Back by apparently popular demand (or just that of my mother) is my blog...I have gotten lazy recently although I have been a part of some really unbelievable events. Yesterday marked one month until I leave Israel and it is a very bittersweet feeling, to be honest. I have spent a great deal of time in Israel very uneasy with this or that, feeling stagnant and frustrated with what I have accomplished or the lack there of, if there is...have I made enough of my time here? Has my mind been stuck back in the US too much? It is hard to be so far from family and friends, and I miss them more here than ever before-and I was not one to be homesick at camp or college, for those who don't know me so well! It is strange because it is the most fulfilling experience to live out the words of the Torah in the land of Israel, to see what we learned about the harvest holidays and to be a part of the holidays that I only learned about in Sunday school. For example, I live on a farm where I see the wheat change with the seasons in accordance with the Jewish holidays and calendar. It is an interesting way of seeing the world-to realize how realistic what is written in that book that we study and read as "the bible" really is in this world.
In any event, this country is amazing more than just for how it relates to biblical Judaism, but for its people-those that built this land to what it is today in only 60 years as well as those that maintain that drive and inspiration. It always amazes me how so many great ideas have been put into action here-new initiatives for change are constantly being adopted to make the situations with the borders of the state of Israel as great as possible. While they may not have the perfect roads and they may not have the best school system, they are getting kids off the streets with a number of different initiatives for change in the problem of poverty in the country-it is not avoided but attacked straight on. For example, the village that I live and volunteer at, which is mainly paid for by the government of Israel, for children who live in high risk areas for crime, violence and poverty, to be removed from that environment before they get into trouble is a fantastic idea. Here they are given chores on the farm, responsibility and a family-ish environment-most of their teachers live on the village and the village has university students living here for free in exchange for tutoring the students. It amazes me how it works and all the interworkings of which children they give which tasks and how much responsibility they give them. There is nothing like this in the US, absolutely nothing...and we are a more "advanced society"? Where are such initiatives? Part of me thinks "wow, what a great place to raise children with such innovation and creativity, living out the Jewish lifestyle in the land of our people" but then I remember how far it is from the US and my loved ones, the terrorism and war, as well as the lifestyle I love in America!
In any event, all of this inspiration mainly comes from the "Presidential Conference" that I recently attended, put on my President Shimon Peres (who one I met at the milk festival). He wants to improve the image of Israel in the world, so he intends for the conference to be annual but this was only the first. In fact, we (the BFLers) respresented Masa at the conference and had the privilege singing Hatikvah (the Israeli national anthem) on stage at the opening ceremony to with Peres-we were on the news and in the papers for it! Presidents and Prime Ministers came from all over the world, reknowned authors, politicians from Israel and the world attended this event...even President Bush attended (as you may have seen in the papers). All political opinions aside, it is a pretty amazing experience to be at the event of only about 2,000 people when the President of your country visits the country you have been living in and you get to hear him speak. Granted, a large amount of the audience there was from the US, but nonetheless. It was really cool to see the secret service agents line the door with 5 rows of them seated behind him! Geez, it was a bit excessive....but he spoke well about the history of the relationship between Israel and the US and working towards peace in the Middle East by refusing to work with terrorist organizations. Here, Bush is revered for going into Iraq and taking down Saddaam because he was one of the largest threats to the security of Israel.
Moreover, I shook hands with Elie Weisel (you can see it in my pictures) at a lunch with 7 nobel prize laureates speaking, all of which were Jewish. Then I shook hands with Vaclav Havel, a personal hero who was a huge leader in the Czech revolution against the Soviets when they won independence, and I heard him speak at a panel discussion with Alan Derschowitz, Zeev Bialsky and Henry Kissinger. I almost brushed shoulders with Tony Blair but his security got in the way. However, it was not the people being close to me that got me excited, but their ideas for how to solve the problems in Israel through the economy and innovation, about leveling morals with reality in the security issues and about how to improve Jewish education in Israel and the Diaspora. It was a unique experience to be around so many experts in the most hotly politically debated land in the world! For a political science nerd it was an extraordinarily stimulating and thought provoking environment...and exhausting!
