The city of 72 names

Jerusalem + 71 its other names. How does it feel to visit a city that you have only read about in a book that was written over 2000 years ago? My tour guide actually said I will visit Mt. Olive and walk along Via Dolorosa. Names that sound so ancient, old and unbelievable that the same places still exist for us to visit. When thinking of these locations mentioned in school or the Bible, I think of dusty streets, or streets paved with pale limestone, wooden wagons pulled by donkeys, people in robes, bread in wicker baskets, a hot day.

commons.wikimedia.org

My first surprise was that Jerusalem is located quite high above the sea level. When driving up from Eilat and the Dead Sea, you elevate quite a lot and reach cooler temperatures (at least in spring). It had just snowed a couple of days before in Jerusalem. I didn't snow in my Biblical image of the city. The roads leading there aren't dusty or paved with limestone. And normal buses and cars are heading towards the city - no donkeys, camels or horses.

The outskirts of Jerusalem are like any other Greek or Middle Eastern city. It's busy, jammed with traffic, worn-down 70s buildings with boxy a/c hanging outsite on the walls, loud people. Pretty soon that Biblical image of Jerusalem in your mind will vanish. I wondered, how could anyone feel connected to Christianity here – there's nothing to connect with here. But don't hold it against the city if it's not what you imagined - it is unfair to expect a place to remain the same for thousands of years. Of course Jerusalem has changed!

Modern art at a modern mall in an ancient city.

Instead, concentrate on what the city has to offer now. Mt. Olive gives you an breath-taking view over the Jewish cemetary. Dozens and dozens of white graves, all these people buried in the proximity of the holy city, waiting for resurrection? You also see a panorama view of the old town which is crammed inside old walls – but dominated by the Dome of the Rock. Its blue mosaics and the golden dome stand out from the otherwise colorless surroundings. I found it intriguing that the images of what we in Finland see of Jerusalem, the capital city of the Jewish state, always features this mosque – a clear symbol of the Muslim faith.

Note to self, Jerusalem is actually quite a big city.

There are many gates that will lead you to the Old Town of Jerusalem, and my entry point was the Zion Gate. It was here where I ditched my Finnish tourguide and sure, I missed a lot of detailed explanations of the place that I could have amused you readers now with. But instead, I embarked an even better tour that still, to my utter delight, continues! The old town is actually not old so you would think. For instance, the Zion gate was constructed in the 1500s – waaay after the times of Jesus.

The Old Town is divided into four quarters: Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Armenian. Each of them have their own characteristics, but it is actually here where you see four different cultures and religions crammed inside thick brick walls, living side-by-side. Toss inside a couple of Hindus and Buddhists and you've got the world's religions in a nutshell.

Like most old towns, the one in Jerusalem also has narrow streets in a labyrinth layout. There are souvenir shops, cafes, restaurants, fresh fruits&vegetables being sold, local fast food – and of course lots and lots of people buzzing around. And the important churches for Christians or Via Dolorosa, you see groups of religious people with tears in their eyes.

Guess which quarter is this picture taken at?

But for me, the most astonishing and memorable sight in the old town of Jerusalem was actually the Western Wall or Kotel. Why not the churches? Because the Wall is unique. Churches you have, beautiful ones, plenty of around the world, but there is just one Kotel on this planet. People are swarming around it, but despite that there's still certain tranquility and sentimentality in the air. The most touching thing is that you take a small piece of paper, scribble down your dearest hopes and wishes, fold the paper into a tiny piece and gently push it in one of the cracks of the Wall. It is something hands-on, something personal. What you wrote down is something just between you and the Wall. The Wall that's been standing there for longer than you could imagine, the Wall that survived the destruction of the Temple, the Wall so dear to the Jews. I felt confident leaving my wish in that place. What could be safer and more concrete than that?

At the Kotel.

Although I strongly recommend a visit to Jerusalem and to the Kotel, you can meanwhile place your prayers online. Mine hasn't come true yet, but I'm sure one beautiful day it will. And I'm sure you will read about it here then.

But meanwhile, a little extra help from a Jerusalem shamrock won't hurt!

Lost in translation

Since I got into the language topic in my previous post, I thought I'd write some more about it.There are two languages that can be associated with the Jewish people. First, there is age-old Hebrew – the language we know the First Testament was written in. Then there is Yiddish, evolved from a cocktail of languages in Central Europe around the 10^th century. Yiddish also uses a Hebrew-based alphabet but interestingly enough, it is not an official language in Israel: Hebrew and Arabic are.

