Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Swaying in the beauty of creation

Today was another winning day of the seminar. After horizontal ear dropping tefillot and a hearty breakfast, I set out with my group to tour the Supreme Court building. The building is less than 20 years old, extremely beautiful, and very symbolic. The tour of the building was interesting and necessary. The Supreme Court in Israel serves as an appeal court as well as a high court of justice that deals with human rights cases. The differences between the court systems in America abound-Israel doesn't use witnesses in the Supreme Court, surprisingly.

From there we visited a youth hostel for some programming on the constitution, or rather, lack of constitution in Israel. We talked about pros and cons, important issues for a constitution to address, and then we tried to write some constitutional laws for ourselves about the Jewish nature of the state. The discussion was thought provoking and it also made me kind of annoyed with some of my fellow Nativers. Good program though.
We ate lunch at the youth hostel and then visited the Gush Katif museum which commemorates the Disengagement from Gaza in 2005. I learned soooo much and it was very powerful. I am still processing and thinking about all the images and statistics there. Our guide in the museum had lived in the Gaza strip for about 25 years and had 9 kids there. The museum helped me most with one thing: it put into perspective why it was worth it to live in Gush Katif in the first place and why it was so painful to leave in 2005 when Sharon instituted disengagement. The guide said his family was moved into a hotel for what was supposed to be 10 days but ended up being 7 months, and they were only told to pack for 10 days. Some families put furniture in storage only to get it back months later completely destroyed. Beautiful (really, beautiful) homes and neighborhoods were totally demolished, along with synagogues. Cemeteries were dug up and the bodies were relocated. The worst part is that it didn't achieve much afterward. Israeli politics are difficult.

We walked home through the shuk and napped before dinner, and then we went to one of the most unique and inspiring experiences of my young life!!!!! We went to Not On Bread Alone, a play by blind AND deaf people about everyday life as a blind/deaf person (they cannot live on bread alone, they have dreams and need love and company etc). The play was amazing and the actors were so inspiring. They baked bread during the play and we ate it hot out of the oven after the show and got to talk to the actors through interpreters afterward too. Some Nativers got to use a braille code to talk to one actor. They would hold his finger and rub it over one letter in braille at a time on a card and then he could understand the words. Very amazing.

The title of this blog post is a translated line from a song in the play. I loved every minute!!!

Monday, February 1, 2010
Learning is Beautiful

Starting Sunday morning and ending on Wednesday afternoon, Nativ has a multi faceted program called Israel Today Seminar, and so far, it has been a wonderful educational and cultural experience.

On Sunday, we davened together, breakfasted, and Jeff Barak (check out his credentials! ) from the Jerusalem Post came to speak with us to open the seminar. His main theme focused on the large numbers of Haredim and Arabs in Israeli society today and how that is affecting politics, welfare programs, poverty, education, leisure and culture, and Israel's reputation among other countries. It was a really interesting speech and he was a captivating speaker in a journalist kind of way, which was nice; he wasn't charismatic and charming and loud like politicians, but he was quieter and very intelligent sounding, and I think the British accent especially helped. It made me a little worried for Israel's demographics in the future, because it is a democratic state and if these two groups continue with their high birth rates, they can vote whomever they choose into office.

From the opening speech, we divided into groups and went to the Menachem Begin Center. It was surprisingly an outstanding museum. It was so well done because it was almost completely automated. We walked into rooms and our headset immediately started talking to us, tvs immediately started showing original footage of speeches and history, and the rooms were all set up relevant to the topic per room. For example, when we learned about Begin's time in the Irgun, we were in an underground living room/headquarters type of room, and when we learned about the election, we were in a campaign office. The museum flowed, and we were never anywhere quite long enough or comfortable enough to fall asleep. At the end, I was really moved by the unfortunate series of events in his second term that led him to resign, the death of his wife, and finally his own death. It felt like a movie only it was real! A great museum, really.

This morning began with services, for which I mostly horizontal from the waist up, breakfast (Italy made me so appreciative of Agron food!!!!! I regret ever complaining! But wait, let me explain: we usually ate one nice meal a day. The rest of the time, we were scrounging for the cheapest way to get calories to fill us until the next meal. It resulted in quite a few McDonalds milkshake-fries-yogurt parfait situations), and heading off with my group for our day of Israel and the Environment. We went first to an ecological farm where everything is made out of mud buildings and there are donkeys roaming free (one of them was a stray and they found him on the street and brought him to the farm!), chickens chillin, geese, sheep, dogs, and lots and lots of vegetables and trees. It all started seven years ago and it has grown into an amazing place where they reuse things in really creative ways.

Following the farm, we toured a recycling plant outside of Tel Aviv. I learned a lot, but it wasn't engrained deeply enough so that I could teach other people about it. It was super cool to see the garbage and the sorting machines and the mountain of garbage that they're going to turn into a park. The visitor's center had incredible art made out of recycled objects and all kinds of neat things.

The day ended with a movie at a Cinematheque in Holon, at least I think that's where it was. We watched The Lost Islands, an incredible Israeli film from 2009 about twin boys growing up in Kfar Saba in the 1980's. It's about their family, their love lives, their love for each other, their army service, and their dreams. It was so powerful!

Monday, December 21, 2009
הינה הכפיים!
Continued...a week later : (

On Sunday before returning to Jerusalem, we stopped at Sde Boker for a program about David Ben Gurion and his dream to settle the Negev.  I got really psyched to fulfill his vision and live in Yerucham, to be honest, and we saw some cool movie clips, and the program was more thought intensive than the one on pilgrimage last summer. It struck me on Sunday, and when we visited the same kibbutz on pilgrimage, what a humble little hut the first Prime Minister of Israel had in his retirement, and how many books. It makes America look really bad, with Washington's opulent Mount Vernon and whatnot. I enjoyed the trip.

We went on a short hike/walk afterward in a really beautiful area of the desert, which had just been blessed by rain! So there was water, which made some parts slippery but extra beautiful. We saw a family of rams (four of them!) and it was so cool! I tried to be like the ram family and walk along the rock layers but I failed and Adam had to come get me down.

