Jordan!!!!

The trip begins! After a long, sleepless night in Ben Gurion Airport, it was time to fly to Jordan. As soon as I sat down I fell asleep and the next thing I knew, we were there! We decided to go to Madaba first since it was closer to the airport and was also near Mt. Nebo.

Madaba was pretty nice, it gave us chance to get acclimated to the trip. We walked around the city, saw a mosaic in a really old church. the one with the famous map of Jerusalem with the Cardo in the center.

We got lunch in a small restaurant and when the owner heard Andrea was from Chicago he got all excited because he used to live there. He gave us free sodas and free icees (what he called "chilly willies") and the proceeded to tell us his whole life story.

Then we were off to Mt. Nebo to see where Moses died. To took out my tripod and got some really amazing footage. I wanted to pray there, but I know that's not the safest thing for a Jew to do in public in Jordan, so I made sure only to bow when the guards weren't looking, kept the schukling to a minimum and moved my hands around like an evangelical. No problems, thank God.

We then took a cab to Amman and we both fell asleep for a while since it was about an hour-long drive. It's really nice and there are pictures of King Abdullah everywhere. We walked around the city for a little while and went to some markets, but Jordan is really expensive. Who knew the Dinar was stronger than the Dollar? Not I.

After the markets, we wandered over to the King Husein Mosque. It was prayer time and Andrea wasn't allowed in. I don't think the women's section was open. I went in and stood on the side intending to film a little bit, but one of the men there pulled me over next to him to pray. So I imitated him and said the Shema quietly. I wonder when the last time a Jew prayed in there? It was pretty amazing. Afterwords I bought a kuffi (a Muslim Kippah) to wear for next time. I look so great! Ha! Also, one of the book sellers had a copy of "Mein Kampf" in Arabic, wonderful. I decided against buying it.

Right next to the mosque was a huge Roman Amphitheater. I had never been to one that was so big before. There were two museums attached to it but they were really boring. But one worrying thing I noticed was that whenever a town in Israel was mentioned, it was labeled as being in Palestine. It sounds insignificant but it reflects a much larger problem that exists with the peace with Jordan and Egypt. It seems to be more on paper than in the hearts of the people which won't ever change if they don't even have to acknowledge Israel's existence in state-run museums. This is the reason why Netanyahu keeps on insisting the Palestinians recognize Israel as the Jewish State. Not out of insecurity, but because if they don't make it an official policy to teach that Israel has a right to exist, the next generation will not understand why there is a treaty to begin with and everything will start all over again.

We then went to get some dinner at cheap place that was recommended to us by a woman outside the mosque. Since it was early we had the whole place to ourselves. We sat on a balcony, ate fatat humus with pita and zaatar pizza (Jason eat your heart out!). It was delicious and only cost around $2! Amazing.

Then we had to rush back to the airport because we forgot that Jordan was still on daylight savings time so we lost an hour. But not a problem, we got there with plenty of time.

Next stop: Cairo!

Wow a New Post

So it's been a little while my last posting. I need to work on this a little bit, so here's how my day went today.

I woke up late because I have no class and I wasn't able to sleep last night until about 4 am. It might have had something to do with planning a trip to Egypt. So when I finally woke up, I got myself together and headed over to Andrea's (my new buddy in the masters program here) apartment to plan out the trip.

We're going to leave the day after Yom Kippur, fly via Jordan and use an 11.25 hour layover for a day trip in Amman. Then we'll head over to Cairo for about a week. Should be awesome. I'm looking forward to checking out an Egyptian Synagogue on Sukkot. I can't wait to see the sunrise at the pyramids, see the sphinx and just wander around in Egypt. I don't know when I'll be able to go again so I'm going to make the most of it. And of course I'm going to get some great footage. I'm so excited!

We then went with Loren (another masters student, and a guy) to the absoption center where he has been living since he made aliyah this summer. It's a reeeeeeeeally long building in Be'er Sheva, where hundreds of new immigrant families live while they study Hebrew and get used to the country. I met Jews from Turkey, Peru, India and Yemen. Then while we were walking around we passed a group of teenage boys playing and speaking in Russian. I made a comment about there being lots of Russians and then heard all about how they weren't Russian but Ukrainian, Latvian, Belorussian, Azeri... I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, we were walking by a mural with lots of different national flags next to the Israeli flag. Not very subtle, but then again, I don't think that was the point. It was really powerful seeing all those different Jews who were coming together, as new olim.

We sat down (Loren and I, Andrea sat with the women) and spoke with some of the Yemeni Jews for a little while. I was a little upset with myself because I wasn't really able to talk with them in Arabic so much. I really need to step up my reviewing. But I was still able to talk with some of them in Hebrew and at one point, one of them was translating from Arabic to Hebrew and I was translating from Hebrew to English. Kinda funny, but very interesting. While it is great to see all these Jews coming together in Israel, the Yemeni Jews I met were not happy at all about leaving Yemen (some had arrived just last week) and told me right out that if there weren't so many problems there and if they felt safer, they would all have preferred to stay there. I asked them if they would be willing to be interviewed about it on camera and they agreed so it looks like I have a possible topic for my next film. They then asked us if we were hungry. We said no, but they brought out some home made laffa anyway. Delicious.

