Friday, March 30, 2007

Shabbat with Melissa and Laura

What I didn't realize was that last night was daylight savings! I thought I had gotten up at 6:30 to go running so I could meet Grandma and Zev early. In reality, I woke up at 7:30. For once, the gym wasn't packed! So I got to stay on the same treadmill for an hour- a runner's dream workout in a gym.

I took the 19 bus for a change since it apparently ran in the neighborhood but I didn't know what happened as I got off maybe a stop too far down? Just not going to do this again.

Grandma, Zev, and I went into the neighborhood bakery for a little breakfast (at 11:30??) and cappacinos. Then we scooted over to next door to the take-out/catering place to pick up some soup for tonight's Shabbat and food for Shabbat lunch since it closed at 2. It wasn't actually until this point that I found out about the time change- no wonder why Grandma was in a rush to get to the take-out/catering place! While Zev went off to visit his sick friend, Grandma and I picked up the cleaning and dropped all the stuff back in the apartment.

Then I bargained with the cab driver:
Me: We need to go the shuk
Cabbie: Sure.
Me: How many sheklim do you want?
Cabbie: Oh, 19 or 20.....
Me: 12.
Cabbie: Are you kidding? Do you have any idea how insane that street is!?!? I still say 19.
Me: Just drop us off at King George and Agrippas, it's faster for us to walk from there. It's fine.
Cabbie: Okay, 17 or 18.
Me: I've only got 15 (in a very firm tone)
Cabbie: Ehhhhhhhhh..... (he feels me staring him down and moving out of the cab very so slightly) Okay, okay (puts up his hand in surrender), I'll give you 15. Get in.

Because he wasn't getting the fare that he really wanted, he attempted to pick up some fares from pedestrians along the way. Grandma tried to talk money in the cab but I shushed her- Once you've bargained with the cab driver and you tell him that's all you've got to offer, you don't mention that you've got more money in your wallet or how much you're going to spend at your destination. Grandma was impressed and told me that I'm just like Dad- always driving hard bargains.

At the shuk, when Grandma saw how busy Marizpan was, she gasped in amazement. We pushed our way through to pick up the burekas and then she went over to get some sweet pastries for breakfast including poppyseed. I began to keep track of our expenses so anyone could actually see how cheap the shuk could be. She asked if it would be possible to bargain over a wine bottle opener and I told her not with the Jews, particularly stalls on the street, not inside the market. Then we weaved our way through the entrance where she spotted some meat cigars for appeitizers. I showed her my favorite cheese shop as it's a bit more helpful and bigger where she picked up some brie and bleu cheese. I did learn one thing that day- the spice people will only scoop to the minimum weight that they could sell even though the customer might not need that much. Also, I found out that even after 2 weeks, Grandma still couldn't count money so I had to help her. She kept mixing up the two different kinds of "10" sheklim- one is really 10 sheklim and the other is 1/10 of a shekl. If you have been to the shuk, you could imagine my aggravation since it's a very fast paced environment where you need to be able to count your money quickly.

I made Grandma wait a few extra minutes for a pan of hot pitas, fresh out of the oven, at one of the bread stands outside the market. I thought this part was exciting to see one of the employeers carry the tray on his head and dumping them all on the table. I stood ready with other Jews for these pitas and when they were dumped over us, we all scrambled for our pitas! I also had to yell for Grandma to give me another shekl since I didn't have enough in my hand- like hurry, hurry- because I was getting squeezed out of the rush and losing my bag of pitas!

Grandma was very happy that we had found everything that we needed on our list. That's the best part of the shuk- it had all kinds of things you could imagine that a market like Mister Zol's would not have ready on hand. Including a wine bottle opener for 10 sheklim- the price that Grandma wanted to pay.

After the shuk and walking out with several bags, we met Zev in Ben Yehuda for some sabbiyah for lunch. Grandma loved it and actually ate well. Zev wasn't particularly hungry at first but after having a few bites of the one that Grandma and I shared, he decided to have his own. And Grandma ate some of that too. It was weird that my sandwich had more eggplant than his- he was kind of disappointed. I also learned an Israeli way from him- he liked to put some spices in his sandwich and have a sweet tea with it. On the way to home, we stopped in for a little dessert from a candy shop (those chocolate like snow ones at the movie theaters were soooo good- way better than at home!). Then we get a phone call from friends of Grandma and Zev's who had just docked in Aquaba, in the Red Sea, and they'd be in Jerusalem for the next 3 days. They were very excited and insisted on joining us for a Shabbat meal. At the end, they could only meet us at the Israel Museum tomorrow afternoon.

I invited Melissa and Laura for Shabbat. It was really wonderful as I definitely learned more about them, especially Laura. Grandma kept commenting about how interesting that they, as non-Jews, came to study in Israel. I told her that for me, I'm blind to that sort of thing because I'm more interested in just finding a common ground with others. Plus, I'm used to having non-Jewish friends as I basically grew up with them anyway. But with them, I do ask questions and try to learn more about Christianity and their family background so I could get things in perspective. Also, it's just different to hang around with them since I'm with the Jews all the time otherwise (I know, I know... but you know what I mean). They thought that this Shabbat was the best one they've attended so far. I agreed- it's been a while since I've attended a small one as I've been to big Shabbat dinners with lots of people for most of the time since I've been here. We got to try "Jerusalem kugl" which was a little spicy but good.... I don't know exactly what it's made of. But whatever.

Oh here's a funny story- I almost thought about canceling Shabbat because of a little kitchen glitch that we had....

So on Thursday afternoon, I made my challah and brownies as usual. So my challah recipe generally called for gradual turning up of the oven temperature over a period of 50 minutes. So I did all that and then I realized in the final 15 minutes that the oven might be in Celicius! So I turned it up to another 30 degrees. But the challah didn't come out right- it wasn't even done. I called up Doris Levine to find out what temperature she made her challah at and she said that she just goes by the ratio of 140 C to 350 F and she doubles the C temperature and adds on 30 to make the Faherenheit temperature. Grandma and I looked at each other and thought, boy the oven could be pretty hot at 600 degrees! We remained cautious and only raised the oven to 325, thinking it'd be over 500 degrees, perfect temperature for making pizza. Then Grandma called and left messages on Phyllis Pollack's and Ruthie Feine's answer machines for some help. Not only we had the brownies to deal with (having the raw eggs in there), but also the chicken! No chicken equaled no Shabbat! When the challah was finally done after being in the oven for over an hour, we decided to take a dinner break at Al Dente's. After dinner, Grandma came back to finish the brownies.

Despite it looking done and coming out clean, the brownies still had raw batter in the middle when we cut it tonight. But the batter was really good.....

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Tower of David

Today, I originally planned to go to the Israel Museum since I would not have to meet Grandma until around 3. So I dragged myself out the apartment a bit later, around noon. Since I'd have to change buses or walk to the Museum and it's huge, I decided to stroll around the center instead. Also, I needed to go to Dan Panaroma to find out some things for my parents.

I made my way down Hillel to see where it'd lead and I saw quite a few Israelis taking their lunchtime business strolls. On my way, I walked past the David Citadel hotel, where the Prime Minister Elihu Olmert and Condoleeza Rice were just few nights ago. I got chills just knowing I was so close to their meeting spot. The day was simply glorious- warm with cloudless skies and lots of sunshine. Not surprisely, the road took me down to the Old City. When I set my sight on the Tower of David, I realized that it was a Thursday, not a Friday! It's only closed on Fridays and the past times I've been there, it was on a Friday.

I raced through the Jaffa Gate, dodged the cars, and made my way up the steps to the entrance. It was like entering through a real castle as I walked across a bridge with a moat underneath me. No water- just filled with ruins. I was asked to pay 20 sheklim- I was certainly confused as I thought it was just the tower. I was wrong.

