It's a Small World In Jerusalem!

 

One of the my favorite things about being in Israel is that it feels as though someone is always visiting. Even though I have only been here for a little more than two weeks I have seen so many friends from all different places and experiences! It has truly been amazing and it has definitely helped make the transition and easy one. 

Top Left: I had the opportunity to see my friend Ben Ginsburg from Boston when he came on Birthright! He is even extending his trip so we will probably meet up again soon. We went to the old city together and then randomly bumped into each other at the shuk!

Bottom Left: Matt Lerner was the youth group president when I was the youth group adviser at Temple Beth Shalom two years ago! Now he is a rising college junior and was shadowing a doctor here for a month. We only overlapped a few days but found sometime to catch up over a delicious lemon-nana (aka a lemon-mint iced slurpie)

Top Right: JENNY! Jenny will actually be here the whole year. She lives in Tel-Aviv with her boyfriend Dan. For those of you who don't know Jenny and I grew up on the same street in St. Louis MO. We haven't lived in the same state since we were 18 and it's CRAZY and coincidental that we are now both living in Israel at the same time. I feel so so lucky that she is here.

Middle Right: So Sara Miller came to town to lead a birthright trip that inspired Brandeis Reunion!! Joey, Erica, Sara and I met up at the train station for dinner and gossiped about all things Brandeis. So fun. I have a feeling there will be a lot of these throughout the year : )

Bottom Left: Even though Kadi, my friend from URJ camp Kalsman only had like 4 days left in Israel she came all the way to Jerusalem to see me! We walked around the shuk and got humus and caught up on our past year. I am so excited for her to go back to camp and she was so excited for me to be here! So much good. It was so great to see her!

From Boston, to Brooktrail to Brandeis to TBS to Kaslman I have seen a lot of people from different parts of my life. It's pretty cool...I think I could get used to this....

Cat Sitting!!

So I got my first job in Israel Cat sitting the lovely Merlin the cat!! Merlin belongs to an HUC cantor and I had the lovely opportunity to stay in their beautiful apartment all last weekend. Merlin and I had a fantastic time sitting on the porch together and I got some reading done while Merlin soaked up some sun. It was a lovely bonding experience. Something that was really unique about Merlin's home was the plethora of beautiful Judaica and other art. It made me realize how much I love Judaica as an art form (surprise?) and that I really want to explore Jewish art while in Israel. I also have decided that I really want my own Havdalah set. Anyway it was a fun experience to see another home in Israel. Also I have realized that I have only been around mainly 22-28 year olds since being in Israel which makes me miss people of other ages, animals and children so  hopefully I can pet or babysit again soon!

End of the Era of Ira!

 

The past two weeks I was living in an apartment with two HUC students: Baily and Ira. Bailey will continue to live with me the rest of the year but Ira just left to move into his new apartment! We are sad that The Era of Ira has come to and end but we still have ulpan everyday and will be in the same program all year long, so not too concerned. The three of us ended the era by hosting a Shabbat dinner last week for our pre-ulpan group. It was great! We had tons of food and had lovely quality time together. In just a few weeks Bailiy and I will be welcoming Rena who will be our third roommate. She is a friend of mine from URJ Camp Kalsman and we are excited to share the apartment with her and to host many festive holiday meals and parties throughout our year together.

First Trip to the Kotel!

 

Last week I had the afternoon free and decided to meet my friend Ben and his birthright group in the Old City. At that point I had already been living here for a week and hadn't yet visited the old city which I thought was ridiculous. I met up with Ben and then went with his birthright group to the Western Wall. One of the holiest places (if not the most holy) for the Jewish people.  A special tradition surrounding  this holy site is that people write notes to God (often people who don't even believe in a God) and then stick them in the wall. I happened to bring some of the notes that my students at Temple Beth Shalom had written and stuck them in the wall. Then the neatest thing happened.  I was able to call my pre-school in Needham while they were at camp and they were able to live view me at the Western Wall! It was so neat to know that they could see me even if I was so far away! Hopefully that made their experience slightly more tangible that their notes were able to be hand Evered to the wall. It's amazing to be at the Western Wall and think how my grandmother brought her father there so many years ago and here I am, living in Jerusalem talking to my students who are 2-6 years old 2000 miles away.  it is a true example of the global Jewish community and how it develops from generation to generation. It is nice to know that I can come back here as often as I want, and each time I go I have a little but of Needham, MA to bring along with me.

