'Cause I Was Walking in Yokne'am

Since we've been in Yokne'am, we've been hearing a lot about this event called the "Yokne'am Walk" that was coming up, how it was such a huge deal, how everyone went to it, and how much we should be looking forward to it. Well, last Saturday it finally came! Basically, this was a huge American-style festival, with game booths, a moon bounce, junk food for sale, people selling random trinkets, and a stage set up for various bands and dance groups. Along with the carnival was a marked path for a little hike of either 6 or 11 kilometers. First, we checked in at the Dalyiot booth which was being run by my adoptive mom (who's the vice principal of the school) and Yuval, my 4 year old adoptive brother. After Yuval gave me a hat and some candy (but none for Andi and Tali - he's shy!) we headed out on the walk.

We were looking forward to the whole thing, but we were especially watching out for a booth set up by the kids at the youth center. Well, to our surprise, it wasn't just a booth - it was a whole other carnival! They set up about 30 minutes into the walk, and had a lot of the same features as the first carnival. We were really proud of them - they came up with everything and ran the whole thing themselves. Even Nadav, the youth center's director, was able to just sit back and watch them at work. It was really impressive!

Following our stop, we headed out for the rest of the whole 11 km walk/hike. The landscape in Yokne'am is really gorgeous, and it was the first time we really got to see it all. Along the way, we ran into a bunch of people we had met over the past few months, including a ton of our kids from Dalyiot.

After completing the hike (and returning to a shut down and empty carnival - guess we took a while), I decided I was tired of walking, so I gave Efi (my adoptive dad) a call to see if he could come pick us up. He did us one better, offering to bring us to their house where they had "a lot of food". Well, the reason they had so much food was that his ENTIRE FAMILY was there to visit! I was shocked, as I had just had Shabbat dinner with them the night before and he didn't mention that anyone was coming. Turns out that they had been planning on inviting us all along, but they didn't know when we would be done with the walk. So, we were treated to an amazing Shabbat lunch after a long hike, and Andi and Tali got to meet my extended Israeli family. Just another reason why I love Shabbat in Israel!

I could go on, but I think in this case I'd rather show, not tell. Enjoy!

New Volunteering Site!

As you all know, we have been busy with all of our volunteering here in Yokne'am, from teaching English at Daliyot, to helping out at the youth center, and even coaching a little bit of baseball. As of last week, we added a new site to our repertoire. A man named Yochai Yitzhari has been running a food pantry called Kol Halev since 2002, and his efforts reach around 100 families (about 600 people) in the Yokne'am-Meggido area.

After recieving a $15,000 grant from our very own St. Louis Jewish Federation, our coordinator Arkady wrote an article for the Jewish Agency of Israel detailing his efforts. I won't go into the details of the program here (you can follow the link provided at the end of this entry), but needless to say, once we learned about Yochai we were eager to join him.

The work we do isn't particularly hard, but it is certainly rewarding. If you've worked in a food pantry, you know the drill - gather the food and bag it up. The crew working there is a very warm and inviting group, and they made it easy for us to jump right in and start helping. Even though the work is simple, it's nice to be able to step back and see exactly what you did that day, as opposed to the more abstract results from teaching.

It's also great working with Yochai - the 65 year old former naval commander is full of life and energy, and you can tell how much he truly loves the work he is doing. It hasn't been uncommon for us this year to encounter people who are jaded from years of work, but Yochai is truly passionate. As he told us after driving us home (he personally is driving us to and from Kol Halev each week), his "life is volunteering", and he loves being able to provide the children of the community with food each week. It may just be for a few hours a week, but I think I can speak for Andi and Tali when I say we are excited to join his efforts!

Jewish Agency article: "Former Naval Commander Dedicates His Life to Helping the Needy"

St. Louis Jewish Federation article: "JFed Grant Pays for Food to Poor in Yokne'am"

Yokneam! (and the past month...)

We've finally moved to Yokneam and I can say that we're just about settled. Our apartment is one enormous step up from the absorption center we lived in during our three months in Ashkelon. We have an oven!...not that any of us can quite figure out how to use it.

