Happy new year - by Michal

What a whirlwind week it’s been. First, shana tovah to everyone! (that’s have a good new year). Rosh Hashanah is upon us, and it’s amazing, the whole city shuts down. Everywhere we go people are dressed up nicely, are especially polite, and they all look stuffed. RH is two days here, not one, which in practical terms means I get a day off school and so have the time to update this blog.

Leaving aside all spiritual concerns of the day (which are many, but I’m tired), let me talk about HUC services and complain for a minute: they were NOT what I expected. The choir was beautiful, since it was made up of the student cantors, but the rest of it? Boring as all hell, if I may say so myself. The cantor, who is the head cantor/teacher at the school, apparently has a different philosophy of cantor(ing?) than most contemporary North American Reform congregations – he thinks that the cantor is there to inspire the congregation with his or her voice, and the congregation should listen and shut up and be grateful. This means that whenever anyone tried to sing along, he would improvise some warbly sound – I don’t know the official term for this – so that no one else could possibly match him. There was a dinner afterward at which he sang the Kiddush and Shehecheyanu – two very common prayers – and he looked offended when people sang along, and then afterwards re-sang the prayers like the first time with the community wasn’t good enough for him. I understand it’s a more traditional way of being a cantor, but geez, congregations today are much more empowered and participatory. Grrr. At least that's out of my system now.

The dinner after services was great, however. We had an RH seder, which I’d never experienced before. You eat olives, apples and honey, challah, dates, beets, there was even a fish head on the platter to signify the head of the year! Very odd, but very cool. I like RH here, the whole concept makes more sense than at home – the air is crisper and you can actually feel the season change, the summer fruits are waning, kids are going back to school… it really is the beginning of the new year here, with all that entails.

Oh, I have to share, I experienced an amazing instance of Jewish geography at the dinner. A girl was sitting across from me who looked very familiar, and I to her, but we couldn’t place each other. She’s in medical school at Tel Aviv University, is from Northridge, CA, and we had never overlapped in youth group, known each other’s siblings, or any of the other typical Jewish geography links. Then it hit me – we both spent a short while living at the Hillel House in Berkeley! I had spent a week or so visiting Glenna one summer, and this girl was taking a summer class in physics. This was in like 1999 or 2000 – and here we meet again in Jerusalem! I love randomness. And now I have a new friend who’s outside of the HUC bubble.

Last Wednesday Jonathan and I went to my sister’s army training graduation. She’s already been through boot camp, and then she spent six weeks doing special field training, learning to do all kinds of things like navigation, surveillance, etc. The base is about an hour southwest of Beersheva, for those who know where it is, and it’s huge. They have a fake city so that soldiers can learn to fight in urban environments, obstacle courses for the soldiers, hummers, tanks, every kind of equipment imaginable. Here’s a picture of me and her back at the tents where the soldiers sleep.



What else? Well, our cat is adorable. He plays fetch, honest-to-goodness fetch. As in, throw the ball, he chases after it, tumbles a bit, meows at it, then comes back and drops it in our hands or at our feet. He’s also quite the little hunter, having already caught a moth and presented it to Jonathan. Two hours later, he comes back, stares up at Jonathan and meows as if it to say, “well, if you’re not going to eat it, then I will!” and then takes off with his snack. We also bought a feather duster, you know, to dust… he disagreed with its purpose, and found out where we hid it! He had the smarts and wherewithal to peek inside the shuk cart (which has a latch), then poke his nose in, then a paw in, then two paws, then his head, then his whole body… then we heard some scuffling, a meow, and then we see the wooden handle emerge from the corner opening in the shuk cart. The rest of the feather duster and a very smug-looking cat soon emerged, with Simcha trotting through the house dragging the feather duster behind him.

School-wise, things are okay. I’m still not enjoying classes as much as I hoped I would, because it’s all very basic. I can only conjugate so much before I start to need intellectual stimulation! I’m also somewhat nervous about the service I’m leading on October 16th. It’s like my Bat Mitzvah all over again, I have to learn prayers that I don’t know, new tunes, plus original readings. One thing that’s nice, my father lent me my grandfather’s tallit, prayer shawl, from Romania, which I’m going to wear on the bima. He also brought up his tefillin, the boxes and straps more conservative Jews wear on their arms and forehead while praying, so I want to try those out as well. Have no fear, people, I’m still as Reform as they come, but I figure this is THE time to experiment in forms of prayer. I was blatantly honest in a journal entry for class about how formal, ritualized services isn’t usually the best way for me to connect to God. I ended by asking if I was hypocritical for wanting to be a rabbi and not enjoying most services. I really don’t think I am, though. I keep in mind that I was bored out of my skull when I took history classes in Hebrew school, so when I ended up teaching it, I tried to make it interesting. Hopefully I can do the same thing with services, and draw people in rather than push them away.