After I spent three very full days at the Presidential Conference focusing and thinking and sitting and eating...I had two more days for the final BFL Seminar (I was able to go to the Presidential Conference as one of only 100 Masa participants of 5,000 because I was in BFL)! It was actually really fun, we did team building and leadership oriented activities the first day at Neot Kedumim, a biblical Nature preserve outside of Jerusalem (where I went for the Israel-Diaspora Relations Seminar) which has only vegetation that would have been in this land during the biblical period. There, among other things, we herded sheep and goats. It was so funny and we learned about which one is the leader and why and how to learn from them and blah blah blah! That night we played "Who's Line Is It Anyway?" with memories from the past BFLs. It was sad to say bye to the people there because I really really enjoyed my time with them and we all got close. At Kabbalat Shabbat during each seminar, not everyone came but it was always a certain group of us and there were unique tunes we did for certain prayer taught by the different people from around the world which was beautiful. I will miss the people and the experience of BFL because it was so nurturing and trying to teach us leadership in the Jewish world and inspire us and our individuality.
The day after BFL ended, I went on a trip with my group to the Dead Sea, Ein Gedi, Mitzpe Ramon, Sde Boker (Ben Gurion's desert home) and this ecological village that the Jewish Agency funds as an educational center for recycling and the environment. We stayed at the "Sukkah B'Medbar" which is the "Sukkah in the Desert" and it is like totally "green" with solar power for the lights and hot water in the shower and there no running water in the bathrooms (they use Woodchips so it does not smell and they can compost it). It was so peaceful and nice there, I slept like a baby. It was also nice to have some bonding time with the group and Lori.
Now it is back to real life on the Kfar. School is winding down at the high school and they are all taking exams or are unfocused or whatever. So, I have been helping out at a pre-school that rents space on the Kfar and it is nice. The kids are great and I am having fun playing with them practicing my hebrew with the kids and the staff. Plus we have a ton of trips and the end coming up so it is good that things are winding down...but as I said before, a bit weird. It was my dream to come here to live for an extended period of time and it is really great that I did it, I would never change or replace it. I got to know Israeli culture and participated in as much as possible-no matter how frustrating it was...even last week I went to a big fire for Lag B-Omer even though I was tired and it was not totally my thing. It was crazy-everywhere you looked someone was having a big fire, like we learned we were supposed to do in Sunday school but no one in the US really does nowadays. Lori told me that one year she flew out of the country on that night and it was beautiful from the sky with like the whole country with huge flames of fire. These are the beautiful things about living in Israel, living the Jewish calender of holidays and harvest that we only learn about in the US.
Now I need to get some sleep but mom-is this good enough? I am glad everyone is enjoying my thoughts and insight-if there is any in these entries. I am trying to enjoy my remaining time and really take advantage of the freedom before law school! Hope all is well in the US!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Yom HaZikoron and Yom Haatzmaut
In creating this entry, I had to pause about whether to write these two days into one entry or separate them out as the separately powerful days that they were for Israel. In the end, though, there is no way to separate these inextricably linked days. For those who are unaware, Zikoron in hebrew means memory and Atzmaut means Independence and Yom means day. So, Yom HaZikoron is Memorial Day and Yom Haatzmaut is the Independence Day, and they are celebrated in consecutive days, which were this past Tuesday and Wednesday. Like all Jewish holidays, the holiday began at sunset the night before the actual day. Most people, including myself, find it to be a difficult concept to grasp that you hold memorial services for fallen soldiers in the day before you party to celebrate the birthday of your country. Until you have experienced it, you cannot imagine how powerful of an experience it is to celebrate in this way. (I apologize for the lack of pictures but somehow nothing captured the experiences I had during these days.)
On Tuesday my group was part of a memorial for fallen soldiers put on my Masa, the non-profit organization that my program is connected with here in Israel. It was a service that was based on the idea of six degrees of separation, in which every person in the world is separated from every other person by no more than six degrees. In Israel, as such a small country, there seem to be even less separation and when a terrorist attack happens or soldiers are lost, it would amaze you to know how many people you know are connected to someone that was lost. It was specifically about people who had made aliyah to Israel that were about my age and either joined the army or was killed in a terrorist attack. There was not a dry eye in the crowd of this outdoor program that was integrated with music written in the memory of those who were killed. And to be reminded how, in such a small country, the distance between someone being killed and those that remain is usually none at all-everyone always knows someone involved in the tragic events that unfold here all too often. Furthermore, it began with the erie sound of the sirens sounding to begin the Memorial Day.