We then turned around and saw that Andrea was gone. She had been taken up to one of the apartments by one of the Yemeni women who was intent on feeding her. Sadly, Andrea didn't know who to say she was a vegetarian in Arabic. Not wanting to be rude, she proceeded to eat a whole chicken (well, not a whole chicken, but that's how she described it). When I told Yehiel, our Hebrew-Arabic translator, what happened, he laughed and said that Yemenis love to eat and love to watch other people eat. I could get used to this.

When we got back to the dorms, I went to study some Arabic. Having not studied it for over a year, I'm noticeably rusty. But I'm sure that if I really force myself to review and study, I should be ready in time for class. Although, I'm still not sure which Arabic-in-Hebrew class I'm going to be taking, I'm sure it will be much different that what I've done in the past. I'll have to practice translating directly from Arabic to Hebrew a little bit to get used to it.

A little later I went over my class schedule. I've decided on the three non-language courses I want to take: Milestones in the Zionist-Arab Conflict 1881-1948 (Benny Morris), Studying the Modern Middle East: A Historiographic Review, and The 1979 Iranian Revolution: A Thirty Year Perspective. But I'm a little annoyed. I had recently been thinking about taking Persian (Farsi) in Hebrew as well, because I think it would be fun, interesting and would serve as both a Hebrew class and another language class. But there is only one beginners class and it is the same time as Benny Morris' class. How can there only be one class for the entire university?! Oh well.

Tel Aviv Shabbat

Last weekend, a whole group of us decided to head up to Tel Aviv for the day. After Ulpan we got on a bus and made the trek. I ended up sitting on the floor the whole way since the bus was full, but it wasn't too bad. Once we got there we made our way over to our hostel and checked in. We go up to our rooms to change into our bathing suits and I notice a problem: I forgot mine along with my towel. Great. Luckily, Nick had an extra pair of mesh shorts that he let me borrow and use instead. If only they hadn't been sooooo short. But they did the job.

We then walked a few blocks to the beach and got a late lunch of falafel. Not great, but not too bad either. Then it was beach time. I had forgotten just how soft the sand is there; it's not like sand on other beaches that can be rough. This sand is just really, really soft. It feels great to walk on... when it's not incredibly hot that is. But the problem of hot sand is easily solved by simply going in the water, which is so warm you can just jump right in. Wonderful.

After a few hours on the beach swimming, body surfing and seeing an amazing sunset, Ian, Shay, Robb and I decided to go walk around the city a little bit. We walked over to the mall to see if District 9 was playing; it wasn't. So we walked around a little bit and explored the mall for a while.

I had been in touch with my friends Yamit and Dani (her little brother) who live in Tel Aviv and we were trying to hang out with each other. I don't know if it was the language barrier or what, but after telling us he'd meet us at the mall with his car in 10-15 minutes, we waited for about an hour before I called again and he finally come over.

They took us to the port where there are lots of trendy bars. There were four of us in the back seat, so Robb and Ian kept having to put their heads down as we passed the police so we wouldn't get a ticket. Dani was very vocal about how he felt about the police. It was pretty funny.

It was great to see them again. Last time I saw Dani, he was maybe 15 and now he's 20 and in the army... but still just as crazy as he was last time I saw him. Yamit is doing great and it's much easier to talk to her in Hebrew now that I've been in Ulpan for a while.

After a few drinks they brought us back to beach where we met up with the rest of the group and walked back to the hostel. We hung out for a while on the balcony. Shelly and Rebbecca thought it might be a good idea to walk to Jaffa - we were not close at all. We decided against it and went to bed instead. It was pretty late.

We woke up the next morning and checked out of the hostel. Shay had to leave to go to the airport because he was going home, so we all said our good-byes. We then walked around looking for some breakfast. A few of us got bagels as a restaurant. Very disappointing. Tel Aviv is not New York and the bagels were terrible and very salty. We then split up to explore the city. Ian, Nick and I walked down to Sheinken, checking out little shops on the way. We then decided to walk through the shuk to get to the beach. What we didn't realize was that we were walking south, not west towards the beach. So when we finally got out of the shuk, we were almost in Jaffa (we could see the mosques). So we walked to the beach and then walked up to meet up with the rest of the group.

When we got there none of us really wanted to go back to Be'er Sheva so we decided to stay for Shabbat. We went back to the hostel (after swimming for a while) and checked back in. I then had to go to a grocery store to buy food for Shabbat. We then changed and then everyone went back tot he beach while Dori and I went to the Shul down the street. It was really beautiful and the cantor had a great voice, but it was more of a performance than a service. There was an American father with his two adult sons sitting in front of me who were completely lost. I tried to help them follow along but they were completely lost and left before Kabbalat Shabbat was over. I sat with this French Jew and Dori ended up sitting with his friend. But we both ran into the problem that we didn't speak French, they didn't speak English. So we made do with Hebrew, though his wasn't so great so I had to speak very slowly. I asked them to join us for dinner and told him he could speak with our friend May who is French-Canadian, but they already had plans. So we went back to the beach by ourselves.

We met up with the rest of the guys at a picnic table on the beach. I made Kiddush and then we all had some challah with nutella. Delicious. I then made some sandwiches of peanut butter and nutella and they got some pizza. We hung out on the beach for a while, some of the guys went swimming, played kings and then went back to the hostel.

On Shabbat morning we woke up around 11:30 and checked out. We then went to a restaurant to get some lunch. Well, everyone else got lunch, I brought my food and made some sandwiches. The girls at the table next to ours turned out to be from New Jersey (non-Syrians from Deal) so Ian and I made some small talk.

