Aug 2010
Last week of freedom
Mon August 30, 2010 Filed in: Israel 2010-2011
SCOTT’S BLOG
Aviva braids her challah dough in preparation for Shabbat.
This Shabbat put an end to our last week of pre-class touring and settling in to our new home in Israel. Yesterday, we attended our last session at Ulpan Aviv and received certificates for having completed level 4 of their program. Today, I began my classes at Pardes and Aviva begins her classes at the Interdisciplinary Center on Wednesday. Here is a recap of our last week of freedom:
Our ulpan went fantastically well. Aviva and I really enjoyed our teacher, Tehilla. She is patient, smart and quite funny. Not only does she teach us Hebrew, but also provides us with insider information on Israeli society, humor, history and customs. Tehilla occasionally let us drift from our curriculum and learn vocabulary for other topics of interest. I spoke with her about Torah, American Judaism, theology and photography. She and Aviva swapped challah recipes, chatted about the role of women in Jewish ritual life and the differences between American and Israeli Judaism. We hope to be able to keep meeting with the instructors at Ulpan Aviv throughout this year, even if only once every couple weeks.
On Thursday we traveled to Tel Aviv to meet up with my Israeli friend, Daphna. I met Daphna on a trip here in 2002 and we have kept in touch ever since. Aviva and I both really enjoyed catching up with her. Daphna picked us up at the bus station in Tel Aviv and brought us to a restaurant called Goshen (see pictures here, here and here). We had originally intended on going out to a reasonably priced sushi place, but then Daphne informed us that this week is Ma’ariv Gourmet. Ma’ariv Gourmet is similar to Restaurant Week in New York City. Really nice restaurants in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv open their doors to poor student folk like us with menus priced at about 80 NIS. We enjoyed amazing food and even more amazing company. We shared appetizers and entrees including: panko crusted chicken wings, a tomato and eggplant tort, roast beef crustinis, a mixed grill of sausage, spring chicken and kabob, hamburger and sirloin steak. We did NOT share dessert as we all ordered the same chocolate souflee. We arrived back to Jerusalem happy and very full.
We do not normally enjoy such an active night life. Usually we prefer reading in bed to being out partying late, but Thursday was an exception. After returning from Tel Aviv we went to a friend’s house for a birthday/housewarming party. We are still getting used to weeks that begin on Sunday and end on Thursday night, so I guess our late Thursday was just a sign of our growing sense of Israeliness.
I continue to attend Eastern tradition Selichot services in the morning. As I mentioned in my earlier post (previous link), this style of service is lead by people in the community taking turns singing and reading. When I attended these services in Boston, I didn’t really think twice about participating. In Israel however, I have been sitting on the edge of my seat for the past two weeks wanting to participate, but not having the guts to join in. The difference between Boston and Jerusalem is that in Boston we are a group of Eastern European Jews that have adopted this Eastern custom. In Jerusalem, I attend a real Kurdistani synagogue. They have real accents and have all been showing up to synagogue to perform this rite each Elul since they became Bar Mitzvah. I knew it was getting close to my time to pipe up when one of the regulars walked by me last week and mumbled under his breath, (in Hebrew, of course) “READ!” In the days following, he would nod his head toward me at certain points where beginners usually lead the service. Finally, on Friday, I remembered that if I stop to breath before singing, that someone else will always begin singing and take away my chance at a turn. I took a turn singing this piyyut, or liturgical poem. Afterward, people smiled. One of the regulars congratulated me on breaking the glass ceiling. The downside to reading once is that they expect you to do it again. The next day, a few of the people who have taken in interest in me straightened up in their seats and pointed to me at the part where I led the previous day. They might be proud of me or they might just like to laugh at my awful American accent. I’d like to think it is a little of both.
One of the other exciting parts of last week is that many of my Hebrew College classmates and other American friends have begun their journeys in Jerusalem. My hevruta (study partner), Philip, arrived last week along with his wife, Leah, who will be studying with me at Pardes. Philip and Leah stayed with us for almost a week as they waited for their apartment to be ready around the corner. Having them here, as well as the others that have arrived, is really adding a wonderful sense of community to this adventure. On Friday night, Aviva and I hosted seven guests for Shabbat dinner. All of my classmates who have arrived were included in addition to a few other special guests. I was noticeably overjoyed by their presence at our Shabbat table.
Many of us got together again on Shabbat afternoon to enjoy another meal together. On Shabbat afternoon, Aviva and I took Philip and Leah for a walk to the Jerusalem Bird Observatory. Our feathered friends were a bit quiet, but we were glad to have introduced two new visitors to this special place.
This Shabbat also happened to be the fifth birthday that captured Israeli Soldier, Gilad Shalit, has spent in captivity. After Shabbat, there was a large demonstration in front of the Prime Minister’s residence, where Gilad’s parents, Noam and Aviva, have been camped out since the middle of June. (See our previous post on the subject here). This demonstration was better organized and attended than the last demonstration which marked 1500 days since Gilad’s capture by Hamas. Speakers included the 2009 Nobel laureate in chemistry Prof. Ada Yonath; singers Yardena Arazi and Gidi Gov; the parents of Ehud Goldwasser, who was kidnapped and killed by Hizbullah in 2006; Nava Barak, ex-wife of Defense Minister Ehud Barak; and MK Ronit Tirosh (Kadima). Also, The acting French ambassador read a statement from President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Gilad’s father, Noam Shalit, makes the final remarks at a demonstration on his
son’s birthday.
Gilad’s cause is mainly supported by the political left in Israel. The speakers sent their message loud and clear. Gilad fulfilled his obligation to his country, and now his country is not fulfilling its obligation to him. Namely, to free him at any cost. It has been almost a year since there has been any videos released of Gilad, and eight months since the last time any real proposals for a deal came between Hamas and the Israeli government. Those on the right of this issue argue that freeing 1,000 terrorists for one captured soldier is not a fair deal and that Israel must use other means (=force?) to free Gilad. I have found that Israelis think black and white in terms of politics. Not being an Israeli allows me to stand somewhere in gray on this issue. On one hand, I walk by Aviva and Noam Shalit on the street in front of the Prime Minister’s compound nearly every day. I want nothing more than to see their son returned to them quickly and safely. On the other hand, Israel needs to think much more creatively about how to make this happen. In the meantime, we just hope and pray. Watch video here---->Gilad Birthday Demonstration
More news soon from this amazing place. Sending love to you all.
Aviva braids her challah dough in preparation for Shabbat.
This Shabbat put an end to our last week of pre-class touring and settling in to our new home in Israel. Yesterday, we attended our last session at Ulpan Aviv and received certificates for having completed level 4 of their program. Today, I began my classes at Pardes and Aviva begins her classes at the Interdisciplinary Center on Wednesday. Here is a recap of our last week of freedom:
Our ulpan went fantastically well. Aviva and I really enjoyed our teacher, Tehilla. She is patient, smart and quite funny. Not only does she teach us Hebrew, but also provides us with insider information on Israeli society, humor, history and customs. Tehilla occasionally let us drift from our curriculum and learn vocabulary for other topics of interest. I spoke with her about Torah, American Judaism, theology and photography. She and Aviva swapped challah recipes, chatted about the role of women in Jewish ritual life and the differences between American and Israeli Judaism. We hope to be able to keep meeting with the instructors at Ulpan Aviv throughout this year, even if only once every couple weeks.
On Thursday we traveled to Tel Aviv to meet up with my Israeli friend, Daphna. I met Daphna on a trip here in 2002 and we have kept in touch ever since. Aviva and I both really enjoyed catching up with her. Daphna picked us up at the bus station in Tel Aviv and brought us to a restaurant called Goshen (see pictures here, here and here). We had originally intended on going out to a reasonably priced sushi place, but then Daphne informed us that this week is Ma’ariv Gourmet. Ma’ariv Gourmet is similar to Restaurant Week in New York City. Really nice restaurants in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv open their doors to poor student folk like us with menus priced at about 80 NIS. We enjoyed amazing food and even more amazing company. We shared appetizers and entrees including: panko crusted chicken wings, a tomato and eggplant tort, roast beef crustinis, a mixed grill of sausage, spring chicken and kabob, hamburger and sirloin steak. We did NOT share dessert as we all ordered the same chocolate souflee. We arrived back to Jerusalem happy and very full.
