Thinking Really Hard

For some reason, today is an exceptionally warm day in Jerusalem. I think it is around the 60’s or something crazy like that. It would be a good opportunity to get outside and do something. Instead I am writing this blog.

I have a lot on my mind.

Monday night and all of Tuesday were mandatory seminars. You had two options: Advocating on Campus, or Aliyah(moving to Israel). I chose the latter. The seminar was good, really long, but good. We spent the day hearing from several different organizations that help people with Aliyah, and individuals that have made moved to Israel or are currently in the process. The organizations we heard from were: Nefesh’ B’Nefesh, AACI, Garin Tzabar, Mahal, WUJS, and Merkez Hamagshimim. We also heard from organizations/universities for studying in Israel: IDC Herzliyah, Hebrew University, Haifa Technion, Bar Ilan, and the Ministry of Education. All of this was a good insight to the process and the opportunities when moving here….which I eventually want to do.

Aliyah has been on my mind for a long time. Being here has got me thinking about it even more. I love this country. I love the people. I love the concept of a Jewish homeland. Yes, Israel is not perfect. No country is, but I would like to be a part of this young country and help it through its growing pains. How I am going to do that? I don’t know yet.

There are several large challenges with making Aliyah. First off, and probably the hardest, is the language. Hebrew is difficult. I am having trouble with it as it is. This can me over come with a good solid time in an Ulpan and getting out of the bubble of a program with English speakers. Much like the program I am on now. My Hebrew has improved 300% so far. I would be closer to fluent if I was hanging out with Israelis and not Americans.

The next big step would be the Army. Everyone in Israel is required to join. Males for three years, girls for two. This all happens before university. If I were to make Aliyah before the age of 25, I would still be required to do anywhere from three years to six months depending on my age when I make the decision. Honestly, this doesn’t freak me out at all. Matter of fact, I want to be in the army here. It is an integral part of society. When you walk down the street knowing that every single person has done some kind of service, it changes things. The country would not survive without the mandatory service. Also, for a new immigrant, the army is the fastest way to learn Hebrew and get adapted to the country.

I want to be in the IDF for a couple of reasons. The biggest reason: I want to help defend this state and the Jewish people. Do my part in something bigger. Yeah, it sounds hokey and cheesy. But, it is truthfully what I feel.

The less important reason: I want the challenge. It would kick my ass. Hardcore. Totally worth it though.

If I were to join the IDF I would be a lone soldier. This status is applied to soldiers who do not have immediate family living in Israel. The country takes care of their lone soldiers. They are given extra money to afford an apartment, a month to go back home every year, and various other perks. There are groups I could join that consist of many loan soldiers. Garin Tzabar is the one I have heard the most about. From my friends that are in it I hear many good things. A great support system.

Other hardships come with Aliyah too. Paperwork, paperwork, and paperwork. Getting an education. Finding a job. These are all things that must be factored in. There are organizations to aid you, like the ones that talked to us, but that doesn’t mean things are easy.

Moving here would mean a lot of sacrifice. Clearly my family would suffer. It is pretty expensive to get back and forth to America. I would miss my friends in the states a lot. On top of all this, America is very comfortable place, numb, but comfortable. Leaving it would mean more excitement, but a little bit rougher living until I get a good footing. Which could take a lifetime.

The state does a lot to help its new immigrants. All Jews are permitted to gain almost automatic citizenship to Israel. This is called “The Right of Return”. When one signs papers to officially declare Aliyah, the state grants them “Aliyah Rights”. The rights include many things to help a person make an easy transition and are in effect for six years after arrival. The first thing is a “gift basket” of 15, 000 shekel; money that comes from the taxpayers. Next is just an assortment of things: no income tax, no tax on purchasing a car, free health insurance, there are a lot more but I am blanking.

I have been talking to as many people as possible about the process, personal opinions, and advice. Everyone has something different to say. A conversation I had the other day really helped put things into prospective.

In the end it all comes down to this:
If I am going to make Aliyah, I need to do it for the right reasons. I might love Israel more than a fat kid loves cake, but when making this decision I have to make sure of one important thing: that the country benefits from my presence. This country is young and needs a lot of help. I could just move here and become your average citizen, but that wouldn’t help the country. Sure, it’s the Jewish homeland and Jews belong here. The fact is that the country loses a lot of money and resources for every new immigrant because of Aliyah Rights. I have to make sure that my moving here would help the country grow and not just take away from her. Army service is a big part of that, although, I could be a volunteer in the IDF and not make Aliyah.

