Bye Bye Ashkelon

For the past 3 months, I have formed a family with all my fellow Otzmakim—but not the family is separating into little groups all throughout Israel. Leaving Ashkelon is bittersweet. While Beit Canada definitely has it’s drawbacks, I miss many of the friends I have made in Ashkelon that won’t be with me for the next few months. I will miss those who I have become closest with and also the group as whole. I liked living with everyone, because there were always people around to talk to and hang out with and we really got a chance to bond. On the plus side, we all have different place to live, which will make traveling a lot easier, since we have way more places now to stay. I will also really miss Nana and ulpan. Nana is one of most entertaining and caring people I have ever met and I will miss her and going to class everyday. It was a rythym I was used to and liked. I am excited though to start new adventures: Sar-el, my volunteering, getting to know Beit Shean, living in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv and everything else I will be doing. My time in Israel is only 1/3 of the way done, and I still have so much more to explore here. 

thank you photobook for nana =)

כיתה ב

picture taken by lauren zink

picture taken by vanessa friedman

Thanksgiving

One of the most difficult days to be away from the states miles away from your families and friends is thanksgiving. It’s a family holiday, where everyone in America gets together, eats yummy food and celebrates everything they have to be thankful for. Thankfully, our Otmza group really stepped up and showed what it meant to be a family. None of us are related, and most of us just met almost 3 months ago at the start of the program, but for thanksgiving we all bonded together to play football (yes we played tackle), cook delicious food, and have a lovely thanksgiving dinner celebration. One of our Uplan teachers-- Nana even came to celebrate the evening with us, which made the evening even more special. She, like many of the Israelis i’ve spoken with was really thankful for us coming to Israel and volunteering our time and effort in the country. All of us Otzmakim were thankful to be together as a group and to be able to be here in Israel exploring the country with a second family- our Otzma family.






pictures taken by Vanessa Friedman

Education Days

The education days have been really interesting and explore many aspects of Israeli society. From exploring the Negev, to the old city, and many of the environmental and political considerations throughout all of Israel, these days have given us a taste of many hot topics within Israel.

             My favorite day was in Jerusalem, where we met with different political leaders to discuss a variety of issues facing Israel today. We spoke with the editor of the Jerusalem Post about the effect of the media on Israel’s foreign and domestic policies, as well as how other countries perceive and act towards Israel. He also discussed major issues on the political agenda, such as the escalating conflict of Iran and how the media plays a large role is assessing and forming public opinion. We also met with a former Knesset member, looking to unite the orthodox and secular Jews to form one cohesive identity. His ideas were somewhat unattainable at the moment, but interesting food for thought and a way to look towards a progressive future. His ideas would certainly make the domestic politics of Israel significantly easier by lessening the conflict between the religious and the non-religious, but getting there seems like a daunting task. We also met with someone from IRAC, who spoke about rights of non-orthodox Jews, specifically women and people who sought religious rights from the conservative and reform movements. The whole day dealt with the domestic politics of Israel-- especially focusing on the hot ticket issues today such as conversion, civil marriages, rights of non-orthodox Jews and the different political parties, as well as what they each stand for. The day was filled with lots of information, some of which was new and some of which I already knew, but it was really interesting to hear everyone’s point of view and great to get further information to keep track of these issues further down the road.

            Another fun education day was on the environment, which happened to be on my Yom huledet (birthday)! On this day went to several different places in the Tel Aviv area to focus on what precautions Israel is taking to improve the environment. The coolest part of the day was our trip to Better Place in Rehovot to drive electric cars. Better Place has created cars that run completely on electricity and is going to be selling them within Israel next year. We drove some of the models they had at the factory to experience what true electric cars feel like on the road. They are super smooth to drive, and make no noise at all, so your music is all you hear. They have them set up where you will be able to charge your battery and charging locations in all major parking destinations, and you pay a monthly bill based upon how much you use the car, much like a cell phone plan. Their idea was really cool, and what was cooler, was that it was already being put into action. They have already made thousands of cars and are working to install all the charging stations before next year when they will be on sale. These cars will not only help the environment of Israel, but will also help their security by releasing some of their dependence on the surrounding countries of which they have had continuous conflicts. It also will presumably help the economic situation in Israel, as gas is really expensive here, even more so than in the US. In addition to Better Place we went to an eco-friendly cafe that was delicious for lunch, and a garbage dump right outside Tel Aviv that they are turning into a huge park to escape the city. With Tel Aviv and Israel in general expanding their economic capacity, it’s good to know that the environment is still being taken into consideration. Like many things, Israel is always at the top of innovation, the environment is no exception.

