Our Apartment in Jerusalem

Below is a link to pictures of our apartment. We tried to get every angle. They are also set up in a sort of chronological order as if you were to walk up to our place from the street.

http://community.webshots.com/user/jloving1

Enjoy

- Jonathan

Michal's Update

Update from Michal:

I had a great day yesterday – we went on a tiyyul, a field trip, to the Old City. (Just me, as Jonathan would have died in the sun). We went to Mt. Zion, King David’s Tomb, the place to where archeologists think the Last Supper was held (SO DAMN COOL), and a museum where they had a replica of the layout of the Old City at the time of the First Temple. We also visited the valley of “Ben-Gihon” where child sacrifices were held (as railed against in the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah) – it was so awful that the name of the valley later became Gihon, then Gehenna, aka Hell. Then we walked all up and down the valley that had been the border between Israel and Jordan in 1967, and ended at the ancient burial caves from the time of Solomon, where an intact burial cave with 4 generations was found from 2700 years ago, including a silver amulet that contained a phrase from the Bible – which is the only known text of the Bible that we’ve found from the Biblical era.

Yesterday I went to the Tel Aviv airport to meet my grandmother, who came in from her visit to the States – she brought a big suitcase from my mom, which contained wondrous amazing things like Rolos and Snickers bars. Not to mention other, less important things like our bedspread from home, winter clothes, and extra Brita filters.

I’ve been having a ball setting up our apartment and getting it the way I like it. J and I have been buying tapestries and throws from the shuk, the flea market (along with our produce and pita). The place looks like ours now - we even procured a desk from another HUC student! We’re gonna take pictures in the next few days and put them up. My father gave me some money when I got here, and with his gift and a little of my own I also got nine new tops and four new skirts – I’m excited. I look more Israeli now, and I’m waaay more comfortable walking around in the heat than I would be in jeans.

My dad has weekly meetings in Jerusalem, so every Wednesday he’s been coming over to hang out after work – it’s been nice. He’s been a huge help with my Hebrew – the first composition of mine that he corrected had more green correction pen than it did my pencil marks! Ulpan itself is eh – I’m in Kitah Bet (level 2 out of 5) because while my vocabulary is high, my grammar sucks. So half the class is boring when we do vocab and speaking, and the other half is hard when the teacher goes over verb tenses quickly. I’m thinking of getting a tutor for grammar so I can move up a level or two… I’ll let you know how it goes. J

Tomorrow J and I are hosting a birthday “movie night” party, which will be our first time hosting lots of people. J set up his projector in our living room, so we watch DVDs on a 60 inch image on the wall, complete with surround sound speakers. It’ll be fun to watch as a big group - we’ve really only had Jaimee and Helayne over before, a lesbian couple we’ve become good friends with. A couple weeks ago the four of us made an Israeli communal dinner - Jaimee was in charge of the spiced hamburger and J of the rice, so we all pooled ingredients and cooked, and then Helayne and I whipped together some fruit salad for dessert. Yay friends. J

Other than that… Jan’s going-away gift of Star Trek: TNG has never been put to better use. It’s a great way to wind down the day, since each episode is only 45 minutes and I don’t feel like I have to commit to a whole movie. We’re nearing the end of Season 4, watching them in order.

I’ve become addicted to fresh nectarines, and I’ve fallen in love again with the concept of eating tomatoes and cucumbers like I would an apple. I did a 15-minute presentation in ulpan about my family, where I brought in my laptop and did a slideshow presentation of people (including Cleo the cat and Gesundheit the rat). I’m learning all kinds of new stuff about ritual and Biblical history that I only wish I had known when I was teaching 6^th grade at Temple Israel. And I’ve been really enjoying Shabbat, where I’m forced by default to do nothing.

That’s all from the home front… pictures to follow soon.

Still Safe and Sound

Here is a map of Israel. You will see a clear label pointing to Jerusalem where Michal and I are residing. In the northern edge of the state you will notice a gray haze that I put on the map, showing the reach of the Lebanon attacks. As you can see it is far and away from where we are. I want to assure everyone we are in no immediate danger and life is going on as normal here in the Holy City.

