Two bits of information to report for today (that's a big deal in my world haha).
Firstly - I had my first experience babysitting in Israel. There is a website called www.janglo.net (which stands for Jerusalem Anglos) which is more or less a crappier version of craigslist for Jerusalem.
Anymoo, last week when I was bored&frustrated at work, I was scrolling through the 'jobs' section and came across a post of a mom looking for a helper on Sunday December 27th. Her name is Tanya and she has three kids (all boys): Oldest is 6 years, middle is 4 (I think), and youngest is 2 months!
So I met her and the kids the other week, and just as soon as the door opened, I had a 4 year old jump into my arms and the 6 year old gave me a hug, grabbed me by the hand, and started pulling me inside....I guess they liked me! :o) Tanya called me later on to tell me that the kids loved me (whew) and that she would love my help today. It was only for about 3 hours (4:30-7:30) and she was home (which was very nice) and to top it all off --- KESEF!!! (That means *money*)
That's right ladies and gentlemen - I got PAID!!!! (25 NIS/hr) I completely forgot what it's like to get money for working! hahaha. Oh man. Ofcourse, that money was shortly spent on groceries, but never the less, it didn't come directly out of my pocket! EXCELLENT. Hopefully this gig will continue from time to time and I asked her to pass my name along to any other mom's in need of some babysitting.
The second bit that I'm really excited about (though I shouldn't count my chickens before they hatch) is in regards to MEMRI. Remember that institute that I offered to volunteer at and sent my resume to?....well I got a call from a man named Yegal Carmen today asking if we could meet tomorrow!! EEEEEEEEE.
This is really great! Hopefully I will blow him away with...err....something...haha and will manage to do some volunteer work for the organization! I'm trying not to amp myself up about it too much, but just the thought of contributing to such a great organization gets me a little jumpy. I would *love* to put that on my resume.
Hopefully I will have some really great news to write about in this blog tomorrow :)
That's it. I'm going to go out and celebrate with a drink
BTW - did you know that it's almost 2010!?!?!?!?! WTF?!?!?! when did that happen?!?!
*oi-va-voy*
talk to you soon
<3
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
MEMRI and Natan Sharansky
Shalom Lekulam!
This week, though slow to start and not necessarily a glamorous week, had some notibale highlights.
To begin with - I have *officially* established that my boss does not have any work for me. On the one hand, this is incredibly unfortunately. The department which I was placed in seemed like a match made in heaven. I have the skills for marketing, some previous work experience, and large amounts of enthusiasm. However, the reality of the situation is that nobody within the New Media Marketing department knows what they are doing. That is to say, that they are not trained marketing professionals. Of course, it's not like I graduated with some fancy shmancy business degree, however a lot of things (esepcially in marketing) are common sense. Yet, the people in my department don't seem to have this kind of knowledge. Whether it's cultural differences, lack of qualifications, or beurocracy, the bottom line is that there isn't any meaningful or legitimate work for me to do.
The good thing about this news, is that at least it has finally been fully and openly established. I would like to think that I did everything I could before comming to this conclusion. I don't necessarily want to leave my ministry (since I have already committed 3 months there), but I simply can't handle wasting any more of my time (or my parents money) doing nothing. Sure, I could sit in the office and study Hebrew or prepare for the GRE, but I don't need to be in Israel to do that. I busted my ass to get into this program, and I am going to try and get everything that I deserve and was promised out of it! So, once my program director gets back from vacation (December 30th), we will start looking at other internship options for me. I am asking everyone to start praying and crossing their fingers/toes so that I don't end up in yet another shitty situation. I need all the good universe vibes I can get right now! Of course, I will let you all know how this whole situation develops and where I end up.
Now, Thursday is really when all the interesting stuff happened. Every Thursday, instead of working, we have an IGF seminar day. This usually consists of lectures, meeting various political figures/heads of organizations, and other educational activities. This week we got to do a couple of interesting things.
