Hello Readers! Though days sometimes seem to crawl by, weeks are starting to go by quickly, which is why I haven't written for a while! Here are a few updates about us!
Adam: He is doing VERY well! School is hard, and takes a lot of effort, but he is doing well in his classes and keeping up with all of the extra work. Each rabbinical student leads at least two services during the year, along with a cantorial student (There are less of them so they have to do five!). Adam led Shacharit (the morning service) 2 weeks ago, and it was incredible! He was nervous, but it didn't show at all. He and Jacob, his cantorial student partner each got to sing one of their own songs, and they were beautiful. In February they are leading a whole Saturday morning service, and Im sure they will be amazing.
Each student also does a T'rumah project, a volunteer project that helps the community. He is songleading with a fellow student once a month at a school near Jerusalem. When he came back from his first time this week, he was in a great mood, having missed songleading for kids! He is also the unofficial "intern" songleader for another Rabbi in town. We have loved spending time with her and her family as I am also their babysitter!
Adam has been keeping busy with other extra things as well, including taking part in a student-led a capella group. They have only had one rehearsal but there is no way they won't be amazing. He is also teaching a little guitar group for fellow students on Saturdays. They bring food and play guitar...Its really cute. (Does this sound like a cheesy Christmas letter?)
We are both lucky enough to be teaching classes with Shalom Learning, a new program that brings Hebrew and Religious school to a whole new level. The program can be done in conjunction with a Temple, holding a few classes online and a few in person each month, but since we are here, we are teaching only online. Adam worked with them last year through Am Shalom, and they loved his idea of having an only online class. They did a lot of marketing to military families who don't necessarily have a synagogue to go to each week, but still want their kids to have a quality Jewish education. Our students are all over the world, and we meet once a week in an online meeting to learn about Jewish values and concepts, and even teach a bit of Hebrew. Its a very impressive company, and we are both so happy to be a part of it. I am especially happy to add something to my weekly routine...
Me: I've been trying my hardest to keep busy and find things to do, but its not always easy. Its hard not to have a set schedule, and have so much down time, but I'm doing my best to fill my time and enjoy being here. There is only so much "exploring" and hanging around in coffee shops that can be done, but I'm working on it!
In addition to the Shalom Learning class, I am teaching an English "Chug" (activity) once a week to a group of first graders at their school. Their parents are American, and they want them to supplement the English they get at school. Its a perfect thing for me to be doing, and I am creating curriculum and lesson plans to fit their needs.
I have also been doing some volunteering/subbing and a preschool, and babysitting as much as I can. Its a strange life to be living, but I just keep in mind that it is only temporary, and next year I will, God willing, be busy and working hard!
Thats it for now. Though we are having a once in a lifetime experience, really miss home and all of you!
XOXO
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
I like it Eilat!
Sorry, couldn't resist on the title....
We just got back from such an amazing trip, I want to write it all down before I forget!
Sunday
We woke up bright and early to pack and get ready to go! We grabbed our suitcases, took the bus to the Budget Rental place, and picked up our car. Adam was super nervous to drive in this city of crazy drivers. (It wasn't even a question whether or not I would drive in this city), so we took our time navigating the streets. He did great, and finally we were out of town on our way down to the very bottom of Israel. As we first got out of Jerusalem, it felt a bit like driving through the midwest, as it was very flat. As we got further south, the landscape started to remind me of being on Mars. We passed a few cities, but other than that there was no civilization, and mountains and desert for miles. We drove through windy mountain passes, and it was breathtaking at every turn. At one point we stopped at an overlook to take pictures and say Shehekiyanu, thanking God for taking us to this moment. It was a beautiful moment to remember.
After about 5 hours of driving (We took a long route to avoid the West Bank. Its perfectly safe to drive through on the highway, but it still feels a little scary to go through checkpoints), we arrived in Eilat. After driving through the desert, it is truly a sight to see! It almost feels like arriving in Las Vegas, with all of the hotels and attractions. We arrived at our hotel, which was not really a hotel. Though I booked it on a hotel website, it turns out it is an apartment complex for workers at the many hotels in the area. It had a really nice pool, bar, and it was clean, so it worked for us! We immediately went to the pool to cool off, as it was very hot there! After, we went to a nice dinner on the tayelet, a boardwalk along the beach. Since we were so tired from driving and swimming, we called it an early night for our adventure in the morning!
Monday
Eilat is situated on the Red Sea, which is absolutely gorgeous. The water is clear, so its perfect for snorkeling and swimming on the beach. We decided that it was very important to see some beautiful marine life, so we chose to go to Dolphin Reef, a private beach that is has its very own dolphins! For 7 years, the beach was "open" meaning that the dolphins were free to swim out to sea, but chose to stay near the beach to be fed and interact with people. Eventually, the situation proved to be dangerous for the humans and the dolphin population, so the beach became closed, though it is a very large area. If any of the dolphins are unhappy or have trouble integrating, they are sent to the Black Sea through a special program. The dolphins here are treated with respect, and the rule of the place is to let the dolphins choose if they want to interact with humans. You can pay to go snorkeling or SCUBA diving alongside them, but they are never forced to "swim" with humans. The result is really beautiful because they end up happily swimming around among the humans. We decided to swim in the beach area away from the dolphins, and snorkel with the fish. We then went over to the other side to the dolphin observatory, where we sat on a dock and they swam and played under out feet. It was such a serene place and a surreal experience. Highly recommended if you go to Eilat!
That afternoon, we went back to the tayelet for a delicious sushi lunch (cringe...I know) on the beach. Our friends Megan and Ashley had arrived in the area, so we invited them to come back to our hotel and swim. It was fun hanging out by the pool and soaking up the sun! After a siesta, we met up with them again for dinner at a place on the water called Pago Pago. Quite delicious! Afterward, we went for a walk along the marina to see the yachts parked there. We each picked out which boat we would want some day. We happened to walk into a crazy busy fair, with shops selling phone cases, purses, clothes, and jewelry. there was a big group of Lubavitchers dancing and singing as well! It was a very fun night!
Tuesday
Adam ended up finding a super cheap deal to a spa in a hotel along the water, and with lots of twisting of my arm, we decided to go there to hang in their pools and jacuzzis and to get a massage. I thought that it wouldn't be very nice because it was so cheap, but it was incredible! they had waterfall pools and whirlpools and the most relaxing swing ever, where I ended up falling asleep. Im the states, spas seem to be a place where couples or groups girlfriends go to spend a relaxing day. In Israel, we saw several groups of friends together, being loud and having a great time. It was still an amazing experience!
After another good lunch on the tayelet, we decided to see some more marine life. We went to the Underwater Observatory and Marine Park, where they have an observatory completely underwater, so you get to see the coral and fish in their natural habitat! You go down the windy stairs, under the water, and it is one of the coolest things I've ever seen! In an aquarium, you know that the water stops after a few feet, but here you could see that the water goes on forever. At the top of the building, there is a beautiful view of the water, and you can see that you are right next to Jordan on one side and Egypt on the other!
We ended up eating a small dinner at our hotel bar before bed. A GREAT day!
Wednesday
We packed up and said goodbye to our cute "hotel" and headed back up north! We knew we wanted to go to Yotvata, a very special town a kibbutz where they make delicious milk products and "shoko" (chocolate milk), so we went to their big store on the side of the road. We wanted to take a tour of the kibbutz, and then meet up with Adam's childhood friend, Noa, who lives with her family on the Kibbutz. Lucky for us, there was no tour in the morning, so after some delicious Yotvata hot shoko, we had to find something to do for a few hours. We ended up down the road in Chai Bar, an animal reserve. We toured around the "predator cages" and saw snakes, rodents, foxes, and jaguars sleeping in the sun. We even saw some turtles mating and fighting. It was very exciting! the coolest part, is that they have a "safari experience", where you can drive into the reserve and see the animals in the wild. We followed behind the feeding truck, so we knew the animals would come close. It was so cool to see donkeys, gazelles, oryx, and addax hagning out in their natural habitat, not behind a fence in the zoo. They even gave us a CD to play in the car that talked about the different animals, and how they go to the reserve. Many of them were endagered species that were brought there to breed! My favorite part were the ostriches. They are HUGE and so funny to watch with their giant legs and worm-like necks. At one point they got very close to our car, and we kept screaming, "Don't do it! It's a rental!" We laughed so hard and were only a tiny but scared of being eaten by ostriches.
After our safari, we went back to Yotvata to meet Noa and her husband for lunch on the Kibbutz. We ate in the dining hall, and they told us about life on the Kibbutz. They are both doctors, and are not kibbutz members, so they told us they pay a fee to live there and receive all of the amenities of the kibbutz. Members work on the kibbutz, so they don't receive a salary. Everything is communal, including food and amenities. This Kibbutz does very well, and the quality of life is very high. The milk products they make are very famous in Israel, and we enjoyed drinking shoko and banana flavored milk on the way home! Noa gave us a little tour, and we saw all of the cows, and the milking room. They put all of the cows on a rotating circle, kind of like an industrial merry-go-round. The workers attach the milking machines to the udders, and they go around in a circle until they are done. We also got to see cute little baby calves who were just born. One still had an umbilical cord attached!
We spent the rest of the day driving home, appreciating the mountainous desert. However, we were very happy to see the green hills of Jerusalem as we came home. It was truly an incredible trip, and I will never forget all of the amazing things we did!
L'hitraot!
Here are our pictures!
Eilat Sukkot Roadtrip!
High Holidays
Well, I guess I'm not very good at this--I can't believe its been 2 weeks since I last posted! There is so much to talk about, but I will start with the biggest thing that has happened this month--millions of holidays!
The first big Chag (holiday) we experienced in Jerusalem was Rosh Hashana. For those that don't know, Rosh Hashanah is the New Year for the Jewish lunar calendar. Because the calendar is different from our secular calendar, the secular date moves each year. This year it is very "early", meaning Rosh Hashanah was in early September. Because of this, Adam and his classmates only had about a week and a half of their semester before having several days off for all of the holidays! It makes for a crazy and confusing beginning to the year.
Erev Rosh Hashanah (the first night, because Jewish days go from sunset to sunset), we went to the HUC synagogue. It was a very beautiful service because the HUC student choir sang! Any of the students or SOs could join, and they were incredible! Many of the students in this year's class are passionate about music, and of course the cantorial students were extraordinary. They had solos throughout, and it was nice to see the future of the Reform Movement's musical talent! After services we had a lovely dinner with many of the cantorial students, and it was fun to hear them rehash their performances and talk about the power of praying in front of a congregation. It was also extra special to be having Rosh Hashana dinner next to a giant window overlooking Jerusalem.
The next day students were free to go to any synagogue in the area. Unlike the States, you don't need to pay hundreds of dollars to attend a service! Lucky for us, Adam was songleading for the congregation in Tsur Hadassah, where we previously spent Shabbat. There were about 70 people there, which we are told was a big number. The service was pretty traditional, and lasted about 3 hours--much longer than the family services I have grown accustomed to! The service was completely in Hebrew (obviously) so it was little tough to follow along, but because everything was done differently than I am used to, it went by pretty quickly. Adam did a fabulous job, and the congregation all thanked him afterward for making the service extra special. After services, we were invited for lunch at a family's home that I had met before through my ulpan. It was such a nice, relaxing meal, and I learned all about One Direction from their children!