A full kitchen and living room had all of us shocked and quite pleasantly surprised. It's a shock to the system to move from a dorm style building with 38 Americans to the much quieter existence of an apartment with two roommates (not to imply that we can't still hear every word each other says because with the way noise carries here, its as is we're always all in the same room). But before talking about Yokneam, a quick summary of my last month:

I was in Istanbul for about a week with a friend from Otzma and we had a wonderful time. Going to Turkey was something we planned incredibly last minute (two weeks before we left, maybe?) and somehow everything just magically fell into place. We were friendly before the trip but ended up traveling really well together and enjoying each others company.

We luckily found most of the same things fascinating and I'm a little embarrassed to admit we would get so excited at each new site (while simultaneously reading our individual copies of Lonely Planet: Istanbul) that we'd make notes on scrap paper and go back to our hostel to look up our homework online later in the night. I was exposed to a whole new culture that I previously knew hardly anything about. I was so shocked (probably a big reflection of my own ignorance) how much amazing history there was to find in Istanbul itself. I had never been to a Muslim country and found the stunning mosques absolutely fascinating. And since the Bosphorus River, which runs right through the city, separates both the city and country into part Europe and part Asia...I went to Europe over break!

We decided one evening to try and find one of the few synagogues in the country which represent the very small Jewish community in Istanbul. As we happened upon the building and decided to take a picture of the exterior (we wanted to record how understated and really hidden the building seemed) a man in a suit ran at us yelling to stop taking pictures. He can only be described as secret service as he was in a suit and spoke into a tiny microphone in the lapel of his jacket. He watched us delete our pictures and after swearing up and down that we are Jewish he explained to us that in order to get a tour of the synagogue we would have to contact the Chief Rabbi of Turkey to receive permission. We walked away stunned but on a mission.

On the last day of our trip we were able to visit two synagogues and a Jewish museum. Both shuls were hidden and extremely difficult to spot unless you are explicitly seeking them out. But then as you enter they somehow open up into these big beautiful establishments.

Neve Shalom, where we were encountered the security guard, we found out was the victim of two attacks in the past couple decades. Gunmen entered the synagogue during Shabbat services in the 80s and just a few years ago there was a car bombing. Amazingly Neve Shalom is still beautiful and active.

After returning to Israel I was in Jerusalem, studying at Pardes for two weeks. It was a really interesting experience and overall I really enjoyed the text study. Being in Jerusalem I expected to get back into being forced to use my Hebrew but since I had never before lived in Jerusalem I now realize, that was just not true. I hardly spoke a word of Hebrew over those two weeks since everyone's English was far and away better than my Hebrew. And that's really an understatement since I felt surrounded by Americans almost the entire time, and when I was around Israeli's they were all pretty much fluent in English. I was relieved honestly to get out of the city so that I could feel like I wasn't trapped in an American bubble and I could be around Israelis again.

A week and a half in Yokneam and I already have improved my Hebrew more than I ever would surrounded by English speakers. We've been working in an elementary school for three days and being with children makes is extremely necessary to improve, quickly! The teachers communicate with us in English and there are even a few kids who know the language but for most of the day, Hebrew is really essential. It's a situation I've really managed to avoid amazingly enough over the past four months because I've been terrified to use the language. Now that it's unavoidable it's putting a lot of pressure on me to get better fast! And really in three days I'm already utilizing a lot more of what I know than I have been. I definitely still sound absolutely ridiculous when I speak, but I understand a lot more and I'm just hoping someday I'll get to a point when I don't sound absolutely ridiculous.

Yokneam itself is a beautiful city with a real small town feel. There is one large shopping center and I have yet to go there without recognizing someone (and we only moved here last week!). It's located in the mountains so its hilly and offers a great view from almost anywhere. Because it's the partnership city to St. Louis when I tell people where I'm from they get really excited (not something you'll find ANYWHERE ELSE in Israel where they usually say "I've never heard of that place"). The Partnership 2000 coordinators, people associated with federation in St. Louis, have really taken care of us here and are still helping us to figure out the logistics for all of our volunteering while in Yokneam.

Last night we volunteered at the youth center for the first time and just spent time hanging out with the kids who were there doing mostly nothing with friends. I played a couple games of foozeball and ping pong. Fun fact: the direct translation of foozeball in from Hebrew to English is "table soccer" (from cador regell shulchan). We had a really fun night hanging out with some of the high schoolers there, trying to communicate in the Hebrew I could speak, and the little bit of English they could contribute too.

