Sha-na-na-na-na Tova

So this posting has been a post in the making.  It was started before Rosh Hashanah, continued through Yom Kippur, and even made it into Sukkot.  We'll just say that September was a super busy month!! (and clearly October and part of November, as its November 10th and I'm just getting to finishing it up!)

I've always loved Rosh Hashanah and its definitely been for reasons other than there being no school!!  I think its the association with new beginnings.   I love new things.  How could you not?  There's so much excitement that comes along with it.  Think about it.  A new article of clothing to wear.  A new ice cream flavor to try.  A new song by your favorite band to blast on your iphone while walking down the street.  The list is endless...

Well, this year I was especially excited for the new year to approach.  I've never been one to enjoy the synagogue experience.  And while I do attend services both days of the holiday, its not the meaning that I derive there that really stays with me rather its the community feel and the reflection that I do on my own that I enjoy.  Walking to shul on RH was breathtaking.  It was really beautiful and there was such a Jew-y feeling in the air.  Something spiritual.  Kind of like that moment during a run I had a few weeks ago with my friend Beth when it started to torrential downpour on us but it was awesome and miraculous and we looked at each other and just said "HaShem".  I get to pass a reform temple on my way to shul and I happened to walk past just as a big wave of people were entering.  It was really cool. All different kinds of people and arriving in all different ways.  My favorite was the ones who came by taxi cab.  Such is the urban life...

Flash forward to Yom Kippur.  We did an activity at school the day of which had the kids listening to an orchestral version of "Kol Nidre" and just taking in the music.  We asked them to jot down some thoughts and feelings about they heard.  It was really cool to see them connect to a musical piece and then have the big revelation that its actually something Jewish.  Kol Nidre has always been the prayer that gives the whole high holiday experience deeper meaning for me.  I was happy to say goodbye to last year and use everything that I learned then in the year to come.

The last few months I've been thinking a lot about paying it forward and the balance of the world.  It kind of started one day at work when one of my colleagues refused to help me out with something.  I was so annoyed by the selfishness and really carried it with me.  I ended up going for a run that same afternoon and as I hit mile 5 I saw an older man fall down really hard on the path.  I stopped my run to see how he was doing, but before I could even get to him another person did and helped the old man up and really took over.  There was not much for me to do so I went back to running, but as I left I smiled thinking, "one persons selfishness today led to someone else's generosity." I guess thats how the world balances out.

I hit a major accomplishment last Sunday.  I ran a 15K race (thats 9.3 miles!) and as hard as it was to get through because of a slight knee injury it felt absolutely amazing to cross that finish line! :)  It was amazing to know that I had set a goal for myself and was able to accomplish it.  I would never have believed anyone a year ago that I could run over 9 miles. Here are some photos below.... enjoy!

I was so emotional.

But still definitely happy!

This is my favorite picture in the whole entire world.  This is friendship.

CJ looks like she can run a half marathon in the photo.  I look like I'm ready for bed.

The best.

Our official Hot Choc picture

Delicious treats!

September 11, 2012

I started blogging the other day about my feelings in regards to the upcoming 9/11 and after reading it over I felt that it sounded too angry.  At first I thought that it wouldn't do me any good to post what I'd written and that it wasn't important enough for me to have others read these thoughts.  However, after thinking through it a little more I do want to start with some angry words.  I acknowledge that its ok to be angry. Trust me when I say I've spent many years working through the many emotions that surround 9/11.  However I don't only want to be angry.  It just doesn't do any good...  So this entry will be two-fold.  I'll start with some harsher feelings but I'll hopefully mold it into something more beneficial- both for myself and for others.

