My Year in Israel 2004-2005

2004-09-15T03:52:00.000-07:00

Shana Tova - Happy New Year

May your hair, your teeth, your face-lift, your abs, and your stocks not
fall; and may your blood pressure, your triglycerides, your cholesterol,
your white blood count and your mortgage interest not rise.

May you get a clean bill of health from your dentist, your
cardiologist, your gastroenterologist, your urologist, your
oncologist, your proctologist, your podiatrist, your psychiatrist, your
plumber, and the IRS.

May you find a way to travel from anywhere to anywhere during rush hour
in less than an hour, and when you get there may you find a parking space.

May this Yom Tov, find you seated around the dinner table, together with
your beloved family and cherished friends, ushering in the Jewish New
Year ahead.

May what you see in the mirror delight you, and what others see in you
delight them.

May the telemarketers wait to make their sales calls until you finish
dinner, may your checkbook and your budget balance.

May you remember to say "I love you" at least once a day to your
partner, your child, and your parent(s).

May we live as intended, in a world at peace with the awareness of
the beauty in every sunset, every flower's unfolding petals and every
baby's smile.

2004-09-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

YUMMMMMMMMMMMM!

2004-09-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

CHEESE DOODLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2004-09-04T06:43:00.000-07:00

What I just ate

2004-09-04T06:41:00.000-07:00

What's left of 4.4 pounds of Turkish Pistacios!!!

2004-09-03T22:10:00.000-07:00

Europe and Asia

2004-09-03T22:03:00.000-07:00

Egyptian Spice Market

2004-09-03T22:01:00.000-07:00

Topkapi Palace Room

2004-09-03T21:58:00.000-07:00

The Church of the Divine Wisdom - Aya Sofya

2004-09-03T21:56:00.000-07:00

The Grand Bazaar

2004-09-03T21:52:00.000-07:00

The Blue Mosque

2004-09-03T21:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know I have been remiss in writing, but I am on break!!!!

My Trip with Katie to Turkey

I really do think that all of us should take advantage of the fact that travelling around this part of the world is quite inexpensive and take the opportunity to see new places while we are living here. So..... when my friend Katie mentioned that perhaps we should go to Turkey...I was tempted and in a few days the plans were made.

Leaving Tel Aviv on a Thursday evening (the night before the Sabbath) on the last weekend in August was a mistake but....who knew? The place was a mob scene with everyone in the country either returning home or going away for their final weekend somewhere. Wall to wall people and carts..

You know, as an American living in Israel, I often find myself asking questions about the way things are done here...for example, why do they allow those metal luggage carts in front of the ticket counters and why is there nothing to help with the order of things when it's so needed...? I see the well dressed El Al Exec strolling around like the king rooster as if things look fine to him while I am holding several locks of my hair that I have removed without feeling it. So anyway, after many, many hours of standing in a line with people who need to learn the words..."one must bathe everyday" we did make the plane ...Oh, I forgot, we also searched for a Visa for Turkey (which we knew we needed but were not told to get it IN Turkey). One would think that the people you hire for an information desk might be cordial and certainly helpful...guess again.

I was amazed that the El Al jet was a 757, a huge plane, and it was full. We arrived to Istanbul in less than two hours. The airport was new looking, western looking, nothing at all like what I imagined. (visions of camels with luggage on their backs?) We were picked up by the Israeli Tour Company and whisked off in a nice modern bus to be dropped off at our hotels. Carmen, the Turkish guide, is talking (midabereting?) a mile a minute about the next day's tour. Katie and I begin a discussion about how cool it might be to take a tour in Hebrew, but I did ask her if the guide would speak English as well.

I don't want to drag out all the details but needless to say we checked into our four star (sub Holiday Inn but adequate) hotel ...headed for Mcdonald's for meat and cheese ( a no-no) and went to bed.

When the bus arrived for the all day tour to the sights of Istanbul, we had our own english guide! This warm, santa-sized, wonderful man, Beyazit, (B.A.) sat in the back of the bus with us and we had a private tour for the day, in English.

Worth mentioning: When I went to change my Israeli Shekels into Turkish Lira, I saw that the places in the airport do not accept them. Also, guides would lead their groups holding a flag from their country so their people could find them. The Israeli guide held a Chinese flag. (I did see a big "huh?" from the Chinese tour group ...ha ha.

In the early 1600's Sultan Ahmet I set out to build a mosque that would rival and even surpass any other. Designed in classic Ottoman design (whatever that is) this is truly a beautiful sight. You take of your shoes and can walk in and explore. There are beautiful stained glass (replacement) windows that are exact copies of the original and the painted interior domes are magnificent. The mosque is incredibly huge and truly makes one wonder how without modern machines.... it was built. ( I see elephants pulling giant pieces of stone, what do you see?) Actually, when I asked I was told about the huge cranes that were used in those days.

We then visited the Hippodrome or Horse Grounds, which was the scene of countless political and military dramas during the life of this city. (ok, so I copied from the guide book again) It looks now like a long town square with several monuments. One is a fountain from Kaiser Wilhelm, another an Obelisk carved in 1450 BC in Egypt (oy, that's old!) and was brought from there to Constantinople in 390 AD.

Then we boarded a boat for our excusion up the Bosphorous, a salty waterway which runs through Istanbul and ends at the Black Sea. The color of the water is azure and that day, full of giant jellyfish. It is interesting to note that Turkey is in 2 continents, part in Asia and the other Europe. As we headed out..Asia was on my right, Europe my left. We travelled up the Bosphorous looking at the magnificent homes, a University, and old ruins along the way. A Lunch of fresh grilled fish awaited us when we got off the boat.

Our final destination that day was the Grand Bazaar. A touristy spot, it still has tons of charm and consists of 4000 shops, in addition to mosques, banks, police stations and workshops. It's a great place to buy leather goods, knock off pocketbooks, middle eastern trinkets, tapestries, and rugs. You can bargain and get close to your price, but even then, I am sure these men are making money. They are polite, sometimes funny, and genuinely happy for your business. Some of the little shops have seating and they serve you apple tea as you look at their wares. We sat in a pocketbook store and began talking to its so called "college educated" salesperson. In a matter of minutes we learned his take on the US and the Jews. (you know I love Americans and Jews but?)Here it is in a sarcastic nutshell, the Jews own and run everything, yes, Hitler was a crazy man, and they found him to kill the Jews so then they could say they needed a homeland...it was all to get the land of Israel, oh and, 911 was committed by the US itself as the Saudis would never do anything like that and the US just wanted to be able to flaunt its power to the world...so they made up the story so they could show how powerful they are to would-be terrorists of the future. How's that? Katie and I looked at each other after, trying to reason with the "educated" one... left and began talking about wanting to be back on Israeli soil.

