Ezrie

I "adopted" a kitten! My friends Evan and Jenny were housing a kitten that they'd rescued, and needed to find a home for her. After a bunch of people had met her and fallen in love with her, but been unable to take her, I took a clue from fate, worked out some logistics, and voila - I now am the proud imma of a three-month-old Israeli tabby. She is adorable, and, while we're still getting used to one another, are getting along swimmingly! I've not had a kitten in a while, so I'm constantly amazed by the kitten energy and how easily she can keep herself amused. She's a love, and has the motor of a racecar (or something else with a really loud motor).

Bottom line, I'm happy and she is adorable (and I think she's pretty happy too).

Her name is Ezrie, which means "my help" in Hebrew - I call her "Ez" and it seems to fit. Except when she's being a pain. :-)

Learning how to grieve with an open heart.

They say that the best place to get sick is in a hospital - surrounded by doctors. I think that, perhaps, the best place to learn of a loss is in Rabbinical school. Let me qualify that: perhaps the best place to mourn is in a place that brings you the support that you need.

In my "immediate" family there have always been, what are in my mind "The Big Three Aunts," - this past week, one of those "Big Three" left her physical existence on this earth. What I now understand is that the pillar that was her existence in my life will always be there. The gifts which she bestowed upon me, both physical and not, will always remain. She fostered in me a love of literature, as she was the self proclaimed Book Aunty, an appreciation of the spirituality of beauty and an understanding of our family history.

One of the hardest parts of this loss, for me, is being so far from home while grieving. If I were home, my grief would be no less profound nor difficult, but I would have the built in support of my family. Here, I have had to challenge myself to reach out for support - and have been rewarded greatly by the outpouring of help, love, and comfort. A large part of my choosing this path in life has been my desire, and in fact, my instinct to care for others. When I came to Jerusalem, I hoped that this year would give me the opportunity to really return unto myself - to examine who I am, and what I am about. I never expected challenges the likes of which Jerusalem has presented. I've come to understand that I have an incredibly difficult time asking for help when I need it - to a fault. Blessedly, while coming to terms with this aspect of my personality, I've also been able to take steps to change that behavior. As often comes when we truly take steps to make change, I've been rewarded, if not perhaps in the ways that I would have envisioned. Friends here, both within and without the HUC community, have been present to help as I stumble blindly through this period of mourning.

Another, and equally challenging part of this loss for me has been the understanding that, while my family continues to expand with births and marriages, it is going to, inevitably, begin to shrink as well. This current loss is the first I've experienced in the generation of women who, in my mind, have been ever-present. I keep saying that I do not know how to exist in a world where she does not - not because we were constantly in contact, but because knowing that she was there, as a part of my history, present, and future was simply a given. Now that she is not, I am forced to come to terms with the imminent reality of death and loss that every family must face.

What I am grateful for are those around me who have responded when I have reached out, either tentatively or overtly, and those who have stepped in with a caring hand when I've not asked for it, but obviously needed it. I stood on my balcony tonight after having passed the last few hours with an old friend and a bottle of wine, and had one of those moments of peace that I so rarely have with Jerusalem, and God. I'm pretty comfortable in my conception of the Divine, and God's presence in my life - but I rarely open the window that leads from theory to experience. I breathed in the crisp and cold Jerusalem air and suddenly felt the warmth of understanding that, while I am far from my family of origin, I am never far from my family of choice. I am so lucky that I have been rewarded for opening my heart by an immediate in-pouring of affection and support.

This journey of mourning will be difficult and long, it's not supposed to be easy. Mostly it will be difficult to come to terms with my own personal loss, and our loss as a family - the selfish griefs that come with mourning. Meanwhile, I'm grateful for the gift that I've been given of opening my heart to let others in, instead of the reverse - which is usually a much easier process for me. I'm quicker to give than I am to receive. Jerusalem has taught be how to receive, has forced me to learn how. A lesson of tough-love from a country full of both toughness and love - if only I'm willing to open and welcome the gifts of those around me.

Thanksgiving in Israel

I'd always envisioned that this year's Thanksgiving would be a pathetic attempt at capturing the "authentic" American Thanksgiving experience. I am an incredibly picky Thanks-giver, as for me, the holiday is really all about the food. I mean, in terms of the Jewish calendar, we've just given a lot of thanks during the harvest holiday of Sukkot, so, by November, I'm feeling like my thanks-giving of two months prior still holds. So, Thanksgiving is really just a big ol dose of American gluttony for me. Every year, my mother makes not one, not two, but three types of stuffing: one for Stan, because he likes sweet stuffing, and two for me - matzoh meal stuffing, and sage stuffing. The matzoh meal stuffing is really my Grammie Claire's passover recipe, but I mean, it's so good... and Thanksgiving and Passover are so spread apart that I tend to like to having one dose of artery-clogging matzoh meal stuffing in the spring, and one in the winter. Then, we have the Grammie Souther style stuffing - traditional sage stuffing. Lots of butter, lots of onions, celery, and... sage. It's just not thanksgiving w/out sage, in my opinion.

So, as you can guess, I was dubious at best about the ability of an ex-pat Thanksgiving dinner to live up to my exacting standards. And, friends, I must admit... I stand in awe of the Thanksgiving dinner that was had this past week. Now, I would never say that the food was better than my mother's cooking, because that would be blasphemous - however, it was pretty darn close! I was invited to two separate dinners, so, naturally, I divided up the evening into "dinner" and "dessert". The dinner was impecably done. The Turkey was amazing, and there were enough stuffing options to satisfy my stuffing-needs! Miracle of miracles! The party was lovely, and I certainly had to take it slow on the block-long walk to the "dessert" party. After slowly dragging myself up 6 flights of stairs, I arrived at the second dinner just as the majority of the guests were leaving. (I tend to have that effect on parties, given the mass exodus upon my arrival at a friends' party last week... hmmm). I had come over from the first party with my friends Adam and Suzy, and had been moaning about my painful state of full-ness during the schlep up the stairs. I planted myself on the couch, and was as close to lying down as one can be while still sitting up. One of our hostesses placed a plate of the most amazing looking desserts in front of me, and I, obedient guest that I am, slowly raised a fork of pumpkin cheesecake to my reluctant mouth. Just as I was doing so, Suzy walked into the living room and burst out laughing at the pathetic scene that I had created on the couch. The picture of reluctant gluttony. Ah, Thanksgiving.

