What a week full of ecclectic experiences!!

  Jerusalem, Israel
Tuesday, July 24, 2007

So, one day Evette & I took a spontaneous trip to Tel Aviv.  We walked to the Ben Yehuda St. area where you get a Sheirut (shared taxi/van) to Tel Aviv.  They wait on this corner, but they will not leave until the van is full, so you could end up waiting a really long time.  We lucked out as they only needed one more person after us to fill the van.  It was a rather uncomfortable ride, as they really squish you in.  The scenery along the way was great & would have been great photo opportunities if we would have been in a car.  Maybe sometime we will rent a car so we can stop at the scenic areas.  Anyway, I was in Tel Aviv 20+ years ago for only a few hours, so I don't really remember much of that visit.  So, after about an hour in this van, I thought I had fallen asleep & awoke in North Philly (no offense to my Philly friends).  Seriously, it was run down, dirty, & very North Phillyish.  I thought, "Wow, THIS is our getaway for the day?"  So, Evette told me to trust her & we got on a bus.  We got off at the Promenade leading to the beach.  After a 15 minute bus ride, we were suddenly at the beach.  We walked along the Promenade/boardwalk.  It was lovely as you can see in the photos.
  So we walked along, taking pictures, enjoying the beauty & decided to find a place to eat outside, overlooking the Mediterranean, yes, that's right, overlooking the Mediterranean...cool, huh?!  We walked towards the city of Old Yaffo, which you can see in the distance on the right side of the photo.    A little side note...one really cool thing, is that in Jerusalem, I don't have to worry too much about if something is kosher or not, because there are meat restaurants & dairy restaurants & over 90% of them are kosher.  So, we come to this lovely looking restaurant with not too long a wait & we get a table outside overlooking the water...perfect.  Evette had gone to use the facilities, so I glanced at the menu, because, as those of you who have gone out to eat with me, I'm usually the last to decide what I want.  EVERYTHING on this menu was shellfish...shrimp, crab, mussels, etc...there wasn't anything we could have eaten.  OY!!! So, now we have to leave.  We continued walking & found a neat place along the beach.  
So, as we are walking, we come to an area that looked like it had been bombed & there were several memorial areas set up.  I asked Evette about it.  I will attach excerpts from the news article below of what happened on June 1st, 2001.  Usually, when there is a bombing, they work very quickly to remove the remnants and rebuild the area.  This still remains as it stood after this horrendous event.
Israel's worst bomb attack for five years was as unexpected as it was deadly. Shortly before midnight on Friday, a Palestinian suicide bomber walked into the crowd of young people waiting to get into the Pascha nightclub and detonated an explosive device packed with bullets, nails and metal pieces. The Tel Aviv nightspot, inside a former aquarium in a line of other bars, restaurants and hotels, was packed with Israelis enjoying the start of their Sabbath weekend.   The blast was so powerful that human remains were found on vehicles in a car park nearby. Nineteen-year-old Alex Brodsky told army radio: "We were waiting at the entrance to the discotheque and then we heard a huge explosion. After two or three seconds I saw people lying on the floor, some had no legs, no arms."
Torn to pieces
Another witness, Roni, said: "I saw a ball of fire in the centre of the people and then heard an explosion. Something flew in the air and people were running everywhere."   The bomber was among the dead.    One distressed witness told Israeli television: "I saw a young woman torn to pieces in front of my eyes." Thirty ambulances attended the scene of the blast.
Black plastic bags and blankets covered bodies, one lying under a car, as the crews gave first aid to more than 80 people. Their rubber gloves, covered with blood, and empty plasma bags littered the ground.   "It was terrible, young boys and girls lying on top of each other and screaming for help," Moshe Ohana, a fireman, told army radio. "I found some teenagers injured and some of them were dead.  "It was the most horrific sight I've ever seen," he said. Helicopters hovered overhead. Police rushed along the seaside promenade, closing down other nightclubs for fear more bombers were about to carry out attacks. Doctors in Tel Aviv area hospitals said many of the dead and those who were badly wounded were hit by metal shrapnel packed in the powerful bomb.
Ladies night
The nightclub was frequented by teenagers from Russian immigrant families. It was also a ladies night and many of the people standing outside the discotheque were female, witnesses said. Families of the dead, their faces white with shock, streamed into the Abu Kabir morgue, only a few kilometres away from the blast scene, to identify the bodies of their loved ones.
Evette & I just stood there, reading the memorials, crying...


