July Ba'aretz

Greetings friends and blogos!

Wow, it has been two weeks since I sat down to write my last post. It's been so busy!

Maybe I'll start with the most recent and move backwards in time...

Amy and I just returned from a mini two day tiyul to the North. It was absolutely awesome- Rejuvenating, relaxing and came at the perfect time. We were exhausted from a long week of orientation and the north was calling...we rented a car and left Jerusalem Sunday late morning. The ride was stunning- gorgeous mountain views, lush greenery and a crystal blue Sea of Galilee completed the picturesque driving backdrop. Our ride up was pretty smooth, aside from being stopped at one of the security checkpoints coming out of West Bank road. I stupidly didn't bring a passport, so they had us go through some extra security measures. No biggie, but I did want to tell them they picked the wrong people to be suspicious of...

We drove all the way up to the mystical city of S'fat. Amy is not a fan, but she indulged my need to visit anyway. I had to get my Judaica artwork shop on! And shop I did. Picked up a few treasures and eyed a Tallit that I've been dreaming about for a few years...white with purple pomegranates. Resisted temptation to purchase the Tallit- decided to wait and continue the search before committing. It was nice to walk around- said hello to the wife of the artist who made my pomegranate picture that I bought a few years ago. Took in the sights and then we headed to Mitzpe Hayamim.

Mitzpe Hayamim is a spa in the north that is so relaxing that when you step foot on the grounds, the shoulder tension literally melts away. It's a dream. We were living the dream. Our room was stunning, complete with our own private mirpeset (balcony) overlooking the breathtaking views. After check in we relaxed by the pool and I made friends with the towel guy so I could borrow his goggles. I swam 72 laps- had to work up an appetite for dinner. Meals at Mitzpe Hayamim are fit for a king. They have the most outrageous vegetarian (plus fish) buffet one could ever imagine. (See pictures) It was just as mouth wateringly delicious as I remembered. AND- they generously prepared Amy her own special plate, accommodating all food sensitivities. That's service!

It was early to bed for the weary, food-coma-induced travelers. The next morning we once again feasted like Kings, or queens in our case. After breakfast Amy took a morning nap and I took a nature walk along the grounds. Bonded with the chickens and cows and horses (oh my). It was lovely. Walking the grounds is a bit like being in The Secret Garden (my favorite musical), so I was in heaven. Lots of great tunes were going through my head...it's a constant juke box in there.

Sadly, the time came to leave relaxing heaven on earth. Amy has declared she will get married there. We next headed to Rosh Pina, a beautiful and quaint town, full of local artists and awesome galleries. We walked around and had lunch at the famous chocolate restaurant- great salads and a few pieces of chocolate to wash it down...hmm.

From here the plan was to do a 2.5 hour hike up to Nimrod's castle (an old fortress), unfortunately we had to adapt our plan based on a time crunch. We didn't realize the parks closed at 5. So, we nixed the bigger hike and went to the Banyas and did a river hike/walk. The Banyas waterfall is incredible- wait 'till you see the pictures. Also, there was a new suspension bridge with more water views- so it was definitely still awesome. But we were both sort of bummed the other hike didn't happen.

We headed back to Jerusalem, making a stop at Decks in Tiberias for dinner. Got back to Jlem around 9:30. We were exhausted! It was a wonderful trip- the north is my favorite part of Israel- nothing more beautiful.

Ok, orientation. We had a full week of orientation programs/activities for the students. Daniel, Amy and I had a lot of involvement in planning and execution which was really nice. We were extremely pleased and proud with how our programs turned out. Hard to pick highlights because the whole week was engaging and terrific. It was interesting to be involved in orientation from this perspective instead of as a member of the class. Although, we do feel like honorary members...much of the week inspired me to evaluate my own Cantorial journey over the past few years since I began the program, and ask myself what I want from my remaining two years in school. All good stuff. Lots of deep probing, reflective and introspective work.

I led Kabbalat services Friday night and that was a great experience. I love leading t'filah. Very energizing. Seeing and hearing the students reactions to t'filah throughout the week truly reminded me what it's like to come in at the beginning of the process feeling like you know nothing...and to balance that out, from where I stand now as a rising 4th year, to feel like I have learned a huge amount of liturgy and repertoire, and more specifically, that I've acquired the skills and experience to pray and lead prayer effectively. It was wonderful to have Yoshi playing guitar and a treat to lead with Haim, who was an Israeli Rabbinic intern during my year in Israel.

That was a quick summary of the week. I'm excited for this class to begin the year. It's a really wonderful class and I'm looking forward to calling them my colleagues in a few years...

