Lots to say

So much has happened since I last wrote. Here are the "Chailights":

Monday Night Rabbi Mason and Patty came over to our apartment for dessert. Ally and I were super excited, we even made signs. It was so great to see the Mason's in Israel and get to have them over to our apartment.


Tuesday we woke up super early for a 5:30 am Sephardic Slichot service. It was a very unique and interesting service with a balcony mechitza (the women were seated in the balcony with a curtain). It's not really my cup of tea, but nonetheless was important to see.

Tuesday night Rabbi Mason and Patty took Ally and I out for and Israel meal (falafel, hummus, chicken, salad, etc). Not only was it delicious but it was so great to get to spend a little more time with the Mason's as they are both mentors and important people in our lives.

Wednesday was our last day of Ulpan. We took our final ulpan tests and then all of the classes performed for the whole group. Here is a video of the song that Kita Bet wrote and performed. After the performances there was a little end of the summer ulpan breakfast party.

Thursday we had our last Biblical Archaeology Tiyul. We went to Megiddo, the Mt. Carmel Caves, and to Caesarea. While it was a long day it was a lot of fun, interesting, and the sites were very beautiful.

Friday, nine of us headed up North for the weekend. We went to Haifa and toured the Bahai Gardens. There are only seven Bahai Temples in the World so and the one in Haifa is just beautiful (from the outside, you're not allowed to enter unless you are of Bahai faith). After the tour we found a little cafe for lunch in the German Colony right near our hotel. For Shabbat we went to Or Chadah. We had emailed the Rabbi ahead of time and he was so nice and welcoming. The service was just wonderful. We arrived and there were signs all over welcoming us to their congregations (with each of our names and home congregations listed!) The Rabbi called us up for several honors throughout the service and truly made us feel welcome. He was classmates at HUC with our Dean, Naama Kelman, and the Vice-President of Academic Affairs, Michale Marmur.

Haifa is a city, unlike Jerusalem, where many places are open on Shabbat. We found a place for dinner and drinks (right before the ended happy hour) and enjoyed a relaxing and fun Shabbat evening out.

Saturday we headed farther North to the border of Lebanon to Rosh Hanikrah and kayaked through the grottoes. Saturday evening began on the sun deck of the hotel with an impromptu Havdallah (we used three cellphones to represent the Havdallah candle-we HUC students are quite creative) and then headed to Carmel for dinner.

Sunday morning Rachel, Albert, Ally, Allie, and I went to Ein Hod, an artist village outside of Haifa. Apparently on Sunday afternoon it is completely empty. Nonetheless we had a great time. Albert and Rachel rented a car and dropped us off at the bus station and we headed back to Jerusalem as they headed off to another town, Rosh Pina.

Today, Monday, was spent in Jerusalem just getting settled back in. I went to the gym, walked around town, headed to the shuk and then we received a phone call from Rachel. Albert proposed!!! Immediately we began to plan a surprise engagement party for Rachel and Albert. Allie and I called all of our classmates that were in town and Ally headed out to buy decorations. We had invited Rachel and Albert over for a small dessert celebration and told them we wanted it to just be the five of us. There was a great turn out, the director of the year in Israel program, Yoshi, even made an appearance! It was such a great end to a great weekend!!! We are so happy for Rachel and Albert and it was so much fun to be able to celebrate this Simcha with them!!!!

(I'll post picts tomorrow...too tired now)

I Got a Guitar!

So I've wanted to learn how to play the guitar and song lead (even though I have a terrible voice) for a really long time. I kept tossing the idea around about learning this year or waiting until I am back in the states to learn, but came across an opportunity to purchase a good guitar for beginners. I plan to teach myself along with the help of my amazing classmates who have offered assistance.

Shabbat in Ramat HaSharon was a wonderful experience. Ramat HaSharon is a very beautiful small city not far from Tel Aviv. Right now the congregation meets in a High School but is in the process of building a synagogue on the border of Ramat HaSharon and Herzelia. The Rabbi and the President of the congregation gave us a tour of the new building and explained to us that they cannot continue to build unless they raise more money, but that they needed to begin the building process otherwise they would have lost the property.

Ally Tick and I were hosted by a lovely Israeli family for Shabbat dinner. The food was absolutely delicious and endless. It was probably the best meal I have had since I arrived a month and half ago. At the end of the meal we exchanged email addresses and phone numbers and hope to keep in touch.

