Masada. The place that holds one of the most courageous and tragic incidents in Jewish history.
My parents and sister went to climb the mountain at 6am- such conquerors! I decided to wait and take the cable car with my Grandmother and Benny a little later. (I'll go back and climb another time this year!)
First the story: King Herod (the great builder) decided to build a fortress on Masada for sanctuary in times of trouble. So he built a sprawling fortress complete with palaces and resources and enough food to last for years and years. In 66 CE, at the beginning of the First Jewish-Roman War against the Roman Empire, a group of Judaic extremist rebels called the Sicarii (extremist splinter group of the Zealots) took Masada from the Roman garrison stationed there. In 70 CE they were joined by additional Sicarii and their families that were expelled from Jerusalem by the Zealots with whom the Sicarii were in conflict shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple. The Sicarii made King Herod's fortress (stocked full of everything they needed) their home, adapting it to fit their needs. They built a synagogue and converted many of the extravagant bath houses to mikvahs.
In 72, the Roman governor Silva, marched against Masada with the Romans and laid siege to the fortress. After failed attempts to breach the wall, they built a wall and then a rampart against the western face of the plateau, using thousands of tons of stones and earth. The romans used Jewish slaves to build the rampart, because they knew that the Jews on Masada would not stone their own people.
The rampart was complete in the spring of 73, after about two to three months of siege, allowing the Romans to finally breach the wall of the fortress. Elazar ben Ya'ir, the leader of the Sicarri, knew that they were done. They had no way to escape, no chance to survive. He gathered all of the men, about 1,000 of them in the synagogue. He gave a profound speech and laid out their 2 options. Stay alive and be killed by the Romans or take their own lives and die by their own hand with pride.
The men went back to their families, killing their wives and children. Then they met again and drew 10 names. These ten men would kill the rest of the men. After this, they drew one name- this man was responsible for killing the other 9 men, and then killing himself.
The next morning, the Romans entered the fortress, discovering that its 967 inhabitants had set all the buildings but the food storerooms on fire and committed mass suicide rather than face capture, defeat, slavery or execution by their enemies.
Our source for most of the facts and details from Josephus Flavius, the first century Jewish historian. He went to the Caesar and proclaimed that he would follow the Romans everywhere they went, and record their history, to glorify their name, and be solidified in history forever. Known as a traitor to his own people, during this process he recorded the details of the destruction of the Temple, Masada, and other Jewish history, law, and custom. His two most important works are "The Jewish War" and "Antiquities of the Jews."
In the 1950's, Yigael Yadin, was the first archeologist to excavate the mountain. He started to discover what the horrific event that took place here and piece together the history. Right near the ritual bath, he discovered the body of a young woman with a sandal on her foot and a towel around her head, a body of a young boy next to the woman, and a young man, possibly the last Sicaari- maybe he decided that if he had to kill himself after killing all of the other men, he wanted to at least be with his family. The archaeological team also found 1 grave of 30 skeletons. But one mystery of Masada remains- where are the other 950 bodies? Did the Romans burn them? Bury them? Throw them in the ocean? It's still a mystery...They haven't stopped excavating for the last 50 years.
Until 1967, every single Israeli soldier climbed up Masada to be sworn in and receive their Bible. But in August of 67, they decided to do the ceremony at the Kotel (Western Wall) instead. They didn't want to send the message to die for the country, but to live and fight for our lives.
At the top of the mountain, Benny showed us all of the excavated sites and restored buildings. The store room, the beautiful frescoes, the synagogue (where someone was having a Bar Mitzvah), the elaborate bathhouses that King Herod built, and the mikvahs from the Jews. From the top of the mountain you can see the 8 scattered sites of the Roman camps, and the round circle they built around the mountain. There is also a 5th century Byzantine Church on Masada with beautiful mosaics. The whole thing is unbelievable.
The beautiful museum at Masada is only one year old and it is dedicated to Yosephus Falvius and Yigael Yadin, bringing together the past and the present. The museum was incredible- it is filled with artifacts that they have excavated from the mountain. You walk through this theatrical atmosphere with a headset that explains the history and the objects, ranging from weapons to food grains and olive pits, coins, house hold items, tools, fabrics, clothing, pots, pieces of scrolls, sandals, jewelery, HUGE storage jars. It's like stepping back in time, to their world for 45 minutes, and I could not believe how well preserved the objects are. We are talking a long time ago!! It's unbelievable how much they have found. And there is still a whole portion of the mountain that has just started being excavated. I'm sure that in another 30 years they'll have enough to build a whole separate museum.
After Masada, we went to Aroma for lunch, packed, and left the Dead Sea hotel. We drove back to Jerusalem to see the Shrine of the Book, where the dead sea scrolls are kept in the Jerusalem Museum. It was built as a white dome, covering a structure placed two-thirds below the ground, that is reflected in a pool of water that surrounds it. The fragility of the scrolls makes it impossible to display them all on a continual basis, so a system of rotation is used. After a scroll has been exhibited for 3–6 months, it is removed from its showcase and placed temporarily in a special storeroom, where it "rests" from exposure.
On our way to Tel Aviv, Benny had a surprise for us. He took us to Ramla to see his childhoood home and visit his Mom! We were so happy to meet her and had a nice visit. She doesn't speak any English but she was so adorable- she made us some Yemin sweet bread and had fresh fruit and drinks out for us- how sweet? Benny showed us around the house, some old pictures, and the beautiful garden with his favorite mango trees. It was great.
He dropped us off at the hotel in Tel Aviv and we walked along the Old Harbor.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Day 9
On our drive to Qumran, we passed the Valley of Jordan, the Judean Desert, and the Mountain of Gilboa. And we saw TONS of date trees. Qumran is one of the most important sights in Israel because the dead sea scrolls were discovered in 1947 in the nearby caves.
It's a cool story so I will tell it, even though I have numerous complaints saying that my blog has been "too historic" lately. Well, to all of you critics out there, starting this week, the history goes out the window and it will be all about getting situated in J'lem and kick off events- OK!? Anyway, the history is more for me so that I can look back and remember everything I saw and the stories that go with them.
Back to Qumran...In 1947, a young Bedoin boy was searching for his lost goat. While searching, he tossed a stone into a cave and heard a clank sound as it hit something. Curious to see what caused the noise, the boy entered the cave and found numerous giant terra-cotta jars. He found some old leather parchment filled with words. He tore off a portion of one of the parchment papers and sold it to a local shop. As luck would have it, a Professor at Hebrew University stumbled upon these writings at the shop and had a hunch that they were older than anyone could imagine. The story gets confusing here because there are so many versions of the story, but basically, archeologists excavated the area and found 11 caves containing sea scrolls, about 1,000 documents in all.
The reason this is so important is because until 1946, the only copy of the bible was 1,000 years old. (The Muslims had one that was 1,300 years old) Now, the Jews have written proof from 2,200 years ago that Judaism is the first Monotheistic religion. The history behind Qumran is that a group of extreme Jews, known as the Essenes, came to Qumran and established their own very strict, and elite community- only about 300 men. Their main mission was to copy the bible onto scrolls. Becoming a scribe was a high position- you had to prove yourself worthy for several years.
We saw the exact cave where some of the scrolls were discovered. It was so unbearably hot, whew. A few days later we saw the scrolls at the Shrine of the Book in the Israel Museum in J'lem. More about that later...
After Qumran, we did a quick stop at the Ahava Factory- it was cool to see the video to see how they extract the minerals from the dead sea area and infuse them into their products. I guess after seeing the Ahava stands at every mall in America, it was kind of nice to see where it's all made! But it's pretty much a tourist trap...
After that, we checked into our hotel at the Dead Sea. On the drive there, we saw a burning forest- a huge area that was burnt to a crisp from the cigarette butt of an ignorant tourist. How gross. It will take 15 years for the trees/vegetation to grow back...sad. It was neat seeing the huge salt clumps in the water as we drove along the highway. The Dead Sea, or the Yam Hamelach (sea of salt) is 10 times saltier than any other body of water in the world. It is 420 meters below sea level and its shores are the lowest point on the surface of the Earth on dry land. No living organisms can survive in it because of the high salinity level. The bottom of the lake is PURE SALT. The Dead Sea has tons of nutrients and minerals and is known as being very therapeutic for many skin diseases.
We bought the mud, slathered ourselves, and waded into the calm, warm water. It's hilarious- you get to a certain point and you let go and your legs just go up and you float with no effort at all. It's a pretty cool sensation. But don't get any in your mouth or eyes- painful! We relaxed on the beach for a bit and enjoyed the salty water.
After the Dead Sea, I spent some time relaxing at the pool and then we all met for dinner. Another buffet that was indulgent like the rich and famous of the Roman era. It was our last dinner all together with Benny :-( After dinner, Benny and I played backgammon and that was day 9!
It's a cool story so I will tell it, even though I have numerous complaints saying that my blog has been "too historic" lately. Well, to all of you critics out there, starting this week, the history goes out the window and it will be all about getting situated in J'lem and kick off events- OK!? Anyway, the history is more for me so that I can look back and remember everything I saw and the stories that go with them.
Back to Qumran...In 1947, a young Bedoin boy was searching for his lost goat. While searching, he tossed a stone into a cave and heard a clank sound as it hit something. Curious to see what caused the noise, the boy entered the cave and found numerous giant terra-cotta jars. He found some old leather parchment filled with words. He tore off a portion of one of the parchment papers and sold it to a local shop. As luck would have it, a Professor at Hebrew University stumbled upon these writings at the shop and had a hunch that they were older than anyone could imagine. The story gets confusing here because there are so many versions of the story, but basically, archeologists excavated the area and found 11 caves containing sea scrolls, about 1,000 documents in all.
The reason this is so important is because until 1946, the only copy of the bible was 1,000 years old. (The Muslims had one that was 1,300 years old) Now, the Jews have written proof from 2,200 years ago that Judaism is the first Monotheistic religion. The history behind Qumran is that a group of extreme Jews, known as the Essenes, came to Qumran and established their own very strict, and elite community- only about 300 men. Their main mission was to copy the bible onto scrolls. Becoming a scribe was a high position- you had to prove yourself worthy for several years.
We saw the exact cave where some of the scrolls were discovered. It was so unbearably hot, whew. A few days later we saw the scrolls at the Shrine of the Book in the Israel Museum in J'lem. More about that later...
After Qumran, we did a quick stop at the Ahava Factory- it was cool to see the video to see how they extract the minerals from the dead sea area and infuse them into their products. I guess after seeing the Ahava stands at every mall in America, it was kind of nice to see where it's all made! But it's pretty much a tourist trap...
After that, we checked into our hotel at the Dead Sea. On the drive there, we saw a burning forest- a huge area that was burnt to a crisp from the cigarette butt of an ignorant tourist. How gross. It will take 15 years for the trees/vegetation to grow back...sad. It was neat seeing the huge salt clumps in the water as we drove along the highway. The Dead Sea, or the Yam Hamelach (sea of salt) is 10 times saltier than any other body of water in the world. It is 420 meters below sea level and its shores are the lowest point on the surface of the Earth on dry land. No living organisms can survive in it because of the high salinity level. The bottom of the lake is PURE SALT. The Dead Sea has tons of nutrients and minerals and is known as being very therapeutic for many skin diseases.