Kibbutz Gezer Baseball Game
Ok, on to more uplifting events.  Last week, we were invited to Kibbutz Gezer to an Israeli baseball game.  It was quite surreal.  Tickets were 25NIS (shekels) which is about $5.  It was truly an honor system thing.  You walked right in & had to wait at the booth where people bought shirts, hats, etc...you were already in the game, yet we all still stood in line for tickets.  We sat with all Evette's RRC pals in the bleachers eating hamburgers, sodas & sushi...that's right, I said sushi.  Here's our friend Ari eating it if you don't believe me. 
It was quite humorous, as they called out "shalosh (3) balls" & even better, "at bat, Jose' Gonzales."   I don't think I got a picture, but there was a lamppost in the middle of right field.  Evette & I wore our Philadelphia Phillies hats, of course, just to shake things up a bit. 

How often do you see this at a baseball game?

Havdalah Incident
Ok, so this past Saturday night, about 10 of Evette's classmates decided we would all get together to do Havdalah together & then go out for coffee.  Oh, some of you have no idea about Havdalah...well, since I want this travelogue to be educational as well as entertaining, I will tell you.  Havdalah (הבדלה) is a Jewish religious ceremony that marks the symbolic end of Shabbat and holidays, and ushers in beginning of the new week. In Judaism, Shabbat ends -- and the new week begins -- at nightfall. Havdalah may be recited as soon as three stars are visible in the night sky.   You will need three things for this ritual: a glass of wine or grape juice, some fragrant spices, and a special Havdalah candle.
 The first of the four havdalah blessings is made over wine or grape juice: Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam borei p'ri hagafen (Amen). Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe Who creates the fruit of the vine (Amen).
 The second blessing is recited over fragrant spices. The spices represent a compensation for the loss of the special sabbath spirit. The spices commonly used are cloves, cinnamon or bay leaves. They are commonly kept in a special decorated holder called a b'samim box. Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, borei minei v'samim (Amein)  Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe, Who creates varieties of spices (Amen). 
The third blessing is recited over the special, multi-wicked Havdalah candle. Havdalah candles can be obtained from Jewish gift stores. If you cannot obtain a Havdalah candle, you can hold two candles close together, so their flames overlap. I have also used party candles (long, very thin candles) that I warmed up and twisted together.  Lighting a flame is a vivid way of marking the distinction between the Sabbath and the weekday, because we cannot kindle a flame on the Sabbath.   After the blessing is recited, hold your hands up to the flame with curved fingers, so you can see the shadow of your fingers on your palms. This is done because it would be improper to recite a blessing for something and then not use the thing.  Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam borei m'orei ha'eish (Amen).  Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe who creates the light of the fire (Amen). 
The final blessing is the Havdalah blessing itself, the blessing over the separation of different things. The blessing is recited over the wine. After the blessing is complete, drink the wine. A few drops of wine are used to extinguish the flame from the candle.  Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam hamav'dil bein kodesh l'chol bein or l'choshekh bein Yis'ra'eil la'amim bein yom hash'vi'i l'sheishet y'mei hama'aseh.  Barukh atah Adonai, hamav'dil bein kodesh l'chol (Amein).  Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe Who separates between sacred and secular between light and darkness, between Israel and the nations between the seventh day and the six days of labor   Blessed are You, Lord, who separates between sacred and secular. (Amen).
So, this is all done with lovely singing, holding hands; ...it's quite a beautiful ritual, which only lasts about 10 minutes.  So, as we all live in very small spaces, David suggested his place as they have a lovely courtyard that is shared, note that I said "shared."  We all met there around 8:15pm & watched the sky together waiting to see 3 stars, (Were you paying attention, I told you this earlier.)  So, there we were, under the night sky, singing, praying, thanking God...I looked up & saw a man from his second floor window taking a picture of us.  Not realizing how naïve I was, I thought "wow, that man is so touched he wants a photo to remember us by."  I was very wrong.  When we finished, we had a group hug & sat talking, deciding how we would spend the rest of our evening, when this man came outside & began yelling at us in Hebrew.  He was yelling, "This is not a public park & is only for people who live there."  When David responded that he & his family did live there, he did not believe him & said he took the picture to show to whoever was in charge of that area.  Evette & a few of her classmates were sort of debating with him as to what we were doing that offended him.  He said to 1 classmate "I can speak English fluently, but I will only speak to you in Hebrew because this is MY country!"  (Gee, he should come to Philly to Geno's Steaks!)  Several people wanted to get into it with him, but we decided just to leave, as the warmth of the mood we had previously created was being destroyed by ignorance.  After all, we have as much right to be here as him.  This is our country too.  My Grandfather was born here.  My great-grandfather has a street named after him (I'll write about that another time), Evette's father was born here.  Evette has official Israeli citizenship.  We think what offended him were a few things: most of the people in that neighborhood are very religious & we were obviously not.  We were mostly women.  We were men & women not only praying together, but touching each other.  Anyway, we left & walked to Ben Yehuda for coffee & enjoyed the rest of our evening.  Hopefully, David won't get kicked out of his apartment.

