Friday, April 27, 2007

Security: A Reality That Ensures Dreams

I think that I should acknowledge my thoughts on the V-Tech shooting since it is a tragedy and I am in Israel where security is everywhere and top-notch (occasionally over the top, especially at Ben-Gurion airport, don't get me started on that).

America is a dream. The V-Tech shooting had me in shock and gave me flashbacks of the Columbine shooting in 1997. Now colleges are targeted? I read some of the articles on CNN and NYT (my primary sources of American news) and I became amused when I read about how the US colleges were talking about sending campus-wide text messages to all cell-phones. Israel was already doing that- you could hear 3-4 beep-beeps in my apartment when the university sent out to all the students about announcements and such. I told Dad that even if the security in the US beefed up, it still will not be as good as Israel's. The security here is top notch because of the Army training- even one of my Israeli friends can tell when I'm feeling slightly nervous (Of course, that annoys the heck out of me). I could never lie to him to his face, 99% of the time anyway.

I imagined myself wondering if I could walk across Colgate's campus the next day- so open. No security fences. No ID or bag checks. In middle of nowhere. I felt scared at that thought but I reassured myself that Colgate is unique. Colgate is all about community. People don't ignore each other- even if I feel that way from my organizations sometimes, they still care about me at the end of the day. Aside from patrolling the streets at night when students go out drinking, the Campus Safety does have quite an easy time compared to large universities. Large US universities macro-manage the security but in Israel, the security is micro-managed. I read the campus wide letter from Colgate's president, Rebecca Chopp, and her thoughts about campus security and V-Tech. I e-mailed her and told her a bit about my experience in Israel. I pushed her to get this text-messaging program set up as soon as possible because it works very well here and the students in my program have no problem with receiving the texts. It's also more effective than e-mails. She replied and thanked for sharing my experience and will look into it further. (Isn't it so nice when a college president replies individually to you??!?). I will push other students to give out their personal information.

When I attended a program to listen to a soldier's story (for the sake of keeping my friends company- I have my own soldiers, thank you), one of the things he said was that America is in denial that things can and will happen. He reminded us that even 5 years after 9/11, America was still in shock when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf when the scientists have been warning about this possiblity. It is true. But America is also a much larger country with more diverse environment that makes the government's job for preparation for disasters incredibly difficult. Sometimes these things boggle my mind on how can a US President oversee all these departments. Every time I see these headlines of tragedies, it's always the same tone- this is America, land of freedom, liberty, and peace, how can this happen? It's not supposed to happen here! (Ha, I give Philip Roth credit for writing the novel, It Can't Happen Here). I am getting tired of that sentiment. Wake up, America, this is the real world!

I don't know what to feel about Iraq now. I think the Democrats are now a little crazy to pull out the troops. I do want the boys to come home and am getting tired like everyone else of this so-called war, but for the sake of security in the Middle East, I think the US troops are very much needed. The sectarian violence have decreased since The Surge though it is not actually proven- almost maybe if Bush was actually onto something. Even though we are going to lose this war, it is still important that we are there to help the Iraqi people. It's just too late to pull out- we are a plug. Also, keeping the US troops in Iraq can provide a base for the US to attack from should we go in a war with Iran.

Gosh, I don't always love to read the newspaper headlines but I must do it to understand what's going on around me and realize the reality versus dream. America may be a dream but it's also a safe haven for terrorists with its awful security system (Seriously, Mom, how many times does the airport security topic come up during dinner conversations with family and friends?). Israel may be a dream but the Army ensures that it remains a dream for all Jews, present and future.

Seriously, bag and ID checks are very painless, only 15-30 seconds of your life unless someone in front of you has a big backpack with lots of pockets and zippers and the officer feels like giving this guy a full check.

End rant.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

The Worst Week!






The main thing was that my speech processor totally blew out last Friday so it's been quite hard! Fortunately, I was still basically surrounded by friends who could not care less- only wanted to make sure that I was still having a good time. They're so nice but now I'm doubting my lip-reading ability... I seem to be failing to keep up with it.

Last Saturday, a bunch of girls and I called for a shreut to take us to a beach in Tel Aviv. It was a beautiful day out- couldn't ask for a better weather! The water was a little cold to actually swim in but it was fun jumping the waves! I did get a tan- much more than I thought.

Sunday night and Monday was Yom Ha'Zikron, Israel's memorial day. It's very hard to describe how I felt about my whole experience over this. It's part of the reason why I wrote that poem in the previous post.








Monday night and Tuesday was Yom Ha'atzmaut- Independence Day. Melissa, Laura, and I partied on Ben-Yehuda and Jaffa Streets. The whole center was blocked off from traffic so it was a lot of fun being able to walk on the streets! I bought an overwhelming huge Israeli flag- big mistake when I opened it up! I ended up wearing it as a skirt. Again, the feelings that I felt during this night can't be described here. And Tuesday, I went on a picnic with Wendy, Amy, Becca, and a few others in the local neighborhood. Fun and relaxing. We were basically doing what the Israelis were doing- doing BBQs and picnicking.





Wsdnesday was uneventful. Except that I survived writing 10-15 sentences in Hebrew for my midterm.

Tonight, I just went out for a mixed-grill dinner with the same people from Tuesday to celebrate one of the girls' surprise birthday. I made a vow last time to order the Jerusalem Mixed Grill which is basically chicken hearts, meat, and liver. I was worried for a minute that the others might oppose me to ordering this dish but Amy followed my order. I'm not sure if she knew what it was when she made that order! It was delicious- the hearts taste like regular chicken breast- it is muscle after all.



Monday, April 23, 2007

ליערץ ישראל לי החיילים


Inspired by Dane's "The Conflict" and written for Yom Ha'Hatzomaut and Yom Ha'zikaron (Independence Day and Memorial Day)

Tears of Israel

A car whizzes by,
Ignoring me and my duffel
Too big to fit in a trunk.
No one picks up a tired soldier
To take him home, to his family.
Those old days of respect and honor
For the soldiers on a daily basis.
Are no more.

Why am I standing here for Israel?

The vast, empty land dots
With new cities spreading rapidly
Before my eyes. They fill
With bitter tears.
No. Those would not
Stream down my cheeks if
The week had been better
In the Gaza, not in Be’er Sheva
Where Ima believes I am.

Why am I crying for Israel?

Echoes of fire, screams
Curses in Arabic.
Doors banging from the kicks.
Where is your husband? Your son?
Those scared, wide dark eyes,
Beneath the hajb, begging not
To hurt her, to touch her.
In her arms, sounds of whimpering.
Wait, wasn’t that the same
Child who came to me the other day,
Asking for a little shekel to buy
An ice cream bar?

Why am I fighting for Israel?