We do not normally enjoy such an active night life. Usually we prefer reading in bed to being out partying late, but Thursday was an exception. After returning from Tel Aviv we went to a friend’s house for a birthday/housewarming party. We are still getting used to weeks that begin on Sunday and end on Thursday night, so I guess our late Thursday was just a sign of our growing sense of Israeliness.
I continue to attend Eastern tradition Selichot services in the morning. As I mentioned in my earlier post (previous link), this style of service is lead by people in the community taking turns singing and reading. When I attended these services in Boston, I didn’t really think twice about participating. In Israel however, I have been sitting on the edge of my seat for the past two weeks wanting to participate, but not having the guts to join in. The difference between Boston and Jerusalem is that in Boston we are a group of Eastern European Jews that have adopted this Eastern custom. In Jerusalem, I attend a real Kurdistani synagogue. They have real accents and have all been showing up to synagogue to perform this rite each Elul since they became Bar Mitzvah. I knew it was getting close to my time to pipe up when one of the regulars walked by me last week and mumbled under his breath, (in Hebrew, of course) “READ!” In the days following, he would nod his head toward me at certain points where beginners usually lead the service. Finally, on Friday, I remembered that if I stop to breath before singing, that someone else will always begin singing and take away my chance at a turn. I took a turn singing this piyyut, or liturgical poem. Afterward, people smiled. One of the regulars congratulated me on breaking the glass ceiling. The downside to reading once is that they expect you to do it again. The next day, a few of the people who have taken in interest in me straightened up in their seats and pointed to me at the part where I led the previous day. They might be proud of me or they might just like to laugh at my awful American accent. I’d like to think it is a little of both.
One of the other exciting parts of last week is that many of my Hebrew College classmates and other American friends have begun their journeys in Jerusalem. My hevruta (study partner), Philip, arrived last week along with his wife, Leah, who will be studying with me at Pardes. Philip and Leah stayed with us for almost a week as they waited for their apartment to be ready around the corner. Having them here, as well as the others that have arrived, is really adding a wonderful sense of community to this adventure. On Friday night, Aviva and I hosted seven guests for Shabbat dinner. All of my classmates who have arrived were included in addition to a few other special guests. I was noticeably overjoyed by their presence at our Shabbat table.
Many of us got together again on Shabbat afternoon to enjoy another meal together. On Shabbat afternoon, Aviva and I took Philip and Leah for a walk to the Jerusalem Bird Observatory. Our feathered friends were a bit quiet, but we were glad to have introduced two new visitors to this special place.
This Shabbat also happened to be the fifth birthday that captured Israeli Soldier, Gilad Shalit, has spent in captivity. After Shabbat, there was a large demonstration in front of the Prime Minister’s residence, where Gilad’s parents, Noam and Aviva, have been camped out since the middle of June. (See our previous post on the subject here). This demonstration was better organized and attended than the last demonstration which marked 1500 days since Gilad’s capture by Hamas. Speakers included the 2009 Nobel laureate in chemistry Prof. Ada Yonath; singers Yardena Arazi and Gidi Gov; the parents of Ehud Goldwasser, who was kidnapped and killed by Hizbullah in 2006; Nava Barak, ex-wife of Defense Minister Ehud Barak; and MK Ronit Tirosh (Kadima). Also, The acting French ambassador read a statement from President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Gilad’s father, Noam Shalit, makes the final remarks at a demonstration on his
son’s birthday.
Gilad’s cause is mainly supported by the political left in Israel. The speakers sent their message loud and clear. Gilad fulfilled his obligation to his country, and now his country is not fulfilling its obligation to him. Namely, to free him at any cost. It has been almost a year since there has been any videos released of Gilad, and eight months since the last time any real proposals for a deal came between Hamas and the Israeli government. Those on the right of this issue argue that freeing 1,000 terrorists for one captured soldier is not a fair deal and that Israel must use other means (=force?) to free Gilad. I have found that Israelis think black and white in terms of politics. Not being an Israeli allows me to stand somewhere in gray on this issue. On one hand, I walk by Aviva and Noam Shalit on the street in front of the Prime Minister’s compound nearly every day. I want nothing more than to see their son returned to them quickly and safely. On the other hand, Israel needs to think much more creatively about how to make this happen. In the meantime, we just hope and pray. Watch video here---->Gilad Birthday Demonstration
More news soon from this amazing place. Sending love to you all.
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The road to the City of David
Sun August 22, 2010 Filed in: Israel 2010-2011
AVIVA’S BLOG
Sporting some dapper rolled-up shorts, Scott stands in
one of the few parts of Hezekiah’s tunnels where he could
actually stand! For more info, read the post and watch
this video--->Hezekiah's Tunnels
Scott mentioned at the end of his last post that our plans for the rest of the week consisted of checking out the Jerusalem Beer Festival and some nature movies at the Jerusalem Bird Observatory. Well, we did go to the beer festival on Thursday but, unfortunately, didn't make it to the JBO this week for any of the films. Next time. The beer fest was great fun, though more expensive and definitely not as classy as the Wine Festival. It was hosted at the old Jerusalem Train Station and we had a lovely time trying several different beers from boutique breweries in Israel. There were many other countries represented, but we wanted to stick to the locals and support small breweries here in Israel by purchasing their tasty concoctions - including passiflora (passion fruit) beer from an 8 month old brewery in the Negev, and a restaurant/brewery in Tel Aviv called The Dancing Camel. The bar tender at the Dancing Camel 'bar' overheard us talking with some new friends from Pardes about New Jersey and mentioned that he lived in Teaneck for 8 years! Small world!
On Friday afternoon I was listening to the radio (Galgalatz!) which fits in nicely with my personal goal of training my ear to hear Hebrew spoken quickly and understand it. Every hour the news comes on and I understood, loud and clear, the weather report which said that the heat index in Jerusalem was over 42 degrees Celsius (between 108-110 Fahrenheit) and that it was the hottest day of the year. In spite of the oppressive heat we managed to have a very nice Shabbat. We went to Shira Hadasha again and had dinner at a new friend's house nearby then we slept in on Shabbat morning and prepared to host 8 people for Shabbat lunch. It was a fun and lively crowd and we all stayed inside and enjoyed our mazgan (A.C.) all day.
This morning we got up and began to do our shiurei bayit (homework) for our last week of Ulpan. We got a phone call around 9:30am telling us that our instructor was out sick and we would need to reschedule today's lesson. Scott and I put away our Hebrew and talked about what to do with our free day. We looked into short hikes around Jerusalem that included natural springs or rivers and eventually decided to check out Ir David (the City of David). Ir David is an archaeological site located just south of Mount Moriah (aka The Temple Mount). It is the location of the original city that King David captured from the Jebusites before there was anything else in Jerusalem or on any of the surrounding hills. Guests can visit the site, see a short 3D film about the timeline of the site and take a guided (or self guided) tour.
Scott and I set out on our adventure with 4 liters of water, plenty of snacks, hand written directions from google maps and my map of Jerusalem. I am usually very good with directions (especially when I have a map) but today I took a wrong turn. This 'mistake' let us down into the Hinnom Valley. When I say down into the valley, I mean down. So far down, in fact, that when we realized we had taken a hard right when we should have gone only slightly right, we decided that we there was just no way we could climb back up. So we continued down the hill. When we reached the first intersection we took a left into the Kidron Valley.
The neighborhood of Silwan was to our right on the hillside as we headed north. Silwan is a mostly Arab neighborhood located to the south-east of Mt. Moriah. It is extremely poor and not well maintained. The road eventually ended and became a dirt path. We saw some construction workers and few men sitting under an olive tree. One of them called us over and offered to take us into the underground tunnels. We politely declined his offer but gladly took his directions in order to get to Ir David. From the bottom of the Kidron Valley, guess which direction we had to go to get there! So up went (only about 350 stairs up). After a little bit of confusion at the top of the steps, we saw a guide with an Ir David shirt and asked her where to go. The City of David organization and the sites they are developing have been much discussed with regard to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Before Israel’s independence, the City of David neighborhood was populated with Jewish residents. After Israel’s independence, the area was occupied by Jordan, built up and settled by the Arab’s living there. Since Israel regained control of this area after the 1967 war, there has been no lack of tension between its Jewish and Arab residents.
