Erev Rabah

2006-04-10T08:42:00.000+03:00

On the run update...

Okay... so as usual, I am on the run... but this month a little more so than in the past. Thus, it will take me a while to finish talking about Mariele's visit (sorry). This is what this month looks like:

30 March - 5 April: Prague and Poland (Crackow, Warsaw, Auschuwitz/Birkinow) with NFTY (acted as staff for the NFTY in Israel High School in Israel program and learning how to be a guide/educator for my summer job)
6 April - 9 April: On a trip to the south with HUC (we camped in the Eilat Mountains, stayed on a kibbutz, and Alon and I went scuba diving twice)
11 April - 18 April: In the Ukraine, in the Crimea, on the Black Sea (Alon and I will be running Passover seders (ceremonial meals) for communities that otherwise would not have these Jewish events)
19 April - 24 April: Ginelle's wedding in Seattle (YEAH Ginelle!!!)

We are talking about 5 countries in 4 weeks folks. That's a lot of travel.
I promise more pictures as soon as I have a chance to sit in front of my computer for more than 15 minutes at a time.

Much love!
lauren

2006-03-22T17:54:00.000+02:00

15 March 2006

Mariele and I awoke early on Wednesday morning, picked up a rental car, and sprinted south to Masada and the Dead Sea.

Mariele and I arrived in Masada first. We hiked up the 450 meter high plateau to the ancient ruins atop the mountain. Masada began as a palace-fortress, built by King Herod, and later developed into a Jewish settlement during the time of the Romans. During the revolt against the Romans in the 70s, a group of Jewish rebels held their last stand at Masada; an event for which Masada is famous.

From the palace, it is possible to see much of the Dead Sea and the surrounding area. It is a gorgeous view. The ruins, although partially reconstructed, are also very interesting. They contain a variety of baths, both Roman and Jewish, houses, storerooms, and royal palaces. Mariele and I wandered around the archeological ruins until the afternoon, when we hiked back down the plateau.

From Masada, Mariele and I drove back along the Dead Sea until we reached the Ein Ghedi beach. I am always amazed at the bouyancy level when swimming in the Dead Sea. Mariele and I stood straight up in the water and were still able to float easily. It is really cool to be able to walk on water, even if it means that two-thirds of you is submerged.

After washing off, we drove back to Jerusalem so that I could take a test on Thursday and we could prepare for the next trip.

I will try to post more pictures soon.... the website hasn't been letting me post more than this one picture.

Much love
l

2006-03-21T08:59:00.000+02:00

Purim! (Evening of March 13th to afternoon of March 14th)

Purim was a blast. Mariele and I started to welcome in Purim at school. There was dressing up and drinking and musical and comic performances.

Alon joined us as Mariele and I migrated to a friend's party in Jerusalem. Everyone was in costumes (I went as a married ultra orthodox woman and Mariele went "white trash"). The party was fantastic, and a classic way to celebrate Purim.

The next morning, we drove to Tel Aviv to participate in the street carnival there.

After wandering around the carnival, we walked down to the beach. Mariele and I ate at a beach-side cafe and enjoyed the sun. Towards the evening, we walked to the Tel Aviv market, Shuk Ha Carmel, and shopped in a large crafts festival in the "trendy district" of Tel Aviv. From there, we walked to the ancient city of Yaffo to see the old street and buildings and look at the view of a lighted Tel Aviv.

We met Alon again in Ra'anana and hung out with some friends there.
Wednesday morning, Mariele and I were back in Jerusalem, renting a car. But that is for the next blog.

I will post pictures of all of this once this site lets me.

2006-03-10T07:41:00.000+02:00

Like a chicken without a head...

Or at least that is what I am feeling like lately. To my great happiness, Mariele came into town on Wednesday. We went out to dinner at a lovely little restaurant, called Timol Shimshom. On Thursday morning, I sent her down to Eilat - to sit on the beach - and to Petra in Jordan - to go see all of the beautiful archeological remains that are there (see my entry about Petra over the summer for pictures of Petra, etc.). I am jealous of her trip, because it should be so much fun, and I hope that she enjoys herself. As for me, I had a Hebrew test on Thursday, plus make up classes, plus volunteering, plus the beginning of my weekend with my NFTY course. I will be in the course for the rest of the weekend, from breakfast to past dinner. Then, on Sunday, I have a huge midterm, and on Monday I am leading my first worship service since I was, like, 18. I am really nervous for it... but I am hoping that it goes well.

Needless to say, things are busy and I am spending a lot of time studying.
Hope all are doing well!

2006-03-06T17:51:00.000+02:00

Mary Virginia comes to town

Mary VA arrived in Jerusalem on Wednesday afternoon. After running around the Old City on Thursday afternoon (we visited the Western Wall, Church of the Holy Seplecur, and Temple Mount archeological museum/site), and my performance at the Monologues on Thursday evening, we jetted up to Tel Aviv for Friday morning. There we wandered around the Carmel Market, shmoozed in a café, walked around southern Tel Aviv, saw the Friday art fair, and made sandcastels at the beach on the Mediterranean. From there, we drove with Alon up to the Galilee, stopping by the Mount Tabor monastary (seen to the left) and the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) along the way. (There is a picture of the Kinneret, near Tiberias, to the right.)

We slept in Ramot Naftali, on the Lebanese border in northern Israel on Friday evening. (See picture to the left of me and Mary VA in front of the Lebanese border.) On Saturday morning, we drove further north, into the Golan. There, we wandered around a kibbutz in Kfar Giladi and went horseback riding there in the blooming flowers of the Golan (the north is green and filled with flowers this time of year). From there we went to Metula to check out wild tulips. (See some pictures of the flowers below and to the right.) We saw Nachal Saar, a series of waterfalls near Baniyas and the Nimrod fortress, on the southern border of the Hermon mountain range. We traveled through the Golan, through the Druze village of Masade, to the volcanic mountain of Ben Tal, where we wandered around an old Israeli fort. After that, we drove down the Syrian border on a very bumpy road to briefly see the Black Waterfalls of the El Al stream in the southern Golan Heights. We drove through the West Bank, stopping off there for lunch/dinner. We took a series of pictures with soldiers in the West Bank (ahh, to be tourists). From there, we sprinted back to Jerusalem for my final show for the Monologues.

Mary VA left very early on Sunday morning. It was really a blast to have her in town, and I am really happy that she visited. Safe trip home, Mary V :)

2006-03-06T17:45:00.000+02:00

Vagina Success!

I performed in the Vagina Monologues this weekend (performances on Thursday and Saturday nights). It was a huge success - I am really happy about my performance both nights that we did the show. More importantly, we raised over 12,000 shekels for a women's crisis center in Jerusalem. This is a lot of money here, and we are all very proud of everyone's efforts.

I will post pictures of the performance after I get the "official" pictures (clearly, as I was acting, I could not be taking pictures as well).

2006-03-01T09:49:00.000+02:00

I got really sick this week with an upper resperatory viral infection... it has pretty much put me down for the count. But, it does mean that I have a few minutes to upload one or two pictures from a trip that Alon and I took a the weekend before last.

We traveled up North; this time of year the North is covered in little red, yellow, purple, and white flowers. The weather is gorgeous these days - blue skies, crisp air, green grass (although many of the trees are still bare, as it is still winter). We saw horses and cows and tree-lined farm fields and orchards and street-side pita vendors and picnic-ers and a big spice market and pick-your-own-strawberries. It was beautiful.

Alon and I also decided to visit Nazareth. The Church of the Annunciation was amazing. (It is supposedly situated at Mary's house, where the angel Gabriel declared that Mary would give birth to Jesus.) The outside is lined with a series of depictions of Jesus in the arms of Mary from a variety of different countries (including a Japanese, Thailandi, and other national appearing mother and babe). It was very interesting. This is not compared to the inside of the church, which is fantastic. The interior uses a pseudo-archeological dig in combination with modern architecture to create two different sanctuaries, one above the other. It was really interesting.

Alon and I returned home after this part of the trip. If I ever get pictures of the spice market that we visited, I will post them up as well.

Time to go back to bed now. Hope everyone at home is well.
l

2006-02-19T06:46:00.000+02:00

Busy, busy, busy

Over the past few weeks, my weekdays have been nothing but busy.

HUC is putting on the Vagina Monologues. I auditioned and got in! I was cast in one of the bigger monologues, Angry Vagina, which is exciting (in that oh-goodness-do-I-really-have-to-say-vagina-all-the-time kind of way). Our fundraising efforts and performance proceeds will benefit a rape crisis center for religious women in Jerusalem. Our funds will also benefit Asian comfort women, who were taken as sex slaves by the Japanese government to "serve" Japanese soldiers. Needless to say, these are important causes, but rehearsals keep me busier than ever.

On to other things that have been keeping me busy...

Besides my usual early morning working out (I have been getting up about an hour and a half before school starts in order to exercise), I joined a body sculpting class with some of the other ladies at HUC on Sunday evenings. It is a lot of fun and I always wake up sore the next morning (which is fantastic).

And finally...

I have been doing a big fundraising effort for our Passover trip to the Former Soviet Union. I organized over eighty letters to go out to just as many different Jewish organizations throughout the states that are represented by my other classmates who are traveling to all around the FSU.
I think that the effort is almost complete, and the letters should be going out this week. It is a relief to have them off of my plate (almost). I just hope that they bring nice returns.

In other news...

Two weeks ago, my Israel seminar took my classmates and I to an Israeli airforce base. As Alon was in the airforce during his service and I have been on bases - both in the States and in Israel - , this was not as exciting for me as for others. Nonetheless, we met one of the few women navigators in the airforce and got to stand happily close to F-16s and the like. And that part was super cool. No matter how old you are, it is always neat to stand next to a plane, especially a plane that flies but is not actually aerodynamic. (Who knew?)

And...

Alon's grandparents have been very ill lately, and his grandfather went in for surgery in Tel Aviv this weekend. Alon and I spent a large portion of this weekend in Tel Aviv and hanging out with his grandparents. It reminded me of home and that many people at home who are in my family, are ill as well. It made me homesick and sad, even though I was glad to be there for Alon's family.
Alon and I also went on a half-day trip to the North and Nazareth and some other interesting places... But I need to get going, so I will save that trip for another blog.

Much love to home,
lauren

2006-02-04T20:37:00.000+02:00

Pictures and such...
While I will update you on this past week and a half - which has been beyond busy - in a little bit, I got my hands on some of Donna's wedding photos, so I thought that I would share a few with you. The first is of Alon and me at the party, after dancing for a little while. The second is of Donna and her new husband, Adam, during the ceremony (Alon and Donna's parents, Yossi and Orna, can be partially seen on each side of the bride and groom). And the final picture is utterly vain and self-aggrandizing -- it is just of me, towards the end of the night while I was talking to a few friends. It is a nice picture and I figured that Grammie and Grampie and Grandma would like it. :)

I hope that all is going well with you.
Much love, l

2006-01-28T08:15:00.000+02:00

Congratulations and Mazel Tov to Donna and Adam!

Donna, Alon's younger sister, married her boyfriend of four years, Adam on Thursday, the 19th of January. The wedding was a beautiful affair, in an enclosed garden-like setting and with great food. Donna looked gorgeous, as all brides are. The happy couple will be honeymooning in Thailand for two months before moving to Italy to begin medical school.

