Andrew W. Hilkowitz

My short visit to Warsaw

2011-08-24T17:31:00.003+02:00

Google+

2011-08-09T10:28:00.003+02:00

Have a look at Google+ !!!

Google+: gplus.to/AndrewHilkowitz

Qik - A qik snippet of my life by Andrew Hilkowitz

2011-06-21T08:05:00.001+02:00

Compare with previous similar photos.

2010-12-25T16:53:00.000+01:00

snow

2010-12-25T16:50:00.000+01:00

Here you see how our street looks like today :-(

winter

2010-12-18T18:45:00.001+01:00

here you can see the amount of snow we have in our garden:

My trip to London.

2010-10-30T18:03:00.001+02:00

what a contrast!

In our living room.

2010-09-27T13:38:00.000+02:00

Roses in our garden.

2010-06-13T14:39:00.001+02:00

Camera: Motorola Milestone (Droid), arranged with Google Picasa.

SPRING

2010-03-17T08:25:00.000+01:00

It seems spring is arriving in time.

Jesus knows you're here ;-)

2010-01-31T19:55:00.003+01:00

A burglar broke into a house one night. He shone his flashlight
around, looking for valuables when a voice in the dark said,

'Jesus knows you're here.'

He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his flashlight off, and froze.

When he heard nothing more , after a bit, he shook his head and continued.

Just as he pulled the stereo out so he could disconnect the wires, clear
as a bell he heard

'Jesus is watching you.'

Freaked out, he shined his light around frantically, looking for the
source of the voice.

Finally, in the corner of the room, his flashlight beam came to rest on a parrot.

'Did you say that?' he hissed at the parrot.

'Yep', the parrot confessed, then squawked, 'I'm just trying to warn you that he is watching you.'

The burglar relaxed. 'Warn me, huh? Who in the world are you?'

'Moses,' replied the bird.

'Moses?' the burglar laughed. 'What kind of people would name a bird Moses?'

'The kind of people that would name a Rottweiler Jesus.'

SNOW:

2010-01-12T14:40:00.002+01:00

Here you can see the amount of snow we have in our garden.

without words.

2010-01-09T15:09:00.000+01:00

For my German readers

2010-01-09T10:05:00.000+01:00

Dieses Inserat erschien vor einigen Tagen in einer der Pforzheimer Lokalzeitungen! Ob der gute Mann wohl einen passenden Job gefunden hat?

A long due update!

2010-01-06T17:35:00.002+01:00

A few days ago I joined Twitter. Today I received a tweet from a friend whom, most likely, I have never seen in real life. He is my friend on Facebook and we are also connected via Twitter. And here is what his tweet says: "Little Reminder for the esteemed @ AndrewWolfgang: Do blog something! :-)" I take this as a nice hint. BTW, I enjoy reading his blog and tweets every day and I must say that he has a sense of humor which I like very much and therefore I smile a lot when reading his postings. Tomorrow we will, if weather conditions permit, go to my daughter to Ingolstadt. In the picture you can see what we will bring. The biscuits are from Lidl and the mobile phones are all in good condition but I stopped using them because now I have a Milestone (European version of the Droid). My daughter wanted to buy a new cellular but I don't think it is necessary in this case. My brother in law also needs a new phone urgently but my daughter will choose hers first. On Friday evening we will be back and on Sunday I go to the New Year's reception of the city of Pforzheim. My wife cannot come, unfortunately, as she will be busy with her students.

Vacation in Israel.

2009-10-04T17:40:00.003+02:00

I just noticed that I haven't blogged for a long time. In the meantime, we have been to Israel for a few days and we have a new mayor in Pforzheim!

The summer seems to be over but we still have very nice weather.

Maybe I'll find a few good photos of our trip. If so, I will post them.

I have more news. Since a few weeks I have a small netbook: Dell Vostro A90. A fantastic little computer without a noisy fan or better, without a fan at all! Instead of a spinning hard drive it has a SSD (solid state disc) - so it is completely quiet (provided the speakers are turned off). I work a lot with this little device.

