last post?

So, this may be my last post depending on how much more free time I have so I will try to put some "end of trip thoughts". We just got back from a two day trip to the Golan Heights where we went to the Naot shoe factory, kyaking, hiking and generally learning about the Yom Kippur War and the importance of the Golan. It was quite a fun trip - and I got some really nice shoes. Today we went on a four hour hike- it was optional - which involved some rock climbing and swimming and a water fall. It was great. Definetly a good way to end the trip which has been filled with hikes and walks. Whats great about the Golan is that its such a contrast to the Negev. In a country smaller than New Jersey - its about the size of Massachusettes - there is a desert and a fertile mountain area. I cant think of another place which has such an extreme change in so little space. Thats why the hiking is fun, becuase you can see first hand how the land of Israel changes. And the land is whats important - its what all the fighting is for, so its important that we see it. You need to see the land in order to know why we have to defend it.
Other than that today we had a final class discussion where we talked about how the trip has changed us. I, possibly for the first time, did not say anything. Mainly becuase it was hot and there were bugs and we wanted to make the disucssion short, but also because I didnt really know how to answer. Most people said standard things like its shown me how important Israel is, or its made me think about Judaism in a new way. Those are true for me, but there is a lot more, most of which will probably not hit me until I return to the states. I will say that at this point I do not plan on making aliyah. The trip has made me want to return, but its also shown me how important the diaspora is - which I'm pretty sure I talked about last time so I wont expand on that.
In addition to all that I think there was a bit of a reality shock on this trip. I met and talked to a lot of people with extreme views and with thoughts and opinions that scare me. There was the very right wing American and the soldier who I sad next to on the bus (hes the sort of security guard) who told me about his experiance in the Second Lebanon War and how quickly he got used to fighitng and war. I dont think I was just naive and didnt know that there were people out there with extreme views or terrible stories, I'd just never really talked to them one on one before. Its upsetting, but also important.
Oh - something I almost forgot - we spent a day meeting with a man from the David Project which is a group that helps teach kids - especially college students - how to advocate for Israel. We spent about three hours looking at anti-Israel outbursts on college campuses and then discussed ways to counter arguments and debate. I had mixed feelings because while its certainly important and the public speaking tips were useful - and I saw clips of anti Israel protestors that I didnt know about and scared me - my problem was that they assumed there was one answer to the questions. For instance, when someone says the problem will end if Israel just gives up the occupied territories, they told us a line to use about how terrorism has been about in Israel for a hundred years or something like that. They didnt explore the idea that we may have different opinions or maybe not even agree with all the answers.

So this is getting a little long - though there is more I could write I will save it for when I get home and we can talk in person. Tomorrow we are going to Jerusalem for the day, and then we leave on Sunday very early in the morning.

I will see you all soon

something i forgot

Just a quick thought that I forgot to mention in the last post. Over the volunteer period I did feel a lot more "Israeli". Because we werent touring, and we basically only spoke Hebrew during work - and we spent a lot of time with the kibbutznikim - I didnt feel like a tourist. I was part of the kibbutz helping it run just like those living on it or who had been volunteering for a few months. I dont feel like a tourist. Its a little sad that we have to go back to touring for the last week. I dont really want to go to museums now that I have been to kibbutz. But I do want to go to the naot facotry so I'm excited for that. And for the hiking and the golan. The switch back is weird though.

Ok, just wanted to add that.

back at Muss

So, I am back in Hod Hasharon and life is back to the way it has been. I miss the kibbutz already. A few interesting things happened in the last few days - I found out that all the Americans living on the kibbutz now know about my blog and laugh and make fun of me for not wanting to make aliyah. I decided that I strongly believe that a person can be a Jew and even a Zionist without living in Israel. I think that Israel needs the diaspora. Staying here for almost three months makes you realize what is so important about the American Jewish - or even the Washington Jewish community. The differences are very important. For instance, in America, because Jews are a minority, there are not as many divisions between sects. The clash between religious and secular is not seen the way it is in Israel. In a strange way because there are fewer Jews, at least compared to everyone esle, the connection is stronger. Thats not to say there is no connection in Israel - there certainly is - but in the states, when you meet a Jew - its almost a surprise, it gives you a connection and someting to talk about. In Israel its basically a given.