When learning about Judaism or talking with Israelis, you quite often run into words that can't be translated. You just need to know what they mean. I am not entirely sure from which language these words come from, but there are a lot of them.

To name a few examples... Menorah does not translate to candlestick. Mezuzah is not a doorpost case. Yarmulke/kippah is not a small hat. Hamsa is not a hand. Kosher is not fit/permitted. Rabbi is not a priest. Shiksa is not a non-Jewish female. Ke'ara is not just a plate. Mikvah is not just a bath and freier is much more than just a loser. All of these items, people or concepts need to be referred to with their original word – they just don't translate into your local language. The original words carry so much more meaning than any other foreign word could begin to describe.

In Finnish, we also have words like that. But I can only think of two at the moment: sisu and perkele.

I've had quite a hard time memorizing what everything means and there are plenty more words out there. But I am getting there. One day I will ask my boyfriend to throw me a pop-quiz on these special words. I'll let you know my score.

Mind you, to make things a little more interesting, Israelis often swear in – yes – Arabic! Just see the below example by Natalie Portman...

The ultimate challenge

I was always the kind of good student at school. Always a great average, never had to re-take a test and the best marks I got in:

• Finnish (because I was a splendid writer)
• English (because of Cartoon Network and sister's Scottish ex-boyfriend),
• Swedish (because it is so dang easy)
• German (because I have relatives in Switzerland)
• Spanish (because I have relatives in Spain).

Later on I learnt Greek (because I lived in the country) but French I gave up in college. I figured champagne and Chanel is all the French I'll ever need to know in life. But you could say I'm somewhat of a whiz at languages.

So now later, later on life, I signed up for the ultimate challenge in languages. I'm starting a beginner's course in Hebrew next month. Yes, I decided to grab the bull by its horns, no reason to sit at home and whine about it. Usually in languages, there is something you know how to say. You just catch up on phrases, learn them from people and so forth. In Hebrew, I only knew amen and hallelujah. Not much of a conversation piece there. I have a feeling this is gonna be a picnic...

It wasn't too easy to find a Hebrew course, by the way. The University of Helsinki teaches a course in Biblical Hebrew, but I'm sure that wouldn't help me understand what my boyfriend is talking on the phone when his decibels soar off the charts. Chances of finding a Hebrew language course in other places than Helsinki in Finland are slim to none, so I was blessed to find Kalliola Settlement next to my office (what are the chances!?) giving adult education also in this language.

So, Heb-heb-hoorew! Wish me luck and someone buy me bag of patience. I'm gonna need it.

No clue what the cover says. Am I purchasing the right book?

Fell in love with falafel

Accidentally, one Sunday morning when walking to have bruch at Kokomo Tiki Bar, we spotted a new fastfood place at Isoroba 2. The joint, called Fafa's by the way, was closed but we went to take a look at the menu: it was loaded with falafel and lots of interesting sounding things (I wasn't sure what they are), such as tabouleh, matbuha and sabich. Luckily I had a walking dictionary with me to explain which ingredients are behind these names.

Taking a closer look, my companion noticed a mezuza nailed at the doorpost. So the only conclusion was that this place must have connections to Israel or Jews, yay! Needeless to say, the food just had to be tasted! But let me me just add that the expectations were high, as the food in the real promised land is something else we're used to up here in the North...

So, did Fafa's pass the test? Like all of my three vacations so far in Israel, a visit to Fafa's again nurtured my tastebuds. I chose to have the sabich, which was an overflowing pita pocked filled with moist falafel, hummus, eggplant, boiled egg, tahina, matbuha and various veggies. All for 7,50€. The staff wasn't from Israel, but the business cards of the place were held in a shalom engraved case.

After visiting Fafa's it would feel like a crime to eat falafel anywhere else in Finland. The food simply was the best gastronomic fireworks in its league, and my only regret is that they don't do home deliveries or have another shop closer to where I live. The best falafel in this corner of the world – amen!

This reminded me of the Tel Aviv street art graffiti...

Annoying as Neighbor J(ew) Jones

Recently, a columnist wrote in a Finnish newspaper about the growing disagreements between Jews and [choose correct alternative]:

(a) Arabs

(b) Muslims

(c) other Jews.

Yes, I know that (a) and (b) are pretty safe guesses but this time the correct answer is actually (c).

