A week to experience

This past week has seemed like more of a blur than an actual week. I have had class, work, friends, and of course drama. I started off with a bang on Sunday since I had a meeting with David Keren to discuss my summer job of Pilgrimage. I met with him and we talked about what the job entails, who I am working with, what I can expect to get out of it, and many other topics that I was curious about. We had a blast doing it in an informal way; he is a sweet man that really makes spending time with him enjoyable. Of course the topic of Aliyah came up as it always does with my friends and associates in this country and I told him that my passion for this place has come to me being involved in it and applying it to every aspect of my life but as for me living here it is not in the cards right now. That answer is always followed with that makes sense but it is sad to hear. I finished my meeting and then said a quick hello to JJ and tried to figure out a time that we could get together for dinner. I really miss his kids and want to spend more time around them while I am here. I got to bed early so I could wake up refreshed and ready to go. The one thing I have realized though that is a fatal flaw, the more sleep you get the more you want. It is a vicious cycle that one day I will figure out how to beat the system.

I spent the days busying myself with school work and attempting to reconnect with some people back home that I had not spoken to in a long time. I had e-mails to get to, letters to write, blogs to post you name it and I had to catch up on it. I sat myself down I the library and got to it. I did not make a very large dent in the task list since I got a call from Adam to do lunch. I don’t pass those up since he is so busy here with everything that is going on that when he makes time I have to jump on it. We got some grub at Frankies and talked about life and how happy we are with everything that we have and is going on. He is truly a great guy that I cherish every moment we spend together. Afterwards I finished up class and bustled home to say goodbye to Talia who was leaving for London to visit friends. I then finished the night at my apartment hanging out with the roommates that I normally do not see which was a nice change of pace for me.

Nothing too out of the ordinary happened the rest of the week, just some nice events that I usually go to. I had my Face to Face program where we got together and talked about how we can make a program that will do what we are doing on a larger scale. We tried to figure out how to make a difference in the communication that goes on between Israelis and non-israelis that changes the way they look at each other. I believe it is a key element in the relationship between the two that is mostly neglected. The stereotypes that we hold for the opposite group detract the beauty that is found underneath the surfaces. Whether it is the gruff exterior of an Israeli that hides the scared innocence or the proper American that holds dismay for the chaotic hustle of life, looking beyond that we can see the truth behind it all. I have learned an important lesson while part of this program and that is that until we see the other side’s perspective we can never truly come together.

I had a culinary experience as part of my spring in Jerusalem program where we ate different foods from different ethnic jews. Iraqi rice, Ethiopian vegetables, Israeli salad, just to name a few all helped in understanding how the differences of our histories shaped the bringing together of this state. It was a lovely presentation that wrapped up a stressful week. I decided that it had been long enough and was about time that I saw my host family from Nativ. So this Shabbat I am going south to Yerucham.

The GREEN Line

This Shabbat was one that I don’t think I will forget anytime soon. I decided to go with josh to his family friends the Guts who live in Efrat. We spent the morning downtown at machne buying the entire market up. I am pretty sure we had more food than we knew what to do with. Then we made our way across the green line(my first time in gush etzion) which was tantamount to crossing into Jordan(jk). We got a nice tour from eric who took us around the surrounding communities to see what life is like there. We arrive with plenty of time to spare before Shabbat, and were able to make ourselves presentable (it is kind of hard these days with a 4 week omer beard). We then headed to 1 of 9 synagogues in Efrat. There was a very spiritual and wonderful tefillah. The man leading kabbalat Shabbat put his soul into davening and made it connect with me. Right after I finish praying and I am leaving the building, of course who do I run into of all people: Yehuda Marcus. He was an israeli staff for wheels in 2008. He had been in the states for the past couple months traveling in Denver and working in New York. He just returned to Israel this past week and had the honor of seeing him on his first Shabbat back. We talked and caught up on the long 2 year absence that has been since I last saw him. Then it was off to dinner with the group. We went to a good friend of Eric’s by the name of Saul. He is a doctor that travels every 2 weeks back to NY to work and then 2 weeks to live here in israel. He is a brilliant man who has extensive knowledge in all aspects of life. We began a conversation in the beginning of dinner and i was so entrenched that the next thing I knew we had been talking for 2 hours. Often I had trouble keeping up with him but somehow he still complimented me on how smart I was and gave me great compliments. Besides the great conversation, the food was incredible. For some reason every single family I go to worries that I will not eat enough because I am a vegetarian but they all fail to realize that I make up for it by eating every single thing that I can instead of others that pass on food. The entire evening was amazing in so many facets. It was so different for me being a stimulating night that does not usually happen here with my college friends. The rest of shabbat was very relaxing. It consisted of a lot of reading, a lot of eating, some davened, spending quality time with josh and his family, and really realizing the holiness of the day that is something not to be taken lightly. The view from the settlements is beautiful and makes you realize that all of Israel is special and the territories that were given up are more than just pieces of game for peace. The weekend made me realize that the issues of settlements are a little more complex than we realize and the vigor that people express may need to be calmed.