There are a lot of Ifs in this situation. Say I do decide to make Aliyah. The big question is: WHEN?

There are some many options. I have some friends that are doing it right after YC, which is cool, but not right for me. I miss my family and friends, and I am working at camp again this summer. I also don’t really have the funds I feel necessary to do that. I know that making Aliyah is much easier if you are younger. Right now, I know that if I am going to do it I want to be younger than 24. It’s not to say that it couldn’t be done later, but it is considerably harder once you have a profession and trying to find it in Israel. So in my situation I feel like I have boiled it down to two options; in very basic form.

Option 1
I have been thinking about this one for a long time. In this tentative life plan (intense right?), I would finish YC, go home and attend college and get a degree, then move to Israel. Possibly work for a little while in the states to make some cash. Once in Israel I would attend an Ulpan on a kibbutz for a while to get a good about of Hebrew on my belt. Then I would enlist in the IDF. From there it’s all about getting a job and building a life.
Option 2
This is something that has come on my mind in the last few weeks. I don’t know if I am really ready to go back to school. This is what I call in my mind “The Israeli Aliyah Option”. First, I would come home from YC and work for six months to year. Then, I would do like any other Israeli and go to the Army. Following this, I would get an education here in Israel. I would like to think by the end of my service I would be fluent enough in Hebrew to take classes in Hebrew. If not, there are a handful of universities taught in English. Either way, the army pays for all, or a good portion, of one’s education in return for full service. This would certainly save my parents a lot of money, but at the same time would really be difficult on the family.

There are some many possibilities within each of these potential plans. Even if I choose one of these paths, it will change dramatically. I also have to be willing to accept that things might not work out and that I end up coming back to America. In the Aliyah community this is sometimes seen in a negative light, kind of a failure Aliyah. The truth is that it happens all the time. I have to think of Aliyah as a less permanent idea; more of “trying it out” rather than a definite choice and if things end up working out, then I will end up living here.

There is also the possibility of moving here at a later age. But once again, the younger you are the easier it is to adjust. No set career, no family, no huge responsibilities.

I am about to have a conversation about this with my parents in couple days. Luckily they get to study up with this post before we talk. As for Bubbie (my grandmother), well, at this moment she’s probably reading this and angrily squeezing a stress ball or writing me a livid email. Especially after that comment :)

Keepin' Up

The internet in the apartments is still weak sauce. I am at the hostel right now waiting for our bus (and lunch) to take us to our siyur destination. I thought I would take the opportunity to write a little.

Lately the topic of the discussion for everyone is "What are you doing for Israeli Experience?" The way our program is broken down we are almost two thirds done. The last section, called Israeli Experience is where the group splits into smaller groups and live around the country doing different volunteering. The options are incredible. Anything from ambulance work to working at a theater.

Being the nature loving freak that I am. I am requesting to live in the small city of Arad, located about half an hour south east of Be'er Sheva. Its a small town, a feel like I am ready for. I have spent a good amount of time in Israel in big cities. I am ready for something different. While in Arad, I could be working at a number of places. These include Masada, Ein Gedi, or a Beudoin Ranch. Very outdoors stuff. Right up my ally.

The only have a couple of concerns. The biggest one being roommates. I have had some issues so far, and I really want to finish off my year with a solid group of roommates. The other issue is weather. I didn't really think it through too much, but its gonna be damn hot. I will be living in a desert town from March until June. Mmmmmm crispy.

Ok, so I didn't have time to post this before the Siyur. As a result, I am finishing this now (Sunday Feb 1.)