As I walked out of the building, there was a massive archeaological garden at my feet. I had entered in a private world, separated from Jerusalem and the Old City. I walked along the walkway and went in and out of several History of Jerusalem exhibitions that told the story of the Old City under different powers. I found the bright colored art deco sculptures around the area to be interesting as it certainly did not match with the old, sunken walls. The steps that I climbed to see panoramic views of Jerusalem were huge that I was certainly that my butt was getting a work out! It felt so strange to be looking down to some of the ruins from Herod's days and the Roman period, enclosed by the walls and to be looking out to see modern Jerusalem (ahem not exactly modern by American standards though) and the Old City. It was basically a time travel back to the ancient period.

There was a scaled model of the Old City and I found the Kotel and Temple Mount. It was pretty cool but oddly weird that there was once absolutely nothing around the fortress walls as it showed the emptiness outside the Old City walls. The Tower of David and several other nearby towers were all basically the only ones for the enemy look outs. Nearby the model, a status of David stood erected. I certianly liked this one better than Michaelangelo's version. He was my height!

Finally, I reached to the Tower and it was locked. So I just took my time in making my way across the wall, feeling like a guard with a bow and an arrow, while looking out to see the King David Hotel, Shearton Plaza, and other big buildings of Jerusalem. There was a small tour group following along with me but it was not in English at all. I made it down to the gardens to see the ruins of the old battles, including rocks that were thrown in one of Herod's battles. I could not imagine being that strong to lift those rocks on regular or speedy basis. I was just really impressed with Tower of David- it certainly felt different than what I've been used to seeing.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Bet Alef

I had a choice between going to Hebrew and a day trip to the North to visit a kibbutz. I chose the latter since I love going to kibbutzim and want to take a trip up to the North since I've been mostly going to the coast lately. It was a good choice considering that I had some doubts about what the experience will bring.

The drive took about 2 hours and I slept for a good part of it... I was more exhausted than I thought! Anyway, Grandma did fine with the driving. The cousin, Rachel, came to meet us at the entrance. Zev's family was from Poland and Rachel was second-generation Israeli. Her English was very good considering that she did not have much practice. She was a wonderful hostess. The kibbutz, Bet Alef, was lovely as it was located at the foot of large hills up in the Galilee region, not very far from the sea. But it was so close to the Jordan-Israel border that you could see them from the distance. The location, the surroundings almost reminded me of Amanda's home in Montana when I visited her.

After serving us some cold drinks, we headed over to the common dining room. I was enthralled by the beauty of everything that I saw. Grandma could not see what was beautiful about the place because it was a very old kibbutz. I told her it's the simplicity and the nature that drew my attention. In the common dining room, I got my first experience as I did not do any of it at the Ravids'. So we had dined in a typical Israeli fashion- hot meal. There was chicken, schzintels, fried fish, lots of different cold salads, some hot starches, etc. Rachel told us about herself and how she came to be where she was. When her family first immigrated from Poland, they settled in Tel Aviv and then they moved to the kibbutz some time ago. She also told us about her daily life. We learned that the kibbutz was founded in 1922 and grew mostly figs and olives, and sold milk.

After lunch, we had some pecan pie back in Rachel's little house. Then her uncle came in and that was one of the best parts of the day. We talked a lot about Poland- its future, economic situation, and whether Polish Jews like them have returned to Poland. Her uncle told us that he served in the Jewish Bridage, a branch of the British Military during WWII. He fought against Rommel in North Africa and in Italy. That was how he learned English- by living with the British Army!

I threw Rachel a quick question out of curiosity due to a heated discussion with Kobe the night before, did she think of herself as a Jew or an Israeli first? She said what's the difference?

Then we all jumped in cars and drove out to see the cows and the fields. The kibbutz also have chickens but they're only for eggs so they get their meat from another kibbutz. It had been such a long time since I've seen cows and got up close to them! The last time I saw them was when I was in Montana. I saw some very cute calves- obviously separated from their mothers. Then Rachel's husband showed us Israel's first automatic cow milking machine. They trained the cows to come to the machine when their udders hurt them so we found two cows waiting to be milked. The machine was being cleaned so we headed out to see where they grew black figs. The busband gave us a little economic lesson about the figs and the olives and how they have competition from Turkey. Then we went back to check on the cows. There was one standing in the machine being milked! Grandma got a very big kick out of it, especially that the cows were particularly smart animals. There was really no one there to watch the whole process since the machine had the ability to fix itself onto the cows' teats. It was certainly an incredible sight.

Afterwards, Rachel took us up to the old synagogue down the road. We watched a short film on its history and architecture. There was a huge mosaic floor, filled with symbols and such. It was pretty cool.

Grandma asked if I could see myself living in a kibbutz, for life... or better yet, since I've been to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and kibbutzim, where would I live? I love kibbutzim but not so isolated as Bet Alef is, way up north away from busy areas, but something more like where the Ravids are- in a kibbutz but close to fun places like Hertzilya and Tel Aviv. I don't know. I'm very flexible- I can usually adapt my energy level for my companions. Anyway, I'm not interested in thinking about this right now.... I feel that I need to see more of Israel and visit more places though I'm thinking that I'd like the coast since it's more free-wheeling and easier to get around.

Monday, March 26, 2007

What I Told the USHMM Why I'm Here

An excerpt that I want to share from my personal statement:

Very often, I would look out to the beautiful landscape in Israel as I ride on the buses to and from Jerusalem and marvel how Israel rose from the ashes of the Holocaust. The kibbutzim often symbolize the rebirth of the Jews, particularly the small, secluded ones in the valleys. I soak up the long, peaceful coastline by riding horses and walking barefoot in the sand, allowing the European Jews to live through me because they never felt content in their hostile, tense environments. Every time I see Tel Aviv’s beaches from my seat on the plane, I cry freely for the victims of the Holocaust because they never approached these shores and I had the fortune to do so.
I had a choice between studying in Prague and in Israel and for a long time, I thought I would go to Prague. After all, Hitler preserved the history of Eastern European Jewry in Prague and I could be close to the former lands of the Eastern European Jewry and where the Holocaust happened. Instead, I chose Israel where I could learn Hebrew and live voraciously for the Eastern European Jews. In addition, my senior thesis involved comparing the American Jewish and Israeli Jewish perspectives of the Holocaust and visiting Israel became necessary to complete the research on the latter. Not once have I regretted being here and I contribute to my internships with the USHMM for playing a role in this decision.


This does seem out of blue in contrary what I've been doing. I've just been in shock by my friend's blog in Prague. She had just been in Auschwitz and ran into 500 Israelis and seeing their spirit and presence did not make her feel better about being at Auschwitz, let alone even consider the fact that Israel is a symbol that Hitler's plot to kill world Jewry failed. I had to write her a sobering note as follows:

Dearest Dane-
When I first read this, there were no specific words for me to describe my reaction to your reaction at Auschwitz and seeing the Israelis. I had to get away and collect myself before I could read the post again.

First of all, Auschwitz is a very difficult place, even if a person thought s/he was well prepared to handle it. Everyone expresses their feelings differently. There's no right or wrong way to do it. Certainly, the Israelis' behavior shouldn't be judged.