The end of May 2009

2009-05-31T15:46:00.001+02:00

Part of our small garden. Click picture to enlarge.

Lingo weekend

2009-05-23T18:48:00.002+02:00

DIS wknd I M aloN az my Yf went 2 Munich 2 attend a corS 2geder w her students. I hav 2 tAk cAR of d dogs whch isnt dat EZ az I M 7k & shud stA n bed.

Lingo I am sick.

2009-05-21T10:40:00.003+02:00

finalE I got 7k & nw I M confined 2 bed. Hopefully by d wknd I wiL fEl BetA. My Yf had, I gueS, d sAm infection & it lstD 4 bout 2 wkz.

Lingo and weather in Pforzheim 2.

2009-05-20T07:32:00.002+02:00

wel, we had orsum wx W lots of sunshyn 1ly intrrptd 2 or 3 tyms W a slyt rain bt W realy huJ raindrops. I got slightly sunburned n d face. mnE ppl attended n we had a gud tym n plenty of grilld beef. d plce chosen wz phat. alrdy lukin fwd 2 r nxt BBQ d cmng yr!

Lingo and weather in Pforzheim.

2009-05-14T19:28:00.000+02:00

d wx hre n Pforzheim duznt seem 2 improve realy. We had scheduled BBQ 4 Sunday. We jst hav2 w8 n C hw d meteorological situ develops. lets hope 4t bst.

Weather in Pforzheim

2009-04-26T13:19:00.000+02:00

Not too bad after all.

Weather

2009-04-20T10:28:00.000+02:00

Actually the weather is slightly better, fortunately!

Weather in Pforzheim

2009-04-18T15:47:00.000+02:00

This definitely is not the weather we hoped to have here!

My wife Sandra as a little girl.

2009-04-14T16:33:00.000+02:00

Here Sandra is about 5 1/2 years old.

Time for a new photo.

2009-04-12T11:47:00.000+02:00

Joram, Sandra, Mikey.

P E A C E !!!

2009-01-14T14:05:00.000+01:00

Peace, Shalom, Salam!

2008-12-26T12:10:00.000+01:00

I do hope, this organisation will be of some help!

Dog

2008-09-12T14:21:00.000+02:00

On the right you can see the biggest dog I have seen so far. Is it a fake?

Seychelles 2008

2008-08-30T17:10:00.001+02:00

Here are some photos we took during our vacation. Click to enlarge!

Holidays

2008-08-07T07:44:00.004+02:00

We will be away for a few days. On the left you can see where we go. We have not been there for 25 years. I will post original photos when we are back (by the end of August).

Uups, I forgot this one!

2008-07-13T07:26:00.002+02:00

This photo was taken on February 10th 2008 on the occasion of Sandra's birthday celebration. I just forgot to upload it - so I do it now. Please excuse the delay. Comments welcome!

Marouan

2008-07-04T20:11:00.000+02:00

My 2nd grandson about a month old.

Sandra resting with dogs!

2008-06-07T19:39:00.002+02:00

All three are very exhausted from a hard days work. At least one can think so. From left to right: My wife, a guest dog (Samuel) and our dog Mikey.

My daughter with my grandson.

2008-05-31T18:09:00.000+02:00

Marouan is now one month old and weights above 5 kg!

My new and 2nd grandson

2008-05-21T18:48:00.000+02:00

Marouan Mael was born on April 27th 2008. You see him here, 1 day old, together with his sister Anouk Naima.

Joram Levin

2008-05-07T20:32:00.001+02:00

My grandson! This picture was taken by a professional photographer. He came to Joram’s Kindergarten and took photos from all the children.

2008-04-26T07:39:00.001+02:00

Here you see Joram Levin, my grandson, with his first girlfriend, Helena.