We sat around playing the, now famous amongst the HUC community, "bowl game" - which always makes for a hilarious situation. The game itself is sort of a cross between Taboo and Charades. As expected, the game led to a lot of really very full bellied laughter and some good natured competition (my team won - so I can say "good natured competition").

One thing for which I was most certainly thankful was the fact that Fridays are a day off in Israel. It had been one thing to sit in class all day Thursday, instead of sitting at home in my pajamas watching the Macy's Day parade. It would have been another thing entirely if I were expected to be a functioning human being the next morning. I woke up with the biggest food-hangover I've had in a long time. My body was achy, and I could hardly walk into the kitchen to get water! I was a wreck... purely from sugar and fat. But oh, how good it had been going down! I eventually dragged myself to the gym - a thing which I usually do not do post-Thanksgiving, as I had no leftovers at my immediate disposal. So, instead of continuing the glut-fest, as I would normally do, I did cardio. That night we had Kabbalat Shabbat services at school, followed by faculty-hosted dinners. I and three other students (all of whom had significant others with them... so... I was the Bridget Jones of the dinner....) went to our Dean's home for dinner. Not only was the food divine, and I had another large helping of amazing food (two nights in a row! not shabby!) but the dinner conversation was hilarious.

I made it home around 11pm, too full to sleep. So I sat up watching a movie. Just as I was starting to drift off, I felt my entire building shake. During the day, I never would have given something like this much thought - as the construction across the street often shakes my building a bit. But this was midnight, on Shabbat. There aint no construction at midnight and certainly not on Shabbat. I had heard that there had been an earthquake on Tuesday, but had not felt it. So, once my inital suprise wore off, and then the shaking stopped, I figured that I'd either: a) been attacked by a giant Gorilla, or b) just experienced an earthquake. After double checking with some neighbors who do not live in my building, I recieved confirmation of the latter - the former being validated as a good second choice. Apparently, there was a 5.0 earthquake in central Israel, just past midnight. Well, sleep was certainly out of the question after that!

And, simply because I haven't posted pictures in a while, here are a few from LAST week's festivities - including the party to which I was the seeming catalyst for mass evacuation. Cheers!

Meggido Junction

This past weekend I went up north to spend Shabbat with some family that I didn't know I had until just recently - which is really a pretty common Israel-experience! After emailing for a few weeks w/ Shlomit, said new-found cousin (our actual relationship is quite distant, but family is family!) I finally found a weekend that I could get out of Jerusalem. I'd been feeling under the weather for the past few weeks and wasn't sure that I was up to a visit, but she assured me that it would be restful - and restful it was!

Another typical Israeli experience is that of being picked up at a, seemingly, random bus stop. Shlomit told me which bus number to take, researched the times it was leaving Jerusalem, and told me to get off at the Meggido Junction - a seemingly random intersection on the way to Tiberias. At the central bus station I bought my ticket, had some breakfast, and then fought my way onto the bus. Getting onto buses here (inter-city buses, mind you - like Greyhound) is a cultural experience in-and-of itself. Every rule of polite society goes straight out the window when trying to get on a bus in Israel. It's quite disgusting actually - and I was disgusted with myself. But I got a good seat at the front. So I wasn't too disgusted for long. The funny thing about going to Meggido, in my mind, is that Meggido is the supposed sight of the Armageddon! Good times! At any rate, I got off of the bus at the right place, at the right time, and, lo and behold! there was Shlomit, ready and waiting for me. Amazing!

The visit itself was really a treat in many ways, but also a little hard, as we conversed almost entirely in Hebrew - and let me tell you, my Hebrew is good for reading comprehension, verb conjugation in a test, and passing pleasantries, but 24 hours of Hebrew speaking made me realize the limitations of my vocabulary. It is so frustrating not being able to express myself the way that I would normally, in english. Ah, the joys of language acquisition.

The town in which Shlomit and her family live, Tivon, just happens to have a Reform congregation - a rarity in Israel. So, after waking up from my Friday "siesta" (during which time some of the first rains of the season fell - perfect napping conditions!) we went to Kabbalat Shabbat services. Their Rabbi was out of town, and leading services in her stead was one of the Israeli Rabbinical students from HUC. The sad part of this is that this was our first meeting- namely because the American program and the Israeli program never really mingle... at all. Which is sad because we are going to be colleagues one day, and the Israeli students are themselves examples of what it means to be a Reform Jew in Israel. Anyway, Gadi, the Israeli student leading services, welcomed me with open arms, and even invited me to light the Shabbat candles and do Kiddush at the end of services. It turns out that Gadi and Shlomit had studied together at a "secular beit midrash" (sounds like an oxymoron to American ears, but after living here for a few months, it makes sense...) - one of many small world connections which seem to be so abundant in this country.

After services I met the rest of Shlomit's family: her husband Meir, son Dotan, daughter-in-law Miri, and three crazy yet adorable grandsons - Nadav (8), Or (6), and Ya'ir (2.5 with CRAZY basketball/ball handling skills). It was so incredibly nice to sit around a Shabbat table, outside of Jerusalem, with this newfound family who welcomed me so wholeheartedly without a second thought. The warmth with which this family functioned was obvious to me after only a short while, and it had the strange effect of making me both homesick, and feeling so at home in that moment. Strange how Israel can do that. (I meant to take a photo to post here, but accidentally left my camera battery in the charger in Jerusalem. Smooth.)

At any rate, I wont go into all the minute details of the visit, but will leave it with this: getting on that bus to the intersection-of-the-end-of-the-world (as I lovingly call it), spending my Shabbat stumbling over my broken Hebrew, and shlepping back to Jerusalem on an overcrowded bus was the best thing I could have done for myself this past weekend. Not only did I make new connections with warm and lovely people, but I saw more of life outside the "walls" of this ancient, holy, busy, crazy, and sometimes infuriating city. Tivon is so green, and the rain made everything fresh and alive feeling. I forget sometimes how important it is to break with routine, and experience new things. Which is sad really, because that is what this year in Israel is all about - or what it should be all about, in my estimation.

Now if only I could shake this flu bug that seems to be knocking out my classmates three at a time...

היומ יומ הולדת

Translation "Today is [my] birthday!"

