The Chagim:Jerusalem::Christmas Time:America

Right now is one of the most special times of the year in Jerusalem. We are smack dab in the middle of the Chagim (High Holidays) and the whole country, Jerusalem in particular though, is being consumed by them in the best way possible. There is a feeling in this magnificent city that is best described as joyous, familial, glorious, blissful and inviting.

I returned from an amazing trip in the states less than a week ago and this is the best "welcome home party" i could have ever received. I have to admit that i was a little bummed that i was going to be out of Israel for Rosh HaShana (The Jewish New Year and the first in a series of holidays known as the Chagim) when the week before i left for America everyone here was starting to greet each other with phrases like "Shana Tova" (Happy New Year) and "Shana Tova u'metuka" (Happy and sweet New Year). It is very similar to the greetings you receive in America in December around holiday time. In the end it was incredible spending Rosh HaShana in America with my family.

The day after I returned home from America Yom Kippur was beginning. Yom Kippur has never been a hoiday that i have looked forward to (as much fun as fasting is), but this year i had a feeling it was a gonna be special. I had the pre-fast meal with Uri, his roommates and some friends and then went to shul that night with Eliana and Yoni and their family. I can honestly say that i have never had a shul experience like the one i had that evening, and the following day, and for the first time i understood what people meant when they said that Yom Kippur is one of the happiest days in Judaism.

Eliana's family has been going to the Leader Minyan for years and i have actually been there several times with them in the past, but this encounter will probably stay with me for the rest of my life. The ruach (spirit), kavanah (intention) and love that was pouring out of every individual there was insanely intense. The singing and the nigunim (tunes) were captivating and inspiring. For the first time in my life i stayed at shul all day on Yom Kippur and i left there feeling up-lifted, cleansed, blessed, light hearted, inspired and grateful that i was able to share that experience with three of the most important people in my life here. This all took place almost a week ago and not only are we still talking about it but we are still glowing from it.

The night Yom Kippur ended the focus of country switched to Sukkot (the feast of booths) and everyone began to gather materials and build their Sukkas. Uri actually helped build one within an hour of breaking the fast. Sukkot officially begins tonight at sunset but it is clear that everyone in Jerusalem is ready. The main street by my apartment, Emek Refaim, is filled with restaurants, cafes and shops (there probably close to 100 different establishments on a street that is maximum 2 miles long) i counted about 20 different sukkas that many of these establishments set up for the patrons and community members to use, and fulfill the commandment of eating in a sukkah during sukkot.

Both pizza places, eight or nine different cafes, the burger place, the frozen yogurt place, the Italian restaurant, the three shwarma stands, the fancy restaurant, they all have sukkas attached to their establishments. They are all fully decorated and beautiful. Every street corner has Yehsiva kids selling lulavs and etrogs, and pop-up sukkas and sukkas for kids. It is very similar to Christmas time in the states when businesses decorate with lights and decorations and you can buy Christmas trees on every corner. It is spectacular.


Enjoy the pictures of Emek Refaim filled with Sukkas. I couldn't take pictures of them all so here a fraction of them. I'll be sure to add pics from of me in the Sukkah after the chag.

I Love Egypt

This past weekend Uri and I went on an AMAZING vacation to Egypt. Technically we were on the Sinai Peninsula, in a town called Nuweiba, on the most beautiful beach staying in a great bed and breakfast where we met some awesome Egyptians and Israelis.

We were originally supposed to leave Jerusalem Thursday evening and stay in Eilat for a night, however since I had the stomach flu for a week we decided that it would be best if we stayed in Jerusalem one more night and headed to Nuweiba bright and early at 7:00 am Friday morning.

We slept most of the way down South. We arrived before 11:00 am and quickly hopped into a cab at the Eilat central bus station and only 15 minutes later found ourselves at the border to Egypt.

Exiting Israel was quick and simple. I got my temporary Israeli passport stamped for the first time, it was very exciting, but otherwise it was uneventful. However, passing through into Egypt was not such a pleasurable experience. There was no strip search BUT we were seriously "violated" by a large group of very angry Greeks that were crossing the border at the same time had major anger management issues.