The one thing thats hard about all of these holidays, is that everything is totally closed, except for a few restaurants and coffee shops if you know where to find them. That means that you must plan ahead and buy all of the food and supplies you need for the chag. Rosh Hashanah ran into Shabbat this year, which means three days of everything being closed. I must admit, it takes a toll over three days, but its also a nice reminder of the importance of peace and quiet.
A week later, the next holiday is Yom Kippur, (Day of Atonement). The whole idea behind this one, is to spend the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur atoning for any sins you have committed in the past year, and ask for forgiveness from those you have wronged. Yom Kippur is a more solemn occasion, where people fast and don't bathe. Most people do not drive on Shabbat in Jeruslaem, but there are still many cars and taxis in the street. On Yom Kippur there are absolutely no cars. In fact, most people walk in the middle of the street. After services on Erev Yom Kippur, we walked home in the middle of he streets with hundreds of other people. There were also kids riding their bikes up and down the streets all day-it was truly magical to see a city collectively become car-less.
For Erev Yom Kippur and Yom Kippur, we went to the beautiful services at HUC. They had hundreds of attendees, and held the service in a beautiful room overlooking the old city. The student choir was amazing, and it was fun to be a part of a big congregation of progressive Jews. For the Break the Fast, we all brought food and ate together in the student lounge area.
A week after Yom Kippur, just when you think you are done with holidays, a new holiday starts. Sukkot is a week-long Harvest festival. People build sukkot, a tent like structure, where many religious Jews eat all of their meals and sometimes sleep. It was fun to see all of the restaurants around us building their Sukkot, and trying to fit them on the sidewalk or on their patios. Because the first and last day of this holiday are special, we again find everything closed for two holidays and the Shabbats in between. This brings the grand total to 9 days of closed stores, restaurants, and public transportation in the month of Spetember. Its amazing that some of these businesses can stay open!
Sukkot is one of the longest breaks throughout the year, so HUC had a super long vacation. Many of the students took this time to travel or go home to see loved ones. We decided to go to Eilat. It was one of the best trips I have ever taken. Stay tuned for the story of our trip!
The first big Chag (holiday) we experienced in Jerusalem was Rosh Hashana. For those that don't know, Rosh Hashanah is the New Year for the Jewish lunar calendar. Because the calendar is different from our secular calendar, the secular date moves each year. This year it is very "early", meaning Rosh Hashanah was in early September. Because of this, Adam and his classmates only had about a week and a half of their semester before having several days off for all of the holidays! It makes for a crazy and confusing beginning to the year.
Erev Rosh Hashanah (the first night, because Jewish days go from sunset to sunset), we went to the HUC synagogue. It was a very beautiful service because the HUC student choir sang! Any of the students or SOs could join, and they were incredible! Many of the students in this year's class are passionate about music, and of course the cantorial students were extraordinary. They had solos throughout, and it was nice to see the future of the Reform Movement's musical talent! After services we had a lovely dinner with many of the cantorial students, and it was fun to hear them rehash their performances and talk about the power of praying in front of a congregation. It was also extra special to be having Rosh Hashana dinner next to a giant window overlooking Jerusalem.
The next day students were free to go to any synagogue in the area. Unlike the States, you don't need to pay hundreds of dollars to attend a service! Lucky for us, Adam was songleading for the congregation in Tsur Hadassah, where we previously spent Shabbat. There were about 70 people there, which we are told was a big number. The service was pretty traditional, and lasted about 3 hours--much longer than the family services I have grown accustomed to! The service was completely in Hebrew (obviously) so it was little tough to follow along, but because everything was done differently than I am used to, it went by pretty quickly. Adam did a fabulous job, and the congregation all thanked him afterward for making the service extra special. After services, we were invited for lunch at a family's home that I had met before through my ulpan. It was such a nice, relaxing meal, and I learned all about One Direction from their children!
The one thing thats hard about all of these holidays, is that everything is totally closed, except for a few restaurants and coffee shops if you know where to find them. That means that you must plan ahead and buy all of the food and supplies you need for the chag. Rosh Hashanah ran into Shabbat this year, which means three days of everything being closed. I must admit, it takes a toll over three days, but its also a nice reminder of the importance of peace and quiet.
A week later, the next holiday is Yom Kippur, (Day of Atonement). The whole idea behind this one, is to spend the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur atoning for any sins you have committed in the past year, and ask for forgiveness from those you have wronged. Yom Kippur is a more solemn occasion, where people fast and don't bathe. Most people do not drive on Shabbat in Jeruslaem, but there are still many cars and taxis in the street. On Yom Kippur there are absolutely no cars. In fact, most people walk in the middle of the street. After services on Erev Yom Kippur, we walked home in the middle of he streets with hundreds of other people. There were also kids riding their bikes up and down the streets all day-it was truly magical to see a city collectively become car-less.
For Erev Yom Kippur and Yom Kippur, we went to the beautiful services at HUC. They had hundreds of attendees, and held the service in a beautiful room overlooking the old city. The student choir was amazing, and it was fun to be a part of a big congregation of progressive Jews. For the Break the Fast, we all brought food and ate together in the student lounge area.
A week after Yom Kippur, just when you think you are done with holidays, a new holiday starts. Sukkot is a week-long Harvest festival. People build sukkot, a tent like structure, where many religious Jews eat all of their meals and sometimes sleep. It was fun to see all of the restaurants around us building their Sukkot, and trying to fit them on the sidewalk or on their patios. Because the first and last day of this holiday are special, we again find everything closed for two holidays and the Shabbats in between. This brings the grand total to 9 days of closed stores, restaurants, and public transportation in the month of Spetember. Its amazing that some of these businesses can stay open!
Sukkot is one of the longest breaks throughout the year, so HUC had a super long vacation. Many of the students took this time to travel or go home to see loved ones. We decided to go to Eilat. It was one of the best trips I have ever taken. Stay tuned for the story of our trip!
Saturday, September 7, 2013
A list of things we miss...
I will most definitely write a post in the next couple days about our High Holiday experience, but for now I will just say that there are many things we miss about the good old US of A. And I would like to list them for you now:
Our families and friends, of course..and being in the same time zone...
Pumpkin Spice Lattes.
Target.
Driving our own cars, and the freedom that comes with that.
Understanding people when they talk to you on the street.
Change of weather (Not that we are complaining about the never ending sunshine...but a little variety might be nice).
Not converting shekels to dollars in my head all the time.
Having a real job (Seriously!!).
Non-Jews (Again, variety is the spice of life).
Bath tubs.
Taco Diablo..and good Mexican food in general. And Chinese.
Walking to the lake in Evanston.
Walking around the lakes in Minneapolis.
There are many more I'm sure. Don't get me wrong, there are no complaints about this adventure were are on....but sometimes its nice to remember the comforts of home!
Our families and friends, of course..and being in the same time zone...
Pumpkin Spice Lattes.
Target.
Driving our own cars, and the freedom that comes with that.
Understanding people when they talk to you on the street.
Change of weather (Not that we are complaining about the never ending sunshine...but a little variety might be nice).
Not converting shekels to dollars in my head all the time.
Having a real job (Seriously!!).
Non-Jews (Again, variety is the spice of life).
Bath tubs.
Taco Diablo..and good Mexican food in general. And Chinese.
Walking to the lake in Evanston.
Walking around the lakes in Minneapolis.
There are many more I'm sure. Don't get me wrong, there are no complaints about this adventure were are on....but sometimes its nice to remember the comforts of home!
Tiyul to the North
Last week, I was lucky enough to join the HUC students on an overnight tiyul (trip), to the North of Israel. Now if you've ever seen a map of the Middle East, you might think that was not the best place in the world to be in these tumultuous times, but rest assured we were and are safe, and lucky to be in a peaceful place compared to what the people of Syria have to deal with. That being said, there are always plans in place in case something does happen here, and we have a whole network of people to make sure we can get out of harm's way if need be.
We left early Wednesday morning to get to our destination, the banks of the Kinneret, also known as the Sea of Galilee, a large lake in the northeast corner of Israel. The purpose of the trip was to get a big picture experience of the first Jewish settlers of Palestine (later Israel), and their connection to the land. We saw several different important sites including Tel Hai, the site of the first Arab-Jewish conflict in the area now known as Israel in the 1920s. We went to the site of a Kvutzat Kinneret, an agricultural school for girls, and then to the Kinneret cemetery where the poet Rachel is buried, along with many other important pioneers and early Zionists. We met with modern pioneers as well including members of a group of social activists fighting for social justice and community involvement.
The one part of the trip that made me nervous, was our visit to a moshav (settlement) on the border of Lebanon. As we learned about the history of the area, our trip leader pointed out a few easily visible buildings on the other side of a small fence a few miles away--an active Hezbollah settlement. Needless to say, I was very happy to leave.
Overall, it was a great way to see the beginnings of Israel firsthand, and understand the connection to the physical land of Israel. Now Adam and his classmates will continue to build on their knowledge of modern Israel history in their Israel Seminar class. Though this trip was an educational experience for me, it was a good reminder that I am most certainly not in Rabbinical School, and would not choose to be. These students are so passionate and full of opinions and enthusiasm about Israel and Judaism, I can't keep up with the conversations...nor do I want to. But as I have said before, the future of Reform Judaism seems to be in capable hands.
We left early Wednesday morning to get to our destination, the banks of the Kinneret, also known as the Sea of Galilee, a large lake in the northeast corner of Israel. The purpose of the trip was to get a big picture experience of the first Jewish settlers of Palestine (later Israel), and their connection to the land. We saw several different important sites including Tel Hai, the site of the first Arab-Jewish conflict in the area now known as Israel in the 1920s. We went to the site of a Kvutzat Kinneret, an agricultural school for girls, and then to the Kinneret cemetery where the poet Rachel is buried, along with many other important pioneers and early Zionists. We met with modern pioneers as well including members of a group of social activists fighting for social justice and community involvement.
The one part of the trip that made me nervous, was our visit to a moshav (settlement) on the border of Lebanon. As we learned about the history of the area, our trip leader pointed out a few easily visible buildings on the other side of a small fence a few miles away--an active Hezbollah settlement. Needless to say, I was very happy to leave.
Overall, it was a great way to see the beginnings of Israel firsthand, and understand the connection to the physical land of Israel. Now Adam and his classmates will continue to build on their knowledge of modern Israel history in their Israel Seminar class. Though this trip was an educational experience for me, it was a good reminder that I am most certainly not in Rabbinical School, and would not choose to be. These students are so passionate and full of opinions and enthusiasm about Israel and Judaism, I can't keep up with the conversations...nor do I want to. But as I have said before, the future of Reform Judaism seems to be in capable hands.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Vacation
I have been told that I need to blog more. Sorry guys! Its crazy to think its already September and its been almost a month since the last post. I will try my best to update you on what has happened since then.
Adam finished his first term at HUC a few weeks ago (Hooray!!) and did very well in both of his classes. I am so proud of him! Today he started the Fall term, and many students are saying its the first time they feel like real Rabbinic students. His schedule is jam packed, but luckily I will be volunteering at the Gan 3 days a week, so we can have lunch together!