We bought the mud, slathered ourselves, and waded into the calm, warm water. It's hilarious- you get to a certain point and you let go and your legs just go up and you float with no effort at all. It's a pretty cool sensation. But don't get any in your mouth or eyes- painful! We relaxed on the beach for a bit and enjoyed the salty water.
After the Dead Sea, I spent some time relaxing at the pool and then we all met for dinner. Another buffet that was indulgent like the rich and famous of the Roman era. It was our last dinner all together with Benny :-( After dinner, Benny and I played backgammon and that was day 9!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Day 8
We spent most of today relaxing at Mitzpe Hayamin (which means "view of the water"). This place is truly a slice of heaven. It's a hotel/spa located above the Sea of Galilee with magnificent views of The Golan Heights. This charming hotel was founded almost 100 years ago, and is constantly being renovated with new additions. They grow their own fruits and vegetables on their organic farm, and make all of their breads, cheeses, preserves. We decided to do a day relaxation package that included breakfast, lunch, massages, and all facility use- pools, sauna, gym. It was AMAZING.
The food was to-die-for. Vegetables have never tasted so good! (puts whole foods to shame) And the coolest part is that everything was grown and farmed right on the grounds of the hotel. Also, I don't think I've mentioned in any of my posts so far about the fabulous home-made jam that every hotel has in the morning. In every exotic variety that Israel has to offer- peach, pear, plum, fig, berry mix. We toured the beautiful grounds, covered in trees and lush vegetation, stopping to look at the bake shop (and watched them prepare the goodies), the cheese cellar, and the dairy room (where all the magic happens). We also browsed the art gallery and my Dad found some awesome paintings- he even got to meet the painter and her husband. (AND they invited me to stay with them in Tzfat any time!) I had a delightful massage, relaxed in the jacuzzi for a while, and lost a bunch of backgammon games to Benny.
I almost forgot to mention the organic tea bar! They have a tea station set up with all organic fresh teas and jars of "add-ins" to put in your freshly brewed tea- cinnamon sticks, lavender, lemon, fresh mint leaves, amazing honey (yes it's better than US honey), and every type of sugar you could image. Scrumptious!
Basically, it was a great morning and a much needed break from our hectic touring schedule. I will miss that place...http://www.mizpe-hayamim.com/about_us.htm
We left around 4pm and continued on to Tzfat, the old city of Tzfat, the mystical city that holds 4,000 years of history. Tzfat is one of the 4 holy cities of the Talmud, along with Jerusalem, Hebron and Tiberias. A giant earthquake struck in the 8th century, killing thousands of people. Then, in the 16th century, the Chassidim from Europe discovered the city and decided to make Tzfat their new home. It was in a perfect location- high, on top of a mountain, ideal for being close to the spirit of God. To this day, mainly orthodox live in the old city. There is also a large population of artists living in Tzfat- they sell their work in the artist’s quarter which is popular among tourists. Today, about 35,000 people live in Tzfat. (old and new city)
We walked to the small center of town which has a few shops and kiosks, and continued on to the Ashkenazic synagogue (400 years old), founded by Rabbi Itzhak Luria. It was small, but beautiful. The most remarkable story about this synagogue is that in 1837, an earthquake destroyed a lot of the country, including Tzfat, and most everything in the Temple was damaged EXCEPT for the Aron Hakodesh.
We also visited the Sephardic synagogue founded by Yosef Caro, the oldest synagogue in Tzfat. Caro wrote a book called, ” Shulchan Aruch,” outlining the daily rituals to follow The way we can tell that it is a Sefardic synagogue is how the Torah is covered. By a box or a soft cover. The Torah box is Sefardic.
We spent some time browsing through the artists quarter, looking in galleries and shops. While we were waiting for my Mom, my Dad and I met this Israeli guy named Ronnen (Yemin background, same as Benny), who was preparing and selling traditional Yeminite food and telling outrageous stories about his days in New York. Ronnen made “lachuch,” a sort of a rolled whole wheat pita with fresh basil, tomato, onion, olive oil, and some secret Yeminite spices, with the option of a hot chille sauce called “Zaatar” on the side. It looked sort of like a thin crust margarita pizza. It smelled delicious but we were too stuffed from lunch to eat anything so we just enjoyed Ronnen’s deep Kabbalistic philosophizing.
That was day 8!
The food was to-die-for. Vegetables have never tasted so good! (puts whole foods to shame) And the coolest part is that everything was grown and farmed right on the grounds of the hotel. Also, I don't think I've mentioned in any of my posts so far about the fabulous home-made jam that every hotel has in the morning. In every exotic variety that Israel has to offer- peach, pear, plum, fig, berry mix. We toured the beautiful grounds, covered in trees and lush vegetation, stopping to look at the bake shop (and watched them prepare the goodies), the cheese cellar, and the dairy room (where all the magic happens). We also browsed the art gallery and my Dad found some awesome paintings- he even got to meet the painter and her husband. (AND they invited me to stay with them in Tzfat any time!) I had a delightful massage, relaxed in the jacuzzi for a while, and lost a bunch of backgammon games to Benny.
I almost forgot to mention the organic tea bar! They have a tea station set up with all organic fresh teas and jars of "add-ins" to put in your freshly brewed tea- cinnamon sticks, lavender, lemon, fresh mint leaves, amazing honey (yes it's better than US honey), and every type of sugar you could image. Scrumptious!
Basically, it was a great morning and a much needed break from our hectic touring schedule. I will miss that place...http://www.mizpe-hayamim.com/about_us.htm
We left around 4pm and continued on to Tzfat, the old city of Tzfat, the mystical city that holds 4,000 years of history. Tzfat is one of the 4 holy cities of the Talmud, along with Jerusalem, Hebron and Tiberias. A giant earthquake struck in the 8th century, killing thousands of people. Then, in the 16th century, the Chassidim from Europe discovered the city and decided to make Tzfat their new home. It was in a perfect location- high, on top of a mountain, ideal for being close to the spirit of God. To this day, mainly orthodox live in the old city. There is also a large population of artists living in Tzfat- they sell their work in the artist’s quarter which is popular among tourists. Today, about 35,000 people live in Tzfat. (old and new city)
We walked to the small center of town which has a few shops and kiosks, and continued on to the Ashkenazic synagogue (400 years old), founded by Rabbi Itzhak Luria. It was small, but beautiful. The most remarkable story about this synagogue is that in 1837, an earthquake destroyed a lot of the country, including Tzfat, and most everything in the Temple was damaged EXCEPT for the Aron Hakodesh.
We also visited the Sephardic synagogue founded by Yosef Caro, the oldest synagogue in Tzfat. Caro wrote a book called, ” Shulchan Aruch,” outlining the daily rituals to follow The way we can tell that it is a Sefardic synagogue is how the Torah is covered. By a box or a soft cover. The Torah box is Sefardic.
We spent some time browsing through the artists quarter, looking in galleries and shops. While we were waiting for my Mom, my Dad and I met this Israeli guy named Ronnen (Yemin background, same as Benny), who was preparing and selling traditional Yeminite food and telling outrageous stories about his days in New York. Ronnen made “lachuch,” a sort of a rolled whole wheat pita with fresh basil, tomato, onion, olive oil, and some secret Yeminite spices, with the option of a hot chille sauce called “Zaatar” on the side. It looked sort of like a thin crust margarita pizza. It smelled delicious but we were too stuffed from lunch to eat anything so we just enjoyed Ronnen’s deep Kabbalistic philosophizing.
That was day 8!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Day 7
Hello faithful blogger readers! (If there are any of you out there...)
Day 7 was packed full of exciting itinerary in the Upper Galilee and Golan Heights! This morning we went to Kiriat Shmonah, a cute Israeli town established in 1949 for the Olim Chadashim (new immigrants). Kiriat Shmonah is named after a man named Yosef Trumpeldor. On March 1, 1920, several hundred Arabs attacked the gate of Tel Hai, one of 4 Jewish farming villages in the Northern Upper Galilee Valley. Trumpeldor and seven of his friends organized defense.
A major firefight raged, and Trumpeldor was shot. The Doctor arrived too late, and Trumpeldor died while being evacuated to Kfar Giladi. After his death, Trumpeldor became a symbol of Jewish self-defense, and his memorial day on the 11th day of Adar is officially noted in Israel every year. His reputed last words, "it is good to die for our country" (tov lamut be'ad artzenu , טוב למות בעד ארצנו), became famous in the pre-state Zionist movement and in Israel of the 1950s and 1960s. These words are written on the Memorial in Tel Hai where Trumpeldor and his fallen men are buried. The statue on top of the memorial is a lion, depicting the strength of our people. The town of Kiryat Shmona ("City of Eight") is named after Trumpeldor and the seven others who died defending Tel Hai.
Next we drove through Metulla (founded in 1896 by a Rothchild grant), a small, tranquil community that sits right on the Lebanese boarder, at the farthest North point you can go in Israel. Metulla is a beautiful place (many farmers) that unfortunately has experienced some military action because of its proximity to Lebanon.
We drove to the boarder of Lebanon where the fence is and gazed over at Lebanon. I admit, I was a little bit nervous, but Benny assured us that it was safe. I kept asking where all the Israeli soldiers were and he said, don't worry, they're here, you just can't see them." Benny pointed out where the "good fence" was located.
"The Good Fence" is the term for Israel's northern border with Lebanon in the period following the Lebanese Civil War. At this time, Southern Lebanon was controlled by the Maronite Christians and the South Lebanon Army, friendly to Israel.
From the 1948 establishment of the State of Israel until 1970, Israel's border with Lebanon was quiet to the point that farmers from the Israeli town of Metula farmed their lands in the Ayoun Valley inside Lebanon. In 1970, after their expulsion from Jordan during Black September, the PLO began taking control over southern Lebanon and breaking the tranquility that resided in the area.
The beginning of the Good Fence coincides with the beginning of the civil war in Lebanon in 1976 and Israel support of the Maronites in southern Lebanon in their battle with the PLO. From 1977 Israel allowed the Maronites to find employment in Israel and provided assistance in exporting goods through the Israeli port city of Haifa. The main border crossing through which goods and workers crossed was the Fatma Crossing near Metula, since the crossing at Nekura was controlled by UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon). The Good Fence ceased to exist with Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000.
After the boarder, we went to Banias Nature Reserve, a holy place for thousands of years to 6 different religions. We took a hike through the beautiful nature reserve, taking in all the sights, stopping occasionally to enjoy some of the refreshing cold water in the natural streams. We saw the legendary Banias Waterfall and saw tons of wild fruit growing along our way. (fig, avocado, blackberry, grapes, yellow cherry, and olive trees)
At the end of the hike, we ran in to a large group of young Israeli soldiers who had just finished their 10 months of training. They had 3 days off (to relax and have fun) before they take their stations at the boarder of the Gaza strip. It's kind of sad to see such young boys (the one we spoke to was 17) carrying these huge guns everywhere they go...
Post hike, we continued on in the car, and heard about the deserted city of Kuneitra. Occupied by Israel from 1967-1974, it was then returned to Syria, and it became and still remains, a ghost town.