On a personal note, I had a great time at the wedding - many of my (and Alon's) friends were there, in addition to much of Alon's family (who I also know). So, it was a lot of fun and very nice to see everyone having a good time as well.

I will put of pictures of the event (and me and Alon at it) as soon as the blog site lets me.

2006-01-25T06:55:00.000+02:00

Back in the Saddle Again...

This semester, school started off with a bang, and by bang, I mean colloquium. Starting on the 18th of January, my classmates and I trekked back to HUC to discuss topics such as Jewish identity, the history of the Reform Movement and its platforms, and the challenges that currently face progressive Judaism. There was a lot of discussion about the importance and problems of growing individualism and personal (not communal) spirituality movement. Certainly, it was an interesting few days. I missed the "leadership" section of the colloquium for Alon's sister's wedding (which I will talk about in another blog).

School began in full swing the following Sunday (January 21st). I have decided to not take enrichment (elective) classes this semester in an effort to both lighten my work load and give myself some more time to do things like go grocery shopping or do homework for my other nine classes. (And yes, I have nine classes in one semester in graduate school, plus activities... it is insane.)

My schedule for this semester is as follows:
Sunday: Hebrew, News in Hebrew, Rabbinic Literature, and Liturgy.
Monday: Prayer workshop, Hebrew, Biblical Grammar, and Rabbinic Forum.
Tuesday: Rabbinic Literature, Hebrew, History, and I work in the library in the evenings.
Wednesday is occupied entirely by Israel Seminar.
Thursday: Hebrew, Bible, and then I have volunteering.

This semester, Wednesdays will also be occupied by preparatory classes for my mission trip to the Former Soviet Union during Passover. I will be learning about how to lead a seder, speak a few words of Russian, and about the history and culture of the FSU in general and also of the specific area to which I am headed (namely Crimea, which is on the Black Sea). This is an important project to me which needs a lot of fundraising, so I will be talking about it again and again in later blogs, I am sure.

To add furthur to my work-load, I am taking a course for my job this summer. Yes, I have happily found a great job for this summer; I will be guiding a group of about 40 kids from NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth) around Israel. I am really excited about this job; it will be an unimaginable amount of work and very little sleep, but it should be amazingly fun. They are also sending me to Prague and Cyprus as a part of this trip (I might also get to go to Krakow and Warsaw, but that is yet to be seen). However, in order to be a guide for this program, I am taking a course with all of the other NFTY guides (called mechanchim in Hebrew). While interesting, this course will occupy at least one full weekend every month, if not more. The first weekend of learning begins this weekend. I will keep you updated on how things are going.

Well, that is it about school for now. It is hard to tell how things are going, as I have not completed my first week of the semester yet, but I am trying hard to stay positive and on top of my work.

I hope to hear from you soon,
love
lauren

2006-01-20T22:25:00.000+02:00

Cathedrals and Motzart Concerts

It is no secret that I am a history dork with a big travel bug. So when I found out that I had a day long stop-over in Vienna, a city which I haven't been to in a very long time, I took full advantage of the situation.

I arrived in Vienna early on the 10th of January. After grabbing a travel guide book in the airport and dropping off my luggage at the hostel, I proceeded to the best spot in any European city to gain one's barings: the oldest cathedral. If one can say anything about the Catholic Church, it is that they knew how to pick prime real estate when "Old Europe" was new. Going to a European city's cathedral is not only an interesting and easy way to learn about much of a city's history and when it grew in importance, but also an excellent way to ensure that one is now in any city's historical or ancient quarter.

Vienna's cathedral is named St. Stephen, or Stephansdom in German. It is a prime example of 13th, 14th, 15th century and Baroque architecture, in addition to the Church's tendancy to build on top of its previously constructed buildings in the style of the day. The cathedral is situated close to the river which runs through Vienna, the Donau and within walking distance to Vienna's museum quarter.

From the cathedral, I covered much ground in very little time. I walked around Heldenplatz and the People's Garden (Volksgarten), the Parliment, and the Opera House, visited the Royal Apartments and saw their fine china/silver collection. I spent time wandering the Museum Quarter and extensive time in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, which is the fine art museum that focuses on the Old Masters from the 15th to the 18th centuries. Positively delicious. I used lunch to read about Vienna's long history (which I won't bore you with here) and window shopped along the posh Kohlmarkt and surrounding area. As the afternoon grew older, I returned to my hotel for a much needed nap.

In the evening, I arose and dressed warmly for an evening with the Salonorchester "Alt Wien" at the Kursalon, which is located at the end of Stadtpart. It was fabulous. The small orchestra played some of the best (or at least my favorite) selections from Mozart and Strauss. They also brought in two ballet dancers and two excellent opera singers.

Live ballet, opera, and classical music, plus a little bit of Chinese food for dinner (hey, I had a craving) - I could not have asked for a better way to end a day.

So, I arose early on the 11th of January and left for the airport to fly home to Israel.
Hope all is well at home... and I promise that as soon as I figure out the new camera, I will post pictures as well...
Hugs
lauren

2006-01-20T22:03:00.000+02:00

Home again home again, gig-itty-gig.

On the first of January, I returned home for a nine day stint in the States. Highlights included going to the Corcoran with Ben, having dinner with my cousins, aunt, and uncle, and hanging out with my friends and all of my grandparents. (I am not sure if anyone doesn't want their names posted, so we'll keep this safe.)

It was so much fun to see and talk to everyone. It was really refreshing and made me super happy. Thank you to very much.

I left DC on the 9th to return to my other home, Israel, but on the way I made a stop-over in Vienna, Austria.

But that is the next blog.
Much love,
l

2006-01-20T21:59:00.000+02:00

First and foremost, I am sorry for not writing in such a long time. Things got busy, but they always are busy, so that is no excuse. I apologize.

So, let’s quickly cover much ground and catch up.

The final highlight of October (wow that was so long ago) was….
Simchat Torah, which fell on the 26th of October this year, is the celebration of the children of Israel receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai. It also marks the full and complete end of autumn’s High Holidays. I celebrated it with Alon and many of my classmates on a kibbutz named Gezer (which means carrot, go figure…). We danced, we sang, we drank apple cider. It was good.

November is a sad month this year, as it did not have any official Jewish holidays, other than the usual celebration of the beginning of the month and Shabbat at the end of each week. So, most of November was marked with school work and more school work. (Alon and I only got to go rock climbing a couple of times, which is disappointing.) Also, I gave my first “rabbinical school” d’var Torah (sermon). It was on the portion Lech Lecha, where God commands Abraham to leave his home and go to a land which God will show to Abraham. I used this as a jumping off point to discuss discovering God in different places and the importance of inner search and growth, a topic which no one else had discussed yet and a big topic for a first sermon. Nonetheless, I thought it went over relatively well and was more or less happy with the whole thing.

Despite all of the work, the end of November was fantastic, as I got to travel and see Mom, Dad, and Ben.

The Saturday before Thanksgiving, I flew into Paris where I met Mom, Dad, and Ben in the airport. Ben needed to travel with his university program during the first few days that we were in Paris. So, Dad, Mom, and I determined to visit many of the sites that Ben had obviously seen before our arrival.

During our first few days in Paris, Dad, Mom, and I visited the Musée D’Orsay, wandered around the “Ancient City” of Paris, which includes the Palais de Justice, Ste-Chapelle, Notre Dame, an assortment of little markets, and Pont Neuf. We took a boat ride up and down to the Seine River – during which we not only saw a variety of palaces and grand museums, like the Louvre, but also stopped off to explore the Eiffel Tower. (We were adventurous enough to walk down from the second floor to the first floor, but did not walk all of the way up and down the tower. Instead, we took the elevator all of the way up and all of the way down.)

Once Ben came back, we began exploring other parts of Paris and started using the Parisian subway system (which is terribly confusing if you are just used to the relatively uncomplicated DC Metro). As a side note, Paris has one of the oldest public transportation systems in the world. But during the late 1800s/early 1900s, before the idea of underground train systems took off, Parisian architects considered constructing a system of elevated canals to ferry people throughout the city. Can you imagine walking under one of these raised rivers just after it had sprung a leak?

Back onto the task of summarizing the Paris trip, after Ben’s return, we visited the Louvre (concentrating on mainly the Italian wing, which includes not only Winged Victory and large collection of Greek and Roman statues, but also famous works like the Mona Lisa), the Marais (which is the old Jewish quarter that is now filled with wonderful little shops and restaurants), Sacre C’ur Basilica, the Jardin des Tuileries, the Avenue des Champs-Elysees and the Arc du Triumph, and the Picasso Museum. We ate at the café where the movie Amilie was filmed, and generally consumed enormous amounts of pastries and excellent multi-course meals. We visited the Pompidou, and we saw a fantastic exhibition on Dadaism there (the largest that has been gather together in Paris since the 1920s, when Dada was in its hey-day). We also met Ben’s host mom, Catrine, and hung out with Mom’s student-exchange sister from the Netherlands and her husband, all of whom were very nice. I also ran on the banks of the Seine, the Louvre courtyards, and Jardin de Tuileries. It was terribly cold, but lovely. And on Thanksgiving Day, Mom made mashed potatoes and pecan pie in the little apartment that we rented for the week. It was delicious.

Mom and Dad left Paris a day before I did. Since I left very late the next day, Ben and I had two full days to hang out in Paris. We made the most of it. We went to the Louvre for an entire day. We visited the two other main wings, which I had not touched on my previous visit. Ben, who studied French art during his semester, gave me a tour of the French wing. While Ben did work for one of his term papers, I meandered about the wing with an audio guide – it was so enjoyable. After that, we proceeded to get thoroughly lost in the museum and wandered into the other wings and some very interesting exhibitions (including the Egyptian one – I have never seen so many mummy cases or sarcophagi in one place… it was so cool). The next day, Ben and I toured around Paris, revisiting some sites, enjoying cafes, Paris, and especially time with each other. All in all, it was an unbelievable and fantastic trip. I was sad to have to return to school.

But return I did. Most of December was spent in a furied attempt to catch up with all of my class work and then study for finals. However, right after I returned from Paris, HUC conducted a trip to Haifa and smaller northern cities such as Sefad and Tzippori. We also visited one of my favorite places in Israel, Caesaria. Caesaria was an ancient Roman port, turned palace-city by King Herod, turned fort by invading Crusaders. It is a beautiful and interesting place. (You can also go scuba diving in underwater ruins there.) However, most of our time, we spent in Haifa, learning about the blossoming Reform community there. There are two major centers for Reform Judaism in Haifa, namely the Leo Baeck Education Center (which includes a synagogue) and Synagogue Or Hadash (which includes an after-school education program). It seems like they are doing excellent work at both of these places. And it is always intriguing to learn about the relative absence and growth of the Israeli Reform Movement.

Alon and I went climbing on New Years Eve Day with our friends Naomi and Shachar. That evening, we threw a party at Naomi’s place in Raanana. Many of my (and Alon’s) closest friends (from Israel) were there. It was really a blast; we drank and ate and danced and talked. It was a great way to welcome in 2006.

And on the first of January, I returned back to the United States for a short break. But that brings us up to the present, so all of that will be in the next (not as long) blog.

Much love
l

2005-11-18T15:46:00.000+02:00

Did my dvar Torah and am in Paris; will write later.

