Rosh Hashanah Dinner

Bracha, her children, grandchildren, and us!

A picture of Oma and Opa from Bracha's photo album

On Wednesday morning we were all set to have Rosh Hashanah dinner by ourselves. We hadn't found a Masorti synagogue within walking distance of our apartment, and decided that we were just going to bite the bullet and have as festive a Rosh Hashanah as we could on our own. Not to say that a Rosh Hashanah alone in our apartment would be terrible, it just would feel much more festive and joyous to have a Rosh Hashanah feast with company. Plus, we wanted the Israeli experience, and eating alone in our apartment wouldn't be very Israeli.

As we mentioned in an earlier blog, last week borrowed a phone from a woman named Michal. She gave us her business card (which was actually a magnet) and told us to contact her if we needed anything. So on Tuesday, Chelsey emailed her asking if there were any non-Orthodox synagogues in the area that we could go to for Rosh Hashanah. She emailed back saying she would try to help us, and later send us her aunt's phone number, saying that we could go to her house for Rosh Hashanah dinner. At this point it was around 2:00 on Wednesday, so we only had a few hours until Rosh Hashanah. Earlier we had stocked up on food for the next few days, because grocery stores would be closed Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for Rosh Hashanah and Shabbat. We originally had expected to eat alone, but with Michal's email we now had a potential option for dinner. However, we felt a little strange calling up someone we had never met, and asking if we could have dinner at their house. Before I dialed the number, I noticed that it was a 9-digit telephone number. This was relevant because three days earlier, we had tried to call Bracha, a cousin of my Opa (grandfather). The number we had for her was the number you use from the US, and in order to call from Israel you have to replace the first few numbers with a zero. Many Israeli numbers are 10 digits long, so I turned Bracha's number into a 10-digit number. But Michal's email gave me the idea to try converting it to a 9-digit number instead.

I gave Bracha a call, and her daughter Lilach answered the phone. Success! I mentioned how we were living in Ramat Gan, not too far from where they live. Lilach put the phone on speaker so Bracha could hear. She suggested that we come over tomorrow (Thursday), but then Bracha told her to invite us over for Rosh Hashanah dinner. Double success! So that's how we went from having dinner alone to having a Rosh Hashanah feast.

At 7:30 Lilach picked us up from our apartment, and we drove through moderate traffic to Bracha's. According to Lilach, every Rosh Hashanah there is traffic, because everyone is going to someone's house for dinner, and most Israeli Jews are secular enough to drive on Rosh Hashanah without qualms. Bracha's apartment was in a nice neighborhood called Ramat Ilan, in Giv'at Shmuel. When we arrived in the parking lot, the location looked vaguely familiar. I had been there nine years before, so my memory was pretty hazy. What I did remember were the funky small elevators, one for the odd floors and one for the even ones. However judging the apartment complex based on the elevators would definitely not do it justice.

Bracha's apartment was part living quarters, part art/history museum. Or so it seemed. The wall opposite the entrance was covered in rocks that her family had collected from all over Israel. Chelsey even correctly identified some of them as Eilat stone! The wall opposite the couch in the living room had a shelf of artifacts encased in glass. The coffee table was covered with a tile mosaic, reportedly made by Bracha. Many paintings hung throughout the room, some of which were painted by Bracha. There were other cool rocks and artifacts throughout the apartment - it was a shame we forgot to take pictures of them! Maybe next time.

In addition to Lilach, Bracha's son Eldad, his wife Eti, and their four children were there. Most of the adults spoke English pretty well, but amongst each other they primarily spoke Hebrew. It was great practice, and I probably spoke more Hebrew during our time there than I have during the entire rest of the trip! To start the meal off, Eldad led 7 brachot (blessings), on wine, apples/honey, pomegranate, fish head, beets, carrots, and dates. Even before the main course there were already so many wonderful foods to eat! Surprisingly, they didn't have a round Challah, or any Challah at all! We were very surprised. When we called them earlier, we asked if we should bring anything, and when they said no, we considered bringing something anyway. We joked about bringing a round challah, but decided against it because of all things to have on Rosh Hashanah, SURELY they would already have a round challah. Guess we were wrong.

For the main courses, we had Tilapia, couscous, rice with dill + peas, chicken drumsticks, and more. There was a salad of shaved carrots and cabbage that had a slightly spicy flavor, as well as some of the appetizers from the beginning of the meal. Afterwards we retired to the couches, where we had fruit salad, and they served nuts, bugle chips, white raisins, and meringues. Yummy!

We talked for hours, either in broken English for them, or broken Hebrew for us. I felt pretty confident about my Hebrew, and enjoyed the challenge of using it for several hours at a time. We explained our housing situation, and got some insight from them, as well as a better look at one of the Hebrew housing websites. From now on, we'll probably use that website with the help of a fluent Hebrew speaker. We also looked through some old photo albums, which had picture of Oma and Opa from the '80s. We took a few pictures of the pictures, but of course they didn't come out as well as the originals. They were still really fun to look at though.