LUNCH! Thanks to Frommer's we stopped at a restaurant called "Meat Shos." This place is all about meat! Lunch started with their famous rustic sourdough bread with chunks of fresh garlic baked into the bread. Along with the bread came a smattering of house made tapenades- the best being the eggplant with tehina and the parsley and garlic. Despite the restaurant's varying opinion of what I thought I had ordered, a lamb kebab, (instead I got lamb meatballs...ew) everyone enjoyed their meals. So much delicious food in this country.
Post food coma, next stop was the Golan Heights Winery. This place has really put Israel on the map as a reputable wine vineyard. We just missed the guided tour, so we stopped in for a quick visit to the gift shop. They actually gave us our own mini sampling. Nice stop...
We continued along, driving through Qazrin, the only city in the Golan Heights. (mostly Kibbutzim) Qazrin is known for its natural mineral water.
From here we drove to Hammat Gader, the hot springs, just east of the Southern tip of the Sea of Galilee. On our drive there, we saw Jordan and Syria, and passed many beautiful mountains. Also, more fresh fruit trees- bananas, pomegranates (my favorite), peaches, and apples. The land of milk and honey!
Hammat Gader boasts ruins of the ancient Roman spa city which have been excavated and restored. There are swimming pools, hot sulfer springs, and baths. We went to the hot sulfer springs. They supposedly hold great healing power and are recommended to heal aching joints and muscles as well as beautify the skin.
On our way back to Tiberias (where our hotel is), we passed Yardenit, a baptism spot for Christians in the Jordan River.
Can you believe we did all of that in one day!? My Dad and I took a walk through Tiberias tonight...it's kind of run down, but it's a convenient place to stay for a few nights since it's close to everything in the area.
Goodnight!
-Leslie
Day 7 was packed full of exciting itinerary in the Upper Galilee and Golan Heights! This morning we went to Kiriat Shmonah, a cute Israeli town established in 1949 for the Olim Chadashim (new immigrants). Kiriat Shmonah is named after a man named Yosef Trumpeldor. On March 1, 1920, several hundred Arabs attacked the gate of Tel Hai, one of 4 Jewish farming villages in the Northern Upper Galilee Valley. Trumpeldor and seven of his friends organized defense.
A major firefight raged, and Trumpeldor was shot. The Doctor arrived too late, and Trumpeldor died while being evacuated to Kfar Giladi. After his death, Trumpeldor became a symbol of Jewish self-defense, and his memorial day on the 11th day of Adar is officially noted in Israel every year. His reputed last words, "it is good to die for our country" (tov lamut be'ad artzenu , טוב למות בעד ארצנו), became famous in the pre-state Zionist movement and in Israel of the 1950s and 1960s. These words are written on the Memorial in Tel Hai where Trumpeldor and his fallen men are buried. The statue on top of the memorial is a lion, depicting the strength of our people. The town of Kiryat Shmona ("City of Eight") is named after Trumpeldor and the seven others who died defending Tel Hai.
Next we drove through Metulla (founded in 1896 by a Rothchild grant), a small, tranquil community that sits right on the Lebanese boarder, at the farthest North point you can go in Israel. Metulla is a beautiful place (many farmers) that unfortunately has experienced some military action because of its proximity to Lebanon.
We drove to the boarder of Lebanon where the fence is and gazed over at Lebanon. I admit, I was a little bit nervous, but Benny assured us that it was safe. I kept asking where all the Israeli soldiers were and he said, don't worry, they're here, you just can't see them." Benny pointed out where the "good fence" was located.
"The Good Fence" is the term for Israel's northern border with Lebanon in the period following the Lebanese Civil War. At this time, Southern Lebanon was controlled by the Maronite Christians and the South Lebanon Army, friendly to Israel.
From the 1948 establishment of the State of Israel until 1970, Israel's border with Lebanon was quiet to the point that farmers from the Israeli town of Metula farmed their lands in the Ayoun Valley inside Lebanon. In 1970, after their expulsion from Jordan during Black September, the PLO began taking control over southern Lebanon and breaking the tranquility that resided in the area.
The beginning of the Good Fence coincides with the beginning of the civil war in Lebanon in 1976 and Israel support of the Maronites in southern Lebanon in their battle with the PLO. From 1977 Israel allowed the Maronites to find employment in Israel and provided assistance in exporting goods through the Israeli port city of Haifa. The main border crossing through which goods and workers crossed was the Fatma Crossing near Metula, since the crossing at Nekura was controlled by UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon). The Good Fence ceased to exist with Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000.
After the boarder, we went to Banias Nature Reserve, a holy place for thousands of years to 6 different religions. We took a hike through the beautiful nature reserve, taking in all the sights, stopping occasionally to enjoy some of the refreshing cold water in the natural streams. We saw the legendary Banias Waterfall and saw tons of wild fruit growing along our way. (fig, avocado, blackberry, grapes, yellow cherry, and olive trees)
At the end of the hike, we ran in to a large group of young Israeli soldiers who had just finished their 10 months of training. They had 3 days off (to relax and have fun) before they take their stations at the boarder of the Gaza strip. It's kind of sad to see such young boys (the one we spoke to was 17) carrying these huge guns everywhere they go...
Post hike, we continued on in the car, and heard about the deserted city of Kuneitra. Occupied by Israel from 1967-1974, it was then returned to Syria, and it became and still remains, a ghost town.
LUNCH! Thanks to Frommer's we stopped at a restaurant called "Meat Shos." This place is all about meat! Lunch started with their famous rustic sourdough bread with chunks of fresh garlic baked into the bread. Along with the bread came a smattering of house made tapenades- the best being the eggplant with tehina and the parsley and garlic. Despite the restaurant's varying opinion of what I thought I had ordered, a lamb kebab, (instead I got lamb meatballs...ew) everyone enjoyed their meals. So much delicious food in this country.
Post food coma, next stop was the Golan Heights Winery. This place has really put Israel on the map as a reputable wine vineyard. We just missed the guided tour, so we stopped in for a quick visit to the gift shop. They actually gave us our own mini sampling. Nice stop...
We continued along, driving through Qazrin, the only city in the Golan Heights. (mostly Kibbutzim) Qazrin is known for its natural mineral water.
From here we drove to Hammat Gader, the hot springs, just east of the Southern tip of the Sea of Galilee. On our drive there, we saw Jordan and Syria, and passed many beautiful mountains. Also, more fresh fruit trees- bananas, pomegranates (my favorite), peaches, and apples. The land of milk and honey!
Hammat Gader boasts ruins of the ancient Roman spa city which have been excavated and restored. There are swimming pools, hot sulfer springs, and baths. We went to the hot sulfer springs. They supposedly hold great healing power and are recommended to heal aching joints and muscles as well as beautify the skin.
On our way back to Tiberias (where our hotel is), we passed Yardenit, a baptism spot for Christians in the Jordan River.
Can you believe we did all of that in one day!? My Dad and I took a walk through Tiberias tonight...it's kind of run down, but it's a convenient place to stay for a few nights since it's close to everything in the area.
Goodnight!
-Leslie
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Day 6
Shalom!
This morning we started with a quick walk through of Ein Hod, a small artists village built in 1953, not far from Haifa. Most of the residents of Ein Hod are artists/craftspeople. Some sell their work in a large cooperative gallery, while others sell in private galleries. The town boasts 2 museums and is filled with tons of art galleries displaying the beautiful work of its inhabitants. Very quaint, unique- glad we stopped.
We stopped for another Kodak moment to take a picture of the view of Haifa and continued on to the Baha'i Gardens. This gorgeous structure and its perfectly groomed garden grounds is the international headquarters for the Baha'i faith. The Baha'i faith began in Persia in the mid 19th century. They believe in the unity of all religions and see all religious leaders as messengers of God.
After the Temple, we headed to Akko (also known as "acre"). Again, Akko has an old and a new city. Guess which one we focused on? Yep, the old. Archaeologists think it is at least 4,000 years old- so much history!! The population of Akko is 50,000. 13,000 are Arab. (old city is mostly Arab) The Romans conquered Akko in 48 B.C. and it enjoyed 500 years of peace under Roman rule. In 1104, The Crusaders conquered Akko, built up the magnificent city, and stayed for 200 years.
Akko became the Crusader capital during the Middle Ages. Although it was surrendered without a battle in 1187 to Saladin, a Muslim conquerer, the Crusaders besieged it for two years in an attempt to win it back. Richard the Lion-Hearted's arrival with an army resulted in victory. This seige and conquest has been described as "one of the most fascinating dramas in the history of war."
Underneath the modern-day city of Akko is an underground Crusader city. It was unbelievable to see- you can walk through everything they have excavated. The underground city wasn't discovered until 1948!! After the Crusaders, these underground buildings were filled with rubble by the Muslim conquerers, who built a new city on top. The old Crusader structures are still being excavated, but archaeologists have to be careful or the roof might collapse due to the weight of the city on top. Unfortunately, because of these Arab settlements above the ground, they can only excavate one small portion of the massive underground city. One of the finds is a secret tunnel designed for escape from the city in the case of war. They have also recently found another tunnel that leads from the harbor to the city used to bring goods by boat into the city. (we walked through both)
Again the city of Akko was conquered to many times that you can see throughout the city and the excavation sight, the different layers from the various periods of history. Each one tried to bury the last, and what we have today are the remnants of each of the time periods. Romans, Crusaders, Muslims, Ottomans, and finally the British. (just to name a few)
When I had to take archeology my Freshman year of high school, I was less than thrilled about it. But seeing it firsthand in these ancient cities gives archeology a whole new meaning. It's fascinating, and just incredible how much history they can piece together from these treasure troves that still exist. In my next, next, life, I want to come back as an archaeologist. The next life is reserved to be a chef.
We walked through the Arab market...(once you've seen one Arab market, you've seen them all...)
On our way to find a place for lunch, we stopped at a small synagogue, and met a nice older gentleman employed by the city municipality (totally old school, as they all are in Israel) who told us its history. He was so happy that we came to visit him that he gave us all a blessing at the end and posed for numerous pictures. Good thing we didn't tell him that I'm about to start Cantorial studies. Pretty sure he wouldn't like that...(still getting used to the fact that Israel is pretty much all orthodox Judaism)
We stopped for lunch on the marina and fishing port of Acco at a delicious restaurant with a beautiful view overlooking the water.
After the old city of Akko, we drove through Karmiel, Pittsburgh's sister city. It is very beautiful from our brief exploration...
And finally, we ended up in Tiberias. The drive here was beautiful- gorgeous mountains, desert, and fruit trees full of olives and pomegranates everywhere. We saw from a distance Lake Kineret, The Golan Heights, and Masada.
Certainly, there will be some exciting posts to come in the next few days.
Loving Israel and you must come visit if you haven't already been here,
Leslie
This morning we started with a quick walk through of Ein Hod, a small artists village built in 1953, not far from Haifa. Most of the residents of Ein Hod are artists/craftspeople. Some sell their work in a large cooperative gallery, while others sell in private galleries. The town boasts 2 museums and is filled with tons of art galleries displaying the beautiful work of its inhabitants. Very quaint, unique- glad we stopped.