A "Stolperstein" for my great-grandaunt from my mother's side

2008-04-21T15:34:00.003+02:00

GUNTER DEMNIG, Cologne, Northrhine–Westfalia

Nominated by Johanna Neumann, Silver Spring, MD Gunter Demnig first catches your eye, then your thoughts. Although the Cologne artist’s stolpersteine (stumbling blocks) are neatly paved into the sidewalk, they force passers-by to stop and read them. “Here lived” begins the inscriptions engraved in brass on the concrete squares measuring about four inches—on each side, just the name, date, and place of death of an individual killed by the Nazis. But this basic information about the fate of one person among 6 million has the power to create questions in the minds of pedestrians.
“The stumbling blocks become reminders and voices; they call out, ‘Every human being has a name,’” says Miriam Gillis-Carlebach, daughter of Hamburg’s last rabbi, who had stones paved for family members deported from that city. Demnig has placed stumbling blocks in about 277 cities, towns, and villages throughout Germany; there are more than 12.500 so far. What he began in 1993 is becoming the largest monument to the victims of National Socialism; it is a constantly expanding mosaic. “It is for all the victims,” says Demnig, “Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, and resistance fighters.”
The monument is being built with the help of numerous local initiatives. Not only do relatives and descendants of victims contact Demnig; schools, associations, and other groups apply for official permission to add blocks, as well. At Max-Planck Elementary School in Berlin, a class started one of many projects inspired by Deming. To prepare for the installation of the stumbling blocks, students researched archives, talked with historians, and interviewed survivors and their families to learn about that time. “Behind the facts, there are numerous fates and tragedies that can touch you and make history come alive,” explains teacher Christoph Hummel.
Sometimes, however, Demnig’s idea provokes opposition. Cities such as Munich and Leipzig don’t allow the stones, and there are homeowners who try to avoid them in front of their doors. But that can’t stop the project. “It has become an avalanche: Every day we have requests for stumbling blocks”, says Uta Franke, Demnig’s partner who has meanwhile taken over the project’s organization and documentation. “In many cities, towns and even villages, just the idea to set a stone starts a new wave of discussion and research about the Nazi past.”
Demnig, who was born in Berlin, has always provoked public interest as a political artist. In 1990, he marked in chalk the route taken by Cologne’s gypsies when they were deported in 1940. When he retraced the signs three years later, the reaction of an older woman gave him the idea for the stumbling stone project. “There were no gypsies in our neighbourhood,” Demnig says she told him. “She just didn’t know that they had been her neighbours, and I wanted to change that.”
He designed his stolpersteine to bring back the names of Holocaust victims to where they had lived; in his opinion, existing memorials have failed to do that. “Once a year, some official lays a wreath, but the average citizen can avoid the site very easily,” he explains. For the first six years of his project, Demnig had to be unrelenting because officials and bureaucracies put their own stumbling blocks in his way, but his persistent attitude kept him going. “You just have to do it, and then you can achieve more than you imagined,” he says.
Today, the artist is seldom in his Cologne studio, where he both lives and works among his art and stumbling blocks waiting to be finished. He spends much of his time on the road, installing stones and lecturing about them. “He is a tireless worker; he stretches the limits with this project,” says Uta Franke. American Johanna J. Neuman had a stumbling block paved for her step-grandmother, who was deported. “Until the stolperstein for her was embedded in Berlin, there was no place that reminded anyone of her,” she says. “Now when I go to Berlin, I have a place to ... see her name.”
There is a waiting list until winter 2008 to install stumbling blocks, and an effort is under way to bring the stones to other European cities. Demnig is thinking about getting help with the installations, but he wants to continue producing them himself. “It must not become a factory,” says Demnig, who still tears up when he talks about his experiences with Holocaust survivors. “I know I can’t do six million stones, but if I can inspire a discussion with just one, something very important has been achieved.”

Joram with two of his many cousins

2008-03-25T08:37:00.000+01:00

My grandson Joram has many many cousins. I do not know how many. So here you see Joram in the middle with two of his cousins.

