Staying Real in Israel
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After extolling the virtues of Israel’s fine wines, I must insert this caveat…Do NOT try drinking any of the devil’s brew while visiting Sudan…unless you also ENJOY a nice whipping every now and then (different strokes for different folks, etc. etc.)
You will be whipped not just for drinking the stuff, but plan on some S&M fun for just making or even selling any drinks of the intoxicating variety. And if you are a woman, you’d best not be wearing pants, or you, too, will get your butt whipped…for real. Not to be judgemental, but isn’t Islamic law great?
A Shabbat kiddush just wouldn’t be the same in Sudan, not to mention Purim or Passover…Oh, well…as always…There’s no place like home for the holidays…

President of Sudan Bashir

Sudan’s Bashir warns drinkers face lash


Sudan’s president warned people caught selling, drinking or brewing alcohol would be lashed, despite complaints from rights groups, as he addressed an election rally outside Khartoum on Thursday.

Reprinted from af.reauters.com

“Anybody who drinks alcohol, we lash them. Anybody who makes alcohol, we lash them. Anybody who sells alcohol, we lash them. I don’t care about the U.N. or human rights organisations,” Omar Hassan al-Bashir said in a speech broadcast on Sudan’s Blue Nile television.

Bashir, a powerful public speaker who regularly peppers his rallies with broad nationalistic and Islamic appeals, spoke in Omdowan, a village just east of the capital, known as a religious centre.

The president, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court to face charges of war crimes in Sudan’s Darfur region, has thrown himself into a nationwide campaign tour ahead of elections due to start next month.

Alcohol is banned in Muslim north Sudan and whipping is a common punishment for anyone caught drinking, brewing or selling it.

Rights groups have complained about lashing sentences handed out against women caught brewing alcohol in Khartoum, many of them from the non-Muslim south.

Sudan’s brand of Islamic law has come under the international spotlight in recent years. A British teacher was jailed after letting her class name a teddy bear Mohammad in 2007 and a Sudanese journalist was imprisoned in September after being convicted of indecency for wearing trousers. Both women had faced a maximum sentence of flogging.

Nigerian football star Stephen Worgu last year said he had been sentenced to 40 lashes after being convicted of drunk driving in Khartoum.

Worgu, who plays for Omdurman club Al Merreikh, said he was innocent.

“Jewish” wine, that is, wines from Israel, have become far more than the syrupy sweet Manischewitz cough syrup that my generation grew up with at home and at synagogue.
Israel grows and processes a wide variety of very fine wines of all types, available at all prices.
We will be enjoying them at our Passover seder…no reason for my Christian friends not to enjoy a nip or two to celebrate the Easter holiday…

Wines From Israel

Wines of Israel for Easter


Easter is almost upon us and with such, my wine thoughts often turn to wines from Israel.

Reprinted from wine.about.com Stacy’s Wine Blog

At ProWein this week I had the opportunity to taste through a series of wines from Israel with my favorites being Tishbi from the Negev region, Golan Heights and Galil Mountain from the upper Galilee region. Many of the wines from these specific wineries would make an authentic and delicious addition to your Easter dinner.

The wines of Israel are no longer being reserved only for traditional Jewish culture, but are being readily imported to both New World and European markets alike. And for good reason – they are not the sugary, sweet grape juices of old. Many of Israel’s wines boast numerous awards and accolades and are being well represented in international wine competitions on an annual basis.