Second, that was the March of the Living that you just witnessed and it's vert typical for the Israelis to wear the flags as they walk down the railroad tracks. Even I have a March of the Living book at home with a cover picture of two people wearing the flag as their capes. Those participants tend to be 16-17 year olds and not mature yet by the Army. You're 20 and you've had 2 1/2 years of college/adult life behind you.
Lastly, your mother and others have made an excellent point of how the Israelis view their trip to Poland. They have a spiritual connection with the place, Israel rose out of the Holocaust. Visiting Poland gives them an extra push for a reason to defend the Jewish state and get in that mentality for the Army. It is one of the reasons why I have such a connection with this country- I studied the Holocaust since I was a child so for me, it was the reverse. The Israelis felt connected to Poland because of their country's past immigration history. I felt connected to Israel because of my Holocaust experience. Think about how Israel's history affects their perspective, you took that Arab-Israeli Conflict class. The Israelis I know who visited Poland felt very much the same way as you did- came out very sobered by their experience. Their flags are simply reminders of their place and position in history.

Sometimes I question your decision to be in Prague. I know the experience is doing wonders and opening up your mind to other things more than you could ever expect (even though I know that you're very open-minded to a lot of things as you have to be in Northampton). But it's your spirited personality that makes me concerned. While you are not currently able to see yourself in Israel because of your beliefs, I think so much about the stark contrast between our lives and my reason for studying in Israel. I wrote to the USHMM in my personal statement that I chose Israel over Prague because I felt that I should choose life over death and live for the Holocaust victims rather than be *stuck* in Eastern Europe. And Dane, you, of all the people I know, surprised me that you chose the latter even though we have our historical roots in Eastern Europe. The grass is always green here. Nevertheless, I am glad that you are making the most of your study abroad experience in Prague- probably even more so than if I had been there with you instead of being in Israel.This was difficult for me to write coherently and in a non-judgmental way because of my initial reactions and current position in Israel. Please accept (or not) as it is.
Love and hugs unconditionally,
Sara

She may not talk to me for a bit after this but being abroad with her at the same time in two very different places in terms of historical representation to our Jewish identities has really been enriching for me and hopefully, her too as she reads my blog. We have different perspectives on what it means to be a Jew and how to connect with Judaism but we try to be clear and neutral in our descriptions of places we saw and people we meet, and how they could influence us.

These excerpts make me think about Zionism in some way. There are two different kinds of Jews in this world, perhaps according to the American-Israeli relationship: One's a wealthy, physically weak Jew (aka American Jews) and the other's a strong, poor Jew (Israeli Jews). The American Jews poured (and still do today) money in Israel to help with its Jewish funds while the Israeli Jews take the responsiblity to guard its boundaries against the Arabs and others. You've got that American Big Business era analogy there with the American Jew being Rockefeller or JP Morgan reeling in the money and making investments in its interests while the Israeli Jew supervise the interests and ensure its security and efficiency.

For me, I see myself as the latter. I feel very rich when I am physically in a place where I can feel spiritually connected and loved by its land and people like why I chose leave Smith to be at Colgate (despite the fact that the place was deserted when Dad and I visited when I was applying for transfer- it just felt right to be there). I'd rather toil the land or serving the Army knowing that my phyiscal position would have a purpose rather than aimlessly drop a dollar in those little envelopes that synagogues leave on chairs during the High Holidays.

Israel is my place to be today's Jew in this black-and-white argument.

Let the family entertainment begin!

Tuesday
I went to all of my classes on Tuesday. Wendy and I met up with Zev after his 4:30 lecture to drive back to the fancy apartment for a dinner with everyone at an Italian restuarant that Wendy and I failed to find weeks ago. He was with Zvi, who was nice enough to drive all of us down. Along the way, Zev showed me the best falafel place in Jerusalem, in his opinion.

We ate dinner at Angelo's. I give it 3.5-4 stars. It lost a star from because you could smell the freshly painted walls and it just didn't seem like they aired out the place much. I had salmon ravoli and tiramasu. We all shared grilled veggies and muschroom foccaica. It was a night of enjoyable company. Wendy couldn't stop gushing about Zev on our walk back to the bus- she said that she could tell that Zev was in love with Israel even though he didn't say specific things that gave her that kind of impression.

Wednesday
Since I had no classes after 1 PM, I decided to head to the center for an afternoon stroll and lunch since it was just a beautiful day out on Mount Scopus. Of course, the weather changed once I got down there. Darn it! It was just cooler. The gang were still on their Old City tour and were munching on falafels and schwarma when I called after classes to see what they were up to. I felt kind of disappointed because I want to do that with them! Grandma actually finished her schwarma- which is usual for someone like her who doesn't like fast food.

When they returned, I met them at Rose and Joel's hotel where they were having coffee. While Joel, Zev, and Grandma went off to pick up the rental car, I stayed with Rose. We spend quality time together just talking- she is just so pleasant. I am definitely going to miss them when they leave. Then I called Ellen to join us for a mixed-grilled dinner at Sima's.

Sima's is a very Israeli place up on Agrippas. They served all kinds of salads and gave us unlimited amounts of pita. We each ordered some kind of meat. I ordered the cocktail because I couldn't decide whether to have the kebabs or lamp chops! The real "Jerusalem mixed-grill" special actually contained chicken heart, liver, and something else. I thought about it... but I'd prefer seeing the description in a foreign language so I wouldn't know what I'm eating! Next time.

On the way back, we saw that Marizpan was closing up, Joel ducked in and asked if they had anything left. Of course, they did and he ordered the chocolate rugalechs. The man was good enough to heat them up so we could eat them on the spot! Mmmm even Grandma actually thought it was delicious. You just have to die for them.

Thursday
Mother, so you know, I did NOT skip class. I forced myself to go to school while everyone went to Tel Aviv!!! In my AJ-IJ class, we watched Avalon. It was an okay family movie. It's about a a Jewish family in the 1950's to 1960's America.

Friday
I trudged all of my stuff to the fancy apartment for the weekend. I made a quick stop at the shuk to pick up burrecas for breakfast and then walked for 20 minutes to the apartment. I thought about walking back to Ben Yehuda to have my usual Friday special treat but decided against it since I wanted to save my appeite for Shabbat. What I have learned is that if you're going to an orthodox family's house for Shabbat, it's basically a wedding celebration with means a very big meal. So the people who would be hosting us for Shabbat were orthodox. Grandma had a little list of things that she needed at the market so I went down there and picked up a few things to make a small lunch for myself.

Then Naomi called to see if I wanted to hang out with her later. Sure, so I met her on Zion Square. We were going to get some ice cream until we ran into her birthright trip guide, Anat, and her partner at the ice cream place. Anat invited us to see her sweet apartment, right on King George! I liked it even if it was small. We talked for a while about their travels to Aremenia, Georgia, and Spain, English vs. Hebrew language, and some other things. Then I walked Naomi back a bit and then we stopped to talk about Israeli men, why we love Israel and whether we'd make aliyah or not. Then she left to walk back to the apartment- I'd love to invite her over. But I had already tried calling the family to see if I could bring Melissa and Laura along but they didn't have room.

We visited Elihu and Doris Levine, very old friends of Zev's. They were wonderful and charming. Doris' kitchen was amazing- you could see that she spent all day preparing for Shabbat!! I also met another couple, which the wife made aliyah from Boston back in late 1960's. So the whole table was filled with Americans and it was all in English, much to my and Grandma's delight. The Levines recently made aliyah because they had been traveling back and forth so many times between Israel and the States and they had owned this place for many years. Finally, they had enough and their children were in Israel.

The menu went like this:
Amazing homemade challah
little meatballs served over rice
coleslaw or tossed salad with balsamic dressing
chicken, mushroom kugl, potato kugl
homemade soy ice cream (oh so sweet and good), parve cookies, watermelon/honeydew salad

Doris was a great cook. Joel and Rose were there too. Joel was getting a lot of education about Israel as he talked and asked questions about his impressions of kibbutzim (met the Ravids the night before), Orthodox Jewish life, and Israeli politics. We also touched up on match-makers, which Doris and one of her daughters do for living. I was amazed that this practice still continued. I said that I wanted an Israeli Army soldier! Orthodox Jews apparently still do it. If you don't know what a match-maker does, go watch Fiddler on the Roof.

