Update on the past three weeks! (Israel Update)

Well, I'll admit...it's been a while since I've last updated. While I'm not at my busiest yet, I have found myself to be quite busy nonetheless! However, I will try to update you all on my activities the last three weeks (it's a sort of long post):

I'll start with Tisha B'Av, which I mentioned in my last post. This was Saturday, July 28 to Sunday, July 29. HUC gave us the opportunity to attend one of various services: one at the Western Wall, one at a Progressive synagogue, etc. I chose to attend a Sephardi service. It was a little disappointing, though, for a number of reasons. First, it was all in Hebrew, which I expected, but nonetheless I had trouble finding my way through the service. Second, I am unfamiliar with a typical Tisha B'Av service of any sort. Third, I do not know Sephardi traditions. Thus all of this combined to make it quite a boring service. I tried my best to find interest and relevance...but simply couldn't. Oh well. After that we went to the Western Wall (or, as I mentioned in my last post, the Wailing Wall), and that was interesting to observe. Sunday we had class, but it was studying about Tisha B'Av in Hebrew, and it was pretty short.

Thursday, August 2, was a wine festival held at the Israeli Museum. While I wasn't able to learn a lot about wines (there were too many to count, and it's hard to keep track of all the different types/brands/styles etc.), it was great to go out and hang out with friends in an environment we don't usually hang out in.

Friday August 3 we went to a Progressive synagogue in Jerusalem. It was a nice experience, and we got to interact with wonderful community members and meet the first woman rabbi to hold a pulpit position in Jerusalem. The next day some of us had a Se'udah Sh'lishit (third Shabbat meal) and Havdallah at the apartment of Rabbi Naamah Kelman, the dean of the Jerusalem campus of HUC (and also the first female rabbi ordained in Israel). After eating, she requested that we each tell our story of "why we are here," and it was wonderful hearing each person's story. While I had heard many of their stories and backgrounds before, I heard something new from each person, and some people revealed a lot. It ended up being very emotional, and I think we all bonded and got even closer.

The audience enjoying Beit Cafe.

On Tuesday, August 7, we had a "Beit Cafe," which was essentially an open mic/talent show thing. A lot of people performed, and there wasn't a bad performance all night. Some people did funny acts/songs (and they were sometimes ten times funnier because the act came from someone unexpected), some people did serious songs (often with wonderful harmonizing and instrumental accompaniment), and there were a few camp-like songs/skits. I performed in a funny skit I've never seen before, though it's somewhat similar to something I did in scouts (though this one is way funnier, and I'll try to post a video if I find it). I also performed in a skit at the end in honor of our student interns, who left us that same week. We also had drinks for sale, a silent auction, and a guacamole contest, and the proceeds from these fundraisers exceeded $1,000, which we donated to Yad Sarah, a group that provides medical equipment and other services at low or no cost to those in need.

Performing our skit in honor of the interns.

Playing with our host family's younger daughter.

Last Friday (8/10/12) a group of about 12 of us went to the Progressive community in a town called Gedera, where we had the opportunity to help "lead" their Kabbalat Shabbat service (but it was more leading by participating loudly than actual leading). First we had a tour of the town, which is basically a nice little suburban town. Then we helped prepare for services. We were able to interact with some community members before services began. The services themselves were interesting. It's a young community, and there were only about 10 or so families there, but each family had kids, and so it was very loud (even for Israel!) because of the children. Most were nice, though a couple of the kids were extra loud. It was nonetheless a pleasant service. Afterward we split up into groups of two or three and had dinner at several host families' houses. Our family was a terrific couple, who had two little girls who were three and five. They were the cutest things! It was great to be able to play with them and interact with them, and their parents had wonderful insights into Israel and life and were very down to earth, and the food was delicious. I hope to go back in the future.

Playing with the older daughter.

Inside Hezekiah's Tunnel.

Biblical History has been...interesting. It's a tough class, partially because I'm in the "upper" class (those who have more experience), and both teachers (we've had two) teach a lot of information really quickly, and also tend to assume that we know more than we do (or so it seems to me). There is also a lot of reading and it's easy to fall behind. Nonetheless, all teachers are great, and have a lot to share with us. We also go on field trips every Thursday to places found in Biblical times, and that really helps supplement what we learn in the readings or in class. We've gone to Tel Qasir, a Philistine city; The City of David, which is purported to be where David set up his capital and is just outside the Old City; two museums (the Israeli Museum in Jerusalem and the Eretz Yisrael Museum in Tel Aviv); and other places. One of the highlights was during the trip to the City of David, where we walked through Hezekiah's tunnel. This was a tunnel that was made to transport water from a natural spring to a reservoir. It's about 3 feet wide at most at its widest, and for the most part it ranges from 4 feet to 7 feet tall. It also has slightly flowing water (usually about ankle deep, but thigh-deep at one part). It was super fun to walk through, and we had to use headlamps/flashlights. I definitely want to do it again and recommend it to anyone who hasn't done it (though not if you're claustrophobic!). Overall for the trips, the days start early (we usually have to be at school for 7am) and they're long and hot, but it's fun to learn in this way.

Excavations at Tel Gezer.

The class is also a wake up call for a lot of us--it's challenging what we think about history and the Torah by saying that things in the Torah didn't happen exactly the way the Torah says (or in many ways, that they didn't happen at all). And while I already knew this, I didn't know the extent. Yet it's a good challenge, and I'm slowly reworking my view of Torah and how it relates to reality (even today I greatly furthered my view and theory on Torah, and even had an "epiphany," and I'm sure I'll post something else about this later once my thoughts are more organized). It's building a good foundation for the rest of the year (and the rest of my time at HUC and beyond); by breaking down these walls of how we view the Torah, we can now rebuild them as we study Bible, Talmud, liturgy, etc. At the same time, I'm really excited to be done with this class and move on to those other subjects, which I think are the real essence of what I'll be studying (and will hopefully be easier!).

Oh, you know...just hanging around...

Hebrew is going well, I'm passing and learning. I'm not fluent yet, but I'm slowly getting closer. I'm actually pretty good at reading and writing, and my grasp on grammar and syntax is great, but my vocabulary still needs work, and I can barely understand when Israelis speak. I did a presentation in class and taught everyone about rock climbing (in Hebrew, of course), and I brought my gear and used examples, and so while my Hebrew wasn't too good, I was able to overshadow that with new information and visual examples.

Meeting Sam at the Kotel.

I guess the last thing to say is that SAM IS FINALLY HERE!!! She arrived on Monday, and is doing Birthright (the free 10 day trip for Jews). She seems to be really liking it (she got to spend her birthday riding camels!). I got to see her for an hour or so on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, since she was staying in Jerusalem (not super close to me, but close enough that I could take a cab). I also saw her at the Western Wall when her tour group went there, and I will see her tonight when her group goes to Ben Yehuda Street (a very popular street for youth, young adults, and tour groups). Her program ends Thursday morning, and Thursday is my last day of classes before break, so we are going to Eilat (southern tip of Israel) and Petra (in Jordan) next weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun). Then her program begins in Ramlah (near Tel Aviv), where she will be teaching English to low-income communities.

So that's pretty much it for now. I will try my best to update more often, both with regular "Israel Updates" and "Jewish Thoughts." I recently bought a tablet, which is helping me stay more organized, and I think now that I'm more organized I will have more time to do the things I need to.

Shavua Tov!