It's been some time--a few good things to report.
Two weekends ago, I went with our program to the Negev Desert for a great weekend of hiking a relaxation. We went to the second largest creator in Israel (and therefore the second biggest creator in the world). The Dead Sea made for a great float and the Bedouin tent, though rather commercial, didn't disappoint with regards to dinner. An amazing Bedouin spread. We hiked in Ein Gedi, an Israeli national park and saw ruins from at least a few years ago.
This past Friday, I made my way to Jerusalem for a morning hike with a few friends. We hiked around the Jewish National Fund forest (the JNF plants trees all around Israel). It felt odd that the entire forest had been planted by humans at one point. We started at the JFK Memorial and worked our way to a monastery that was established by disciples of St. John. The JFK Memorial probably used to be powerful but it is so poorly maintained that it's tough to feel any emotion for a president that I wasn't alive for. The memorial is maintained by an American organization so they must not get here too often. Consistent with most other buildings or structures in Israel, there are names of benefactors all over the memorial. I don't really understand why names of donors need to be on the monument itself, but they did make for some great pleasure reading.
Last night brought St. Patrick's Day to Israel. Though far from Boston, Israelis certainly enjoy the chance to be Irish. Nonetheless, I felt like I was almost back in America with all of the English being shouted at "Molly Bloom's", the pub we went to. Outside the pub, the street was closed off and at one point, boos erupted as a police car drove through the mass of people. Lots of green hats, loud Americans, and Guinness. Plenty of fun. In a strange twist of fate, I found myself with 3 girls who at one point all went to Tevya with me (summer camp that I used to go to). A friend of mine was visiting from Sevilla, Spain, another girl studied in Tel Aviv first semester and now works here, and the 3rd girl is studying in Barcelona and is in Tel Aviv visiting friends. Needless to say, it was wild to have a little bit of New Hampshire in the middle of Tel Aviv.
Starting on Thursday is the holiday of Purim, a Jewish holiday that celebrates the survival of the Jewish people in Shushan, Persia a few years ago. Purim is special in that one is supposed to drink sufficient amounts such that one can't tell apart two of the main characters in the story. Of course, Purim is a lot of fun in Providence and Maine, but it is taken to the next level in Israel. I've been told that Purim in Israel is the equivalent of Halloween in America, however, it seems to be embraced to a much greater extent than Halloween is in the States. Whereas Halloween loses its appeal after middle school, the Purim spirit burns strong in Israelis. Costumes are being sold everywhere and special Purim cookies are popping up in markets. I learned a little bit about Purim when I was in Jerusalem on Friday--that walled cities in Israel celebrate the holiday for 2 days rather than 1. Furthermore, because the 2 days would straddle Saturday (Shabbat), it will go for 3 days in walled cities. It should be a rowdy weekend in Jerusalem.
My family arrives on Thursday and will be here for 10 days. We'll be traveling all over the country as well as venturing into Jordan (Petra). I'll do my best to provide updates as we travel and put up pictures as well.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Thursday, March 6, 2008
26. Ministry of Foreign Affairs
On Tuesday I went to Jerusalem to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (the equivalent of the State Department). I went with a group of about 15 kids from my program. We heard a lecture from the director of the Israeli marketing and branding department that was very captivating. She told us about Israel's efforts to "brand" Israel in an attempt to increase tourism and bolster support from outsiders. They are trying to changing peoples' minds about Israel so that people don't just think about bombings, cement houses, Orthodox Jews and a Masculine society when they think about the country. I totally agree with what she said and the need to show the world that Israel isn't as backwards as most think.
The second speaker was the director of Israel's Arab media relations department. He goes on Al-Jazeera 3-4 times a week to defend Israel on talk shows and news shows. Very very tough job. Over the weekend, he was asked to explain if "Israel has a policy on killing babies." Tough question. He goes on BBC everyday as well. A very tough job. He said he studied Arabic for 20 years and certainly needed that education to defend Israel on Arabic news stations. He let us know that his counterpart in America (the head of the Arab media relations department) doesn't even know Arabic and that there isn't one person in the White House or the upper echelons of the State Department that knows Arabic either. Wow. That seems kind of paradoxical to me. One thing he said to us stuck with me: when confronted with a tough host or panelist, he remembers that when someone asks him a question, he doesn't have to answer it, it's just his turn to talk. Wise words.
The second speaker was the director of Israel's Arab media relations department. He goes on Al-Jazeera 3-4 times a week to defend Israel on talk shows and news shows. Very very tough job. Over the weekend, he was asked to explain if "Israel has a policy on killing babies." Tough question. He goes on BBC everyday as well. A very tough job. He said he studied Arabic for 20 years and certainly needed that education to defend Israel on Arabic news stations. He let us know that his counterpart in America (the head of the Arab media relations department) doesn't even know Arabic and that there isn't one person in the White House or the upper echelons of the State Department that knows Arabic either. Wow. That seems kind of paradoxical to me. One thing he said to us stuck with me: when confronted with a tough host or panelist, he remembers that when someone asks him a question, he doesn't have to answer it, it's just his turn to talk. Wise words.
25.
This past weekend I had a great time in Jerusalem (again). The Idan Reichel Project put on a great concert. I managed to get to the front row and have my hands on the stage the whole time. Towards the end, a lot of kids started jumping on stage and then flying superman-style into the crowd. They were, of course, aided by security, but it looked great nonetheless. Rumor has it that I was one of those kids, but I managed to use better judgement and stay on the ground.