2005-10-26T20:26:00.000+02:00

Gone Scuba Diving (October 14th to the 22nd)

The day after Yom Kippur marked the first day of Sukkot vacation from HUC. Alon and I headed up to Ra'anana for Erev Shabbat on the 14th of October. A few of our friends returned recently from India and Thailand, and we visited with one or two. On Saturday, we flew to Eilat with our friends Naomi and Amit. (Yes, amazingly, there are super cheap flights to Eilat.)

Sunday marked our first day of intensive scuba diving class. This class continued every day throughout the next seven days. We did at least two scuba dives a day, in addition to scuba diving theory class. The first (and main) set of scuba dives involved taking off masks, removing regulators (breathing thingy) and all other pieces of equiptment, and then putting everything back on underwater, plus learning to swim properly with all of this stuff. Theory classes involved minimal physics lessons, what to in emergencies, and the potential dangers of diving. All of this was difficult, and a little scary, but especially so for me as all of it was in Hebrew. Alon translated some for me, but nonetheless it reminded me of being in ulpan all over again.

(Above, from left to right, is a picture of Gal, our scuba instructor, me, Alon, Amit, and Naomi.)The scuba course took us to Eilat's aquarium and nature reserve. Since our instructor is learning to be a marine biologist, it was a very interesting and informative (although, again, all in Hebrew, and thus confusing at times).

Towards the end of the week, our dives-per-day increased from two to three at day, and we stopped removing our masks and regulators continually and began seeing more fish and underwater wildlife. I wish I could have taken pictures the whole time - I found the whole thing fascinating and very beautiful.

At the end of the week, both Alon and I graduated from our scuba course. Now, I am officially an Advanced Open Water Diver, and certified to do Nitrox dives! Pretty cool for someone who spends much of her week-day time comparing things like what types of prayers and Talmudic commentary Ashkenazi and Yeminite Jews emphasize in conservative liturgy.

Alon and I stayed at our friend, Ami's place. Ami owns two dogs and a cat. I have wanted a dog for ages, so it was a lot of fun for me to have two for a week or so. Ami and I spent a lot of time watching movies - especially old James Bond films and a new Israeli comedy - when I wasn't diving and he wasn't working. After weeks of 8 to 10 hour school days, it was fantastic to sit in unthinking enjoyment.

Our friends Tal and Roi also came down to Eilat for the later part of the week. They are also Advanced Divers and spent much of their time diving in old wrecks and some of the lovely reefs that the Red Sea possesses. (We also ended up driving back to the North with Tal and Roi.)

On Saturday night, Tal, Roi, Naomi, Amit, Alon, Ami, and I went out to dinner at the fancy meat restaurant in Eilat, Pedro's. It was delicious. I almost never go out to big dinners anymore, so leaving the house to have a steak cooked for me, was clearly satisfying.

The next day, Sunday, Alon, Roi, Tal, and I returned to Ra'anana.
The adventure continues... later. Much love, l

2005-10-24T15:19:00.000+02:00

Days of Awe (continued)

I have been on vacation and away from any form of internet access for a little over a week at this point. Happily, much happened, but I will write about that in a later letter. First, as a rabbinical student, I feel obligated to at least mention one of the most important days of the Jewish calendar: Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur, the Day of Repentance, falls ten days after Rosh Hashana and is the primary and most important fast day of the year. As Judaism does not believe in asceticism, fast days are rare and generally signify great importance. Yom Kippur acts as a final reminder to apologize for wrong choices and hurtful actions from the year before; it pleads with us to begin the New Year with a clean slate with one's family, friends, and God. While Judaism teaches that the opportunities for repentance are always open to us, Yom Kippur serves as a last kick-in-the-ass to actually talk to everyone and face difficult feelings that we usually avoid.

I spent a lot of time in personal reflection and study and a lot less time actually talking to people. Yes, Karen and I hosted dinner at our apartment the night that Yom Kippur came in, and I went to a big break-the-fast dinner at the end of the day with many friends... but I spent the morning mostly alone, reading my Ashkenazi Yom Kippur Machzor (translation: Eastern European Day of Repentance specialized prayer and study book), thinking about repentance, everything that happened this year - both really good and really bad and really inbetween - and my relationship with God. While I had places to be, on this important day of reflection, I needed the time-out. It takes me a long time to process my personal progress on my individual "big" issues, like life and death and suffering and God and love. While it will take me more than a lifetime to sort through all of this, as far as this year is concerned, I am not ready to repent for everything quite yet. I received so many blessings, but so much difficulty as well. While I know that this makes me grow, the pains that accompany growth are sometimes severe. As Israelis say, I am not whole with it yet.

Anyhoo, off of the heavy stuff... Yom Kippur is interesting in Israel. No one drives - it is actually impossible. As soon as the night arrives, people flood into the streets, walking in the middle of five-lane roads, meandering along usually car-filled intersections. Instead of automobiles and buses, there are bicycles and rollerblades. More people get bicycle-related injuries on Yom Kippur than any other day of the year in Israel. And, as everything is closed, secular Israelis stay home and throw movie-watching parties with friends. It is almost impossible to rent a movie the day before Yom Kippur, as the much of the country already picked the Blockbusters and movie rental machines dry. It was fascinating to see the difference in Israel and her people from the day before to the day of Yom Kippur.

In the evenings leading into and out of the holiday, I attended services at HUC, in the hall that overlooks Jerusalem's Old City. Eli - our genius though sometimes-old-fashioned cantorial professor - chose beautiful and interesting music to usher in and ease out Yom Kippur. Again, it was lovely to see the city walls glow and change in color as the afternoon moved into evening and night.

All in all, I feel I can say that it was an interesting Yom Kippur.

2005-10-12T13:27:00.000+02:00

Lions and Monkeys and Bears, oh my!

Last Friday was my classmate Jean's birthday. To celebrate, we walked/taxied to the skirts of Jerusalem, near the West Bank, to the Zoo.

The Zoo's animals are based off of the different animals in the Bible. Below the scientific classifications of each of the animals, a list of attributes about their natural habitat, and food needs, sits a quick passage from the Bible noting that indeed Solomon and David saw birds and monkeys and bears. Of course, the elephants and giraffes and zebras didn't have quotes from the Bible under their scientific information. But, hey, what's a zoo without elephants and giraffes and zebras.

The Zoo also possesses a replication of Noah's ark, which contains a children's movie entirely in Hebrew. A little train travels throughout the major parts of the park. We took the train for a small part of the trip. As a whole, the zoo was very enjoyable. It was a great way to spend a morning.

Afterwards, I went to Raanana for Shabbat and to see the new house into which Alon and his family just moved. The move has been long and slow - it is nice to see the whole thing come together the way that they planned.

To the left is a picture of all of the first year students who went to the Zoo for Jean's birthday (and Ann's son, in case you are wondering who the 11 year old is). Jean is sitting in about the middle.

2005-10-07T08:35:00.000+03:00

And some people blame Israel for the situation in Gaza...
Here is the latest on the PA government from Haaretz (click on the "Israeli News" link to the right or the link below for more)

Palestinian committee: PA has done nothing to impose order
By Arnon Regular, Haaretz Correspondent
The Palestinian cabinet has never once discussed the security chaos in the territories, nor has Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia ever asked it to do so, according to an investigative committee set up by the Palestinian Legislative Council. The panel was charged with examining the Palestinian Authority's ongoing failure to impose order on armed Palestinian gangs and militias.The committee's report, a copy of which was obtained by Haaretz, said that despite Qureia's repeated public comments about the need to impose order on the armed gangs, in practice, his government failed to make any attempt to deal with either the armed militias or the power struggles among the various Palestinian security services that impeded action against these militias.I t also found that there was a "clear failure in implementing the reform and development plan, as well as in the war against corruption." Implementation of this reform plan was one of the international community's conditions for progress toward a Palestinian state.
To read the whole article, click here...

2005-10-06T01:20:00.000+03:00

Days of Awe

There is just something about these days that sneak up on you. It doesn't matter that I heard the shofar blown every morning of Elul (the Jewish month of love and repentance which leads up to Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year), or that the markets started to sell good baking apples and pomegranates just a few weeks ago, or that I feel a chill during the evenings only recently. The sun set two nights ago, and all of a sudden, we entered into a new year.

The Days of Awe constitute Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, the Day of Repentance, and the ten days which come between the two holidays. For some, they extend onto Sukkot, a harvest festival week-long celebration, and Simchat Torah, which literally translates to ''the happiness of the teachings''. For Jews around the world, the coming of autumn means a celebration of the world's creation and the fruits (physical and metaphysical) that it produces. It is a time of reflection, repentance, forgiveness, and renewal. And while preparations can be made for this season, it is my general experience no matter what I do, I still feel that these days arrive unexpectedly.

So much that is painful and beautiful happens within a year; it is nearly impossible to compile and organize all of it, even with a month's worth of preparation.

This year, I spent my Rosh Hashana in several different ways. Erev (eve of) Rosh Hashana, I helped out with a program at school; several American students studying across Israel migrated to HUC for the holiday. The whole thing was organized by a variety of people, including myself; my role was to create and run getting-to-know-you programs.
Alon joined me and my classmates at this point, and we headed to one of rooms in the HUC complex which enjoys large panoramic views of the walls of the Old City. We sat in services, watching the stones and sky change as the sun departed, listening as the choir sung.
Alon and I left services and traveled North, to join the Morrocan side of his family. They held a beautiful and delicious Morrocan Rosh Hashana seder (think meal and worship service combined). It was the first time I ever participated in this type of seder. And it is nice to be included in an Israeli family.
The next day, we ate ate another amazing Morrocan lunch at Alon's Aunt Sylvie's. (I never knew that I loved Morrocan food so much.) We were supposed to travel farther north for one of Alon's cousin's bar mitzvah in the late afternoon. Instead, as Alon's grandfather fell ill and had suprise surgery, we drove south to Beer Sheva. We hung out with Alon's grandfather after his operation, and some of the other family which had stayed in the south to be with him. All of it reminded me of my family, and I missed home.
The second day of Rosh Hashana deserves a brief explination. Alon's parents are moving to a house they just built in an adjoining neighborhood. As new house comes together (closets being built, etc.), they are in the slow, slow process of migrating things. These days, their things are migrating even faster. Thus, most of my second day was spent doing dishes and laundry and cooking in an attempt to make life easy for the rest of the family, who actually know what they want packed, how they want it moved, and where it is going to. I tried to write some of my sermon, which is coming up in a month, but failed miserably. It is interesting though, to be in a place where you can hear the blowing of the shofar from the comfort of one's living room or while cooking in one's kitchen. But, I guess that that is what being in Israel (and being a "secular" Israeli family) is all about.

Happy New Year and much love
l

2005-10-03T13:48:00.000+03:00

Saturday, 1 October: Jerusalem Adventures

Instead of hiking around nature like we usually do on our weekends, this Saturday, Alon and I decided to adventure to parts of Jerusalem previously unseen (well, at least by me).

While Jewish Jerusalem closes down completely for Shabbat, the one-third of Jerusalem which practices Christianity and Islam remains open, as their rest days fall on different parts of the week.