If I did not tell you all in the last entry, on Yom HaShoa and Yom HaZikoron, Israel sounds sirens, which are what an American would think of as the old school sirens from war movies when a bombing is going to happen. It is an erie sound, especially when the entire country stops wherever they are to hear it. On Yom HaShoa it is sounded once during the day but on Yom HaZikoron it is sounded twice: once to begin the day of remembrance at sunset and once during the day on Yom HaZikoron. A friend of mine, whose father is Israeli and has family here, was on the way to a memorial service for his cousin who was killed in the army when the second siren was sounded during the day of the Memorial Day. He was driving on the highway and told me that all of the cars stopped, including the train that was running on the tracks adjacent to the highway.
I chose to attend at a memorial service at the cemetery next to the Kfar, which is one of the largest in the country, rather than the service the Kfar was putting on. Walking into the cemetary was like walking into a concert, with free water and flowers being given out to those that entered and a sticker to put on in memory of those fallen. It was filled with people surrounding every grave and I had to remind myself that this was because every person there had lost someone who was buried in this cemetery as a result of those that defend the land. We stood next to the grave of the brother in law of the director of my program. The sounding of the sirens began this service and I listened to the Mourner's Kaddish, a memorial service (Yiskor), and a speak by a military officer (which I was proud to at least partly understand). It was very moving to be surrounded by so many people who had lost someone in defense of this country.
After a heavy day of Memorial services, sirens, and thoughts and prayers for those who made even my ability to come to this Jewish state safely, sunset rings in Yom Haatzmaut- "Independance Day". One would think that this must be impossible to celebrate after such a solemn day, but somehow it feels right to celebrate the country for which so many have died.
The night of Yom Haatzmaut my group went to be part of what we thought was a rooftop party overlooking Tel Aviv at a television news station. However, we were the studio audience who could not even be seen on TV, and while it was on the roof it was hardly overlooking Tel Aviv. Furthermore, we were not allowed to talk or make noise during the taping. Nonetheless, it was neat to watch them broadcast the news (even if it was in Hebrew) as well as watch all of the events unfolding throughout Israel on a big screen. What was not fun, though, was in the elevator on the way down when 12 of us got stuck in an 8 person elevator. I am telling you, though, that we had a moment in there! Judith finally says to everyone to be quiet, prayer is the only thing that can help us now- and she was serious. After 15 minutes of yelling, banging and ringing the bells, we all went silent for a long moment and the doors opened for us!
After this we went to a huge street party in Tel Aviv on a street called Florentine and the spirit in the crowd was unwaveringly filled with pride and hope for the state of Israel. We partied and danced until six in the morning when we finally went home with the sun rising as we walked into the Kfar. The next day I attended a barbeque put on by the Greater Hartford Jewish Federation, in which I was shocked to see the number of people living in Israel who either moved from the Hartford area to Israel or have roots of their family back in Hartford. It was a wonderful experience and I gladly spoke to the group about my experiences in Israel as part of a Masa program.
That evening my entire group barbequed, the usual activity on Yom Haatzmaut, and just spent time talking about our time in Israel. It was the first time that my group did something all together without the Kfar or the director of my program or anything and it was great. We talked about how special it was to spend the 60th birthday of Israel here after having been living here for at least 3 and a half months (some of the people on the program were here before the program began). It was a special and unique experience to feel already immersed in the life here, and then to celebrate the 60th year of independence within that understanding and immersion. It is something I never expected to be so moving, because I would have felt huge pride and excitement for the event if I had been in the US or if I had visited Israel during it. But I could never have expected the feeling I got from seeing the pride in the people on Florentine, the youth of Israel who will be carrying on the nation in the future. It gave me hope and further love for this land and its people, and made me feel, again, like I am no longer a tourist here.
On Tuesday my group was part of a memorial for fallen soldiers put on my Masa, the non-profit organization that my program is connected with here in Israel. It was a service that was based on the idea of six degrees of separation, in which every person in the world is separated from every other person by no more than six degrees. In Israel, as such a small country, there seem to be even less separation and when a terrorist attack happens or soldiers are lost, it would amaze you to know how many people you know are connected to someone that was lost. It was specifically about people who had made aliyah to Israel that were about my age and either joined the army or was killed in a terrorist attack. There was not a dry eye in the crowd of this outdoor program that was integrated with music written in the memory of those who were killed. And to be reminded how, in such a small country, the distance between someone being killed and those that remain is usually none at all-everyone always knows someone involved in the tragic events that unfold here all too often. Furthermore, it began with the erie sound of the sirens sounding to begin the Memorial Day.
