Mud and home August 24, 2008
Posted by mearal in Meara.Tags: Dead Sea, Ein Gedi, Gratz College, Israel, Kibbutz
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First, I’ll get out of the way what I’ve been trying to avoid, I’m coming home on Sunday. Don’t get me wrong, I miss Philadelphia, am anxious to see everyone at Gratz College, see my family and friends, but I’m not looking forward to leaving Eretz Yisrael. My experience here has been exactly what I wanted and I take home an amazing group of international friends, many who will be here for 2 years and more than happy to house me when I make my return trip.
Ok, so now onto the fun stuff. This past weekend I took my one, non-university organized trip. 2 friends and I rented a car and took the 2 hours drive down to the Dead Sea. We arrived Friday afternoon around 4:30 after getting lost in Jerusalem. We stayed at the Masada Hostel which was a very nice place right at the base of Masada. The plan was to go up to Masada and watch the sunset but none of us factored in Shabbat, which means the cable car is closed. We stocked up on food at the supermarket before beginning our trip so there was no need to pay 60 NIS for Shabbat dinner. We pigged out in the room on chocolate spread, pita, chumus, Bisli, PB&J, fruit and anything else we could find while watching the Olympics. A TV is really a luxury for me since there isn’t one in the dorms. We spent the night in the pool and relaxing.
Saturday was a jam-packed day. We woke up, ate the hotel breakfast and headed out. We intended to go to the Dead Sea but we kept seeing tour busses driving up to Masada. We headed up to the mountain (1/4 of a mile from the hostel) and discovered that Masada was open and that the cable car was running. We put on sunscreen; each grabbed our 1.5 liter of water and headed up the cable car. I had forgotten some of the history and so I was happy to watch a movie before heading up and then discovering the mountain for myself. I was more than excited when the movie mentioned Josephus Flavious because I learned about him with Dr. Davis in “Introduction to Classical Judaism” last Fall. Once on the mountain my first observation was the heat. People told me it was hot but there’s just no way to prepare for the kind of oppressive heat you face on Masada. As my friends and I walked through the sites on the mountain I experienced it differently than I had before. With the new knowledge I have gained from my classes at Gratz, I have a new understanding of the time, the situation and the history. After about 1 ½ hours we made our way down the mountain into our air conditioned car.
The rest of the day was typical for a visit to that area. We headed to the Dead Sea, applied mud and hopped into the water. After a scorching hour there we headed back to our hostel to shower, watch some more Olympics and get ready for dinner. When I visited this area the first time I was 6 years old and my family stayed on the Ein Gedi Kibbutz. I was excited to visit there. We stuck to our plan and ate dinner in the Guest House dining hall. The buffet was excellent.
We headed home and arrived back at the University around 11:00 pm. What none of us knew was that the Ein Gedi dinner had gotten us sick with food poisoning. Despite that setback the weekend was great!
Jewish Geography Again?? August 17, 2008
Posted by mearal in Meara.Tags: Gratz College, Israel, Jerusalem, Shabbat, Zamir
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I usually try to wait a week to blog but this week was full of great stuff. Last week was full of Jewish geography right here on the campus of Tel Aviv University. While sitting near the Diaspora Museum on campus Dr. Edleman walked by and a Gratz College reunion was formed! I forgot that she was touring with the Zamir Chorale and it was a nice surprise to see her. The rest of the week included the beach, lots of class, some studying and great friends.
The other Jewish geography happened on Shabbat. I was fortunate, with the help of the HUC office here in Israel , to find a wonderful family to host me for Shabbat. I traveled to Jerusalem and knew this weekend would be special. I headed to Ben Yehudah Street and found what I’d been waiting all trip to buy; my talit! It’s beautiful and I can’t wait to use it. From there I headed to a street party to kill some time and then jumped into a cab to head to Rechavia to meet my family for the weekend. From the moment I arrived they were wonderful. The family (mom, dad, an 8 year-old and a 4-year old) immediately welcomed me into their house and made me feel comfortable. We headed to Kehilat Kol HaNeshama for services. This is what I had been waiting for my entire trip. The service was almost entirely singing and instead of a rabbi leading in prayer, the clergy person filling-in (the rabbi was on vacation) facilitated the service. The congregation was the focal point of the service and it showed. Harmony would appear out of nowhere and it was incredible. I knew most of the melodies and was able to quickly join in and make wonderful music. There were moments when I just closed my eyes and listened to the sounds around me, knowing that this is what Shabbat is supposed to feel like. The sh’ma was recited differently than I had ever done it. Each word was sung slowly and the chorus of voices decayed before the next word was sung. The service ended with the song that the congregation is known for “Kol HaNeshama.” I’m not sure where I learned it but I’m guessing it was at Camp Harlam . It’s a beautiful round. We started together but the song quickly turned into a room full of rounds upon rounds upon rounds. As most prayers did that evening, the music slowly decayed…we sang it one
more time together and said “Shabbat Shalom.”