We finally found the ticket booth, paid our entrance fee, got our map and settled in to watch the 3D film. It was kind of cheesy and very straight forward in terms of the beliefs of the founders of the City of David organization. We then took ourselves on a tour of the site, a lot of which we had already seen by virtue of the way we entered, but now we had the map and the tickets to get us into Hezekiah's Tunnel. This tunnel, also called the Siloam Tunnel, is a massive feat of engineering designed and commissioned by King Hezekiah in the 8th century in order to protect Jerusalem's water source, which was outside the city walls, from the advancing Assyrian army. "Hezekiah also plugged the upper watercourse of the Gihon waters and brought it straight down to the west side of the City of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works." (Chronicles II, 32:30)
Well, the bible is pretty accurate when it comes to this section. So accurate, in fact, that people can walk through these tunnels still today, and yes, you do get wet! The tunnel is extremely narrow and the water was 70 cm deep at its deepest (only one small section) but at about mid-calf for me the rest of the way. Scott took some great pictures. By the end we were wet and exhausted but glad for our adventure. We decided to walk home (which I am regretting now as I sit on my couch and write this) but we took the route that led us along the outside wall of the Old City, past the Dung Gate and Zion Gate and down to the top of the Hinnom Valley.
It was certainly a noticeable contrast as we climbed up the stairs into the neighborhood of Yemin Moshe to get home. After having just been in Silwan, arguably one of the poorest neighborhoods in Jerusalem, to Yemin Moshe, one of the wealthiest. I know it has been said before but today we really felt the ancient and the modern problems of Jerusalem, and by extension, all of Israel. These issues are not going away anytime soon and it isn't clear whether or not an organization like Ir David is helping or making things worse.
Tomorrow we are back to Ulpan for our last week and we have some friends/classmates coming to stay with us until their apartment is ready. School starts next Wednesday for me and I am sure I'll have plenty to write about that. Check back soon!
Sporting some dapper rolled-up shorts, Scott stands in
one of the few parts of Hezekiah’s tunnels where he could
actually stand! For more info, read the post and watch
this video--->Hezekiah's Tunnels
Scott mentioned at the end of his last post that our plans for the rest of the week consisted of checking out the Jerusalem Beer Festival and some nature movies at the Jerusalem Bird Observatory. Well, we did go to the beer festival on Thursday but, unfortunately, didn't make it to the JBO this week for any of the films. Next time. The beer fest was great fun, though more expensive and definitely not as classy as the Wine Festival. It was hosted at the old Jerusalem Train Station and we had a lovely time trying several different beers from boutique breweries in Israel. There were many other countries represented, but we wanted to stick to the locals and support small breweries here in Israel by purchasing their tasty concoctions - including passiflora (passion fruit) beer from an 8 month old brewery in the Negev, and a restaurant/brewery in Tel Aviv called The Dancing Camel. The bar tender at the Dancing Camel 'bar' overheard us talking with some new friends from Pardes about New Jersey and mentioned that he lived in Teaneck for 8 years! Small world!
On Friday afternoon I was listening to the radio (Galgalatz!) which fits in nicely with my personal goal of training my ear to hear Hebrew spoken quickly and understand it. Every hour the news comes on and I understood, loud and clear, the weather report which said that the heat index in Jerusalem was over 42 degrees Celsius (between 108-110 Fahrenheit) and that it was the hottest day of the year. In spite of the oppressive heat we managed to have a very nice Shabbat. We went to Shira Hadasha again and had dinner at a new friend's house nearby then we slept in on Shabbat morning and prepared to host 8 people for Shabbat lunch. It was a fun and lively crowd and we all stayed inside and enjoyed our mazgan (A.C.) all day.
This morning we got up and began to do our shiurei bayit (homework) for our last week of Ulpan. We got a phone call around 9:30am telling us that our instructor was out sick and we would need to reschedule today's lesson. Scott and I put away our Hebrew and talked about what to do with our free day. We looked into short hikes around Jerusalem that included natural springs or rivers and eventually decided to check out Ir David (the City of David). Ir David is an archaeological site located just south of Mount Moriah (aka The Temple Mount). It is the location of the original city that King David captured from the Jebusites before there was anything else in Jerusalem or on any of the surrounding hills. Guests can visit the site, see a short 3D film about the timeline of the site and take a guided (or self guided) tour.
Scott and I set out on our adventure with 4 liters of water, plenty of snacks, hand written directions from google maps and my map of Jerusalem. I am usually very good with directions (especially when I have a map) but today I took a wrong turn. This 'mistake' let us down into the Hinnom Valley. When I say down into the valley, I mean down. So far down, in fact, that when we realized we had taken a hard right when we should have gone only slightly right, we decided that we there was just no way we could climb back up. So we continued down the hill. When we reached the first intersection we took a left into the Kidron Valley.
The neighborhood of Silwan was to our right on the hillside as we headed north. Silwan is a mostly Arab neighborhood located to the south-east of Mt. Moriah. It is extremely poor and not well maintained. The road eventually ended and became a dirt path. We saw some construction workers and few men sitting under an olive tree. One of them called us over and offered to take us into the underground tunnels. We politely declined his offer but gladly took his directions in order to get to Ir David. From the bottom of the Kidron Valley, guess which direction we had to go to get there! So up went (only about 350 stairs up). After a little bit of confusion at the top of the steps, we saw a guide with an Ir David shirt and asked her where to go. The City of David organization and the sites they are developing have been much discussed with regard to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Before Israel’s independence, the City of David neighborhood was populated with Jewish residents. After Israel’s independence, the area was occupied by Jordan, built up and settled by the Arab’s living there. Since Israel regained control of this area after the 1967 war, there has been no lack of tension between its Jewish and Arab residents.
We finally found the ticket booth, paid our entrance fee, got our map and settled in to watch the 3D film. It was kind of cheesy and very straight forward in terms of the beliefs of the founders of the City of David organization. We then took ourselves on a tour of the site, a lot of which we had already seen by virtue of the way we entered, but now we had the map and the tickets to get us into Hezekiah's Tunnel. This tunnel, also called the Siloam Tunnel, is a massive feat of engineering designed and commissioned by King Hezekiah in the 8th century in order to protect Jerusalem's water source, which was outside the city walls, from the advancing Assyrian army. "Hezekiah also plugged the upper watercourse of the Gihon waters and brought it straight down to the west side of the City of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works." (Chronicles II, 32:30)
Well, the bible is pretty accurate when it comes to this section. So accurate, in fact, that people can walk through these tunnels still today, and yes, you do get wet! The tunnel is extremely narrow and the water was 70 cm deep at its deepest (only one small section) but at about mid-calf for me the rest of the way. Scott took some great pictures. By the end we were wet and exhausted but glad for our adventure. We decided to walk home (which I am regretting now as I sit on my couch and write this) but we took the route that led us along the outside wall of the Old City, past the Dung Gate and Zion Gate and down to the top of the Hinnom Valley.
It was certainly a noticeable contrast as we climbed up the stairs into the neighborhood of Yemin Moshe to get home. After having just been in Silwan, arguably one of the poorest neighborhoods in Jerusalem, to Yemin Moshe, one of the wealthiest. I know it has been said before but today we really felt the ancient and the modern problems of Jerusalem, and by extension, all of Israel. These issues are not going away anytime soon and it isn't clear whether or not an organization like Ir David is helping or making things worse.
Tomorrow we are back to Ulpan for our last week and we have some friends/classmates coming to stay with us until their apartment is ready. School starts next Wednesday for me and I am sure I'll have plenty to write about that. Check back soon!
The early person catches the bird...
Tue August 17, 2010 Filed in: Israel 2010-2011
SCOTT’S BLOG
Avner, an employee of the Jerusalem Bird Observatory, untangles a fledgling
Syrian Woodpecker from one of the JBO’s nets. (Don’t worry! He was tagged,
measured and released moments later.)