The following day, we toured on our own. First, we visited Aya Sofya, the Church of the Divine Wisdom. It was built by the Roman Emperor Justinian around 530 AD and became a Mosque when Constantinople was conquered in 1453. It was declared a museum by Ataturk in 1935. We also toured the magnificent Topkapi Palace built in the mid fourteen hundreds and was the residence of Sultans for almost three centuries. We then walked to the Egyptian Spice Market in order to buy my favorite thing,Turkish Pistacio Nuts and some Turkish Delight for my professor, Eli. These nuts are smaller and spicier and tastier than the jumbo Californian nuts and I have loved them for years. I bought 2 kilos ( 4.4 pounds total) and I have now.....drum roll.....about a cup left. Luckyily, I walk alot. Turkish delight, on the other hand, to me, is the most disgusting candy made on the face of this earth but so loved by many. We ate a wonderful Turkish Dinner at a place that Beyazit recommended...and called it a night.

Our last day was spent relaxing and walking around. We started at Starbucks..quite often now, I do find myself craving American things, coffee, ice cubes, and cleaning fluids that smell nice and not worse than what one is cleaning...I won't even describe how I shop for these ..ok I will, I open every bottle and spray every can until I find something I can stand and get weird looks from those in the market.

All in all, we had a great, great time! The people of Turkey were warm, the city of Istanbul more Western than I thought, and the break was good for me.

2004-08-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

Israel's First Olympic Gold!!!

2004-08-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

Headed to Istanbul! I will write soon!

2004-08-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

I'd gladly pay you Tuesday for a Hamburger, today!

2004-08-24T13:56:00.000-07:00

My good friend Zoe, called me a few nights ago. She was craving a hamburger and offered to bring me one as well. I had not had a hamburger in months, so I put away the pesto I was making and awaited her arrival. I can't say the meat here tastes anything like the meat at home. I think kosher meat just doesn't taste the same. However, I, too, needed a fix!

She arrived with my hamburger, and "chips" and onion rings! Of course cheeseburgers here are a big NO NO since if one is kosher you cannot mix milk and meat...and most restaurants are kosher.

The bottom line is, when one is deprived (and WHERE are my cheese doodles folks?) this meal hit the spot! Ok, so the hamburger tasted like a big smashed meatball but who cares! Wendy's doesn't put garlic mayonaisse on theirs now do they? YUM!

2004-08-20T14:23:00.000-07:00

The Future Rabbis and Cantors of America

2004-08-20T14:21:00.000-07:00

La la la la la la Bamba!

2004-08-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

There are few times when I am speechless. This is one of them. The reason I am speechless is because I caught some bacteria which has settled in my throat from who knows where. Thank goodness that my son Andy never takes the medicine they give him at college and I brought an entire bottle of Amoxil (500 mg) with me. This thing started as a post nasal drip and then went into my larynx and I lost my voice. Now quit laughing all of you, you KNOW how hard this is for me!!!!!! I am able to make various sounds and my sound ranges from Precious Pup (an old cartoon for you youngins) to Barry White, depends on what comes out. Mike had his wisdom teeth out in the past few hours....and I can't sleep. It seems they told him it was fairly easy and would take an hour but it wasn't. This does not make me happy! Never mess with my children or I will have to mess with you! I will wait up now until I know he is home and settled.

So this weekend, will basically be a bust but I will get the rest I need. I am headed to Turkey with my friend Katie on Thursday and we are really looking forward to that adventure. Note: Bring every credit card I own.

Thursday nite, I finally gave in and went out with my fellow classmates. We went to a Huka bar. I always thought those Huka pipes...or is it Hookah, who the heck knows....were for opium or marijuana. But noooooooo, they put this wonderful tasting peach flavored tobacco in them. Truly an adventure!

Then we all went to a Kareoke (sp) bar in the Russian Compound and danced the night away. My comrades took great care of the old lady to say the least....I felt like I was 22! (and acted that way) They make me feel included, and for that I am grateful.

2004-08-13T15:30:00.000-07:00

JERUSALEM OF GOLD
by Naomi Shemer

The mountain air is clear as wine
And the scent of pines
Is carried on the breeze of twilight
With the sound of bells.

And in the slumber of tree and stone
Captured in her dream
The city that sits solitary
And in its midst is a wall.

Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze, and of light
Behold I am a violin for all your songs.

How the cisterns have dried
The market-place is empty
And no one frequents the Temple Mount
In the Old City.

And in the caves in the mountain
Winds are howling
And no one descends to the Dead Sea
By way of Jericho.

Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze, and of light
Behold I am a violin for all your songs.

But as I come to sing to you today,
And to adorn crowns to you (i.e. to tell your praise)
I am the smallest of the youngest of your children (i.e. the least worthy of doing so)
And of the last poet (i.e. of all the poets born).

For your name scorches the lips
Like the kiss of a seraph
If I forget thee, Jerusalem,
Which is all gold...

Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze, and of light
Behold I am a violin for all your songs.

We have returned to the cisterns
To the market and to the market-place
A ram's horn (shofar) calls out (i.e. is being heard) on the Temple Mount
In the Old City.

And in the caves in the mountain
Thousands of suns shine -
We will once again descend to the Dead Sea
By way of Jericho!

Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze and of light
Behold I am a violin for all your songs.

2004-08-13T15:13:00.000-07:00

Naomi Shemer's grave

2004-08-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

Zichron Yaakov

2004-08-13T15:09:00.000-07:00

The Kinneret

2004-08-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

Marcy and Zoey by the Sea.

2004-08-13T15:02:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, the entire class boarded luxurious German-made "Man" busses for our trip to the Galilee. We took the only toll road in Israel. There was hardly a car on it, and we were told that no one likes to spend the money to use it. No traffic, amen. Looking out the window, the security "fence" is clearly visible at times...sometimes it's a wall, sometimes just a wire fence. I cannot remember who told me this, but it has been said by the news media that the fence is electrified. People get the idea that if someone touches it, they are killed and that is not the case. The fence is electrified in a way for security to see where it has been touched, not to hurt anyone.

Our first stop was at the Botanical Gardens of Baron de Rothschild, a frenchman who played an enormous role in the settlement of Palestine a little before 1900. The gardens were magnificent, and for a gardener, I still have a lot to learn about the flora and fauna here. I am still looking for colorful birds too, but have yet to see any. Why are all the birds all brown, gray, black or brown, did I say BROWN?