Jerusalem has always been a territory to cause quarrels and heated debates between different people, but now the variety Jewish residents of the city is taking measures to defend their own view on things. A guerilla-defender of the secular views, Noam Pinchasi, wants to preserve the tolerant, multilateral Jerusalem he is familiar with, while the growing population of the extreme Orthodox Jews have other plans for the city.

The Orthodox wish the swipe the city clean of anything they consider sin. In their neighborhoods, you might see traffic signs forbidding men and women walking on the same side of the street. Or the buses headed to those neighborhoods are packed with women – but only sitting in the back of the bus. Swimming pools can't be unisex anymore – men and women are to swim separately. If they catch you doing something they consider sinful, you might see a stone flying at your direction.

Not many secular Jews appreciate these acts and have moved away to avoid confrontation. But Pinchasi is staying in Jerusalem and sticking to his guns: whether it be glueing Botticelli's Birth of Venus posters on synagogue doors or grilling pork meat on shabbat to the annoyance of his new black & white outfitted neighbors. That's why, the columnist nicknames Pinchasi as the Neighbor J. Jones of Jerusalem – the guy-next-door that intentionally ticks off Donald Duck in Duckburg.

cbarks.dk

As if there wasn't enough conflict in the region, it is saddening to hear that the descendants of Abraham don't seem to get along anymore. Usually when a country is at war with external offenders, it unites the people of the country to stand strong for common good – no matter what your background is. What is going on in Jerusalem then? Why to pick a fight with a fellow Jew?

Pork meat and provocative posters may not sound much now, but these could easily be little things that eventually cause a snowball effect to something worse. I am left to wonder, if there is a time-bomb ticking for something bigger happening within the Israeli society? Without wanting to sound too sinister, I hope the government interferes and clears things out before it is too late. I want this for selfish reasons too. Jerusalem is a special city for me, and I hope to enjoy a visit there in the future the same way as I have before.

artinthepicture.com

 Now you know why this blond shiksa might
appear in unexpected places in Jerusalem.

Follow the red thread

Last week I had the pleasure of going to Madonna's MDNA concert here in Helsinki. It was the Queen of Pop's second visit to Finland and this time over 40 000 enthusiats were gathered together to witness yet another spectacle by this American artist who has been in the business for longer than I have lived.

Madonna is long known for being pro-Israel. Her previous Sticky & Sweet tour ended in Tel Aviv and the current MDNA tour kicked off there in May 2012. Mind you, many artists, to their own loss, don't even bother going to Israel. Madonna on the other hand has stated that the country has some uncomprehensible energy to it – and I must agree...

At the Helsinki concert I was lucky enough to be very close to the stage, and paid attention to the red string Madonna was wearing around her wrist (unfortunately my cellphone camera wasn't as accurate, so I can't share a photo with you). All I know is that this string has something to do with Kabbalah, which I don't know much else about, so I decided to try and find out.

kbbala.info

In Judaism, many cosmological questions and areas of mysticism are left up for personal intepretation - and this is where Kabbalah comes in. Kabbalah is applied to a whole range of Jewish mystical activity and its main focus is to observe G-d's essence on a deeper level – not on what G-d wants from man (i.e.the laws, which quite strongly are present in some movements). More generically speaking, it is a method for studying the spiritual world by other means than physics or other concrete sciences.

Many sources also refer to the common misintrepretations of Kabbalah. It has nothing to do with ”the dark side” or reading Tarot cards - although there is some magic into it, as the story of Golem would suggest. And, uhhh... I must stop writing here because I have lost my red string thread with Kabbalah and what it is.

OK, so the above paragraphs are derived from various sources and at this point I stopped exhausting google.com. There doesn't seem to be any clear, spell-it-out-for-me explanation easily available. Maybe for a reason: dummies, don't bother – so perhaps I should take the hint :). But I won't be too hard on my-shiksa-self, as traditionally Kabbalah is taught only to those above 40 years of age and only after finishing their studies in Torah and Talmud. I am quite far from meeting either of those demands...

The Big Orange

Apparently, Finland is the only country where travel agencies have nicknamed Tel Aviv as ”the Big Orange”. When informing a local about this, they were amused and said a nickname like this has never been heard of before. Well, perhaps time to launch it? Israel's tourism professionals – start making notes...

Tel Aviv is a great city and I think it is neglected by many Finnish tourists that might actually enjoy a visit there. It is not that the city is outshadowed by ”better” destinations; Tel Aviv can be just as amusing and fun like Barcelona for instance, where all my friends have visited.

