End of Ulpan and HUC b-days galore

Shalom! Sorry I've been mia, things have been so busy in the last week. I barely even know where to begin...


Sol, Tapas Bar


Leslie and Jaclyn


cute



B-day boy!


This week was HUC birthday extravaganza-5 of them! Last Thursday a group of us went to Sol, a Tapas bar, to celebrate Ari's birthday. It had a great atmosphere, cool vibe, and good food. It was a perfect group b-day restaurant because we got a ton of mini dishes and shared everything. I usually get bored with eating one type of food so it was nice to have lots of little nibbles. After dinner, we went to a Karaoke bar for some singing, dancing, and good old fashioned FUN!


"Material Girl"


dancing queens


J Fro/Jew Fro

The next day, a group of us rented two cars and headed to Tel Aviv for the day to celebrate Leah's b-day. It was AMAZING to be driving in our very own cars (sort of) for the day...felt liberating! We had lunch at a beach bar when we got there and spent the day relaxing on the beach, swimming in the ocean, and playing frisbee and paddle ball by the water. It was LOVELY. We had a celebratory b-day dinner at a cute seafood restaurant over-looking the marina.


Tel Aviv Beach


Leah's b-day

Saturday evening HUC broke us into 3 groups and each group was hosted by a different faculty member for a neighborhood tour and Havdallah at their home. My group strolled around Abu-Tor and had Havdallah and snacks at Nancy's house, head of student affairs. Abu Tor is a beautiful and unique residential neighborhood that is made up of half Jews and half Arabs. There is minor tension between them, but the neighborhood is totally safe. We actually walked along the former Jordan boarder. We had a brief discussion within our group about Shabbat and what it means to us this year in Israel/how we want to celebrate, followed by a Havdallah service (after spotting 3 stars in the sky) and some munchies- Bourekas, veggies, fruit, and home-made choc. chip cookies. Post Nancy's, I met a few people from one of the other groups at Sushi Rechavia for a light bite before bed.

Sadly (at least for Kitah Aleph), Sunday began our last week of Ulpan. I did a Shuk run in the afternoon which was MAMASH (very) disappointing--I am NEVER going to the Shuk again on Sunday or Monday...yuck, yuck, yuck. Nothing is fresh and half the stalls are empty. The best Shuk days are Thursday and Friday for the Shabbat rush. Sunday night the Beit Cafe winners of my auction item came over to redeem their dinner. We had honey terriyaki ginger chicken , stir fried veggies, brown rice, and Marzipan (best bakery in Shuk) chocolate souffles for dessert.

On Monday, Kitah Aleph took a tiyul to the German Colony. We had just read a story in class about the German Colony the day before so it was a nice tie in with clasroom learning. Orna walked around with us, pointed out the landmarks, and explained the history. We had a nice potluck picnic in a nearby park and then did a scavenger hunt of sorts. Orna gave each group a card with different places to find and bring back information about each spot. Amy, Meredith, Leah, and I took some cute pictures at our destinations- I'll post a few. Monday evening, I had some kitah Aleph buddies over for a study session for our final test and dinner. (Mexican Lasagne-always a crowd pleaser)


Kitah Alpeh tiyul to German Colony


scav. hunt


scav. hunt


Kitah Aleph and Orna



Tuesday was our last day of Ulpan! In honor of the last day and showing our appreciate for Orna, we got her an awesome present: a beautiful bouquet of flowers, a box of hand-made chocolates from a cute store on Hillel, and a picture frame with 2 pictures of Kitah Aleph. She was so touched by our present and card--it made me so happy seeing her reaction. It was adorable. I'm really going to miss her...After the big test, we had an end of Ulpan party with all of the classes. Each class sang a song, people chatted and ate...Amy and I played guitar for "Uf Gozal" for Kitah Aleph, my FAVORITE Israeli song. I learned it last year at Beth El and sang it a few times there but it means more singing it in Israel... It's a beautifully written metaphoric song about a little bird flying away from his nest.



This is not a very poetic translation, but you get the idea...

FLY AWAY YOUNG CHICK

My chicks left the nest
spread their wings and flew away
I am an old bird left in the nest
I hope that all will be well
I always knew the day will come
to say good bye
But now when it is here
no wonder I am worried

Chorus:
Fly away chick cut the sky
Fly where ever you want to
Just don't forget there is an eagle in the sky
be aware

Now it is only us in the nest
but we are together
Hug me tight say yes
don't worry it is fun getting old together

Uf gozal….

