APRIL IS THE CRUELEST MONTH

Well, no it isn't so very cruel, but it seemed nice to continue the monthly theme of these entries with a literary reference. Having said that, April has proved to be packed full of 'realities'.

We returned home from the UK all pleased with ourselves only to be quickly confronted by more pragmatic issues that we had put on hold before we left (bills, landlords etc). Included in this was the fact that we need to find a new flat by early May, with Pesach in the middle of the month - and everything effectively shuts down for Pesach in Israel. Haunted by our memories of flat-hunting experiences from last year, we have hardly been filled with enthusiasm for this project (even more so since we have recently been informed that with the approach of Pesach and then the summer, Tel Aviv landlords have pushed prices up further in a valiant attempt to meet public expectations of their greed).

Despite pressure from a range of quarters to move to Jerusalem, we have chosen to stay in Tel Aviv and have, more recently, settled on Florentin or, at a push, north Yafo. So far, we have found a few places of interest but continue to juggle the unpredictable conditions of the flat-hunting experience in Israel.

Meanwhile Pesach is approaching and there is now no way that I can avoid the associated cleaning frenzy (try as I might). A lack of organisation together with the fact that we live in a country where even the atheists have a seder with their families, means it looks like we are going to have a Pesach seder just for two. The thought is a little grim, but there is time yet to fix this (we hope)!

On a more positive note, I have finally created something I have been thinking about putting together for a while: a website offering free advice to freelance Jewish eductators and entertainers on how to promote themselves. It comes in response to the increasing number of people who have asked me for advice on how to establish themselves or increase their activities in the market of Jewish education. The website, Tikshoret, is still only in its infancy, but I am very enthusiastic about it. It also corresponds with the fact that I have taken on another client (other than David, of course) who wishes to increase their profile in the world of Jewish education.