Jun 6, 2018, 11:57 AM

Growing up I was never a big fan of Jewish food, to say the least. We ate strictly Red, White, and Blue: steak, chicken, hamburgers, and hotdogs. Sometimes Mom would stretch it with lasagna or ersatz-Chinese pepper steak if...

Jun 5, 2018, 11:12 AM

Suspended Judgement

Kabbalat Shabbat in Safed… Kabbalat Shabbat is Safed. It’s where, in the times of the Arizal, the weekly Shabbat-arrival ceremony as we know it originated. So I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me that it was Kabbalat Shabbat in Safed, during our recent...

Load more

About Me

Nesanel Yoel Safran, US born and a graduate of Brandeis, now living with his wife and family in the Judean Hills, is a writer, chef, and a teacher/student of Jewish spirituality. He blends these assorted vocations on his blog, Soul Foodie, where you can join him on mystical cooking adventures and glean practical wisdom for the kitchen — and for living.