I know it is the way of nature
I left a nest as well
But now when the time comes
I feel a lump in my throat

Uf gozal…

Uf Gozal was a big hit and Amy and I decided we want to have guitar jam sessions (as "jammy" as they can get playing Jewish music...although she plays mostly folk and classic rock) once a week.

Tuesday night the Kef (fun) committee had our first meeting--we solidified the calendar for first semester and started planning a few upcoming programs. Then we had another boring lecture before our Tiyul the next day.

Wednesday's tiyul was a long one- from 7am-7pm. We went to Megiddo-Megiddo is a major archaeological site, that has 26 layers of the ruins of ancient cities. It was a site of great importance in the ancient world, as it guarded the western branch of a narrow pass and an ancient trade route which connected the lands of Egypt and Assyria. Because of its strategic location at the crossroads of several major routes, Megiddo has witnessed several major battles throughout history. The site was inhabited from 7000 BC to 500 BC. Per usual, we looked at lots of ruins, rocks, dust piles, and ancient gates.

We also went to Mukhraka and the Carmel Caves--the Carmel Caves. For you history buffs: Between 1930 to 1932, Dorothy Garrod excavated four caves, and a number of rock shelters, in the Carmel mountain range at el-Wad, el-Tabun, and Es Skhul. Garrod discovered Neanderthal and early modern human remains, including the skeleton of a Neanderthal female, named Tabun I, which is regarded as one of the most important human fossils ever found. The excavation at el-Tabun produced the longest stratigraphic record in the region, spanning 600,000 or more years of human activity, from the Lower Paleolithic to the present day, representing roughly a million years of human evolution. There are also several well-preserved burials of Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens Sapiens) and passage from nomadic hunter-gatherer groups to complex, sedentary agricultural societies is extensively documented at the site. Taken together, these emphasize the paramount significance of the Mount Carmel caves for the study of human cultural and biological evolution within the framework of palaeo-ecological changes."

We explored the caves, saw a very primitive video on the lives on Neanderthals (so happy I wasn't living in that time period), and headed to the beach before returning to J'lem.

Thursday morning I was up at 6am for a bike ride. Amy, Josh, Brent, and I rode the Gilot Hill again. This was the first ride I did with them about 6 weeks ago and I can't tell you how much easier it was this time!! I guess that means I'm doing something right! It only took about 23 minutes to reach the top of the long hill, and the sun was mostly hidden in the clouds for the majority of the climb, so that was helpful. Post bike ride, I had brunch at Hillel on Emek and then went to the mall in the afternoon with my roomate and another JTS student. Just did a few minor errands, browsed around...Thursday night the Abu-Tor crew had a surprise b-day party for Jon. Almost the entire class was there--it was a really nice party and he was totally surprised! AND, they managed to order the first real pizza anyone has had since arriving in Israel. Israeli pizza is not exactly up to par...so that was a nice surprise too :-)


Jon's B-day

Yesterday I went to the Shuk in the morning to get some stuff for Shabbat dinner--the Shuk was bustling with Shabbat buzz, but we went early enough that it wasn't unbearably crazy yet. Perfect timing! The Shabbat Shuk buzz is so refreshing--you don't know where to look first--there's so much action and color and people and great freshly baked bread/pastry smells- total sensory overload. I love it.

My roomate and I prepped all the food for our Shabbat meal and people came over around 6:30. We had a nice, intimate, group participatory service. There were about 12 of us. Meredith, Adam, and I took turns playing guitar, everyone took turns giving their insight before each prayer and Jaclyn gave a lovely drosh. We used my new special Kiddush cup contraption. There is one kiddush cup that you fill and pour into the middle of the silver plate- the wine then runs down 8 little streams and goes into 8 mini Kiddush cups. It's awesome! Is there a name for this thing? I'll take a picture next time we use it...AND, Lisa and Jessie made challah from scratch that was a big hit. Dinner was orange chicken (sauce was orange marmelade, hoisin, fresh squeezed OJ, chicken broth, maple syrup, and a hint of fresh oregano) cous-cous with sweet potatoes, cranberries, carrots, and onions, green beans with sum sum (sesame seeds), and a big salad. Another successful experiment! And Adam made some KILLER brownies for dessert...It was a really nice Shabbat.