My mother

2008-03-20T21:19:00.000+01:00

And here is my mother, 34.095 days old and still smiling!

my granddaughter

2008-03-20T21:15:00.000+01:00

Here is my granddaughter Anouk, 1.686 days old (yesterday)

SheshBesh in Pforzheim

2008-03-12T15:09:00.000+01:00

SheshBesh
The Arab-Jewish Ensemble
Under the auspices of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra

SheshBesh brings together Jewish musicians of the first ranks of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra with some of the finest musicians from the Arab Christian and Muslim communities in northern Israel. It was founded in 1996 , and has later become part of "key Note", the educational program of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

Their onstage presence and their music reflect their belief that the language of music may bind the hearts and build a real bridge between peoples. Musically they create a unique multi-cultural environment by playing music of the middle-east, classical music and original compositions.
Some of SheshBesh concerts also feature guest singer Haya Samir.

The Ensemble has already performed to great acclaim at the "92 Y" Series in New York, the “Strings of Autumn” Festival in Prague, the Tanglewood Festival, on a special concert for the Alliance for Religion and Conservation in New York, at the Museum of Islamic Art in Jerusalem, Einav concert hall in Tel Aviv, Zemplen music festival, Hungary, the Jezre'el Valley Music Festival, and at the Biennale for Contemporary Music, Tel Aviv.

The Arab-Jewish ensemble appears regularly in schools as part of the Key Note Program both in the classroom, and in concerts for school children. The IPO has commissioned the work “Ode to Happiness” by Gil Shochat to feature SheshBesh as a solo ensemble in a series of concerts for 4000 school children at the Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv.
For its vision and dedication in Israeli-Arabic relations.SheshBesh won the Tolerance Prize of the European Cultural Forum in 2006.

Our visitor.

2007-12-29T16:49:00.000+01:00

To the left you can see our visitor; his name is Samuel or just Samy. He was imported from Spain and now lives in Pforzheim. He seems to be a Podenco ibicenco. He will stay with us for a fortnight. To the right you see our own dog. He is also something very special and was born in Jerusalem. Will this be my last posting this year?

Birthday 2007

2007-12-26T07:40:00.000+01:00

Here you can see the nicest birthday card I received this year. Yes, now I am 66 years old. (and a few days).

MY MOTHER

2007-12-07T21:48:00.000+01:00

Here is my mother in her 94th year. Picture taken about two weeks ago.

Family

2007-08-19T15:15:00.000+02:00

These two pictures were taken about ten days ago when my daughter and grand daughter visited us here in Pforzheim.

Not Purim!

2007-04-26T17:41:00.000+02:00

Yes, this is me. The photo was taken a few weeks ago at our Synagogue in Pforzheim, Germany.

Snow

2007-01-26T19:55:00.000+01:00

We do have a lot of snow, about 40 cm and it is better now to use public transport. I prefer to stay at home.

My first posting this year.

2007-01-07T18:04:00.000+01:00

This is my son Jascha who now lives in Freiburg, Germany. This photo was taken about half a year ago. In the background you can see the lake of Constance.

Autumn in Pforzheim

2006-11-22T11:19:00.000+01:00

Another picture taken from our top floor.

Autumn

2006-10-28T08:55:00.000+02:00

This photo was taken near my home.

What is this?

2006-09-18T15:03:00.000+02:00

Unbelievable!

2006-08-22T15:03:00.000+02:00

Again an optical illusion.

2006-08-21T13:12:00.000+02:00

One of my frequent Blog-visitors sent me a huge amount of optical illusions. During the next weeks I will post some of them. And don't forget: Click on the picture to enlarge!

Here are some more pictures.

2006-06-22T07:11:00.000+02:00

My grandson Joram a few days ago in Italy.

2006-06-22T07:06:00.000+02:00

You are editor's pick.
http://jaschahilkowitz.textamerica.com/?r=5001518&go=ep.mail
Hello... This is a little note to let you know that you've been selected as an editors pick for your moblog named "JaschaHilkowitz". You may view it on the front page of textamerica.com.