            All of our education days were interesting and offered a different perspective and new look at many issues. In Tel Aviv we looked at the refugee issue and spoke with many people who were trying to help the legality of foreign workers and solve the problem of refugees from all over the world. In Beer Sheva we went to a prison to see the inner workings of their penal system. I was surprised to see how nice they treat their inmates-- a TV in every room, weekly trips to mini-store for snacks, cigarettes, etc, free education or paid work daily, sports and other recreational activities, and many more benefits that made the prison a place where criminals could theoretically rebuild their lives, instead of just sit locked up. I was really surprised that we could just walk into their rooms, say hey and have a conversation. We met with two prisoners, one who we planned to sit down and talk with and one who was just chatty and knew English well. It was not dangerous within the prison, and it was perfectly acceptable for us to just walk through and observe--very different from what I am used to thinking of as a prison. Overall the days were very long and jam packed with lots of things, but each offered something different and new.

Ulpan

On our first day of Ulpan classes, our teacher Nana had us do a really funny icebreaker where we had to say our name, where we are from, and a hobby all while chewing on a piece of ice. It was very entertaining, but also very cold- all I can say it is it definitely got my attention. Nana herself is able to keep my attention throughout most of her classes, because she is such an entertaining teacher. She exaggerates all her expressions, which is not only entertaining, but also helpful in trying to understand her when she speaks to us in Hebrew. She rarely speaks to us in English, to help us get more acclimated to Hebrew, and instead will act out words as she says them in Hebrew. This is usually really funny and why I love Ulpan. I also think it’s helping me a lot too though, although in order for me to really benefit from it I need to use it outside of class, so I have been trying to do so as I learn more words and grammar. One of my most difficult challenges with Hebrew is trying to pick up what people say on the street. It seems fast and I don’t feel like I have enough time to process, so it’s much easier for me to read at my own pace and think about the different words and sentence as a whole. Hopefully I will improve this skill as I gain more exposure to the language. 

me with my ulpan teacher Nana

Yom Kippur

Spending Yom Kippur in Jerusalem is something I believe every Jew should do at some point in their life. It was the best Yom Kippur I have ever experienced, and unlike anything I have seen in the states. As a group we made our way to Jerusalem the day before to have a series of seminars in the hotel we stayed at. I started out attending Torah Yoga in the morning, which was really great. It was very relaxing and a great start to my Yom Kippur holiday. We then had a pizza brunch, which was yummy-- I love the pizza seasoning in Israel. My next lecture was on how the torah aligns with AA groups and other scientific groups to help people get rid of their addictions. It was very interesting and our group brought up so many great thoughts, my only problem is that we didn’t have nearly enough time. The lecture was great though, and I saw a connection I had never really seen before. The last seminar was about the secular Jews in Israel and how they all observe Yom Kippur in some way. Jared, a lecturer we had seen before, told us all about how the holiday was called “hag hafaniim” the bicycle holiday.  This was because the streets would literally all shut down and people, especially kids, would ride their bikes and rollerblade all throughout the street. After his talk, I couldn’t wait to see the holiday in action.  I quickly showered and got ready for our last meal at 3:30. It was so early I was barely even hungry, but I ate as much as I could in order to prepare for the fast.

            I went to Kol Nidre services that evening at the HUC. They were very similar to the ones at home, except with an amazing view of the old city right outside. The whole wall by the bema was a glass window facing the old city. The location and view was breathtaking and made the service that much more meaningful. The songs and prayers were things I recognized and I really enjoyed the service. I missed going to services on Rosh Hashanah, because even though I am not very religious, I like going to services and hearing all the songs and prayers I’m used to. The sermon for Kol Nidre was about fear and not letting it prevent you from having a life. Fear, he pointed out was a natural instinct necessary to keep us alive, but beyond that it actually harms us (both emotionally and physically). Throughout his sermon, I couldn’t help but think about how Israelis are really just not fearful about obvious dangers are in. He pointed out they are more afraid of being last in line, which while comical is also true. They live each day for what’s it’s worth and don’t worry about things they can’t control. That is really the way everyone should be living, not afraid of things they can’t control. Looking out over the old city, hearing the sermon, all the songs and prayers, I felt no fear-- I was able to put myself in the mindset of an Israeli, where you somehow know even though so many people are out to get you- everything will be ok. We had been warned so much over the past few weeks about what to do in case of emergencies and all the places we aren’t allowed to go for security reasons, I needed this reminder, this time to reflect, this time to really let go of all my worries and relax.

            After services I walked around with a bunch of my Otzmakim, seeing the car-less streets and the kids starting to ride their bikes, scooters, and rollerblades all over the street. It was so happy and joyful, so unlike the vibe I would have expected on this Yom Kippur eve. It was refreshing though, the kids looked forward to this day, much like American kids look forward to Christmas. They get a huge free terrain to ride and play and spend a day and night being kids. I could see all the adults walking around as well, some even biking or rollerblading themselves, and everyone just seemed so at peace and reflective on the year, which honestly is what I’ve learned Yom Kippur is really about. In the states, the essence I’ve seen is that you fast to atone for your sins, and that it is a day of pain and praying for forgiveness as if this was your punishment for sinning all year. Here in Israel that wasn’t the motive at all. While most adults were indeed fasting (even many of those who label themselves as secular), they didn’t view it as a punishment, more as a personal time of reflection for themselves (and to god if religious).