Getting back from Efrat may be the easiest thing to do when it comes to transportation. Normally the bus arrives, goes through the entire town, comes back to tachanah mercazit all within an hour and a half. However, most of these American settlers in Efrat have business or relatives in Jerusalem and travel to see them after Shabbat. I walked out of Eric and Karen’s and the first couple I ran into I asked where they were going and the said Jerusalem so I asked for a ride for Joshy and myself and they were happy to oblige. They took us to Emek Rafaim where we hopped on the bus back to the cfar. I then had to rush myself out of the door to meet some people downtown. While waiting for them outside of a bar I thought I saw someone I knew having a drink and then after a double take I did in fact know her. It was Ayelet Firstenberg a girl from LA that has gone to school with my brother josh, and the sister of Gali who was in my grade. I chatted with her for a little since I had not seen her in like 10 years. She is here hanging, interning, and living life. It was really great to see her, a kind of blast from the past.

Yom Hazikaron & Yom Ha'atzmaut

Luckily, I did not have to go back to school after the weekend since I had an extended break due to Yom hazikaron and Yom ha’atzmaut being on Monday and Tuesday. However the days were not vacations where I could relax since they were jam packed with stuff that I was doing. On erev Yom hazikaron I had dinner with shoshie which was great since she was leaving 2 days later and I was worried I would not get to see her before she left. We then went to the MASA remembrance event where we sat with Benji and Arya. We took part in a somber tekes that remembered the lives of 7 fallen lone soldiers (one of them being Michael Levin z’’l). It was a very powerful night that had the entire country commemorating together. Then in the morning my spring in Jerusalem program had our own event. We traveled around Jerusalem to sights of important battles during the Independence war. We learned about the people that fell in order to keep the state alive. We saw a military tekes in Givat Ananim which not many people go to but is powerful. There was a 7 gun salute at the end along with wreaths placed as memorials. It was a very moving day that drained me both physically and emotionally but when the evening came I had to 180 how I felt since it was then yom ha’atzmaut right away. The whole city light up in moments as the celebration of Israel’s 62^nd year of existence was marked. The parties were ubiquitous. I went downtown with all my friends and ran into everyone I know that is in Jerusalem. Sari Roy, Brett and Aderet, Yael, Joel, Joey Heyman, Nativ kids, Shoshana, and more. It was the time to celebrate and have fun with the rest of the country. I went from live music on ben yehuda, to the shuk which was transformed into a student party, to kikar safra where Israeli dancing was going on until 3 in the morning. Everywhere you went; kids were playing with sill string and shaving cream, adults were singing and dancing, teenagers were drinking, and everyone was having fun. Fireworks went off numerous amounts of time throughout the evening and they were spectacular. I met up with David Helfand and we walked around and caught up on life. He loves Nativ and ready to go home for a little before having to start his first summer as staff on USY on Wheels. Most likely he will then be in LA at the AJU studying his little tush off. The night lasted way to long and I did not get back to the cfar until the wee hours of the night. I did get to sleep in a little since my friend’s BBQ was not until 1. It happened to be at Gan Ha’atzmaut where the Nativ BBQ is also held. I made sure to stop by and say hi to Yossi and Elkana, I even ran into Katja for a split second and we said hello. I then ate with my friends and played a little baseball. As exhausted as I was I went back to the cfar and called it a day.

The tail end of the week was just as eventful since it was the time of family. First one up was Michal Kogen’s mother and brother were here and I was dying to meet them. We all went out to dinner and had the best time ever. I can see why that family is so close and all love each other to death. The next on the list was Sharon Grob was back in Jerusalem and wanted to take us out for dinner as well. This was also so much fun since we went to a meat place and she freaked out that I would not have enough to eat and there ended up being too much food on the table. It was so much fun to be with them and it made me miss the good old days of high school when every Shabbat, me and the gang would go over to the grobs for sports and lunch. That night did not end there since I got to hang out with Tamar Rohatiner for the whole evening talking about our lives and our futures. It was one of those talks that really makes you put your life into perspective and see how many blessings you truly have. I can tell you that in my life there are countless blessings and I don’t take a single one of you for granted.