Finally, when it was nearing midnight, it was time to head back to our place. Lilach drove us back, and of course there was a bunch of traffic, probably even more than on the way there. Afterwards when Chelsey and I got back, we were so excited! We proclaimed this day our favorite of the trip so far. We felt so fortunate to have gone from no plans to a wonderful Rosh Hashanah feast, and to experience it the Israeli way.

Shanah Tova everybody!

Machane Yehuda, Jerusalem Sept. 27

Rosh Hashanah has a definite presence in Jerusalem.

Olives galore!! They looked so succulent :)

Rimonim (pomegranates)! We are near Rosh Hashanah!

Soldiers with their guns having a refreshment at the shuk.

A really cool street performer at Machane Yehuda. He was a great clarinetist.

Yummy Borekas!!! Freshly baked :)

Tuesday came again. You know what that means...Scrabble club!! We took the bus ride to Jerusalem again. This bus ride seemed to take much less time to reach Jerusalem because Rafi and I read during the trip. Upon arriving at the Jerusalem bus station, we began walking down Yafo street toward Machane Yehuda market. This shuk is famous and supposedly very lively. Last week we did not get a chance to explore it. It was definitely a great shuk (market) to visit. There were vibrant colors and textures in every nook and cranny. We spent over an hour walking through the market, absorbing it atmosphere. It is a maze of a market, with many market "streets" running through it filled to the brim with people, produce, textiles, candy, meat, fish, cheese, bread, and more. There are even some cafes and small restaurants located within the market. Vendors yell loudly to passerby to try and get their attention. Halva sellers try desperately to get Rafi to try some of their wares, to no avail.

Rafi and I purchased one dried date, and one fresh date from an old woman. They looked so tasty that I couldn't resist! I have always loved dried dates but had never tried a fresh one. It tasted very similar to the dried one, but was juicier. I think I still prefer the dried ones, because I like their chewy texture and candy-like flavor. Rafi said that he liked the fresh date better than the dried - although he couldn't say why.

We also bought a round flatbread covered in olive oil and zatar - a tasty seasoning/spice consisting of ground hyssop, salt, and sesame seeds. It was still warm and very delicous. We ate it while we sat on a bench and watched people pass by. The temperature in Jerusalem was again, very mild and comfortable compared to that of Tel Aviv. It was a great respite from the heat and humidity.
We walked around Ben Yehuda for a while and went in to a few shops along the way - just to look. We have not made any purchases aside from the swan in Tel Aviv-Yafo as of yet. It is really fun to look at all the outfits of the women in the area. Most of the young women and girls in Jerusalem are very stylish despite having to adhere to Tznius (the modesty laws). I like to check out their outfits and use them as inspiration in my own wardrobe in order to spice it up a bit.

After touring around we became hungry for dinner and found a wonderful shwarma place. Yum! Then we proceeded to walk the short distance to Scrabble club. We went a bit early so that we would be able to schmooze with the rest of the Scrabblers. Rafi won all three of his games :) While Rafi played, I read from my Nook, but luckily I have my own friend at the club. She is the wife of one of Rafi's fellow Scrabble players. She never plays Scrabble but likes to be involved in her husband, Zev's Scrabble life, so she comes to club and even became the person who makes the Scrabble game pairings for each round in the club. We talk during the sessions about everything from family, holidays, shopping, food, recipes, everything! It's great! I tend to do more talking with her than reading :)

Anyway, that's all for now! Rafi and I are heading to his Opa's cousin's house for Rosh Hashanah. Should be a great time! Shana tova l'kol yisrael!

Ramat Aviv: Jewish Diaspora Museum and Botanical Garden 9/25

Monsoons this morning

Rafi looking at faces of Jews from the past.

Beth Sholom in Philadelphia

Scribing a Torah Scroll.

Botanical Gardens

Ants on the ground at the Botanical Gardens!

Wild Chameleons...can you see them??

Can you spot the chameleon hidden in the plants?

I am so excited after seeing the chameleons!

In our two weeks here in Israel, we have come to realize that the week seems to have a palpable difference in pattern than in the United States. All day today, as with last Sunday after Shabbat, it felt to me like a Monday. Mondays feel like Tuesdays, and so on. When fully observed, I think that Shabbat does this to the feeling of the week. Because of this, in my head I have begun to think of the days in terms of their Hebrew names: "yom rishon" (first day) for Sunday, "yom sheni" (second day) for Monday, "yom shlishi" (third day) for Tuesday and so on until you get to "shabbat" for Shabbat. It makes much more sense to call the days by these names because after Shabbat, it feels natural to start the week with "day one." Also natural, is to start this first day as the first day of the work week, to move about busily with work, errands, and planned recreation after relaxing, eating, and talking on Friday and all day Saturday.