Then it was time to go to the beach again. We staked out a spot in the shade and played some cards. We then went in the water and stayed there for hours. Literally. I must have been in the water for at least four hours. It was so great.

I then started look for stars and finally davened on the beach. Afterward, we went out to dinner at a cool Mexican place and then got on the train back to Be'er Sheva. All in all, not a bad Shabbat.

Days 14-16

I think a day by day account of me mostly going to class isn't really so interesting. And if I think that, then if you are by some chance reading this, you're probably thinking something similar. So instead of having individual blog postings/postings for everyday within a weekly post, I'm going to try posting more often, but skip over some of the more boring parts.

Day 14

Sunday was pretty standard. Ulpan is still going well although nothing particularly exciting happened that day.

After class Shay and I got some groceries and had some lunch. I tried an Israel version of tradition soup, not bad. I got to pick his brain a little more about PhD programs and learned a lot about the Brandeis program where he's enrolled. It sounds like a great program although I guess I should get through this one first before I make any big decisions.

I then caught up on some TV since I hadn't watched anything since I got here.

Then we had pub night 09. It was fun, although I can't party as much as the people here. I know I'm a loser but I'm hoping it's because most of them are younger than I am.

Day 15

After Ulpan the next day, I decided to head back to the dorm so I could study for the quiz we had today (Tuesday). But it was so nice out so I took my books and sat on the grass in the quad. It's pretty cool to be able to say that. As soon as I sat down a cat came running over and sat in my lap. While I probably didn't study as much as I wanted, I still covered a lot of material and it was certainly more enjoyable.

After a while, Boobs and Rebbecca joined me and we named the cat Zoomer. Good times. Then we all got together with the German group and made a huge bonfire. I must say I was a little creeped out being around a huge fire while hearing German all around me. But I got over it and got to hang out with a bunch of them. They're pretty cool but we realized that none of us really knows all the words to any of the songs we were trying to sing. And I couldn't find anyone who knew how to play 99 red balloons. Bummer.

Day 16

We had our second quiz in Ulpan today. Not too bad. We've started using a textbook to supplement our own work in class, which I guess is good, but I kinda got used to not having to do work out of a book. I liked just talking about the news and writing essays on gays in the military in Hebrew. Oh well.

After class I went to the MAPMES (my masters program) office and asked a whole bunch of questions. I wanted to make sure I would be able to take Arabic classes at my level since only beginners Arabic is offered in my program. Rosaline who runs the office showed me all the different classes and recommended some professors. She says I'll have to take one class as a seminar in which I'll read lots of Arabic and translate a lot... into Hebrew, since it's a regular Israeli class. I'm excited. Now I really need to step up my Arabic reviewing. But the weird thing is, the Arabic classes are only one day a week for 4 hours. So I guess that means lots more independent work. But still, only speaking in class once a week doesn't seem like the best system. I guess I'll have to meet up with the other students out of class to practice in between. I also asked about stopping off in Morocco on our way back from Spain on our Study-Tour. At first she said we couldn't, but now she's looking into it. Which is great because while I'm glad we're going to Spain, I was really hoping to go to a Muslim country and since we're already going to be so close and with a whole group of people studying the Middle East, why shouldn't we be allowed to extend the trip. I might have to trade my Kippah for a Kuffi but hey, they're pretty much the same thing anyway (religiously and linguistically), besides, I think I'd look pretty cool in one. I can't wait. I'm sure to get lots of great footage there and it'll just be awesome to be in Morocco.

Oh! Today while I was online, I came across this ad:
It says: "Choose a blessing from Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav: livelihood, luck, health..." If only it played music with "Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman" it would be perfect. I love Israel.

Ok, it's really late now and I need to do a presentation in class tomorrow on the Swedish newspaper that is alleging that the IDF is killing Palestinians for their organs: http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1108384.html What a wonderful world we live in. It's nice to know the blood libel is alive and well. Better get to sleep now, I have a big day of eating Palestinian babies ahead of me. My God, the things that people are willing to believe because of hate is truly staggering.

Week 2

Day Seven – Sunday August 9, 2009

I’m starting to remember that staying out late and waking up early don’t exactly mix. I didn’t get to wake up early and while I was walking to class, I forgot that on Sundays we meet in a different building. But in the end I was only five minutes late so that wasn’t such a big deal.

I then went to the library to drop off the book I checked out three days earlier, even though I hadn’t even had a chance to open it. There must be a way to check out books for a longer period of time, but I guess I don’t really need to worry about that just yet.

Then we had a meeting about different volunteer groups. One woman gave a really long presentation about the theater group and I felt bad that after speaking for about 15 minutes, she asked if anyone was interested and no one raised their hands. It reminded me that I need to get in touch with Julius so that we can set up a way to meet up so I can take over where Sam left off teaching him English.

After a quick dinner, we all got together and went to the bar Manga, that is just down the road from the dorms. It was a lot of fun and we stayed out much too late. I’m writing it off to it being summer.

Day Eight – Monday August 10, 2009

Again, I need to go to sleep earlier. I’ll write this night off to it being the first week… almost. Needless to say, I didn’t wake up early today, although I did make to class on time and was prepared for my presentation.