            After walking around with my friends from Otzma, I met up with my friend from birthright, Inbar. While waiting for her to meet me with her apparently slow dog, I made some friends with people in the middle of the street. A little boy lost a wheel from his tricycle, and naturally I stopped to help him. I started breaking out my beginning Hebrew, using a lot gestures and made up words, until his father came and started speaking in perfect English. As it turned out the family is from Arkansas, but has been in Israel for the last few years. I ended up speaking to a bunch of other people who were either living in Jerusalem or there visiting/volunteering. I was amazed at how easy it was for everyone to get along and just start chatting about everything from where you’re from to the political situation in Israel and whether or not a god exists, all while standing in the middle of intersection- literally. We also saw a group of guys come and camp out in a tent in the middle of the intersection, right in front of a traffic light. It was too funny for words, and there is no way I would see that anywhere else. Inbar arrived somewhere in the middle of our conversations, before most of the heavy conversation, which was cool because she had a cool perspective on many of the issues. I have so much respect for everything she has been through with army and life in general as an Israeli. Afterwards, we walked around the empty streets, talking, catching up, and me occasionally attempting to practice Hebrew. It was fun just to hang out and walk down the streets of Jerusalem without all the regular hustle and bustle.

            In the morning I walked around the old city of Jerusalem with some fellow Otzmakim, which in the Jewish parts was totally shut down, but the Armenian quarter looked as busy as ever- especially with the huge group of Mexicans I saw touring around. Speaking of tour groups, we had a big group of Indonesians staying at our hotel that didn’t completely understand the significance of Yom Kippur, and certain Jewish items like a kippah (they thought it was a cool hat). This really bothered some of the people on my trip, but it didn’t even faze me. I was in way too good of a mood to care. Anyway my walk around the old city was really great but tiring. We were so surprised at how peaceful everything was around the city. Seeing an array of white clothes, kids playing soccer in an alley, people hanging out after a synagogue was a great way for me not to think about the fact that I hadn’t eaten anything all day. The catch with no food though, is no physical energy, and after walking up a bunch of steps, I was tired and went back to the hotel for a little nap.

            After my much needed nap, I headed back to the HUC for a concluding service, which was just as wonderful as the Kol Nidre one. I had spent the day fasting, reflecting, enjoying the beautiful day outside, thinking about my year, my life, and where I am right now. I think for the first time I really captured the essence of Yom Kippur. We then broke our fast with delicious challah waiting outside the door as we walked back to the hotel to have our break fast meal. The meal was great and I did a good job of not over eating and getting sick after my day of fasting. To top off the day, as we were getting on the bus to go back to Ashkelon, I saw my bus driver from brithright--Asa! It was so funny and random that he was once again welcoming me to his bus. Overall the day was wonderful and the most meaningful and pleasant day thus far in Israel.

pictures taken by Alex Kadis

Rosh Hashanah

Eating, sleeping, and playing Rummikub can sum up my weekend and Rosh Hashanah holiday. Rosh Hashanah was an interesting experience. It coincided with my first visit to my host family. My family was very warm and friendly, and loved to feed me. I was constantly eating the whole time I was there, yet they seemed shocked when after a massive amount of food I was still not hungry. They spoke little English, which made it a bit difficult to communicate this early in the year. I used a combination of Hebrew, English, and gestures to get my points across and usually was fairly successful.  I definitely need to work on my Hebrew though, and having a host family that doesn’t speak English will definitely help give me a push to really study and learn quickly.

            My family was orthodox and therefore shomer shabbat/holidays, which meant they did not do any form of work or use electricity. This meant a lot of naps, eating, and praying (but only for the men). While some of the men went to pray, I stayed with the women and non-religious men to play with the babies and relax outside. The family is composed of the mother and father, and their 3 grown kids. The youngest is in the army, and the older 2 are married with babies and live 2 doors down from their parents. There are 3 children, the oldest- a little girl named Shir (which means song in English) who is almost 2 years old, bubbly, happy, and adorable. She has a little brother that is only a few months old and cousin Osher (which means happiness) who was turning 1 right around the holidays. The kids were so cute and fun to play with, they were so much better behaved than the kids at Beit Canada-- it was refreshing. In my spare time between eating, sleeping, and playing with the kids, I played rummikub with the older “kids”. The grown kids and I played countless games in the few days I was there, it’s a good thing I’ve had lots of practice, as my grandma taught me how to play when I was little. Overall the weekend was very nice, the family was welcoming, kind, and it was a nice relaxing break with endless amounts of food.