The blacks.
In their hats, headscarves, long skirts.
Proclaiming their right to be here.
Imposing every rabbinic law,
So outdated. I must plan
An elope to Cyprus. I must stay
A whole weekend in one place.
They run the country, but this is the 21st century.
Not 19th century Poland.

Why am I obeying for Israel?

Those sweet, luscious lips
Adventures in the valleys of the Galilee,
The mountains of the Golan Heights.
The beautiful tanned skin, so soft to my touch
The burning sun in the Negev,
The cool mud of the Dead Sea.
The dangling gold earrings from her ears
The yells in the shuk,
The laughter and music on Ben Yehuda.
Her tongue, pressing against mine,
Spicy falafel from an Arab,
Fresh fruit from the kibbutzim.
The gorgeous, sparkling eyes filled with happy tears
The shores of Tel Aviv from air,
The magic of Jerusalem.
Oh, this American girl, so innocent.
So drunk, as the legendary birthright stories go.

Why am I protecting Israel?

The cries of a new Jewish baby.
The Hatkivah from the children’s voices.
The blue and white flag wrapping around the shoulders of teens.
The uniform and the gun on every young soldier.
The weariness on the faces of the adults.
Can only live once. So much.
And I am not even twenty-two yet.

Why am I dying for Israel?

But.
Egypt, Roman Empire, the Crusades, Spain,
Poland, Nazi Germany, Soviet Union
All have failed
To get rid of me.

Standing strong, proud, on a building overlooking
The Kotel.
With the flapping blue and white flag ten meters away,
In the desert sunset behind me.
My hands firmly grasping my M18,
Ready to protect the Jews below me.


Am Yisrael Chai.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Importance of Dialogue

Draft 3

Dane, this is not certainly related to your version of this title on your blog, but in some ways it is in terms of the dialogue and cultural understanding.

I caught Dane online couple days ago and commented on her blog about her final draft of a poem that I inspired her to write a while ago with my "What I have Told the USHMM..." post. We got into a discussion and she said that she found some of my blog entries "crazy" and "brainwashed." She asked about the theory about Bush keeping the US troops in Iraq to keep Iran away from Israel. Though I think it could be a good point but I told her it's the Israelis who gave me that perspective of the war on Iraq. She said that she has often gone off and ranted to her pro-Israel roommate about some of the things I've said. I think I've really opened her eyes to what Israel is really like- different than what her poetry suggests, the reality is different from her perception. She may think it's all crazy but it's education for both of us for me to be writing about my reflections on Israel.

She made me think, examine, and question. Her calling on my interactions with the Israelis "brainwashing" stung me and made me implore who I am right now. Also the way Dad told me that "it's time for [me] to come home" made me wonder if Israel has trapped me in a dream and it is time to face reality in America.

I wondered if I have lost the sense of who I am, my morals, my judgments to conform to the Israeli mindset and norms. Did I change? In some ways, yes in regards to Israel's security and politics and the people who ensure it. I shedded my old. typical American expectations and am currently creating new ones as someone who understands what to expect from the Israelis that are the norm here.

My most amazing experiences here are talking to the Israelis in my generation and to recently discharged soldiers. It's hard to believe that these people who were involved in combat can be human with feelings and honest opinions like the rest of the world despite the bashing and criticism by the media for being brutal, ruthless, and selfish. One soldier confided to me that he has never ever told his parents where his actual base is- in Gaza. His parents think he's in the Negev because he did not want them to worry every night about his safety and be able to sleep knowing that he is okay. I was almost floored that he would go so far to protect his family from mental distress.

One Israeli said to me very recently, "It seems like you're more involved with the Israelis than the Americans" after talking for a while and he felt that I was understanding him and his culture very well when we talked about the differences between American and Israeli girls and why he preferred to be with the Israelis (but taking me to an exception..). And that he could tell quickly enough that I am nothing like the American women Israeli men often see-generally easy, immature, and drunk.

To elaborate on this, sometimes conforming to the society's behavior and manner facilities the communication and flow between myself and them. Another high compliment in relation to the one I have gotten from a different Israeli is that s/he could see me as an Israeli if I lived here rather than an as "the American." I laughed (and felt nervous too) when I heard this because honestly, how can anyone see themselves as another nationality if they immigrated to another country? You are what you are from. On the other hand, s/he was suggesting that I would be accepted as part of the society, the big family. Thus, I am assimilating in the Israeli society.

As my parents know, once I have a couple of close friends, I'm pretty much satisfied with my life. So I do have close group of American girlfriends here to travel and to hang out with me and I am working on creating a social network of Israelis.... as much I love my American girls, I am not here to make more American friends. I am here to meet the Israelis.

This whole experience makes me very glad that I made the decision to be here on my own instead of in London with the Colgate group where I'd basically just be hanging out only with the Colgate people instead of meeting the Brits. I haven't even heard of anyone on a Colgate study group really make friends and connections with the locals.... too close-knit as you might say.

So Dad, is that the kind of tone you're suggesting that I need to come home? That Israel is sweeping me off my feet that you are not sure if this is the same daughter as you say good-bye three months ago? Am I wearing a pair of rose-colored glasses? .

Monday, April 16, 2007

שביתה!

Day 2 of post office strikes and Day... 7? of student strikes. Looks like all of Zev's packages and my postcards to my darling friends will have to wait a little longer.

Yet, I still have classes. Yuck. The best part about today was actually going to Hebrew- I didn't realize that spending 3 weeks listening to Zev and his company talk in Hebrew made an impact on my listening and pronounication skills on common Hebrew words. The teacher was impressed.

By the way, today was Yom Ha'Shoah. The program had students with survivors in their families to read out a prayer or a song. There were 6 big candles wrapped with black paper with the "JUDE" star on it. I found that a bit offensive- that particular image of the yellow star- becaus e it is offensive to use it to remember the Jews. But in some ways, it does make sense in its symoblism. The whole country observed the silence after the sirens wailed to stop everything. Even people will stop their cars in middle of traffic to get out.

I don't know. Everything I've accomplished in America seems sooooo far away now.

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Fun with the Israelis!

Even though we were just a little tired of all the company, we still had one more get-together to attend for Zev. This time, I really had fun with these older people.

Nearly everyone at the table was a sabra except for one wife who was part of the 1969 aliyah movement, from Chicago.

The host and two of the men at the table were Army brothers- did the 1948 (Palmach (paratroopers)) and 1967 wars. Their duties alternated between field combat and working in the kibbutzim

The hostess' parents emigrated from Russia and lived in Tel Aviv. She told the story of how her grandfather, in 1903, arrived on a boat with building supplies to build a house. The house remained in the family for many, many years until it was sold a couple years back. She also made a delicious fancy dinner.

