Are there any readers left out there?

I have not peeked at this blog since early November. I haven't thought about it, gone to write in it, or opened it in just under four months. As most of you know, there were just other things in Israel to keep me occupied...

I returned to the States on January 7, 2011, and was thrown right smack-dab into the season where it snows every week at least once, and people frown at their broken mail boxes and the bungi-cords that hold them together. Though it was painful, I quickly adapted to having a shovel in the back seat of my car at all times, and re-learned to hesitate in locking my car doors for fear they might freeze shut overnight. It was cold. That is the only word to describe it. Cold.

The sun is starting to come out in Massachusetts now. The snow, at least on this side of the street, is mostly melted and a sad excuse for grass is peeking it's way through. Still, the ground is hard and the wind is murderous. My feet, clad in their Uggs and Israeli flats are inching to get out into some flips flops, but still, as my friends in Israel are already at Palmahim, it's not time. I would kill for the sea right now.

It's strange to say, but I miss Ramla. Living across the street from a bakery, shawarma shop, and a vegetable man had it's perks. Knowing that I will not be able to walk everywhere even when the weather turns for good here, makes me sad, and really gives me an insight about how true the size difference is between where I lived in Israel and where I live now (and of course, between Israel and the United States itself). What's stranger, I miss public transportation (never thought I would say that!). I made a good friend in the man who drove me to and from Ramla late at night on Saturdays.

I started my Israel experience in 2006, and I think I have almost come full circle now. Anytime I arrived back in the States, my first stop was at the computer to research cheap, fast ways to get back to Israel. I'm past that now... Now, it's not about a program. It's just about buying the ticket.

If you haven't done Birthright aleady, do it. It's free, and it's just the beginning.

Jerusalem

It never gets old.
View from the Haas Promenade. Israel 2010.

I know, I'm the worst blogger. ...Ever.

It's been over a month since my last blog.


Ugh.


It's not that I have nothing to write about. It's not that at all. I am in Israel, and there is a lot to write about. I just don't know how to write it all. I haven't even been journaling. I have honestly thought about turning this into a picture blog, forgetting about the words... but that didn't seem right either.

Rachel and I sitting on the edge of the
Haas Promenade, which overlooks
all of Jerusalem.

Oranim sponsored a trip for participants to Jerusalem yesterday. We woke up at the crack of dawn, met at a bus stop on Hertzl Street not long after, and boarded a bus to take a tour that I have done a couple of different times over. I will admit, this made me a bit grumpy. For one thing, I think this trip would have been a bit more beneficial in the beginning of the program, not more than halfway through. For another thing, it was six - forty - five in the morning, and I had yet to have a cup of coffee. Regardless, off to Jerusalem I went. 


Despite knowing the tours destination, and despite knowing that I was bound to hear repeated information, my heart skipped a few beats upon entering Jerusalem. I could cross the city line a million different times, but the feeling is always going to be the same, and there's no describing it. Seeing the landscape change, and the buildings slowly turn to stone... even if there were words, the description wouldn't do it justice. Dad, thank G-D you are coming here to witness it yourself.


So, we toured the Old City. We saw the Haas Promenade. I took pictures, pictures, and more pictures and have since added them to the collection. I could fill a store with the pictures I have taken from the Haas Promenade, and a gallery with those of the Old City. It never gets old (no pun intended!). 

Harris, Rachel, Dana and I.
(Please excuse Rachel and I, it had been a LONG day!)

After the tour was over (OK, a bit before, Rachel and I totally ducked out before we hit the Kotel), Rachel and I met Harris in German Colony to take him out for a belated-birthday dinner. It was fabulous, even more so because Dana met us to say hello! We crashed at Harris's house after dinner - - - literally CRASHED. I believe I was asleep by 10PM, Rachel following not long after.


And now, I'm back in Ramla. The streets are quiet, Shabbat is almost here. As Harris and I talked about yesterday, I often wonder about going back to America, where the world doesn't slow down on Fridays, doesn't stop completely on Saturday until sundown. Israel has become my norm.

Hold Your Breath

Machtesh. Israel. 2010

I really felt that this picture needed it's own forum. It was very hard to tell which pictures came out better than others because the sun was so strong while I was taking them. For the majority of the time, I just clicked away and hoped for the best. When I uploaded the pictures to my computer, this one nearly knocked me over. This is what it is all about.

Good Looking Jews

It's official. I am a terrible keeper-upper when it comes to writing this blog. Funny that with all the spare time that I actually have, I can't seem to sit down and write anything.