Believing in Israel and recgonizing its importance does not mean that I have to move there. I can support Israel from my home in DC, and that is something that I dont think many Israelis - or at least none of the Americans who have made aliyah - seem to agree with. But I'm okay with our difference of opinion even if they are still trying to convince me. Its the Jews who live outside of Israel that give the contrast - that show a difference perspective on how Jews can live.

So thats what I've been thinking these past few days. I'm heading off to my last free weekend tomorrow and then only one week left! It's going to be weird to be back.

If anyone from the kibbutz is reading this - thank you for housing me these past few weeks and for talking and discussing with me. It gave me a lot of new thoughts and perspectives.

an interesting few days

So its been 4 days and quite a lot has happened. Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha'atzmaut passed as well as another shabbat. To start off - Yom Hazikaron. On Tuesday night there was a siren and our Madricha told us about her friend who was killed in the second Lebanon War. The kibbutz set up a table of all the soldiers from Sde Eliyahu who were killed over the last 60 years with photos and a short bio for each. Then a tekes - ceremony - with speeches singing and reading names of the soldiers from the kibbutz. Though I didnt understand some of the speeches, it was still a very moving ceremony. Hearing stories from family members and friends - and seeing the pictures - is very different from just reading about it. The somber feeling throughout the kibbutz is incredibly strong. I also realized that it was the first time I have sung Hatikvah in a room that is actually Israeli. Its a different feeling. You can sense the meaning of the words a lot more -if that makes any sense. During the day of Yom Hazikaron there was another siren - almost two minutes long. Its amazing to see an entire kitchen just stop work and stand there while a loud blast goes off.

As for Yom Ha'atzmaut - we spent the night at the kibbutz watching another tekes - with singing and dancing - and then listening to a band play songs and everyone singing. The transformation is great.The switch from mourning to excitement happens within minutes - and the whole atmosphere changes. Even Hatikvah sounds different. Its not the sad longing song - its much more hopeful. For the day we went to a large natural spring and then went to Kibbutz Lavi to visit friends from JDS and have a barbecue. It was very relaxing.

Lastly - a interesting story. So in my last post I made reference to a comment made by one of the Americans living here. He managed to find my post - somehow using google - and came to apologize to me for upsetting me. I told him that his comment about making aliyah didnt offend me - but its just one in a long string of comments made by people who have made aliyah. We spent the next 45 minutes discussing his own story of aliyah and different opinions of making aliyah. It was very interesting and I'm glad he came to find me. Living on kibbutz - even for only 2 weeks - has showed me so many more perspectives on Israeli life and American Jewish life. So thank you Benny for talking with me.

So for now we have 4 more days on kibbutz - I will try to write again before we return to Muss.

more from sde eliyahu

so its been about a week here and not a whole lot has changed but I thought I would write anyway. I'm still working in the kitchen but its better now because I know where everything is and the woman knows my name - though she still calls me Lily sometimes. Shabbat was very relaxing and I ate dinner with a family on the kibbutz. Even though they were from New Jersey I still learned some interesting things - such as it is cheaper for the kibbutz to sell milk from the dairy and buy outside milk than to just use the milk it makes itself. Biobee is also doing quite well this year selling its specially engineered bees which can pollinate extra well or something like that. Basically I've learned that as authentic as Sde Eliyahu is it still incorporates itself into Israeli society. I don't think anyone expects kibbutzim to be able to function completely by themselves. I also spent time talking to kids on the Young Judea Year Course which was fun and I actually saw someone I knew from BBYO. There are also two kids from Yeshiva in Jerusalem who left after Passover and are spending the next 5 weeks on kibbutz.

The other thing I find interesting is that all the Americans on the kibbutz, there arent that many, keep telling us to make aliyah. One even said "when you get your ass in gear and move over here" or something like that. Its starting to get a little annoying.

So tonight is Yom Hazikaron and there is a ceremony tonight with members of the kibbutz who lost family members in wars. I've heard that its a quite moving ceremony and I am looking forward to seeing how the coutnry commemorates the day and then transitions into Yom Ha'atzmaut.