During HUCs short break in August, we decided to travel up north to Haifa and Sfat. Haifa is a port city on the Western Coast, and Sfat (Tzfat, Safed, Safad....Whatever you want to call it in English) is about an hour and a half inward. We took a bus up to Haifa on Friday, and really learned how travel without a car is all about going with the flow. We took a bus to the bus station, and bought tickets to Haifa. We were expecting a nice peaceful ride, but of course, we had some trouble. The bus stopped several times along the way, as the bus driver was dealing with some sort of technical issue. Of course he never told us what was going on, but eventually told us that we would wait for a new bus on the side of the highway...After an hour of waiting we finally got to head out again toward Haifa!
Since we were there on a Friday night, the cuiy was pretty mellow, but we ended up meeting some friends from HUC for dinner in a cute strip called the German Colony! (For those that remember, our apartment is in the Jerusalem German Colony!) We had AMAZING Morrocan food at a restaurant called "Fatoush"...I love that I'm getting to try a lot of types of food here, and it is always very authentic.
As we walked to dinner, we say the beautiful Bahai Botanical Gardens, where one of the only Bahai Temples in the world is located. The only one in North America is in Wilmette, IL! II've driven by the Temple in Wilmette before, and it looks pretty similar from the outside. The one in Haifa is quite a sight, as its built on the side of one of the many mountains that make up Haifa. There are 700 steps to the top, and the whole way up is a beautifully manicured garden. In the middle, there is a holy Bahai Temple. At night it is all lit up!
After a breakfast the next day, we were going to meet out friends at the entrance to the garden to take a tour down to the bottom. When we asked at the hotel how to get there, we were told, very emphatically, that we should take a taxi, because there was no public transportation on Saturday. For some reason, we thought it was a better idea to walk. Google maps told us it would be a nice 30 minute walk of a little over a mile. I don't know what we were thinking, seeing as though we were on a mountain, but we didn't take into account that the little walk would be straight uphill. Every time I thought we were close, there were 200 more stairs...And then 200 more...and a huge hill...and 200 more stairs. It was one of the most challenging walks I've ever done, but we were good cheerleaders for one another, and when we finally made it to the top, it was an incredible view! We took a tour down the garden, and it was fascinating to learn the history of the Bahai religion.
Once we got to the bottom, we met our friends (who were done with the tour because they were smart and took a taxi) for some more delicious food. After lunch, we all crammed into a taxi to go to the beach. The beaches were very nice, and the water was perfect. I am still getting used to swimming in salt water, but I love standing in the waves of the Mediterranean. We enjoyed laying in the sun, drinking a pina coloda. and reading and snoozing. That night, Adam and I were exhausted, so we decided to make some turkey sandwiches at our hotel and sit in the courtyard by our room. It was the perfect ending to a long day!
The next morning we headed to the bus to get to Sfat as soon as possible. This was another interesting bus ride! We got to stay on the same bus the whole time, but there were 30 (!) stops on the way there! Because it was Sunday morning, there were tons of soldiers on the bus returning to their bases after the weekend. The bus was so packed many people had to stand that whole way. Luckily we had great seats! Once we got to Sfat, we went to the old city. This area is famous for the creation of Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism. There are many artists located there, and they all sell beautiful paintings and works of art in the old city. We loved walking through the windy, narrow streets looking in artists galleries and shops. We bought a few small paintings, and of course went to the Safed candle store. This is where everyone gets their Hannukah candles, and they had some beautiful candles and wax sculptures on display. We also went to a tiny sandwich shop where they made Yemenite sandwiches. It sort of looked like grilled cheese on a thick, grilled round piece of bread. It was very tasty!
Adam was really excited to go to the mikveh (Jewish ritual bath) in Sfat. Around the cemetery where several famous Kabbalists are buried, there is a famous Mikveh. I had to wait around the corner, but Adam tells me it was quite an experience...Maybe soon he will write a blog post about it!
After our long, hot, day in the old city we took another windy bus ride to the Safed Inn, a gem of a Bed and Breakfast about 20 minutes out of town. Its owned by a family, and it was a perfect place to relax and eat! We decided to hang out there for the night, and had Thai food delivered! We hung out in the hot tub and hammocks, and drank beer and played games.
In the morning we had a delicious homemade Israeli breakfast--complete with homemade cheese, jam, and bread! There was even real drip coffee, which is pretty much unheard of in Israel. Yum!
We took several buses back home, and it was nice to have the feeling we were home when we got back to Jerusalem.
My fingers are tired for now...But stay tuned for my next blog about our trip to the North with HUC!!
Adam finished his first term at HUC a few weeks ago (Hooray!!) and did very well in both of his classes. I am so proud of him! Today he started the Fall term, and many students are saying its the first time they feel like real Rabbinic students. His schedule is jam packed, but luckily I will be volunteering at the Gan 3 days a week, so we can have lunch together!
During HUCs short break in August, we decided to travel up north to Haifa and Sfat. Haifa is a port city on the Western Coast, and Sfat (Tzfat, Safed, Safad....Whatever you want to call it in English) is about an hour and a half inward. We took a bus up to Haifa on Friday, and really learned how travel without a car is all about going with the flow. We took a bus to the bus station, and bought tickets to Haifa. We were expecting a nice peaceful ride, but of course, we had some trouble. The bus stopped several times along the way, as the bus driver was dealing with some sort of technical issue. Of course he never told us what was going on, but eventually told us that we would wait for a new bus on the side of the highway...After an hour of waiting we finally got to head out again toward Haifa!
Since we were there on a Friday night, the cuiy was pretty mellow, but we ended up meeting some friends from HUC for dinner in a cute strip called the German Colony! (For those that remember, our apartment is in the Jerusalem German Colony!) We had AMAZING Morrocan food at a restaurant called "Fatoush"...I love that I'm getting to try a lot of types of food here, and it is always very authentic.
As we walked to dinner, we say the beautiful Bahai Botanical Gardens, where one of the only Bahai Temples in the world is located. The only one in North America is in Wilmette, IL! II've driven by the Temple in Wilmette before, and it looks pretty similar from the outside. The one in Haifa is quite a sight, as its built on the side of one of the many mountains that make up Haifa. There are 700 steps to the top, and the whole way up is a beautifully manicured garden. In the middle, there is a holy Bahai Temple. At night it is all lit up!
After a breakfast the next day, we were going to meet out friends at the entrance to the garden to take a tour down to the bottom. When we asked at the hotel how to get there, we were told, very emphatically, that we should take a taxi, because there was no public transportation on Saturday. For some reason, we thought it was a better idea to walk. Google maps told us it would be a nice 30 minute walk of a little over a mile. I don't know what we were thinking, seeing as though we were on a mountain, but we didn't take into account that the little walk would be straight uphill. Every time I thought we were close, there were 200 more stairs...And then 200 more...and a huge hill...and 200 more stairs. It was one of the most challenging walks I've ever done, but we were good cheerleaders for one another, and when we finally made it to the top, it was an incredible view! We took a tour down the garden, and it was fascinating to learn the history of the Bahai religion.
Once we got to the bottom, we met our friends (who were done with the tour because they were smart and took a taxi) for some more delicious food. After lunch, we all crammed into a taxi to go to the beach. The beaches were very nice, and the water was perfect. I am still getting used to swimming in salt water, but I love standing in the waves of the Mediterranean. We enjoyed laying in the sun, drinking a pina coloda. and reading and snoozing. That night, Adam and I were exhausted, so we decided to make some turkey sandwiches at our hotel and sit in the courtyard by our room. It was the perfect ending to a long day!
The next morning we headed to the bus to get to Sfat as soon as possible. This was another interesting bus ride! We got to stay on the same bus the whole time, but there were 30 (!) stops on the way there! Because it was Sunday morning, there were tons of soldiers on the bus returning to their bases after the weekend. The bus was so packed many people had to stand that whole way. Luckily we had great seats! Once we got to Sfat, we went to the old city. This area is famous for the creation of Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism. There are many artists located there, and they all sell beautiful paintings and works of art in the old city. We loved walking through the windy, narrow streets looking in artists galleries and shops. We bought a few small paintings, and of course went to the Safed candle store. This is where everyone gets their Hannukah candles, and they had some beautiful candles and wax sculptures on display. We also went to a tiny sandwich shop where they made Yemenite sandwiches. It sort of looked like grilled cheese on a thick, grilled round piece of bread. It was very tasty!
Adam was really excited to go to the mikveh (Jewish ritual bath) in Sfat. Around the cemetery where several famous Kabbalists are buried, there is a famous Mikveh. I had to wait around the corner, but Adam tells me it was quite an experience...Maybe soon he will write a blog post about it!
After our long, hot, day in the old city we took another windy bus ride to the Safed Inn, a gem of a Bed and Breakfast about 20 minutes out of town. Its owned by a family, and it was a perfect place to relax and eat! We decided to hang out there for the night, and had Thai food delivered! We hung out in the hot tub and hammocks, and drank beer and played games.
In the morning we had a delicious homemade Israeli breakfast--complete with homemade cheese, jam, and bread! There was even real drip coffee, which is pretty much unheard of in Israel. Yum!
We took several buses back home, and it was nice to have the feeling we were home when we got back to Jerusalem.
My fingers are tired for now...But stay tuned for my next blog about our trip to the North with HUC!!
Saturday, August 10, 2013
A recap of the past few weeks!
Apologies for taking so long to update! There are is so much to say that whenever I fee like writing it feels a little overwhelming! Lets start with an update about what we have been doing individually, and then some cool things that have happened since I last wrote!
Adam: Adam has completed four weeks of school already! This summer, the classes consist of Ulpan (Hebrew Study) and Biblical Archaeology. He is doing very well in both classes, and even passed out of Cantillation (reading Torah), the other class offered this summer, so its been nice to have a little extra time! In Biblical Archaeology, the students go on a weekly trip to see ruins and old cities, which is cool because they are getting to experience all of the history they learn about. He always comes home super sweaty and dusty from these trips! I will brag a little bit and say he is doing very well in his classes, and works very hard every day. He even has his own study spot picked out on the third floor of the HUC library. Sometimes I come and crash it--its very quiet and peaceful up there!
Rest assured, the future of Reform Judaism in America seems to be in capable hands. This is a group of doers. They organize, plan, and execute countless activities on top of all of their studies, and they are all enthusiastic and kind.
Me: I finished my first Ulpan, a three week intensive course at the Conservative Yeshiva. It was very helpful, and I will start another one after the Jewish Holidays. My Hebrew is getting better everyday, and it helps to practice with Adam who is incredible! I can tell he is getting good because whenever we go to a restaurant they give us menus in Hebrew! I have been babysitting almost every day, and I now have three different families I work for. I am currently researching programs that I can do online to get endorsed in ELL when we get back to the states.
Ok So I will try to catch you up on things we have been up to!
Weddings:
Since we have been here, we have been lucky enough to attend two beautiful weddings. The first was our friend Jackie and her now husband Sagiv, who is Israeli. Last week we went to Ross and Dorit's wedding, some friends from Minnesota who now live in Tel Aviv. Both weddings were very absolutely beautiful with serious dancing, delicious and plentiful food, and very loving couples. There are a lot of similarities between Israeli and American weddings, but a few noticeable differences. Before the ceremony is a Kabbalat Panim. In the States, it seems that this ceremony is more private and ceremonial, where the women dance with the bride, the men drink with the groom, and then the two get together, sign the Ketubah, and put the veil on the bride. In Israel, it is more of a cocktail hour before the ceremony, and the Bride and Groom are present. There is a lot to eat and drink, and then everyone gathers for the ceremony. People cheer when the bride and groom come down the aisle, which I love! People cheer and clap during the ceremony, and its a very uplifting thing to experience, as it should be. During the reception, every dance is a Hora and you don't have to wait for Hava Nagila to dance in a circle!