We stopped for another Kodak moment to take a picture of the view of Haifa and continued on to the Baha'i Gardens. This gorgeous structure and its perfectly groomed garden grounds is the international headquarters for the Baha'i faith. The Baha'i faith began in Persia in the mid 19th century. They believe in the unity of all religions and see all religious leaders as messengers of God.
After the Temple, we headed to Akko (also known as "acre"). Again, Akko has an old and a new city. Guess which one we focused on? Yep, the old. Archaeologists think it is at least 4,000 years old- so much history!! The population of Akko is 50,000. 13,000 are Arab. (old city is mostly Arab) The Romans conquered Akko in 48 B.C. and it enjoyed 500 years of peace under Roman rule. In 1104, The Crusaders conquered Akko, built up the magnificent city, and stayed for 200 years.
Akko became the Crusader capital during the Middle Ages. Although it was surrendered without a battle in 1187 to Saladin, a Muslim conquerer, the Crusaders besieged it for two years in an attempt to win it back. Richard the Lion-Hearted's arrival with an army resulted in victory. This seige and conquest has been described as "one of the most fascinating dramas in the history of war."
Underneath the modern-day city of Akko is an underground Crusader city. It was unbelievable to see- you can walk through everything they have excavated. The underground city wasn't discovered until 1948!! After the Crusaders, these underground buildings were filled with rubble by the Muslim conquerers, who built a new city on top. The old Crusader structures are still being excavated, but archaeologists have to be careful or the roof might collapse due to the weight of the city on top. Unfortunately, because of these Arab settlements above the ground, they can only excavate one small portion of the massive underground city. One of the finds is a secret tunnel designed for escape from the city in the case of war. They have also recently found another tunnel that leads from the harbor to the city used to bring goods by boat into the city. (we walked through both)
Again the city of Akko was conquered to many times that you can see throughout the city and the excavation sight, the different layers from the various periods of history. Each one tried to bury the last, and what we have today are the remnants of each of the time periods. Romans, Crusaders, Muslims, Ottomans, and finally the British. (just to name a few)
When I had to take archeology my Freshman year of high school, I was less than thrilled about it. But seeing it firsthand in these ancient cities gives archeology a whole new meaning. It's fascinating, and just incredible how much history they can piece together from these treasure troves that still exist. In my next, next, life, I want to come back as an archaeologist. The next life is reserved to be a chef.
We walked through the Arab market...(once you've seen one Arab market, you've seen them all...)
On our way to find a place for lunch, we stopped at a small synagogue, and met a nice older gentleman employed by the city municipality (totally old school, as they all are in Israel) who told us its history. He was so happy that we came to visit him that he gave us all a blessing at the end and posed for numerous pictures. Good thing we didn't tell him that I'm about to start Cantorial studies. Pretty sure he wouldn't like that...(still getting used to the fact that Israel is pretty much all orthodox Judaism)
We stopped for lunch on the marina and fishing port of Acco at a delicious restaurant with a beautiful view overlooking the water.
After the old city of Akko, we drove through Karmiel, Pittsburgh's sister city. It is very beautiful from our brief exploration...
And finally, we ended up in Tiberias. The drive here was beautiful- gorgeous mountains, desert, and fruit trees full of olives and pomegranates everywhere. We saw from a distance Lake Kineret, The Golan Heights, and Masada.
Certainly, there will be some exciting posts to come in the next few days.
Loving Israel and you must come visit if you haven't already been here,
Leslie
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Day 5
Our first stop this morning was Caeserea, an ancient port city built by Herod the Great. There is an old and new section of Caeserea, we focused on the old. King Herod constructed the first artificial man-made Harbor in the world- he wanted to create a massive passageway to Rome for trade. We toured the ruins of the ancient grounds that at various times throughout its history, included a horse racing track, a mote (built later by the Christian crusades), baths, the Crusader Church, a Turkish minaret, and a huge Roman theater (seats 5,000, and is still a popular venue where artists to perform) that showcased gladiator fights and plays. Herod beautified and named the city after Augustus Caesar. By Herod's death, Caeserea was one of the most magnificant port cities in the eastern Mediterranean.
The city was conquered so many times that most of the orignial city has been lost. The order of rule was as follows: Romans, Byzantine, Arab, Crusaders, then, Ottomons. There is too much history to go through, but as a side note, in 132 AD, Rabbi Akivah was one of 10 Rabbis murdered in Casearea in the theater, as a means to break the Jewish revolt. Benny told us a great version of Rabbi Akivah's love story with Rachel- how she fell in love with him as a poor farmer and then she asked him to go back to study even though he was much older than she. He left for 14 years (and she waited!) and finally, came back a wise, revered Rabbi...
When you look at Ceasarea today, you can see the the black outline immersed under the sea of the original port that Herod built. Josephus, a famous historian wrote details of the original city, port, and temple, leaving archeologists incredible resources. Using these resources and through excavation, they have recreated pictures/models of Herod's great city. It was incredible!! Watching the video and learning how they constructed the great city was awesome- they used modern architecture, very ahead of their time.
Though this land was mostly ruled by Pagans, Christians, and Muslims, the Jews always had settlements here- they struggled and lived as 2nd class citizens, but always pushed on, never losing their spirit.
We sat at a beautiful restaurant overlooking the ocean and had a delicious lunch. Greek salad and sushi! How funny that we are sitting on top of this breathtakingly gorgeous, ancient city on water, eating sushi...
Caearea's modern history begins in 1940 with the vision and generosity of Rothchild who re-invented the city.
Right next to ancient Caesarea was a Kibbutz named Sdot Yam where a young woman named Chanah Senesh lived. She was the first parachute woman, sent to war by the Haganah to fight the Nazis and sadly, she was killed. She wrote Eli, Eli, (one of my favorite songs) when she lived on the Kibbutz.
After Caesarea (which was one of my favorite stops so far), we went to Zichron Yaacov- a quaint, Jewish village founded in 1882 under Baron Edmond de Rothchild. We strolled along the main street in town and admired the cute cafes, craft shops, and restaurants. They had some incredible looking gelaterias, so of course, my Dad and I stopped for a tasty treat.
From here, we continued on to Daliat-el-Carmel, a druz village. The Druz are Arab- speaking people, but not Muslim. They have their own religion, very observant in study and dress code. The Arabs HATE the Druze (more than the Jews) because they joined the Jews in Israel, even fighting in the Israeli army. We did a quick drive through here, interesting to see their culture...
Now, we just arrived in Haifa- a gorgeous city with beautiful beaches and unbelievable panoramic views. It reminds me a bit of Northern California, but prettier. Haifa is the 3rd largest city in Israel (300,000). 25% of Haifa's population is Muslim or Christian. On our drive in we passed Haifa University and Mount Carmel.
Now, we are sitting in the business office waiting for our room. We've been waiting for quite a while now, and everyone is getting very impatient. They really slack on having rooms ready on Shabbat...oiy. While we were waiting, my father, Benny, and I broke out the backgammon board (shesh- besh) and had some friendly competition. :-)
Room is now ready! Perfect timing! More later, friends...
-Leslie
The city was conquered so many times that most of the orignial city has been lost. The order of rule was as follows: Romans, Byzantine, Arab, Crusaders, then, Ottomons. There is too much history to go through, but as a side note, in 132 AD, Rabbi Akivah was one of 10 Rabbis murdered in Casearea in the theater, as a means to break the Jewish revolt. Benny told us a great version of Rabbi Akivah's love story with Rachel- how she fell in love with him as a poor farmer and then she asked him to go back to study even though he was much older than she. He left for 14 years (and she waited!) and finally, came back a wise, revered Rabbi...
When you look at Ceasarea today, you can see the the black outline immersed under the sea of the original port that Herod built. Josephus, a famous historian wrote details of the original city, port, and temple, leaving archeologists incredible resources. Using these resources and through excavation, they have recreated pictures/models of Herod's great city. It was incredible!! Watching the video and learning how they constructed the great city was awesome- they used modern architecture, very ahead of their time.
Though this land was mostly ruled by Pagans, Christians, and Muslims, the Jews always had settlements here- they struggled and lived as 2nd class citizens, but always pushed on, never losing their spirit.
We sat at a beautiful restaurant overlooking the ocean and had a delicious lunch. Greek salad and sushi! How funny that we are sitting on top of this breathtakingly gorgeous, ancient city on water, eating sushi...
Caearea's modern history begins in 1940 with the vision and generosity of Rothchild who re-invented the city.
Right next to ancient Caesarea was a Kibbutz named Sdot Yam where a young woman named Chanah Senesh lived. She was the first parachute woman, sent to war by the Haganah to fight the Nazis and sadly, she was killed. She wrote Eli, Eli, (one of my favorite songs) when she lived on the Kibbutz.
After Caesarea (which was one of my favorite stops so far), we went to Zichron Yaacov- a quaint, Jewish village founded in 1882 under Baron Edmond de Rothchild. We strolled along the main street in town and admired the cute cafes, craft shops, and restaurants. They had some incredible looking gelaterias, so of course, my Dad and I stopped for a tasty treat.
From here, we continued on to Daliat-el-Carmel, a druz village. The Druz are Arab- speaking people, but not Muslim. They have their own religion, very observant in study and dress code. The Arabs HATE the Druze (more than the Jews) because they joined the Jews in Israel, even fighting in the Israeli army. We did a quick drive through here, interesting to see their culture...
Now, we just arrived in Haifa- a gorgeous city with beautiful beaches and unbelievable panoramic views. It reminds me a bit of Northern California, but prettier. Haifa is the 3rd largest city in Israel (300,000). 25% of Haifa's population is Muslim or Christian. On our drive in we passed Haifa University and Mount Carmel.
Now, we are sitting in the business office waiting for our room. We've been waiting for quite a while now, and everyone is getting very impatient. They really slack on having rooms ready on Shabbat...oiy. While we were waiting, my father, Benny, and I broke out the backgammon board (shesh- besh) and had some friendly competition. :-)
Room is now ready! Perfect timing! More later, friends...
-Leslie
Tel Aviv Breakfast
Good morning!
Just ate my breakfast- yum! All of the hotels in Israel offer expansive breakfast buffets and this one was no exception. Assorted breads/pastries, eggs, potatoes, omlette bars, a million different Israeli style salads, yogurt, granola, fresh and dried fruits, nuts, fish, cereal, fresh squeezed juices, you get the point...Unfortunately, there was no cooked food because it's Shabbat but I still had my lox and Israeli salad.
Now we are off to Haifa...
Shabbat Shalom and hopefully I'll have time for an update tonight so I don't have to cover 6 days at one time again!
-Leslie
Just ate my breakfast- yum! All of the hotels in Israel offer expansive breakfast buffets and this one was no exception. Assorted breads/pastries, eggs, potatoes, omlette bars, a million different Israeli style salads, yogurt, granola, fresh and dried fruits, nuts, fish, cereal, fresh squeezed juices, you get the point...Unfortunately, there was no cooked food because it's Shabbat but I still had my lox and Israeli salad.
Now we are off to Haifa...
Shabbat Shalom and hopefully I'll have time for an update tonight so I don't have to cover 6 days at one time again!
-Leslie
Friday, June 20, 2008
Day 4
Day 4:
Hard to believe it's only our 4th day of touring...
Today we went to...