The host is a very well known Middle East expert, professor, and lecturer. He has traveled all over the world to talk to the youth about Zionism and Middle East. His current obsession is encouraging people to move to the Negev to balance out the population between Israelis/Jews and the Bedouins. In 1969, only 12,000 Bedouins lived in the desert. Now it's over 1 million. Whoa. Not only he knows all this stuff, he can speak in Hebrew, German, English, and Arabic fluently. He had to live in a Druz village for several years in order to become fluent in Arabic. He learned German while growing up in his German neighborhood in Tel Aviv (though the family isn't from Germany). He's actually from Baghdad and moved to Israel when he was 3 years old. Actually, his family never spoke Arabic.

The other characters of this party, I didn't get to know too well since they were not near me at the table.

Also I learned something important. There was a discussion about the War on Iraq. Then Grandma decided that she wanted to hear an Israeli opinion about why can't the US troops pull out now. The answer has changed my perception about the war. The answer was If the US troops pull out, then Iran will take over Iraq. Thus putting Israel in greater danger. The US troops act as a wall between Iran and Israel. This is now Bush's aim. I didn't realize that Bush was that pro-Israel and was hiding this reason from the American people. I won't complain again about the war on Iraq as long Iran remains a threat to Israel (hell, the whole Arab world is). I mean, the meaning for the war in Iraq has definitely changed in the past year. Now it's not about giving the Iraqis democracy, it's about protecting Israel. Apparently, there were voices that Bush should've gone after Iran instead of Iraq. Saddam was that much of a danger to Israel as Iran is now.

You won't hear another anti-war rheotric from me.

Friday, April 13, 2007

Last 2 Days of Family Visit

I took my family out to Yad Vashem since it's important to me and I also wanted them to see the Israeli perspective of the Holocaust. Grandma actually managed to come. Everyone opted to do the audio guide tour (which I dislike when it comes to dealing with this subject material) so we all wandered on our own in the Museum. I decided, for my entertainment (hey, I was going to be on my own for 2 hours), I would follow the Israeli soldiers' guided tour that I found while I was looking for Grandma (just a message from Zev, who didn't join us). It was fun listening to the Hebrew though the guide, probably their superior, spoke very fast. I watched him and the soldiers to see what they must've been thinking. After they finished their tour, I went back to some of the exhibits to watch the testimonies.

For some reason, I did not feel as depressed because I knew what to expect this time around. It's still a fairly powerful place. One of the testimonies that touched me so much, the one about a woman who freaked out when she found out that she was pregnant and tried to killed her unborn baby, I watched the screen again to see who else talked about the post-Holocaust era. They didn't play any other testimonies on that clip. I mean, it is the most heart-breaking one I had seen throughout the Museum.... I guess when you put together all of that, it really makes a visitor realize the impact of the Holocaust on survivors in ways that one would not have thought about, such as having a child.

I found Andrew standing and leaning on the fence at the end of the "tunnel" and looking out to the view of Israel. He stood there for a long, long, long time..... before coming to me where I was waiting for everyone. I didn't think much of this moment because I didn't want to get my hopes up that my brother did get something out of this visit.


I had planned to give a quick tour of Yad Vashem's complex and then go to the Israeli military cemetery. I felt that it was important to visit the soldiers who gave their lives to the Jewish State, especially after Yad Vashem. I remember during my birthright, it was really something to be looking at the graves inscribed with the soldier's name, age, and the year he was killed. When you see lots of them in the 1948 and 1967 war, it made me think. I did not think about the 1948 as much as 1967. To see that many of these soldiers were just my age when they died was very scary- just as thinking about an orthodox couple having a wedding in their early 20's/late teens. I was in college, having the time of my life, and these soldiers went out (of course, conscripted) to protect the Jewish State. I suppose that this is where the Israelis in my generation get resentment and jealousy when they meet Americans like me- they'd rather be in college and party than to grow up and be in the Army before doing those things.


To see an Israeli combat soldier still alive after his 3 years of service today is something that Israel and all Jews should be thankful for- they fought for the State and survived. Fallen soldiers are bad topics in Israel because it's such a small country and to lose one soldier is a big deal. If you want the ratio between the US and Israeli military, it's 1 Israeli soldier for every 500-1,000 American soldiers. So with the war in Iraq, 3,600 American soldiers were killed thus far, that makes about 3-6 Israeli soldiers. The Israeli solders' names would be in the headlines for several days. This is also why the prisoner exchanges and captured soldiers are such a big deal here. The American and Israeli military cannot be compared at all and I do have respect for the American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the IDF has more respect from me (even if they did do some stupid things like using Palestinian children as human shields).


Anyway, the visit didn't happen. Mom was hungry so we took a cab out to Emek Refarim for more schwarma and falafel. We walked down a bit and shopped a little on our way to the hotel. The boys decided they were too tired and Grandma called to see if Mom and I'd like to join them to see the pomenerade overlooking the whole city of Jerusalem.


So we went and it was just an amazing view. I remembered the first time I saw this back in 2005 and I thought, "JERUSALEM!" Zev wanted to go here because a friend of his in San Francisco built this.


For dinner, we went back to Sima's for a real Israeli dinner. Mmmmm, I enjoyed my lamb kebabs and fries! We tried going to Marizpan afterwards but they ran out of chocolate rugalechs.
Friday was spent running around doing things one more time as usual... very typical in a vacation. First, we went off to the shuk to pick up things. I think that was my fastest trip to date. Then everyone split up- Andrew really wanted to get the IDF sweatshirt that I bargained for last week so he and Mom went off to the Old City. The rest of us went back to Mount Scopus to drop off one of my bags and went to the hotel to pick up all the luggage (since the family would be leaving after dinner from the apartment).
The best part of that day was playing backgammon with Andrew and Dad. I missed doing those. I did end up losing in the round robin tournament. As long I'm the Scrabble champion in my family, I have nothing to complain about when I play different games with them.
Our last Shabbat dinner was very nice and I recited the challah prayer perfectly because I understood the Hebrew... that was so simple.... I can't believe that I couldn't get it all correct before! Now I can do the candles, challah, and perhaps the washing of the hands... next task: learn the wine blessing in its entire.
What was surprising for me was that when we sitting down, Andrew announced that he wanted to come back to Israel. We did a debate over birthright versus the JCC exchange program with Modi'in. Personally, I think with Andrew's needs and maturity level, he's better off with the latter. Birthright is much better for people who truly have never, ever been to Israel and also it tends to be filled with kids who want to drink/party since that's what the program basically does nearly every night.
Seriously, I didn't think he'd actually really want to go back. Grandma, Zev, and I figured that he might've found an epiphany while at Yad Vashem since it was actually the only time he was all alone by himself. One day at a time.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Tel Aviv!







We had to be totally loose with our Tel Aviv itinerary since we had to be at the kibbutz in the late afternoon. This was mostly due to the typical Israeli delay at the car rental place.

