I know you all have been waiting on the edges of your seats for my next blog post…and here it is. Sorry for the delay, between Hebrew class, traveling, and adjusting to life in Israel, I have not had the time or energy to post. Since my last post I have experience a lot, but I will keep this post relatively short and talk about 3 main experiences I have had in the past few weeks.
1: Meeting a Supreme Court Justice
On 9/11 our group was given the opportunity to tour the Israeli Supreme Court and have a 30-45 minute discussion with Supreme Court Justice Elaykim Rubenstein. Justice Rubenstein was a part of the Camp David Accord in 1977, has served as the Attorney General of Israel, represented the state at the Madrid Peace Conference, and has sat as a justice on the Supreme Court since 2004. I cannot post exactly what we talked about due to confidentiality agreements, but I can tell you he is a very impressive man with an interesting and unique look at law and Jewish life. Getting to sit next to (1 foot away) such an influential leader is something I will always remember. I do find it ironic though, that I out-dressed a Supreme Court Justice…but more on that later.
2: Our first Tiyul
Tiyul is the Hebrew word for trip, and we will be taking many throughout my 10 months here. Our first Tiyul lasted 4 days as we traveled to the Negev desert, Dimona, Tel Azekah (the site of the David and Goliath battle), and the old city on Shabbat. If you want a truly hilarious recap of the trip, feel free to check out my habibi’s (good friend) Eric’s blog post (http://ericsyisrael.blogspot.co.il/). If you are willing to settle, you can read my description.
Day 1: We started off leaving the student village at 2 AM in order to reach the desert before sunrise. It isn’t a true trip to the Negev unless you wake up at an obscenely early hour. Zane and I volunteered to give our group inspiration each morning in any way we seemed fit. Zane had the great idea of reading “Oh The Places You’ll Go” to help motivate the group for the 100+° trek we were about to take. Unfortunately, we did not think about the fact that there may be no Internet connection in the desert, and had to settle with the travelers’ prayer out of my Siddur Sim Shalom KSMS graduation present.
Needless to say the hike through the desert in 40° C (104° F) was not easy. While Daniel and I took an impromptu hike up a mountain with no walking path and plenty of loose rocks, one of our group members needed to be picked up by park rangers due to dehydration. After having some quiet time to reflect, we finally made it to the final destination, completely out of water (except for Ezequiel, who will never live down the fact that he had a full liter of water and “didn’t hear” that everyone else was out). Completely fitting to our moods at this point, the bus had taken a wrong turn and was not there. This did not help the group’s moral.
We spent the night at “Bedouin” tents, sleeping on the ground with cats running across the top of the tent all night. I say “Bedouin” with quotations only because I did not actually see any Bedouin, only the Jews who market it as “Bedouin”. I did take advantage though of the wide open desert sky and had plenty of time to star gaze and think about myself, my family and friends, and my life in general.
Day 2: We spent most of this day in Dimona. You may recognize the name; probably because the world’s most famous “textile factory” is in Dimona. Again, I use quotation marks because they are not textile factories, but nuclear research facilities. I however was nowhere near the nuclear reactor. We spoke to the Deputy Mayor of the city, who spoke about the challenges of politics, including helping the poor residents of her city, and how the poor can slip through the cracks in politics. Afterwards we went to an old age home for some Tikun Olam (repairing the world), where I met 2 wonderful women. The first was a woman I called Ima, which means “mom” in Hebrew. I called her this because from the moment I sat down with her she would not stop feeding me cake and trail mix. No other woman besides my mom, Bubby and grandma has fed me so well. The second woman I spent time with was Dina, who was celebrating her 83rd birthday. After sharing a few dances and playing bingo (they did not speak English and I barely speak Hebrew, but everyone speaks bingo), I received a plethora of goodbye kisses from my new friends.
Our Breakfast view as the sun rises in the Negev Desert.