On our yom rishon, Rafi and I woke up to POURING DOWN RAIN!!! We were so surprised! The rain seriously seemed like a monsoon. We were completely not expecting rain, especially in these quantities. The air was thick and humid. The sky was dark and heavy with clouds. The neighbors still had laundry hanging out to dry from their back windows across the courtyard. I opened the window in order to experience the rain more fully and also to be able to snap some pictures. I looked down to the ground below and saw that large puddles were forming in the dirt and creating mini rivers flowing out to the road. The rain stopped in about ten minutes and the clouds parted after about thirty minutes for a beautiful, sunny rest of the day.

Rafi and I set out after breakfast in the search of cell phones. We needed to get these for a few reasons. The first of which was to be able to contact each other, if the need arises, while we are out doing our own volunteering and such while we are living in Jerusalem. Also they are important to be able to contact other people in Israel to help us get volunteer opportunities, and now the cell phone is going to be even more important to contact people with possible apartment leads for us. Last week we had popped into a few cell phone stores and received their rates for their cheapest phones. Today we hit the jack-pot at the first place we visited. We went into a phone store very near our apartment in Ramat Gan (we hadn't noticed it last week when checking prices). We went in to ask about prices and ended up buying our two phones there because the price was right. Rafi had asked him what the price was for the cheapest phone, and then asked if the man could give us a deal since we were buying two phones. The man did give us a better deal (it was cheaper than the other places we had asked) and he gave us the sim cards for no price (many other places charge for these). The shopkeeper was very nice and set up our phones for us and loaded them with the minutes we purchased.

Our next objective was to find a bus that goes to Ramat Aviv because we wanted to check out the Jewish Diaspora Museum there. After Rafi asked a few women on the sidewalk about the bus, we got a consensus that we would need to catch the 45 bus. We walked the short distance around the corner to the bus stop and after figuring out which side of the street we were supposed to catch it on, finally boarded our bus. The bus driver was originally going to pass by us and continue n his route, but the woman standing next to us at the bus stop was waving her arms madly at the driver and I was also waving him to stop, although with a lot less intensity. When we got on the bus behind the woman to wait to pay, she began a fight in Hebrew with the bus driver, shouting at him and giving him a disgruntled piece of her mind. After we paid and found seats, Rafi went back up to the driver to ask where we were supposed to get off for the museum. The driver told him that the bus goes close to the museum and that he would let us know when to get off.

The driver was right, the bus did go near the museum...it actually dropped us off right in front of it! Perfect! The museum is located on the Tel Aviv University campus. I had originally heard about it from my Israel guide book that I received as a Bat Mitzvah gift from some of the members of my Living a Meaningful Jewish Life class at Hillel UW. The guide book has proved to be very informative and useful. We have used it in many situations and I read it to gain insight about any place that we visit for an introduction of the area as well as for highlights to visit.

The Jewish Diaspora Museum, while it does not contain any intense ancient artifacts, is interesting and meaningful. It tells the story of the Jewish people and their diaspora through videos, music, timelines, quotes, dioramas of daily Jewish life in different countries throughout time, models of synagogues around the world, facts, photographs, paintings, and replicas of Judaica. The term "Diaspora" refers to the "scattering" of the Jews all over the world in different periods of time due to their exile and expulsion from certain areas in certain eras.

Rafi and I viewed the exhibits for three hours and enjoyed every minute of it. It was a nice break from the heat and mugginess of the days that we have been experiencing, and it was the one museum in Tel Aviv that I definitely wanted to visit. I learned a lot in the exhibit - one of the overarching themes that the facts portrayed was that in any given area, Jews were welcomed at first, contributed to the success and prosperity of that area or nation, and then the people in charge began to look unfavorably toward the Jews and drove them out. This is a reason why I think that the existence of Israel is so vital.

After we left the museum, Rafi and I decided to head across the street to the Botanical Garden. We arrived at the front gate where there was a chair in which a staff member seemed to normally sit and sell tickets. No one was in sight. The sign next to the gate said that on Sundays the gardens were open until 4:00pm and also mentioned something about a fee. It was already a little after 4. We looked around, and decided to go ahead into the garden. We were really quiet at first because we were not sure if we were supposed to be there. It was beautiful though! The area was quiet except for the crunching of the debris under our shoes. We spoke to each other in quiet voices, almost whispers. Walking around the first garden for a couple minutes, we saw many plants, all of which were labelled with an identification tag. We encountered a long line of black ants carrying eggs and other resources with their ant strenth. We stopped and marveled at them for a couple of minutes and I snapped a few pictures.

