Looking Ahead

Lately I've been thinking a great deal about the future. Its a fairly obvious topic for this time of year at HUC Jerusalem. We're in the home streatch here as purim has passed us by. In a little bit it will be Passover and before you know it its May and finals will hit us all like a ton of bricks. My classmates are all working on securing their summer jobs, finding new places to live, buying cars, and picking up their lives again from where they left off.

In a few short weeks people in my class will start their packing to head back to the United States and Canada. My reflection group will be having a discussion about 'What we will be packing with us' when we head home. I jokingly said to them: a very small backpack.

My last blog post was about the counter I have counting up on my facebook page. Well today I added a new counter: My Countdown to עליה! It say that from today I have 141 days until I make Ayliah. Writing that sent shivers down my spine. 141 days from now I will be here in Israel as a citizen.

Now I'm sure that most of my readers (all 5 or so of you) have talked to me about my plans, but I haven't really talked about exactly why I'm doing this. I've compilied a small list...

100 years ago Minneapolis Minnesota was a fairly large flour milling town on the Missisipi river. Milwaukee Wisconsin was a small little town on Lake Michigan. Tel Aviv didn't even exist! Haifa was a tiny port city that wasn't worth mentioning on most maps. Be'er Sheva wasn't a city at all! 100 years later and Tel Aviv is the cultural capital of a modern state. Haifa is a booming and diverse city and Be'er Sheva is the metropolis of the desert. I look at everything that's been built here and say to myself 'I want to be a part of this!'

Walk down the streets of Israel on Friday night and there is one thing you'll hear. 'Shabbat Shalom!' Saturday night its 'Shavuah Tov!' On Holidays its 'Chag Sameach!' Its hard not to live the Jewish calendar here. Life just marches to the beat of Judiasm's drum. I want to live here and feel that every year.

I'm looking ahead...not to packing for the United States, but to packing for my return trip...packing for my life.

500

About 501 days ago...I was getting on a plane in New York bound for Israel. Life seemed very uncertain at the time. Where was I going to live in Israel? How was I going to like living in a land so foreign to my own? What would my life be like for the next 18 months?

Here I am exactly 500 days abroad. In all of that time I've seen and done incredible things. On this the 500th day of my adventure I'll recap a few of the great things I've done.

I have...

Swam in the Mediterranian, and I did it within 2 hours of being here!

Lived in the Jezreel Valley, Israel's bread basket and home to many Kibbutzim.

Worked in a Screw Factory, where no one spoke English! (Oh So Many Jokes about the Factory)

Lived in a Desert climate...very different from where I've ever lived.

Learned to speak a language both ancient and modern all at once.

Drank tea with Beduins (real Beduins not the tourist ones who take you on camel rides)

Smoked Nargila on the side of a Jordainan Highway with my cab driver

Stood next to the giant temples of Petra

Ice Skated in Metulla at the Canada Center

Wandered the streets of Tel Aviv (The first Modern Hebrew City, celebrating its 100th birthday this year.)

Picked Olives

Eaten Hummus fresh (Yes it does taste better warm)

Watched the sun set over the Golden Dome and the Kotel

Strolled down the Cardo like my ancestors did thousands of years ago

Watched Military Ceremonies and watched my best friend become a soldier (albiet a lazy one)

I've visited the capitals of Europe (well France, England, Germany, Holland, Spain, and Belgium)

Slept in airports (on purpose)

Eaten French Cheeses so exclusive, its against the law to export them

Ridden the bus from London to Paris...yeah I took a ferry to Dunkirk

Seen the Mona Lisa...pretty over hyped

Watched the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace

Ate real fish and chips...with malt vinegar and everything!

Wandered the grounds of Versalles (and yes the tour guide was angry at me for reminding him the German Kaiser was crowned there)

Stood under the Brandenburg Gate

Eaten Bratwurst at the Reichstag

Cried at Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam

Saw more Van Gogh paintings than I ever thought exsisted

Walked the red-light district also in Amsterdam

Ate Stroopwaffels (Dutch is an awesome language by the way)

Sipped German beer and found it to be not nearly as good as Dutch beer

Walked in the Placio Real in Madrid

Learned that wine brings all people together

Found that just a smile and a hello can make strangers into friends

Grown up a whole lot...