Once we were done with the Greeks we hopped into another cab and headed to our hotel in Nuweba and began to meet some seriously awesome people. We shard the cab with three girls traveling to Dahab who are missionaries living in Jerusalem. They hailed from Indiana, California and Hong Kong and were in love with Israel and told us how they wished they were able to make Aliyah as non-Jews. It was definitely an interesting half an hour ride to our hotel.

We drove down a very long dirt and rock road to reach The Bawaki Inn, our hotel. The cab dropped us off and we were greeted by several of the employees who took our bags and showed us the way to restaurant/bar/front desk/lounge where we "checked-in". The manager was so happy to see us and showed us to the "best" room he had. It was awesome. We spent the weekend in an adorable bungalow, with AC and indoor plumbing, situated about 30 steps to sea in one direction and 20 steps to the restaurant/bar/front desk/lounge in the other direction. The manager set up a running tab for us for the weekend and we were off…

It was about 107 degrees when we arrived so quickly put the AC on full blast, got in our bathing suits and ran for the water. It was like stepping into a bath. The water was so clear you could see the bottom of the sea no matter how far out you went. We chilled in the water for a bit and our vacation officially began!

We spent the rest of the day relaxing on the beach playing cards, jumping in and out of the water and taking in all the beauty around us. It was striking, to the left was the most crystal clear blue water as far as the eye could see and to the right the most enormous mountains, and everything in between was desert.

After a fair amount of beach time we made the lot so long trek back to our room to clean up and get ready for a delicious dinner that included very freshly made pita and delightful, flat falafel.

Later that night we started talking to another guest at the hotel, Ashem, a very large, very tanned half naked German – Egyptian man from Turkey. He had come to the Bawaki for a weekend vacation and still had not left a month later. Ashem was ridiculously knowledgeable about world current events, had a lot to say about Arab – Israeli relations, spoke 7 languages and was a the founder of a business that is located all over the middle east and parts of Asia. We had a great time chatting with him, and his Nephew from Cairo and learning about their culture and hearing what they had to say about life in Egypt as well as discussing our lives in Israel.

It made me San Diego like crazy waking up to the sea Saturday morning. We lounged around, played Tawlibe (Shesh Besh or Backgammon), went swimming, sipped on some beers (it is legal to drink alcohol in Egypt ONLY if you are a tourist), and played with the 8 year-old daughter of the manager of the Bawaki. She told us we were best friends and didn’t leave us alone for the next two hours… so we went for a walk.

All along the beach are little “hotels” with literal straw shacks set up for guests. After walking by about 5 that appeared deserted we came across one with a group of Kite Boarders both on the sand and in the sea right in front of this really cool bungalow area they had set up AND we heard them speaking Hebrew. We decided to sit down watch when this Israeli guy started chatting with us. They were all super cool, we chilled for an hour or so, they offered to teach us how to Kite Board but neither of us were mentally prepared for that adventure at the time (but there will definitely be kite boarding involved in the next trip to Nuweiba).

Saturday night we had another delicious meal on the beach and just chilled out some more.

Sunday was our last day there and it was also great. We met some more really cool people, this time three girls from Cairo that just came down for the weekend to relax at the beach. They were super curious about what life and the people are like in Jerusalem. Hopefully we made a good impression.

All in all it was a much needed and truly spectacular vacation. I returned to Jerusalem happy to be home and well rested and ready for a short and what is turning out to be historic week at work (if your curious visit Haaretz.com and search for Nefesh B’nefesh).

Enjoy the photos. Much love from the Holy Land!

Its been a while but life is still good

I know its been a while since i last update my blog, A LOT has been going on and it has been hard to make the time to sit down and document whats been happening my life in Israel. Today however, July 16, 2008, I feel inspired to share what's been happening in my life and my thoughts and feelings on a major event that took place today that affected the lives of nearly everyone in this incredible country.

