Shalom All,
I don't actually have anything interested to report at all. I was sick all of last week (which really sucked). Work has slowed down significantly (which also kind of sucks). The weather is getting shitty - wet, windy, and *really* cold (which as you can guess --- ALSO really sucks). So the fact of the matter is that the first two months of being in Israel, what I officially am calling the honeymoon period, are quickly coming to a close. The problem of moving to a foreign country for a while - is that you have to start from scratch. Now that my life has slowed down and i'm not running around Israel like a chicken with its head cut off - I am beginning to feel the impact of not having *any* familiar comforts. No friends, to immediate family, no language, no sense of community, and everything is foreign. It's really hard. I'm starting to miss home alot which makes it hard to stay positive. I'm not miserable, crying every night or anything like that - but I do feel sorry for myself (since nobody else is around to do it for me). The truth is, that I really shouldn't be complaining. I do have some family in Ashdod, I am lucky enough to have Netanel's parents (who brought me food when I was sick), I have my own apartment, and there is always the IGF staff in case things get really bad. And yet, I still feel lonely. It's a shame that the social norms of kindergarten stop applying once you get older. I would love, more than anything, to be able to come up to a decent looking person in the street, and ask if they would want to be my friend. How much more honest and simple can you get?! Unfortunately, that's not how 23 year olds are expected to make friends. Ugh! All this stuff is to be expected, and I'm sure that sooner or later it will pass, but right now it just kind of sucks.
That is why everyone who is reading this blog right now - should totally come visit me in Israel! Yes - I think that is a brilliant solution. I can't exactly show you around since I don't know the city myself, and I don't really have any food in the house -- BUT -- you should totally come anyways!!! haha. That's my brilliant proposition. So, just send me the dates of your arrivals and we'll figure things out from there! haha.
Anymoo - that's the latest and (not so)greatest news from me. I know it's kind of a bummer. Hopefully thing will start turning up sooner rather than later.
Love and miss everyone!
<3
Friday, November 20, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Second Tiyul: Settlements and Dead Sea Region
Last week we had our second Tiyul. This trip basically consisted of two sections: the first was on settlements and the second was more about green/resources/geology in the dead sea region. Though there is much to be said about the second aspect, and it is important, i'm not really into that stuff so I'll be rather brief on that front. What was of more interest to me were the few settlements which we visited and trying to understand that whole situation.
The day started with a presentation from Hagit Ofran who is a (high ranking) representative of a group called Peace Now (shalom akhshav). Here is the English website: http://www.peacenow.org.il/Site/en/homepage.asp
and here is the wikipedia page about the group: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Now
Basically, PeaceNow advocates complete dismantaling of all Israeli settlements and moving all of these people into 'israel proper'. Often known as land for peace. I'm not going to comment too much on what I think of this organization (as this isn't meant to be a political blog), though I am sure that many of you can already guess my reaction (especially given the outcome of the Gaza dissengagement).
Directly after her lecture, we proceeded to visit two settlements. The first is called Gush Etzion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gush_Etzion) which has a very interesting and rather tragic past. Currently, it is a beautiful, big and modern collection of communities. We didn't interact with anyone from the community here, but we did watch a short film about Gush Etzion's history and got to see the bunker in which many people were murdered during 1947.
The next settlement we went to is called Tekoa.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tekoa,_Gush_Etzion). Unfortunately the wiki page won't tell you much, but i found this settlement to be particularly interesting. A man, by the name of Bobby Brown, came to speak to us about Tekoa. He made Aliya from the states and has lived in Tekoa for 30+ years. What he said was, that Tekoa has a rather dynamic and open relationship with its arab neighbors. often, the jewish settlers employ the local arabs, they invite one another to social functions, share resources and find common ground despite cultural differences. Granted, these relations used to be better in the past but you can still see it now. While being absolutely committed to the territory and finding disengagement to be out of question - Mr. Brown believes that peaceful coexistence can be reached by taking steps towards better basic aspects of life. For example, if the Arabs need water and the Jews need soil - you start there and steadily improve on the elementary needs of life. He said that the way he figures it, the more you work together and help each other out, the more trust is established. and the more trust that is established between your neighbor, the harder it is to pick up a rock or a gun against that neighbor. Though I didn't ask him this, it does sound somewhat akin to Netenyahu's 'economic peace' idea. Perhaps in more simpler, 'grass roots' terms?
At the end of the day we had a discussion about the PeaceNow presentation and meeting Bobby Brown from the Tekoa settlement. There was one thing which was pointed out that I find especially interesting. Usually, when we think of left-wing groups, we get the idea of people who are trying to create dialogue between Jews and Arabs, bring them together, all that good stuff. And when we think of settlers, most imagine extremely right wing, religious finatics that want to be segregated from arabs. Well, last weeks encounter proved the exact opposite. It was the left-wing group which is basically calling for a complete seperation between Jews and arabs behind a border, and the settler who is calling on cooperation and coexistence between Jews and Arabs. just something to think about...
That was really it for the settlements. After that it was more ecological stuff. We went to the dead-sea factories, had a speaker give a presentation about how the dead sea is drying up and all of the ecological consequences going on because of it. I wasn't really into this stuff, but there is one thing that we did which I really appreciated. Josh (our tour guide so to speak) offered an option to go on a hike at 6am to anyone interested. Not everybody was, but I decided to go for it. After all, I haven't gone running since the race (I'll give you the list of excuses later) and I don't have a problem waking up early. This was a 3 hour hike and we made it to the top of the crazy mountain overlooking the dead sea and surrounding areas. It was a pretty hardcore hike, but well worth it. The best part was when we took 4 minutes to sit in silence and enjoy the incredible view around us. It's so nice when everyone just stops their useless jabbering for a bit. That was really great.