If I did not tell you all in the last entry, on Yom HaShoa and Yom HaZikoron, Israel sounds sirens, which are what an American would think of as the old school sirens from war movies when a bombing is going to happen. It is an erie sound, especially when the entire country stops wherever they are to hear it. On Yom HaShoa it is sounded once during the day but on Yom HaZikoron it is sounded twice: once to begin the day of remembrance at sunset and once during the day on Yom HaZikoron. A friend of mine, whose father is Israeli and has family here, was on the way to a memorial service for his cousin who was killed in the army when the second siren was sounded during the day of the Memorial Day. He was driving on the highway and told me that all of the cars stopped, including the train that was running on the tracks adjacent to the highway.
I chose to attend at a memorial service at the cemetery next to the Kfar, which is one of the largest in the country, rather than the service the Kfar was putting on. Walking into the cemetary was like walking into a concert, with free water and flowers being given out to those that entered and a sticker to put on in memory of those fallen. It was filled with people surrounding every grave and I had to remind myself that this was because every person there had lost someone who was buried in this cemetery as a result of those that defend the land. We stood next to the grave of the brother in law of the director of my program. The sounding of the sirens began this service and I listened to the Mourner's Kaddish, a memorial service (Yiskor), and a speak by a military officer (which I was proud to at least partly understand). It was very moving to be surrounded by so many people who had lost someone in defense of this country.
After a heavy day of Memorial services, sirens, and thoughts and prayers for those who made even my ability to come to this Jewish state safely, sunset rings in Yom Haatzmaut- "Independance Day". One would think that this must be impossible to celebrate after such a solemn day, but somehow it feels right to celebrate the country for which so many have died.
The night of Yom Haatzmaut my group went to be part of what we thought was a rooftop party overlooking Tel Aviv at a television news station. However, we were the studio audience who could not even be seen on TV, and while it was on the roof it was hardly overlooking Tel Aviv. Furthermore, we were not allowed to talk or make noise during the taping. Nonetheless, it was neat to watch them broadcast the news (even if it was in Hebrew) as well as watch all of the events unfolding throughout Israel on a big screen. What was not fun, though, was in the elevator on the way down when 12 of us got stuck in an 8 person elevator. I am telling you, though, that we had a moment in there! Judith finally says to everyone to be quiet, prayer is the only thing that can help us now- and she was serious. After 15 minutes of yelling, banging and ringing the bells, we all went silent for a long moment and the doors opened for us!
After this we went to a huge street party in Tel Aviv on a street called Florentine and the spirit in the crowd was unwaveringly filled with pride and hope for the state of Israel. We partied and danced until six in the morning when we finally went home with the sun rising as we walked into the Kfar. The next day I attended a barbeque put on by the Greater Hartford Jewish Federation, in which I was shocked to see the number of people living in Israel who either moved from the Hartford area to Israel or have roots of their family back in Hartford. It was a wonderful experience and I gladly spoke to the group about my experiences in Israel as part of a Masa program.
That evening my entire group barbequed, the usual activity on Yom Haatzmaut, and just spent time talking about our time in Israel. It was the first time that my group did something all together without the Kfar or the director of my program or anything and it was great. We talked about how special it was to spend the 60th birthday of Israel here after having been living here for at least 3 and a half months (some of the people on the program were here before the program began). It was a special and unique experience to feel already immersed in the life here, and then to celebrate the 60th year of independence within that understanding and immersion. It is something I never expected to be so moving, because I would have felt huge pride and excitement for the event if I had been in the US or if I had visited Israel during it. But I could never have expected the feeling I got from seeing the pride in the people on Florentine, the youth of Israel who will be carrying on the nation in the future. It gave me hope and further love for this land and its people, and made me feel, again, like I am no longer a tourist here.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Yom HaShoah
Today in Israel is Yom HaShoa, beginning yesterday evening and finishing this evening. I have been a part of many different events on this day in the US and in Europe, but it is something different here in Israel. This country is built on the survivors from the Holocaust and having a memorial day here has had a strong impact on me. I have been to the camps during a semester spent studying Eastern European Jewry before, during and after the Holocaust, I went to Yad Vashem last week for my third visit, in every city I visit in the world I try to find their Holocaust Memorial or museum (if they exist), but being here for this has left me with a feeling in my body that is better than visiting any of those places. Here, it is as if the Jews really have done more, they have persevered and succeeded in the wake of this, but still remember it with the power of its occurence. There are 6.7 million Jews in Israel today, the same number as those killed in the Shoah.