Saturday
We walked over to Moshe and Phyllis Pollack's apartment nearby for a Shabbat lunch. They made aliyah almost 30 years ago from Toronto, Canada (though I think I hear that someone grew up in Montreal). They also have a big family of 4 children, but smaller than the Levines'. Her food was good but not fantastic as some of other Shabbats I went to. She served a beef stew with a big matzah ball (I forgot what it's all), little salad, shepard's pie, some stir-fry chicken, grains, and roast beef. Her dessert was very good- some kind of chocolate cake with white-chocolate whipped cream and strawberries. Overall, I enjoyed getting to know the Pollacks. Moshe and I talked about the value of birthright trips and the American Jewish youth and their attitudes towards Israel. Grandma and I conversed with Phyllis over questions that she had about Jerusalem. They got along well as they found common ground in Buffalo and Toronto. Phyllis offered to give her some of her Passover cooking supplies and found some caterers for her to check out.

For the rest of the day, we hung around the apartment. Joel and Rose were at the Dead Sea and Masada for the day. When they came back, it was decided that it would be not good for us to get together as they wanted a big meal and we did not. The three of us ended up going to Al Dente's a small Italian place on Usshkin Street. Their eggplant parm did not come fried! We also shared a salad and a pan of very thin crusted pizza.

Sunday
I made a bad choice to skip my European history class because I was supposed to meet Kobe but he came down with the headache. So I got all dressed up for nothing!!! (I checked my phone after the fact). I should've gone to class... but I wanted to join along with Grandma and Zev to meet this woman for brunch at Cafe Hillel. She picked us up and took us down to German Colony. Grandma and I found a new Max Brenner's shop- no need for a trip to Tel Aviv! It was actually a difficult lunch since the woman was ignorant of Grandma and only talked to Zev. But I did attempt to engage her about her children as she's actually American who made aliyah to Israel years ago. And she was talking about how to help her children balance their American and Israeli identities by taking them to America for summer camps.

For the rest of the day, we ran a couple of errands to prepare for Pessach/Passover. I felt that Zev and I have been ganging up on Grandma on quite a few things! We picked up some delicious herring and gefilte fish for a late afternoon meal.

I worked on my Hebrew homework and Yad Vashem project until it was time to go to dinner with the Feines. Even though I wasn't hungry at all, but I liked the Feines a lot so I wanted to go. We went to this amazing vegetarian restaurant called Te'ini (?) that's behind King David hotel and offered an amazing view of the Old City at night. It was all lit up beautifully.

I caught a cab back. Unfortunately, the driver was not very bright at all. He asked if I spoke Hebrew or French (I assumed that he was Moroccan). Good for me that I didn't ask for the meter as I told him that I wanted to pay 25 sheklim back to Mount Scopus. He just did NOT know where he was so I tried giving him a clue- the Hyatt Regency hotel. We sort of went to a different Hyatt... I told him that it was not the right one. I tried different names that worked for other drivers for where my apartment was. We finally made it and then he dared to ask for 40 sheklim. I argued with him and told him very firmly, "lo, lo, LO, you did NOT know where you were going!" He said, "I don't care, I went the long way!" I said, "lo, I came in the cab and asked to pay 25 sheklim and now I will give you 30." He protested. Then I reminded him that I was giving him a break because I originally wanted to pay 25. He gave in and gave me the right change back for the 50 that I gave him.

Then I realized once I got to the apartment that I had left my cellphone and keys at the fancy apartment. Fortunately, the security came quickly to let me in my room.

Cab drivers.... what stories I am bringing back to America....

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

New Arrivals!

In the car on the way back to Jerusalem, Aunt Rose asked me when I'd be going home. I looked to Grandma and said, "You know, after having a bunch of Israeli men telling me how beautiful I am in my face, I'm not so sure if I want to go back."

It's the truth. I've found that if I talk to an Israeli man for a good amount of time, they'll start flattering me. Even a cab driver in his mid-20's told me at the end of my ride to the airport (missed the stop because I was daydreaming too much- oops!) how beautiful I was and I told him straight up that American men don't do that and they're shy (he spoke pretty good English but didn't get the grasp of idiomatic English, so in other words, American men don't express their thoughts readily). All I can say is that the Israeli men are of different breed- it's a new cultural shock for me to be dealing with them. Especially that they're very forward about their opinions and what they want, partly due to their Army experience. There's just no flirting, testing the waters, etc. Which I find kind of sad because it's just fun to tease for a little bit before getting serious. Nevertheless, I wouldn't trade them for American men.

Back to the topic...

Despite being late on my schedule for getting to the airport, I managed to arrive at the arrivals right when Grandma, Zev, Aunt Rose, and Uncle Joel walked through. I didn't surprise them as I planned- standing there with my poster welcoming them to Israel because there were SOOOOO many people there to greet their loved ones from the States. Sorry, Mom, Grandma didn't exactly "stand there and stamp her feet." I gave Zev a small package of tissues in case he would cry when we get on the highway to Jerusalem.

Grandma, Zev, and I went to their apartment first. Oh my god. It was incredibly fancy by Jerusalem's standards- there's a futon in the study room and double beds in the guest bedroom... it was just beautiful!! Now I have my own "luxury" apartment in Jerusalem!!! One of Zev's friends, Doris Levine, was so sweet to put a little sign on the door to welcome them to Jerusalem, to label "Dairy" and "meat" all over the kitchen, and to leave some homemade CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES on the counter! I hadn't had a real chocolate chip cookie in two frickin' months! They tasted so good (But Mom, I look forward to the Nestle chocolate chips!).

We went for a dinner in a little coffee shop in Joel and Rose's hotel, which was about 15-20 minutes walk. Grandma experienced her first major cultural shock- that walking is the best way to get around the "center." There really isn't any bus line that directly runs in their neighborhood and cabs are not worth taking all the time (starts at $2.75). Zev couldn't care less. Normally he walks very slow but he actually complained and urged Grandma to move faster! It was so funny to see her so timid after seeing her walk confidently around San Francisco and New York City. Just from our walks, I can tell that their relationship will change in interesting ways within the next month.... Zev taking charge.

I'm also very happy to see Rose and Joel and I look forward to spending more time with them- they've already invited me to visit them in Dallas!

Tonight, I've invited Wendy to join us for dinner.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

The Church of Holy Sephulcher

On Friday, Melissa and I originally planned to go to Ticho House, just off Jaffa, since it's a very famous location. Unfortunately, most of the place was shut down for a late morning concert. So we decided to check out the Old City.

We walked through the Aremenian Quarter, not very much at all. Then we followed random paths towards the Christian Quarter (using our sense of direction). We went through the bazaar- which sold a lot of "junk" treasures, perfect tourist traps. The merchants are relentless when it comes to trying to seduce you into buying whatever you're looking at. Melissa and I quickly walked our way out to find the Church of Holy Sephulcher. Melissa, a Protestant, wanted to see it as it's one of the places where it is speculated where Jesus was buried.