Eventually we got on the road and Grandma, Zev, and I decided that it would be best for us just to visit the new port and walk around Ha Carmel and the shuk. Dad had quite an experience driving the van and dealing with Israeli drivers on the highway and in Tel Aviv. He has driven in Italy. He used to drive taxis around New York City in graduate school. So, let me put it this way, I trusted Dad's taxi driving skills and attitude completely to get us anywhere safely. He found parking the car in an overcrowded parking lot to be the most challenging since cars would be parked in perpeticular to cars lined in rows, blocking the latter cars' way of backing out. I had to close my eyes when he parked the car because I get so claustrophobic in these kind of situations. Nevertheless, Dad was in disbelief by his challenge. Of course, we applauded his efforts.

The port was quite nice and beautiful. It reminded me a bit of Atlantic City with a different flavor and no casinos. Actually there are no casinos in Israel. Score one point for Prague. For lunch, we went to Cafe Aroma so we could save some room for Max Brenner's. At Max Brenner's, we all shared (except for Dad) the Chocolate Mess. Literally, it was a thin layer of chocolate cake on the bottom, encircled by slices of bananas, several scoops of ice cream (vanilla and dark chocolate), loads of whipped cream. We were given dishes of nuts and sauces to pour over the gigantic sundae. Loads of fun but not something I'd do again.

Then we jutted over to the shuk. The day was getting a little warm- now I wished that my family really liked beaches. Anyway, I thought Tel Aviv's shuk was a good example of what a shuk looked like since it's much bigger than the one in Jerusalem. My parents compared it to Wegman's but definitely better than Wegman's. They marveled over all the stuff that the merchants sold.

Much to my shock, the Ha'Carmel market was closed- I was always there on Fridays... so I guess it's only on Fridays (also Tuesdays as I found out later from Linda). Nevertheless, they just enjoyed walking around and understanding their location on the map.

We found our way to the Ravids' kibbutz without problem. I saw Maa'yan briefly (she had to go over to her boyfriend's as he was leaving for several months to work as a security officer on the ship). Then Linda showed my family around the kibbutz and explained well about how the life worked for her. She showed us some of the houses occupied by high-tech companies and told us of how the kibbutz dealt with the high-tech companies moving in the area. She also showed a couple things that I hadn't seen yet- the animal farm (Andrew enjoyed that!!!!) and the "party house." The latter was beautiful and I felt that I could have a wedding in there! Dad got a kick out of seeing the tractors again but didn't ask if he could try driving one.

We saw Shlomi when we got back, talking with Zev, and Ofek was on his own somewhere in the house. We had a huge dinner on the patio but Linda served plenty of veggies so I helped myself with those. We all had a very nice time and my parents enjoyed learning more about the kibbutz experience. The lifestyle was certainly not for them- too casual, they said.

On the way home, I could not help but think how much I really wanted to be here, in Israel. I had a discussion with Grandma and Zev that if I die, then I want to be buried in Israel, where all the Jews should ultimately end up. They said that's a Zionist thought and there's no way Israel could support all the Jews, not enough land. Then I thought, well, let me put it this way, then those who are active with Israel, should be here. It just hit me. I've turned into a Zionist.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Jerusalem



The family decided to take the day to sleep in after getting up early in the past two days.

We moved along in mid-morning to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. I wanted to show them the menorah in the Cardo and the former Roman market as Ron did not show them this part. It's pretty cool to see the structures, especially the columns. By the way, the menorah in the glass box is supposedly to be reserved for the Third Temple, designed/created by the zealous Jews who believed that this Temple could be built in our lifetime. The menorah had two flaws to it that would make it completely unfit: The arms were curved and not straight at an angle, and the base was solid, not on three legs.

Mom and Grandma went through the Cardo and parts of the Jewish-Arab bazaar to find Shabbat candles and kiddush cup set. Then we went to the Kotel so we could get a family picture in. I unsuccessfully did not find the "spot" to view the Kotel and the Dome of the Rock that I had been to for my birthright and the Old City tour with the program. I'll have to find it on my own!

We walked through the Arab bazaar and Grandma kept pausing to look at objects. I pushed her along, from experience, and told her do not look at anything more than 3 seconds. Otherwise, the merchant will think you're interested and will prod you to buy it. We passed the Church of Holy Schelphur- definitely much quieter today.

For lunch, I took them to Ben Yehuda's Moshiko's for schwarma. Everyone basically put in everything-yuck! Also, I know that from experience, it's very, very filling that way. One time was enough for me so I went easy on my toppings. As usual, my family enjoyed the treat. And Mom asked when we could go for falafel. Goodness, didn't we just have falafel two days ago?

Andrew found a pair of sunglasses along Ben Yehuda. He wanted to visit this street even though I told him it's totally overrated and touristy. Since then, they haven't been back to Ben Yehuda. I guess they realized that I was right!

We met up with Zev and drove up to Mt. Herzl to see the museum. It's acutally audio-visual so there's nothing to read. Instead, we had a tour guide and a movie in each room that we went in that told the story of Theodore Herzl's life. I was sooooooo tired and worn out from all the family time that I napped between tour guide's lectures while watching the movie.

For dinner, Grandma, Zev, and I took the family back to Yo-Jan's for some "Chinese" food. Rochester needs a place like this!!! We went for gelatos afterwards at Aldo's.

Monday, April 9, 2007

Masada and the Dead Sea






Originally, I wanted to spend the night at the Masada so my family could see the beautiful desert sunrise in the mornin atop Masada. Unfortunately, that did not happen.

Instead, we hired Ron again to be our guide and driver for the day. We actually drove through the West Bank! (Personally, I was happy for this route as this was twice faster than the other one that goes through Judean Desert.) We saw Bedouin tents but no Palestinians as they settled in further into the territory rather than along the roads. When Mom saw the sign for Ramallah, she commented how it was always in the US media. Eerily, West Bank appeared a lot more peaceful than the US media would claim otherwise. The scenary reminded my parents of Napa- beautiful green valleys with scattered trees and plenty of rocky surface. I agreed, West Bank's o instablity prevented its beauty from being enjoyed by visitors except for the lucky ones driving along 90. We passed through two checkpoints without problem- they didn't even stop us!

When we got to Masada, we got caught with a big Middle East tour group so we tried to stay away from them after the introductory film. I remembered a lot of it. What was different this time from last time, almost two years ago, was that Masada had been developed into an actual museum with labels and information everywhere for what the visitors were looking at. When Ron asked what the solid black line across the walls meant, I forgot that it showed what was left of Masada when the archeaologists excavated. Dad and Mom were totally giddy during the whole tour because for Dad, Masada didn't exist in 1966, and for Mom, archeaologists were still working on it in 1974 and she only saw portions of it. We saw various parts of Herod's palace including the bathhouse, and how the water system was built so the people atop the plateau could have water.