Firstly, we got to visit MEMRI = The Middle East Media Research Institute (http://www.memri.org/content/en/main.htm). You know all those YouTube videos that are online - of the Hamas religious leader giving a sermon about 'death to America', or the infamous clip of the children't program teaching little Muslim kids that Jews are descendants of 'apes and pigs'. (If you haven't seen them, here are some links:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjbJnZUJTYU&feature=PlayList&p=F6A416AF9D7CD1E1&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=53). In any case, these videos are an example of what MEMRI does. They translate and analyze numerous media sources (t.v., newspapers, websites) generated from various Middle East countries. They don't only monitor the content for anti-semitic/anti-israel/anti-american statements, they also give voice to the moderates and those who try speak out against their governments. I personally believe that the work they are doing is not only incredibly fascinating, but also incredibly important. I got really excited after our lecture, so I came up to the professor who gave us the lecture and asked him if they ever need interns or volunteers. I'll admit - I don't know a word in Arabic, don't really know any Hebrew either, but hey, it never hurts to ask. He took my contact information and wouldn't you know it - I recieved an email that very day asking for my resume!!! eeee! we'll see how it goes . If they do decide to take me on to do some work, that would be *really* amazing!!! Oi!
Later we got to meet with.....*drum roll please*.... NATAN SHARANSKY!!! That's right, Mr. Sharansky came to meet all of this year's IGF'ers. A local media source (called Arutz Sheva) got wind of his appearance, so they decided to come to the Begin Center and do a little piece about the IGF program. Guess who was asked to be interviewed on camera?! Here is the link to the webpage where you can watch the 5 minute piece on the IGF program, and get to hear some of my collegues:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/135192
After our little session with Mr. Sharansky, we took a group picture with him, and he literally sat right next to me for the photo. Yes, I was completely star struck! But don't be fooled by his small stature - Mr. Sharansky is a very fascinating man with a great sense of humor, sharp wit, and a genuine concern for the future of Jews around the world. Hopefully IGF will email that picture to all of us, in which case I will be sure to put it up on the blog.
That's all the official stuff. I do have a cute little story though that happened to me later that evening. I went down to Emek Refaim to the book store. I had some time to kill and figured I could just treat myself to a book and then go sit in the next door coffee shop to read for a bit. (I am making an effort to push myself out of my house and out into the world of Jerusalem). As I was standing in the shop, debating if I should get Alan Dershowitz's book "The case against Israel's enemies" - I see there is a guy standing next to me leafing through an English book. I asked him if he has read Dershowitz's book, he says no, and we end up having a small chat about various authors and what not. I find out that his name is Wayne, he's originally from South Africa, he lived in Israel for some time, but has moved back to S.A. and just on a visit in IL for a friends wedding. He recommended some authors to me, and in particular, this one book called 'the lion's honey'. bla bla - i say thanks, enjoy your night, go to pay for my book, and take a seat in the coffee shop as originally planned. 10 minutes later, Wayne comes up to me, and says "here, I got you this - because I like to do crazy things and I really think you will enjoy this book" - and he hands me 'the lion's honey' which he previously mentioned to me in the bookshop!
I was totally stunned and tried to offer him a coffe, but he kindly refused and said that he was actually meeting up with friends and had to run. Don't get the wrong impression here guys, this wasn't skeezy or a pick up line or anything like that. It was just an honest gesture of kindness and thoughtfulness for no reason other than being nice! I can't say that anything like that has ever really happened to me (at least not as far as I can remember) but it's really refreshing to come across a genuinely kind person. Especially when everything else around you seems to be more on the crappier side. I guess it was just a reminder that there really still are some decent people in the world and it was nice that it happened in Israel. hehe. I'm about a third of the way through the book (it's really short) and so far Wayne has kept his promise - the book is great! :-D
Well - that's the most of it for the week. Could be better, but also could be a lot worse. The sun has been shining during the day, I am in Ashdod with family (and my cousin who is here from Lithuania), got a stomach bursting from delicious food, good books, and a hopeful outlook :)
with that said - time for me to go to bed! (HA - i'm a poet and I don't even know it). Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate! Merry chinese food and movie day to all those that don't!
Hope everyone is doing well!
Lots of Love!
<3
This week, though slow to start and not necessarily a glamorous week, had some notibale highlights.