And speaking of school, I’m off to do homework. The original plan was to do it yesterday, but we ended up having people over spontaneously for a movie. I swear, this really is like college sometimes!

Books - by Michal

I just finished The Source, by James Michener. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in history. The first 70 pages are about archeologists finding a spot to excavate in Israel, and the rest of the book is about who lived there over the years, from the first person to come out of a cave and live in a hut, to the time of King David, to the Middle Ages and Crusaders, to modern day. Each chapter is a different historical time period, with characters that come to life beautifully. So if anyone has any extra time, go read it! Go read even if you *don’t* have time. I got it from the HUC library, and now it’s on my list to buy.

And yes, I realize I don't update in a week then have 3 posts at once. Oh well. Strike while the pen is hot, as they say...

Latest bulletin article - by Michal

Jerusalem, and Israel as a whole, is richly, vibrantly alive. The multitude of cultures, traditions, and peoples is dizzying, and in no ways more so than in the variety of religions.

Many, many people in Jerusalem are Jewish. That seems obvious. But then again, what does that mean? Is someone Sephardic or Ashkenazi, and if so, do they follow the traditions of Tunisia, Morocco, or Greece, or maybe Romania, Hungary, or Russia? Within the two major Jewish divisions, is one Ultra-Orthodox (haredi), religious (dati), secular, Conservative, or Reform? I pass six different synagogues on my way to my friend’s house 10 minutes away, and what amazes me is not the number of shuls, but the fact that they all belong to a different branch of Judaism. This country is too new to have a mainstream religious identity – each branch of Judaism is distinct, separate, and gloriously messy in relation to the others. My Israeli family, for example, considers themselves highly secular, but even in their so-called non-observance they keep kosher, build a sukkah, and are planning to attend High Holy Day services. Are they secular by Long Beach standards? No. But in comparison to the Chabadniks and the ultra-Orthodox of Jerusalem, they are barely Jewish.

This is not to say, however, that all Israelis are automatically People of the Book. It’s true that the owner of our local pizza joint is a former Orthodox rabbi from Brooklyn who made aliyah, and who delivers our pizza with tzitzit flying. Yet, my husband Jonathan’s friend from ulpan (Hebrew class) is named Lars, a devout Christian from Denmark who’s here to live in the land of Jesus. The woman who sits on Jonathan’s left side in ulpan is a quiet Muslim teenager from East Jerusalem, and the Chinese worker I met last month at the zoo is a fervent Buddhist. The taxi driver who took my cat and me to the vet’s office is from Ghana, and is a secular Jew; but then again, the janitor at HUC was born in Jerusalem and is named Abdallah, and the elderly woman who lives downstairs from me is named May, and is a Baptist from Alabama.

What fascinates me most is not the differing religions, but the fact that all the people on this list call themselves Israeli. One cannot lump all Israelis together, or even all Jews together, for Israel is the opposite of a “melting pot” or even a “tossed salad.” Instead of minimizing its differences and hoping for widespread assimilation, Israel celebrates its religious diversity. America is known for the separation of church and state, but is still overwhelmingly Christian. Israel, on the other hand, was founded on Jewish law, but combines a myriad of religious identities within its nationalism. Perhaps in the years to come, Israel will assimilate further; but in the meantime, each religious identity remains distinct, and the people-watching is spectacular.

Food and our cat … is there anything else more important? - by Michal

Poor Simcha! He got his vaccinations today and is doing even worse than I am, lying on top of Jonathan’s shoes looking miserable. He’s not even purring, just staring at us kind of doped up. At least he’s filled out now and looks like a housecat, not a stray… aka meaning he came to live with us and got fat. What a shock.

Speaking of food, Jonathan and I had the healthiest, most Israeli meal for dinner: he had eggs and potatoes in pita, I had eggs, cucumbers, tomatoes, and cottage cheese in pita. Sooo good! I feel like a local. :)

And then, just when I was feeling Israeli, I remembered something I wanted to share with you: the last time I went to the shuk, I turned a new corner and ran into the butcher. An honest-to-God, straight-out-of-Fiddler-on-the-Roof BUTCHER. With huge slabs of meat and sides of ribs hanging from the roof on hooks (cows are BIG), unidentifiable round slimy things, probably organs, at the front on a shelf placed on ice. The man was wielding a huge knife, chopping something to shreds, and was wearing a blood-splattered red apron. I had been feeling like I fit in, like I knew the layout of the shuk, like I was at one with this country mentality of having fresh fruit and vegetables from the fields. But no. I’m a city girl. I was shocked by a butcher. Is this unusual? Someone else please tell me you’ve never seen a butcher before.

A sudafed-laced weekend report - by Michal

A caveat before I start: I am sick, drinking lots of fluids, and doped up on many cold meds. If this entry seems odd or unusually rambl-y in any way, now you know why.