Old Port-Beautiful boardwalk lined with all types of stores, bars, cafes, restaurants, and nightclubs. Gorgeous.
Palmach Museum- The Palmach was the strike force of the Haganah, the pre-state underground defense organization which was eventually incorporated into the Israel Defense Forces after 1948. The tour follows the fictional unit of seven new Palmach recruits meeting with their commander for training orientation. Some are assigned to blow up bridges, others to lead supply convoys to Jerusalem or to bring in immigrant ships. It's an interactive museum that you walk through, and as their story unfolds over the hour, and we get a sense of how difficult this road to Independance really was...another awesome museum!!
Every tour guide that we've had at the museums has been fabulous. Israelis have such a deep sense of pride for their country (rightfully so!), and it comes out in their explanations and passionate re-telling of Israel's history.
Carmel Market- very similar to Shuk in Machne Yehuda in J'lem-but even cheaper if you can imagine. We bought some touristy coca-cola and IDF shirts and admired the pretty produce...very crowded, lots of people to push through.
Nachalot Binyamin- on Tuesdays and Fridays there is a craft market here- local artists selling their art, Judaica, paintings, jewelery, etc-- very cool. I wanted to buy an earring holder but there were so many people, I'll come back for it...
Sheinkin Street- the trendiest street in Tel Aviv! So fun! Artsy, colorful, quaint, hippy, unique cafes and shops- loved walking here- had a nice salad for lunch at a cafe on Sheinkin and a slice of delicious brick-oven, thin crust pizza at Agvania (tomato).
That's it! Can you believe how much we've packed into these couple of days?! And there is so much more...I'm having a great time. I'm starting to gain a handle on Israel's incredibly, tumultuous history in a hands on way, and I'm really enjoying this exploration of the country. It's nice to experience Israel with my family for the first time all together.
That's plenty for now...
More soon.
Miss everyone so much! You must come visit Israel!!!!!
Love,
Leslie
Hard to believe it's only our 4th day of touring...
Today we went to...
Old Port-Beautiful boardwalk lined with all types of stores, bars, cafes, restaurants, and nightclubs. Gorgeous.
Palmach Museum- The Palmach was the strike force of the Haganah, the pre-state underground defense organization which was eventually incorporated into the Israel Defense Forces after 1948. The tour follows the fictional unit of seven new Palmach recruits meeting with their commander for training orientation. Some are assigned to blow up bridges, others to lead supply convoys to Jerusalem or to bring in immigrant ships. It's an interactive museum that you walk through, and as their story unfolds over the hour, and we get a sense of how difficult this road to Independance really was...another awesome museum!!
Every tour guide that we've had at the museums has been fabulous. Israelis have such a deep sense of pride for their country (rightfully so!), and it comes out in their explanations and passionate re-telling of Israel's history.
Carmel Market- very similar to Shuk in Machne Yehuda in J'lem-but even cheaper if you can imagine. We bought some touristy coca-cola and IDF shirts and admired the pretty produce...very crowded, lots of people to push through.
Nachalot Binyamin- on Tuesdays and Fridays there is a craft market here- local artists selling their art, Judaica, paintings, jewelery, etc-- very cool. I wanted to buy an earring holder but there were so many people, I'll come back for it...
Sheinkin Street- the trendiest street in Tel Aviv! So fun! Artsy, colorful, quaint, hippy, unique cafes and shops- loved walking here- had a nice salad for lunch at a cafe on Sheinkin and a slice of delicious brick-oven, thin crust pizza at Agvania (tomato).
That's it! Can you believe how much we've packed into these couple of days?! And there is so much more...I'm having a great time. I'm starting to gain a handle on Israel's incredibly, tumultuous history in a hands on way, and I'm really enjoying this exploration of the country. It's nice to experience Israel with my family for the first time all together.
That's plenty for now...
More soon.
Miss everyone so much! You must come visit Israel!!!!!
Love,
Leslie
Day 3
Day 3:
on our way to Tel Aviv...
-The Stalactite Cave Nature Reserve outside Beit Shemesh- cool to see- some of the stalactites are 300 thousand years old.
Tel Aviv. Everything that Jerusalem is not!!!!!! It's a real city- totally modern-situated right on the beach- very much like Miami. Gorgeous! Loooove it!
Shalom Tower- site of Israel's first secular school. Houses a beautiful mosaic on the first floor.
Independance Hall- where Ben Gurion declared Israel's Independance on May 14th, 1948.
Rothchild Avenue- one of the oldest streets, beautiful
Ayelon Institute- this was incredible, one of the highlights so far. Some history: In 1945, the Haganah determined that at the end of the British Mandate a struggle would ensue between the Jews and Arabs of the land. A decision was made by the Haganah to establish a secret plant. In just three weeks, preparations for the factory were completed and it was code named the Ayalon Institute, a military industry factory in the early pre-state days. Above ground, this appeared to be no more than a kibbutz. Eight meters below ground things were quite different; this was actually the largest bullet factory, where 45 people worked. Between 1946-1948, 2.25 million bullets were manufactured here. These brave workers risked their lives taking part in this operation because they had faith, they believed in a Jewish state, and would do anything to help its inception. (punishment was hanging) There is no doubt that the efforts of the Haganah members who worked here under harsh conditions played a crucial role in the success of the War of Independence; David Ben Gurion termed their efforts as heroic. We actually went down below ground through the secret entrance in the laundry house to see it firsthand and we went into the bakery to see the hidden machinery entrance under the ovens...it was incredible.
Weissman Institute- beautiful world class scientific research center
Rabin Square- the plaza where Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin was murdered in 1995.
Dizengoff Street- walked along city's main shopping street- shops/restaurants
Beachfront Promenade- gorgeous! it's the hotel/condo-lined area above the beautiful beach. We walked along it last night and there were tons of people out and about- big party scene-they had huge screen televisions all along the beach with fans watching the soccer game.
on our way to Tel Aviv...
-The Stalactite Cave Nature Reserve outside Beit Shemesh- cool to see- some of the stalactites are 300 thousand years old.
Tel Aviv. Everything that Jerusalem is not!!!!!! It's a real city- totally modern-situated right on the beach- very much like Miami. Gorgeous! Loooove it!
Shalom Tower- site of Israel's first secular school. Houses a beautiful mosaic on the first floor.
Independance Hall- where Ben Gurion declared Israel's Independance on May 14th, 1948.
Rothchild Avenue- one of the oldest streets, beautiful
Ayelon Institute- this was incredible, one of the highlights so far. Some history: In 1945, the Haganah determined that at the end of the British Mandate a struggle would ensue between the Jews and Arabs of the land. A decision was made by the Haganah to establish a secret plant. In just three weeks, preparations for the factory were completed and it was code named the Ayalon Institute, a military industry factory in the early pre-state days. Above ground, this appeared to be no more than a kibbutz. Eight meters below ground things were quite different; this was actually the largest bullet factory, where 45 people worked. Between 1946-1948, 2.25 million bullets were manufactured here. These brave workers risked their lives taking part in this operation because they had faith, they believed in a Jewish state, and would do anything to help its inception. (punishment was hanging) There is no doubt that the efforts of the Haganah members who worked here under harsh conditions played a crucial role in the success of the War of Independence; David Ben Gurion termed their efforts as heroic. We actually went down below ground through the secret entrance in the laundry house to see it firsthand and we went into the bakery to see the hidden machinery entrance under the ovens...it was incredible.
Weissman Institute- beautiful world class scientific research center
Rabin Square- the plaza where Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin was murdered in 1995.
Dizengoff Street- walked along city's main shopping street- shops/restaurants
Beachfront Promenade- gorgeous! it's the hotel/condo-lined area above the beautiful beach. We walked along it last night and there were tons of people out and about- big party scene-they had huge screen televisions all along the beach with fans watching the soccer game.
Day 2
2nd day:
Hertzel Museum- Hertzel was the founder of modern Zionism and really paved the way for the Jewish state. It was his dream that is now a reality.
Yad Vashem take 2- Benny insisted we go back to Yad Vashem so that he could explain some of the special monuments. We did the main museum portion the day before (incredible). We walked along the Avenue of Righteous which recognizes all of the gentiles who risked their own lives to help the Jews survive during the Holocaust. Visited the gorgeous newly built synagogue, the children's memorial, and the hall of remembrance.
Machne Yehuda- Shuk/Market- this was amazing! It's a colorful, bright, loud, market where you can buy everything from food to household items. You name it they have it- 50 varieties of Halvah, pastries galore, fresh squeezed fruit juices, falafel, fresh fish, dried fruits, nuts, spices, meats, candy selections that rival Dylan's Candy Bar...it's insane and it goes on forever. You have never seen so many beautiful fresh fruits and vegetables in your life! And it's so cheap! This is where everyone comes to do their produce shopping, and I can't wait! I had the most delicious schwarma (YUM) ever at the Shuk- it totally satisfied my meat craving.
Time Elevator- it's a theme park inspired ride through 3,000 years of Jerusalems history- eh, mildly entertaining.
Mea Sharim- we drove through Mea Sharim (could not get out of the car the way we were dressed-must be covered head to toe), Jerusalem's most ultra-orthodox (strict observance of Judaic law and Torah study) completely self-contained neighborhood. Some of them are opposed to speaking Hebrew, the "holy tongue" and use Yiddush instead. The only other area I've seen like this was during our NY trip this past year when we went to Crown Heights in Brooklyn and this was WAY more intense. It's an example of a preserved 18th century Jewish Eastern Europe. This was quite an experience. It's interesting that they live only a few blocks away from the Shuk...such a different world...
We also strolled down Ben Yehuda again and Nachalat Shiva- think, a smaller version of Soho. These are the areas of secular Judaism. Very lively, tons of people, stores, restaurants, street vendors, and musicians. We ate at a delicious "Italian" restaurant called Luigi's. I say Italian in italics because any time you are going to eat other ethnic food in J'lem (at least that we've found), it always has an Israeli spin...lol.
Wednesday night I met up with Marcy!! She is traveling with a teacher tour and it's also her first time in Israel. They made it to J'lem on our last night there and they had the night off so it worked out perfectly! We had an awesome time- it was great seeing her. I picked her up at the King Solomon and we started on Ben Yehuda- she had to buy a whole mess of presents to take home and we only had about an hour and a half to shop before the stores closed. It's unbelievable how many Judaica shops are in Jerusalem. And they all sell the same stuff, give or take...My Mom has been shopping for Chamsah's and Mezzuzah's everywhere- they're all so beautiful. Personally, I like the pomegranate's :-)
Marcy and I were shopping maniacs!!! We got almost everything she needed and were in and out of stores as fast as lightening! Very fun...we even made a good friend- Shlomo something- who sold Marcy a ton of stuff and I got one of those cool Kiddish cup fountain things. Oh! We also ran into a kid who goes to Olympic Heights middle school in Boca- small world, eh? We strolled Ben Yehuda and Yaffo down to King David- I showed her HUC and then back to her hotel. I'll have some fun pics of our night in J'lem together per Brooke's request. :-) Of course, we ended our evening with a mini food bomb (PM's word) at Burger Bar- a place I will frequent when I'm craving grilled chicken or a lamb burger. Love to Marcy!