To begin with - I have *officially* established that my boss does not have any work for me. On the one hand, this is incredibly unfortunately. The department which I was placed in seemed like a match made in heaven. I have the skills for marketing, some previous work experience, and large amounts of enthusiasm. However, the reality of the situation is that nobody within the New Media Marketing department knows what they are doing. That is to say, that they are not trained marketing professionals. Of course, it's not like I graduated with some fancy shmancy business degree, however a lot of things (esepcially in marketing) are common sense. Yet, the people in my department don't seem to have this kind of knowledge. Whether it's cultural differences, lack of qualifications, or beurocracy, the bottom line is that there isn't any meaningful or legitimate work for me to do.
The good thing about this news, is that at least it has finally been fully and openly established. I would like to think that I did everything I could before comming to this conclusion. I don't necessarily want to leave my ministry (since I have already committed 3 months there), but I simply can't handle wasting any more of my time (or my parents money) doing nothing. Sure, I could sit in the office and study Hebrew or prepare for the GRE, but I don't need to be in Israel to do that. I busted my ass to get into this program, and I am going to try and get everything that I deserve and was promised out of it! So, once my program director gets back from vacation (December 30th), we will start looking at other internship options for me. I am asking everyone to start praying and crossing their fingers/toes so that I don't end up in yet another shitty situation. I need all the good universe vibes I can get right now! Of course, I will let you all know how this whole situation develops and where I end up.
Now, Thursday is really when all the interesting stuff happened. Every Thursday, instead of working, we have an IGF seminar day. This usually consists of lectures, meeting various political figures/heads of organizations, and other educational activities. This week we got to do a couple of interesting things.
Firstly, we got to visit MEMRI = The Middle East Media Research Institute (http://www.memri.org/content/en/main.htm). You know all those YouTube videos that are online - of the Hamas religious leader giving a sermon about 'death to America', or the infamous clip of the children't program teaching little Muslim kids that Jews are descendants of 'apes and pigs'. (If you haven't seen them, here are some links:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjbJnZUJTYU&feature=PlayList&p=F6A416AF9D7CD1E1&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=53). In any case, these videos are an example of what MEMRI does. They translate and analyze numerous media sources (t.v., newspapers, websites) generated from various Middle East countries. They don't only monitor the content for anti-semitic/anti-israel/anti-american statements, they also give voice to the moderates and those who try speak out against their governments. I personally believe that the work they are doing is not only incredibly fascinating, but also incredibly important. I got really excited after our lecture, so I came up to the professor who gave us the lecture and asked him if they ever need interns or volunteers. I'll admit - I don't know a word in Arabic, don't really know any Hebrew either, but hey, it never hurts to ask. He took my contact information and wouldn't you know it - I recieved an email that very day asking for my resume!!! eeee! we'll see how it goes . If they do decide to take me on to do some work, that would be *really* amazing!!! Oi!
Later we got to meet with.....*drum roll please*.... NATAN SHARANSKY!!! That's right, Mr. Sharansky came to meet all of this year's IGF'ers. A local media source (called Arutz Sheva) got wind of his appearance, so they decided to come to the Begin Center and do a little piece about the IGF program. Guess who was asked to be interviewed on camera?! Here is the link to the webpage where you can watch the 5 minute piece on the IGF program, and get to hear some of my collegues:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/135192
After our little session with Mr. Sharansky, we took a group picture with him, and he literally sat right next to me for the photo. Yes, I was completely star struck! But don't be fooled by his small stature - Mr. Sharansky is a very fascinating man with a great sense of humor, sharp wit, and a genuine concern for the future of Jews around the world. Hopefully IGF will email that picture to all of us, in which case I will be sure to put it up on the blog.