I think I am going to start with the day to day and hope by the end of sharing that I will have processed my thoughts on today's prisoner exchange and be able to articulate how I am feeling as an Israeli, American and human.

So the last 4 weeks my life has been consumed by the once in a lifetime event known as Eli and Yoni's wedding. Eliana is my oldest and dearest friend in Israel and I feel so blessed to have been a part of her and Yoni's wedding and it was such an amazing experience for me, especially since it was my first true Israeli wedding. I have to share some of its phenomenalness.

I should say, I have been a part of this entire wedding experience from being there when she found THE dress, to helping stuff the invitations, to being with her the entire 24 hours before the wedding acting as a shomeret, aka guard, to making sure lipstick was on for pictures. In this country people don't really do the whole wedding party thing so i would say i was an unofficial bridesmaid.

The first picture is Ilana, the other unofficial bridesmaid, Blinder, myself and Hirsh. We have all known each other, and Eliana, for 10 years. It was an awesome reunion. In the middle is Ilana, Eliana and myself. We did NOT plan to be so colorful it just worked out that way. The last photo is Ilana, Rabbi Joe (Eliana's dad) and me. We love this photo and definitely think it belongs framed on his desk.

There are SO many more pictures and so much more to say about the wedding and all the events both leading up to it and taking place up to a week after, its too much to even being to write, but the highlight reel includes:

- a 7:00 am visit to the Kotel (Western Wall)
-an Israeli wedding factory from hell where brides and their loved ones are bathed, primped, prodded, dressed, curled, hair sprayed, teased, blown dry, made to cry and worse.
- Hula Hoops
- 7 amazing meals the week after the wedding blessing the newly weds
- one awesome party on the beach
- one of the greatest bands in Israel playing the wedding
- hours upon hours of dancing
- something like 8 shots of whiskey
- countless pictures on facebook
- and THE moment of the night... when Eliana and Yoni saw each other for the first time 3 days at the bedeken, the time when he makes sure she is his bride under the veil, and I swear the glow from each of their faces was so bright and strong it caused a spark. It was BEAUTIFUL!


The first photo is a the Kotel the morning of the wedding. The Next picture is Eliana with her girlfriends, Emily, Jessica, Eliana, Me, Dori and Ilana. The final photo is of a poet that is a good family friend of Eliana's reciting an AMAZING poem she wrote for the occasion. It was unbelievably special!!

In addition to the wedding insanity work has been insanely busy. July 7th kicked off the summer season where NBN, the organization I have privilege of working for, will welcome something like 2000 new immigrants from North America and the UK coming on 13 different NBN flights. Needless to say, the phone and fax does not stop ringing all day, people are consistently coming in to drop off paperwork, meet with counselors and figure out how they are going to make moving to Israel a success. (To clarify, many people either decide to move to Israel while they are in the country or come on "pilot trips" before they actually move in order to get set up for when they arrive. Therefore, we work with many if the immigrants while they are in the country.)

Last week the first major flight of the summer landed. 220 olim, new immigrants, filled the plane. Probably like 300 people including family members, soldiers, random Israeli's that wanted to welcomed the olim to their new home, and olim from a few years back all went the airport at 5:00 am to be a part of an unforgettable day. It is actually quite indescribable how emotional, moving and powerful the whole thing was, i don't think i could do it justice. Therefore i suggest you watch the next one, or this past one, on the internet. It is all being shown live, but you can watch it after too, and it is something everyone should experience. If your interested go to nbn.org.il and watch a flight ceremony... if you watch the one from July 10 you'll see me!!

In addition to these major things I have been going to the gym, studying prayer with a woman in the Old City (which i am super grateful to have something in Old City that makes me want to go there once a week and take in the amazingness of being present in a place with so much history), trying to have a social life, learning hebrew (which i will begin doing officially soon), and maybe travel out of Jerusalem every once in a while.

Sorry to disappoint, but i am holing off on writing about the prisoner swap. I need more time to process my own thoughts and my thoughts on the country's reaction.