From the outside, the architecture blended in with the rest of the Old City- slightly eroded walls with small pockets of windows to let light through. Way up, there were several small domes but other than the engraving of a Cross high above the entrance, it did not look like a church. Tons of people entered through as part of tour groups. The first thing you see as you step inside is the Stone of Uncition, where Jesus was prepared for his burial. It is basically a slab of marble surrounded by a tiny moat of holy water. Behind it is a beautiful, large painting of Jesus laying to rest after his crucifixation with gold, brown, and several muted colors. As you go to your left, you wander into the Rotunda with the biggest and most beautiful dome you have ever seen. Due to its sheer size, it is difficult to believe that this church is actually located in the Old City and somehow, it seems to hide itself from the Dome of the Rock's glorious beauty. In the middle, people went up to the Holy Sepulcher to light candles. You follow your way around back towards the entrance to the atrium. What should be noted as you look all around, I mean from the ceiling to the floor to the walls is the architecture. It changes everywhere because the Church is held by six of Christainity's oldest sects- Roman Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Egyptian Coptic, Ethiopian, and Syrian Orthodox. Each sect brought its own influence ranging from Byzantine to Frankish Crusader styles. The frescos of Paul and John above in the atrium were very well done and detailed. From there, you walk back and find a staircase that takes you down. At the end of this wide staircase that feels like you're going into a dungeon, is some kind of dark, gloriously furnished room- I'm not sure what it was exactly.

Up on the second floor is the site of Cavalry, a early 19th century marble tomb edifice enclosing the actual cave of the sepulcher.

Though I could not personally identify what I was seeing, the architecture of this building is a must-see, especially that it seems so atypical for an Old City building. Melissa and I wished that we had our cameras (well, she did except she forgot to put in her battery). Soon enough, we'll run back to the church and take a few quick snapshots. I just can't get over how beautifully it was revonated. I certainly hope that Mom won't be too tired when she comes so I can take her over there- it doesn't really take that long. Plus, I just realized that it might not be a good idea to visit the Christian Quarter when we do the Old City tour as it'd be Easter Sunday.

For my Shabbat, I spent it with Zev and Doris Feine's family in Ramot. They picked me up and we went over to one of Zvi's sisters' house. Let me put it this way: I counted 24 plates on the dinner table. The Feines- including Zev and his siblings- love to get together every Shabbat. They bring their children and grandchildren with them. The family is still on the young side as the 2nd generation was mostly in the 20's and early 30's. There were 3-4 very young children- very cute. The family sang a Shabbat song/prayer before dinner. For some reason, when I saw the little children running around and playing with their little toys while listening to beautiful voices in Hebrew, I almost wanted to cry. I felt that these children were very fortunate to be in Israel where they can feel strong about their Jewish identity from the start.

During dinner, I mostly spoke with Zvi's oldest son, who is a cell biologist on Givat Ram campus. He gave me some insight on being an Israeli with parents who made aliyah. I enjoyed talking with him. What I found interesting was that both Zvi and Doris are American and British, respectfully, the son didn't seem 100% confident in his English skills (you can hear the accent). Anyway, I also met a man, Dave, who was from the Jewish Agency. He was quite idealistic in his views about the American Jewish youth and getting them to connect with Israel by setting up programs for them to spend 6 months to 1 year in Israel. The short trips weren't enough, in his views. I challenged him that there were far too many apathetic American Jews in my generation and getting anyone to fly out to Israel over another country like England, would be tough to do. He rebuked that all it would take was just one person. Across from us was a new olah from Romania, Ariela. She had only been in Jerusalem just over two months- as long as I have been! She was very, very sweet and I exchanged contact info with her. I was pretty fascinated by her Romanian roots- especially that I'm just doing some proofreading on a manuscript that talks about the Romanian Jewry during the Holocaust. I don't know, I had a chill when I saw a Romanian Jew in right from me- like a ghost. Nevertheless, I want to see her around Jerusalem.

The dinner was wonderful- it included brisket! I have no idea how many dessert glass bowls this household had- it seemed like an endless supply.

On Shabbat, I just worked out a bit and spend the afternoon at Aroma's doing some work for Bankier.

I don't know if I'm going to be able to sleep at all tonight. Grandma and Zev come TOMORROW and I am going to the airport to meet them. They don't know that I'm going to be there. It'd be great if they called me when they get to the baggage claim and I'd get to say "see ya in 5 minutes!" I couldn't find a light colored posterboard so I might just end up bringing flowers. Jessica and Dena are too excited for me- I definitely plan on asking them to join us for dinner, perhaps Thursday night.

Theodore Herzl's Dreams

Two beautiful quotes upon my readings for AJ-IJ seminar. Found in Theodore Herzl's Old-New Land.


"The Valley of Jehoshpaphat, sir," replied the man meekly.
"Then it's a real place, Devil take me! The Valley of Jehosphaphat! I thought it was just something in the Bible. Here our Lord and Savior walked. What do you think of it, Dr. Loeweberg?...Ah, yes! Still, it must mean something to you also. These ancient walls, this Valley..."
"Jerusalem!" cried Friedrich in a half-whisper, his voice trembling. He did not understand why the sight of this strange city affected him so powerfully. Was it the memory of words heard in early childhood? In passages of prayer murmured by his father? Memories of Seder services of long-forgotten years stirred in him. One of the frew Hebrew phrases he still knew rang in his ears: "La-shana Ha-baa be- Yerushalayim," ="Next Year in Jerusalem!" Suddenly he saw himself a little boy going to syngogue with his father. Ah, but faith was dead now, youth was dead, his father was dead. And here before him the walls o Jerusalem towered in the fairy moonlight. His eyes overflowed. He stopped short, and the hot tears coursed slowly down his cheeks. (Page 43)

This describes best when I saw the shores of Tel Aviv for the first time back in 2005- I didn't know why I felt this way. But when I saw it again in January 2007, I knew that it was my homeland and I knew that I belonged there. Before coming to Israel, I didn't really know if the magic of Jerusalem still existed- I thought it was long dead. It's still there. I see the Dome of the Rock on the way to my class every single day and I feel proud that the Jews have returned to claim their land with respect. Unlike Friedrich, I still had faith, just a small bit of it. Now my faith has grown stronger and stronger. To belong in the Israeli society, you must have a strong faith in Judaism because you're in Israel. Perhaps it is a little awkward to see that so many Israeli Jews are very secular and could not seem to care about the high holidays, but it is enough for them that they are living in the Holy Land, observing Shabbat, and speaking Hebrew. It's one of the major cultural shocks that I must learn to adjust.

'The serpentine road opened wider and wider prospects. Now the city and harbor of Haifa lay before the entranced eyes of the travelers. On the near side the broad bay with its zone of gardens; beyond, Acco with its background of mountains. They were on the summit of the nothern ridge of the Carmel. To the right and to the left, to the north and to the south, a magnificent expanse lay spread out before them. The sea glittered blue and gold into an infinite horizon. White-capped waves fluttered over it like gulls toward the light brown strand. David ordered thedriver to stop the car so that they might enjoy the unique view. As they alighted , he turned to Freidrich. "See, Dr. Loewenberg, this is the land of our fathers."
Friedrich did not know why his eyes grew warm with tears at the young man's simple words. This was an altogether difeferent mood from that of the night in Jerusalem twenty years before. He had looked then upon moonlit Death; now, Life sparkled joyously in the sun. He looked at David. So this was the Jewboy beggar! A free, healthy, cultured man who gazed steadfastly upon the world and seemed to stand firmly in his shoes. David had barely referred to his own circumstances in life; he could hardly be poor, though, if he lived in this district of villas and mansions. He seemed to be a promenent citizens, too. On the drive many people gad greeted him in the streets. Even elderly men had been the first to bow. Here he stood on the heights of the Carmel, an expression of profound joy upon his features as he gazed out over land and sea. Only now did it seem to Friedrich that he could recognize in the upstanding man before him the remarkable boy of the Briteenauer Laende in Vienna, who once upon a time had said that he would return to the Land of Israel." (page 69-70).