The last two Shabbat's have been wonderful. The Shabbat before last was spent in Jerusalem, which is always the best way to spend Shabbat. It also happened to be Simhas Torah, a holiday full of dancing. Rachel, Naomi and I stayed at the Heritage House with Becky, Esther and Lindsay. The Heritage House (because I can't remember if I wrote about it previously) is a hostel located in the heart of the Old City that is essentially free to stay at, but where most people do the best they can to leave a donation upon leaving. I have never stayed in a "real" hostel before (the one in Haifa didn't count), so it was an experience. It is an all girls facility, but has a brother hostel located right around the corner, and on the roof of the men's hostel is where Havdallah is held. A lot of the time, there is also a speaker that concludes Shabbat, and of course, some sort of nosh (food). Staying in the hostel was a lot of fun. The Madrechot (essentially counselors) that run it are very nice, and it's incredible the amount of people that you meet when you stay there.

Because we were staying in the Old City, and because it was Simchas Torah, and of course because his family is amazing, we spent a lot of time with Rabbi Eli. We had a number of meals by him, and he was kind enough to take a group of girls dancing one night, and of course to the Kotel afterward. It was incredible. Unfortunately because it was a holiday and Shabbat, I don't have any pictures of the dancing, just of the Heritage House after the holiday and between Shabbat. (The Heritage House itself is Shomar Shabbat.)

I spent the week volunteering and had a few days to prepare myself for an Oranim sponsored trip to Eilat. During that week I got to attend a VERY special event - - - a wedding of a good friend of mine, Gery, that I met the very first time I was in Israel. It was an incredible experience, and the wedding was absolutely gorgeous. Mazel Tov Gery and Netta!

I was super excited about the trip because there were two major places that I hadn't been in Israel - - - Haifa and Eilat - - - and I am ecstatic that I got to do both during this trip. Oranim bussed us to Eilat on Friday, nice and mookdam (early) in the morning, six AM to be precise. Of course, Israeli's are not used to traveling more than twenty minutes without stopping, so the six hour ride was broken up with many stops, one of which was at the Machtesh, the largest of the three craters in the Negev Desert. We literally hiked up one side of the crater, and down another. It was incredible - quite hard - but a lot of fun and the view was absolutely worth it.

Eilat itself was just okay. I don't know that I would do it again. The beach was just like any other beach, although the water was so blue you could see clear through it. It was a lot of fun to stay in the hotel with so many Oranim participants and get to know everyone and learn everyone's story. I was also glad to experience the night life and see how it differs from the rest of Israel. We spent one night at the Bealtes Bar, a famous bar in Eilat that is devoted to the Bealtes and that becomes a dance bar at night. The second night Oranim charted a small cruise ship to take all of the participants for a ride around the Red Sea, which was a blast. I also spent a significant of time walking the board walk that runs along the beach strip near the larger hotels in Eilat.

All in all though, I would say that my favorite part of the trip was the first hike we did, and the hike we did on the ride home. I can't recall the name of where we were on the way back to Ramla, but the hike was equally as beautiful as the Machtesh, and equally as hard. From the summit of the second hike I looked over not only Eilat, Israel, but Jordan, Egypt, and a bit of Syria. I actually fell down the incline once or twice on the second hike and I have a lovely bruise in an unmentionable place from the tumble. It was worth it. I absolutely believe that no matter where life leads me, the view will not compare to those of Israel, especially those of the Negev Desert. It's like someone painted it there for me to see - - - it's as if I blink it will disappear.  

(Again, I'm not sure why blogger isn't letting me tag my photo's, but the first is of me in The Heritage House, and the second is a good chunk of the Ramla group on the way up to the Machtesh.) 

A book to consider!

My friend and fellow Ramlian lent me this book and I poured through it in about a day. It was probably one of the best books I have ever read. Anyone who has a chance should pick it up somewhere, it is worth the read.


I took this synopsis from http://www.bookdepository.co.uk:


Atlit is a holding camp for "illegal" immigrants in Israel in 1945. There, about 270 men and women await their future and try to recover from their past. Diamant, with infinite compassion and understanding, tells the stories of the women gathered in this place. Shayndel is a Polish Zionist who fought the Germans with a band of partisans. Leonie is a Parisian beauty. Tedi is Dutch, a strapping blond who wants only to forget. Zorah survived Auschwitz. Haunted by unspeakable memories and too many losses to bear, these young women, along with a stunning cast of supporting characters who work in or pass through Atlit, begin to find salvation in the bonds of friendship and shared experience, as they confront the challenge of re-creating themselves and discovering a way to live again.