After services we walked back home for a wonderful dinner. The other piece of Jewish geography happened at dinner. One of the friends of the mom of the family is a musician that I didn’t realize I know. For any of you who attended the Alberto Mizrachi concert this past school year he may be familiar to you. I had a wonderful dinner across the table from Mizrahi’s accompanist, Alan Mason. Alan is currently touring with the Zamir Chorale and Dr. Edleman in Israel. We made the connection pretty early and had a wonderful evening. Yet again, Jewish geography alive and well in Israel.
Attemtping the Impossible August 12, 2008
Posted by mearal in Meara.Tags: hebrew, Israel, Jewish, shuk, studying, Tel Aviv, university
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Lots of time for studying here!
I debated for a long time what to write about today. I’ve settled into life in Tel Aviv and am enjoying my time here. I’ve learned how to navigate the bus system so I can do homework on Frischman Beach; spent my first afternoon at the שוק הקרמל (Shuk HaCarmel); and sang at an open mic night for a bunch of Americans.
The Beach. Take the heat of Tel Aviv in August, add some sand, a bath temperature Mediterranean Sea, and a bunch of international 20-something’s and that’s what many of my afternoons look like here in Tel Aviv. Despite the fun, I am doing homework while working on my tan. I also find that no matter where I am; on the beach, in the dorms, on campus, or in Tel Aviv, I am always meeting new people from my program and Israelis as well.
שוק הקרמל (Shuk HaCarmel). I’m about a week behind most of my friends here when it comes to exploring Tel Aviv. I lost about 4 days when I was sick so I do have a good excuse. Needless to say, that meant my first visit to the שוק הקרמל happened yesterday (Monday.) I went with a specific purpose, to purchase fruit and vegetables, and was very successful. I was able to pick up tomatoes, grapes, feta cheese, dried apples and Tupperware relatively cheaply. What I really enjoyed about the שוק הקרמל though is the atmosphere. Everywhere you go you see knock-off t-shirts for Coca Cola, Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University, Maccabi, and the Army in Hebrew. You can find almost anything you want/need and someone to bargain with you on the price. It felt like a true Israeli experience and one I plan on repeating each week to get the nice, cheap produce.
Since I’m here on ulpan I’ll put my improving skills to use in this final paragraph. הלילה הזה אני הלכתיל לבר של מקא. אני אוהבת לשיר והחברים שלי באוניברסיטה גם לשיר. בבר היה לילה חשוף מיקרופון. אנחנו שרנו ואנחנו היינו כיף. הרבה אנשים אמריקאית באים הבר הזה ואני פגשתי אישה לפלאדלפיה. אנחנו דברנו על העיט. אני אהבת שאני בישראל ואני מרגשה כמו יש לי חברים סביב העולם.
Wow! That was my first attempt at typing in Hebrew and let me tell ya, it’s hard. Despite my attempt at Hebrew I hope you got my drift. I had a wonderful time, sang on stage, listened to my friends who are amazing musicians, and really enjoyed the experience.
Shalom from Tel Aviv!
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- Spending shabbat at Tziport National Park
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- Lots of time for studying here!
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- Hanging out with the cows on my family’s moshav, Kiriat Me’lachi
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- A model of the Elkins Park synagouge in the Diaspora Museum at Tel Aviv University
Summer In The City August 5, 2008
Posted by mearal in Meara, Uncategorized.Tags: Israel, Jewish, Summer, Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv University
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I’ve been here exactly two weeks and it feels like so much longer. Israel really gives you this feeling the you’re welcome and part of the family. It also makes you want to shower 3 times a day. Everyone told me Tel Aviv was hot in the summer and they weren’t lying. I spent the first week here with family in Rechovot, traveling to Jerusalem, seeing Gratz College people and having a great time. The second week started my life at Tel Aviv University. I moved into the dorms and immediately I saw the truly international community I would be living and studying in. We had a few days to get oriented, unpack, meet new friends and have fun. I’m proud to say I now have friends from Bryn Mawr, Boston, Philadelphia, California, Germany, London, Switzerland, Argentina, Ukraine, France, Canada, Israel, Spain and many more. This week my classes started and I felt like I was back in Ilana Margolis’s Hebrew classes at Gratz I spend 5 hours a day, 5 days a week in class so it’s rather intense. The class is taught almost entirely in Hebrew and so I’m working hard to keep up. Outside of the classroom I’ve been lucky enough to travel to Jerusalem twice and Haifa once. I have plans to: head to my family’s moshav to see their bee farm and taste some fresh honey, travel to Tzfat with friends, sing with my new friends on the roof of my dorms and anywhere else we can get at least 3 people in a room with as many guitars as possible, visiting friends in Nazareth Elite and anything else that might come up. My trip has been wonderful and I wish I could extend it to stay longer.