Ambling a little further up the path, Rafi let out an exclamation of surprise! There was a yellow and black reptile walking across the path in front of us in a rushed manner, trying to get to the safe plant side as fast as he could. I walked up to him, also as quick as I could, to get a better look. I recognized something in the way this creature walked and held himself. As I peered into the greenery that he had just walked into, I noticed another reptile in front of the one who just arrived in the plants. This one was a familiar green color with a deeper green forming a camouflaging effect. What was it that seemed to familiar to me? Then I realized...the green one was staring at me, but it's eye was turned all the way around to the back (it's head was pointing the opposite direction from me). These were chameleons!! In the wild! Wild chameleons!!! So cool! I grew up with chameleons in my family - that is why these seemed so sweet and familiar with their special body movements, how they sway on the branch to pretend that they are a leaf in the wind. The one that was yellow and black on the dirt path had now turned a few shades of green to match the coloring of the greenery around him. I was lucky to get a few pictures of these neat creatures. See if you can find them!

After the encounter with the wild chameleons, Rafi and I continued to explore the gardens. We saw beautiful, lush plants, and various spiky and fuzzy cacti, but no more interesting creatures other than white snails attached to many plants on the last leg of our walk in the gardens. We made the rounds and found the entrance again. We did not come across a single other person the entire time we were there. It was very relaxing and special. We walked to the nearby bus stop and caught a bus home where we ate a nice meal of leftover matzah ball soup. Right now, Rafi is engrossed in Sunday football - the one day and program that we turn the T.V on for.

Tomorrow we may go to the beach. Tuesday we will travel back to Jerusalem for exploring and shwarma followed by Scrabble Club, and Wednesday we will prepare for Rosh Hashanah!

Shabbat September 23-24

Shalom chaverim! Rafi and I experienced a very restful Shabbat and hope you did as well :) Friday morning we woke up and had a long morning. We dawdled at the house with Rafi on the machshev (computer) and me cleaning house to get it Shabbat-ready), had breakfast and ended up getting out later than we had originally hoped to do our pre-Shabbat shopping. We walked to our nearby grocery and realized that there would be loooonngg lines when we checked out. We grabbed a cart and began our shopping; we needed to pick up wine, challah, matzah ball mix, onions, cucumbers, peaches, a mango, juice, and pita. We had decided in advance to skip the challah at the supermarket because the one we tried last week was not our favorite. The lines at the end were super long - with every one out at that same time gathering reserves for the Shabbat shutdown of all of the stores in the area. Israelis are really aggressive when they are in line at the grocery store (and just about all other times in their day), and one is able to witness some pushing done by adults and an overall disgruntled behavior. It is a good thing that Shabbat is a part of the Jewish people. Without it, I think that some of us around here especially would become so disgruntled that they would burst. I think that Shabbat gives them a chance to breathe and refocus themselves for the coming week.

After successfully navigating our way through the craze of shopping carts and people, we finally paid for our food and packed it into my tote bag. We decided to drop it off at home before beginning our search for a delicious challah. We found a bakery soon enough, and noticed that they had two challahs left! We quickly bought ours and took our doughy manna home where I began to cook for Shabbat. That morning, I had already straightened and tidied the rooms in our apartment so Rafi swept the house nice and clean while I cooked (we had been tracking a bunch of sand in the house from our visits to the beach). Again, since we are trying our best to keep all the aspects of Shabbat that we can, I prepared all of the meals for the entire 25 hours. I started by making lunch for the next day.

I made a variation on a dish that we love to eat during Shabbat celebrations at Chabad UW: soy sauce noodles. Chaya makes this dish and it is always a favorite. Since I didn't have the recipe for it, I created one that seemed plausible. I used whole wheat noodles that we already had and boiled them. After draining out the water, I eye-balled vegetable oil and soy sauce onto the noodles and stirred it all together. You should definitely have more soy sauce than oil (you shoudn't use much oil, but depending on how many noodles you make you could use a couple of tablespoons - you want a light coating over the noodles). The noodles should look a tad darker from the soy sauce. I also chopped some onions, sauteed them for a bit (not too long - I still wanted them to have a slight crunch) and added them to the soy sauce noodles. I cut a chicken breast into small pieces and cooked them in teriyaki sauce. After this was all complete, I wrapped up the chicken and the noodles in separate containers and popped them in the fridge, not to be seen until the next day. After that, I began to work my magic on the matzah ball soup. Yum! In the soup I put, a sliced-up chicken breast, potatoes, one carrot, egg noodles, green onion, white onions, and of course, matzah balls. I also sliced cucumbers, mango, and other things of the sort to have available throughout Shabbat.