Allie Harris, Bess, and I went to a cafe for lunch and to do our homework this afternoon. It was very relaxing (not typically the word I use to describe homework), but being outside on this beautiful (and hot) Shabbat afternoon it was quite peaceful. Tonight we are headed to Emek Refaim (the German Colony) to celebrate Rachel Levin's birthday.

I better go practice for cantillation since tomorrow is our last day. We are being tested on K'doshim (which ironically is the portion that I wrote about in my application essay and was the theme of Karav 2005) in the next few weeks.

Since it's our last week of summer session I'm not sure when I'll have the opportunity to blog again, so Shabbat Shalom and Shavua Tov!

HUC's Next Top Mohel (HNTM) is...

Allison Tick!

Wednesday evening we had an amazing Beit Cafe at school planned by the Kef (Fun) committee. They did a wonderful job from funny MC's, a summer slide show, decorations, and an incredible theme-HUC's Next Top Mohel. The Tzedek committee sold wine at the event with the proceeds going to Open House (Jerusalem's LGBT community center).

Josh Breitzer (one of the HUC summer interns) and me at Beit Cafe

Four volunteers served as the contestants for HNTM (Ally Tick, Allie Harris, Natalie Davidowitz, and Marcus Rubenstein). The contestants had to soothe the baby, tell a joke, and finally demonstrate their technique. Everyone had a great time, and in the end Ally Tick won by applause.

Ethan and Bess (The MC's of the Beit Cafe)

While Ally is out right now, I'm taking over her favorite spot, our balcony and people watching a bit while enjoying the small breeze on this humid Friday afternoon. Last night we went out for our classmate's, Ari, birthday. Ally's Israeli cousin and friend came over to hang out before. They are so nice and I'm looking forward to seeing them again soon!

Tonight we are headed to Ramat HaSharon for Shabbat services and will be hosted by families for Shabbat dinner. The Mason's arrive on Sunday and Ally and I are looking forward to seeing them. We are down to our last week of summer session, 4 more days of ulpan, 1 day of cantillation and 1 more biblical archaeology tiyul on Thursday.

I'm going to go enjoy the rest of afternoon before Shabbat begins.

Shabbat Shalom:-)

Shavua Tov!

Here are some pictures of my bedroom:

Lauren, Rachel, me and Rachel and the wine festival

Me and Allie at the beach in Tel Aviv

So I haven't really been super busy since I last wrote, and so I have no excuse as to why it's been a while since my last post. I'll just give you a rundown on the last week.

We had our second Masoret Day where we got a chance to put on tefillin, learned some of the choreography of prayer (i.e. when to bow), lift the Torah (Hagbah)-and might I say, it's just as heavy as it looks, and how to call people up for Aliyiot (blessing before and after the Torah reading). At the end of Masoret Day, Gingy explained to us what our role in terms of leading services is going to be throughout the year. Each student reads Torah a minimum of two times (I'm reading once in Nov and once in April), leads services once (I'm leading in Feb), and deliver a devar Torah once (mine is in March). We also have many opportunities to service as Hagbah as well as various other roles in the services throughout the year (all good practice)!

On Tuesday we had our academic orientation. As expected it's going to be a very busy and exciting year. My courses consist of: Rabbinics Lecture, Hebrew, Rabbinics Text, Bible, Hebrew Grammar, Modern History, Education Seminar, Liturgy, and Israel Seminar (every Wednesday we take field trips and have study tours throughout Israel). I'm looking forward to the beginning of classes.

Wednesday all of the Hebrew classes got together to sing a song for everyone else. Kita Bet (my class) got really into it and rehearsed all week (chorography and even attire). We had a lot of fun and so did our teacher Osnat. Here is a video of our performance.

Thursday we ended class at noon and had no extra programming afterwards. It was a very early start to our weekend! I took advantage of the afternoon and caught up on some sleep, but by the end of the day, I was ready to go out. It was our classmate, Brandon's, birthday so we all went over to his apartment to celebrate.

Friday morning I slept in, went to the gym, and then met Allie at a really cute Cafe not far from where we live. After a late lunch we headed home to get ready for Shabbat services at Kol Hanishamah. Before services HUC students had the opportunity to study with four different Rabbis. Rabbi Stanley Davids led a very interesting discussion about Israel-the reality and the ideal.

After services Ally, Allie, and I headed over to Rachel's for a very relaxing Shabbat dinner. We brought our pajamas, made breakfast for (Shabbat) dinner, and watched a movie. We said the Motzi over our large choc chip banana pancake and the Kiddush over the orange juice. After realizing that this was one of our best Shabbat's, we decided that this must become a tradition (at least once a month).

