Tonight's post is a continuation of the previous one. The following is an edited transcription of the remainder of my journal entries from my time on Birthright Israel.
Saturday 1/14/2012
Up before 7:00, dressed and down for hotel breakfast with Sam Feldman and Bryce, the only 3 awake (Avery joined us soon after). We had a really good discussion of Shomer Shabbat, and Torah, etc. I chilled in their room a bit, borrowed Hunger Games from Sam, and practiced for services. 11:00, accompanied by neither roommate, I arrived at the quintuple Bat Mitzvah: Margo, Jess, Liz, Jon, and Pricilla. I sang my Conservative melodies, and listened to the speeches of the B’nai Mitzvot -- Jess’s even got me to tear up, and was perhaps my first spiritual experience in Israel. Her joining in Hillel for Yom Kippur, made her part of a community (later, I let her know of my appreciation). Chilled for a while, read Hunger Games and talked to Shereen in the lobby (she asked me if I was Conservative recognizing the tunes which I used t lead), then lunch (roommates were up) - good talk with Margo & Bryce. Presentation by Masa, who want us to return to Israel, then swimming in the pool until 4:30, just as the other were leaving. When done, couldn’t find the entrance, and was running the circumference of the building with nothing but a small towel around my lower body (kept on thinking of “girding up my loins”), but made it back, and on time: on the bus, down to the Hebrew Union College for a guitar0accompanied Havdallah, with Shereen’s friend Yosi (after putting b’nai mitzvot on the chair for Hava Negillah). Then, night out in Jerusalem: at first, with Sam Moss, Margo, and Bryce -- mediocre Italian restaurant (after some searching) followed by Judaica shopping (Bryce & I just watched). After that, to the club -- new group, morphed into Bryce, Sarah, Adar, Margo, Avery, Will ♥ Michel, Jake, Chloe, and Clarissa. I danced - 1st time - but alone, albeit with great energy. We went next to a bar, in which I was totally overwhelmed by a single Tubar beer, of which Clarissa ended up drinking ⅓ or so. Played “Never Have I Ever,” in which I revealed my lack of romantic attachments. Avri was wasted, Will & Michel were cute together, and Sara & Adar were least friendly (Margo, too). Having a wonderful time, we wandered a bit, made it back to the club, danced more. We all headed back to the bus at 11:30, and I was slightly drunk (<1 beer), and skipping (which Corryn thought was adorable). Back to room, to sleep past midnight.
Sunday 1/15/2012
Up, again for 7:00 breakfast club, and packed up to leave the hotel. Drove to the capital in Jerusalem, and Avishai explained to us about the Knesset, its history, its problems. We walked on to the beautiful High Supreme Court building, a fantastic piece of architecture: arches, pillars, past & present, width & narrowness, squares and circles. Saw the Court’s library, and a room where court holds session. From there, we drove to the Herzl National Cemetery, visiting the graves of the leaders, as well as of the IDF. Among others, saw the graves of and discussed the significance of Herzl, Yitzchak Rabbin, Eli Cahan, Michael Levine, etc. Really a very sobering experience, and I hope that none of our Israelis end up in that cemetery. We returned to the market of last week for lunch -- I got in a very intense argument with Sam Moss, Matt, and Bryce in defense of vegetarianism. We went on to take a very long drive north, during which everyone around me was sleeping -- the landscape was impressive, and would be more so on Monday. We got to the hostel past 7:00, ate lousy cafeteria food, and moved into a surprisingly nice room, with its own bathroom (Sam Moss & Matt again). Found the party room (Red Rover), then 9:00 meeting -- worst charades game I’ve ever played. I had “Starbucks,” and other groups had “Amsterdam,” “Camouflage,” etc. Afterwards, party started on the balcony/lawn. Played Truth or Dare, then “Never Have I Ever,” when some people from the other Birthright trip showed up. I like Group 357 overall. I was with Margo, Will, Michel, Jake, Avery, Sarah, Tehila, and, of course, Adar, whom we all love (koala slippers). Back to the room, hit the sack past midnight.
