The new semester begins! (Israel Update)

It's been a long time, but here is a long update from the last blog post (12/1/12), including the end of my semester and winter break. You can also see updated pictures here: http://s1170.beta.photobucket.com/user/EricLAbbott/library/Winter%20Break%202012-2013.

The Tower of David covered in snow! (see below)

December was pretty full with classes and homework, plus service leading. Every week on Sunday we have student-led afternoon services, and every Thursday we have student-led morning services...and I had something to do for all three Thursday services in December (the last Thursday was during finals and we had no services...but of course, I was still busy with finals). The first Thursday, 12/6, I read Torah, which was the easiest Thursday to tackle (since I had been practicing the portion for a while). The next Thursday, 12/13, I gave my D'Var Torah (Word(s) of Torah, a mini-sermon based off the weekly Torah portion). I posted a copy of the text last week, and I finally posted the video. Overall, I think I nailed it. There are some things I want to work on for the future, but seeing as how I have never given a D'Var Torah like that, I think it went pretty well (I have given Divrei Torah before, but never that prepared or rehearsed). Then on the final Thursday, 12/20, the last day of classes, I led services with a fellow classmate, Elaya, who is a cantorial student. It wasn't my best service leading, but it wasn't terrible either, and I have learned from my small mistakes and will do way better next time. The great thing about all these Thursdays is that even though I it was a busy few weeks, I am now done with all mandatory service leading for my year here! Hopefully, though, I'll be able to take on more volunteer opportunities in the coming semester.

The rest of the semester was also pretty busy outside of my service leading, but lots of fun nonetheless. For Israel Seminar, where we learn about Israeli society in a hands-on setting, we have had some interesting sessions about various religious groups in Israel. The last few Wednesdays of the semester had us meet with secular Jews, Modern Orthodox Jews, and Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) Jews. The last two really stand out in my mind. We met with a few Modern Orthodox Jews, including a Modern Orthodox rabbi, who shared their opinions on why they are who they are. A few things really stood out from their lessons. One of the Modern Orthodox women (who is also a teacher at HUC) pointed out that while on the one hand she is a feminist, on the other hand she has no interest in ever being a rabbi. Another woman later in the day said that she doesn't consider herself a feminist. These two ideas have made me question the role of feminism and egalitarianism in Judaism--is it okay for most Orthodox Jews to say that women can't be rabbis, if most of those women are also okay with that? Do all groups have to allow women as rabbis, or can Reform fill that role and let others be? It's an interesting set of questions that I've been trying to figure out. Meeting with the Haredim was also fascinating. We first explored Mea Shearim, one of the oldest and probably the most famous Ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods in Jerusalem, as well as other Ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods. While we didn't actually go into Mea Shearim, we went to other Haredi parts of Jerusalem, and a week or two later, Sam and I went

The Shrine at the Baha'i Gardens (see below)

into Mea Shearim. After the tour, we all met up with a Chasidic man who talked about his religion and answered questions (Chasidism is a type of Haredi Judaism, who follow the Baal Shem Tov's teachings. Chabad is a branch of Chasidism, though we didn't not meet with someone from Chabad). While he was interesting, I definitely disagreed with some of his points: for example, he said that while he would accept a gay person as a Jew and as part of the community, he cannot condone homosexual acts and wants them to change (which to me basically means he does not accept their way of life). He also said that Messianic Jews are perhaps closer to Orthodoxy than Reform Jews. As fascinating as Ultra-Orthodoxy is, and while there is plenty to learn from that community, I still disagree with them on many points.

These sessions, as well as some of my other classes, have really been making me think lately. Last semester, I took a class on "Why am I a Reform Jew?" with Rabbi Michael Marmur, VP of Academic Affairs at HUC. I ended up writing an eleven-page paper answering exactly why I am a Reform Jew (if you would like to read it, you can email me at EricLAbbott@gmail.com). Now that I've figured out my personal theology, however, I've been working on the next set of big questions. For example, I've figured out why I am a Reform Jew, but why should other people be? Another set of questions is based off our sessions with the Orthodox: after meeting with these Modern and Ultra-Orthodox Jews, I ask myself: where do they fit in with my theology?

