Everyone and their mothers

So I left my last blog with the stunning arrival of me to Israel and my miraculous beat the clock taxi ride to my cousin Leah’s before Shabbat. Let me just say that there is a superstition in Judaism that one should not sleep through all of Shabbat since it is as if you are knocking on death’s door. Luckily I did not sleep all of it but after the wonderful Shabbat dinner and a little stroll through the city of Petach Tikvah, Judy and I were passed out at 9:00 Friday evening. A tranquil sleep overcame us and when our eyes opened the next day even though our internal clocks thought it to be around 10:00 in the morning the digital clock next to the bed displayed 3:00 in the afternoon. HOW THE HECK did we sleep for 18 hours. I believe that is another first in my life that I would not have on my bucket list. Getting up was a mix of grogginess and disbelief but we had to get up and eat breakfast lunch and dinner all at once, what a way to start my trip. As things settled down we let out Shabbat and tried to figure out our next plan, luckily we were going with the flow and no one was worried. We got into contact with some of our Nativ friends in Jerusalem and decided to meet up with them that night. After thanking Leah so much for letting us stay, we bid farewell and took our stuff to the bus stop. She made sure that I had to return next week since Ruben’s daughter just had a baby boy and the Brit was something I could not miss.

Coming to Jerusalem is an experience that ceases to amaze me every single time it happens. There is no other place in the world that brings people together like the holiest city in the world. Unfortunately for Judy and I, the bus was totally packed and we had to stand the entire time. Fortunate for me, there was a nice girl standing behind me wearing a purple American apparel jacket (it’s a dead giveaway that you are American). We got into a conversation and turns out she is Canadian. Then credit to Jewish geography, I found out that she goes to camp with my cousins Kaylee, Dari, and Nissa Kreitenberg. That would be the first connection made in Jerusalem to start the evening. Once arrived at the Tachanah Mercazit, everything came flooding back. The sights/smells/people it seemed as though I had never left. I was so ecstatic to be back in a place that had been so meaningful to me 2 years ago. With all my crap I needed a place to drop it off so I could go out and meet up with friends. Of course the first place that came to mind was Beit Nativ. It seems that the place that you once called home always leaves its door open for you. So to our old stomping grounds we trekked and to the infinite surprises that this city brings who would be walking out of the door as I roll up none other than the cutest younger brother I never had Aaron Leven. It was his last night before he went off to experience gadna for a week. Of course it was a sweet reunion that we kept short since he had places to go and people to see. After dropping our stuff down for the night, we headed to kikar tzion where all the action is. On the way we laughed and reminisced about all the epic nights we had that started off with the infamous walk through gan ha’atzmaut. Once on the main square that is the heart of downtown of course it was infested with American tourists visiting on Birthright (it is amazing that I no longer feel like an American tourist when I come back). Of course small world that it is I run into Evan and Julia from Arizona. They were on the Hillel trip and of course it was their last night. After catching up and having Judy patiently wait, we meet with the guests of the hour. Jessica Cooper and David Bocarsly come running to meet us. It was great to see them and we decided to just walk around and hang out in the surrounding area. It seemed like the world came together that night. After having a blast and staying up till who knows how late bed time came rolling around. I could not have asked for a better start to my Israel experience!!!