Sunday night upon our return, I went on a quest for sufganiot with a fun group of boys and we searched for custard all over the city. I brought down the average consumption by only eating one, but I think most of the guys had about five each. Then we were reunited with kibbutz, and it was really great to have the five quality people on that track back in my life. Is that mean? It's kind of a joke. Anyway, it was a great evening.

Monday was school, and pizza with Aaron Max and Jonny, and a quick little football practice, and studying, and planning my upcoming trip to Italy with Adina Debbie Rachel and Ariella. Overall, a successful day. Then Tuesday-Art History (which keeps feeling longer and longer every class!), Hebrew, and volunteering at Shalva! Since it was during Channukah, I did not work in the pool again but instead worked with a group of older girls. They were really lively, friendly, loving and funny. We dressed them as Greeks and they participated in a program of reenacting the Channukah story. We sang and shouted things in Hebrew, most of which I didn't understand. The National Service girls with whom I worked were really friendly this time, and they made it really easy for me to feel helpful. And one of them actually asked me about my life and interests and it was quite nice, especially since I'd been sooo scared of the pretty Orthodox loud Hebrew speaking girls before.

On Tuesday night, we had a Channukah party with all of Nativ. It was great! We watched a Rugrats Channukah episode (what OBNOXIOUS voices they all have!) and played a great game. The game was like this: we each filled out a survey with random questions about our hobbies and interests, and then we were given multiple choice questions about them, like "Who is most likely to die of Coca Cola overdose?" and then we chose from a list of four Nativers. It really was great, especially when people were arguing about who it could be and we all ended up being so wrong. And the whole time I was thinking...what a great USY on Wheels evening program this would make...

I woke up at the blissful hour of noon on Thursday, did nothing for a while, and then a group of us went to Shalva together to sing Channukah songs and get a tour. The tour was really nice because a lot of people on Nativ were so receptive to the work being done there. I was happy. Also, we got to meet Yossi Samuels, the man whose parents started Shalva. He is deaf and blind, so he communicates with hand-to-palm sign language like Helen Keller. Really amazing. I met him on pilgrimage and he shook all of our hands and asked us about the cars we drive, and when it was time to go and we shook his hand again, he remembered which hand went with which car! Wow. He is really miraculous.

The singing part of the program went okay, and the kids were just extra adorable. People were enamored. I kind of feel gipped in terms of my Hebrew Channukah song education, because there are some really basic ones I strongly believe I should have learned. Fortunately, Al HaNissim comes quite naturally to me. Unfortunately, all the others don't. Fortunately, Al HaNissim is the best one in my mind. Unfortunately, people still sing other songs, and then I feel awkward because I don't actually know the words. Adina even knows Yiddish Channukah songs! I am so deprived.

I went on a midnight run to Burgers Bar with Meir and Jacob and did not eat any burgers but proceeded to smell like them for the three subsequent days. Ick!

Friday was another noon wake up day. Those are always the best days. I had lunch at home, researched Talmudic interpretation of dreams (which is really interesting!!!! I will explain at a later date. I am comparing Talmud with Freud, it's pretty legit to be honest), speed showered, lit the last Channukah candles and Shabbat candles, went to Yakar, enjoyed it immensely, ate dinner at home and did not really enjoy it much, went to a kibbutz-dominated tisch (the enjoyment level was more like the latter than the former, although I do love Bilvavi!), and read some good old CITR.

Monday, December 14, 2009
איפה הכפיים!!????

On Thursday night, I went to the volunteering evening event at Shalva with Meir. All of the National Service girls were there and they were screaming and singing in Hebrew, and there was a creepy photographer who took a picture of me while I was pantomiming "blink," and I met this nice girl named Sara who made alliyah with her family from New York 7 years ago when she was ten. It was a really intimidating experience because we got a lecture on volunteering rules all in Hebrew, and a guidelines sheet in Hebrew, and we played an ice breaker in Hebrew, and we went around the room and spoke in Hebrew. I was glad to have Meir there to translate, and it was nice to meet Sara, and I saw one of the volunteers I worked with a few weeks ago and he remembered my name but I didn't remember his name and it was kind of awkward, but nice. We left the event early because it was going to go so late, and the trip home from Shalva takes a long time. It was one of the best decisions I'd made all week.
On Friday morning, we set off for ירוחם!!!! It took two hours on the coach bus, and I slept on Seffi's shoulder the entire time. I went to sleep to the sights and sounds of downtown Jerusalem and woke up to an endless stretch of desert mountains and blue skies. The first place we visited upon arrival was a surprising treat-a LAKE!! Yes, there is a lake, developed by the Ministry of the Interior a few decades back by redirecting several desert streams to this one place. JNF monopolized on the water resources there and planted a forest. We picnicked there, and I took a nice walk with Becky down to the lake and we stood on the boardwalk for a while and admired the oasis. There were three big donkeys and lots of stray dogs and it all felt very alive. We saw a lot of boys on trick motorcycles and four wheelers racing around and it was a little scary and annoying. Our Yerucham liaison took us on a little tour after lunch down to the lake to give us some history, and to a well that most people believe is the well that Hagar found after an angel spoke to her when she had been cast out of Abraham's home and into the desert around Be'er Sheva. It's pretty cool that Yerucham has biblical history. I'm a fan.

After this little tour, we went to the hostel, got our rooms, and prepared for Shabbat. We lit Channukah candles and Shabbat candles and davened Kabbalat Shabbat in the bomb shelter, where we ate dinner as well. Everything was beautiful and lovely, and it was so amazing to see all forty Channukiot lit together. The meal sucked pretty hardcore though, which was a disappointment, and unfortunately it began a trend that continued the rest of the weekend.

After dinner, a lady came to speak to us about the purpose of volunteering in Yerucham and she was pretty crazy. The truth is that she seemed like a really incredible person, a do-gooder and stuff like that, but she was just nuts. It was hard to listen to her for a long time, and she talked for a long ass time.

Then a Chassidic rabbi came to lead our tisch. I was highly disappointed that no Marzipan or sufganiot were available at the tisch, and it was rather difficult for me to get in the proper Friday night mindset without such sweets. Anyway, the Chassid was really quite interesting and strange, and he told us lots of semi-mystical Shabbos stories, and a led a few songs. It was a great experience I think, and he seemed like a really nice man. He didn't look at us with judging eyes when boys' and girls' legs touched each other because of the way we sat, and he didn't seem to mind that we weren't wearing everything short of a burka.