The siyur we went on was to Moshav Yishi. Right outside of Jerusalem. First off, I should explain what a Moshav is. A Moshav is a community of families living in a group of homes and share common farming ground. That's it in a very basic sense. Anyways, Moshav Yishi is a moshav consisting of Yemenite families. The Yemenite Jews came to Israel in Operation Magic Carpet in 1950. The Jews of Yemen had been living in an isolated society for thousands of years. Because of this, there culture is much different from most Jews. Through modernazation and becoming part of Israeli society, they have lost some of their culture. At the same time, they work very hard to maintain a lot of it.
At the Moshav our first stop was to a friend of our teacher. This family is the only non-Yemenite family on the Moshav. The father is originally from NY and the mother from that hat of a country above the US. They have a huge house, the biggest one on the Moshav, that they built. They talked to us a little about living here there. Someone raised the obvious question "Why do you want to live in this Moshav?" The man answered simply that they wanted space. He also added that he is hoping more of his friends from out of Israel move there and make the area more"Anglo". As soon as he said that, all 35 of us got the same thought: "WhAt?!" You move to a country to make a new life and you expect your friends to come too? On top of that, you move into a neighborhood of a different ethnicity then your own and then hope to make it more "Anglo". I think that family choose the wrong neighborhood and I can understand why his neighbors are not exactly friendly to him.

The next part of the Siyur we walked up the street to the home of the Besharis. They had a lovely covered porch and provided amazing Yemen hospitality. This consited of several different drinks, hot and cold, and more sweets and fruit than the group could consume. After schmoozing a little, we were invited inside. We all at down and received a private performance from Gila Beshari. Gila is a world renowned singer and is known for bring traditional Yemen sound to modern music. Her voice was amazing. It filled the room with great depth. I also found it interesting because it is not in a key that I am used to hearing. After she sang a few song solo, she invited a few people up to dance with her. From there it just turned to one big party of all of us up dancing. A good time was had by all.

The rest of the week went by pretty routinely. I will share some quotes from my beloved Zionism teacher, Dr. Rabbi Avi Berkowitz. They make much more sense if you know him.

Candace: "I didn't know you were lefty."
Berkowitz: "No, you're a lefty. I am left handed."

"Get ready, I am going to start talking nicely about Socialism."

This weekenend I was pretty good. I really needed to get out of the frat party I call my apartment. It started thursday night at a party that the Tzofim had at a random club in Netanyah. The party was only so so. I did manage to get the bus back with my friends to Bat Yam instead of Jerusalem. I spent the weekend there hanging out mostly at my friend Dan's apartment (Dan, update your blog. Its been more than 3 months). The usual group of us did our usual thing. Lots of inovative cooking, lots of sitting around and telling stupid jokes/stories, and just all together lots of good company. I enjoyed it. It was a nice break from all the stupidity in the apartments. I also got to spend time with some friends I haven't seen a lot. I walked to the beach with my friends Marcie, Stephanie, and Shir. While we were there I ran into my friend Sara from Habonim Dror. Its always good to see her because its never planned.

News:
Carter says Hamas must be included
There are a few things in this article that frustrate me.
1."Hamas has got to be involved before peace can be concluded." I am sorry President Carter. You are dead wrong. That is the opposite of true. Hamas doesn't want peace with Israel. They want to eliminate Israel.
2. "Carter also said Hamas had mainly kept to its truce agreement not to attack Israel."
Either you keep a truce or you don't. There is no "mainly" keeping a truce.
3. I know this is an article from Al Jazeera, but is missing large facts and presents an overly one-sided argument. I only read Al Jazeera to see what the poplular Muslim World reads. Honestly, its scary how miscontrude the facts get.

PM to cabinet: We'll respond 'disproportionately' to rocket fire
Please read this whole article. Its interesting how each politician is trying to use the current situation to get there foot in for the elections next week. I agree that we need to take some kind of response to the violation to the cease fire. I think that Livni might be coming on a little strong.

Report: Hamas agrees to year-long Gaza truce starting Thursday
Really, I would like to think that this will happen. At the same time, honestly, how much can we trust Hamas? I know six year olds that are better liars about stealing candy. I dont think Hamas can ever be trusted and it is silly to maintain any kind of hope in them. I think it is about time the Palestinian people realize this too.

I found out my friend Rebecca has a blog too. It's pretty funny. Especially if you know the metioned people.

I went to get my camera fixed this weekend, and realized .....I left my receipt in Jerusalem. STUPID STUPID. I have to go back to Tel Aviv this week anyways.

