sla514's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries TravelStream™ news feed for member sla514 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/sla514 en-us Copyright ©2012 TravelPod.com Mon, 23 Jun 2008 01:22:40 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com I know I'm back, but wait, there's more!!! — Golan heights, Israel http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1214168340/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1214168340/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1214168340/tpod.html Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:22:40 +0000 Shari & Evette's Most Excellent Adventure
Golan heights, Israel

April 25, 2008 Remember, back in the beginning of October, we were supposed to go camping, but Rascal told us that at 3 months old, he was not quite ready to camp? Well, he told us now that at almost 10 months, he is not only ready, but very excited to go camping. No, really, he did tell us. So, we rented a car & packed up the tent & headed north. Our goal was to see the Golan. We did not have reservations anywhere; just total spontaneity & adventure. The route we took was as far east as you could go without crossing into Jordan. Last time, we drove up the west side of the Sea of Galilee so this time we ventured up the east side. We know that most of the beaches along the sea allow camping. So we pulled into the first one & it was very rocky. It did not seem like it would be a great camping experience. We pulled in & out of several more, but they either did not allow dogs or it wasn't good camping conditions. So now we are hot & hungry so we pull off on this secluded road to eat lunch. Evette had packed us some yummy tuna salad & crackers. It truly was a no-outlet, secluded spot. After lunch, we decided to drive as far north as we could & then head west across the country towards the coast. We were not happy with camping areas around the Galilee, so, maybe the Mediterranean would be better. As we were driving, we came across this old Syrian Mosque that had obviously been bombed. As we continue along the Syrian Border, we see lots of signs like this & right around here we hear bombing . As we continue past the Lebanon border, we see lots of bunkers & more signs like this . Poor little Rascal has to make a "pit-stop", but Mommies decide a firing zone is not the best rest stop. Continuing along, we pass this big wind turbine farm. Apparently, this is a very big energy/power source. Next stop, Nimrod Fortress. Nimrod Fortress is an ancient fortress situated in the northern Golan Heights, on a ridge rising about 815 m (2675 feet) above sea level & is one of the largest fortresses which survived in the Middle-East since the Middle Ages. The fortress controlled one of the region's main roads. The fortress was built around 1229 to pre-empt any attempt on Damascus by the Sixth Crusade. We were able to take Rascal & explore the whole castle. It was really awesome climbing through the rubble & into tunnels & caves & experiencing the history. As it was nearing Shabbat, I saw this woman lighting candles right there in the castle. So, now it is getting to be dark & we have had no luck finding a campground. They were either too rocky, too crowded or did not allow dogs. We continued driving across the top of the country to the West Coast of Israel & drove to Nahariya, which was one of our favorite spots on a previous trip. We thought maybe we could pitch a tent on the beach, although it has been such a long day at this point, we were praying for a motel. We drove around & asked at some of the small hotels, but they either said "no dogs allowed" or they wanted an outrageous amount to allow him. Finally, we found this small, Mom & Pop looking place that we could not even tell if they were open or not. Luckily, "mom" wasn't home because "pop" said "sure, no problem, I love dogs." The next morning we met "mom" who said she would have said "no." But, now that she saw what a good boy Rascal is, we are welcomed back anytime. April 26, 2008 Ah yes, after a good night's sleep; we pack up & continue on our journey. We head to the beach way up North near the Lebanon Border. Rascal had an awesome time. He made 2 friends to romp & play with , but there is nothing like a mommy! Ok, time to continue our adventure... We now drive back across the top of the country to the Golan Heights, exploring & stopping if something looked interesting. Along this really curvy road, I almost hit a cow. This HUGE cow was just walking down the middle of the road right at a curve. It was pretty scary. Then a little bit later the same thing happened again, but with a kangaroo. Ok, I know what you are thinking. Evette did not believe me either, but it sure looked like a kangaroo! Now we are looking for a spot to stop & have a BBQ/picnic. We packed a tiny grill & I brought all the fixin's for shish kebobs. We see the entrance for Goren Park. We drive through the very large park & every picnic table area is occupied. We are driving & driving & not one spot is free. Suddenly, what do we see? The best, most beautiful spot in the park. This beautiful, large clearing with a front row, perfect view of Montfort Castle. It even has these large, flat rocks we can use as a table/cooking area. As I'm setting up to cook lunch, Evette & Rascal check out the site & say "hey, why not camp here?" We had seen several tents set up along our drive through the park, so we knew camping was allowed. They walked to the park office to find out the cost & Yea! It was free! As I prepare lunch, Evette sets up camp & Rascal explored the area to make sure it was safe for his mommies. I'm thinking, "Gee, why is the best site in the park available?" Oh well, who cares? It's ours now. After lunch, we drive around & do more exploring before enjoying the sunset on our inflatable couch/camping mattress on the edge of the cliff overlooking the castle. The next morning, as we are packing up camp, a truck pulls up to collect our trash. I said to the man "we got the best site in the whole park!" He says to us "asur lihakim shahm" which means "forbidden to camp here." Apparently, we were camping on the main trail & this was the overlook spot for the castle. There was no guardrail or anything, just cliff, straight down. Oops! Oh well, no real harm done & we had a great time. April 27, 2008 Next stop on our adventure is Pa'ar Cave Nature Reserve. It is an underground drain tunnel that developed along a fissure in the center of a ravine. The ravine has no upper drainage & is closed in on all sides. The cave is tunnel shaped. It was very pretty, but not as big as we thought it would be. So, driving right along, we see the Yehiam Fortress National Park. The date of when it was built is not known, but it was part of a major defensive settlement in the Western Galilee, along with nearby Montfort Castle, during the Crusader period. In 1946, when the settlers of Kibbutz Yehaim settled the site, the walls of the fortress were used to defend against Bedouin raids and later to protect themselves while under siege during the Israeli War of Independence. It was not as exciting as the Nimrod Fortress, but it was interesting. On the way out, we stopped at the Yehiam factory store where they manufacture our favorite beef sticks. We now drive back to the West Coast & start driving south. We are looking for a nice beach spot so Rascal can have some fun too. We have not yet been to Caesarea, so it's seems like a good choice. Caesarea was originally called Straton's Tower after its founder Straton, who is believed to have been a ruler of Sidon in the 4th century BCE. In 96 BCE the city was captured by Alexander Yannai and remained in the Hasmonean kingdom until it became an autonomous city by Pompey. After being for some time in the possession of Cleopatra, ruler of Egypt, it was returned by Augustus to Herod. Once the site of a Phoenician port, over the course of 12 years Herod built Caesarea into the grandest city other than Jerusalem in Palestine, with a deep sea harbor aqueduct, hippodrome and magnificent amphitheater that remain standing today. The lack of fresh water at Herod's new city required a lengthy aqueduct to bring water from springs at the base of Mt. Carmel nearly ten miles away. In order that the water would flow by the pull of gravity, the aqueduct was built on arches and the gradient was carefully measured. Later Hadrian and the Crusaders would attach additional channels to Herod's aqueduct. Herod renamed the city Caesarea in honor of the emperor. The population of Caesarea was half gentile and half Jewish, often causing disputes among the people. In 6 CE, Caesarea became the home of the Roman governors (Procurators) of Judea. The city remained the capital of Roman and Byzantine Palestine. Caesarea was also the site where the Romans tortured and executed Rabbi Akiva following the Bar Kochba revolt in 135 CE. We hung out on the beach for awhile so Rascal could run & jump & play. At the close of the Passover holiday at sundown on the 8th day (7th day for Reform Jews and Jews in Israel), Moroccan and Turkish Sephardic Jews worldwide have a celebration called Mimouna which is usually celebrated in their homes. Mimouna is a celebration of freedom, community values, togetherness, friendship, and is a demonstration of great hospitality. It is also a celebration of the renewal of spring, and fertility. In the sense of Mimouna being a new beginning, eating these sweets symbolizes a sweet year. Mimouna is celebrated with great vigor in Israel, where families gather at picnics in parks and on beaches to eat, drink, sing and dance. Evette & Rascal & I went to a Mimouna outdoor festival. It was like a huge carnival with booth after booth after booth of cotton candy, sweet crepes, candies, cakes, ice cream & other foods too. There was music as well. It was massively crowded & Rascal was not having much fun, so we had a sweet crepe & went on our way. Well, this has been a jammed pack day. Back into the car we go & it's off to Netanya for a quick visit to Evette's cousin. We passed this memorial to the fallen paratroopers. April 30 Yom Hashoah is a day set aside for commemorating the victims of the Holocaust. The meaning is "literally the "Day of (remembrance of) the Holocaust and the Heroism. The date was selected by the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) on April 12, 1951. The full name became formal in a law that was enacted by the Knesset on August 19, 1953. Although the date was established by the Israeli government, it has become a day commemorated by Jewish communities and individuals worldwide. Since the early 1960s, the sound of a siren on Yom Hashoah stops traffic and pedestrians throughout the State of Israel for two minutes of silent devotion. Literally, people stop in their tracks. Cars & motorcycles stop & shut off their motors & get out & stand next to their vehicles. Everything is silent & still. It was very emotionally overwhelming. The siren blows at sundown the evening before and once again at 11:00 A.M. on this date. All radio and television programs during this day are connected in one way or another with the Jewish destiny in World War II, including personal interviews with survivors. Even the musical programs are adapted to the atmosphere of Yom Hashoah. There is no public entertainment on Yom Hashoah, as theaters, cinemas, pubs, and other public venues are closed throughout Israel. May 2, 2008 We went on a field trip with Evette's classmates to Ramla. We had a tour-guide & a whole day itinerary planned. The transportation that was set up for us was 2 hours late, so we had to cut out a lot of our planned activities. We did visit a Palestinian School. The Principal spoke to us along with 2 students. It was very interesting to hear their views on things, especially the kids. The Arab Muslims conquered the land from the Christians Byzantines. In the beginning of the 7th century, the land was ruled by the Khalifs of Umaya whose capital was Damascus. In the start of their rule, neighboring Lod was the regional city ruled by SULAYMAN brother of the Khalif ALULAYED. This ruler began the construction of a new city in 716 near the sands by the shore and therefore named it Ramla from the Arabic word RAML, meaning sand. Through the city passed the great route from Damascus-Syria to Cairo-Egypt. Also passed the route from Jaffa near the Mediterranean shore, to Jerusalem located in the high mountains. These facts led to Ramla's great military and commercial value. As Ramla grew and developed, the neighboring city Lod began losing the importance it gained through generations and most residents moved to the new city. In the 10th century, the Khalifs of Fatima took the throne in Egypt and control over Israel and neighboring countries. A famous Khalif who was a religious fanatic persecuted the non-Muslims. The Jews from Jerusalem found temporary refuge in Ramla. After our visit at the school, we walked through the streets a little bit & had lunch at Samir's, which is famous for their hummus & falafel. Lunch was very good & very cheap. After lunch, we walked around the Ramla shuk before heading back home in time for Shabbat. May 4 Evette & I went to Tel Aviv. We were walking along the promenade & came to a large crowd of Hari Krishna's dancing. Wow! Not exactly what I'd expect to see in Israel. Of all days to not have my camera! OY!! May 6 Today is Rosh Chodesh. Evette & I got up early & went to prayer service with the Women @the Wall. Women at the Wall is an organization in Israel, with members and supporters around the world, who have organized a series of Women's prayer groups at the Kotel (Western Wall) each month on Rosh Hodesh. The groups have included women reading from the Torah and wearing tallit, tefillin, and kippot. The Kotel is a central Jewish holy site, part of the retaining wall of the Temple Mount on which the Second Temple stood before the Romans destroyed it in 70 CE. The Kotel is in the control of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. Based on a decision of the Israeli Government, security personnel have prevented the Women of the Wall from holding organized prayer groups in the women's section of the main public area of the Kotel plaza. In addition, members of the Women of the Wall have reported that their efforts to assemble in the women's section in the plaza in front of the Kotel have been met at various times with violent and abusive behavior from Haredi worshipers. Since its founding in 1989, Women of the Wall has fought a legal battle asserting a right to conduct organized prayer at the Kotel and challenging government and private intervention in its efforts, which ultimately led to two Israeli Supreme Court decisions and to a series of debates in the Knesset. In its first decision, on May 22, 2002, the Supreme Court authorized Women of the Wall to hold prayer groups in the women's section of the main Kotel plaza undisturbed. Four days later, Haredi political parties introduced several bills to overturn the decision, including a bill that would have made it a criminal offense for women to pray in non-traditional ways at the western wall, punishable by up to seven years in prison. Although the bill did not pass, the Israeli Supreme Court reconsidered its earlier decision. On April 6, 2003, the Court reversed itself and upheld, 5-4, the Israeli government's ban prohibiting the organization from meeting at the main public area at the Wall, on the grounds that continued meetings represented a threat to public safety and order. The Court required the government to provide an alternate site, Robinson's Arch. The Robinson's Arch site was completed by October 2003. (the above info from Wikipedia). It was a neat experience to be a part of this women's event. May 6-7, 2008 Today is Yom Hazikaron, the Israeli Memorial Day. It is different in its character and mood from the American Memorial Day. For 24 hours (from sunset to sunset) all places of public entertainment (theaters, cinemas, nightclubs, pubs, etc.) are closed. The most noticed feature of the day is the sound of siren that is heard throughout the country twice, during which the entire nation observes a two-minute "standstill" of all traffic and daily activities. The first siren marks the beginning of Memorial Day at 8:00 P.M., and the second is at 11:00 A.M., before the public recitation of prayers in the military cemeteries. All radio and television stations broadcast programs portraying the lives and heroic deeds of fallen soldiers. Most of the broadcasting time is devoted to Israeli songs that convey the mood of the day. Yom Hazikaron is not conceived as a religious commemoration by the majority of Israelis, but as part of the civil culture. The siren sound seems to inspire awe and sanctity no less than any traditional religious ceremony. Last night, 5/6, Evette & Rascal & I walked to this big field where there was a ceremony for the men & women who were killed from a particular troop. They read each name & told stories in between about some of the individuals. These fires were set throughout the ceremony on these rope structures that were built just prior to the ceremony. It was a very moving ceremony. On the morning of 5/7, Evette & I took a taxi to Har Herzl, the national military cemetery. A couple of blocks before reaching Har Herzl, traffic was stopped - the taxi had to take a major detour & dropped us off with thousands of others to walk across the street & into the cemetery. The chaotic intersection that was nearly impossible to cross just moments before, stood absolutely still for two minutes at 11am. We thought that this siren, twice as long as the other ones that I have written about, might have made less of an impact on us because it is the third one in a week. But we were wrong. Upon entering Har Herzl, we were handed two things: flowers to put on a grave & a card with the Kaddish written on it. There is a boy buried here from Philadelphia who was a huge Eagles fan. We tried to find his grave among the 10's of thousands, but with no luck. Then I decided that so many graves were covered with flowers & vases that family members had brought, so I wanted to find a grave that had none, or maybe 1-2 & put the flowers there. Har Herzl was beyond packed. We could not get anywhere near where the actual ceremony was taking place, but it was being broadcast throughout the ceremony on speakers. So we just picked a section and joined the families there. Each grave was surrounded by family members visiting. I was particularly struck that truly; each grave had someone to visit - even if the deceased was killed in the War of Independence in 1948. Children were visiting grandparents that they had never met, siblings were visiting their brothers that they last saw 30 or 40 years ago, and parents were visiting children they never expected to bury. May 7 - May 8, 2008 The evening of May 7th went from a somber day of memorial, to an evening & following day of celebration, barbeques, fireworks, parades & other celebrations. Yom Ha'atzmaut is Israel's Independence Day when members of the provisional government read and signed a Declaration of Independence in Tel Aviv. The original date corresponded to May 14, 1948. In the State of Israel it is a formal holiday; so almost everyone has the day off. Yom Ha'atzmaut in Israel is always preceded by Yom Hazikaron--Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers. The message of linking these two days is clear: Israelis owe their independence; the very existence of the state; to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for it. We had a small BBQ at our apartment with our friends Jill & Matt. May 14-16, 2008 Remember back in January, I told you how crazy it was because Pres. Bush visited Jerusalem & we live so close to the President & Prime Minister? Well, not only did he return, but so did 100's of other World leaders & dignitaries & celebrities, such as: Mikhail Gorbachev, Tony Blair, Henry Kissinger, Joschka Fischer, Vaclav Havel, and Condoleezza Rice, as well as leaders from China, Mongolia, Uganda and Kazakhstan. They mingled with moguls like Sergey Brin of Google, Terry Semel of Yahoo and press baron Rupert Murdoch as well as Buddhist monks, rabbis and novelists, Jewish communal and political leaders from abroad and some 150 prominent Israelis from business, politics and the media. Once again, life was rerouted & at a standstill for 3 days. "Facing Tomorrow" was the aptly named theme of the high-profile Presidential Conference 2008, organized by President Shimon Peres and the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute, held in Jerusalem in mid-May. And indeed, the mega-bash celebrating Israel's 60th anniversary, focused on the future, praised the past and paid scant attention to any of the unpleasant issues presently facing Israel and the United States. May 21, 2008 Today, Evette & I finally went on the City bus tour. It is a panoramic bus tour of 29 historical sites around Jerusalem that is narrated in 8 different languages. We've been meaning to do this for months; 12 to be exactJ It was a lot of fun & we got to see several things, although briefly, that we missed. Here are a few highlights of the tour: This is a British Pillbox. Pillboxes or blockhouses were miniature forts developed by the German army to give their trench lines extra strength. The term pillbox was used by the British soldiers because the reinforced concrete construction was the same shape as the boxes in which chemists supplied tablets during the war. Pillboxes generally measured 30 ft. along the front and were about 10 ft. wide. German machine-gunners were often housed inside pillboxes. With very thick walls, they were difficult to destroy by artillery barrages. They would fire through the narrow slits in the walls. These are the Holy Land condominiums. They cost equivalent to $1,000,000. In my opinion, they are hideous! This is Teddy Stadium. Teddy Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Jerusalem. It is named for long-time Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek who was in office during the time of its construction and was one of its prominent advocates. Two football teams (soccer to us), currently use the stadium. It has a capacity of 21,600. May 22-23 According to the Torah (Lev. 23:15), we are obligated to count the days from Passover to Shavuot. This period is known as the Counting of the Omer. An omer is a unit of measure. Every