Living the dream...

"Things sound like they are really heating up in Israel. Glad no one was hurt in the great inferno of 2007." -- a loyal fan. All my life I've been terrified of disaster. Earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes, fires, storms and floods - if it made national news, I feared it would happen to me. It should be known that I also feared more rational things such as what was inside my closet or under my bed. There was a time as a child that I was even afraid of the shower. (My sorority sisters will tell you that this also occurred during sophomore year of college.) Watching psycho too many times will do that to you or the fact that in our sorority house showers - it was common to have cold water thrown into your shower. (OK, so it is possible I was the one who carried out such shenanigans...) While being terrified of natural disasters may not be a healthiest way to live, it did cause me to lead a cautious life - a safe life. I refrained from using matches because I feared ...

While picking and brining Olives at Kibbutz Gezer with a group of jailed convicts going through a rehabilitation program - the following exchange occurred: Shalom Yen v'Evan! Immediately, one climbed into a tree to shake down the olives, a few more lounged eating fruit from a nearby tree, we were all hanging out until our supervisor came over and told us to get our asses into gear. "Jane, Evan - want a cigarra?" asks the man in Nike sneakers and a little bit of bling. I respond - לא תודה- No, thanks. So, uh, how many do you smoke a day anyways? "Jean, שנימ בארוכת בוקר. שנימ בארוכת ערב 2 packs for breakfast. 2 for dinner." It seems that Jen is a difficult name to say in Hebrew. 4 Packs a Day. A balanced meal for an Israeli inmate, I suppose. *** Yusef sat back and took a deep breath - נשמה עמוקה. Yusef the master olive picker - "He's the best, you know" - said the others. Yusef, when did you learn to do this? "When I was young boy - six ...

As critical as I find myself of Israel, I can understand why people fall in love with this place. There are moments when everything here is just so beautiful. Driving to my community service placement in Kibbutz Gezer, 45 minutes from Jerusalem - the sun was setting over the hills of Jerusalem. In a rental car, I cruised at a speed I wasn't sure of because I don't really understand Kilometers. Golden rays splashed light over the fields, like the orange and yellow rays I used to draw in crayola, stemming out from a sun who smiled and wore sunglasses. I guess his future was so bright...he had to wear shades. One of the best things about today was calling my friends and saying "Be there in a minute!" And pulling up in the rental car 45 seconds later. What is normally a 20 minute walk from my house to theirs - is a two minute drive on Shabbat. It felt liberating and sacrilegious at the same time. Shabbat pedestrians were constantly crossing in my path, but I went a...

The land of Israel is beautiful, breathtaking, and bountiful – and the first sight beyond the glass doors . Presumably, as we make our exodus like so many that were unable to before us – from death to deliverance – we are to feel relieved as we rejoice in our redemption. In our collective identity and universal memory that we share in this entity we call – Am Yisrael – we are always looking behind us to make sure we’ve left footsteps in which others can follow. We are always looking ahead to see what paths have been laid for us. Sometimes, it seems we forget to make sure the footsteps we’ve left for others to follow are actually worth pursuing. It seems easy for us to declare daily “Remember the Holocaust” and then to deny asylum to others seeking refuge from genocide. We refuse to acknowledge the cries from others seeking autonomy and we condemn their attacks on our people, easily forgetting that only sixty years ago, we also blew ourselves up on the road to independence. We creat...

"Have you been here before?" He asked. "To where? Israel, the old city, the Arab shuk?" I inquired. "Have you been to the Arab shuk before?" "Why did I do something wrong?" "No," he responded. "You are very nice. But you shouldn't tell people in the shuk where you live." "I don't understand. Did I say something wrong?" "If you tell people where you live, they will like you less because you are Jewish." I looked down at my skirt and modest dress and asked, "Can't you tell by the way I am dressed in the Old City, that I'm Jewish?" "Well yes, but still don't tell people where you live here." "Why?" "Because usually people like you are not very nice to us. So we don't like Americans, because they are usually Jewish. South Africans, too. When I tell them this purse is 150 shekels, they laugh at me and offer me 20 shekels instead. Its not polite. ...

1:30pm The streets of Jerusalem are now quiet. The shops and grocery stores have closed. Traffic is coming to a complete stop. To the vegetable stand clerk I inquire, "I thought there would be more people here, gathering final ingredients." "No. Now is the time of Cheshbon Nefesh - a spiritual check up. Everyone is checking their souls right now!" Right now? I paid and hurried home. No one told me that at 1pm today was when the entire country would be checking up on their spirits! I needed to catch up. ****************** 4pm And now, our apartment - Jerusalem of Mold - is as clean as it will ever be. I've showered and cleansed myself of any impurity from the Jerusalem streets. My clothing is completely white and I'm even wearing flip flops to services - my Dad would surely be appalled, but they are the only shoes I own that are not made with any leather. I think about my attempt this past week to read up and refl...

I just got back from Turkey and started classes again on Sunday. Turkey was beautiful, scalding hot, and a generally interesting vacation. Our hotel was...well, lets just say the best part about it was checking out. But the beach was relaxing and their local alcohol, Raki, nauseating. Things are pretty busy but a friend brought me a bag of starbucks coffee, so life is looking up. Wishing you a great day off for Labor Day, Happy New Year, Happy Columbus Day, and Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day. For your viewing pleasure... Life Before HUC Israel Part I Israel and Turkey