Lastly, you can see an arrow showing the general area of the Tel Dan dig site where we used to be, but left before the attacks began. The people that were with me at the dig site found themselves in harms way and the Israeli army came up to help evacuate them. Though these students where in danger, the dig site wasn’t a target and thankfully none of the attacks ever landed close enough to hurt anyone even if they stayed. For obvious safety reasons the dig site is closed, most likely for the year. I show this only to show how quickly Israel responds to problems, and how hard they work to assure the safety of everyone in their country. Please know that we are in good hands.

Pictures of Tel Dan

Today I have uploaded pictures from our dig at Tel Dan. Because of how this blog works, I had to do them as a series of posts. These should add some images to accompany my detailed account of our time at the dig.

Last chance McDonalds

First up is the McDonalds we stopped at on the way there. This is the last and only place to eat before we get to the Archaeological base camp where we will be sleeping. I had chicken nuggets and a hot fudge sunday. Michal had a hamburger and we both shared a coke. Perhaps it is because of the Arab population, but this was one of the few Non Kosher places to eat in all the country. It was a little piece of heaven for a couple of lone Americans.

Dig Site "L"

Here is the Dig site in Tel Dan where we were taking part in Archaeological research. There are several dig sites in Tel Dan that are ongoing. This one is Dig site “L”. As you can see, we have just started in this area and there is much more work to be done. The most interesting stuff will be many, many feet below the surface, but even just a few inches down we have found tons of interesting pieces, including an ancient horse statuette.

Yifat and Tim

Here is a picture of Yifat and Tim. Tim is the one that looks like a cowboy. He is a very nice and highly educated archeology student finishing his masters who can also bend hardened steel pick axes by digging too hard. It’s known not to piss Tim off. If the Lebanese army were to cross the border, we would stick Tim on them.

Yifat is the cute one on the left and is incredibly nice, intelligent, and has more energy than the energizer bunny. She is also manages site L in Tel Dan where we were digging and helped give direction to Michal and I. She gives you the feeling of a Mrs. Indiana Jones when you see her. But since she has the power of God at our site, we refrain from yelling “Where’s Indy!”

Ancient Wall

Here we see Michal in her archaeological garb (don’t she look cute?), posing over a rock formation that turned out to be a wall section built in the Middle Ages. It was actually a disappointment to find that the wall was a little less than 1000 years old when we were looking for things around 3000 (biblical times). It is hoped that this wall was actually built atop of much older structures, something commonly done at tills and consistent with all the other structures that have been found here. Only digging will tell.

A few hours later the head Archaeologist, David will lead us on a tour of the area and eventually to the Garden of Eden.

Paradise this way

I don’t understand why people have such trouble getting to Paradise when the trail is clearly labeled. *smiles* Above the English word you will see Hebrew that actually describes the location as “Garden of Eden”. We are on our way!

On the way to Paradise

Here Michal and I are on our way to “Paradise”. It is damn hot, despite the shade of the thick brush and trees. Earlier that day we were at the dig site that is only about 5 minutes away from where this picture was taken, so we were sweaty and dirty before we even began our trek. Regardless, we are so happy to be here. We are walking roads of ancient history, stepping into the pages of the bible. We will soon see the location where the source of all life here spews from the earth itself… the start of the Jordan River.

Jordan River

This is a picture of where the Jordon River, the main source of water for all of Israel, starts. Through the lush trees and bushes you can see the rapid flowing water that will eventually make its way to the Dead Sea where it will end. It is easy to see how the Oasis in the desert could seem like the legendary “Garden Eden”. The water here has been the best I have ever tasted. This source of water is the real reason for Tel Dan’s strategic importance in history.

The Dig at Tel Dan

Here is my rather detailed account of the dig at Tel Dan. As a side note you should know that a few days after we left, the Dig was shut down due to the Lebanon attacks. I met up with my fellow diggers at HUC after they had left the site and they gave me hair curling details of shells being lobbed over their heads. It seems I have a sixth sense for danger and left just in time. Hopefully things will change quickly and the importnat work there can continue.

The Dig

Well, as you already know, Michal and I went to an archaeology dig at a place called Tel Dan, in Israel. It is at the very north end of the country, about a stone’s throw from the Lebanese border. There are still trenches there from when the Israel army set up a defense position during one of Israel’s wars. A “Tel” by the way, is any man created hill. In this case, the whole hill is a pile of city remains built upon city remains. Tel Dan is the site of one of the oldest cities in history and the oldest city gate ever built was found here, constructed of wood and mud brick. The dry weather and clay soil preserves things well, which allows items to remain untouched by time. Most of Tel Dan was constructed during the late Bronze Age to early Iron Age where it was a major trading hub and holy gathering place, a status it may have held as early as the beginning of the Bronze Age, and perhaps even earlier. Its stone walls used the latest in military defense which was tested against the many invaders that would want to claim the city as theirs.