Armed with a guidebook and a desire to see new things, Alon and I set out through the Arab Market in the Old City, towards the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. While the church today does not look like much from the outside (see above picture to the right), it is filled with beautiful art from the six original sects of Christianity. The Holy Sepulchre marks Golgotha, also known as Calvary, the site of Jesus' crucifixion. Within, the church contains the stone upon which Jesus was prepared for burial after his death. (See a gold mosaic depiction of this story to the left.) Additionally, it is the place of the 10th through 14th Stations of the Cross.

First built in 335 CE by Constantine, after his mother Eleni made pilgrimage to Jerusalem and uncovered the site, the structure of the church as been reconstructed several times throughout history, due to a variety of wars and natural disasters (Wars: Persians in 614, Turks in 1009, and then some Crusader rebuilding in the mid-1100s; Fires: 1808 and 1949; Earthquake: 1927). As you walk into the building, the first thing is Jesus' burial preparation stone. (Shown to the left.) People spend a lot of time rubbing their faces, hands, and things (especially souvenirs) all over it.

The whole church reminded me of a less-glorified St. Marks in Venice with a bit of classical Greek Orthodox iconography thrown into the artistic/architechtural mix. (I say this because, interesting art and gold mosaics fill the place, but it is not dripping in it, as found in St. Mark's.) You can see some fantastic iconography done in precious metals and paint to the right. Glowing candles and dead (or dying) Jesus are in abundance at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre - everywhere you turn, really. I found the whole experience fascinating.

In an attempt to see Jerusalem's three holiest sites of the three major world religions, Alon and I approached the Temple Mount, otherwise known as the Dome of the Rock. The Dome is the third holiest site to Muslims; it is where Mohammad made his magical midnight trip with the angel Gabriel (if I remember correctly) to the location of the Binding of Isaac. Its location is one and the same with Judaism's ancient Temple. Unfortunately, the Muslims close down the Temple Mount to visitors on Fridays and Saturdays. I knew that non-Muslims could never go into the Dome itself, and certainly not on the Muslim holy day of Friday, but I had expected to be able to at least stand outside, on the Temple Mount on Saturday. Instead, I was disappointed. The Temple Mount is only open from 7 am to 11 am, Sunday through Thursday. Looks like I will have to skip out on class to be able to see it.

Alon and I passed the wide variety of Arab markets to our last stop of the day. After wandering in and around Damascus Gate, and out through different shukim, we made it to The Wall. The Western Wall, otherwise known as the Kotel, served as the Western outer-most wall of the great Second Temple, beautified by Herod the Builder around the time when BCE turned to CE. During the time of the Ottomans, and when the Arabs controlled Jerusalem before the Six Day War, the space was used as a trash heap and general dump. Today, it serves as one of Judaism's holiest sites. (In the picture above and to the left, you can see that it sits just below the Dome of the Rock.) Although for many years everyone had free access to all parts of the Wall, regardless of gender, the Kotel is currently separated into men and women sections. I can go on for hours about how much I hate the regulations instituted at the Wall, why I think that they are not Jewish laws and just crap made up by masoginistic, over-zealous, pretend-pious rabbis, and how I think that they have stopped making it a holy space for all of the people of Israel.... but that is not really the point at the moment. (Maybe another time, another blog...) The point is, is that after multiple trips to the Kotel, I finally had a meaningful experience at the Wall. It was a quiet, Shabbat afternoon; very few men were present to shout out their prayers over the mechitza (barrier) and very few women sat eating and chatting in the lawnchairs in the women's section. (Both of which are typical and annoying.) I prayed mincha, the Jewish afternoon prayer service, and felt moved in a place which for so long, I felt was not my own. After years of feeling frustrated and angry and sad and annoyed, I, in whispered silence, was finally able to claim a place for myself in Judaism's holiest site.

Just another Saturday in Jerusalem, I suppose.
Much love to everyone at home.

2005-10-02T07:34:00.000+03:00

CONGRATULATIONS to Ginelle!!!!

My good friend from W&M, Ginelle, just got engaged!!!!!! In a very romantic story, her boyfriend of several years, Scott, proposed last night (or today in the afternoon, if you are on the West Coast, like they are...) and she said yes!

Congrats honey! Or, as they say around here, MAZEL TOV!

2005-09-28T19:40:00.000+03:00

24th of September (continued)

After we came down from the mountain, we continued "jeeping". Let me just say that although taking a 4x4 trip is fun, it is a bit like becoming a Mexican jumping bean in a can. Tilted up and down, tossed side to side, forward and back, without any regard to where you actually want your body to be located.

After going up the next hill, we stopped for another view and a little bit of lunch. (See above to the right - us with the map planning out the next destination.) Avishai cooked coffee - you might not think that this is a notary event, but trust me, it is. Delicious arabic coffee. We also picked up baclaua from an Arab village. Yum.

We continued on, past acres of cotton fields. (See the picture to the left that I took while we drove in the car.) We drove down to the Kinneret, making a half circle around the little sea. We also visited the place where the Jordan meets the Galiliee. It was a lovely place, as you can see in the picture I took to the right, but a little weird. There is an abundance of fish and baptism seekers in the river. As the story goes, the aptly named John the Baptist baptized Jesus somewhere where the Jordan River meets the Kinneret. As a result, a small baptism industry emerged near the mouth of the river, at the entrance to the sea. It seems to cater to wealthy Americans, desirous of a savior-style cleansing. So, amongst an abundance of fish poop (and there are a lot a fish and even more of gross fish poop), people wade, hands akimbo, into the water, while others on the shore shout "hallelujah, praise the Lord" and blow a shofar (traditional Jewish trumpet made of a ram's horn). This experience was clearly powerful for the participants, but as someone of the "Hebrew persuation", it just felt like a confused combination of several Jewish practices. (Namely, mikvah rituals made public, conversion, a little bit of tashlich, and some of the redemption parts of Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur.) I left feeling a bit unsettled. Since you cannot see my face while I am typing this, I must write this down; certainly, none of this is a judgement on Christianity. It is just clearly, as I am headed to be a rabbi, I did not find Christian ritual to spiritually "do it" for me. There are plenty of things that I do as a Jew that I am sure Christians find unusual as well, such as tefillin or tallit wearing.

From there, we left to a kibbutz which sits on the beaches of the Kinneret and ate dinner. One of the kibbutz dogs joined us. I enjoyed having a dog for the late afternoon. From our vantage point, we could see out over the whole sea, and even over to Tiberias. (See the picture below, to the right.) It was a lovely, quiet way to end our adventures. As an added bonus, the day's sunset was beautiful.

That's it for this adventure.
Hope all is well at home,
much love.

2005-09-26T06:59:00.000+03:00

22nd to the 24th of September

On Thursday night, I took the bus up to Raanana to see Alon. I went swimming and rock-climbing, but the real event of the weekend was our Jeep trip on Saturday.

We made plans weeks ago with our friends Avishai and Raut, who have a Jeep-trip ready type of SUV (y'know, has a metal plated undercarriage, gyroscopes, that type of thing).

We drove up north, near the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), to a National Park called Karne Hittin. The now-dead, twin-peaked volcano was the site of two important battles. The first is mentioned in the Bible, in Joshua (if I remember correctly). The second was during the Crusaders - and it turned the tide of Christian occupation during the Middle Ages. During the summer, the once green land turns golden brown with an abundance of dry grass. Apparently, while a great number of Christain crusaders occupied the mountain, thus controlling the surrounding land, the Muslim leader hatched a plan; he set fire to the grasses, razing the whole mountain. Since medieval European warriors wore giant suits of metal armor (p.s. not a very good idea in Israeli August heat, just as a general whole), they were roasted alive. For the Muslims, victory in this battle parlayed into victory in the war, and thus the reconquering of the land of Israel during the Crusades.

Outside of these gruesome historical sidenotes, it was a beautiful day (as you can see). On the top left is Alon, Avishai, and Raut looking out over the top of the Karne Hittin. On the right is a view of the Kinneret in the distance on the hike up, and on the bottom to the left is a view of some of Israel's agricultural land from a look-out point on a different near-by hill/mountain.

After we climbed down from Karne Hittin, we drove on to other different and interesting sites. But at the moment, the story must stop, as I have to get ready for class.

2005-09-22T15:16:00.000+03:00

Tuesday Night/Wednesday Morning (21st of September)

Slichot consists of penitential prayers, recited before the morning worship service throughout the Hebrew month of Elul. (Although, the Ashkenazi tradition begins reciting Slichot only a week before Rosh Hashanah.) It is a collection of liturgical poetry, sung by different members of the congregation.

As a part of our Israel seminar, our teachers decided that we should experience a Sephardic slichot. As most of us rarely, if ever, participate in this admittedly beautiful and interesting worship ritual, many of us were excited for the unusual experience. Unfortunately, slichot starts at 4 am and my classmates and I were required to be at school at 3:30 am for a brief lesson about slichot and Sephardi practices. (p.s. lessons at 3:30 am = terrible idea)

In order to actually be awake in order to attend, some of my girl friends and I gathered at Rachel's apartment for a half-sleepover. I say this because there was no actual sleeping involved and we all had to get up at 2:30 to get dressed for services. Nonetheless, everyone came in their pajamas, girly movies in hand. Rachel provided more candy than I have seen in a long time, and we ordered pizza. We watched Coyote Ugly and My Big Fat Greek Wedding, making comments the entire time. All of us enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

Slichot services themselves were difficult to get through for multiple reasons; 1) sleep deprivation and 2) the mechitza. The mechitza is a barrier which separates men and women in Orthodox synagogues. In more progressive congregations, it is a simple low wall dividing the main room into two parts. In increasingly conservative places, women sit far above their male counterparts in a balcony that is blocked off by a latice-work. Apparently, this synagogue has become more conservative recently. And while the mechitza was pretty to look at, it made it impossible to see the rest of the synagogue, the leaders of the service, or to hear the service clearly. Since slichot was new to most of us, all of this made for a powerful impediment against participation. I spent much of the time journaling in my notebook and drinking the tea that a male member of the synagogue distributed. (The only women at the service were me and my classmates.) Most of my journaling consists of frustrations with the inability to fully participate, some mentions of the beauty of the service and the call of the shofar, and a healthy addition of angry feminist remarks.

After we finished up at 8:30 am, I dragged myself home to bed. All in all, it was a positive, though exhausting, experience.

Much love,
l

2005-09-20T13:23:00.000+03:00

After my friend Rachel's final birthday celebration on Friday (for a play-by-play of Rachel's big day, click here), Alon, our friend Ner, and I went to a party at my friends Mel and Ester's place. It was "Toby the Dog's birthday". (Toby is Mel's dog.) After a couple of drinks, we really started to have a good time. Mel and Ester sang a song to Toby for his birthday. (Ester is holding the guitar, Mel the paper, and my friend David is holding Toby.) Many of our friends, including Alon and I, danced all around Mel and Ester's living room. (See some of the pictures below.) Our friend Vincent is the photographer for this blog.

2005-09-19T17:00:00.000+03:00

Climbing Adventures

As the incredible heat begins to wane, Alon and I have started climbing on the weekends again. This past weekend, on Saturday the 17th, we went with my friends Lev and Elana to a cliff just outside of Jerusalem, called Nachal Halilim in Mevaseret Zion. All of us, except for Alon, acquired war-wounds. Elana and Lev scraped themselves and I caught my arm in the belay device twice (don't ask how I did it - I don't know). My injuries can be seen in this post to the right. (Note the sad face.)

I will post more pictures - of actual climbing, etc - when Lev sends me some copies.