In the eleven years since September 11th I don't think I ever outwardly showed too much anger.  It was easier to dwell on the pain and sorrow of missing Josh than to think about how that day marked me and infuriated me. For almost a decade Bin Laden the coward dwelt in a cave and continued his reign of terror.  I'll never forget the day he was killed and all the idiotic postings on Facebook that followed. Someone so evil had so much of the worlds attention.  I refused to acknowledge him or his death at the time.  He didn't deserve my attention. I do, however, regret having the chance while he was still on this earth to say Fuck You, Osama Bin Laden.  During my inservice week at BZAEDS we had a one hour meeting on security protocols in the building.  Most of the meeting was repetition of common sense knowledge and when the informational part ended the person leading the meeting told us that we would now be quizzed on what we learned.  There were even Starbucks giftcards to be given out.  The next 10 minutes included the most tasteless game I've ever witnessed.  Instead of actually quizzing us on what we'd "learned" they put up photos of people and we began a game of "name that terrorist".  People were laughing as each new disgusting murderous face was projected and trying to compete with each other and show how well they knew their terrorist trivia.  As the last photo was projected onto the screen I found myself face to face with Mohamed Atta, one of the hijacker terrorists who flew the AA flight into the North tower of the World Trade Center.  Trying to fight back tears in a room full of stupidity, I came face to face with my own demons and my own hatred.  This man and several others took so much away from me on that tragic Tuesday.  First and foremost will always be the fact that they killed my best friend, a person who I held so dearly in my heart.  Josh was everything.  He was strength, he was beauty, he was laughter, and honesty, and most importantly, he was friendship.  He showed me how to embrace life and see the miraculous things that existed in the world.  He made the world a better place just by being in it.  Secondly, through carrying out their horrific "attack on america" they terrorized me, personally.  And although as time passes and I no longer re-live the actual trauma of that day over and over anymore, I've been marked in so many other ways...

And in that moment of staring up at that terrorist on the screen I realized that I've never had a chance to cringe at his (or others) photo and say "Fuck you.  Fuck you for..."

• Making me learn what it meant to lose someone special at such a young age
• Making me forget how to smile
• Giving me years of sleepless nights
• Instilling a paralyzing fear in me when hearing a low flying plane
• Making me afraid of tall buildings
• The stress I experience when watching any movie about the destruction of a city (especially NYC)
• Making it so hard for me to open up and trust
• Instilling in me a deep fear of loss
• Marking one specific day every year in which I spend an entire month preparing for
• And mostly, for teaching people in this world that it is ok to hate and that turning to violence is the answer to all problems.

I hope that I spend the rest of my life working as hard as I can teaching people that hatred is not an acceptable answer.  If there's one way that 9/11 really changed me its that in breaking my heart it made me envision the kind of world I wanted to live in.  It taught me to see things in a colorful and positive way and hope to live in serenity and with a peaceful heart.  It pointed me towards helping people and children and building beautiful relationships with others.  It taught me to be humane.  It pushed me to want to see the world and all the amazing places and people that exist within it.  It taught me to live for today.

I've spent eleven years trying to be as reflective as I possibly can.  And let me tell you, its been a s...l...o...w process.  I know that that day changed everybody who lived in NewYork and perhaps around the country and the world as well.  Perhaps for people not closely affected or related to the victims it may not have been in the same way I or others like me were affected, but still.  I used to see it in the eyes of my friends.  The pain and anguish of watching a friend living through pain and living it along with them.  I'm not sure that I've ever really told the people who meant most to me over the years what and how they'd done to help make me stronger.  The list is endless.  For not leaving me unattended in the first few weeks, for allowing me to sleep in your rooms when I was so scared of being alone, for reaching for my hand at the right moments, for wiping away my endless tears and listening to my endless cries, for crying with me, for giving me hugs and providing me with so much love and comfort, for attending the vigil at the 1 year anniversary, for reminding me how to smile, for remembering Josh with me, for remembering Josh on your own, for sharing your memories with me, for speaking about him in your communities, for writing me emails or facebook messages on or around 9/11, for celebrating his birthday with me, for flying a kite in his memory, for showing me in your eyes the way you were affected too, for giving me strength when I needed it most, for not giving up on me, for teaching me how to let people in again, for opening my heart, for loving me, and for always standing by my side.  There aren't enough words to express how blessed I feel to have you all in my life.  There will never be a day that goes by where I don't think of Josh, where I don't wish that he was still alive, where I don't feel robbed of precious time that could've been spent joking around with him and sharing with him.  But I look at my life and these past eleven years and I know that I've done exactly what he would have wanted me to do... I've lived.  I've lived for me and for him.  And he's still here somehow.  Some days I feel him stronger than others.  Some days he leaves pennies or sunflowers or dragonflies to remind me that he's here.  And some days I just have to hear Jill's laugh or see her smile and he's right there with us.