Thats all for now - I shall write more after the holidays

kibbutz life

well lets just say that if kibbutz life all year round is like the last four days I might want to move here. But they tell me that we are in an unusual wave of cold weather at the moment and so I probably would not want to live here in the summer. But so far its great. Though I wake up at five am to go to work in the kitchen and have seen and touched far too much raw meat for my liking, its the most relaxing part of the trip. We end work in the early afternoon and then we get the rest of the day off to rest or swim or just hang out. And the great weather adds a lot. Also there are some teenagers from a Young Judea program so we have some kids to talk to which is always fun. There are some older kibbutz members who keep telling us to move to Israel but besides that everyone is very nice. The room is fine and we all live in one building. But what's great is that everything is shared. So if I run out of clothes, there's a closet that I can go to to get more. There is a store with fake money - which is actually ironic because you need to pay real money to get fake money- and everything is inexpensive. So far I like it a lot. I hope that it stays this way for the next two weeks.

Other than that today is Yom Hashoa. Its been interesting. Last night our group watched The Pianist which is a very well done movie. We then had a discussion about relatives who were in the Holocaust and how we know feel about the Poland trip. It was different because I am used to the JDS ceremony and speakers and flyers, and the kibbutz doesn't really do anything to commemorate the day except some candles in the dinning hall. There was the country-wide moment of silence, but that's all. I guess I was expecting more. Though we didn't have a chance to watch the Yad Vashem ceremony or see how a city like Tel-Aviv commemorates the day. Maybe its just this kibbutz. Anyway the computers here are not so great so I will stop writing now but I just want to say that I got an email confirming my deposit at Wesleyan University which made me quite happy.

quick post

hello again,
as the title implies I dont have much time because we are leaving for the kibbutz soon and I must be off to clean my room. I will be at kibbutz Sde Eliyahou which you may remember from Ezra's blog two years ago. I will be working on a number of projects from laundry to garndening and working in the kitchen. There are only 18 of us going and I hope it will be relaxing.

Over break I had a very nice time with my parents, grandparents and an array of cousins. We spent most of our time in Tel-Aviv but we took two trips to Jerusalem, one to Haifa and one to a Druze village (actually the same village I went to with the group trip). While I re-did part of the trip I had just been on, I did do some new things which were iinteresting. I would say the most interesting was the second trip to Jerusalem. My cousins Avner and Idit took us around the city showing us a former prison that held members of the Israeli underground figheters in the early part of the century. Though I had been to a similar prison in Acco, this one was interesting because two prisoners killed themselves before being hanged by exploding a grenade. These two men are hailed as heros to most Israelis but my parents and I discussed the idea that we are not so sure they are heros. They were certainly brave, but members of the more extreme groups - like the etzel and lechi - were pretty close to terrorists. Yes, they did help establish the state of Israel, but they also targeted British civilians and used extreme tactics. In Israel their actions are not even questioned (except by my liberal cousins).

The other interesting moment was later that day when I we went to an overlook and we could see the safety fence/wall. As my cousin pointed out, it cuts right through towns and some people have to go through security just to see thier former neighbors down the street. Its hard to really know what to think of the wall. It might help prevent terrorism (I really dont know anything about how successful its been) but it also makes life much harder for innocent people.


anyway, I'm off to kibbutz where I hope I dont have to think about hard questions or the best ways to solve world peace.

and a random note, the spell check doesnt work on this computer, or any Muss computers, so I'm sorry for all the spelling mistakes - I just was not good at spelling since about fifth grade and I dont have time to look up all the spellings.

break!