In class, Shelly presented an article about the Sotomayor confirmation and a spontaneous debate erupted about affirmative action and the nature of democracy. When I was told that America wasn’t in fact a democracy (though technically it’s a republic, but no one ever says that any more, and she wasn’t debating semantics) I lost it. I proceeded to give a long speech about the nature of free choice and how legislating positions on the bench for specific types of people (minorities, women, even white men) is inherently undemocratic. That while eventually there should be a court that is ethnically representative of the American populace, the court’s first and foremost goal is to uphold the rule of law and protect the Constitution (whether that means the letter of the law or the spirit is another debate entirely). Irit, my Hebrew teacher, then told me that I should get angry more often because my Hebrew is much better then. We’ll see how that works out.

After class a bunch of us went to a great shwarma place right nearby and it was delicious. Then Hannah Bubis (or Boobs as she is affectionately known) and I went to the OSP office so I could see if there was any news about Ayalim and so she could check on other stuff. We then went to the Post Office so I could change the rest of my American money.

While waiting in line, I ask one of the tellers if they change money there. She responds that her line is not open. Then when I get to the front of the other line I am told that they don’t change money there. Wouldn’t it have been nice if that first woman had taken the extra three seconds to say, “I’m not open, and no, we don’t.” Apparently that would have been going far too much out of her way.

We then went to the pool. That is probably the best part about Beer Sheva so far. Just being able to walk over and go to the pool whenever we want.

When I got back to my dorm, I took a nap. I think it’s the heat, but afternoon I seem to need a nap. It could be worse.

Ian and I made some spaghetti and hot dogs for dinner. It didn’t turn out so well. I think they two of those foods that are good separate but don’t mix so well.

I then went to study for my first Hebrew quiz with Shelly and Shay. I think I should be all right, I just need to review some of the words a few more times and then I’ll be set.

Day Nine – Tuesday August 11, 2009

I had my first quiz in Ulpan today. It really wasn’t that bad. During the break a bunch of us ran outside and quizzed each other on opposites and a few exceptions to the gender rules, but in the end, it wasn’t really a tough quiz. I ended up finishing it pretty quickly and going over it a bunch of times. I ended up changing one of my answers the wrong way, but what can you do?

A big group of us then went to the student center to get lunch because we heard there was a deal for 8 shekel sandwiches (roughly $2). For 8 shek it was a pretty good sandwich. We hung out and talked a little politics in between deciding whether to go to a house party tonight or a nearby concert. I also introduced Rachel to chocolate with pop rocks. It’s always great to see someone’s face the first time they try them.

We then had a lecture by Professor David Newman. He teaches geopolitics here and has a column in JPost (check it out). He spoke about borders, maps and possible solutions, so I was pretty much in heaven. Plus, Rachel gave me some pop rocks chocolate at the beginning so that provided additional entertainment since they always pop for a much longer time that you think they will… so I was sure to keep my mouth closed for the beginning of the lecture although I’m pretty sure everyone around me still heard.

I wanted to ask if he was teaching a class this semester but he left during out announcements. But I did ask Marc, who works at B-G and helps coordinate some religious stuff for us, about it. He wasn’t sure but mentioned that even if he doesn’t teach MAPMES specifically, I could still take his class and maybe even in Hebrew. I’m not so sure about that, but it sure would be cool to take a class about the geopolitics of Israel in Hebrew. I suppose I’d have to look up a whole lot of words before hand.

I then went to the bank to exchange money, but apparently banks in Israel are just like banks
in America and it was closed by 4pm. Jesus, where are all the money changers?

A bunch of us then went into town to see a concert. We got some falafel and then went to see Yitzhak Shamir, who is kind of like Israel’s Paul McCartney. It was less of a concert and more of an interview. It was interesting but probably would have been better if we had ever heard of him before. Though it felt good that I was able to understand most of it.

We then came back and got to play with a dog for a while. I gotta say, it’s a lot nicer having dogs and cats running around all the time than squirrels.

Day Ten – Wednesday August 12, 2009

I woke up a 6:30 am today because Erica called. It was great to hear from her but this time difference thing is really annoying. It was fine though; I just fell back asleep after and got another hour of sleep.

Nothing so exciting happened in Ulpan today. I did fine on the quiz and afterwards we went back to the sandwich place on campus.

After that I decided to finally get my Internet hooked up. I hadn’t done it yet since I thought I might have to move out soon, but since I’m staying for all of Ulpan I figured it was time to be connected to the rest of the world. It must have been the right decision because all the starts seemed to align: there was no line at the post office (where you pay) and I didn’t have to wait for the computer guy either. It was a miracle.

I then went to play basketball with Ian, Robb, John, Yeshai, Nick and Ohad. You read that right: I went to play basketball. It was a lot of fun, although it sure would be nice if they found a way to make the gym cooler than it is outside, instead of making it twice as hot.

That night there was a meteor shower but since you can’t see it in Beer Sheva because of the light pollution, we were going to go to Sde Boker. But that’s a 40-minute drive and the last bus back was at 10pm so it didn’t make so much sense for us to go.

Instead we decided to get some dinner at the Big and then go to the Smilansky festival in the old city. After taking the bus to the wrong stop and wandering around for a while, we decided to just go the festival and eat there. Good decision. We went to a shwarma place that was out of shwarma so instead I got a kabob. I had to wait a while for it to be ready but it was delicious. I don’t know why I never got it before.