2005-09-19T16:24:00.000+03:00

First Wednesday Trip

This past Wednesday, the 14th of September, my Israel Seminar class - which consists of many fourth year rabbinical students and some of the first year students who lived in Israel for a while - went to the Palmach Museum. (The sign at the entrance is to the right.)

The Palmach was a military group originally formed by the British to help protect Israel during World War II, when Israel was called Palestine and was a British colony. It evolved into a freedom fighting group after the end of the Second World War and was eventually absorbed into the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) during the War of Independence.

The museum itself is unlike any museum I have ever seen - and for a kid who half grew up in the Smithsonian, that is saying something. The museum leads you through a truly multi-media, interactive dramatic history telling of the evolution and work of the Palmach. While the museum is clearly biased (and well, isn't everything), it lead to an interesting discussion on images of who is a Jew and what it means to be Jewish. I personally usually imagine Woody Allen, a half-blind, white-bearded, black-hatted Polish rebbe, or some domineering, food-pushing mother when someone asks me for a stereotype of a Jewish individual (which does not actually reflect my life experiences in any way, shape, or form... so I guess that says something else about the power of media imagery). The strong, physically active, warrior Jew is not an image often seen outside of Israel, yet here he and she are, hard-working farmer/fighters crafted by the Zionist ideal. And the funny thing is, much of my personal experience here reflects at least a part of that stereotype.

It is certinally something to ponder.

2005-09-19T15:53:00.000+03:00

Birthdays

Since Alon's birthday is on the 6th of September, and mine is on the 12th, we decided to have a party on the weekend between my birthday and his. Since many of our friends in Ra'anana have cars and all of our friends in Jerusalem do not, we chose to host the fete at my apartment.

As a daughter of a caterer, I must mention the food first. We grilled Thai-style spicy chicken wings, rum-marinated cornish hen breast, and homemade salsa-infused burgers. Some friends were kind enough to bring veggie side dishes, drinks, and a little bit of dessert. I have enjoyed the leftovers for the last week.

Most importantly though, I was thrilled to see so many of our friends. I love having a house crammed full of happy people gabbing away with each other. And while I am not that big on birthdays and I missed everyone who was in the States or Africa or India or South America or Thailand at the moment, I was over-joyed to have friends join us in celebration.

On my actual birthday, Alon and his parents drove into Jerusalem, the hour plus from Ra'anana, and took me out to dinner. It was wonderful to see them, and super-lovely of them to come all the way into the city for me.

Thanks to everyone for great birthday celebrations.

love

lauren

2005-09-19T15:10:00.000+03:00

Back to School, oooooohhhh, back to school (for the Fall Semester)

While Israelis begin school achery hachagim (after the holidays), HUC started Fall Semester classes on the 4th of September. While I mentioned this on previous blogs, I have yet to actually discuss what the beginning of the semester signifies in my everyday life.

Since I have been through two weeks of school thus far, my schedule is finally finalized, so I can say my week follows as such:
Sunday: Hebrew for three hours. Then Bible then lunch then Liturgy.
Monday: Prayer service workshop, Hebrew, Bible, and Cantorial enrichment. This is usually followed by our Rabbinic Forum
Tuesday: Rabbinic Literature (this includes Mishna and Talmud, for the moment), Hebrew, an off period which I use as gym class, and advanced History.
Wednesday is consumed with our Israel Seminar, which consists of a combination of lectures and trips.
Thursday: Hebrew then Biblical Grammar, followed by another free period which I use as gym class, and then Cantilation.

All in all, I am in class from at least 8:30 am to 4:15 pm. (Mondays and Wednesdays tend to go much later.) We are required to be a worship services on some Fridays, but fortunately, not all. And let's not forget that we have required community service (mine will be on Thursdays, until somewhere around 7 pm). Additionally, I am volunteering as the chairperson for the ARZA (Association of Reform Zionists of America) and am also involved in the Former Soviet Union Pesach Project (I am also on the T'fillah or Prayer committee and the Kesher committee for Reform students studying abroad and an inter-faith study group/tour thing... but those usually meet with less regularity). And I start work at the library on Tuesday. Not forgetting exercising and that every class comes with homework - usually involving readings and translations - I am pretty busy.

Love to everyone back home,
lauren

2005-09-16T10:26:00.000+03:00

Some other pictures from Azuz.

Lamps, all of us hanging around one of the hammocks, desert, Alon, etc...

2005-09-15T19:54:00.000+03:00

So I know that I haven't written for a little while... Between the beginning of school, etc (which I will write about in a later entry) I never got to finish talking about the rest of the after-ulpan break.

So... the end of August 29th to the 30th or so...

After going to Nachal David, we drove to the Egyptian-Israeli border, near where the old Ottoman trains ran from Cairo to Demascus, to a miniscule settlement in the desert called Azuz. There we stayed in a beautiful encampment/retreat.

We arrived in the evening, and because the land is relatively unsetteled, the sky was devoid of ambient light. On a dark, moonless night, the five of us lay under the star-speckeled sky, discovering new constilations and drinking sweet Bedouin tea. (The camp is light entirely by fire-light; either campfires or karosine lamps. All this also helps to reduce the amount of light which interfers with star-gazing.)

After waking up the next morning, we ate an extensive Israeli breakfast and lounged in the camp's many hammocks. It was wonderfully relaxing morning.

Later on in the day, we traveled the long, tiring return trip to Ra'anana.
I will include more pictures at a later date - right now the website is acting up quite a bit.

Much love to everyone at home,
lauren

2005-09-05T20:08:00.000+03:00

On the Road (Day 2)... August 29

We woke up the next morning as the sun rose over the Jordanian mountains. After the sun's early wake-up call, we found a little mineral spring to wash off and play in. (You can see us playing in the pool to the picture to the left.)

After packing up the tents and packs, we left for Ein Gedi. We saw the water factory there and drove to different national parks around the little kibbutz. We first visited the Old Synagogue and the archeological remains of the once-thriving, ancient community there. To the left is a picture of the entrance to the dig. In the background is the Dead Sea and a date tree farm.

After wandering around the archeological site, we all went to Nachal David. Nachal David is a easy hike which included a series of running waterfalls and pools near Ein Gedi. (A picture of most of the waterfalls is to the left.) There were more people there than when I normally hike with Alon and our friends, but onto each path many people must walk, I suppose. At any rate, we hiked for some time and sat in the pools and sometimes, as seen below to the left, sat in the waterfalls themselves. I really enjoyed the easy walking and the refreshing water in the middle of the desert.

More on the rest of the adventure in the next post. The bottom two pictures are of Alon, Chebo, Lisa, and I sitting on a tall, tall rock near the largest waterfall in the stream. The other picture is of some flowering fruit tree that I just liked. (Hey, when you adjust to walking around desert most of the time, a tree that grows fruit in the middle of the summer heat will be amazing to you too.) Today was the second day of school (about 10 hours of classes), and I am more than a little tired at this point. And need to study. Oh, yeah, homework.

2005-09-05T07:15:00.000+03:00

On the Road... August 28th

Between the end of our intensive Hebrew courses and the beginning of our true studies, HUC gave its students a week to relax and travel. While some of my classmates traveled outside of Israel, I chose to stay inside the Aretz in order to keep both stress and expenses to a minimum.

While I did a few other things, such as visit Jon in the West Bank (see Herodion entry) and Office Depot shopping for much needed school supplies, Alon, I, our friend Chebo, his cousin Mirav, and her friend Lisa decided to travel together for a little while as well.

On the first day, Sunday August 28th, Chebo, Alon, and I drove south to Jerusalem, where we picked up Mirav and Lisa. From there, we continued to Ein Ghedi and the Dead Sea (A picture of which can be seen above and to the right). We spent the late afternoon and early evening floating in the boyant waters of the ancient lake. We watched the sunset from the depths of the sea, as the light reflected off of first the cliffs on the Israeli side and then the Jordanian mountains. (To the right, the second picture down, is a photo of me in the Dead Sea, with the Jordanian mountians in the distance. It is just before true sunset.) The water turned from blue-green to gold to pink to purple before the stars started to peak out of the sky.

As dark closed around us, we left the Ein Gedi beach for another, less rocky shore on the Dead Sea. There we set up our tents and watched the stars. (As there was not much ambient light in our location, this was quite an event.)

More on the next day later. Classes started yesterday, Sept. 4th, and I have to get going to them. I will tell you about classes after I my schedule is more complete. Instead I will leave you with pictures. The two to the left are some of many pictures of sunrise on the Dead Sea.

Much love to those at home.

2005-09-02T12:35:00.000+03:00

So, my beloved friend Rachel finally plugged her camera into her computer and sent me a fantastic picture of us shopping for tallitot together. In this picture, we are at Gabrieli's shop, and each of us is wearing the tallit that we bought. Both of us are thrilled with our purchases. See the entry about this in the August archives if you would like a refresher on our tallitot purchasing adventures.

2005-09-01T17:42:00.000+03:00

Being a Reform rabbi in Israel

The following is an excerpt from an article recently published by HaAretz, the Israeli national newspaper. I found it very interesting, and a nice answer to a question that many people keep asking me: "Do you want to stay and be a rabbi in Israel?"

Rabbis?
By Shahar Ilan
Miri Gold, the rabbi of Kibbutz Gezer in central Israel, will become one of the most famous and controversial figures in the Reform movement in Israel over the next few years. Not that Gold is seeking publicity or enjoys being in the spotlight. On the contrary. But she was found by the Reform movement to be the most suitable candidate to petition the High Court of Justice and put to the test two weighty questions: Is a liberal - that is, a Reform or Conservative - rabbi entitled to receive a salary from the state as the rabbi of a community, and does this entitlement apply to a female rabbi?Early next week, the Movement for Progressive Judaism's Israel Religious Action Center will petition the High Court to compel the state to allot a salaried position to a liberal rabbi on Kibbutz Gezer. The petition is sure to instigate a new struggle between religion and state: Who's a rabbi?It was only a question of time, of when the Reform movement would put the issue to the legal test. One ultra-Orthodox leader wondered out loud this week why they hadn't done it earlier. The "Who's a Jew" struggle over conversion issue showed that the religious political parties would try, with the help of a coalition majority, to pass legislation that would forbid the appointment of Reform and Conservative rabbis. The experience gained in that struggle also proves that American Jewry would relate to any such attempt as a strong affront and as a declaration by Israel that their rabbis are second-class rabbis.
At present, not a single liberal rabbi is recognized by the state as the rabbi of a neighborhood, community or city.

If you want to see the whole article, click here.

2005-08-27T23:06:00.000+03:00

More Pictures of Herodion
To the left in an artist's rendering of what Herod's palace-fortress at Herodion looked like. The park ranger at Herodion showed us this. It is interesting to take a look at the ruins and then at a picture of what might have been.

Below to the left is a picture of some of the excavated ruins of Herodion's palace-fortress. To the right is a picture of me with a M-16... because obviously, I need a picture of me holding an army gun. The same way that I needed a picture of me on a base, next to an Israeli soldier (see previous entry, my picture with Jon at army reserves).

Below and to the left is a picture of "Lower Herodion", which included a gigantic pool (70 by 45 meters), King Herod's memorial, and ancient gardens, among other ruins. To the right is a picture of Jon and I atop of the palace-fortress.