hello all so its been a while and a lot has happened. I've been to Eilat and Gadna - the fake army training, and later today I am leaving with my grandparents for spring break. I dont have much time so I will try to write as much as I can in as little amount of words and needed. First off, Eilat is really beautiful and really touristy. The beach is wonderful - and snorkeling was great - but the boardwalk is lined with souvenir shops. We even met a woman who works at a restaurant who said she doesnt like Eilat because there are no Israelis there. We didn't actually do much we just had a lot of free time.
Gadna was actually quite interesting. I'm not sure I would call it fun, but I'm definitely glad I did it. Basically starting Sunday afternoon and ending yesterday evening I was in "basic training" for the Israeli army. Its something they do for Israeli high school kids to get them ready and excited for the army. We were split into different groups, about 12 in each with a commander. We got uniforms - mine did not fit well and I looked pretty ridiculous - and slept in tents. Most of the time we were running around having 12 second to get into formation or line up for a meal (I now appreciate any amount of time over 15 seconds - you have no idea how much you can do with so little time). We also had to stand with our feet in a "v" and with our hands behind out backs in a diamond shape. If we were unprepared or late we had pushups. Other than that there was some physical stuff like crawling and running in the desert but overall it was not as hard as I thought it would be. We also had lessons about Israel and guns (I now know everything I will ever want to know about an M-16) and we also go to fire guns.
Overall I think what I learned most from Gadna was that the anticipation of an event (if you are not looking forward to something) is usually much worse than the actual event. I spent days dreading Gadna, and it was not as hard as my mind had built it up to be. Even the last night when we got word that we had a middle of the night run, I spent hours being upset trying to figure out how much they would make us run and how I would be able to keep up with the group. The "run" turned out to be at 5 am and was a brisk walk with about 10 seconds of sprinting every minute or so. I also learned that as much as I dont like guns and as important as gun control is, there is a scary feeling of power that comes when shooting a gun. It really hit me that the weapons they gave us (M-16s) are very powerful and have killed countless people. I was scared to use one.

I think the reason why I liked ganda is because along with the kibbutz, its probably the most Israeli part of the trip. During one of our breaks a girl commented that she wished we were back on campus so she should go shopping or go to the beach. As nice as the beach is, I appreciated doing something that is unique to Israel. Not only do the majority of Israelis join the army, but about a quarter also do Gadna as high schoolers as an introduction to the army. Even though it wasn't nearly as intense as actual basic training, it does give some insight into what Israelis go through. And I didn't really feel like a tourist.

Ok so I'm out of time, I think I'm going to hear some 6 day war stories but I'm not sure. I will try to write over break. I'm so glad to get away for 10 days and relax and not have to wake up at 6 am.


Happy Passover!

lots to say

Wow,
So I had an interesting week. I just got back from a 4 day hiking/camping trip where we went from the Mediteranean to the Kinneret (the width of Israel). I think it was between 60 and 70 kilometeres. It was quite exciting and among other things I learned that while I enjoy hiking, I hate camping. Anyway, despite the cliches and metaphores about crossing Israel, there was some "spiritual" aspect of finally reaching the Kinneret. I think that our group did bond a lot on the trip, which is nice because its been a month and I still felt like I didnt know some of the kids from Weber.
Anyway, we spent the weekend in Tzfat, a religious city in the North. It was very relaxing and I went to a Sephardic service for Friday night which was held in a very beautiful shul. Saturday I went with some kids to a park to read and relax and I also observed a debate between a religious teenager (maybe 18 or 19) and one of our madirichim about why religious Jews dont serve in the army. The madrich (named Rammy) served in the Lebanon war in '06 and was in an elite paratrooping unit and he got very upset during the debate because he feels that all Jews should serve in the army and he does not really understand religious Judaism. He also got upset when the other guy made a comment that equated studying in a yeshiva and fighting in Lebanon (in that they both are serving Israel). I spoke to the kid myself a little bit after but I, and the other kids there, decided that he was not the most educated of religous Jews and that one cannot base an opinion of Charedim off this one kid. But it was still an interesting talk.
Then on Sunday we went to a kibbutz and met with an Israeli-Arab who told us about his daily life and how he feels that Israel mistreats Arabs and minorities in general and how he is discriminated against. While he does not condone the bombings from Hamas he said that he certainly understands thier fight and what promts them. He also said that if there was a two state solution he would not move to the Palestinian state (understanably because Israel is an already established country with an functioning economy and infrastucture). My problem with speakers like this is that I never know what to believe. He said that he pays higher taxes because he did not serve in the army. But hten on the bus Alan (our teacher) told us that that is not true and that taxes are not based off the army. So I'm a little lost. I think that Israel is a Jewish state, but that minorities should be treated equally. But its hard to know just how much discrimination is going on, because I dont know who to believe.
The last interstring man that we met with was a Jew who lives in a city next to an Arab village. THe city is surrounded by an electric fence because a few years ago there was a terrorist attack. The man said that he hates that it has to be the Jewish town that gets the fence, but that he accepts that its the only way to be safe. He also said he thinks that there will never be peace in the Middle East. I disagree. Even if it will take years and lots of negotiation, I think peace is possible. I think going into the situation with a negative attitude wont help anyone and nothing will get better. Why is everyone fighting if they dont think there will be an outcome?

