Happy Chanukah!

Hi, Everyone! Happy Chanukah! So I've had a great week or so, though I'm not sure it has anything to do with the special events going on. I think I just finally feel comfortable here (the timing is ironic, since I'm coming home in two days...but at least I'll return in good spirits in two weeks). But I will do my best to remember what events have happened.

We visited Kever Rochel, which was a much more simple experience than I expected. It was humbling to see that there wasn't such a big to do even at the grave of one of the matriarchs. All we really did was go, speak a little about Rachel, pray, and leave. I liked it that way though - it wasn't overdone.

Classes last week went really well, and I also spent a good amount of time preparing for a little speech/mini-class I'm giving at my high school when I visit at the end of this week. I asked the principal if I could teach the girls something, because I think the best way to express my enthusiasm about what I'm learning is to show it. And I'd love to portray to the girls how different the learning is from high school learning. It's such a different world! I'm constantly surprised by the contrast...

Chanukah started this past Shabbat, and being in Israel for the holidays is another experience in of itself. The holiday also isn't overdone (as holiday season in America is), but what decorations and music there is - it's all about Chanukah. If you walk around the Old City you see glass cases outside of all of the apartments where people display their menorahs every night in order to publicise the miracle (which is part of commandment for lighting Chanukah candles).

Today we went to a Kibbutz called Yad Menachem, where residents defended their ground agains the Egyptians at the same time as the War for Independence, sacrificing themselves to prevent the Egyptians from reaching Tel Aviv. It was a beautiful place, and the museum there was educating regarding the battle itself that took place there, the Holocaust (because the Kibbutz was named after a brave rebel from one of the Ghettos in Poland), and the emerging of the state. Tomorrow and Tuesday we have more museums and tours planned, but the exact places we're going have slipped my mind.

Now I have some choir stuff to deal with, and a dinner with one of my friends and her father to attend, so I have to run. I probably won't write again until after I return from America, so Chag Sameach! Until next time,

Gabriella

Tuning In

Dear Reader(s),

Please accept my apology for not writing in so long.  Things have been pretty hectic, though at the same time, I feel as if there aren't many special events to update you on.  First thing you should know, if you don't already, is that I've decided to go back to the States for two weeks (in about two weeks).  I'll be missing some classes, but being away from home for so long was starting to take a toll on my attention capabilities, so I decided it was worthwhile.  And as excited as I am to go home for a bit, I've also thrown myself much more thoroughly into my studies.

Besides trying to build up my knowledge as much as possible, for a while I was overextending myself in other areas as well.  Admittedly, it has been absolutely draining to deal with choir, football (I'll explain later), exercise, and learning.  But I sometimes have trouble half-heartedly doing anything, even when it's effecting my day-to-day functionality.

As I have mentioned, I co-direct the competition choir here, and for a while the competitive nature of the group (that I was not made fully aware of before volunteering to lead it) really detracted from my enjoyment of teaching and singing with a bunch of otherwise pleasant, sweet girls.  More recently, the girls have begun to appreciate the music of the experience and we've also started concentrating more on the charity part of the project (competitors and audience must give a donation to a fund for brides who can't afford a wedding celebration).  Redirecting the focus of the group has helped a lot, and I actually look forward to rehearsal now.

Then, there is a girls' flag football league, and I joined HaRova's team (I figured exercise + social scene = efficient fun).  We don't know how to play.  Hence, the games are a lot of fun and often extremely amusing.  Today I had a one-on-one practice with one of the other girls and I learned how to throw and catch the football! It was extremely exciting.

Yesterday, I watched Mulan with my roommates - Rena, Karen, Tamara, and Nikki - and we sang along to all of the songs.  I've really become close to each of them - we go out to dinner together once a month and next week we're going to have a "chanukah-donut-snack-outing" instead of our "roomie dinner", because at the last restaurant we went to we got really excited to try the traditional donuts (sufgani'ot) that will be available to order in season (next week)!  In Midrasha, a simple donut outing can become a very exciting experience.

This Shabbat I'm staying in the Midrasha with about 12 other girls, just to have a quiet, simple weekend.  It should be very nice (although some of the girls are slightly hyperactive, so I'm not sure how relaxing it will end up), especially since the next two weeks are full of activity.  Next week we're visiting Kever Rochel (the burial place of Rachel the Matriarch) and taking a tour of Ir David (the City of David - close by).  The week after is Chanukah, and we're doing a variety of tours, both in Jerusalem and in Tel Aviv.  Plus, there's the Missibat Siyum (Conclusion Gala - or something along those lines) on Monday night, December 14th, to celebrate the conclusion of the Southern Hemisphere's year.  Then on Tuesday, December 15th, late at night, I will be boarding the plane to America!  I feel out of breath just thinking about the upcoming schedule.  But it's all very exciting and I'm looking forward to Chanukah in Israel - I've heard it's a magical time.

Thanks for tuning in again!

Gabriella

Schools, Songs, and Deserts

These titles are becoming more and more vague.  But we'll just call it intriguing, I guess.   My schedule has filled up drastically, so a lot is going on, yet I don't have much time to talk about it.

Last week, I went with my Educational Leadership Program class to a school in the Jewish Quarter to observe the teachers' techniques.  I sat in on a 5th grade Prophets class, which was surprisingly educational, as well as amusing.  I can't wait to develop my own teaching styles (whether it becomes my occupation or not).

I also had the time Saturday night to work on a few songs that I'd been writing.  I only mention this because I feel that it says something about the opportunity that this year brings to concentrate on myself and my passions.  I haven't written songs in so long, and it felt really great.

The next day, I went on a two day tiyul to the Negev (desert).  It was pretty draining since we went on two different hikes and slept in a school's gym in between, but it was definitely fun.  I just love Israel's landscapes, and how it changes drastically from green to desert to flowery to mountainous.  A lot of us felt almost as if we were claiming the land for ourselves as we climbed rope ladders and boulders to the top of a cliff on the side of a valley in the Negev.  It was quite an experience.

I feel like I should start to share some of the concepts I'm learning, but it's difficult to decide which ones I'd like to tell over.  I'm just learning all day, so there's a lot to choose from.  One specific class that I like is the Works of Rav Kook.  So I'll share something from that class:  Rav Kook says that since the world is everything that G-d has given to us, the best way to get close to Him is to explore the world.  But not just to explore vaguely - to investigate, discover, and study.  So everything the world has to offer: history, culture, religions (yes, even other religions than Judaism), geography, biology, physics, literature, etc, etc should be delved into.  According to Rav Kook, that is.  I just found that really spoke to me because I think the holiest things are found in our every day lives - like the structure of the pink flowers I stand in front of when I daven in the morning; and I think it's a misconception to think that you have to shut yourself away to find spirituality.