night, from the second night of Passover to the night before Shavuot, we recite a blessing and state the count of the omer in both weeks and days. So on the 16th day, you would say "Today is sixteen days, which is two weeks and two days of the Omer." The counting is intended to remind us of the link between Passover, which commemorates the Exodus, and Shavuot, which commemorates the giving of the Torah. It reminds us that the redemption from slavery was not complete until we received the Torah. In the time of Rabbi Akiva, who witnessed the destruction of the Second Temple and who was the greatest Torah Sage of his generation, twenty four thousand of his disciples died in an epidemic. The underlying spiritual cause of the epidemic was the students' lack of respect for each other. This sad event and others took place during the Counting of the Omer. As a result, the Omer period has become one of semi-mourning in which we don't hold weddings or festivities, nor do we shave or get haircuts. But because the epidemic was suspended on the 33rd day - Lag B'omer - Lag B'omer has become a joyous day of celebration. This information is from www.jewfaq.org . In the evening, we took Rascal & walked to the park as it is very popular for people to build giant bonfires. It looked like the parks were on fire. Rascal did not like it one bit. After all, this is where he comes to "Rascalate." May 24, 2008 Today we took what was our last jaunt to the beach in Tel Aviv. We had a great time relaxing & reading in the sun. Then our friends Ruti & Sivan met us at our favorite burger joint for dinner. After dinner, we all went to Yafo. Jaffa is an ancient port city located south of Tel Aviv, Israel on the Mediterranean Sea. Today it is a borough of the city. It is mentioned four times in the Hebrew Bible, as one of the cities given to the Tribe of Dan (Book of Joshua 19:46), as port-of-entry for the cedars of Lebanon for Solomon's Temple (2 Chronicles 2:16), as the place whence the prophet Jonah embarked for Tarshish (Book of Jonah 1:3) and as port-of-entry for the cedars of Lebanon for the Second Temple of Jerusalem (Book of Ezra 3:7). It was also an important city in the Arab Middle East. During the Crusades, it was the County of Jaffa, a stronghold of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. (as per Wikipedia) Jaffa (or Yafo) is one of the most ancient port cities in the world. Some claim that Jaffa was named after Japheth, one of the three sons of Noah, who built it forty years after the Great Flood. In 1954, Jaffa became part of the municipality of Tel Aviv. Together, they are known as Tel Aviv-Yafo. Modern Jaffa has a diverse population of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Parts of the Old City have been renovated, turning Jaffa into a tourist attraction featuring old restored buildings, art galleries, theaters, souvenir shops, restaurants, sidewalk cafes and promenades. We walked along the port & saw the Ramases Gateway. Yafo was at one time, an Egyptian settlement. The Israeli Antiquities Authority has uncovered what is called the Ramases Gateway - and is in the process of reconstructing the site. The Arch with hieroglyphs are replicas of the artifacts found at this site. The stone walls seen are the original. Then we walked across the wishing bridge. All of the zodiac signs are represented on this bridge. It is a tradition that when you come here, you put both hands on your sign & make a wish. May 25th We took a bus to Netanya today so we could visit the cemetery where Evette grandparents are & her other "Lutman" family members. We had been meaning to do this all year. I'm glad we had the chance, as this was very important to us. Afterwards, we took a taxi to her cousin's house so I could see her again before I left Israel. We had a short, but lovely visit. May 26th Finally, we go to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum. We knew I could not leave a year in Israel without this experience. "And to them will I give in my house and within my walls a memorial and a name (a "yad vashem")... that shall not be cut off." (Isaiah, chapter 56, verse 5) Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority, was established in 1953 by an act of the Israeli Knesset. Since its inception, Yad Vashem has been entrusted with documenting the history of the Jewish people during the Holocaust period, preserving the memory and story of each of the six million victims, and imparting the legacy of the Holocaust for generations to come through its archives, library, school, museums and recognition of the Righteous among the Nations. Located on Har Hazikaron, the Mount of Remembrance, in Jerusalem, Yad Vashem is a vast, sprawling complex of tree-studded walkways leading to museums, exhibits, archives, monuments, sculptures, and memorials. The new Holocaust History Museum occupies over 4,200 square meters, mainly underground. Both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary, it presents the story of the Shoah from a unique Jewish perspective, emphasizing the experiences of the individual victims through original artifacts, survivor testimonies and personal possessions. The Hall of Remembrance is a solemn tent-like structure which allows visitors to pay their respects to the memories of the martyred dead. On the floor are the names of the six death camps and some of the concentration camps and killing sites throughout Europe. In front of the memorial flame lies a crypt containing ashes of victims. Memorial ceremonies for official visitors are held here. The Children's Memorial is hollowed out from an underground cavern, where memorial candles, a customary Jewish tradition to remember the dead, are reflected infinitely in a dark and somber space. This memorial is a tribute to the approximately one and a half million Jewish children who perished during the Holocaust. The Valley of the Communities is a 2.5 acre monument that was dug out from the natural bedrock. Engraved on the massive stone walls of the memorial are the names of over five thousand Jewish communities that were destroyed and of the few that suffered but survived in the shadow of the Holocaust. This was such an incredibly moving, intense experience. It was too much on an emotional level to do the whole museum in one day. Just a quick, funny fact: on the television news, they report the news as they are reading it from the newspapers & internet. Pay toilets- In many public places; beaches, parks...you have to pay, not only to get into the bathroom, but for the toilet paper as well. The stalls have no TP. You have to know ahead of time how much you will need & get it from the person handing it out outside the bathroom. Law & order puppy: Those of you who know us well, know that Evette & I are addicted to Law & Order; the Original, SVU & CI. Here in Jerusalem, we can see all except CI (my favorite!). Anyway, we like to hum along to the theme song & the "dunk-dunk." Rascal is truly a puppy after our own hearts. When the song comes on, he goes crazy & jumps up on our laps. It's quite funny, or at least, we think so. Hebrew word of the day: hazarti habayitah = i returned home. So, I am home. Evette & Rascal will follow in one week, June 29th. Thank you all for reading our adventures. I hope they were interesting, educational & sometimes humorous. I will be making a slideshow with the pictures & we will have a narrated showing for anyone interested. I will do 1 last entry in a week or so, noting what I miss & what I don't miss about Israel. Peace, Shalom & ahavah (love).
]]> Peace, Love & Understanding — Jerusalem, Israel http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1211024460/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1211024460/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1211024460/tpod.html Sat, 17 May 2008 12:34:27 +0000 Shari & Evette's Most Excellent Adventure
Jerusalem, Israel

Where I stayed
Imbal hotel
(Jerusalem hotels)


April 13, 2008 Today started Evette's Passover break so we decided to do some exploring. We took a bus to a neighborhood outside of Jerusalem called Abu Gosh. The bus ride itself was very interesting. We drove through two of the oldest neighborhoods in Jerusalem; Geulah & Meah Shearim. Geulah is a neighborhood in the center of Jerusalem, populated mainly by Haredi Jews. Haredi Jewish life revolves around strict adherence to Jewish law, prayer and the study of Jewish texts. Traditions in dress may include black frock coats and black or fur-trimmed hats for men (although there are many other clothing styles, depending on the religious sub-group to which they belong), and long-sleeved, modest clothing for women. In some groups, the women wear thick black stockings all year long, including summer. Married women wear a variety of head coverings, from wigs to headscarves. The men have beards and some grow long side curls, called peyos. "Modesty" posters in Hebrew and English are hung at every entrance to Meah Shearim & Geulah, as well as other very religious neighborhoods. When I would walk to the Shuk from my Ulpan class, I would walk through a very religious area where these signs were displayed. When visiting the neighborhood, women and girls are asked to dress modestly (knee-length skirts or longer, no plunging necklines or midriff tops, no sleeveless blouses or bare shoulders) and tourists are requested not to arrive in large, conspicuous groups. As we drove down the main street through this neighborhood, I noticed that there were numerous shoe stores. I pointed it out to Evette & asked her if she noticed anything unusual in the windows. EVERY shoe in EVERY window was black. No white bows, no gold sparkles...black, just plain black. Why the need to 3 stores per block? Your guess is as good as mine. So, back to Abu Gosh. Abu Ghosh, a large Arabic village, previously known as "Kiryat Al-Anav", neighbors the main thoroughfare to Jerusalem. The village was originally established on the site of the biblical town of Kiryat-Ya'arim. During the Byzantine period a church was constructed on the site, but was eventually destroyed during the Persian invasion in 614. A church and monastery were subsequently built on the remains. The Church of Notre Dame de l'Arche d'Alliance (Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant) is located at the highest point in the village (As I can testify to, as we walked up this steep, steep, hill!), facing the impressive scenery of the Jerusalem Hills. This church was built in 1924 on the remains of the Byzantine church. A large statue of the Virgin Mary was placed in the courtyard of the church, and is visible from every direction in the complex. Nuns live in the church, which also has several guest rooms. During the Independence Day war the monastery was temporarily used as a hospital for the Harel Brigade. The present village was built in the Ottoman period by the Abu Gosh family, whose descendents represent the majority of the residents of the place (some 5,500 people). The past few generations of villagers have developed a friendly and close relationship with the neighboring Jewish inhabitants. We walked around, exploring & found this old British police station. It was really interesting trying to look though what used to be windows to see the cells, etc... We ate lunch at the Caravan Inn. The original restaurant "Caravan Inn" has been established in 1950 by Haj Mussa, the Mukhtar or head of the village of Abu Gosh. Originally the place served as a transit station during the times of the Turks. The restaurant is called "Caravan" due to its location at the transit station, by the main road to Jerusalem. In 1994, Haj Mussa was honored with the lighting of the Independence Day's Beacon, in honor of the fraternity of the people of Israel, in the opening ceremony of Independence Day on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. Haj Mussa passed away in 1997, at the age of 81. April 19, 2008 Tonight began the first evening of Passover (Pesach). Passover is the 8 day observance commemorating the freedom and exodus of the Israelites, who were slaves, from Egypt during the reign of the Pharaoh. A time of family gatherings and lavish meals called Seders, the story of Passover is retold through the reading of the Haggadah. With its special foods, songs, and customs, the Seder is the focal point of the Passover celebration. Passover begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. Probably the most significant observance related to Pesach involves the removal of chametz (leaven) from our homes. This commemorates the fact that the Jews leaving Egypt were in a hurry, and did not have time to let their bread rise. It is also a symbolic way of removing the "puffiness" (arrogance, pride) from our souls. The grain product we eat during Pesach is called matzo. Matzo is unleavened bread, made simply from flour and water and cooked very quickly. This is the bread that the Jews made for their flight from Egypt. Usually, for the 2 evenings of Seders, we spend one with family & for the past 15 years or so; I've been hosting a Seder for friends. This year, we thought we'd be spending Seder with Evette's cousins who come to Israel for Passover each year & host a Seder for Soldiers who have nowhere to go. The other RRC students were all getting together to share Seder together. We passed on the opportunity because we wanted to see Evette's family. As it got closer & closer to the first night, we started getting nervous, as we did not want to end up with nowhere to go. About 3 days before the Seder, Evette called her cousins only to find out they would not be travelling this year due to illness. Oh no! What do we do now? She called her cousin in Netanya, but she was going to someone else's home. I called my friends in Hertzilia. That sounded like a definite possibility, but they called the next day to say that his parents were not well & they were travelling to Haifa to see them. Oy, what now? We put out a few hints to several people, but no bites. We felt it was too last minute to try to include ourselves with the RRC folks. That evening (2 nights before Seder) Evette sees this email from Rabbi Goldfarb, the Director of the Conservative Yeshiva: Are you looking for a different Seder experience? Ada and I will be conducting Seder at a shelter for battered women and their children here in Jerusalem. There will be some 15 women (mostly Ethiopian and Russian) and lots of small kids. If any student/s would like to join us, particularly in order to work with the kids during the "text" part that would be a big help. This will not be a typical Seder evening; the Seder itself will not be exactly like what we teach in Liturgy class. But it hopefully gives these women and children something. The food is kosher l'pesach, of course. Anyone who is interested in more information, please contact me. Wow, what an opportunity. Perhaps our plans fell through because this is what we were meant to do? Evette called the Rabbi to see if it was too late. Maybe he had enough volunteers? Well, he was delighted as no one else had volunteered. So, that was that. We were going to help run a Seder at the battered women's shelter run by WIZO, one of Israel's major women's organizations. The plan was that we would all be together for the beginning and end of the Seder, but the middle part, which is the telling of the story & is more text-like, Evette & I would do something separate with the children. Since we had no idea of how the shelter was set up or what would be available or anything about the children, etc... we called to see if it was possible to visit the day before. So, the next day, we went to meet with their children's program staff person. I'm glad that she spoke English so I could ask lots of questions about shelter guidelines, programming, etc... I won't bore you all with the details, but don't worry fellow Laurel House colleagues, I'll tell you all about it when I return. We did get to see some of the mom's & their kids, which was good because then we were not total strangers when we returned. When we got home from the visit, Evette started planning activities. Unfortunately, I was not much help because the children did not speak any English. She planned out an interactive activity around the 10 plagues. She printed out pictures depicting each individual plague & colored each one in by hand. Again, I was not helpful as I was always teased that I cannot color & stay in the lines. The evening of the Seder, we arrive at the shelter and go up to their "dining room." I could not believe my eyes. There is a very long, u-shaped table set like we had arrived at a fancy restaurant. Each of the 45 place settings was beautifully set. There were flowers on the tables. There were lovely set Seder plates with all the appropriate items placed every 6-8 seats. The woman & children slowly started entering the room. It was neat to see the look of recognition we saw on some of their faces from just having seen us the day before. The families were from all over the world; Ethiopia, India, Russia, Philippines, a few Israeli's and an Arab woman with her son. The Seder was lovely. Several of the children sang the 4 questions together. When Evette & I took the children to do the activity, they really seemed to enjoy it. One boy played the role of Pharaoh & 10 of the children each got a page with a plague on it & came up when it was time for that plague in the story. They really seemed to enjoy it. Okay, well, maybe a few of them preferred climbing up on top of the very tall bookshelf & trying to push the little one's off, but mostly, they enjoyed it. So then it was time for dinner. Again, it was like a restaurant. I said to Evette that they must have had it catered. Several of the women got up from the tables & started bringing out platter after platter after platter of chicken & pot roast & meatballs & stuffed peppers & numerous varieties of vegetables & potatoes & rice, etc... And each & every item was delicious! I asked the woman sitting next to me "where did you get the food?" (in Hebrew, of course). She told me that several of the women in the shelter cooked everything themselves. Wow!! Another thing I found to be remarkable, was that each & every woman in the shelter participated regardless of whether or not she was Jewish. After the Seder concluded & we were preparing to go home, women kept coming up to us & thanking us. The woman from India also spoke English. We chatted for several minutes & she was so touched to hear that this was what I do for a living at home & this is how we chose to spend our holiday. It was truly an experience that cannot fully be described. Evette & I were blessed to be able to perform this mitzvah. I will carry that with me forever. April 21, 2008 Fight erupts in Jerusalem church JERUSALEM, -Yahoo News Alert: - Israeli police had to break up a fist fight that erupted between Greek and Armenian Orthodox clergymen at one of Christianity`s holiest sites. The scuffles broke out at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Orthodox Palm Sunday. Brawls are not uncommon at the church, which is uneasily shared by various Christian denominations. In this case, witnesses say an Armenian priest forcibly ejected a Greek priest from an area near the tomb of Jesus. They say the attacker felt the Greek priest had spent too long at the tomb. When police arrived to break up the fight, some were reportedly beaten back by worshippers using palm fronds. Two Armenians were detained by police, prompting supporters to stage a rally in protest outside the police station. Rivalry between the six different churches which grudgingly share the Holy Sepulchre dates back to the aftermath of the crusades and to the great schism between Eastern and Western Christianity in the 11th Century. Each denomination controls, and jealously guards, its own section of the labyrinthine site. April 22, 2008 This morning, Evette & I went on a guided bus tour along the separation barrier of the Palestinian Territories in Jerusalem. They call this area the Jerusalem Envelope. One quarter of Jerusalem's Palestinian population, approximately 55,000 residents are separated from the city as a result of construction of the separation barrier. We drove through several neighborhoods including Beit Hanina, Jabal Mukabar, Abu Dis, Sheikh Jarrah, Shuafat Refugee Camp, Neve Ya'akov, A Ram plus a few others. The areas we drove through or stopped in are circled on this map. We drove pretty much right along the barrier route, which is marked in red on this map. We went through one of the checkpoints & 2 soldiers/border guards boarded our bus & walked down the aisle checking us all out & then exited the bus. In the Palestinian areas shut out by the barrier, they are still required to pay taxes to the Israeli government. One of the neighborhoods, Jabul Mukabar doesn't even have schools for the children. This is also the village where that terrorist came from that did the attack on the Yeshiva. I could go on & on & write about each of the Palestinian villages, but that would take a lot of time & a lot of space. If you are interested, you can look most of them up on Wikipedia. The key in deciding upon this tour with Ir Amin, as opposed to tours offered with other organizations, was the tour guide, who himself, was a Zionist born in this country. He served proudly in the Israeli army & continued serving his country as a Police Officer. Although he still holds strongly to Zionist ideals & believes in a strong Israel, he does see that there are mistakes which urgently need to be corrected. It is with this sense of urgency that he performs his work with the organization, Ir Amin. The tour was quite informative & moving. It brought up so many feelings for me that I cannot express them into words. April 22, 2008 For 10 months, on almost a nightly basis, we hear fireworks from our apartment. Remember, in one of my first entries, I told you about when Evette left me alone for the first time at night & I called her hysterically because I thought we were being bombed? Well, after 10 months, I actually got to SEE the fireworks. We were walking home from a film at the Cinemateque & there they were. They were really beautiful & there weren't a lot of duds like we get at home. Song quote: Another day goes by and still the children cry. Put a little love in your heart. If you want the world to know, we won't let hatred grow. Put a little love in your heart. And the world will be a better place for you and me.