Monday 1/16/2012
7:00 breakfast club again: sat with Sam, Will, Bryce, Avery, Jake (crowd unsurprising). On bus for our most beautiful ride yet, up to the Golan Heights. On the way, we passed through Tiberias, with Rambam’s tomb, and also by Lake Kineret, on which Jesus walked. Also passed the loaves and fishes place, and a significant mountain). So green and plentiful, and gushing with water. We made it to the hike at Tel Dan - very muddy, but possibly my favorite destination yet on our trip. Wonderful because of the natural beauty and clear water (and the fact that I was speaking to Jess, whom I like very much), but also because of the ruins. First and foremost, the altar, c. 900 B.C.E., established by Yarav'am. Setup like that of the Temple in Jerusalem, no pig bones, and even iron barbeque tools. Looked out on the Syrian and Lebanese borders simultaneously, including the remains of the Syrian canal the Israelis had bombed. Saw the ruins of a 2800-year-old city gate, where judges held trials, and the 4000-year-old 1st arch in human history, through which Avraham may have walked. Gave me a very strong sense of historical connection. Lunch at a rest stop -- ate sandwich from hostel, and talked to Sam Feldman and Hannah, among others). We drove on to drop off the Israelis -- hope I get to see them again (gave warm-and-fuzzy notes, to Or, Adar, and Yanai), and some people cried. I made the joke about Brits leaving without saying goodbye, and Jews saying goodbye without leaving. Drove on to a volcano, which gave us a breathtaking view of the now-fertile former swampland. Chilly up top, even saw snow, and Avishai took us into a bunker, and gave us another military lowdown, focusing on the defense of Golan in the Yom Kippur War. We stopped in the café at the mountaintop, and some people got hot chocolate, then drove to Capernaum Vista olive press, where we got a unique politics-loaded pot-stirring talk from the press owner. He was a good salesman, and got us to try his olive oil (orange really good) and skin care products (I bought nothing). He also created, instantly, a debate about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: on the bus back, Jess, Matt, Bryce, Margo, and I had an excellent conversation. Back at hostel, another subpar diner, and somehow Sam Moss and I reminisced about CJL people we know and love. Bryce and Sam Feldman were in our room for this, and Bryce requested to see FB photos of the people we were discussing, and we used the lobby terminal: a photo of Rachel, Jacob, Peninah, and Marissa made me instantly realize how much I miss them all. Acutely, painfully aware. 9:00 game, series of questions for whole group, Yes, No, or Maybe. Will you keep abreast of current events in Israel (Y)? Are you planning on engaging in Jewish activities on your return (Y)? Would you marry a non-Jew (N)? Would you raise your children Jewish (Y)? Afterwards, had a nice heart-to-hear talk with Margo about Aliyah, orthodox conversion, ended up sucking Shereen into our conversation. Shereen had shared her story of rock-bottom, pulled-out-of-the-gutter-by-the-Jewish-community story. Bed past midnight.
Tuesday 1/17/2012
Up at 6:50, shower, breakfast (almost alone), journal, then packed up the bus, and drove to Tzfat, passing Hattin (as in, the Horns of Hattin) on the way. Sat with Bryce, who’s still sick with a cold (note: a stomach bug has been going around the group), and arrived, in the rain, at Tzfat, the city of wind. We visited the house of Yosef Caro, the synagogue of Yitzchak Luria, and a candle factory. I dropped ₪5 for the Caro house upkeep, as tzedakah. Bryce and I walked through a few of the art galleries together, and Matt and I watched a Chabad woman making wax carvings of Jacob’s Hands. We drove on, in the continuously beautiful landscape, to the Roman ruins at Tzippori, where we hiked around, visiting a mosaic shop, the roads, and various reconstructed mosaics. I was quite pleased and impressed, and Avishai discussed with us the significance of the Mishnah, and the 2000-year-old problem of adaptation. There was what might have been a synagogue floor, with Hebrew writing and pagan imagery (Zodiac). What does that mean? Finally dry, long bus ride to Tel Aviv, and Bryce and I continued our very intellectual conversation: poetry, Chinese classics, Kabbalah, martial arts, “superstition,” biology, religious tolerance, intermarriage, etc. Eventually, made it to hotel in Tel-Aviv. Sam Moss, Matt, and I removed in our smallish room. I finished some writing, then 6:30 dinner -- more table talk with Bryce, and back to room until 9:00 p.m. departure