Anyway, as you can see the week was quite interesting and had some very thought provoking moments. Other than that I am trying to figure out where to go to college, any advice you have would be helpful. This week we are going to Eilat, which I am excited for, and then spending four days of fake Israeli military basic training. I hope I survive. After that is break which I am really excited for. I just need a week away from the campus and the bad food.

the crazy speaker

So the crazy speaker was on Thursday and he was part of a team of Americans that helped bring a large group of Europeans to Israel (called Aliyah Bet). It occured between the late 30s and early 40s and is most famous for having the ship Exodus - whose story was so gallantly portrayed by Paul Neuman in an epic 3 hour tale.
Anyway, the man told us his story, which was quite interesting. He was a character. At first he was a little rough, he used some colorful language, and jokingly yelled at a madricha when her cell phone went off. Then he got worse. He mentioned the name of a town in Poland called Kilce where there was a large porgrom after WW2. The JDS kids got excited because we visited Kilce on our trip, and it was nice to be able to put an image with what he was saying. He got mad. He started talking about how he was doing this for free, and how rude we were, and then we went off on two girls from Weber saying that they were the two supidest girls in the room. Though they were talking, and the JDS kids did make some noise when we realized the town he was talking about, I felt his reaction was totally uncalled for. He should tell us to be quiet, but there is no reason to yell at two specific girls and call them stupid. Anyway thats not even the worst.
The worst was when he started talking about Arabs. He said a few things that upset me such as the fact that in the Koran it tells Muslims to blow themselves up (which is not true), that Muslims have made no contributions to society at all, and that there is no such thing as a modern Muslin. I have no problem with him expressing an opinion. I do have a problem when he makes up facts or when he states an opinion as though it were a fact. And that no one clarified. We had no other opinions, no contrast.
I realize that the attacks that Israel is facing are from Islamic extremists, but they are extremists. I have met some moderate Muslims who love Jews (such as my English teacher). The speaker made no distinciton. Many kids felt that though he was pretty racist it was good to hear him because it showed us just what Israeli society is like. I suppose that is true, but we should also get a more moderate opinion, or an Arab opinion, because Israel is not just made up of racist Jews. Or maybe it is and I just have too much faith in this country and its inhabitants.

other than that I had a very relaxing weekend in Tel Aviv.

Molly

Yad Vashem

So on Monday we went to Yad Vashem, and it was a very interesting experiance. I'm not really sure where to start so I will just say that I dont think I really appreciated the museum because all I could think about the whole time was the Poland trip. The pictures seem insignificant compared to the actual places which I saw three weeks ago. The exhibition cant really compare to what it feels like to stand in the actual camps. (And I'm not sure if I said this before but I highly recommend visitng Poland if one has the chance. It is not a fun experiance but a very important one). I realize it was important to see the museum and some kids were not in Poland, but I found myself just walking through not really taking in anything. I stopped listening to the tour guide after about 10 minutes. Actually what I found most interesting was comparing the museum to the one in DC (I like the DC one more because it is organized in a better way).
I think as a memorial it is very meaningful, especially the memorial to the children. As a museum I cant really judge because I have heard the information so many times. Not only the many Jewish history classes, but from the DC museum and from the Poland trip. So I cant say I really learned much from Yad Vashem. I would be interested in hearing from someone who knows very little.

That being said, for those of you wondering why I have no posted any pictures, it is beacuse my camera broke. But today I bought a disposable one so at least I will have some when I get back.