My camp director, Noah, is in town. I have a meeting with him later (that is why I have to go to Tel Aviv). He wants to talk to me about something to do with bicycles at camp :) :) Camp=awesome. Bikes=one of my favorite things. Camp + Bikes= Hopefully one of the best summers of my life.

Trying Something New

In an attempt to keep up with this more I'm taking a new direction. Instead of procrastinating and procrastinating and finally just slurring out a big entry that takes probably a weekend to read. I will now be posting(hopefully) at least once every other day. With these smaller and more "busy-life" friendly posts.
Along with this concept, I will be concluding every post with the news articles I have read that day and my personal feed back on them. I have started reading a lot more news while I have been leaving here. I hope this habit stays with me for my life.

So......
Classes are good as always. Midterms sucked.....as always.

Last weekend I first went to Kfar Saba. There I saw my cousins again. It is always good to see them and leave with a full belly. The same night I went and hung out with my Tzofim friend Shir and my other friend Marcie. We went and watched the Maccabi Tel Aviv game at Shir's friend's apartment. The game was bad, but meeting new people and hanging out with friends is always good.
After Kfar Saba I hopped on a bus to Haifa to meet some friends. We spent Friday and Saturday there. We went and saw the Bahai Gardens (a whole tour), which was awesome. We also went did a hike from the top of the city to the beach. It runs along a dried, more like damp, river bed. Its really lush and beautiful, right in the middle of the city.

(sorry for no pictures, my camera broke! I have to go back and get it fixed in Tel Aviv)

This weekend I got really sick. It was horrible. Some awful stomach virus. I'm happy its pretty much over. I spent most of the two and half days in bed :(

Here goes the new idea:
Gaza children back to school amid cease-fire
Found this article on the front page of Yahoo. I think its a little whack...
"The onslaught killed ......" I was not aware of an "onslaught", were you? I'll admit the situation was not ideal, and in some ways, things were not handled the best. But the use of that word was not correct.
"Many children were still afraid of going to school on Saturday, fearing renewed shelling." HELLO?! The article failed to mention that the same thing has been going on for eight years in Sderot and other cities in the Western Negev. Children in Sderot have been given traquilizers to calm there nerves.
Barak wants legal support, aid for IDF
It's a war. Things happen. I don't like it. No one does. It is still war.

That's it for now....

WHAT?!

As of today my time on Year Course is officially half over :(

But....

I still have another half to make my year even better. Next section is Israeli Experience. I am leaning at living in Arad and working at Massadah or Ein Gedi. Should be epic.

Ok time to go study more for my hebrew midterm.

Way Over Due!!!!!!!!

Since the last post, things have come and gone way too quickly. It’s hard to remember everything that has happened. However, I have managed to keep up with taking pictures which allows me to recall the balagan (mess) that is my life. Since the last post an entire month has passed, including a holiday, and a week and half without classes.

Rewind to a week before break (12/16)......
....All of my section went with their Zionism classes to Zikron Yakov to see some of the developments of the First Aliyah. Following this the advanced class, my class, went to Kibbutz Ein Shemer.

Zikron Yakov was a town started by what is referred to as "The First Aliyah". The First Aliyah was the name given to the first wave of modern immigration to Israel (at the time it was called Palestine). In Zikron Yakov we visited the museum of the First Aliyah. To be honest, I was not that impressed. The information was all there, but it was shown throw a series of cheesy videos about a family who made Aliyah. I would have much rather just read a book. We then walked a few blocks to the Rothschild Synagogue. One of the first modern Synagogues built in Israel. This place has been around for over a hundred years, and every single day they have constantly had ten or more people three times a day for services. An extraordinary feat.

Across the street from the museum was one of the coolest playgrounds I have ever seen. Also happens to be one of the dangerous. I feel like the designer had in mind more fun for the parents than the children.


Kibbutz Ein Shemer was a very insightful trip. The Kibbutz maintains its original grounds from when it was first established to give people a sense of what life used to be like. They also have a museum where old relics and artifacts are held from the days of the first and second Aliyah.