Hertzel Museum- Hertzel was the founder of modern Zionism and really paved the way for the Jewish state. It was his dream that is now a reality.
Yad Vashem take 2- Benny insisted we go back to Yad Vashem so that he could explain some of the special monuments. We did the main museum portion the day before (incredible). We walked along the Avenue of Righteous which recognizes all of the gentiles who risked their own lives to help the Jews survive during the Holocaust. Visited the gorgeous newly built synagogue, the children's memorial, and the hall of remembrance.
Machne Yehuda- Shuk/Market- this was amazing! It's a colorful, bright, loud, market where you can buy everything from food to household items. You name it they have it- 50 varieties of Halvah, pastries galore, fresh squeezed fruit juices, falafel, fresh fish, dried fruits, nuts, spices, meats, candy selections that rival Dylan's Candy Bar...it's insane and it goes on forever. You have never seen so many beautiful fresh fruits and vegetables in your life! And it's so cheap! This is where everyone comes to do their produce shopping, and I can't wait! I had the most delicious schwarma (YUM) ever at the Shuk- it totally satisfied my meat craving.
Time Elevator- it's a theme park inspired ride through 3,000 years of Jerusalems history- eh, mildly entertaining.
Mea Sharim- we drove through Mea Sharim (could not get out of the car the way we were dressed-must be covered head to toe), Jerusalem's most ultra-orthodox (strict observance of Judaic law and Torah study) completely self-contained neighborhood. Some of them are opposed to speaking Hebrew, the "holy tongue" and use Yiddush instead. The only other area I've seen like this was during our NY trip this past year when we went to Crown Heights in Brooklyn and this was WAY more intense. It's an example of a preserved 18th century Jewish Eastern Europe. This was quite an experience. It's interesting that they live only a few blocks away from the Shuk...such a different world...
We also strolled down Ben Yehuda again and Nachalat Shiva- think, a smaller version of Soho. These are the areas of secular Judaism. Very lively, tons of people, stores, restaurants, street vendors, and musicians. We ate at a delicious "Italian" restaurant called Luigi's. I say Italian in italics because any time you are going to eat other ethnic food in J'lem (at least that we've found), it always has an Israeli spin...lol.
Wednesday night I met up with Marcy!! She is traveling with a teacher tour and it's also her first time in Israel. They made it to J'lem on our last night there and they had the night off so it worked out perfectly! We had an awesome time- it was great seeing her. I picked her up at the King Solomon and we started on Ben Yehuda- she had to buy a whole mess of presents to take home and we only had about an hour and a half to shop before the stores closed. It's unbelievable how many Judaica shops are in Jerusalem. And they all sell the same stuff, give or take...My Mom has been shopping for Chamsah's and Mezzuzah's everywhere- they're all so beautiful. Personally, I like the pomegranate's :-)
Marcy and I were shopping maniacs!!! We got almost everything she needed and were in and out of stores as fast as lightening! Very fun...we even made a good friend- Shlomo something- who sold Marcy a ton of stuff and I got one of those cool Kiddish cup fountain things. Oh! We also ran into a kid who goes to Olympic Heights middle school in Boca- small world, eh? We strolled Ben Yehuda and Yaffo down to King David- I showed her HUC and then back to her hotel. I'll have some fun pics of our night in J'lem together per Brooke's request. :-) Of course, we ended our evening with a mini food bomb (PM's word) at Burger Bar- a place I will frequent when I'm craving grilled chicken or a lamb burger. Love to Marcy!
Day 1
Day 1:
Tuesday morning, our tourguide, Benny met up with us at the hotel. I don't know how we got so lucky, but I can honestly say that we have the best tourguide in all of Israel. This guy is UNBELIEVABLE. He's 58, Israeli, lives in Eilat, yeminite background--is a historian, teacher, violinist, and tour-guide extraordinaire. He is one of those people who is eternally happy, charismatic, always smilling and cracking jokes, fun to be around, and miraculously, he always finds a way to make everyone happy. You get the point- he's amazing. It feels like he's Uncle Benny, been part of the family for years...
Our first day with Benny was packed! We conquered the old city. First we went up to the Mount of the Olives to take in the breaktaking view of the Old City and the Dome of the Rock. Kodak moment!
The old city is made up of 4 quarters- Jewish, Christian, Armenian, and Arab. It's crazy that this little city is the home to so many different religions. (I imagine being here would be like living in your textbook for a religious studies major) We arrived at the Dung Gate, (the smallest of the 7 gates leading to the old city) and proceeded to the Western Wall. This permanant area of worship, part of the retaining wall of the Temple Mount built by Herod the Great, is Judaism's holiest place. In reality, the wall is a lot smaller than it looks in pictures. A permanent mechitza, or prayer barrier, dividing the men's and women's prayer areas was built in 1967 after Israel retook the Old City. The women's side is MUCH smaller than the men's...humph. It's a very emotional place. Women leaned their heads on the wall, crying, and swaying back and forth as they prayed.
The best part was our walking tour of the Western Wall Tunnel. Archeologists have been excavating the area under the Western Wall since 1968 and the excavation site is now open to the public. They have uncovered remains (ritual baths, stairs, arches, pools) dating back to the first and second Temple periods, through Byzantine to the Omayyad era. Under this wall lies the entire history of this ancient city. It's unreal. YOU HAVE TO SEE IT! Our tour guide was phenominal. (so passionate and inspiring-unlike most boring tour guides in the U.S.) Unfortuntely, due to the conflict, there has been no excavation under the other walls. The Arabs won't agree to excavate under any conditions- such a shame.
Then we walked along Via Doloroso, revered by Christians as the path Christ took to his crucifixion. We stopped in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a beautiful church that has been recontructed (Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders) time and again through the years. The inside is like a maze and it keeps going and going-it has spaces for six different denominations.
We stumbled through the unending tourist trap shops (if you could call them that...) with barking salesmen by the gates- think Chinatown but a million times worse. We also walked on top of the wall from the Jaffa Gate to the Zion gate- great view, TONS of HUGE stairs. Saw King David's Tomb...Finally, we made it back to the Jewish quarter, by far my favorite, and walked along the Cardo (originally laid by the Romans), an excavated/partially reconstructed section of the main street of Byzantine-era Jerusalem.
Being in the Old City is like being transported way back through time starting in 1010 BC- you can't even believe what you're looking at and the roads that you're walking on...and the fact that all of these religions consider it their holy place is incredible- and of course it's also the cause of much tension and conflict...
That was our exhausting first day with Benny!
Tuesday morning, our tourguide, Benny met up with us at the hotel. I don't know how we got so lucky, but I can honestly say that we have the best tourguide in all of Israel. This guy is UNBELIEVABLE. He's 58, Israeli, lives in Eilat, yeminite background--is a historian, teacher, violinist, and tour-guide extraordinaire. He is one of those people who is eternally happy, charismatic, always smilling and cracking jokes, fun to be around, and miraculously, he always finds a way to make everyone happy. You get the point- he's amazing. It feels like he's Uncle Benny, been part of the family for years...
Our first day with Benny was packed! We conquered the old city. First we went up to the Mount of the Olives to take in the breaktaking view of the Old City and the Dome of the Rock. Kodak moment!
The old city is made up of 4 quarters- Jewish, Christian, Armenian, and Arab. It's crazy that this little city is the home to so many different religions. (I imagine being here would be like living in your textbook for a religious studies major) We arrived at the Dung Gate, (the smallest of the 7 gates leading to the old city) and proceeded to the Western Wall. This permanant area of worship, part of the retaining wall of the Temple Mount built by Herod the Great, is Judaism's holiest place. In reality, the wall is a lot smaller than it looks in pictures. A permanent mechitza, or prayer barrier, dividing the men's and women's prayer areas was built in 1967 after Israel retook the Old City. The women's side is MUCH smaller than the men's...humph. It's a very emotional place. Women leaned their heads on the wall, crying, and swaying back and forth as they prayed.
The best part was our walking tour of the Western Wall Tunnel. Archeologists have been excavating the area under the Western Wall since 1968 and the excavation site is now open to the public. They have uncovered remains (ritual baths, stairs, arches, pools) dating back to the first and second Temple periods, through Byzantine to the Omayyad era. Under this wall lies the entire history of this ancient city. It's unreal. YOU HAVE TO SEE IT! Our tour guide was phenominal. (so passionate and inspiring-unlike most boring tour guides in the U.S.) Unfortuntely, due to the conflict, there has been no excavation under the other walls. The Arabs won't agree to excavate under any conditions- such a shame.
Then we walked along Via Doloroso, revered by Christians as the path Christ took to his crucifixion. We stopped in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a beautiful church that has been recontructed (Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders) time and again through the years. The inside is like a maze and it keeps going and going-it has spaces for six different denominations.
We stumbled through the unending tourist trap shops (if you could call them that...) with barking salesmen by the gates- think Chinatown but a million times worse. We also walked on top of the wall from the Jaffa Gate to the Zion gate- great view, TONS of HUGE stairs. Saw King David's Tomb...Finally, we made it back to the Jewish quarter, by far my favorite, and walked along the Cardo (originally laid by the Romans), an excavated/partially reconstructed section of the main street of Byzantine-era Jerusalem.
Being in the Old City is like being transported way back through time starting in 1010 BC- you can't even believe what you're looking at and the roads that you're walking on...and the fact that all of these religions consider it their holy place is incredible- and of course it's also the cause of much tension and conflict...
That was our exhausting first day with Benny!
first few days in J'lem
Oh my gosh- so much to update! I'm going to do this in several posts so that I can add pictures to go along with my stories...I've had very little sleep in the last week (as you can tell with our crazy schedule) so bare with me!
Let me start by saying that it definitely took me a few days to acclimate to Israel and now that I'm acclimated, I'm loving life! I'd never been to Israel and had to get used to the way things are here...now that I've been here almost one full week, I'm over the initial culture shock and adjusted.
We spent the first 4 days in Jerusalem- a completely unique city unlike any I've ever experienced. Jerusalem is made up of an old and new city that together house history museums, houses of worship, shopping, ancient architecture, outdoor markets, historic buildings, and a plethora of shops, cafes, and restaurants that are constantly bustling. It is the religious city. You find all demoniations of Judiasm living here, Christians, and Muslims. Amidst the apartment errands and dropping my bags off, we started exploring the city on our own before meeting up with our tour guide. We saw the stained glass Chagall windows at the Hadassah Hospital, walked Ben Yehuda and Jaffa, saw Hertzel's grave, strolled along Emek Rafaim (the hip restaurant/shopping area in the German Colony) and went to Yad Vashem (Holocaust museum). We also stumbled upon an awesome new outdoor pedestrian area called the Mamilla Mall- beautiful architecture and gorgeous shops/cute cafes, and the best part is that it's 5 minutes from HUC and my apartment! (They even had a MAC store and a Northface store is opening soon) We liked it so much that we had dinner at the same restaurant 2 nights in Mamilla in a restaurant called Rimon ("pomegranate")! Had some delicious herbed salmon, quinoa with cranberries and scallions, Israeli salad, and this totally refreshing frozen, blended lemonade/mint drink. While we are on the subject of food...every restaurant (at least that I've seen) in J'lem is Kosher-meaning they either serve milk or meat, not both. I was really having some major chicken withdrawl for a few days because we kept landing at dairy restaurants, but I'll get used to it...and now I've finally had my shwarma fix. If I told you how many cucumbers and tomatoes I've eaten in the last 7 days, you wouldn't believe me.