]]> The Countdown Begins — Jerusalem, Israel http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1208109420/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1208109420/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1208109420/tpod.html Sun, 13 Apr 2008 19:13:00 +0000 Shari & Evette's Most Excellent Adventure
Jerusalem, Israel

March 4-7, 2008 My father and Linda arrived in Jerusalem on Tuesday. After they settled into their hotel, we met them for dinner at Cup a Joe. On Wednesday, I spent the day with them on Ben Yehuda St. so Linda could shop. I took them for lunch at Tmol Shilshom, my favorite little hidden away bookstore/café. On Friday night, we had Shabbat dinner with them and Linda's family at their hotel. March 6, 2008 Around 8:30 this evening, Evette and I were sitting in the apartment and heard siren...after siren...after siren... We often hear sirens from all over the city because we are situated high on a hill. Usually it's a car accident or ambulance. These sirens sounded close and they continued on for an unusual amount of time. We turned on the news and saw live what was happening. An Arab terrorist infiltrated Jerusalem's Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva at around 8:30 Thursday night and murdered eight Jews. At least 10 students were wounded, including five in serious to critical condition. The Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva is located near the entrance to Jerusalem, in the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood, just a few miles from our neighborhood. In Gaza, Arab residents went out into the streets and fired rifles in the air in celebration of the attack against the Jews of Jerusalem. The body of the terrorist was held by Israeli Police until the family guaranteed not to have a public event with media, etc... The family would not agree to comply until just a few days ago. It was pretty scary. The Director of the RRC Israel program & Evett's other schools called to check on everyone and we received numerous emails and phone calls from concerned family and friends. March 7, 2008 Very early this morning, Evette and I went to the Old City to Robinson's Arch. Today is Rosh Chodesh. Rosh Chodesh is the first day of any new month in according to the Hebrew calendar. There is a group called Women at the Wall. They go to Robinson's Arch to pray the morning of Rosh Chodesh. In the past few years, the Israeli government has opened Robinson's arch as a place for groups to pray that do not meet the approval of the Ministry of Religious Affairs as the arch area is not under the control of the Religious Affairs Ministry; such as non-orthodox prayer, womem praying aloud & men & women praying together. Since 2000, egalitarian prayer has taken place at the site under the backing of the Conservative movement. Anyway, we wanted to join these women this morning. We got there and no one showed up. We realized that they probably cancelled it due to yesterdays attack. There was a security warning about visiting this area. Evette decided to pray on her own, while I explored and took photo's. On the right side of the Western Wall of the Holy Temple was a great arch. It was the highest arch in the world in its time. The arch supported a great stairway that led from the street to the top of The Temple Mount. During an expedition in 1838, an American historian, Edward Robinson discovered some stones projecting from the Western Wall. He was the first to realize their significance. These were all that remained from the Great Arch. The stones were soon named Robinson's Arch. By 1967, the dirt level rose 80 feet, all the way from the ancient street level to the bottom of the projecting stones. It was the Jews at the time of the destruction that destroyed the arch in a futile attempt to prevent the Romans from entering the Holy Temple. Shortly after the Israelis recaptured the Old City in 1967, archaeologists began removing the earth from the Robinson Arch area. By 1997 they reached all the way down to the original street level. During my explorations, I found these ritual bathes, secret pathways and in the midst of all this antiquity, tons of lavender. Sometime, I'd like to have a guided tour, but it was neat to explore on my own. March 10, 2008 Tonight, I started a 4 week cooking class. Each week is a different ethnicity. Tonight, we cooked Indian food. It was sooo much fun. I thought all Indian food had curry & was very spicy. This was really, really good. I can't wait to cook for you all (okay, maybe not ALL of you at once). The next 3 weeks will be: Italian, French & my favorite, Japanese. The course is held at a little restaurant called Belinda's Café. The owner, Linda, is the teacher. Very, very fun! March 20, 2008 Today was the beginning of the holiday of Purim. Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination. The story of Purim is told in the Biblical book of Esther. The heroes of the story are Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman living in Persia, and her cousin Mordecai, who raised her as if she were his daughter. Esther was taken to the house of Ahasuerus, King of Persia, to become part of his harem. King Ahasuerus loved Esther more than his other women and made Esther queen, but the king did not know that Esther was a Jew, because Mordecai told her not to reveal her identity. The villain of the story is Haman, an arrogant, egotistical advisor to the king. Haman hated Mordecai because Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman, so Haman plotted to destroy the Jewish people. In a speech that is all too familiar to Jews, Haman told the king, "There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your realm. Their laws are different from those of every other people's, and they do not observe the king's laws; therefore it is not befitting the king to tolerate them." Esther 3:8. The king gave the fate of the Jewish people to Haman, to do as he pleased to them. Haman planned to exterminate all of the Jews. Mordecai persuaded Esther to speak to the king on behalf of the Jewish people. This was a dangerous thing for Esther to do, because anyone who came into the king's presence without being summoned could be put to death, and she had not been summoned. Esther fasted for three days to prepare herself, then went into the king. He welcomed her. Later, she told him of Haman's plot against her people. The Jewish people were saved, and Haman was hanged on the gallows that had been prepared for Mordecai. The primary commandment related to Purim is to hear the reading of the book of Esther. The book of Esther is commonly known as the Megillah, which means scroll. Although there are five books of Jewish scripture that are properly referred to as megillahs (Esther, Ruth, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Lamentations), this is the one people usually mean when they speak of The Megillah. We are also commanded to eat, drink and be merry. According to the Talmud, a person is required to drink until he cannot tell the difference between "cursed be Haman" and "blessed be Mordecai," though opinions differ as to exactly how drunk that is. A person certainly should not become so drunk that he might violate other commandments or get seriously ill. In addition, recovering alcoholics or others who might suffer serious harm from alcohol are exempt from this obligation. In addition, we are commanded to send out gifts of food or drink, and to make gifts to charity. The sending of gifts of food and drink is referred to as shalach manot (lit. sending out portions). Among Ashkenazic Jews, a common treat at this time of year is hamentaschen (lit. Haman's pockets). These triangular fruit-filled cookies are supposed to represent Haman's three-cornered hat. It is customary to hold carnival-like celebrations on Purim, to perform plays and parodies, and to hold beauty contests. Americans sometimes refer to Purim as the Jewish Mardi Gras. Here in Israel, it was like Halloween. All the stores had racks & racks & racks of costumes for the kids to wear. All the schools had costume parades, salespeople were dressed up. March 23, 2008 Today, Easter Sunday, Evette & I took a taxi to the Christian Quarter of the Old City & went to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Originally built by the mother of Emperor Constantine in 330 A.D., the Church of the Holy Sepulcher commemorates the hill of crucifixion and the tomb of Christ's burial. The original Byzantine church was destroyed by the Persians in 614 A.D. Rebuilt shortly thereafter, the Egyptian caliph al-Hakim destroyed the church in 1009 and had the tomb hacked down to bedrock. The Crusaders rebuilt the church and much of what is standing today is from that time period. The ladder in the upper right window has been there since at least 1860, a testimony to rivalries between the church's factions. So, we were winding our way through the Old City, trying to find the Church. This very sweet, young Christian Arab boy asked if he could show us the way. He walked with us, asking questions about where we were from, if we were enjoying our stay, etc... He seemed to feel very important leading us. He, of course, asked his father if it was okay. Unfortunately, I cannot recall his name. It was very interesting & moving to walk through while many different religious observances were occurring simultaneously. Photographs were permitted, although I must admit, it felt slightly intrusive doing so. There was one man in monks clothing, who did ask that he not be photographed. Of course, I was respectful of that. After we finished there, we wandered around the Christian Quarter. We saw this cool café called Papa Andreas that was on a rooftop. We thought it would be awesome to eat lunch while overlooking the Old City. But alas, it was closed due to Easter. So we ended up here, where we had a very, slightly below mediocre lunch. April 7, 2008 Around 10am this morning, Evette was doing schoolwork & I was checking email & suddenly a siren/alarm started sounding unlike any we had heard before. It sounded like the type of siren that might be a warning alarm. It continued for a solid 5 minutes. We were really worried. We turned on the news, but did not hear anything. Evette ran outside & called our upstairs neighbors on their intercom to see if they knew if there was danger. They said it was nothing, not to worry. About an hour later, I was reading the news on the internet & saw this: Air raid sirens sent Israeli schoolchildren into bomb shelters on Tuesday as part of a five-day nationwide exercise to prepare for any future conflict that would include rocket attacks on Israel's major cities. More than 4,000 rockets hit northern Israel during its 2006 war against Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas, attacks in which more than 1 million Israelis took to shelters. National Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, inspecting his ministry's emergency preparations, said Israel would face a stronger pounding in the event of a future war. "I expect that in the opening attack, hundreds of missiles will strike Israel," said Ben-Eliezer, a former defence minister. "There will be no place in the country that is not within range of rockets fired by Syria and Hezbollah." Israel has told the United Nations, which maintains a peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, that Iranian-backed Hezbollah has been re-equipped with longer-range rockets since the 34-day conflict nearly two years ago. At schools across the country, teachers shepherded children in kindergartens, primary schools, and secondary schools to shelters, where they were to receive an hour-long civil defence lesson. The Israeli tourism ministry distributed flyers to hotels in Jerusalem, packed with visitors, to inform them that the sirens were just a test. (we apparently missed these announcements). It was quite an unnerving experience. April 11, 2008 As Evette & I have spent the better part of the past 6 weeks taking turns being sick, we decided we both needed a day in the sun. We packed a little picnic & some reading materials & took a sheirut to Tel Aviv. It was about 80* & sunny. We rented chairs on the beach & had a very lovely, relaxing day. It sure was a different atmosphere; much more crowded, than the last time we were here in our raincoats & sweaters in January. Misc. So, as I've started sorting through our belongings and decided that since spring was now here & for 3 straight days it was 99* that it was safe to pack up all our winter things, long pants (except for 2 pairs each), raincoats, long sleeves, etc...We decided that since we would each be travelling alone & Evette would have Rascal in addition to suitcases, that it was worth the money to ship our winter clothes. After that was all done, the weather, of course, got very cool again, like 50's-60's. Of course, during all this, Evette had pneumonia & then I was even sicker & we had no warm clothes. OY!!! So, on the positive side, it is truly spring now; 70's-80's, mostly sunny & everything is blooming. Suddenly, all the trees that looked dead in the winter are green & flowering. Gorgeous flowers popping up everywhere; it's fabulous. Hopefully, we will enjoy this spring-like weather for a bit before it gets horribly hot again. Hebrew word of the Day Aviv = Spring Pigua = terrorist attack Bitahon = safety
]]> Yeah!! Exploring we will go!! — Jerusalem, Israel http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1205083560/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1205083560/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1205083560/tpod.html Sun, 09 Mar 2008 19:09:57 +0000 Shari & Evette's Most Excellent Adventure
Jerusalem, Israel

Where I stayed
Imbal hotel
(Jerusalem hotels)


February 1-The shuk Today, we did our ritual Friday morning trip to the Shuk. We have learned that the trick is getting there very early before the thousands of other people arrive to do their pre-Shabbat shopping. It has been raining last night and this morning, so most of the snow has melted. The Shuk is like shopping at a carnival. We seem to find different things each time we go. The produce here is amazing. These leeks came up past my waist. This sweet potato could feed a family of four. I don't even know what this is? Some things would NEVER work in the US. Eggs are not refrigerated and you will find them just like this, even in the summer. Care for a cracker? Just reach on in and grab what you want. No gloves required. We discovered a new aisle we had never explored before. As we are walking, we pass a barber shop. Evette says to me "hey, did you know there was a barber shop here?" In the meantime, a few feet in front of us, this man with very frizzy hair down to his waist flips himself around & says "NO. But even if I did..." We thought it was hysterical that he thought she was talking to him. After the Shuk, we decide to take the bus to Emek Refaim to have lunch. We had been hearing that this restaurant called Joy had the best hamburgers in all of Jerusalem. So we go, we wait for a table, the waitress takes forever to help us and then we find out they don't have burgers today. So, since that is why we went there, we left. Across the street is a restaurant called Norman's. They have a big sign stating THEY have the best burger in town AND they have a very cheap lunch special, so we go. Ok, so first, a quick little side story. In Israel, when you order toast, what you get is a sandwich on usually a bagel or baguette that gets put in one of those sandwich press things. If you want real toast, just bread or a bagel that has been toasted, no one will do it. It's like they never heard of toast. Ok, so back to lunch. We receive our burgers & they look very yummy. The roll is just a plain, cold roll. Evette says to me "gee, can't they toast ANYTHING around here?" Well, the waitress just happened to be standing next to our table & thought she was talking to her and said "gee, you just had to ask." She then toasted it for her. Once again, funny that twice in one day people thought Evette was talking to them when she made comments meant for my ears only. February 2 For many years, my sister Marci had an Israeli pen pal, I think since high school. Several times, Nittai came to visit & after he got married they came to visit & then ended up moving to Philadelphia because his wife Orit attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. They spent lots of time with our family over the years & then at some point lost touch. The last time I saw them, I had run into them at Merrymead Farm in Lansdale. They had an infant, who is now 17, in a stroller. So anyway, a few months ago, I started thinking about them, wondering if they may have moved back to Israel. So, I Googled them and found out that Orit was a famous artist in Israel and had exhibits all over the world. As a matter of fact, she was just in Philly a few weeks ago. I emailed them & Nittai called me right away. They are living in Herzliya with their three children. This evening, after Shabbat, we took a Sheirut to Tel Aviv & Nittai picked us up there at the bus station. We had a lovely dinner with them at their home & enjoyed catching up on our lives. We hope to see them again before we leave. February 7 Today, I arrived at Ulpan with my heavy backpack with my heavy books to discover we are going on a walking tour with another class. Luckily, I carry my camera everywhere I go, or I would have been very sad because this was a great tour. Also, the teacher who led the tour spoke to us all in Hebrew and I understood almost everything...YEAH! We started in a neighborhood called Nachlaot. The neighborhoods called Nachlaot are actually many different neighborhoods that are built side by side. They were set up for different reasons; they had different codes of behavior and even attracted different types of people. Every section is run by a different code and had its own synagogue with its special decor, prayers and atmosphere. Nachlaot is known for its narrow, winding lanes, old style housing, hidden courtyards and an abundance of small synagogues. There is a lottery system for families to live here. It is a very poor, religious area constructed between the 1860s & the beginning of the twentieth century. Then we walked to the Old Bikur Holim Hospital. The Department for the Chronically Ill remained in this location until January 1948. Bikur Holim was founded in 1867 by the Ashkenazic Perushim Company to offer Jerusalem's Jewish community high quality medical care, which until the 1850's was offered only by missionary organizations. In 1978, the renovated building was reopened as a youth hostel. The Hunt House was built in 1869 by the noted British Artist William Holman Hunt (1867-1901) as his residence and studio. The building exemplifies the original construction style of the street of the prophets. The pioneering pediatrician Dr. Helena Kagan lived here for 60 years. The Poetess Rachel lived in the small house in the courtyard in 1925. Ben Yehuda & Menachem Begin lived on this street across from the Ethiopian Church. According to www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org ,The Ethiopian Church had its beginnings in the 4th century CE in the city of Aksum in northern Ethiopia. From the very start, magic and witchcraft, which were part of the cultural fabric of Africa, were strictly forbidden by the Church. Ethiopian Christian pilgrims came to Jerusalem, as early as the fourth century, and in the following centuries the Ethiopian Church enjoyed important rights in the Holy Places. The Church has had a community in Jerusalem since the Middle Ages. Today the small community, led by an archbishop, consists of a few dozen monks and nuns, and a growing lay community. Pilgrims continue to arrive, especially since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and Ethiopia. This man, I'm uncertain of his title, invited us inside the church. We were required to take our shoes off; however, he did give me permission to take photos. This was the most interesting