L'hitraot

Wow. It is with a heavy heart and a tear in my eye that I write this final post for my summer 2011 Israel blog.

I'm on the plane on my way back to NYC, listening to every Israeli jam I have on my iPod, drowning my sorrows. It's been an intense wrap up period. I've worked my way through a slew of emotions in the past week as I tied up my life in Jerusalem and prepared to head back to the States...But before we get to the leaving part, a brief update since my last post.

Daniel, Amy and I officially finished our internship duties about a week ago. It was sort of sad as the job came to an end. We had developed quite a routine. Nonetheless, we were also ready for some free time.

Daniel went to Tel Aviv to spend time with his family. Amy has had a friend, Yuta, visiting from Germany for the past few weeks. This past Monday and Tuesday, the three of us and another friend of mine took a little tiyul to the North. We rented a few cars and went to Caesarea (one of my favorite, favorite spots in Israel) and did a beautiful hike in the Banyas and up to Nimrod's Fortress. I wasn't expecting such an uphill hike and it was semi-brutal in the heat and pounding sun, but it was so gorgeous. I'm glad we did it. The fortress itself is awesome. Took lots of cool pictures that day. Sweat buckets. Literally.

Wednesday night we gathered at HUC one last time for the first Beit Cafe of the year. It's basically a talent show/coffee house type shindig. It was a really wonderful evening. Tons of great acts and lots of ruach. I sang a piece with the Cantorial class and Amy and I did a little schtick. In essence, we serenaded our roommate, Daniel, with an old Boys II Men song. Funny? Indeed.

The class dedicated a sing along song to us- very cute. They re-wrote the words to Debbie Friedman's Psalm 150 and presented us with gift certificates to Steimatzky book store. We felt very appreciated. The end of the night was sad when it was time to give final hugs and say shalom to the students. I've grown quite attached to this class since we've worked so closely with them all summer. Thank goodness for modern technology! And it will be so great to have the students going to the NY campus around during my 5th year.

Thursday was a shopping, packing, bidding adieu to Jerusalem day for me. I said goodbye to Nancy and had coffee with a few different friends and then said goodbye to Yinon and Yitzhik (bed store) in the late afternoon. That was sad. In fact, it really brought things full circle. I spent a lot of time with them my first week and throughout the summer I would always pop in to say hi when I was in the neighborhood. They represent my connection to real Jerusalemites...I like it...

I went out to dinner with friends Thursday night in the German Colony and then spent some time in the Old City, by the Kotel. The night before I left Jerusalem three years ago I went to the Kotel, so I've decided to make it a ritual. It is arguable the most famous site in Jerusalem- it makes sense to go there for a proper "see ya later." The Wall was hopping Thursday night at 11- tons of people...and lots of little kids. Oiy, it was definitely past their bedtime. Slightly cruel in my opinion...So, the Wall. Sometimes I'm not sure what to think when I see the ladies crying and shaking back and forth on the women's side, hugging the Kotel with all their might. It's quite a sight. During this visit, as I observed the women, I felt proud to be connected in some way by our religion and our heritage. I admired their passion and courage and dedication.

Never a dull moment at The Kotel. There's always a lot to take in and this night was no exception- sat there taking in the scenes for quite some time. Never ceases to amaze me. It was lovely and a perfect cap off.

Btw, I also sold my bike to one of the first year students on Thursday. It's nice to know that one of them will be riding it around all year and use it for the Ride for Reform. I'll definitely miss riding around Jerusalem...

Friday was beach day in Tel Aviv. I got emotional when the sheirut pulled out of Jerusalem that morning. Very sad to leave her. But had a lovely day in Tel Aviv. Hung out with my cuz one more time. I was also sad saying goodbye to her. It has been so wonderful to spend time with her in Israel and be an eye witness to her newfound connection with the country. The beach was gorgeous, as always. The water felt great, played in some relaxing waves and enjoyed a nice breeze. Only got a little burnt :)

*sigh*

In some ways, it feels like this summer has gone by in the blink of an eye...but when I think about how much I did and saw and experienced, it feels like I've been here a long time. I settled in and developed a routine very quickly. In fact, after the first few days, it felt like I had never left.

Eleven glorious, Israeli Shabbatot later, it's hard to believe that the summer has come to an end. I'm very sad to leave. This summer was exceptional for me. The job enabled and challenged me to use all of the skills I have learned in and outside of school until this point- relationship building, mentoring, pastoral care, service leading and teaching. It was definitely an affirmation that HUC is doing something right. "Trust the process" is not simply an empty mantra that the administration throws around. I feel different than I felt three years ago...much better equipped- Baruch Hashem!

On a personal level, I rekindled some very important, old relationships and formed many beautiful, new relationships that I hope will continue for many years. Very nourishing. This summer was also about me reconnecting with Israel. And reconnect I did. I truly fall more in love with Israel every day. It feels like home to me.

Speaking of home, I'm supposedly on my way home right now...but NY doesn't feel like home and I'm not sure it ever will. And that's okay. Something about the fast-paced lifestyle and ignorant, tunnel vision in NY (not to mention the lack of scenery and vile public transportation) is a turn off to me. In Israel, people are friendly, they care, they feel a magnificent sense of responsibility to one another and to the country. Strangers go out of their way to help you. Neighbors invite you for Shabbat dinner. And then there's the Israeli mentality and the way of life. And the fact that it's easy to be Jewish there. People pay attention to what really matters, they know what's important in life. It works for me. I'm happier there. I don't want to wait another two years before coming back to Israel. It's important to me to visit often- I'm going to try to make that happen this year amidst my already crazy schedule.

So, now what? I suppose I return to the life I left a few months ago? I'm going to have to re-evaluate what isn't working for me in NY and try to remedy that. I certainly doubt HUC would let me do my 4th and 5th years on the Jerusalem campus. But it's a nice thought...perhaps there is a way to bring a slice of Israeli life to my life in NY. When I figure out how to do that, I'll let you know.

The first thing that needs to be revamped in NY is my Shabbat practice. I realize that it's impossible to recreate an Israeli Shabbat simply because the majority of people in NY are not celebrating Shabbat when I am, but I can work on my Shabbat home ritual. And I can try to implement an HUC student body Shabbat practice.

Perhaps one of the greatest aspects of this summer was being reminded what it's like to be a part of the HUC Jerusalem campus community. It's tight-knit and supportive and the faculty and administration are SO dedicated. It's a wonderful model and I miss having that on the NY campus.

Despite the sadness, I'm feeling incredibly grateful for this experience. It was a full, enriching and nourishing time in Israel. I'm taking a boatload of wonderful memories with me and thousands of pictures for documentation when those memories fade.

Thank YOU for following my blog this summer and sharing this experience with me...

Check out my last two photo albums.

Photo Album 6

Photo Album 7

This summer's ordinary miracles:

Shabbat

Sacred t'filah experiences

New connections

Limonana

Amazing, supportive friends and colleagues

Friday energy in Jerusalem

Alphachores cookies and chocolate coconut corny bars

12 Aharoni

Israeli sunsets (they're better than anywhere else)

Living in the Moment

The Sachne

Spontaneity

As they say..."Next summer...in Jerusalem!"

באהבא,

לסלי

It's August already?!

Shalom Friends!

Sadly, my time in Israel is coming to an end. I leave August 13 and I'm not happy about it. Trying to enjoy the last two weeks and take advantage of the time.

Last Thursday my roommate and I took a mini tiyul to the Sachne. It's about an hour and a half North of Jerusalem- near Beit Sha'an. There are three freshwater pools surrounded by lush greenery and stunning mountains. I thought I was in the Garden of Eden. It's beyond words gorgeous. It was extremely hot, but we found a shady spot under some trees and there was a nice breeze going. We spent a good amount of time in the water- cool and refreshing and the only place I'd want to be (aside from in a/c) on a 100 degree day. The place was packed with Israelis, but Daniel claims that if you go on a Fri/Sat there is literally not an empty piece of grass to be found. All Israelis- we were the only English speakers. In fact, it felt like a very Israeli outing. We stopped at the grocery store in Beit Shemesh to pick up some sandwich items and snacks. Used a pretzel to smear the hummus on my turkey sandwich. Everyone around us was BBQ'ing, so the air smelled DELICIOUS. Lots of families, couples and groups of friends...water floats and noodles aplenty. In fact, many of them simply brought blow up mattresses to use as a flotation device. Smart.