I read a lil CITR before beddy and we had a little pillow talk in my room. Before everyone came home though, I thought I had such a great idea-I would take the first shower! I never get the first shower in my room at Beit Nativ, but it seemed like my dream would finally come true. The shower was a disaster. There was no place to hang up the shower head, there was no plug for the tub drain, there was no door, there was no soap, there was no towel. I hated everything. David came to the rescue and provided me with his semi-wet towel, and a little bit of soap. I improvised and used the hand washing cup (which they have in the bathroom, but forget about soap, that's for heathens) to plug the bath, and I took a half bath/half shower kind of thing. It was terrible. I was not clean afterward. Then, the icing on the cake: I stepped out of the shower into two inches of water on the bathroom floor. I spent a good forty five minutes squeegeeing (wow-I totally did not expect that word to be recognized by spell check!) the disgusting bathroom tiled floor. I gave up on the towel because it was still too wet, and I was generally cold and uncomfortable. I thought the water level would never go down. The worst was when a bit of water slipped out under the door and into the main room. It was such a fiasco. I'm still scarred.
The next morning, we got up early for breakfast but there was no breakfast. Luckily I wasn't hungry, but otherwise I would have probably thrown a hissy fit and had fun doing it. We got really lost on the way to shul, which is funny because it's Yerucham and you can see one end of the town from the other, and once we got to shul, it was already the end of the Torah service. The shul was beautiful...on the men's side. I liked it though, and I could see enjoying it a lot more once we are part of the community and we have host families there and all that. Fun Yerucham fact: there are 27 synagogues in Yerucham, most of them small congregations established to honor a rabbi back home in Morocco.

We had a little study session on Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) after lunch, with a much more normal lady. I learned a little bit and enjoyed it kind of, but I was hungry by that point and everyone was pretty cranky. Sometimes study sessions feel like pulling teeth when no one wants to participate.

Lunch was a nice reward after a long and somewhat tense morning for the group. I got through about four pages of CITR after lunch before my Shabbos nap took over. We all woke up for another tour of Yerucham, which started to get a little comical because there is one main street and we'd been on it several times that day. We saw a lot of cool stuff though, like a hugeeee playground and work out park, a monument, a few schools, an example of one of our living spaces (apartments) next semester, and lots of stray dogs. Fun Yerucham fact: population=9,500.

We got back to the hostel in time for some Ma'ariv, Havdalah, and Channukah celebrations. We have gotten really good at singing Al HaNissim. It really gets us going, I have to say. Channukah is fun, even without the snow.

On Saturday night, we went to a performance at the community center. The theatre was state of the art and everything was really nice. The music was Indian, because there are lots of second and third generation Indians living in Yerucham and neighboring Dimona. There were even little girls who did Indian dancing for us. They were beautiful. During intermission, I ran into a big group of them in the bathroom and tried to speak to them in Hebrew and get basic biographical information from them. They were all really skinny and small for their ages, and I was surprised, especially because they had mature and beautiful faces, and they were doing mature dance moves. I was talking to them when Razie came in, and they were all instantly enamored by her. One of them actually asked me how to say "you...beautiful?" and then once I supplied her with the "are," she tapped Razie on the shoulder and said "you are beautiful." I was insulted, to say the least! Damn underdeveloped and underfed skanky Indian dancers.

Sunday, November 29, 2009
This Isn't Hyperbole-
It really was the best weekend of my life.

Wednesday night started off with some extra time because Jewish Educator Training didn't meet. I made a really good decision and went running! Then I slapped on some deodorant, fluffed up my hair, put on some heels, and I was ready for Beer Pong! Beer Pong is always fun, and I brought the party camera this week! I got a lot of great pictures and I had so much fun dancing with my friends and watching the competitions. Not only is Herzl a great bar because they have books on the shelves there, or because they let us take over every Wednesday night, but they don't give you dirty looks when you don't order alcohol and ask for water instead! A true mark of a bar that Jordana likes.

I slept in on Thursday and went to Shalva in the afternoon to volunteer. "Shalva provides services to more than 500 participants with special needs, including infants, children, adolescents and young adults via a plethora of tailored programs and round-the-clock therapies, seven days a week. Shalva accompanies the child and his/her family from birth to adulthood. Individual programs are so designed that each participant reaches his/her full potential. By placing an emphasis on social interaction, the special needs child can better integrate into the community." (from the Shalva website http://www.shalva.org/index.aspx). I got a tour from the volunteer coordinator, Talia, who is a really positive human being and a beautiful woman. She placed me with a group of very low functioning children, and I got right to work. I worked with six non-verbal kids and four staff members (some are paid staff members, but most are religious girls doing Sherut Leumi, National Service, in place of military service), from 2:30 to 5:30 pm. We sang songs, played with Challah dough, made Kiddush (because it was the day before Shabbat started, so they have a "Kabbalat Shabbat" before the kids go home), and ate dinner. It was really hard for me to know such little Hebrew because I could not sing along to their songs or understand what the staff members were saying to each other, but I did learn some Hebrew and people were really nice. One of "my" kids actually understands English, although she cannot speak, and most know some hand signs, which I am quickly picking up. They are all extremely cute and lovable, speaking or not, and I was so happy during my time there. I can't wait to go back!

Meir was volunteering there as well on Thursday afternoon, and it was his second time so he was already a pro at getting the bus back home. We were late to Thanksgiving dinner anyway though, and we missed the program before the dinner for all the alumni and current Nativers. I didn't mind being late because my excuse was so good; volunteering is definitely the most meaningful thing I could have done on Thanksgiving. The turkey and pumpkin pie were excellent on Thursday, and I sat with some Nativers and Rabbi Paul Freedman and his wife, whose name escapes me, and it was so special because they started the Nativ program 29 years ago! We went around and said what we were thankful for, and I said the same lame thing as everyone else (family, new and old friends, this year in Israel) because I really was thankful for those things, and I know there are ten million bajillion other things I am also thankful for but in that moment I was only thinking-FAMILY, FRIENDS, ISRAEL! And I even choked up a teensy bit, though not noticeably, because I was so grateful for those three things.