part of the tour for me. We saw other interesting things as well. I was not able to remember all the information with trying to take pictures & understand the Hebrew at the same time. Check out the photo album though. February 14-16 Today we left for a Shabbat Yahad [Shabbat together] with the RRC group. We started out driving to Kibbutz Beit Hashita. Beit Hashita, meaning "the home of the Acacia tree", is located at the foot of the Gilboa Mountain in the eastern Jezreel Valley. Kibbutz Beit Hashita was founded by Members of a pioneering youth movement in 1928, twenty years before the establishment of the State of Israel. Today, the population of the kibbutz is over 1300 people, including 600 members, 400 children, and a varying number of volunteer workers, residents, new immigrants and participants in long-term youth Programs. Beit Hashita, today, is a fully integrated society that has successfully combined agriculture and industry in a communal environment, building a healthy foundation for community life. While we were there, we looked at their own Passover Hagaddah they wrote & compared the differences and similarities to the standard Reconstructionist Hagaddah. From there, we left and drove to Moshav Beit Shearim. The Bed and Breakfast we stayed in, Eshkolit , was on a grapefruit orchard. We settled into our cabins, which we shared 2 couples to a cabin. We shared with Danielle and her husband Matt and their daughter, 5-month old Lila, my new buddy. You can see in the picture, the set-up was not conducive to any privacy. Evette and I slept in the loft area, which is just what you see. We had to climb up & down the little ladder & could not stand up in the room. It wasn't too bad though. The bathroom had a Jacuzzi bath, which I enjoyed tremendously. Anyway, we all went out to eat & then came back and being the old ***** that we are, we turned in. It had been a long day. The next morning, we met a tour-guide at Beit Shearim. Beit Shearim is an ancient Jewish city that flourished during Roman times. It became an important spiritual center when Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi ("Rabbi"), the spiritual authority of the time, made his home there. When he died in the year 220 CE, Rabbi was buried in one of the caves. This precedent made Beit Shearim an important burial place for Jews of Israel and the Diaspora. We were able to enter one of the caves. It was really an amazing experience. I was able to catch some great shots of original etching and markings on these burial stones. From here we got back in our cars & drove to Tzippori National Park. >the following information was obtained during the tour. Tzippori is located in the central Galilee region, 6 kilometers north-northwest of Nazareth. It is the site of a rich and diverse historical and architectural legacy that includes Assyrian, Hellenistic, Judean, Babylonian, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, Crusader, Arabic and Ottoman influences. A few notable structures include a Roman theater, two early Christian Churches, a Crusader fortress that was renovated by Daher El-Omar in the 18th century, and some 40 mosaics. Although the date of the city's establishment is a point of some dispute, it is at least as old as the 7th century BCE. The Crusader fortress sits high atop the hill, overlooking both the Roman Theater and the majority of the Jewish city. It was built in the 12th century, using Roman elements, and was rebuilt by the Ottomans in the 18th century, and then converted into a girls' school, and used for this purpose until 1948. Today the fortress houses a small museum, and provides a beautiful view of the surrounding area from its rooftop. Crusader Fortress Much of the town itself has been excavated, revealing Jewish homes along a main cobblestone street. Several images have been found carved into the stones of the street, including that of a menorah, and another image that resembles some ancient game reminiscent of tic-tac-toe. Mikva'ot (pl. of Mikvah ), or Jewish ritual baths, have been found as well, identified by the steps leading to the bottom, carved out of the earth along with the rest of the bath. The Roman Theater sits on the northern slope of the hill, and is about 45 m in diameter, seating 4500. Most of it is carved into the hillside, but some parts are supported by separate stone pillars. The theater shows evidence of ancient damage, probably from the earthquake in 363, but also quite possibly from the Arab conquest. Zodiac Wheel Mosaic in the great synagogue of Tzippori, 5th century CE. The remains of a 6th century synagogue have been uncovered in the lower section of the city, evidence of an interesting fusion of Jewish and pagan beliefs. In the center of the floor is a mosaic depicting the zodiac wheel. Helios sits in the middle, in his sun chariot, and each zodiac is matched with a Jewish month. Along the sides of the mosaic are strips depicting Biblical scenes, such as the binding of Isaac, as well as traditional rituals, including a burnt sacrifice and the offering of fruits and grains. A modern structure stands to one side of the excavations, protecting the remains of a 5th century public building, with a large and intricate mosaic floor. Some believe the room was used for festival rituals involving a celebration of water, and possibly covering the floor in water. Drainage channels have been found in the floor, and the majority of the mosaic seems devoted to measuring the floods of the Nile, and celebrations of those floods. Finally, a Roman villa is arguably the centerpiece of the discoveries, containing one of the most famous mosaics in all of Israel. It was built around the year 200, and destroyed in the earthquake in 363. The villa is in the traditional form of a triclinium; seats would have been arranged in a U-shape around the mosaic, Roman villa mosaic floor and people would have reclined while dining and drinking, talking and contemplating the mosaic images. The mosaic, for the most part, is devoted to Dionysus, god of wine, and of socializing. He is seen along with Pan and Hercules in several of the 15 panels. The centerpiece of the mosaic floor, however, at least for the archaeologists, is an image of a young lady, possibly meant to be Venus, which the researchers have dubbed "The Mona Lisa of the Galilee." Smaller mosaic pieces, called tesserae, were used to allow for greater detail and a more life-like result. The image is certainly more life-like, and more detailed (as in the shading and blush of her cheeks) than most expect mosaics to be. After this, we ate our lunches at picnic tables and returned to our cabins to rest until it was time to leave for Shabbat services. For Friday night services and then dinner, we were invited to Havurat Nigun Halev at Moshav Nahalal. Nahalal was founded in 1921 in the western Jezreel Valley by veteran pioneers of the Second Aliyah. Nahalal's ideology is similar to every other moshav ovdim's ideology. Unlike a Kibbutz, a Moshav's ideology is much less socialist. In a Kibbutz, everyone works at his or her own job and gets paid the same. In a Moshav, everyone has his piece of land for agriculture. Moshavs first started with the idea of not occupying hired workers. Each member has the same amount of land and works it by himself, if he is sick or unable to work other people from the moshav help him out. In a Kibbutz, no one has any possessions of his own. In a moshav everyone has property of his own. The community buildings such as a synagogue, a small cooperative shop, and a swimming pool etc. belong to everyone in the moshav. The members of the moshav split the moshav's income from its profit evenly between its members. The services were rocking. There were lots of instruments and singing...it was like being at a Shabbat Jamboree. Afterwards, there was a great potluck dinner that we were invited to join. It was a very lovely evening. Everyone was very friendly. The special thing about this congregation is the fact that it even exists at all! It was started by a group of staunchly secular Israelis. They had shunned everything that smacked of religion. Slowly they began to study Jewish texts together. They enjoyed their study, but they felt that something was missing - the spirituality that praying together can bring. So they started to build their own prayer service from the ground up. Shabbat morning was very leisurely. We got to sleep in a little, which was nice because Rascal usually gets us up by 5-ish. We all did our own version of Shabbat morning services and then had a class meeting with partners as well. Just a check-in of sorts to talk about how our year is going so far. Then, we just packed, rested and waited until Shabbat left. Then we did Havdalah and drove home. You may be asking yourself, "hmmm. Where was Rascal while you were both gallivanting around the Galilee?" We were 2 nervous Mommies who left their son with a babysitter for the first time. A friend of mine from Ulpan, who is also a Cantorial student at the Conservative Yeshiva, stayed in our apartment with Rascal. She had come over a few times just to hang out so he would get used to her. We called everyday to check on him & looked at his picture on our cell phones several times a day. Mommies missed their lad very much! February 20 Another snow storm. Wow! They say it has not snowed twice like this in over 5 years. It did not last very long, but it was quite messy. East Jerusalem- Last week we took a cab to the Damascus Gate. We were chatting with the taxi driver and Evette asked where she could buy a copy of the Koran in English, for a class she is taking. He told us of an educational book store in East Jerusalem. We had him drop us off there instead. It was actually a lot of fun. Instead of going inside the Old City, we wandered around the streets and stores. This guy made us Turkish coffee, and invited us to sit and chat. We did some shopping, took some pictures and ate dinner at that restaurant we enjoy and then returned home. The weather was lovely and it was a most enjoyable day. Our Rascal is now a man. He had his Brit Milah (castration) last Sunday. Tomorrow, he gets the staples out of his manhood (ouch!!) & he will be cone-head free once & for all! "Yeah", says Rascal. I have just completed 5 months of Ulpan & tomorrow I graduate to the gimmel level...wheee!!! Today, March 2, 2008, I had my second class of Israel Civilization. Evette & her RRC classmates are required to take this class during their year here. They set up the teacher & we meet every Sunday from 2pm-4pm. Partners were invited to take the class, so I am taking it too. One cannot ever learn too much. March is International Women's Month so: Hebrew word of the day: shivyon zekhuyot nashim = equal rights for women
]]> Time sure flies! — Jerusalem, Israel http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1204408380/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1204408380/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1204408380/tpod.html Wed, 05 Mar 2008 07:38:57 +0000 Shari & Evette's Most Excellent Adventure
Jerusalem, Israel

January Evette & I had a rough couple of weeks this month. On New Year's Eve Evette was flossing her teeth & one of her teeth broke. Luckily, she was not in pain. She went the next day to the dental clinic & they told her since she was not in pain, she had to wait until the 16th for an appointment. They did send her for x-rays though. So, she made her appointment & hoped to remain pain free. Over the next few days, we start to get nervous about this dental clinic. A few teachers at her school recommended Dr. Greenspan. They said he was the best around. We both have friends who have had nightmarish dental experiences & decide it was worth paying more money to get proper care. They were very nice on the phone & made an appointment for the 13th. Dr. G was really nice. Evette needed a root canal & a crown. He scheduled the root canal for the 18th. Meanwhile, in the midst of all this, my asthma is really acting up. It continues to get worse each day until on the 15th; I'm really coughing to the point of almost passing out & gasping for air. My inhaler is not working, so we decide it's time to go to the doctor. When we arrived in Jerusalem, I got health insurance for students for $1/day. We called Evette's doctor, but he said with my insurance that I could only go to the ER. So, we called a taxi & off we went. I must say, it was not a great experience. They took chest x-rays because they thought it was pneumonia. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic & cough syrup. I was progressively getting worse, so on the 17th we went back to the ER. The doctor would barely let me speak. He said I need to just keep taking the meds & be patient. He added an antihistamine to my meds. So, now I'm home in bed & Evette leaves for school. She calls me later, hysterically crying that she is in excruciating pain from her tooth. She got an emergency dental appointment & was on her way to pick me up in a taxi to go with her. I had only a few minutes to get dressed & ready, so I threw on sweats, grabbed the dog & dragged him into the front room (where we keep him when we go out) & ran out the door. Later, when we arrive home, I'm in bad shape, as I should be in bed. We walk in the door & see that the door to the back room is opened & Rascal is hiding in a corner. Here's what we think happened...first off, I left my laptop on the bed, open & turned on. I did not think this was a problem since I shut the door between the rooms. We think something spooked him, (he is afraid of loud noises) & he pounced on the door which was probably not latched tightly. He saw my laptop on the bed & said to himself: "Oh good! My mommies communicate with people on this thing. I will try to call my mommies on here. Help! Help! Mommies come home! Hey, why isn't anyone answering me? Where are my mommies? Hey, why are these little black pieces flying all over the place? This does not happen when mommies do this. Uh-oh!!!! I think I'm in big trouble! What should I do? I know! I'll hide & look scared & roll over to show my belly...yeah, they really like that & they tell me how cute I am!" So, needless to say, I wanted to kill him (in a non-violent way, of course). My laptop is my lifeline here, emails, writing, etc... I was beside myself. I think I stayed really mad at him for days, which was very difficult because he is too, too cute. Ok, so I'm a softyJ Eventually, I bought an external keyboard which is a real pain because it does not fit in my backpack. So remember, I'm really sick & getting worse. We finally decide to go to a private doctor no matter how it costs. Our friend Reba recommended someone. When I went & brought the x-rays & medical records, she said the meds the ER put me on were dangerous for someone with asthma. She said I had a bad lung infection. She changed all my meds & within 2-3 days I was much better. I was sick for over 2 weeks. Tu b'shvat January 22, 2008 On January 22nd, we joined the Conservative Yeshiva on an evening trip to Netanya. A synagogue there invited us to a Tu b'shvat Seder. The 15th day of the month of Shvat marks the beginning of the "new year" for trees. Tu B'Shvat is the New Year for the purpose of calculating the age of trees. The Torah states that fruit from trees which were grown in the land of Israel may not be eaten during the first three years; the fourth year's fruit is for G-d, and after that, the fruit can be eaten. Each tree is considered to have aged one year as of Tu B'Shvat, no matter when in the year it was planted. It is customary to plant trees and partake of the fruits of the land of Israel to mark the occasion. According to Wikipedia; in the 16th century, the Kabbalists compiled a Tu B'Shvat "Seder," somewhat similar to the Seder for Passover. Like on Pesach, the Tu B'Shvat Seder includes four cups of wine, four questions, specific foods and story-telling. Over time, different communities have added their own customs and the Tu B'Shvat Seder have developed into a unique expression of appreciating the land. It involves enjoying the fruits of the tree, particularly those native to the Land of Israel, and discusses philosophical and Kabalistic concepts associated with the day. Among other things, the Seder is a great way to appreciate the bounty that we so often take for granted, and to develop a good and generous eye for the world around us. To prepare for a Tu B'Shvat seder you need lots of fruit, including: There are seven types of fruit by which the Land of Israel is noted for: Figs, Dates, Pomegranates, Olives, Grapes(or raisins), wheat and barley (in the form of bread, cake or cereal) . Various nuts with the shells (walnuts, almonds, pistachios, coconut), and fruits with peels (oranges, pomegranates, avocado). Other fruits with edible seeds (e.g. blueberries). Other fruits with inedible pits (e.g. peaches, plums). Wine or grape juice, both white and red. The Seder we attended was at a Conservative synagogue in Netanya. This was a pretty traditional textbook Seder. The wonderful thing about this tradition is that there is so much room for creativity in establishing your own format. Last year, we went to our friend Ben's Seder that he had written himself. It was so lovely and enjoyable. Next year, maybe Evette and I will create our own and invite you. Tu B'Shvat also signifies the beginning of spring in Israel. An added note to this event; we met a woman who was a Holocaust survivor from Auschwitz. I couldn't really communicate with her because she did not speak English. Evette spend awhile speaking with her though. In her wallet, she still carries all her original identification cards from that period of her life. I am guessing she was in her eighties. Eilat: January 25-27 So, through this all, I'm still sick. Although the meds have helped tremendously, I just can't get better. The very cold, rainy weather is certainly not helping. Evette decides she needs to take me away somewhere warm & sunny. We found a cheap hotel in Eilat that allows dogs, rented a car & took off to a warmer climate. I've wanted to go to Eilat, so even though I still felt yucky, I was looking forward to the adventure. Let me start by saying, we are EXTREMELY lucky with Rascal. We were in the car for about 6 hours. He curled up on his blanket & napped. Occasionally, he would sit up & watch the scenery go by. If anyone remembers my dog Rusty, he was a NIGHTMARE in the car. We are truly blessed with Rascal & can't wait for you all to meet him. Evette drove as I was still lightheaded. We drove very leisurely, stopping along the way to take pictures as there is always cool stuff to see. We stopped along the Dead Sea at the Ahavah factory where they make beauty products with the salts from the sea. It was a good break for Rascal to get out & stretch his little legs. Then we stopped in this resort town to nourish ourselves & look around, etc... The hotel was in a slightly seedy side of town near the Central bus station. The room was clean, & to me, that is the most important. Besides, we had Rascal to protect us. That, actually, was a joke. When you meet him, you will see what a pachdan (scaredy cat), he is. He would be the first under the bed, although, I'd like to think if we were really in trouble, he would protect us. We ate dinner at a place called Pizza Meter. They sell pizza by the meter. It was pretty good. People who took out pizza, walked away with really long boxes. The next day, we got up & drove all around exploring. We drove to the beach & let Rascal run around. He LOVES the beach; digging in the sand, running in & out of the water, chasing birds, etc... Suddenly, he was chasing this bird, ran into the water & suddenly the sea bottom dropped and he could not stand. I was ready to jump in to save him, but the little trooper started frantically doggy-paddling & made it back to shore all on his own. So, now Rascal has been swimming in the Mediterranean & the Red Sea. Then, we got back in the car for more exploring. We drove to the Taba Border; the Egypt/Israel