We then stopped at the lovely albeit somewhat touristy town of Zichron Yaakov. We visited the Museum of the First Aliyah, which is dedicated to the activities of the immigrants who came to Israel starting in 1882. Gary, our teacher from our Wednesday outings, left word with Yossi, a Rabinnical student about where to eat. (For those of you who don't know it, Jews, love to eat!!!) Like sheep, we followed him down the street and invaded the place. The food was great, the setting, beautiful. We then boarded the busses to travel to Kibbutz Gadot for the night.

After a traditional Israeli breakfast at the Kibbutz consisting of cheese, veggies, great olives, jams, and bread, ( why am I humming Doe a Deer?) we left for the Galilee.

Note: When those of you who are thinking I am in some dust ridden, unkempt, dangerous place where I am ducking bullets and bombs, I hope you will all see that I am truly in paradise from these pictures.

The Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) is the most magnificent body of water. The wind blows steadily and the color of this water runs from dark navy to azure to pale green. There are wonderful places to eat and hotels. There are boats which take tourists all around the lake and lots of boats for rental as well. We ate lunch at a place called Decks. As soon as we sat down, the waiters arrived with Onion Loaves! (ala Outback) Please don't anyone tell Dr. Atkins that here in Israel, I have decided to go AWOL! The restaurant hovers over the lake and the views are calming and luscious.

We also visited the Kinneret Cemetary where Naomi Shemer was recently buried. The famous poet Rachel is also buried there. Naomi Shemer.. in my book ..is one of the greatest Israeli writers of Israeli song (and she wrote many of the words also). She is famous for her song "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav" (Jerusalem of Gold) which is prize winning. Her spirit and love for this country can be felt in everything she has written and the entire country truly seems to feel this loss.

2004-08-13T14:25:00.001-07:00

I think my house is in there!

2004-08-13T14:25:00.000-07:00

OY VEY!

2004-08-13T14:22:00.000-07:00

IT'S A BIRD, IT'S A PLANE, IT'S A TORNADO?????????

I shall write about my trip to the Galilee soon but first............. it seems we had a little (gigunda) tornado pass thru Short Hills, New Jersey, on Wednesday. Paul took these pictures with his phone and sent them to me. I must say honestly, I am glad no one was hurt, of course, but selfishly I am happy not to have to deal with the mess. Wednesday afternoon, for two minutes, my street was turned upside by a monster storm that no one expected. From what I have been told, the street is completely covered in trees, the Rice's (neighbors) back yard is completely demolished, and power was out for over 28 hours. Who would thunk it? Isn't this supposed to happen somewhere else?

2004-08-10T19:36:00.000-07:00

Spanish type home, rare for Jerusalem, but beautiful nonetheless.

2004-08-10T19:34:00.000-07:00

Rechavia home

2004-08-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, a bunch of my classmates and I went on a tour of my neighborhood, Rechavia. Naama's husband, whose name I forget because I heard it one or two times and i'm old, escapes me. (Naama is a Rabbi and one of our deans. She is, from what I see, an open, thoughtful, funny, and soulful person and will be great support to all of us on this journey) His tour was fascinating and he walked us through the neighborhood which ends right above my street. (this is Rechavia Aleph, and Bet which includes my street Ben Maimon and more, had not been established yet for the purposes of this tour)

Naama and her husband are the fourth generation to live in their home. The home began as a one story building and over the years has become at least three stories high. I know this because I walked to the roof. (I think the fat people in Israel must live on ground floors, and that is why there are so few of them)

His stories about his childhood made us all smile. He showed us pictures of what Jerusalem looked like in the early 1900's when the British were in charge..lots of barren plots of land with camels roaming about. My favorite story was his story about the President's house. In Israel, the President, unlike the Prime Minister, is sort of a figurehead. He entertains the out of town dignitaries. He would have open houses and all the people of Israel were invited to pass thru the home and have a nosh. The neighborhood children would hide behind the bushes and go into the home to eat all the goodies. Then they would come back out and go through again, as many times as they could get away with! Quite a Nosh!

I think I have said this before, but not having celebrated the Sabbath at home, I enjoy Saturdays here. The city is closed, and everyone is relaxing and enjoying the day. As we walked through the streets, one could see people just sitting outside on their porches reading, many had visitors, and the parks were full of children. Saturdays are a far cry from those of Short Hills, New Jersey, where you must get to the Post Office by noon, do the bank, the cleaners, Kings, (supermarket) and various other boring errands. Seeing this has made me rethink how we live. I think at home, most of us never stop running and cramming stupid things into spaces of time...and I know this sounds trite but we never seem to smell the roses.....I smell them here all the time.

2004-08-08T21:03:00.000-07:00

"The people of Israel, despite the multiplicity of physical features and viewpoints that characterize it, is one entity. Its members share a common destiny and a common mission. In order to go on existing in the Land of Israel as a collectivity rather than a collection of fractious tribes, it is essential for the people of Israel to go on upholding the principle of being mutually responsible for one another."

Quote from an editorial in Haaretz (newspaper) today by Nagav Shraqai.

This guy sees what I see, and agrees. Enough said.

2004-08-05T23:20:00.000-07:00

I wanted to write about this yesterday but needed to get my thoughts together first. There are a couple of things on my mind....

Obviously, one of my primary goals this year is to stay safe. Yesterday, when we were stopped in order for the police to blow up some "lunchbox", I watched the crowd. It was a mixed crowd where I was because it was a tourist sight. There were students, Americans, tourists from other countries.. Jews and Arabs. For awhile, everyone waited calmly while the police did their work. After a few minutes, people started to try to get by the police to get to where they wanted to go. I was thinking to myself that at home, if there were police telling people not to move...NO ONE would move. But here, so many tried to "slip by" the police. Little children tried to run quickly, the elderly, who were hot and tired, quietly walked by and hoped they would not be seen. Most of us waited in the blazing, hot sun for what seemed an eternity....and then I heard three explosions in the distance. Soon after that, we were allowed to continue on our way and life as it was, continued. These events are somewhat commonplace, and what the police blow up is usually not a bomb. I just want to make sure I do not let my guard down and remember that what is happening here is serious and not lose sight of that fact.