I wish this year as I do every year that people remember.  Remember Josh.  Joshua David Birnbaum.  Who was taken at age 24, well before his time.  Remember the others.  Parents, children, siblings, family, and friends.  While I am just one person, there are thousands more just like me out there who struggle to get through this day and to find a little peace in their hearts.  And while I hope so much that you remember, I also ask you this year to try to let the good outweigh the bad.  Find a little more patience, remember to smile, see the good in things, and just try to make this world a better place.  For Josh.

"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to a new understanding with a passing whisper of their wisdom. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same." *****JDB 6/17/77-9/11/01*****

Community

com·mu·ni·ty

   [kuh-myoo-ni-tee]  Show IPA

noun, plural com·mu·ni·ties.

1.

a social group of any size whose members reside in aspecific locality, share government, and often have acommon cultural and historical heritage.

The definition of community in the dictionary doesn't remotely come close to the reality of all that the word stands for. Two weeks ago began with a terrible loss in the BZAEDS community. A tragic one.  Unfair.  Devastating.  One that affected all its members.  I attended the funeral and a shiva visit and I was so deeply struck by the concept of community.  This concept of having a family that will look out for you, be there for you, mourn with you, and stand behind you is incredible.  I think back through all the different "communities" I have been lucky to be a part of throughout time and feel quite blessed.

After a few weeks in a row of bad news, I finally got to experience a more positive side to the concept of community yesterday.  A wedding.  Two people truly in love declaring their commitment to each other in front of all their friends and family.  So much happiness, love, and support.  There are two parts of a Jewish wedding that always get me.  The first is in the moment of the 'Bedekin' where the groom 'checks' the bride to make sure its the right one.  That moment always contains a spark as the couple recognizes they are moments away from being wed.  It always provokes a few tears.  The second is during the actual ceremony when the groom places a ring on the finger of the bride and says, "הרי את מקודשת לי בטבעת זו כדת משה וישראל".  To me this saying brings the concept of holiness into the wedding.  Not all of the other prayers and blessings, but rather this moment when the groom stands under the chuppah and places the ring on his bride declaring her his.

And there's no better way to celebrate the beginning of a new year with a joyous occasion.  So thank you, Laura and Ezra for having me celebrate your new beginnings with you.  They inspire my new beginnings.  And thank you to Barb for being the most amazing date, the night was filled with so much LAUGHTER.

Tomorrow marks the first day of the school year.  While I cannot believe that the summer has passed I am also a little relieved that tomorrow will mark the return of structure to my life.  The summer proved to be fantastic.  I really enjoyed myself, challenged myself, tried out new things, met new people and continued this adventure.  Tomorrow will mark a new kind of challenge with lots of new faces that will both teach me and learn from me.  I can't wait.

So... I bid a farewell to summer.  I am sure that come 2013 I will eagerly await your return... in the meantime, September has arrived.  I'll continue with that one next week.