The interesting part of Herodion is that it was used both during Herod's time and as a part of the Bar-Kochbah rebellion. During this revolt, Bar-Kochbah, a famous semi-messianic Jewish military leader, and his followers used the Herodion hill as a secret base of operations, building a network of tunnels throughout the man-made hill. Of course, as the picture below and to the right shows, other famous people also hang around Herodion.

Much love to everyone. I hope to hear from you soon,
lauren

2005-08-27T19:13:00.000+03:00

Shabbat (26-27 August 2005)

Thursday night I traveled to Ra'anana.
Like typical Israelis, Alon and I spent Friday morning and afternoon doing errands, seeing some friends and family, and relaxing a little. In the morning, we went to the mall; I picked up all of my school supplies for the next semester and other basic apartment supplies. Later, we went to yoga, watched Team America, had dinner with Alon's family, and saw our friends Chebo, Tal, and Lior.

Today, Saturday, Alon and I traveled into the depths of the West bank to visit our friend Jonathan, who is serving in reserves there. His base is situated just below Herodion, an artificial hill created by King Herod, which overlooks both the Dead Sea and Bethlehem. The palace-fortress was used throughout the early C.E. centuries by both the Romans and rebels such as Bar-Kochbah. The view from the hill is amazing; and it is even more mind-boggling to think that the view was very similar during Herod's time as well. For example, the following quote could apply to both 60 C.E. and 2005 C.E.: "Hey look, there's Bethlehem, some roads, and some out-laying villiages and farms. Oh, and in the distance over to the right, you can see the Dead Sea." (See the fourth picture down for this view.) Unbelievable.

The top-most picture is of a road block. It is in the middle of the West Bank and no longer used by the army here. The image below that, of the red sign that mentions mortal peril, is the entrance to Jon's base. The third image, to the right, is of me and Jon - who is in IDF uniform - in front of a tank and an armored bulldozer, of the kind that is being used in the Gaza strip to clear out the settlers' homes.

I will post more pictures a little later. This evening, Karen invited some of our friends over for Havdallah.

Much missing,
lauren

2005-08-27T18:52:00.000+03:00

The Last Thursday Tiul (25 August 2005)

Next semester, our Israel seminar moves to Wednesdays. So, this week our class enjoyed our last Thursday Tiul (Trip). The first part of the trip, we traveled south of Jerusalem to the Soreq Cave. A part of the Israeli national park system, the cave was discovered in 1968 and contains a collection of stalactites and stalacmites. It was an interesting science trip and very beautiful.

After this sojourn into the depths of the earth, we spent some time in the sun. We drove a the beach just north of the Gaza strip. There is something interesting about being in your bathing suit with all of the people who are going to be your collegues for the rest of your life. I mean, do accountants in accountant school go to the beach together and then at a conference 10 years later remember the time that they were all mostly naked together? I'm just saying... Despite feeling slightly queezy about being in a bikini in front of all of my classmates, I will say this: it was a lot of fun. We all swam and talked and had a nice time. It was a great way to end the summer semester together.

2005-08-27T18:27:00.000+03:00

Overwhelming Wednesday (24 August 2005)

My last ulpan test contained over 100 new words and several grammar concepts. It was difficult and exausting. A class-wide performance immediately followed our Hebrew final. It was funny and cute, but a little anxiety ridden. After this rather tiring combination, we began academic orientation for the Fall semester. This was exceptionally overwhelming. I will end up with about 11 different courses (there is one elective that I may or may not take), which is a frightening thought. I am not sure how I will balance everything - remember that we also are compelled to volunteer within the local community, required to be at certain weekend services, to run different t''fillot, and be on committees which help run the student community here.

It's a lot. That's all I'm saying.

2005-08-24T17:26:00.000+03:00

The Idan Richel (or Raichel) Project

Late last night, many of my friends from HUC and I went to an Idan Richel concert. (You can also spell his name Raichel...) Alon also came into town for the event. It was held at the Israel Museum, in the sculpture garden, under the stars. It was amazing.

Idan (because we are clearly now on a first name basis) is an Israeli who traveled around Africa for an extended period of time. He brought back with him Ethiopian artists, singers, and musical influence, all of which can be seen at his concerts. His songs and music are a blend of Israeli, Ethiopian, and Arabic words and melodies.

It was a great night and a ton of fun. Hopefully sometime soon, I will get around to buying his CD.

Time for naps.

love, lauren

2005-08-24T17:08:00.000+03:00

This Last Week (not including today and last night)...

This past week contained numerous things of mention, including the following:
~ Shabbat dinner with in Ra'anana with Alon's family: one of my favorite ways to spend Shabbat
~ Karen and I hosted our Kitah for a Havdallah party
~ ARZA (Association of Reform Zionists of America) meetings: I got named chairperson of the committee! And our first meeting that I ran was actually successful (meaning got things done)! That was really exciting.
~ House-warming party at our friend Richter's: He just moved into a new apartment in Tel Aviv. It was super nice to see so many faces that I haven't seen in a while.
~ Kitah (Class) Gimel tiul: got to walk around, see new things, eat at a new cafe...
~ Saw "Walking on Water" with Lior Ashkenazi: I highly recommend it.
~ Went to the beach! I love the beach.
~ Painted a new painting
~ Said good-bye to the last of our orientation interns
~ Joined the FSU Pesach Project: it's an opportunity to go to the Former Soviet Union for a part of Passover and help once-oppressed Jews learn more and experience more about their Judaism by leading seders... Super cool and I am really excited to go to the FSU
~ Volunteered to help connect American college students and young adults visiting Israel to a place for High Holidays.
~ Picked my volunteer project for the year: I get to work with kids!
~ Started reading Harry Potter 6 for the second time... I am a dork

So, that is just a peek into this past week!
Hope to hear from you soon!
love
lauren

2005-08-24T16:48:00.000+03:00

Two Shabbats Ago continued...
So, after we returned from the active part of the river, Roni, Alon, and I drove further into the desert, toward the second and most beautiful monastary on the pilgrims path. It sits deep in the canyon, jutting out of the cliff walls. The aquaduct continues past the monastary, on its way to Jerico.

Although extraordinarily lovely, it is a steep and long hike down to the monastary and out of the canyon again. (You can get an impression of it from the picture to the left.) I got over-heated during this part of the trip, and as a result, had to take it easy the next day.

There were one or two other interesting things which we saw during the day long hiking adventure. One included these weird onion things growing out of the ground (seen below and to the left). The other involved animals; the donkeys pictured in a previous blog and camels, one of which is shown below to the right.

That's really about it for this adventure... More about more recent stuff later...
Much love
lauren

2005-08-22T16:23:00.000+03:00

Two Shabbats Ago... (13 August 2005)

Two Shabbats ago, Alon, Roni, and I drove out of Jerusalem, to the West Bank and its settlements. On the old pilgrims' path between Jerico and Jerusalem lay canyons, pilgrims' markers, and beautiful monastaries that jut out from rock walls.

We got lost on the way to the monastary and stumbled our way onto a trail near the site. The trail went through the desert into a canyon, carved by a running river. The river started as a natural spring which forms multiple deep pools in different parts. Years ago, someone also created an aquaduct above the natural-flowing water.

Where the river begins, Arab and Israeli families sat in the shade of the trees that flank the water, relaxing in the relative cool. Children splashed in the pools, chattering in Arabic or Hebrew. After walking through the dusty desert hills, I found myself in a place where Palestinians and Israels taught their children how to swim, ate meals, and bonded as families without conflict. It was an oasis of peace; I don't think that I have ever been in a place like it.

For much of our hike, Roni, Alon, and I decided to walk along the aquaduct. At a certain point, Roni decided to try our luck climbing up one of the many hills. After I got stuck in a "sniper bush" and numerous other pricker plants and Alon noticed that the rock lacked a certain amount of stability, we convinced Roni that returning to the car via the aquaduct was the best route.

After a while, we made it back to the car and drove to the hike point which included the monastary. Below on the left is a view of a part of the river valley, from the shade of the trees. Next to it is a picture of one of the rocky trails that Roni, Alon, and I tried to go up. It is rather steep, and I can tell you from experience, that all of those green-ish, yellow-ish plants are really pricker bushes loaded with stinging little briars.

I will write more about the monastary later, but this week is the last week of ulpan... and I have a test on Wednesday that includes over one hundred new words and about five confusing grammar points (that she just informed us all of today). So between that, dinner prep, the two meetings I had today, and trying to upload pictures, I must get going.

Hope to hear from you soon (remember I have that new Vonage number! It is cheap and easy to call as long as you remember the time difference!)
much love and missing
lauren

2005-08-21T15:59:00.000+03:00

Concerning the Disengagement

Living in Israel during the Disengagement leaves me speachless. I am filled with feelings of sorrow for the removed settlers, sympathy for the soldiers who follow orders, understanding for the absolute necessity of this action, and worry for the future of a country that gives up land for nothing. One of the best descriptions for the whole situation I read is ironically written by someone who does not live here. I included it below.

Much love
lauren

By ELIE WIESEL
Published: August 21, 2005, New York Times
IN 1991, when Saddam Hussein's Scud missiles fell in a deafening din on Tel Aviv, some Palestinians danced in the streets and on the roofs of their houses. I saw them. I was in Jerusalem, and I could see what was happening in the Arab quarter of the Old City. It happened again later, each time a suicide terrorist set off a bomb on a bus or in a restaurant. I evoke these scenes with sadness, and for a reason: we have just seen them repeated in Gaza.
The images of the evacuation itself are heart-rending. Some of them are unbearable. Angry men, crying women. Children, led away on foot or in the arms of soldiers who are sobbing themselves.
Let's not forget: these men and women lived in Gaza for 38 years. Successive governments, from the left and the right, encouraged them to settle there. In the eyes of their families, they were pioneers, whose idealism was to be celebrated.
And here they are, obliged to uproot themselves, to take their holy and precious belongings, their memories and their prayers, their dreams and their dead, to go off in search of a bed to sleep in, a table to eat on, a new home, a future among strangers.
From far away, we watch them on television screens and in the pages of newspapers. Some have behaved in an offensive and undignified manner. They insulted and wounded soldiers; they spat on officers - including some who are decorated heroes, all of them ready to give their lives for their country. But the majority have responded in a dignified way: with tears. As though united in the same despair, soldiers and evacuees cried together, even to such an extent that certain commentators have reproached them, saying: our warriors of yesterday and tomorrow shouldn't give way to easy emotion.
On a strictly military level, the operation is a success. For that, and for his brave decision to pursue future peace even at present political cost, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon deserves praise. But starting now, Israelis and Palestinians must face the question: What next?
And here I am obliged to take a step back. In the tradition I claim, the Jew is ordered by King Solomon "not to rejoice when the enemy falls." I don't know whether the Koran suggests the same.
I know only that in my opinion, what is missing from the chapter now closing is a collective gesture that ought to be made, but that hasn't been made, by the Palestinians.
Let's imagine it, if you will. Let's imagine that, faced with the tears and suffering of the evacuees, the Palestinians had chosen to silence their joy and their pride, rather than to organize military parades with masked fighters, machine guns in hand, shooting in the air as though celebrating a great battlefield victory. Yes, imagine that President Mahmoud Abbas and his colleagues, in advising their followers, extolled moderation, restraint, respect and a little understanding for the Jews who felt themselves struck by an unhappy fate. They would have won general admiration.
I will perhaps be told that when the Palestinians cried at the loss of their homes, few Israelis were moved. That's possible. But how many Israelis rejoiced?
And now, where are we? A lull is imperative. The tears must be allowed to dry and the wounds to heal. Haste, in this delicate moment, is dangerous. Any pressure from outside risks being counterproductive.
Why these words of warning? Because last May, at an official dinner offered by King Abdullah II of Jordan, I spoke with the Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qurei. When I asked him what he thought of Mr. Sharon's courageous decision regarding Gaza, it was with a wave of the hand that he objected, adding with disdain: "All that is worth nothing, means nothing. If Sharon doesn't begin right away to negotiate definitive borders, a great catastrophe will be the result." He repeated those words: "right away" and "a great catastrophe."
The optimist in me wants very much to believe that those were just words. Gaza, after all, is but one chapter in a book that must ultimately be about peace.