That's all the official stuff. I do have a cute little story though that happened to me later that evening. I went down to Emek Refaim to the book store. I had some time to kill and figured I could just treat myself to a book and then go sit in the next door coffee shop to read for a bit. (I am making an effort to push myself out of my house and out into the world of Jerusalem). As I was standing in the shop, debating if I should get Alan Dershowitz's book "The case against Israel's enemies" - I see there is a guy standing next to me leafing through an English book. I asked him if he has read Dershowitz's book, he says no, and we end up having a small chat about various authors and what not. I find out that his name is Wayne, he's originally from South Africa, he lived in Israel for some time, but has moved back to S.A. and just on a visit in IL for a friends wedding. He recommended some authors to me, and in particular, this one book called 'the lion's honey'. bla bla - i say thanks, enjoy your night, go to pay for my book, and take a seat in the coffee shop as originally planned. 10 minutes later, Wayne comes up to me, and says "here, I got you this - because I like to do crazy things and I really think you will enjoy this book" - and he hands me 'the lion's honey' which he previously mentioned to me in the bookshop!
I was totally stunned and tried to offer him a coffe, but he kindly refused and said that he was actually meeting up with friends and had to run. Don't get the wrong impression here guys, this wasn't skeezy or a pick up line or anything like that. It was just an honest gesture of kindness and thoughtfulness for no reason other than being nice! I can't say that anything like that has ever really happened to me (at least not as far as I can remember) but it's really refreshing to come across a genuinely kind person. Especially when everything else around you seems to be more on the crappier side. I guess it was just a reminder that there really still are some decent people in the world and it was nice that it happened in Israel. hehe. I'm about a third of the way through the book (it's really short) and so far Wayne has kept his promise - the book is great! :-D
Well - that's the most of it for the week. Could be better, but also could be a lot worse. The sun has been shining during the day, I am in Ashdod with family (and my cousin who is here from Lithuania), got a stomach bursting from delicious food, good books, and a hopeful outlook :)
with that said - time for me to go to bed! (HA - i'm a poet and I don't even know it). Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate! Merry chinese food and movie day to all those that don't!
Hope everyone is doing well!
Lots of Love!
<3
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Israel: Round II
Okay, it has definitely been a little while since my last post. My sincere apologize for that. Basically what happened is that things dramatically slowed down, in terms of work, IGF, social life, etc. Here is a brief breakdown-
Work: literally had no work, was just sitting in the office needlessly loosing my mind. You can imagine how frustrating this is when you/your parents are paying so much money for a supposedly unique experience.....right. The reason for this is a combination of things. My boss, although extremely sweet and caring aboutme, does not have enough time/idea of what to do with me. The beurocracy of the government doesn't help either, as there is a lot of discord and lack of unified vision between departments. After much consulation with Tamar (IGF director) and my parents, and with enough insistence on my part- hopefully this will change. Keep your fingers crossed
IGF: well, I guess when the internship aspect isn't going so well, its easy enough to get disenchanted with the program as a whole. I'm not giving up yet though!
Social Life: mmm...this aspect is still in the works. To anyone wondering - no - i am not close with anyone from my program. It's also a bit challenging because I haven't really found a community to be part of. For example, while i was studying in Oxford, I came upon the Chabad - which is how I ended up meeting some really great people, participating in events, and so on. Here, I haven't been able to find anything of the sort. So, either I get lucky and meet a great group of people, or keep sticking my nose in places it may or may not belong. It's really a matter of continuing to put myself out there. Granted, it's a bit harder to do when the weather is crap and all you want to do is stay under the covers. But persistence is the name of the game when it comes to Israel.
That's the general idea. In other news, as some of you may already know, yesterday I got back to Israel after a week long trip back home to CA. Oh my goodness, I can't even tell you how wonderful it was to be home. In my bed, driving around familiar neighborhoods, hot showers, family, friends, and genuine hugs and kisses. It was a much needed trip. The only bad part about the trip was that it ended all too quickly. Part of me couldn't help but dabble with the idea of staying home and forfeiting this whole IGF project. Yet, my friends empathized and encouraged me to continue and my family suggested a number of possible steps I can take to ensure that my experience here reaches its full potential (and doesn't become another waste of time/money). So, here I am, back in the Holy Land trying to keep that positive energy flowing.