50 Shades of Leehe

I started reading the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy when I got home to Chicago and although I devoured them rather quickly, I wasn't all that enamored by them.  Seriously folks, what is the big deal?  So the guy likes to have kinky sex and a lot of it, but why all the media and attention?  It was no better than Twilight.  Adolescent junk for my brain.  In the book, the lovely Anastasia refers to her boyfriend as 50 shades of fucked up.  I liked the reference of 50 shades of something and it made me think a little about my year and the 50 shades that I've experienced.  For those of you who decide to waste your time reading those books, I hope you enjoy them but don't have high expectations!  It was however the perfect read for the summer...

Today is August 10th and I am almost in awe that the summer has flown by so quickly.  It feels like yesterday that I arrived back in Chicago.  On one hand I feel like I've been rather lazy (like waking up around 11 every day) and haven't done much this summer, but I know this isn't really true.  I compiled a list last week to make myself feel better and actually see all that I've accomplished.

-Got a job to keep me busy
-Finished a painting
-Started two more paintings
-Read 50 Shades trilogy, Tao of Pooh, City of Thieves, Hunger Games, Catching Fire (and I'll be done with Mockingjay in a few days)
-Went strawberry picking
-Made strawberry jam
-Baked bread for the first time ever (and then again!)
-Rode my bike
-Listened to new music
-Went to Ravinia twice
-Went to the Aquarium to see the Jellies
-Visited the Art Institute and saw the Lichtenstein exhibit
-Participated in iPad training
-Learned and compiled a new curriculum for a "Foundations of Jewish History" course
-Tried new burgers at BurgerFest
-Went on a mini road trip to West Bloomfield, Michigan
-Visited Camp Tamarack for the first time
-Looked for bugs with Libby in the park
-Made new friends and reconnected with old ones
-Hit softballs at Sluggers
-Ran 4.5 miles (the most I've done in over a year) and consistently ran 3 miles this whole summer
-Taken long walks by the lake and watched a few sunsets while listening to my favorite music
-Got a blender and made all kinds of creative smoothies (including spinach!)

and most of all.... have been super inspired!!  Not bad, right??

Even though I don't feel completely grounded yet, I think thats a really good thing.  Life isn't supposed to fall back into place because I returned to Chicago a completely different person than the one I left.  I've still had some moments of instability this summer but I've found that in those moments if I channel that energy into a really good run or activity I feel much stronger.  I have 2 weeks left of vacation before the summer officially ends and school goes back into session.  I'll admit that there are some nerves, but I think that beyond the nerves is a lot of excitement as well.  I'm eager to get back into routine and to be in the classroom.  I miss making such a big difference in the lives of others.  I am really looking forward to meeting my new students and to the whole year of inspirational teaching that lies ahead.

August has always been a hard month for me... its the month before September, the worst of them all.  Its always around mid-August when I start to feel that pain well up in the pit of my stomach.  And although its started already and my eyes get teary just thinking ahead to the 11th anniversary I have had many signs this summer, a protective hand and warm encouragement from beyond.  (Especially during those runs where I haven't felt I could break a new record!)  And I've seen so many dragonflies...

When I was in Israel I made myself a list of things I wanted to always remember and have with me.  I've turned back to it in moments when I felt like I needed some encouragement.  I wanted to share it with the world because everyone has days and moments where they can use a little extra help.

Make memories.  

Laugh often.

Compliment someone.

Share your feelings.

Take long walks with a friend.

Breathe in clean, crisp outside air.

Run.

Paint something.

Appreciate beauty.

Be thankful.

A special shout out to the friends who have been such an amazing part of my life these last few months, both old and new.  Thank you for bringing your music into my adventure.

What inspires you?

Have you ever thought about where inspiration comes from?  Why is it that certain things, moments, and people make us feel something and give us a push to do things more differently? I have felt really inspired since I've been back in Chicago.  I can't decide if its only because of the events of the 5 months in Israel or perhaps if the act itself of returning home left a deeper impact on me.  Chicago feels different to me, home feels different, my life feels different.  And its all good.