Jerusalem Pride:
Last week, I went with a large group of HUC students to march in the Jerusalem Pride Parade. We met in Independence park, where there were huge group of supporters dressed in rainbows and holding balloons and signs, and from there we marched to Knesset (the Parliament building). I was surprised that there were really no visible protestors, and it was such a peaceful and serene walk. At one point, there were stink bombs catapulted from someone's roof, but the smell only lasted for a few minutes on the route. I wondered why there was so little hubub about something that is so divisive at home, but someone told me its because to the Ultra-Orthodox, the LGBT community doesn't exist. It's not a threat to them because they don't see it or acknowledge it. They have more important things to worry about, which brings me to another highlight...
Women of the Wall
We went with the Women of the Wall to pray at the Kotel for the beginning of the Jewish month of Elul. There were waaaay less protestors than last time, but there were still hundreds of Haredi men and women there to scream, blow whistles, and drown out our prayer. Like last time, we did not get to make it to the actual wall, which is ridiculous, but we had a beautiful service. At the end we listened to the sound of the Shofar to mark the beginning of the last month of the year, in preparation for Rosh Hashana.
Cincinnati Dinner:
We had an amazing dinner with the cohort of students and their families that will be coming to Cincinnati next year. There are two married couples with kids, us, and about 8 other students, and its a wonderful group of future Rabbis and families! We ate vegetarian "Skyline" chili, lots of other delicious food, and played Cincinnati trivia! I learned many important things, the most important of which is how to spell Cincinnati! I think its really cool that we will all be together for the next five years and we will hopefully grow and expand with more children and significant others on time progresses!
Tzur Hadassah
This Shabbat, we had the pleasure of going to services at a Reform congregation in the village of Tzur Hadassah, about 20 minutes outside of Jerusalem. Its a community of about 7,000 people, and the Reform congregation has about 40 families as members, which we were told was a very high number in this type of community. The Rabbi there is the mother of some of the kids I babysit for, and a faculty member at HUC. She hired Adam to songlead for Rosh Hashana services there, so he came to songlead for them this Shabbat as well! There were only about 14 people there, but it was a beautiful Shabbat experience. The building is very tiny, but it is clear that the people who belong to this congregation are very passionate about Reform Judaism in a country where its just beginning to be accepted and recognized. Afterwards, we had a really nice home-cooked meal at the Rabbi's house in Jerusalem. One interesting part of the trip there, was that we passed through Palestinian territories on our way there. It was nothing like I expected. We were in a cab, so we were just waved through the checkpoints, and it really felt like we were just going through a toll. In America there is a vision that there is a battleground at each border, but we didn't feel that as we passed through. That being said, its not the same for the Palestinians.
Shabbat Experiences
It takes some getting used to that the weekend is Friday and Saturday and that the week starts again on Sunday. The word for Sunday literally means First Day! On Friday, we have been going the market (shuk) to buy produce and other goodies for the week. Some people think we are crazy for going on Friday, which is like going to Trader Joes on Sunday but ten million times crazier. I really like it because its the only time Adam and I get to go together, and its fun to see all of the craziness before Shabbat! Friday nights the students always go to services around the city to experience different types of Jewish tradition, and Saturday morning there is a service at HUC. So far, we have been trying to relax as much as possible on Saturdays, and go on Shabbat dates! Today we even went to a movie. There is a tiny movie theater down our block, and today we saw our first movie there. We saw "Unfinished Song" (the Hebrew translation was "A Song for Marion"). It was in English, so we decided to see it! It was a very emotional movie and we both cried A LOT! The weirdest part was that there was an intermission, or smoke break. I knew it was going to happen, but it still took me by surprise when the lights came on in the middle of the movie!
Wow, sorry that went on for so long! Hopefully I will be more prompt with my next update, but who am I kidding? : ) Shavua Tov, have a wonderful week!
Adam: Adam has completed four weeks of school already! This summer, the classes consist of Ulpan (Hebrew Study) and Biblical Archaeology. He is doing very well in both classes, and even passed out of Cantillation (reading Torah), the other class offered this summer, so its been nice to have a little extra time! In Biblical Archaeology, the students go on a weekly trip to see ruins and old cities, which is cool because they are getting to experience all of the history they learn about. He always comes home super sweaty and dusty from these trips! I will brag a little bit and say he is doing very well in his classes, and works very hard every day. He even has his own study spot picked out on the third floor of the HUC library. Sometimes I come and crash it--its very quiet and peaceful up there!
Rest assured, the future of Reform Judaism in America seems to be in capable hands. This is a group of doers. They organize, plan, and execute countless activities on top of all of their studies, and they are all enthusiastic and kind.
Me: I finished my first Ulpan, a three week intensive course at the Conservative Yeshiva. It was very helpful, and I will start another one after the Jewish Holidays. My Hebrew is getting better everyday, and it helps to practice with Adam who is incredible! I can tell he is getting good because whenever we go to a restaurant they give us menus in Hebrew! I have been babysitting almost every day, and I now have three different families I work for. I am currently researching programs that I can do online to get endorsed in ELL when we get back to the states.
Ok So I will try to catch you up on things we have been up to!
Weddings:
Since we have been here, we have been lucky enough to attend two beautiful weddings. The first was our friend Jackie and her now husband Sagiv, who is Israeli. Last week we went to Ross and Dorit's wedding, some friends from Minnesota who now live in Tel Aviv. Both weddings were very absolutely beautiful with serious dancing, delicious and plentiful food, and very loving couples. There are a lot of similarities between Israeli and American weddings, but a few noticeable differences. Before the ceremony is a Kabbalat Panim. In the States, it seems that this ceremony is more private and ceremonial, where the women dance with the bride, the men drink with the groom, and then the two get together, sign the Ketubah, and put the veil on the bride. In Israel, it is more of a cocktail hour before the ceremony, and the Bride and Groom are present. There is a lot to eat and drink, and then everyone gathers for the ceremony. People cheer when the bride and groom come down the aisle, which I love! People cheer and clap during the ceremony, and its a very uplifting thing to experience, as it should be. During the reception, every dance is a Hora and you don't have to wait for Hava Nagila to dance in a circle!
Jerusalem Pride:
Last week, I went with a large group of HUC students to march in the Jerusalem Pride Parade. We met in Independence park, where there were huge group of supporters dressed in rainbows and holding balloons and signs, and from there we marched to Knesset (the Parliament building). I was surprised that there were really no visible protestors, and it was such a peaceful and serene walk. At one point, there were stink bombs catapulted from someone's roof, but the smell only lasted for a few minutes on the route. I wondered why there was so little hubub about something that is so divisive at home, but someone told me its because to the Ultra-Orthodox, the LGBT community doesn't exist. It's not a threat to them because they don't see it or acknowledge it. They have more important things to worry about, which brings me to another highlight...
Women of the Wall
We went with the Women of the Wall to pray at the Kotel for the beginning of the Jewish month of Elul. There were waaaay less protestors than last time, but there were still hundreds of Haredi men and women there to scream, blow whistles, and drown out our prayer. Like last time, we did not get to make it to the actual wall, which is ridiculous, but we had a beautiful service. At the end we listened to the sound of the Shofar to mark the beginning of the last month of the year, in preparation for Rosh Hashana.
Cincinnati Dinner:
We had an amazing dinner with the cohort of students and their families that will be coming to Cincinnati next year. There are two married couples with kids, us, and about 8 other students, and its a wonderful group of future Rabbis and families! We ate vegetarian "Skyline" chili, lots of other delicious food, and played Cincinnati trivia! I learned many important things, the most important of which is how to spell Cincinnati! I think its really cool that we will all be together for the next five years and we will hopefully grow and expand with more children and significant others on time progresses!
Tzur Hadassah
This Shabbat, we had the pleasure of going to services at a Reform congregation in the village of Tzur Hadassah, about 20 minutes outside of Jerusalem. Its a community of about 7,000 people, and the Reform congregation has about 40 families as members, which we were told was a very high number in this type of community. The Rabbi there is the mother of some of the kids I babysit for, and a faculty member at HUC. She hired Adam to songlead for Rosh Hashana services there, so he came to songlead for them this Shabbat as well! There were only about 14 people there, but it was a beautiful Shabbat experience. The building is very tiny, but it is clear that the people who belong to this congregation are very passionate about Reform Judaism in a country where its just beginning to be accepted and recognized. Afterwards, we had a really nice home-cooked meal at the Rabbi's house in Jerusalem. One interesting part of the trip there, was that we passed through Palestinian territories on our way there. It was nothing like I expected. We were in a cab, so we were just waved through the checkpoints, and it really felt like we were just going through a toll. In America there is a vision that there is a battleground at each border, but we didn't feel that as we passed through. That being said, its not the same for the Palestinians.
Shabbat Experiences
It takes some getting used to that the weekend is Friday and Saturday and that the week starts again on Sunday. The word for Sunday literally means First Day! On Friday, we have been going the market (shuk) to buy produce and other goodies for the week. Some people think we are crazy for going on Friday, which is like going to Trader Joes on Sunday but ten million times crazier. I really like it because its the only time Adam and I get to go together, and its fun to see all of the craziness before Shabbat! Friday nights the students always go to services around the city to experience different types of Jewish tradition, and Saturday morning there is a service at HUC. So far, we have been trying to relax as much as possible on Saturdays, and go on Shabbat dates! Today we even went to a movie. There is a tiny movie theater down our block, and today we saw our first movie there. We saw "Unfinished Song" (the Hebrew translation was "A Song for Marion"). It was in English, so we decided to see it! It was a very emotional movie and we both cried A LOT! The weirdest part was that there was an intermission, or smoke break. I knew it was going to happen, but it still took me by surprise when the lights came on in the middle of the movie!
Wow, sorry that went on for so long! Hopefully I will be more prompt with my next update, but who am I kidding? : ) Shavua Tov, have a wonderful week!
Saturday, July 27, 2013
A Jewish World
Holy moly, you guys--We've been here for a month! I feel like its been two years, but also like its flown by. Life here feels pretty normal, but I always have the feeling like we are going to be going home soon. Alas, we literally do not have a place to live in the States, so we are home, and thats a good thing!
Though this is our home, (metaphorically and literally), there are a few things about this country that are frequently catching me off guard. The biggest of which, is the notion that this is a country governed by a religion. Of course I've always known that (Jewish State, of course), and its one of the things (THE thing) that makes the Middle East so volatile. But I never really put myself into the mix and thought about how I feel about it. It just seems so ingrained in me that religion and government should never mix.
For example, restaurants here must pay extra to remain open on Shabbat and other Jewish holidays. ------Can you imagine Perkins having to pay extra to be open on Christmas?
Jewish people have priority in becoming citizens.
There was just an election for Chief Rabbis.
Gender equality is still being debated-- in 2013!
I hope it doesn't seem naive or ethnocentric, but simply put: It feels weird. I am proud to be a Jew, and I believe its important to have a place thats ours, but I still feel uncomfortable with the idea that religion still holds so much power over here. Especially when the spectrum of Jewish theology is so giant. OY.