Today, the IDF men and women are "David." They go out and fight to protect their Jewish homeland. They stand proudly of their work in the Army. It's the mission. Same goes for anyone who stands to spend quality time in Israel and to make aliyah. Israel is a mecca for the Jews- where Jews can be proud of themselves, away from discomforts of being a minority. You know who's a Jew and who isn't. That "profound joy" can only happen in this kind of special place. It's a mark of belonging.

Friday, March 16, 2007

A Typical Shuk....

















I'm choosing Tel Aviv as it's the biggest one I've been to so far. It's also very diverse in terms of what it has to offer compared to Jerusalem's.






Clothes- simple or touristy? There were also a lot for children.




Can you de-scale and de-bone your own fish? I think not. This particular shuk also sold shrimp! So unkosher- you would not find it in Mehane Yehuda in Jerusalem





















Spices! Scoop your own!
They sell absolutely random stuff that you would need for Shabbat and your household.
























.
Accessories galore from jewelry to sunglasses to scarfs to underwear to socks....







By the way, here are some pictures of Ha' Carmel street performers

Perfect snack for watching the street performers: freshly made, hot Iraqi flat dough wrapped in yogurt with Zatar spice and parlsey!

Thursday, March 15, 2007

"Day After Tomorrow" in Jerusalem

In case you don't know- Day After Tomorrow was a movie that came out in 2005 about all kinds of extreme weather disasters that would occur with global warming. Today, we encountered hail, rain, snow, and sunshine in all one day. Unfortunately, I was not traveling in sunshine so I sat in my soaking wet jeans for 6 hours through my classes. Just how happy was I?

Anyway, here's some proof that we actually had snow in Jerusalem!








From my apartment.




Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Tel Aviv, Kibbutz, Field Trip

Last Friday, I took my sweet time getting to Tel Aviv. I rode the bus with Elana and Jessica from the university to Tel Aviv but I was mostly distracted by text-messaging on my cell with a friend that I was supposed to meet. I ended up ditching the plan since it turned out that we'd be taken to different places by our buses and I just freaked out because I still didn't know the city that well. Instead, I somehow navigated my way around the new central bus station (huge, HUGE, it felt like walking through Grand Central and Penn together) to find a bus that would take me to downtown Tel Aviv.

Though the day was beautiful, in the 70's with plenty of sunshine, I dragged myself to shopping. That's right, Mom, I said drag. It's not the weather but it's the whole fashion shopping in Israel that turned me off from wanting to wander in and out of the stores. As you might remember, I torn my favorite pair of jeans a couple weeks ago and the weather's getting too warm to wear my cords. So it was time to find a new pair of jeans. I detest Israeli fashion- it's all about rhinestones, metal tacks, huge wear holes (caused by rubbing in sandpaper to create major wear), and anything but plain and simple. Also, I generally think it's tasteless. So anyway, I walked down Shenkin street from Carmel Market and went into a few stores. It took me an hour to find a perfect pair of jeans at some store for $50 on sale. If anything to know about Israeli clothing, jeans tend to be more expensive than anything else. I sort of liked them and the store told me no returns but the very idea of having to shop some more, I just handed over my credit card!!! No more shopping in Israel, ever. Except if I happen to see a cute skirt. I can't wait to go home to America. Honestly, I was amazed at myself. Generally, I'm a shopaholic and love shopping no matter what but I had never felt this way about shopping before...

Afterwards, I went down to the shuk! I knew there was one but didn't quite know where it was but it was just in another street of Carmel Market that I didn't go down before. It's huge. I will do a post on it to give you a grand tour of a typical Israeli shuk in the next one. I picked up some yummy baklava at the end of the street. I also had some Arabic snack with a big pita folded in with yogurt, parsley, and zatar (Israeli seasoning). Tasty!

Mitchell and I finally got in touch and met up. It was great seeing him- ever since Ulpan ended, it's been hard to see other people from different classes! We went over to his apartment, which is in a very sweet location- just a block north of the Carmel Market, right on Allenby street. It's even on the top floor with amazing view of Tel Aviv- windows wrapped around the place. I met two of his new friends who had been on a break during ulpan. They were from Australia and Germany. The German girl's pretty affectionate... and she's in a masters program in Germany for Jewish Studies. The Australian girl ditched us pretty fast because she was tired. So anyway, the three of us went down to the crafts section of the market. Mitchell fell in love with these handmade diaromas that were copied to actual photographs. You could give this artist a picture of a room in your home and she would create a mini room just like it with different materials. For $75, the girl and I tried to talk him out of it but I gave in since if it'll remind him of Israel more than anything else, then so be it. While he went to the ATM, the girl and I hung out and looked at some jewelry. I actually saw some that I liked but didn't have enough sheklim on me.

Mitchell invited me over for Shabbat dinner but I declined since I wanted to meet the people that I'm meeting with the Ravids and his time was a little too late for me (9 PM). I did want to spend more time with the gang- especially that Sam was there too.

Linda picked me up, looking rather frazzled after such a long week for her, and we drove back to the kibbutz. I got a great surprise- their middle daughter, Yis'min, was there! She quit her job in Beersheba and was living at home. It turned out that because I was there on weekends, she was usually at her job as a guide wheres I wouldn't be there during the week and she would be. She reminds me so much of Maa'yan- talkative, energetic, and very sweet. I loved hanging out with her all weekend. The oldest, Anat, was nothing like her siblings- she's quiet, reserved, and fair whereas her siblings are more outgoing, curious, and dark. The "adopted" one you might say- as I would say about Andrew. Yis'min and I wonder if our sibling was "adopted" because they look nothing like us! Anyway, we love our sibling.

We went over to Goldsteins' house for Shabbat. They live outside of the kibbutz, closer to Hertzilya. The husband, Ken, is a political science professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the wife, Amanda, is a teacher. They have two younger children- very nice. Ken and I hit it off right away because of "only in Israel/small-world connection." He actually grew up in Northampton and his father is one of the government professors. I knew his name but I had never actually met him. He told me where he lived- right down the street from the Quad. Also, since he went to University of Michigan for graduate school for his political science PhD, he also knew Zvi Gitelman personally- his father and him were best friends. Yay for academia. He offered to give me some guidance about graduate school admissions so I got his business card. He's in Israel for sabbatical and according to Yis'min, he met Shlomi in Jerusalem somewhere and was looking for a babysitter and of course, Shlomi offered him his daughters.

There was another family there but I didn't really get to know them much since they seemed kind of distracted, especially with their baby.

Ken and Amanda also brought their aged yellow lab from the States and "adopted" a Pinscher puppy that they found in a dump. He was really cute and loving! The dinner was very nice and slightly American style with sushi and chips 'n' guacomole for appeitzers.

Not surprisely, we watched that Friday night Israeli satire show.

On Shabbat, Shlomi woke me up with the smell of French toast challah. We had our breakfast outside- it felt like summer! I totally devoured my French toast since it's a novelty for me. We had long conversations about different things. Linda introduced me "sweet passion," some kind of fruit that you eat with a spoon. It tasted sour so I didn't eat the rest of it.

After brunch, Linda and I set off to do some hiking/fruit picking around the kibbutz. She told me that after Australia, Israel is the second country in the world with the highest rate of skin cancer. From anthropological view, many Israelis migrated from northern Europe so their skin wasn't made to handle this kind of climate with strong sunshine. We talked a little bit about Zionism since one of my professors gave a lecture on it last week and I was having difficult time with Kobe's Zionist attitude ("You aren't a Zionist unless you make aliyah!"). She told me about the Israeli and Arab perceptions about Israel and Zionism. Then Maa'yan called to say hello (she was working at the army base).

I've never actually done fruit picking other than just apples so it was interesting to see how oranges and lemons grew. The citrus fruit trees kept pricking me with its thorns! Linda showed me the buds for the flowers that would grow soon- Israel will eventually smell of lemon blossoms-mmmm. It's important that we picked as much lemon as we could before the flowers bloom so they can bloom and spread the pollen. Most of the oranges were gone when we got to its orchard.

