Happy 64th, Is.

So this week has been chock full of emotions!!

First, I should say thank you to all my peeps who sent me little messages or emails or IM's in support of my last post.  Decisions like that one are definitely not easy to make and I have to say that I have had an outpouring of love and support this week and its just made me stronger and more certain of my decision.  So thanks!

Next, I had a fantabulous weekend with BZAEDS at Ma'ale HaHamisha.  We hit all the fun stuff- the shuk, Ben Yehuda street, the Old City, and I even got to go in the new tunnel from Ir David to the Kotel. Was super cool (and not 500 meters as they post it is). The kids gave me the warmest welcome, so many hugs and lots of love.  I had a chance to connect with a lot of them over Shabbat and catch up, and even got to know a few of them that I never taught and didn't really know before.  Shabbat itself was amazing. I helped lead a discussion group, stood up with 4 other students to sing my favorite Halleluya, we danced on the lawn to "Yesh" (Ben B was my partner and he was SO enthusiastic about it!) and had an incredible Havdallah.  I was teary eyed to say goodbye on Sunday night.

Tuesday was the worst day ever.  In a nutshell, I fell in the morning, slipped on the sidewalk and bloodied up my knee and foot.  I was so mad at myself and in so much agony that it took a few good minutes to get up off the ground.  I finally made it to the central bus station and got on a bus headed back to Tel Aviv.  Apparently there was a crazy guy on my bus.  In the middle of the ride, when we were driving on the highway, crazy person decided that he wanted to get off the bus right there so he went up to the driver started yelling at him and tried grabbing the steering wheel.  The whole bus swayed and we were all hysterical.  One man got up and pulled crazy man off the driver and started beating the crap out of him.  This was probably scarier than the first incident.  Crazy man was then dragged to the back of the bus and seated there.  He tried to get up several more times, but he was guarded by 2 men who threatened to hit him if he didn't settled down.  The whole thing was quite scary and I got back to TA really shaken up (physically and emotionally).

Tuesday night marked Erev Yom HaZikaron (memorial day for Israeli soldiers).  I was in such a foul mood from my experience earlier that day and did not end up going to Kikar Rabin like I had originally planned.  Instead Wednesday morning I took a long walk on the beach and was in a big intersection for the siren.  All motion came to a halt.  Cars stopped and passengers stood outside of their cars, pedestrians and runners paused and stood tall.  I had goosebumps.  There is something extremely special about being in a place that can really commemorate loss appropriately and in such a united way.  A whole country stands for an entire minute.  Its unreal.  Memorial Day at home is full of amazing sales and bbq's...

Wednesday night marked the change from Yom HaZikaron to Yom Ha'Atzmaut.  A fascinating moment. The music on the radio which has been sad and serene all day is suddenly a-rockin' and everyone gets ready to hit the streets.  I decided to head out to Herzliya (probably a little later than I should) and I got stuck taking two buses and walking the rest of the way.  Routes were all changed and streets were closed.  It was a mess... I finally made it there though and got to experience how the city celebrates.  Great dancing and singing and lots of fun!  Aviv Geffen performed in Herzliya.

Today, Yom Ha'Atzmaut was another beautiful day.  Lots to celebrate.... 64 years of Israel.  Happy birthday darling.

I booked a ticket to Prague and am leaving next week.  I'll be gone for a week.  If anyone has ever been to Czech Republic I would LOVE suggestions.  I am thinking 3-4 days in Prague, 2 in Cesky Krumlov, and maybe a day trip to Karlovy Vary and maybe Terezin? or something else day trip-y from Prague.  Thoughts?  I'm SO excited!!!

Sending you all love...xoxo

Big Decisions...

Well, I've had a lot of time to reflect and explore and experience the last few months and I think its important to let you all know of a big decision that I've made for myself.   I've decided to return to Chicago.

This might be a surprise to some of you and it was definitely a really hard decision for me to come to, but I think in the end what it comes down to is that I am just too far away from my family.  My parents and brother are the sunshine in my life and being across the big blue ocean from them is impossible.  I can't picture a future where they are not in closer proximity to me.  And in my heart I know that a future with all of us in Israel would not happen for a very long time.  There's much more involved in those feelings but I'm not sure I'm ready to share them all on a blog just yet...

