Finally I Did It!

I was off blogging and networking for more than a month.
As it was cleared up - I am not Napoleon. I can't do several things in the same time.
And I was really very busy! I made a revolution in my sites.

From now my main site Alloccasion-clipart.com offers free clipart!
Free clipart is available in transparent .gif format ready for WEB.
Each clip art piece leads to a series of products, enhanced with this image.
Still the Vector Clipart Store is also on-line for those who need printable images.


GaliGifts.com presents both: a variety of products enhanced with my original graphics, and digital portraits and caricatures as a most original idea for personalized gifts, greeting cards and invitations.
I have lots of new sections in my Gifts Shop, such as “Graduation Gifts”, “Gifts for Father’s Day”, “Gifts for new Brothers and sisters”, “Corporative gifts” and much more! And I continue to add sections and designs.
Available products include: T-shirts and other clothing for children and adults; mugs and steins; mouse pads; bibs; tot bags; wall clocks; tile boxes; stationery and much more!

My on-line gallery is also accessible from this site.
Yael’s and my portfolios remained in the section About Us.

My Guest Book invites friends and everyone to write review of my sites, my artwork and simply for free chatting.

My blog Gali News from now will be concentrated more on my new products and images since all my other sites have direct connection with it.

The Holiday of Spring & Freedom.

You know, the Passover is one of the main Jewish festivals, and it is especially important for those, who came from the former Soviet Union. "Let my people go!" - was the slogan of Moses in Egypt and of Soviet dissidents, fighting for human rights of Jewish people. Now we live in our own and free country.
Each Passover eve we gather with the family and friends to recover the story of the great exodus. For the year 2006, the first night of Passover will be April 12th.
Passover is the 8 day observance commemorating the freedom and exodus of the Israelites (Jewish slaves) from Egypt during the reign of the Pharaoh Ramses II.

A time of family gatherings and lavish meals called Seders, the story of Passover is retold through the reading of the Haggadah. With its special foods, songs, and customs, the Seder is the focal point of the Passover celebration.

Leading up to the first night of Passover, the home is cleaned and cleared of all yeast foods, called hametz. The important thing in this tradition is that the home is simply cleaned towards the upcoming spring.

The Passover legend and traditions.
About 3000 years ago the Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptians under the rule of the Pharaoh Ramses II.

According to the Book of Exodus - Moses, a simple Jewish shepherd, was instructed by the Lord to go to the pharaoh and demand the freedom of his people At first Moses' plea of let my people go was ignored. Moses warned the Pharaoh that G-d would send severe punishments to the people of Egypt if the Israelites were not freed. Again the Pharaoh ignored Moses' request of freedom. In response G-d unleashed a series of 10 terrible plagues on the people of Egypt.
The holiday’s name - Pesach, meaning "passing over" or "protection" in Hebrew, is derived from the instructions given to Moses by G-d. To protect themselves, the Israelites were told to mark their dwellings with lamb’s blood so that G-d could identify and "pass over" their home.
When the Pharaoh finally agreed to freedom, the Israelites fled through the desert. They would quickly bake the dough in the hot sun into hard crackers called matzohs. Today to commemorate this event, Jews eat matzoh in place of bread during Passover.

The rules surrounding Passover are strict and many, with only special foods, utensils, and dishware allowed.
The centerpiece of the Seder table is the Seder plate, a special plate containing the 5 foods that remind us of the struggle of the Israelites in their quest and journey to freedom.
During the Seder 4 glasses of wine are poured to represent the 4 stages of the exodus.
At the Seder the Haggadah, the Book of Exodus, is read and the history celebrated with its stories, songs and prayers.
It’s a beautiful custom that people bring gifts one to another during Passover celebration. You are welcome to see unique gifts, incensed with my own graphics, which I have prepared to this festival.

Yael's Jerusalem Drawings

Here are two of Yael's last drawings coming from her Jerusalem impressions.

Old City Of Jerusalem

Here are some pictures from my walk through the Old Jerusalem.

Trip to the Negev Desert.

Rarely does one find a country so small with landscapes so varied as in Israel. In this tiny country of approximately 8,000 square miles (a little smaller than the state of New Jersey), it takes a few hours to drive from the snow-capped mountains in the north to arid desert expanses in the south.
The Negev desert in southern Israel is a remarkable arid region.

Comparatively small, the Negev has had, however, an intriguing history of settlers, occupiers and passers through including Nabateans, Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans, British, Bedouin and Israelis. This rich socio-historical tapestry is linked to a landscape that is well endowed with historical sites, sublime landscape scenery and a robust and varied fauna and flora. The great variety of wildlife to be found here is intricately woven into the past and present of the landscape that results from an interaction between the people, the geography and climate.