That was pretty much what we did on our own.
My apartment is in an incredible location, close to everything, less than 5 minutes to school...
Let me start by saying that it definitely took me a few days to acclimate to Israel and now that I'm acclimated, I'm loving life! I'd never been to Israel and had to get used to the way things are here...now that I've been here almost one full week, I'm over the initial culture shock and adjusted.
We spent the first 4 days in Jerusalem- a completely unique city unlike any I've ever experienced. Jerusalem is made up of an old and new city that together house history museums, houses of worship, shopping, ancient architecture, outdoor markets, historic buildings, and a plethora of shops, cafes, and restaurants that are constantly bustling. It is the religious city. You find all demoniations of Judiasm living here, Christians, and Muslims. Amidst the apartment errands and dropping my bags off, we started exploring the city on our own before meeting up with our tour guide. We saw the stained glass Chagall windows at the Hadassah Hospital, walked Ben Yehuda and Jaffa, saw Hertzel's grave, strolled along Emek Rafaim (the hip restaurant/shopping area in the German Colony) and went to Yad Vashem (Holocaust museum). We also stumbled upon an awesome new outdoor pedestrian area called the Mamilla Mall- beautiful architecture and gorgeous shops/cute cafes, and the best part is that it's 5 minutes from HUC and my apartment! (They even had a MAC store and a Northface store is opening soon) We liked it so much that we had dinner at the same restaurant 2 nights in Mamilla in a restaurant called Rimon ("pomegranate")! Had some delicious herbed salmon, quinoa with cranberries and scallions, Israeli salad, and this totally refreshing frozen, blended lemonade/mint drink. While we are on the subject of food...every restaurant (at least that I've seen) in J'lem is Kosher-meaning they either serve milk or meat, not both. I was really having some major chicken withdrawl for a few days because we kept landing at dairy restaurants, but I'll get used to it...and now I've finally had my shwarma fix. If I told you how many cucumbers and tomatoes I've eaten in the last 7 days, you wouldn't believe me.
That was pretty much what we did on our own.
My apartment is in an incredible location, close to everything, less than 5 minutes to school...
Saturday, June 14, 2008
jetlagged in the Promised Land
Made it to Israel in one piece!
Despite the length of the journey, (a 24 hour travel experience from start to finish) Continental was definitely the way to go. Very pleasant experience. I did the flight drug-free, although my sister took a bunch of sleeping pills and was mostly out!
As we left the baggage claim with massive amounts of luggage (most of which was mine), my Dad, (always thinking ahead) had a 10 seat passenger van waiting for us. Good thing! We needed it! After we checked into the hotel, despite being exhausted from the trip, we ventured out for our first exploration of Jerusalem. I warned my Dad about arriving on Shabbt, but he didn't seem to care...Jerusalem on Shabbat is like being in a ghost town- every single store/restaurant is closed and no one is out on the streets. We did a loop around the area- walked down a deserted Ben Yehuda Street, checked out HUC, The King David, The David Citadel, and the YMCA. It feels a lot like Europe to me (parts of Salzberg and Florence), but with a more desert feel. It's very, very dry...We even took a stroll by my apartment. Let's just say that the standard of living for this year will certainly be different than my last year :-) (she says with a laugh)
We were all starving, so we stopped at the David Citadel (beautiful hotel!) for a late lunch. Which brings me to the food. It was my first and only meal so far in Israel, so it can only go up from here, but the food might take a little adjusting as well...They don't serve hot/cooked food on Shabbat, so we had fattoush salad, hummus, and some sliced salmon. I'm sure that I'll have more to report on the food front as the week unfolds. But if all goes as my dear friend Pam claims, I should be a "skinny bitch" in no time! (it was a funny book that inspired a 48 hour vegan phase- until I realized that I was hungry all the time. And then, an intense chicken craving that practically had my stomach eating itself, put an end to Leslie the vegan)
Anyway, it's 2:00 am- I'm going to try for a few more hours of sleep.
More tomorrow!
-Leslie
Despite the length of the journey, (a 24 hour travel experience from start to finish) Continental was definitely the way to go. Very pleasant experience. I did the flight drug-free, although my sister took a bunch of sleeping pills and was mostly out!
As we left the baggage claim with massive amounts of luggage (most of which was mine), my Dad, (always thinking ahead) had a 10 seat passenger van waiting for us. Good thing! We needed it! After we checked into the hotel, despite being exhausted from the trip, we ventured out for our first exploration of Jerusalem. I warned my Dad about arriving on Shabbt, but he didn't seem to care...Jerusalem on Shabbat is like being in a ghost town- every single store/restaurant is closed and no one is out on the streets. We did a loop around the area- walked down a deserted Ben Yehuda Street, checked out HUC, The King David, The David Citadel, and the YMCA. It feels a lot like Europe to me (parts of Salzberg and Florence), but with a more desert feel. It's very, very dry...We even took a stroll by my apartment. Let's just say that the standard of living for this year will certainly be different than my last year :-) (she says with a laugh)
We were all starving, so we stopped at the David Citadel (beautiful hotel!) for a late lunch. Which brings me to the food. It was my first and only meal so far in Israel, so it can only go up from here, but the food might take a little adjusting as well...They don't serve hot/cooked food on Shabbat, so we had fattoush salad, hummus, and some sliced salmon. I'm sure that I'll have more to report on the food front as the week unfolds. But if all goes as my dear friend Pam claims, I should be a "skinny bitch" in no time! (it was a funny book that inspired a 48 hour vegan phase- until I realized that I was hungry all the time. And then, an intense chicken craving that practically had my stomach eating itself, put an end to Leslie the vegan)
Anyway, it's 2:00 am- I'm going to try for a few more hours of sleep.
More tomorrow!
-Leslie
Friday, June 13, 2008
On my way to THE IZ
The big day is here! I can hardly believe it...We're sitting in the Pittsburgh USAIR club waiting for our flight to Newark. Then our flight to Israel leaves from Newark at 4pm. (btw, Heinz Ward is here in the usairclub and I recognized him!)
The past few days have been packed with last minute errands and lots of visits with old friends. I even squeezed in a visit last night with my first choir teacher from Ellis. (and no accidents on the way to her house for anyone who gets that reference...) Last night I had dinner with the family at Union Grill and we had the BEST waiter- Phil! I didn't have much of an appetite though- the "day before travel jitters struck." After dinner, unfortunately, I spent the rest of the night updating my laptop's new hard drive with all of my old info. Computer malfunctions are the worst...
I was very anxious last night...I always get like that before a big trip/move- only slept a few hours which hopefully means I'll be able to sleep on the long flight.
The past week and a half has been great- I relaxed, caught up with a ton of old friends, and has some much needed down time before this big trip. It's wild to think that 2 weeks ago I was still in Boca doing my thing. That feels so far away now...funny how time plays tricks on us.
About to open the next chapter! Please, please, please, keep in touch! I LOVE receiving e-mails and messages from all of you.
Much Love,
Leslie
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
"the last lecture"- watch it
2 more days left in Pittsburgh. As in, we leave Friday for Israel. As in, I'm moving to Israel for a year in less than 3 days to start Cantorial school...
The past few days have consisted of lots of errands/shopping and some more catching up with friends. I spent some time last night at Bari's house which was fun, as always. She was impressed with my new found knowledge of Jew songs and my recently acquired guitar skills. I really need to find someone in Israel who can help me take it to the next level...
Phil and I had a waterfront adventure this afternoon. Walked around, browsed, looked at some ugly bathing suits, and had a late lunch at Bravo. It was nice to spend some quality time with him before I leave.
Tonight I watched the Diane Sawyer special on Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon professor who has pancreatic cancer. It was incredible. The way that he has approached the last months of his life are truly remarkable. Here is the link,
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=265263428002185148
And if you haven't already watched "the last lecture," you must watch it when you have a spare hour. Very inspiring. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo
2 more days to relax in the good old U.S. of A...
The past few days have consisted of lots of errands/shopping and some more catching up with friends. I spent some time last night at Bari's house which was fun, as always. She was impressed with my new found knowledge of Jew songs and my recently acquired guitar skills. I really need to find someone in Israel who can help me take it to the next level...
Phil and I had a waterfront adventure this afternoon. Walked around, browsed, looked at some ugly bathing suits, and had a late lunch at Bravo. It was nice to spend some quality time with him before I leave.
Tonight I watched the Diane Sawyer special on Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon professor who has pancreatic cancer. It was incredible. The way that he has approached the last months of his life are truly remarkable. Here is the link,
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=265263428002185148
And if you haven't already watched "the last lecture," you must watch it when you have a spare hour. Very inspiring. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo
2 more days to relax in the good old U.S. of A...
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Good friends
Last night I attended the annual Pittsburgh Zoo fund-raiser Gala with Bayh, Nelly and Carly, courtesy of Bayh's Mom. Since we're all scattered across the country, unfortunately, we don't get together very often. It was great catching up with them. It's always so nice to be together because it doesn't matter how infrequently we see one another, we always fall right back into place. Of course, we've all changed and grown as individuals, but sometimes when we're together, it feels like we're in high school again...sort of...in a good way! The party was fun- good food samplings, dancing, and some rockin' live bands. Aside from our poor, aching feet by the end of the party, it was a lovely evening. And the adorable baby tiger was a highlight! I wanted to pet the little guy...
This morning I did some errands with my Dad, had lunch with my grand-parents, and then met up with the girls again this afternoon for a coffee date in Shadyside. This time, Katie joined the group. I haven't seen Katie in about 2 years, so it was fabulous to see her smiling face.
I met up with my friends, Bari and Jen, for dinner at Sushi Too. Bari just got back from living in Israel for the past year, so it was nice to hear her stories. Of course she has told me multiple times that I am taking way too much stuff with me to Israel, which I completely agree with, but I just don't know how to downsize!
After dinner I went to Nelly's for a bit to hang out in her garden. It was a pretty night and Nelly has the BEST house ever. It always brings back nice memories of high school.
That's about it. I'm so happy that my short time in Pittsburgh overlaps with some of my closest friends. It's been great reconnecting and spending time with them.
Did I mention how sore my arms are from Amazing Yoga?!
Signing off,
Leslie
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Festivities, Casa Mandel, and Bye Bye Boca, Hello Burgh
After the Barton G extravaganza last Monday night, the week took an insanely busy turn and my laptop caught a nasty virus. Hence, the lack of posting.
Tuesday began a week-long process of intense and hellish packing. Not only did I have to pack my entire apartment and send my life in boxes to Pgh and NY, I also had to pack all of my Israel bags. (which cost a small fortune to get back to Pgh and will cost an even bigger fortune to get to Israel) I have no idea how I acquired so much stuff in my year in that apartment...and of course I waited until the last minute to start packing/cleaning/organizing, so that project was draining and dust-filled. Blah.
