Living the dream...

I wonder if platinum existed when they coined the phrase “Jerusalem of Gold?” Throughout this past week, life in Jerusalem has taken on various hues. My apartment is what we will call “Jerusalem of Mold.” Despite the need for an intense elbow grease cleaning, it’s a wonderful place – with great balconies, fully furnished, and a beautiful cross-breeze. The past month has been a flurry of goodbyes and hellos – a meaningful conclusion to an intense year as a Hillel International Fellow ; a final late-night outing with my closest friends from the RAC ; a wild going away party in my apartment in DC; spending the weekend with my family and friends at URJ-GUCI – where I found myself songleading, life guarding, and sitting Shmira, as though I’d never left; a tearful goodbye with my mom at the airport – such that the security let me pass through and then return to hug her some more… For the week prior to my arrival in Israel, I traveled with a NFTY trip to Prague and Poland. It was ...

Shalom from Jerusalem, I hope this email finds you well! On July 10th, I will begin my first year as a Rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion ( www.huc.edu ). The first year of HUC is spent living in Israel, with a primary focus on Hebrew language and a few other important topics, namely the Torah. After arriving in Israel last Tuesday, the past week has been full of meeting new friends, visits to the shuk, a sunrise concert on Masada, and a restful Shabbat. Until classes begin, one major agenda item is to spend time volunteering with NFTY's ( www.nfty.org ) Tikkun Olam program as they make visits to various group homes and the Hadassah Hospital Cancer ward. Throughout the year, I will be posting to a blog which can be viewed at www.jengubitz.com . You can sign up for email alerts on the website. I will try to keep the posts short and readable, as well as accompany them with pictures. My contact information is: Jennifer Gubitz Rules 13 King Da...