Which is not true... My birthday WAS October 29th (Monday). First off, I rarely ever do this, but I have to use this blog-space to put out a huge thanks to everyone, both here and around the world, who made this birthday so special. I've spent the majority of my birthdays in the recent past away from home, and as such, am pretty used to not being in Portland on the date of my birth. This birthday really reinforced my understanding of the term "home is where the heart is," as I celebrated with my "Jerusalem Family" while the well-wishes from friends and family abroad poured in. I feel so lucky and, well, blessed to have such wonderful friends, and such a close supportive and up-for-fun community here.

My actual birthday, Monday, was a crazy day. I volunteered to read Torah that morning (every Monday morning we have student-led services as one of our requirements - we each have to read Torah, give a sermon, and lead services at one point throughout the year). Not only was it special to read Torah on my birthday, BUT it was also the bat mitzvah of my bat mitzvah, AND it was the same Torah portion I read on my bat mitzvah (because the Torah readings are dictated by the lunar calendar, and we read a different portion every week, it's rare that Torah portions occur on the same date very often). AND, to make it even more exciting for the geekier among us (i.e. myself for sure), the portion contained this super special trope (cantillation mark) called the "shalshelet" which only appears three times in the book of Genesis! Big doins! And it sounds pretty neat too! Thanks to Ross for helping me out w/ this reading by making me recordings of the verses! I'm learning that I really enjoy Torah chanting. There's something really intimidating, and, well, awesome about reading from the Torah itself. Especially now that I have a better understanding of the language and have a better sense of what it is I'm actually saying.

Other than reading from the Torah on Monday, the day itself was pretty boring. I mean, hey, don't get me wrong, sitting in classes for 8 hours is always fun - especially on one's birthday. Also exciting is that a good friend of mine's brand new niece was born on my birthday. I realize that other people share my birthday, but it was sort of special to get a text at 8pm on the 28th saying "hey, my sister in law is in labor" and then to find out the next day that the kid held out and didn't come out on the 28th, but the 29th! She and I already have so much in common.

That evening Rabbi Rosen and Barry had a get together at their beautiful apartment across the street from school for a few of my friends. We had all been in school until 6:15, so we were a tad exhausted, but it was the perfect way to end the day - and the perfect way to celebrate my birthday!


Me and Brian
Reading the e-card that Mom sent to me on my birthday
Fancy Pug
Barry, me and Rabbi Rosen

Last night, Halloween, the celebration continued at Dublin Pub in downtown Jerusalem. I've always had Halloween-associated birthdays, so why stop this year!??! Quite a few friends showed up, and it was, as birthday parties go, a good time!

Jill, Jen, and Me at Dublin

Ran, Me and Brian - looking elsewhere... oh well

All told - while it's always hard to be away from family and friends, this birthday didn't feel quite as hard being surrounded by new friends and new family. And birthdays in Israel are great! A country full of Jewish-grandmothers wishing you a "Mazal Tov" and being, seemingly, genuinely excited about birthdays... it's pretty great.

That's all the news for now! Will write more at a later date when something more interesting than classes and homework appear in my life.

If a salon can make you cry...

Well... I couldn't hold out any longer - I got ma hair did. I went to a man named Itzik (not Isaac, not Yitzhak... Itzik) whom my Rabbi recommended to me. She is a woman of discerning taste, so i figured it would be safe. Some of my classmates have had interesting experiences with personal services here, so I was a little wary. The language barrier worried me, as I wasn't sure that he understood I wanted something "natural" to cover up the "gray" hairs. Yes, I found a colony of them a few weeks ago. So, after waiting for an hour, the concept of appointments in this country is very different from our concept of an appointment, Itzik's assistant starts slathering gray goop onto my head. It burned a little - which worried me a lot, he then asserted that L'oreal is the best product and they only use the best... good to know, but, um, it still felt somewhat, burn-y.

After processing for thirty minutes (!?!?!?!!?) he finally washed me out, and then said that Itzik would cut my hair (even though I'd only made an appointment for color)... so, now we're at 5:30pm. I arrived at 3pm for a 3pm appointment. Cheers. Eventually I wound up getting a pretty good color and a GREAT cut.

All of which would lead one to think: wow! Great! HOWEVER, that would not make a very interesting blog entry, now would it? I would be remiss if I failed to mention the gaggle of 19 year old girls who were in there while their friend, Yeshiva Barbie, got her long blonde hair done. First of all: I was forced to listen to their ridiculous, spoiled and concieted, drivel for close to three hours. Secondly, they thought they owned the place and while I was processing, one of them put her wallet in my bag, thinking it was her friends', and then when my phone rang, fished it OUT of my bag saying "Dossie! your phone... oh... wait... um... whose phone is this?" Lovely. Yeshiva Barbie's hair was perfect - Itzik did a good job. But I do understand Hebrew, and while Itzik was the ultimate professional, his assistant might not have been the most chivalrous in his verbal summation of the girls. Again, cheers!

Oh... AND, one of said girls referred to me as a "lady," while her friend, the only one who tried to make conversation w/ the scary fossil sitting in the corner (moi), very gingerly asked me "So, um, are you in your 20s?" I replied "Yes, I am. I am about to turn 26." To which she said "I thought so, I mean, you looked older, I just didn't know how to ask politely." Miss Manners would be so proud.

Going to the salon usually makes me feel good about myself - you know - the "whole new me" thing that we girls so enjoy doing from time to time. This experience, while I got what I wanted strictly speaking, made me feel like an old hag. Oh well. I guess the price for good hair in this country is a few points of self-esteem.

Mom and Stan in Israel

Mom and Stan came for a visit at the tail-end of my Sukkot break. It was so great to have them here, not only because, well, it's Israel and I was excited to share my love of the country with them - but it was nice to have them see my life. We spent the a day in Tel Aviv with my friend Ran who lives in Tel Aviv.

Each of the first year Rabbinic and Education students have to give a D'var Torah, sermon, during the year. I had chosen to give mine while Mom and Stan were in town. Not only am I glad to have it over, and the experience under my belt, but it was so wonderful to have such a great cheering section! The Rosens, Rabbi Kim and Barry, were also in attendance as my resident-family-in-Israel. The timing was difficult as we'd just gotten back from two weeks of vacation, and weeks of holidays beforehand. HOWEVER, I was pleased with the finished product, and got pretty good feedback overall... and did I mention I'M DONE! YAY!