When we came back, Linda put together a hot Shabbat lunch that included lasagna (which I just basically had). Yis'min and I talked a bit about birthright and her wish to travel to Central America when I asked her when she planned to come back to the States. Then I got into a discussion with her and Linda about the black people in Israel and how their treatment by the whites differ than from America. Israelis tend to look down upon the Ethiopians because they live a very simple life (which is interesting because sometimes American Jews can look down to Israelis for living such a simple life compared to them!). Anyway, Linda made the point that it's just a biological thing that the darker you are, the more likely you're looked down upon. She told me an example of the cheap Thai workers in Israel- they covered every inch of their bodies that you could only seen their finger tips and their eyes so they wouldn't get too tanned when they return to Thailand. When I brought up about America's treatment of the blacks as slaves, Yis'min countered that it's just the same as Israel do for the Palestinians- enslaving them to their horrible, impoverished environment with very little movement. So the tensions between the two countries didn't compete of who's worse off.

What was funny during lunch was that when Linda talked to Ofek about his high school paper project, she told him how excited she was because it'd the first paper she'd really get to read since it'd be in English. She still finds reading in Hebrew a bit difficult so she hasn't really read any of her children's papers written in Hebrew.

By the way, I have to mention that Linda reminds me quite bit of Eileen, my camp director where I used to spend my summers riding. Both are liberal, nature lovers, take pride in their work, and do things in their best interest. They also believe in simplicity. They also can be firm when they want to be. It didn't quite occur to me until I saw Linda embracing her kibbutz life when we'd walk around it. Same way Eileen views her lifestyle on her camp.

For the rest of the day, we just did our own thing. Watched a Survivor re-run, played on the Internet, slept.... I was just happy to be staying with a Israeli family where I could get so much out of living in Israel. I wish the program offered homestays.

Two things of interest in my classes this week:

1) I got fed up with my Holocaust seminar on Monday when I realized that the other two students seriously have very little background of the Holocaust. I felt like I could do all the lecturing for the professor in answering their questions, they didn't really bring up anything that was thought-provoking to create great discussions. So after consulting with Yoel, our program director, I e-mailed the professor for his suggestions considering that I just didn't fit in the class. Right now, it looks like I don't really have to go to class and just do the internship. I don't really know but somehow, we'll just get me a grade.

2) For my EE-Jewry class, we went on a field trip yesterday afternoon to see all the Russian architecture built around the Russian Compound, the Old City's Christian Quarter, and outside of the Old City in the foothills of Mount of Olives. Our guide was a doctoral candidate who was concentrating on Russian architecture. We visited several beautiful Russian Orthodox churches- probably the most pleasing churches I've ever been to, more so than Prague and Madrid. I noticed a major difference- no pews. The frescos in the church in the Russian compound were of gorgeous pale colors including blue, pink, and yellow. Not surprisely, each church had lots of gold. The Church of St. Mary Magdalene, just next to Mount of Olives, offered the best view of the Dome of the Rock- I wish I had my camera! Its architecture was really striking and more Russian than the other two churches with golden onion domes and white exterior. Many of the Russian architecture around Jerusalem were built by the czars in the 19th century. The point of the trip was... I think just to have a field trip and the fact that we're studying 19th century Russia right now.

That's my news! Grandma and Zev, and Uncle Joel and Aunt Rose come on Monday!!!!!!! 5 more days.

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Golda Meir Spoke My Mind

Here's an excerpt from my readings for the AJ-IJ class... from My Life, by Golda Meir (former and the first female Israeli PM):

"There were all kinds of compensations for these small hardships, like walking down the street on our first Friday evening in Tel Aviv and feeling that life could hold no greater joy for me than to be where I was- in the only all-Jewish town in the world, where everyone from the bus driver to our landlady shared, in the deepest sense, not only a common past but also cmmon goals for the future. These people hurrying home for the Shabbath, each one carrying a few flowers for the table, were really brothers and sisters of mine, and I knew we would remain bound to each other for all our lives. Although we had come to Palestine from different countries and from different cultures and often spoke different languages, we were alike in our belief that only here could Jews live as of right, rather than on sufferance, and only here could Jews be masters, not victims, of their fate. So it was not surprising that for all the petty irritations and problems, I was profoundly happy."

I can't see myself posting this quote from anywhere else in the world. Even in America or at Colgate (okay, 98% true). Though I have occasional down moments in Israel, they are indeedly quickly replaced by the positive fact that I am here, where I can be a free Jew and feel part of the homeland. It may not be my real sense of home yet but I've found my niche here, ever since I landed here on my birthright trip in June 2005.

Take that.

Purim!!!!

It's been a rather unexpected Purim weekend for me. Israelis told me to be here for Purim instead of trying to jet off to somewhere. No, seriously, that was before I begged you to let me visit Prague, Mom! In some ways, I'm glad that I did, in other ways, I felt pretty homesick and was not glad that I did stay.

I'd rather not talk about my day on Sunday since it was rather ruined- didn't get to do what I really wanted to do. Plus, seeing a friend's pictures of his visit to NYC for a month made me feel rather homesick for New York, and he gave me some personal issues that I needed to think about.

Anyway, Monday was a better day. To make up for not going out the night before with Wendy, I enjoyed in a wonderful, wonderful Purim party, hosted by Rebecca and Tamara. But, before the party, I went up to Wendy's apartment to hang out with her for a bit since I hadn't seen her in a while. She and a couple of people read the Megillah in Hebrew... I can't wait until I can read that well! Obviously, I didn't read. Wendy dressed up as a big Pittsburgh Steelers fan. Somehow she found a Steelers t-shirt in Hebrew!

At the party several floors up, we feasted on wonderful appeitizers, some kind of tomato-based soup, grilled veggie kebobs and veggie burgers, and loads of desserts. Seeing all the hamanschatens made me SO happy as you could only buy them in bulk. We also did some hard liquour shots and several people talked about their perspectives on Purim. Tamara told us about some of the decorations that she had put up around the room. There were probably at least 15 of us squeezed in the tiny space, faciliated by sitting on sofa cushions and using coffee tables. It was set up like inside a Bedouin tent- very festive. I sat with David and Ellen... I also found a girl with two cochlear implants- I didn't really get to meet her until I was on my way out. Now I have to track her down. Amy and her roommate, Kate, dressed up as Arab women... I felt a little offended by their costume choices in terms of wanting to cover their heads and wear veils... but Amy did strip down to an Arab dancer's costume with all the jingles on it- like what bellydancers wear.

Unfortunately, I never made it down to downtown Jerusalem to see all the festivities because of Tamara's party being held in the afternoon. And, well, I got a little sick.

Mom, I missed your hamanschatens as they only have the chocolate filling- none of the poppy seeded ones!!!

By the way, I made my final class selections today:
1) Hebrew
2) American Jew-Israeli Jew: A Comparative Analysis (honors seminar)
3) history of Eastern European Jewry (with Wendy!)
4) Holocaust seminar

Yeah, got to stick with that Holocaust seminar in order to keep the internship... I decided after today, there was no way I could stay focused for 3 hours in an environmental policy class as interesting the topics were. What's funny is that I made a vow to myself to try taking this semester off from history and just enjoy the other kinds of classes out there but I found myself drifting to this history class.... there's just no way to get rid of the history buff inside me.

Melissa and I agreed that Israel has given us gifts beyond our wildest dreams. There's just no one word to describe how we're feeling about our stay in this amazing country so far.

