It was an interesting shabbat, that's for sure. Sophie and I wanted to use anywhere in Israel but turns out they had a baby and the service wasn't working. So we took a list of families who host people for shabbat and we picked a random name off the list. They could have us, so our shabbat plans were set. We're going to kiryat arba/chevron. On Friday we took a bullet proof bus and when we got there we got off and tried to figure out where to go. So we're walking down the sidewalk when two German shepherds run out, barking and chasing us. it was all I could do not to run for my life. So we quickly backed away and got the hell outta there-the dogs were still watching us from across the street. We were off to a great start.
So eventually we found their house and turns out the host was chavrusahs with my dad 25 years ago. Small world.
On Friday night we walked down to the mearat hamachpelah to daven-only a 12 minute walk. There were guards stationed everywhere on the path down to the cave because on both sides are Arab villages. I was literally walking parallel to Arabs riding donkeys, less than 10 feet away from me. (some of the chayalim wished us shabbat shalom QUITE enthusiastically.)
It was pretty cool davening there on an ordinary Friday night-there were surprisingly absolutely no charedim. Mostly carlbach guys dressed all in white.
On shabbat morning they required us to get up early (we were warned in advance) and we walked up to this nowheresville that was practically hanging off a cliff (it was a shack with a tablecloth mechitza put up for us) and adjacent to a Jewish family's hut. They actually raise goats.
So we finished davening early and wandered to the edge of the cliff and when we couldn't go any further we sat down on rocks and hung out. I later figured out I got sunburned. In late October.
For lunch our hosts had native Serbs at their table. Seriously. It was a guy visiting his daughter who made aliyah. Anyways, after lunch we walked down to he kazmas which was literally chevron arabville. Loads of armed guards accompanied us-we found them standing on the rooftops and guarding any entrances where they would forbid Arabs from passing through. It was like wlking through the old city- all the same alleys and crevices and tunnels-except there were Muslim kids staring at us from the windows and creepy Arab guys selling produce like in the Arab shuk. The soldiers legitimately walked around cocking their guns at the Arabs passing through. What a chavaya.
(apologies for lack of coherency and grammatical errors)
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Sukkot
All right, I've given into peer pressure.
No, not THAT kind of peer pressure; the intense kind from your parents when they beg you to update your blog.
I guess I'll start from chol hamoed.
Just my luck, I couldn't sleep on Sunday morning, before I went to the kotel for birkat kohanim. So I was up early anyway. We left around 7 am, and it was already crowded and hot by the time we got there. Lucky for us, we got front row spots on the plaza behind the men, and even got a chair to stand on. It was really awesome to see all the taleisim and lulavim everywhere, and the sudden quiet that descended when they actually began the blessing. For mussaf, when they did it again, my friend tapped me on the shoulder and said, "turn around." I did, and it was absolutely unbelievable.'tens of thousands of people were crammed into the plaza, and they were spilling onto surrounding staircases and rooftops. Something to see. Don't even get me started on how hard it was to get a bus back.
In the afternoon, we went with school to the beach in Ashdod. A separate swimming beach! It was really beautiful.
On monday I went to an art festival in town with my friend and her sister called and asked us if we wanted a job in the old city for 40 shekel an hour. (we quickly agreed.) when we got there, we saw a gorgeous mansion overlooking the kotel. But we didn't have time to look; they immediately put us to work in the kitchen. From 2:30 pm until 10:30 pm we chopped vegetables and washed dishes and served and cleared food at a dinner party for the family's friends and also for lots of soldiers which they frequently have over for meals. This family has a full time kitchen staff. Sounds nice.
For the second days of yom tov I was in rechavya which is a neighborhood in Jerusalem practically across from the president and prime minister's house at my friend's somewhat distant relatives: an old hungarian holocaust survivor and her incapacitated daughter who uses a wheel chair. It was interesting. Almost everything they served us was "fresh and delicious," they claimed. I was getting suspicious of the "fresh and delicious challah, the best challah you can buy!" which was completely tasteless and fortified with a rubbery and thin crust. Boy do I miss mom's whole grain challah. I finally learned that their definition of the word "fresh" consisted of anything that was bought or made within the past 3 to 4 days. They begged us to eat. It was a trap. When they asked us if we liked it, and we said yes, "then you'll have some more!" was their answer. (but we're stuffed!) how they assumed we were starving 2 hours after a huge meal is beyond me. But then again, I don't understand most Israelis. And I suppose being offered lots of food is better than being starved. And I got to sleep a lot there. Oh-and I went to rabbi berel wein's shul on shabbas! We also raveled at the beautiful Inbal hotel on shemini atzeres and went shul hopping on simchad Torah. Unbelievable. I miss SEHC. at least there, the women aren't segregated into a stuffy and cramped womens section to sit back and watch the men dance. Not that simchas torah is ever fun for women, bt this was pretty sad. Oh well. There are other redeeming factors here.