This morning I did some research on Crete and met Lisa, Adam, and Jaclyn for lunch at Foccacia Bar. I need to go pack right now...our sheirut (shared taxi) is coming at 1 am and our flight to Crete leaves at 4:55 am. I think I forgot to mention that I'm going to Greece for 4 days...I'm totally pumped and especially excited that Lisa and I are going together---I've always wanted to go to Greece...I anticipate an action packed 4 days.

Hope this was a good catch up blog for all of you readers who have been wondering where I've been hiding. Any exciting news from the U.S.? Can you believe it's already end of summer/back to school time? Crazy how fast summer flies by...

Much love and misses,
Lesssslie

"Mitachat La'Shamayim"- "Under the Sky"

Shalom, family, friends, and loyal blog readers!

It's been a busy week!

Last Saturday I did services at HUC and then had some people over for brunch. I tried to take a nap to prepare myself for the late concert but no luck...went to a BBQ in the park hosted by some classmates-they grilled on some mini make shift grills and we played Frisbee and chatted...

Now the fun starts...David Broza sunrise concert at Masada...

David Broza is Israel's most famous singer-songwriter, with several multi-platinum albums (sings in English, Hebrew, and Spanish) and some of the most well-known Hebrew pop standards. His most famous tunes include Yihye Tov (It will be good) and Mitachat La'Shamayim (Under the Skies).

The evening started at when a group of 11 of us met at 1 am at HUC for the mini-bus to take us to Masada. For the next hour and a half, we waited patiently (and impatiently) on the steps of HUC...After multiple cell phone conversations with the driver and the van company, it was determined that our original driver had been pulled over by the cops and taken to jail, so they sent a replacement. He finally picked us up around 2:30. Of course the driver got lost and took the wrong way to Masada, so we ended up on the wrong side of the mountain. It took an extra hour to drive around the mountain and get to the side of the concert. In addition, the driver was insane and drove like a mad man around the sharp curves and up and down the steep hills, inflicting car sickness on most of the passengers...We arrived at about 4:30-missed the first 45 minutes. Please note: I slept for almost the entire van ride, even through the loud hooting and hollering by my classmates--I must have been really tired!
















sunrise


sunrise



On top of our nightmare journey to Masada, I wasn't so jazzed about going to the concert--I didn't know David Broza's music and usually the only place I like to be at 3 am is asleep in my bed...HOWEVER, I have to say- seeing that gorgeous sunrise behind Masada the next morning made it all worthwhile. It was one of the most beautiful sights I've ever witnessed in my life. And David Broza is a stellar performer- he rocked out on his guitar (beyond impressive) and played for about 3 hours. (We heard him from 4:30-6:30) He even had an up and coming band with him featuring singers, beat boxers, steel drummers, dancers, and a violist. It was a party on that stage for the last bit of the concert. I haven't been able to get Mitachat La'Shamayim out of my head since the concert...

The ride back took another 2.5 hours. I slept again on the van and a little bit at the concert (just at the beginning--we were lying on a sheet--it was too tempting...) Meredith and I were troopers and went straight to Ulpan despite our exhaustion. It hit as around the last 30 minutes of Ulpan-definitely needed naps.

Last night, a group of us went to Chutzot Hayotzer, a MASSIVE international outdoor art festival that has been going on for over 30 years each summer in Jerusalem. This was AWESOME- it was total sensory overload in the best way possible. It was PACKED. There was a wide array of paintings, prints, ceramics, jewelry, textiles, Judaica, gadgets, and woodworking. In addition, there were multiple bands playing, Latino, Greek, and Israeli dance performances, glass blowing, an entire separate section of international artists selling crafts, the most giant carnival food court ever (think State Fair Israeli style), and 1 big act on the main stage. The performer was Gali Atari- apparently she is HUGE is Israel...her peak was about 10 years ago but from the giant Israeli crowd (they sang every word), we gathered that she has similar popularity to Celine Dion in the U.S. She is the singer who won the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Hallelujah." We danced and clapped at the concert for a bit and then headed out. Oh, I forgot to mention- set up in the middle of the art booths, they had a big circus, complete with actors, mimes, musicians, acrobats, trapeze, the whole works--that was really neat. I'd love to go back and sit in the cafe/circus area and just take it all in.