Tisha B'Av & my trip to The Wall
Today is Tisha B'Av.  As all Jewish holidays, it began at sundown last night  ends at sundown tonight.  First, I will explain what the holiday is.
Tisha B'Av - the ninth day in the Jewish month of Av - is a day on which Jews mourn and fast in commemoration of the destruction of the First and Second Temples and other tragedies Jews experienced in their history.
The First Temple was destroyed on the ninth of Av by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E., and the Second Temple was destroyed on the ninth of Av by the Romans in 70 C.E.
In addition to being the day on which the holy temples were destroyed, many other tragic events occurred on this day. Given that so many tragedies have occurred on Tisha B'Av in the past, Tisha B'Av is considered a
"taboo day" - a day that Jews are fearful that something bad is going to happen.Tisha B'Av prohibitions are similar to Yom Kippur prohibitions: no eating, no drinking (even water), no washing, no bathing, no shaving, no wearing cosmetics, no wearing leather shoes, no engaging in sexual relations, no working, and no studying Torah.
At the evening Ma'ariv prayer service, the entire congregation sits on the floor and recites Eicha (Book of Lamentations) in which the prophet Jeremiah describes the destruction of the first Temple and Jerusalem. On the morning of Tisha B'Av, Kinot (Lamentations) are recited.
 Tisha B'Av (Ninth day of the month of Av) is a time of mourning during which Jews should, most importantly, think about the causes of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, so that they can work towards Tikkun Olam (repairing the world).
Part of the tradition of this holiday, is to go to the Kotel, the Western Wall, to the location of the Temple, for the evening prayer service .  Due to the holiday, it was not permitted to take photographs, but I of course, will return to take photos.  The experience of being there is indescribable.  I was truly overwhelmed by emotions before we even entered the area.  Just seeing it as we approached it was amazing.  As we were trying to find the service, we wandered into an area we apparently were not supposed to be, because guards came after us & politely told us we had to leave that area.  We finally found the service & I was in awe.  When the Romans destroyed the Temple, the pushed the stone blocks off the wall & crushed the street.  We were sitting right there.  The crushed street is still there.  The stone blocks are still there, in the exact place they were back then.  The history is amazing.  It is our history.  All of ours, no matter what our religion.  We will return there, several times, I'm sure.  I will take pictures and share the history and the emotions it stirs up as well. 
 

Hey everyone, I hope you are checking out the photo album section as well.  I've taken some pretty awesome pics!
 
Hebrew word of the day:    Tikun Olam = repairing the world