No, not THAT kind of peer pressure; the intense kind from your parents when they beg you to update your blog.
I guess I'll start from chol hamoed.
Just my luck, I couldn't sleep on Sunday morning, before I went to the kotel for birkat kohanim. So I was up early anyway. We left around 7 am, and it was already crowded and hot by the time we got there. Lucky for us, we got front row spots on the plaza behind the men, and even got a chair to stand on. It was really awesome to see all the taleisim and lulavim everywhere, and the sudden quiet that descended when they actually began the blessing. For mussaf, when they did it again, my friend tapped me on the shoulder and said, "turn around." I did, and it was absolutely unbelievable.'tens of thousands of people were crammed into the plaza, and they were spilling onto surrounding staircases and rooftops. Something to see. Don't even get me started on how hard it was to get a bus back.
In the afternoon, we went with school to the beach in Ashdod. A separate swimming beach! It was really beautiful.
On monday I went to an art festival in town with my friend and her sister called and asked us if we wanted a job in the old city for 40 shekel an hour. (we quickly agreed.) when we got there, we saw a gorgeous mansion overlooking the kotel. But we didn't have time to look; they immediately put us to work in the kitchen. From 2:30 pm until 10:30 pm we chopped vegetables and washed dishes and served and cleared food at a dinner party for the family's friends and also for lots of soldiers which they frequently have over for meals. This family has a full time kitchen staff. Sounds nice.
For the second days of yom tov I was in rechavya which is a neighborhood in Jerusalem practically across from the president and prime minister's house at my friend's somewhat distant relatives: an old hungarian holocaust survivor and her incapacitated daughter who uses a wheel chair. It was interesting. Almost everything they served us was "fresh and delicious," they claimed. I was getting suspicious of the "fresh and delicious challah, the best challah you can buy!" which was completely tasteless and fortified with a rubbery and thin crust. Boy do I miss mom's whole grain challah. I finally learned that their definition of the word "fresh" consisted of anything that was bought or made within the past 3 to 4 days. They begged us to eat. It was a trap. When they asked us if we liked it, and we said yes, "then you'll have some more!" was their answer. (but we're stuffed!) how they assumed we were starving 2 hours after a huge meal is beyond me. But then again, I don't understand most Israelis. And I suppose being offered lots of food is better than being starved. And I got to sleep a lot there. Oh-and I went to rabbi berel wein's shul on shabbas! We also raveled at the beautiful Inbal hotel on shemini atzeres and went shul hopping on simchad Torah. Unbelievable. I miss SEHC. at least there, the women aren't segregated into a stuffy and cramped womens section to sit back and watch the men dance. Not that simchas torah is ever fun for women, bt this was pretty sad. Oh well. There are other redeeming factors here.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
A different kind of rosh hashana
Picture this: surrounded in an ocean of black and white (and the occasional gray) clothing, on the second day of rosh hashana, and here you are, wearing the brightest and most colorful skirt in your closet, in the most charedi neighborhood you've ever been to in your life.
All eyes are on you.
Yes, my friends, that was me two days ago.
I'm sitting on the other side of the berlin wall mechitza, which is also in a separate ROOM than the men.
It was a different universe.
Fortunately, after being inundated with Hebrew babbling 24/7, with the occasional few English words interjected for me, I'm becoming quicker at ivrit. Oh, wouldn't Mrs. Grun be proud.
But what I'm getting to, the redeeming quality of yom tov, was the food. I'm going to be dreaming of bourekas and spicy matbucha while I eat peanut butter sandwiches for dinner over the next month. And the cheesecake-nothing like the American stuff. Earlier this week I made cookies- the same nestle tollhouse recipe I use ALL the time at home, and when I tasted them, I couldn't believe
All eyes are on you.
Yes, my friends, that was me two days ago.
I'm sitting on the other side of the berlin wall mechitza, which is also in a separate ROOM than the men.
It was a different universe.