Yesterday evening. A view from my home.

2006-05-23T12:45:00.000+02:00

SCHACHNE family

2006-05-22T20:35:00.000+02:00

In my "Please visit these Links:" - section I have added two links today. Please take a look at them and if you know a "Schachne" let me know please. From left to right: Isi Schachne, my mother age 91 !!! Ilse Schachne (maiden name)(now Ilse Weber) and myself.

G U R S

2006-05-08T07:35:00.000+02:00

Please see:

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005298

Laughing cook.

2006-04-23T18:33:00.000+02:00

2006-04-16T16:25:00.000+02:00

This is my grandson on a short visit to Pforzheim. Those pictures were taken when he was exactly 665 days old.

Google Related Links

2006-04-04T12:42:00.000+02:00

Today I have added Google Related Links. You will find it if you scroll down to the very bottom.

Another optical illusion!

2006-03-30T16:18:00.000+02:00

Today I found another optical illusion which is absolutely fascinating. The distance from A to B is the same as from C to D. You don't believe it, do you. Just measure it and you will be surprised. Click on the picture to enlarge!

Animal of the day

2006-03-15T16:08:00.000+01:00

Please notice that I have added "Animal of the day" which you will find further down on the right, close to the counter.

Winter or spring?

2006-03-04T13:16:00.000+01:00

Spring or winter?

2006-03-04T13:14:00.000+01:00

No signs of spring!

2006-03-04T13:10:00.000+01:00

Spring should arrive in about 3 weeks. Doesn't look like it, does it?

Unbelievable: A dog on a skateboard !!! A MUST SEE !!!

2006-02-25T15:41:00.000+01:00

If you want to see a dog skating, the only thing you have to do, is to scroll down to the very bottom of this page. There you will find a Google Video. Just click to start the player and enjoy yourself!

Daisy

2006-02-19T08:59:00.000+01:00

about 12 weeks old back in 1969; my first dog.

My grandson Joram Levin 608 days old

2006-02-17T07:36:00.000+01:00

My grandson Joram Levin 597 days old.

2006-02-06T07:52:00.000+01:00

My wife with one of our dogs.

2006-01-31T17:10:00.000+01:00

Here is my wife Sandra with one of our dogs, a Jerushalmi (a very special breed).

OPENING CEREMONY OF OUR SYNAGOGUE

2006-01-19T07:26:00.000+01:00

I received several e-mails and phone calls where people asked why I didn't publish a photo of myself taken during the opening ceremony. OK, here is one.

OPENING CEREMONY OF THE NEW SYNAGOGUE IN PFORZHEIM, GERMANY

2006-01-18T07:40:00.000+01:00

My wife took this picture on January 15th, 2006 during the opening ceremony of our new Synagogue in Pforzheim. The speaker you see here is the former chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Israel Meir Lau who just came to Pforzheim to attend this great day with us. There were about 900 guests from all over the world.

Snow with different birds.

2006-01-07T08:07:00.000+01:00

This zoo is only about 500 meters away from our home; no admission fee! One of the advantages of living in Pforzheim, Germany.

These are the same Kangaroos.

2006-01-07T07:58:00.000+01:00

If you have any doubts - the white stuff you see on the picture - yes it is snow. I am not sure, the Kangaroos like that. Temperatures are slightly below freezing point!

Two more Kangaroos!

2006-01-07T07:55:00.000+01:00

And the bird in the front: Where does it come from and how is it called?

Yesterday we walked to our nearby zoo and discovered a

2006-01-07T07:52:00.000+01:00

KANGAROO !

2006-01-05T21:25:00.000+01:00

Some of you might know where this picture was taken.

Our guest!

2006-01-04T19:46:00.000+01:00

He will stay with us for a few days.

winter has arrived!