Once we returned from the hike, we had to quickly scarf down our breakfast and head for the bus. We had two more stops for the day - the Ein Geddi water falls and the Dead Sea. I was at both of these places last year, so it wasn't new, but it was definitely nice to take a dip in the cool waterfalls (since we didn't have time to shower after the hike). I passed on floating in the dead sea because I was too tired from the hike to deal with the saltyness and all that. This turned out to be a pretty good decision since it was very windy and there was a strong current and "waves" in the dead sea. Why is this so bad, might you ask? Because when the water is SO incredibly salty, and the wind is spraying it in your face, and you can't exactly swim back to shore normally since you're just floating the whole time - it can make for a rather uncomfortable experience. ;-)
Though that was technically the end of the Tiyul, I got lucky and got kind of an 'extended version'. Josh (our tour guide) invited me to spend Shabbat with him and his family in a different settlement called Maaleh Adumim. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maaleh_Adumim). It's hard to call this a settlement as it is a collection of communities which is home to about 40,000 people. The proper term for Maaleh Adumim is a city - which it really is. It's beautiful, well kept and has an incredible view of Jerusalem on the one side and the desert on the other. The weekend was great. Josh and his wife, Chana, have 5 kids (the youngest being 7 months old) and it was a blast. Even though they are kind of hyper and pick on each other, they are really sweet kids and all of them are very smart. It was amazing to see how Josh and Chana dealt with every crying/screaming/door slamming situation so fairly and calmly. Really really great parents, that's for sure.
That's the most of it. Unfortunately I don't have any other adventures to write of because I cought the flu and have been in bed the past week. Sucks pretty bad, but it happens. At least it's not the swine flu! (How ironic would it be to catch the most unkosher flu in the most kosher country?! ha!) I'm hanging in there though :)
Hope everyone is doing well!
<3 <3 <3
The day started with a presentation from Hagit Ofran who is a (high ranking) representative of a group called Peace Now (shalom akhshav). Here is the English website: http://www.peacenow.org.il/Site/en/homepage.asp
and here is the wikipedia page about the group: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Now
Basically, PeaceNow advocates complete dismantaling of all Israeli settlements and moving all of these people into 'israel proper'. Often known as land for peace. I'm not going to comment too much on what I think of this organization (as this isn't meant to be a political blog), though I am sure that many of you can already guess my reaction (especially given the outcome of the Gaza dissengagement).
Directly after her lecture, we proceeded to visit two settlements. The first is called Gush Etzion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gush_Etzion) which has a very interesting and rather tragic past. Currently, it is a beautiful, big and modern collection of communities. We didn't interact with anyone from the community here, but we did watch a short film about Gush Etzion's history and got to see the bunker in which many people were murdered during 1947.
The next settlement we went to is called Tekoa.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tekoa,_Gush_Etzion). Unfortunately the wiki page won't tell you much, but i found this settlement to be particularly interesting. A man, by the name of Bobby Brown, came to speak to us about Tekoa. He made Aliya from the states and has lived in Tekoa for 30+ years. What he said was, that Tekoa has a rather dynamic and open relationship with its arab neighbors. often, the jewish settlers employ the local arabs, they invite one another to social functions, share resources and find common ground despite cultural differences. Granted, these relations used to be better in the past but you can still see it now. While being absolutely committed to the territory and finding disengagement to be out of question - Mr. Brown believes that peaceful coexistence can be reached by taking steps towards better basic aspects of life. For example, if the Arabs need water and the Jews need soil - you start there and steadily improve on the elementary needs of life. He said that the way he figures it, the more you work together and help each other out, the more trust is established. and the more trust that is established between your neighbor, the harder it is to pick up a rock or a gun against that neighbor. Though I didn't ask him this, it does sound somewhat akin to Netenyahu's 'economic peace' idea. Perhaps in more simpler, 'grass roots' terms?
At the end of the day we had a discussion about the PeaceNow presentation and meeting Bobby Brown from the Tekoa settlement. There was one thing which was pointed out that I find especially interesting. Usually, when we think of left-wing groups, we get the idea of people who are trying to create dialogue between Jews and Arabs, bring them together, all that good stuff. And when we think of settlers, most imagine extremely right wing, religious finatics that want to be segregated from arabs. Well, last weeks encounter proved the exact opposite. It was the left-wing group which is basically calling for a complete seperation between Jews and arabs behind a border, and the settler who is calling on cooperation and coexistence between Jews and Arabs. just something to think about...
That was really it for the settlements. After that it was more ecological stuff. We went to the dead-sea factories, had a speaker give a presentation about how the dead sea is drying up and all of the ecological consequences going on because of it. I wasn't really into this stuff, but there is one thing that we did which I really appreciated. Josh (our tour guide so to speak) offered an option to go on a hike at 6am to anyone interested. Not everybody was, but I decided to go for it. After all, I haven't gone running since the race (I'll give you the list of excuses later) and I don't have a problem waking up early. This was a 3 hour hike and we made it to the top of the crazy mountain overlooking the dead sea and surrounding areas. It was a pretty hardcore hike, but well worth it. The best part was when we took 4 minutes to sit in silence and enjoy the incredible view around us. It's so nice when everyone just stops their useless jabbering for a bit. That was really great.