What was perhaps the most eye opening was actually talking to the members of the Kibbutz. It is well known in Israel that Kibbutzim are not nearly what they used to be. I guess before I get into it too far I should explain what a Kibbutz is and why they were started.
A Kibbutz is a communal farming settlement in Israel. The original ideals of Kibbutzim were that they were to be entirely socialist. Each person living there would contribute and in return get what they needed. It did not matter if you were scrubbing dishes or managing funds. Everyone was equal on the Kibbutz. Along with that, everything was shared as well. Clothing, food, and even children. Yes, I just said children were shared. In the early days, most kibbutzim had children's homes. All the children lived together under one large building. Much like a bunk at camp. The older members also lived in a dorm like fashion. Children were raised by members of the Kibbutz, yes they had maternal parents, but every member of the kibbutz was in a way a parent. Kibbutzniks also had a romantic idea of Israel. They believed that working the Land of Zion would restore the Jewish nation. The Kibbutzim of the early twentieth century were responsible for making much of Israel inhabitable and setting up the first military defense systems.

Fast-forward about fifty years.....it’s now the late 90's/early 2000's. Things have changed a lot for the state of Israel, and the Kibbutz. Cities are now much larger and capitalism is the name of the game. Kibbutzim begin to privatize, essentially selling themselves out of their socialist ideas. People living in the Kibbutzim want to live like most other Israelis. Have cars, have their own space, and have their own money. So the kibbutzim had to change. People began to get jobs outside of the Kibbutz. Although the kibbutzim pooled their money, many members had their own bank accounts and cars. Families now lived in houses around the kibbutz instead of dorms. Agriculture was no longer profitable. Kibbutzim had to look to new options. Ein Shemer started an electronics factory. They had to take out a large loan for it, and are currently still working off the debt. It seems to me that within the next fifteen years almost all kibbutzim will simply just be small towns.

The following day we went to Sde Boker, a kibbutz in the Negev started by David Ben-Gurion. I had been there before, so it wasn't too entertaining to me, but that view of always rocks.

Monday 12/22
A siyur with my Arab-Israeli conflict class. (I switched out of Communication and Persuasion; I had heard most of it before.)
We were originally scheduled to go to Sderot, we obviously that didn't happen since just a few days before it was hit by about 80 rockets. Instead we went around Jerusalem and discussed the issues facing the city, both past and present, and the potential outcomes. As we went to different places we talked about events that happened there. It’s crazy to be to visit a site of a place where major history was made. Imagine you are sitting in U.S. history class and you are reading about Paul Revere and the next day you go to the light tower. In Israel, that is exactly what you can do. I will give you one example.
Up the street from my apartment is an outlook over Jerusalem. Just to the right of it is a small area of forest where the UN building currently stands. During the War of Independence the county's forces were stretched thin. Every available person was used. At this specific location a group of chemistry professors from Hebrew University, about 45 in total, held off a unit of 400 Jordanian soldiers. A five minute walk from where I live right now.

At other lookouts we talked our instructor would point out where the city would be divided into East and West Jerusalem if it were to go back to the June 4, 1967 borders. Which many people see happening in the next fifteen years. If this does go through, we lose most of the important places in Jerusalem. Including the entire Old City. That afternoon I was so confused. I can't imagine the city being split like that, but at the same time, I would like to see peace in the land before I die.

(click to enlarge. The fence in the picture is the June 4, 1967 division of the West Bank and Jerusalem)

Winter Break! 12/23-1/3

Mitzpeh Ramon:
A group consisting of David, Sarelle, Ellie, Joe, and I started on a adventure to the Mitzpeh Ramon, a small town in the Negev that sits on Israel's largest crater. We left from David's apartment in Holon bright and early, I mean rainy and cold, to Mitzpeh Ramon. After taking three different buses and falling asleep on each other, we finally made it. As we get off the bus two things happen. First, we see a group of kids our age get off at the same stop. Turns out David knows one of their friends (this kind of thing happens everywhere in Israel) from last summer. At the same time I get a phone call from Yael, the hikes coordinator who helped me plan this trip. The conversation basically boiled down to this: "You cannot go campout in the crater tonight. It is supposed to rain heavily and the hike you planned for tomorrow I cannot permit you to do." So the group of us look at each other. CRAP, WHAT DO WE DO? It was much colder than we expected and sleeping in a tent was not going to be fun. The Israelis we met said, "Hey come with us. There is a hostel right around the corner." Turned out to be a great choice. 100 shekel a person (about $25) for a nice room, shower, and breakfast. We took it without hesitation. We spent the next day and a half hanging out with our new friends. We did a hike, although not as long as I would have liked, it was still fun and the views were breathtaking.