We spent that night at a Kibbutz near Jerusalem, and in a ma’agal (Hebrew word for circle), we were asked to share with the group someone who is “a light in our life”. While I could have talked about so many people in my life, the first person I thought of that inspires me everyday is Kaci’s sister Sherrin. Sherrin was in a car accident over 2 years ago and suffered a traumatic brain injury. After fighting to survive, Sherrin is a miracle on Earth to still be here. While she is not the same person and never will be, she inspires me everyday. Her beautiful smile and her typed-out messages on her IPad are so sweet and sincere they make me want to cry out of joy that she is still with us, physically and mentally. I encourage you all to follow Kaci’s blog about Sherrin and her recovery at this link (http://sherrinbaggottsstory.wordpress.com/).
Day 3: We traveled to Tel Azekah, the site of the David and Goliath battle. While I have been here multiple times before, it is never less powerful to read the story and to actually be able to see the landscape where it took place. It is truly humbling.
After traveling back to Jerusalem we spent the night at the Old City for Shabbat. Going to the Kotel (Western Wall) is never a dull experience. If you have never been there, it is hard to explain the feeling that overwhelms you by being so close to the Holy of Holies. It is the type of feeling you can only understand by being there, and it is still difficult to put into words.
Day 4: We spent the Sabbath resting and recuperating from the long trip. We played basketball, listened to Evan play the guitar, and continued to bond as a group. Overall, this trip left us sleep deprived, good food-deprived, and longing for our uncomfortable beds in the Kfar (student village). But the harsh conditions of such a trip are what make these trips so special. We survived by making each other laugh, even at 5:00 am when we thought laughter was impossible. We may have complained, but I wouldn’t change anything from our first Tiyul.
- Hearing the Prime Minister and President Speak
Israel Government Fellows is run through the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, which is celebrating it’s 10th year of the museum’s opening. If you do not know, Menachem Begin was a long time leader of the State of Israel, including serving as Prime Minister and signing the peace treaty with Egypt’s Anwar Sadat. In a ceremony celebrating the center’s 10 year anniversary, newly elected President Rivlin and Prime Minister Netanyahu attended and spoke. IGF is sponsored through the PM’s office, and assuming PM Netanyahu were to arrive on time, we would be able to take a picture and speak with him for a minute (maybe even less). But of course, being a world leader (and an Israeli), he was not on time, and we missed our opportunity. Sitting 4 rows away from him however was very exhilarating, despite our political differences (and there are many). His shiny silver hair and deep and majestic voice were even more impressive in person.
PM Netanyahu speaks at the 10th Anniversary of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center
I also just celebrated my first holiday in Israel, Rosh Hashanah. My friends and I made the 45-minute walk to the old city where we went directly to the Kotel. I missed sitting in the Stulman and listening to one of Dr. Schneider’s legendary sermons, but the Kotel was the perfect substitute. The best part of the day was having the opportunity to Skype my family as they ate lunch at Bubby and Pop’s house after services. I have never felt more homesick than at that moment, but it was the perfect end to the day to telecommute to lunch.
Here is my continued list of cultural differences I am finding in Israel:
- “Business Casual” has a very different meaning here than in the US. On the day we were preparing to meet PM Netanyahu, the boys all wore suits and ties. One of our counselors said that she “had never seen so many suits at once,” and she had to take a picture with us. I wear ties to work and class most days, even though a polo or short sleeve button down would suffice as “business casual.” When we met Justice Rubenstein, he wore a plain white short sleeve button down with no tie. I meanwhile wore my best shirt and matching tie, out-dressing a Supreme Court Justice. Having worn a tie to high school everyday and since I consider myself a “tie-guy”, I see it as my mission to bring some fashion to this country through skinny ties and nice suits.
- Cats are EVERYWHERE in Israel. I knew this coming in, but it is still taking time to get used to. Feral cats roam the streets, and especially the Kfar. We have a few in particular that post up at the same spot everyday. Lena and I witnessed a literal catfight the other night, as two cats hissed and yelled at each other over who got to stay in the bush. Yesterday I gave some water to a little black cat. When I went outside to read later that night, he recognized me and tried to get cozy. If you know me, you know that I firmly believe dogs > cats, mainly because I am very allergic to cats. But as long as Smalls (my name for the cat) didn’t touch me I was willing to give him protection from the other mean cats.
That is all for now. I hope to write a new post this upcoming weekend.
Peace and Love,
Samuel J. Crystal
Sam In The Holy Land 