Once we returned from the hike, we had to quickly scarf down our breakfast and head for the bus. We had two more stops for the day - the Ein Geddi water falls and the Dead Sea. I was at both of these places last year, so it wasn't new, but it was definitely nice to take a dip in the cool waterfalls (since we didn't have time to shower after the hike). I passed on floating in the dead sea because I was too tired from the hike to deal with the saltyness and all that. This turned out to be a pretty good decision since it was very windy and there was a strong current and "waves" in the dead sea. Why is this so bad, might you ask? Because when the water is SO incredibly salty, and the wind is spraying it in your face, and you can't exactly swim back to shore normally since you're just floating the whole time - it can make for a rather uncomfortable experience. ;-)
Though that was technically the end of the Tiyul, I got lucky and got kind of an 'extended version'. Josh (our tour guide) invited me to spend Shabbat with him and his family in a different settlement called Maaleh Adumim. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maaleh_Adumim). It's hard to call this a settlement as it is a collection of communities which is home to about 40,000 people. The proper term for Maaleh Adumim is a city - which it really is. It's beautiful, well kept and has an incredible view of Jerusalem on the one side and the desert on the other. The weekend was great. Josh and his wife, Chana, have 5 kids (the youngest being 7 months old) and it was a blast. Even though they are kind of hyper and pick on each other, they are really sweet kids and all of them are very smart. It was amazing to see how Josh and Chana dealt with every crying/screaming/door slamming situation so fairly and calmly. Really really great parents, that's for sure.
That's the most of it. Unfortunately I don't have any other adventures to write of because I cought the flu and have been in bed the past week. Sucks pretty bad, but it happens. At least it's not the swine flu! (How ironic would it be to catch the most unkosher flu in the most kosher country?! ha!) I'm hanging in there though :)
Hope everyone is doing well!
<3 <3 <3
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
My First 'WTF?!' Momment in Israel
That's right ladies and gentlemen --- I *officially* had my first 'WTF!?' momment yesterday night! A 'WTF' momment is when you wake up one day, not knowing where you are, how you got here, or why you are here in the first place. I knew I was going to have one of these sooner or late, and yesterday was it.
It was around 5:30pm and I was at the bus stop waiting for the number 13 bus. It is pitch black outside, raining, cold and miserable. I was on my way to the Begin Center because we started up with the Ulpan classes again. As I'm standing, the 'wtf' slowly starts creeping up on me. I realized that I couldn't sit and wait for the bus, because the bench is completely soaked. I also realized that I was literally *waiting for a bus* in the freezing rain, hoping that it would actually come on time so that I don't get entirely drenched. Luckily enough, the bus came quickly and I scrambled on and grabbed a seat facing the front. I like to sit in a seat which faces the front because that way I can see the road and can recognize the stop I need to get off at. However, this did me no good seeing as how the windows were so fogged up, i could have just as well been standing on my head blind-folded. By this time, I am also beginning to sweat because its so stuffy in the bus. I try taking my scarf off...but it's still cold. I finally get off the bus and have to walk a good 7 minutes to the Begin Center. And THAT'S when the WTF really hits me!
Where the hell was I?! Jerusalem?!? What the hell is wrong with me? Have I nothing better to do than freez my ass of in a crazy country full of crazy jews?!? Where the hell is my car with the amazing heated seats? How do people live like this?! Who the hell wants to be a zionist in this kind of weather anyways?!?!?!? WHAT THE FUCK?!?! hahahaha.
Yup! That's literally what was going through my head. I really just started laughing in the middle of the street because the whole thing was just so ridiculous. Don't misunderstand me - it wasn't a bad feeling. It's just an amazing reality check that kind of sneaks up on you. This was one of the first times I ever understood *just how truly* spoiled I was back home. I don't have heavy rain-boots becase I've NEVER had to walk extensively in the rain as a motive of transportation! My ability to get from one place to another never required me to consider the amount of time I would have to wait outside in the rain. If I ever decided not to go somewhere back home, it was because I was lazy - NOT because it would was a *serious* endeavor! Amazing right?!?!
Needless to say, I was humbled and totally stunned by all of this. Looks like I'm going to have to toughen up if I want to survive in the Holy City. I think this is definitely one of the reasons why people are so encouraged to live abroad. Because it really is a challenge. Everything: getting cash out of the ATM, using Microsoft Word, figuring out what is body wash and what is shampoo, checking your bills - these are all activities which I have *literally* had to re-learn (or am in the process of figuring out). It's a crazy learning process which is occasionally supplemented by 'WTF' momments ;-D
It's all good stuff though and I'm sure I will get used to things soon enough. (I guess I don't really have a choice right) ;) We'll see how many more momments like this I will have. Life here is a genuine adventures and I wouldn't have it any other way.
<3
It was around 5:30pm and I was at the bus stop waiting for the number 13 bus. It is pitch black outside, raining, cold and miserable. I was on my way to the Begin Center because we started up with the Ulpan classes again. As I'm standing, the 'wtf' slowly starts creeping up on me. I realized that I couldn't sit and wait for the bus, because the bench is completely soaked. I also realized that I was literally *waiting for a bus* in the freezing rain, hoping that it would actually come on time so that I don't get entirely drenched. Luckily enough, the bus came quickly and I scrambled on and grabbed a seat facing the front. I like to sit in a seat which faces the front because that way I can see the road and can recognize the stop I need to get off at. However, this did me no good seeing as how the windows were so fogged up, i could have just as well been standing on my head blind-folded. By this time, I am also beginning to sweat because its so stuffy in the bus. I try taking my scarf off...but it's still cold. I finally get off the bus and have to walk a good 7 minutes to the Begin Center. And THAT'S when the WTF really hits me!
Where the hell was I?! Jerusalem?!? What the hell is wrong with me? Have I nothing better to do than freez my ass of in a crazy country full of crazy jews?!? Where the hell is my car with the amazing heated seats? How do people live like this?! Who the hell wants to be a zionist in this kind of weather anyways?!?!?!? WHAT THE FUCK?!?! hahahaha.