In other news, I have some thoughts and feelings about what kinds of jobs I will be looking for.  I'm not really in a writing mood but I would be happy to share if anyone is interested in an email or on skype.  I apologize for my "blah-ness" but I spent the weekend with the Tiyul (BZAEDS Class 2012) and I am sooooooo tired.  It was an amazing time, a truly great way to spend Shabbat in beautiful Ma'ale HaHamisha" and see my old students and colleagues.  It seems like they are having a wonderful trip so far and I imagine it will only get better as they continue.

Tomorrow evening marks Yom HaZikaron (Remembrance Day for Israel Soldiers) followed by Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel Independence Day).  Still unsure of my plans for both of those days, but I'll keep you all posted.  Mucho love, friends!

Yom HaShoa

When I woke up this morning I felt that I didn't really say enough about Yom HaShoa in yesterday's blog entry.  Partly because of my weird mood and the eerie experience of walking through the empty streets at night and maybe partly because I felt a little disconnected yesterday as well.  I didn't really know how to memorialize the day.

This morning I woke up and put on my running clothes and was out the door at 9:50.  I thought the siren was at 11, but in fact I was wrong and it was at 10:00 a.m.  It was amazing to stop mid run and hear the siren sound in the streets of Tel Aviv.  Everyone around me stopped- people, cars, noise. I removed my headphones, and stood tall listening to the siren sound throughout the entire city.  In the minute or two that it sounded I thought of my experience in Poland in 1997 visiting the Treblinka, Sobibor, Majdanek, and Auscwitz-Birkenau.  I thought of every Holocaust survivor I've ever met and had the chance to converse with and hear their stories.  I thought of my own grandparents who I didn't really know and was never given the chance to hear their stories of survival and beginning a family in Israel.  For without them I wouldn't be here today.  And of-course, I thought of the many, many family members that would exist today had the Nazis not brutally murdered the millions of Jews of Europe.

It is unique and powerful to be in a country that unites to memorialize history in such a way.  I felt proud to be standing on the street of Tel Aviv amongst strangers, yet not, and remembering the atrocities of past.  

Never Forget.

Tel Aviv had 4 seasons today.

So I'm sitting at a coffee shop with my friend Jamie and the weather was a whopping 93 degrees when we arrived.  According to weather.com it is now 68.  And it certainly feels it!  Crazy.  What a weird weather day in general.  I went to the beach this morning and it was so incredibly hot.  The water was so cold but after 30 minutes of sitting outside it was only natural to take a dip in the freezing waters.

I started reading the Narnia series.  There are seven books total and I'm in the middle of the third one.  Its actually quite good.  Easy, mindless reading.

Last week I went to the International Flower Exhibition which was in Haifa.  It was really pretty.  There were lots of big tents that were completely done up with beautiful colorful flowers.  Here are some pictures so you can get a better feel for what it was like.

A little disco-esque with that crazy hair

The mattress is made of white roses.  So pretty!

The smell in this room was A-MAZING!

This tent was dark, it made the experience more cool!

All kinds of flowers

This is the only picture of this sequence where you can kind of get the feel of what it was actually like to walk through.  Lots of lights and glass mixed in with the flowers for cool effect

Eva and I

This part was called Fantasia (I think more like fantasy)

Pretty colors

Anyway, I am really looking forward to this weekend.  BZAEDS Class of 2012 gets here with some of my favorite teachers and I am going to spend Shabbat with them.  Tonight is Yom HaShoa (Holocaust Remembrance Day)- the streets of Tel Aviv have already cleared out and everyone is at home.  Everything is closed in the country tonight.  Its kinda strange being outdoors.  I imagine most people are at home watching different Holocaust broadcasting on tv.  I don't have a tv so I have no idea whats on.

Anyway, lots to report next week so stay tuned...

Sunburned and sick.

So first of all... I'm an aunt!!  Mazal tov to Chris and Rebecca on the birth of beautiful Lily Rose Butera.  I can't wait to met the litte thing.  She looks adorable.

In other news, its STILL Passover.  This holiday is never ending.  At least here in Israel I think its easier to find things to eat as restaurants are open and they make their kitchens kosher.  They either substitute bread for matzah or they create their own kosher for P rolls.  I'm of the Sephardic Jews and therefore eat rice on Passover which I think makes this holiday so much more appealing. Anyway, my diet this week has pretty much been rice cakes and cottage cheese.  Two things that in America I would never eat.  Oh, although I did have a lovely meal at Yotveta with the Gordon-Smoler Family on Monday.  That was super yum!

Seder was nice.  In Israel there is only ONE.  I was a little intimidated this year by the thought of reading the Hagaddah aloud amongst native Israeli speakers so I used my pass card.  Other than that, I REALLY missed my family.  There is nothing like holidays to make you think about those you love and wish you were near to them.