Our first station was in the Mamshit National Park, where we could observe the ruins (partly reconstructed) of ancient city of the Nabateans.
We were almost late to see flowering desert. Though it happens in March, in the 20-th the desert was already yellow and brown. Few blossoming bushes could be seen in oasis along streams. The weather was hot, still not as hot as to disturb us to hike.
We enjoyed the fascinating scenery composed of mountains, streams valleys, caves, colored sand and rare trees.The Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth and the largest "Natural Spa" in the world, is also one of the world's true natural wonders and a unique tourism destination.

New Clip Art

These are the cute beers from my recently finished work. A customer will use them for some natural medicines. He allowed me to place the vector images into my clipart store as well. So I can share them with you just now.

Purim In Karmiel.

Cool photos of cute kids. 14 of March 2006. Karmiel, Israel.

Purim in Zfat

Yoni flied to Taiwan first. Shin-i and me went to see Purim to the old city of Zfat -place of orthodox Jews and artists. Though Purim begins on March 14, children began to dress up already on Sunday. After that they have a break from school, so celebrations in schools and kindergartens just began.

Celebrating Purim Today.

Everyone in Israel loves merry Purim festival, but I am at a loss to explain why tears welled up on my eyes together with a happy smile, when I am looking on dressed up children, going to their schools and kindergartens. May be this really symbolizes for me free Jewish people in their own free state.

This what is said about how to celebrate Purim:
“Read the Megilla, eat, drink, sing, drink, discuss or playact Purim story, drink, read Megilla again, drink, give money to the poor, drink, eat, drink, give Mishloach Manot, drink, eat, drink, sing, drink, sleep, wake up with Excedrin Headache”.

Now just few details.
The Book of Esther is read on Purim night, and again the next day.
It's a tradition when reading the Book of Esther to drown out the name of Haman, the story's villain, with a loud noise. This cacophony is often accomplished with groggers, the special Purim noisemakers.
Because the main theme of Purim is that things didn't turn out, as they seemed they would, it became to the custom to dress up and mask one's own identity. We dress up in costumes and arrange carnival procession to let our defenses down and open up to the deeper reality of our world and ourselves.

There is a custom to perform the Purim story on a stage – such a show has special name “Purimshpiel”. Because of this o many children are dressed up as little Mordechais, Ethers and Achashveroshs.

Purim is known as a time of delicious smells emanating from the kitchen from the baking of the delicious sweets and goodies. The filled triangles to your right are Hamantashen or Haman's hats, the most popular sweet made at Purim.

One of the most peculiar laws of Purim is the obligation to drink wine, and even become intoxicated.
Excessive drinking is frowned upon by Jewish law, yet here it appears that the law specifically advocates drinking!
Purim is a day of taking pleasure but it's also a day of giving pleasure and doing good. We perform mitzvah by donating food or money to at least two poor and we practice Mishloah Manot or the "sending of gifts" by bringing a basket of fruit or plate of sweet treats to friends and relatives. On Purim, it is also a special mitzvah to give gifts of money to the poor. The Jewish people are one unit -- we can't possibly enjoy the holiday if poor people don't have enough.
There is truly no other holiday like Purim!

Eat, Drink and Be Merry - We Almost Died.

Eat, Drink and Be Merry - We Almost Died. This can be a slogan of the Jewish festival Purim, which we celebrate on March 14 this year.

Really, its story and history is devoted to happy rescue of Jewish folk In Persia many centuries ago. Though it’s a merry holiday, it has a deep meaning as usually. We celebrate our deliverance from the threat of annihilation. Anyone who is familiar with Jewish history can see the Purim pattern repeated over and over again. Purim, therefore, is the prototype for Jewish survival during exile.
Twice in history, we were brutally exiled from our Land and we returned twice: once after the Babylonian Exile and once in contemporary times with the establishment of the State of Israel and the incredible ingathering of Jews from all over the world to our Land.
HISTORY OF PURIM
The history of events that served as a source of Purim is described in a special book, named Megillat Esther (Scroll of Esther). The quickie version is as follows:
The events commemorated by Purim took place in the ancient Persian Empire, in the fifth century BCE, under the reign of King Achashverosh.
Mordechai, one of the religious leaders of that generation, refused to prostrate himself before Haman, the vizier to the King. Haman immediately set out "to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Achashverosh". In order to effect his vicious racist plan, Haman decided to enlist the aid of the unsuspecting King Achashverosh.
Since Haman was a very superstitious person, he had lots cast to determine on which day he should carry out his design. The word for lots is "Purim", and from it we get the name for the holiday. The chosen date was the thirteenth of Adar.
The king, who trusted Haman, agreed to his plan to murder the Jews. For Haman had told him that the Jews were "scattered abroad in all the provinces," and that "their laws are different from those of every people". Letters, written by Haman and signed by the king, were sent out throughout all the provinces, commanding all persons "to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish all the Jews.
The heroine of the Purim story is Esther, a devout Jewish woman who was forcibly taken as a wife for King Achashverosh. Queen Esther was able to intercede and save the Jewish community from genocide and annihilation.
Haman was hanged on the gallows which he himself had prepared for Mordechai and Mordechai became prime minister.

