ים אל ים

Greetings from Israel everyone. I am now on Passover break, which is a 16-day long break. 

Break began with a trip sponsored through the Office of Student Activities on campus. It is the annual Yam el Yam hike. During the Yam el Yam you hike from sea to sea (which is "yam el yam" is in English). However, since this trip is through OSA we did it a little differently. For more information on the Yam el Yam hike you can click this wonderful link to a wiki-page. 

The first day we went to Akziv, the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Here, we did some stretching and also played a game called "Yam, Adamah," which means "sea, land." We would run into the sea when we heard Yam, and then run back when we heard Adamah. It is part of the tradition of Yam el Yam.

We then hiked along some river beds and up some mountains for three days. Sorry, no pictures from this event. We were hiking through water on the first day and I didn't want to risk my camera falling in, or better yet, me falling in and my camera still getting ruined. I made the hard choice to leave my camera behind, and I am glad, because someone did drop their camera in the water on our hike.

This is where OSA made a detour from the traditional Yam el Yam. We didn't do the whole hike. Many groups will hike with sleeping bags and pots to make pasta or rice along the way. Well, we had hostels, and nice hostels at that. Something that OSA likes to do is give you a taste of what the experience is like, but also to allow you to have bonding time with all the people on the trip. Yes, we did some hiking, but we also did much more.

We hiked over Shabbat, so everything closed down (no surprise there). However, during this day we got to tour Peki'in, a Druze town in the north. Only one Jewish person resides in this city, and she is now almost 90 years old. On the normal Yam el Yam you would have no reason to pass through this city, but we got to spend two days there.

The night Shabbat ended we hopped on the bus and drove about half an hour away, where we were going to sit around a fire. We also got to prepare our dinners. We split the group of 70 people into 3 groups (salads, sides, and entrees) and we prepared a giant potluck meal, all cooked by us. We had about 8 different kinds of meat. countless salads, and some awesome side dishes. We loaded up our plates and sat around the fire and had a great evening.

The experience was fantastic. Although the hiking was not terribly hard, it allowed us to really bond with each other outside of school and while running through the wilderness.

Tel Aviv Festivities

It is official. I have FINALLY left Jerusalem. A few friends needed to get away for Shabbat, so we went to Tel Aviv. Overall it was fun.

If you have been following then you know what Shabbat is all about; there is food, family, and whatnot, and more importantly a day of rest. It is fun to just wind down with friends, but all of us being from America are used to different things on our days off. We like to go to malls, if only to just look at things to get away from our home. We were feeling really cooped up and we needed to breathe a little a bit. Jerusalem is different than Tel Aviv. There is a much higher population of secular Jews in Tel Aviv, so Shabbat is very different there. As some people here say, “When you are in Tel Aviv, you kind of aren’t in Israel.”

We got to Tel Aviv at about 2pm and we walked to our hostel. It was a very nice hostel. There was a very large living room, kitchen, and backyard area. It was about $25 for the night. The room that we slept in had about 9 sets of bunk beds, and they were all full that night. It was a good experience to run into people from different places that are all in Israel for different reasons. Some were stopping through for vacation and some had just stepped on the plane and were hoping to pursue a dance career at a company there. After we dropped of our belongings, and pocketed the items that we didn’t want to risk being stolen we headed out.

It was extremely windy the day we went to Tel Aviv. The beach was a very cool sight, but the waves were huge. We didn’t go swimming or anything, but we stood on the shore and felt the sea mist on our faces. We walked along the boardwalk and just soaked up a different pace of life in Israel. Despite the wind and chill we still had a good time. Anywhere can be an awesome place with the right people. We found kept walking and went to a gelataria. Yep, on such a cold day we still had gelato. The gelataria was attached to a larger shopping area and we could see all the things that were up for sale. None of us bought anything, because everything is much cheaper at the Shuk (when it comes to food) and the Old City (when it comes to everything else). 

A friend and I went to a sushi place for dinner. We got a couple plates of sushi and just relaxed and soaked in the atmosphere. It was about 9pm, so everything back in Jerusalem was a closed and the city was still. This was not the case in Tel Aviv. People were all over the streets going out for their evenings. The statement was really true: “When you are in Tel Aviv, you kind of aren’t in Israel.” In a land where East meets West I felt like I was right back at home on a Friday evening. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Do I need that every weekend? No. We were talking that even when we are home we don’t always do something on the weekends, so we kind of observe a Shabbat of sorts, but everything is open on weekends in case we want to do something. Having a weekend where almost everything was open was a nice feeling.