Fortunately, after being inundated with Hebrew babbling 24/7, with the occasional few English words interjected for me, I'm becoming quicker at ivrit. Oh, wouldn't Mrs. Grun be proud.
But what I'm getting to, the redeeming quality of yom tov, was the food. I'm going to be dreaming of bourekas and spicy matbucha while I eat peanut butter sandwiches for dinner over the next month. And the cheesecake-nothing like the American stuff. Earlier this week I made cookies- the same nestle tollhouse recipe I use ALL the time at home, and when I tasted them, I couldn't believe
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Solutions
Exactly seven days. Which also means one week to come up with solutions to my packing problems. Unfortunately, two duffel bags just don't cut it.
Fortunately, I had an epiphany: I would humbly succumb to everyone's advice to buy vacuum-seal bags, which, to my pleasant surprise, worked like magic. On the verge of defeat, after requesting worthless help from several basically-worthless Target employees, I was lucky enough to merit some assistance from one of the red-shirts. I rushed home and eagerly stuffed my winter coat, towel sets, linens and God-knows-what-else into a large resealable plastic bag.
I need the space. My bedroom is currently practically being demolished and is an absolute disaster. To get to the closet, I have to step over the suitcases, around the chairs, and over the dangling carpets.
CARPETS?!
Yes, carpets. Due to the last storm, my room flooded and soaked the carpet through. It is now ripped out, exposing the ugly brown tile underneath, in the meticulous process of drying with small portable fans. Bob the Builder couldn't have done better himself. If I'm lucky, it will be dry by next year.
But oh boy, I was in for a treat.
I don't think anyone should be allowed to have as much fun as I did sealing and resealing those bags with the vacuum cleaner.
I now have freeze-dried clothes that dangle from my hands all in one handy package that I can shove into the recesses of my duffel.
All the more room for ketchup and tuna fish.
Fortunately, I had an epiphany: I would humbly succumb to everyone's advice to buy vacuum-seal bags, which, to my pleasant surprise, worked like magic. On the verge of defeat, after requesting worthless help from several basically-worthless Target employees, I was lucky enough to merit some assistance from one of the red-shirts. I rushed home and eagerly stuffed my winter coat, towel sets, linens and God-knows-what-else into a large resealable plastic bag.
I need the space. My bedroom is currently practically being demolished and is an absolute disaster. To get to the closet, I have to step over the suitcases, around the chairs, and over the dangling carpets.
CARPETS?!
Yes, carpets. Due to the last storm, my room flooded and soaked the carpet through. It is now ripped out, exposing the ugly brown tile underneath, in the meticulous process of drying with small portable fans. Bob the Builder couldn't have done better himself. If I'm lucky, it will be dry by next year.
But oh boy, I was in for a treat.
I don't think anyone should be allowed to have as much fun as I did sealing and resealing those bags with the vacuum cleaner.
I now have freeze-dried clothes that dangle from my hands all in one handy package that I can shove into the recesses of my duffel.
All the more room for ketchup and tuna fish.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Ten Days and Counting
Ten days and counting.
It seems there should be more paperwork to fill out, but it's finally been completed. Or mostly, anyway.
Even finalizing the bank accounts, a tedious and laborious sore-subject, (especially because I will not be a legal adult until 24 hours after I land in Israel,) is almost out of our minds.
Moving on to bigger and better things like packing. Which is not nearly as easy as it sounds. Filtering out items like crock pots and Heinz ketchup from excessive packing lists sent to me by many well-meaning people is extremely time-consuming.
As if I had room for baby powder, medical tape, and sandwich makers.
If they're taking ketchup, does that make me eligible for hoarding American soda to replace the carbonated mouthwash which Israelis call mint soda? It's a good thing they have falafel going for them.
Almost nine days...
It seems there should be more paperwork to fill out, but it's finally been completed. Or mostly, anyway.
Even finalizing the bank accounts, a tedious and laborious sore-subject, (especially because I will not be a legal adult until 24 hours after I land in Israel,) is almost out of our minds.
Moving on to bigger and better things like packing. Which is not nearly as easy as it sounds. Filtering out items like crock pots and Heinz ketchup from excessive packing lists sent to me by many well-meaning people is extremely time-consuming.
As if I had room for baby powder, medical tape, and sandwich makers.
If they're taking ketchup, does that make me eligible for hoarding American soda to replace the carbonated mouthwash which Israelis call mint soda? It's a good thing they have falafel going for them.
Almost nine days...
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