Perhaps the area is somewhat unfamiliar to people. Israel is not within the borders of Europe and quite often trips to Israel are associated with groups of religious grannies just checking out the Jesus sights.

Well, let me tell you a secret. Tel Aviv far from boring Biblical times. It is a pulsating, vibrant, energetic modern city, melting under the hot sun together a vast diveristy of different people, cultures and languages.

Let me add here that the pictures below taken with my pink Panasonic Lumix don't do justice to Tel Aviv. Google for more professional shots!

First, you will land at Ben Gurion. It is a big, luminous airport topped with fountains and spacious ceilings. Busy, multilane highways will direct you towards Tel Aviv – just head for the high-rise towered skyline. The city itself will welcome you with a cockail of architectual styles: start by checking out the Bauhaus-packed White City or alternatively HaTachana, the old railway station turned into a bar and restaurant area, perfect for a drink or two.

Tel Aviv is located by the Mediterranean Sea, and one of its best attributes is by far the wide, golden sand beach right in the center of things, running 10 kilometers along the coast. I can't think of any big European city having something similar. Catch up on your tan, relax by watching the beautiful sunset or simply enjoy a stroll on the spacious, clean promenade.

Tel Aviv by night

 When you start feeling hungry, Tel Aviv offers plenty of places to grab a delicious bite. Personally, I liked popping in to nearby Yafo (kind of like the old town of the area) for some local falafel and hummus, but just as easily Moses (a local burger joint) or Benedict's (for breakfast lovers) can curb your hunger 24/7. If you crave for sushi, tapas, pasta, kosher Big Mac... Tel Aviv has it all.

Modest pancakes at Benedict's

One of my favorite areas of Tel Aviv is Neve Tzedek, where consequently my lodging was located as well. Framed by picturesque old houses, the area is great for walking around and packed with hip cafes, bars, boutiques and restaurants. Another nice area is Rothschild Boulevard. Paved with restaurants and ice cream bars, you can enjoy a walk in the cooling, leafy shade of tall trees towering over the pedestrian lane. For shopping, I'd favor heading for Arena Mall in nearby city of Herzliya. Located by a beautiful marina and equipped with 150 stores, you're bound to find something to buy (psst, Abercrombie & Fitch sold here).

The city is also full of interesting little details. I like watching the people there: a rabbi, black&white dressed orthodox Jew, veiled Muslim woman, IDF soldier carrying a rifle and a teen girl in microshorts & tanktop all walk among each other in harmony. Another curiosity is the street art – graffiti spotting should be a recognized, official sport in Tel Aviv!

I have merely scratched the surface of Tel Aviv and want to explore it more in the future. Forget any prejudice and book a trip there: you might be pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately there are not regular direct HEL-TLV flights (charters only), but check out connections with AirBaltic, Lot, Lufthansa or Ukraine International for instance. Bon voyage or in this case: nesi'a tova!

Dealing with Satan

In July, I wandered to Stockmann's bookstore together with my significant other to find my friend a birthday present. On my way to the cashier I noticed a pile of books on sale and glanced through the selection. My eye was caught by a striking title in Finnish: sopimus saatanan kanssa, original title being Dealing with Satan. The cover featured a jerked black and white picture of a wooden shack surrounded by barbwire and Magen David in the back.

Even a mediocre blonde like myself could put two and two together and figure what the book is about but, as they say never judge a book by its cover, I picked up a copy and read the back cover. And then I purchased the book for myself (my friend got something lighter to read). And then I started reading it immidiately, pushing aside that damn boring JFK bio I had been stuck with for months.

The book is written by Hungarian-Jew Ladislaus Löb who is a WWII survivor. This is his way of paying respects to the man, Rezso Kasztner, who saved him (and 1699 other Hungarian Jews) from mass destruction and certain death. In normal circumstances, acts like this would be considered heroic but Kasztner's story didn't quite have that ending in the newly independent Israel in 1950s. He was a Jew, who saved hundreds of other Jews, but was condemned by Jewish judges as a Nazi affiliator and finally was killed by the bullets of Jewish assassins.

Lately, his name seems to be somewhat cleared but why I found the book so well-written and touching is that it is a true story from the author directly to the reader. Books are something so much more personal than movies or TVs. What should I read next?

 Six million stories from the WWII will never be heard.
But here is one that survived.