Yerushaliam July 29, 2008
Posted by mearal in Meara.Tags: Gratz College, Israel, Jerusalem, Jewish
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Naomi, Danielle and Meara at Ha Kotel
I spent last Thursday night and Friday in Yerushaliam with Danielle, Naomi and some of their friends from University of Haifa. The experience was beyond amazing but not without its glitches. We arrived Thursday night and we quickly realized that staying in the hostel we had booked, in the Arab quarter, was not a good idea so after lots of debating we were able to get a room at a hostel at the bottom of Ben Yehudah street. We went out, had dinner where I had my first Hebrew triumph. I ordered in Hebrew and did it correctly. The next morning we had breakfast and then began to walk the shops of Ben Yehudah. Some of the girls were skirt shopping and I looked but found nothing I loved. We finally ended up at Machaney Yehudah and the shook there. You could feel Shabbat in the air. Everyone was running around getting everything done. I bought a challah to have for Shabbat. We took a bus from there to Jaffa gate. I think that’s when it hit me. I walked through the gates and realized that I was walking through thousands of years of history. We walked through the Armenian shuk to get to the Kotel. I walked through security and just looked at it. The first thing I could think of was, “wow, I remember there being a lot more space to pray.” I put on my long sleeve shirt over my red t-shirt and black skirt and walked towards the wall. There were Birthright groups all around taking group pictures. We walked toward the wall and I just stood there about 8 feet away from it waiting for a space to touch it. After a few minutes, a woman moved away. I put my hands and sweaty forehead against the wall and started to cry. I said kaddish for family members and was so overwhelmed that I started to cry; it was an amazing feeling. After about 10 minutes I walked backwards, as to not turn my back towards the wall and sat with the other girls. My Kotel experience was one I’ll remember forever.
Jewish Geography is alive and well and living in Washington, D.C. July 18, 2008
Posted by mearal in Meara.Tags: Embassy, Gratz College, Israel, Jewish, Tel Aviv
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Today I was privileged to spend part of my afternoon at the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C. The Department of Academic Affairs hosted an event for American students studying in Israel and I was happy to be invited. The afternoon brought together a group of about 20 students who will be studying at Tel Aviv University, University of Haifa, Hebrew University, The Avara Institute, and others. As far as I can tell, I was the only attendee spending less than a semester in Israel.
So you’re looking at the title of this entry and wondering what it has to do with my visit to the embassy. When I arrived at the embassy I joined the group of students waiting outside before the security check and, as Jews do, we started talking. I found out within 2 minutes that a girl I was standing next to was an undergraduate student at American University but was from the Philadelphia area and an alum of the Isaac Mayer Wise teaching certificate program from JCHS. She is a Beth Or member and so we spoke about Cantor Green, who will be my internship supervisor in the fall.
But enough Jewish geography… onto the event. We went through security and were escorted into a large meeting room with pictures of Israel on the wall, a covered grand piano in the corner (I’m a musician so I notice these things) and a spread of wonderful Israeli food in the back. We helped ourselves to falafel, pita, hummus, Israeli salad and other food. As we ate, we met some of the young professionals at the embassy and the program began. We first met with the embassy official to check on our visas and ask any questions about our travels. That portion was followed by a Q and A session with the young professionals to really get a sense of what Israeli culture is like. Many in the room were first time travelers to Israel so they had lots of questions. I think the most important thing I learned from that session was that students are not allowed to eat food in the classroom during class time at the University (bummer.) We then heard from another embassy official about the security and political issues in Israel at the moment. The afternoon wrapped up with more Q and A.
The event, though only 2 hours long, was worthwhile. It was clear from every embassy official I came in contact with that they are excited for Americans to study in Israel and that they want to help support us in anyway they can. It was also a great afternoon because I met 2 of my soon-to-be classmates. I had some time to kill after the event so one of my fellow classmates, her mom, and I, went to the National Zoo to see the pandas! A wonderful end to a great afternoon.
B’Shalom,
Meara
P.S. I leave for Israel on Monday so expect to hear more from me more frequently!
Welcome to our blog! June 6, 2008
Posted by mearal in Meara.Tags: Gratz College, Israel, Jewish, Life, Religion, Student Government, Study, Tourist, Travel
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Shalom and welcome to our blog. This summer the entire Student Governing Board of Gratz College as well as other Gratz College students are visiting, studying and touring Israel. We are excited for our travels and want you to come with us, at least virtually. We’ll use this blog to tell you about our journey’s as we enjoy our time in Israel. Feel free to comment! We love interaction.
B’Shalom,
Gratz College Student Governing Board