The Hebrew month of Elul is upon us! Jews all over the world celebrate this month as an opportunity for introspection and soul-searching prior to the upcoming holidays of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. One of the many ways we do this is through Selichot, or penitential prayers. In communities following the Eastern European traditions, these prayers are said during the week leading up to Rosh HaShanah. However in the Eastern tradition, Selichot begin with the second day of Elul.
I have a wonderful teacher in Boston, Rabbi Ebn Leader, who introduced the Eastern tradition of Selichot into our rabbinical school community some time ago. From the first time I experienced it, everything about it spoke to me. In the Eastern European tradition, these prayers are mumbled through each morning. In the Eastern tradition things are done differently. There is not one person that leads these prayers. Rather, individuals take turns singing different stanzas. Each person’s attitude toward the text is reflected in their voice and shared with the room. Voices passionately echo throughout the room. For the past three years I have made every effort to join Ebn and my classmates for these services. Upon entering the Hebrew College Beit Midrash (study room), the Rector of my school, Rabbi Dr. Arthur Green, often exclaimed, “This is the happiest bunch of sinners I’ve ever seen!”
Last Monday evening marked the beginning of the month of Elul. Aviva and I joined some friends at Mahane Yehuda for an event that was happening there. When we arrived I heard familiar music leaving one of the stores of the shuk. It was the piyyut (liturgical poem), “Adon HaSelichot,” being sung in its Eastern tradition. (Click the link to hear for yourself!) I recognized it immediately and knew that I had to find a way to experience this Selichot tradition that I have grown to love. When I arrived home I immediately e-mailed Ebn to seek his guidance.
Ebn told me to get in touch with a friend of his in Jerusalem who would be able to help me. He also warned me that by going to this service I was likely committing to getting up at 4:00 am. In Boston, attending these services meant getting to school 30 minutes early at 7:15 and I thought that was early! I still contacted his friend. I heard back from his friend’s wife on Wednesday evening. Selichot prayers are not said on the first days of the month, so I hadn’t missed anything! She told me that her husband wouldn’t be in that evening and kindly gave me all of the information I needed to get to the right place on Thursday morning. She said her husband would be sure to look out for me.
My alarm clock sounded at 4:00 am on Thursday and somehow I mustered the strength to get out of bed. There is something magical about Jerusalem at 4:30 in the morning. There were hardly cars on the road and few people other than the cluster or two of Israeli teens still hanging out in the park from the night before. The air was cool and the morning dew coated every blade of grass, car and road sign. I guess that is what we mean when we add the words, “Morid HaTal (Cause the dew to fall)” in our daily prayers this time of year.
I walked to the area of Nachlaot and arrived at the doors of the Barashi synagogue just before 5. I hadn’t fully stepped through the door when I was greeted by Ebn’s friend, Drori. He welcomed me into the synagogue, sat me down beside him and guided me through the service. The sanctuary at the Barashi synagogue is decorated quite regally, in the style of the Jews of Kurdistan who were its founders. (I hope to find the courage soon to ask if it is okay to take some pictures and post them on this site!) The service was spectacular. I was so pleased to hear the tunes that were familiar to me, but in such authentic accents and scenery.
I have been back to the Barashi synagogue every day since and am still enamored with the community there. Aviva has even come along twice! On my second day there, Drori invited Aviva and me to join his family for Shabbat lunch. We gratefully accepted and had a magnificent time. I hope this relationship will develop over the year. His family is wonderful and Aviva and I have a lot to learn from them.
Getting up early has its benefits. Last Thursday I met Aviva at the Jerusalem Bird Observatory at 7:00 am after morning services. We joined the staff of the JBO and the kids attending camp there this summer in checking the nets they set up to catch birds. Afterward, we hung around to watch the birds as they were weighed, measured and released. The picture above is of a fledgeling Syrian Woodpecker that they were fortunate enough to catch that morning. Fall migration is upon us, so we hope to return to the JBO soon.
Last Friday I met Aviva at the shuk at 7:00 am. It was quite a different experience than our usual Thursday evening visits. The market wasn’t as crowded and the produce looked even more tasty than usual. We discovered a natural foods store where Aviva bought gluten to add to her challah dough along with the bread flower we found at a local supermarket the day before. With these tools she was able to combat Jerusalem’s high altitudes in the battle for controlling the rising of challah dough. The challah gets better and better each shabbat.
On Sunday morning we caught a 7:00 am bus to Mevasseret Zion to say goodbye to my classmate, Israel, who is heading back to the US for a few months. Israel and his amazing family were our hosts for our first week in Israel as we hunted for apartments. They continued to be lovely hosts and stuffed us with delicious Israeli breakfast goodies before sending us back to Jerusalem.
Also on Sunday, Aviva and I began our Ulpan (Hebrew language study) course. We spend three hours a day (not including homework) speaking Modern Hebrew to Tehilah, our very patient and talented teacher. We are enrolled in a program called Ulpan Aviv, that takes this unique one on one approach to the study of Hebrew. Getting up early in the morning gives us time to do our homework before we begin our studies. In just three days, we are both very pleased at how we’ve progressed.
Up this week: The Jerusalem Beer festival, Movies at the JBO and more!!!
Avner, an employee of the Jerusalem Bird Observatory, untangles a fledgling
Syrian Woodpecker from one of the JBO’s nets. (Don’t worry! He was tagged,
measured and released moments later.)
The Hebrew month of Elul is upon us! Jews all over the world celebrate this month as an opportunity for introspection and soul-searching prior to the upcoming holidays of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. One of the many ways we do this is through Selichot, or penitential prayers. In communities following the Eastern European traditions, these prayers are said during the week leading up to Rosh HaShanah. However in the Eastern tradition, Selichot begin with the second day of Elul.
I have a wonderful teacher in Boston, Rabbi Ebn Leader, who introduced the Eastern tradition of Selichot into our rabbinical school community some time ago. From the first time I experienced it, everything about it spoke to me. In the Eastern European tradition, these prayers are mumbled through each morning. In the Eastern tradition things are done differently. There is not one person that leads these prayers. Rather, individuals take turns singing different stanzas. Each person’s attitude toward the text is reflected in their voice and shared with the room. Voices passionately echo throughout the room. For the past three years I have made every effort to join Ebn and my classmates for these services. Upon entering the Hebrew College Beit Midrash (study room), the Rector of my school, Rabbi Dr. Arthur Green, often exclaimed, “This is the happiest bunch of sinners I’ve ever seen!”
Last Monday evening marked the beginning of the month of Elul. Aviva and I joined some friends at Mahane Yehuda for an event that was happening there. When we arrived I heard familiar music leaving one of the stores of the shuk. It was the piyyut (liturgical poem), “Adon HaSelichot,” being sung in its Eastern tradition. (Click the link to hear for yourself!) I recognized it immediately and knew that I had to find a way to experience this Selichot tradition that I have grown to love. When I arrived home I immediately e-mailed Ebn to seek his guidance.
Ebn told me to get in touch with a friend of his in Jerusalem who would be able to help me. He also warned me that by going to this service I was likely committing to getting up at 4:00 am. In Boston, attending these services meant getting to school 30 minutes early at 7:15 and I thought that was early! I still contacted his friend. I heard back from his friend’s wife on Wednesday evening. Selichot prayers are not said on the first days of the month, so I hadn’t missed anything! She told me that her husband wouldn’t be in that evening and kindly gave me all of the information I needed to get to the right place on Thursday morning. She said her husband would be sure to look out for me.
My alarm clock sounded at 4:00 am on Thursday and somehow I mustered the strength to get out of bed. There is something magical about Jerusalem at 4:30 in the morning. There were hardly cars on the road and few people other than the cluster or two of Israeli teens still hanging out in the park from the night before. The air was cool and the morning dew coated every blade of grass, car and road sign. I guess that is what we mean when we add the words, “Morid HaTal (Cause the dew to fall)” in our daily prayers this time of year.