Book Fair!

On my way to Jenny's Apartment in Tel Aviv I ran into this amazing outdoor book fair. What was even neater about it is how extensive its children's section was and how it used the space and the books to create community and a environment for learning. There were book shelves lined up around the perimeters filled with picture books. Near these shelves were blackest and be a bag chairs set up and families were sitting together either reading to children or just spending time talking together. It was a  beautiful evening and there were many many young families who had gathered at this festival just to spend time together. It was really lovely to see. There was also a pirate puppet show and many children, parents and grandparents were gathered around the theater. It was a relaxed atmosphere and many toddlers and babies were there as well. I appreciated this free, family friendly, comment activity that was centered around books. Everyone there appeared engaged and I saw many children reading with their parents or independently.  I had never thought about bringing the library outside but it might be a nice thing to try this summer! 

Tel Aviv Pride!

After class on Thursday I made my way to Tel Aviv for Friday morning's Gay Pride Parade! I spent the night at Jenny and Dan's and then the next morning we woke up for the festivities. It took about 40 min to walk to the parade and we could definitely feel that we were getting closer as time passed. We began to see people dressed in rainbow, flags were being held and displayed from buildings. There was a tangible buzz that filled the air of excitement and joy. Everyone was happy, it was a perfect day, hot and sunny but not too hot. We finally found the parade and jumped right in. Unlike the Boston pride parade where you watch floats go by from the sideline, in Tel Aviv everyone marches together! The streets were packed, there was lots of music and Dan, Jenny and I danced our way to the beach. The parade ended at the beach by the beautiful blue Mediterranean and the dancing continued. We then went on a search for more music and eventually found a stage where there were going to be musicians playing later in the afternoon. I decided not to wait around but to head back to Jerusalem early so I could go to Shabbat services with my group. Tel Aviv pride overall was a wonderful, joyous and fun experience. I didn't see a single protester and in fact, it felt like a giant party! In August, Jerusalem will have their own pride parade which I've heard is very different. I'm eager to go so I can see how they compare. I already have found many differences between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and I am so glad these cities are so close so I can continue to explore them both throughout the year!

Flea Market Fun!

On the way to the shuk on Thursday Ira, Bailey and I stumbled upon a neat flea market. It felt like it was filled with everything that could be found in a Jewish grandmother's basement. It's incredible how each of us were drawn to things that reminded us of people and objects we knew. There was quite a bit of old Judaica and art but also lots of clothes. We had a good time exploring and now we know of this market that happens every Thursday!

My Apartment!

So I have gotten a few requests for pictures of my apartment. So far I LOVE my apartment. It is in a great central location close to class (7 min) and no more than 20 min walk to anywhere I really want to go. We have a large common space and three nice sized bedrooms and 1.5 baths. Very lovely. I ale have two wonderful roommates Ira and Bailey who are also in the pre-ulpan with me. Bailey will be in the apartment for the whole year but after pre-ulpan Ira will move out and my friend Rena will move in.  Right now Ira Bailey and I have really enjoyed living together. It's been a fun week shopping at the shuk and finding a bunch of food/clothing/knick kancks in various cupboards, cabinets and treasure chests (!) around the apartment.  This apartment has been an HUC apartment for "generations" so its fun to see the eclectic tastes of past students.  I feel really excited to have found such a gem of an apartment and I'm excited to live her for the next year!

SOOOO much storage space!

There is a treasure chest on the left side behind that single chair : )

Ira!

First Day at Gan Illanot!