Stef and I at the Kotel (see bel0w

The Modern Orthodox rabbi was very liberal, and was very much for women's rights and opportunities for them to learn and whatnot, but when I asked "can a woman wear tefillin or pray 'like a man,'" his response was "well, women aren't obligated to do so, and if it comes down to it, it's the man's obligation and not the woman's, so she shouldn't do it if it will interfere with the man's duties..." I disagree with this statement, but clearly other women do not and enjoy being Orthodox. So where is the line? Why do I believe this Haredi man is morally incorrect for being opposed to homosexuality but that perhaps these Modern Orthodox women are fine with being "separate but equal"? These are some of many questions I've been wrestling with lately. I can't wait to do more of it this semester.

So besides all of these things, the rest of the semester went pretty smoothly. Finals week was rough, mostly because I put off studying until the weekend before. The good news, though, is that I passed everything! Woo!

Of course, there weren't just classes during December. For example, there was also Chanukah! The best part of Hanukkah was probably Sam's gift: a nice new set of tefillin ("phylacteries" aka leather straps that traditional Jews use to pray with every weekday). I have an old set that used to belong to my grandfather, but since wearing those all the time will eventually wear them down, I wanted a newer set, which Sam got for me! Then to go along with them, I bought myself a Hanukkah gift of a nice big tallit (prayer shawl), one of the large ones you wrap yourself in. It isn't anything too fancy, but it's simple, classy, and nice, plus now I don't have to keep wearing my Bar Mitzvah tallit (which, like my tefillin, has sentimental value, but I don't want to wear it down). Chanukah itself was interesting in Jerusalem. Most Israelis do not give gifts, it seems. While latkes do exist, sufganiyot (aka creme/jelly filled doughnuts) are waaay more common; I'm pretty sure every HUC student should have gained an extra 15 pounds from eating them all the time! Despite all the tasty treats, it's really strange being in Israel for the "holiday season." There were some lit up menorahs (they looked to be the same sort of lights as Christmas lights) and other Chanukah decorations, and some places had Christmas decorations, but it was really strange seeing almost no "holiday decorations." The weather also threw me off, since it was usually in the 50's or even 60's during the day. It just didn't feel like the holidays. But don't worry, I'm not complaining--I don't miss cold weather! (Though of course we did have a real winter here...but more on that later...)

The Shrine at the Baha'i Gardens

View from high up in the gardens

So that was my semester...which ended, and so started winter break! It was a nice relaxing two weeks off. During the first part of break, Sam's parents and brothers were here, so I saw them a few times (I actually first saw them the weekend before finals, but then I had to study all week). Highlights of seeing them include dinner at Benedict's in Tel Aviv, where Sam and I eased them into Israeli food; touring the Baha'i Gardens in Haifa; seeing (and then getting temporarily stranded in) the Druze village outside of Haifa; and exploring the Old City of Jerusalem. It was nice to see them and to get a taste of home.

A few days after they left was New Years Eve. Sam and I hung out with some other HUC students who were still in Jerusalem, as well as various friends of friends who stopped by. It wasn't anything too outrageous, but seeing as how most Israelis don't celebrate this holiday, it was pretty fun.

Then a few days after that, Stef came!! She was here with me in Jerusalem for about a week (she's actually still in Israel, but now that I have classes she's visiting friends throughout the country). Sam was with us on the weekends, as well. Most of Stef's trip was spent traveling the country, resting, and catching up with me.

Sam and Stef playing with a parrot.

Some monkeys at the zoo.

She arrived on Thursday 1/3/13, and that night we didn't do much, just traveled from Ben Gurion to Jerusalem, and we ate dinner on Ben Yehuda street and then had our first legal drink together. Friday Sam, Stef, and I went to the Biblical Zoo. It's a bit of a misnomer, because it has a lot of animals who were barely mentioned in the Tanakh (Kings, for example, mentions

A parrot trying to bite Sam's fingers.

parrots and monkeys, so they have lots of species of primates and birds), and then it also sometimes has animals not even mentioned at all (we assume they are indirectly mentioned in the story of Noah's Ark). In some ways I like this zoo more than Roger Williams Zoo back home. After the zoo, we got ready for Shabbat. We went to Har-El, one of the Reform congregations in Jerusalem, for services, and then went to dinner at Elana's (a fellow student). It was a very nice night, though as we left Elana's it started to rain, and the rain continued on and off until Friday.