The tiyul was amazing. We went up north, as in VERY north so that you could see over the Lebanese and Syrian border (but yes mom, we were safe). The whole point of this trip was to put the war in context and understand the modern Zionist movement.

In addressing the former, we met with the mayor of Metulla, the most northern city in Israel, who was understandably full of propaganda. We met with a psychologist from Kiryat Shemona, a town which took hundreds of ketushas, and talked about PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) for the residents and what it was like to be there. We visited an old bunker on the Golan, and really *felt* the nearness of these countries barely meters away. It's incredible - as a short example, we stayed at Kibbutz Gadot, which is covered in greenery. Looking down the mountain for Gadot, I couldn't find it - I just saw tons of trees. That's the point, I was told. Syrian snipers couldn't fire on the farmers if they were camouflaged by trees, hence the beauty. I also didn't know that Lebanese workers used to cross over every day at Metulla to work in Israel. Obviously that's been defunct for a few years, because now you can see a flattened building within a stone's throw of the city - a Hezbollah base. It really put it into perspective how tiny a country Israel is.

In terms of the aliyah movements, there are two: the first in the late 1800s, when a bunch of traditional Romanian/Russian families settled in with their twelve kids to settle the land with money from the Rothchilds (like the town of Zichron Yaacov). The second aliyah is the one most people are more familiar with, the early 1900s when people aged 18-22 came. They were fervent Zionists, anti-religion and pro-socialism, and they founded the kibbutzim. We visited some cemeteries, some statues/historical sites, heard a lecture by a founder of a kibbutz, stayed at Kibbutz Gadot, and visited Kibbutz Ein Gev. Kibbutzim are big, I got lost trying to find my room!

We also went kayaking in the Jordan, which was AMAZING, hiking in the Golan at 6am, which was breathtaking (waterfalls and rockclimbing and hiking boots, oh my), took a jeep tour through the Hula Valley (where we picked our own plums from the trees), and swam in the Kinneret (Lake of Galilee). Maybe I *could* live in the country, I actually connected to nature! It's fascinating that fruits actually have seasons here, unlike in LA - we saw dates, bananas, mangoes, plums and peaches on the trees. Watermelon season just ended, and avocado and citrus fruits are starting. Who knew that fruits actually have *times* to grow, they just don't all show up in the supermarket whenever you want them? Jewish holidays and associations actually make sense now - agricultural society, pomegranate=fall type of thing. (I mentioned all of this, by the way, to our Israeli jeep tour guide, who promptly fell over laughing).

Oh, and can I say how much I love Reform Judaism? Our seminary took us to a wine-tasting at the Golan Winery - Jonathan and I are now all stocked up, and we bought this handy little vacuum-suck-type gadget to put over your wine bottle if you don't finish the whole thing, so it won't turn vinegary.

There were other things too, like meeting with a Reform Israeli rabbi and a few members of his congregation. I asked if Israeli Reform was really Anglo Reform, brought over by Americans/Canadians/Europeans, and he said that it started out that way, but now they have more Israelis joining, not just mixed families of one Israeli/one Anglo. It's true that it's so easy to be Jewish here - schools are closed on all the holidays, restaurants are kosher, everyone speaks Hebrew and has Friday afternoon off. The rabbi said that some Israelis are looking for a more spiritual aspect to their lives, instead of a secular Judaism. It was very interesting, and made me reflect on just how far Reform Judaism has come.

All in all, it was a marvelous trip. Not one moment was wasted. We got home and Simcha was thrilled to see us, meowed up a storm, and then my allergies to him promptly kicked in and (combined with having had little sleep) I came down with a sinus infection. But three cheers for husbands who make me eggs and toast! Not to mention he did all the laundry, which is always a sure-fire way to melt my heart. (wow, I sound boring...)

Anyway, we have tons of pictures, but need to organize them. Right now I'm off to drink more water and to muddle through an essay for Liturgy class on "What Prayer Means to Me." Wish me luck!

Tony Blair and the Shabbat Bride - by Michal

Fun thing that happened this morning: I'm on my way to school, about to step off the curb to cross the street when I hear a huge *HONK*. I take another step, and another *HONK* and I see a police car parked on the corner with the officer shouting at *me.* No sooner do I step back onto the curb then four cop cars come with their lights flashing, then three limos, and at least three more cop cars. The entourage passes by and the officer motions that I can cross the street, then speeds off behind the other cars. I ask a passerby, in Hebrew, who WAS that?? (cuz Olmert isn't *that* special) and I find out it's Tony Blair. So hey, I was close to power! I was even closer than when I went to Clinton's 1st inauguration… but at least then I could see a dot that was Clinton's face, whereas here I only saw tinted glass.