It was very relaxing. We swam over to the waterfall which was heavenly. People position themselves under the waterfall and use it as a back massage. Pretty awesome. Wow, it was truly heavenly. Check out the pics for a complete picture.

We then headed over to Gangaroo, an Australian zoo right next door to the Sachne. We had a blast! Koalas, kangaroos and emus, oh my. But it didn't stop there- black swans, gorgeous parrots, a giant killer bird, and hanging bats. We got to feed to feed the parrots a piece of apple on a stick and I kid you not...Daniel is a bird whisperer. He held out his piece of apple in the air and a parrot flew over, landed on his shoulder and would not leave his side for a good 6 minutes. Daniel joked, "all I need is an eye patch." True story. Eventually I had to fetch the bird lady to help rid Daniel of his new feathered friend. I was in stitches. Oiy. The koalas were adorable but didn't move much- apparently they sleep a lot. I was quite intrigued by the peacock- have never been so close to one. Speaking of being close to the animals...it was pretty much a free for all- so Israeli. The kangaroos were just chilling in an open space- you could literally walk right up to them. I've never been so close to any of these types of animals in my life. Daniel tried to feed the kangaroos but they weren't interested. They were probably as scared of us as I was of them. Funny how that works...

Anyway, it was an awesome day. The drive up and back was simply gorgeous. Like my favorite view of the sunset from the port in Tel Aviv, these sights never get old.

Friday night we had a fabulous Shabbat at the intern apartment. Great crew- 13 people- awesome food and a very musical bunch! Want to hear the menu? Of course you do.

Green salad, beet salad, tabouli with dried fruit and herbs, chicken bourekas, pineapple ginger terriaki salmon, roasted chicken, coconut rice with golden raisins, green beans, and sautéed swiss chard (although I meant to buy bok choy) .
And of course, a variety of pastries, cakes, fruit and chocolate for dessert.

It was a feast. The best part was the singing after dinner. Such beautiful harmonies and they picked up new songs in an instant. It was awesome.

Forgot to mention...I went to services at Yakar Friday evening. A modern orthodox minyan- there is a mechitza (wall dividing men and women) but it's not offensive like some of them. It's basically a see through sheet. I absolutely loved the service. It was high energy, full of intention, lots of ruach and the women sang out. All Carlebach melodies, my favorite. What can be better than a service of all Carlebach? It didn't bother me at all that it was a capella because there was such a sense of forward motion and the singing and harmonies were rich and full. The kahal prays with such fervor and dedication. The men are practical screaming on their side- but it's prayerful. I couldn't help but wonder if there is a way to translate this kind of service to the Reform Movement...there has to be...we just haven't figured it out yet. I think it is possible for Reform Jews to connect to prayer in this way...not exactly sure about the road to get there, but will try to figure it out.

Hm, what else? Saturday was absurdly hot. I took a very brief bike ride in the morning and was dehydrated the rest of the day. Had to ingest Gatorade to counteract heat symptoms.

Yesterday morning Daniel and I led services at school. Was quite pleased with result. We decided to take a teaching approach to attempt to demystify some of the new aspects of the service that the students are adjusting to. Good feedback.

I'm also leading a Bar Mitzvah tonight with a Rabbi from Chicago. The ceremony is in Blaustein Hall at HUC with people that I've never met, so it should be an interesting experience.

That's all I've got for now.

Check out my new pics. https://picasaweb.google.com/leslie.niren/Israel5

Today's ordinary miracles:

-New friendships
-Supportive colleagues
-Israeli music

xo,
Leslie