So far its been a pretty smooth transition to living up here. Even though I see the importance of taking Ulpan in Ashkelon and I did volunteer a few days a week there, I often felt frustrated that I wasn't doing what I came here to do this year, which is to volunteer full time. Now that I've moved to Yokneam and the second track of Otzma has begun I know that I'm finally getting that opportunity. I'll be happy to share as those unfold! (picture: Max, me, and Tali with a view of Yokneam in the background)

Yom Tov!

...And Looking Towards What's Ahead

(Note: This blog picks up where a previous post at Show Me the Shawarma left off. If you want a recap of the past three months, head over there and check it out! Aren’t crossovers fun?)

So now that our time in Ashkelon has come to a close, what’s next for your intrepid St. Louisans? Well, I can’t speak for Andi, even though my sources tell me she is currently vacationing on the beaches of Haifa before beginning Pardes in Jerusalem in two weeks. As for me, as of tomorrow I am beginning an army program called Sar-El. We will be living on an army base meant for paratroopers, and doing volunteer work there during the week. Mainly, we’ll be packing bags and cleaning guns. From what I hear, it’s actually pretty fun, and hopefully I’ll learn a good amount about the army. We also get kicked off the base during weekends, so hopefully we’ll have some more adventures in Tel Aviv/Jerusalem/Eilat/somewhere fun!

After Sar-El I start a two-week vacation, and my entire family is coming to visit. My parents have never been to Israel, so we’re doing the whole tour. Some places I’ve been to, some I haven’t, so it’ll be interesting. More importantly, it’ll be great to see my parents, brother, and sister-in-law, as I haven’t seen them in months and won’t again until the program ends. Needless to say, I’m pretty excited.
The group seems to be splitting into three categories: Those whose families are coming to Israel, those who are traveling abroad (destinations include Turkey, Germany, and even London), and those headed back to the U.S. In any case, I’m looking forward to seeing my family!

After vacation, we are reuniting in Jerusalem on Jan. 3rd for Part II orientation. Following that day, we are headed up to Yokne’am! We’ve got our apartment, which is fully furnished, although we’ll see what that means. Pictures include a microwave, which is a step up from the toaster oven we have now. Also, I’ll have my own room – even if the picture seems to have a couch/futon and not a bed. Actually, the couch is pretty common here, and can sort of turn into a bed. Also, it actually looks a little more comfortable than Andi’s bed in the other room! Haha, I win! I mean…

We’ll fill ya’ll in on our volunteering more when we get there, but the two main locations are an elementary school and a youth center. At the school, we’ll be working with kids who are a little behind on their English and need more one-on-one time. Also, Andi’s adoptive mom is the principal and my adoptive mom is the assistant principal, so there you go! At the youth center, we’ll be doing anything from playing music to planning events. The main job is to come up with things to attract kids to come. There’s also a chance I’ll be coaching baseball – on my application I guess I put that I liked baseball, which apparently qualifies me to coach. Should be, uh, interesting…

So there it is – the next few weeks layed out for you. I’m losing my Internet connection and computer while on Sar-El, so I’ll try and get something up afterwards as soon as I can. In the meantime, happy holidays and see you in Yokne’am!

Thanksgiving

I love thanksgiving. I love returning home each year and knowing all of my friends will be there too. I love spending the holiday with my family whether we celebrate in St. Louis or Chicago. This year was my first thanksgiving away from home. But that's not to say that I went without thanksgiving at all this year. I had two different thanksgivings this year.

The first was an Otzma celebration on thanksgiving itself. There were 60 of us squeezed into the moadon of our absorption center. There are about 40 of us on the program and the remaining 20 were made up of Otzma staff, ITC participants (a new Otzma program which places volunteers solely in Israeli schools teaching english), the building staff, Ulpan instructors as well as past Otzma alumni who have made aliyah.

We had two turkeys, prepared by two fellow Otmaniks who planned the festivities. Each one of us was in charge of preparing at least one dish for the meal. Somehow there was enough food for everyone, with plenty of left overs. We were all a little nervous about how the event would turn out with so many people with different traditions and expectations. In the end the meal was surprisingly delightful. It was a real success and we even managed to remain silent for all 60 people to quickly share what they were thankful for this year. The food was delicious and the meal was somehow still intimate despite all of the people.

On friday I left Ashkelon and went to Yokneam to celebrate the holiday for a second time with my adoptive family. Because my adoptive dad is originally from New York, he likes to put on a big thanksgiving meal every year. They invite all of the Americans and their families they know in the area. That's not to say the meal was without Israelis--there were Israeli spouses as well as the kids who grew up here who can be described as nothing else but Israeli.