A week for travel

This past Wednesday my roommates and I embarked on a trip that left my mouth agape, my eyes more than a little bit droopy, and my calves pulsing. We braved the walk to Lod (about a half hour, twenty minutes if your walking Debbie and Matana speed), hopped on a train, and headed for Haifa. 

Though I have traveled some, I have never stayed in a hostel. Something about sleeping in a room with 10-15 strangers just hasn't appealed too me in the past. However, I now see monetary value of staying in a hostel, and thus, landed myself at the Port Inn Guest House at the base of Mt. Carmel. However, from what my roommates have told me, both extensive travelers and well schooled in the art of hostel hopping, our four bed, private corner suite with a bathroom attached was one of the finer establishments they had found themselves in. The bed was comfortable, the shower pressure was fantastic, and breakfast, well, lets face it, Israeli breakfast is good anywhere.

The man at the front desk of the hostel gave us a what-to-do-in-Haifa pamphlet that we poured over until we decided, collectively, that the Grand Canyon was the way to go. In Hebrew, the word kenyon means mall. Somehow, something got lost in translation and the biggest mall in Israel was named the Grand Canyon. And was it ever grand! The inside was beautiful, though filled with small children, gigantic crowds of people, and of course, dogs. I still have yet to get used to the size of the stores in Israel (due to the cost of real estate) and the fact that despite the small size, approximately one hundred people will try to fit themselves in each store.

Our time in the Grand Canyon was limited. Sukkot was beginning and stores began to shut down at about 2:30PM. We took this opportunity to walk the German Colony, where we found Cafe Cafe, where I found ICED COFFEE! Not only was it truly hot coffee poured over ice, but I could then pick from a variety of flavors, including caramel. It was a great day! 

Our second day in Haifa was spent at the Bahai Gardens. We had been there once before with Oranim, but only got to see the very top part of the gardens. This time around, we took a free English tour with about 40 other people through the entirety of the Gardens. It was a nice tour, but walking down the Carmel after just about killed me. I could never live in Haifa.

The four of us went out both nights in Haifa - once to bars, and the second night to a club on the top of the Carmel. I feel it needs to be mentioned that both Matana and I successfully bought and wore "onesies" on the second night, and rocked them, if I do say so myself - though the snaps on mine were quite annoying and eventually became unsnapped and stayed that way for the remainder of the night. Any time I see Israeli women walking around with a tight top, I have to remind myself that it is most likely a "onesie". They are extremely popular in Israel, and they actually look nice, though the concept is hilarious.

The second part of this blog will unfortunately have no pictures, because it was spent during the Hag and Shabbat in Jerusalem, and my camera was taking a Shabbat rest. On Friday morning, Rachel and I took a train to Jerusalem to meet Harris. We stayed at his house that night, going to synagogue and having Shabbat dinner, which was of course, a feast of great proportions, and one where I have learned to love chopped liver! Rachel and I had been itching to go to not only an Ashkenazim synagogue, but one in particular that Rabbi J had told us about prior to leaving for Israel, called Shir Hadash. It was the best service I have been to since being in Israel, and the only service that I have actually been able to understand to a greater level.

On Saturday, we embarked on a trip to the Old City, where we met up with several of our Ramla co-volunteers, and went to Rabbi Eli's house for Shabbat lunch. It was one of the coolest experiences I have ever had, as we (about 14 Americans close to my age) ate lunch in his sukkah, with his wife and daughters. I wish I had pictures of it. We then went with Esther and Lindsay to check out the Heritage House, a hostel located inside the Old City where youth travelers can stay, and where they were staying for the night. We joined them at the Kotel and then on the roof of the men's hostel for the meal ending Shabbat and for Havdalah. It was truly an experience. 

I am beyond glad that I saw Jerusalem during Sukkot. there are sukkahs virtually everywhere you look, in homes, on roofs, in restaurants. People move themselves outside for eight days, eating and some even sleeping in there sukkahs. It's really an amazing thing to see. 

(Again, blogger is not letting me caption my pictures. 1) Rachel, Naomi, Matana and I in the Port Inn Guest House. 2) The Grand Canyon. 3) My caramel iced coffee. 4) Matana and I in our "onesies" - hers was much more Lady Gaga!)