We went back to the hostel and slept and slept in the next morning. We finished our time in Tel Aviv with a much-needed breakfast. Yes, I found some bacon in Jerusalem. Real bacon, none of this beef that tries to disguise itself as bacon. Yes, I love bacon, and yes, I was missing the option of having bacon. After we were sufficiently coffee-d up and fed we made our way back to the central bus station in Tel Aviv. We asked a couple of guys how to get there and then two blocks later they offered to take us, since it was about 2 kilometers away. It was a very interesting time trying to stuff 4 grown people into the back of a compact car, bags and all. We caught the cab back to Jerusalem, and even jammed out to some American top 40 with the driver. We got home and did a little bit of studying, because school was the next day.

The one-day excursion was just enough to stretch our limbs and feel back at home. Another thing that was nice was the release of the stress of living in Jerusalem. The city itself has a tense atmosphere, and sometimes you just need to get away from it all and breathe. We needed to take a nice breath. Overall, Tel Aviv was a success.  

A Shabbat to Remember

You're all probably thinking, "Why is he writing another post about Shabbat?" Well, because last nights Shabbat was particularly fun. Here is a photo of everyone present:

A couple people got cutoff, but I think this was taken with a camera phone, so it turned out pretty good. Anyways, we had a potluck Shabbat dinner, so there was tons of awesome food to be consumed, and there was about 20 of us all crammed into one room. We temporarily commandeered two tables from other flats on the floor. We had everything from homemade mac n' cheese to quinoa. From chicken in lemon sauce to bread covered in Israeli Nutella (which is about 30 times better than brand name Nutella).

Once we were sufficiently engorged with food we relaxed for about an hour, and then about 75% of us went to the Old City. It is a much different place at night, so it was fun to go. We went to the Western Wall for about a half an hour to pray, meditate, watch, pay our respects, etc. (since not everyone was Jewish). We then attempted to find Robinson's Arch, which is a located at another part of the wall that men and women are allowed to pray together. For those of you who don't know, the Western Wall is divided into two sections. Women are only allowed to pray in a small section along the wall. If you look at my post with all the pictures, you can make out the divider. This causes some tension, as women are not allowed to be Bat-mitzvah-ed at the wall. Once a month, a group called Women of the Wall put on their prayer shawls and bring their Torahs to the Wall and pray. This too is met with tension.

Since Robinson's Arch was closed for the evening we continued on our meandering of the Old City at night. We eventually found ourselves in the rooftops on the edge of the Christian Quarter. It was very cool. You could see The Dome of the Rock, a synagogue, and a church. They all seemed like they were only 3 blocks away from where we stood. We all just relaxed on the roof, stargazed (with what stars you could see. I was only able to see Orion and the Little Dipper), and talked about how our time in Jerusalem had been so far, etc. However, at about 1:00am we thought it would be best to start heading home.

By this time the city was dead. The light-rail was done running (One, because it stops running at midnight. Two, because it stops running at about 4:00pm on Shabbat.) so we decided to just walked along the tracks to get back home, since our student village is right off a stop on the light-rail. Walking takes a little while, so we didn't get home until about 2:00am, where I proceeded to fall into my bed and sleep until 10:00am this morning. Now I am sitting blogging and washing my laundry, enjoying a calm Shabbat in the student village.

Glimpses of the Old City

So now comes the time when I will post some pictures from the Old City. We went at about 3pm today and just relaxed in the city. After just one other trip there, we can now navigate through the Muslim Quarter and get to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, so that is pretty cool. But here are some pictures.

Here are some candles in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I wanted to catch a person lighting a candle, and thankfully I did. 

Outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was actually started to drizzle when we went in, and by the time that we had come out it was no longer raining. It was a very nice surprise. You can also tell how buildings can be so tucked away in the Old City. For the two times that I have been here we have come from the Muslim Quarter, so the routes are lots of turns and alleys. 

Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was actually extremely dim inside this church, but luckily a few of the pictures turned out and you can see the amazing architecture of the building.

Another candle shot. This one was mostly to get all of the candles in one shot. The church people were also starting to close the church, so I had to get this picture before they started taking all the candles out of the sand.

The dome from the inside. You can see the top of the church within a church. In this little church is the tomb of Jesus (sorry, no pictures of that sight). 

A doorway in the church. It's actually only a lightbulb on the other side of the door.

Another picture of the dome. It is huge and awesome.

This is me, having fun with my camera. So I just did zoom stuff. I had it open for two seconds and then zoomed in. This is the result.