I dug up my art supplies two weeks after returning home and have started painting again.  It is a very grounding feeling to be doing something that I love doing so much.  Its been a few years since I've made time to really focus on my art and even though I worked on a painting that I had already started long ago, it was really rewarding to be making art as well as completing a project.

I've had a few projects on the agenda for this summer.  A few weeks ago I went strawberry picking in a farm up in McHenry County.  It was a beautiful sunny day and the strawberries were delicious and so fun to pick.  I had decided that I was going to attempt making strawberry jam.  Such an exciting adventure and after following a recipe (more or less) from the cookbook of Christine Ferber (thanks to the suggestion of my friend Adam!) I had a fantastic strawberry jam.  Well, I figured I shouldn't stop there.  So I found a recipe for Honey Wheat Bread, one that isn't baked in a bread machine and attempted my baking skills.  I must say, after being away from the kitchen for 6 months and feeling a little out of practice, the bread was A-MAZING.

Other highlights of my return home have included catching up with dear friends (both old and new!), re-exploring my neighborhood, and starting a summer job at an ice cream and candy store.  I had gotten it into my head back in Israel that I wanted to get a job soon after I returned home just to help me feel more grounded at home and slowly ease back into a regular working lifestyle.  The opportunity at Windy City Sweets kind of fell into my lap and I have to say that I am really enjoying it.  First of all, its really refreshing to work at a place that makes people so happy.  And we all know that candy makes people happy.  Second, there is something really "real" about having a job that pays a minimum wage.  I feel like it makes me more humble.  I haven't had too many shifts yet so maybe its too early to speak to this experience, but I feel like something I questioned a lot while I was away was this concept of middle or upper middle class life in America.  I know that I have a lot of frustrations with some of the ways that people live in this country.  Regardless, its a nice feeling to do something so customer service oriented.  I think I'm really good at it and my shifts have been really fun so far.  I've met lots of different kinds of people!

And I think that the most inspiring thing for me lately has been music.  I've been listening to it a lot.  All sorts.  And at all points in the day/night.  I have had a few moments during runs or walks out on the lake where my eyes have actually welled up in tears because of the deep meaning I have found in certain songs.  Its amazing when we can encounter things that really touch our soul deeply.  I hope to find many more songs that touch like that and experience many more moments of impact...

Meeting the lovely Lily Rose Butera.  What a beauty! 

Woodstock, IL where the movie "Groundhog's Day was filmed.  This is the corner where Ned Ryerson appears (and no I am not naked in the picture, although that would be a funny story)

The exact spot where Bill Murray steps into the puddle.

Honey Wheat Bread

Happy Birthday!

Enjoying a sip of good coffee at brunch with a good friend

My birthday night celebrating at Howl at the Moon with Phillip's extended family

Another birthday shot

Can we say, rockstar?

Phillip and I taking a walk on the Chicago River (6/30)

Frosting for 4th of July Cookies- the colors are so vibrant!

Stars, Flags, and Libertys

My final cookies.  They were delicious.  Eaten in approximately 5 seconds. :)

Sweet Home Chicago

Wow, its been 4 weeks since I've arrived and I'm only now starting to feel somewhat normal.  Routine is very difficult to attain and considering I haven't had it in such a long time... Well, my adventures flying back with Iberia were pretty minimal.  Both flights passed by kind of quickly and I slept a bunch especially from Madrid to Chicago.  Landing back in Chicago was pretty cool.  I was filled with emotion and it was such a beautiful day- the sky was clear and bright and Lake Michigan was a beautiful blue.  This was my view from above:

Susan and Libby came to pick me up from the airport and by the time they pulled up to the arrival area of the international terminal I had already cried twice.  I took one look at them and just burst into tears.  "Happy tears" as Libby calls them, but tears nonetheless.  I was so incredibly overwhelmed and excited and scared at being home that it was just a whirlwind of emotion.  It was weird pulling up to 3550 and the doormen kind of looked at me and said, "we haven't seen you in such a long time!"  That's also what Louie said, although his sounded more like a meow.  Walking into my apartment was incredibly overwhelming.  Just looking at the boxes made me want to cry.  I knew that I had a challenging week ahead of me.  The best part of that evening was skipping down the street with Libby, bumping into Dana, and just hanging out in Lakeview and getting my bearing.