Saturday I slept in a bit and headed to a different cafe (open on Shabbat) for lunch with Rachel, Rachel, Allie, and Ally (I should probably start searching for some friends named Haley). It was delicious! Allie and Ally even got to enjoy a Cheeseburger...in Jerusalem...on Shabbat!

Rachel and Me at lunch

After lunch Rachel (Kaplan) and I started to discuss some travel plans for our break coming up in just two weeks. It seems as though we (Rachel, Albert, Rachel, Allie, Ally, and Jon) are going to be heading up North to Haifa for two-three days and then spending a day in Tzvat. We are all looking forward to this trip!

Our amazing interns are returning to their stateside campuses at the end of this week (all except Haim who attends the Israeli Rabbinical school) and so they organized an evening in the park followed by Havdallah. It was very relaxing and nice to see everyone and hang out for a bit.

Me, Allie, and Molly at the park

Today began the second to last week of summer classes; whoa did it go by fast! Wednesday we have a Beit Cafe (literally, coffee house, sort of like a talent show/open mic), Thursday a long Biblical Archaeology tour and then Friday I will be traveling to Ramat HaSharon for Shabbat services and then Shabbat dinner with a host family.

All else is well in sunny Jerusalem. I'm off to sleep after a long day of ulpan, micha, cantillation, a work out, delicious Cincinnati Chili and a walk to Ben Yehuda for dessert!

Shavua Tov (a good week)!

Shabba Shabba!

Some old photos:

Cantillation practice

Cantillation practice

Shabba Shabba Shabba Shabbat Shalom!

I'm sitting here on a beautiful Shabbat afternoon doing absolutely nothing. I know I've said it lots, but there really is nothing like Shabbat in Jerusalem.

Since I last wrote, I found the opportunity for a different community service opportunity that I am super excited about. I will be volunteering in the HUC Kindergarten for Israeli students. While working in a preschool is not something new to me, I am anxious and excited to begin the challenge of learning the cultural differences between Israeli preschools and American preschools. While my Hebrew has improved since I arrived a little over a month ago, it's still not perfect and it will be interesting to force myself to use it in order to communicate with Israeli 4 and 5 year olds whose Hebrew is way better than mine.

Thursday, we had our first Tiyul (there's really no good English word to use for Tiyul, but for lack of a better translation, it's sort of like a field trip in America). David Ilan, our Biblical Archaeology professor, led our Tiyul to the City of David. It was pretty interesting and the material we had been learning in class had started to make a little more sense when David was able to point out different archaeological features.

After class, we came home to get ready for the Israeli wine festival at the Israel Museum. But, before we could head out, we had an afternoon lecture at school. After the lecture, many of my HUC classmates all met up at the Israel Museum for the wine festival. It was a beautiful evening and a fun way to end our week. Ally, me, Rachel, Lauren, and Allie in front of the Ahava (love) sculpture at the Israel Museum

Ally and me at the wine festival

Friday, I headed to Tel Aviv for the day with a few friends. Rachel Levin (another joint ed/communal service student) and I spent most of the afternoon at the very large mall in Tel Aviv. We met up with several of our other friends at the port for Kabbalat Shabbat (the same service that I went to a few weeks ago). After Kabbalat Shabbat we found a place t o grab some dinner before heading back to Jerusalem. Unlike Jerusalem, everything on the port was open and there were hundreds of people walking around as if it were any other day of the week. I find the contrast between the two cities so interesting and while I love Tel Aviv (what's not to love about the beach on the Mediterranean), but at the end of the day, I love coming home to Jerusalem.

Rachel, Ally, me and Jonah at the Beach in Tel Aviv

Sunset over the Mediterranean during Shabbat services


Me, Ally, and Rachel

Ally, me, Hannah, Lara, and Rachel

Shabbat morning services are a new favorite of mine. Yoshi Zweiback led services along with Josh Breitzer, our intern in his 4th year of the cantorial program (who is going to be an amazing cantor), and a choir of HUC students and SO's (significant others). For those of you who don't know, Yoshi is extremely talented and is part of "Mah Tovu" a group that has composed many of my favorite melodies. This morning we sang "Tov L'hodot" together and it was definitely a spiritual moment listening to the words sung by Yoshi.