Welcome to Ashkelon

          The Mercaz Klita in Ashkelon became our new home for the next 3 months.  Part of settling into Ashkelon was doing laundry for the first time. Laundry was an adventure, many of the machines didn’t work or were confusing, and I don’t know what I would have done without my new friend- I believe her name was Zemiah. She was only 9 years old, but her maturity soared beyond the other kids. In addition to showing me which dryer I could get without using any shekels, we talked and worked on our Hebrew/ English for hours. She knew a little English from school and I knew a little Hebrew, so we taught each other some helpful things. I started the brainwashing early by teaching her all about the Yankees-- the message I was sending her was Yankees = baseball. Arielle for some reason had a problem with that lol. She also braided my hair in cornrows so that it looked professionally done-- everyone was shocked when I told them a 9 yr old had done it. We then got our nails painted and glittered by a lady doing her laundry after us. Overall an interesting experience.

            Immersing ourselves in the Ashkelon community, a group of us went to Shabbat services at a nearby synagogue that had reached out to us. The service was mostly in Hebrew, but at the end the president would randomly tell us things in English, which was kind of funny. I was thinking while I was there what a difference there must be in the way I as an American English speaking person views services as compared to an Israeli. In the US most people say the prayers because it’s what they are used to, and they have no idea what they are saying. The Israelis speak Hebrew, so they know everything they say, which puts on a whole different perspective. It also I would assume make learning their bar/bat mitzvahs a much easier task.

            Saturday in Israel is the day of rest, in Ashkelon that means the beach! Saturday afternoon/evening is all about walking or running outside, and just enjoying hanging out with people. The concept of Shabbat here is so wonderful, everyone just chills out a bit and relaxes, even if people aren’t religious, they still just chill for a day of the week. I went with Tracy and Vanessa to watch the sunset, and then for a run along the beach. The sunset was beautiful and it was cool to hear how passionate Tracy felt about it. For her it was a calming and dependable awesome part of her life. She mentioned how she can always count on it to make her happy and think about the natural beauty. I think for me, my dependable calming activity is watching the Yankees. It’s something I have done ever since I was a little kid and it’s comforting to me to watch and just see the pinstripes and people playing baseball. It’s a peaceful part of my life that is out of my control and fun to watch.

            

The start of my Journey-- Birthright part 2

            My journey started when I landed in the Tel Aviv airport and met with the group to head to  Otzma's office where we were lectured for hours about our week ahead. This week was essentially birthright, part 2. We also discussed important details about the program for which unfortunately most of us were falling asleep the entire time she was talking. We then boarded a bus and began our bonding/get acquainted to Israel and each other part of the program. The best cure for jet lag is apparently to go to the desert and wake up insanely early every morning to try the beat the day’s heat. So we arrived that night a Bedouin tent, the same Bedouin tent I visited during birthright and I still have to say- best meal ever! The next day we went on what they referred to as a hike. I will more properly refer to it as the extreme falling downhill. The entire 3 hours we were going downhill at very sharp angles while some members of the group had panic attacks about falling right off the mountain. The day turned out to be more a test of patience and teamwork than anything else. I think we all did great job and it was a successful and rewarding experience.

            The second day we went on a really nice hike, that went both up and down. It had fantastic views, as we journeyed through swamps and waterfalls, we got a chance to swim in the lovely Ein Gedi waterfall- free back massages to anyone who went under the fall. The only problem --algae and the intensifying heat on the way back.  Following our hike we made our way to the Dead Sea where we could go in the sea or hang out by a local hotel pool. I, after recently falling off my bike and scraping my knee, opted to skip the sea and hang in the pool. Considering paper cuts can make grown men cry, I felt pretty content with my decision.

            As a group, we continued to bond through Shabbat activities at a kibbutz. We had discussions and services on Friday night, prior to sitting down to Shabbat dinner. After dinner the group informally sat outside for a few hours- talking, drinking, and getting to know each other without little games and organization. In the morning, we finally got a chance to sleep in- yay! Saturday was all about relaxing and learning more about the program. They repeated a lot of the information from the first day now that we were actually awake and gave us some new info about what was to come. Shabbat ended with a Havdalah service, inspired by one of the many camps that people worked at. 

            The next morning, we listened to one of the best speakers I think I’ve ever heard. Neil Lazarus gave us the meat and bones of the Israeli situation, not to mention a creative way to obtain Israeli shopping carts. His speech was filled with well-timed and executed humor, as well as thoughtful and interesting information. We then drove up to Ashkelon, our home for the next 3 months. When we got there we were greeted by the Ethiopian children with a native Ethiopian dance. The kids were so cute and jumping around everywhere. They were crazy, but adorable.