Also, when all of this was happening, and it happened next to the Western Wall, many people were "trapped" inside the plaza by the wall and not allowed to come out thru the glass barrier. People waiting became frustrated and started yelling at the police. A few men started to try to break through and were stopped. Fighting started, Jew against Jew. It was something that turned my stomach and made me question the feelings I was having. With all that is happening here, I found it so disturbing to see them be violent towards each other. The police are protecting those people, how dare they do that to the police. And then, to see them beat them down to the ground, well you can only imagine what that was like. I was thinking to myself... my g-d, these people need to stick together and never ever turn on each other now, or ever. They need each other. I have to say that at the same time, I truly know nothing about living this life year in and year out, and what one's psyche must be like having to live it. An outsider, truly cannot even begin to understand what terrorism does to a people, and I am trying to be compassionate. I know how shaken those of us were (and still are) who live near Ground Zero, so until now, I truly couldn't imagine what's it's like to have your child blown up at a disco by someone with a bomb strapped to themselves that is also loaded with rat poison and nails, to make sure that the most damage is done..physically and emotionally. But, on the other hand.....in my mind, this is not what you do with your frustration and you don't break the rules....And, the police are here to help you..!!!! It is bad enough that there are those who hate jews just because they are jews, but to turn against those who are your support, is just nuts! I was disappointed in the confrontation and also the fact that these people don't seem to respect those who are there to help keep them safe. I am sure this is something I will think about during the many months I will be a part of this society.

2004-08-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

The Wall

2004-08-05T07:47:00.001-07:00

Waiting to cross the street.

2004-08-05T07:47:00.000-07:00

The Arab Quarter

2004-08-05T07:26:00.000-07:00

We entered the Old City thru the Jaffa Gate today and toured around the Western Wall. In 1967, after the liberation of the Old City of Jerusalem, the Ministry of Religious Affairs undertook the task of clearing the Western Wall Plaza area. The Ministry initated a project to expose the full extent of the concealed Wall. The workers' pickaxes stripped away the centuries to make this ancient heritage visible and tangible to the jewish people. (ok, so i stole all this from the brochure and here's more) These excavations revealed the entire length of the Western Wall, 488 meters, in all its glory. Rooms and public rooms were discovered, as well as a section of a Second Temple road, a Hasmonean water tunnel, a pool, and much more.

All of this is truly an amazing sight. What is also remarkable and I remember this from the last time I was here, is that unlike the US, where everything is in a display case....in Israel, you walk next to greek columns, still standing, pass by old mosaics, and ancient carved stones are just lying around on the ground as you tour the area. I

A couple of things happened today.....First, when the groups emerged from the tunnel, we were in the Arab Quarter and were met by armed guards ( and I mean ARMED with machine guns and CIA type radios with earpieces) We were escorted in a group surrounded by guards until we were back in the Jewish Quarter. I really felt no fear, but I knew that if there were people there to protect us, there must be a reason. Second, at the end of our tour, the street we needed to cross was blocked by police. I think I have mentioned this before, but when someone leaves something unattended, such as a package, backpack, lunchbox, etc.... they will block the road...and bring out a robot and blow it up. We waited a long time and could not see what was happening as we were at the top of a hill and around the corner from whatever was in question....but after about 15 minutes we heard several explosions....so that was that. I have always made the joke, that I would use the robot as an excuse for not having my homework. "I'm sorry but I left my backpack on a park bench and the robot blew it up...so I will not have my homework today" A far cry from the dog ate it...but works for me.

2004-08-04T06:15:00.000-07:00

Long Live Columbus!

2004-08-04T06:13:00.000-07:00

The Yemenite Choir

2004-08-04T06:06:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been wonderful and trying. Over the weekend, Mati Lazar, my conductor from NY, who is here on a mission and also to teach and conduct at the Zimriya, an Israeli Choral Festival that occurs every three years, slipped in the shower and somehow really messed up his upper leg and hip. When I saw him on Saturday night, he was in agony. He is unable to walk and has been carted around in a wheelchair and moved from that to a piano bench in order to conduct and play for the choir. It's been a nightmare for him and as I am typing this he and his wife Vivian are in the Hadassah Hospital emergency room waiting for a CT scan. He has already seen two orthopedic doctors and no one has found the cause of his pain. Hopefully, someone can help him.

Monday night was the opening night concert of the Zimriya. The theatre was filled with people form all around the world. There was a Yemenite choir and choirs from Uruguay, Germany, the US, Israel, South Africa, South Korea and many more I cannot recall. We began with a group sing, with everyone singing from a songbook that was provided. There were songs from all over the world in that as well. Singing together was an experience in itself and one could feel the excitement and see the joy in everyone's faces. Mati had asked me to be a guest artist and do this yiddish song with his choir, a song that I have performed approximately ten times in the past two years. It's a fun song thanking Christopher Columbus for discovering America and finding this homeland where people can come to be free and to enjoy life. I sang my heart out and was received so well, it was overwhelming to me. I enjoyed every minute of it and the head of the Cantorial program was there too. He was smiling, thank G-d!

Anyway, that whole evening was so moving and to me, the highlight of the night was the performance of the Yemenite choir. The conductor, rather than using his hands to conduct, played a TOF (a small drum), and he too, sang with his choir. Their music was so different and exotic to the ear and sooooooooo complicated. The harmonies were varied, the rhythms... so difficult and the blend...amazing! Those that heard it were truly blessed!

The hebrew test today was really difficult. I am now thinking that I may move down a class after all. I just don't seem to know the vocabulary that everyone else already knows. I will wait for the results and then consult with the teacher and possibly the woman who is heading up this ulpan. More on that on Sunday.

2004-08-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

BANG!

2004-08-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

There I was in bed, reading my Young People's Guide to the History of the Jews, and oh wait...I have to preface this with what one must say so not to worry people, EVERYTHING IS OK BUT....I heard what I thought were gunshots of some sort. They were so loud and persisted for several minutes ( or what seemed like hours) that I grabbed my smoke hood (that I brought in case of fire or perhaps some lethal gas that it won't work for) and found a hard plaster wall. Got down on the floor and just listened. The loud shots continued. I crawled on the floor to get my cell phone which I keep with me charging next to my bed and called Josh up the street. He was laughing. It turns out that some idiot kids decided to set off some fairly large and colorful fireworks around the corner....The guys (Josh, Joel, and David) were freaked out too and looked out David's window and saw what it actually was. They were sure also that what we all heard were gunshots. The neighbors next to them apparently were laughing. (Stupid American kids can't tell the difference between a gun and fireworks!) Never a dull moment. I think I will go throw up now.