Its been a crazy ride so far. By my estimate I have about 75ish more days before I return to the United States, but it won't be for long. See there's one thing I've found these past 500 days that trumps all of these exprience. I feel at home here in Israel and I've decided to make the dream a reality. So I guess that in August when I return there won't be any need for a countdown or a count up...

Time to Speak

I'm sitting here in the Library at HUC trying to study for my exams. Why am I not able to focus? Well other than the normal internet related distractions like facebook and hockey scores, there's a war going on in my backyard. It’s been on my mind since the whole thing started two weeks ago. I'll never be able to forget exactly where I was when it happened.

I woke up in the morning on Kibbutz Yiftah ready have latkes with my friends to cure my awful hangover. As we grated potatoes we switched on CNN just to see what was going on in the world. Turns out the sky was falling down on top of Gaza. Suddenly all across the Garin area of the Kibbutz cell phones were ringing. Not calls from parents or friends but rather calls from army superiors telling their soldiers to skip the laundry and be on the first bus back to base. Just like that a week vacation for some or just a weekend off for others got canceled. It was a stark realization to everyone there.

Reports started to filter down to us as to which units were being called up and where they were headed. It sounded like a dance of line cutting and shifting. I wasn't quite sure what to think, I just wanted to know if my best friend was going to the border or not. Luckily at the time it was just air attacks and he would be going back to his training base to finish his advanced training. He was still on track to receive his colored beret on the 15th of January. I even talked with his mom about how excited I was to see them again.

Fast forward to this last Saturday evening. Strolling Ben Yehuda street with my friends visiting on their Birthright trips. Everything seemed ok, until we heard the news that the ground invasion had begun. I heard conflicting reports about numbers involved, injured, and thankfully at that time none dead.

Now the picture is becoming clearer as to what is actually happening in Gaza. Dozens of IDF soldiers have been injured and one has been killed. The operation is expected to be long and difficult here and there are few who will not be affected in this small country that I love. It’s hard to write about, but I do know people who are directly involved. Their lives will forever be changed because of this war. Guys I used to joke with, drink with, play soccer with, and hangout with will simply never be the same.

My best friend's beret ceremony has been 'postponed' indefinitely and his training has been cut short. Luckily he's not heading to Gaza, but the alternative isn't much better. He'll be patrolling the streets of Ramallah or Hebron for awhile. He may not even be able to get leave to see his parents when they come.

My heart is saddened for another generation of Israelis who have to know war instead of peace.

So here I sit in the HUC libray, trying to learn some trope for an exam tomorrow. Hard doesn't even describe how it is right now.

Oh the Places I've Been

Its been 365 days since I left home...I've now been abroad for one year. I left a bright eyed kid who'd never been to far from what was comfortable. My life existed through a prism that I didn't even know was missning so many colors. I'd never genuinely met a person who was all that different from me. One year ago my life took a turn down a road of adventure.

Its been a year of memories and a year of growth. I've learned an ancient and yet new language, the language of my people. A language I've grown to love. A language of such great holiness, learning, and beauty and at the same time a language of markets, cell phones, and all sorts of normal daily things.

I've grown to love this place for what it is. From far north in Metula where you can ice skate at the Canada Center, all the way down south to Eilat where the parties don't stop. Taba and Aqaba beckon to you from the boardwalk in Eilat. I've seen the soaring sky scrapers of Tel Aviv and ridden on the crazy subway in Haifa. I've hiked the Golan and seen Damascus on a clear day from one of the peaks. I've lived on Kibbutzim, a place where pioneering spirit can still be found with a Labor Zionist brand. I met some of the brave ones who fought in all of Israel's wars. I've mourned the loss of their comrades on Memorial Day and had the absolute thrill to be in Rabin Square for Independence day (the day after Memorial Day.) 60 years now we've had this home of ours.

I've watched my best friend become a soldier. Its hard to believe that in a few months he will have his swearing in ceremony into Nahal. Its strange to think what his life is like. He was drafted on my birthday last year...thanks Israeli Government. I'm proud of him for all that he is doing. He's making a life for himself here. 

I've seen the sights of Europe, admittadly not as much as I wanted to, but still lots of stuff. The amazing museams and artwork that takes your breath away. Strange coffee shops where a dozen different languages waft in the air. Interesting people you meet in the hostels along the way. Seeing the world.

As I write this I'm feeling homesick. Its been a long time since I've seen a lot of you reading this thing out there. I've missed so much of what's going on in the States. We're all a year older, and a year's worth of experiences has passed us by. Of course I miss my family, especially the little ones. I miss my friends who are still in various places around the country. I miss the snow and the ice. It may be wonderful here, but its not the same as where I grew up.