2005-12-30T11:00:00.000+01:00

winter has arrived!

2005-12-30T10:59:00.001+01:00

winter has arrived!

2005-12-30T10:59:00.000+01:00

winter has arrived!

2005-12-30T10:57:00.000+01:00

Entrance To Our New Synagogue

2005-12-23T19:44:00.000+01:00

Today I took this snapshot of the entrance to our new Synagogue which will be officialy opened next year in January.

My birthday was yesterday!

2005-12-23T11:35:00.000+01:00

Here is one of my birthday cards I received.

This is how I had to work today!

2005-12-14T20:03:00.000+01:00

The backlighting on my notebook is gone! This is why I have to use an external monitor which I borrowed from my wife. Today I was shopping for a new Toshiba notebook here in Pforzheim but they were all sold out. I could have bought a Samsung but I didn't. Not that Toshiba is any better - I don't really know. But here in Pforzheim is an authorized Toshiba repair center and that makes the difference! By the time you have finished your coffee, the notebook is repaired. Hopefully this will happen tomorrow! BTW, the notebook is 4 years old. Time for a change.

Frappr!

2005-12-11T16:14:00.000+01:00

Today I have added Frappr!

Create a map for your group. Share Group Photos. Get others to add themselves. It's easy and fun!

NeoCOUNTER

2005-12-10T08:35:00.000+01:00

My NeoCounter indicates that my page had more than 10.000 visitors since May 9th 2005 from 85 different countries. This is an average of nearly 50 visitors per day. Quite a few visitors have left comments.

Another video talk.

2005-11-18T17:51:00.000+01:00

I installed it yesterday. You can download the software at http://sony.glowpoint.com/ It is free. In case you have no partner to videotalk to, here is my video number: 2437007309 I speak English, German and Hebrew.

REICHSKRISTALLNACHT

2005-11-09T07:49:00.000+01:00

Photo taken on November 10th, 1938 (by Feuerstein). The original is kept in the Pforzheim archives.

REICHSKRISTALLNACHT

2005-11-09T07:39:00.000+01:00

Here is a photo of the Synagogue, it was one of the nicest buildings in Pforzheim.

REICHSKRISTALLNACHT

2005-11-09T07:23:00.000+01:00

I am posting this picture today, 67 years after "Reichskristallnacht". This is a drawing of the Synagogue which was built in 1892 in Pforzheim. In 1938 the authorities declared that this building was due for demolition and forced the Jewish congregation to carry this out!

Opening ceremony of Jewish Culture Weeks Stuttgart

2005-11-08T07:34:00.000+01:00

Yesterday evening I attended the opening ceremony of Jewish Culture Weeks Stuttgart. The main event was a discussion about "40 years German-Israeli relations". On the photo you can see from left to right:
Prof. Dr. Michael Wolffsohn, University of the German Army, Ulrich Sahm, a German journalist living in Jerusalem and well known in Germany as he frequently appears on TV, Asher Ben-Natan, the first Israeli ambassador in Germany and Dr. Kurt-Jürgen Maaß, Institute for foreign relations, Stuttgart.

No words.

2005-11-04T16:21:00.000+01:00

No words.

2005-11-04T16:19:00.000+01:00

No words.

2005-11-04T16:16:00.000+01:00

Dogs in our home.

2005-11-02T14:36:00.000+01:00

The dog in the front is our guest dog. He is going to stay with us for about two weeks. He is a Podengo from Spain and nearly two years old.

The two dogs in the back are my wife's own dogs. The one on the right is also from Spain and a very good mixture of all kind of breeds which we are unable to identify. She is 15 years old. The dog on the left is about 8 years old and we only know that he was found in Jerusalem as a puppy.

The picture, unfortunately isn't the best quality. It was taken with a camera which is built into my mobile phone.

Has anyone of you got a Podengo?

Gurs

2005-10-20T10:21:00.000+02:00

I will be away for a few days and in case somebody is interested to know where I go, here is a link:

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005298