I personally think that this Jesus looks a little angry. I have called it the "Jesus is not impressed" face.

Some lanterns hanging in the church. Some of the only light that could be found in the church.

The Dome of the Rock. The sun was setting, so Shabbat was ending. It was a very beautiful evening.

This is a picture of the locks on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. They are pretty intense.

A nice bank of clouds coming into Jerusalem. Again, a very beautiful evening.

I really enjoy this picture because you can clearly see two faiths. The Western Wall is clearly in the middle, and then the sides have two mosques. You have the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque. Very interesting.

Here is a random street in the Jewish Quarter. I liked it better in black and white. This is when we were just wandering through the city. We would come to split and then say, "Left or right." It took us to some really cool sights, this being one of them.

Peace and Photography

Shabbat Shalom

For those who don't know, the Sabbath (day of rest) occurs on Friday-Saturday. This coincides with the Jewish traditions of Sabbath. A typical greeting that you will hear is, "Shabbat Shalom." It has been an interesting time. I had my first Shabbat feast ever last night. About 50 (or so) of us students had a Shabbat meal put on by the Madrachim (kind of like orientation leaders). We got to hear the traditional prayers (I could pick out a few words and phrases, but they speak so fast). All the food was kosher and it was GREAT. After the dinner we kind of just had a chill night. 

With Shabbat, many places will close for the evening and also the next day (Saturday) until sundown. So all public transportation stopped running at about 4 or 5 on Friday (not positive on taxis, but buses and the light-rail for sure). The city grew quiet, and at about 11 we were all hungry again. Not being Jewish, and not strictly adhering to kosher practices, about 9 of us went in search of a Dominoes (which we heard was nearby). We found it, and we got some pepperoni pizza, and it was delicious. Having filled our stomachs we kind of relaxed until about 2 in the morning. 

I woke up at about 11 today (still getting used to the time) and since it was still Shabbat, everything was still closed. We found an Arab falafal stand a couple blocks away from campus, which was very tasty. While we were eating our lunches we decided that it would be pretty sweet to go to the Old City today. So we went back to our rooms and put on jeans and walking shoes (the women also made sure to wear clothes that covered them) and we walked. Yes, we walked. We couldn't take the light-rail, since it wasn't open due to Shabbat, and we were not about to spend the shekel to get a cab. The walk only took about an hour, and it reminded me a lot of Greece.

Upon arrival to the Old City we found ourselves in the Arab Quarter. It was in the middle of the day, so it is nothing to worry about. We kind of just wandered around and looked at all the stalls selling goods. Arabs do not adhere to Shabbat like the Jewish do, so everything was very busy. We meandered and finally decided that we should actually figure out what we wanted to do in the Old City. We decided on the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We finally made our way to the church and it was incredible. I could smell the incense from about 100 feet away from the doors. Once inside Franciscan monks were walking around the inside and chanting prayers, it really helped create a nice ambience. We then stood in line for the entrance into the chamber were Jesus was buried and the 5 of us just took a few moments of silence for this occasion.

Once outside the Church we realized that it was about 4:30pm and Shabbat would be coming to an end soon. We decided that it would be really cool to see Shabbat end at the Western Wall. We didn't go up to the wall, because we felt really underdressed for the closing of Shabbat. But sunday came and it was a very interesting experience. Islam prays at Sundown, so we first heard the prayers coming from the minaret (which also caused a flock of birds to take flight), and the Jewish started the Shabbat prayers. It was so interesting to hear one religion's prayers, and to physically watch another religion's prayers.

After that, we decided that we should probably head home (it gets dark rather quickly here), so we made our way into the Armenian Quarter. We didn't want to attempt to navigate all the streets in the Arab Quarter at night. We also grabbed some dinner at an Armenian restaurant, so we kind of failed at the whole, "We're trying to get out of the Old City before it gets really dark" kind of thing, but it was worth it. Afterwards, we followed a road and came out a few blocks from the light-rail, which was now open because Shabbat was over. So we were able to take the light-rail to the stop closest to campus and now a lot of us our blogging about our awesome day.

I hate to break it to everyone who is wanting pictures, but I didn't bring my camera today. For two reasons. It was Shabbat, so I just wanted to have a chill day. Second, I wanted to experience the Old City for the first time NOT through the lens of a camera. The way I see it, I'm going to be here for 5 months. If I never make it back to the Old City in 5 months that is pretty pathetic. In time, but for now, no such luck.

Peace and New Experiences