Israeli "circus"



art booths


Joel and Leslie on comfy bean bag







Today in Ulpan, we had another song session. Each Kitah taught a song to the rest of the classes...With such a musically inclined group this is a very fun exercise. Kitah Aleph (we have appropriately named ourselves "Lamah Lo" which means "Why not?!") obviously had the best song--"Mitachat La'Shaymayim!


"Lamah Lo" sings in Ulpan

Today after Ulpan, we had our first Parallel Lives meeting. 9 Israeli soldiers came to HUC to meet us. We had a brief session on what we would like to gain from the program, and then we headed to Ein Kerem- a small artists village right outside of Jerusalem. It was wonderful to spend time talking with the soldiers about their experiences in the army, our year in Israel and just about life. They're from a very elite unit so this is a cream of the crop bunch. It is wild to see such young kids (they go in at 18, right out of high school) serving in the army, wearing guns, and having so much responsibility. But at the same time, a few of them were explaining that it's a really important 3 years of maturation and personal growth. They said that they couldn't imagine going straight to University from high school. Going straight into the army is the way of life here. Of course, there is a small percentage who don't want to serve and they find a way to get out of it...but most Israelis feel that it's a necessity, a right of passage, part of being a true Israeli. They're very realistic in saying that if there was no army, there would be no Israel...therefore, it's their duty to serve their country. 3 years is a long time, but they're happy and enjoying what they're doing.


Parallel Lives



Parallel Lives


It was a really nice afternoon with the soldiers. We did a bit of touring in Ein Kerem and then had dinner by a small spring. I'm really looking forward to this on-going project throughout the year...can't wait for the next meeting.

With that, I am off to bed! Goodnight to all!
Love,
Leslie

I leave you with some David Broza song lyrics:

Yihye Tov

As I look out through the window
And my thoughts are turning back
To the spring that left in sorrow
Who knows when it's coming back
The jester played the wise king
And the prophet turned to clown
I've forgotten where I'm going
Thank G-d I'm still around

It will be good (alternate translation: things will get better), It will be good
Sometimes I feel broken
But tonight, oh tonight, with you I remain

I look out my window... maybe a new day will come!

Mitachat La'Shamayim

We came here, under the sky
Two, like a pair of eyes.
We have time, under the sky.
Meanwhile, we are still here.

You and I, the bed is wide for love.
Night and day, the smile apologizes for his laziness.
We two are one. One is full and round-- full and big.

Come! We will give. I will allow you to give to me to give to you.
And despite the distance, despite the pain, despite the sorrow,
I love, love, love you. Yes!

how is it August 16th already?

Shabbat Shalom!

It's been a nice couple of days in J'lem. Yesterday was Masoret Day at HUC. Basically, they took the day to explore Reform Jewish traditions, customs and choreography. You would think that 42 future Rabbis, Educators, and Cantors would know all of this stuff, but everyone has been exposed to different minchags (customs) and it's nice to all be on the same page. Of course, nothing is concrete. Every congregation does it a little bit differently and there are no definite origins for most of the traditions...but it was nice to have some answers and to have everything presented to us.

We started with services together and then broke up into 4 groups to go around to 4 stations: choreography (bowing, swaying, pointing, etc.), Tefillin and Talit (learned how to put on Tefillin!), Hagbah and Gelilah (lifting the Torah- there is definite technique- that thing is HEAVY), and Aliyot/Call to the Torah. It was very hands on and we had the opportunity to ask as many questions as we wanted...This portion of the day was awesome- engaging and informative.

In the afternoon, we had an introduction to T'fillah workshop explaining our service leading requirements for the year and an academic calendar schedule presentation. That meeting was a bit torturous and made the approaching school year become VERY REAL. The summer has been mostly fun and games- summer camp, if you will. It was very clear yesterday that that is all about to change...

Last night I went to a choral concert at the Jerusalem Theater given by the Zamir Choir. (group of singers from across North America) The music was nice- first half was a smattering of some short, Hebrew songs (including the Weill Kiddush and Berlin's Give me your Tired), and the second half was the Chichester Psalms (Bernstein). I LOVE the Chichester Psalms- it took me right back to my choir days in college with Dr. Page--we did it my Jr or Sr year, can't remember in my old age...it was nice to get out for the evening and take in some culture...