I miss certain familiar foods which you either can't get here or only come in strange varities here. While yet, I've come to enjoy all the amazing food that is here too. Learning to cook a new way was fun, and doing it in a different language was even more.

I've see a whole lot of stuff, met a whole lot of people, and been to quite a few places. Its been an amazing ride. Hope to hear from you all and hope you are all having a great Sukkot!

A New Year's Resolution

Last week was ראש השנה, and in Israel it literally represents the New Year. In the United States I always observed the holiday, but never really thought of it as my New Year, because in secular American society it is not. School is in full swing and the Jewish High Holy Days (ימים הנורים) represent a strange sort of interruption. They tend to fall at a time, for University students, when classes are just beginning to get difficult for the semester. Due dates for papers draw closer and research projects need their library time.

Here in Israel, the holiday is felt everywhere. The checkout lady at the supermarket wished everyone a Shanah Tovah, because the holiday is on everyone's mind. There is no feeling that the holiday crept up on you, because the world view here is centered around the Holiday cycle. Rosh Hashana is the last real day of summer for secular Israelis and often that means one last beach trip. Sounds strange to American Jews, but for some reason it seems to fit in my mind. I was in services all day, but I could understand how a secular Israeli might want to streatch their summer just one more day. The Shabbat after Rosh Hashanah is traditionally an extra large party. It makes sense to me as well, because the New Years (Jan 1st) is always a large party. Why not celebrate the last few hours the last year and rejoice in the year to come?

I hosted two friends for Rosh Hashanah and we decided to Shul hop around Jerusalem's many options. I attended HUC for Erev Rosh Hashanah and found it to be a carbon copy of every other Reform High Holiday service I had ever been to. There was a large operatic choir singing the prayers to beautiful tunes, and each cantorial student had at least one solo. The cantorial students have been running around like their collective hair was on fire for the last month preparing. It was nice, but I'm in Israel and couldn't pass up the opportunity to see as much as possible.

I ducked out of HUC after the Torah reading on Rosh Hashanah day 1 and headed quickly for Har-El. While they have a well trained operatic cantor, the whole service had a much different feel. The entirety of the service was in Hebrew, it is an Israeli Reform shul after all. I arrived just in time to pray Mussaf with the congregation, a part of the service not included in most American Reform Synagogues. The service ended with B'shana Ha'baah, an Israeli folk tune who's title literally means 'Next Year.' Its a song of hope and decidedly secular. Singing that song at the end of Rosh Hashanah services reminded me why I love the Israeli Reform Movement, an amazing blend of old and new.

On day 2 of Rosh Hashanah my friends and I went to the Jerusalem Great Synagogue for Scharit services. Because I was hosting to women, they sat in the balcony and had a much better view than I did. It is a spectacular view and an amazing place. The whole shul is designed to be acoustically perfect for the Chazzan (service leader.) He stands facing the Ark and sings, accompanied by an all male operatic choir, and without the aid of a microphone all 2,000 people can hear his wonderful voice. The service is decidely Orthodox in its leaning, but it was a unique exprience. The Chazzan there will be retiring after this Yom Kippur and I had to see him lead services once before then.

After Shacharit we wandered a block down the street to the Conservative Yeshivah to catch Mussaf. It was a more egalitarian type service, but still had its times when the Chazzanit (female service leader) allowed the participants to go their own pace. The Sermon was very interesting and seemed to come from the heart. Its rare to see a Rabbi speak without notes, in my experience, but he spoke eloquently. The theme was one of T'shuva (repentance) and specifically the Ramban's teachings about it.

After the whole experience we walked back to my apartment to nosh a bit and then we walked over to the Kotel in the old city. There were a lot of tourists out. I joked they were 'watching the Jew in his natural environment.' (Use the National Geographic narrator in your head for that line.) My friends and I decided to pray Mincha service together just outside the gate to the Kotel plaza, so we could pray in mixed company. Then we headed down to the Kotel to say our own prayers. As I entered the Kotel area, a group of 20 something Modern Orthodox men asked me to pray with them. They already had a minyan, so the gesture was one of pure hospitality. How could I refuse? Orthodox Mincha service takes roughly 10 minutes and these boys were no exception. As we concluded with the Mourners Kaddish I turned to leave and meet my friends back in the plaza. One of the men grabbed my arm and said, stay and sing with us. Once again how could I refuse? Their voices weren't operatic, but something about the way we sat and sang next to the Kotel was magical. I really felt the depth of faith these young men had. Beautiful is an understated adjative for this situation.