As part of our Israel experiences every student is asked to take part in a volunteer project somewhere around jerusalem. I had heard that HUC had a Gan (directly translates to kindergarden but is for ages 3-6) on it's campus! I have been excited about working there for months. So as soon as I got to Israel, I wasted no time and popped in the HUC head of student life's office to see how to make this happen. Monday I had a meeting with the director of the school and Tuesday I had my first day! 

 The Gan is called "Illanot" meaning sprouts or baby plants. I am working in a class of six year olds which at first felt older than what I was expecting but then I realized how wonderful of an opportunity this is because they developmentally able to speak Hebrew pretty clearly and also able to understand that they need to talk slowly in order for me to understand them. Pretty quickly I made a few English speaking buddies who enjoyed being my "teacher" to translate for me. However I was pleased with how much I was able to understand, and talk to the kids on day 1. Most of our conversations were simple. About names, ages, colors etc. yet, I felt like I was talking and connecting pretty much for the entirety of the two and a half hours I was there. 

One of the highlights of my afternoon there was that that afternoon a representative of the Teva museum came and brought some reptiles with her (just like TBSCC!) I learned the word for snake in Hebrew (Nahash!) and kids got to hold a snake and touch a very large snake skin. She taught us a lot about snakes and then we got to pretend to be one. One of the teachers "hid" and then the group held on to a rope and slithered quietly down the hallway outside on to the playground where we found the teacher who was being the "mouse" we then circled around the teacher many times as to simulate a boa constrictor and then pretend to eat the teacher! It was a neat exercise that helped kids learn about how snakes eat in a kinesthetic way, yet also just felt very non-american to me. I am still learning this schools teaching philosophy and I am so excited to learn though out the year how their philosophy and values are displayed throughout their everyday teaching. So excited to go back this Tuesday!

Choco-B'Sakeet: Such a Treat!

So later in the day Sunday my roommates and I decided to go grocery shopping for the week. Together we walked and I had my first real grocery store experience. Overall it was lovely! I also decided to buy myself a treat just because I survived my first 24 hours in Israel. Not only did I survive them but in fact everything is going amazingly well for only one day here. One of my favorite treats is Choco-B'Sakeet, which translates to chocolate milk in a bag, yum! In my life I had had chocolate milk in cartons and in boxes but not until I went to Israel had I ever had chocolate milk in a bag! Children and adults alike love this snack. It is quite refreshing and satisfying on a warm Jerusalem day.

This is a fun snack that you can even make back home in America! All you need to do is put chocolate milk in a bag. Ziplock-it, and then put tape on the zip just to be safe. You can cut or corner off and then just drink the milk. It seems kind of funny at first but it is what the Israeli's do! You should try it at home!

 ( I bet it would be a fun project to do while you babysit EKB : P)

First day of Ulpan: I survived!

It's crazy to think that less than 24 hours (I guess it was about 18) after I landed in Israel it was time to have my first day of Ulpan. I walked to HUC with my roommates and fortunately was awake enough to so some real Hebrew learning! We are using the same book I used last summer which is such a good review. Our teacher talked pretty quickly and I definitely didn't understand every word, but I got the main meaning of most of what she was saying. It was so exciting to have all the Hebrew rush back into my head so quickly. People told me that it would come back fast but I was still surprised that I even remembered how to write all the letters in script! I think this will be an excellent way to get into the mindset of both Hebrew and being a student again.

After class I decided to wonder to the Momila Mall down the street from HUC. There I bought myself a new notebook for class and asked the person where to find one al in Hebrew. It was quite a momentous moment! I am so excited to continue to practice Hebrew whenever I have a chance but we will see, a lot of Israelis enjoy practicing their English with Americans. Momila is a great, easy to get to mall and it was such a nice place to simply people watch, soak in the sun and start to take in the fact that these places, this language and this culture is going to be mine to explore for the the next year. It still doesn't feel quite real but it's only been a day. A wonderful day though, looking forward to the many more to come : )

Safely In Jerusalem!