When Shabbat arrived, I lit the candles and we enjoyed their glow while Rafi and I went through a bit of Kabbalat Shabbat (a prayer service welcoming the Sabbath). It was nice because neither of us had done this for a while. At one point, we even stood up and began dancing around in circles, arm in arm. We then moved on to Kiddush (blessing the wine) and then the washing of our hands followed by Hamotzi (blessing the challah). We began the Shabbat candle-lit meal excitedly - we were hungry! The soup was oh, so yummy! Just what we needed after so many days upon days of eating schug (the spicy chili sauce we had been eating with almost every meal). The challah was indeed MUCH better than the supermarket one. Wow! Fresh and delicious with a great challah flavor :) Just what I needed! I had hummus to dip the challah in which is quite a delicacy. We also shared fresh, crisp slices of cucumber. I will mention that the matzah balls were unlike any matzah ball I have had in the States. They were made without oil - the directions said to just beat the matzah mix with two eggs. They seemed drier than the ones I am used to.

After two bowls of soup, we were quite full so we returned the leftovers to their respective places and began lounging. We literally relaxed for hours just talking and sharing stories about anything and everything from when we were young, all the way up until now. We read our books for a little and went to bed.

The next morning, we woke up late. The entire day on Shabbat we only ate, read, relaxed, and ate some more. We did Havdalah (the ceremony indicating the end of Shabbat and the start of the new week). The end of Shabbat is very interesting to me here. I think it is definitely because we are basically Shomer Shabbat. I can actually feel the end of Shabbat creep up slowly as the sun sets on Saturday night. This is because we often do not have any lights on in the apartment aside from our bathroom light. During daylight hours, we keep our blinds open to let the light in, but during sunset, it begins to get quite dark and an odd feeling settles. It seems like an in-between period because we cannot yet turn lights on and begin to do regular things, yet, it is still Shabbat and a time to relax. During this time, Rafi and I played card games near the bathroom light. When we turn on the first light after doing Havdalah, it seems strange and out of place - something that does not belong in the Shabbat realm. We still feel like we are a part of this Shabbat world. This is how we know that Shabbat is still with us and will continue with us throughout the beginning of the week while we get used to the weekdays. This is a way that Shabbat helps to rejuvenate us - I think that just as we prepare for Shabbat, Shabbat prepares us for the coming week.

Jerusalem and Galina's Hard Situation: Part 2

Shalom everybody! Right now it's Friday afternoon, and Chelsey is starting to get Shabbat dinner together. Since Shabbat starts at around 6:15 today, we need to have all the cooking done before then so we can be Shomer Shabbat once it begins. Not easy! So as a result, I'm going to write most of the Jerusalem blog, but since this was Chelsey's first time in Jerusalem, she's going to add some thoughts and feelings about her experience as well.

We decided to go there on a Tuesday, to combine touring, checking out Galina's apartment, and going to the Jerusalem Scrabble Club. At around 1:30, we walked about half an hour to the Arlozorov bus terminal, where buses to Jerusalem leave every 10-15 minutes. The intercity bus was much more confortable than the buses that we take around Ramat Gan and Tel Aviv, as they had personal lights and air conditioning, as well as padding on the seats.

Our plan was to walk from Jerusalem's central bus station to the Old City of Jerusalem, figuring that it wouldn't be too long of a walk. Lately our capacity for walking is about an hour or so, otherwise we decide to take a bus. So when we arrived at the bus station, we asked one of the security guards at the entrance how to get to the old city. He pointed us in the right direction, but not before exclaiming that we were silly for walking so far. As some of you may know, getting proper directions in Israel is difficult, as most Israelis only have a few words in their directional lexicons: Yashar (straight), Yaminah (right), and Smolah (left). So until the third or fourth person told us to go straight on Yafo street until we arrived, we weren't fully convinced we were going the right way. All the other people thought we were ridiculous for walking as well.

So we finally made it to the Old City, and made our way through the Jaffa Gate. Since it was already 4:45, and we were meeting Galina at 6, we pretty much only had time to go to the Kotel (the Western Wall). We (again) stopped to ask a young kipah wearing man for directions, and he started explaining how there were multiple ways to go, when he was interrupted by a middle-aged woman. Remember this woman. She said that his directions led us through the Shook, whereas her route was much more direct. The kipah wearing man looked a little sheepish. After ambling our way through the narrow paths, through the Jerusalem-stone buildings, we made it to the Kotel. Since men and women are forbidden to congregate together in front of the Kotel, Chelsey and I split up to go to our respective sides. I'll let Chelsey take over here so she can write about her first experience at the Kotel!