2005-08-15T15:44:00.000+03:00

On Blues and Oranges
Today, Monday the 15th of August, marks the beginning of the Hitnatkut, or Disengagement. For those of you who have not read the paper lately, Israeli citizens protest for or against the Hitnatkut almost continuously. Each side has chosen colors: orange represents those who are against the Hitnatkut and blue is worn by those supporting the Disengagement. Both sides are exceptionally stubborn in their stances, to the point of agression. The only thing that I really have to say about the situation is this: I feel that both sides are acting like... well, take a look at the pictures.

(I took these pictures while I visited the West Bank this weekend. But more on that adventure later...)

Thanks to Grammie and Grampie - I just got my birthday card in the mail.

2005-08-15T15:13:00.000+03:00

For weeks, friend Rachel and I talked about buying tallitot (plural of tallis, or prayer shawl). This past week, after much discussion, both Rachel and I decided to buy Gabrielli tallitot. Gabrielli are the last major Israeli fabric weavers who still hand-weave their tallitot. They are expensive, but they are also supposed to last a lifetime.

Shopping for a tallit in Gabrielli's is a unique experience. We walked into the store, the proprietor looked at us, talked to us for a few minutes, and then began pulling out different tallitot for us to try. After the first tallit, he refused to let us really try on others that he did not think fit our personalities. "Take that one off, I do not like it on you," he said. Amazingly, throughout the entire process, he was right. Although both of us entered the store with very similar requirements, Rachel and I bought very different tallitot. Each tallit somehow fits our personalities, and both of us could not be more pleased. It was an excellent adventure and I am thrilled with the results.

Above, to the right is a picture of me in the apartment, showing off the new tallit in its full glory. I wanted a large, traditional tallit with a feminine, but not girly touch. I will post pictures of Rachel and I shopping, if she will ever send them to me. And yes, I am sweaty. It is hot here.

2005-08-11T12:45:00.000+03:00

New Painting

I painted a new picture on Tuesday while I was studying. It is a pomegranate. It now hangs in my living room. I tried to take a better picture, but my hand has the shakes.

More to come sometime soon...

2005-08-11T12:12:00.000+03:00

More Pictures from Nachal Zavitan.

This picture to the left was the third or fourth waterfall.
Below in the center(ish), is a slightly blurry picture of Roni, Naomi, and Nir resting up for the next waterfall. To the right is a picture of the typical "path" by which we had to make our way towards and away from the river and its waterfalls.

Below is a picture of the very end of the trail, after we climbed out of the canyon, away from the river. The North is fairly dry and yellow in the middle of the summer, as it is so dry. The last one, to the right, is of Alon and I at the very end of the adventure.

The other day I discovered that if you double click on any of the pictures, the image will enlarge.

Hope all is well at home.
Much love,
lauren

2005-08-09T22:00:00.000+03:00

It has been one heck of a week in the Perolman/Pack residence. Check out Karen's blog by clicking here to see what we have been facing.

2005-08-09T11:24:00.000+03:00

Nachal Zavitan (6 August 2005)

Throughout last year, Alon and I spent most of our Shabbats climbing and hiking through God’s great creation. These experiences helped me to learn to love the land of Israel more than anything else. This weekend, with our friends in toe, we continued our tradition.

Naomi, Shachar, Artem, Roni, Alon, and I spent the night in Haifa at Shachar's parents' place. Joined by Shachar's younger brother Nir, we drove up to Nachal Zavitan early Saturday morning. It is about a half hour hike into the Black Canyon, which contains the Zavitan and numerous waterfalls that the river carved in the dark rock.

The river is surrounded by lush vegetation, and the pathway down the canyon is difficult. Nonetheless, the experience and scenery is exceptionally rewarding.

There are several waterfalls, most of which are so high that we needed to rappell down them. Usually, we rappelled into a deep pool of water. There are places to climb and boulder while one is waiting. Above and to the right is a picture I took of the first waterfall on the trail - all of us jumped down it, instead of rappelling. (It was only about 15 to 20 feet high.)

It took about seven hours to hike in, through, and out of the canyon. I do not feel like I can fully describe the experience in words, so I am posting pictures that I took along the way, with some desciptions and explinations.

Above and to the left is a picture of the whole group who went. Alon and I are to the left, Artem is behind us. Shachar and Naomi are giving strong man poses in the middle. Roni is in the black shirt to the left, and Nir is holding the map. The next picture, in the center, is of me climbing down the path to the waterfalls. The picture to the left is of Roni jumping down the first small waterfall. The object in Roni's hand - which is almost out of the picture - is a large plastic toy axe. We carried it throughout the entire trip.

The image to the left was the second waterfall. We actually rappelled down a different, much taller way, but none of those pictures came out nearly as nice. The picture on the right is of the canyon at the third waterfall, before we rappelled into the large pool of water that lays below. Dry land lies just beyond that curve.

I will put up more pictures later on. I got sick after this trip and do not yet feel better.

I hope that everyone at home is well and happy.

2005-08-09T10:38:00.000+03:00

There are parts of Jerusalem in which only extreme Orthodox live. Called haradi, meaning "shaker [before God]" or dosim, meaning "religious", they are the extreme right-wingers of Israel. They dress in the manner of the Baal Shem Tov, who died in the 1700s, or other favored Enlightenment-era, usually Polish rabbis. They are the yeshiva-niks, they are the producers of many yiddish speaking children. And the most extreme live in a neighborhood called Meah Shearim. (Above is a picture of the entrance to the neighborhood.)

Do not get me wrong. I do not think that there is anything wrong with being Orthodox. It is a valid way of practicing Judaism that is exceptionally meaningful to many people. I just have strong ideological differences with some of the things that they say.

Nonetheless, I went to visit Meah Shearim about a week ago, on a trip lead by one of HUC's rabbis. It was a truly interesting experience. The area is painfully poor, as most study or care for children instead of work. Walking into the streets feels like entering another world; all of the men dress in long black robes, tall dark hats, and peh-as. The women work in floor-length skirts, long-sleeves, and are topped with either caps or wigs. Frankly, I don't know how anyone stands the heat.

The commercial streets are filled with Judaica and book shops and a few small food markets. The people are mostly unfriendly, hurrying from one place to another with occasional angry glares. I was only able to snap one quick picture inside of the neighborhood; no one likes tourists in this part of town. (It is to the right.)

All in all, I do not think that I will return to this little corner of Jerusalem. Even though I was appropriately dressed, I felt exceptionally uncomfortable and very shut out from the community in this part of town. None of this is terribly surprising, as the fact that I am both a woman and want to become a rabbi (nevermind how I dress) makes me close to heretical. Ce la vie.

2005-08-07T23:31:00.000+03:00

More on Thursdays

I also go shopping at the shuk, or market, on Thursdays. The shuk is fabulous, as it contains every food and spice you could ever want. For all of us here, the shuk is a weekly visit, where we collect the week's groceries. For those who have never been, it is an almost overwhelming journey. But we will talk more about the shuk-related adventures some other time. Right now, just revel in the fact that I use a shuk cart.

2005-08-07T22:19:00.000+03:00

Thursday Ti'ulim, continued...

This past week's trip, the 4th of August, was a walking trip through parts of the Old City of Jerusalem. We started off the day with morning prayers, overlooking the wall that Suleymon the Magnificent built around Jerusalem, in the days of the Ottoman Empire.

After the end of morning prayers, we split into our respective tour groups. My group gathered at the Jaffa Gate and headed into the Old City. We wandered through the Armenian quarter to a variety of archeological sites buried deep underneith Jerusalem's modern streets and buildings. Throughout the ages, people simply built on top of the ruins of the past. Thus, digging under modern foundation stones yields returns of amazing historical significance.

After this, we walked outside of Emperor Suleymon's walls, onto Mount Zion. This area tends to have more elements of Christian and Crusader architecture, with Muslim impositions. (See picture I took of the walk onto Mount Zion to the left.) It is in interesting contrast to other parts of the city. We also visited the fabled location of David's tomb. Named King David's tomb sometime in the Middle Ages, the modern-day synagogue resembles a nicely tiled cave more than anything else.

We spend a lot of time in text study on these tours, and we spent some time studying texts there.
The picture to the right contains my entire tour group.

We also visited the once-church, once-mosque, now tourist attraction, room where Jesus had his last meal, the Passover seder. It is white and mostly empty, but surprisingly contains a golden flowering tree and lovely stained glass windows.

During the final leg of Thursday's ti'ul, we walked down to a place called guy ben-yanom. Before and during the early First Temple Period, it served as a sacrifice site to a local god. Pointedly near Mount Moriah - the place where Abraham almost sacrificed Isaac - guy ben-yanom was the location of all of the area's child sacrifices. When the Bible talks about heretical kings sending their sons through the fire, it refers to this place. Additionally, during the Second Temple period and the time of Jesus, ancient Jerusalemites used guy ben-yanom as a trash pit. It was constantly aflame, in an attempt to destroy the garbage. When Jesus saw the fiery gulf, he called it the epitomy of hell (at least so I am told). Today, it is a pleasant, grassy park that leads to my climbing cliff and some Arab villages further down the ravine. All of this is a twenty minute walk from my apartment.
To the left is one of the stained glass windows at the room of the Last Supper. To the right is a picture that I took near the outside of King David's tomb.

I just really liked both of them, so I thought that I would share. That's all for now.

Much love to all,
lauren

2005-08-07T17:11:00.000+03:00

Thursday Ti'ulim

Each Thursday, my whole class, future rabbis, cantors, and educators alike, take a ti'ul, or trip. On the Wednesday evening before yom ti'ul, we gather together with our tour guide to discuss the place's history and some of the texts which surround that history. The subject of King David and his decendants consumed much of the ti'ulim the past two Thursdays.

The first week, we walked through the ancient City of David. (Sadly, all of my pictures of this trip were deleted accidentally.) Dating back to the beginning of the Patriarchal period (19th cent. BCE), the city consists of an almost overwhelming number of archeological digs and discoveries. This includes "area G", a site containing the personal library of one of the Biblical scribes, and Hezekiah's tunnel. Hezekiah's tunnel is particularly exciting both for historical Biblical reasons and as it has been turned into a half mile long water hike. It starts at the Gihon spring, one of the most abundant water sources in the Judean hills and ends at the Shiloach pool. The tunnel itself was built by Hezekiah, king of Judah, in 701 BCE as a part of preparations against a seige of the King of Assyria. It is mentioned in Chronicles II.