Monday, March 5, 2007

Standing by America Despite Being Worse Off with its Race Relations Than Israel

In America, I’m constantly aware of my minority identity: the Jew. I had hopes that by living in Israel, I would not have to be consumed by this kind of awareness and be able to live my life as full as possible as a human being. The Israelis prove me wrong. Now, I am being labeled as “the American.” My Jewish identity does not matter since I am now part of the majority. But I am still part of a minority: the Americans. The Israelis rolled their eyes at the Americans’ presence on Ben Yehuda, begged the Americans to describe the beauty of the land paved with gold bricked roads, or mustered up to speak English with an American accent. There’s a push-and-pull attitude towards Americans but in all, the Israelis admire and love the Americans because of our political relations. As much our president is creating a precarious situation several thousand miles away for the Israelis, they respect him fully. They embrace the American influence.

But yet, I still stand out among the casual Israelis, who dress and do their hair differently. I like my hair clips and messy buns. I like my milk for breakfast. I like my A-line and short skirts. I like my lunch sandwiches lighter than schwarma and toasts. I like to be polite. I like to finish my undergraduate education at age 22 instead of starting at 24 (economic opportunity, people). It’s the little things that stand me out from the Israelis and I don’t care. Never have I felt so strong about my American identity. Yes, I remember considering running away to Canada and denouncing my American citizenship when I was 16 or 17 to escape the horrors of the Bush administration. Do I think that America is the best country in the world? I don’t believe that any country is perfect but its living standards are very high compared to other places I’ve visited, much more so than Japan. I would not be surprised if an Israeli attempts to marry an American for the purpose of gaining an American citizenship in a quicker fashion. My class last semester, “The United States History in Global Context,” was amazing. With each reading, I felt my connection with my American identity becoming stronger. Coming to Israel certainly put this identification in stone.

However, after asking a quick question to an Ethiopian security guard, I slowed my pace back to my apartment. As perfect we appear to the Israelis and elsewhere, do they understand that Americans have complicated feelings when it comes to dealing with black people? Here, I feel fine and nonjudgmental towards the blacks because this is Israel. They always have been treated well- never once they were slaves of this country or the Jews. At home, I try to be civil and friendly with the blacks since I grew up in predominately white area. I also try to ignore the prejudice and stereotypes and believe that all blacks are very good people in their hearts. Yet, our history dictates our everyday behavior. I feel that when I return to America, my feelings towards the blacks will change to having more guilt because of the way we are so loaded with prejudices and the awful relations that we had with them in the past. I do believe that America’s relations with the blacks really, really puts it to shame because there isn’t anywhere else in the world where its treatment of the minority group is so obvious and there’s its history too. I don’t think I can compare it with the Israelis and the Arabs as they did not take the Arabs far away from their homes, put them under slavery for over 75 years, denied them rights for over 150 years, and still treat them like crap for most part (hello Hurricane Katrina). Any foreign visitor should be in shock to see white Americans behave rudely and show racism to a non-white that they consider friends back in their native country. The deep South and Southwest are prime examples.

The Israelis can argue with me that their treatment of the Arabs is worse than our treatment of the blacks but I will end the discussion by pointing out that instead of violence, we simply put the blacks in the filthy steerage part of the ship for three weeks and shackled them to labor without any promise of peace or freedom. That’s definitely saying that there is absolutely no trust because we did not allow the blacks to react.

Friday, March 2, 2007

First Week of the Semester

It’s been a bit of a crazy week filled with decisions and indecisions.

So I came home from Prague on Tuesday at 7:15 AM and rolled right to my bed until 9. Then I had to get up to attend my first Hebrew class of the semester. Gasp. It’s time to take it seriously as it is for a letter grade. It was alright as it took me a little while to get back in the gear of being immersed in Hebrew language. One of my friends passed me a note complaining that he didn’t like the teacher. I gave him a look- don’t ruin my first class! Afterwards, I went to Eastern European Jewry history class since Wendy’s in it and I thought I’d check it out. The professor’s actually from Buffalo so we talked a little bit about it afterwards. I like what she’s going to present but somehow I didn’t really feel like taking a midterm and a final in addition to a short paper (yes, I call 6-8 page a short paper). Lastly, I went to a seminar called “American Jews and Israeli Jews: A Comparative Perspective.” It looked like a lot of fun filled with a variety of medium including film and memoirs, not just dry scholarly articles. I’m definitely staying in that class as it will help me with my senior thesis.

On Wednesday, I went to Hebrew again, and then sat in a 3 hour long environmental class that was called “Environmental and Natural Resources Policy in Israel and the Middle East.” I found Julianna and Nora in there. The class was in a computer lab- it was really weird. Then I realized that the professor would use power point and our computer monitors would have the power point presentation so we can see it better. There’s no Internet playing as the computers were locked and under the professor’s control. So much for surfing during class. It was interesting- it felt like watching that Al Gore movie again. I came out of it feeling unsure. The professor said that the grades would be 50-50: just a mid-term and a final. Hm.

Later, for dinner, I went to Laura’s birthday party at Melissa’s place. It was all Mexican food- I was very happy to see black beans and cheese quesadillas! Good company, good food as usual. They are just sweet girls.

I tried to check out the Purim party in the student village but it wasn’t anything that I expected- no one danced and the party had started at least forty-five minutes earlier. All it was just free beer, some music, and people talking. I went straight up to the room. No point and I needed to catch up on my Hebrew homework.

Thursday, I got to sleep in a little longer since Hebrew wouldn’t start until 12:15, instead of 10:15 in the past few days. Also, I decided not to take the class on women and the Middle East since I talked to Rachel and from what she said, it didn’t seem worth taking it in terms of the workload. In the afternoon, I had my AJ-IJ seminar, then the Holocaust seminar. The Holocaust seminar felt like a gigantic blank. There’s just me, Natalia, and some other girl. The professor didn’t give us a syllabus or anything. He’s just going to e-mail us our readings for the next class and we just write one paper that would be our grade for the class. He even asked us if we really wanted grades! He gave a lecture about the Nazi anti-Semitism and how the Holocaust changed the meaning of the word anti-semitism since the Nazis’ version was more of a racial focus than religious. We got into a little debate at the end about why the U.S. approved Israel’s charter for statehood- was it out of guilt or not? Anyway, I left feeling a bit disappointed. I really thought there’d be a lot more people since those kind of classes tend to draw waitlists in the States everywhere. Yoel also said that any class with less than 5 people would be cancelled. Therefore, I guess I will wait until Tuesday to find out the class’ status. Also, I officially signed up for the environmental and EE Jewry class. I will have to get everything straightened out on that day.

For dinner, Dena and some of her friends invited me and Jessica over since she was using all of the pots. I met a few more new people since there were some from the year-long program who had been away during ulpan.

Today, I went to the shuk to pick up some bread, cheese, and some produce. I meant to buy eggs since they sell tons of them there but apparently, I’m supposed to be the whole two dozen, not just a few. It was crazy as usual and for some reason, there were a lot of baklava being sold. I could not buy any hamanschtens since the merchants sold them in bulk. Since I arrived closer to the closing time, I got a lot of things at very cheap prices that I could not believe I paid more in the past few weeks for the same things! For example, I bought a bag of 6 pitas at Mister Zol’s for 6 sheklim whereas I bought 5 pitas for only 2 sheklim. I’m going to do my best to really learn how to shop well before my family comes so we get the best deals.

For Shabbat, I thought I’d be going to Zvi Feine’s house since he called last week inviting me over while I was in Prague. Apparently, the plan didn’t work out for them so we made another date, in two weeks. So instead, I stayed home. Oh well, sometimes it happens that I don’t get invited anywhere (okayyyy, I probably should’ve said yes to Kobe’s invitation anyway!).