That is all for now

Free weekend

I love free weekends. Actually I love anytime I get real food and 13 and a half hours of sleep. It was pretty great. I was in Givatayim, a suburb of Tel-Aviv, with my great great aunt and uncle Trudi and Pauli. If you really want to appreciate an hour by yourself, spend a month with 126 of your friends and never get a minute to yourself, and then the hour will feel great.
Besides sleeping, I spent Saturday in Ancient Jaffa where I met Alexandra Lis-Perlis' parents and we walked around and went to a very interesting art museum.
Today, which was Purim in Jerusalem, we went to a soup kitchen and helped give out lunch. It was very nice and I actually felt as though I was helping this time as opposed to the last volunteer day where I moved boxes. What was interesting was that the founder spoke to us and he said that in all of Washington only one person sends money to the soup kitchen (which is one of the largest in Israel if not the largest itself). He said it would be really great if we went back home and started spreading the word and helping. While I do agree with him, my friend Becca Friedland pointed out that its hard to help an organization so far away when there are many starving people in the US. It brought up the same question I've been asking myself this whole trip, which is, should I feel a stronger connection to Israel than I do? Should I help Israeli organizations over American ones? I guess everyone has a different connection. To me, helping in a soup kitchen is the same no matter what country its in, so if its easier for me to help in the US, I'm going to choose that one. We shall see. Maybe by the end of the trip I will feel differently.
Other than that we had a crazy Jewish hippie-esque guy dressed as Jesus (its Easter and no I'm not kidding) lead us in song and story telling. It was nice because I fell asleep in the shade.

Until next time, keep on truckin'

some more details

So I realized that my last post was a little short and did not have much detail but I didnt have a lot of time so I figured I would add some more tonight. I also forgot to mention some things, like the fact that we went caving and I learned that I am in fact not claustraphobic, and am rather quite good at getting through tight spaces. Though it is not really something I wish to do again soon (the caves were actually the width of my body with almost no room to move and very little light). They were the Bar Kochbah caves and actually quite interesting once I was out of them.
As for the Beit Shemesh stay - I spent two nights with the Cohen family, a modern orthodox family with an American mother, an Israeli father, and four children. The entire group (all the JDS kids and hosts) spent Friday painting a wall at a local elementary school (I filled in the butterfly) and then I spent all of Shabbat with the family. Basically, everyone in Beit Shemesh under the age of 20 spends Shabbat walking around the streets and visiting friends. So it was quite relaxing.
I just got back from a two day trip to the North where we saw ruins from the Crusades, the Kinneret, and Tzefat. Though it was not my favorite trip, I will say that it was thought provoking. We had a discussion about if Israel was facing a war with Iran, how many people who move to Israel to help the war effort. A lot of kids said they would take some time off of college to volunteer (not in combat but in other ways). And I thought a lot about how they are very willing to help Israel, but when there are wars in other countries, no one thinks twice. I realize we have a deeper connection to Israel, but I cant help but think that if you truly want to help save innocent lives, or protect a nation from unwarranted terror, why isnt everyone helping Darfur, or the many other groups of people who need help? As for me, it made me want to graduate college and join the Peace Corps right away.
The other thought I had ( I had some very intense thoughts this weekend) was when we were in a cemetary in Tzefat and we passed the graves of 22 teenagers who were killed in 1974 in a terror attack in a high school. I thought about the shooting that occured the day after we arrived. Its a very different atmosphere here. People mourn, but there isnt time to focus on each person the way the U.S. does (like the hundreds of articles after the Virginia Tech shooting). We went to Jerusalem the very next morning. Its hard to imagine living in a country where attacks like the one that occured happen offten enough to not affect people too badly. There are times when I realized how unstable Israel is and what can happen (such as when I'm in the cemetary) and there are times when I forget that I'm in a different country. I could be anywhere in the world (like when I'm on the computer checking my email) It's a little scary.

So, as you can see, I used this blog as a sort of journal for myself and I hope you dont mind reading it. Just thought I would add something besides our tourist stops. We get a few nights in the Hod and then a free weekend so I shall post again soon.