2004-07-31T21:10:00.000-07:00

Yad Vashem - Valley of the Lost Cities

2004-07-31T21:01:00.000-07:00

Singing at Nofei Yerushalayim

2004-07-31T20:59:00.000-07:00

The Zamir Choral Foundation's Mission to Israel arrived yesterday. I met them all at Yad Vashem which is a memorial to the Holocaust. We went to the Valley of the Lost Cities and listened to a man sing lost tunes (niggunim) from the cities of old that were destroyed. The valley is a huge stone maze and one feels like there is no exit. All the cities are carved into the huge stones and you can look up and see the sky and trees on high. You get the feeling like you are in a grave with that gorgeous Jerusalem azure sky above and the trees growing out of the stone.

Friday night I had sabbath dinner with the group. There were about ten people of the 30 or so whom I know from the choirs that I sing in at home. A word about meat.....I find that my diet here consists much more of veggies with very little meat. I was looking forward to a meat dinner but knew that it still would not satisfy me. The meat we have at home is much, much better than what is here. Our chickens are plumper, and our beef is much more tender and tasty. I know in October when I visit the states that a Wendy's burger will be on my menu as well as a nice juicy steak!!!!

Last nite I rejoined the group and sang at Nofei Yerushalayim, an assisted living old folks home. It was a beautiful well kept place. There were at least 100 old timers and two of my friends, Stephanie and Melissa, who came to see me perform. I had no rehearsed at all with the choir and the pianist was from hunger. A member of the choir, she began the piece and immediately got lost. I just did my thing as if she was not there. Only way to go, or perish!

Mati Lazar, the conductor, did something to a muscle in his upper leg on the side and was unable to walk and did the entire concert from a wheelchair or from the piano bench and was in absolute agony the whole time....it's a mess! His personal physician happens to be the choir and is taking care of him. Remember that movie Starting Over where they are in Bloomies and someone says..does anyone have a valium?? and ten people hold our their hands? The doctor asked us all on the bus if anyone had some ambien ( a sleep drug) and the same thing happened. Made me laugh.

Tomorrow I will get my hebrew test back....I know I passed but wanted to do really well. Time will tell.

2004-07-29T03:44:00.002-07:00

Olive trees everywhere

2004-07-29T03:44:00.001-07:00

Roman Ruins

2004-07-29T03:44:00.000-07:00

Entering the Old City

2004-07-29T03:43:00.000-07:00

Caper Plant

2004-07-29T03:37:00.000-07:00

Interesting note on today's trip to the Old City. When we first got there, we were walking down one of the beautiful alleyways in the Jewish Quarter, when a religious man walked by and looked at our group and said, "Welcome to the Beach!" At first, I had no idea what he meant. It came to me rather quickly and then everyone else was talking about it too. The religious women, even in this hot weather wear long skirts..even the young girls. So here was this group of mostly 20 somethings dressed for the hot weather in shorts, t's or tank tops, and he was sarcastically commenting that we were dressed inappropriately. I spent the next five minutes...going over a hebrew reply to him in my head. Of course he was long gone, but I'm the type of person who wants to teach. While thinking, and translating, I began to feel anger and I'll tell you why. Here is a man whose life revolves around his love for his god and praying and doing everything according to god's commandments and how rude was this? If he is spending his days learning the teachings and teaching them to his children, does he not teach respect? Does he not teach to be good to your fellow man? So I guess what I wanted to say to him was that I don't pray the way you do, or live the life you do, but I certainly don't walk up to you and insult you for your lifestyle. Enough said.

I have been looking for colorful birds and trying to learn about the trees and flowers around here. So far, the birds are pretty ugly looking. The crows are skinny and gray and black. The rest of the birds are brown, or brownish, or brownish gray, or brown..did i say BROWN? I have been researching on the net about Israel's birds and found a group of people who watch them here and go on trips...will investigate that possibility for my break during the last week in August!

For those of you that know what a caper is....I learned today that some of the plants that are popping out of the walls of the old city are caper plants. The analogy was made that the caper plant is like the jew. It's strong and it has deep roots within the old walls of Jerusalem. Check out the picture.

It was hot today and I am going to curl up on my couch, relax and check out the Democratic Convention. More to come.....

2004-07-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

One of the magnificent things about Jerusalem is the pairing of old and new. Tonight, in Bible Study Class, we talked about a passage from I Kings 11: 26-43 where it is said, Solomon slept with the fathers and was buried in the city of his father David; and his son Rehoboam succeeded him as king. We walked to the fairly new Begin Heritage Center, a beautiful buildling of course made in traditional Jerusalem stone. The Rabbi who is teaching the class....took us behind the building...and we walked down from the promenade onto an area which he described as a broken down cave which was 2000 years old. We stood on the stone floor and saw indentations in the stone that were in the shape of heads. He explained how 2000 years ago...people would die and be placed in these spots...lying side by side. When their bodies completely decomposed in about a year...their bones were moved to spots deeper in the cave. I actually ran my foot over the place where the bodies were placed and the actual spot for a head...this is where Solomon had "slept with the fathers"...and next to me was a buildling that was built approximately two years ago. This is how Jerusalem is everywhere. The blending of old and new. The sun set, and the moon was up. The desert air was blowing hard and it's warm at the same time. I never cease to be amazed at how moved I become so often here. I don't think it will ever leave me.

2004-07-28T06:04:00.000-07:00

And in the slumber of tree and stone
Captured in her dream
The city that sits solitary
And in its midst is a wall.

Jerusalem of gold, and of bronze, and of light
Behold I am a violin for all your songs.

For your name scorches the lips
Like the kiss of a seraph
If I forget thee, Jerusalem,
Which is all gold...

- from "Jerusalem of Gold" by Naomi Shemer

2004-07-28T06:02:00.000-07:00

The Kotel, (wall) at Night.

2004-07-28T05:59:00.000-07:00

Me, Crazy Josh, and Emma at his Birthday Party

2004-07-27T11:19:00.000-07:00

Arrived home last nite to NO water. That's LO MAYIM! I called Eli the unreliable plumber. Sundown yesterday was the beginning of a holiday but he said he would try to make it. Of course, he didn't. I knew today was a holiday and had no idea if he would show up until Wednesday and....I have school on Wednesday! During a hebrew break, I called him again this morning...he said he had been here and gone and turned the water back on. I asked him in hebrew who turned it off? He said, la memshalah, the government! OY!

Of course prior to losing my water, I had dirty dishes in the sink. And then I began thinking about how I would clean up this body and my hair!!!!! and then the dreaded..how will I, well, you know, use the "commode'? I figured the best thing is to use only one of the three I have. I chose the one farthest from my bedroom.

The water systems here in Israel leave something to be desired in the first place, and one never knows when an unexpected whiff of something unbearable will permeate the house. So this, had the potential to be a complete disaster!!!!!!

Anyway, I have water now but did learn how to take a litre of bottled water and make the toilet work. One learns new things everyday in the Middle East.