This morning I got up early for a bike ride. It started off a bit rocky (I threw up after the first uphill climb), but ended up being just fine. I don't know exactly what happened--but I felt MUCH better after and jumped right back on the bike and we had a great ride. We went over by Har Hertzel, through Ein Kerem, up to the Hadassah Hospital, and back to J'lem. It was a tough ride and we fully rewarded ourselves with the most amazing brunch ever at T'mol Shilshom, an adorable restaurant in Nachalat Shivah on Yoel Solomon. (If you have been following the blog, you should know about Nachalat Shivah by now!) There was a KILLER brunch buffet plus choice of eggs. Did I mention that we were all starving?





Brunch Buffet






Amy and Leslie

This afternoon I ventured to Super Deal with Amy and Josh. Super Deal is a REAL grocery store! I was totally in awe- Not only was it cheaper than Supersol, but I couldn't believe how many American brands and how much regular stuff the aisles were stocked with. Salsa, taco seasoning, apple cider vinegar, honey mustard, ICING-It was glorious. It's not so close, but once in a while, I will make the trip.

I took a much needed nap this afternoon and had a lovely Shabbat dinner with a few friends tonight. Menu: Kugel, honey mustard curry chicken, quinoa (my new fav), and Jimmy baked a cake for dessert. We had a great time...


how cute are we: Ari, Jimmy, Joel, Josh, Lisa, Leslie






L and L




these are 3 in a series of 10...I will spare you...

Now, it's bed time. I'm going to services tomorrow morning at HUC...then I MUST work on my Hebrew presentation in the afternoon and nap before our big outing to the David Broza sunrise concert on Masada. It's at 3am! I'm yawning just thinking about it...

I cannot believe it is already mid-August. The summer is rapidly disappearing...this always happens...

More soon...

Shabbat Shalom!
-Leslie

Tisha B'av

Wall on Tisha B'av- crazy busy




at Cafit in the German Colony


Hello, friends.

I'm sitting here watching the Olympics, exhausted and about to go to bed, but I thought I would do a quick blog update. Last Saturday night we had Tisha B'av programming at HUC- a service led by the interns and then we walked over to the old city as a class to visit the wall. It was PACKED. You could barely move through the crowds of people. I guess it's nice to say that I was at the Kotel on Tisha B'av, but I'm not running back anytime in the near future...it took us over 45 minutes to get home. (factor in that we did get a bit lost in the old city and accidentally walked in a giant circle back to the Kotel)

Tisha B'Av, the Fast of the Ninth of Av, is a day of mourning to commemorate the many tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people, many of which coincidentally have occurred on the ninth of Av. Tisha B'Av means the ninth (day) of Av and usually occurs during August.

Tisha B'Av primarily commemorates the destruction of the first and second Temples, both of which were destroyed on the ninth of Av (the first by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E.; the second by the Romans in 70 C.E.).

Sunday was a fast day and everything in Jerusalem was closed. We had a bit of Ulpan and some Tisha B'av programming. Maura came over in the afternoon to hang out and then she came with me to the goodbye potluck dinner party for two of our summer interns.

Last night a group of us went to dinner at Cafit on Emek Refaim and then browsed at the local flea/farmer's market, where there was also a small live jazz trio playing. I headed home to put in some study time for my Hebrew exam.

Today in Ulpan, Kita aleph had a test, then, all of the classes watched an Israeli film together called "Jellyfish." http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/04/04/movies/04jell.html
I really enjoyed the movie and now I have a list of Israeli films to rent (because I will have so much free time...) recommended by my ulpan teacher.

Tonight, Lisa and Amy came over for dinner (another successful roasted chicken) and then Sarah, Meredith and her friend stopped by for some fruit salad and to hang out.

Word of the day: tipoos chalaklak= smoothie. We just don't have words this cool in English. I learned it for my test in order to write a recipe for a healthy meal of a fruit smoothie and a salad.

I'm pretty beat...More later...

-Leslie

Biking!

As promised, here are some biking pictures...ENJOY! (Click each pic for better view)


group from last bike ride- Gingy, Brent, Dara, Amy, Leslie, Josh




GORGEOUS VIEW, right?! fresh lavender- smelled amazing


close up lavender




oh yeah


with Pennsylvania!


Yad Kennedy


Mikvah at Ein Lavan...close to the Biblical Zoo (which smelled like a biblical zoo...)