So for this reason the incredibly crowded house (they hosted over 30 guests) was a complicated fusion creating an Israeli thanksgiving. The food was great but I was surprised on this American holiday to feel the Israeli influence in the dishes. Despite all the English speakers, I was still surrounded by constant Hebrew. The house was filled with people who often see each other only once a year on this day but still are able to pick up where they left off from the year before.

I experienced a very American tradition for the first time here in Israel, the day after thanksgiving lunch: Turkey Sandwich. I just had the meal for the first time with my adoptive family. My family is really missing out by leaving this particular tradition out of our repertoire, it was great! I finally understand what all the fuss is about. We're usually at the movies the day after thanksgiving but I think we would be well served to enjoy this big left over meal after the movie so that a proper nap can take place when we're all stuffed once again to capacity.

My thanksgiving(s) have been interesting and different and all together a big success. Even so, I still missed being with my own family, playing Risk until all hours of the night, and my favorite sweet potato/cranberry dish my mom creates every year. Last night I looked over and saw a 12 year old boy sit on his mother's lap and kiss her on the cheek. Before I could help it I said outloud, "I miss my mommy." Despite the fact that I'm 22 and am admitting to calling my mom, mommy, from time to time, I really do miss everyone. I wouldn't call myself homesick, I'm quite used to being away from home and spend little time dwelling on the separation. I'm usually not bothered because of the internet and my unusually high phone bill but there's nothing like the holidays to provoke a fleeting moment of realization about how far the distance really is between Israel and St. Louis.

Later this evening I'll return to Ashkelon and leave my adoptive family until moving to Yokneam next month. I'll be greeted in Ashkelon with the family we've created an ocean away from home and to be quite frank I'll probably forget entirely about that fleeting moment until the next one.

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:

High Holiday Experience in Israel

My Yom Kippur in Jerusalem experience was pretty similar to the one Max described. It was an incredible opportunity and completely unique from any other Yom Kippur I've had in the past. Both services I attended were Reform, which was starkly different from the Orthodox Shul I went to on Rosh HaShana.

I spent the New Year in Yokneam, the Israeli sister city to St. Louis. I spent the weekend meeting and celebrating with my adoptive family. They were warm and of course, force fed me like the most welcoming of Israeli's do. The situation was albeit slightly awkward, thrown into a foreign home, expected to feel immediately comfortable and celebrate this family oriented holiday together. Even so, it felt wonderful to be around a loving family, who opened their home to me and accepted me into all of their traditions.

The morning of Rosh HaShana, I attended services with Zvi at the Orthodox Shul, mostly just to feel like I was inside a synagogue during the holiday. I have to admit I had no conception of anything going on during the two hours we were there. So, needless to say, the two Reform services I found myself at in Jerusalem for Yom Kippur provided a much different experience. It was comforting to be in a service I was much more familiar with and equally as nice to be surrounded by the friends I have made in Israel who have quickly become my family here in Ashkelon.

Like Max, I went to HUC for Kol Nidre services. The following morning I found a small Reform Synagogue in the heart of Jerusalem. However, beyond the services, it is difficult to put into words what really made the experience of Yom Kippur in Jerusalem so unique. I won't dwell on how empty the streets were or what it was like to see every building completely shut down because I know Max explained this phenomenon. While it is stunning to witness the abandonment of city-life for one day, to me the amazement came from what this represented. With Jerusalem in the state it was it is impossible to ignore that whether secular or religious, everyone is Jewish (I realize that I'm generalizing the area I was staying in to account for all of Jerusalem, mostly because it accurately depicts my impression of the experience.).

There, everyone was celebrating Yom Kippur in their own way. Instead of walking by the various fast food restaurants open for business on State Street and explaining to teachers why I won't be attending class, I saw nothing and no one. Instead, I could feel only the weight of the day and the beauty of this area, populated by Jews.

As it is the season for holiday after holiday, Sukkot break began this afternoon. Tomorrow morning I'm leaving with friends for a trip up north. We'll be staying in Tiberius, then making our way to Tzfat for Shabbat and Simchat Torah and finally ending in Jerusalem for an Otzma Seminar. I'll be sure to share stories from those adventures as soon as I get back to Ashkelon at the end of the 10 days!

Chag Sameach!

Andi