On a lighter, albeit more yucky note, I have seen something happen twice that has made me feel as if I am in a whole different world. While walking down Ben Yehuda street the other day, Adam and I saw Grandmother holding her child over a tree. Cute, you say? Nope. The child was not wearing pants, and the child was pooping. On a tree. In the middle of the busy, touristy, public street. And this was the second time we saw someone doing this. I know that in many countries it is perfectly acceptable to use the street as your toilet--mainly because there is not access to toilets, and when a kid has to go, they gotta go. But here? Plenty of toilets to use! Even dog owners pick up their dog's poop with a baggie! I didn't stick around to see if they bagged it, but I doubt it. I am fascinated by this. Not only because its pretty yucky, but also because it seems like Israel is very intent on projecting itself as a First World Country. We were specifically told that we shouldn't barter with merchants in the shuk because its offensive and Third World. Maybe I'm just easily offended? What do you guys think?
Okay, we are off to see a movie on this fine Shabbat afternoon! Shavua Tov!
Melissa
Though this is our home, (metaphorically and literally), there are a few things about this country that are frequently catching me off guard. The biggest of which, is the notion that this is a country governed by a religion. Of course I've always known that (Jewish State, of course), and its one of the things (THE thing) that makes the Middle East so volatile. But I never really put myself into the mix and thought about how I feel about it. It just seems so ingrained in me that religion and government should never mix.
For example, restaurants here must pay extra to remain open on Shabbat and other Jewish holidays. ------Can you imagine Perkins having to pay extra to be open on Christmas?
Jewish people have priority in becoming citizens.
There was just an election for Chief Rabbis.
Gender equality is still being debated-- in 2013!
I hope it doesn't seem naive or ethnocentric, but simply put: It feels weird. I am proud to be a Jew, and I believe its important to have a place thats ours, but I still feel uncomfortable with the idea that religion still holds so much power over here. Especially when the spectrum of Jewish theology is so giant. OY.
On a lighter, albeit more yucky note, I have seen something happen twice that has made me feel as if I am in a whole different world. While walking down Ben Yehuda street the other day, Adam and I saw Grandmother holding her child over a tree. Cute, you say? Nope. The child was not wearing pants, and the child was pooping. On a tree. In the middle of the busy, touristy, public street. And this was the second time we saw someone doing this. I know that in many countries it is perfectly acceptable to use the street as your toilet--mainly because there is not access to toilets, and when a kid has to go, they gotta go. But here? Plenty of toilets to use! Even dog owners pick up their dog's poop with a baggie! I didn't stick around to see if they bagged it, but I doubt it. I am fascinated by this. Not only because its pretty yucky, but also because it seems like Israel is very intent on projecting itself as a First World Country. We were specifically told that we shouldn't barter with merchants in the shuk because its offensive and Third World. Maybe I'm just easily offended? What do you guys think?
Okay, we are off to see a movie on this fine Shabbat afternoon! Shavua Tov!
Melissa
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Camp Israel
Being here is a little bit like being at a Jewish summer camp. Its super hot, you have to walk EVERYWHERE, there is constantly something new to see or do, the days go by quickly but feel verrrry long, everything has a Hebrew name (duh), and you run into people you know on the street all the time.
Since being here I have had the pleasure of seeing several friends that I knew were in town, and Adam and I have run into people on the street that we know from our various Jewish life activities. It makes sense, though. Israel is our homeland. Seeing other Jews on the street just means we all came home! There is a saying here, "rak b'Yisrael", only in Israel. Every time I see someone I know I think, "Rak b'Yisrael!"
Adam and I have both been busy getting acclimated to our new routines. Adam started school, and is doing homework in the kitchen as we speak! He comes home exhausted, and I am so proud that he is finally immersed in what has been his dream for so long! I will make him write a post about his classes as soon as things get more regular. Several HUC events include S.O.'s (Signifacnt Others, thats what we are called), and I have loved meeting all of the students that make up this talented class. Whenever we run into a fellow student, I laugh because the conversation inevitably turns into what I call "Geeky Rabbi Mode".
Example conversation in which I totally make things up:
"Did you know that the Talmud forbids you to eat hummus on a Friday, but you should eat twice as much on Thursday?"
"No way! I heard that Moses ate Hummus daily and that's why his beard was so long. It's in the 2nd tractate of Nashim."
"Sure, but its very important to eat hummus in a spiritual way, just like Rachel did when she went to a well and found a serpent with a wart on it's back and that's why we celebrate Purim."
...Okay, so it's a good thing I am not here for Rabbinical school.
I have started working and volunteering, which is a huge relief to me. When we first got here, I struggled a lot with my role, and how I can make the most of this year. Its incredibly disconcerting to be working full time, go to grad school, earn an income, and then just totally stop. Luckily, my mother's name is Sherri Rutman, so I inherited an inability to sit still for very long! I started volunteering at the Gan at HUC, and it has been a very complex and educational experience. I am working in a classroom that is made up of children of refugees and foreign workers, a group that is often overlooked in Israel. I have gotten better at communicating with them, and have had to employ a lot of nonverbal techniques. I realized quickly that my skills in education are often verbal, so I need to know the correct words to say, and how to use body language to get across what I mean. It would be easy for me to yell commands in Hebrew, like, "Sit Down!" or "Stop hitting him!" but I know thats not developmentally appropriate, so I am learning how to say things like "We all play together here, we are all a community" Or "Hands are not for hitting. If you need to take a break, please take one, and think about how you can play nicely." Thats tough, so for now I just do a lot of sign language and meaningful looks!
I have also had the great opportunity to earn some money while babysitting for two wonderful families! One is a for a Rabbi alumna of HUC and her Israeli husband's two cute kids. They speak English, but have very cute Israeli accents! The other family is a fellow student at HUC and her husband, who is working long-distance from Israel to the States. Their son is THE CUTEST kid ever, so funny, and babysitting him allows me to go play in parks and not be stared at like I'm crazy! Its nice to have a purpose and things to do, and to feel accomplished.
Today was Tisha B'Av, a Jewish day of mourning. It commemorates the destruction of both Temples that stood in Jerusalem, and is observed with a fast and traditional mourning rituals, like sitting on the floor and not listening to music. Last night, we had a beautiful HUC service, and walked as a group to the Kotel (Mentioned in my earlier post), which is but a small remnant of the second Temple that was destroyed. It was incredible to be right there, where it all happened thousands of years ago. Thousands of people come to wall to pray and sit on the ground in mourning. It was a once in a lifetime experience, and it only reiterated how special it is that we have this time here.
We miss you all....XOXO
Melissa
Since being here I have had the pleasure of seeing several friends that I knew were in town, and Adam and I have run into people on the street that we know from our various Jewish life activities. It makes sense, though. Israel is our homeland. Seeing other Jews on the street just means we all came home! There is a saying here, "rak b'Yisrael", only in Israel. Every time I see someone I know I think, "Rak b'Yisrael!"
Adam and I have both been busy getting acclimated to our new routines. Adam started school, and is doing homework in the kitchen as we speak! He comes home exhausted, and I am so proud that he is finally immersed in what has been his dream for so long! I will make him write a post about his classes as soon as things get more regular. Several HUC events include S.O.'s (Signifacnt Others, thats what we are called), and I have loved meeting all of the students that make up this talented class. Whenever we run into a fellow student, I laugh because the conversation inevitably turns into what I call "Geeky Rabbi Mode".
Example conversation in which I totally make things up:
"Did you know that the Talmud forbids you to eat hummus on a Friday, but you should eat twice as much on Thursday?"
"No way! I heard that Moses ate Hummus daily and that's why his beard was so long. It's in the 2nd tractate of Nashim."
"Sure, but its very important to eat hummus in a spiritual way, just like Rachel did when she went to a well and found a serpent with a wart on it's back and that's why we celebrate Purim."
...Okay, so it's a good thing I am not here for Rabbinical school.
I have started working and volunteering, which is a huge relief to me. When we first got here, I struggled a lot with my role, and how I can make the most of this year. Its incredibly disconcerting to be working full time, go to grad school, earn an income, and then just totally stop. Luckily, my mother's name is Sherri Rutman, so I inherited an inability to sit still for very long! I started volunteering at the Gan at HUC, and it has been a very complex and educational experience. I am working in a classroom that is made up of children of refugees and foreign workers, a group that is often overlooked in Israel. I have gotten better at communicating with them, and have had to employ a lot of nonverbal techniques. I realized quickly that my skills in education are often verbal, so I need to know the correct words to say, and how to use body language to get across what I mean. It would be easy for me to yell commands in Hebrew, like, "Sit Down!" or "Stop hitting him!" but I know thats not developmentally appropriate, so I am learning how to say things like "We all play together here, we are all a community" Or "Hands are not for hitting. If you need to take a break, please take one, and think about how you can play nicely." Thats tough, so for now I just do a lot of sign language and meaningful looks!
I have also had the great opportunity to earn some money while babysitting for two wonderful families! One is a for a Rabbi alumna of HUC and her Israeli husband's two cute kids. They speak English, but have very cute Israeli accents! The other family is a fellow student at HUC and her husband, who is working long-distance from Israel to the States. Their son is THE CUTEST kid ever, so funny, and babysitting him allows me to go play in parks and not be stared at like I'm crazy! Its nice to have a purpose and things to do, and to feel accomplished.
Today was Tisha B'Av, a Jewish day of mourning. It commemorates the destruction of both Temples that stood in Jerusalem, and is observed with a fast and traditional mourning rituals, like sitting on the floor and not listening to music. Last night, we had a beautiful HUC service, and walked as a group to the Kotel (Mentioned in my earlier post), which is but a small remnant of the second Temple that was destroyed. It was incredible to be right there, where it all happened thousands of years ago. Thousands of people come to wall to pray and sit on the ground in mourning. It was a once in a lifetime experience, and it only reiterated how special it is that we have this time here.
We miss you all....XOXO
Melissa
Monday, July 8, 2013
Rosh Chodesh, With The Women of the Wall
As Adam and I walked to the bus this morning to pray with the Women of the wall, my heart was beating out of my chest. I thought, "This is not right. I should not be scared to pray. I should not be out of breath, have a knot in my stomach, in anticipation of...praying." I guess that growing up in the Conservative and Reform movements in America, I take it for granted that prayer is the one thing another person can't take away from you. I have prayed in egalitarian services my whole life, and I had always taken for granted that it was my choice and obligation to pray freely. Here in Jerusalem, the struggles are still raw and real.
We rode the bus with many of Adam's new classmates, and we were all excited and nervous to be participating. With a police escort, about 5 busses arrived at the gate to the Old City. Afterwards, I read about how many thousand Hareedi Jews were there in counter protest. (I only say protest because that was their agenda. Our agenda was only to have a prayer service.) I didn't notice that there were thousands of others. We were our own group, and we had peace on our side. Sadly, we did not make it to the actual wall. Hareedi leaders had called for thousands of young girls from seminaries all over Israel to come to the wall a half an hour before us, so that they would block us from going in. So they could deny us the right to pray at the Kotel. Not their Kotel, not my Kotel, but OUR Kotel. The Kotel that belongs to the Jewish people. They didn't want us there.
We used beautiful Women of the Wall prayer books to daven Shaharit, and read excerpts from the Torah in honor of the new Jewish month. Unfortunately, we were not able to read from an actual Torah scroll, as even the Women of the Wall have not won that battle--yet. As we prayed, we did our best to ignore what was happening around us.