In case you don't know the story of Masada, here goes: When the Romans took over Jerusalem in 72 BC, King Herod and the Jews fled to Masada and lived on it for several years under Roman seige. The Romans had no way of getting up there (how the Jews did it is beyond anyone's imagination) so during the time, they surrounded the area and started building what's now called today "the Roman ramp." When they finally reached to the top of Masada, they found all the Jews dead. Apparently, the Jews chose martyrdom over slavery. The signfiance of this event was that the Jews wanted to perserve their dignity and it was their last heroic stand against the Roman Empire.

Some people remain skeptical of the Masada legend because archeaologists never found any human bodies except for a few skeletons. They don't believe that it ever happened since it was such an awesome uprising that involved hundreds of lives (that's a lot of people back in the anciet times).

I took my family over to the south side of Masada where there's an amazing place to hear echoes. Generally, birthright trips go here to shout "Am Yisrael Chai!". When I did it on my trip, just to hear those words and 50 voices and echoes, I felt chills in my bones! It was such a powerful experience for me to really believe that the Jews never gave up and despite the mass suicide, we are still alive today. My family decided to try shouting "Go Bills!" and when they did it together, they hear the echo. They thought it was so cool to hear something like that. This valley between the plateaus was the perfect place to do this kind of fun activity.

After Masada, we drove back up north a bit to find a touristy site with a cafeteria and a shop so we could eat lunch (chicken schintzels) and buy some bathing suit for them (I did tell them to bring suits!!!). Mom didn't look too thrill about having to buy a bathing suit. Andrew pointed out a very funny pair of boxer shorts in relation to checking if someone's Jewish or not.

I worried at first about how enjoyable the Dead Sea would be for my non-beach family, especially that Andrew isn't crazy about getting dirty with the nature. Much to my surprise, the boys had a wonderful time. I don't think I had never laughed so hard in a while. Since I already knew what to do on a Dead Sea beach, I led the way. The boys eventually followed me into the mud pit. Dad went in for a minute and realized that he didn't like the sinking feeling of the mud under him so he got out quickly. I showed Andrew what to do with the mud. While I lathered myself entirely in mud, the boys went off to the water to try out the floating. When I got there, the boys looked pretty comfortable in the water and seemed to be enjoying themselves. Seeing all of us in the water, Mom decided to try it for herself. But she didn't really want to walk on the rocks so she tried to sit and push herself in. It didn't work as the water was too shallow and she'd have to go about two yards in in order to crawl into the water. I whispered to Mom when I got out (for a good personal reason), "The boys are going to come running out of the water soon!" After cleaning myself off, I came back to find Dad still in the water. The next thing I saw was probably the most hysterical sight ever: In the mud pit, Andrew lathered himself gently with mud and making the most of the quiet moment. He literally rolled and jumped around the pit. After covering every inch of himself, he simply sat in the sun to let the mud dry. This once unthinkable snapshot is what I will never forget. If you understand what kind of guy Andrew is, you'd understand the bewilderment that I felt.

I joined in and then Andrew spotted some very black mud in the sea that a couple people were covering themselves with. He said, let's go over there, there's better mud! I had to blink quite a few times to believe that he was actually saying and doing these things.

Now I'm really glad that Andrew enjoyed the Dead Sea. Obviously, Mom just had an okay time being a beach bummer- literally. I think that these past two days have been the best days for Dad because these were the things he definitely did not get to do when he was 13- being on the east side of Jerusalem and the Old City, walking around atop Masada, and floating in the Dead Sea.

Sunday, April 8, 2007

Old City Tour

Elliot's first comments to Mom when he met her was "So I hear that your daughter's moving to Israel!" I'm sure she was slightly annoyed but it was a joke all around. Nevertheless, she enjoyed meeting Sylvie's family when we breakfast-ed together before our Old City tour. I was certainly a little nervous since my parents still didn't fully understand my love for Israel yet.

We met our tour guide, Ron Perry, around 10 and we walked over to the Old City through the Jaffa Gate. Since I raved about the Tower of David and the Citadel, the family wanted to see it for themselves. Actually this tour was different from my visit as we climbed up to the Citadel to see the panoramic view of Jerusalem. I wished I had my camera- totally forgot about it! Then he gave us a whole history of Jerusalem by leading us through the exhibits in the museum. I loved the ending when there was a huge video display of Israel's path to independence- it showed the raising and taking down of different flags from Ottoman Empire to British Mandate to Israel. I got the chills just seeing that Israel flag going up!

After a quick drink break, we walked down to the Jewish Quarter where we saw a bunch of Indian Jews singing some Pesach songs. He didn't show them the Cardo unfortunately. Instead, we went into the Wolfson Archeaological Museum, located on the way to the Kotel. It seemed like a hidden treasure- you go down inside the basement of this building to find these amazing ruins of several royal family homes from Herod's time. The mosaics and mikvoat were there, so were the pottery, and a couple of other finds including tables. It was very hard to believe that we were still in the Jewish Quarter in 21st century, not in the ancient times. That's the concept I am currently having trouble when I visit these kind of sites that completely isolate you from the outside.

We went off to the Kotel and did other thing. It was absolutely jammed with visitors. I noticed that the barrier between the men and women had been moved a couple yards over towards the men's side to make room for all the women. I barely touched the wall- only gave it a quick kiss. It was that crowded. Afterwards, we went through the Six Arches to the Muslim Quarter.

The Muslim Quarter felt like another world- very interesting and different in tune. We went into a wonderful falafel restaurant (Abu-Babusha) where we ordered the full platter for the 5 of us to share. I watched my family's reactions as they tried the falafels and hummus- things that they have never ever tried before. Everyone enjoyed the lunch! Now I can say that my hummus at home isn't safe anymore- no more double dipping.

After lunch, we walked through the bazaars along Via Delrosa- absolutely insane that there was no way we could pause to look at something. By the way, before you enter this particular street, there's a handprint on the left side on a wall that was supposedly be Jesus Christ's. The superstitious behind this is that if you put your hand there, then you will return to Jerusalem. Everyone did it. Hmmmmm. I hoped that Andrew and Dad would stop at some point to try their hand at bargaining but neither saw anything that they particularly liked.

Finally, we reached to the Church of Holy Sepulcher. We could barely move in that place being Easter Sunday. Since Ron was with me this time, I understood better what I was looking at. I saw the location of Jesus' crucifixation where I saw Christians leaning down to kiss it. I realized at that point that I really truly did not believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah of the Jews. The Jews have not seen the Messiah yet. So I thought, I don't know what the heck I am doing here in a church and observing all these spiritual movements and prayings. Then we went down the stairs from the balconey to see Christ's tomb. Before we entered that room, we moved out of the way and watched the procession of the Greek Orthodox services- men in their black robes and gigantic crosses for necklaces and funny hats. It was pretty cool. Ron also showed us the chapel for Armenians which was down below. Mom and Andrew went over to see the Greek Orthodox chapel- I did not as I was sure that I had seen it. Andrew somehow got a bit lost- trying to get in the line for the Christ's tomb. At that point, I felt doubtful about Andrew. Was he still commited to Judaism or did Christanity appear more fascinating to him? I could only pray that the alluring nature of Christanity's power would not take over his young mind and the strong, lasting roots of Judaism would still hold fast. I remember being in that position at one point but it was because I was the only Jew in my class- long story.