In case you are not aware, Shoah is the Hebrew name for the European Holocaust. This word, in literal translation of the Hebrew word, means "calamity". The choice of this word is interesting, because the word in English "Holocaust" does not mean "calamity", but rather was originally defined as "a sacrifice consumed by fire", before it was the name for the European Holocaust. The definition of the word "calamity" is "a disastrous event marked by great loss and lasting distress and suffering", which I feel much more accurately defines what occured in Europe between 1931-1945. For this reason, I choose to use the word "Shoah" in place of the word "Holocaust" as often as possible. The disappointing thing to me, though, is that the world has not adopted this word, this title, for the destruction caused by the Nazis during WWII. Holocaust does not fully explain what happened during those years to Jews, Gyspsies, Homosexuals and all those that stood up to the Nazis. It was a true calamity, a time consumed by great loss and leaving long lasting suffering in the world for those involved, those who lost someone, and the groups discriminated against during its time.
In the US, the Holocaust is taught about in non-Jewish schools as a unit in a history class. During this unit, students are taught about it as something of the past, something from a far away land, and something that can never happen again. Here in Israel, it is taught
as something that the people who founded Israel were a part of such as the grandparents and aunts and uncles of everyone around them, as something that everyone must ensure never happen again. With this is a much most impactful connection than anywhere else in the world, we must be honest with ourselves that, in reality, it is happening and has happened in places like Armenia, Rwanda, Darfur, and Cambodia. When will genocide end? When will we learn?
Last night I watched a film with the 11th and 12th grades called "The Wave", which is based on a class in 1957 in Palo Alto, California. I had read about this but never seen the film, and while it was completely outdated in every way except the message, it was a great message to be made to any and all students. People ask all the time, "why did people allow the holocaust to happen?" "why did so many people follow Hilter?" "why didn't more people stand up to the Nazis?". Well, this story shows human proof of the answer to that question: it is human nature to follow. Essentially, the story is about a high school teacher who was presented with the question by a student "Why did no one stand up against the Nazi's?" "How could 6 million Jews be killed without anyone stopping the Nazi's?" As a result, he began a "movement" among the students called "The Wave" in which the students did not know it was only an experiment but began to act filled with power and superiority. In the end, he told them that a national leader of the movement would announce himself to them, but he got them all together and when they asked who the leader was, the teacher showed them a film of Hilter and his followers. Every student was so distraught to have learned that they too, followed without question, just like the Germans and the Nazis during the Shoah. The reason I mention this is that I consider myself a very involved and relatively conscious American Jew, and I worry that American school children are not taught this message, the message that will keep the Shoah from being repeated, the message that will help future generations prevent genocide, a message that could hopefully make this world a better place.
In Israel, Yom HaShoa is taken seriously by the students, and they are reminded every year for an entire day what happened during the Shoah, not only in a unit in high school or middle school. It is my hope that Yom HaShoa will be adopted throughout the world, the world that turned its back when this was happening, the world that allowed 6 million Jews die before they stopped the Nazis. But I am only one person-how am I to help this? How am I to make such a large difference? All I can do is blog to you all, who will hopefully pass the message on to friends and family, and maybe then we will not see the destruction in Darfur, maybe there will not be a new group discriminated against and killed for who they are, who their family is, their customs and history or for whatever reason. And if they are, maybe with the message I want to be portrayed though Yom HaShoa, more people will stand up to them. But we can only hope it is enough to educate and remember and send the right messages to the future generations.
In case you are not aware, Shoah is the Hebrew name for the European Holocaust. This word, in literal translation of the Hebrew word, means "calamity". The choice of this word is interesting, because the word in English "Holocaust" does not mean "calamity", but rather was originally defined as "a sacrifice consumed by fire", before it was the name for the European Holocaust. The definition of the word "calamity" is "a disastrous event marked by great loss and lasting distress and suffering", which I feel much more accurately defines what occured in Europe between 1931-1945. For this reason, I choose to use the word "Shoah" in place of the word "Holocaust" as often as possible. The disappointing thing to me, though, is that the world has not adopted this word, this title, for the destruction caused by the Nazis during WWII. Holocaust does not fully explain what happened during those years to Jews, Gyspsies, Homosexuals and all those that stood up to the Nazis. It was a true calamity, a time consumed by great loss and leaving long lasting suffering in the world for those involved, those who lost someone, and the groups discriminated against during its time.