Hello my lovely family and friends! Immediately upon arriving in Jerusalem, I realized that there is a reason the song "Yerushalim shel Zahav" (Jerusalem of Gold) was written using those words. Jerusalem is so beautiful! I had been excited to visit the city simply because of its importance to Jews (as well as many other people in the world), but as we walked down Yafo street I realized that J'lem was even better than I expected. First of all, it seemed so clean - compared to Ramat Gan and Tel Aviv where Rafi and I have been staying. The temperature was much cooler and pleasant than that of Tel Aviv which was a major plus factor in our enjoyment of the area. Also, I could easily sense the "Jewishness" of the city which is what I am looking for. There were chassidic men all around with their tzitzit swinging while they walked. Women of all ages walked around the various shops along the street, wearing long skirts and modest tops - I fit right in! Speaking of the shops - there were so many awesome looking clothing and Judaica stores along Yafo. I can't wait to go back once we are living there to make a few purchases. All of the buildings are lovely and made from Jerusalem stone, so even modern buildings seem as if they are from another era. Rafi knew before we took the trip to J'lem that I would love it even more than Tel Aviv, and boy was he right! The walk to the Old City was long, but enjoyable thanks to all of the sights and people-watching we did along the way.

Once we saw the outer wall of the Old City, I began to get really excited! The outer wall is built like a castle wall and is complete with slits in the stone for shooting arrows at enemy intruders. On the gates to the Old City, there are large mezuzot containing the "Shema," a central Jewish prayer. It is so great to see these on the doorways and gates of buildings and areas while walking around! Since we did not have much time, as Rafi has already relayed to you, we had to bypass touring the majority of the Old City so we are definitely going back to explore more. The Old City is literally a city. I had no idea it was going to be so large and cover such an expansive space. People still live in the Old City - it is not simply a tourist destination, but in fact a living city. The Jerusalem stone is everywhere and I did not grow tired of seeing it. It is very easy to get lost in the Old City, with all of its passageways and winding roads. We finally made our way to a stairway leading down to a balcony that overlooked the Kotel square. It was lovely! From this balcony I saw my first real-life view of the Kotel and Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock. It was a sunny day with a blue sky so the view was spectacular. The Jerusalem stone gleamed white. The gold dome was striking and glinting in the sun's rays. The dome is covered in a layer of 80 kilograms of gold, donated by King Hussein of Jordan.

We took pictures from the balcony and made our way down the steps to the Kotel square passing the many beggars along the way. After going through security (we have to go through security for many things here, including bus stations in which you go through a metal detector and your bags go through an x-ray machine) we made our way to the Kotel. The Western Wall was an outer wall of the Second Temple and "dates from the end of the Second Temple period, having been constructed around 19 BCE by Herod the Great" - as stated by Wikipedia. We asked some girls nearby to take our picture in front of the Kotel. The picture is taken in front of the gates surrounding the wall (the gates are there to separate the men's side from the women's side because people come here to pray and in Orthodox Judaism, there must be separation during prayer.

After our picture was taken, Rafi and I parted ways to our respective sides. It is interesting to point out that the men's side is much larger than the women's side and on this day in particular there were so many more women than men at the wall. There were about five men on the men's side, and so many women that the wall was covered with them while others stood back waiting for their turn at the wall or sat and davened (prayed) in chairs. Before entering my respective side, I went to the washing station and ritually washed my hands of impurity. I walked slowly up to the wall, taking it all in. Dark green bushes grew out of the cracks in the wall and I saw a pigeon relaxing in a groove above one of the stones observing all the pilgrims to the Kotel. I was actually able to find a space at the wall relatively quickly because as I walked up, another woman left her place. I walked up and touched the stone and felt the smoothness of it. So many people before me have come to this very spot and touched the rock and poured their hearts out in prayer. It was great to think about all of the history involved in this wall and the numbers of people who have traveled great distances to be here to pray. I rested my forehead on the stone and felt it's warmth from the sun. I relaxed my body and breathed deeply. I said the "Shehecheyanu" blessing which is said to celebrate special occasions - especially events that happen for the first time, or the first time in a great while. Since it was my first time to Jerusalem, and my first time at the Kotel, I figured it would be a good thing to say. I also recited the "Shema." I walked away from the wall backward, so as not to turn my back to the wall, and sat in one of the empty chairs to relax and observe. After what felt like the proper time, I stood and began to slowly walk backward until I was far enough away from the wall that I could turn around and walk away normally.

In all, it was a great experience that I am definitely going to try to replicate on subsequent visits to the wall. Jerusalem is one of my new favorite places in the world! I cannot wait to live here for the rest of our time in Israel (hoping we find a place to live). I'll let Rafi continue with the rest of the day.

Soooooooo, after the Kotel, in which a Chassid convinced me to wrap tefillin and tried to get me interested in going to some retreat up north in Tzfat, we left the Old City to go meet Galina about the apartment. In order to call her, we had to borrow someone's phone again - something Chelsey originally thought would be unsuccessful when we tried it a few days before in Ramat Gan. I picked a young man sitting alone, and he was nice enough to let us use the phone. (We're 2 for 2 for borrowing phones!) Chelsey called Galina while I tried to talk to the man, but he wasn't as outgoing and talkative as Michal, the woman who lent us a phone the first time. Anyways, after calling Galina, we retraced our steps for about 20 minutes until we arrived at King George Street, where we were going to meet Galina. The address she gave us was King George, 8, 9, which confused us because of the two numbers. Did it mean King George 8, apartment 9? We weren't sure. While we were looking a little confused, trying to figure out where the apartment was located, the SAME WOMAN who gave us directions to the Kotel popped up in front of us! We asked her for directions yet again, and she showed us the door to the apartment, which was tucked nicely between some shops. She also made some comment about how the "goy" (non-Jew) in the Old City didn't know what he was talking about. Funny because he was nicely clad in semi-religious-style clothing, as well as a Kipah! Apparently, according to the woman, those who do not know their way to the Kotel must not be truly Jewish.