Another word about food. I have been studying all day for my first hebrew test. I am pleased to report that I think all will go well. At 8 pm I realized that I was beyong starving and started grazing.
The veggies here are so marvelous I ended up eating two baked sweet potatoes with butter and a salad of cut up cukes and tomatoes with a ranch-like herb dressing! I haven't had red meat since I got here and I am truly starting to crave a nice filet or a hugeeeeee porterhouse with fried onions and mushrooms. Will someone please send me a Bloomin Onion from Outback?? But truly, these vegetarian dinners are delicious and I am happy to report that I am losing weight without trying. This is always a plus!

Back to studying for my test now. I sure hope I don't screw up.

2004-07-25T10:13:00.000-07:00

My living room and bedroom with my new tapestries.

2004-07-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday and Thursday (and thank you Josh for letting me use, and/or copy from your Blog to describe what we did)

We ( the whole Year-in-Israel class) spent a few hours last Wednesday evening doing some text study in preparation for Thursday's outing. On Thursday, we first visited the Tayelet (a scenic park/promenade), the City of David (the original Old City, now outside the walls of the actual Old City), and the tunnel.

A little bit on the text study...The First and Second Temples were built on about the same spot, which we call the Temple Mount. Traditionally, this hill is called Mount Moriah. Currently, two mosques occupy the mount, and the closest Jews can get to the spot where the Temple once stood is the Western Wall, a retaining wall that originally supported the building plateau on top of the mount. According to Rabbinic tradition, Solomon built the First Temple on the spot where Abraham almost sacrificed Isaac, an event Jews refer to as the Akedah, the Binding.

Sitting at the Tayelet, looking down at Jerusalem, our instructor had us read the Akedah episode from Genesis (Ch. 22, verses 1-19). He told us that Abraham had approached the area from our direction, and that he had stood right around where we were standing. He also had us look down on Mount Moriah, the Temple Mount, and asked us to imagine being Abraham, coming over the ridge where we currently sat, and lifting up our eyes to see the hill in front of us. Gen. 22:4 tells us: "In the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes..." and saw the place "(God had instructed) from afar..."

The last thing we did was to walk through Hezekiah's Tunnel, which is part of an ancient water delivery system that is described in Biblical and post-Biblical sources in detail pretty consistent with what is actually there. The tunnel was about 1,000 yards and at times very small and hard to maneuver through. The floor of it is still to this day filled with water...sometimes just covering one's feet and sometimes higher. This was one of those days when I was extremely glad I am tall! The water was very cold and it never hit my shorts. Some of my "smaller" friends were not so lucky and had quite a different experience!!!!!

A word about Friday mornings in Jerusalem. From sundown Friday to sunset Saturday, we celebrate the Sabbath. So, every Friday morning everyone is bustling about picking up various items either for their Sabbath dinners and to get through Saturday. Those of you that know me well, know of my grocery shopping technique at home. I shop, I pay, they deliver! Last Friday, I was to have dinner at a friend's house. Everyone contributes something and my assignment was to bring dessert. I took my little (old lady) cart and set out to find goodies to bring and to get what I needed for myself at home. I stopped at the local bakery and picked up a kilo of chocolate mousse cake ( I know nothing of the metric system and boy is a kilo alotta MOUSSE!) and then proceded to the produce store where I bought a half of a watermelon, a honeydew melon, six peaches, six tomatoes, six plums, a large container of grapes, and some sliced pineapple. The total came to 70 shekels. Now a shekel is worth a little less than a fifth of a dollar, so we are talking about 15 bucks here! Try buying THAT at Kings for less than 50!!!!!

I also stopped at the florist and picked up some beautiful flowers for my vase, and two bags of potting soil to plant some outdoor flowers I had picked up the day before. So here is Marcy, who normally pays people to deliver her groceries, lugging this full cart up the hills of Jerusalem!!! It felt great. I started thinking about how lazy I am at home and how much I was truly enjoying this expedition. Everyone is content and friendly and all shopping for the same purpose. And no one accosted me to discuss which teacher did not give their child an "A" or why the Principal made the kids take off their hats in the high school!!!!

On Saturday, a few of us were dying for something different to eat, preferably Asian. Every few days you just need to eat something either American or Non-Israeli. I got on the net and found a great Japanese place, recommended by Frommers.com and a group of us went and ate shrimp and rice and teriyaki and yakitori!!!! Kirin Beer! Yeee hawwww!! (I hate Israeli beer so far) We were in heaven! On the way home, Emma, Katie and I bought tapestries for our apartments from a sweet little man selling from the street. They were so cheap and so magnificent. Picture to follow of my living room and my bedroom.

At the close of the day...one of my good friends said, What a great 24 hours...I had lots of liquor, great sex, waffles with chocolate sauce, strawberries, and chocolate ice cream for breakfast, Japanese food for lunch and I just went shopping for bargains! Life is good!

I guess the hardest thing about being here alone is that....I like to share...I get great pleasure being with people I love and sharing things with them. So sometimes, writing this is helpful because then I can connect with my family and friends whom I miss so much. Writing the blog makes me feel closer to them and in turn hopefully they will feel closer to me.

2004-07-24T04:38:00.000-07:00

My Red Converse lowtops underwater in the tunnel.

2004-07-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

Have I told you that my hebrew class is done almost entirely in hebrew? The only time we hear english is if one of us slips (of course with my mouth I do that alot) ...or if there is just no way after multiple attempts to explain something. Today, four people left the class to try the class which is a little bit easier. I am contemplating this as well. However, my problem is that I know tons of grammar and most of my class knows some. My class understands the spoken word though, much better than I do. Sometimes she speaks and I just have no idea at all what the hell she's talking about. This is not fun. I end up going into dream mode and thinking about something else which also is not good. But, so far, I believe that by listening, I will be forced to pick up more than I think. I get alot from context so, for now, I will remain in this class.

A little on Israeli appointment times. I guess one can say that when comcast gives you a time frame, they usually show up. In Israel, not only do they not show up on time, sometimes, people come without an appointment. So today, I was inundated with unexpected workmen and workmen who were two hours late. Can't complain that the plumber showed up, because I needed him and the blinds people, even though late, put up beautiful cherry wood blinds. The phone company called today with a recorded message. I listened carefully and knew by the second sentence that the bill had not been paid since April and that my phone is being turned off in two days. The landlord will fix this, and I have two other phones anyway. Such is life in Israel, always something.