So now I am back home. Had Shabbat lunch with Ally and Allie and we are all having our individual Shabbat afternoon relaxation time. In America, I find my Saturdays filled with errands and running around trying to get everything done that I wasn't able to accomplish during the week. In Israel, Saturdays are called Shabbat, and on Shabbat, I rejoice in relaxing and enjoying a break from the craziness of the rest of the week. On our way to services the only people walking around, are dressed for synagogue, in the afternoon families are out for afternoon walks. The noise from the construction that wakes me up early in the morning is silent on Shabbat, the horns on the cars even lessen (and boy do those Israelis love to use their horns), and the police sirens have stopped. It's quiet, it's peaceful, it truly feels like Shabbat.

And of course, tonight we will have Havdallah at our spot in the park overlooking the walls of the Old City and truly feel the separation of Shabbat from the rest of the week. Typically after Havdallah we head to Ben Yehuda to experience the craziness of Saturday night. Everything is open and the street is filled with hundreds of tourists and it's a very fun site to be part of.

We will come home and get ready for an early day of school tomorrow and prepare ourselves for the week ahead. But for now, I'm going to enjoy the rest of Shabbat, the day of rest, set apart from the rest of the week.

Shabbat Shalom!

The News

Every Tuesday in Ulpan, each person in class says talks about a current event from the news. One of the reasons Osnat (our amazing teacher) has our Kita do this is to stay updated on what is going on in the world, and also, as a way to get us to speak more and more Hebrew in class while simultaneously increasing our vocabulary. After sharing our news, we then read a little bit of an Israeli Newspaper that comes out each Tuesday morning for recent Olim. This week I chose to talk about Michael Jackson's mother gaining custody of his children.

If you have been keeping up with the news this past week, you might be able to guess what was on all of our minds today, what we read in the paper, and what has become part of many discussions since Sunday morning. On Saturday evening, a masked man entered a gay/lesbian support group center and opened fire. Two victims were killed, a 14 year old girl, and 26 year old man. At least 15 others were wounded. I've read article after article on Haaretz. I was brought to tears when I read a quote from a young teenage boy stating that he was terrified to tell his parents he was gay, but that he had to do so when they came to pick him up from the hospital. Yoshi, the director of the Year in Israel program, addressed this tragic event on Sunday to our class. One of my classmates spoke out about her frustration, anger, and saddness towards the victim and the reality that these things do happen all over the world, a feeling most of us were also experiencing. The latest articles that I have read are implying that it might not have been a hate crime directed toward the gay community but rather a murder. Regardless, I hope that whoever committed this crime will be caught.

So what's Israel like in times like these? First of all a note to my family and friends, and those worriers out there:
Israel is a safe place. Jerusalem is a safe place. Things can happen unexpectedly here, just as anywhere else in the world. Before you panic (Grandma), read the sources and evaluate the facts. To clarify, I go to school in Jerusalem, not in Tel Aviv, and the horrific shooting took place in a gay/lesbian support center. Of course you can always contact me directly (if you don't have my phone number and would like it, send me an email and I will send it to you), but also know that I am most likely in class. Know that I greatly appreciate your concerns, and I am safe.

To my surprise, or lack there of, there has not been a whole lot going on in Jerusalem with regards to this event. Sunday evening there was a vigil in Jerusalem for the victims. In Tel Aviv there was also a vigil and there has been a few other gatherings in memory.

This morning at services, Cantor Havilio talked about love. For those of you that don't know, tomorrow is a holiday called, "Tu B'av" which is essentially the Valentine's Day of Israel. At the end of the service, before the Mourner's Kaddish, she acknowledged the lives that were lost in Tel Aviv because of hate (even if they are not calling it a "Hate Crime" there is still "hate" involved in a murder) and then asked us to all remember all of the lives that have been lost because of hate as we said the prayer together.

I am really glad to be part of this liberal, Reform community here in Israel, especially during this time. Each day, I become more and more inspired by something or someone else's words, actions, or teachings.

For now, I must go finish studying for my Hebrew quiz tomorrow, but before I do so, I'll leave you a word of the day:
מלקק המורה (mih-lah-kek ha-more-ah)- "to suck up" or "brown noser"
(side note: we asked our teacher how to say "brown noser" and she told us that they say "licking the teacher", so that is actually the literal translation)

What will tomorrow bring?