Passover in Israel is very much a family holiday.  People are on vacation and the country is full of its own traveling together.  On Sunday, I joined Sima's family and we did a hike on Derech Burma (Burma Road).  It was a beautiful day and a great hike.  Sima and I elongated the hike, the families with the young children kept it shorter.  In the end, everyone picnicked.  A great concept.  Large families getting together to enjoy nature and eat passover food together.  You see it everywhere this week.

Not much else to share.  I took a really long walk yesterday in Jaffa and then back through Florentine (a super cool neighborhood of Tel Aviv) and got super burned and am now sick.  :(  Cold season I guess...

Hike- Burman Road

Hills outside of Jerusalem

Sima and I

Beautiful

Flowers everywhere

Love this photo!

Sunset as seen from my bus back to Tel Aviv

Dolphinarium.  Interesting contrast of destruction amongst nature which is infinite and eternal

View of Tel Aviv from Yafo

Remnants from Turkish rule?

Nice shout out to Jonah and the Whale story (he flees from Jaffa port)

I won't tell you what my wish was...

Matalon Chai

A dedication to my dad... (who does not have a 'yud' as a middle name)

We were slaves.

In honor of both Easter and Passover I would like to post two awesome ecards and also wish my nearest and dearest a chag sameach (happy holiday!)  Wherever you are in the world and whatever you are celebrating this weekend may it be spent with good family, friends, and loved ones.

Well this week has certainly been exciting!!  It started off with a wonderful three day trip to the north!!  Helene and I rented a car and had a great adventure with hiking and site seeing and gorgeous weather.

Day 1: We hiked in an area near Bet Shean called Kochav HaYarden.  It was an extremely long and hot hike. We saw plenty of wildlife, including cows, some of which came extremely close to us and scared us a bit.  The views were breathtaking though.  Everything was so green and lush.  After the hike (around 6 p.m.) we headed to our youth hostel stopping enroute to pay our respects to the pioneers buried at the Kinneret Cemetery.  We also had a lovely dinner at a Dee-licious turkish restaurant and crashed rather early.  A few photos...

Day 2: I was surprised I could actually walk on this day.  My feet were quite blistered but still in tact.  We started our morning in Safed (oooooooh).  The mystical city of Safed is quite the beautiful place.  Small streets, artists, markets, Kabbalah in the air.  It was fun and a gorgeous day out to enjoy the sights.  From Safed we headed to Rosh Pina and walked in the old city which is also full of artist markets.  The view from Rosh Pina is incredible.  The day was crystal clear and you could see the entire Hula Valley and even the peaks of the Hermon (white with snow!)  From there we headed to Amuka.  If you're interested about what we did there I will tell you personally, just ask!  Some pics...

One of the many beautiful doors of Safed

Cheeze?

Someone's garden

Helene on a Safed street

"Its a big mitzvah to always be happy"

Beautiful Safed

This door was made for me... but just barely.

Mailboxes

View from Rosh Pina

                                        

Amazing Hannukiah in Rosh Pina (the sign says that its for sale!)                                            

Olive tree

                                     

On the way to Amuka

This drink is a 'limonana'- a blended ice drink of fresh mint and lemons-- yum!!

Day 3: First hike of the day was Yehudiya.  Second hike of the day was called "Little Switzerland".  Both were amazing and fun!!  By the end of the trip my feet/legs were sore (and still are 2 days later!) but it was well worth every ache!

I can't believe that Passover is tomorrow.  I think that a lot of things have come into perspective recently.  This journey of mine really began exactly one year ago when I was hiking in the Appalachians.  I remember that at that time I was faced with many questions.  Looking back on this year, I realize that the only way we learn in life is by taking risks or making choices and riding them out and learning from our experiences.   I know that mine have definitely made me a stronger and more well rounded person.  I feel really content this year as Passover descends upon us.  And even though I generally hate this holiday, I think that there is something cleansing about it.  The last few weeks it has seemed that everyone here has been preparing in some way or other, cleaning their house, changing their dishes, etc.  I have been communicating with my soul.  I asked myself some pretty hard questions in the last month and I feel good about the answers that I've been given.  I think that at the end of the day if we are truly happy, what more could we ask for? So I look forward this year to sitting around the table of a dear friend and retelling the story of the Jewish people's exodus from Egypt and thinking about my own journey and exploration.  In the meantime, sending you all love and hugs from Israel... 

There were several destroyed cars found along the path... weird?