border in Eilat. With the new security issues, cars cannot cross the border, only pedestrians. We did not cross, but we walked up as close as we could get. At first, the guard told me is was illegal to take pictures of any military site; remember, I told you this before. Then, his female supervisor said it was okay. Then, we took a drive through the Eilat Mountains that border Egypt. All along the way, we saw this & this & this. This, of course, was our favorite. Because of the border issues going on right now, with Palestinians from Gaza trying to cross over into Egypt to buy supplies, there were military stationed throughout the mountain border. Some hidden in bunkers like this, & some in observatories like this. So, what I have not told you yet is that it was not warm & sunny. It was quite chilly & windy, & on our second night, it rained. We found this really cool Thai restaurant/hotel that they actually transported here from Thailand. We decided to take out a nice dinner since we had Rascal with us. I had to walk through the hotel (no, this is not where we stayed) to get to the restaurant. The restaurant had this nice outside/balcony area where you could sit. We could not figure out why they had nice, cushiony, upholstered chairs outside in the rain. While we were waiting for our food, we asked the manager why they had such chairs when they were getting ruined in the rain. He told us that this was the first time in 13 years that it rained. Gee, I finally get to see Eilat and it rains. Oh well, we still had an awesome time. On our drive home, we decided to take a different route so we could explore new things. We drove to the small town of Mitzpe Ramon (Ramon Observation Point, in Hebrew). Ramon Crater is the largest one of the three Negev craters. The Ramon Nature Reserve encompassing the crater & the Negev Mountains surrounding it is the largest nature reserve in Israel. The Ramon Crater is 40 kilometers long and 2 to 10 kilometers wide. The crater formation began hundreds of millions years ago when the ocean that covered the Negev began to move north. First, there was a hump-shaped hill. Water & other climatic forces slowly and steadily flattened the curve on top. Much later (only some 5 million years ago), the Arava rift valley was formed and rivers changed their course. As they did so, they carved out the inside of the crater. The crater is 500 m. deep. There was an indoor museum/guided tour to explain all about the area, but again, Rascal was not allowed. They also had closed the path going down into the crater, because it was exceptionally windy. So, being in the windy, rainy cold for two days probably was not what the doctor ordered, but it was fun and exciting and we saw lots of really interesting things. Here's a little history about Eilat as per http://mosaic.lk.net/g-eilat : Caves and prehistoric temples dating back to the Neolithic Age indicate that people lived in the Eilat region at least as long as 10,000 years ago. It may be they who invented the stone plow, and who first used wood as a form of worship (veneration of Ashera, goddess of fertility, and related to successful crops). In the days of King Solomon, Eilat was the only port available in the Kingdom of Israel. A joint Israelite-Phoenician fleet sailed from Eilat to develop trade links with Africa and India. During the Hellenistic period the Nabateans used Eilat's Red Sea port for their lucrative spice trade. The Romans annexed the Nabatean kingdom in 106 C.E. and built a new road from Eilat to Damascus, setting up outposts along the route to protect the precious spices. Under Moslem rule, which began in the seventh century, Eilat was a meeting point for tens of thousands of pilgrims. Their caravans journeyed from Damascus and Cairo to Mecca and joined up in Eilat. Since then the city has taken on new life. Modern Eilat was founded in 1950, and today the city is internationally famous as a popular resort. January 30-31 written by Evette It is a snow day in Jerusalem! Of course, compared to standards of back home, the amount of snow on the ground here is next to nothing - but since it rarely snows, no one is prepared for it and everything shuts down; busses, schools, malls, museums...! Weeee - a snow day! Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to go to the grocery store, so the cupboard is pretty bare. I did manage to get some milk last night and 9 eggs before I came home. Yes, they do sell eggs in dozen-cartons here, just like in the US. However by the time the bus came I was so cold that I sat the grocery bag down on the seat beside me for a second to take off my wet gloves, and just then the bus stopped short and the bag went flying. So I arrived home with 9 eggs and some goo! Rascal got me up early this morning, probably sensing that something MARVELOUS had happened overnight. It was the best - watching him discover the snow, the texture, the taste, how he could make it fly up in the air! And we were the first to trek in the snow! It was SO worth going out in the cold for! I loved watching him be so ecstatic. At first, when we walked out into the street, he looked around and started wagging his tail, and then he looked back at me, as if to say, "Is it OK Mommy?" He pushed his nose down in the snow and snorted, and then pawed at it. When a little bit of snow flicked off in another direction, he started jumping up and down, "rascalating" to and fro, alternating between dashing about and throwing the snow up in the air, all the while snorting and wagging his tail so frantically that I thought it might wag right off his behind! I swear he was thinking - "You're kidding - HERE, at MY house?! It's like having my very own BEACH, right outside my door! Oh, THANK YOU Mommy!" [He was able to "rascalate" because we got him one of those expand-a-leash things - It's like a plastic handle that houses a lot of ribbon-like webbing, spring loaded, so he can feel like he is free to run around, but we still maintain control. Anyway we hadn't been able to use it until now, because he was too light. When it was on the "run free" setting, the spring used to pull the poor little devil off his feet! But now he is a big lad, well at least bigger than he was, so now he can still stand when the spring is pulling the leash back into the handle.] Well, that's the weather report from our edge of the planet. Snow day - wheeeee!!!!! Hebrew word of the day = bubat sheleg = snowman There will be another new blog in a few days. YEAH!!!!
]]> The visit. — Jerusalem, Israel http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1201716960/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1201716960/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1201716960/tpod.html Thu, 31 Jan 2008 10:25:28 +0000 Shari & Evette's Most Excellent Adventure
Jerusalem, Israel

Where I stayed
The King David Jerusalem
(Jerusalem hotels)


January 11, 2008 For those of you who keep up with the news, you know that our fearless leader, G.W. Bush came to Jerusalem on Wednesday & left today for other areas of the country. They literally paralyzed every part of the city where G.W would be travelling. There were snipers, bomb-sniffing dogs, bodyguards, security robots in the sewers, reservists & a white electronic surveillance balloon with a camera & night vision equipment floated in the sky above Jerusalem as police patrolled rooftops. White House staff, State Department officials, Secret Service agents, technicians and even marines had arrived way in advance at the King David Hotel to prepare for the visit and secure the surrounding area. There suddenly were American flags lining the streets, the streets were cleaned, graffiti removed, etc... The operation, dubbed "Clear Skies," cost Israel $25,000 for every hour Bush was in the country. Evette & I live right in the midst of everywhere he was going to be. He & his staff took over the King David Hotel, which is right next door to one of the schools that Evette attends & along our main bus route. The President's House is exactly 3 blocks from our apartment. The Prime Minister's House is a few more blocks. So, he was arriving at 11am on Wednesday. Now, he was not even here yet & everything was blocked off. Our street had armed guards at each corner. Usually, I take a taxi to Ulpan (my Hebrew class) in the morning because my knee really acts up in the morning & I have a hard time getting moving. Taxi's were not able to get anywhere near this neighborhood, so I threw my backpack on & started my walk to school. I walked 2 blocks to the end of our street, which is towards the Presidents House & there were 4 military police. They stopped me & asked where I was going. I told them & they decided to search my backpack. Now, mind you, it's raining, so I'm in my yellow & blue slicker rain coat with my hood up with my backpack. Frankly, I'm pretty certain I look innocent & slightly nerdy, but, I guess I looked suspicious. Oh no! What might they find? Hebrew school books? My notebook with the little yellow duckies on the front...or was I carrying the froggy notebook that day? Hmm...what else might they find? My little snack bag with graham crackers &pumpkin seeds for my break at school? My Tigger travel water-bottle? Oooh, I guess I am a dangerous character! So, they okay me to continue on my journey to school. It is not possible to get to my school without going past the "hot" areas, but I figured how difficult can it be, it's only 7:30am & G.W. won't arrive for 3.5 more hours. I need to turn down a street to the right, but the first 3 I walk past are closed off even to pedestrians. OY!! I turn down the next street & there were police at literally every corner. A few blocks later, I get stopped again. AGAIN, they search my pack. Well, let's hope that I'm the most dangerous character on the street. So, long story short, my usual 30 minute walk took 1.5 hours due to closed roads & hassles. After all that, at our 10am break in class, the teacher decides we should all go home because those who depend on the bus because they live further away might not be able to get home at all come 11am. So, I start my walk back home. I decide to take the long route around. The roads were deserted. This street here is a pedestrian mall that is usually packed with people. It was crazy I tell you. I saw snipers on top of apartment buildings 2 blocks from our apartment. Around the corner, on my way home, was a group of about 25 guards. I REALLY wanted to take pictures. I had my camera in my pocket. I chickened out every time though. Since I obviously look enough like the type who cannot be trusted, as I was searched twice, I was afraid they would think I was really suspicious if I started snapping photos. Maybe the snipers would shoot first & ask questions later. Then Evette would have to call my dad & say "Mitch, so sorry, your daughter was taken out by snipers because she shot them first...with a camera that isJ" I later found out that taking photos of anything military related is against the law. So, please don't think "oh no! Our little Shari is a criminal in the making; if you see photos of soldiers or military posts or anything like that (which you definitely will & may have already). Busses were re-routed without warning. That night, after a long, long day of classes, Evette could not get home. She called me from the bus that re-routed to the Old City, NOT near our apartment. She tried to get a taxi, but when she told them where she needed to go, they laughed at her & said there was no way they could get anywhere near us because of the security. Oy, & did I mention that she had stopped at the market after school so not only did she have her backpack with all her books & her laptop, she had bags of groceries. Finally, she ended up walking home. Needless to say, she was NOT a happy camper when she arrived home. That evening, Rascal was really spooked because helicopters were constantly patrolling right over our neighborhood. It was quite noisy throughout the night. Our apartment is exactly in the middle of the second block of a three block street. When I took Rascal out for his bedtime "business" we were quite limited where we could walk. I looked to the right & there were 2 guards at that corner. I looked to the left...ditto. I thought, maybe it's just blocked to cars so I walked to the left (away from the President's house) & they put their hands on their rifles & said firmly "ee efshar - la avoor" which means impossible to pass. So, my possible terrorist puppy & I walked back & forth in the ½ block radius we were permitted to with guards to the left, guards to the right & helicopters above. On Thursday, everything in the area closed because no one could get to anything. Ulpan was cancelled, Evette's school was closed, mail was not delivered in our neighborhood, and it was a real hassle. By the way, it was funny listening to the news or hearing people talk about Bush because they pronounce his name "Boosh." Finally, Friday he is leaving the Jerusalem area. He started off his morning at Yad Vashem. Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, is the Jewish people's memorial to the murdered Six Million and symbolizes the ongoing confrontation with the rupture engendered by the Holocaust. Containing the world's largest repository of information on the Holocaust, Yad Vashem is a leader in Shoah education, commemoration, research and documentation. **I will write more about this when I actually visit there. We were able to watch G.W.'s visit there live on TV. It may have been the first time that I can say I was impressed by him. As we saw live as he was seeing the museum for the first time, his reactions & statements were not pre-prepared or practiced. He truly showed genuine emotion. During his visit to Yad Vashem, the President, guided by Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate Avner Shalev, visited the Holocaust History Museum, the Museum of Holocaust Art, held a wreath-laying ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance, and visited the Children's Memorial . He was accompanied by President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni, and Chairman of the Yad Vashem Council Joseph (Tommy) Lapid. Upon signing the Visitors' Book outside of the Children's Memorial, President Bush said: "I would hope as many people in the world would come to this place. It would be a sobering reminder that evil exists, and a call that when we find evil we must resist it. I came away with this impression: I was most impressed that people in the face of horror and evil would not forsake their God, that in the face of unspeakable crimes against humanity, brave souls, young and old, stood strong for what they believe. It is an honor to be here. It is a moving experience, and it is a living memory that is important." At the conclusion of his visit, Shalev presented President Bush with a special gift, a replica of an illustrated Bible by Jewish artist Carol Deutsch. The original is on display in the Museum of Holocaust Art. Recently Yad Vashem decided to produce a special, numbered series of the portfolio limited to 500 copies, the first of which will be presented to the President. Deutsch created the works while in hiding in Belgium. He was informed upon, and died in 1944 in Buchenwald, leaving behind 99 vividly colored prints in an illustrated wooden box, which he bequeathed to his daughter Ingrid. (this was taken from the Yad Vashem website). Television in Israel As we cannot afford full cable TV services, we are stuck with basic which gives us very limited options, especially in English. We have the Hallmark Channel, which along with the occasional decent movie has the original Law & Order 1-2 times a week & the occasional episode of West Wing. Everything is reruns, reruns, reruns. Grey's Anatomy just ended season 2 (I think Season 4 just ended in the US), General Hospital, the only ABC soap they show here is from early 2006. So, I got excited when I saw that a "brand new show" was being advertised; Commander in Chief with Geena Davis playing the President. After a couple of episodes I researched it online & discovered this show was from 2005. We also have constant reruns of Seinfeld, Friends, Scrubs, My Name is Earl & the same 4 seasons of Survivor & Amazing Race that they play over & over & over... There are 2 shows on the Hebrew Israeli channels that are exciting for me. They are all in Hebrew, so it's hard to follow along, but I still enjoy them. When Evette watches with me, she translates for me. There is Krav Sakinim (The Battle of the Knives). This is most similar to The Iron Chef cooking show except it's always the same annoying French chef versus a different Israeli chef each week. I don't understand what they are saying, but I like to fill in my own lines like: "Look at me, I'm better than everyone", "why do you even bother, I'm the best" & so forth. Get the picture? You can tell this guys attitude without even understanding the language. The other show is Hisradut (Israel Survivor). For those of you who know what a Survivor fanatic I am, you know I am thrilled by this. This new show (really, it is new!) is all the craze here. All the magazine covers, talk shows, the news, etc...talk about this show. It took place in Los Haitises national park in the Dominican Republic. The prize is 1,000,000 shekels (about $275,100) & an off-road vehicle. For one of the reward challenges, the reward was Shabbat; wine, candles, challah, etc... One of the contestants is religious & prays every morning with his tefillin. As per the Wikipedia website: Tefillin, also called phylacteries, are two black leather boxes containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with biblical verses. The arm-tefillin, or shel yad, is worn on the upper arm, while the head-tefillin, or shel rosh, is placed above the forehead. They serve as a "sign" and "remembrance" that God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. According to Jewish Law, they should be worn during weekday morning prayer services. The sources provided for tefillin in the Torah are from vague verses. The following verse from the shema states: "And you shall bind them as a sign upon your arm, and they shall be as totafot between your eyes." The verse does not designate what one is obliged to "bind upon your arm" nor is a description given as to what totafot means. It is only by way of the Oral tradition that tefillin exist as we now know them. Differences between the Israeli and American versions Although the main format is the same, there are some differences between the Israeli and the American versions: Filming length The American version was filmed during 39 days, and the Israeli version was filmed during 52 days. Individual challenge The individual challenge in the Israeli version was introduced before the merge (and not after, like in the American version). The tribe who lost the Immunity challenge had to compete in an individual challenge. In episodes 1-5, the prize for the individual challenge winner was the option to vote twice in Tribal council, but in Episode 6, it became an individual immunity challenge. Island of the Dead The Israeli version introduced the Island of the Dead. Every person voted out is brought to the island, and had to compete with the person already staying there, for the right to stay on the island for at least another 3 days. At an unknown time, the person on the island will come back to the competition. Airing format The American version had 13 episodes, one for each 3 days, and the Israeli version had 40 episodes (not yet finite), 2 episodes for each 3 days (at the first episode of the week, the Immunity and reward challenges was aired, and in the second, the Double-power/Individual Immunity challenge, Island of the Dead battle and tribal council). Okay, so the biggest TV thrill of all is that they are airing American Idol by satellite. You guys watch it Tuesday & Wednesday night and we get it on Wed & Thurs. So, to all my Idol buddies, let's email & chat about it through the season, okay? Hebrew word of the day-Asur = forbidden.