In the US, the Holocaust is taught about in non-Jewish schools as a unit in a history class. During this unit, students are taught about it as something of the past, something from a far away land, and something that can never happen again. Here in Israel, it is taught
as something that the people who founded Israel were a part of such as the grandparents and aunts and uncles of everyone around them, as something that everyone must ensure never happen again. With this is a much most impactful connection than anywhere else in the world, we must be honest with ourselves that, in reality, it is happening and has happened in places like Armenia, Rwanda, Darfur, and Cambodia. When will genocide end? When will we learn?
Last night I watched a film with the 11th and 12th grades called "The Wave", which is based on a class in 1957 in Palo Alto, California. I had read about this but never seen the film, and while it was completely outdated in every way except the message, it was a great message to be made to any and all students. People ask all the time, "why did people allow the holocaust to happen?" "why did so many people follow Hilter?" "why didn't more people stand up to the Nazis?". Well, this story shows human proof of the answer to that question: it is human nature to follow. Essentially, the story is about a high school teacher who was presented with the question by a student "Why did no one stand up against the Nazi's?" "How could 6 million Jews be killed without anyone stopping the Nazi's?" As a result, he began a "movement" among the students called "The Wave" in which the students did not know it was only an experiment but began to act filled with power and superiority. In the end, he told them that a national leader of the movement would announce himself to them, but he got them all together and when they asked who the leader was, the teacher showed them a film of Hilter and his followers. Every student was so distraught to have learned that they too, followed without question, just like the Germans and the Nazis during the Shoah. The reason I mention this is that I consider myself a very involved and relatively conscious American Jew, and I worry that American school children are not taught this message, the message that will keep the Shoah from being repeated, the message that will help future generations prevent genocide, a message that could hopefully make this world a better place.
In Israel, Yom HaShoa is taken seriously by the students, and they are reminded every year for an entire day what happened during the Shoah, not only in a unit in high school or middle school. It is my hope that Yom HaShoa will be adopted throughout the world, the world that turned its back when this was happening, the world that allowed 6 million Jews die before they stopped the Nazis. But I am only one person-how am I to help this? How am I to make such a large difference? All I can do is blog to you all, who will hopefully pass the message on to friends and family, and maybe then we will not see the destruction in Darfur, maybe there will not be a new group discriminated against and killed for who they are, who their family is, their customs and history or for whatever reason. And if they are, maybe with the message I want to be portrayed though Yom HaShoa, more people will stand up to them. But we can only hope it is enough to educate and remember and send the right messages to the future generations.
Pesach in Israel with Alfredo
Well, Pesach in Israel is certainly a GREAT experience for any Jew-everywhere you turn there is something to eat that is Kosher for Pesach! It's AMAZING!
Aside from that, I had a wonderful seder that was half Israeli and half American in Tel Aviv, near the beach. We sort of just went around the table and read each in English or Hebrew- as we preferred. It went much more quickly than reading it in BOTH languages! HAHAHA! In any event, it was delicious food and wonderful company and I was very excited to be having Seder in Israel. It was funny, though, because even the Israeli's say "Next year in Jerusalem!" and the Americans thought that was interesting because we are in ISRAEL!
In any event, Alfredo got in in time for the Seder and then we spent a couple days at the beach in Tel Aviv, went to Cesarea, spent a night in Haifa, went to other ruins on the way to camp on the Galilee, saw Tsfat and then drove from there all the way down past the Dead Sea to too a small town in the desert called Mamshit, near Arad, to stay at a Bedouin tent. The drive through the country from north to south was so amazing...probably one of the most interesting experiences I have had in Israel. Everyone who comes here witnesses the difference from north to south, east to west, with every form of land imaginable. To drive it yourself, in one day, was really cool! As we were driving we had the Jordanian border, the fence separating the countries, on our left side and the Judean Hills on our right. We drove from the Mountains of Tsfat through the Yisreal valley, through the Judean hills to the Dead Sea and the Negev. Alfredo told me it was one of his favorite memories, that and spending Shabbat in Israel, seeing the Western Wall on a Friday night. After staying in the desert we went to Masada, the Dead Sea and Ein Gedi before going to Jerusalem for the weekend. Next, we spent a day and a half on the Kfar where I live just so that he could see it and we could relax before he went back to the grind of work (yes this rigorous itinerary was what he called a vacation!).