We also stopped by the Church of St Jones- a Greek Orthodox church. The door leading to it was actually hidden along the Christian Quarter's bazaar. We duck through a small doorframe within a larger one to keep out donkeys. Funny thing, as we headed back to the Jaffa Gate, a man actually rode a donkey on the way up, shouting "Yalla! Yalla! Yalla!" (Move it! Move it! Move it!). I laughed- it was such a bewildered sight that I wondered if it was all part of the Easter festivities' entertainment or for real.

Ron stayed with us until 4:30- it was great and we made the most of the day with him. He was charging flat fee for the whole day so I said, let him show us everything there is to see. We actually didn't get to the Southern Wall, unfortunately. I don't think they even got to see the bullet holes from the 1967 war. My family were certainly very interested in what he had to say. I was only kind of annoyed with his Israeli accent (it just sounded a little different from what I was used to) so I didn't listen much... well also if you've been into the same area a lot, you don't tend to listen much having that kind of "Know it all" ego....

We were off to a good start in their education of Israel's history. Tomorrow, we meet with Ron again for a day trip to Masada and the Dead Sea.

A Dilemma for Mom

During the dinner while discussing my future, Mom wanted to find out more about financing my graduate school education. I have told my family that unless most of my education is funded, I'm not going to go. I must be paid in order to get my PhD.

"Mom, it's either seven years of graduate school or seven years in Israel."

She gave a "oh my god, this wasn't what I expected" look. Everyone at the table laughed and gave wry smiles. I said, "I'm sorry, but these are the things I'd really like to do."

I can't believe that I honestly have to start thinking a bit about what I'm going to be doing a year from now.... 13 months until graduation. YIKES.

Saturday, April 7, 2007

Overview of Jerusalem

I worked out a deal with a cab driver sitting in front of Dan Panorama for him to give us a ride around Mount of Olives, the Jewish Cementery, the Church of All Nations, and Hebrew University and then to drop us off at American Colony hotel. It wasn't easy to bargain with them since it was Shabbat and instead of being all by myself, I had to take in consideration with the number of people with me. (I thought it was kind of dumb since it wasn't like we were packing in the car like sardines). I wanted to give my family an overview of Jerusalem, a simple introduction.

The cab driver and I pointed out different sights along the way since he drove past the northern and eastern walls of the Old City including the New Gate, Damascus Gate, parts of East Jerusalem, and obvious buildings on Mount of Olives like the Church of Mary Malagene. We took pictures at a platform. It was very exciting for Dad since he was not allowed to be in this area in 1966, the last time he was in Israel. He really took in the view and used his map of Jerusalem to figure out what he was looking at. We had to drag him back in the cab! Then we went off to the Church of All Nations where the Virgin Mary was supposedly buried. Not surprisely as it was the day before Easter, the place was crowded. Then the driver showed us the Jewish Cemetery, where the Jews await the Messiah in their graves. Mount of Olives is currently believed to be the Messiah's first stop when He comes and these people want to greet him first. Finally, we went around Hebrew University to see the view of the West Bank. I pointed out the security wall- a very effective measure against suicide bombers. The security wall was very controversial at first, built by Ariel Sharon, because it was cutting off the Palestinians from their friends and families in Jerusalem and its surroundings. Nevertheless, since then, no suicide bombings have occurred in Jerusalem.

We arrived a bit early at American Colony so we wandered around near the hotel to visit St. Georges Catherdal. We tried to get in the Tomb of the Kings but the gates were unfortunately locked. The catherdal was beautiful and completely different. I noticed that unlike the ones I saw in Spain and Prague, there was no statue of Jesus at the altar. Mom explained to me that it was Protestant Church. I suddenly noticed the architecture and felt that it was much more simple but still beautiful. The walls were lined with Palestinian mosaic tiles- very well done. The church felt open and airy and definitely English in certain ways. Afterwards, we went back to the hotel for its well known Shabbat lunch. The food was alright but the dining atmosphere was wonderful- we sat under an umbrella outside in a beautiful courtyard. We maintained Passover except for the crumbs of the cheesecake. The environment was so peaceful that I thought that if a bomb went off outside in Jerusalem, we wouldn't know about it! It was that tranquil.

East Jerusalem felt okay. I did not feel unsafe as long I was near the American Colony hotel. I think the American Colony area is probably okay to visit again. Maybe not the rest of the area.

After lunch and an unsuccessful bargaining with a cabbie, we went off to the Israel Museum. I took them straight to the model of the Old City during the 2nd Temple period. It was a magnifient project that took 4 years to complete. It was so incredible- I really admired the crafters who put this together. The model gave us an aerial view even if the current layout looked very different from this. After oohing and aahing of the model, I took them down to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit. The story behind this was also quite amazing- some random Arab found these random scrolls near the Dead Sea and sold them to an American. Then an American decided to get rid of these and places an ad in Wall Street Journal in 1947ish to sell them. Then an archeaologist took a look at them and realized what they were. He paid probably half a million dollars for these scrolls. They were incredible well perserved because they were stored in clay pots and in the dark for nearly 2,000 years. The signficant of these scrolls was that they provided the earliest evidence of Judaism and the Hebrew language.

After the ancient history stuff, we wandered into the main museum and went through the Judaica art, including interior structure of temples that were once syngagues. I felt that I was back in Prague when I walked in these places!

Very positive first day for everyone.

Friday, April 6, 2007

Second Round of Family Arrivals

Grandma cried today when she saw Mom and hugged her. I had never seen such a scene like that before. I knew that she was very excited for Mom but... it was just so... touching to see the two of them crying over seeing each other. They both ran to the bathroom to wipe off their tears.

I spent the day with Mom, just keeping her company since I didn't need to help Grandma. We were having our Shabbat dinner catered so all Grandma needed to do was to heat up the food. We got lost driving to this bakery on Emek Rafrim because Zev wasn't paying attention to where Grandma was driving. Mom got cranky and tired so we found our way back to the hotel and dropped her off. Then we made another attempt to figure out where we went wrong- Grandma didn't bear right towards Emek Rafrim when she was supposed to. Whatever- we were eventually covered for Passover desserts for the next 3 nights. The bakery was definitely packed.

Dad and Andrew arrived later. They had a wonderful time in Paris and told us what they did and ate. They actually kept Passover in Paris- didn't even eat any crossiants or eclairs!!! I could not have done it-especially with French pastries. Dad actually looked good- I almost didn't recognize him!