Unpacking my apartment was definitely not fun.  Just thinking back on those early days makes me stressed.  I am so very thankful to Jill for flying out and helping me.  The first day of "work" seemed endless, there were just so many boxes!  Unpacking gave me an opportunity though to go through and toss unnecessary stuff away!  After Jill left it really began to hit me that I was back in Chicago.  I think that I went through a lot of emotions that first week.  It was extremely hard being home.  I felt really out of place and it was incredibly overwhelming at times.  There were moments of tears, but plenty of soothing activities to juxtapose the craziness.  Regardless of those emotions, I conquered a lot in that week.  I had two job interviews within one week of being home, and within two weeks I had 3 job offers to consider.  Its remarkable that things all kind of fell into place.  

I promised myself that when I left Israel I would do things a little differently.  I wanted to make sure that I left enough time each day to have time for myself and do things that make me feel happy and special.  I've managed to be able to fulfill that promise.  I've enjoyed painting, reading, taking walks, runs, spending time in the sun, going out... Its been really wonderful.  I even accepted a job (actually two!) and have gotten back into the rhythm of work.  I will blog more about that next time, but for now I will leave you with a beautiful moment captured while running on Lake Michigan... ah, Chicago.

Final week in the homeland.

I'm not really sure that I can wrap up my experience in Israel as one post, nor do I really think that I've even begun to process a smidgen of that journey, but I will try and at least capture the last week with my family...

I was really excited to take the train to Ben Gurion airport the day they arrived and waited really impatiently at the arrival area.  All around me were screaming Israelis who were equally excited to see their loved ones.  Finally the doors opened and I saw three zombies walking towards me.  I felt the tears in my eyes as I ran around to the entranceway and threw my arms around my brother, mother, and finally father.  Its been years since we've been apart for such a long period of time.  The reunion was really nice.

The week provided us with many opportunities to see family.  It started with a beautifully emotional reunion with my dad's uncle Joe who is 88 years old and lives in Brazil.  It just so happened that Uncle Joe was visiting Israel at the exact same time.  The last time my father saw him was in Egypt in 1959 right before the Matalon family escaped and went in all different directions.  Joe was extremely excited and waited for us outside.  He was so happy to hug my father and throughout the visit hugged him and patted him so many times.  It was really nice to see.  When we took a family picture he started to cry.  Its crazy to think how the family became so divided.  Another example of a moment in Jewish history where families were "exiled" and split up.  The 4 brothers (my grandpa being one of them) divided: 1 to Israel, 2 to the US, and 1 to Brazil.  A strong family spread out in a way that doesn't allow for the grandchildren to really know each other very well.

Here are a few photos with Joe:

This was on the street where he was waiting.  Look how chic he looks!

The other woman is his girlfriend Sima.  How cute is that? 88 and still on the scene.

Other highlights of the week included a final trip up north to the Hula Valley.  We did a nice little hike there and saw a whole bunch of wildlife.  The bird migration season had just ended but there were still other interesting animals to see.  They had a 3-D movie there where you sit in moving chairs and they spray you with water and air and all kinds of other things.  I actually screamed out loud at one point, was super fun.  Dinner was at "Dag al Ha Dan" which is an amazing fish restaurant that sits right at the points where the Dan river meets another river (I'm blanking on the name at the moment).  I went there in March with Jenni and Basti and it was fun to revisit and say goodbye to.