A Goodnight Moon exhibit
at the Israel Museum

Stef at the Kotel

Saturday we went to the Israel Museum. I've been at least twice this year with school, but we always go in with an agenda and never have time to fully walk around and enjoy the place. With Sam and Stef, though, we had all the time in the world, so we took our time and soaked everything in. That night Sam left for Ramla, and Stef and I went to the Kotel and Old City for a bit.

Sunday Stef and I went to Mount Herzl, the military cemetery and national leader memorial, and then Yad Vashem, the country's main Holocaust memorial and museum. Mount Herzl was cold and wet, so we only walked through briefly on our way to Yad Vashem. Yad Vashem was a good experience because just like with the Israel Museum, it was not my first time there this year but it was the first time I could walk through slowly on my own. We spent about two hours walking through the main exhibit, then checked out some of the other memorials, and then moved on. From there, we went to the Central Bus Station and took a trip to Afula, where we met up with Becky. Becky used to be a member of Temple Sinai back home, but then she made aliyah (moved to Israel) and now has a husband and four children. She made dinner and it was great to catch up.

The grave of Yochanan Ben Zakkai

Monday, Stef and I rented a car, and we used it to drive throughout the North. I'm glad we took a car because we were able to fit more things in to a tight schedule, plus it was rainy and so we pretty much always had shelter nearby. First we drove to Tiberius, which is a town I've never been to. We visited the tomb of Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai and Maimonides (as well as other Sages), then we found Rabbi Akiva's

A double rainbow,
seen on the way from Tiberius to Safed.

wife's tomb (we tried to find Akiva's, but we couldn't find it). We grabbed a quick bite of falafel and then drove to Safed (Tsfat). Safed was beautiful but wet. I haven't been there since 2008 when I was on Birthright, so it was great to go back. We didn't see much, but we walked through their 

The grave of Maimonides.

main artsy/Judaica market, plus we looked through Safed Candles (an amazing candle store). Most things in Safed are expensive, but I did keep an eye out for things to buy in the future. I think I might go back with Sam for some art for our future apartment. From Safed we drove to Haifa. It was already dark by the time we got there, so we never went to the Baha'i Gardens or other main tourist sites, but I was able to show her the University of Haifa (where I studied in 2009), some other key spots I often went to while I lived there, plus we ate a nice dinner at a restaurant I used to occasionally go to back in 2009. Driving back was interesting because of the rain, but we got home safe.

A view from Safed during a lull in the rain.

Tuesday we still had our car, so we decided to drive to Masada. The weather said there was rain but we

Stef and I over the Dead Sea.

chose to risk it, and overall we avoided heavy rains. Masada is an

The snake trail leading up to Masada.

ancient palace and fortress on a cliff, which became the last stronghold during the Great Jewish Revolt of 66-70, finally falling in 73 CE. We technically drove through the West Bank, but the only real evidence of this was when we were a little bit in East Jerusalem. There, we saw much more Arabic and things looked a little poorer; however, there was also still lots of Hebrew and Israeli license plates. When we got to Masada, we figured we would hike up the

Stef at Masada

Roman path, which is about a 15 minute walk up, and take the snake trail down, which takes a half hour to walk down (but an hour to go up). However, the Roman walk was on the other side of a mountain and

Stef and I at Masada.

would have taken an hour to drive to, and we didn't feel like walking up for an hour, so we took the cable car up. The top of the mountain was really windy, and there was some occasional light rain. We walked around and got to explore areas that neither of us had gone to on previous trips (like the lower palaces). Eventually, though, the wind really picked up, as did the rain, so we decided not to risk walking down the snake trail (which is scary enough without high winds), and we took the cable car back down. From there we went back to Jerusalem and met up with Sam, and the three of us ate Chinese food for dinner.

A model of the palaces. 

On the staircase to the lower palaces.