We then walked around the street festival, which was nice but nothing so special. I got a t-shirt that says, “אום שמום” or “United Nations, Shmunited Nations.” Classic.
When I finally got back after waiting for the bus for about a half hour, I plugged in my computer and was connected to the Internet! Hello old friend. Missed you. I finally got to video chat with Erica and it was so great to see her. But apparently the network the school uses blocks my magic jack, so, at least while I’m in the dorms, I won’t be able to use it to make calls. But at least I have Internet.

Day Eleven – Thursday August 13, 2009

It’s nice being able to wake up and check my email and read the news again. Although, it did make me a little late for class.

In Ulpan we watched a movie called “James Travels in the Holy Land.” It was about an illegal immigrant from Africa who came to Israel on pilgrimage to Jerusalem but instead was taken in by a man who sets him to work. It was a really good movie but it was pretty sad to learn about the situation so many people are stuck in, not just in Israel, but all over the world.

Of course, when I got back to my room, I had trouble getting online. It says I’m connected, but I can’t get online! So frustrating. Well, maybe when I get back from Jerusalem tomorrow it’ll be working again. Inshallah.

I then got on a bus to head to Jerusalem for the day. It’s pretty cool to be able to say that. After a quick 1.5-hour bus ride we got off in Jerusalem and made our way to the Petra hostel. It’s a small hostel in the old city right by the entrance to the Shuk. I highly recommend it. It’s about 35 shekels for the night and apparently Mark Twain stayed there too. Plus, on the rood you can see the Temple Mount, the Church of the Holy Sepulture and the Tower of David. Ridiculous. I’m going to come back in September with my camera so I can get lots of awesome stock footage.

We walked around a lot and then went to Ben Yehuda Street. How I’ve missed you. We went to all the shops, got some falafel and I bought a hookah (yes, I know you’re not supposed to, but I haggled for about an hour and it’s so beautiful).

Then we went back to the hostel, sat on the roof and smoked some hookah. There was a laser-light show at the Tower of David, so we had a great soundtrack. I’ll post some pictures later, my mini-USB cable isn’t playing ball right now.

Some of the guys then went out to a bar, but I stayed back with Shay and Hannah and just hung out on the rood. I got to talk to Shay about PhD programs. He’s getting his at Brandeis right now and is pretty much who I want to be in 5 years. So I got lots of good advice and it was good just to talk about that stuff with someone who’s been there already.

But when it came time to go to sleep, I was really regretting my decision not to bring my sleeping bag. I figured there would be beds there, but we decided to sleep on the roof because it’s both cheaper and very cool. But we didn’t take into account the fact that it was also freezing since Jerusalem isn’t in the Desert. So, shivering, I went to sleep under the Jerusalem stars.

Days Twelve and Thirteen – Friday and Shabbat August 14-15, 2009

I woke up at around 5 am shivering. I really should’ve brought my sleeping bag. I followed Robb back downstairs and crashed on a couch in a room that probably isn’t so warm but felt wonderful.

After about an hour of dozing, I’m awake and I start to wake everyone else up. I suggested we go to the Kotel at sunrise and everyone was pretty enthusiastic. So after knocking on a few doors we all (sans a very tired Dori) headed towards the Mountain of God. We walked through the shuk, which was completely empty. It was a really interesting experience to see a place that is usually completely alive, just deserted.

We finally wound our way out of the shuk and walked out in front of the Kotel. I have been there many times before but for some reason (well, not just any reason, I’m pretty sure I know why) it always feels new and old at the same time (thank you Hertzl). I put on my tefillin and davened and it was amazing – except for my prayers being interrupted by begging Hassidim. I still remember how upset I was on my first trip to Israel when I gave them money and then found out that they weren’t collecting for a charity but so that they don’t have to work (apparently ein derech eretz ein torah doesn’t ring any bells for them). I would think they would at least have the decency to leave me along during the amidah when I am halachikly forbidden from moving, but no, apparently it is more important for them to mooch off me than for me to pray to the Almighty.

But I digress. It was a moving experience and I am happy about that because I was worried that since I had been there so many times before, it might not have that effect on me anymore.

We then went to Bonkers Bagels (shout out to Ari) and got some much needed breakfast. After that we were off back to the shuk to check it out while it was actually open. It was a lot of fun even though I didn’t buy anything.

Then we headed back to Beer Sheva since we needed to make sure we got back well before Shabbat started. I slept the whole way back but I was still really tired.

I then had to call the people I was going to do Shabbat lunch with and got directions to meet them at shul in the morning. I then passed out and slept until 6. I quickly got ready and then went downstairs to meet up with Josh so we could head over.

We decided to take a cab there since Shabbat hadn’t started yet and it was pretty far away. Nir and Orah were really nice and they fed us for hours. By the time we were done eating, it was almost midnight, so Nir walked us part of the way home and then Josh and I kept walking for
about a half hour and finally got home. Time for some more sleep.

I woke up the next day and headed to shul. I grabbed my directions and walked all the way to the shul, but I couldn’t find it. I stopped in a different shul and apparently in Israel services start much earlier because when I got there a little before 10, they were just finishing up. I then tried to find their apartment (different people than the night before) but no success. I ended up just coming back to the dorm and making some sandwiches.

Then I broke out the Benny Morris and went outside to do a little reading. Ian stopped by and I helped him carry his laundry. When he was done we went over to the pool, he played some basketball and I just went right to the pool. Wonderful.