So that's my thought of the week.  Hope you enjoyed!

Oh, we also started choir today, which, since it's just beginning, is a little hectic and very time consuming.  A lot of the members are so concerned about winning the competition that I just want to smack a little fun into them.  But I'm sure I can accomplish the same goal without causing physical damage to anyone.  I'll try at least.

Until next time!

Ellie

Monologues, Memorials, and Caves (though not in that order)

The first exciting thing that happened this week was that we had healthy food at almost every meal! I also happened to be on serving duty, and therefore couldn't enjoy said healthy food as thoroughly, but you take what you can get.

Besides that, I have stories from drama class, travelling, and learning (surprised?). In drama class we chose monologues to use for character development. That doesn't sound so exciting, but of course it sparked my theatre-mind-flame and now I'm itching for more. I almost squealed out of enjoyment when the teacher told us we had to memorize our pieces for the next class. Well, she said try, but I'm not one to deny myself a drama treat. My piece doesn't intially seem to have much substance, but that makes it challenging.

On Wednesday, we went on a tiyul (trip) not too far from Jerusalem to four different locations (all in one day...it was crazy)! We first stopped at the location of the fight between David and Goliath, then went to an excavated site which included a water cistern, a stone dove coup, and an olive press - all underground. I was in the Hebrew tour group, since I've really been trying to improve my Hebrew. On that subject, I just started learning once a week with a girl from the Israeli program here. It's a great new experience, since she's older, knowledgable, and can't speak any English! Anyway, back to the tiyul. We then went to a random cave and played some teamwork games (leave it to Israeli advisors to take you to a random cave to play games in the middle of a trip). The last stop was optional cave crawling through the Bar Kochba caves. Bar Kochba was a scholar who was temporarily thought to be the Messiah and who hid for three years in a cave with his son to escape the persecution of the Romans during the fall of the Second Temple. I have no idea how they lived in there, because to get from room to room you literally have to crawl on your stomach in the pitch dark. It's fun to do for an hour, though!

When we returned, we had a learning session in honor of the matriarch, Rachel, who's death fell on Wednesday's Judaic date. And today (Thursday) marked the anniversary of the death of Yitzchak Rabin. It's a difficult topic to discuss, since his death was a tragedy in of itself and in the way it came about (a fanatic Jew killing another Jew) - but of course, it's important to think about.

On a lighter note, I'm staying in a settlement of new immigrants and Israelis who have been relocated from Gush Katif for Shabbat with a friend from home. That should be fun. And on Saturday night I should be meeting up with family friends from the US who are here for their son's Bar Mitzvah. In about ten days I'm going on a two day tiyul to the Negev (desert), and I'm also excitedly anticipating that!

Well, that's all for now. 'Till next time! Shabbat Shalom.

Second Term

This past week was somewhat uneventful, but I'm sure I can think of a few things to tell you about.

We started classes again, and I felt an unexpected rush of excitement for delving into new material and for falling into a routine.  Days here are long, but you wouldn't believe how quickly the weeks go by.  I did try out a couple of new classes, one of which is Contemporary Law, in which we use logic to apply the early rabbi's teachings to contemporary issues that they could not have foreseen (for example, whether you can have a security camera rolling on Shabbat, or use the same dishwasher for both meat and milk dishes).  It's quite an intellectually stimulating class.

I also completed an entire chapter of Talmud (it's less than it sounds, but still a lot).  To put perspective on that, in high school I usually completed about two pages all year, and I've now completed about five in two months.

We had a Midrasha Shabbat this past weekend, which was really nice.  The more I get to know the girls here the more I enjoy those Shabbatot.  I also played intense games of Settlers of Catan with some yeshiva boys on Saturday, and even won a game.  Apparently, it's a fad throughout one of the yeshivot here to play that game whenever possible.  That's okay, because in seminary all of the girls spend their time crocheting kippot.  During lunch, I gave a d'var torah (speech about the weekly portion of torah) for the entire seminary, and was congratulated on my performance, which was definitely a gratifying experience.  At the end of the post I'll add the (short) speech, if anyone would like to read it.

Sunday and Monday I was sick with a virus, but everyone took care of me and visited during lunch.  It really proved to me how sweet everyone here is.  But now I'm back in classes, and I can really feel myself finally settling in and finding my groove.  Speaking of which, I have to conclude this post or I'll be late for my evening class.  Next week I'm going on a trip to the Bar Kochba caves, so I should have some interesting updates then!

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D'VAR TORAH:

Imagine yourself in boot camp.  It doesn't really matter how you got here, but you're here and the sergeant is screaming something at you and if you don't pay attention soon, who knows what will happen.  Pass, and you've got honor for life - no one will challenge your discipline.  Fail, and you'll be back at the beginning or worse - they'll probably make you clean boots with a toothbrush.

Now, imagine a shiny car pulls up and a loudspeaker announces, "You.  Yes, you.  This is too hard.  But you're a strong, disciplined person at heart.  So you get the medals.  It's all over.  Great job!"  Wow.  Glory is yours.  Success is yours.  You're not sure how you got there - but I guess you made it through!

In Parshat Breishit, in the midst of all of the drama – the world being created, Cain killing his brother, people having babies all over who all live to 900 years old, the world is unknowingly about to be wiped out - a few pessukim mention somewhat of a randomer.  Chanoch.  Perek Hey, pessukim  22-24 read:

And Chanoch walked with G-d, after he had Metushelach, for 300 years, and he had sons and daughters.  And Chanoch lived to be 365 years, and Chanoch walked with G-d and he was no more because G-d took him.

Rashi comments on the words “and Chanoch walked” that Chanoch was a righteous Man among a corrupt humanity.  He could easily fall from the path of holiness, so Hashem took him to Gan Eden alive before catastrophe could befall him.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that since Chanoch lived before the Torah, or the Mabul for that matter, spirituality and physicality could not influence each other. Because the Torah was not in the world, there was no way to elevate the mundane – spiritual and physical were two completely separate realms that didn’t touch.   It was impossible for someone, even a righteous person like Chanoch, to sanctify his environment or himself except to hope for Divine Inspiration.  Chanoch's spirituality was not self-developed, but rather somewhat borrowed from Hashem.  So he was spared from further temptation, he was given a gift.  He passed.

But that's a little confusing.  Is it really a good thing?  Sure, in contrast to the rest of humanity, it was a huge schar that Chanoch merited a free pass to Gan Eden.  And I'm sure it was fantastic for him.  But on the other hand, he didn't have the strength to overcome the struggle of living in a corrupt world.  I'm not trying to say that he should have been able to, it was probably near impossible.  But that would have been such an accomplishment, right?