After the hike we had to make a desicion. Camp for the next two days and get the first bus back Saturday night because no buses run on Friday, OR go back that night and find something else to do. We had a couple people not so equipped for the cold. We took the latter option and headed back to Be'er Sheva to catch a bus to Tel Aviv. On the way there I remembered that I had some friends on YC that live in Arad. We called them to see about staying for Shabbat. They said it would be fine, but we had to wait until midnight because that was the time one of them got back. Then we checked the weather. Mighty freaking cold. We got the next the bus to Tel Aviv. While waiting for a bus I saw a group of soldiers coming back from a base. I recognized one of them. It was my friend Shirit's sister Lital. She had just finished her intense training for her unit. It was good to see here. I knew she was here doing a program called Garin Tzabar, but I actually hadn't gotten the chance to see her yet.

My friends and I, tired and beaten from the cold Negev, walked into the central bus station in Tel Aviv and saw a unit of Golani soldiers (Golani is an elite unit and the first ones called to any conflict). I recognized one of them because he was hanging out in my apartment about a week before with a friend's older sibling. His name is Dustin and he was on YC two years ago. Anyways, we were talking to him and he said that they were just waiting for the command to head towards Gaza. They had been waiting for two hours. We wanted to lift their spirits a little bit so we bought the whole unit sufgoniyot and said "Happy Hanukah". Right around that time their commander got a phone call. He hangs up the phone. Our hearts are in our throats. He then yells "Biyta!" meaning: "get the hell out of here and go home!" Within ten seconds those soldiers were on buses going to every part of the country. We said bye to Dustin and wished him good luck. I learned two days ago that Dustin and his unit are now doing operations within Gaza. I think of all of my friends in the army every time I read the news. It's so different than reading about a war with American soldiers. In the states you might know a handful of people in the military and few that are actually involved in fighting. In Israel the situation is much different. Everyone serves in the army, and everyone knows someone that is currently serving.

Since I was in Holon I thought I would take advantage of being back. While everyone was sleeping, I borrowed my David's bus pass and went and visited Nevi Arazim where I worked in the Gan. The kids were really happy to me, as was I to see them.


For lunch we decided to head to a restaurant I had heard about called Subkuch Meliaga (means: "everything is possible" in Hindu.) To make a long story very very short, we got lost because of Google maps. We ended up walking around South Tel Aviv and part of Jaffa until we found it. Turns out we had walked within a block of it at least three times. We felt dumb, but we were all the hungrier. The place is an all you can eat vegetarian Indian restaurant. We got more than our fill. We were sitting on couches, and went into food comas.


The place was very affordable too. 35 shekel (about nine dollars) for all you can eat as long as you can eat. Defiantly going back.

The next day was Shabbat. We spent the day playing card and just lazing around.



That night we had light Hanukah candles at David's apartment. My good friend Noah, his mom found me at Kikar Rabin, was in Israel with my other friends Evan and Emilie for YJ National Board business. Turns out they were staying at Aviel's apartment down the street. I went and got him and he came and hung out. Then I went with all of the Scouts and my friends into Tel Aviv for a little. So people went out, but Noah and I just wanted to hang out. So we came back with Aviel and hung out for a while before crashing.

Sunday, the last night of Hanukah, we had a nice little Hanukah party at Ellie's apartment. Allon came too! It was good to see him because it had been since before Jerusalem. Aviel and Yoni came as well. We made latkes, but they kinda sucked. We couldn’t figure out was going on with them. Anyways, David, Sarelle, and I were head to Jerusalem, so Allon dropped us off at the bus stop on the way to his place and we caught a bus fairly quickly to Jerusalem.



Monday David and I locked ourselves in my apartment and finished out college applications. Felt good to get that done.

Tuesday night Wendy and Ellie came and spent the night so they could catch an early bus to Eilat the next morning. Noah also came once he was done taking care of Presidential business.