While waiting for Galina, we indulged in a Shwarma dinner, at the place I used to go every week before Scrabble club. While in Israel 4 years ago, it was originally 17 sheqalim, and changed to 19 near the end of my trip. This time it was only 15 sheqalim! However, it was a much smaller Shwarma than I remembered, so I might have to find a new favorite cheap Shwarma place.

Meeting with Galina was a bit awkward for both of us. How do you approach someone whose boyfriend is in a coma, and whose apartment we're supposed to be taking despite the fact that she's not going abroad anymore? She gave us the key and said she would try to move her stuff out before we moved in, but that she would most likely not finish in time. Quite a dire situation for her. Afterwards, we decided that we should look for new apartments instead of kicking Galina out of her own home. The location and price were pretty much perfect, but it just wouldn't be fair to her given the circumstances.

After meeting with Galina, we walked down Ben Yehuda street for a bit, popping into shops and checking out the Judaica, while slowly making our way to Scrabble club. Chelsey brought along her Nook to read while I played, and also chatted with some of the players and organizers. It turns out that many of them have children or friends who are doulas! Hopefully that means that Chelsey will get some more doula experience during our stay in Jerusalem.

At Scrabble club, I handily won my 3 games, playing very well for the most part aside from one word knowledge mistake. The coolest words I played were HEPATIC, HEPATICA after I hooked the A, and HEPATICAE after I hooked the E! Afterwards we walked back to the bus station, bused back to Jerusalem (I slept most of the way), and walked back to the apartment. It was quite a long journey, but well worth it for a day of touring, shwarma, and Scrabble.

Shabbat Shalom everyone!

Books

I wanted to do a little mini post about the books that we are reading and have read during this trip.

Chelsey:

I began reading a book titled, "The Sabbath World: Glimpses of a Different Order of Time" by Judith Shulevitz on the plane rides to Israel. I finished it here during our first week. It was very good and included a long history of the Sabbath - first how it began in Jewish observance as the first Sabbath with G-d commanding the Israelites to keep it, and how it evolved over time in Judaism, and then how it changed when Christians came on the scene. It showed how and why it differs between Christian sects and gives the historical background around it all. It also includes the authors own struggles with Shabbat and how and why aspects are important or not important to her. It was a very well thought out book and an enjoyable read, especially as I am testing and experimenting with my own level of Shabbat observance.

After that book I read a book called "Gentle Birth Choices: A Guide to Making Informed Decisions About Birthing Centers, Birth Attendants, Water Birth, Home Birth, and Hospital Birth" by Barbara Harper. The name of this book pretty much sums up ints content, although it does not indicate the vast amounts of historical and scholarly information that is contained in this book. This was a very scholarly read and included so much important information and resources for me to use as a doula. This book is on the list of required reading to become certified as a birth doula and I can see why. It contains invaluable information that I will take with me to help my future clients experience the birth they want - a gentle, mother and baby-centered one in which the woman is in control of the situation instead of the obstetrician.

The book I am currently engrossed in is named, "Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses" by Bruce Feiler. This book is excellent! I actually began reading it before we left for Israel and just picked it up again after completing "Gentle Birth Choices." In this book, the author, who is an American Jew who felt no connection to the Holy Land, goes around exploring theareas talked about in the Torah. He brings his Chumash (five books of Moses) with him to all the sites and reads them in the actual area that they are supposed to have taken place. Throughout the journey, his faith seems to become more tangible. It is a really great read so far! I am on page 90 or so of four-hundred something. It is an easy read that I want to gobble up. This book was given to me by some members of my Living a Meaningful Jewish Life class at Hillel UW for my Bat Mitzvah this summer. Thanks to you all!

Rafi:

Rafi is currently reading a novel called "The Face" by Dean Koontz. He is actually absorbed in reading it right nw. It seems like one of those books that is gripping and suspenseful and difficult to put down. He says that it is full of mystery, suspense, and intrigue. If you want to read more about it, you can find it on Amazon.com.