In fact, I was ready to return to Israel with a 'go-getter' attitude, but of course, things don't always work out as planned. During my 4 hour stop over in London Heathrow Airport, my stomach really began hurting, and continued throughout the 4.5 hour flight to IL. To make a long story short - I ended up at a 24 hour emergency clinic in Jerusalem (suitecase and all)with the diagnosis of a stomach virus and an IV in my arm. oi! I got home in the middle of the night, exhausted and pretty demoralized. There was also a Tiyul which started today which I skipped. I may/may not miss the remainder of the Tiyul as well. UGH!!! Maybe this is the country's way of rejecting my presence. Maybe, it's just another challenge that is meant to help me grow and become that much better of a person. In any case - it kind of sucks (but makes for interesting blog writting) haha. I swear, I only attract the most ridiculous situations (especially when in Israel)!
So that pretty much covers everything. We'll see how things go from this point forward. In short, I'm going to give this whole thing another go- be aggressive, demanding, and outgoing. If, after all of that, things STILL don't work out - then I can say that I gave it a fair shot and come home. I need to make up some kind of mantra to keep me going. Maybe something like "Israel Israel, it's a balagan, but I am determined to make it fun" haha.
Israel round two: here i come!
Work: literally had no work, was just sitting in the office needlessly loosing my mind. You can imagine how frustrating this is when you/your parents are paying so much money for a supposedly unique experience.....right. The reason for this is a combination of things. My boss, although extremely sweet and caring aboutme, does not have enough time/idea of what to do with me. The beurocracy of the government doesn't help either, as there is a lot of discord and lack of unified vision between departments. After much consulation with Tamar (IGF director) and my parents, and with enough insistence on my part- hopefully this will change. Keep your fingers crossed
IGF: well, I guess when the internship aspect isn't going so well, its easy enough to get disenchanted with the program as a whole. I'm not giving up yet though!
Social Life: mmm...this aspect is still in the works. To anyone wondering - no - i am not close with anyone from my program. It's also a bit challenging because I haven't really found a community to be part of. For example, while i was studying in Oxford, I came upon the Chabad - which is how I ended up meeting some really great people, participating in events, and so on. Here, I haven't been able to find anything of the sort. So, either I get lucky and meet a great group of people, or keep sticking my nose in places it may or may not belong. It's really a matter of continuing to put myself out there. Granted, it's a bit harder to do when the weather is crap and all you want to do is stay under the covers. But persistence is the name of the game when it comes to Israel.
That's the general idea. In other news, as some of you may already know, yesterday I got back to Israel after a week long trip back home to CA. Oh my goodness, I can't even tell you how wonderful it was to be home. In my bed, driving around familiar neighborhoods, hot showers, family, friends, and genuine hugs and kisses. It was a much needed trip. The only bad part about the trip was that it ended all too quickly. Part of me couldn't help but dabble with the idea of staying home and forfeiting this whole IGF project. Yet, my friends empathized and encouraged me to continue and my family suggested a number of possible steps I can take to ensure that my experience here reaches its full potential (and doesn't become another waste of time/money). So, here I am, back in the Holy Land trying to keep that positive energy flowing.
In fact, I was ready to return to Israel with a 'go-getter' attitude, but of course, things don't always work out as planned. During my 4 hour stop over in London Heathrow Airport, my stomach really began hurting, and continued throughout the 4.5 hour flight to IL. To make a long story short - I ended up at a 24 hour emergency clinic in Jerusalem (suitecase and all)with the diagnosis of a stomach virus and an IV in my arm. oi! I got home in the middle of the night, exhausted and pretty demoralized. There was also a Tiyul which started today which I skipped. I may/may not miss the remainder of the Tiyul as well. UGH!!! Maybe this is the country's way of rejecting my presence. Maybe, it's just another challenge that is meant to help me grow and become that much better of a person. In any case - it kind of sucks (but makes for interesting blog writting) haha. I swear, I only attract the most ridiculous situations (especially when in Israel)!
So that pretty much covers everything. We'll see how things go from this point forward. In short, I'm going to give this whole thing another go- be aggressive, demanding, and outgoing. If, after all of that, things STILL don't work out - then I can say that I gave it a fair shot and come home. I need to make up some kind of mantra to keep me going. Maybe something like "Israel Israel, it's a balagan, but I am determined to make it fun" haha.
Israel round two: here i come!
Friday, November 20, 2009
The End of the Honeymoon
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
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
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).
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