After dinner on Thursday, all the Nativers watched a really funny movie made by a few girls featuring each Nativer saying something about Thanksgiving. There were some really good ones! Everything was really great, and although I hope I don't have to spend another Thanksgiving without any relatives around, I wouldn't have accepted any other substitute besides my Nativ friends this year.

Instead of the traditional weekly exodus to the bars on Thursday night, we decided to take advantage of a free jazz concert at the Southern Wall. It was a great concert that lasted about an hour, and about 15 Nativers came with. The highlight of the band was definitely the soprano sax, which is really an incredibly beautiful instrument. After the concert, a group of us walked out via the ramparts, which is a walk along the top of the Old City Walls (which were built about 400 years ago by the Ottomans, which I find terribly disappointing). There were a lot of really beautiful views and I was glad to be taking advantage of my time here. I walked home from the concert along a scenic route with Judah and Meir, and we climbed on cave rocks and walked through the empty Sultan's Pool (a huge outdoor concert venue) which was a lil sketch at night but very fun. I detoured to Crack Square before returning home, found it as grimy and pointless as usual, and went home for a relatively early night.

On Friday I woke up for lunch and headed out to Mea Shearim with LeeAnn. Mea Shearim (literally, "one hundred gates") is an Ultra-Orthodox neighborhood just past our "shopping district" downtown, and it was about a half hour walk. We dressed modestly, covering our wrists and collar bones. I took a risk and wore billowy pants that kind of look like a skirt, because I figured that if anyone did anything (there are legends of people spitting on women dressed inappropriately) it would at least make a good blog post. It turned out that people were friendly, at least the few women we spoke to, and the store clerks. The men were all running around in black suits and coats and hats. It was a dirty place, and LeeAnn kept saying, "it feels like we are in a different world." There was popcorn at every two stores, and a toy shop was selling a memory card game with rabbis' faces. Every single aspect of life there revolved around religion, and in my opinion, a bastardized interpretation of it. The Haredim reject modernity as corruption, and as a result, their lives are very backward in my eyes. We saw a little boy and a girl playing with each other and LeeAnn said, "oh, they are still at the age when they are allowed to talk to each other." This is outrageous! How can God have intended for boys and girls to not speak to each other? Still, our walk to Mea Shearim was a really great experience. I am amazed that I live so close to a totally different universe than I have ever known.
I took a really excellent pre-Shabbos shower and frummied up (that is, I dressed in more modest clothing than those of you at home have come to know as my style, because I feel comfortable here in longer skirts and high necked shirts). Meir and I walked all the way out to Talpiyot for davening at his friend's house, a Nativ alum who went on the program three years ago and is now attending Hebrew University for the semester. This friend, Josh, was hosting Kabbalat Shabbat services in his living room. We arrived and found a living room full of university age men, and one of them came to greet us. He said they weren't expecting any women, and he looked awkwardly in the direction of an alcove next to the living room. There was a chair in the alcove, and it was safely hidden away from the eyes of the focused davening men on the other side. So I sat by myself during a lovely succession of Mincha, Kab Shab, and Maariv, and I enjoyed myself greatly. I had never been so thankful for a "mechitzah" either, as it shielded me from the socially awkward situation on the other side, gave me some personal time for introspection and prayer, and let everyone in the room feel comfortable in terms of religious observance.

We left pretty much right after services were over and walked a short way (in the really, really brisk weather!) to an apartment where Meir's brother David and David's girlfriend Yael were waiting for us with a delicious Shabbat dinner. It was just the four of us, and the food was great, and we had such a fun time. I didn't want to interview David about his army experiences, but from what he talked about, I learned it is quite amazing how he lives as a soldier in a combat unit. He only gets 30 minutes to make phone calls during the week, on Thursday nights, and he only gets a Shabbat off every two weeks or so. He wasn't even allowed to come to Thanksgiving dinner at Beit Nativ. I can't imagine living that way for three whole years, especially with a girlfriend to miss and a brother here for nine months as well. David and Yael walked us most of the way home, which was really nice of them since it was cold and a long walk, and then we ran into Josh (whose apartment we had visited earlier) and he gave us pumpkin cookies that were so yummy that I am still dreaming about them.

Saturday morning, I walked Aaron and Meir to Yedidya and didn't really feel like praying so I walked by myself to Shira Chadasha where I sat with Sue, Joshy's mommy. We chattered away again, like last week, but this time we got shushed! I didn't want to upset anyone so we stopped talking and just made eye contact every once in a while with the look of admonished children feeling guilty. At kiddush, Josh's family invited me to have lunch with them at their hotel, the David Citadel, and I gratefully accepted, especially once I heard that swimming was part of the deal!

to be continued...after Talmud class : )

Sunday, November 15, 2009
Nativ Firsts

The past week has been chock full of shechechiyanus and beginnings. I am so excited that new things are happening, and I feel like a meerkat looking excitedly from one direction to another because I want to take it all in at once. Allow me to explain the excitement (also, if you haven't picked up on this: capital letters mean I speaking really, really loudly, so just think about that as you read on):   Monday was a regularly lengthy day and I embarrassed myself in Talmud probably more than I ever have in any class by continuously repeating the opposite of the right answer for about five minutes (the opposite of the right answer is worse than a wrong answer), but its conclusion was worth all ten hours I spent at school.... WE WON IN FOOTBALL! It is our first win, out of three games, and we were just ecstatic. Stasia, Adina, and Laura all scored points, and we won by only one point! It was such a celebration! I played center for a few plays and tried my best to contribute, and even though I didn’t contribute all that much, it felt GREAT to be part of a winning team. Especially a win that we really worked hard for and deserved. It made us happy. I racewalked home with Rachel because we were all spun up about the game and we made great time and we swished our tushies in rapid motion because it’s fun.