]]> Where in the world is Shari & Evette? — Jerusalem, Israel http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1199890080/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1199890080/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1199890080/tpod.html Wed, 09 Jan 2008 15:52:20 +0000 Shari & Evette's Most Excellent Adventure
Jerusalem, Israel

December 27, 2007 I thought I would tell you a little bit about our neighborhood & the surrounding streets. A lot of the streets here have historical background. We live in a neighborhood called Talbiya. It was built in the 1920s and 1930s on land purchased from the Greek Patriarchate. Most of the early residents were affluent Christian Arabs who built elegant homes with Renaissance, Moorish and Arab architectural motifs, surrounded by trees and flowering gardens. Many of Jerusalem's important cultural institutions are located in Talbiya, among them: The Jerusalem Theater: Situated in the magnificent Talbiya neighborhood, the Jerusalem Theater is the capital`s premier performing arts and entertainment center with a capacity of about 23,000. The complex features four world-class theaters and is home to several Jerusalem hallmarks, such as the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Jerusalem Centre for the Performing Arts, the annual Israel Festival and more. The Van Leer Institute: (Evette attended a conference on Reform Judaism here) The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, located adjacent to the President's residence, is a leading intellectual center for the interdisciplinary study and discussion of issues related to philosophy, society, culture and education. The Institute gives expression to the wide range of opinions in Israel, and takes particular pride in its role as an incubator and creative home for many of the most important civil society efforts to enhance and deepen Israeli democracy. Founded in 1959 by the Van Leer family from the Netherlands, the Institute and its mission are based on the Van Leers' vision of Israel as both a homeland for the Jewish people and a democratic society, predicated on justice, fairness and equality for all its residents. Our Street is Hovevei Tzion. To get legal recognition by the authorities, the Russian branch of Hovevei Zion was registered as a charity and approved by the Russian government early in 1890 as "The Society for the Support of Jewish Farmers and Artisans in Syria and Eretz Israel." It came to be known as "The Odessa Committee." It was devoted to practical Zionism: establishing agricultural settlements. Its projects in 1890-1891 included help in the founding of Rehovot and Hadera and rehabilitation of Mishmar HaYarden. Jabotinsky Street: Ze'ev (Vladimir) Jabotinsky: October 18, 1880 -August 4,1940) was a Zionist leader, author, orator, soldier, and founder of the Jewish Self-Defense Organization in Odessa. He also formed Jewish Legion in WWI, as well as founder and leader of the clandestine Jewish militant organization Irgun. Ben Yehuda Street is a main avenue and a busy pedestrian mall in downtown Jerusalem, named after Eliezer Ben Yehuda. It connects with Jaffa Road at one end with Zion Square. Eliezer Ben-Yehuda was one of the first Zionists and is credited with the revival of Hebrew as a modern tongue spoken by a renascent Jewish nation. Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, was born Eliezer Yitzhak Perelman, in the Lithuanian village of Luzhky on January 7, 1858. Like virtually all Jewish children of that time and place he began learning Hebrew from a very tender age as part of a thoroughly religious upbringing. As Ben-Yehuda wrote in the introduction to his dictionary, "If a language which has stopped being spoken, with nothing remaining of it save what remains of our language - (if there is such a language) can return and be the spoken tongue of an individual for all necessities of his life, there is no room for doubt that it can become the spoken language of a community." Jaffa Road is one of the longest and oldest streets in Jerusalem. It crosses the city from east to west, from the Old City walls to downtown Jerusalem, the western portal of Jerusalem and the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway. It is lined with shops, businesses and restaurants. Ussishkin Street: Menachem Ussishkin (1863-1941 ) was one of the leading and founding fathers of Zionism, from 1923 until 1941 he was the powerful chairman and member of the Jewish National Fund, the president of the 20th Zionist Congress, the permanent president of World Zionist Organization's Zionist Action Committee, and a member of the Jewish Agency Executive. Keren Hayesod - (literally "The Foundation Fund") An overseas funding organization for the World Zionist Organization. Keren Hayesod was established in 1920 at the World Zionist Conference in London. The resolution adopted called on "the whole Jewish people", Zionists and non-Zionists alike to do its duty through Keren Hayesod. Jewish communities throughout the world established local campaigns under the Keren Hayesod umbrella. (Ha)-Palmach - A Jewish military force in Palestine created with the cooperation of the British by Yitzhak Sadeh in 1941 to help defend Palestine against the possibility of invasion from Syria, which was under the control of the Vichy French government. Palmach eventually had a few thousand fighters and evolved into the underground spearhead commando force of the Haganah. Gershon Agron (1894 - 1959) Journalist and Mayor of Jerusalem -Gershon Agron was born in 1894 in the Ukraine. As a child, he emigrated with his family to the United States. In 1932, Agron founded "The Palestine Post", an English language newspaper, which became the "Jerusalem Post" in 1950. From 1949 to 1951, Agron presided over the Israel's official (government) Information Service. In 1955, Gershon Agron was elected mayor of Jerusalem and he remained in office until 1959. During his term, he played a key role in the development and expansion of the western sectors of the city. Gershon Agron's diaries and letters were published posthumously, in 1964. Alkalai, Judah (1798-1878) Rabbi and forerunner of modern Zionism. Alkalai was born in Sarajevo (now in Yugoslavia) and brought up in Jerusalem. He felt that the Jews should not wait for the Messiah to restore them to the Land of Israel but should make every effort to go there themselves to settle. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-81) Known as a dandy, a novelist, a brilliant debater and England's first and only Jewish prime minister, Disraeli (Earl of Beaconfield) is best remembered for bringing India and the Suez Canal under control of the crown. A Conservative, he was elected to Parliament in 1837 after failing to win election in four earlier elections. Disraeli became prime minister for the second time in 1874 at the age of 70. Acting on his own, he purchased a controlling interest in the Suez Canal conferring the title of Empress of India upon the Queen and in so doing earning himself the title of Earl of Beaconfield in 1876. Disraeli represented British interests in the Congress of Berlin, 1878, which brought peace as well as Cyprus under British flag. His government was defeated in 1880. Disraeli died the following year. Judah Leib (Leon) Pinsker (1821-1891) Pinsker was doctor and a founder and leader of the Hibbat Tzion movement and author of Auto-Emancipation. Born in Russian Poland in 1821; he inherited a strong sense of Jewish identity from his father, a Hebrew teacher and researcher. Pinsker firmly believed that the Jewish problem could be resolved if the Jews attained equal rights, but with the outbreak of anti-Jewish riots against Russian Jews in 1881, his views changed radically. Pinsker died in Russia in 1891 and his remains were brought to Eretz-Israel in 1934 and reburied in Nicanor's Cave next to Mount Scopus. Mickey (David) MARCUS Marcus' family is from Suchostaw, and Marcus (Colonel in the U.S. Army and General in the Israeli Army) died seven hours before the truce with the Arabs became effective on June 11, 1948. December 27, 2007 We got up early this morning & decided we needed to get out of Jerusalem so we walked down to Kikar Tzion to catch a shirut (shared taxi) to Tel Aviv. As we don't really have any money to spend right now, Evette brought school work & I brought a book I'm reading (She's Come undone by Wally Lamb) & some crossword puzzles (I've been downloading my favorite puzzles from the Philadelphia Sunday Inquirer) & we headed to the beach. We started out lying on the sand on a plastic tablecloth we brought with us. Well, let me tell you, it was quite windy & cold. After all, it is the end of December! When we both had ingested enough sand, we packed up our backpacks and took walk along the beach. We really enjoyed watching what we later found out was kite surfing. Kite surfing, also known as kite boarding, involves using a power kite to pull a rider through the water on a small surfboard or a kite board (a wake board-like board). A kite surfer or kite boarder uses a board with foot-straps or bindings, combined with the power of a large controllable kite to propel himself and the board across the water. It was really cool to watch. Some of them really made some awesome jumps. Others, who I guess were beginners, also entertained us with total wipeouts! It is a very popular sport in Tel Aviv. There is a whole section of the beach that seems dedicated to kite boarders. As we continued down the beach, we saw large stacks of beach chairs in front of a hotel. We got ourselves a couple of chairs & sat for a few more hours reading & doing schoolwork until we could no longer stand the cold. We packed up our stuff, took a bus to the bus station & took a shirut back home. It is nice every once in awhile to get out of Jerusalem. We were a little sad we could not bring Rascal because he loves the beach, but we could not spend the money to rent a car & they do not allow dogs on the shirut. Oh well, we'll take him back to the beach sometime. December 31, 2007 HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Americans and the English refer to the night of 31 December "New Year's Eve" but Europeans, Israelis and many others around the world refer to the celebration of the onset of the year as "Sylvester". Oddly enough, no one is quite sure just how this appellation came into use. The Israeli term for New Year's night celebrations, "Sylvester," was the name of the "Saint" and Roman Pope who reigned during the Council of Nicaea (325 C.E.). The year before the Council of Nicaea convened, Sylvester convinced Constantine to prohibit Jews from living in Jerusalem. At the Council of Nicaea, Sylvester arranged for the passage of a host of viciously anti-Semitic legislation. All Catholic "Saints" are awarded a day on which Christians celebrate and pay tribute to that Saint's memory. December 31 is Saint Sylvester Day - hence celebrations on the night of December 31 are dedicated to Sylvester's memory. Because his beliefs were not acceptable Sylvester was arrested during the morning of December 31st. After being charged with idolatry, fornication and conversing with the Devil, the 82 year old was placed in a cell and his former colleagues began to torture him in order to gain a confession. Several minutes before midnight, Sylvester died. His last words were: "The year ends and so do I". I don't really get it either. New Year's Eve, Israeli style: Think Jews don't celebrate Sylvester? Think again: written by: Rabbi Ben Yovits Jews do not celebrate New Year's Eve on December 31st. No siree, we have our own calendar, thank you. So what do we do in Israel? We have "Sylvester parties." The main theme is getting drunk all night, while criticizing other people's clothing: Did you see the leather belt on her? What does she think she is, 12? And not too skinny, mind you... Every year there's a silent competition concerning "The Best Sylvester Party." Meaning, the one held by the biggest, glitziest zillionaire around. Everyone tries to snag an invitation, but wind up going to their cousin's party in Ramla (Which is the rough equivalent of Boise, Idaho). Jews do not wish each other a Happy New Year. Instead, they mourn the loss of the last one: Wasn't it a good year? Wasn't it filled with joyous memories? Why did it pass so quickly? Maybe we're growing old... Pass the wine, I'm depressed as hell. After the alcohol kicks in, it's time for making optimistic predictions about the coming year. For example: I'm telling you Shmuel, we'll be lucky to stand here next year. If the Iranians won't bomb us, the Syrians will. It's the end, I tell you, the end. Any wine left? At that point everyone agrees it's best to leave Israel and move to Canada or Australia. No one does. The next day at work, everyone pretends to have forgotten last night's party. Sylvester? Feh, we don't celebrate that in our house. My bubbalah and I went straight to bed. Out like a light by 10 o'clock. It's a gentile custom, anyway. Why am I holding my head? My temples seem to be exploding... And they make a solemn oath never to celebrate this "gentile custom" again. Never ever. The decision holds for 364 days. So, this guy was really disappointed when he realized the holiday was not named after him! Happy New Year all, don't drink and drive! January 4, 2008 This morning we attended a Siddur ceremony at a Reform synagogue called Kol HaNeshama. This is a ceremony at which the elementary school students receive their first, own personal prayer book. It was a lovely ceremony. The night before, the parents decorated their child's book. At the ceremony, the children sang songs, prayers & performed little dances as well.