The most beautiful moment for me was when a tiny 12-year-old girl stood on a chair to read the Torah blessings. She was the third generation in her family to become a Bat Mitzvah at the wall. My eyes filled with tears as this courageous girl was lifted on the chair in celebration of one of the most profound moments for a Jew. Thousands of Jewish men and women on the other side of our minyan jeered. But the 350 of us stood proud and strong to support her, cheering. I hope she could only hear the cheers.
The difference between us and them is that we came there to pray, and they came there to spew hate. Its impossible for me to wrap my mind around the thought of someone feeling so strongly that women should not be heard, that they would actively drown out the prayers that they themselves count as the most holy. We were saying the words of our people, in the language of our people. Singing in beautiful harmony, praising and thanking God. But they were yelling, blowing air horns, blowing whistles, shushing us, throwing eggs, laughing, shaming....as we sang and praised God. Not their God, Not my God, but OUR God.
As I prayed, I kept noticing that I was feeling the hot Jerusalem sun shine down on us. I felt the sun and the beauty of the city and our people driving the ruach (spirit) in our circle. I wonder if the other Jews there could feel the sun shining down on them as they screamed and shouted. Could they feel the beauty of God as they condemned us? I hope so. I hope deep down, in some small part of them, they felt it. That they felt the light of the Women of the Wall.
Our Hope is not yet lost.
The hope of two thousand years
To be a free people in our land.
The land of Zion and Jerusalem.
We rode the bus with many of Adam's new classmates, and we were all excited and nervous to be participating. With a police escort, about 5 busses arrived at the gate to the Old City. Afterwards, I read about how many thousand Hareedi Jews were there in counter protest. (I only say protest because that was their agenda. Our agenda was only to have a prayer service.) I didn't notice that there were thousands of others. We were our own group, and we had peace on our side. Sadly, we did not make it to the actual wall. Hareedi leaders had called for thousands of young girls from seminaries all over Israel to come to the wall a half an hour before us, so that they would block us from going in. So they could deny us the right to pray at the Kotel. Not their Kotel, not my Kotel, but OUR Kotel. The Kotel that belongs to the Jewish people. They didn't want us there.
We used beautiful Women of the Wall prayer books to daven Shaharit, and read excerpts from the Torah in honor of the new Jewish month. Unfortunately, we were not able to read from an actual Torah scroll, as even the Women of the Wall have not won that battle--yet. As we prayed, we did our best to ignore what was happening around us.
The most beautiful moment for me was when a tiny 12-year-old girl stood on a chair to read the Torah blessings. She was the third generation in her family to become a Bat Mitzvah at the wall. My eyes filled with tears as this courageous girl was lifted on the chair in celebration of one of the most profound moments for a Jew. Thousands of Jewish men and women on the other side of our minyan jeered. But the 350 of us stood proud and strong to support her, cheering. I hope she could only hear the cheers.
The difference between us and them is that we came there to pray, and they came there to spew hate. Its impossible for me to wrap my mind around the thought of someone feeling so strongly that women should not be heard, that they would actively drown out the prayers that they themselves count as the most holy. We were saying the words of our people, in the language of our people. Singing in beautiful harmony, praising and thanking God. But they were yelling, blowing air horns, blowing whistles, shushing us, throwing eggs, laughing, shaming....as we sang and praised God. Not their God, Not my God, but OUR God.
As I prayed, I kept noticing that I was feeling the hot Jerusalem sun shine down on us. I felt the sun and the beauty of the city and our people driving the ruach (spirit) in our circle. I wonder if the other Jews there could feel the sun shining down on them as they screamed and shouted. Could they feel the beauty of God as they condemned us? I hope so. I hope deep down, in some small part of them, they felt it. That they felt the light of the Women of the Wall.
Our Hope is not yet lost.
The hope of two thousand years
To be a free people in our land.
The land of Zion and Jerusalem.
| עוֹד לֹא אָבְדָה תִּקְוָתֵנוּ, | ‘ | |
| הַתִּקְוָה בַּת שְׁנוֹת אַלְפַּיִם | , | |
| לִהְיוֹת עַם חָפְשִׁי בְּאַרְצֵנוּ, | ||
| אֶרֶץ צִיּוֹן וִירוּשָׁלַיִם. | . |
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Culture Clash
As I sit down to write, I am having a hard time processing all of the things I want to write about. Though it feels like there should be a thousand new things to say, life here is starting to feel a tiny bit "normal", so that doesn't necessarily lend itself to blogging.
I'll start with saying we have had a few experiences that made me think "there is no way this would happen in Chicago." The first one happened on our way to Tel Aviv last week. As we were leaving our apartment, we decided to take a moment to explore the building we are living in. We thought that behind the building there was a shared courtyard for all of the inhabitants of the building to use, and when we moved in, we had specifically asked our landlord if this was the case. She had said yes, so we decided to open the gate on the side of the building (literally three feet from our entrance) and look in the backyard. The gate was unlocked, as we expected, so we walked to in to take a look. We saw a small yard, and the entrance to an apartment on the right. Suddenly, a loud alarm went off! We looked at each other and walked back out the gate, unsure of what to do--Should we call someone? Wait for something to happen? Run away? As we were standing there feeling helpless, a woman came out of the apartment door screaming, "Whats going on? What are you doing here?!" We stood there apologizing profusely, explaining that we had just moved in, and thought this was a shared courtyard. The woman was not amused, and clearly very upset. I can understand her surprise, but we were very apologetic and had made an honest mistake. She told us, "Your story doesn't add up! Didn't you see my gate? Why would you come in to my private property?!" She spoke very clear English, so this was definitely not a language issue, but she still didn't want to hear our apologies. Finally she went inside, and Adam and I felt terrible--we have to live under this woman all year, and she thinks we are thieves! We called or landlord to explain, and she ended up talking to our disgruntled neighbor. It turns our there was a misunderstanding of where the "shared courtyard" was, and there really isn't one. Oops. Now every time I come home I cross my fingers that I won't see her again!
I think if this had happened at home, the neighbor may have been a lot more polite and willing to hear our story. Here, people are very much on the offensive, and are quick to yell. There is no time to explain yourself, and everything automatically goes to yelling and accusations. For example, we went to the grocery store yesterday, and went to wait patiently in line, which is something I teach young children how to do quite often. There were two lines that were awkwardly merging to get to the cash register. In the States, if two lines are merging, people are generally cordial and try to accommodate one another. You might hear, "Oh you go ahead." "No you go", "I insist! Have a great day!"Not here. Unfortunately my language skills are not good enough to truly understand the brawl that happened as these two lines tried to get to the register, but I think it went something like this:
Woman A: You were not here! Wait your turn, lady!
Woman B: Oh no no no I have been here the whole time! I am going first!
Woman C: Seriously?! No No no I was here first. get out of my way, bitches!
Man: Let (Woman A) her go first! We have all been waiting for so long! Just go! Go!
Everyone in line" YELL YELL YELL BLAH BLAH BLAH! Angry Yelling!!!"
** Another line opens next to this one. A and B rush to get there first. Woman A puts her things down on the conveyor belt. Woman B picks them up and put them behind her own things.***
Woman A: No! NO No NO! I was here first what is wrong with you!? Don't touch my stuff! How dare you!?
Woman B: How dare YOU?! (Other woman reaches for her things, she grabs her hand up and moves it out of the way)
This went on for about five more minutes, until they were done yelling and seemed ready to go on with the day as if nothing interesting had happened. Basically, it was any episode of Real Housewives of New Jersey. The best part was, it ended with "Shabbat Shalom! being yelled passive aggressively as they left. I think I have some toughening up to do!
On a more lighthearted note, we have had a wonderful Shabbat! Last night we met some friends for services at Kol Haneshama, a progressive congregation just down the road. The service was all music, and many tunes that I could sing along to. The bast part was that it felt as though every single person in the congregation was singing. Everyone knew the words, and sang with true ruach (spirit). Afterward, we went to dinner at a new friends home, and shared discussions and spirited conversation with other HUC students. I have a feeling there will be a lot of spirited discussions at the Shabbat table over the next year!
Today we were invited for Shabbat lunch at the apartment of a Rabbi who is here for the summer. He is a graduate of HUC, and works in Peoria, Illinois. AS we sat around the table, each of the 10 HUC students and spouses had a chance to tell their story, and how they ended up here. It was a great way to get to know people on a more personal level.
I am excited that tomorrow I am going to the Gan (Kindergarten) at HUC to do some volunteering. There aren't any academic programs in the summer, but I am excited to feel useful and productive. Adam starts orientation on Monday, so I'm sure there will be more tell by next week!
Well, I guess I did have stuff to write about! If you guys have any questions or things you thin might be interesting to write about, let me know--I don't want to run out of steam.
Shabbat Shalom!!
Melissa
I'll start with saying we have had a few experiences that made me think "there is no way this would happen in Chicago." The first one happened on our way to Tel Aviv last week. As we were leaving our apartment, we decided to take a moment to explore the building we are living in. We thought that behind the building there was a shared courtyard for all of the inhabitants of the building to use, and when we moved in, we had specifically asked our landlord if this was the case. She had said yes, so we decided to open the gate on the side of the building (literally three feet from our entrance) and look in the backyard. The gate was unlocked, as we expected, so we walked to in to take a look. We saw a small yard, and the entrance to an apartment on the right. Suddenly, a loud alarm went off! We looked at each other and walked back out the gate, unsure of what to do--Should we call someone? Wait for something to happen? Run away? As we were standing there feeling helpless, a woman came out of the apartment door screaming, "Whats going on? What are you doing here?!" We stood there apologizing profusely, explaining that we had just moved in, and thought this was a shared courtyard. The woman was not amused, and clearly very upset. I can understand her surprise, but we were very apologetic and had made an honest mistake. She told us, "Your story doesn't add up! Didn't you see my gate? Why would you come in to my private property?!" She spoke very clear English, so this was definitely not a language issue, but she still didn't want to hear our apologies. Finally she went inside, and Adam and I felt terrible--we have to live under this woman all year, and she thinks we are thieves! We called or landlord to explain, and she ended up talking to our disgruntled neighbor. It turns our there was a misunderstanding of where the "shared courtyard" was, and there really isn't one. Oops. Now every time I come home I cross my fingers that I won't see her again!
I think if this had happened at home, the neighbor may have been a lot more polite and willing to hear our story. Here, people are very much on the offensive, and are quick to yell. There is no time to explain yourself, and everything automatically goes to yelling and accusations. For example, we went to the grocery store yesterday, and went to wait patiently in line, which is something I teach young children how to do quite often. There were two lines that were awkwardly merging to get to the cash register. In the States, if two lines are merging, people are generally cordial and try to accommodate one another. You might hear, "Oh you go ahead." "No you go", "I insist! Have a great day!"Not here. Unfortunately my language skills are not good enough to truly understand the brawl that happened as these two lines tried to get to the register, but I think it went something like this:
Woman A: You were not here! Wait your turn, lady!
Woman B: Oh no no no I have been here the whole time! I am going first!
Woman C: Seriously?! No No no I was here first. get out of my way, bitches!
Man: Let (Woman A) her go first! We have all been waiting for so long! Just go! Go!
Everyone in line" YELL YELL YELL BLAH BLAH BLAH! Angry Yelling!!!"