Michal and I made arrangements with the Hebrew Union College, who is sponsoring the dig there, to spend a few days at the site, taking part in the finding and recovering of artifacts at the site. Once made, we packed clothes, tooth brush and tooth paste, towels (always bring your own towels), bug repellent, hats, sun glasses, sun block, and headed of to await our ride who was going to pick us up from Jerusalem and take us to the camp site. Daniel, who to this day stands as the tallest Israeli I have ever seen, picked us up in front of the college at about 4 PM in a car far too small for his 6’ 4” frame. He is the administrator for the dig and makes sure all the small details are taken care of. We took the route up along the coast before cutting back inland to the camp site, stopping briefly at a McDonalds for Dinner. The 5 hour drive flew by, due mostly to the great conversations we had with Daniel during the trip. He served as something of an informal tour guide, telling Michal and I about everything we saw throughout the ride. Since the sun didn’t set until after 8 PM, we saw quite a bit, and Daniel explained even more. By the time we got to the camp sight, the three of us were very tired, and as we had a 5 AM wake up call waiting for us, we headed straight to bed.

The next morning came all too quick for us, and we stumbled into our clothes still groggy. The sun is like a ticking time bomb, and we had to get to the site and uncover as much as we could before the sun could start to sap all strength from us. Once dressed and prepped for a day of digging in dirt, we head off to the bus that would drive out to the dig sight where history was waiting for us. There were a large number of student archaeologists this time around, and we talked to them as we were traveling to the site. Some of the people are experts, of course, each with their own specialty. Some can read bones like a biography, others can look at a broken piece of pottery and tell you when it was made, who made it, what it was used for, and how it probably broke. Every conversation bore new fruits of knowledge that fed my hunger. Not all that was learned was purely academic either. Much that was learned on the ride up was just the practical aspects of a dig. Things like: when we will get breakfast, what are we looking for specifically, what was has been found there, how many dig locations are at this site and that sort of thing.

All too quickly we arrived at the dig, virgins waiting to be soiled. David Ilan, the headmaster to this dig, and considered a regular Indiana Jones by those who know him, handed us over to one of the dig site managers, Yifat, who looks like a female Indiana Jones herself. She gave us a little more practical overview before again turning us over to another experienced student volunteer who gave us specific instructions on what to do. Pick axes and hoes started most of the work in an area, but once we got to a rock formation or an item of interest, smaller picks and brushes were switched in. By about 7 am we had found a formation of rocks. It was discussed that these rocks could be a stone path, or the top of a wall, or a threshing floor for separating the seeds from wheat husks, or a collapsed monument. To be honest, no one knew what the hell it really was, but we could tell it was important, so brushes and careful removal of dirt was the next step. In time, when the layers of dirt are removed, its true identity would be revealed. In other areas of the dig, fascinating shards of pottery were found, dating any time from the Romans to almost a thousand years before.

At 8 am, we stopped for breakfast. Already the temperature was over 80 degrees and even people who were not doing heavy labor were starting to sweat. We all gathered under some benches and tables under some trees and dove into a kosher dairy meal, with several types of cheeses, breads, fruit and eggs. Everyone ate a ton, as it had been a long time coming since dinner, even for those who ate as late as Michal and I.

Before long we were back at work, racing against the noon sun that inevitably made us pull up our tents and head back to camp. There were tarps posted up over the dig areas that kept the worst sun off of us. However, the very air was so hot that by the time our fruit break came up a few hours later, everyone was drenched in sweat. Few complained about it as we were all so intensely focused on the work we were doing. Even so, I can tell people were just not moving as fast as they had in the early morning hours. Every minute the sun drained more and more energy out of us all.

While on break, we got to look at one of the other sites that were being worked on. It was an ancient Muslim burial ground, determined to be so because all the corpses are lying on their side facing Mecca, and by some of the other tell-tale traditions followed by Muslims of that time period. At only 500 years old, these tombs are among the most recent additions to the Tel, and belonged to a people who moved in long after Tel Dan’s glory days. Most likely the place was nothing more than a big hill filled with weeds and trees, and the occasional odd stone outcropping. An army of archaeologists were working feverishly to excavate, examine, and document the tombs before any Muslim zealots would come in and attempt to close down or sabotage the site.