Hello again,
So its been about a week and a lot has happened. We climbed Masada (at 3:30 am) and spent the weekend in Beit Shemesh, the sister city of DC. I stayed with a friend in a religious house with a Israeli girl. It was quite relaxing and I got a lot of sleep. And they kept offering my food even though I told them I wasnt hungry.
Anyway, Masada was actually quite fun and despite being early it made the hike easier because it wasnt hot yet. We spent the morning on Masada watching the sun rise, something I recommend to anyone who is physically able, and then went to the dead sea to swim. One of the things we did on Masada was we screamed "am yisrael chi", which sounds a little weird but it was nice because you can hear the echo very clearly and it was nice in a chilling way. I also went on the optional extra hike and swam in a waterfall.
Beit Shemesh was great because for the first time in three weeks I wasnt surrounded by 115 poeple, and it was nice to get a break. And it was nice to have some free time outside of Hod HaSharon.
I think tomorrow we are going to the North for a few days and I will blog again when I get back.

Shabbat in Jerusalem

As the title of this blog states I just got back from a weekend in Jerusalem. We left Friday morning (after the shooting) and just got back about an hour ago. We spent Friday night at the Western Wall and prayed Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma'ariv. It was quite an experiance. I recommend it for everyone. The place was packed with all kinds of people, religious Jews, tourists, teenagers, and soldiers. I have started getting used to seeing everyone on the street carrying guns, but seeing them all at the Kotel was a little upsetting. Anyway, we spent Saturday at different shuls, I went to a Karlbach service. It was nice and because Rosh Chodesh fell on Shabbat Shekalim, we read from three torahs so it was quite long. And I had a slight cold (dont worry I'm better now) so that made it a little uncomfortable.
Today we hiked down Mount Gilboa, which is quite steep and rocky, but then we got to go swimming in a natural spring.

I hope that I can upload some pictures soon, though I do not think we are really allowed to, but meh. Anywho, some poeple have started hearing from colleges, so my stress level is a little higher, but I'm trying not to worry and not really think about it.

shalom

Arrived in Israel!

Wow
So a lot has happened since my last post, but seeing as I must go do laundry in ten minutes I will keep this short. We arrived in Israel at around 5 this morning from Prague. Before that we were in Krakow, Lublin and Warsaw. In Warsaw we toured the city and saw the area of the former ghetto, monuments to the ghetto and its resistance fighters, Majdonek death camp, Auschvitz, and Treblinka. I do not want to write too much, mainly because I dont really know what to say. The camps were all very different, Treblinka is only a monument now, nothing else remains, Majdanek is completeley intact, and Auschvitz still has barracks though parts were destroyed. There were all hard to visit and our class reacted strongly at each. I do think that they are worth visiting and I am glad I went.
In Prague we spent a lot of time seeing the old square and the old Jewish quarter. Basically now its a whole lot of beautiful old buildings filled with cheap souvenirs, drugs, sketchy men, and two synagogues.
So I havent seen much of Israel, but the dorms are nice, the people are nice, and I think I will have a great time. I will try to blog again soon.

leaving tomorrow

Hello again
So tomorrow is the big day. I am packed, well almost, and I must say I am a little bit nervous. But I have 5 copies of my passport and two suitcases full of stuff (see picture at right) so I think I am just about ready. My biggest concerns at the moment are the weather in Poland and what the in-flight movies will be. I hope they are entertaining.

So right now I am about to go look at pictures from my father's trip to Egypt (he just got back an hour ago) and I think I will eat a waffle.

I leave with the following messages:
To members of the D, F or D-F family - I will see you all in six short weeks
To Ezra - I will take a picture of the fire escapte instructions in the Warsaw hotel so dont worry
To anyone from Tannens - only about 4 and a half more months
To everyone else - If I did not get a chance to call you or see you or contact you in anyway I'm sorry. I will miss you all and will talk to you the moment I get back.

Shalom l'kulam ( meaning peace unto all)

First Post!

Hello all,
This is my first post. I am currently in Chicago visiting Ezra. It was cold. I ate ice cream. That made me colder. Then I went to a humanities class and was pretty lost but I was amused by the Danish accent of the professor. The class discussed Bayle, his philosophies and whether or not he was an atheist. It was quite interesting, though I had not read the packet so I did not really know what was going on. Though I did follow when one of the students mentioned a Seinfeld episode where people think that George and Jerry are gay and they keep denying it but then follow up with "not that theres anything wrong with that". I am not sure how it related.

So this will conclude my first post. I hope that once I am actually abroad it will be more interesting.

I bid you a good day