It's comforting to know that G-d is there to save you, but at the same time, people need to know that they have reached whatever heights they've reached through their own strengths and have achieved their goals despite their weaknesses.  Whoever's in Messilat Yesharim is familiar with this quote of Rav Moshe Chaim Luzzato:

"For someone to merit this good [that is, to receive a portion in Olam Habah], it is fit that he struggle first and make an effort to acquire it."

It's always more satisfying to earn what you get.  It's great to, say, get an A in an AP course.  But how much better does it feel to achieve success through knowing the material, and not just because the teacher - or G-d in this case - likes you and wants you to do well.

But back to the benefit of Hashem's gift to Chanoch.  Yeah it's great to succeed, to achieve, to struggle.  But on the other hand how comforting is it to know that G-d is there, walking with us?  In the Haftorah this week, from Yishaya, Hashem says:

When you pass through water I am with you, and the depths will not overwhelm you, when you walk through fire you will not be scorched and the flame will not burn you…do not be afraid, because I am with you.

So here's my take on the whole thing.  I think I want both.  I want to grow and succeed on my own.  But then sometimes I don't and I just want to be taken care of.  And as I was thinking about this I realized, I do have both.  We have both.  We get the best of both worlds!  For the vast majority of our lives, we have been and we will be living in regular society, given the opportunity to struggle and overcome, to solidify our faith in Hashem through those challenges.  But now - at this moment, for this brief year in our lives - we get to be in a bubble!  We are alive in Gan Eden.  Yes, it's very cheesy, but think about it.  We know what the world is like, we're not ignorant.  But suddenly we are in this environment where we can ignore the world and all of its obstacles. We don't even have to try.  In fact, we end up trying to find the obstacles because for some reason we don't want to be in our little Gan Eden.  But don't worry - soon enough we won't have to look, we'll be back in the regular world and all of the challenges we could ever want will be right there, ready for us.  And that will be an adventure in of itself.  It's exciting - we'll get to earn our success!  Overcome the challenges!  But before that, we get to breath.  And think.  And be in a bubble.  A really awesome bubble with new friends and experiences and knowledge.  For this year, if we choose, we get to walk with Hashem.  My wish for us is that we accept the invitation and enjoy the stroll.  Shabbat Shalom. 

Here, There, and Everywhere

I'm pretty sure I spent this past week in some magical alternate universe where a week is actually a month and you're not allowed to stop traveling until you fall over.  Here's what's been going on:

Monday: I woke up early to attend Birkat Cohanim at the Kotel.  Three times a year, any Jew who's lineage originates from the priestly tribe and who can make it to the Kotel comes to give a blessing to the Jewish people along with all of the other Cohanim who are there.  There's a loud speaker for those attending to follow along in prayer.  When we reached the blessing, you could hear thousands of voices rising together to bless the Jewish people.  It was a holy experience, albeit a little too early for me to truly appreciate the magnitude of people until later in the day.  In the evening I went to Beit Shemesh where there was a free concert attended by many Yeshiva and Seminary students.  That night I stayed at my friend's apartment just outside of Jerusalem.

Tuesday:  My friend, Atara, and I took a trip up north to Tiberias where we rented bikes and rode around the Kinneret, had a picnic lunch, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.  The color of the Kinneret and the surrounding plants and hills reminded me of the ocean in Switzerland - the colors were so vibrant.

Wednesday: I met up with friends from home in Yerushalayim and then stayed with my friend who was on leave from the army for the holidays.  Then on...

Thursday: Ori (the friend in the army), Coby (friend from high school), and I took a brief trip to Tel Aviv to see the sights (ie the ocean and the shops).  We didn't have swim gear with us, though, so I resolved to go back later in the week to soak up more sun.

Friday: I stayed at the Wolffe's house (a family that used to go to our synagogue, but then moved back to Israel).  They have six children, and they were willing to speak Hebrew to me the whole time, which I really enjoyed.  I may yet have a chance to improve!

Saturday night: I met Atara at a cafe in Jerusalem and we also went to all-women's dancing with a band to celebrate Simchat Torah.

Sunday:  Four girls from my seminary and I went to the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo!!! Let me tell you - Jerusalem is stocked up on its various preserved animals.  There wasn't much specifically Biblical about the place, but there was a huge variety of species to see, and to imitate, as my friends and I did.  I need to go back again to see the giraffes and the bears, though.  There were so many different kinds of monkeys!! They were definitely the cutest.

Today (Monday):  As promised, I went back to Tel Aviv for the day with two friends from high school and we went to the beautiful beach by the Mediterranean.  We really need to find warmer and nicer water in the US.  We lay in the sun, swam, and had a picnic lunch.  It was the best way to end my crazy vacation.

Tonight I'm going out to dinner with my roommates just for the fun of it.  It will be nice to spend some time all together outside of our slightly cramped living quarters.  Tomorrow classes start again, which I am looking forward to (crazy, I know).  I'm also starting rehearsals with the inter-seminary choir that volunteers to perform for the needy.  I'm looking forward to getting into routine again, and now that I'm more acclimated, I can't wait to spend the next nine months here.  That's all for now!

Gabriella

The Calorie Episode

Part 1 - Burning Calories
Let me describe for you my two days of ultimate activity in the Carmel (emphasis on "mel" not "car"). We drove an hour to the Carmel, a beautiful region that's green year round (as opposed to most of Israel that turns yellow for a good amount of the year), and stopped at a museum called Ptil Tcheilet. There we learned about the origin of a sacred blue dye, which is likely from a certain species of snail, and is used on some TzitTzit to dye one of the threads. It's a much more common practice in Israel than it is in America to dye one of the threads blue. We then proceeded to snorkle in the Mediterranean looking for that specific species, or in my case, just exploring the deep blue. As you know, swimming takes a lot out of a person, but we didn't stop for the day before hiking for an hour. We hiked Reches Etzba, the Finger Ridge, named for a myth about a mean giant who stuck his finger in the ridge and made a finger-shaped cave when he was stung by an avengeful bee. It's a cute story. We stayed for the night at a vacated Yeshiva high school (everyone's on vacation for holiday now), but before I went to sleep I decided to run a mile or so to get in my cardio for the day. I'm not going to lie, I was proud of my willpower that day. The next day we hiked part of Har HaCarmel (the Carmel Mountain) where, according to the scriptures, the prophet Elijah had a showdown with idol worshippers and emerged the victor (his water-soaked sacrifice was miraculously taken in flame while the idol worshippers' sacrifice would not light no matter how hard they tried). That hike involved bounding over boulders and mini dried waterfalls for four and a half hours and ended in a half hour of climbing straight upward to a beautiful view of Haifa and Lebanon. It was quite the rewarding experience, and reminded me a lot of the five day hike I did last time I was in Israel, from the Kinneret to the Mediterranean.

