Sabrina in Israel

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 My Co-Teacher Sabrina from Temple Beth Shalom came to Israel! I have heard her share so many of her stories from her living here and it was so nice to be here with her and create a new memory together! I hopped over to Tel Aviv for dinner by the beach and a beautiful sunset. Afterwards we went out for ice cream! Thanks Sabrina for such a fun evening!!!

Lara!!

I took Jerry to Ben and Jerry's!

Tisha B'Av: A Poem

 This past August 5th was the Jewish holiday of Tisha B'Av a day of morning for the loss of the second temple. Its not a holiday I have particularly honored in my life. yet this year I struggled with the state of destruction in our current society, and in our Jewish community. I felt a great deal of sadness that day, then I got a really good hug and was inspired to write this:



Tisha b'Av I walk the streets
Adorn in black as my sweater flows against my skin
Walking through barren streets, empty stores: everyone's eyes on the sidewalk
My waterbottle swishes in my backpack filled with my nourishment for the day.
The fast: a paradox in my progessive Jewish identity
My heart heavy: my head filled
Rockets, Bombs, tractors, kidnaps -pain beyond pain
Longing for hope, Longing for peace
A pause, a moment, a child
 His yellow shirt smiles as blonde curls bounce
A moment of hope, a moment of peace
The day continues and the world returns

Thoughts on Home

So today we had breakout groups where we had the opportunity to reflect. As a first exercise we we asked to spend fifteen minutes writing about the word "home." I struggle with this word for I feel like I have many homes. I decided that my fifteen minutes worth of writing were worth saving, and if I was going to type them up I might as well share them with all of you....

Home. This word which is supposed to be so grounding, so comforting has recently begun to bring me so much anxiety. What is home? Where is home? Who is home? Most days I don't know. Last month when there were rocket sirens in Jerusalem my mother told me to, "come home." I was in my bedroom, wasn't I home? There is a nostalgic tinge associated with the word and concept of home. However, when I go to my home of St. Louis, Missouri, the home where I grew up, I am left empty, unsatisfied. Many people who made it my home are long gone, scattered across the country and world. My family is there in a new apartment, a new physical home, and in time there have been new challenges as we grow together, separately. These struggles are far from the idyllic childhood on Brooktrail Court. That home is a memory. I want St. Louis to be home, yet it no longer feels right. it's a place, a place I've loved, now changed.

Then there is Boston, the city I called my home, yet it took me awhile. For most of the time I lived in Boston, St. Louis was still my home. How and when did it switch? What did that mean? Why did it happen? I'm in unsure, but I know it did. I long for Boston now, there is a deep void in my heart that I can't be there sitting in the commons with Cayla or singing at Kavod or just simply being in Shafe's kitchen. I feel so at a loss. That was my home and I loved it. TBS was my home. I was supported, challenged, and appreciated. I was known and loved both at TBS and around my Boston cmmunity. It's hard to carry that knowledge and feeling of love, I'm trying to, I know that I need to. The thought of Boston and my community does ground me, but it also makes me immensely sad.

Then there are my memories vivid, strong and colorful. Camp, Viroqua, Jenny's house..well camp especially. it was a place where i felt I could be my authentic self. Like TBS I felt loved and supported. it is a home. I guess it is one of the many. It's so log since I've been there and I'm sure it's different. I wonder if it still feels like home. Maybe home is a feeling of the people you love. Maybe home is love..

Now I live in Jerusalem, the "homeland" yet is it not my home, not yet but it's getting there, maybe. The streets familiar, the stores known. I see people I know on the streets and after a visit to Tel Aviv, i am happy to be home. Yet I still long for Boston, but at least I have the pictures of those memories in frames on my wall here in Jerusalem, my home....

Another Thursday..Another Tiyul...

One of the great things about studying in Israel is that we often have the opportunity to learn about historical events and culture from visiting historical sites. A few weeks ago we went to an unnamed ancient city and to Lachish where a very significant battle took place between the Assyrians and the Kingdom of Judea in 701 BCE.  It was so neat to look at the geography and see first hand how that affected historical events. I surprisingly really like geography and really like society, so seeing how the two have effected each other over time is really neat. Plus I always love learning outside of the classroom. The neatest thing in the pictures above is the picture on the bottom left which is a dove/pigeon cave. kind of like a modern day chicken coop. It was easier to keep the birds underground where it was cool and there was more space. Birds even live in it today! We spent a lot of time on this particular trip in caves and its amazing how old and elaborate the underground infrastructure is. People stored water underground, cooked underground, had stores and stored their pigeons! So very different from the way we lead our lives today............Thanks HUC for the eye opening historical experience!

Birthday Extravaganza!

So this year in Jerusalem I was fortunate to be surrounded by friends new and old for my birthday.  It was a wonderful day from the very beginning when my roommate Rena surprised me with a birthday omelet!! Bailey bought me coffee an my friend Leah even got me a chocolate croissant! I was showered by lovely gifts and the warmth of new, fantastic friends. I had never experienced school before on my Aug. 6th birthday. I must admit I prefer the quiz-less birthdays but my friends made class fun none-the-less. My hebrew buddy Zach made me a flower crown out of paper towels so that i could fulfill the Israeli  custom of having flowers in my hair on my birthday? At least thats what it tells you to do in their birthday song. That evening some HUC friends and I met up with my friend Jenny and we went to one of my favorite cafes called Timol Shishon where we got Shashuka! Yum! Also we had amazing milkshakes for dessert!

The next day the celebration continued that the HUC Beit Kafe (talent show) where my friends Rae and Daniel presented me with an AMAZING chocolate coffee Kailua cake that was like fancy restaurant quality with a penguin on it. incredible. After the talent show much of my class went out dancing to celebrate, so fun! I feel so grateful to have made such warm and caring friends in such a short amount of time (and i feel grateful that jenny is so close!!!!). I can already tell that 26 is going to be an amazing year and much of that will be because of all the wonderful people in it. Thanks everyone!