Teitelbaum Squared

The weekend began on Thursday afternoon at 6:00 once my last class ended. I immediately packed up my stuff and got off campus to run into an already waiting man in uniform by the name of JP(who also happens to be my best friend). He surprised me at school when I thought he was coming later. We went back to my place and enjoyed some food while talking about life and how the army life is. That evening we met up with some people downtown and then got to bed early so we could fully utilize our time on Friday. That morning I discovered something amazing that I could not believe has not been in my life, it is called Friday morning breakfast. I usually don’t do the breakfast in the morning since I am sleeping in, writing for my blog, or traveling. This beautiful however, JP took me to café rimon and we had their Friday morning special, which consisted of perfectly grilled cheese, salad, cream cheese, and limonana. It was heavenly and actually put me in a good mood for the rest of the day. We then went to the shuk so I could pick up some food to prepare for Shabbat. As the time was getting closer to noon we made our way to the old city to see if we could find mike and his group. We thought of the brilliant idea that maybe they would go to the kotel. As we approach the wall, JP is in full gear and kumpta and I spot mike with his jeans and polo. JP decides to be slick and walks up to the wall right next to his brother without him noticing. Then he turned to his little brother and the 2 caught each other’s glare and I truly believe that time stopped for that moment. Then as though G-d descended to cover these two boys they embraced as one. I have never seen such a moment between brothers before that brought me to tears. It was as if their entire lives had gone by and they are greeting each other as long lost souls. After all the mushy stuff we got out of their and took the kid to burgers bar to taste his first Israeli burger. He devoured that thing in less time than I had to make fun of him for it. I unfortunately had to leave for the moment since I had another person to say hi to before shabbat came in. Susan Leider was here with Talia and I had to see them. They were also with the magen program and apparently brought have of Temple Beth Am with them. It was really nice to see my shul and a lot of the people there that have known me growing up and happy to see me in Israel. After my meet and greets, I had to get back to the cfar to prepare Shabbat dinner. I cooked for JP and myself some lasagna, mashed potatoes, green beans, and salad. We ate together and then spent the night laughing and joking about differences in our life paths right now. No matter what we are doing I know that JP and I will always make time to see each other and be there for each other when it counts.

On Shabbat morning, I went to shul and let JP sleep in(even though he didn’t). When I returned it was to the heavenly aroma of JP’s famous omlettes. They tasted better than they smelled if even possible. We sat outside since it was one of the more beautiful days on har hatzofim. JP then went and picked up mike and we all hung out together. He told us stories of how the trip had been going and what he appreciated experiencing. We feed him as much as possible, gave him contact info for IDC, and spent quality time together. Then he left us and we let Shabbat out together with some seudat shilshit and havdallah(this was one of the few times that I have heard JP say a bracha). Then we made our way downtown to meet up with mike for a 3^rd time and just walked around the ben yehuda area. We took him to Schnitzis since how can you be in Jerusalem and not eat there. While waiting for them outside the restaurant I ran into Valerie Berkeley who was also on march of the living. It is crazy who you will run into in this country. All I know is I enjoyed the weekend and was lucky to be with 2 amazing brothers.

Its about time!?!?!?

Pesach break ended on a Tuesday night and I had school starting that Wednesday. They only thing is I did not have any classes on Thursday or Friday so the draw for me to go to school was not a very enticing one. However, I sucked it up of course and made the small trek to school to push through 10 hours of the day until I was free again for another week. It was not totally unbearable and I made it through to find myself bored the next day without anything to do. I got an invitation to go back to the Amit’s house for Shabbat from Adam and of course I took it in a heartbeat since I think they are a wonderful family.

That Friday was an exciting episode at the shuk for me since I walked through it in less than 40 mins getting everything I needed to bring for Shabbat which honestly never happens. Afterwards, off to the Amits for a spectacular time. We went to dinner at a family friend of theirs by the Taliyelet. There was great food, company, conversation, and fun. I was seated by the adults actually and so most of my conversation included troubled youth and my stance on how to deal with them. I got many compliments on my approaches towards helping kids. It helps validate my choice on becoming a school guidance counselor. The walk home normally takes over 2 hours with these kids but with our help it took a record 48 minutes. Shabbat morning was a whole bunch of excitement since the kids wake up bright and early and made sure we were aware of it. They got into small fights and I got the green light to take care of it so I decided to take the funny route and I tickled the kids until they surrendered and stopped fighting. I unfortunately could not stay for lunch since I had a picnic plan with Josh and his family. Sharon and Rivka were visiting on the Magen program and wanted to see me. It was a beautiful day and I was not the only guest. Yael Weinstock and her husband were there along with Joel Goldstein and his wife. It was so great to see them both since they had been so busy with the excitement of their lives. It was a moment that I cherished since all the people I was surrounded with shaped my childhood and made my life better. I closed out the Shabbat with a beautiful havdallah and then booked it out there since adam and I had a birthday dinner for our good friend max. It was one of the funnier birthday dinners that I have been to. We met him at an Ethiopian restaurant and apparently we were the only guys. The rest of the group was his friends that were girls and that I really didn’t even know. So for me being there was really only for Max but he really appreciated it.

The following week was Midterms week so I decided to bury myself in my room. I lost all contact with the outside world for 5 straight days. I had tests in all my classes each one following the other. I started with Hebrew having both a project of reading the newspaper and presenting an article as well as a culminating exam of everything we had learned. Then I had my midterm in Islam that tested me on the history of the Arab Empire, the Quran, and Hadith. I was very much in study work mode and it proved to be a very draining task. After the 5 days from Hell, I was free again to enjoy my time here as well as communicate with friends again. I stopped looking at my e-mails for that week and apparently the world doesn’t stop when we want it to. I did receive a very important one though from Alyse Teitelbaum informing me that her son Mike was coming on March of the Living to Israel. I then got a bonus news addition that JP was coming to stay by me for Shabbat and the weekend. I was so excited that I was now done with all my tests, one of my best friends was staying by me for the weekend, and I was once again free to enjoy my time here in Israel. I have begun to realize a concurring theme, I am happy here J