The next twenty four hours or so were spent mostly relaxing, except for meeting up with friends outside of the Jewish Quarter for a couple of hours. Friday, I made my way to Rechovot, a town 45 minutes from Jerusalem, to spend the first part of the holiday at my teacher's house (who taught me in high school and then moved back to Israel this year, lucky for me) with my high school classmate. Which leads us to...

Part 2 - Consuming Calories
Being at the Maazari's (my teacher's family) for chag was a relief in that I knew the family fairly well, and it was a little bit like a taste of home. Metaphorically and literally. You think that American Jewish mothers are bad until you're in Israel and they actually won't let you stop eating. I've learned a new technique: never clear all of the food off of your plate until they're clearing the table - that way it always looks like you're still working on something. Also, take really small portions at first, that way when they make you take more, you're still safe. And then, when you go to a Sukkot party afterward, move away as quickly as possible from the pastry-filled Sukkah, otherwise you'll find yourself stuck in a frenzy of ruggelach, wafers, and sponge cake (of the varieties chocolate, cinnamon, and candy). I feel full just remembering. And hence the semi-fast I've taken upon myself today. Next time, I'll know to eat very little for a couple of days before the weekend. But that's not to say I didn't enjoy myself. And when everyone around you keeps eating, you don't even feel like a pig! It's fun, you should try it sometime.

So those are my calories adventures for the week, and a preview of my vacation is (hopefully): Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, concert in Beit Shemesh, bike riding and picnic at the Kinneret, and a venture into Tel Aviv (if I can find people to go with me). So it should be fun-filled and exciting, and I can't wait to tell you all about it.

Chag Sameach!

Yom Kippur

I’m not sure where to begin to describe my Yom Kippur experience. I was going to wait until later this week and write about the Tiyul (hike) we’re going on tomorrow in the same post, but Yom Kippur deserves it’s own. Plus, I’d write way too much later if I waited. I guess I’ll give you the highlights first (I think “highlights” is my favorite word in these posts), and then I’ll tell you how each of the parts inspired me, and probably add some details along the way. I do have to warn you that it’s probably hard to understand without being there. I barely understand. So I may seem a little insane – but that’s the price of publicizing your thoughts where anyone can read them, I guess.

Here’s a sketch: the fast felt supernaturally easy, I prayed for eleven hours straight and barely noticed, we sang all day long, and my eyes may have watered at the end (but don’t tell anyone who doesn’t have the web link)!

Sunday night went by really quickly, possibly because there was only one prayer. I did choose to stay for a class afterward, on the Book of Jonah. It was actually enlightening, which is surprising considering that every single year I’ve learned about why we read that book on Yom Kippur. If anyone’s interested in what I learned, it’s not so hard to explain, but it puts the events of the story in a new light. So let me know. I went to sleep around 10:30, and woke up at 7:15. By 7:30 I was in the synagogue. I should explain what that was like. We rented an auditorium of a nearby Yeshiva because Yom Kippur with HaRova is so inspiring that alumni come back years later with their families to experience it again and again. So on top of the 115 girls in the program this year, we had 70 alumni and 10 teachers, plus about 15 men (Rabbis and husbands of the alumni). It was so interesting to have a mostly all-girls prayer service. There’s something about 200 women’s voices singing out that feels so holy and serene.

There are four different prayers on Yom Kippur, morning prayer, “additional” prayer, afternoon prayer, and closing prayer. Each prayer has similarities, so throughout the day we all became familiar with different tunes that repeated. Some of them felt so meaningful – the words took on new truth when people were singing their hearts out. (Favorites were “G-d, hear our voice”, “in the time of the temple, the high priest was glorious…”, and “return us, G-d, and we will return to you; I still have the melodies ringing in my head.) Anyway, I prayed all day, sitting next to one of my roommates, Karen, from 7:30 am until 6:30 pm, but really it just felt like a single day devoted to self reflection. I was surrounded by other inspired people, and yet it was also just me, myself, and G-d. Of course I felt hungry at times, but there was this supernatural feeling of overcoming physical needs for a day, in almost every way, that being able to spend a day praying and not eating or sleeping or drinking or even using chapstick (that may have been the hardest), that added to my inspiration. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t do it more often than I have to, but it was really special just for that one day.

The Rabbi who lead the final service – during which one pictures the gates of heaven wide open for prayer – wasn’t as big into the tunes as the other cantors had been, but every word he said in Hebrew was spoken with such meaning it might as well have been in English. He got so worked up as we repeated the Attributes of G-d over and over that he actually started sobbing. I’m sure it sounds over the top, but it was so inspiring. When the stars came out and the fast was over, we barely even noticed – in fact we continued singing for a good fifteen minutes past when we could eat, unwilling to return to the real world. But eventually we did, and I went almost immediately to sleep. As for lasting effects of the day, I can’t really tell. I definitely feel more appreciative of the mundane and the spiritual, but it’s an innermost development that I don’t completely understand (and if I did, it probably would be unexplainable). I’d be happy to go into more detail about any part of my experience – just let me know if you’re curious.

As I am still in the real world, I desperately need to pack for the two day hike/trip/tour we’re embarking on early tomorrow morning, so I’ll sign off with this: Yom Kippur affirmed to me that this is the right place for me to be for this year, and I hope I’m successful in conveying my excitement and inspiration to you. Until next time (post scuba-diving and hiking)!

Gabriella

Appreciating Friends and Anticipating the Fast

  This week felt like it consisted of a lot of different aspects of being here all wrapped into one.  On the one hand, it was an intense learning week, what with everyone trying to better themselves before Yom Kippur.  On the other hand, everyone was trying to rest up and not drive themselves too hard so as to be prepared and able to pray and fast on Yom Kippur.  A somewhat strange dichotomy, if you ask me, though it was nice to regain some balance between working hard and relaxing.