Mom and Stan were here for just about a week. We didn't do a lot of the touristy things, because, well, they had already been here before (we all came together in 1994) and had seen the major tourist sights. Instead, they got much more of an inside-track look at Israel: my favorite restaurants, school, friends, and the all-important shopping excursions. I think they had fun... I certainly had fun having them here! Sadly, it was hard to see them go. BUT as I said, we all had a great time. As evidenced in the few choice pictures below!

Mom and Stan in Jaffo

Me and Ran overlooking Tel Aviv

Family Trip to Rome

Over Sukkot break I met up with Mom and Stan in Rome. What an amazing city, and a really great Souther-Geffen family vacation!

Family Time!!!

Arch of Titus depicting Titus' triumph over the Jews and destruction of The Temple. What a warm fuzzy...

Speaking of Jews - The Roman Synagogue

Jewish Ghetto in Rome - building on the Left was in the ghetto, building on the right was on the other side of the ghetto wall.

The Forum with the Colloseum in the background.

View from my hotel room at the top of the Spanish Steps.

Trevi Fountain

A Lot to Catch Up On

I've been bad... no excuse. How long has it been? Two weeks? Three weeks? A month? Oh my!

A lot has happened since Rosh Hashana, I'll make it quick with the highlights and promise to get back on track with the super fascinating amazing insightful awesome updates of my life in Israel...

So, the highlights:
- Class trip up North to the Golan the Galil,
- Trip to Rome
- Parents' visit to Israel
- My D'var Torah... and the real pace of school.

There's really too much to write and still be interesting, so I'll catch up with photos!

Trip to the Galil and Golan

Lake Kinneret

Nature Reserve at Tel Dan
Really, really, really old mudbrick gate (Middle Bronze Age 2... yes I remember that much)
Sign post at Har Bental in the Golan
Coffee Annan - "Coffee in the Clouds" and... well... Kofi Annan - nice little play on words.
View from Har Bental - looking over Israel
Looking out over Metullah, northernmost city in Israel - those mountains are Lebanon
Singing along (Israeli folksongs of the North) on the Kinneret

Rosh Hashanah in Israel

There is a saying that wherever you are, and whatever you're doing on Erev Rosh Hashanah will set the tone for your year to come. Lucky for me, my cold disappeared for a few hours (I've caught the nasty cold-stomache-flu-plague that has been sweeping the nation like a new craze), and I had a lovely Erev Rosh Hashanah.

HUC holds High Holiday services in the adjacent Mercaz Shimshon - a large gathering hall with one wall made entirely of windows looking out over the Old City. While no High Holiday service can compare to the High Holiday services of my youth, at Temple Beth Israel with Cantor Schiff's angelic voice, Rabbi Rose's mighty presence, counting the pages until the end of the service with my cousin Adam, and the generations of CBI children craning their necks trying to count the number of bricks in the domed ceiling of the Byzantine-esque synagogue... I will admit that the HUC services came quite close. Despite the fact that we are a relatively new community, there was something very familiar about being in a room mostly comprised of classmates, being led in prayer by our faculty and the HUC student (and community) choir. Many of my friends are in the High Holiday choir, so it was really a treat and a pleasure to hear the beautiful choral voice which was the result of their months of work. I wound up joining in a dinner hosted by Kesher in Israel (Kesher is the college-arm of the Union of Reform Judaism Youth Division) for Reform College students studying in Israel - and HUC students. I'd say that about 80% of our class showed up - severely dwarfing the non-HUC contingent. The dinner itself was delicious, and created an air of joviality and, well, holiday cheer amongst the classmates assembled - something that I don't think we've really experienced much of since the summer and orientation activities ended. It was fun to be all together, everyone dressed in their High Holiday best, ringing in the new year with good food, a little "family-drama," and an overall fun atmosphere.

Good thing the saying about how your year will turn out doesn't mention anything about how you spend the first day of the year. Some flip switched in my body right around the time I returned home, and the cold said "alright, fellas, break's over". I finally managed to fall asleep despite the growing pressure in my sinuses and inability to breathe through my nose - an ability which I highly value. Rosh Hashanah morning services were just a little on the long side, and a little on the painful side as the DayQuil didn't quite do the trick I had hoped it would. I wound up spending the day laid out in bed, praying that the pain in my head, and general icky-feeling would go away. At one point a friend of mine offered to bring over some American Sudafed, and, of course, some food. The realization that I was about to have another person over to my apartment shot me into action - as I am my mother's daughter and hate for others to see me at my ickiest. As I looked around my bedroom I couldn't help but laugh at the scene I had created: sick girl, alone, in pajamas, slightly red-nosed, sitting in bed, propped up by a million pillows, surrounded by empty tea-cups, room littered with wadded up tissues, sappy-girl-tv-show ("Felicity"... yes... I sank that low) playing on the computer... it was quite a site. I do "sick" up right.

At any rate, I'm very happy that I'm not doomed to a year of pathetic-runny-nosed-alone-ness, but, hopefully, blessed with a year full of friends, food, and jolly-good-times, as seen on Erev Rosh Hashanah. Let's hope. כין יהי רצין.

Moving away from the micro-level of my personal experience of High Holiday cold... the New Year in Israel is quite unique. Rosh Hashanah began at sundown on Wednesday night, and was followed by two days of holiday (chaggim), ending Friday at sundown... but, what begins every Friday at sundown, but the ultimate day-off: Shabbat. So, essentially, Jerusalem has been "out of commission" for 3 whole days. Well, 3 and a half really, as most things started closing up at around 3 or 4 on Wednesday. I went out Wednesday afternoon to get provisions for the next few days, anticipating the fact that nothing would be open in this oh-holiest-of-cities during the long-stretch of holiday. What a crazy-mess! The energy was great: everyone running around getting their Rosh Hashanah provisions: Newspapers, food, a last-minute kippah, etc... The craziest place in the entire city, I would probably wager in the entire country, could quite possibly have been the "Shuk" (the open-air market). The only thing that I can equate the craziness to is the supermarket on Thanksgiving day in the States. Hordes of people everywhere, moving in streams. Definitely not a day to browse the wares of the various vendors. Luckily, I was on a mission - and lucky for me, I was with my friend Adam - tour-guide-extraordinare. He took me to "his pita guy", where I was treated to pita so hot that I could barely pick them up to get them into the bag. We also saw some very interesting apples that had been "wax tattooed" with a "Shana Tova" wish. Crazy.