In other news, last Friday we went to Kibbutz Gezer/Pinat Shorashim for Shabbat services. I loved the services, which were like American Reform but all in Hebrew. It was outside, in nature, very beautiful. At the end of Kabbalat Shabbat (welcoming Shabbat) all the kids in the congregation ran up to the bima wearing the traditional crowns of the Shabbat bride: olive branches, myrtle, and a rose. Here's a shot of Jonathan and I, me with the aforementioned wreath.

Tomorrow at 7am we're off to a 3-day tiyul, field trip, to the Golan and Galilee. It looks like it'll be fun, with kayaking, hiking, wine-tasting, meeting with Israeli Reform rabbis, etc. We'll fill you all in when we get home on Friday. Simcha is being cared for by Joe, Nicole’s boyfriend, who lives in the apartment above us. He’s becoming a fat, spoiled cat… not like he could be anything else, living with us. J

It's the little things in life - by Michal

Two very quick, but very cool things:

1) I read the first 5 verses of Genesis (1:1-5) in Hebrew, by myself, and I UNDERSTOOD it! Guess those Hebrew classes are doing something after all. :)

2) Jonathan and my dad went to the hardware store and figured out how to put screens on our windows. By next week, the mosquitoes should be kept out and Simcha kept in. Hardware store bliss!

Simcha - by Jonathan

The 5 month-old male orange tabby you see above is the new addition to our family, Simcha (pronounced Sim-ha, except the h is actually the letter chet pronounced with a clearing of the throat sound, like Michal’s name). "Simcha" means "joy."

A few days ago I was walking with a friend when we stumbled upon a pet store. I went in there because it was recommended in the HUC manual (our bible for survival here in Jerusalem) and I was wondering how much pet supplies for a cat would cost. Michal and I had been thinking that we have missed having a pet and I was curious how much money we would have to invest. Heela, the manager working there, was helping me out and asked me what kind of cat I was interested in. I told her I was thinking of rescuing one of the many stray cats in Jerusalem. Heela got very excited and told me that she had the most wonderful kitty that had been abandoned at her house a few months ago and was desperately looking for a home. She would adopt it herself, but she had too many animals. She told me if you look at it and don’t like it, she would show us some black kittens the neighbor had as well.

I got a good feeling from Heela, so I took down her phone number/address and went home to tell Michal. She wasn’t exactly thrilled about having an extra responsibility, but I assured her that it would be good for us and that night we visited Hela to see the kitty. Once at Heela’s house, she showed us a skinny orange tabby and gave it to Michal to hold. The cat went limp in her arms and started purring instantly. I looked at Michal and I knew I wouldn’t be able to pry that cat from her arms. We had our cat and never even looked at the black kittens.

Because of the great distance to Heela’s house, Heela offered to drive us home. Simcha was placed in a cardboard box with cutouts for handles and we hopped in her backseat. We soon discovered that Simcha holds a passionate belief that all car rides will end with his horrible death. He was thrashing in the box, meowing for dear life and swiping at anything he could reach through the cutouts like Freddy Kruger on meth.

The next day was vet day, and again another car ride there and back again. Between the car rides, thermometers being stuck up his butt, and heavy anti-flea drugs, he was completely pooped by the end of the day. He even got a bit sick. The next day consisted of us watching him carefully and making sure he could hold down food, drink, and go to the bathroom properly. The first day was definitely a real hardship in experience and transitions for the little guy, but through it all he snuggled and purred and let Michal and I know just how happy he was to have a home, even if it came with some hardships. We knew if he could be happy and loving through all this, we had a cat that matched our affectionate nature and a life-long family member.

I’m writing this on his third day with us and he is doing dramatically better. He has a lot of his spunk back and now he seems to be returning to his natural kitten inclinations. We will keep you posted on events, but in the meantime, please check out the start of his photo gallery.

http://community.webshots.com/slideshow?ID=553721542&key=JirOyy

Pic of us at Tel Aviv Beach

Back with the living - by Jonathan

Due to popular demand, I’m back! Thanks to my wifey for stepping in my place while I was offline. I know many of you were wondering what happened to my posts. To be honest, a heat wave hit Jerusalem and it totally paralyzed me! I couldn’t move, think, or hardly breathe it was so bad. I spent most of my time laid out on top of my bed, naked in front of a fan, sucking down iced beverages. It was not a happy time for the J man. Finally, we were forced to make our escape to Billu’s (Michal’s father) air conditioned house in Tel-Aviv. There we laid out on his couch and basked in the glory that was A/C. To make sure we recovered quickly, we set a hard fast rule that we would do nothing more strenuous than flipping channels on his flat screen TV. Yeah, it was a hard life there, but someone had to do it.

We have returned home and the weather has improved greatly. We also have a new addition to our family that I will write on later today. I start language classes again Sunday, and I will also be meeting with the head librarian later that day where she will confer all my student library management duties. All in all, things are looking great.

Shabbat Shalom

- Jonathan