Hsin-i In Israel

I would like you to make a trip about Israel together with wiyh my son and his girlfriend from Taiwan.



Tel-Aviv. The seashore.


Jerusalem - "Golden Cuppola".


Yoni's sister Yael entertained her guests in Jerusalem, where she lives and studies in the Art Academy.



After Jerusalem they continued to the Dead Sea - the lowest place in the world.


Akko - the old crusader’s city.




Gamla - a very interesting and beautifule site, both natural reserve and historic place.



Israel at the highlight of spring blossoming.

My Taiwan Family

My son Yoni came for a visit from Taiwan with his Taiwan girlfriend Xshin-i. He works there as a technician of some Israel hi-tech company. He has a contract for a year and comes home for his vacations every 3 months. This is his last vacation before finishing.
She is a musician, graduated from the higher music school in Taipei. Now she is considering the opportunity to complete her education in Jerusalem. She is very nice cheery girl. My son is also a good handsome fellow, so they form a great couple! I must say that if in US international couples are usual thing – in our small rather closed Israel this is not so often affair. But my family is open-minded of course. We only wish that our children would be happy.
Yoni brought many pictures of his visit to Xsin-i’s family and also beautiful gifts from our new Taiwan “relatives”.

My son on a scooter in Taiwan.

Our international couple: the Israeli from Russia and his Taiwan girlfriend, speaking English with each other.

Xshin-i’s family and Yoni at their home in a small town in the middle of Taiwan.

Three generations of women in the kitchen.

The name Xshin-i means “happy heart”.
Let’s pray that hearts of our children will be always happy.

If something is impossible this is my son at piano! But the photo is great!

February Flowering In Israel

Blooming Almond Tree


Anemons.

Wild Cyclomens.

Yael's portfolio is renewed. Her new works are added to the section Graphic Design, Illustrations for Children, Greeting Cards.
Today I publish here three of her new illustrations to the book "A Butter-fingers".

Tu B'Shevat – a New Year of Trees.

Here I begin to tell about the Jewish traditions and holidays, which we celebrate in Israel.
This series is started symbolically – with a New Years of Trees. Let it be my blogging year start.
On February 13 we celebrate a minor Jewish festival Tu B'Shevat – a New Year of Trees. “Tu B'Shevat” means the 13-th day of month Shevat of the Jewish calendar. It falls each year on different day in January or February. But never mind which date it is, each year at this time almond trees begin to flower. Tu B'Shevat is the beginning of a new cycle for the tithe on fruit trees. This is the most beautiful season in Israel.
The New Year of the Trees -- Rosh Hashanah La'ilanot -- is an ancient concept. Though the 15th of Shevat isn't mentioned in the Bible, the Mishnah tells us that on this day the tithes on fruit were taken to the Temple in Jerusalem. Tu B'Shevat was also the start of the tree-planting season when God determined which trees would live, which trees would not and how fruitful any would be in the coming year.
The early pioneers of the State of Israel began the practice of celebrating Tu B'Shevat by planting trees.
In the 1600s, Jewish mystics in Safed created a Tu B'Shevat seder modeled after the Passover seder. Participants eat four different categories of fruit and drink four different combinations of red and white wine or grape juice, symbolizing the four seasons and the mystical "four worlds"
I publish here two pictures: one of the blooming almond tree, and the next of my husband and daughter keeping the old tradition.

I start Blogging here!

Hello, I am Gali Pushkin - graphic designer and artist from Israel. I am happy to welcome you on my blog. I catch a chance in the very beginning to apologize for my English, far from being perfect. My posts here will not be proofread by anyone. I am grateful for my friend AndyE Barnes, who did this with my site. I can’t trouble him any more.

I have just uploaded my new web site GaliGifts.com. I offer there a variety of products with my original graphics on them.
It is also closely connected to my another site AllOccasion-Clipart.com. This site is devoted to my graphic services and artwork. On-line collection of my original vector clipart is located there.
On this blog I will post about new products and services, my articles and simply news of my life.