The resounding quiet of the last few days has been the best part of this holiday, in my opinion. People are out on the streets, walking either to shul or to holiday meals. There are still a few cars, but they actually stop for pedestrians, and, blessedly, the YMCA construction behind my apartment has been silenced for 3 whole days. I woke up yesterday morning (and by "morning" I mean, "around noon") to the sound of one of my neighbors playing the violin. There are two things so very sweet about that: 1 - that I have a neighbor who plays the violin and plays it well, and near an open window, and 2 - that I could actually HEAR the music, i.e. the silent canvas upon which he or she could paint their notes... i.e. the jackhammers across the street were off. Lovely.

Shabbat was, in this respect, just another day off. I went to services last night, and swung by school this morning in time for the Torah service (sleep is so so sweet). I managed to make it through the 4ish days of no-commerce pretty well, fueled by the challah I bought on Wednesday, catching up on old episodes of "The Daily Show," and "The Colbert Report" (I did not realize how much I missed them until a few days ago with the whole microwave popcorn incident), and compulsively downloading and listening to "podcasts" of my favorite NPR shows (Especially "This American Life" - oh the wonders of the internet). While the quiet and solace of a city-at-rest has been quite interesting and refreshing, I must admit that I do miss the traditional lunch-out after Rosh Hashanah services. It's been a little frustrating at times, knowing that, if I wanted to, I couldn't go to my favorite spots to get a bite to eat. Oh well. It's an experience! And the funny thing is that, for years I have been thinking about how nice it must be to be able to walk out of High Holiday services to quiet streets, in a quiet city, where just about everyone is celebrating Rosh Hashanah with you. The grass is always greener, eh?

Sadly, I know that tomorrow I will wake up to the din of the construction, and the return to school. But I take solace in the knowledge that I had a restful, albeit sick and a little lonely at times, holiday, and will be treated to another long vacation after Yom Kippur. (We are taking a "school trip" up to the Galil and the Golan for a few days before Sukkot vacation - and my trip to Italy, and my parents visit!!!!)

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, sweet, challenging, 5768!

לשנה טובה ומתוקה

It's September and I'm still here. Weird.

It's starting to get darker, earlier. Which lends the distinct air of back-to-school. But it gets dark very early here, about 7pm right now. My Dad once taught me about how sunset has something to do with where you are placed in the time zone you're in... sort of (sorry Dad), so Jerusalem must be pretty far East in it's time zone or something - bottom line, it's dark. Early. Which, in my head, equals Autumn. But it's still hot. Which in my head, equals Summer. My head is quite confused. It's also September... and the summer has flown, as it usually does. Only this time the end-of-summer = start of real classes. And back to school jitters. And the whole darkness thing. Not to sound pathetic, but, it makes me a little homesick and slightly nervous about facing the early-dark-getting-winter time here. But I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

I've just had the first few days of real Rabbinical school classes. So far, I'm really enjoying them. I feel like such a nerd. For instance, yesterday morning I was packing my backpack (I used to make fun of grown men and women who carried backpacks, but now I understand just how necessary they are), and realized just how nerdy the contents were. Notably the JPS Hebrew-English Tanach (Tanach is an acronym for Torah, Neviim (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings)), the siddur (prayerbook), and my tallit bag... I mean there were other less nerdy things in there, but the combination struck me as uniquely... well... yeshiva boy. Or, well, girl as the case may be.

So now I know a little bit more about my classes, of which there are really only a few right now and at very strange intervals. I started off the day yesterday with Modern Hebrew. As it was the first day of school, and I was moving up to a new class, I was actually really full of first-day jitters. Not the first-day jitters of college, more like the first-day jitters of elementary school. It was weird. I didn't get to sleep until about 3 am the night before, and had already (mentally, mind you) picked out what I was going to wear to school. So, right, Modern Hebrew. The teacher is great, and, she has my favorite Israeli name: Osnat. Brilliant. Immediately after Modern Hebrew we were treated to the wonder that is Biblical Grammar. We learned about consonants, and vowels, and syllables. It was just like preschool, only different b/c the chain-smoking teacher had an unlit cigarette in her hand for the last half of the class. Her name is Sima. She is also tiny, but hysterical. She makes jokes at other people's expenses, which is funny... until it's my turn.

Sima also teaches our Hebrew literature class, which we had today. She's still terrifying/hilarious, but a lot less terrifying in that class. It's like she's a different teacher. I think she enjoys it more, as I only noticed the cigarette (virgina slim, no less) in her hand briefly during that class.

What else... oh... I've got Bible which is quite fascinating. Right now we're reading Genesis 1 and closely reading about 5 verses at a time. That means using this super fancy Biblical Grammar Dictionary, the BDB, and another super fancy Biblical Study book called "The Concordance" (sounds impressive, no?) to look up specific words for their definition and their context - namely where else they appear in Tanach. I translated the first five verses of the Torah last night... for homework. I'm gonna love this gig.

Today we had our "Contextualizing the Zionist Movement" History class with Dr. David Mendelsson - who has a great reputation, and I can see why. He's British, funny, sweet, and an engaging lecturer! We're mostly focusing on the experience of Jewish life in Europe and the things that have led up to the creation of Zionism and the Jewish State. Thursday we have Liturgy - and that about rounds out the curriculum. We've also got an Israel Seminar every Wednesday, but those don't start until after the High Holidays... oh... and a professional forum... and electives... so... yeah I guess there are a lot of classes. Plus community service (I'm going to be volunteering with an organization that helps out families of victims of terror - intense)... the Israel committee... and choir. I guess I need to enjoy this free time. It might be my last for a while!

So that's the first-week-of-school update!

Until next time...

Eating Sushi with BB

August vacation has come and gone, and it was a very nice break! The highlights included:

- Lounging on the beach in Tel Aviv,
- The artists' village of Ein Hod,
- Exploring Israeli wine country, and
- Eating sushi with BB Netanyahu.

Well... that last one is sort of a misnomer; we didn't so much eat together, more like in the same restaurant. (So, yes, totally eating together). But I digress.