I then took a nap and woke up right as Shabbat was ending. I davened and then met up with Nick, Yeshai, Josh and some Israelis and Germans and we all went to dinner at this place called Nafes. It was kind of like a Yemeni Friendlys. Interesting, and very delicious. I ate so much.

We then came back to the dorms and we hung out in the quad and smoked some hookah (my hookah!). Lots of fun but the security guard made us move because it was late and we were too loud. So we moved outside to the bus stop and just hung out there and smoked a little bit before calling it a night.

First Week in Beer Sheva

Since the Internet isn’t set up in my room, I haven’t been able to post on a daily basis. Instead, I’ve been keeping track on my computer and I’ll be posting multiple entries at once – at least until I get the Internet sorted out. Hopefully that is soon.

Day One – Monday August 3, 2009

After a very long plane ride and a shorter than expected taxi ride, I finally arrived in Beer Sheva. The first person I met was Gali, a B-G student studying Biology and also a religious Jew – perhaps I judged this place too quickly. After lugging all my bags up three two flights of stairs, it’s time for my Ulpan exam. I was a little a little nervous because I hadn’t slept so much on the plane or the night before and this was my first day, but luckily for me, my teacher just wanted to hear me read a line and that was it. Ulpan Daled, just the level I thought I’d be in.
I then made a quick call to Sam. She came right over to the dorm with some essentials – blankets, silverware… - and then takes me on a tour of the campus. She helps me navigate the local grocery store and takes me to lunch in one of the many cafeterias (all of the kosher) where I feed my leftovers to a little white kitten. But after that Sam has to go because I have to run to my first Ulpan class.
Ulpan is great. I find it a little odd that I am the only Jew in the class, but two other join us the next day. I am in the perfect level with other students who actually want to learn. Even out of class, they want to speak in Hebrew, which is great because it’s the only way we’re ever going to get better. It’s also great that we all seem to be at the same level so there’s no one pushing us to fast or slowing us down.
After Ulpan we make a much-needed trip to the big grocery store in town. I didn’t really need very much because Sam had already taken me to get stuff, but it was good to hang out with the other kids in the program.
When we finally get back, it’s after 11pm and I’m exhausted. I met one of my roommates; his name is Vishnu, a Nepalese post-grad student who was sent to Israel to study agriculture technology. After saying hello, I quickly get into my room, lay down on the bed and I’m out. Good day.

Day Two- Tuesday August 4, 2009

I wake up at 5am. I can’t remember the last time I was up this early but I’m awake and I can’t fall back asleep. Luckily this is the perfect time to call Erica since she was just about to go to sleep.
I say hello to my other roommate: Stass, a big Russian-Israel. Then, after a hardy breakfast of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, I head out the door at 8 am so I can do my homework in the air-conditioned building 90 where I have Ulpan. There was no chance for me to do it the night before, but I didn’t have so much so it wasn’t a big deal.
Ulpan is going well. I ended up not having to give my presentation because we ran out of time and I finally figured out who my teacher reminded me of: Morah Shoshana, my Hebrew/Arabic teacher from high school.
After class I head over to see Sam’s apartment and finally meet Ari II. But I didn’t take into account that I had to be back on campus at 2pm for our trip so I was only able to stay for about 15 minutes. A little annoying but not too bad. The only bad thing is that I don’t have time to eat lunch. Not a good move when you have a big hike ahead of you.
I rushed back to campus to put on hiking shoes and get my camelback (and I am very happy I found that in my closet while I was packing). We then take a bus ride to one of the student villages of Ayalim outside Dimona (yes, that Dimona). They were built by students who took their discharge money from the army, and instead of traveling, they went to the Negev to build up Jewish settlements there. It’s very cool and I’m thinking about living there for the year instead of getting an apartment off campus.
After Ayalim, we headed over to Machtesh Ramon. I’ve been there before but it’s still beautiful. We took a REALLY long hike and then headed home.

Day Three – Wednesday August 5, 2009

My Ulpan class is getting bigger, but it’s still pretty small. The way we’re learning is much better than any system I’ve used before. Instead of learning straight from a book, each day half the class gives a presentation on a news story they read and we learn new vocabulary from them. That way we’re learning words that are actually helpful and would come up in normal conversations.
After Ulpan I decided to check out the kosher McDonald’s on campus. It feels weird ordering McDonald’s in Hebrew, but it tastes so good. However, my stomach disagreed very much and let me know.
A few hours later, I went over to the student affairs office with my friend Yishai to ask some questions about the Ayalim program. One of my big questions was “Are all the rooms that nice, or was the one we saw just really nice to make us want to live there?” Apparently, the room we saw wasn’t even one of the nice ones. Interesting.
In between classes I went online and found out that today, Euna Lee and Laura Ling were finally released from prison in North Korea. All it took was an official state visit from former President Clinton and his apology and now they are back in America. However, since their arrest, there has been virtually no coverage of their situation in the news. Similarly, there is almost no news about the captured American soldier Burgdahl in Afghanistan.
Why is it that in Israel, whenever there is any progress made in regards to Gilead Shalit, the first place it goes is on the front page of Haaretz? This has lead to absolutely nothing and is a recipe for disaster. This is the pattern of Shalit negotiations: Olmert says he won’t negotiate at all, but an unnamed source says he’ll release 200 prisoners so Hamas doesn’t budge. Olmert agrees to 400 prisoners but unnamed sources say he’ll release 1000. Hamas says it will consider a revised list, but once it’s published they deny it.
It’s about time Israel takes a page out of the American playbook and restrict certain – not all, but some – information, so that there can be some sort of real progress towards his release.
After being both elated and annoyed, I then head back over to Sam and Ari II’s apartment, so I can hang out with them for more than 10 minutes. It’s great to hang out with her again and Ari II is pretty cool. They were dog sitting for a friend, so both dogs were busy jockeying for attention. We ate some dinner and then took the dog with us to hang off to another sitter before going to see Sam’s English students.
In Arad, Sam introduces me to Julius and Yon, who are both Sudanese refugees, living and working in Israel. It is very humbling to listen to all they have gone through just to get to Israel. Their English is already very good and they also speak some Hebrew. We went to the mall to hang out and chat and I’m very surprised to see how quickly they have adapted to life here. Julius was even wearing an orange anti-disengagement bracelet “to fit in.” What a country.