The Hollywood Stars (of David)

I share a passion for movies. I used to work at a video rental store during my college years (and a little after that) and developed quite an addiction to watching plenty of movie weekly.

One day I started wondering what would the American movie or TV industry be without Jews. And well quite frankly, the answer is it wouldn't be much! Without the Jewish pioneers who knows what Hollywood would be like today. All major movie studios were founded by Jews (Warner, Universal, Paramount...) and they are the corner stone of Tinsel Town.

This is probably why there are often many Jewish references in the American movies or TV shows and well, they have teached me a thing or two. Movie weddings often are Jewish (that's where I learnt mazel tov and Hava Nagila!). In The O.C., the Cohens celebrated Christmukkah. Ross from Friends explains his son Ben about the Maccabis. And who could forget about the endlessly endearing Charlotte York from Sex and the City? She went through a lot of trouble to make three perfect matzoballs (and then some) and convert to Judaism so she could marry the man of her dreams.

Woody Allen has given the artsy movie lovers a lot to see. Steven Spielberg is behind of many famous movie titles. Sarah Jessica Parker has practically defined a whole generation of single women around the world. And let's not forget about the truly funny ones: Adam Sandler, Fran "The Nanny" Drescher, Seth Rogen, Ben Stiller, Rob Schneider... the list just goes on. 

So withouth me mentioning every name here, check out this website for Jewish actors. Your favorite one may very well be mentioned there.

(topnews.in)

Dear Mr. Sandler, 

if you're reading this please recruit me as an extra in your next flick!

Politically correct cosmetics

Recently, there has been a lot of talk online about importing Israeli products, such as fruits and cosmetics, to Finland. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has received feedback from concerned consumers who want to know from which part of Israel the products are coming from. Probably, so they could boycott products coming from the areas that raise a lot of political debates around the world for other reasons, too.

A couple of days ago Finland's biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat published an article on the matter. The newspaper didn't clearly take a stand to one direction or another (hmm, ok, maybe slightly favoring these concerned consumers just like the European Union thinks), but bluntly reported what's going on and why.

886 Finns recommended the article on Facebook and 111 comments were written on the newspaper's website. It is really interesting how the topic makes so many people here to pick a side. A lot of discussion is heated up over not much since the Israeli products – after a quick look in the supermarket or department store – clearly are a tiny minority in the total product offering here.

There are comments for and against. Some say it is waste of time and that our ministry should concentrate on more critical things (ahem, like what's going on in Israel's neighboring countries). Other comments bring up China and Russia; same should be done to them as well then – it is unfair to ”punish” just one country. Someone said a list and markings like this would help them to recognize Israeli products better and therefore buy them more.

The other side condemns Israel's military actions and settlements. If Israel is the only democratic country in the region, it should have no problem revealing the origins of its products. History, everything from Biblical times and Ottoman Empire to British Mandate is brought in to justify an opinion.

Summa summarum? It is no surprise that all these 111 comments and opinions can't come to an agreement and conclusion on what is right. If it did and things were so simple and black & white, the centuries old conflict would have been solved a long time ago. And it would have been done somewhere else than on a Finnish newspaper forum.

These are "Just minerals". No pun intended.

What did Finland do?

A couple of days ago, exactly 100 years passed since the birth of Raoul Wallenberg. He is very well remembered for his brave, unselfish acts when saving 40 000 Jews during WWII. Wallenberg served as a Swedish diplomat in Hungary those days, and together with other noble-minded people granted passports for Jews so they could be rescued.

Last June when I visited the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City, I couldn't help but notice the praise for Denmark and the resistance there how 8000 Jews were saved and sent to neutral Sweden by sea.

And where was Finland in all this? It gives me great discomfort to learn about the actions of this country during WWII. No matter how you try to twist and turn it, Finland got blood on its hands.

Even though Finland remained democratically-ruled and was never invaded, for a moment it fought alongside Nazi Germany. The Jews who had Finnish citizenship were never subject to the mass persecution and were protected by the government, but unlike our noble neighbors, eight Jewish refugees with no Finnish passport were sent back to death. And this was eight too many.

Sure, Sweden, Norway and Denmark didn't have the Red Army breathing down their neck and trying to rip them from their independence. Some try to justify the actions of Finland by saying that the enemy of our enemy was our friend during desperate times. Until things turned sour with this ”friend” of course, and they burned our Lapland.