We had a nice Shabbat even though everyone was tired. I was ready to sleep after a crazy week traveling and exploring around Israel and Jerusalem!

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Up and Down the Coast....



We made very long drives from Haifa up to Akko, from Akko down to Caesarea, from Caeseara down to Hertzilya, and from Hertzilya to Tel Aviv! We got lost twice and certainly not fun both times! (Mainly due to Zev's lack of direction). Nevertheless, it was a day full of fun and great company.

Akko: It was a spur of the moment decision and since Jess and Wendy raved about its beauty, I decided to check it out. So we drive 45 minutes out of Haifa to visit the Old City. It was a beautiful, beautiful walk. Unlike the Old City of Jerusalem and Cordoba, Akko was actually relatively clean and grime free. For most part, the area was mostly Arabic but fortunately, unlike Cordoba, there were actually signs in English for certain places and arrows indicating that you were going in the right direction. So we passed an old synagogue, the Turkish baths, some mosques (actually they blended in with the architecture that I didn't realized it half the time), and a Turkish bazaar. We also saw the aquadect- majestic. I'd like to go back and explore more deeply as it was small and confusing in a fun way.

Caeseara: We did not actually go to the park but just visited Moshe and Phyllis Pollack at their rented villa. We got a little lost since we later discovered that the area was made up of "clusters"- neighborhoods. The house was great- it had a large, circular great room with skylights with rooms branching out from the sides. Since we hadn't eaten since breakfast, Phyllis insisted on feeding us a meal, including lasgana made with matzah. Her daughter made delicious Passover brownies! Atop their villa, I could see the sea- the area was so beautiful. It largely reminded me of Florida- filled with sunshine, pools, pretty houses and gardens, and of course, the water/beach. There's a running joke that Caesarea was only 10 minutes away from Israel because the residential area was nothing like the rest of Israel because it's just so nice and a lot of houses had pools- most Israelis don't own a pool!

Hertzilya: We met with Zev's cousin, Rakel, and her family. She was supposed to meet us in Tel Aviv to give us a ride to her apartment so we wouldn't have to get lost in the dark but we were running so late and Zev really wanted to see everyone that day. So Grandma lost the battle and drove us there. I met Rakel's daughters who were so curious and lovely. One of them spoke very good English and mostly talked with me while the other two were a little shy about using their English but were content to listen. They were absolutely fascinated by some of the things I showed them on the Internet including Facebook! Two of them attend Tel Aviv University and the youngest is waiting to go into the Army this summer. And... of course, we were fed with more food... oh my god. Do they ever stop... even Rakel told Zev that she'd just serve a small, typical Israeli dinner. Best part: We had lasgana again! I think I've had my share for a fair amount of time for a while.

We got lost in Tel Aviv for an hour. Wonderful. I was so exhausted that I think I wouldn't even cared if I slept in a hostel instead of a 3 star hotel. I couldn't even imagined how tired Grandma must be after driving all day.... she had never done so much driving in her whole life- 7 hours in two days.

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Haifa

By the way, Pesach is treated like Shabbat in Israel. It's a national holiday so all public transportation and stores were closed. We couldn't go anywhere- Zev didn't want to go anywhere anyway. Grandma and I shrugged and went off to see the Israel Museum in the afternoon. See my later entry for more.

We made an early start on Wednesday to drive up to Haifa. It was supposed to take us about 2 hours but ended up nearly 4 because we had to make a road stop and then we got lost around Haifa, trying to figure out how to get up on Mount Carmel, where the Center was! I joked as we got out of the car to our hotel, Hotel Nof, that we could've just driven to Eilat for that amount of time that we spent driving! So it was a good thing that we left around 9. We ate some lunch and then called some cousins of Zev's. These cousins were related by marriage.

The cousins, Hadar and her daughter, Mor, came to pick us up for a driving tour around Haifa. I loved them within minutes of talking to them in the car. Hadar's family immigrated to Israel from Iraq in the 1960's and they spoke Arabic. It was exciting getting to know Middle Eastern Jews like them. Anyway, they drove us to see the Ba'hai Gardens which was just gorgeous. The Ba'hai Gardens and the religion believed in peace and co-existence of all religions so it's the major reason why the garden is just beautiful. We have to see the beauty in ourselves and others- ultimately, we all want peace. Since the shrine was closed, Hadar drove us down so we could see the gardens along the slope of the hill- it was an incredible sight. Mom would've loved it. Afterwards, we drove over to Haifa University. I was so surprised to see how isolated the university was from everything else, including the beaches! It's located right atop Mt. Carmel with a beautiful valley behind it with views of Druz villages. The hills and the campus' isolated location reminded me of being at Colgate, especially when I looked out to all the gentle rolling hills. When Grandma asked what the villages were when we observed the scenary and Hadar said that they were Druz villages and Grandma asked if we had time. Hadar drove us over.

The Druz people are not Arabs or Jews but they have their own secretive religion. Nevertheless, their mother tongue is Arabic. Like the Bedouins, they have excellent tracking skills that make them very useful to the Army.

We arrived in middle of their shuk. Hadar let all of us out so we could walk around and see the objects they were selling. I found a nice green skirt and a purple shawl to hang on my wall at one shop for 85 sheklim (okay, I bargained down from 100). Now, the other shop I went into was much more interesting in terms of interacting with the shopkeeper, especially that I didn't have any cash left after my first purchases.

Me: (glancing at a IDF sweatshirt, wonders how much it was, and looks for a price tag)
Seller: (comes up to me) Do you like this? (with a smile)
Me: (raises eyebrow, gives a little shrug) Yes but how much is this?
Seller: (matter-of-fact) I'll give you 65 shekls for this.
Me: (shaking head) Sorry, I don't have 65 shekls. (begins to move away)
Seller: No, no, how much do you want to pay for this?
Me: Oh, it looks, maybe, 30 to me.
Seller: (proceeds to take the sweatshirt off the hanging hanger, motions for me to follow him in the store, puts the sweatshirt in a bag and ties it up) I'll give you 50 shekls. Here. (throws it in my hands)
Me: (pushes it back) No thank you.
Seller: (pushes it back to me) 45 shekls.
Me: (starts walking away with the bag, unpaid)
Seller: No, no, I want 45 shekls.
Me: I really don't have 45 shekls. I'm sorry, I have no money, I need to go to a cash machine.
Seller: 43 shekls.
Then Grandma comes up and asks if I wanted something.
Seller: (approaches Grandma and coaxes her by pointing to her purse) You could get her something....
Me: (pushes Grandma away) Go away, go away, let me deal with this on my own. (She goes away). I don't have 43 shekls... how about 40?
Seller: Okay, okay, 40 shekls. 40. 40 it is.
Me: Let me see... I'll be right back. (I go over to Grandma, Mor, and Zev and ask for 40 shekls, I get 50 from Zev). Alright, I'll get that thing from you.
Seller: Okay, 45 shekls.
Me: You said 43 shekls!
Seller: (looks slightly sheepish and takes my bill and gives me the right change)

I explained to Mor how exciting it was for me to get a cheap sweatshirt because they're so expensive in the United States. She's going to a camp in PA over the summer so we told her that she should bring all the sweatshirts she wants from Israel! On our way back, we stopped at some place that Zev wanted to see if he could find his Druz friend from 1973. Of course, some random people knew this Druz guy's name and got his number. Then we drove over to his house where Zev and Hadar went in to find the guy. In the meantime, Mor and I talked a lot about summer camps, some American culture, English, and some other things.