Day Four – Thursday August 6, 2009

After Ulpan today I went to the bookstore to get a book to bring with me to Ein Gedi for Shabbat. I wanted to get “The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited,” by Benny Morris (light reading) but I could only find it in Hebrew. I am not up to that challenge just yet. So after buying a new Hebrew-English dictionary, I went to the library to check it out there.
This was not an easy task. I had to search and search all over the building and when I finally found it, the only copy was an old frying copy with tape on the binding. Then when I went to check it out, I learned that I first had to activate my card, which was more difficult since it says I’m a student from 2008-2009 instead of 2009-2010. After spending a good 20 minutes with and old Israeli librarian, trying desperately to get this to just work already, I was finally ready to check out my book. She scans my card and says I have to have it back on Sunday. That’s 3 Days! I felt like I spent more time than that in line just to the get the book!
After this ordeal, I needed to relax, so I decided to hit the pool with a bunch of other students from the program. It is wonderful! Getting to swim while it is so incredibly hot out is just the best and I’m going to do it as often as I can. I didn’t want to leave.
I hurry back to my room so I can change in time for the movie tonight. The campus cinema – the Negative – is playing “Walk on Water.” I’ve seen it before, but it was interesting watching it with Israelis and a bunch of the students from Germany (it’s about a tormented Mossad agent who is hunting a rapidly aging Nazi war criminal). Eitan Fox, the director, is not very subtle (the main character physically can’t cry, the same 3 songs are cycled whenever something important is happening…) and his messages are very left-leaning (he makes it clear that it’s important to understand the motivation of suicide bombers because they must have a good reason to do something so horrible and yet he sees no contradiction when he shows no similar consideration to violent homophobic neo-Nazis. Apparently, there can be a reason to kill gays but there is justification for killing Jews).
After the movie, I went with a few friends to hang out with some of the German students who are studying here. Maybe it was because of the movie, but hearing them speaking amongst themselves in German gave me such a terrible feeling in my stomach. It didn’t matter how nice they were, or that they were also speaking in Hebrew. I just felt this weird feeling in my stomach that I was somehow surrounded.
One of them, a really outgoing guy named Max, decided he would open our conversation by telling me that there used to be a synagogue in his town before the Holocaust but now there isn’t one. What exactly am I supposed to say to that? Thanks for the sympathy? Should I ask him if he understands why there aren’t any Jews left in his town? Historical irony of a German telling me all this in Hebrew aside, I was incredibly uncomfortable. I wish I didn’t feel that way, but I guess all that Holocaust education that was drilled into my head for hours upon hours while I was growing up has had some effect on me. Hearing that much German – even when it’s punctuated by Hebrew – makes me nervous.
And on that happy note, I’m off to bed.

Days Five and Six – Friday and Shabbat August 7-8 2009

Today we hiked Masada. It wasn’t my first time, but it was still pretty great. Although, instead of going early in the morning before sunrise, we went at the hottest time of the day. So hot, in fact, that they actually closed off the snake path because of the heat. Thankfully they opened it up so we could walk down it… although it was still blisteringly hot.
After Masada we were off to Ein Bokek, a beautiful oasis near the Dead Sea. We hiked through steams and finally came to a shallow pool of water where we swam and hung out for at least an hour. It felt great to swim after being in the heat for so long.
While we were there, I met Gadi, Bat-Chen and Perah, three Israelis from Dimona. They were very nice and told me I should call them if I end up moving to the Ayalim village near them. Woo! New Israeli Friends! Go Hebrew! Maybe I’ll be able to spend the Haggim with them. But while I was there, I missed Erica’s call since I left my phone on the bus, so I didn’t get to talk to her at all before Shabbat. Time differences suck.
We decided to stay at Ein Bokek for longer than planned instead of rushing to the Dead Sea before Shabbat. So we relaxed in the water and eventually left and headed to our hostel outside Ein Gedi.
On the way, Ian and I discovered out mutual love of quoting cartoons. And I had been making so much progress in not doing that any more. Oh well.
We then ran over to the Dead Sea anyway. I had cuts on my feet from wearing my flip-flops for too long, and they burned when I stepped in the water. But after a while it stopped. I forgot how cool it was to just be able to float in the water. You don’t realize how much fun it is until you are here and even though I’d done it before, it was still lots of fun.
But we couldn’t stay long because Shabbat was about to start. So we ran back to the hostel, which was more like a really nice hotel that happened to have too many beds in one room than a hostel. However, when you’re feet are wet, it is very difficult to keep them in flip-flops and while climbing up from the Dead Sea and on pretty much every water-hike we did, I was in constant fear of falling and of them breaking as my feel slipped on almost every step. Good times.
We showered and got ready for Shabbat and then headed to the Hostel’s Beit Knesset. Aside from us, there was only one other guy there: an old Mizrachi Jew who was reciting Shir HaShirim. None of us were really sure what to do. Did we miss Minacha? Were we waiting for other people to show up? We decided to just wait for him to finish. Bad choice. He yelled at us for waiting for him, saying he wasn’t a Chazzan or in charge. So I was nominated to lead services, but since we didn’t have a minyan (as I had to awkwardly explain that we weren’t all Jewish), we only did Kabbalat Shabbat out together.
Then we had a wonderful schnitzel dinner (I did Kiddush) and afterwards we all got together and played mafia. Ari, if you’ve made it this far into the blog, I will admit it’s a pretty fun game when people are actually willing play.
We then all hung out for a long time, drinking beers and playing Thumper. It was lots a fun and just a very chill night.