Update and lots of pictures

Jonah, me, Allie, and Rachel on the Tayellet tour

Rachel, Dave, Andrew, me, Allie, Matt, Ally

Havdallah two weeks ago (Jeremy, Molly, Ally, Matt, and Me)

First of all, I cannot believe that four weeks ago, I left for Israel. It definitely does not feel like that, time here goes by really fast. As hard as it is to get used to Sunday being a weekday, it sort of makes the weeks go by faster. Mondays are not as dreadful, Tuesday become humpday, and with Ulpan only going until Wednesday, class on Thursday (Biblical Archaeology) is almost a breather. And then of course, unless you've experienced Shabbat in Israel, you just really won't ever understand the peacefullness of Shabbat in Jerusalem.
Alright, so here's an update on what had been keeping me busy since Monday. Tuesday after class we had a presentation about community service projects for the year. I haven't decided for sure yet, but I'm thinking of doing the Mevasseret ZIon Absorption Center where I would volunteer every Tuesday from 4:30-7:30 with recent Olim (people who have moved to Israel) from Ethopia. It sounds like a great opportunity and something I would not necessarily get the chance to do ever again.
Wednesday I had my first Hebrew exam. I didn't think it was that bad (if any of my classmates are reading this, they might disagree). Wednesday evening began Tisha B'av, the 9th of Av, when both the 1st and 2nd temples were destroyed. It's an interesting holiday, especially for Reform Jews. Tisha B'av is a fast holiday, yet many Reform Jews (including me) choose not to fast because we don't believe that the temple should be rebuilt. During services on Wednesday evening overlooking the Old City, or 4 interns each presented their viewpoint on the Holiday. Scott and Emily, both Rabbinical students in Cincinatti, had similar viewpoints in that Judaism exists today all over the world and that having the once central temple, would send the message that Judaism cannot exist the way it does today. Haim, a Rabbinical student in Israel, believes quite differently. He spoke of how he thinks that the only place to be Jewish is in Israel and that a Third Temple should be built. Obviously a very controversial issue, but it was much appreciated to hear the different opinions. Josh, a cantorial student in NY, presented his viewpoint through Music. After the beautiful service we walked from school to the Kotel. As you can imagine, there were thousands of people and it was very difficult to move, but nonetheless an experience to be at the Kotel for.
Thursday we had to get up bright and early for our first Biblical Archaeology quiz. After class we had Mincha. My amazing roomate, Allie, was the first HUC student to chant Torah this year and did a wonderful job chanting Thursday afternoon. Thursday evening we had a potluck to "break the fast" even though only about 10 people in the class fasted. It was still lots of fun and there were some delicious food items, especially the Nutella pancakes! After the potluck we went out for a few hours.
Friday was actually the first day since I've been here since I haven't set an alarm clock and guess what? I woke up at 6:30am, went back to sleep, woke up at 8:30, and then forced myself to sleep in until 11. Ally, Allie, Rachel and I headed to the shuk. On Fridays the shuk is just insane, you cannot walk anywhere without being pushed stepped on or smoked on, but we braved it anyway. We went to services with HUC at Harel, the first progressive (Reform) synagogue in Jerusalem. It felt a lot like a service in the states. Allie, Ally, and I hosted our first Shabbat dinner. Rachel, Marni and Jordan, and Greg and Tami (two HUC-LA students who knew Allie) all came over. Actually two years ago, Tami lived in my bedroom and Greg proposed to her in my room (we even reinacted the scene)! Dinner was a lot of fun, Tami and Greg gave us advice about the year in Israel, places to go, etc.
Today we woke up for Shabbat services at school, which I've actually started to really enjoy. Then we came home had lunch, Ally made a delicious chicken salad with our leftover chicken from last night, and then we all took our Shabbat naps. There's something about Shabbat in Jerusalem that is just so peaceful. The honking of the horns lessens, fewer cars on the street, and families taking walks together just creates such a relaxing Shabbat. In the midst of relaxation I took some time to write my first Education Credo that is due tomorrow.

Jordan and Marni invited the entire class over tonight for Havdallah in their beautiful apartment. It was nice to spend Havdallah with everyone, but of course we were all exhausted and have to wake up early tomorrow for our long day of school.HUC Year in Israel at Shabbat at Harel

Shabbat Dinner at our AptGreg and Tami in my room reinacting their engagement

Tomorrow is a long day. Ulpan, Mincha, Cantillation, and then the Ed students are going over to our teacher's house to watch Mr. Holland's Opus. Should be a busy but fun day. I'll try to blog throughout the week, but if not, I'll catch up next weekend.

Picture of the ed class with our teacher Sally

Shavua Tov!