Wednesday, Sam, Stef, and I had planned on visiting the Temple Mount, exploring the Old City, and going

At the entrance to Al-Aqsa Mosque
(we could not go in).

on the Temple Mount Tunnel Tours, which go down under the Old City. Unfortunately, it was still rainy and windy, but we decided nonetheless to brave the elements

Sam and I on top
of the Temple Mount.

and go. First we went to the Temple Mount, which according to rabbinic law is forbidden to walk on by Jews, but we went anyway. I have gone before, and in nicer weather, but this was still fun. I actually got to look inside the Dome of the Rock, which I've never done before (only Muslims are physically allowed inside). I also climbed up on the Golden Gate, which has always fascinated me, and I would love to go back in nicer weather (the Golden Gate is

Stef and I on the Temple Mount.

an entrance to the Temple Mount from the eastern wall of the Mount; it was sealed off by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1541 to block the supposed coming of the Messiah through that gate). After walking around for a bit, we left and got food inside the Jewish Quarter: warm bagels and hot chocolate. We then decided to go home and dry off, since both Sam and Stef had leaks in their shoes and were cold and wet.

The Dome of the Rock

After drying off, we went back to the Western Wall complex and this time took the Tunnel Tours. I've also done these before, but it's always fun to explore there. Basically, "the" Western Wall is just a small part of the entire western wall of the Temple Mount, and these tours go alongside the entire length of that wall, and also down under the city to the bottom of the wall. It's a very cool experience. After that, we came out of the tunnels...to snow in Jerusalem! We enjoyed some picture taking in the snow, but then went home and to bed.

Inside the Dome of the Rock
(taken from outside).

The three of us in front
of the Dome of the Rock.

Inside the Dome of the Rock
(taken from outside of it).

Stef and I inside the
Tunnel Tours.

Stef catching snowflakes
at the Western Wall.

It was just me and one other person
at the outdoor men's part of the wall!

   ...only to wake up in a winter wonderland on Thursday! There was about five or so inches that had fallen

Snow and the Old City.

throughout the night. Eventually we all woke up and bundled up, and then proceeded to walk around Jerusalem in snow. Stef and I had originally planned on going to Tel Aviv-Jaffa on Thursday, but the snow

Snow and the Old City.

stopped the buses from running. There were nonstop jokes that Israel can easily handle rockets but can't handle a few inches of snow. As much as I generally hate the snow, I actually enjoyed this day: I stayed mostly warm, I didn't have to worry about shoveling, driving, going to school or work, or anything; once we were done, I could go home and warm up with no problem. This is the most snow Jerusalem has seen since 1992, and I'm glad I was here to experience it (it'll make a great sermon some day!)...though I hope that's it for snow this winter...

View from my apartment.

  

A snowman inside the Old City.

Snow and the Old City.

   

Snow/slush at the Western Wall.

Slush at the Western Wall.

Stef and I at the Western Wall..in snow!

An Orthodox couple with a
snowman at the Western Wall.

Snow over East/South Jerusalem.

Friday Stef and I went climbing at the Jerusalem climbing gym, which was fun. I know Sam isn't enjoying climbing here, but I still enjoy it and I like to go as much as possible (which isn't much). My strength and endurance is gone, but my technique is still decent, so I can still climb okay (not great, but okay). After climbing, Stef and I then went home and we all got ready for Shabbat. This time the three of us went to Kol Haneshama, the other Reform community in Jerusalem, which has a different environment than Har El, but is also fun. After services, we went to Chase's (a classmate) for Shabbat dinner, where we ate great food and played Cards Against Humanity for a few hours.

Saturday was my last day of break and Stef's last full day with me in Jerusalem. We all slept in (finally!), then

Stef and I outside the Old City.

explored the Old City some more (this time with no rain!). We went to

At the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which I've been to a few times but Stef never had, but then we went in a side door and explored some areas I've never been to, including an ancient cistern that was supposedly discovered by Constantine's mother in the 4th century. We explored for a while, then ate Asian food for dinner. Sam

An ancient cistern

eventually left for Ramla, and Stef and I just vegged out while I prepared for school.

And that's it! Classes started on Sunday, which is also when Stef left Jerusalem. She's hanging out with friends throughout Israel and then will leave on Friday (Sam and I will see her Thursday night and then see her off on Friday).

Classes are good so far, though we haven't had many. I'm hoping that this semester will be an easier semester: I have two less classes, plus I'm done with my mandatory service assignments. I also know more of what I can and cannot do for class, and which readings I can skip (not that I plan on it, since I actually want to read and learn, but I know what I can miss just in case). I also want to start leading more volunteer services, do more hiking, and more. I have a lot of goals--let's see what happens!

So that's it! I keep saying I'll write more, and then that doesn't happen...so I guess we'll see. Shavua tov!