The next morning I woke up at 6 am but services weren’t until 8:30 so I went back to sleep. The next thing I knew it was 10 am and breakfast was over. We then rushed to get ready for the hike.
We walked into Ein Gedi and it’s just as amazing as I remembered it. We walk up and jumped into a spring and just cooled off (it was boiling again). Then we walked up a little more and jumped into another spring. It was great; except my shoulders got really burnt despite all the suntan lotion I’ve been putting on.
When we got back, Ian, Mario, Josh and I decided to head over to the Dead Sea and walked really far down along the beach to find some mud. We covered ourselves completely and some Israelis asked us if we were from Zimbabwe. Oy.
I had never used Dead Sea mud before but it isn’t that hard to figure out. We just globbed it on and it was great. Plus, my skin is now silky smooth and my cuts didn’t hurt when I went into the water. I definitely recommend it.
We then went back to the hostel and I just fell right asleep. The next thing I knew, Ian was telling me that we had 15 minutes to get our stuff together and get out. We then all did Havdalah (guess who led) and got on the bus to go back to Beer Sheva. We watched “Ahava Colombianit” on the way, so Jason, now we can talk about it (although we didn’t get all the way to the very end).
Back at the dorms, Ian’s friend Aaron, who just made Aliyah and is now in the army, came to hang out. We went to the bar right next to the dorms and just had a few beers. It was cool, but a little weird for me to be in Israel and hanging out with someone who actually did what I thought I was going to do for such a long time. It didn’t make me thing I made the wrong decision (I don’t think that) but it just gave me a weird feeling. I guess some things never leave you completely.
Now it’s time for me to go to bed. It’s 2 am and I need to get up early because with all that hiking and swimming, I still haven’t done my Hebrew homework. But I don’t feel so bad since I’ve been using my Hebrew way more than most people and made friends with Israelis. Now if only they’d stop calling me Chamud and asking me if I’m about to start college.

Tisha B'av on the Eve of the Trip

As I sit in my room, beginning the long task of packing all my belongings for the year, my stomach is growling because I am fasting in honor of Tisha B'av. It is a sad day when the destruction of both Temples and the fall of Beitar are said to have happened. Now, the fact that different sources may suggest that these events did not necessarily happen on this day is essentially irrelevant. It is a day of introspection and mourning of the loss of Jewish life throughout history and the loss of the Temples in particular.

But right now, I am packing my bags because I will be spending the new year in the modern Jewish State of Israel. So what exactly am I mourning for?

Of course there are many Jews who don't fast. Most don't fast, not because of ideological reasons, but because they simply don't feel a connection and since they don't observe most other traditional Jewish practices, this one isn't high on their list. However, there are some Jews who actively chose not to fast or fast for only half the day since Israel is once again ours. They claim that even though the Temples may have been destroyed on the 7th and 10th of Av respectively, the fall of Beitar (the last Jewish stronghold of the Bar Kochba Revolt) occurred on the 9th. Therefore it seems unnecessary, and almost unseemly to mourn the loss of that which we have recovered.

This is understandable. I myself don't fast on Shva Asar B'tammuz (the day the Babylonians breached the walls of Jerusalem) because we once again have control of the city. However, due to Tisha B'av's special role of remembering all past tragedies, I believe it is an important fast to keep.

However, when the Temple is rebuilt - be it tomorrow or 2000 years from now - I find it hard to imagine that Jews will continue to fast and mourn in Jerusalem, while in the shadow of the Temple. That being said, we would be doing ourselves a great disservice if we ignored the day altogether.

While reading about the arrest of 5 Rabbis for corruption and organ trafficking, it isn't difficult to imagine that the priests of old also fell into behavior that was morally reprehensible. The Jews followed their lead and, according to tradition, were overcome with baseless hatred that in the end led to the destruction. We would be wise to use this day as a pre-Yom Kippur, to examine our actions and take stock of our morals. It could also become a day of judgment for those working in the Temple one day and those in the government. In order to make sure the leaders are morally upright, having one day every year when they would be forced to stand before the people and defend their actions would be an extra safeguard against corruption and backsliding.

On Yom Kippur we stand before God for forgiveness and judgement, perhaps on Tish B'av we should stand before our fellow man as well.