Wednesday was New Years Eve. The group of us wanted to do something with our day. I thought it would be a good opportunity to see the village of Abu Gosh. I had been there earlier this year for lunch with Maytal, and her boyfriend Dan, from the Matnas. It was so easy to get to from my apartment. Abu Gosh is an Arab village outside of Jerusalem. It might seem strange to go to an Arab village given the current situation, but Abu Gosh, and villages like it, are very different. The Arabs living in the village are very friendly. They support Israel and have since before the establishment of the state.

Abu Gosh is known for its great hummus, so the group of us went there to get some lunch. Basically, we just got off the bus when we thought it was good, and walked until we found something that smelled good. Turned out to be a great idea, we got amazing hummus. Afterwards we asked the owner of the restaurant for a suggestion of where to get some coffee. He pointed us down the street. That coffee is so much better than I can make Turkish. I will learn how to make it that well sometime.

Hummus Toast!

It’s interesting how food can bring to separate people together. Check out the article title “Coexistence and Hummus”.

Friday I headed back to Bat Yam to help my friend Zach clean his apartment. They had some plumbing repairs done and were left with a mess. We put on some Rage Against the Machine and went to work!

Later that night I went with Noah and Ethan to have Shabbat dinner at Noah’s Parent’s apartment in Tel Aviv. I should probably mention that Noah and Ethan are first cousins, along with my old madricha from summer 2006 named Mara. She came to dinner as well. It was a nice “at home” kind of feel.

OK WOW…that is where I left off…TWO WEEKS AGO! WHY DID I NOT UPDATE?!?
I apologize for the lack of information. I was at my group meeting today with my counselor and he mentioned to everyone about my “awesome blog”. Right now he is giving me crap about how I haven’t posted in over a month. I think I should make a very late New Year’s resolution: update once a week. Shouldn’t be that hard, right? It will force me to not cram everything into a massive post.

J-ru: I'm Lovin' It!

I had a refreshing walk home today from the Old City. It reminded me how good things are really going.

I am finally settled into my apartment and am adapted to getting back in the swing of taking classes. The classes I take are at the Judaean Youth Hostel, about a forty-five minute bus ride from my apartment. The hostel is really nice, but I am still happy to be living in the set of apartments owned by YC. It gives me a sense of actually living in the city and not in the bubble of the hostel. My roommate Scott and I refer to the hostel as "The Most Comfortable Prison Ever". Another pro to living in the apartments is a free bus pass. It might as well be called a key to the city. Although I still don't know my way around as well as I would like, it should only be another week or two before I have it down.

I am in Jerusalem for the studying portion of my experience. So, let me fill you in on my classes.

Ulpan (Hebrew): I moved up a level from last section, which means it is slightly more intense. My teacher is great. Her name is Sarit. She teaches beyond the text. For instance, this morning we all went down to the dinning hall and practiced ordering food at a resturant. I have ulpan 2 hours a day five days a week. I should learn a good portion by the time a leave.

Advanced Zionism: This a class I really enjoy. My teacher, Dr. Avi Berkowitz, is, well, a little different. He is a highly educated man, but sometimes his points of view are a little radical. I understand his points and, most of the time, the information he uses to back it up. I just don't necessarily agree with what he presents. Although, it is good to have to see a different point of view. Every week we go on a mandatory siyur (trip). Today we went to the old city, but obviously it wasn't planned out too well. I took advantage of time afterwards to explore a little bit of Jerusalem on my own. (See pictures below)

Jewish Prayer: taught by Rabbi Rob. This is a very interesting and thought provoking class. We spend each class examining and dissecting a prayer or set of prayers. Before this class, I never really put to much thought behind the history, meaning, and process of most prayers. I hope to get a lot out of this class.

Jewish Bookshelf: taught by Daniel Rose. This class is a basic intro into Tanach, Mishna, and other Jewish texts. We usually go off on some tangents, but I don't mind. I still learn a lot from them. I probably should be in an intermediate class, but I know I will still learn here. There is always more to learn.

Communication and Perusuasion: taught by two representatives of the David Project. The David Project is an organization in America the works with trying to spread factual information about Israel to combat anti-Israel entities. They work heavily in college campuses. I know that this class will be useful in the future. They have shown us some pretty crazy stuff that has been spread in the Arab media. Check out "Farfur". Hamas's version of Mickey mouse.