I walked to the area of Nachlaot and arrived at the doors of the Barashi synagogue just before 5. I hadn’t fully stepped through the door when I was greeted by Ebn’s friend, Drori. He welcomed me into the synagogue, sat me down beside him and guided me through the service. The sanctuary at the Barashi synagogue is decorated quite regally, in the style of the Jews of Kurdistan who were its founders. (I hope to find the courage soon to ask if it is okay to take some pictures and post them on this site!) The service was spectacular. I was so pleased to hear the tunes that were familiar to me, but in such authentic accents and scenery.
I have been back to the Barashi synagogue every day since and am still enamored with the community there. Aviva has even come along twice! On my second day there, Drori invited Aviva and me to join his family for Shabbat lunch. We gratefully accepted and had a magnificent time. I hope this relationship will develop over the year. His family is wonderful and Aviva and I have a lot to learn from them.
Getting up early has its benefits. Last Thursday I met Aviva at the Jerusalem Bird Observatory at 7:00 am after morning services. We joined the staff of the JBO and the kids attending camp there this summer in checking the nets they set up to catch birds. Afterward, we hung around to watch the birds as they were weighed, measured and released. The picture above is of a fledgeling Syrian Woodpecker that they were fortunate enough to catch that morning. Fall migration is upon us, so we hope to return to the JBO soon.
Last Friday I met Aviva at the shuk at 7:00 am. It was quite a different experience than our usual Thursday evening visits. The market wasn’t as crowded and the produce looked even more tasty than usual. We discovered a natural foods store where Aviva bought gluten to add to her challah dough along with the bread flower we found at a local supermarket the day before. With these tools she was able to combat Jerusalem’s high altitudes in the battle for controlling the rising of challah dough. The challah gets better and better each shabbat.
On Sunday morning we caught a 7:00 am bus to Mevasseret Zion to say goodbye to my classmate, Israel, who is heading back to the US for a few months. Israel and his amazing family were our hosts for our first week in Israel as we hunted for apartments. They continued to be lovely hosts and stuffed us with delicious Israeli breakfast goodies before sending us back to Jerusalem.
Also on Sunday, Aviva and I began our Ulpan (Hebrew language study) course. We spend three hours a day (not including homework) speaking Modern Hebrew to Tehilah, our very patient and talented teacher. We are enrolled in a program called Ulpan Aviv, that takes this unique one on one approach to the study of Hebrew. Getting up early in the morning gives us time to do our homework before we begin our studies. In just three days, we are both very pleased at how we’ve progressed.
Up this week: The Jerusalem Beer festival, Movies at the JBO and more!!!
"Mr. Owl. How many buses does it take for Aviva and Scott to get to Herzliya?"
Wed August 11, 2010 Filed in: Israel 2010-2011
SCOTT’S BLOG
Aviva stands in front of the sign showing visitors the way to the IDC in Herzliya.
Brace yourselves! This is going to be a long one.
On Thursday we returned to the Shuk to begin our preparations for Shabbat. We are getting slightly better at navigating this crazy place.
On Friday night we went to Yakar in Katamon. Yakar is an Orthodox synagogue and community center that prides itself on “Tradition and Creativity.” On Friday nights there are two service options. The downstairs minyan is more “traditional,” while the upstairs minyan is known for being more songful. Aviva and I attended the upstairs service. Without being able to point to specifics, we did not feel very much at home.
However, after services we were made to feel very much at home. A friend of ours invited us to her apartment for dinner. The company and the food were both wonderful. All of the attendees were born in the US although a few of them have made aliyah. Before a few rounds of Taboo, conversation covered Israeli politics, epidemics in the modern Jewish world and a healthy dose of Jewish Geography. On Shabbat afternoon we hosted many of Friday night’s dinner crowd for a very pleasant lunch.
Before lunch, Aviva and I went to Kehillat Moreshet Yisrael for services. Moreshet Yisrael is a Masorti synagogue situated at the hub of all things Conservative Judaism in Israel. While we felt very welcome in this community, we also felt that it was very similar to your average Conservative synagogue in the United States. Again, not quite what we are looking for.
We knew that this community would not be ideal for us, but we went as a result of the difficulty we are having as we try to find meaningful egalitarian prayer experiences in Israel. All of our other prayer experiences in Jerusalem have been in communities with mehitzot, or separations between men and women. In traditional communities, mehitzot are used to preserve modesty between men and women and to deter lustful thoughts during prayer. I am not opposed to mehitzot under the right conditions. In fact, I advocate for experimentation with mehitzot in liberal Jewish communities. In many liberal Jewish communities today, women make up the majority of community leaders, rabbis, lay leaders, program participants etc. I see mehitzot as an opportunity to designate men’s space and women’s space in Jewish communities and to allow all of us to reap the benefits sisterhood and brotherhood. However, I am not thrilled when I find myself in a place where women are not permitted to perform the same ritual acts as men or where the mehitzah is sending any message other than separate but equal. There is a severe need for more traditional egalitarian community options in Jerusalem.
On Sunday morning we took a very short walk to the Museum for Islamic Art. This museum is small and not quite high-budget, but quite fascinating. It presents a nice overview of Islamic history through artifacts and artwork. The museum also happens to house a world-renowned collection of clocks and watches. (The collection belonged to the father of the museum’s benefactor and therefore gets to be housed in the museum’s basement.) Even though the watches and clocks are not Islamic art, this exhibit can’t help but to be the highlight of the entire museum. Another highlight of the museum was sword that had two blades that, after being plunged into a person, would re-stab them as it was pulled out. I thought Aviva was crazy as she explained to me that this sword reminded her of a biblical story where a king was stabbed with a sword resembling the one in the case in front of us. I could not recall any such story. Nor could her parents as we asked them about this later in the day via webcam. Our friend Hal overheard this conversation and said, “Check the book of Judges, chapter 3.” As it turns out, Aviva was correct and would have made her high school bible teachers very proud!
After the museum, Aviva and I headed to check out Ulpan Aviv, an intensive, one on one, Hebrew course. Beginning this coming Sunday, we will spend 30 hours studying Hebrew over the course of 10 days. This does not include homework! We are both excited for this opportunity. While we probably understand 80% of the Hebrew we hear spoken daily, letting go of our English and speaking the language ourselves is proving to be more difficult than we thought.
On Sunday night we met some friends at Hutzot HaYotzer, an artist’s colony that opens its doors for an international arts and crafts festival each summer. The festival was so overwhelming that we’ve decided to go back again this weekend to try to take in the parts we missed. The arts and crafts were gorgeous and the music and entertainers were top notch. The concert for the evening was a group called Kenisiat HaSechel, or Church of Reason. Their music was right up our alley and the crowd was a ton of fun. I left the house without my camera. I will not make that mistake when we return for our second visit.
We continued our week of adventures at Jerusalem’s Biblical Zoo. After five hours of walking around we finally saw everything the zoo had to offer. The Zoo works primarily toward preservation of local wildlife. The collection includes, but is not limited to, animals specifically mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Each animal appears with its citation from the biblical text. We had a lovely time and agreed that it was one of the nicer zoos we’ve ever visited. Aviva and I were in agreement that the bears were our favorite among all of the animals. There was also an impressive number of aviaries throughout the zoo; another highlight.
After recovering from the zoo, we spent the first moments of Rosh Hodesh Elul at the shuk. On Monday night, the shuk was turned into a venue for live music and celebration. We met some friends and navigated the crowds in an effort to see all that was going on there. With our legs still exhausted from the zoo, we called it a night on the early side and passed out at home.
Tuesday had us falling in love with the Jerusalem Bird Observatory (JBO) all over again. Feeling more confident in our directions, we headed to the JBO in the afternoon. On the way, we noticed a person walking in front of us who seemed to be dressed for bird watching. I also noticed that he was carrying a stuffed Lowepro backpack (a brand of camera bag). More importantly, he seemed to know a shortcut! After oddly stalking him for a few moments, we finally asked him if he was heading to the JBO. He took us on an unmarked path that forced us to traverse some pretty steep hills. However, it generously cuts down on the time it takes to get there. The first thing we did at the JBO was to check out their bird blind. To our surprise, we were greeted by a White Throated Kingfisher posing for us on a branch over the small pond. I pulled out my camera and captured this picture. Not to get fresh, but I tried not to envy the enormous zoom lens that the kind gentleman who led us to the JBO had in his backpack. I later learned that he is nature photographer, Marco Jona. He was teaching a nature photography class at the JBO later that evening. After the kingfisher flew off, we joined a staff member of the JBO for the weekly Tuesday evening bird walk.