We also talked to one of the professors who were in charge of this graveyard excavation who gave us fabulous background information, explaining all the defenses the ancient city used to defend itself against the constant Assyrian invaders that would some day be the cause of the city’s demise. Talk about your field classrooms - this was it! She explained the defenses as we walked along the outer city wall and the remains of the defenses themselves. Nothing like seeing the history first-hand as it is taught, and sometimes even discovered!!

By about 12:30, we closed down the dig, bringing the tents down and putting all the tools away. Last-minute field measurements were done, documenting where everything was at this point of the dig. Since history is laid out in layers, we had to document everything found at one layer, before we could remove it to get to the next layer. It is much like a layered cake, with each layer uncovering a new story, or filling in the details of a story half told.

By 1 pm, we were back at base camp where we gorged on what was most definitely the best-tasting crappy lunch I ever had. The food looked horrible, but seldom did food ever taste so good. These are the rewards of a hard day’s work: the appreciation of a meal and a solid night’s sleep. But a long sleep was not to be had, at least not yet; after a short nap, we got up again, for we still had shards to clean and identify.

The mud- and clay-covered shards of antiquity are brought back to camp in buckets that were tagged with information on where they were found. These buckets are filled with water and the shards within are soaked. After about 15 minutes each shard is pulled out and carefully hand-scrubbed to remove the soil and earth to better reveal what it is. It is then rinsed off and laid in a basket where it will spend the next 24 hours drying off. After all the shards from that day are washed, we go to another area where the pottery pieces from the day before are placed in a wooden box, and the area manager teaches us how to identify the time, place, and meaning of every significant find. Sometimes these explanations had huge historical back stories to them and made me feel like a kid huddled close to a storyteller who would paint a scene of a time long ago. This exemplifies the unique experience in archaeology that can only come from a dig.

After all is done, it was dinner time, usually another kosher meal that on any other day I would have turned my nose from; but not at the dig. I am filled with history and learning, and as full as my brain was, my stomach was that much empty and I ate like a starving man. After dinner Michal and I spent some quality time together in a remote area, talking about the day and discussing the bounty of information we had absorbed. We hope that the huge influx of knowledge poured into us will cement in and holds up as well as the ancient walls of Tel Dan. As we looked at the setting sun, we wondered who may have watched this same sun go down 3000 years ago, and how he or she may have seen it. It is romantic to think what the sun’s setting light may have touched here 1,000,000 sunsets ago.

Babies don’t sleep as soundly as Michal and I did that night.

Come 5 AM, the cycle started all over again. This is the day and life of an archaeologist. Most of the work is the back-breaking moving of soil from place A to place B. Spurred on by the occasional pottery shard, the real archeologist doesn’t spend his or her day dodging Nazis, but following bread crumb after bread crumb until he or she finds a mother load of artifacts. A single room preserved can unfold mysteries you can’t imagine. The things and places discarded by people thousands of years ago are the bread and butter of the archaeologist. These great finds are often made possible by unsung heroes without whom much of who we were and are would forever be a mystery, nothing more than a myth or legend of something told late at night, with us not knowing to believe them or not.

There are certain things in life that can only be experienced for us to truly know. An archaeological dig is one of those things. I feel I have enjoyed the opportunity of a lifetime, to touch the biblical age with my own hands. Nothing compares with that. If you ever have the chance to do the same I highly recommend that you do. It is one thing to read history; it is something all together different to touch it.

My first day back in Israel

I wrote this the first we got to Israel. So this is sort of a prequel for my blog. hehe. Anyway, keep in mind things have changed a lot since I wrote this.
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Monday, June 19, 2006

Actually it's Sunday night, though the clock that says 1:00 AM would agree with the date above. I don't accept that it's Monday until I lie down, sleep, and get up again with sun shining on my face. My mom told me to write a journal on my trip to Israel, she said to me, "Keep a journal; write every day without fail. There's a book in this trip you're taking." Well, we'll see. I'm writing mostly just to have something to look back on and see my perspectives on things, and have the novelty on how things change. I think I may share these entries with friends and family as well. It will help them, and me, feel connected during the big adventure away from them.