Well, Disney decided to sue. Guess what happened to Farfur?

Yes, "terrorist" killed him. Wonderful what extremest do for the world. By the way, Tel A-Rabi never exsisted.It sounds a lot like Tel Aviv, which was established in the early part of the 20th century, before that it was bunch of sand. Not a beautiful city like Hamas describes it.

But I digress.......
Besides learning about "Jew-hating-mikey-mouse-look-a-likes", I done a lot in the last couple of weeks. There is always so much going on in this city. I can't understand why so many of the people in my section have been going back to Tel Aviv every weekend. I love TA too, but there is plenty to do here. This last weekend was great. I went to two concerts and had friends over for shabbat.
The first concert was Thursday night. The bands that played were: Yaya (the bass player from Hadag Nachash) and Izabo at the Yellow Submarine, which is about a ten minute walk from my apartment. SWEET!


My friends from section 3, Zach, Dan, Aaron, and David, came Friday afternoon. Sarelle (sorry if I spelled it wrong), a friend who lives right down the hall, Malka (another friend) and I went shopping before the guys got here. When they arrived we hung out for a little and then a few of us head to Kabbalat Shabbat services at Shira Ha'dasha (A New Song). I had heard of this shul before, but was blown away by it. In orthodox Judaism men and women pray on different sides of the room and are divided by what is called a "Ma'chitza" and men are the only ones to lead the service. At Shira Ha'dasha there is a Ma'chitza, but women lead as well. Not only is that aspect great, the singing in the services was powerful and uplifting as well, which I have found a rarity in many othodox services. Everyone was poring all their might into each prayer. It was really great to take part in. Also, at the end of the service they pulled back the Ma'chitza to make annoucements. One generous lady even offered shabbat dinner to anyone who needed a places. An amazing atmosphere, and once again, my apartment is really close. Can't wait to go back.

We got back from shul and cooked dinner. I made some shintzel (fried chicken breast) breaded with bissle (a tastey snack) instead of the traditional mix. It worked out well and added a good flavor. Sarelle made a vegitarian dish of noodles, tofu, and various vegetables. Check out the eggs we cooked with, every single one was a double yoke. Hope I don't grow a second head out of the side of my neck.

We ate, shmoozed and had a relaxing shabbat. Saturday morning we inteaded to get up and hike the Jerusalem Trail, but we slept in unstead. Good thing too, becasue I later found out that it is closed druing the shabbat. Another time.

After my friends left Saturday I got ready for the second concert of the weekend. Guess who? That's right, COOLOOLOOSH! They were just as good the second time. The played at this venue called "The Lab", which is....REALLY CLOSE TO MY APARTMENT! Did I mention I love where I am located? I went with a good handful of people that live here in the apartments. Ok, so Coolooloosh played with Asaf Avidan and the Mojos. Two bands on one stage. Its too bad my batteries on my camera pooped out. So I stole a picuture from Hannah.


I don't really have a solid game plan for this weekend, but I'm sure it will be great. I'm thinking about going back to Holon Thursday night to see some friends and go visit the gan. Friday night I am going with Seth and Feldman to a dinner with a tour that is going to be here from Kansas City. It will be great to see some familiar faces.

Winter break is coming up. I am really excited. A lot of people are going home or to another country for break. I personally, find that silly. What a perfect opportunity to do something really cool in Israel. The people that are going home are more excited about going home than being in Israel, which seems so backwards to me. My friend David and I are in the process of planning an epic hiking trip. I'm so pumped. Also, my friends Keren and Pam are coming in around that time too. I am excited to see them as well.

Last night we hosted a Jam Session at my apartment with my new madrich Dan. I played a set of spoons :)


I will leave you with the pictures of my adventures from the old city to my apartment. Click them for full resolution.

A picture of the wall dividing Palestine and Israel

No Shave November

I recently participated in the event of "No Shave November". It really didn't go too well for me . See for yourself.

Just look at the awful amount of patchiness. I can't believe I walked around like that for so long.

So I trimmed it down to just the goatee, its still rather pathetic looking. I contemplating what I should do with the rest. Maybe a fo-man-choo. Possibly a silly mustache. Maybe like this guy:
juuuuuust kidding....