Yup! That's literally what was going through my head. I really just started laughing in the middle of the street because the whole thing was just so ridiculous. Don't misunderstand me - it wasn't a bad feeling. It's just an amazing reality check that kind of sneaks up on you. This was one of the first times I ever understood *just how truly* spoiled I was back home. I don't have heavy rain-boots becase I've NEVER had to walk extensively in the rain as a motive of transportation! My ability to get from one place to another never required me to consider the amount of time I would have to wait outside in the rain. If I ever decided not to go somewhere back home, it was because I was lazy - NOT because it would was a *serious* endeavor! Amazing right?!?!
Needless to say, I was humbled and totally stunned by all of this. Looks like I'm going to have to toughen up if I want to survive in the Holy City. I think this is definitely one of the reasons why people are so encouraged to live abroad. Because it really is a challenge. Everything: getting cash out of the ATM, using Microsoft Word, figuring out what is body wash and what is shampoo, checking your bills - these are all activities which I have *literally* had to re-learn (or am in the process of figuring out). It's a crazy learning process which is occasionally supplemented by 'WTF' momments ;-D
It's all good stuff though and I'm sure I will get used to things soon enough. (I guess I don't really have a choice right) ;) We'll see how many more momments like this I will have. Life here is a genuine adventures and I wouldn't have it any other way.
<3
Saturday, October 31, 2009
The Temple Mount
On Thursday we had a "1st and 2nd Temple time period" tour of Jerusalem. We started at the City of David and eventually made our way to the Temple Mount. For those that don't know - the Temple Mount (where the Al Aqsa Mosque and the famous Dome of the Rock now stand) - is THE holiest and most sacred site in Judaism, because this was the location of the 1st/2nd temples. I'm not going to go into detail about the history/significance/controvery of this site, but here is a link to the Wikipedia page. I encourage everyone to read a little bit about this site (if you are not already familiar with it) because it is incredibly interesting and meaningful in a variety of ways:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Mount
Oh, one thing I will very briefly mention, is that along with all of the political controversies surrounding this site, there is also much religious debate within the jewish world on whether Jews should/shouldn't visit the Temple Mount. Again, there is much to be said here. Because of the extremely Holy and sacred nature of this site, many Jews choose not to go there at all (as we are not in the proper spiritual state for such a priveledge), some Rabbis say that parts of the Temple mount are okay to visit but not others, or, as long as the person takes the necessary precatious in preparation for going up to the mount, it is okay. There are many schools of thought and the trip to the mount in general was not mandatory due to its controversial nature.
Currently, Israel has political control over the mount, however the Waqf maintain religious control of the area. This means that no non-muslim prayers can take place at the site, non-muslim items/icons cannot be in view, and non-muslims are not aloud to enter the mosque. In otherwords, if someone is wearing a kippah, star of david, cross, ect - you will either not be aloud on the premises or be asked to remove the items. Some of the guys in our group were told to take off their kippahs.
I could go on and on about this site, the challenges/controversies it presents - but I'm not going to do that here. There is simply too much to be said and it is too emotional/controversial to try and write out in a blog. What I will tell you is my personal reaction to the visit.
Though not entirely sure of the idea (for various reasons), I am glad that I went. If there ever (G-d forbid) comes a time when people will not be aloud to enter the area at all - I can say that I *have* been there and seen the holiest spot on earth (for Jews) with my own eyes. With that said - I will openly admit that I don't think I would readily go back there any time soon. I honestly didn't feel comfortable being there and in many ways (not just politically) it was upsetting. Despite being such an important place in the Jewish narrative, I did not get any spiritual fulfillment from being there. It's really hard to explain but I guess uncomfortable is the only word I can think of...
I wanted to write this in the blog though, because i DO think it is important to read about the Temple Mount, discuss, and visit (if interested).
Interview at the President's Residence - moving up in the world?
Okay - so here is the biggest thing that has happened to me so far...
On Tuesday, October 27th, 2009, I was at work as usual doing my thing and not really expecting much. Suddenly, Noga pops into my cube and asks me:
"Hey, would you be willing to go to the President's residence to interview a delegation of Rabbis from Los Angeles?"
At first I thought I misheard heard her .. would i be willing? THE presdient's house?are you kidding me? never mind that i have *never* interviewed anyone in my life or feel important enough to go to the president's residence...OFCOURSE I AM WILLING!!!!!!
So here is the background info. A delegation of 18 rabbis, of various denominations (orthodox, conservative & refor), came to Israel for a 3 day trip. The idea was to show solidarity with Israel and to also show unity between the differeing denominations. (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/)
One of the stops on their busy tour was the Shimon Peres's place for a short, closed doors meeting. So, the Ministry of Tourism (at last minute of course) decided that they wanted to interview some of these rabbis on camera for promotional material. They needed someone to actually interview the people - and that someone turned out to be ME!!!! WHOAH!!! After getting things in order, I went home, took a 20 minute nap, woke up to do some research on the different Rabbis, take notes and memorize faces, and changed into nice clothes.
I met the camera crew (2 latin american jews) and after passing through security (which is no joke) and receiving a 'media' tag, I made my way into the President's main reception hall! Ofcourse, from the momment I walked up to the residence, I couldn't stop smiling and looking like a silly idiot. I really couldn't believe that I was sitting inside the presidence residence about to meet/interview some of the most influental jewish leaders of our day! (a few of the rabbis in the delegation were part of Newsweeks '50 most influental jewish leaders').