So, my wife and I leave in a little over 48 hours. I'm looking around my little studio apartment and it looks stripped of all personality. Though all our furniture is still in place (it will remain for use of whoever will be renting this after us) all our little charms are gone. The stained glass ornaments that hung from the window – gone. The pictures –gone; the oil painting above the bed -gone; the computers on my desk, gone. Even the pens and pencils that would have been left carelessly on top of the desk are gone. Our dresser is empty, our desks cleared of all belongings. All our little items are packed away in cardboard boxes that has been carefully placed in the garage out back. It is as if you can see the life ebb from very walls of this place we once called home.

We are leaving behind our studio apartment to make our grand journey to Israel. It isn't much of an apartment. It is in fact an enclosed patio made of aluminum frames and pressboard walls that are at most are an inch thick (on a humid day). The poor insulation means it gets hellish hot in the summer, damn cold in the winter.

This patio enclosure was constructed by the will of my wife's mother, Janet Liss, over 10 years ago. To help enable us to go to school full time, she allowed us to rent this extension from her house for a very reasonable price, especially for the area. Despite all its shortcomings, it's been home to Michal and I for some two years now. Even though I may complain endlessly, I find that it isn't as easy to leave as I thought it would be.

It's not that I don't want to go to Israel, though I wasn't always too keen on that idea as well. A trip over to the Holy Land last December has prepared me and I am actually very excited about being there. No, it's not fear of Israel, but more of a hesitation of leaving behind a part of me here. I have moved quite a bit in my life, and I have come to feel that you always leave a little bit of yourself behind every time you move. You find yourself sometimes visiting those places again and it is like you are looking at a part of yourself that you had almost forgotten about. I wonder how I will feel coming back here after our year in Israel is over.

Right now I feel sort of exhausted, but not in a sleepy sort of way. More in the, "I don't want to move or think too hard" sort of way. Packing was hard because we aren't just packing for a year in Israel, but also for a semi-permanent move to Ohio where Michal will finish out her rabbinical studies. After our year in Israel, we plan on coming back to Long Beach only long enough to settle our affairs and then gather our things for the move to Ohio. So really, we packed for two moves, not one.

Michal is fast asleep as I write this. She has lived here in Long Beach for her entire life, and the reality of leaving her life-long Jewish community and support network has finally hit her and taken its toll. She has held up very well, but mostly because she has escaped into the logistics of the move, packing non stop for the past three days. These connections can surprise you sometimes. It's like you don't know how much something means to you until you try to walk away from it. It's then that you have the sudden clarity of how much you want it. Life's a booger in that way.

Well, I should go to sleep soon; I have someone coming in the morning to buy our POS Toyota. Well, as much as a POS as a Toyota can get, which is way better than some cars new. With that car gone, my motorcycle still in the repair shop, and my beautiful black Nissan already sold to another family, we are left with no transportation of our own and will have to rely on the generosity of Janet and her car. It's two days so I think we can deal.

Tomorrow we will call everything and cancel it and then finish our packing for Jerusalem. We are only supposed to take 4 bags, but it looks like we are at 6, at least. Tomorrow is going to be a real Tetris-style evening, I can tell already.

Safe and Sound

I know some of you may be worried about the attack by militant groups in Lebanon and kidnappings in Gaza, but I want you to know that Michal and I are doing fine, and there is no danger to us in Jerusalem. The rockets that are being sent over by the Lebanon will fall short of Jerusalem by several hundred miles, even at maximum range. There has been no activity in or near Jerusalem, and the Arabs here in Jerusalem really hope there isn’t any terrorist activity in the city, for they are quite outnumbered and would risk blind retaliation from the population here. I will keep you updated with my blog if things change, though expect more happy things to be posted in the near future.

One last thing you should tell you to put things in perspective. Every city has it’s dangers. You should know that violent crime within the population is almost non existent. Compared to America, there are almost no shootings, rapes, murders, or even children being kidnapped. This, in many ways, more than makes up for occasional terrorist act that generally affect the military far more than the general population.

Picture of us

Ok, for those of you who have not seen us for a while, or (gasp) have never seen my wife and I, here we are. This was taken at Caesaria January 2006. I was a bit shaggy with my hair back then, but I think the shades still make me look cool.