It was quite sad leaving Israel.  I didn't sleep the night before I flew and I had many waves of anxiety throughout the week about my decision to go home.  I think its fair to say that perhaps at a different point in life I would've stayed longer and seen where the journey would've taken me.  My final moments in Israel included the man behind me in line running me over painfully TWICE with his cart.  I think the real Israeli in me came out as I turned around and yelled at him in Hebrew, "once wasn't enough to hit me with your cart!?!?!"  :)

Landing in America was super emotional (and extremely rocky.  I think my pilot was a first time flyer) but I'll leave my homecoming stories for another day...

Some final pictures from Israel:

Dinner with my mom's cousins

With my cousin Yanki and second cousin Elisheva

With my bro

Up north with Eva

Dinner at Dag Al Ha Dan with Eva

Brunch with my pops

Last dinner with Helene <3

Dinner with the fam, Eva, and Helene

Prague.

When I was younger traveling through Eastern Europe was much harder than it is today.  In 2003 when Dina and I backpacked through Europe the Eurail pass system didn't even include any of those countries. I know that had it, we definitely would've made it to Prague.  Now after being in the Czech Republic it has definitely opened up a desire to see the rest of them countries... Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia.  Hmmmm.  When's the next vacation??  :)

I arrived in Prague early in the morning and easily figured out how to take public transport to the city.  Finding the hostel was also super easy.  Immediately when walking out of the subway I got an amazing taste of the architecture.  Wow.  Prague is really something special.  Cobblestone streets, colorful European buildings, streets full of people.

My first day was spent getting to know the city.  I mostly toured in the Old Town area, which is where the hostel was located.  I had the chance to see the Old Jewish quarter.  It was really fascinating.  There are 4 synagogues that you can tour in and a very old Jewish cemetery.  One of the synagogues in the Old Town is still being used as a shul, the others are museums commemorate the Jewish community in different ways: the names of Czech Jews lost in the Holocaust, pieces of Judaica, displays of Jewish texts, and there is even an exhibit of artwork that kids at Thereseinstadt drew.  Fascinating stuff.  The cemetery was the most intriguing.  Such a small area and so many graves. In some places there are 10 layers of graves one on top of the other!!

This is the Old New Shul, which is still in use today.

Clock tower with Hebrew alphabet in Jewish Quarter

Stained glass windows in the Klaus Synagogue

The Pinchas Synagogue which is dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust from the Czech lands.

All the names are inscribed on the walls of the synagogue in alphabetical order.

This picture is crooked because you're actually not allowed to take photos in the synagogue but I cheated.  On the side of the ark is printed the names of the different concentration camps.

The synagogue architecture is beautiful.

The cemetery

The outside of the spanish synagogue

This is probably the most beautiful synagogue I've ever been inside of.  Incredible design.

The second day in Czech I headed to Karlovy Vary, a town on the western side of the country about 2 hours away from Prague.  As I later learned, Karlovy Vary held two world zionist congresses in 1921 and 1923.  It used to be a really sophisticated and she-she town where people traveled to for vacation.  It sits on thermal land and there is a belief that its waters contain healing powers.  Everywhere in the city there are fountains that contain different temperatures of water (naturally heated), people buy these little sippy cups and go around and drink the different water.  Its actually really funny to look at and the water itself tastes totally foul.  I think that if you drink too much of it you can probably become quite ill, too many minerals!!  Regardless, the town was really beautiful and again like Prague, the architecture was so lively and colorful.

Sippy Cups, all shapes, sizes, and colors

One of the fountains at 60 degrees celsius

beautiful Karlovy Vary

and again...