Before the doors were closed on the session, I managed to snap some pictures of Shimon and the Rabbis.
In the end, there was only time to interview two of the rabbis. Here are their names and links to short bio's:
Rabbi Denise Eger
http://www.boardofrabbis.org/Rabbi-Denise-Eger
Rabbi Marvin Hier
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Hier
If you are wondering whether or not this footage will actually be used for promoting tourism to Israel- I have no idea. It may have been a complete waste of time (from a business perspective). However, it was an *incredible* opportunity for me and even while writing this, I am having a hard time believe that I actually did that.
Oh, and you should all know that Shimon Peres walked RIGHT PAST ME AND SMILED AT ME!!!!! that's right people - i almost touched the president of Israel! hahaha.
I guess the one thing that I want to point out, in writing all of this, is the profound difference in Israeli culture when it comes to celebrities/political figures. In the U.S. there is a *very clear* wall between the 'common person' and the famous figure (be it hollywood/politician/what ever). But in Israel, as long as you pass security - it is totally normal to ask for a picture, shake hands, and interact with the nation's "stars". the relationship here is almost familial in a sense. It's pretty cool and further demonstrates how small this country is but at the same time, how involved people are with what is going on. I don't think something like this could have happened for me in the U.S. unless i knew some people who knew some people....
oh man - i love Israel!
<3
On Tuesday, October 27th, 2009, I was at work as usual doing my thing and not really expecting much. Suddenly, Noga pops into my cube and asks me:
"Hey, would you be willing to go to the President's residence to interview a delegation of Rabbis from Los Angeles?"
At first I thought I misheard heard her .. would i be willing? THE presdient's house?are you kidding me? never mind that i have *never* interviewed anyone in my life or feel important enough to go to the president's residence...OFCOURSE I AM WILLING!!!!!!
So here is the background info. A delegation of 18 rabbis, of various denominations (orthodox, conservative & refor), came to Israel for a 3 day trip. The idea was to show solidarity with Israel and to also show unity between the differeing denominations. (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/)
One of the stops on their busy tour was the Shimon Peres's place for a short, closed doors meeting. So, the Ministry of Tourism (at last minute of course) decided that they wanted to interview some of these rabbis on camera for promotional material. They needed someone to actually interview the people - and that someone turned out to be ME!!!! WHOAH!!! After getting things in order, I went home, took a 20 minute nap, woke up to do some research on the different Rabbis, take notes and memorize faces, and changed into nice clothes.
I met the camera crew (2 latin american jews) and after passing through security (which is no joke) and receiving a 'media' tag, I made my way into the President's main reception hall! Ofcourse, from the momment I walked up to the residence, I couldn't stop smiling and looking like a silly idiot. I really couldn't believe that I was sitting inside the presidence residence about to meet/interview some of the most influental jewish leaders of our day! (a few of the rabbis in the delegation were part of Newsweeks '50 most influental jewish leaders').
Before the doors were closed on the session, I managed to snap some pictures of Shimon and the Rabbis.
In the end, there was only time to interview two of the rabbis. Here are their names and links to short bio's:
Rabbi Denise Eger
http://www.boardofrabbis.org/Rabbi-Denise-Eger
Rabbi Marvin Hier
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Hier
If you are wondering whether or not this footage will actually be used for promoting tourism to Israel- I have no idea. It may have been a complete waste of time (from a business perspective). However, it was an *incredible* opportunity for me and even while writing this, I am having a hard time believe that I actually did that.
Oh, and you should all know that Shimon Peres walked RIGHT PAST ME AND SMILED AT ME!!!!! that's right people - i almost touched the president of Israel! hahaha.
I guess the one thing that I want to point out, in writing all of this, is the profound difference in Israeli culture when it comes to celebrities/political figures. In the U.S. there is a *very clear* wall between the 'common person' and the famous figure (be it hollywood/politician/what ever). But in Israel, as long as you pass security - it is totally normal to ask for a picture, shake hands, and interact with the nation's "stars". the relationship here is almost familial in a sense. It's pretty cool and further demonstrates how small this country is but at the same time, how involved people are with what is going on. I don't think something like this could have happened for me in the U.S. unless i knew some people who knew some people....
oh man - i love Israel!
<3
Tel Aviv 10k Night Run – First completed race of my life!
Who can believe it! I, Bella Shapiro, a girl who generally hates running, prefers eating, and has never participated in any kind of communal athletic challenge – successfully completed a 10km (6 mile) race in Tel Aviv, Israel ----- AND IT WAS GREAT!!! The whole process of getting to Tel Aviv on Friday (before Shabbat), picking up my Nike jersey, finding a place to stay – that was all a big balagan (mess). However, as always, everything worked out just fine and some hours before the race, I met up with the people that I was also running with: Noah (my pseudo-coach and fellow IGF’er), Daniela (girl from Venezuela and fellow IGF’er), Gahl (who showed up right before the race started), Matan (Gahl’s cousin) and Becca (Matan’s gf). It was the 6 of us, and as we were walking up to Rabin square (where the race started) you could feel the wave of energy , excitement, and anxiousness in the square. It was a sea of red – everywhere you looked, all you could see is people, thousands of people, in red jerseys! There was music, people stretching, the crowd gathering along the sides of the course. The atmosphere was fully charged.
The cool thing about this particular race is that is it part of a global even t called the ‘Nike Human Race’. Essentially, people all over the world start the race at exactly the same moment (even though the time may actually be different). So people in Los Angeles, Brazil, Ireland, Prague (etc) all started running at exactly the same time! Pretty cool right? When you think about it, it really makes you feel like you’re participating in something big. I will point out that, at least in my vicinity, there were really no other females. Daniela and I were fairly close to the front of the line, so that might have had something to do with it, but it was definitely a bit intimidating. In general I was trying to figure out what the hell was going on and how the hell I managed to sign myself up for this crazy thing in the first place haha.