The traveling is done and I have arrived in Jerusalem! Both my flights were easy. I slept most of the way from Boston to Germany (I had a whole row to myself!).  From Munich to Jerusalem, I sat next to this interesting girl from Montreal who is traveling to Tel Aviv to learn about start-ups in Israel. We are going to get dinner next week when her group spends the day in Jerusalem. It was neat to be traveling on Shabbat because I got to meet people who were visiting Israel for a wide variety of reasons, most of which were not related to Judaism at all. I also met some German med-students on the van from the airport to my apartment. They are here for a medical conference and were interested in learning a bit more about Shabbat and Kosher laws etc.  We also had the chance to talk about German vs. US health care for awhile. These conversations reminded me how much I love traveling and how excited I am to be meeting so many new and interesting people though out the next year.

My apartment is lovely. It seems to be in a great location and I have a lovely room with a big closet. I have a pretty view of lovely buildings, no Boston sky line but I'll take it : )

I met my roommate Bailey as soon as I got here. It was great to finally meet in person! Together we met some other HUC students for dinner and had a really lovely evening eating outside and getting to know each other a bit. When we got back to the apartment I got to see my friend Stephanie who had been living in my room for the past year. It was great to see a familiar face and have the chance to catch up.

First day of class is today! I'm excited to see HUC's campus and to get this Hebrew learning rolling!

From Boston with Love

So yesterday was the last day of pre-school and one of the classes sang, "The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow" and indeed it has! It's 6am  and then sun is blaring though my windows and I am wide awake ready for the last day in Boston before I head to Israel, via Germany, this evening.

As I reflect upon this last week I am floored by the over pouring of love I have received from both my work, Temple Beth Shalom, community as well as my personal, Moishe Kavod House community. I am so grateful to have so many caring, kind, thoughtful people in my life who have been my cheerleaders and supporters over the past one to seven years here in Boston. I know that I am continuing school right now because I care so much about the concept of community and I'm excited to continue to build community both socially and professionally wherever my journey takes me.

As I pack for Israel, I have two objects that I am so excited to bring with me. They are both siddurs which is the Hebrew word for prayer book. Each one is used by a community and a variety of members of the community signed it. My Mayim siddur, "Shira HaShemesh" is a siddur that was originally made by a group of fourth graders at TBS two years ago. This siddur has original art work and is very kid-friendly in a way that it is truly an inspiring example of project-based learning in action. My students, toddler through teen, all signed it as well as many co-workers and parents. It was amazing to see my former three year olds who are now in kindergarten write their names! One of my current students wrote her name for the first time in my siddur! The messages were thoughtful and personal and I am so excited to have such a beautiful and meaningful artifact that represents my time at TBS.

My Moishe Kavod House siddur is one I expect to pray with often. The siddur itself is called, "Chaveirim Kol Yisrael" and I have always loved it because it has both english translation as well as transliteration and I have been in many situations where I have been in more traditional services but since I couldn't read Hebrew I couldn't follow along. The Moishe Kavod House became a place of comfort because I could read and participate in services right away. Who knew that an accessible and beautiful siddur could lead to so many lasting and important friendships? So my friends Amira and Nathan did the most amazing thing by having everyone at the retreat sign and write notes in the siddur. I have no idea how they did this because I was also at the retreat and had no idea whatsoever that they were scheming this the whole time. Luckily for them I made a run to CVS both days and I know they used that time well, but still, the siddur itself is so very thoughtful and the notes are incredible. Thank you to all of you from the bottom of my heart for being part of my journey here. I am excited to carry you with me in my heart, and many of you with your written words across the Atlantic with me tonight as I begin my new adventure in Israel as I start HUC. I know it will be incredible, yet I know it will be different from these past few years and when things are more challenging I will look to both of these siddurs to ground me and to remind me that being a part of, and creating beautiful thoughtful Jewish community is exactly why I am sending myself on this adventure in the first place.

Shabbat Shalom and Next time from Israel!!