It was an interesting experience to see Israel through the eyes of a first time visitor, of a person so curious about Judaism and Israel. In fact, it affirmed my belief that Israel is a magical place, filled with endless possibility and a power in the land, a place where miracles have and continue to happen. I told him about how being in Israel makes me believe anything is possible on one of his first nights and I think he was sort of like "oh, ok" but by our first night in Jerusalem he too understood what I meant. He was very moved by the Western Wall on Shabbat, and by the beauty and history he found here. As he told me, there are remains of cities here before he ever knew there were remains to be found and people from more places than you can ever expect. And this is why I wanted to spend an extended period of time here, to experience this and to understand it as more than a tourist. To explain these words in an action, when Alfredo wanted to put a note in the Wall on Sunday (because he had not done so on Shabbat), I joined him in doing so. What is surprising to me and maybe to many of you is that I cannot count the number of times I have visited the Wall before, and I have never left a note. To me, I finally realized that I do believe in its power, the strength of this country and the miracles that can happen!
Through Alfredo's visit, I realized that I have become more than a tourist here. I think that I know this land pretty well both from north to south and east to west and also from inside out, as much as possible as an outsider. But more than that, I have found a connection to this land more than just as a Jew, but as a believer that this land is truly beyond your wildest dreams, further than expectations and filled with endless promise.
Aside from that, I had a wonderful seder that was half Israeli and half American in Tel Aviv, near the beach. We sort of just went around the table and read each in English or Hebrew- as we preferred. It went much more quickly than reading it in BOTH languages! HAHAHA! In any event, it was delicious food and wonderful company and I was very excited to be having Seder in Israel. It was funny, though, because even the Israeli's say "Next year in Jerusalem!" and the Americans thought that was interesting because we are in ISRAEL!
In any event, Alfredo got in in time for the Seder and then we spent a couple days at the beach in Tel Aviv, went to Cesarea, spent a night in Haifa, went to other ruins on the way to camp on the Galilee, saw Tsfat and then drove from there all the way down past the Dead Sea to too a small town in the desert called Mamshit, near Arad, to stay at a Bedouin tent. The drive through the country from north to south was so amazing...probably one of the most interesting experiences I have had in Israel. Everyone who comes here witnesses the difference from north to south, east to west, with every form of land imaginable. To drive it yourself, in one day, was really cool! As we were driving we had the Jordanian border, the fence separating the countries, on our left side and the Judean Hills on our right. We drove from the Mountains of Tsfat through the Yisreal valley, through the Judean hills to the Dead Sea and the Negev. Alfredo told me it was one of his favorite memories, that and spending Shabbat in Israel, seeing the Western Wall on a Friday night. After staying in the desert we went to Masada, the Dead Sea and Ein Gedi before going to Jerusalem for the weekend. Next, we spent a day and a half on the Kfar where I live just so that he could see it and we could relax before he went back to the grind of work (yes this rigorous itinerary was what he called a vacation!).
It was an interesting experience to see Israel through the eyes of a first time visitor, of a person so curious about Judaism and Israel. In fact, it affirmed my belief that Israel is a magical place, filled with endless possibility and a power in the land, a place where miracles have and continue to happen. I told him about how being in Israel makes me believe anything is possible on one of his first nights and I think he was sort of like "oh, ok" but by our first night in Jerusalem he too understood what I meant. He was very moved by the Western Wall on Shabbat, and by the beauty and history he found here. As he told me, there are remains of cities here before he ever knew there were remains to be found and people from more places than you can ever expect. And this is why I wanted to spend an extended period of time here, to experience this and to understand it as more than a tourist. To explain these words in an action, when Alfredo wanted to put a note in the Wall on Sunday (because he had not done so on Shabbat), I joined him in doing so. What is surprising to me and maybe to many of you is that I cannot count the number of times I have visited the Wall before, and I have never left a note. To me, I finally realized that I do believe in its power, the strength of this country and the miracles that can happen!
Through Alfredo's visit, I realized that I have become more than a tourist here. I think that I know this land pretty well both from north to south and east to west and also from inside out, as much as possible as an outsider. But more than that, I have found a connection to this land more than just as a Jew, but as a believer that this land is truly beyond your wildest dreams, further than expectations and filled with endless promise.
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