Eventually the countdown began and Daniela and I were stuck in the middle of the red ocean. There was live ‘pump-up’ music, people were jumping up and down to keep their legs warm, some were clapping and cheering, others were quiet and meditative. Before I knew it, the bell had rung, the crowd started shifting, and somehow my legs just started moving. I began running, and as my legs were moving, I was trying to comprehend everything around me. I keep saying ‘my legs were moving’ because I honestly didn’t feel like my mind took part in what my legs were doing. The bottom half of my body was functioning completely independently from the rest of me. It's really hard to describe the feeling, but the best way I can put it- is it felt like a video game. someone was in moving me around a track and i was just following directions. pretty wild.
so i was running at my usual pace (maybe even a bit slower) and when i hit the 4k mark I was really surprised at how good i felt. i wasn't tired, i wasn't feeling any pain, and couldn't believe that i was almost half way through the entire thing. i was running with Gahl and Daniela which was cool. Gahl was cracking jokes, Daniela was in the zone, and I was somewhere in between. For me, what really helped, is that there was a DJ playing music at every kilometer. So, it was motivating and kept my energy level up. As soon as i would hear music, I knew i was one step closer to reaching the finish line and often i would clap, yell, or sing along to the music! (actually, i think i run a lot better when i have a beat to breath/move to).
In any case, by 7km point, i realized that I really could be running much faster, actually pushing myself (not just running at my slow comfortable pace) and ended up leaving Daniela and Gahl.
Well - I crossed the finish line with a smile on my face and couldn't help but let out a little cheer of victory. Again, it was all pretty surreal, and I couldn't believe that I actually completed a race. Even though my left knee was hurting a bi and I was pretty smelly/sweaty - i felt great! Eventually we all met up, took some pictures, and went to the big lawn where there were various stages with dj's, free popsicles (i ate 2!!), more water, and some people were even passing out nutrition bars. The craziest thing, is that we totally started dancing our asses off and jumpint around to the music after the race!!! You'd think that we would just be collapsing on the ground with exhausting - but it is incredible how much energy and adrenaline is pumping through your system. it wasn't until my body started cooling down and we were waiting for a taxi that i actually got tired, quiet, and wanted to just go home and sleep.
After grabbing some (nasty) fellafel, we finally got on a bus back to Jerusalem and was in bed by around 2:00. Needless to say, being at work the next day at 7:30am was painful and my co-worker told me i looked tired. HA! thanks :-P
did i like it? surprisingly - yes
is it worth trying? absolutely!
would I do it again? hell yes!!!
without sounding conceited, i'm relatively proud of myself (it honestly wasn't THAT challenging but still - my biggest athletic achievement). I'm still debating about the 1/2 marathon. I would like to do it - the only thing that's kind of making me second guess is the rain. it has officially started raining here in jerusalem, and it's just such a cold wet pain in the ass to train in such weather. ich. we'll see. regardless, i really should/need to keep to running - otherwise I will just turn into one big fellafel! :-P
we'll see :)
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
2009 Presidential Conference
Shalom Shalom!
Excuse the lag in my posts - I know it has been a while. Work is fine - still love my boss, just baiscally waiting to settle in and have things pick up a bit. New roomie is fine as well. I don't really see him much since I am so busy, so it's not really an issue. Okay, now that we have that out of the way.........guess where I have been for the past two days, and all day tomorrow.....
THE ISRAELI PRESIDENTIAL CONFERENCE OF 2009!!!!
http://www.presidentconf.org.il/en/
The first opening night of the president’s conference was quite the experience and in some ways - even a culture shock. The hall was really big, filled with about 2,500 people, and the stage was set with a piano, podium, and some chairs (for other musicians). We were all sitting in the balcony with a great view of the stage – there were also 4 video screens. Most people were dressed in very nice business clothes (which is highly unusual for Israeli’s) but to compensate for the uncharacteristic attire- the event started late and it took about 25 minutes before they got the crowd to sit (VERY Israeli).
And so the night began! I got to hear President Shimon Peres give his opening speech; Prime Minister Benyamin Netenyahu give a speech on the need for true and committed leadership and called on Abbu Mazen (Mahmud Abbas) to be that leader (read the speech here: http://www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com/israelnews/israel-news/83-israeli-news/1983-pm-netanyahus-speech-at-the-2009-presidents-conference-making-the-impossible-possibleq.html#); I also got to hear Tony Blaire speak and let me tell you – he is very charismatic, pleasant and relaxed on stage, and proud to be a supporter of Israel. The crowed (and dare I say Israelis) love him. One of the things which was really new for me, was to witness and actually feel the immense and unbridled amount of love which Israeli’s AND the international community have for President Peres. People were not just flattering him, but were sincerely and happily singing his praises, making jokes about his age, and lauding his optimism and positive spirit. It’s remarkable and I felt extremely lucky to be in the room for all of this. There was also some music performances and the evening closed with the singing of Hatikvah (the national anthem). As funny as this will sound - I honestly felt like I was at the Oscars. Not only have I never been to an event like this before in my life, but I also couldn’t believe that I was lucky/privileged enough to be wearing the entry tag with my name on it. Here I was, sitting in a huge auditorium, listening live to some of the most important leaders of the Jewish world, while being surrounded by renown scholars, politicians, dignitaries, scientists and activists from around the world!!! How the hell did I get into the room?!?!? It was a very humbling and exciting evening – to say the least.
