Chillin' with the Rubin Trippers

First off, as a commentor mentioned on Andi's last post, Idan Raichel is going to be in St. Louis on Thursday, November 12th as part of Wash U's Hip Hop Week. (Sidebar: I really hope there's a good reason for Wash U of all places to have a Hip Hop Week. Doesn't seem like the most likely place for that. But I digress.) I won't repeat what Andi was saying, but I'll agree that the show was a lot of fun, and if you're into hippies singing very modern Israeli music, I'd go check it out. You might want to listen to the music first to get an idea of what your getting into - this blog featured on Jewish in St. Louis has more info.

Anyway, for those of you that follow said Jewish in St. Louis, you might be aware of the Rubin Israel Experience. Currently (actually, they're leaving later tonight), a group of 10 Jewish professionals in their 30s are traveling through Israel for the first time, on a free trip sponsored by Ron and Pam Rubin.

Well, last week I got a phone call summoning me, Andi, and Tali (the Atlanta participant who will live with us in Yokneam) to meet up with them in Yokneam. Now, Andi begged out to finish her rabbinical school application that was due this weekend (Psh. Like that's an excuse.) but Tali and I made the trip up, with very little idea of what was going on. After meeting up with Arkady, our main contact in Yokneam, we were introduced to the group. Much to my delight, it turned out to be a great few days.

The point of their trip to Yokneam-Meggido was primarily to actually see where the St. Louis Federation's money was going, instead of just hearing about it. We met at a local kibbutz (Kibbutz Dalia) where we spoke with 3 local Ethiopian olim (immigrants) who were very involved in the community, specifically with various youth programs. Following a typical Israeli lunch at the kibbutz, we visited the local Osem factory, a company that produces many baked goods for Israel, such as cakes, crackers, pretzels, etc.

Since we were naturally running late (Sidebar: In Israel, nothing is on time. "I'll be there in 10 minutes" typically means 30.), we only spent a short time there. After that we headed to the local youth center, where I'm going to be spending a lot of time volunteering - and right now, I couldn't be more excited about it. It's a great facility, with a computer center, game room, fully equipped music room, a kitchen, and a huge room where you can show movies, have a dance (they have speakers and DJ equipment) or tons of other programs. Money well spent, Federation!

I also had a chance to speak to the youth coordinator and one of the other staff members, and they are really great people with the best of intentions. I pretty much told them to just get me a desk, because right now I want to just work there all day every day.

After leaving the youth center, we headed to a local Yeminite village for dinner, where they decorated the group leader who is getting married in a few weeks in full henna and Yeminite clothing for a full-on presentation. Interesting to say the least. After spending the night at my adoptive family's, I rejoined the Rubin group for a trip to the Golan Heights area, which included walking around an army base in the rain. We were accompanied by an officer and a private, and I realized that the private had probably screwed up somewhere when he had to go through part of the obstacle course, in the rain, on a Friday (most soldiers go home for Shabbat), just to entertain a bunch of Americans.

Finally, I wrapped up my time with the group after visiting a local village for lunch hosted by the Druze (Just look it up. It'd be easier. Or better yet, just go here), after which we parted ways. It wound up being a great couple of days, and I am very glad I had the chance to meet with the group and join them for part of their trip. I could tell what a great time they were all having, and it's pretty clear that the program will have a great impact on the St. Louis Jewish community! One of the members of the group has been keeping a blog throughout their trip, which you can read here. There are also a number of pictures, some of which I might even be in!

Since I've been linking to a few blogs in this post, I might as well link to my own as well. Head over to Show Me the Shawarma to get more updates from my travels, including a recent "travel guide" of my Sukkot vacation in Egypt. Until next time, l'hitrayot!

EDIT: Thought everyone might like to see a picture of me, Tali, and the Rubin group at the previously discussed youth center: