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
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