The next two days were spent, in full, at the conference attending the plenary sessions and picking various other lectures/seminars which were being held throughout the day. You can view the schedule of sessions and speakers online, but I’ll just go over some of the events which I attended/made an impression on me. The primary session (of day 2) I picked was called “Geopolitical developments and the Jewish people”. The panel was basically discussing the various problems going on in the world and how the Jewish people/state should respond to them. For me, the most striking speaker on the panel was Irwin Cotler (http://irwincotler.liberal.ca/default.aspx#) who spoke about the 3 dynamics affecting the Jewish as well as entire world as a whole:
1. Ahmadineja’s Iran – berating the world for giving him a platform in new York and not bringing his incitements of genocide to the genocide counsil
2. State sponsored propagation of hate/genocide – state sponsorship of such activity being extremely dangerous and cannot be ignored
3. The betrayal of the elites – organizations such as the UN and UNHRC not just failing to live up to their standards but actually acting completely in contradiction to the values they were established to uphold (amen Irwin)
Day two I went to the panel entitled “Islam: between moderation and extremism”. Overall it was interesting and there were many intriguing panelists, but there was not nearly enough time for the discussion to really bloom. (http://www.presidentconf.org.il/en/media.asp?rId=15). I attended this panel not just because the topic interests me, but because I also wanted to see/hear the leaders of moderate Islam. I have never had a doubt that these leaders exist and I do believe that Islam has beautiful teachings and is not an evil/purely violent religion – but it is incredibly unfortunate (if not frightening) how easily the moderate voices are drowned out by the extremists and radicals. The panelists were truly noteworthy, committed, and extremely intelligent people – but listening to them speak was both relieving and frustrating. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for them and I’m sure that all efforts are being made – but it’s just not good enough. I just hope that one day their voices and teaching will not only be heard but be respected and considered (globally) as natural.
Panel #2 for me was under the title of “Jerusalem, Washington, US Jewry – is the honeymoon over?” this panel basically discussed the relationship between the three entities and how/if it has been effected by the new governments/leaders. To be totally honest – much was what was said was rather sophisticated and somewhat hard to follow. However, the one thing that I did understand is the general consensus and confidence in America’s real, passionate, and stable relationship to Israel. *whew* it’s so good to hear that from smart and experience people ;-)
The last panel (and possibly my favorite) was “the young take initiative”. This was a panel comprised of young activists/entrepreneurs who saw a problem, took initiative, and have managed to make a difference. One of the girls (only American) was Rachel Fish who managed to successfully petition Harvard to reject an endowment from a Shiek (of the UAE) who was also funding a seriously anti-American and anti-semitic think tank. I really liked her (not just because she was the only one speaking English) but she was also very well spoken, clearly passionate and hardworking but also humble and down to earth! There was time for Q&A and I got to ask a question: “all of you were lucky enough to have a distinctive moment where you saw a problem and knew that you were going to try and tackle it. but what would you say to budding leaders who are passionate, driven, and motivated – but just don’t know which problem they want to apply their passion to?” Rachel was the one who answered me and she said: “The more educated you are, the more you will understand what your passion is, and then it will burn so strongly inside you – you will not be able to ignore it” I could have jumped up on stage and kissed her right then! :-D
The conference ended with a statement from Natan Sharansky , a ‘discussion’ on Israel in the year 2020 by Tzipi Livni, Ehud Barak, and Eli Yishai, and a closing statement by Shimon Peres. I won’t really go into too much detail about this, but what I will say, is that if there is one thing which ALL of these people have in common – it is their commitment and dedication to the state of Israel and the Jewish people!!! Their debates, tempers, excitement and disagreement all stem from this single unifying characteristic – and nothing is more reassuring and exhilarating than being witness to this fact!
In other words – the conference was fantastic! There aren’t enough thanks I could express to IGF for providing me with such an opportunity. Really!
The only other thing I would briefly add to this blog entry – is that I will be leaving for Tel Aviv (at some point) today because tomorrow is the Nike Tel Aviv 10k Night Race I am running in! I feel totally unprepared (though I have been running), nervous as all hell (since I have NO idea what the hell I signed myself up for), and in complete shock/disbelief (that I would ever do something so completely against my nature)! Haha. I am definitely taking my camera and will be sure to tell you how it all goes. I have no idea what is going on or what to expect – but hopefully everything will go well and I will come back with to write a new entry “first completely race of my life” ahha. Wish me luck!
p.s. miss you
Excuse the lag in my posts - I know it has been a while. Work is fine - still love my boss, just baiscally waiting to settle in and have things pick up a bit. New roomie is fine as well. I don't really see him much since I am so busy, so it's not really an issue. Okay, now that we have that out of the way.........guess where I have been for the past two days, and all day tomorrow.....
THE ISRAELI PRESIDENTIAL CONFERENCE OF 2009!!!!
http://www.presidentconf.org.il/en/
The first opening night of the president’s conference was quite the experience and in some ways - even a culture shock. The hall was really big, filled with about 2,500 people, and the stage was set with a piano, podium, and some chairs (for other musicians). We were all sitting in the balcony with a great view of the stage – there were also 4 video screens. Most people were dressed in very nice business clothes (which is highly unusual for Israeli’s) but to compensate for the uncharacteristic attire- the event started late and it took about 25 minutes before they got the crowd to sit (VERY Israeli).