   The one thing that stands out in my mind from this week is bonding with the girls in my program.  Before I get to that, and tell you about Shabbat, I’ll just tell you brief highlights of the week.  In drama class, we went through some prayers on Yom Kippur and acted them out as if we were G-d.  For example, there’s a very powerful prayer about how we are the clay and G-d is the molder, we are the stone and G-d is the cutter, we are the glass and G-d is the blower, etc.  It was inspiring to envision G-d as such a tangibly powerful being.  Then, as we are still waiting to hear results for who got into the inter-seminary choir, instead of volunteering, my choir leaders and I were given time to arrange the songs we’ll be singing for the competition in January.  It’s frustrating to me to have to cater to the preferences of the judges of the event and to have to stick to the themes they give us, but as long as I get to sing I’m happy.  Speaking of which, I gave a few unintentional mini-concerts by the piano this week, when I was playing and people would just walk in to listen.  It was fun to play requests, and flattering to have people drawn to the music from down the hall.

  So this Shabbat was not extremely eventful.  However, it was the biggest opportunity we’ve had so far to put aside friends from home, and the long days of learning, and just get to know each other better.  We already know who we connect to somewhat, so it was nice to sit and talk with the people I'm interested in.  I spent most of Friday night with a girl from Minnesota, who also loves singing and is very open minded, though she was raised ultra-orthodox.  Then on Saturday, I briefly talked to a girl from Canada and a girl from Baltimore, and then went on a beautiful walk with a girl from Boston (who I actually went to camp with in 9^th grade – she was Naala and I was Simba!) and a girl from LA (who appears to be coming to Brandeis next year! It’s a small world).  I’m beginning to appreciate the company of the girls here. I also realized what it is that makes the dynamic here so manageable: we all seem to have similar ideals and similar goals (and if not, we’re very open minded about others’ opinions), but we all have very different personalities and hobbies, so spending time with each other is always exciting.  They did a great job picking an interesting yet compatible mix of students.

  Now we’re headed into Yom Kippur, which is said to be one of the highlights of the year here.  Girls from HaRova come back for years to come to the Yom Kippur service.  This year, 70 alumni are coming, many of the teachers are coming, and we have a completely full auditorium at our disposal.  Part of what makes the service so intense is that at HaRova they do non-stop prayer and discussion.  So it really does feel like an entire day dedicated to atonement and self-reflection.  I’m anticipating a challenge, as well as an unforgettable experience.  Hopefully it will go as well as expected, but I know I will miss everyone at home.  Have an easy and meaningful Yom Kippur!

New Challenges, New Thoughts, and the New Year

Hello, everyone!  Shana Tova!  I hope everyone's New Year was enjoyable and meaningful.

Things are definitely calming down here and I'm getting used to the routine.  Nevertheless, I do have some updates and adventures to share.  Last week proved to be a challenging one.  It seems that my two weeks of effortless effort were only temporary.  That is, I pushed myself in learning and in socializing for two weeks, thinking that I was already acclimated, and then I ran out of steam.  So I had to make it through the week even though I was tired all of the time, and my mood was not ideal.  But, of course, I wasn't the only one, so I had people to commiserate with.  I was still enjoying my classes, I just also was in a state of mental overexertion and discomfort.  However, they did give us a much appreciated afternoon off in order to rest, due to the customary late-night prayers said before and after Rosh HaShana.

I did try a couple of new classes this week.  I switched to "Confronting Modernity", which is a class in which the teacher mostly guides the discussion and lets the students talk.  That should be reliably interesting.  I also joined a class about women's obligations and lack thereof, which is mostly just information instead of philosophical discussion.  I chose that one because I've had the "women in the torah" philosophical discussions so many times that I just wanted information that I could mull over by myself, "uncontroversially".  The other class I switched into was the drama class!  I'm so glad I decided to, even hough I'm giving up a class on Holocaust Studies, because I think it will really help me let off some steam.  The class I was in worked on charade-like games, becoming comfortable with each other, and then creating spontaneous tableaus of scenes in the Tanach.  It was really amusing and fun.

Now for Rosh HaShana.  I was placed by the seminary in a yishuv (basically, a big neighborhood) calle Bet El.  It was a very nice holiday.  I'll try to give you the highlights.  First of all, the seminary provided us with a bus for transportation, which ended up being a huge blessing, because travel before Rosh HaShana is insane, and everyone who wasn't going to Bet El was frantically trying to reach their destinations from early friday morning.  But not us!  A friend and I stayed with a South African family, who had two sets of twins and two younger children.  Yes, that's six kids.  Once we got used to the insanity, we really enjoyed ourselves.  The family was a little more religious than me, but for the high holidays it was a nice atmosphere to be in.  The yishuv is so cute - they have their own little zoo and a pond, and a bunch of different schools.  It was really very pleasant to be there.  And I got a nice mix of spirituality and rest.  I did come across a certain revelation that has helped put my mind at rest.  You have to understand that being in a seminary involves thinking about priorities quite a lot.  And recently, I was getting uncomfortable constantly scrutinizing myself.  So here's what I realized:  Judaism is there to guide me.  And God wants me to be happy.  Keeping that in mind, I can work toward growth in areas that give me fulfillment, for example, treating others with respect, or appreciating everything you have, while simply putting aside, at least temporarily, parts of Judaism that make me feel uncomfortable.  It's a little hard to explain in words, but if anyone wants clarification I'd be happy to do so.

So, my new goal is to appreciate everything around me.  Sounds simple but impossible, right?  It is.  But I'm going to work on it.  Today is a fast day because of Gedalyah, a leader of the Jews in Jerusalem, who was killed by non-Jews and Jews together.  So we mourn for him and for the ideology that was lost on those who killed him.  Because of this, though, we only had a half day of classes, and now I get to sleep and rest for a whole afternoon.  So that's the plan.  Shana Tova UMitukah! I wish you a sweet and happy year!!

Anywhere in Israel, among other exciting things

Hello, everyone.  Happy almost Rosh HaShana!

I have a few stories to tell you and I'll have to see if I can remember everything, because each week here is so intense right now.

First of all, learning is still going strong.  I thought it would be harder since the classes wouldn't be as exciting, but the material is still new and the teachers here are really fantastic.  I am finding myself getting slightly dependent on coffee, though.  It's amazing to have a year all to myself, but I feel as if I have so many priorities, it's hard to keep up.  I have my learning, my fitness, my eating (which I still have to do sometimes), my music (which includes planning choir), and keeping up with people at home.  It doesn't sound like too much to handle, but when nine and a half hours of your day are taken up with the learning part, it is a lot.

Choir is almost underway, it seems as if we'll have about 25 members, but everyone is very competition oriented, so I have to cater to desire to be competitive, and not just sing for fun.

This week we had roommate-discussion time, where each room had to talk about the roommates individual needs and certain rules that should be set up.  My room didn't really have to talk at all, we all get along well (this includes me, Karen, Rena, Nikki, and Tamara - just FYI), have similar living habits, and respect each other.  I'm really glad that's working out.