We drove back to their house to meet the rest of the family. Mor had two sisters- absolutely lovely. The younger one had just recently visited the States to participate in some kind of peace conference with Palestinians, Americans, and Israelis in Maine. She loved it there. The father was there too. We talked for a while and ate some snacks. Afterwards, Mor and Hadar took us to this some unusual musuem where there were artifacts from the Roman times and had a exhibit with multiple diaromas of Jewish history including the Masada, the Holocaust, Moses, Maccabees, etc, etc. It was pretty cute.

Then we said good-bye and thanked the women for their time. They invited me to come back to Haifa to visit and for Shabbat. I told them that I would try hard before I leave. I really wanted to see them again. For dinner, we just ate at the hotel since it was Passover and all that. The Chinese restaurant was actually good and tasty... of course, we couldn't get rice or egg rolls! No dishes with soy sauce either!

I liked Haifa very much. It reminded me a lot of San Francisco with all the hills but after living in Jerusalem and at Colgate, I think I'd like to live in a flat area for a while after graduation. Just to take a break from all the uneveness. It was also small in terms of places to explore/to visit... maybe it's just the Center on the mountain and there's probably more down on the waterfront?

Now I can say I've been to Haifa!

Monday, April 2, 2007

For Real? A Seder in Jerusalem?!

This weekend was rather uneventful. We had Shabbat lunch on Saturday and relaxed all afternoon. We even got into a discussion about the Messiah and we decided that science overpowers God as it seemed like humans have been able to make achievements to improve the world on their own since the beginning of Judaism. Zev even told a story of a Jewish man stranded out in the ocean who insisted that God would help him every time someone came along to offer a hand.

I had planned to go to Tel Aviv with Melissa and Laura for the beaches but the weather seemed iffy and was pretty windy so we cancelled that. It might as well for them, as Christians, that they should attend the church services for Palm Sunday. So I took my sweet time to meet up with Grandma and Zev for the afternoon. We went to Yo-Jan, a fusion Asian restaurant, in German Colony on Emek Rafrim. It was absolutely delicious and I don't always love Chinese food! Even the portions were reasonable and the food didn't seem overly disgusting and mysterious as they are in America.

Monday was the big preparation day for Pesach! I had missed the big bonfire in Mea Shar'eam, unfortunately. People burn chametz in these gigantic fires all over Jerusalem and I had some pita bread from Friday to throw in. Zev took me to one across from his building in a courtyard where there were two young boys tending the fire with brushbrooms with their fathers supervising. I threw in the pita breads and Zev read the prayer for burning chametz. Now our apartment was officially ready for Passover. Because of that, we had our first Passover meal for lunch with matzah and all. While Zev and Grandma took their afternoon naps (believe me, they were beyond exhausted and Zev had to attend shul in the morning [First borns are obligated to fast for Passover or they can attend shul and read the prayers]). So I took an afternoon walk around the Valley of the Cross down to Givat Ram and around the White Rose Garden.

We made Seder reservations with friends from San Francisco- Elaine, Elliot, Joe-Joe, and Sylvie at Dan Panorama. Meeting Sylvie was a treat- she's basically a parent's nightmare in this sense. She attended a public city school and then went to a yishiva for a year in Israel because it was typical at her school. The parents made a deal with her that she would get her education at an American university and then she could do whatever she wanted to do. So she went to Columbia University as a freshman with a major in economics. Since she knew about her trust fund being available to her at the age of 19 and just absolutely wanted to go back, she began applying for aliyah in November. By April, she had the paperwork together and signed up for the Army. Finally, she announced to her family in the middle of the Hizbollah-Israel war that she would be moving to Israel and going into the Army. To me, it's quite... patriotic but a little extreme for my taste. Nevertheless, she was wonderful.

I joked with Grandma that I ought to make Brandeis my first choice for a PhD program when I saw how cute Joe-Joe was and I loved his chill personality.

Things began to go wrong once we entered in the room. Since we reserved a table, we thought we'd get to do our own seder at our pace. Then we saw a table on a platform and suddenly had a feeling that it would be a community seder. It took quite a while for everyone to come in and sit down.... not only we wouldn't get to do our own seder, we didn't even get the table to ourselves. Sylvie had tried to get one just for ourselves. Didn't happen- we ended up sharing with a French family with three grown-up children living in Israel (2 in Tel Aviv and 1 in Jerusalem) with parents trying to make aliyah to Israel from France. Then the leader began the services. The children sang their four questions...then the leader repeated the four questions! Grandma, Joe-Joe, and I looked at each other with exsparated glances-goodness, how much more can we handle?? Especially that there were pleads among some of the people to read the passages of the story in English instead of Hebrew. No question about it that Elliot and Zev read their passages as quickly as possible- they could've had us finished in half hour instead of an hour and half. Sylvie was so unhappy that she took her own pace with her own Haggadah.

We each got our own little seder plate- it was a mix of Ashkenazi and Sephardi traditions with Sephardi chormest and Ashkenzai potato for dipping. The menu was quite elaborate especially that we were paying good money for the dinner:
-gefilte fish or poached salmon or chicken livers
-matzah ball soup or cream of carrot
-salad with grapefruit dressing
-chicken, veal shoulder, veggies, and potatoes
-two pieces of dessert cakes, a plate of cookies

Grandma was not thrilled that we were eating so late (like 10 PM by the time we got to the heart of dinner) and therefore, didn't eat much. I thought the food was delicious! I was glad for the services since they would control the food portions so I had little room for dessert. Since it was getting late and the end didn't seem to be in sight, Grandma, Zev, and I excused ourselves and it took us 15 minutes to grab a cab that would be willing to take us down to our apartment.

Since Passover seders tend to be comparable to American Thanksgiving, it's a good thing that we do Thanksgiving in the afternoon (around 3-4) rather than 8-9 at night so we wouldn't go to bed too full!

So much for "L'Shana ha'ba'ah b'Yerushalayim".... As much I loved being in Israel and was happy to be here for Passover, I wished that I could've been in Rochester, having a homemade seder at the Brandts' with my family.

L'shana ha'ba'ah b'Rochester.