We rested up on Tuesday evening in order to make our maiden voyage to the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya where Aviva will work toward her Master’s degree this year. For some reason, there is no easy way to get from Jerusalem to Herzliya without a car. This has been a source of anxiety for us as we made our decision to live in Jerusalem this year. We took four buses each way in order to get from our house to the Jerusalem Central Bus Station, to the Arlozorov Station in Tel Aviv, to the Central Bus Station in Herzilya and finally to the entrance of the IDC. Fortunately, Aviva will only have class two days a week. We are also hopeful that she will find carpools from our neighborhood. Once at the school, we visited the building for the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy. Aviva met with an administrator at the school, the financial aid office and with the dean of her program. The campus is gorgeous and Aviva is very excited to begin her studies there next month.
In the next posting: Will Aviva and Scott get up at 4:00 AM to experience Sephardi Selichot in Jerusalem? We’ll let you know!
Aviva stands in front of the sign showing visitors the way to the IDC in Herzliya.
Brace yourselves! This is going to be a long one.
On Thursday we returned to the Shuk to begin our preparations for Shabbat. We are getting slightly better at navigating this crazy place.
On Friday night we went to Yakar in Katamon. Yakar is an Orthodox synagogue and community center that prides itself on “Tradition and Creativity.” On Friday nights there are two service options. The downstairs minyan is more “traditional,” while the upstairs minyan is known for being more songful. Aviva and I attended the upstairs service. Without being able to point to specifics, we did not feel very much at home.
However, after services we were made to feel very much at home. A friend of ours invited us to her apartment for dinner. The company and the food were both wonderful. All of the attendees were born in the US although a few of them have made aliyah. Before a few rounds of Taboo, conversation covered Israeli politics, epidemics in the modern Jewish world and a healthy dose of Jewish Geography. On Shabbat afternoon we hosted many of Friday night’s dinner crowd for a very pleasant lunch.
Before lunch, Aviva and I went to Kehillat Moreshet Yisrael for services. Moreshet Yisrael is a Masorti synagogue situated at the hub of all things Conservative Judaism in Israel. While we felt very welcome in this community, we also felt that it was very similar to your average Conservative synagogue in the United States. Again, not quite what we are looking for.
We knew that this community would not be ideal for us, but we went as a result of the difficulty we are having as we try to find meaningful egalitarian prayer experiences in Israel. All of our other prayer experiences in Jerusalem have been in communities with mehitzot, or separations between men and women. In traditional communities, mehitzot are used to preserve modesty between men and women and to deter lustful thoughts during prayer. I am not opposed to mehitzot under the right conditions. In fact, I advocate for experimentation with mehitzot in liberal Jewish communities. In many liberal Jewish communities today, women make up the majority of community leaders, rabbis, lay leaders, program participants etc. I see mehitzot as an opportunity to designate men’s space and women’s space in Jewish communities and to allow all of us to reap the benefits sisterhood and brotherhood. However, I am not thrilled when I find myself in a place where women are not permitted to perform the same ritual acts as men or where the mehitzah is sending any message other than separate but equal. There is a severe need for more traditional egalitarian community options in Jerusalem.
On Sunday morning we took a very short walk to the Museum for Islamic Art. This museum is small and not quite high-budget, but quite fascinating. It presents a nice overview of Islamic history through artifacts and artwork. The museum also happens to house a world-renowned collection of clocks and watches. (The collection belonged to the father of the museum’s benefactor and therefore gets to be housed in the museum’s basement.) Even though the watches and clocks are not Islamic art, this exhibit can’t help but to be the highlight of the entire museum. Another highlight of the museum was sword that had two blades that, after being plunged into a person, would re-stab them as it was pulled out. I thought Aviva was crazy as she explained to me that this sword reminded her of a biblical story where a king was stabbed with a sword resembling the one in the case in front of us. I could not recall any such story. Nor could her parents as we asked them about this later in the day via webcam. Our friend Hal overheard this conversation and said, “Check the book of Judges, chapter 3.” As it turns out, Aviva was correct and would have made her high school bible teachers very proud!
After the museum, Aviva and I headed to check out Ulpan Aviv, an intensive, one on one, Hebrew course. Beginning this coming Sunday, we will spend 30 hours studying Hebrew over the course of 10 days. This does not include homework! We are both excited for this opportunity. While we probably understand 80% of the Hebrew we hear spoken daily, letting go of our English and speaking the language ourselves is proving to be more difficult than we thought.
On Sunday night we met some friends at Hutzot HaYotzer, an artist’s colony that opens its doors for an international arts and crafts festival each summer. The festival was so overwhelming that we’ve decided to go back again this weekend to try to take in the parts we missed. The arts and crafts were gorgeous and the music and entertainers were top notch. The concert for the evening was a group called Kenisiat HaSechel, or Church of Reason. Their music was right up our alley and the crowd was a ton of fun. I left the house without my camera. I will not make that mistake when we return for our second visit.
We continued our week of adventures at Jerusalem’s Biblical Zoo. After five hours of walking around we finally saw everything the zoo had to offer. The Zoo works primarily toward preservation of local wildlife. The collection includes, but is not limited to, animals specifically mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Each animal appears with its citation from the biblical text. We had a lovely time and agreed that it was one of the nicer zoos we’ve ever visited. Aviva and I were in agreement that the bears were our favorite among all of the animals. There was also an impressive number of aviaries throughout the zoo; another highlight.
After recovering from the zoo, we spent the first moments of Rosh Hodesh Elul at the shuk. On Monday night, the shuk was turned into a venue for live music and celebration. We met some friends and navigated the crowds in an effort to see all that was going on there. With our legs still exhausted from the zoo, we called it a night on the early side and passed out at home.
Tuesday had us falling in love with the Jerusalem Bird Observatory (JBO) all over again. Feeling more confident in our directions, we headed to the JBO in the afternoon. On the way, we noticed a person walking in front of us who seemed to be dressed for bird watching. I also noticed that he was carrying a stuffed Lowepro backpack (a brand of camera bag). More importantly, he seemed to know a shortcut! After oddly stalking him for a few moments, we finally asked him if he was heading to the JBO. He took us on an unmarked path that forced us to traverse some pretty steep hills. However, it generously cuts down on the time it takes to get there. The first thing we did at the JBO was to check out their bird blind. To our surprise, we were greeted by a White Throated Kingfisher posing for us on a branch over the small pond. I pulled out my camera and captured this picture. Not to get fresh, but I tried not to envy the enormous zoom lens that the kind gentleman who led us to the JBO had in his backpack. I later learned that he is nature photographer, Marco Jona. He was teaching a nature photography class at the JBO later that evening. After the kingfisher flew off, we joined a staff member of the JBO for the weekly Tuesday evening bird walk.
We rested up on Tuesday evening in order to make our maiden voyage to the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya where Aviva will work toward her Master’s degree this year. For some reason, there is no easy way to get from Jerusalem to Herzliya without a car. This has been a source of anxiety for us as we made our decision to live in Jerusalem this year. We took four buses each way in order to get from our house to the Jerusalem Central Bus Station, to the Arlozorov Station in Tel Aviv, to the Central Bus Station in Herzilya and finally to the entrance of the IDC. Fortunately, Aviva will only have class two days a week. We are also hopeful that she will find carpools from our neighborhood. Once at the school, we visited the building for the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy. Aviva met with an administrator at the school, the financial aid office and with the dean of her program. The campus is gorgeous and Aviva is very excited to begin her studies there next month.
In the next posting: Will Aviva and Scott get up at 4:00 AM to experience Sephardi Selichot in Jerusalem? We’ll let you know!
JERUSALEM BUMPER STICKER: "SAVE THE KINNERET, DRINK BEER!" (OR WINE?)