Tuesday at 5pm we tried out our new Chevruta Talmud study group. For the first few weeks of the semester, Adina and I studied together and we had such beautiful chemistry that people would probably pay money to watch us interact. Probably. Anyway, Rachel and Joshy wanted in on the Talmudic love affair, so we made room and joined forces for one MEGA CHEVRUTA. Seffi sat in on it as well because it occurred in his room, and I asked him to read the first chapter of Beware of God so I could talk to him about it, which we haven’t done yet but hopefully will soon, and you should read it (it’s a collection of short-but actually, short!- stories and you can read the first one here by scrolling down: http://www.amazon.ca/Beware-God-Stories-Shalom-Auslander/dp/product-description/0743264576 which I strongly recommend you do. It’s disturbing, and the rest of the book only gets worse, and I don’t understand a lot of it, but I feel like it’s worth trying to understand even if I don’t get very far). Anyway, our first meeting was a success, and we learned all about prayer and blessings and we covered so many of the topics we went over in class the next day.

Sunday, November 8, 2009
The Whole Time I Was Thinking...What a Great Blog Post This Will Make

The past few days have been really incredible as far as new experiences go in the Holy Land. And it's true, and I talked to Seffi about it so you know it must be, that everywhere I went I was just imagining how exciting this will be for my blog. I know it won't live up to expectations, or the brilliant thoughts I had in my head at the time, but it will have to suffice.
Thursday was our last Freshman Writing class, and it was quite a celebration. It was cold in the classroom when we arrived so I started out the class with jumping jacks and up-downs, so I was wide awake and all riled up by the time class started. Our teacher wanted to meet with us individually, so the rest of the time we all just watched funny videos on the computer or danced around. My teacher liked my paper too, even though I realized that Adam has a much better grip on the Oslo Accords than I do.

Thursday afternoon was not particularly productive, but I won't count time I enjoy wasting as wasted time. I napped, I snuggled, I napped more. Then it was time for girls' football practice! We got official positions (I'm a center!) and we learned a real play! I have truly missed the feeling of playing on a team, and even that feeling before practice of UGH I SO DON'T WANT TO GO, and then loving every minute of practice.
Before Shabbat started, I agreed to go to the shuk with Seffi, Josh, and Debbie, even though I really needed (and..um..still need) to do homework. We saw an art fair on the way to the shuk, so we detoured and found that the art was really incredible and beautiful. Lots of nice jewelry, paintings, purses, everything. Apparently it's going to be there every Friday! I will definitely be going back for gifts.

Before Shabbat started, I agreed to go to the shuk with Seffi, Josh, and Debbie, even though I really needed (and..um..still need) to do homework. We saw an art fair on the way to the shuk, so we detoured and found that the art was really incredible and beautiful. Lots of nice jewelry, paintings, purses, everything. Apparently it's going to be there every Friday! I will definitely be going back for gifts.

After services, we all went to dinner together and then to the tisch. I really love the tisch atmosphere, with the crazy singing and banging on the tables. I've learned a lot of new songs already too, which is great. I sat there and watched some people get up and dance wildly and I wondered why I wasn't one of those people too, but I just felt like staying seated that night I guess. I've completely let go of USY-the tisch isn't a ruach session. Time to move on!

After the tisch, all the girls went down to floor -2.5 for a slumber party! We weren't technically allowed to sleep there, but we had junk food and we played ten fingers and told funny stories. At one point, the boys did a raid and lined up on floor -3 (the room on -2.5 looks out over -3) and they yelled a song at us while saluting. It was adorable, and we all squealed like piglets when they tried to break into our room. The sleepover got a little too loud and honest for me after an hour and a half though, and I removed myself from the situation for a game of dice and chilling out before bed.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Days of Disillusionment

The past several days have been revolutionary for me in terms of how I view Israel, Judaism, and relationships. It has been a very positive thing, because I want to see the world more clearly, but it has also been very hard to come out of my cave, as Plato might say (Mrs. Hall, wherever you are...I paid attention!). So now I am here, blinded by the light of truth, and only slowly beginning to feel the warmth of the sun. And this is where the philosophical metaphor ends. Behold the story:

We got home late for dinner and all was well in the world. I sat between Liza and Stephanie, I think, which was a great change of pace. Even though I love my best friends here more than anything in the whole world, we are all beginning to need our space and separation, from time to time. I can't even imagine the horror of the end of Nativ when we spread out by hundreds and hundreds of miles, but more than a few feet between our beds would be nice sometimes.

The tisch was low key on Friday night, and my no-banging-on-the-table campaign went over really well. We sat in a circle, as opposed to around a table, and sang songs. It was beautiful as usual, only in a quieter, less intense kind of way.

Tuesday morning was Art History and Hebrew again, and a dramatic city bus adventure. I don't know if the other people trying to get on the bus find it as amusing as I do, but it is always so crowded, and everyone budges, so there is nothing left to do. When in Rome...
Tuesday night was a particularly interesting Erev Nativ. We were supposed to do a night walking tour of Jlem but it was so rainy that not even our staff could bear it. Instead, we watched Someone to Run With, an Israeli film with English subtitles. The movie dealt with homelessness, drug rings, violence, family, addiction, and all sorts of other terrible things--and it was all filmed within ten minutes of Beit Nativ, where we hang out every day! It really deeply affected a lot of us, and I especially will not forget this movie for a long time. My romanticized view of Jerusalem is fading by the day. I don't like this city any less, though, in fact I might enjoy the reality more than the touristy perspective. We'll see.

Today I had davening, three hours of Hebrew, an hour and a half of Talmud (do we have free will? can a person be ethical without free will? how far does our freedom of choice go?), and then Israeli Society and Politics until 6 pm. Society and Politics is further peeling back the layers of illusions I have about Israel, particularly on the subject of human rights. Israel has no constitution (only a set of Basic Laws), and subsequently no declaration of human rights. Israel built a security fence that separates Palestinian farmers from their fields (to get to the fields, they have to pass through an army operated check point), and political correctness doesn't even exist here.

I got home tonight in time for a little pb+j and leftover birthday cake scavenging with Lainie and Sarah. Then it was off to Jewish Educator Training where I learned how to plan an interactive lesson for all age ranges. It was a really good class tonight!