Then, the next day we had an information session about the Sukkot break - which I really need to plan, because I can essentially go anywhere, as long as I tell them where.  At the end of that session, the head of the seminary gets up and says, "Oh, by the way, you're going to the beach today."  We were all shocked!  So they took us to the beach for the afternoon, and then we had a picnic dinner at the park.  It was adorable.  We hung out, we sang, we went in the beautiful Mediterranean water.  I really enjoyed myself.

This Shabbat, I went with three friends (Ariella and Safira from Baltimore, and Stacey from Queens) to a town called Maleh Adumim, using a program called Anywhere in Israel.  You call them and tell them how many people you have, and they place you somewhere for Shabbat.  We were in a fully functional basement apartment of a young family, but we were really on our own.  At least it was mostly functional - we did have to manually fill the toilet tanks, and there wasn't any hot water - but it was still amazing.  We decided to bring our own Friday night meal, by getting takeout before we left.  So Friday night, we went to a Carlebach synagogue, where they sing the entire Kabbalat Shabbat (the prayer service welcoming in Shabbat), and that was gorgeous.  Then we slowly walked back and made our own Shabbat meal, talked until late at night, and slept four of us in two twin beds smushed together.  It was quite an adventure. 

On Saturday, we went to a Midreshet HaRova alumna's apartment, where she lived with her husband, for lunch.  They were a very sweet, welcoming, young couple (who also, of course, liked to sing), and we loved asking her questions about her experience here.  Also, her food was delicious.  We then walked back to take a nap and read, and then went to a teacher's house for dinner.  The whole thing was really enjoyable, and I got to know the girls I was with well, and they got to know me.

We're now entering a time of self-reflection, because of the high holidays.  It will definitely be intense, but I'm looking forward to it.  Speaking of which, I have midnight prayer services to go to, in preparation for Rosh HaShana.  I definitely won't do it all week, but I figured I could try the first night, at least.  Speak to you all soon!  If not before this weekend, have a happy new year!

Love,

Gabriella

The Bus, The Drive, and The Jasmine: My First "Out" Shabbat

Get ready for a typical "How the Heck Am I Supposed to Travel When I Can't Even Speak the Language?!" story.

  Since I have no close relatives in Israel, I decided to stay with a friend for the first Shabbat outside of the Midrasha.  All I know is that Meira knows a family who's father knows her father through science research, they live on a Moshav (a secluded community with its own school, synagogue, park, townhouse...), and they'd love to have her bring a friend for Shabbat.  It's not ideal, but I trust Meira (she's a friend I knew previously from New England Jewish youth groups), so I decided it was a good deal.

  

  We're told to get on Bus 277 across the street from the Tachana HaMerkazit (the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem).  It turns out that the stop is actually on a side street near the Tachana.  Across the street, cross street, what do we know, right?  So, yeah, we totally missed the bus.  But not before rushing around looking for it for an hour or so.

  Ok, so now we're trying to find another way there, because the buses stop after a certain time on Friday because of Shabbat.  So we find a Sheirut (a large, van-cab in which the cost is split by all of the passengers) that's heading toward Tel Aviv, and passes by the Moshav we're supposed to go to.  The first Sheirut driver absolutely refuses to stop on the way so that we can get picked up, and the second driver can't understand why we'd rather take his Sheirut, which leaves after the one with the stubborn driver.  Still following?  Ok, so then we're sort of panicking, and the Big Sheirut Boss comes over and starts yelling at the Sheirut drivers.  We have no idea what's going on (although now that other people are yelling at each other, the whole thing seems a lot funnier), but soon enough, The Boss is guiding us across the street to another Sheirut with only one other passenger, whose driver will drop us off on the way to Tel Aviv.

  There's one man in the passenger seat...we figure he's a tag-along friend of the driver.  Or so it seemed.  Turns out, he is a Russian man who was trying to speak English to the Israeli because he knew English better than Hebrew.  Apparently, the man is expecting the driver to pick up his family and his luggage.  So we make a huge circle for no reason to get back to the place where his family is, and pick them all up: a baby, a grandma, two toddlers, a middle-aged woman, and two young adults. Yay!  So then it's a smooth ride for about half an hour, when the driver tells us we'll be there in a minute.  In a minute, we're in the middle of a highway ramp, where a big block of cement appears to be our drop off.  A block of cement, no signs...we get off in confusion and forget to pay, then quickly hand the driver money before the honking cars get rowdy.  Five minutes later, after being laughed at by a bunch of passers-by, Meira's family friend picks us up, and soon enough we're at the Moshav.

  Now, I have to somehow describe the beauty of the Moshav to you.  The houses are all very clean looking, but not in a whitewashed way, like in America.  They're beautifully simple.  The Albak's house has bushes of jasmine in the front yard.  For some reason, that stood out to me the most.  Every time I went outside, to go to services or to take a walk, the first thing I noticed was the smell of jasmine.  It was like a fairy tale.  We spent Shabbat with the Albak's, their son, their daughter in University, and their grown son with his wife and baby daughter.  What a beautiful, intelligent family.  And they spoke English incredibly well, lucky for us!  On Saturday afternoon, Meira and I took a walk up a hill, on a path dedicated to a teenager of the Moshav who fell during the 2nd Lebanon War.  That was an experience in of itself.  There was a light breeze, and the sun was setting as we reached the top (it was only a five minute walk).  It was just a low hill, and yet we were struck by the different landscapes we saw just from our viewpoint: we could see the farmland of the Moshav, cultivated by the few in the Moshav who actually farm for an occupation, we could see the glowing houses of the Moshav, and children playing in the park, and in the distance we could see misty outlines of the city.  It was incredible.

________________

  It's difficult for me to transition, now, to telling you about starting the week, but I suppose that is kind of representative of how it felt.  Difficult, but necessary, with a hint of curiosity as to how this second week would go.  So far, so good.  First day of the week went by quickly, and I even gave a little speech for an assignment I volunteered for (in our Methodology class, each week, four girls give a short speech so that we can observe and critique technique) and it went well!  Apparently, I was very clear with my points, and I was engaging, but I could use a few more examples and talk slower.  In case you were wondering.

  Tonight, we were assigned different teachers' houses to visit.  I was lucky enough to visit my favorite (so far) Rabbi's house - Rav Yonatan.  He's such a nice man, and yet he challenges his students at the same time.  He already has six children, but he and his wife decided to be foster parents to an Ethiopian baby.  She's three months old and she's been with them since she was ten days old.  It's very inspiring to see people giving so much of themselves just to help a poor child and to contribute what they can to society.  She's a beautiful baby, and I imagine it will be very difficult for their family when they have to give her back.  It just struck me as an incredible sacrifice.  And these are the types of people I'm lucky enough to learn from this year.

