LESLIE'S LEV: 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...