On my third day I headed out of Prague for 2 days and took a bus to the southern part of Bohemia to a beautiful little town called Cesky Krumlov.  The bus ride was quite fun, it felt like a plane ride.  There was a hostess, assigned seats, and even drinks to choose from.  They played a movie called "Then She Found Me" which I found to be hilarious because its all about this Jewish woman played by Helen Hunt. I can't imagine anyone else on the bus found any interest in the movie whatsoever.  Anyway, the bus took 3 hours and I found the hostel quite easily.  I was so glad that I decided to head down to Cesky Krumlov. Its a UNESCO World Heritage city.  Very colorful and quaint with a castle and a river that runs through the town.  I grabbed a bite to eat outside by the river on the first day and then explored the castle, which was pretty amazing.  My second day in Cesky Krumlov I did a 14 km hike to the top of Mt. Kret.  Stunning views of the valley.  Its location is so close to the Austrian border that I would really recommend this a stop for anyone in the area.

The castle

One of the castle courtyards

View of Cesky Krumlov from above

Breathtaking.

The castle gardens... so serene.

Early Sunday morning was back to Prague for me.  I left the hostel with two other American travelers who were heading on the early bus with me and at the first stop heading to Austria.  I tried sleeping on the bus back, but the early morning sun was shining right in my face and I had a hard time sleeping after that. I returned back to the same hostel but because of my early arrival I couldnt check in yet, so I dropped my bags in storage and headed out to see the city.  This day was spent following my guidebook on another beautiful walk.  One of the stops was a place called the Klementinum which contains one of the most beautiful rooms I have ever seen, known as the baroque library and containing stunning frescoes and thousands of books.  See below:

I also had a chance to walk across the Charles Bridge and see the section of town on the other side of the river, as well as tour the castle grounds.  On the Charles Bridge there was a sculpture in the middle of Jesus Christ.  Notice the Hebrew on the sculpture, its the words of the prophet Isaiah that say "Holy, Holy, Holy, the Lord of hosts".  Apparently, there was a Jewish man who was taken to the courts for debasing the cross and his punishment was to have that Hebrew text added to the cross in an attempt to humiliate the Jewish community.  Oh geez.

The bridge itself is quite fun, packed with tourists and peddlers who sell all kinds of things, "chatchky's" if you will.  The other side of the river is also quite cute.  Full of cafes, restaurants, and TONS of souvenir shops for tourists.  My favorite was a wall named for John Lennon that was painted with fantastic quotes and colors.

The next day was spent in Kutna Hora, a small town about an hour away from Prague.  The thing that its most famous for is a church that is full of over 40,000 bones.  Its incredibly weird and creepy but I guess if thats the style of decoration than who am I to judge??  The town is also a UNESCO World Heritage site, but its nowhere near as cute as Cesky Krumlov.  Here are a few pics from the bone church.

My last day in Prague I took a tour with Wittmann Tours and went to Terezin.  I posted some pics on FB of the place and I won't repost them here, but I am really glad that I had a chance to go.  I didn't know very much about the camp.  I always assumed it was a death camp.  This is not correct.  It was a transit camp that was based inside a fortress that had existed since the 18th century.  People clearly died there because of its poor conditions and mistreatment, but there were no gas chambers.  They stayed there for a while until they were routed elsewhere, most usually Auschwitz.  The most upsetting part of Terezin, though was that it was a propaganda camp.  It was made to believe that people lived "normal" lives inside of it. Artists were brought in to work with the people there and lead art classes, music lessons, play sports, etc.  It was a way to fool the world into thinking that places like Auschwitz, Treblinka, and so on were all functioning in the same way.  Truly sickening.  I think the weirdest part about Terezin is that it stands completely as it was during the war and people actually live in those buildings.  There are houses, cafes, shops, etc inside the camp.  Super strange...

Its interesting to note that the Jewish community of the Czech lands was not like the religious Jews of Poland.  They were not orthodox.  There is still a Jewish community in the country, mostly in Prague which had so many synagogues but I even saw a synagogue in Cesky Krumlov.  And the full spectrum of Judaism too- reform, conservative, and orthodox.  I wish I would've had time to go to a service while I was there.  Could've been cool.

Anyway, this blog entry is super long so I will end here, but all in all the Czech Republic was a very worthwhile trip, one that I'm so happy I took and one that I will never forget.