Friday, October 30, 2009
I am becoming a m'lafafon, and other news

I am actually turning into a cucumber. I eat m'lafafonim with every. single. meal. And, my nose is conveniently located at the exact height of the armpits of people holding onto the ceiling bars on the city buses.

In other news, life is great!! I have a lot of school work and class time these days, so I've been doing less blogging and more homework. Monday I had a big day of davening, school from 8-6, and the girls' football game! We have a big team and I am not one of the starring players so I didn't play for long, but it was really fun to cheer and run around and I love the team!

On Tuesday, I did homework during the day and then we had an evening program. Rabbi Artsin came to speak with us about God and it BLEW MY MIND! He has a really interesting view of God, and I felt like that's what I've thought all along I just haven't been able to verbalize. Basically, this is the premise: he rejects the Greek notion that God is all powerful (it's a moot point anyway, because can God create something he can't lift? WOW!), all knowing (it would mean that we wouldn't actually have free will), and outside of time and space. He argues that God is a local force, within us, around us, etc. He did a lot of comparing his relationship with God to his relationship with his wife and daughter, about love and creating meaning. He talked about the commandments, and how mitzvah means "connection" in Aramaic, which suits his argument well. It's great to think about the commandment to pray and keep kosher as a means to connection with God. I was just sooooo happy about this talk-I really want to read a book by him!

Wednesday was another long, long day of school. Everything was really interesting though, although once the sun goes down in Israeli Politics and Society, I am a goner. After school, I ditched my scheduled activities and went out to dinner with nine of my girlfriends and Ariella's mom. It was a beautiful evening, and the restaurant was so cute and cozy. It was covered from top to bottom with books and everything was delicious. When I got home, I finished my freshman writing homework (in case you don't check facebook, my freshman writing teacher-a stickler on spelling and homonyms-sent me an email saying I have a week argument in my outline) begrudgingly and went to bed.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Nativers Without Borders

I survived!!! Not only did I survive, I flourished like desert flora after the rain! There was no rain though, and there were no toilets, no tents, no showers. Only happiness. And sweat.

The drive from Beer Sheva to our drop-off point in Mitzpe Ramon (a large crater as a result of an ancient sea, the remnants of which are now known as the Mediterranean) was very bumpy and nauseating. We were not happy. Our emotions were reversed, however, when we got a good view of the surreal environment we had entered. The crater is breathtaking, vast, and completely, completely void of civilization. We put our overnight bags on jeeps that met us at the campsite at night.

Our tour guide Michal led us on a hike up and down a mountain for about 6 kilometers. It was great bonding time, because we had nothing to do but talk to each other, and sometimes we had to rock climb and we all gave a hand to the people behind us. The boys were especially chivalrous at times, and it was really sweet.

The fun really started once the sun started to set a bit, and we were in a wadi so there was shade. The shade was just delicious and I could have walked there for hours and hours. We got to our campsite about 45 minutes before sunset and the people from the jeeps were already cooking up something fabulous for dinner. We were shown our communal toilet, half a football field of large boulders and sand, and then we used our communal toilet.

It started to get colder as the sun went down, which was a welcome change. We ate and ate and ate for dinner, because the food was so good! I ended up pitching a tent with Debbie, Laura, and David's help, but we had to take it down because we didn't have stakes and it was windy. We weren't planning on sleeping in it, but it would have been nice to put our stuff in. It was a good experience though, because as you may know, I had never before pitched a tent. And these are things a girl must learn.

After a rewarding dinner, we had a campfire complete with Josh on guitar, Jewish cookies (the kind of cookies that aren't actually good but they are the only cookies available at such events as kiddushes or unexpected times so they are actually perceived to be delicious), best friends, good songs, and marshmallows! I deduced that this would be an ideal time for privacy in the communal toilet, because the whole group was mesmerized by a flame and a sing-along, so I set off to find a Jordana-appropriate location. I found a nice place and I was very nervous at first because I still felt rather exposed, but then I just imagined that I was a kitten in a litter box and I was much better.

We didn't go to bed late because we had been up since 5:30 and once the sun sets it feels later than it is. The moon was especially bright because we are right in the middle of the Jewish month, so it was nice when we were walking around but not as nice when we were going to bed and we could not turn off the moon. I didn't have a hard time sleeping on my mat in my bag, but some people didn't sleep very well. I was lucky.

We woke up with the sun and it was cold. We davened Shacharit, Hallel, and Musaf and it was still cold, only by this time, the flies--the BRUTAL, TORTUROUS FLIES--had realized we were there and were on the offensive. After services we had the greatest breakfast of all time; the cereal was made of cookies!

We started hiking early in the morning but it had already turned blistering hot (as I am writing this, I am thinking of Seffi's comment to me yesterday that I always speak in hyperbole-but really, it was blistering hot! and it was the greatest breakfast of all time! and they were really brutal flies!). We each carried about 3 liters of water, a communal food item for lunch, and a mid morning snack of cucumbers, white bread, peanut butter, and chocolate spread.

We hiked up a mountain for a long time and sometimes it was a little uncomfortable because of the heat or the terrain, but the feeling at the top was unbelievable. There was a wide range of ground cover, from sand to gravel to rocks to big flat boulders, and all different combinations of those four things. It made things difficult for the ankles. At every point that we stopped, people found flat rocks and went to sleep (this even happened to me, which I was not expecting!).The hiking went on like this for several hours. To pass the time, we sang and got to know each other and got to know ourselves. I hiked next to Elkana for a bit and he told me about dinosaurs in Israel and about extraterritoriality and about history and I felt a good deal more knowledgeable about everything after our chat.

At some point in the pre-noon hours (the desert and the hiking really took away all of my ability to estimate elapsed time) we met up with the Kibbutz group. They were glad to see us and likewise but we were all really disgusting by that point. This made me realize how very comfortable I had become with my group of 40, the Kehila group, which brings me to the title of this post, Nativers without borders. Literally, no boundaries. We peed together, hiked together, ate together, slept together, washed dishes together, talked about our aches and pains together (regardless of the location and nature of these aches and pains), and spent every waking moment of the day together.

People had talked about Survival as a great bonding experience, and I did not doubt it. Any challenge is bound to bring a group of people together. But the amount that my trust and adoration grew for the people-all of them-with whom I survived was so much more than I ever expected.