On Friday morning I went with my friend David (see picture below) to Mea Shearim. This is the ultra orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem. We were greeted with signs saying to respect the community with modest dress, keeping cameras in our pockets, and observing all laws against modernity. The neighborhood is much different than I expected. Though it was ragged and noticeably poor, I expected much more commotion and liveliness. That said, it was a Friday morning and most people were in school or work (read: studying Torah or Gemara). At one point, David and I walked into a nice square and were greeted with loud sounds that sounded like indiscriminate noise. As we looked into a window, we saw rows upon rows of elementary school-aged boys swaying back and forth in their seats praying and studying. This was the sound of Judaism. This was the stereotypical sound of what most outside of Israel think Israel is like. This was the Orthodoxy that so many think is all-pervasive in Israel. It was cool, for the first time in 6 weeks, to see and hear what so many people consider to be Israel.
I managed to buy two great tasting chocolate rugelach (mini-croissants) and David got fresh squeezed orange juice that he declared to be the freshest he's ever had. We decided that this market was the least touristy market in Israel. The oddest part about it, however, was that the salesman didn't have a beard or top hat. He was one of the few.
We went into a really nice small bookstore that it probably the equivalent of City Lights to the ultra orthodox. They had great stuff: prayer books, commentary, clothing, religious paraphernalia, cds, tapes, allen ginsburg posters, etc. I really wanted to buy a genuine yarmulke (skullcap) but decided against it as I couldn't choose the right size to get. The 9 was too big but the 8 just didnt feel right. David balked at the chance to get a genuine Carlebach greatest hits cd (a famous religious composer). The highlight was the picture of the Kotel/Western Wall in the back of the store. It was special in that, behind the wall was a dubious collection of trees. After all, I always thought there was a mosque there. How silly of me.
After that, I went to the Israel Museum to see the exhibit with stolen art from the Holocaust. Lots of great paintings. Two excellent Seurat's and powerful photos of rooms full of stolen Torahs and canvases. Instead of write-ups on the paintings or artists, the write-ups addressed who used to own the paintings. Each was stolen, of course, so the show highlighted the anonymity of the last owners during the Holocaust. A great show. I also saw the Dead Sea Scrolls at the museum: a very cool building and way of presenting the scrolls.
For Friday night services, I went to the Kotel. After that, I went with two friends to a random older couple's apartment in the old city. This was an experience unlike any other. Out of 15 kids, I was the only non-Orthodox male, and the two girls I was with were the only non-Orthodox females. After each course we had a discussion of some old Jewish tale and debated the merits of Rabbinic discourse. It was very interesting even though they all knew I wasn't "religious." I did get a little freaked out when our host (who has a PhD in education...) denounced evolution. All-in-all, a very worthwhile experience that I would love to do again.
On Friday morning I went with my friend David (see picture below) to Mea Shearim. This is the ultra orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem. We were greeted with signs saying to respect the community with modest dress, keeping cameras in our pockets, and observing all laws against modernity. The neighborhood is much different than I expected. Though it was ragged and noticeably poor, I expected much more commotion and liveliness. That said, it was a Friday morning and most people were in school or work (read: studying Torah or Gemara). At one point, David and I walked into a nice square and were greeted with loud sounds that sounded like indiscriminate noise. As we looked into a window, we saw rows upon rows of elementary school-aged boys swaying back and forth in their seats praying and studying. This was the sound of Judaism. This was the stereotypical sound of what most outside of Israel think Israel is like. This was the Orthodoxy that so many think is all-pervasive in Israel. It was cool, for the first time in 6 weeks, to see and hear what so many people consider to be Israel.
I managed to buy two great tasting chocolate rugelach (mini-croissants) and David got fresh squeezed orange juice that he declared to be the freshest he's ever had. We decided that this market was the least touristy market in Israel. The oddest part about it, however, was that the salesman didn't have a beard or top hat. He was one of the few.
We went into a really nice small bookstore that it probably the equivalent of City Lights to the ultra orthodox. They had great stuff: prayer books, commentary, clothing, religious paraphernalia, cds, tapes, allen ginsburg posters, etc. I really wanted to buy a genuine yarmulke (skullcap) but decided against it as I couldn't choose the right size to get. The 9 was too big but the 8 just didnt feel right. David balked at the chance to get a genuine Carlebach greatest hits cd (a famous religious composer). The highlight was the picture of the Kotel/Western Wall in the back of the store. It was special in that, behind the wall was a dubious collection of trees. After all, I always thought there was a mosque there. How silly of me.
After that, I went to the Israel Museum to see the exhibit with stolen art from the Holocaust. Lots of great paintings. Two excellent Seurat's and powerful photos of rooms full of stolen Torahs and canvases. Instead of write-ups on the paintings or artists, the write-ups addressed who used to own the paintings. Each was stolen, of course, so the show highlighted the anonymity of the last owners during the Holocaust. A great show. I also saw the Dead Sea Scrolls at the museum: a very cool building and way of presenting the scrolls.
For Friday night services, I went to the Kotel. After that, I went with two friends to a random older couple's apartment in the old city. This was an experience unlike any other. Out of 15 kids, I was the only non-Orthodox male, and the two girls I was with were the only non-Orthodox females. After each course we had a discussion of some old Jewish tale and debated the merits of Rabbinic discourse. It was very interesting even though they all knew I wasn't "religious." I did get a little freaked out when our host (who has a PhD in education...) denounced evolution. All-in-all, a very worthwhile experience that I would love to do again.
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