I am eating leftover pizza from last nite's dinner at Moment, a cafe nearby. I am busy making a list of what I need from the states... GAS X would be wonderful! My diet here is completely different than at home where I was living on Atkins-like foods. I have had very little meat ...some fish and a little bit of chicken ..but mostly exist on anything made from veggies. It's a nice change but has caused my stomach to speak to me loudly at the most inopportune moments. It's hard not to devour the fruits and vegetables here...they are so incredibly ripe and delicious..none of this leave it out to ripen crap. It's great when you buy it...and stays great.

2004-07-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

The second day of hebrew felt much better. I understood most of what the teacher said and when she got to the grammar part I felt truly at home. There are many people in the class who have spent alot of time here ....have been here so many times for long periods of time...so they have picked up the spoken hebrew..I am the opposite...I know the grammar, and all the formal parts to hebrew. It will take me some time to gain more fluency but things are truly looking up. Now I truly understand why the school feels so strongly that one must be here to truly be immersed in the language. When I am out and about I make a point of speaking hebrew to everyone instead of English and I am getting much better at communcating. So far the cabs have taken me where I want to go.

Went to the Home Store today to pick up a few items. I bought an inexpensvie torchere lamp for the living room. Once again, the instructions were Greek to me, literally GREEK! Luckily, there was a picture this time and I put it together in no time. It's interesting the things I have done here to make this place a home. Nothing I would ever consider doing in NJ.

Dinner again at Cafe Moment, my favorite local spot. I was in the mood for American food and my friend Melissa and I ordered pizza and french fries. (please don't tell the people at Atkins)

2004-07-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

Monday, July 19 (wait... It's Sunday. The week begins on Sunday here... Ouch.)

First Day of Ulpan - Intensive Hebrew Class

Today was my first hebrew class. Oh boy! She started talking, I might as well been in a Star Trek episode on the planet Toomtoom. That's hebrew for moron! As soon as I stopped freaking out, I realized that I understood more than I thought at first. The secret is to remain focused and calm!!!! Freaking out is not a good thing. My two friends Josh and David know more than I do, so that is a help too when it comes to homework. Tomorrow is another day. I will see how it goes...if i am not succeeding I will ask to move down one class.

A funny story....Today I am expecting the cable company and the plumber...between three and five. Neither showed, but the electrician did! He called on the phone and said something, and I said thank you but I have no idea what he said. He showed up a few minutes later, and immediately I realized that he knew about three words of english...one being yes and one being no. Not sure what the other one was. After a few minutes of looking at the problems that I have here...not worth mentioning but I have problems...he asked me for Mishkafayim. Eyeglasses.
I asked him in hebrew why he wants some glasses..he said I am fifty and I forgot mine and I can't see the fusebox! So off I went to find my magnifiers and he was so grateful. He asked me another question and I had no idea what he was saying...I finally said in hebrew...draw me a picture and got out paper and a pen. He drew the dryer! I needed work on that outlet too. So that was my afternoon....it's 6:19 now and no one else has shown up to their appointment....welcome to my world!

One more thing to report....I am a cheese freak...I have a refrigerator full of great cheeses ...I also love puffy cheese doodles....you know, the ones that turn your fingers orange? I found a bag of them today at the supermarket and was so excited....the picture on the bag was identical to what they should look like....made a turkey sandwich on delicious pita bread and opened the bag and popped two in my mouth...and OY! They were doodles alright..peanut butter doodles, the most disgusting doodle on earth!

More soon.....

2004-07-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

The Past Week

On Friday, Kim and I headed up King George Street to Ben Yeduda Street....a very well known street and major shopping area in Jerusalem. Just a word about shoes....for those of you that know me, you all know that I have a passion for shoes. I think I took at least 25 pairs of shoes (most I couldn't possibly wear and walk the hills of this city). Israel is famous for its "Naots" many of which closely resemble Birkenstocks. They the most comfy shoes and everyone needs at least one pair. So why not get a pair on your second day in town! You bet I did! And of course, I had to get them in a Coral color just to be different. We hit a local hardware store and bought ice trays, a fan, a towel rack, kitchen drawer separators, and various other things for the apartment. Walked home with all our bags in tow, smiling all the way.

There a small local markets located all over Jerusalem in the residential neighborhoods. They are wonderful little markets each with their own distinct look and different kinds of foods available. These are called macolets. There is a large one right around the corner from me so Kim and I went to explore it. No more supersol unless it's reallly necessary! It had everything I needed and more.

A word about crunchy food. I am a crunchy food freak. I love fritos and potato chips and anything that is salty and anything that crunches! So far, I have not seen potato chips and I find this somewhat upsetting but trust me, seek and I shall find. The pretzels in Israel almost always come salted and with sesame seeds all over them.. These are good! That old Lays Potato Chip saying seems appropriate now...Bet you can't eat just one!

Israel has a different current/electrical system than we do in the states. I brought some converters with me however, being the impulsive person that I am...I blew a few of those up..and also fried a new fan from bed and bath. (Thank goodness it was only $9.99!) Carried it outside stinking and smoking while we laughed our heads off.

The fan that I purchased at the hardware store was made in Israel. The box was all in Hebrew as were the directions. Kim and I just laughed...I said no problem, I'll open the box and get the picture out. Well, as one might expect, no picture. OK so I have about four major parts, a bunch of screws...( and no screw driver of course) and little parts...putting this together felt like one of those IQ tests where you have to figure out all the pulleys and wheels...I should have been more confident, it was a breeze! (literally) Of course a few days later I almost blew it up when I used the cooktop at the same time...and the fan began to stink. Nothing worse than that electrical smell. Thank goodness this fan survived.

A little about my neighborhood, Rechavia. I live about12 minutes from Hebrew Union College. I also live, down the street from Sharon's office. So there is lots of security in front of it. Around the corner from me, is a small supermarket, very handy. I have basically been living on only the things I love and have not become adventurous yet. I'm a Diet Coke addict and must have that here at all times. I have a cabinet full of crackers, pretzels, popcorn, and a few crunchy Israeli things that I haven't tasted yet. One has to make sure they shop before the sabbath (fri nite until sundown sat. nite) because this city is basically shut down. Hardly a thing is open. Saturdays are actually wonderful compared to Saturday's in America. People here go to temple to pray in the morning and then spend the day at home or walking and always with family. There is no traffic on the streets, as they do not drive on the sabbath. It's peaceful, quiet, and beautiful. Back to the neighborhood....closeby there is a wonderful produce store...big giant containers of cucumbers for one shekel...th equivalent of about a quarter....the reddest tomatoes you have ever seen in a big container for two shekalim! A few steps away is the local bakery. They have everything a jew could want. Ruggelach! Cookies! and Borekas! (little puffed pastries stuffed with various things like cheese, mushrooms, you name it, it's in there!) Down the block are several nice restaurant/cafes..all with security outside...a falafel stand and a hardware store. Everything is two minutes away.