time for night out in Tel Aviv. The night started kind of slowly - went to a café, but Bryce and I sat outside with Avri, where the two of them talked punk music and horror films. I was unable to contribute, but listened respectively. Next up, a bar, where I was in the corner. Sam Feldman bought me a beer, and not much happened, until I was asked to film karaoke (I was with Matt, Bryce, Sam Feldman, Avri, Sarah, Will, Michel, Margo, Adar [yay!], Chloe, and Clarissa). We followed Adar, whom we had met after the café, to another place, where the dance floor was the bar itself. Again, cameraman, then danced a little with the girls, and Will insisted I take my 1st shot: an ultimate vodka; it took a little while for the alcohol to take full effect, but finishing Avri’s beer helped too, as we exited. By this time, we had well under an hour left: Chloe apparently had gotten sick, so I carried her piggy-back: Will was telling her to kiss me, but I told her she didn’t need to, if she didn’t want to -- so she didn’t, but she laughed about my statements about street-crossing safety. So we walked the streets, and some headed back to the rendezvous point, while Sam, Bryce, Margo, and I stepped into a bar for a quiet moment, and spoke until we all met back up again. Hannah was feeling frigid, so I gave her my hoodie to wear. We bussed back to the hotel, and after talking to Sam Moss a bit, went to bed past 2:00.
Wednesday 1/18/2012
Up without the slightest hangover, with energy, ready for the last day of Taglit, in Tel-Aviv. We drove downtown, seeing the fashionable socialist-designed World Heritage site, and some people took a 10-minute coffee break, and we went on to see some orientalizing ‘20s luxury multi-million homes, before stopping by Independence Hall, where we saw a presentation on Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948, by a really excellent guide, who went on to play the audio recording of the event for us. Then we stopped by Jaffa, where Avishai lives, and he showed us around, including the shores of the Mediterranean, where I got just a little wet. We had free time to eat and shop, after discussing Tel-Aviv-Jaffa’s role as a border in the Israeli-Palestinian open conflict, ending in military conflict. Sam Feldman and I wandered around -- he walked into a restaurant, and asked for a pepperoni pizza, ended up getting a margarita, a whole pie, while I ate my soy-hotdog sandwich left over from the day before, and we looked at the cheap fleamarket goods. On the bus ride to Jerusalem, I spoke more to Sam Feldman, and filled out an evaluation form. On the bus, on the way to the Education Fair, where I saw a few uninteresting booths, but also a program for teaching English and learning Hebrew in Israel, no experience required, and a stipend provided. Bus ride, filling out yet another evaluation form, arrived at a greenhouse/bikeshop, where we sat in a circle and shared our favorite experience -- most people very honest, and many said Matzada or the Bedouin tent (I said Golan, and Jess’s Bat Mitzvah speech, and she was very touched). We had an OK-dinner: I wound up sitting with Grant, Jon, Hon, Aaron, Perry, and some others. Then drove to David Ben-Gurion airport. We received our shirts and mezuzot, and waited a really long time, but made it (talked with Madison, Lexi, and Bryce, whose olive oil I’ll be bringing back for him). Boarded the 11:30 flight, after goodbyes to Shereen, Jess, and Adina (unintentionally missed Avishai), and after shuffling seats to convenience Kyle and Rachel, wound up between a Jewish woman from Brooklyn, and an Israeli woman and her cute 15-month-old.
Thursday 1/19/2012
Finished my flight back to the United States, helping the woman and her baby through customs. There were some quality hugs as many of us parted ways, and I finally made it to the right gate, where I chilled with Sarah, Trevor, Liz, and Andrew. Main topics -- people we didn’t like, and hookups. Andrew and I flew the two flights to Dulles, then Syracuse, and I met my Mom at the airport: I was and am so happy. Chattered to her all the way back, read some, and befriended Shereen on Facebook, unpacked, ate dinner, bed around 9:00!
~JD
"The we/they divide within this society shifted from one that emphasized social identities based on either one's association with autochthonous gods or immigrant gods, to a definition that focused on the origins of one's ancestors and time of arrival" (Sandra Greene, Gender, Ethnicity and Social Change on the Upper Slave Coast: A History of the Anlo-Ewe, p. 108).
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