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| Thanks Garth! |
The quote feels appropriate to the moment though. Heat, literally and figuratively are understatements in Jerusalem and the rhythm of life here feels at once welcomingly warm-and a bit combustible. I hope this blog does some justice to my Rabbinical school experience unfolding so far-and most importantly, that it brings those of you far away in my life a little closer for the year.
And though it’s already been a week or two into school, (apologies if school has already swallowed much of my free time) but I’ll rewind in this first post to the very beginning. Bear with me, future posts won’t be so long!
As you may know, Step One of my rabbinical school adventure involved getting on a plane with forty 18-22 year old Birthright participants, who entrusted me as their chaperone on a 10-day whirlwind tour (led by Yael, a knowledgeable Israeli tour guide and an armed security guard as well) throughout the North, South, East, and West of Israel. (Only possible in a country smaller than New Jersey.) I am not sure I have ever laughed harder in ten day and only 60% of that was exhaustion induced giddiness.
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| Participants bond with Israeli Soldiers, by attempting to put on their uniforms in less than 3 minutes. |
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| Yael explains the land...I hold her maps and wear aviators. |
Their wonder at the country I’ve lived in and toured several times now was rejuvenating and somehow, the Israel TOP Ten Must See spots I've seen many times now still move me. I won’t bore you too much with the itinerary, but rest assured we covered much ground on that bus- Each day brimmed with desert hikes, falafel sandwhiches dripping with tahina, museums, camels, Tel Aviv nightlife, (a highlight for staff chaperones...) and much more.
Highlights included officiating my first Hebrew naming ceremony for 3 participants who had not had Bar Mitzvahs, and receiving a new nickname-Mom! Thankfully I buried that one when I put them back on the plane to New York at 2 am on June 21st.
At 6am on June 21st, I made my way bleary-eyed to my very own dwellings where I will be sleeping, eating, and causing trouble in educational ways for the school year-a very charming apartment I’m renting from a lady named Rivka on 6 Jabotinsky Street, about 15 minutes walk from downtown Jerusalem. Hence my oh-so-cleverly named blog. She greeted me with chocolaty oozey babka, challah for Shabbat, and some instructions for several appliances I still don’t know how to use. I nodded and collapsed.
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| Requisite tantalizing Israeli food photo |
Thus commenced almost 2 full weeks of my own exploration of Jerusalem-a city I’m coming to appreciate for its consistently messy clash between tradition and modernity, religious and secular living, cosmopolitanism, and a determination to definite itself as an exclusive Jewish homeland. I’ve taken to going on long, meandering walks through streets both familiar and different than any Jerusalem I’ve ever known from a bus or guided tour. The walks have the effect of feeling like you’re wandering through 3 or 4 different movie sets at once. In one outing I pass a crowded Aladdin-like marketplace charade of vendors extolling the price of their figs and pitas, to a procession of enormous extended Orthodox families parading into the Old City for Shmuelik’s Bar Mitvah, (names changed for privacy and funsies) and then the odd overheard café conversation about dating in your 20s between some nice American folk that might as well have taken place at a Starbucks.
The sights and smells, and adventures in broken Hebrew are proving to be a rich education in and of themselves-but fear not, tomorrow begins my first official day of Rabbinical school orientation and I will regale you with tales of the EDUCATIONAL experience as it unfolds. For now I leave you with a Hebrew expression learned from Rivka, that suits any question asked for which you don’t have too much of an answer.
“Kol Tuv” …”It’s all good.”
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