When I finally left to go with my friends, they told me they loved listening to that 'wonderful group of singers over on the men's side.' I couldn't help but blush that I had been part of it, but it was an amazing experience to be a part of it. What a wonderful New Year celebration I had.

Now for the Resolution...I've gotten pretty sloppy about keeping up with you all through the blog and through all the various other forms of communication I have available. I'm going to do my best to change that.

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year. לשנה טובה!

P.S. If I have wronged you in the past year please find it in your heart not just to forgive me, but to email me so that I can try to make amends.

A Post....

So it has been quite awhile since my last post. I'm not even quite sure what I last wrote about, but here's an update on my life.

I've now been in Israel/Abroad (note 4 weeks in Europe) for about 300 some days or about 10 months. Up until I got to HUC life was fairly simple...there was a goal and my whole being was focused on that goal. Getting into HUC was not an easy task for me and I finally did it.

I'm now about a week away from being finished with HUC's summer Ulpan session. I started the session in the Daled level of Hebrew, but now I am in Gimmel. The reason for the switch was my achillies heel: reading. I'm still not quite where I want to be with it, but hey I can pretty much function in this society with my speaking. Take the strengths with the weaknesses.

The Ulpan has been an interesting experience, especially coming from a totally different kind of Hebrew learning. Academically it is far more challenging here, but the Kibbutz Ulpan system forces students to live a life in Hebrew. My co-workers at the Kibbutz didn't speak enough English to even greet me in the morning, and here we are all North American or native English speakers. Holding down a conversation in Hebrew with other HUC students isn't always easy, but we all try our best.

We've also started a Biblical History survey class. Its essentially a two part class with lectures on Wednesday night and Trips on Thursday. Its an interesting concept for a class. Discuss the Philistines and their cities on Wednesday night and actually go to them on Thursday. The professors mostly come from archeology backgrounds and have incredibly interesting insights into the biblical texts. Nothing is taken for granted when they read the bible.

Other than that, my life is pretty much a gigantic ball of frustration. Its mostly directed at the fact that my student loans are now about a month and a half late. This fact alone makes me want to tear out my hair on some occasions. (Good thing I've got a short haircut.) Its making it difficult for me to function here as it is constantly on my mind. I've been told its just a paperwork miss shuffle, but that doesn't make me feel any better. Everyone tells me to have patience and I'm trying. I refuse to yell at anyone on the phone or here in Israel. It just won't do any good so I'm trying to keep calm. My new friends/classmates have been a great help.

In other news around Israel...

Brett finally graduated from his combat medic training course. Its one of the most difficult courses in the Israeli Army and he finished in the top 25% of his class. Not bad for a guy who's Hebrew is admittdly not so strong. I went to the ceremony where he recieved his pin. It was quite something to see him there. He even got a big hug from his commander. After the ceremony I went up to his Kibbutz to celebrate with him. It was also his Kibbutz's 60 birthday so there was a great deal of celebrating. I got to see a movie about the Kibbutz, a show about the founding, and even a concert. It was also the day the new Garin moved to the Kibbutz, thus compounding the good things.

I swear that as soon as I get internet working well enough in my apartment, I will post the 1000 or so pictures of Europe on the Internet.

Till next time folks...

Shabbat in Jerusalem

So I know its been awhile since my last blog, but I'm gonna give you all a quick update...

I landed back in Israel on 6/7/08, please note that this is the European date and not the American date. (In Europe its Day/Month/Year.) Anyway, I landed in Tel Aviv and spent the night in an air conditioned dormitory at Hayarkon 48. (Israel's most famous Hostel.) It was an uneventful night with not much to talk about.

When I arrived in Jerusalem on the 7th, life became a whirlwind of activity. I've gotten a new cellphone and am looking for a place to live permanently. Its been quite crazy. There's all sorts of new things to do and many challenges await.

I still need to:

Get my Student Loans to come through.
Get a Student Visa for Israel
Get a Place to live permanently
Get class schedules
Buy books
Generally get myself in school mode

Its going to be an interesting few weeks and I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Tonight is my first Shabbat as an HUC student and I've waited for this for a long time. I hope you all have a Good Shabbos!