** Another line opens next to this one. A and B rush to get there first. Woman A puts her things down on the conveyor belt. Woman B picks them up and put them behind her own things.***
Woman A: No! NO No NO! I was here first what is wrong with you!? Don't touch my stuff! How dare you!?
Woman B: How dare YOU?! (Other woman reaches for her things, she grabs her hand up and moves it out of the way)
This went on for about five more minutes, until they were done yelling and seemed ready to go on with the day as if nothing interesting had happened. Basically, it was any episode of Real Housewives of New Jersey. The best part was, it ended with "Shabbat Shalom! being yelled passive aggressively as they left. I think I have some toughening up to do!
On a more lighthearted note, we have had a wonderful Shabbat! Last night we met some friends for services at Kol Haneshama, a progressive congregation just down the road. The service was all music, and many tunes that I could sing along to. The bast part was that it felt as though every single person in the congregation was singing. Everyone knew the words, and sang with true ruach (spirit). Afterward, we went to dinner at a new friends home, and shared discussions and spirited conversation with other HUC students. I have a feeling there will be a lot of spirited discussions at the Shabbat table over the next year!
Today we were invited for Shabbat lunch at the apartment of a Rabbi who is here for the summer. He is a graduate of HUC, and works in Peoria, Illinois. AS we sat around the table, each of the 10 HUC students and spouses had a chance to tell their story, and how they ended up here. It was a great way to get to know people on a more personal level.
I am excited that tomorrow I am going to the Gan (Kindergarten) at HUC to do some volunteering. There aren't any academic programs in the summer, but I am excited to feel useful and productive. Adam starts orientation on Monday, so I'm sure there will be more tell by next week!
Well, I guess I did have stuff to write about! If you guys have any questions or things you thin might be interesting to write about, let me know--I don't want to run out of steam.
Shabbat Shalom!!
Melissa
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Shabbat, Tel Aviv, and Sunburn
Its hard to know what to write, because so much happens each day. I feel like we've been here for weeks, but I know that must be because there is so much to do, see, and learn. Since I can't possibly remember everything, I will try to give the highlights!
We had our very first Shabbat in Israel, which is something both Adam and I were excited to experience. Though we've both been here before, there is something very different about being independent and able to explore everything, as opposed to being shuttled around in a bus and having everything planned out for you. After at least an hour of walking (uphill!) we went to services with a group of Adam's classmates. We went to a progressive congregation that ended up being a very good place to be for the night! Rick Jacobs, the president of the Union for Reform Judaism was there, along with some other prominent Rabbis. The services was very nice, and both the congregational Rabbi and Rabbi Jacobs made beautiful speeches. Afterwards, the HUC students gathered around Rabbi Jacobs like groupies, so excited to shake his hand and meet him--it was very cute!
We walked to dinner at a classmate's apartment, and shared a potluck Shabbat meal. We enjoyed meeting all of the people, and there are even more coming each day. I love that each student comes from a different place, and each have different perspectives on Judaism that will spark some interesting conversations. The highlight was after dinner song-session led by renowned song leader Adam Bellows. ( :)) But seriously, it was both relaxing and energizing to sing Jewish songs in Jerusalem. I never realized how many songs say Israel or Jerusalem in the words--and here we are!
I assumed that on Saturday everything would be shut down, and there would be no cars on the streets. . that is mostly true, but there are definitely a few cars and taxis, as well as about a few shops that stay open. Adam took a long walk to the Kotel (Western Wall) in the morning, and I went on a walk of my own to explore the neighborhood. I ended up walking along a beautiful bike/walking path that led me to an old train station. To my surprise, I heard loud music playing! As I walked in I saw about 100 people milling about an area that looked a bit like a boardwalk. There were tents, a coffee stand, an ice cream stand, a restaurant, and a few shops open. I tried calling Adam to meet me there, but since he was at the wall, he didn't answer. When I got back to the apartment, he called to tell me that he was on his way home and found that same area--great minds think alike! I met him there for lunch and OMG--have I mentioned how good the food is here? We have been trying not to eat out, but every time we do, we discover new things to try that are so fresh and delicious. Amazing yogurt, cheeses, coffee, vegetables..its pretty incredible.
On Sunday, we headed to Tel Aviv for a little getaway before everything starts here. We ended up taking almost five hours to get there, (what should be less than two hours total), with several stops and gaps in between to figure out which bus to take, buy a bathing suit because I forgot, and choose the right streets and paths to take. When we finally got there, we were rewarded with an amazing view of the Mediterranean that we will never forget. We changed right away, and went across the street to the beach. The water was surprisingly warm, and we went crazy jumping in the large waves. I lost my sunglasses, but it was totally worth it! We even got to watch the sunset--it felt like a movie.
We spent the next day on the beach, and got a little too much sun! I need to work on applying sunscreen more often--the sun is pretty intense here! We both needed lots of aloe before bed..ouch. Tel Aviv is a beautiful city, but by today we were ready to get back here--too may transitions in a short amount of time! It only took us 2 hours this time--we learned from our mistakes on the way there, and it was nice to be home and feel like it was home.
In the last week, we've been learning how to get around, and have found it very convenient to use the bus system. Many busses stop right on our street, so we just Google Map the correct route and go on our way! Last week, we were able to go to the kenyon (mall) to buy some needed items for the apartment and and go shopping at "Supersal Deel" (superbasket deal) for food.
I feel much better about my Hebrew, and today we had a long conversation in Hebrew with our cab driver in Tel Aviv, and I understood most of it! I am still not very comfortable speaking, but my understanding had improved a lot, and I don't feel lost. I have noticed that the tone makes a huge difference, and its hard to understand what Israelis are saying because the tone and cadence of sentences are different. Its hard to explain, but for example, In English, our tone goes up at the end of a question, or stays flat for a sentence. -its almost like everything is more timid. Israelis are very, um, assertive, and everything is feels brash and loud. I have to remind myself that it is a cultural difference and not everyone is mad at me!
Tomorrow, we are going on a tour of HUC, and hope to get student ID cards for discounts and a bus card. I plan on going to a few English-speaking schools in the area this week to offer my services, preferably in the form of a job, but maybe just to volunteer. I am also starting Ulpan (Hebrew class) in a couple weeks! I will be going to the Conservative Yeshiva for a three week program that meets five mornings a week! Another HUC S.O. (That's what we are called- Significant Others!) is going there, and I went with her to sign up and check it out! Im excited to have a bit of a routine going eventually, an to feel less nervous about my Hebrew skills.
Alright, I must go now--but now that we are a bit more settled I will try to update as much as possible! -
I also have an album going on Facebook--check it out!Israel! ( I hope that works...)
L'hitraot!
Melissa
We had our very first Shabbat in Israel, which is something both Adam and I were excited to experience. Though we've both been here before, there is something very different about being independent and able to explore everything, as opposed to being shuttled around in a bus and having everything planned out for you. After at least an hour of walking (uphill!) we went to services with a group of Adam's classmates. We went to a progressive congregation that ended up being a very good place to be for the night! Rick Jacobs, the president of the Union for Reform Judaism was there, along with some other prominent Rabbis. The services was very nice, and both the congregational Rabbi and Rabbi Jacobs made beautiful speeches. Afterwards, the HUC students gathered around Rabbi Jacobs like groupies, so excited to shake his hand and meet him--it was very cute!
We walked to dinner at a classmate's apartment, and shared a potluck Shabbat meal. We enjoyed meeting all of the people, and there are even more coming each day. I love that each student comes from a different place, and each have different perspectives on Judaism that will spark some interesting conversations. The highlight was after dinner song-session led by renowned song leader Adam Bellows. ( :)) But seriously, it was both relaxing and energizing to sing Jewish songs in Jerusalem. I never realized how many songs say Israel or Jerusalem in the words--and here we are!
I assumed that on Saturday everything would be shut down, and there would be no cars on the streets. . that is mostly true, but there are definitely a few cars and taxis, as well as about a few shops that stay open. Adam took a long walk to the Kotel (Western Wall) in the morning, and I went on a walk of my own to explore the neighborhood. I ended up walking along a beautiful bike/walking path that led me to an old train station. To my surprise, I heard loud music playing! As I walked in I saw about 100 people milling about an area that looked a bit like a boardwalk. There were tents, a coffee stand, an ice cream stand, a restaurant, and a few shops open. I tried calling Adam to meet me there, but since he was at the wall, he didn't answer. When I got back to the apartment, he called to tell me that he was on his way home and found that same area--great minds think alike! I met him there for lunch and OMG--have I mentioned how good the food is here? We have been trying not to eat out, but every time we do, we discover new things to try that are so fresh and delicious. Amazing yogurt, cheeses, coffee, vegetables..its pretty incredible.
On Sunday, we headed to Tel Aviv for a little getaway before everything starts here. We ended up taking almost five hours to get there, (what should be less than two hours total), with several stops and gaps in between to figure out which bus to take, buy a bathing suit because I forgot, and choose the right streets and paths to take. When we finally got there, we were rewarded with an amazing view of the Mediterranean that we will never forget. We changed right away, and went across the street to the beach. The water was surprisingly warm, and we went crazy jumping in the large waves. I lost my sunglasses, but it was totally worth it! We even got to watch the sunset--it felt like a movie.
We spent the next day on the beach, and got a little too much sun! I need to work on applying sunscreen more often--the sun is pretty intense here! We both needed lots of aloe before bed..ouch. Tel Aviv is a beautiful city, but by today we were ready to get back here--too may transitions in a short amount of time! It only took us 2 hours this time--we learned from our mistakes on the way there, and it was nice to be home and feel like it was home.
In the last week, we've been learning how to get around, and have found it very convenient to use the bus system. Many busses stop right on our street, so we just Google Map the correct route and go on our way! Last week, we were able to go to the kenyon (mall) to buy some needed items for the apartment and and go shopping at "Supersal Deel" (superbasket deal) for food.
I feel much better about my Hebrew, and today we had a long conversation in Hebrew with our cab driver in Tel Aviv, and I understood most of it! I am still not very comfortable speaking, but my understanding had improved a lot, and I don't feel lost. I have noticed that the tone makes a huge difference, and its hard to understand what Israelis are saying because the tone and cadence of sentences are different. Its hard to explain, but for example, In English, our tone goes up at the end of a question, or stays flat for a sentence. -its almost like everything is more timid. Israelis are very, um, assertive, and everything is feels brash and loud. I have to remind myself that it is a cultural difference and not everyone is mad at me!
Tomorrow, we are going on a tour of HUC, and hope to get student ID cards for discounts and a bus card. I plan on going to a few English-speaking schools in the area this week to offer my services, preferably in the form of a job, but maybe just to volunteer. I am also starting Ulpan (Hebrew class) in a couple weeks! I will be going to the Conservative Yeshiva for a three week program that meets five mornings a week! Another HUC S.O. (That's what we are called- Significant Others!) is going there, and I went with her to sign up and check it out! Im excited to have a bit of a routine going eventually, an to feel less nervous about my Hebrew skills.
Alright, I must go now--but now that we are a bit more settled I will try to update as much as possible! -
I also have an album going on Facebook--check it out!Israel! ( I hope that works...)
L'hitraot!
Melissa
Thursday, June 27, 2013
We made it!!