  Tomorrow we have our first choir meeting - I am, in fact, one of the co-directors.  We'll see how that goes, especially because we'll have to decide on songs to arrange for the competition, which is in January.  If all goes well, we'll be starting practices next Sunday!

  Once again, I've written more than I meant to.  I guess it's a testimony to the depth of experience here - there are so many different things to talk about!  Now, it's time for sleep so that I can wake up early to exercise.  Sometimes I think I'm certifiably crazy.  Goodnight!

Gabriella

22 Classes and 8 Study Sessions Later...

Wow, that's thirty classes. I did not comprehend the intensity of that until just now, when I counted it out. Just to bring you into my current atmosphere, I am now sitting in what is known as "the square"...literally a square of cobblestone, with benches where seminary and yeshiva people gather to utilize the wifi connection. It's a pretty hysterical combination of a social and an antisocial scene.

So I have an array of interesting and exciting classes to tell you about. As the title implies, though, it would take a little bit too much time to tell you about all of them, so I'll just talk about the more thrilling ones. And they really are thrilling. It's so different to be learning by choice, and for no reason but to gain knowledge, skills, and inspiration. No grades!!! That's probably my favorite part. Firstly, the morning, textual classes. One class's intention is purely to know where to find events in all of the Torah. To know when events occurred, and where to find them in the text. Every week we'll learn another six chapters, and be tested (without a grade!!) on what we've learned so far, cumulatively. Another is to learn in depth a specific book of the Five Books. Really, I've been doing this since high school. But here, I'm on my own until the end of the class when we have a discussion (in Hebrew)! It's very gratifying. I've elected to take all of my morning classes in Hebrew, as well as a few others, and I speak Hebrew to Israelis as often as possible. I really want to improve. LiHitshapeir. To improve. See, you can learn it too!

The next class that was truly invigorating was part of Educational Leadership Program. Can a class be invigorating? Well, I think it was. Part of the way through the class, girls from the southern hemisphere, who have already been taking the classes for half a year, burst into the class and took over. It was an elaborate skit in which there was a teacher, a TA, and briefly a principal. We, the students, remained students, but were quickly given slips of paper describing what type of student we were. This seemingly impromptu skit continued for about thirty minutes, and after we all finally broke character we had a discussion about everything that (intentionally) went wrong. It was hysterical. And educational. All of my teachers have great senses of humor. Or "humour" as some of my friends from England would write. I also signed up for volunteer work, where I will be part of a choir made up of girls from different seminaries. We'll be entertaining and performing for people who need cheering up badly, or who just can't afford it. We also just started organizing the HaRova choir to compete in the seminary competition. I'm going to be one of four directors, and others will also help with the arranging and organization.

One extremely energetic and intellectual class was one I took just yesterday, right as I was about to fall asleep. I wasn't tired for long, though. The teacher likes to move around. A lot. Chairs are no obstacle. If he thinks of something, he may even briefly stand up on a table. It's ridiculous, amusing, and engaging. But about the class itself. It's essentially analyzing chapters of Psalms as literary works. Using parallel structure to find deeper and more specific meaning, etc. It's really fascinating. Beyond all of these classes and about fifteen others, I spend two hours a night reviewing material and learning texts and material of my choice. I began by reading the book of Samuel, since I haven't learned that since about fifth grade. I decided to abandon texts, though, as I am already doing so much of that type of learning, and instead read the essays of a Rabbi on how to find deeper meaning in prayer. I've been finding my own inspiration in prayer recently, especially in such a holy city, so I'm interested in reading others' thoughts on it as well.

Tomorrow I'm meeting up with friends from high school, which is exciting. Even though the girls here are great, it's nice to see people who aren't still getting to know me. This Shabbat, I'm staying at a friend's family friend's house right outside of Tel Aviv. It should be quite different from the Old City! And it's important to take a break from the learning so that I can do it all again next week! And the week after that, and the week after that...

I can't wait! Well, actually, since I just finished my week, I could wait a little. But I'm still excited to gain everything I can from my year here. Next time, I won't have to write as much introduction to my life here, since I won't be experiencing as much of an introduction to my life here. Don't worry, I won't be telling you about everything I'm learning each week.

Oh, I forgot something! This morning I went to the Kotel to pray. The air was still cool, but it was sunny. There was some American celebration going on, and everyone was so excited to be there! Then, as I was in the middle of praying, someone from the men's side blew a shofar so purely, it seemed divine. It was beautiful. Then I finished in silence, and backed away from the Wall. I always feel as if I can almost envision my prayers travelling up the wall, which, from the point of view of one standing at the base of it, seems to go straight on until heaven.

There's something amazing about being here that I'm accustomed to. I can't put a finger on it, but I hope I don't get used to it. I have learned the coffee shop's morning employee's name, though. I have no doubt he'll start to know what to get me before I even enter the cafe, before long! Anyways, I do have the time to write, but that doesn't mean I'm not exhausted as I'm typing. So, until next time!

Gabriella

First Shabbat, First Classes

Before I say anything, I'd like to apologize for not being more creative with my post titles.  Maybe it's something I can work on.

So, let's start with Friday. Friday, I learned how to get to one of the malls, and Ben Yehudah street.  There, I met what seemed like every single 18 year old in the world, ran into people from camp, and met up with friends from Connecticut.  Then I met their friends.  It was adventurous, to say the least.  Then I went back to the dorms to get ready for Shabbat.

Shabbat was fantastic - really everything I had envisioned.  We started with a beautiful Kabbalat shabbat (Carlebach style) at the Kotel.  It was a little crowded, but that made the dancing even more exciting.  I stood next to a girl from Toronto who I've connected with musically, and we harmonized the whole time.  Then, we came back for dinner (assigned seating to get to know each other), and I shared high school memories with the girls at my table, and also sang for them because one of them had heard me sing in the shower.  Funny how that happens.

Next, came the Midrasha singing.  We sang and sang and sang.  Then we sang.  The next day we accidentally woke up late, had lunch, and then sang some more.  Then we had some free time, dinner, and then sang Shabbat out the door.  Is it just me or is the word sang starting to sound funny?  Anyways, everything about Shabbat was beautiful.  We were all a little emotional, between being thrilled to be here and being homesick for our own Shabbat tables.

Last night (Saturday night), I went over to one of the apartments to hang out with some of my favorite girls (so far).  Then we basically walked a huge circle around the Old City.