To be continued when I don't have to make dinner...

2005-07-31T13:20:00.000+03:00

My Second Shabbat - 22nd-23rd of July.

Thursday evening I traveled by bus to Ra'anana to visit Alon and his family. As I write this, Friday morning seems like a blur - everything a preparation to go to Arad for evening dinner. The small city of Arad sits towards the north of the Negev, about thirty minutes away from Masada and high above the Dead Sea. Alon's mother, aunt, uncle, and their parents made up one of the fourteen families that founded Arad in the middle of the twentieth century. Alon's grandparents still live there.

Alon's aunt and her family joined Alon, I, his parents and grandparents for Shabbat dinner. We ate for many hours and talked for even more hours afterward. The conversation ranged from Israel's wars to Alon's cousin's dance classes. It was a lovely evening. At midnight, Alon, his parents, and I reluctantly left Arad to return north to Ra'anana.

Saturday morning, Alon and I left Ra'anana for Jerusalem. Rabbi Perlin and her sons joined us and my classmates Joe and Emily at HUC for Shabbat morning services. Afterward, we walked to the King David Hotel for lunch. I have rarely seen such a feast. Meats and vegetables and breads of every kind filled a great banquet hall's tables. Dessert consisted of parve cheesecakes, mousse, chocolate cakes, and an array of fruits. Between the food and the enjoyable conversation, I was in heaven. As I just started to become a little homesick, it was fantastic to see Rabbi Perlin, who is for me both a piece of home and a large piece of why I am here.

As the afternoon grew old, Alon and I returned home to gather our climbing equipment. We walked to the cliff which is near school and he taught me how to set up different climbing stations. Afterwards, we climbed - I am painfully rusty - and rushed to the apartment to drop off our things. From there, we hurried to my class's wine and dessert Havdallah service at a friend's place. All of us sang loudly, celebrating the end of Shabbat and the beginning of another week together.

All in all, it was a very busy and enjoyable Shabbat.
much love,
lauren

2005-07-30T18:28:00.000+03:00

I recently re-discovered some pictures that Alon and I took when I first arrived in Israel, last January. I thought that I would share a few of them with you. These are all from the Golan Heights.

2005-07-26T18:13:00.000+03:00

Back to school, oooohhh back to school

Classes for the Summer Semester began on the 17th of July. Until the beginning of the Fall Semester in early September, every HUC first year - rabbinical, cantorial, and educational - is in ulpan. There are five different ulpan classes: aleph (1), bet (2), gimel (3), dalet (4), and hey (5). Shockingly, I am in kitah gimel with Karen. (I swore that I was going to be in aleph.)

Happily, my class is filled with lovely people. They are pictured here with our summer ulpan teacher, Sarah. (From left to right, back row: David, Liz, Jill, Micol, Sarah S., Joshua, Julie, Nathan. From left to right, front row: Tifani, Elana, Claire, Karen, and our teacher Sarah. I am not in the picture, as I am taking it.)

The weekly schedule from throughout ulpan is about the same. Class starts at 8:30, there is a 30 minute break at 10 am, and another 15 minute break at noon. Class ends at 1 pm, just in time to rush somewhere for lunch. Ulpan Gordon, in Tel Aviv, where I studied since January, exercised the same daily routine.

During breaks everyone mills around, talking and eating. (The scene to the left is very typical of break-time.) Although we should speak Hebrew to one another, no one ever really does. Breaks are for catching up, making plans, and dipping feet into the wading pools/courtyard fountains.

My week's schedule is quite hectic.
At HUC, ulpan classes start on Sunday and go until Wednesday. Morning services fall on Tuesdays and Thursdays; they push class back by over a half an hour. Thursdays are "tiul" or tour days. There are classes for two or three hours on Wednesday night, which discuss Thursday's trip plans and destinations. Taking into account Friday night and Shabbat morning services, I feel swamped. No one feels like he or she has a free day; I think that it will eventually wear on the class. But that is yet to be seen.

Despite the lack of free time, HUC in Jerusalem has a beautiful maze-like campus, filled with green gardens and Jerusalem stone courtyards. I spend most of my break time in the courtyard to the right, wading in the fountain and talking to classmates.

I have to go for now, but I hope that everyone is happy and healthy at home.

Much love
lauren

2005-07-22T10:45:00.000+03:00

First Shabbat.

Jerusalem is a paradox. Derived from the word "whole", Jerusalem carves herself into very distinct halves, east and west, Arab and Jewish. Shin-lamed-mem, the root letters that make up Jerusalem's name, also spell the Hebrew word peace. Nonetheless, Jerusalem's citizens live in continuous tension and occasionally, open war. Situated in the middle of Israel, at the spiritual heart of her people, I notice that the population of the city consists almost entirely of Americans and only a smattering of Israelis. Yet, depite my opinions of my new home town during the day, my thoughts of her change completely when night falls.

As the day fades, the stones' glow intensifies from a sandy white to a soft yellow gold. With the setting sun, the sky turns a deep saphire blue, making the moon and stars shine more silver than ever before. Here, as day converts into night, I suddenly find myself in a be-jeweled city.

On Shabbat, this transformation is deeper. Friday morning feels more hectic than any other day. The shuk is stuffed with last-minute shoppers; the streets are packed with cars on their way to pre-sabbath errands. Slowly, as the afternoon comes, buses and cars fade from the streets, and the city quiets herself. Smells of roasted chickens and long-awaited meals waft onto the sidewalks and between apartment buildings. The clatter of busy preparation fills each home. Just before sunset, the streets stir again - not with cars, but with pedestrians. Small groups of friends parade the streets discussing the week's events, as they head to each of the city's many synagogues.

This Shabbat my friends and I head to HUC and the little chapel it contains. It is our first Shabbat as a class, and all of us gather for services and dinner at the College. The synagogue is packed with visitors and alumni, and the air is heavy with prayers and hopes. At the end of services, everyone files downstairs into the main courtyard for dinner. We happily sing songs until the food arrives, when all noise turns into conversation and meal-time clatter. At the end of dinner, we give thanks and begin to sing and dance. Joy and laughter becomes contagious as the class circles together for the final songs. Truly, fully, we welcomed in Shabbat.

After services on Saturday morning, Karen and I rush back to our apartment to prepare Shabbat lunch. During the week, we invited 16 people to our small home. Fortunately, most brought dishes to share, and only some work remained for us to complete. Around one o'clock everyone arrived we said kiddush and began the meal. Although crowded and hectic, Karen and I felt overjoyed to host some of our friends for the first Shabbat. Over the next year, we hope these people will become our family and I was thrilled to have the first family lunch at our house.

'til next time,
lauren

2005-07-21T15:02:00.000+03:00

Welcome to HUC.

Oh, orientation week. That ever necessary but annyoningly boring series of activities designed to help students adjust to an entirely different place and program in five short days. Health insurance, security, coping skills, class schedules, ulpan requirements, and the insincerely obligatory we're-so-glad-you-came speech. Welcome to HUC: we're a bunch of talking heads.

Please excuse the bitter tone; it wasn't that bad. There were also mixers and ice-cream socials and parties. It is really nice to start to get to know my classmates, my future colleuges. Whether we like it or not, we are all stuck together for the next five years, if not the rest of our lives. Few people become rabbis and Jewish professionals. From here on, we will have conferences, continued-learning classes, and a host of other activities together. There are about 40 erev-rabbis, 8 starting cantors, and a smattering of education students in my class. I made some great friends, many of whom are also headed to the New York campus next year. And everyone seems interesting; each with his own story of why being clergy is the right path for him. There are a few which I met before this year at different conferences and conventions. Other faces are completely new to me.

Alon came to visit on the second to last day of orientation. He met most of the class and their significant others, for which I am glad. I got to meet and talk to Rabbi Ellenson, the President of HUC; my claim to fame is that both of us are William and Mary graduates. There are very few W&M alumn who also attend HUC. (I think I might make number five or six.) It was fun to talk to someone else who knew about such an important piece of home.

'Til the next "blog",
lauren

2005-07-21T05:00:00.000+03:00

Gone to Petra.

Before Scott came into town from Atlanta, the two of us decided that we wanted to take a trip chutz, or outside of Israel. As it is safer than Egypt, Jordan was an obvious choice.

The day after I arrived in Israel, Scott, Alon, and I prepared to leave it. Traveling down from Ra'anana to Tel Aviv to Eilat, we crossed the Israeli-Jordanian boarder to spend the night in Aqaba. Aqaba sits at the top of the Red Sea, across the water from Eilat. Eilat is a bustling tourist town filled with Vegas-style grand hotels and long, manicured beaches. Aqaba, its Jordanian counterpart, is not nearly as glamourous nor as wealthy. After visiting Eilat twice, I felt strange standing on the opposite shore looking at its familiar landmarks with a 50 foot Jordanian flag flapping above my head. Nonetheless, Aqaba is an interesting place, filled with good food, a lively street life (at least until midnight when everything abruptly closes), and kind people.

The three of us woke up early the next morning, passed through the Wadi Rum, and headed to Petra. An ancient city guarded by mountains, Petra contains enormous two thousand year old buildings and sculptures hewn out of the soft, living rock. Originally built and controlled by the Nabataeans, a once-nomadic tribe, Petra is one of the great wonders of the world. An expensive ticket buys entrance to the park; Scott, Alon, and I walked down the desert path to our destination. A narrow, winding canyon flanked with carvings and the remains of an aquiduct lead us to our first true glimpse of the city. Elaborately decorated with ionic-capped columns, the Treasury rose stories above us, up the side of the cliff face. The inside is cavernous; beautifully decorated doorways are the only contents that remain in the rooms. After much ooo-ing, aahhh-ing, and picture-taking, we hiked towards the rest of the city.

Petra is filled with temples and amphitheaters and homes, all etched into the face of the rock, rising story upon story up the mountain-side. The path below teems with tourists, Bedouins peddling goods, and the occasional archeologist rushing to his dig. We spent the whole day climbing the park's paths to different sites.

The path at Petra ends with a magnificent mountain-top view of parts of Jordan and Israel. Near the top of the climb sits a Roman monastary protruding almost suddenly from a peak. On the return trip, we stopped at a Bedouin shop for tea and nargila. Before we left, I traded the proprietor a pair of cheap sunglasses for a necklace containing one of Petra's many rocks. I still feel positively about the transaction.

That is all for the moment. If you want me to send you more pictures, let me know.
Much love and missing,
lauren b.

P.S. Below is a picture of Alon, me, and Scott at a view which overlooks the modern town of Petra. And yes, I know I look terrible.

2005-07-21T03:26:00.000+03:00

After walking down the new golden ramps of Ben-Gurion and making my way through customs, Alon and I drove to my apartment in my new home town, Jerusalem. We met my apartment-mate and long-time friend, Karen, and began the never-ending unpacking process.
By mid-afternoon, we took a break to pick up my friend, Scott, from the central bus station. Scott visited the apartment, approved, and then we all left for Ra'anana.
Karen, Scott, Alon, and I arrived at Alon's parents' home, just in time to prepare for the my welcome-back party. Most everyone came, and it was such a pleasure to see friends and Alon's family.
At the end of the night, Karen returned to Jerusalem while Scott, Alon, and I prepared for the next day's adventure. All in all, it was a busy and positive first day back.