Thu August 05, 2010 Filed in: Israel 2010-2011
AVIVA’S BLOG
Protesters gather to mark Gilad Shalit’s 1500th day since being captured by Hamas in 2006.
We have been staying inside in the air conditioning during the hottest parts of the day so we have been having most of our adventures this week in the evenings and at night. On Tuesday we ventured out around 4pm to head up the street to a rally to mark the 1500th day that Gilad Shalit has been held captive my Hamas. As we wrote in an earlier post, Shalit's parents have been camped out at the top of Azza Street in front of the Prime Minister's house for about six weeks. They are there indefinitely to pressure the Israeli government to negotiate whatever terms necessary for their son's release. The rally featured about 2000 people who formed a human chain around the block. Each person in the chain was given a number between 1 and 1500 and a mask of Gilad's face. Many were carrying signs and chanting things like "!ביבי, עד מתי? גלעד עדיין חי" "Bibi, how long? Gilad is still alive”
Overall, we were sort of unimpressed with the rally. There was a small turnout considering the tens of thousands of people who marched with the Shalit family from their home in the north to Jerusalem just a few weeks ago. Also, the rally was very disorganized, which, I suppose is typical of Israeli rallies. We left after about an hour. Scott took some pictures and then we headed home.
A few hours later we joined some friends at the Jerusalem Wine Festival at the (newly renovated) Israel Museum. We love that we live walking distance to the museums and since we had done the walk a few days ago to get to the Bible Lands Museum we were confident in our sense of directions and therefore made it there a bit faster (uphill, always uphill). The festival featured wines from dozens of Israeli wineries. We had heard of almost all of them but many were wines that are not distributed in the US. For just 60NIS each we got wine glasses and unlimited tastings. The wineries were all set up outdoors in the sculpture garden; it was a cool and lovely evening and we even ran into an old Yavneh friend of mine who is now living in Jerusalem with her husband.
On Wednesday we left Jerusalem and made our way to Modiin. Another Yavneh-friend of mine lives there with her husband and three-year-old daughter. We intended to take a bus to Modiin but we underestimated the Jerusalem city buses and we missed our intended bus. Also, the largest bus company is Egged, but Egged does not operate buses from Jerusalem to Modiin. Since we were dealing with another bus company and stops were in different places and we were not sure of exactly where to go. Thankfully, we were already at the the Central Bus Station so we went inside and found a Sherut. This word literally means 'service' but it is used to mean bathrooms and shared taxi services. Each sherut fits about 10 people. They are generally a little more expensive than buses but much less expensive than taxis. In fact for both of us in both directions, the sherut cost up less than $1 more than the bus would have.
We had a wonderful time with our friends. They put together a beautiful spread for dinner. Their daughter drew us a picture which she told us is for our 'mekarer' (refrigerator) and we read some Hebrew books together. Overall a great time and now that we know how to get from Jerusalem to Modiin we will surely make that trip frequently.
Since today is Thursday and we are already thinking about Shabbat, we took another little trip through the Machane Yahudah market today. This time, we stuck mostly to the Iraqi Shuk which is off of the main market and features better prices on fresher-looking produce. We made a list and tried to stick to it. We filled our granny cart for about $50.
This evening we met up with an old Schechter acquaintance of mine and her husband. He and I will be classmates at the IDC in a few weeks and we had some mutual friends from NJ that encouraged us to get together. We are glad we did! We loved meeting them and their puppy and had a lovely stroll on Emek Refaim this evening.
Upcoming this week: Shabbat, potential Ulpan on Sunday, Herzliya on Wednesday and more festivals!
Protesters gather to mark Gilad Shalit’s 1500th day since being captured by Hamas in 2006.
We have been staying inside in the air conditioning during the hottest parts of the day so we have been having most of our adventures this week in the evenings and at night. On Tuesday we ventured out around 4pm to head up the street to a rally to mark the 1500th day that Gilad Shalit has been held captive my Hamas. As we wrote in an earlier post, Shalit's parents have been camped out at the top of Azza Street in front of the Prime Minister's house for about six weeks. They are there indefinitely to pressure the Israeli government to negotiate whatever terms necessary for their son's release. The rally featured about 2000 people who formed a human chain around the block. Each person in the chain was given a number between 1 and 1500 and a mask of Gilad's face. Many were carrying signs and chanting things like "!ביבי, עד מתי? גלעד עדיין חי" "Bibi, how long? Gilad is still alive”
Overall, we were sort of unimpressed with the rally. There was a small turnout considering the tens of thousands of people who marched with the Shalit family from their home in the north to Jerusalem just a few weeks ago. Also, the rally was very disorganized, which, I suppose is typical of Israeli rallies. We left after about an hour. Scott took some pictures and then we headed home.
A few hours later we joined some friends at the Jerusalem Wine Festival at the (newly renovated) Israel Museum. We love that we live walking distance to the museums and since we had done the walk a few days ago to get to the Bible Lands Museum we were confident in our sense of directions and therefore made it there a bit faster (uphill, always uphill). The festival featured wines from dozens of Israeli wineries. We had heard of almost all of them but many were wines that are not distributed in the US. For just 60NIS each we got wine glasses and unlimited tastings. The wineries were all set up outdoors in the sculpture garden; it was a cool and lovely evening and we even ran into an old Yavneh friend of mine who is now living in Jerusalem with her husband.
On Wednesday we left Jerusalem and made our way to Modiin. Another Yavneh-friend of mine lives there with her husband and three-year-old daughter. We intended to take a bus to Modiin but we underestimated the Jerusalem city buses and we missed our intended bus. Also, the largest bus company is Egged, but Egged does not operate buses from Jerusalem to Modiin. Since we were dealing with another bus company and stops were in different places and we were not sure of exactly where to go. Thankfully, we were already at the the Central Bus Station so we went inside and found a Sherut. This word literally means 'service' but it is used to mean bathrooms and shared taxi services. Each sherut fits about 10 people. They are generally a little more expensive than buses but much less expensive than taxis. In fact for both of us in both directions, the sherut cost up less than $1 more than the bus would have.
We had a wonderful time with our friends. They put together a beautiful spread for dinner. Their daughter drew us a picture which she told us is for our 'mekarer' (refrigerator) and we read some Hebrew books together. Overall a great time and now that we know how to get from Jerusalem to Modiin we will surely make that trip frequently.
Since today is Thursday and we are already thinking about Shabbat, we took another little trip through the Machane Yahudah market today. This time, we stuck mostly to the Iraqi Shuk which is off of the main market and features better prices on fresher-looking produce. We made a list and tried to stick to it. We filled our granny cart for about $50.
This evening we met up with an old Schechter acquaintance of mine and her husband. He and I will be classmates at the IDC in a few weeks and we had some mutual friends from NJ that encouraged us to get together. We are glad we did! We loved meeting them and their puppy and had a lovely stroll on Emek Refaim this evening.
Upcoming this week: Shabbat, potential Ulpan on Sunday, Herzliya on Wednesday and more festivals!
It was Sunday, so we went to church!
Mon August 02, 2010 Filed in: Israel 2010-2011
Aviva and Scott’s Blog
Aviva overlooks the city of Jerusalem from Gan Sacher.
The story of our first Shabbat really begins Thursday evening.
On Thursday we attempted to go to Machane Yehuda, the shuk/market, in Jerusalem. We completely forgot that the city buses would not be running in our neighborhood due to the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade. After a kind passerby saw us waiting at the bus stop and reminded us of this fact, we quickly hailed a taxi to take us to our destination. As much as he tried, our driver could not take any of the usual ways to the market as all of the streets were blocked. So we made a rather large detour, paid more cab fare than we had hoped and finally arrived at the market.
The market was full of people preparing for Shabbat. Among them happened to be an old friend and coworker of ours from New Jersey who is now living in Israel and a former classmate of Scott’s. We’ve been to the market many times before, but never for more than a quick snack or a kilo (or three) of Marzipan ruggelach. We were prepared to shlep our loot with the “granny cart” that we purchased from the hardware store on our street. We were so impressed with the selection, quality and prices. When comparing prices to those we are used to paying in the States, we were utterly astonished. Aviva was especially proud of her 11 NIS kilo of figs, her 7 NIS head of lettuce and bunch of mint and her 4 loaves of challah for 30 NIS.