Saturday night after our closing program/Havdallah, we all went to Off the Wall comedy club to see one of the new students do his routine. He's been doing stand up for several years now. Wow, what a hoot! I haven't laughed that hard since seeing Bridesmaids. Everyone was in stitches. And thank God, because I would have had a hard time lying to his face telling him he was funny if he was really a dud comedian. Everyone knows I don't have a convincing lying face...I tell it the way I see it! We also hit up this totally American bar called Mike's place for some trivia fun. They actually had a good cover band- they played one of my favs with a rock vibe- Annie Lennox "Why."

Thinking back to the week before orientation...the previous Friday we had 17 people over for Shabbat dinner! It was a wonderful evening- great food, music and conversation. Quite an eclectic mix of students, random friends and Israelis. Daniel, Amy and I cooked all day! And we certainly had enough food for an army-wow. On the menu? Home-made chicken bourekas by Daniel, an assortment of salads including Amy's popular beet/mint concoction, apricot ginger chicken, yellow rice, mixed roasted vegetables, mashed cauliflower and an array of desserts- the highlights being Nancy's chocolate chip cookies and fruit crisp. Nothing better than a full house on Shabbat.
;-)

And before that, I can't even remember...women of the wall for Rosh Chodesh was an interesting experience. Unfortunately there were no serious brawls or run-ins. I was secretly hoping for one...the service by the wall was beautiful- felt very connected. Especially during Sh'ma- that was a powerful moment. After the shacharit and Hallel services we moved to Robinson's Arch for the Torah service because they wouldn't let the Torah through the Western Wall security. We had some evil stares and women telling us to be quiet as the service progressed by the wall, but nothing too radical. A man on the other side of the mechitza had to be escorted away because he went crazy. But I think that is pretty normal for kotel happenings. Lots of crazies running about these parts...

Our walk over to Robinson's Arch with the Torah was a bit dramatic. We were instructed specifically to walk slowly, following a girl in front carrying the Torah scroll, all the while singing Ozi V'Zimrat Ya (a million times). When we finally made it over to start the service, things seemed a bit disorganized, but everything was fine. I was happy to be a in the kahal that morning and witness the events as they happen most months. I neglected to mention that the walk to and from Robinson's Arch was exciting because there were a handful of other sim has happening simultaneously. Many Bar Mitzvahs complete with dancing, singing and spirited drum action. It all provided a contagiously energetic backdrop to the early morning. Also, we had a nice moment with our small HUC group, stopping to acknowledge a classmates first ever trip to the Kotel. We said and sang a Shehechiyanu and Daniel shared some beautiful words of Rabbinic wisdom- nice moment.

Forgot to mention an important event during orientation week! Yerushalayim Sheli was a pilot program this year that turned out to be a smashing success. We broke the class into 6 small groups- each group was led by an Israeli. The idea of the evening was to show the students Jerusalem through the perspective of a Jerusalemite. We want the students to begin forging relationships with Israelis right off the bat. I tagged along with a group going to a one night arts/cultural event at the famed Israel Museum and it was amazing. They had music and dance performances scattered throughout the inside and outside grounds of the museum. The evening culminated in a Wi party, hundreds of people dancing outside in an open courtyard, each with their own set of headphones blasting music. They were running on Israeli time and my patience ran out by midnight so I missed the Wi party by ten minutes. Next time! Our group host was an Israeli Rabbinic student, Tamir, and his wife- they were excellent. We received lots of positive feedback from the students and the hosts about the program. I hope it's something they will continue in future orientations.

Last night we took an epic trip to the bowling alley. Or, as they pronounce the sport in Israel, BOOOWWEEELLLING. The way Israelis pronounce the word "bowl" rhythms with the movement one makes on the toilet. Quite amusing. In any case, it was a BLAST. I, of course, get very competitive with any sport and BOOWWEELLING is no exception. We were all pretty low on the score board but I took the lead in the first game, winning with a score of 96. Lost my edge and came in second place in the next round. A good time was had by all. And Amy and I had a ball with the basketball arcade machines- we went wild putting up more points on that board than it had ever seen. (except for the 178 top score on the machine, which must have been from a rare cameo by Michael Jordan)

I think that's about all I have for now. I have about three weeks of Israel bliss left. Getting sad about that, but also realize that I have many exciting things ahead in the coming year. AND, I know I'll be back. Sooner rather than later this time...

You know what's on the plan for today? A PEDICURE. 'Bout time.

Check out my complete Israel 4 album- full of great shots from the BBQ, night time party at the Shuk, Israel Museum and our North tiyul. https://picasaweb.google.com/leslie.niren/Israel4

Happy Wednesday to all.

Chaim Tovim.

L'shalom,
Leslie