]]> Oy, how time passes by..... — Jerusalem, Israel http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1198777860/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1198777860/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1198777860/tpod.html Thu, 27 Dec 2007 15:40:35 +0000 Shari & Evette's Most Excellent Adventure
Jerusalem, Israel

November 13-15 You will all be happy to know that Evette & I are both fully recuperated & are in good health. Rascal has been such a gift. He really was put on this earth to be our dog. He is so well behaved (most of the time) & very smart. The vet told us we were misinformed about his age. We thought he was going to be 6 months old in December, but he will only be 5 months. Seeing that he is totally house-trained now, I think that is pretty remarkable. He's pretty popular with the girl dogs in the neighborhood. OK, also with the boy dogs, but hey, what can you do. He does have a girlfriend, Dee-Dee. They play every morning in the park & a few times a week, he invites her for an evening play date. He thinks she is really cool because Dee-Dee also has 2 mommies! The weather is really weird. It is now winter. In the morning, I wear pants & a long sleeved shirt & a jacket to school. By 12:30, I'm dying & I come home & put on shorts & a tee shirt. An hour later, I'm putting on my sweats & then shorts again. Then, out of nowhere, it thunder & lightning's & rains & rains! Hmmm...maybe the constant changing of clothes is NOT just about inconsistent climate?? November 16 Today, we went with Evette's RRC classmates on a walking tour of Tel Aviv, with focus on Art & architecture. And yes, this time the tour was in English. We all met in Tel Aviv at 9am at the Cameri: Israel's Theater of Social Responsibility. The Cameri was established over 60 years ago and was Israel's first Hebrew language repertory Theater. It is the largest theater center in Israel. The extraordinary 11,000 square-meter Centre is funded by Israel's National Lottery, and the Municipality of Tel Aviv. There are three theatre halls--a 950-seat Auditorium, a 450-seat Hall, and a 200-seat "black box"; a Cafe-Teatron, situated in a multi-purpose foyer, to be used for theatrical and literary cabarets; rehearsal halls; dressing rooms; workshops and storage facilities; and administrative offices. The Cameri has initiated and runs, diverse theatrical performances and experiences, aimed at promoting peace and co-existence--between Jews and Arabs in Israel, through diverse theatrical programs, it has brought to the fore, issues pertaining to war and peace and their impact on Israeli society; rendered its plays accessible to Arabic speakers, through simultaneous translation and theatrical productions in Israeli Arab towns and villages; exposed Israeli Jewish audiences to Arabic plays in Hebrew translation, and much much more. The Cameri has been particularly heartened by the immensely positive response to its Peace Experience Project, which brings Jewish & Arab Israelis, to the Cameri, for a shared theatrical experience that seeks to identify commonalities, rather than to emphasize differences which separate and alienate Jews and Arabs from one another. We toured around a neighborhood called Neve Tzedek. According to www.gemsinisrael.com, Neve Zedek, which means Oasis of Justice in Hebrew was the first neighborhood built outside of Jaffa's walls. The city of Tel Aviv evolved from this new venture. The man behind the construction of the new neighborhood and the undisputed leader of new community, some even referred to him as a Jewish sheik, was Shimon Rokach. Born in Jerusalem, he was sent to Jaffa, in 1884, by his father, who had obtained the rights to collect tolls on the Jerusalem-Jaffa road from the Turks. His task was to oversee the Jaffa end of the operation. Rokach was an illustrious public servant, who was active in many different areas. He was one of the first to organize the planting of orange groves in the Sharon and to devise a marketing system for the citrus fruit, which included exports to Europe. He also bought the land that later became Tel Aviv's first cemetery (known as the Trumpeldor cemetery), where many of the city's founding fathers are buried. Shimon and Rachel Rokach had five children. Their son Israel served as deputy mayor of Tel Aviv under Meir Dizengoff and later was himself the mayor. An Austrian architect designed the Rokach House, which people came from afar to see, because of its unique dome. The house, which was built in 1887, was one of the first ten houses in Neve Zedek. Today it is an acknowledged historic site and museum. But it wasn't always that way. Over the years as the city of Tel Aviv developed, Neve Zedek saw a downward decline. The house was abandoned for about 30 years and was in terrible disrepair. It's hard to believe, but this historic house was actually slated for demolition. Lea Majaro-Mintz, Rokach's granddaughter, who is an artist, undertook a legal battle that lead to the private restoration of the house. Today the Rokach House operates as a private museum that features Majaro-Mintz's works and also serves as a venue for unique cultural events. We also walked through the lovely courtyard of the Suzanne Dellal Center, the most important dance establishment in Israel. The gardens & surrounding were really beautiful, as you can see in the photos. This is Tel Aviv's first movie theatre the 'Eden'. This theatre was opened by Tel Aviv first mayor, Meir Dizengoff, in 1913. It held up to 1100 people in an open air theatre. Today it is a storage area for one of Israel's leading banks. We ended our tour at the Paddle-ball Museum. Paddle-ball is a favorite Israeli pastime. There were hundreds of paddle ball paddles in all shapes, sizes & materials. There was glass, stone, marble...just to name a few. There was a 7.5 foot paddle especially made by a carpenter with a monstrous matching ball. We met Amnon Nissim, one of the 2 founders. He has been playing competitively since he was a child. The museum is located inside his house. It is not a public museum so you need to be invited to visit. We were among the lucky few. It was a very enjoyable day. I find the eclectic architecture in Tel Aviv very interesting. You can walk down a street & see not only so many different styles, but one house that looks like if you blow on it, it will be reduced to rubble & the next is beautiful & much more modern. November 22, 2007 Happy Turkey Day!! I cooked all the fixings for our friend from Canada. It is not possible to buy a whole turkey here. I looked everywhere. Of course, I don't know what I was thinking? We don't have a real oven & we only have a 2-burner stove-top. How could I have cooked a turkey in a toaster oven? So I decided not to cook any meat, just the fixin's. That's the best part anyway, right? I made my sweet potato casserole with real cream, the stuffing & mashed potatoes with lots of butter...Mmmm! I also made my sugar-free apple pie, but without the crust because our friend cannot eat gluten. It came out great!! It was a lot of work in our tiny kitchen with just a toaster oven, but you know how I enjoy cooking! December 4-18, 2007 Hanukkah was OK. We were both off from school, but we couldn't really do anything because Rascal got hurt. Evette took him for his daily play date with his friends in the park & he stepped on glass. He sliced his paw open in 2 directions. She brought him home & the blood was pouring out. So I thought, hmmm, I should clean it with peroxide. OOOWEEE! I was unaware that dogs could scream, but they apparently can. We called the vet & he told us to bring him immediately there. Now, mind you, it is about 7am, we do not have a car, the vet is about 2 miles away & Rascal's paw is sliced open. So, we wrap him up all swaddled in a towel & bribe a taxi driver more than twice what it would really cost to drive us there. Our poor little guy had to be totally sedated & had 6 sutures put in his little paw. We were able to bring him home later that afternoon. He was pretty out of it; he could not really walk or stand up for 2 days because he was so drugged up. He was pretty scared. We couldn't leave him alone for a few days. Oh yeah, & he has a huge cone on his head so he can't chew the stitches. He keeps knocking into things & can't figure out why he can't fit in his usual places & he can't even scratch his ears or face, so when he tries, he is really scratching the plastic. We try to help him out & scratch him when we see him trying. He is, however, on his own when it comes to other areas he cannot access! So, the Rascal saga continues...this segment written by Evette: Well our little Rascal is going to the Vet on the 14th to get his stitches taken out. How the Vet plans to accomplish that without sedating him into unconsciousness is a wonder to me. It took Shari and I almost 2½ days just to get the outer bandage off of him (Vet told us it was very important to take off the outer bandage after 4 days, apparently the first stage of healing). We could not get near that boy's paw. We tried everything. Laid him down on his side and I held his legs while Shari tried to cut. NO way, he kept flailing. You'd think he would want the darned thing OFF of him. We tried reasoning with him to no avail. Then I tried wrapping him in a sheet, like an Indonesian Sari, trying to immobilize his legs. Nope. Tried the Sari AND then laying him down on his side, and me lying on top of him to keep him from getting up. We were slightly more successful that way. Then we both tried laying on him, me on the back half, and Shari on the front half so she could cut, but ultimately it was more terror to the dog than it was worth. Shari said, "How many pounds do WE weigh, the two of us big women, and what is he - 20 pounds maybe? And US, two big women, can't get one tiny bandage off of this little dog?" We both looked at each other and laughed and laughed! Ultimately however, we knew we had to persist - our little guy's future mobility rested upon our shoulders. Then Shari came up with the idea of doing it when he was unconscious of what we were doing. We had to drug him! Shari did research on the Internet and found out that Valerian Root is a natural sedative for dogs. Where were we going to get Valerian Root at 1:00 in the afternoon on a Friday? Everything was already beginning to close for Shabbat! We raced to the nature store across from the Shuk. Success! We thought all we had to do was give him the dose and wait. So we gave him the dose and we waited for it to take effect. And we waited. He was still "rascalating." "Should I double it?" Shari asked...I was exhausted. "Yes!" I called out desperately. We doubled the dose, and we waited. He got a little drowsy. We tried cutting again - IMMEDIATELY he snapped out of it and continued to struggle against us. We were beside ourselves. Then we decided we should just give him a rest, before he was entirely traumatized and mistrusting of his mommies. Finally he fell sound asleep (he was also exhausted from the events), and Shari leaned over and got in one good snip on the bandage. But no sooner had the scissors sliced through a precious quarter inch of the bandage; than his eyes sprang open and he began to squirm. It was clear nothing else was going to happen, but at least we had gotten that quarter inch of cut in. Shari had one sleepless night that night, and most of the next day, waiting until the poor fellow fell asleep, and then sneaking in to snip a little bit at a time before he realized what was happening. Each one of them tried to outlast the other and stay awake. Shari- hoping to get in a few snips before she could fight sleep no longer, and Rascal- trying to fight off his suddenly untrustworthy mommy, coming at him with the sharp pointy object that made funny noises and tugged at his bandage. Poor little ******* began to sleep with one eye open. Now Rascal seems to be getting along well, all things considered. He still manages to "rascalate" despite the cone and the paw. The biggest challenge for him has been chewing his bone. He usually holds the bone with his paws, and he can't do that and get it inside his cone. So I usually wind up holding the bone for him so he can chew it. Is that dedication or what? So, back to Hanukkah. Hanukkah, the "Festival of Lights," starts on the 25th day of the Jewish calendar month of Kislev and lasts for eight days and nights. This year Hanukkah began at sundown on December 4. With blessings, games, and festive foods, Hanukkah celebrates the triumphs-both religious and military-of ancient Jewish heroes. The Hanukkah Story Nearly 2,200 years ago, the Greek-Syrian ruler Antiochis IV tried to force Greek culture upon peoples in his territory. Jews in Judea-now Israel-were forbidden their most important religious practices as well as study of the Torah. Although vastly outnumbered, religious Jews in the region took up arms to protect their community and their religion. Led by Mattathias the Hasmonean, and later his son Judah the Maccabee, the rebel armies became known as the Maccabees. After three years of fighting, in about 165 B.C.E., the Maccabees victoriously reclaimed the temple on Jerusalem's Mount Moriah. Next they prepared the temple for re-dedication-in Hebrew, Hanukkah means "dedication." In the temple they found only enough purified oil to kindle the temple light for a single day. But miraculously, the light continued to burn for eight days. The Menorah The lighting of the menorah, known in Hebrew as the hanukiya, is the most important Hanukkah tradition. A menorah is a candle-stand with nine branches. Usually eight candles-one for each day of Hanukkah-are of the same height, with a taller one in the middle, the shamash ("servant"), which is used to light the others. Each evening of Hanukkah, one more candle is lit, with a special blessing. The menorah symbolizes the burning light in the temple, as well as marking the eight days of the Hanukkah festival. Some say it also celebrates the light of freedom won by the Maccabees for the Jewish people. The Dreidel Long a favorite Hanukkah toy, the dreidel once had a serious purpose. When the Syrians forbid study of the Torah, Jews who studied in secret kept spinning tops-sivivons, or dreidels-on hand. This way, if they were found studying, they could quickly pretend that they had only been playing. Outside of Israel, a dreidel has the Hebrew letters "nun," "gimel," "hay," and "shin" on its four sides. These letters stand for "Nes gadol haya sham," which means, "A great miracle happened there," referring to Israel. An Israeli dreidel has the letter "pay" rather than "shin." This stands for "poh," meaning "here"-"a great miracle happened here." Hanukkah Foods Many traditional Hanukkah foods are cooked in oil, in remembrance of the oil that burned in the temple. In the United States, the most widespread Hanukkah food is latkes, or potato pancakes, a custom that may have developed in Eastern Europe. In Israel, the favorite Hanukkah food is sufganiya, a kind of jelly donut cooked in oil. Israelis eat sufganiyot for more than a month before the start of Hanukkah. Eating dairy products, especially cheese, is another Hanukkah tradition. This is done in memory of the Jewish heroine Judith, who according to legend saved her village from Syrian attackers. Judith fed wine and cheese to the Syrian general Holofernes until he became so drunk that he fell to the ground. She then seized his sword and cut off his head, which she brought back to her village in a basket. The next morning, Syrian troops found the headless body of their leader and fled in terror. (The above info from www.infoplease.com) Rascal is now back to normal, romping & playing as a little puppy should. So, I know it's been over a month since my last posting. My intention is to not let more than 2 weeks pass, but between Rascal's incident & other issues that came up, I did not realize so much time had passed. Hebrew word of the day: Hofesh = Freedom
]]> Time keeps on tickin', tickin' tickin'... — Jerusalem, Israel http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1194894840/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1194894840/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1194894840/tpod.html Mon, 12 Nov 2007 20:12:26 +0000 Shari & Evette's Most Excellent Adventure
Jerusalem, Israel

The Post Office Ah, the post office in Israel, my favorite place to be....NOT!!! At any given time, there could be like 20 people in line, each one thinking their reason for being there is more important than everyone else in front of them. People push & yell at the clerks who then yell right back. And there is no avoiding the post office either. In the US, if you are expecting a package, you come home from work & voila, there it is in your mailbox or on your front step. Here, for even something as small as a book, you have to go to the post office. Oh, & not just for packages, you have to pay your utility bills there as well. What I really love is getting a notice for a package, and then I wait a day or 2 to see if anything else comes. So then I go stand in line, get the package & then guess what comes in the mail??? The electric bill. OY!! October 19, 2007 In case you did not guess, Evette & I gave up on the idea of building a loft bed. Finding wood that was not very expensive was a hassle. Then you have to factor in the cost of having the wood delivered, the limited building space, the cost purchasing or renting tools & then the time to do it. With Evette being the main builder of the family, we decided school was a priority & we gave up the idea. So instead, we decided to buy a futon chair or small couch. This was no easy task. We shopped all over Jerusalem & found nothing that wasn't hundreds of dollars. Well, remember a few weeks ago when we went to IKEA? We had seen the perfect futon couch. The size was perfect as was the price. Unfortunately, they were out of stock, but said they would get it in a few weeks. We continued to shop in Jerusalem in EVERY furniture store in existence, with no luck. This morning, we called IKEA & they said they had it in stock. So, we rented a car, took Rascal & went on a road trip to IKEA. We stopped in Raanana to pick up our friend Ruti & headed to Natanya to IKEA. I sat outside with Rascal while they went in to get the futon. Well, a little while later, they come out empty handed...& ****** off. They sold out just since the morning. They went to customer service, but they were no help. It apparently is not possible to order an item, reserve an item, order on-line nor by telephone. The only option is to drive 2 hours to the store where they may or may not have what you want. UGH!! So, we say "feh" to Israeli IKEA! October 20, 2007 Well, so now we have this car until tomorrow because car rental places are closed on Saturdays. We decided to not make the rental a total waste; we should go on some sort of adventure. We packed up the lad (as we sometimes call Rascal), some cold drinks & some snacks & left around 4am & headed north towards Mount Carmel. According to the Wikipedia website, Mount Carmel is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel and the West Bank, stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. Its name literally means plantation of high quality trees. On the way, we stopped for gasoline & we asked if we were near a beach. Since it was so early, we thought it might be nice to sit on the beach with Rascal. So, we drove a short distance to Atlit Beach, a few kilometers south of Haifa. We hung out there for awhile. Rascal LOVED the ocean! He ran right into the waves. I sat on the sand while Evette was in the water with him. He just raced back & forth to each of us. It was the cutest thing ever!!! Evette would give him a seashell & tell him to bring it to "the other mommy" & he would run right to me & give me the shell. Then he would run back to Evette, splashing into the waves. It was as if we could hear him say "Wheee!!" After a while, we got back in the car & continued driving to Mt. Carmel to Daliyat El Karmel. Daliyat El Karmel is a Druze village near the top of Mount Carmel. The main street is lined with shops filled with lots of items hand made by the Druze. The following information is from www.Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. The Druze community in Israel is officially recognized as a separate religious entity with its own courts (with jurisdiction in matters of personal status - marriage, divorce, maintenance and adoption) and spiritual leadership. Their culture is Arab and their language Arabic but they opted against mainstream Arab nationalism in 1948 and have since served (first as volunteers, later within the draft system) in the Israel Defense Forces and the Border Police. Worldwide there are probably about one million Druze living mainly in Syria and Lebanon, with 104,000 in Israel, including about 18,000 in the Golan (which came under Israeli rule in 1967) and several thousands who emigrated to Europe and North and South America. The Druze consider their faith to be a new interpretation of the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. For them, the traditional story of the Creation is a parable, which describes Adam not as the first human being, but as the first person to believe in one god. The Druze religion has no ceremonies or rituals, and no obligation to perform precepts in public. Speaking the truth (instead of prayer) Supporting your brethren (instead of charity) Abandoning the old creeds (instead of fasting) Purification from heresy (instead of pilgrimage) Accepting the unity of God Submitting to the will of God (instead of holy war) The Druze are forbidden to eat pork, smoke, or drink alcohol. So, we walked up & down the street, going in & out all of the stores. Of course, in every store they tell you "I'll give you a special price, just for you." We bought a scarf, cool chimes to hang from our window & a beautiful woven carry bag (no, it's not a purse, really, it's not!!) Between the stores are many restaurants serving genuine Druze ethnic foods. The parking lot where we parked was run by a Druze family. Their family owned the small restaurant behind the lot. We told them we wanted to order a very traditional Druze meal. It was ground beef, hummus, rice & other stuff. It was yummy. Walking along the street, as well as along the highway, there were groups of Druze selling this special Druze bread (sort of like pita). It was really cool watching them make it. They pat the dough against a pillow & then throw it in the oven. They also sold it right there, hot & fresh. They cooked it in what looked like an inside out wok. They would spread this yummy chocolate spread on it & roll it up like a crepe. Mmmm Mmmm! They also sold olive oil that they pressed. On the ride back home, we stopped at another beach near Haifa so Rascal could play. I've never had a dog that loved the water so much. It's pretty cool. We can't wait to take him to the ocean again. Then, we drove to Netanya & stopped in for a short visit with Evette's cousin. Rascal seemed get along okay with her 3 dogs, except they kept taking turns pinning him down & humping him. Anyway, this whole day was an incredibly fun, interesting experience. We can't wait to go back & maybe stay in a Druze Bed & Breakfast. October 23, 2007 Every month, Evette's group from school here, have some sort of programming. Partners are always welcome to attend. Today the program was a tour of neighborhoods on the Tel Aviv-Yafo border. This was in remembrance of Yitzhak Rabin. Rabin was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel. He served two terms; 1972-1977 and 1992 until November 4, 1995, when he was assassinated by Yigal Amir, a right-wing Israeli radical. Amir is currently serving a life sentence for murder plus 14 years for conspiracy to murder Rabin on different occasions and for injuring Rabin's bodyguard. According to Wikipedia, while in prison, Amir became engaged to Larisa Trembovler. Amir had met her years ago, when he was a teacher of Judaism sent by Israel to educate Russian Jews. Trembovler first started to visit Amir in jail with her husband. Amir and Trembovler began exchanging letters and speaking on the phone, after she expressed ideological support for him. She left her husband and academic career because of her public personal ties with Amir. After her divorce, Amir requested to marry Larisa Trembovler and to receive the privilege to conjugally unite with his intended wife. In January 2004, the Israel Prison service announced that it would prohibit Amir from marrying in jail and in April 2004, and the Tel Aviv District Court upheld the decision. However, in August 2004 Amir and Trembovler married outside Israeli official channels according to Jewish law, by giving his father "power of attorney" to transfer a wedding ring to his bride. In late August 2005 Amir applied to the prison authorities to allow him and his new wife to conceive a child through in vitro fertilization. In March 2006 the Israeli Prison Service allowed Amir by his petition to have a child with Trembovler through artificial insemination. On October 28, 2007, she gave birth to a son: Yinon Elia Shalom. The brit milah took place in Rimonim prison on November 4, 2007 after Amir's appeal to the district court to be present at his son's brit was accepted. The public commemoration of the anniversary of the death of Yitzhak Rabin came out this year on the same day as the circumcision ceremony of Amir's newborn son. This program was sponsored by Alma Hebrew College in Tel-Aviv. Unfortunately, the tour guide only spoke Hebrew, so I did not understand what was said. Evette tried to translate key points for me. I could not really even take pictures, because it was nighttime. I did take this one picture at the Etzel Museum; the first stop on the tour. As it was late, the museum was closed. October 25, 2007 So, I'm walking home from Ulpan & I come across a crowd of people on the sidewalk on both sides. I see that no cars are passing & there are several police cars. This was just a few blocks from our apartment. I assumed there was a car accident. I continue to walk towards home & a police officer jumps in front of me & tells me that no one can walk down this street as it is blocked off for 3 blocks & that I must wait a few minutes. Of course, she tells me this in Hebrew & I do not understand all the words. A man in the crowd told me that they found a suspicious, unattended package in the road. The bomb squad was there & a guy in full protective gear & a mask took the package to the middle of the 3 blocks & detonated it. The sound was like that of a gun going off. I don't know if it was in fact a bomb or not. After detonating it, the guy jumped in their armored car & sped off with it. Then they let us pass. I never found out anything else. It was not in the news or in the paper. October 31, 2007 Happy Halloween!! For those of you who know me well, this is what I missed the most as it is not possible to find candy corn in Israel. Boo-hoo!! November 2-12, 2007 Well, nothing much happened during this time. Evette started out on the 2nd with a bad flu-like cold. I made her homemade chicken soup & was proud I was staying healthy. Just as she got better, *BAM*...I got hit. I still have sniffles. I found a great recipe for vegetarian hot & sour soup. It's supposed to be great to cure a cold. There is a real Oriental market down the street from the shuk, so I was able to get really great ingredients. I must say, it was REALLY good soup. If you'd like the recipe, email me, I'd be happy to send it to you. Rascal continues to bring us smiles & joy every day. Sometimes, we just cannot stand how cute he is! Hebrew word of the week: Beri'ut = healthy
]]> Better late than never! — Jerusalem, Israel http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1192990260/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1192990260/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sla514/israel-2007-08/1192990260/tpod.html Sun, 21 Oct 2007 20:07:24 +0000 Shari & Evette's Most Excellent Adventure
Jerusalem, Israel

September 27-October 18, 2007 As some of you know, this time of year in the Jewish religion is holiday after holiday starting with Rosh Hashanah, which was on September 13th and ending with Simchat Torah which was on October 5th. So, after Yom Kippur, which is one of our most solemn holy days, we moved into Sukkot, which is one of our most joyous. Sukkot is so joyful that it is commonly referred to in Jewish prayer and literature as the Season of our Rejoicing. It is quite a drastic transition. The Festival of Sukkot begins on the fifth day after Yom Kippur, which was from Sept. 27-Oct. 5. Sukkot has a dual significance: historical and agricultural. Historically, Sukkot commemorates the forty-year period during which the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters. Agriculturally, Sukkot is a harvest festival. You will dwell in booths for seven days; all natives of Israel shall dwell in booths. -Leviticus 23:42 In honor of the holiday's historical significance, we are commanded to dwell in temporary shelters, as our ancestors did in the wilderness. The temporary shelter is referred to as a sukkah (which is the singular form of the plural word "Sukkot"). The sukkah is great fun for the children. The commandment to "dwell" in a sukkah can be fulfilled by simply eating all of one's meals there; however, if the weather, climate, and one's health permits, one should spend as much time in the sukkah as possible, including sleeping in it. They are usually decorated very festively, using dried fruits, pictures, lights, beads, crafts, etc... It was cool walking around & looking at all the different Sukkot. I'd guess that 8 out of every 10 homes built a sukkah for themselves. Even in high rise apartment buildings, hotels, & restaurants; almost every balcony & yard had one. It is a tradition & an honor to eat meals in other people's Sukkot each night. We did this 5 out of the 7 nights. One night we were at the sukkah of one of Evette's warmest connections in Israel; her teacher David Levin-Kruss from Pardes. He just loves Evette & has really taken a liking to me. I thought it was a school event & that other students would be there. But he invited just us to share a meal with his family. How lovely! The next day we went to Danny Landes', the Director & Rosh HaYeshiva of Pardes in Abu Tor. In Jerusalem, a city of deep divisions between Jews and Arabs, Abu Tor is a rarity: a neighborhood that embraces both, side by side. This neighborhood sits on the very urban edge of Israeli West Jerusalem. He had about 16-20 students. I was as little intimidated because he is such a Bigwig, but it was a very nice event. While chatting with him, we discovered we are cousins on the Rivlin side. Small world, eh? Then one night we went to the Rabbi Gail Diamond's, the Assistant Yeshiva Director at the Conservative Yeshiva and RRC graduate. The next night we went to Amy Klein's, the Israel Coordinator's for RRC & also RRC graduate. She lives on a kibbutz. The 5th time in a Sukkah, was at Cup of Joe, our favorite coffee place. Rascal got to experience it too. They allow dogs if you sit outside. October 2nd We called a taxi to take us to pick up the car we had rented. We were supposed to go camping with Rascal. We have a tent & sleeping bags & we borrowed the Israeli equivalent to a Coleman stove. We ended up not going camping because Rascal told us quite clearly that he did not want to go camping. He just was not ready for the challenge. He was afraid that if we spent 2 nights in a tent with him, on an inflatable mattress, that we might not love him anymore & we would leave him in the woods or let a wild animal eat him for lunch. So, because we did not want him to live with the angst of feeling like this camping trip could do him in, we did not go. However, we had the car for 3 days, so we made it worth our while. On the way to pick the car up, we couldn't figure out why we were seeing 1000's & 1000's of people in groups with matching shirts, flags, etc... walking down the street. It was literally endless. I investigated later that day & discovered that it was a Christian-led Feast of Tabernacles March. There were reportedly 80,000 people of both Christian & Jewish background. So, we picked up the car, which is always a long drawn out affair & drove to Netanya, about 2 hours away to IKEA!!! It felt like home! It was actually very comforting to be there. It was just like home. They even had a sukkah in the parking lot! October 3, 2007 Today, we took advantage of having the car. I dropped Evette off at synagogue & I went grocery shopping, which was a real treat with a car. Later in the afternoon, we drove back to Netanya to have dinner at her cousin's house. It was enjoyable. We ate outside, in their lovely yard & had a great visit. Evette entertained us by trying to juggle devil sticks. It was quite entertaining. Her cousin was a master at it. October 4, 2007 Today, we woke up early & drove to Ein Gedi National Park and Nature Reserve. It is located on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert, on the shore of the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth (approx. 400 m. below sea level). The reserve covers an area of 3,587.5 acres and it was designated a protected Nature reserve in 1972. We hiked up and down the mountain to David's Waterfall. It was such an awesome experience! We saw all kinds of flora and birds and mammals that we never saw before. We saw Rock Hyrax, also known as Conies. They live in rock crannies or in thickets. They have a natural instinct for one to watch all the other's young ones while the parents go gathering, almost like a kindergarten. We also saw lots of Ibex, some pretty close up. Ibex live in herds and are known for their ability to climb steep hills that provide them with refuge from predators. The male is larger than the female, is bearded and has horns that angle back. For many years, Judean Desert ibex were hunted and their population dwindled until they were on the brink of extinction. The Natural Protection movement in Israel rescued the ibex population with the Wild Animal Protection Law in 1955. As a symbol of recognition for these efforts, the bust of the ibex has become an integral part of the emblem of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. While we were walking, 2 of the ibex right above our heads were pushing large boulders down the mountain. We had to duck & yell to the people below, because it was like an avalanche. Someone could have been seriously injured or possibly killed. After the tour, included in the admission fee, we were able to tour the Antiquities National Park. During an excavation, a synagogue has been completely uncovered. This synagogue was built at the beginning of the third century C.E. It was a trapezoid-shaped structure with 2 entrances in the north wall, facing Jerusalem. It contained a portable Holy Ark and was paved with a mosaic floor. The Jewish community and its synagogue were destroyed by fire, signs of which were evident during the excavation. On the way to Ein Gedi, we saw this guy at a rest stop. On the way home, I saw this guy & wanted to just take a picture & ended up hopping on. We drove home into the sunset, which was quite lovely. October 5, 2007 Today is Simchat Torah. Simchat Torah means "Rejoicing in the Torah." This holiday marks the completion of the annual cycle of weekly Torah readings. Each week in synagogue we publicly read a few chapters from the Torah, starting with Genesis Ch. 1 and working our way around to Deuteronomy 34. On Simchat Torah, we read the last Torah portion, and then proceed immediately to the first chapter of Genesis, reminding us that the Torah is a circle, and never ends. This completion of the readings is a time of great celebration. There are processions around the synagogue carrying Torah scrolls and plenty of high-spirited singing and dancing in the synagogue with the Torahs. As many people as possible are given the honor of an aliyah (reciting a blessing over the Torah reading); in fact, even children are called for an aliyah blessing on Simchat Torah. In addition, as many people as possible are given the honor of carrying a Torah scroll in these processions. Children do not carry the scrolls (they are much too heavy!), but often follow the procession around the synagogue, sometimes carrying small toy Torahs (stuffed plush toys or paper scrolls). I remember, as a child, that this was 1 time I was excited about going to synagogue. They would turn out the lights & pass out glow sticks to the kids & at the end of the service, all the kids got candy apples...Yummy!!! October 6, 2007 Shabbat Shalom. Today, after Shabbat, Evette & I walked to the Cinemateque to see Hairspray. Have you seen it? John Travolta in drag! He was great, especially coupled with Christopher Walken. It was great. Evette & I laughed so hard. If you haven't seen it, I definitely recommend it, although I'm sure, back in the US, it's probably on DVD already. October 7-11, 2007 So, now that the holidays are over, life sets into a regular schedule. I started Ulpan again today. It will be a short month because of the holidays. I really like my class. The teacher is great & will continue with each level for at least 4-5 months. I'm making some friends in the class too. There are 2 cantorial students; one from Nebraska & one from New York. There is a woman from Germany, who has a contact at a Palestinian run domestic violence agency. I'm not sure if it would be safe for me to go there, but she is going to talk to her to see if we can at least have a conversation via email. Pretty cool, eh? It is a very large class, 30 students. One of the things I love about this ulpan is the diversity. There are 3 Mormons from Utah, 1 student from Italy, 1 from Transylvania Romania, & more than half the class is Arabs. For me, the experience of learning here is not just about the language, but in meeting & interacting with people from so many cultural & religious backgrounds. Rascal is doing well. He is getting much better at going for walks. He loves going to the park & making friends with other dogs. The best news is, I think we are on the 4th day of no "accidents" in the house. YEAH!!! He really is such a good boy. He has brought a lot of joy to his mommies & we hope we have to him also. October 12, 2007 Every month, the students who are here from RRC have a mandatory program. Each month it will vary. Partners are welcome to participate as well. Today, we went to the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery. Mount Herzl, in Hebrew Har Hertzel, is a high hilltop in Jerusalem, Israel named for Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern political Zionism. Herzl's tomb lies at the top of the hill. It is also the burial place of three of Israel's prime ministers: Levi Eshkol who led Israel during its Six Day War victory in 1967 Israel's only woman prime minister, Golda Meir Israel's only assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (and his wife Leah Rabin, a peace activist in her own right). Israeli presidents are also buried on Mt. Herzl, as are other prominent Jewish and Zionist leaders. Soldiers who fell during battle also are buried here, including those as recent as the war with Lebanon last summer. It was the most beautiful, well kept cemetery I've ever seen. Families can decorate with plants, photos, etc... We sadly saw a soldier from Philadelphia whose grave was decorated with Phillies & Eagles paraphernalia. It was a very deep, powerful experience to be there. There were so many people there who were not from schools or tours. They were there to visit their loved ones who had fallen during battle. There was a father sitting by the grave of his son, unable to compose himself. Two women were singing & playing the guitar by a grave site. It was very moving. October 13-18, 2007 Evette is full force in school now. Two of her schools did not begin until after the holidays. She is really enjoying most of her classes, despite her very long days. Next month, I am registered to take a bread baking class at the Jewish Culinary Institute, which is a world renowned culinary school. It will be on Tuesday nights for 4 weeks. I'm very excited about this. When we come home, you'll all be begging me to bake bread for you! Next month, I will also begin volunteering on Sunday afternoons at the Clore Library in the town of Ramot Bet. I will be conducting story hour for children (in English, of course). When I see how this schedule goes, I may do some volunteer work for Koololev, the organization from which we adopted Rascal. October 17, 2007 We've been here in Jerusalem for almost 4 months now. Every day it is sunny, sunny, and sunny. Nary a cloud nor a drop of rain nor a puddle. Wednesday, I'm at home waiting for Evette to come home from school & I heard a strange, yet familiar sound. Was it fireworks? No. Was it a shooting? Of course not. Was it sheets of metal being shaken? No silly! It was thunder. Lots & lots of thunder & very scary lightning & yes, large drops of water falling from the sky. It rained for the first time since we've been here. When it rains, everything (streets, sidewalks, stairs...) become super slippery. The rain brings the oil in the ground to the surface & it becomes slick like ice...OOOH NOOO! For those of you who know me well, this covers all of my phobia's all in one place...thunder, lightning & walking on ice. Oy Vey!!! Hebrew word of the week-geshem = rain
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