Vacation started off on a Friday morning with a sheirut (think mini-van-cab) ride to Tel Aviv with four classmates (and Harry Potter #7). As is our luck, a nasty heat wave hit Israel just as our vacation started. (Heat waves and HUC students-travels tend to go hand-in-hand). Tel Aviv heat gave me a new appreciation of Jerusalem heat - namely, Tel Aviv heat comes with humidity. Southers don't really do humidity - so I essentially spent two days melting. But I soon discovered that there's no better place to melt than on the beach in Tel Aviv. Having grown up spending time on the Oregon Coast, with the uber-cold Pacific Ocean, I've never spent much time playing in the surf sans wet-suit, so it was quite a treat to float in the warm Mediterranean (much like that school trip to Ashkelon), and then lay out on the warm beach. And then there was the Artik (popscicle) guy, who just might be the Messiah. We also ate very well in Tel Aviv, we ate pretty well all over the country for that matter. (Like any good Jewish-tourists we had planned our dinner by the time lunch was over). Oh, and breakfast at the hotel in Tel Aviv... mmm...

Sunday in Tel Aviv we rented a car, and hit the open road - almost. We first stopped at the Palmach (the pre-state elite fighting force that preceeded the IDF) museum - which was by far and away the best museum I've been to in a long time. THEN we hit the open road. Our second leg of the trip was the shortest but, by far, my favorite. We spent the night in Zichron Ya'akov, a small winery-village near Caesaria. Our hotel overlooked the sea, which provided for a beautiful sunset photo op. (See?).

The main street of Zichron Ya'akov is a quaint little restaurant and shop lined pedestrian area, which reminded me a little bit of Cannon Beach in it's quaint-lovliness. Just down the road is my favorite Israeli-gem (to date), the artists' village of Ein Hod. The entire village is comprised of Artists, and lousy with art! It's everywhere - peeping out from between the trees and practically littering the roads. I've decided that if the whole Rabbi-thing doesn't work out, I'll move there, grow my hair long, and wear flowy dresses while re-learning how to use a potter's wheel. Sounds like a good plan, no?

The Galil wine country was an experience in-and-of itself. As we didn't quite make a game plan before leaving, we wound up on an Israeli-winery-scavenger-hunt. And it was grand! We started at one winery, which turned out being closed, but the very nice guy at the front counter pointed us just down the road to the Bazelet and Assaf wineries. Then, at the Assaf winery we met a very sweet man from Tiberias who told us we had to visit the Chateau Golan winery. Assaf called and told the owner to wait for us (as it was already 3:30 in the afternoon). So, long story short, we drank lots of good wine, met some interesting people... and then wound up buying lots of good wine. Including Madonna's favorite wine from the Dalton winery. Good times.

Tasting at the Assaf Winery

The car ride home on Wednesday was... well... long. As there were five of us in the car, I was very happy to get back to Jerusalem and out of the car. On the ride back down we stopped in Tzfat for about an hour to buy some candles and check out the artists' quarter. (How cool is it that we were just able to "stop by" Tzfat?!?!). Two winters ago I was in Israel on a Taglit Birthright trip with Livnot U'Lehibanot, and spent a week on their Tzfat campus. I've not been back to Tzfat since, but my memory took over in directing us towards the Artist's quarter - funny how there's that feeling-center of the brain which can sometimes tell the thinking-part of the brain to sit back and relax, its doing the driving.

We got back to Jerusalem Wednesday night, leaving me with three full days of freedom left. I don't think I got out of bed Thursday except to doll up a little and meet my friend Jen for sushi at "Sushi Rechavia" - my favorite sushi place in Jerusalem - and, apparently, Benjamin Netanyahu's favorite place too! He was sitting right behind us with his "entourage" and many body guards. Darn good sushi... mm... must plan my next trip back.

So, vacation is over, and tomorrow marks the opening of a new chapter: the first day of Rabbinical school! What have I been doing all summer, if not attending Rabbinical school, you might ask? And that would be a good question - Ulpan is most definitely an integral part of Rabbinical school, but it's also something I've done before. I was prepared for what was in store... Rabbinical school though - not something I've experienced yet, and I'm excited, and more than a little nervous. It's been four years since I've had the back-to-school jitters, and it's a little weird. I'll let you know how it goes...

Until we meet again - L'hitraot (see ya later!)

How to cook lentils

It's over - Ulpan has ended and the first leg of this Year in Israel program has come to a close. Which means two things:
1 - Full time classes are going to start, but first,
2 - VACATION!

Classes ended on Tuesday with an end-of-the semester final, and an end-of-Ulpan party, complete with a Felafel lunch courtesy of HUC. For the last two years I've been on the teacher-end of the end-of-school festivities: planning parties, buying supplies, getting report cards ready for the teachers to fill out, etc. But I must say, it was pretty fun being on the receiving end of the festivities this time! I know, this was only a 6 week term, but it is sort of momentous in my mind. It means that I've been here for two months already, and that the summer is, essentially, over. Many of my Israeli friends have been going through the process of taking their end-of-the-year finals this summer (Israeli University finals function on a very different system than American Colleges - their tests are spread out over the course of two months instead of one or two weeks. Intense.) and are now finished. Israeli school children, for the most part, have a few weeks before school starts, so the country in general is full of the feel of summer vacation.

After Ulpan finished on Tuesday afternoon I came home to take a celebratory nap after doing what I can only assume was a good job on the test (as I found out yesterday that I will be moving up one level in hebrew, from kitah bet to kitah gimmel, for the fall semester). A friend, and former Hillel student of mine, Michael, was in town visiting his family. Not only did we get a chance to catch up, but I was lucky enough to receive an invite to his cousin's engagement party being hosted that evening by Michael's grandparents. First of all, Michael's family was instantly warm and welcoming. The party itself was an erusin, Engagement party, of sorts for Michael's cousin. The groom's family is large, warm, and very Israeli, and Michael and I got to practice our Hebrew quite a bit. It was really lovely to experience a family gathering, especially a family as lovely and warm as Michael's.