The Finnish Prime Minister made an official apology somewhat 50 years later. In 1971, a small group of Finnish Christians founded Yad HaShmona in Israel, naming it in the memory of these eight unfortunate people. All good gestures, but it quite doesn't change what happened.

If anyone raises this topic at a dinner table in Israel with me, I've got nothing to defend Finland with. I would bow my head in shame and sadness - saying sorry wouldn't make a difference (this could be called the Finnish guilt?). The treatment these eight refugees received pains me. It doesn't sound like the Finland I was born to. God forbid similar events ever happening again, but if it did, I hope my country would act otherwise.

Always on a Finn's mind: Bar

I often like to amuse myself by reading news that do not contribute to the world in any significant way. Did Jennifer Aniston go under the plastic surgeon's knife? Who is Katie Holmes' new mystery man? This knowledge does not make me any wiser but it surely is a nice way to unwind after work. And so every now and then, I also run into a bar after work - Bar Refaeli that is.

She is Israel's gift to the catwalk and fashion maganize covers. Even though she's blonde with blue eyes (and Finland is full of these), there is an exotic look to her. She is completely au naturel, if you don't count in the history of using braces. Even I must admit she is breathtakingly gorgeous, beating any of your shiksa goddesses hamsas down. Her first name causes some slight amusement, though - does she by any chance have a little sister called Pub?

Bar Refaeli is not up to anything scandalious lately, yet a local daily newspaper quite often writes about her. ”People with heart condition watch out – Bar Refaeli does hot bikini pics” or ”Bar Refaeli playing tennis in underwear”. As these news articles are more about pictures than actual text, I am beginning to believe we have a Bar fan at the newsroom of Ilta-Sanomat.

In Israel there seems to be somewhat mixed feelings towards Bar but here in the North she's seen for exactly what she is: a gorgeous looking girl.

(askmen.com)

Bars in Israel look far better than in Finland!

(iguana.fi)

Vav, nun kof tet mem shens!

No, I have not gone crazy even though the headline is probably jibberish to you. I just realized you can write "wow, none of that makes sense" in those Hebrew letters.

It is no wonder why we in the Finnish language have the saying ”it's all Hebrew to me”, meaning when you simply don't understand anything. The English speaking world doesn't know what they're saying when it's all Greek to them. I know how to speak, read and write Greek, but it's the Hebrew cat that got my tongue.

Visiting Israel is in one aspect like going back to those childhood times when you couldn't read. Remember? Flipping through just the illustrations in a comic book, or not fully being able to follow a super-interesting American movie because of the subtitles? The Hebrew alphabet will make you feel like that again. It made me illiterate - literally.

Fine, I'll be honest. I haven't actually taken a Hebrew course (yet?) and just studied the alphabet from a cheap postcard I bought in Eilat. But unlike Greek or even Russian, there are no safe havens in the Hebrew selection of letters since none of them are the same as in the Latin alphabet. There's nothing to begin guessing with.

I wouldn't know even where to start reading – it goes from right to left, combinations of letters can mean different things than they actually seem, and sometimes even the Israelis themselves guess how something they read is pronounced. And numbers you do read from left to right, if I have understood correctly.

So, what does this leave me with? As I've only managed to memorize alef and shin, for the time being, I will leave the reading and writing and concentrate on the talking part. There's a bigger chance your message will go through to the Israelis anyway if you open your mouth (and be loud), lo?

 Guess which one of the letters I named "the broken Menorah"?

Jaffa's reign in Finland

It never occurred to me before my Israeli acquitance what is behind the Finnish Fanta: Jaffa. The frizzy orange-flavored drink simply must be named after the oranges coming from Yafo, Israel, right?

Jaffa in Finland has been around for ages – or at least as long as I remember (since 1949, actually). As a kid, my parents used to give me Jaffa to drink whenever I was stuck in bed with a stomach flu. Later on, it became a nostalgic item at grandma's place. She hadn't heard of Mountain Dew or Dr. Pepper – Jaffa's the good old stuff!

Even recently, Erik Bruun has revived the retro vibe of Jaffa drink and the name & logo is now featured in everything from shower curtains to carpets of Vallila Interiors. Progression does not stop there - the classic drink has evolved in Finland as Hartwall has introduced various different flavors under the same brand, some sweetened with Stevia.

So, take a gulp down the memory lane and forget Triple X and all the newbies for a moment and zap open a bottle of Jaffa instead...

(kodin1.com)

Jaffa in Finland....

 Jaffa in Israel.