Holy cow! Its so hard to believe this is real, but we made it and are safe and sound in our new home! Adam's parents dropped us off at O'hare Tuesday afternoon, and all told, our travels went off without a hitch. We flew 8 1/2 hours to Zurich, had a couple of hours there to eat, e-mail our families, and read a lot of signs in German, and then a four hour flight to Tel Aviv. I was apprehensive that it would be hard to get all of the things we needed at the airport, but it was all surprisingly easy. Our luggage came right away, we picked up our cell phones (old models that we will soon hopefully swap for our iphones with Israeli sim cards), and got a Sheirut (a shared taxi) to Jerusalem.
Our apartment is absolutely beautiful! We met one of our landlords, Anne, who let us in and gave us the lowdown on our place. Its a little bit smaller that I remembered from Skype, but its very clean and modern. We were exhausted, so we took a nice long nap on our new bed as soon as we could! We woke up around 9PM, and were able to explore our neighborhood. We have dozens of restaurants and shops right around the corner, so it was fun to see everything the neighborhood has to offer. A lot of the restaurants are "American style" with burgers, (Burgerim), waffles (They seem to be the cool trend), Italian, Mexican, and Israeli Asian fusion (Gotta try that..Hummus Sushi maybe?). Adam suggested we try one of those, but I had one thing in mind for my first meal--Falafel! We got yummy sandwhiches from Adir's Falafel stand, and sat and watched people. Most of the people in the neighborhood are younger, and a lot of Modern Orthodox people live here.
Today we woke up to walk over to HUC to sign some forms and meet the administrative staff. It takes about 20 minutes to walk there, all along pretty busy streets. There is also a bus that goes straight there, so Adam will be able to get there easily. I wasn't expecting the campus to be so beautiful and large! There are 3-4 buildings surrounding a courtyard, and there are some great views of the city. When we were done, we met up with a group of students who were finishing a tour of the campus. A campus intern, Udi, was giving them a more unofficial tour of some cool places around the city, so we joined them. I have no idea where we walked, but it was fun to see some of the cultural places around, and to know where locals frequent. We ate Hummus and pita for lunch with the group, and it was fun to get to know some of them! Adam knew several of them from Facebook, but it was nice to meet the people that we will be spending the year with!
We took a bus home, and it was super easy. On the way back I had to stop for some famous Israeli Aroma coffee! Wow. It was the most delicious latte I have ever had! For real! We even saw Anne there--It made us feel like we live in the community!
So far we are overwhelmed and happy. For me, the hardest part is the Hebrew. Its kind of exhausting to try to translate signs and things using my limited Hebrew, and when I want to speak Hebrew to people, they automatically go to English to make it go faster...Hopefully when I start Ulpan I will feel better. Adam is so excited and nervous to start school--everyone is telling us how busy he will be, but I know its all stuff he will love.
Tonight we are going to a wedding! Adam's friend Jackie from high school is getting married to Sagiv tonight--HOw cool is it that we get to go? They're super sweet and have been really helpful in our transition.
Thats it for now-- -L'hitraot!
Melissa
Our apartment is absolutely beautiful! We met one of our landlords, Anne, who let us in and gave us the lowdown on our place. Its a little bit smaller that I remembered from Skype, but its very clean and modern. We were exhausted, so we took a nice long nap on our new bed as soon as we could! We woke up around 9PM, and were able to explore our neighborhood. We have dozens of restaurants and shops right around the corner, so it was fun to see everything the neighborhood has to offer. A lot of the restaurants are "American style" with burgers, (Burgerim), waffles (They seem to be the cool trend), Italian, Mexican, and Israeli Asian fusion (Gotta try that..Hummus Sushi maybe?). Adam suggested we try one of those, but I had one thing in mind for my first meal--Falafel! We got yummy sandwhiches from Adir's Falafel stand, and sat and watched people. Most of the people in the neighborhood are younger, and a lot of Modern Orthodox people live here.
Today we woke up to walk over to HUC to sign some forms and meet the administrative staff. It takes about 20 minutes to walk there, all along pretty busy streets. There is also a bus that goes straight there, so Adam will be able to get there easily. I wasn't expecting the campus to be so beautiful and large! There are 3-4 buildings surrounding a courtyard, and there are some great views of the city. When we were done, we met up with a group of students who were finishing a tour of the campus. A campus intern, Udi, was giving them a more unofficial tour of some cool places around the city, so we joined them. I have no idea where we walked, but it was fun to see some of the cultural places around, and to know where locals frequent. We ate Hummus and pita for lunch with the group, and it was fun to get to know some of them! Adam knew several of them from Facebook, but it was nice to meet the people that we will be spending the year with!
We took a bus home, and it was super easy. On the way back I had to stop for some famous Israeli Aroma coffee! Wow. It was the most delicious latte I have ever had! For real! We even saw Anne there--It made us feel like we live in the community!
So far we are overwhelmed and happy. For me, the hardest part is the Hebrew. Its kind of exhausting to try to translate signs and things using my limited Hebrew, and when I want to speak Hebrew to people, they automatically go to English to make it go faster...Hopefully when I start Ulpan I will feel better. Adam is so excited and nervous to start school--everyone is telling us how busy he will be, but I know its all stuff he will love.
Tonight we are going to a wedding! Adam's friend Jackie from high school is getting married to Sagiv tonight--HOw cool is it that we get to go? They're super sweet and have been really helpful in our transition.
Thats it for now-- -L'hitraot!
Melissa
Friday, June 21, 2013
Hello friendly readers! Melissa here! We are beyond excited to start our adventure of living in Israel for the next year, and we are happy to share our adventures with you. Hopefully, this will be the place we can share photos, stories, things we learned, and interesting facts about our stay in Jerusalem, as well as hear your comments as we inevitably start to miss our friends and families in the States.
Since we are still actually here, and not leaving until Tuesday, the 25th, I thought I would share some answers to questions we have been getting asked a lot. Im sure we will have to answer them many more times, but here it is in print in case you were wondering!
1.Do you have an apartment?
Yes! This is actually one of the first things we did when we found out Adam had been accepted into HUC. Because all HUC students spend one year in Israel, they tend to pass down apartments and items to the next class of incoming students. One of Adam's friends lived in a perfect place, and we got to take a "video tour" over Skype. Its a lofted studio apartment in the German Colony of Jerusalem, off of Emek Rafaim, a great street with lots of restaurants and stores. The apartment is furnished, and even has dishes and other necessities ready for us when we get there. We have heard the German Colony described as the Lincoln Park of Jerusalem, so it should be a great place to live!
2. Do you speak Hebrew?
Adam is a pretty advanced Hebrew speaker, and spent the last 3 years in an Ulpan (Hebrew Language Class) to prepare for this experience. His summer courses will be focused on building up his Hebrew skills in preparation for classes starting in the Fall. (All of the classes are taught in Hebrew!! Eek!)
I can speak about as much Hebrew as a three-year-old, but as long as someone is speaking slowly, I can understand a lot more. I will also be taking an Ulpan, which I am very excited about!
3. What are YOU going to do there?
This is such a weird thing for me, because I have had a job since I was 16, but strangely enough, I legally can't get a job in Israel. My Visa is for a spouse of a student, and since we are not seeking permanent residence in Israel, I can't get a work Visa. I can work for cash, so I will be babysitting as much as possible for different families in Jerusalem, and have already lined up part-time gigs with three families! I will also be going back to school online to get an ELL endorsement to my teaching certificate. ELL is the new ESL, and it stands for English Language Learners. This will hopefully make me more marketable when we move to Cincinnati next year.
4. How long will you be there?
Every student at HUC spends the first school year in Jerusalem, to learn Hebrew and spend time studying text and history. There are three campuses in the States: New York, LA, and Cincinnati, where we have chosen to go. Adam will be in the Rabbinics program, so we have four years in Cinci after our one year in Jerusalem, making 5 years total! Yep, a super long time.
5. Why does it take 5 years to become a Rabbi?
In the Reform movement of Judaism, Rabbinical school last five whole years. Adam tells me that in his five years, he will learn Biblical history, literature, and language, as well as social work skills, pastoral skills, and learn how to conduct life cycle events, and services. Its a lot of important stuff, and it takes a lot of practice to learn it right!
Let me know if you have any more questions, and I will try to answer them! We are going to miss you all so much, but the internet makes everyone seem much closer! I hope to update this blog frequently, both to stay in touch as well as have a record of our year. When I studied abroad in Ireland, I loved having a blog, and its nice to have a record of that floating around on the internet.
That is all for now--we are leaving on the 25th, so hopefully I will have an update for you then! For now, Shabbat Shalom!
Since we are still actually here, and not leaving until Tuesday, the 25th, I thought I would share some answers to questions we have been getting asked a lot. Im sure we will have to answer them many more times, but here it is in print in case you were wondering!
1.Do you have an apartment?
Yes! This is actually one of the first things we did when we found out Adam had been accepted into HUC. Because all HUC students spend one year in Israel, they tend to pass down apartments and items to the next class of incoming students. One of Adam's friends lived in a perfect place, and we got to take a "video tour" over Skype. Its a lofted studio apartment in the German Colony of Jerusalem, off of Emek Rafaim, a great street with lots of restaurants and stores. The apartment is furnished, and even has dishes and other necessities ready for us when we get there. We have heard the German Colony described as the Lincoln Park of Jerusalem, so it should be a great place to live!
2. Do you speak Hebrew?
Adam is a pretty advanced Hebrew speaker, and spent the last 3 years in an Ulpan (Hebrew Language Class) to prepare for this experience. His summer courses will be focused on building up his Hebrew skills in preparation for classes starting in the Fall. (All of the classes are taught in Hebrew!! Eek!)
I can speak about as much Hebrew as a three-year-old, but as long as someone is speaking slowly, I can understand a lot more. I will also be taking an Ulpan, which I am very excited about!
3. What are YOU going to do there?
This is such a weird thing for me, because I have had a job since I was 16, but strangely enough, I legally can't get a job in Israel. My Visa is for a spouse of a student, and since we are not seeking permanent residence in Israel, I can't get a work Visa. I can work for cash, so I will be babysitting as much as possible for different families in Jerusalem, and have already lined up part-time gigs with three families! I will also be going back to school online to get an ELL endorsement to my teaching certificate. ELL is the new ESL, and it stands for English Language Learners. This will hopefully make me more marketable when we move to Cincinnati next year.
4. How long will you be there?
Every student at HUC spends the first school year in Jerusalem, to learn Hebrew and spend time studying text and history. There are three campuses in the States: New York, LA, and Cincinnati, where we have chosen to go. Adam will be in the Rabbinics program, so we have four years in Cinci after our one year in Jerusalem, making 5 years total! Yep, a super long time.
5. Why does it take 5 years to become a Rabbi?
In the Reform movement of Judaism, Rabbinical school last five whole years. Adam tells me that in his five years, he will learn Biblical history, literature, and language, as well as social work skills, pastoral skills, and learn how to conduct life cycle events, and services. Its a lot of important stuff, and it takes a lot of practice to learn it right!
Let me know if you have any more questions, and I will try to answer them! We are going to miss you all so much, but the internet makes everyone seem much closer! I hope to update this blog frequently, both to stay in touch as well as have a record of our year. When I studied abroad in Ireland, I loved having a blog, and its nice to have a record of that floating around on the internet.
That is all for now--we are leaving on the 25th, so hopefully I will have an update for you then! For now, Shabbat Shalom!
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