The next day we had a 10 hour long tiyyul (field trip), called "Walking the Bible". Well, there sure was a lot of walking... and it was insanely hot. My mother, and many other people's mothers, have told me: "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." So I'll stop here. I WILL say that we ended the day at an archaeological site in Ashkelon, right on the water. The sight of the brilliant-blue Mediterranean brightened my mood as soon as I got off of the bus - and I was a completely new person once we got into the water. I've not really had much experience with actually swimming and playing in the sea, as the Pacific Ocean is a little cold up on the Oregon Coast. My friends and I were some of the last to join the group in the water and by the time we got there, the majority of our class was already playing in the sea. It was such a sweet sight to see everyone together playing like little kids in the water. It was also quite fun to join in.

Today was the first real day of chofesh, vacation, and I used it well - I stayed in bed and started to read the new Harry Potter book. What a delight. I also ventured into the world of the culinary arts tonight. I can count on one hand the number of times that I have turned on my stove in this apartment. The past year I was spoiled by the fact that I lived with roommates who loved to cook, and was also surrounded by really good take-out restaurants. All of which meant that my meager cooking skills have gone by the wayside (I'm still a mean baker though!). So, in an effort to eat the food in my fridge before leaving on vacation, I threw together a little something. The only problem was that I did not know, in fact, how to cook lentils, which I happened to have in my pantry (now that I think of it, I'm really not entirely certain how old said lentils were...). I'm not sure that the proper way to cook lentils is any clearer to me now than it was a few hours ago, but I do think I have a better idea of what not to do next time. Did I mention that I did well on my Hebrew exam?

Tomorrow I head off on a 5 day adventure with my friends David, Lauren, Tami and Greg - first to Tel Aviv for the weekend and then up the coast and into the Galilee to visit the Israeli Wine Country. I think it goes without saying that I'm excited. Really, all I need out of this vacation is some time to sit, either on the beach or in a hammock, with my big floppy hat, a glass of wine, and Harry Potter. Really. All I need.

As I write this entry out on my mirpeset in the warm Jerusalem evening, I'm being treated to an open air concert somewhere nearby. I can't put a finger on who it is exactly, but I think I just heard them singing "Gesher Tzar M'od" Hm. Crazy. Ah Summer.

OH! One more thing! This week my immediate family celebrates the addition of its newest member! Mom and Stan adopted the most precious little King Charles Spaniel, Zoe! I'm quite jealous, as she looks like the cutest puppy ever and I know that if I hadn't left for the other-side-of-the-world, they never would have gotten her. So it's really a bit of a catch-22.

Zoe: My Replacement

Happy end-of-summer!

Photos

Me, Keren, Jen and Lea Volunteering at the Mega Event - Free T-Shirt?

Me and Adam in Class - Typical Facial Expressions

David, Lauren, Lyle and Hannah - 1/4 of Kitah Bet

HUC Beit Cafe/Open Mic
i.e. Ulprom 2007

Homesickness: The First Pangs

It was bound to happen. Slowly, but surely, I've started having moments of homesickness. I went through a phase in my life when I was always the homesick kid: at camp, at sleepovers, on school trips, you name it - I missed my mommy. Then, in college and for a few years afterwards, I was the exact opposite of homesick. I was always excited to be away from the familiar, trying new things, meeting new people, exploring, and doing everything except being at home (sorry Mom). This homesick-feeling is different, as I now have so many places that I consider home! It's not as simple anymore. For instance, I had my first Seattle dream the other night - and it wasn't about the people that I miss in Seattle (of which there are plenty), nor of the places that I miss in Seattle (of which there are, also, many) it was simply about summertime in Seattle. I believe I was sitting at El Camino having a Margarita in my dream, which is, honestly, something I've only ever done ONCE in my life. Really. I also miss my parents! It appears I have outgrown my adolescent aversion to missing my parents. And then there's "The Family" at large... oy... Especially my 5-month-old nephew, Calvin. At this point in his short life, I've been away more than I've been around!

I also find these moments of missing-home striking me at the oddest moments. This morning, sitting in Shabbat services, I was struck by a familiar tune, and immediately thrown back to sitting in the Pollin Chapel at Temple Beth Israel, listening to Cantor Schiff singing the same melody, and suddenly missed Temple Beth Israel more than I think I have since I moved to California for college 8 years ago. Wow, 8 years ago? Anyway...

It has been an interesting week in many ways. Sunday I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Taglit Birthright Mega event here in Jerusalem. "The Mega," is just that... MEGA. Every birthright participant who is in the country at the time on a birthright trip gets crammed into the Jerusalem Convention Center for a few hours of entertainment, not-so-subtle hints about making Aliyah from various Israeli government officials, and then "the largest Jewish dance party ever". It's hilarious. And strange. But it was nice to be able to give back a little as a birthright alumna, to staff the birthright alumni table. I thought we would be interacting with the current participants, answering questions about life after birthright. Nope. It was like I was a JCSC fellow all over again, pushing "Judaism-for-free" on these kids. We were, for reasons I'm still not entirely sure of, giving away CDs of Israeli "Indie-Rock" in English....? Yeah I don't know. But, the four of us HUC students who staffed the table had a grand-ole time. It was neat to be on the other side of the Mega event, and to get a different, less exhausted and adrenaline'd out perspective.

This Wednesday was Rosh Chodesh Elul, the first of the Jewish month of introspection leading up to the High Holidays. HUC students were treated to a 4:30 am Sephardi Selichot service up on French Hill, just adjacent to the Hebrew University Campus. It was an interesting experience. Aside from getting up at 3:30 in order to meet the charter bus at school at 4am (it's been a long time since I have seen that hour of the day) the service itself was interesting. We, the women, had to sit upstairs in the Ezrat Nashim (women's section), and quite frankly, it was a little too early in the morning for me to have any feelings of righteous indignation. If I'm being totally honest, I would admit that it was sort of nice to sit upstairs and not be "obligated" to rise with the rest of the congregation, or feel the pressure to pretend that I wasn't completely lost in the service. As far as women's sections go, this one wasn't so bad. There was a beautiful metal lattice-work grille in front of the balcony to obscure the men's view of us (I guess I've got some retroactive righteous indignation), but it actually lent a very beautiful physical element to the experience of the service. The Sephardi melodies were beautiful, and the Rabbi singing the penitential prayers actually sounded mournful and deeply sorrowful - I could not help but be moved by that. Plus they had really delicious tea. So, all in all, it was a good experience. Honestly, I would do it again.