And so the night began! I got to hear President Shimon Peres give his opening speech; Prime Minister Benyamin Netenyahu give a speech on the need for true and committed leadership and called on Abbu Mazen (Mahmud Abbas) to be that leader (read the speech here: http://www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com/israelnews/israel-news/83-israeli-news/1983-pm-netanyahus-speech-at-the-2009-presidents-conference-making-the-impossible-possibleq.html#); I also got to hear Tony Blaire speak and let me tell you – he is very charismatic, pleasant and relaxed on stage, and proud to be a supporter of Israel. The crowed (and dare I say Israelis) love him. One of the things which was really new for me, was to witness and actually feel the immense and unbridled amount of love which Israeli’s AND the international community have for President Peres. People were not just flattering him, but were sincerely and happily singing his praises, making jokes about his age, and lauding his optimism and positive spirit. It’s remarkable and I felt extremely lucky to be in the room for all of this. There was also some music performances and the evening closed with the singing of Hatikvah (the national anthem). As funny as this will sound - I honestly felt like I was at the Oscars. Not only have I never been to an event like this before in my life, but I also couldn’t believe that I was lucky/privileged enough to be wearing the entry tag with my name on it. Here I was, sitting in a huge auditorium, listening live to some of the most important leaders of the Jewish world, while being surrounded by renown scholars, politicians, dignitaries, scientists and activists from around the world!!! How the hell did I get into the room?!?!? It was a very humbling and exciting evening – to say the least.
The next two days were spent, in full, at the conference attending the plenary sessions and picking various other lectures/seminars which were being held throughout the day. You can view the schedule of sessions and speakers online, but I’ll just go over some of the events which I attended/made an impression on me. The primary session (of day 2) I picked was called “Geopolitical developments and the Jewish people”. The panel was basically discussing the various problems going on in the world and how the Jewish people/state should respond to them. For me, the most striking speaker on the panel was Irwin Cotler (http://irwincotler.liberal.ca/default.aspx#) who spoke about the 3 dynamics affecting the Jewish as well as entire world as a whole:
1. Ahmadineja’s Iran – berating the world for giving him a platform in new York and not bringing his incitements of genocide to the genocide counsil
2. State sponsored propagation of hate/genocide – state sponsorship of such activity being extremely dangerous and cannot be ignored
3. The betrayal of the elites – organizations such as the UN and UNHRC not just failing to live up to their standards but actually acting completely in contradiction to the values they were established to uphold (amen Irwin)
Day two I went to the panel entitled “Islam: between moderation and extremism”. Overall it was interesting and there were many intriguing panelists, but there was not nearly enough time for the discussion to really bloom. (http://www.presidentconf.org.il/en/media.asp?rId=15). I attended this panel not just because the topic interests me, but because I also wanted to see/hear the leaders of moderate Islam. I have never had a doubt that these leaders exist and I do believe that Islam has beautiful teachings and is not an evil/purely violent religion – but it is incredibly unfortunate (if not frightening) how easily the moderate voices are drowned out by the extremists and radicals. The panelists were truly noteworthy, committed, and extremely intelligent people – but listening to them speak was both relieving and frustrating. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for them and I’m sure that all efforts are being made – but it’s just not good enough. I just hope that one day their voices and teaching will not only be heard but be respected and considered (globally) as natural.
Panel #2 for me was under the title of “Jerusalem, Washington, US Jewry – is the honeymoon over?” this panel basically discussed the relationship between the three entities and how/if it has been effected by the new governments/leaders. To be totally honest – much was what was said was rather sophisticated and somewhat hard to follow. However, the one thing that I did understand is the general consensus and confidence in America’s real, passionate, and stable relationship to Israel. *whew* it’s so good to hear that from smart and experience people ;-)
The last panel (and possibly my favorite) was “the young take initiative”. This was a panel comprised of young activists/entrepreneurs who saw a problem, took initiative, and have managed to make a difference. One of the girls (only American) was Rachel Fish who managed to successfully petition Harvard to reject an endowment from a Shiek (of the UAE) who was also funding a seriously anti-American and anti-semitic think tank. I really liked her (not just because she was the only one speaking English) but she was also very well spoken, clearly passionate and hardworking but also humble and down to earth! There was time for Q&A and I got to ask a question: “all of you were lucky enough to have a distinctive moment where you saw a problem and knew that you were going to try and tackle it. but what would you say to budding leaders who are passionate, driven, and motivated – but just don’t know which problem they want to apply their passion to?” Rachel was the one who answered me and she said: “The more educated you are, the more you will understand what your passion is, and then it will burn so strongly inside you – you will not be able to ignore it” I could have jumped up on stage and kissed her right then! :-D
The conference ended with a statement from Natan Sharansky , a ‘discussion’ on Israel in the year 2020 by Tzipi Livni, Ehud Barak, and Eli Yishai, and a closing statement by Shimon Peres. I won’t really go into too much detail about this, but what I will say, is that if there is one thing which ALL of these people have in common – it is their commitment and dedication to the state of Israel and the Jewish people!!! Their debates, tempers, excitement and disagreement all stem from this single unifying characteristic – and nothing is more reassuring and exhilarating than being witness to this fact!
In other words – the conference was fantastic! There aren’t enough thanks I could express to IGF for providing me with such an opportunity. Really!
The only other thing I would briefly add to this blog entry – is that I will be leaving for Tel Aviv (at some point) today because tomorrow is the Nike Tel Aviv 10k Night Race I am running in! I feel totally unprepared (though I have been running), nervous as all hell (since I have NO idea what the hell I signed myself up for), and in complete shock/disbelief (that I would ever do something so completely against my nature)! Haha. I am definitely taking my camera and will be sure to tell you how it all goes. I have no idea what is going on or what to expect – but hopefully everything will go well and I will come back with to write a new entry “first completely race of my life” ahha. Wish me luck!
p.s. miss you
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