I have to sum up the rest of the hike because this post is getting long and the hour is getting late. After resting and seeing Kibbutz, we went on our way and hiked a full 13 kilometers up and down a mountain. We stayed at a very open area for our campsite but it was very nice and it was warm the second night, humid in fact. We woke up at 4:30 and we were on the road by seven at the latest, after davening and breakfast and clearing up the campsite and peeing in the sand several more times. The hike today was really great because there were clouds, so we were in the shade a lot more than we would have been. We also did a trust walk at the top of Har Yahav, during which we held onto the backpack in front of us, closed our eyes, walked in the direction we were pulled, and hoped we weren't led off the cliff. Don't worry, everyone survived.

At the end of a long day, we were taken out of the hiking area by real live jeeps! They were so cool and our driver was super nice and informative, although I was only partly informed because I couldn't understand his accent. We also saw a camel carcass on the ground! And I forgot to say before we saw a real yellow scorpion, many fighter planes because the army likes to practice in the Negev, and a twister!!! We then enjoyed a great lunch of cold cuts, and depending on how well you know me, you'll be excited to learn that I put mysterious tomato paste and pickles on the sandwich, right next to the bread and the meat! Wow! Then we changed into flip flops, thanked God for flip flops, got on a bus, and drove home.

The shower was excellent, let me tell you. Especially since I have three roommates and I was the only person who could even bear to wait past dinner for my shower. Then I sent out my laundry and I can't wait to get everything back so clean tomorrow night! Good night!
In the afternoon, we built sukkot! I was super helpful in construction because I was not in the mood to create decorations. Aaron actually wondered what a woman would be doing constructing as opposed to decorating but that moment of wonderment did not go over well and he was severely punished. Not actually though. But really, Aaron and I got over it and decided to scale the wall of the building where we live, which, upon further inspection, turned out to be the wall/barred window of the synagogue here. We climbed up surprisingly and dangerously high, and then we walked along a banister without much to hold on to. It was really thrilling though, and totally enhanced my sukkah building experience, as did Josh's speakers and the extra poles lying around which made good dancing partners.

I have my final for MiniMester Ulpan class tomorrow, so I really must get to sleep. Wish me luck!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

The Health Triangle

The wise Alanis Morissette once said, "I've never felt this healthy before, I've never wanted something rational. I am aware now" and this precisely describes my current state of existence! In fourth grade health, we learned about the equilateral triangle of health, completely dependent on the lengths and strengths of each side-emotional, physical, mental. This day has been all about health

We started off as usual working on our spiritual health with early morning services led by Rebecca. I just love how she davens and her voice is very beautiful but it doesn't command the service, it just guides it. There is a little competition and tension in the air over which siddur is the best siddur to use for your tfillah experience here, and it is making me uncomfortable because I just want to stick with "plain old Sim Shalom" but I really like it! Here is my favorite passage: May it be your will, Lord my God and God of my ancestors, that Your compassion overwhelm Your demand for strict justice; turn to us with Your lovingkindness. Have compassion for me and for my entire family; shield us from all cruelty. Put false ways far from me, turn me away from visions that lead to futility. Lead me on a proper path, open my eyes to the wonders which come from Your Torah. May I not be dependent on the gifts of others; forsake me not as I grow older. Bless me with a wisdom that will be reflected in all that I do. May kindness, compassion, and love be my lot, from You and from all who know me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to You, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Then came my mental health exercise! Four hours of Ulpan-four glorious hours of understanding and speaking and learning Hebrew. It is starting to feel so natural! And class went by quickly today. The only difficulty for me is all the different learning styles in the one class. The material is challenging because it compounds, and a lot of people are used to reviewing yesterday's material from high school. It is a good experience for me though, to learn from other people and also to work on my patience.

I then worked a lot on my physical health because I had a great dairy lunch again at Frank Sinatra made of everything green and delicious (plus a croissant) and then when we got back to Beit Nativ, I went on a run again! I am really perfecting the art of this running business-the timing has to be just right. The sun needs to be in the specific position that occurs around 5:30 pm, so that it is light and bright and yet the buildings create shadows so the whole street is in shadow. I ran further today than I have for the other two days, and it felt great. I was really red afterward, but it was totally worth it. Then I showered and read Jane Eyre in the courtyard.

After dinner I had my interview for the Magen David Adom (ambulance) and although I couldn't speak in Hebrew (I know words like shower, study, kitchen, and other things that have no use in an interview for an ambulance training program) she said I was a very special person at the end and that she was glad to have met me! I told her I wanted to participate in the program because in the immediate future, I see that I won't be joining the army or making alliyah, but I still want to directly impact and help Israel, and a first response/life saving occupation volunteer work opportunity is the perfect venue for my make-a-difference-in-Israel goal to take place.

After all of this, I went to Cup O' Joe with Adina and Debbie and we had such a classy coffee shop night. The topics covered in conversation weren't totally classy, but it definitely looked classy to people looking at us from the windows. There were hurricane force winds on the walk home, but it was worth it. This part of my day falls into emotional health, because I really just have the healthiest relationships with people here. Truly amazing friendships that make me a better person, just for knowing someone. Everyone wants the best for everyone else and we are a great support system for each other. It feels SO GOOD!

The last thing to mention is our evening program with the girls. We had a great discussion about decision making, self respect, friendship, consideration, trust, and healthy relationships. Our staff, Cori and Shosh, led the talk and we covered allllll angles of 18 year old girl life. I feel a lot closer to the girls now and it was a great little pep talk just to remind us to be our own best friends.

This is my resolution for the new year: to be my own best friend, and to be the best friend I can be to others.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Just another day in paradise

Waking up this morning was rough because of my late night energy yesterday, but I made it on time to services, unlike everyone else. Then we had breakfast and got on the bus and went to school! School was really great again today and Ulpan is sooo miraculous. I am learning so much so quickly and retaining it. We had another new teacher today named Shira, so that brings up the count to three-Shira, Shifi, and Shirli. They are all beautiful Israeli women and they are all so patient with us!