We brought two of those loaves of challah to a new friend’s house who invited us for Shabbat dinner. We met at his house at the start of Shabbat and walked together to Reshimu, an outdoor Carlebach-style minyan in Nachlaot. The minyan featured lovely singing and a very pleasant atmosphere. Our friend told us that he has been there when it has been even more lively, so we are looking forward to going back. Afterward, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at our friend’s house with great company.
Shabbat morning we slept late and prepared to host our first Shabbat meal in our new apartment. After lunch and chatting, we went for a walk around our apartment building. We had yet to see the entire building in the daylight. After making the full circle, we were flagged down by our next door neighbor, Rachely, who invited us to sit and chat. Rachely has been living in this building since 1947. She sat us down, force fed us chocolate and told us much of her magnificent life story. We are sure that this visit will be the first of many posts featuring our new “Savta Rachely.”
Then it was Sunday, so we went to Church! No, but really, we got up early Sunday morning and walked to the Old City. We couldn’t believe that we had been in Israel for two weeks and hadn’t yet visited the Old City of Jerusalem. Our experiences thus far had solely involved the “Earthly Jerusalem,” and we were feeling very much in need of getting a taste of the “Heavenly Jerusalem” as well. Our walk to the Old City took us through a brand new, American-style pedestrian mall on Mamilla Street. It is quite ironic that this brand new mall on an ancient street overlooks the walls of the Old City and leads to Jaffa Gate.
After entering through the gate, we decided to take a walk through the Christian Quarter as Scott had never been and Aviva hasn’t since her first visit to Israel 15 years ago. We walked through the Christian market and noticed that many of it’s stores were closed because it was Sunday. We admired the facade of the Church of the Redeemer, but decided we were a bit underdressed for the 10:30 worship, and continued on to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was packed with pilgrims from all over the world who came to visit the tomb of Jesus. We were both stunned by its beauty.
We left the church and walked back through the Christian Quarter and directly into the Cardo. After poking around there for a bit, we walked to the Western Wall. We both struggled with our feelings regarding this most holy place. On the one hand, our tradition believes it is as close as one can get to the dwelling place of God. On the other, it is tainted by the fact that it is representative of some of the biggest issues in Israeli politics today. The men enjoy a larger section with an indoor, air conditioned space filled with seating and holy books. The women squeeze into a much smaller area with no amenities whatsoever. Many non-Orthodox Jews are alienated by the Israeli Rabbinate’s control over the holy site.
Sunday also happened to be an oppressively hot day. After walking back in the 105 degree heat, we decided to spend the afternoon in our air-conditioned apartment. However, apparently many of our neighbors had the same idea. With our tiny flashlight, Aviva opened up our pocket dictionary and learned the Hebrew phrase for a power outage.
This morning we decided to let our sightseeing take us to an air-conditioned place. We walked to Museum Row and visited the Bible Lands Museum. They had a wonderful exhibit that explored the roots of Jewish magical practices through the ages. Their other exhibits were nice as well.
After walking home again in the heat, we returned home till sundown. When it was safe to go out again, we went to an event welcoming new students to Pardes, the school where Scott will study this year. The reception included snacks, shmoozing and a bit of learning to finish up the night. It was exciting to meet some of Scott’s new classmates and make some new friends.
Plans for the rest of the week include checking out some of Jerusalem’s exciting summer festivals and meeting friends in Modi’in and Tel Aviv.
Aviva overlooks the city of Jerusalem from Gan Sacher.
The story of our first Shabbat really begins Thursday evening.
On Thursday we attempted to go to Machane Yehuda, the shuk/market, in Jerusalem. We completely forgot that the city buses would not be running in our neighborhood due to the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade. After a kind passerby saw us waiting at the bus stop and reminded us of this fact, we quickly hailed a taxi to take us to our destination. As much as he tried, our driver could not take any of the usual ways to the market as all of the streets were blocked. So we made a rather large detour, paid more cab fare than we had hoped and finally arrived at the market.
The market was full of people preparing for Shabbat. Among them happened to be an old friend and coworker of ours from New Jersey who is now living in Israel and a former classmate of Scott’s. We’ve been to the market many times before, but never for more than a quick snack or a kilo (or three) of Marzipan ruggelach. We were prepared to shlep our loot with the “granny cart” that we purchased from the hardware store on our street. We were so impressed with the selection, quality and prices. When comparing prices to those we are used to paying in the States, we were utterly astonished. Aviva was especially proud of her 11 NIS kilo of figs, her 7 NIS head of lettuce and bunch of mint and her 4 loaves of challah for 30 NIS.
We brought two of those loaves of challah to a new friend’s house who invited us for Shabbat dinner. We met at his house at the start of Shabbat and walked together to Reshimu, an outdoor Carlebach-style minyan in Nachlaot. The minyan featured lovely singing and a very pleasant atmosphere. Our friend told us that he has been there when it has been even more lively, so we are looking forward to going back. Afterward, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at our friend’s house with great company.
Shabbat morning we slept late and prepared to host our first Shabbat meal in our new apartment. After lunch and chatting, we went for a walk around our apartment building. We had yet to see the entire building in the daylight. After making the full circle, we were flagged down by our next door neighbor, Rachely, who invited us to sit and chat. Rachely has been living in this building since 1947. She sat us down, force fed us chocolate and told us much of her magnificent life story. We are sure that this visit will be the first of many posts featuring our new “Savta Rachely.”
Then it was Sunday, so we went to Church! No, but really, we got up early Sunday morning and walked to the Old City. We couldn’t believe that we had been in Israel for two weeks and hadn’t yet visited the Old City of Jerusalem. Our experiences thus far had solely involved the “Earthly Jerusalem,” and we were feeling very much in need of getting a taste of the “Heavenly Jerusalem” as well. Our walk to the Old City took us through a brand new, American-style pedestrian mall on Mamilla Street. It is quite ironic that this brand new mall on an ancient street overlooks the walls of the Old City and leads to Jaffa Gate.
After entering through the gate, we decided to take a walk through the Christian Quarter as Scott had never been and Aviva hasn’t since her first visit to Israel 15 years ago. We walked through the Christian market and noticed that many of it’s stores were closed because it was Sunday. We admired the facade of the Church of the Redeemer, but decided we were a bit underdressed for the 10:30 worship, and continued on to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was packed with pilgrims from all over the world who came to visit the tomb of Jesus. We were both stunned by its beauty.
We left the church and walked back through the Christian Quarter and directly into the Cardo. After poking around there for a bit, we walked to the Western Wall. We both struggled with our feelings regarding this most holy place. On the one hand, our tradition believes it is as close as one can get to the dwelling place of God. On the other, it is tainted by the fact that it is representative of some of the biggest issues in Israeli politics today. The men enjoy a larger section with an indoor, air conditioned space filled with seating and holy books. The women squeeze into a much smaller area with no amenities whatsoever. Many non-Orthodox Jews are alienated by the Israeli Rabbinate’s control over the holy site.
Sunday also happened to be an oppressively hot day. After walking back in the 105 degree heat, we decided to spend the afternoon in our air-conditioned apartment. However, apparently many of our neighbors had the same idea. With our tiny flashlight, Aviva opened up our pocket dictionary and learned the Hebrew phrase for a power outage.
This morning we decided to let our sightseeing take us to an air-conditioned place. We walked to Museum Row and visited the Bible Lands Museum. They had a wonderful exhibit that explored the roots of Jewish magical practices through the ages. Their other exhibits were nice as well.
After walking home again in the heat, we returned home till sundown. When it was safe to go out again, we went to an event welcoming new students to Pardes, the school where Scott will study this year. The reception included snacks, shmoozing and a bit of learning to finish up the night. It was exciting to meet some of Scott’s new classmates and make some new friends.
Plans for the rest of the week include checking out some of Jerusalem’s exciting summer festivals and meeting friends in Modi’in and Tel Aviv.