Galina's Hard Situation and the Observatory

September 18:

I had emailed Galina, the girl who we are subletting our next apartment from (in Jerusalem), last week. I wanted to see if we could meet up this week because we had discussed doing so when we arrive in Israel in order to meet each other, receive keys, and get accustomed to the location of the apartment. Galina was going to be abroad while we are in Jerusalem and we would be living with her roommate. She was going to then come back to her apartment around the time we would be leaving. She replied to my email a few days after I sent it saying that she was a a hard situation and that she couldn't really plan anything right now. She stated that it didn't change our agreement, it just makes it a bit more complicated. She asked us to call her.

We searched for cell phone, but realized after doing so that it would be more inexpensive for us to rent cellphones from a company called "Israel phones." These cell phones, once ordered, would have to be shipped to us and so we would not have immediate access to cell phones for a while. I emailed Galina with this info. She replied saying that she does not have great access to internet at the moment and gave us a brief synopsis of the situation-she has been in the hospital most days because her boyfriend had an accident. She again requested that we call her as soon as possible. We ended up going out to try to look for a phone. All of the public phone booths require a phone card to use them and we did not know where to obtain one. Rafi had been saying that we could probably borrow someone's phone-I did not think this idea was very feasible. I thought that it would be awkward and strange to just go up to someone on the street and ask to use their cell phone when we had no idea how long the call would last. I thought it would be rude to do something like that.

Funnily enough, that is what eventually happened though, in an easy and great way. On our search for phones, Rafi decided that it would be a good idea to ask an Israeli for advice on which phones are best to rent/how to/and where to rent a cell phone. We popped into a book store and asked the clerk about it. An Israeli customer near us started listening to us and helping us. She asked if we need to use her phone. I said that I was not sure how long the call would take, but she said that it was ok and that she would wait. Rafi talked to her while I called Galina.

Once in contact with Galina, I learned that her boyfriend had fallen off of her balcony and is now in a coma. She is at the hospital every day and sleeps there most nights. To date, he has had two brain surgeries to help him, but still has not woken up. Galina said that she is obviously not going abroad any more. She also told me that we still have the agreement to the place, but if we at all can, we should look for a different place. She said it was ironic because when we had originally agreed to the apartment, she had told us to please not change our minds on it and back out of the agreement. We agreed to meet on Tuesday when Rafi and I would be traveling to Jerusalem.

After the call, I returned to where Rafi and the nice lady who let us use her phone were chatting. Her name is Michal and she was super friendly. She gave us her card and let us know that we can call her if we need anything or if we even want to go out for coffee :)

Rafi and I then embarked on a seemingly long walk in the heat to Rafi's old Yearcourse apartment in Ramat Gan. We made it to the building, but we were not able to get in to see his actual apartment like Rafi had hoped. We caught a bus back to our apartment and ended up relaxing and reading for the rest of the evening.

September 19
The next day Rafi and I set out to check out the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. We walked for a while in the sun and finally found it after taking one wrong turn. They were not open long and the man selling tickets told us that we should come back on Thursday, when the museum is open long hours. We left the museum and decided to walk to the Azrieli Observatory to check out the panoramic view of Tel Aviv. Inside the Observatory building is housed a large Israeli mall. We walked around its multi levels for a while, people watching and popping in to occasional store to window shop. We grew tired because we had walked so much so we sat for a break on the top level of the mall. Next to us, a female soldier in uniform with a male friend took out a guitar and began playing it and singing songs. They were really good at it and the music was relaxing to us.

We made our way to the observatory entrance. The admission fee was really inexpensive because they were getting ready to hold an event there so we only had an hour to spend at the top (definitely MORE than enough time to check it out). We hopped in an elevator and ascended the forty-something floors of the building at top speed. The view from the top was amazing. We could see everything for miles. The sky was so blue and expansive. We saw the Mediterranean to one side, Ramat Gan to another, many buildings-big and small, and tons of itty bitty cars below us. It was great to see so much of the area at one time and get a glimpse as to how big the Tel Aviv area is.

After leaving the tower, we began walking to the beach for an evening dip in the Mediterranean. Outside of the observatory building, there were a bunch of Jews for Jesus handing out pamphlets and trying to talk to Rafi. We ran away as quick as possible. The walk to the beach was long in the heat, as it usually is :) When we arrived though, what a wonderful treat it was! We wrote notes in the sand for our friends back home. After putting our bag of belongings in a safe and easy-to-locate area, we immersed in the Sea. It was a perfect temperature - warm, cool compared to the day, but still comfortable to stay in when the sun set. Speaking of the sunset, it was lovely. A cloud would occasionally blow in front of the sun, low on the horizon, and golden rays would come spilling out from the gaps. We played in the water for quite some time until we decided that we should head home. The wind had picked up by that time and I felt colder than I have during the whole trip-which was not very cold by the way :) Being dripping wet from the sea coupled with the wind made for a chilly sensation, although not unpleasant. It was a great refreshment from the heat we have been experiencing.

We made our way home on the bus and ate a well deserved and delicious meal of our favorite - pita stuffed with yummies!