The day got better when I had lunch at Frank Sinatra and didn't have to go to Jlem class AGAIN afterward! We walked back to the bus through the botanical gardens on campus (each section of the garden has flora from each region of Israel) and it was very scenic and agreeable. The bus ride back home was really fun because I was in a very bizarre mood and I was saying really weird things but my friends are really nice to me and I definitely feel like they were laughing with me instead of at me, though you can't be sure.

After school we had a lot of time on our hands so I brainstormed ways to make a fireman's pole from my third floor window using banisters but that didn't work so I turned my attention to creating a pulley system to transport goods from the ground to the top floor but that also required more work than I was willing to invest at the time so when my friend suggested a walk I took the opportunity to wander more around Jerusalem. I went to a Jewish bookstore with Meir because he needed Machzorim for the High Holidays. It was a trove of Jewish knowledge and I was overwhelmed with happiness in this two floor bookstore (with rare and out of print editions on the second story!!).

Soon after, I prepared for my second run! This time, Shara and Ilana joined me and we were quite the trio in our white Hanes V-necks and Nikes. The run was very nice and we felt so accomplished afterward! It is a great way to experience the city as well-no camera, no touring, no stopping, no shopping. After the run, I showered and went down to dinner, which was worse than usual but the company made up for it. We had a program following dinner that focused on a certificate in Israel given to restaurants who treat their workers fairly and abide by all the labor laws. It was interesting and I fully plan to support these restaurants because I can't keep eating here!

Then Ally and I helped Seffi and Josh clean and organize their Pirates' Cove Dorm Room and we were named honorary roommateys!!! The clean up was quite the affair and I was really glad that Ally was there because there were some crazy boy-mess moments that I couldn't handle on my own.

While I was cleaning, Adina found me and I realized that we had scheduled a lil date for the evening so I took a break from cleaning and went on a really nice walk with her. We walked down to the new Mamilla Mall, a really new and beautiful and fancy schmancy place with all kinds of expensive American and European stores and cute outdoor cafes. The mall is right on the edge of the Old City, so it is a really striking contrast in cultures, between the in-your-face Westernization and the ancient religious sites. Adina and I had a satisfying heart-to-heart on this walk and it was a really successful bff date fo sho.

The most exciting part of this whole great day came when I entered my building and found Marc in his room on the first floor admiring his new sandwich maker. I had bread and bowls, he had cheese and utensils, and we combined forces to make the most scrumptious grilled cheese sandwiches that have ever touched my lips. You have no idea how amazing grilled cheese tastes after two entire weeks of grilled cheese withdrawal. Incredible. Just incredible.
Posted by Jordana Gilman at 1:16 PM 0 comments 
Labels: Grilled Cheese, Hebrew U
Monday, September 14, 2009
Jordana Tries New Things

Today was a shehechianu kind of day. Ulpan was pretty standard, but things are really starting to click!! It is so exciting to be able to read entire pages of our textbook in Hebrew without vowels! I always feel accomplished after class in a big way. Then I got a dairy meal at the Frank Sinatra Cafe on campus and that was new because usually I get a really heavy meat meal and the dairy was super delish...or taim m'od, I think. And then the best part of the day is that we didn't have Jerusalem History, which is always informative but not my favorite and it also just makes the day very long.

When I got back from Hebrew U, the fun really started. I did LAUNDRY!!!!! 'Stasia and I combined forces/loads and played some Kanye and made the cleaning happen like no other. THEN WAS THE MOST AMAZINGLY RESOURCEFUL MOMENT OF MY LIFE SO FAR. I was like, wow, all them Israelis have these handy dandy clotheslines. I want me a clothesline. Sooooo I went up to my roof balcony with Stasia and got some duct tape (not exactly sure if this is allowed here and the management probably doesn't know so I hope I don't get in trouble for this, but it is definitely temporary don't worry, management!) and taped it around one side of the balcony and made two right triangles and folded the duct tape in half and created a clothesline!! Then I hung my clothes on it and now they are all dry! The even BETTER part of this story is when I went to creepy storage place and found a tent frame that no one was using so I removed the metal rods to expose an elastic cord that was holding the frame together and threaded my undies on the cord and tied one end to one bunk bed and the other end to the bunk bed across the room. Then I needed the sun and its fabulous antibacterial properties so I relocated my undies line to the roof and it all worked so well! Everyone was appropriately amazed and marveled a good amount. I enjoyed that.

THENNNN I WENT FOR A RUN! I was so proud of myself and all the girls were like, oh wow, I'm jealous, you really have your act together. So I went on this great run through the park and up Ben Yehuda and all round mah hood and I just loved being outside by myself (I checked with the staff first and got a thumbs up for daytime solo runs) and experiencing the city that way. I loved dodging through people on the streets because I felt like a dog in an agility course because those always looked like fun to me. It was all really successful except for one creepy old Chasid who was staring at my spandexed body disapprovingly but that only made me run faster and no trauma ensued! Jubilation!

After my run, I went to dinner in my work out clothes so everyone could see how motivated I am and they were all impressed. Dinner really sucked, I'm not gonna lie, but I did eat healthy foods, just not a wide range of food groups. I supplemented with Cocoa Puffs in my room.

Then I cleansed in the ritual bath I like to call my shower and it was delicious (even though we have to choose hot and no pressure or cold with pressure-oh well, you can't have everything) and I was so scrubbed and dried and great!

Then Shara and I went to Emek Refaim (the entire rest of our program was there too, but Shara and I just walked together) for a STREET FESTIVAL!! Honestly, there were two concerts per block. The street was blocked off (security at the entrance but of course) and there were so many people and kiosks and street performers dressed up in really bizarre outfits and lots of food smells and it was just the best experience. I love seeing people out and about and doing weird things like dressing up like the tin man in silver air conditioning tubes and wearing stilts. Or like a mermaid but a drag queen or I'm not really sure what that was all about but it was interesting. The festival was all I had hoped for and more and now I am just so ready for bed (although I'm really bouncing off the walls...I must be overtired?) and I am going to bed with such an excited feeling in my bones and I can't wait for another shehechianu day tomorrow!!!!

Monday, September 7, 2009

Tuesday, September 8, 2009