And TODAY was the first day of classes!  It actually went by really quickly and I really enjoyed myself, although I can see myself getting quite tired after a few days. I'll adjust, though.  Just for perspective, not counting times when I have a class more than once a week, or when I'm supposed to study by myself in the Beit Midrash, I have eighteen classes.  Eighteen!  It's crazy.  

So, today I had Gemara (or Talmud), which is a class that's given in Hebrew at my level.  It was pretty great, and I felt really accomplished afterward.  Then I had my methodology class, which is really my cup of tea.  We first read and article about teaching methods, then discussed them, and then talked specifically about how to give a speech.  Next class (in a week), I'll be giving a four minute speech for us to work off of, critique, and learn from.  Then I had free "learning" time, in which I wrote the speech.  Then I learned about laws and Shabbat, then about lessons from the Parshah (weekly portion), and then learned from the book of Samuel I on my own.

For those of you who think I'm insane, I believe I am, and I'm proud of it.  I really feel that after this year, I'll have solidified the knowledge I learned in middle school and high school, and have gained skills for learning on my own, as well.

Tomorrow I have a crazy class where I learn eight chapters of Chumash (Bible) a week.  That should be exciting.  But I also have the evening off.

If I can get my camera to work, I'll add pictures of my roommates and the dorms.  Also, I promise this won't always be detailed descriptions of my courses, it's just what's occupying my thoughts at the moment.  Until next time!

Gabriella

CLASSES!!!

  Hi again!  I know I said once a week, but it's the first few days so of course there are a lot of new developments.

  So, today we signed up for classes.  It took about three hours to go through the classes, and then another half and hour to fill out the forms and hand them in.  It's such an intense schedule, it's a little intimidating, but I know that once we start time will fly and I'll enjoy the intellectual stimulation.

  There are a couple of classes that I'm super excited about.  One is 3 hours a week (split into two classes), where we'll be learning about 8 chapters of Chumash every week, and will ultimately finish the ENTIRE five books.  It's an intense course made to reinforce things we've learned in the past and also solidify our knowledge of where in the books each event takes place (and, in some cases, be reminded that what we consider a Chumash event is actually a commentary).  

   Another course is an Educational Leadership Program, where a class on methodology combined with a practical class will allow those of us taking the course to obtain certificates, and will give me a head start on learning how to teach both secular and Judaic material.  I'm also going to do 3 hours of community service tutoring Israelis in English.  I can't wait for all of the hands-on applications.

  I'm already learning a few new hebrew words, although the process will be slow for a while.  I learned that Tam-Tam means very tasty, Kaspomat = ATM machine, and instead of saying lishnot et hakesef (to change the money), it's much more accurate to say lihachlif et hakesef, to exchange the money.  I also had a funny moment where I tried to pay with coins that I thought were shekalim, but were actually agarot, which are barely worth anything.

  I can already tell that my skills in modern and classic hebrew will improve immensely, as long as I make it one of my priorities.  Israelis tend to speak to you in English if they don't feel like listening to your broken hebrew, but they'll just have to deal because I WILL get better.

  Okay, time for sleep.  Tomorrow we're having a few info sessions (rules and regulations, etc) and then we're going on a Tiyul (hike), on which it is rumored there will be some water to jump in.  It's definitely hot enough!

Until next time (I'll try to give you a little break),

Gabriella

The Beginning (aka Orientation)

  Hi! I'm here! In Jerusalem, in Israel, in my beautiful seminary! It's been an extremely long 30 hours. The flight was pretty smooth, and I even slept in and out for about 6 hours out of the 10 hours it took to get here.

  We landed at about 5 pm Israel time, and since then, we went through ridiculous baggage claim, then drove to Yerushalayim, to the Rova (the Jewish quarter). Then we had some dinner, got our room keys, and after relaxing for an hour or so, went to the Kotel to pray. The walk to the Kotel is a mere 5 minutes long, and as soon as I saw the Wall lit up (about 3 minutes after I started walking), I knew that this year would be something special. Honestly, it may take a little bit for me to get used to the learning schedule, but that was to be expected. This week is orientation, and we're going to spend Shabbat together at the Midrasha (the seminary), and then begin learning on Sunday. I'm very excited to be able to choose between different types of classes, instead of being handed what I have to learn.

  My roommates are all very nice, it was exciting to finally meet them after talking on facebook this past month. We're going to get along fine (at the very least), we'll just have to work out where to keep all of our stuff first. There are a lot of girls in the program. There are about 75 North American girls, 10 Southern Hemisphere girls, and 20 Europeans. There is also an Israeli part of the seminary, but for the most part, they're a completely different group.

  Our building is made out of cobblestone and marble, one of my favorite things about the Old City. It's gorgeous! I can't wait to walk through the city and explore.

Well, I'm going to go unpack and figure out where I'm going to fit everything. Everything's so new right now, I'm sure I'll be writing again soon!

Ellie

Starting my blog

Dear Friends and Family,

Welcome to my blog! I hope you found it without too much trouble.

As you may know, I am spending this academic year in Jerusalem, Israel, in a dormitory with other girls attending my seminary, Midreshet Harova. At Harova, I will be studying Jewish texts, philosophy, and laws, as well as learning about Israel and becoming more fluent in Hebrew. I'll also be doing community service in Jerusalem, as well as touring most of Israel.

Since I will be far away and, in most cases, unable to communicate on a regular basis, I decided I would start a blog (as you can see). I'll try to write regularly, hopefully at least once a week, and I'll give updates on how my year is going and what I've been doing. Otherwise, if you want to get in touch with me, please email me at Gabriellaesther@yahoo.com, or Skype me (my username is gabriella.feingold).

So here's my first update:
I'm almost done packing! I have a staging area where essentially my entire world is piled up, ready to be stuffed into the two suitcases I'm allowed. A week from this very moment, I will be just arriving in New York with my family for a nice dinner before I take off! I couldn't be more excited. I've been facebooking my roommates (there are FIVE of us in one room), and I can tell it's going to be a great year. I'm anticipating lasting friendships, spiritual growth, and a year where I can just focus on myself without any pressure whatsoever! And all of this will happen just a few hundred feet from the Western Wall.

It's strange that I've only been to Israel once, and yet I feel such a connection to it. I can't wait to tell you all about the discoveries I make there. I've even already been given coupons from a friend to what I hear is the most fantastic, unexplainably delicious bagel shop in the Jewish Quarter. I'll let you know how those turn out.

So, sometimes my posts with be long, sometimes I may only have time to type a few sentences in between classes. Either way, I hope my excitement will show through so that you can enjoy reading about this crazy, once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity year!

Next time in Jerusalem!

Love,
Gabriella