Tuesday night was the end of the year BOFTY banquet which was awesome- we had over 40 kids show up! We inducted the new board, exchanged gifts, and reflected on a very successful year for BOFTY- the highlight being our fashion show fund-raiser, which raised $7,000 for Camp Jenny! Being their advisor was definitely one of the highlights of my job this year. I'll miss them a lot. Their endless energy, commitment to the youth group, wacky personalities, and loving hugs always put a smile on my face. :-)
The movers came Thursday morning to take all of my furniture, and after a stressful morning of last minute packing, Pam and I did our last "Nostalgia" lunch. I sure will miss those...and despite the crazy packing schedule, we managed to squeeze in a Thursday night goodbye dinner at Dada's- one of my favorite places. It's described as a family get-together if your family is composed of artists, bohemians and poets. They took an old, 1924 two-story house in Del Ray and converted it into an awesome restaurant that features indie bands and open mike nights. It's a nice shabby-chic/homey atmosphere. Dinner was delicious and it was great to see most of my Boca buddies together one last time.
On Friday, I went out for a last lunch with Robin, Marcy, Pam, and Jessica. (Are you feeling all the love here?? I was showered in it for weeks before my departure!) I was pretty spent by Friday, but managed to pull myself together for my last Friday night Shabbat service. Lori was out of town at Hava Nashira, so I flew solo. (which by the way, is not as fun as sharing) Didn't have much voice from the lack of sleep and dust inhalation, but I managed. Friday night after services, I moved in with Pam and Brad. I had to be out of my apt. Saturday and it would have been torture staying in my empty place Friday night, so I made myself at home at Casa Mandel! I had my own wing and everything, it was lovely.
Saturday morning I had two back to back Bar Mitzvah's- the boys were both adorable and they did an excellent job. I couldn't have asked for better Bar Mitzvahs on my last Saturday- it was an awesome way to close it out for me. I got a little teary during the 11:30 because it was my last service at TBE. I told Charles, the 11:30 Bar Mitzvah boy that it's because of kids like him and families like his that I'm going to Cantorial School. Really, it is such a pleasure when everything comes together and you see how appreciative the family is for their special day.
Saturday afternoon was Havdallah on the Beach. It was Pam's first event last year and now my last. It was a nice crowd- schmoozed a bit, had a veggie burger, took a walk on the beach, and we ended with a brief Havdallah service. Saturday night, Pam and I went grocery shopping for our BOFTY BBQ on Sunday. We went to the new greenwise market which was the HOT SPOT Saturday night in Boca. It was packed and we literally saw half of the congregation there. Very funny...We stayed up pretty late Saturday cooking and prepping for the BBQ. I went a little nuts with the menu and we ended up having enough food for a small country. Oops! In case you were wondering the menu included baked artichoke crostinis, bruschetta, huge green salad with pumpkin seeds, oranges, and dried cranberries, black bean and corn bbq quesadillas, chicken tacos, and a caprese pasta salad. AND from the grill- skirt steak, baby burgers, chicken pineapple skewers (which turned out to be a bust), corn, and zucchini. I definitely went a little nuts with the food...
Sunday morning I had the BOFTY board retreat at Temple and then everyone headed over to Pam's for the BBQ. Success! Everyone loved the food and had a great time playing guitar hero and singing with the karaoke machine. Lori had just gotten back from her trip so she stopped in to say goodbye and gave me the most fabulous neck pillow for the Israel plane ride. It is soft and plushy and wonderful- highly recommend.
Sunday night, Pam and I went to see Sex and the City. There were some loud, annoying howlers sitting right behind us...but I thought the movie was pretty good overall. The first half hour was a little awkward getting into it, but then I liked it. It was fun to watch the fab 4 again.
Marli came over to say goodbye Saturday night and by that point I was exhausted from the week. The lack of sleep definitely caught up with me. Pam and I watched her wedding video (so I could feel like I was there) and then I passed out. I was too anxious about leaving to get a good night of sleep though. Sunday morning I did some last minute errands, did the final "see ya laters," and dropped off my sold Subaru (that was sad).
I didn't like the ride to the airport- it was sad and I was starting to realize that leaving Boca was real and permanent. Saying goodbye to Pam at the airport was awful and tear-filled. Once I checked my luggage and plopped myself down at Chilli's to kill a few hours (my flight was delayed), the waterworks really started. I was way too busy during the last few weeks to process everything and it finally hit me that I was leaving the life in Boca that I had grown so accustomed to. I know I'll always stay in touch with these people, and I have made some life-long friends, but it will never be the same. Of course I'm excited about the next step, but I had to be sad for the life I was leaving.
The first hour and a half of the plane ride was so bumpy. The pilot kept apologizing, and of course I was in a silent freak out. Phil picked me up from the airport, and I couldn't get over how weird it felt to be here. It's bizarre. I haven't visited since Thanksgiving, and I haven't lived here in a year and a half. A lot happened in a year and a half! I feel like a different person. It's definitely like some weird time warp.
We grabbed some dinner, and I came home and crashed. I was just so exhausted. It had been a whirlwind couple of weeks of packing, tying up loose-ends, not sleeping, parties, and saying goodbye. It was all very bittersweet. I said to everyone at the Dada dinner that I came down to Boca fresh out of college, young and inexperienced. And now I am leaving as an adult. The whole experience, the people that I worked with and became friends with, they all contributed and helped to shape me. I really feel so lucky and thankful that this unbelievable, life-changing gift of these 16 months in Boca dropped out of the sky, into my lap.
And all I can say now is, thank you.
Love,
Leslie
Tuesday began a week-long process of intense and hellish packing. Not only did I have to pack my entire apartment and send my life in boxes to Pgh and NY, I also had to pack all of my Israel bags. (which cost a small fortune to get back to Pgh and will cost an even bigger fortune to get to Israel) I have no idea how I acquired so much stuff in my year in that apartment...and of course I waited until the last minute to start packing/cleaning/organizing, so that project was draining and dust-filled. Blah.
Tuesday night was the end of the year BOFTY banquet which was awesome- we had over 40 kids show up! We inducted the new board, exchanged gifts, and reflected on a very successful year for BOFTY- the highlight being our fashion show fund-raiser, which raised $7,000 for Camp Jenny! Being their advisor was definitely one of the highlights of my job this year. I'll miss them a lot. Their endless energy, commitment to the youth group, wacky personalities, and loving hugs always put a smile on my face. :-)
The movers came Thursday morning to take all of my furniture, and after a stressful morning of last minute packing, Pam and I did our last "Nostalgia" lunch. I sure will miss those...and despite the crazy packing schedule, we managed to squeeze in a Thursday night goodbye dinner at Dada's- one of my favorite places. It's described as a family get-together if your family is composed of artists, bohemians and poets. They took an old, 1924 two-story house in Del Ray and converted it into an awesome restaurant that features indie bands and open mike nights. It's a nice shabby-chic/homey atmosphere. Dinner was delicious and it was great to see most of my Boca buddies together one last time.
On Friday, I went out for a last lunch with Robin, Marcy, Pam, and Jessica. (Are you feeling all the love here?? I was showered in it for weeks before my departure!) I was pretty spent by Friday, but managed to pull myself together for my last Friday night Shabbat service. Lori was out of town at Hava Nashira, so I flew solo. (which by the way, is not as fun as sharing) Didn't have much voice from the lack of sleep and dust inhalation, but I managed. Friday night after services, I moved in with Pam and Brad. I had to be out of my apt. Saturday and it would have been torture staying in my empty place Friday night, so I made myself at home at Casa Mandel! I had my own wing and everything, it was lovely.
Saturday morning I had two back to back Bar Mitzvah's- the boys were both adorable and they did an excellent job. I couldn't have asked for better Bar Mitzvahs on my last Saturday- it was an awesome way to close it out for me. I got a little teary during the 11:30 because it was my last service at TBE. I told Charles, the 11:30 Bar Mitzvah boy that it's because of kids like him and families like his that I'm going to Cantorial School. Really, it is such a pleasure when everything comes together and you see how appreciative the family is for their special day.
Saturday afternoon was Havdallah on the Beach. It was Pam's first event last year and now my last. It was a nice crowd- schmoozed a bit, had a veggie burger, took a walk on the beach, and we ended with a brief Havdallah service. Saturday night, Pam and I went grocery shopping for our BOFTY BBQ on Sunday. We went to the new greenwise market which was the HOT SPOT Saturday night in Boca. It was packed and we literally saw half of the congregation there. Very funny...We stayed up pretty late Saturday cooking and prepping for the BBQ. I went a little nuts with the menu and we ended up having enough food for a small country. Oops! In case you were wondering the menu included baked artichoke crostinis, bruschetta, huge green salad with pumpkin seeds, oranges, and dried cranberries, black bean and corn bbq quesadillas, chicken tacos, and a caprese pasta salad. AND from the grill- skirt steak, baby burgers, chicken pineapple skewers (which turned out to be a bust), corn, and zucchini. I definitely went a little nuts with the food...
Sunday morning I had the BOFTY board retreat at Temple and then everyone headed over to Pam's for the BBQ. Success! Everyone loved the food and had a great time playing guitar hero and singing with the karaoke machine. Lori had just gotten back from her trip so she stopped in to say goodbye and gave me the most fabulous neck pillow for the Israel plane ride. It is soft and plushy and wonderful- highly recommend.
Sunday night, Pam and I went to see Sex and the City. There were some loud, annoying howlers sitting right behind us...but I thought the movie was pretty good overall. The first half hour was a little awkward getting into it, but then I liked it. It was fun to watch the fab 4 again.
Marli came over to say goodbye Saturday night and by that point I was exhausted from the week. The lack of sleep definitely caught up with me. Pam and I watched her wedding video (so I could feel like I was there) and then I passed out. I was too anxious about leaving to get a good night of sleep though. Sunday morning I did some last minute errands, did the final "see ya laters," and dropped off my sold Subaru (that was sad).
I didn't like the ride to the airport- it was sad and I was starting to realize that leaving Boca was real and permanent. Saying goodbye to Pam at the airport was awful and tear-filled. Once I checked my luggage and plopped myself down at Chilli's to kill a few hours (my flight was delayed), the waterworks really started. I was way too busy during the last few weeks to process everything and it finally hit me that I was leaving the life in Boca that I had grown so accustomed to. I know I'll always stay in touch with these people, and I have made some life-long friends, but it will never be the same. Of course I'm excited about the next step, but I had to be sad for the life I was leaving.
The first hour and a half of the plane ride was so bumpy. The pilot kept apologizing, and of course I was in a silent freak out. Phil picked me up from the airport, and I couldn't get over how weird it felt to be here. It's bizarre. I haven't visited since Thanksgiving, and I haven't lived here in a year and a half. A lot happened in a year and a half! I feel like a different person. It's definitely like some weird time warp.
We grabbed some dinner, and I came home and crashed. I was just so exhausted. It had been a whirlwind couple of weeks of packing, tying up loose-ends, not sleeping, parties, and saying goodbye. It was all very bittersweet. I said to everyone at the Dada dinner that I came down to Boca fresh out of college, young and inexperienced. And now I am leaving as an adult. The whole experience, the people that I worked with and became friends with, they all contributed and helped to shape me. I really feel so lucky and thankful that this unbelievable, life-changing gift of these 16 months in Boca dropped out of the sky, into my lap.
And all I can say now is, thank you.
Love,
Leslie
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