As we move through this month of Elul, we are supposed to be introspective, to really take stock of our lives in preparation for the New Year and the Day of Atonement. I've never actually paid attention to Elul before. In the past few years, Elul has been dedicated to getting ready for the High Holidays on a very mundane level - making sure there were enough school supplies, setting curriculum, working. We are finishing Ulpan on Tuesday and then have a 10 day break before fall semester begins again. I am hoping to take this opportunity, this gift of not having to work, to so some of the nitty-gritty Elul exploration. It's something that I used to be good at - well, as good as anyone can really be at critically evaluating oneself - and over the course of the last 4 years have stopped doing. This is one of the things that I love about Judaism and the passage of "Jewish Time," we have these opportunities throughout the year to check-in, to take a look at our lives and make changes, or begin to understand how to make those changes. There are four new years in the Jewish calendar: Rosh Hashana, Tu B'Shevat - the new year of the trees, The New year of the Kings - I can't remember when or what that is, and Pesach. I usually take the opportunity to do some spiritual spring-cleaning around Pesach, as for some reason the metaphor of leaving Mitzrayim has always been more tangible (I've moved around a lot), but I've never been able to pay close attention to Elul and the rituals therein. I'm beginning to understand that, other than just a first year of Grad School, this year in Jerusalem is ripe with opportunities to give myself and my soul some of the attention it truly needs.

So, how did I get from homesickness to introspection? I'm not sure... it's just what has happened this week.

Much love and many blessings.

Oh yeah, there IS a world outside of Jerusalem!

Six weeks. I have been here for six weeks already! How many times, in those six weeks have I left Jerusalem? Well, until yesterday, the answer to that question would have been "one." The combination of trying to establish a life here, finding a balance between "work" and "play", and generally acclimating myself has kept me pretty Jerusalem-bound. Also, the fact that I am here by myself has kept my adventures limited to mostly the Jerusalem area, as I tend to not go out adventuring all on my own very often. As a quasi-only child, I'm used to keeping myself entertained, and think that I have done a decent job thus far of so doing, but the time has come to break out of the bubble of HUC and Jerusalem and experience some more of this wonderful and complex country.

Yesterday, Friday, I did just that. I spent the morning and afternoon with a few fellow HUC students at the Ein Gedi spa on the Dead Sea. Words probably cannot describe how wonderful it was, but I'll give it a try. The weather was perfect: hot sun and warm breeze. Just sitting out by the pool was amazing. I feel as though I've not really had much of a relaxing summer - so yesterday was a taste of heaven. Sitting out by the pool was lovely in and of itself, but, dayenu, I decided to treat myself to a massage, and I'm glad that I did. It was, quite possibly, the best massage of my life. After the massage, feeling like Jell-O, I wandered down to the Dead Sea with some friends, floated until that got old, then went back to the pool. The Ein Gedi spa is pretty no-frills in terms of what we would consider a "spa" in the U.S. but I'm tellin' you, after six weeks of schlepping, stressing, sweating, and generally running around - this humble little spa hit the spot. And apparently it's a pretty popular spot as it was packed by the time we left.

I returned to Jerusalem with a few short hours to freshen up and rest before hopping into a car with some friends to head to Herziliya for a concert. Two trips out of Jerusalem in one day! And to two completely different parts of the country! Here I have been sitting in J'lem for the past six weeks thinking that it would be such a shlep to get out of the city - or waiting for my Israeli friends to invite me. Silly me. It took us about an hour to get to Herziliya, and as it was Erev Shabbat the roads were, blessedly, quite clear. Suzie, fellow classmate and driver-par-excellance, did an AMAZING job of navigating the roads (Israeli drivers are insane, think Boston-traffic, only worse). We grabbed a quick dinner near the beach in Herziliya while reveling at life-outside-of-Jerusalem. It was so nice to see women who dress like me, children who dress like my nieces and nephews, and men who would make eye contact with me. Jerusalem is a wonderful city, I love it here, and I'm gradually making headway with my tentative feelings about being a Reform-Jewish-Woman here... but boy, did it feel nice to be in a city where my only "otherness" is the country on my passport! Again, dayenu, after a nice dinner near the ocean, we went to an amazing concert by Israeli musician Idan Raichel. (It so turns out I just gave my Hebrew oral presentation on Idan Raichel, so I was well prepared.)

Idan Raichel's first album, The Idan Raichel Project, was released in 2001 and was one of the first forays by an Israeli popular musician into the realm of "world music". The project really focused on fusing Ethiopian music with Israeli, and it was a massive hit. His second album came out in 2005, the last time I was here, and ventured out from only Ethiopian music to more of a "world vibe" - and it is simply amazing. They both are. And he and his band put on a fantastic show. Going to concerts has long been one of my favorite things to do. There is little in this world more moving to me than being a part of the momentary community that happens at concerts. Idan Raichel played this show in a rather small venue (about half the size of the Keller Auditorium in Portland, sort of like the Moore in Seattle), so it was intimate, but it was definitely a "seated" concert. He's playing again tonight at an open-air amphitheater in Binyamina and I'm sure that will be equally as amazing! I can't express how happy I was to not only get out of Jerusalem for a little while, but to do so in order to see one of my favorite musical groups.

We got home at about 1 am, and I proceeded to sleep for 12 hours - apparently I needed it. I was plum tuckered from a day full of relaxation. I'm feeling happy, rested, and re-energized, which is what Shabbat is all about, right? I don't spend all of my shabbatot in "real life" going to services and making shabbat dinners, so why would I spend all of my shabbatot in Israel doing that? Shabbat, in my estimation, is a day of rest from the rigours of the day-to-day world. Shabbat is a taste of the world to come. I'll be one happy camper if the world to come is full of sunshine, really good masseuses, good food and live music. You may disagree with my version of "keeping" and "remembering" Shabbat, and if so, more power to you, but this is my blog, and my experience.

Shabbat Shalom v'Shavua Tov L'kulam.

Until we meet again...

Some photos of the past week

Brian's Birthday dinner: with the Birthday boy, and fellow Kitah Bet rockstar, Hannah.

Sunset over the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum

My friend, and former student, Eli, giving a presentation at the Jewish Agency on her organization, Challah for Hunger. (I used to drive Eli to the grocery store to buy ingredients for her Challah-baking group when I was the JCSC at Claremont, and she a Scripps freshman. I'm so proud of how far it, and she, have come!)

Celebrating the first of three HUC birthdays this week!