A word ( or 50) about my school and the first year in Israel program for those who are interested.
The are six important points to this first year and why is it done here. The school wants the students to live the complete Jewish calendar.. be immersed in the language, build foundations, understand the siddur (prayerbook), master the basics, and also begin one's professional development.

The students are from all over the country and most are in their twenties...however, there are three women my age and one man. There a seventy of us. Sixteen are cantors, 5 are Educators and the rest are Rabbinical studnets. We are beginning to establish a community and people get together all the time and just chat. Last nite there was a birhtday party for Josh, my good friend who just turned 24. I can't help but take on a motherly role sometimes, but at other times I feel like a kid in college too, just partying!

That's it for now..more to come....

2004-07-12T23:15:00.000-07:00

The airport - Tel Aviv

Thursday, July 08

2004-07-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

Flight was wonderful and easy. My friend Kim, who is a Rabbi and did this program ten years ago, came with me to Israel. We used our airmiles and flew first class which was a great help. We were able to sleep a little on the plane and in what seemed no time at all we were on the ground in Tel Aviv.

Arrival in Tel Aviv was easy, bags arrived quickly, customs and immigration was a big nothing. We piled into a large van-type taxi and off we went to Jerusalem. On the highway I am reading a big black electric sign like the ones on the NJ Turnpike...it says in hebrew, "the children are on vacation, please be careful". Nothing like our electronic signs which inform us that traffic will stop moving for ten miles in any direction around the next bend. I wonder if some jewish mother is writing what gets posted on those Israeli electronic signs.

It's Thursday now and we are heading to the apartment. We arrive and meet my real estate agent. I have six giant bags full of everything I own. I rented this apartment from an agent I found on a flathunting website on yahoo. So truthfully, other than some pictures I really had no idea what I was getting. By Israeli standards this place is great! No central heating, just spaceheaters... but it was just redone so it's clean and white! The workmanship is nothing like it is at home...for example, when they ran out of tile for the side of the tub, they just put in a few from the floor and they were a different color and texture..oh what the heck! Also, in my bathroom, if you look up to the right of the sink, you can see a door to the second floor. This door is yellow, covered in schmutz (dirt) and dust and is just sitting there...all I can imagine is taking a bath and the neighbor peeking his head in to say hi! This shall be addressed, you can be sure! Needless to say I am showering in the other bathroom for now. Would not want to shock anyone!

Once we got everything inside, we were off to Hebrew Union College to report in. It's a beautiful campus on a main drag. (King David Street) Met a few office personnel, went downstairs and had a nice lunch and then hit the Supersol! (supermarket) The first thing one notices is that there is an armed guard outside who inspects everything. This made me feel so much more secure immediately. Sure it's a reminder of what has happened here before, but it is also at the same time, comforting. This kind of security is everywhere here: restaurants, large stores, and the malls have airport type metal detectors. Most every guard has a wand as well.

Ok, now where was I. Oh, the supermarket! Delivery available!!!! All this girl had to hear. For 17 shekels, the equivalent of about $3.78 they deliver! Yee hawwwwwwww!

A brief discussion of an Israeli Supermarket thru the eyes of an American Tourist.....
Obviously, if you can see the actual product (like crackers), you know what it is, so for the most part when it comes to edibles, I'm ok. For cleaning products, it's like kindergarten, you just look at the pictures and try to figure out if it's something like soft scrub or fantastik! There are American products there, but they are expensive! I did have to buy a box of cheerios because I happen to love them but also because it's a hoot to see hebrew on the box!

Time to return home to meet the cable modem people. I made the appointment from home in order to be able to get my internet up and running...immediately! Am I an addict? Yes. But of course I do need this connection to friends and family at home. They arrived on time and the cable modem was installed in no time! I am ONLINE! YES!

Henry and Stephanie arrive at 5pm. Steph is a 50 something Rabbincal student and Henry, her husband, is here for a week. He is a computer expert and begins to try to install my new internet phone system in order that people can call me here from the states at a NJ number. It's way too complicated and frustrating for me to describe but if you are interested in finding out about this system, go to www.vonage.com. Nothing is easy of course, and he spends several hours and it's not working, yet.

A few thoughts on fear in Israel. Before I arrived, of course I did alot of thinking about violence and terrorism. I made no decisions about how I would live my life here but knew I would do whatever I felt I needed to do to be as safe as possible. Students are required by the school to carry cell phones at all times. I bought one that day at school and it was up and running. All the restaurants have armed guards outside them and most of them have wands. All packages, backpacks, purses are inspected.
There is a sense of security here, although let's face it, the danger is still there.

There is a wonderful restaurant up the street from me called Cafe Moment. It's convenient and has great food and is across the street from the Prime Minister's office. One and a half years ago it was the sight of a suicide bombing. This bombing astounded the community here as there is so much security right across the street. Just the idea that this could happen so close to Ariel Sharon's office shocked everyone.

We left my place, and walked to find a restaurant...I said, let's eat at Cafe Moment...what the hell ..it was blown up once, I doubt they will do the same place twice!!!! It felt safer to me...so there I was, eating at a place that terrorists had destroyed just a year and a half ago. The food was wonderful. After dinner, we came home and crashed.

Tuesday, July 06

2004-07-06T03:58:00.000-07:00

Up early, mind reeling with all kinds of thoughts...dreading leaving those I love while so excited about this new adventure. Everything is almost packed. I think as the old saying goes..I took everything but the kitchen sink. My underlying concern, which seems to be in my head all the time, is to make this apartment feel homey and not foreign to me. I am doing this by bringing my own sheets that feel good on my skin, toilet paper, soft towels, a needlepoint pillow of a soft coated wheaten terrier (my dogs)and much more. If it was possible to pack it, it's in there! I did limit my shoes to around 25 pairs...believe me, it's down from what it could have been. Hopefully, by the time I leave, the total shoe count will be lower still, I hope.

The real estate agent has been writing back and forth, saying how great the place is. Of course the new stove and cooktop fit into a cabinet that has not arrived yet, so they are sitting in the middle of the floor, which makes him pissy and annoys me. NOT that I am planning on filming a cooking show upon my arrival. In fact, I truly have no conception of what if anything I plan to cook other than a few sabbath dinners. Time will tell what happens in that kitchen other than grazing for crunchy things, nuts, fruit, perhaps I was a squirrel in a past life?