Much Love from the Holy Land.... and K & M, I'm thinking good thoughts and sending LOTS of love your way... Love you guys!!!

Life is good

Wow, I can say with the utmost confidence that life, is good. I have been incredibly blessed throughout my adventure of making Aliyah and over the past few weeks I have really become attune to just how defining and spectacular this experience has really been.

I have met some really great people here, but i have had the divine experience of meeting a very small number of people here that are categorically amazing and have changed my life forever.

Whats really amazing is that these few have entered my life at such different points in my existence and have still made such life altering impacts. From my dear friend who, though we met 10 years ago in Israel, everyday makes my life better just from being in it.

To the most recent of this elite few who, the more i get to know, the more they inspire me to be the best person I can be, and keep on creating this evolving being that is me.

To the phenomenal and driven person who provided guidance and confidence without even knowing it at time when i needed it most and probably would have been someone i only met once. Fortunately for everyone, the dear friend from 10 years ago fell in love with him and now I'm lucky enough to have this person, and their guidance, in my life forever.

Really though it doesn't stop at the extraordinary people, I truly feel blessed to be here, living, breathing, succeeding and feeling not just happy, but content.

Life is good.

one month later

So tomorrow will be exactly one month since i arrived back in Israel and became a citizen. It is crazy! Part of me feels like i just stepped foot off the plane and i am trying to figure out this crossword puzzle that happens to be in a language I don't speak. At the same time I feel like this has been my home forever. And the fact that I spend my day trying to help other people just like me figure out the same crossword feels so natural.

It is so bizarre. I am kind of in limbo. I am working 9 to 5, and having a social life and going to the gym and really living my life like I have been here for years. But then the reality of the fact that I don;t have health insurance yet, and that i had to have a Hebrew speaking friend set-up the voice mail on my phone because the recorded Hebrew voice speaks way too quickly for me to understand coupled with the fact that i have internet on my phone but can't really use it because it is also only in Hebrew makes me feel like an alien.


I am learning some Hebrew at work though. Although I do work with all English speakers, the vendors, the maintenance and construction guys and the cleaning lady, who i have to communicate with all day, have decided that they will not speak English to me and have actually stuck to it. In realty the cleaning lady and i have no choice but for her to help me with my Hebrew because she is Ethiopian and speaks no English and i clearly don't speak any Ethiopian so we work together with her perfect, and my broken Hebrew. More often than not, a conversation that should take 10 seconds often ends up taking a minute but it is another example of why i love this county and this culture. And, I now have an extensive vocabulary related to vacuuming, funny smells, plumbing, alarms, multi-line phone systems and a bunch of other stuff that once i walk out the door to work i never use.

The Cell Phone That Observes The Sabbath

One of the great benefits of becoming an Israeli citizen is qualifying to get a real Israeli cell phone, as opposed to the rental i was using that was costing a small fortune. In order to get a cell phone here you have to have a bank account and in order to have a bank account you have to a Teudat Zehut (Israeli ID card). Fortunately, i was able to take the morning off of work last week to get my TZ, so now all i needed to do was get an hour off another morning to go open my bank account.

Why would one need to take off work to go to the bank you may ask... well, like many institutions here, the banks run however they please and many of them close at 1:00 on work days, and surprisingly on Fridays, the only day that most people in this country have off that isn't during Shabbat, the Sabbath, many of these banks have the nerve to be closed. Not only is this inconveinent but in my mind it goes against all logic. So much so that this past Friday morning I was at the gym talking with some friends about plans later that day and i casually mentioned that i was going to the bank when i was done. The 2 friends i was talking to, and the woman lifting weights next to us, laughed, "The bank will be closed by the time you are done here, and thats if it was even open at all today." My plan to get something accomplished that day was clearly shot and the more i talked to different people about banking in Israel the more discouraged i became.

Something important to note about Israeli banks is that while chain banks, like Wells Fargo or B of A in America, do exist they are completely unrelated to one another in this country. So, the bank you open your account in is the bank at which you must make all your transactions. Another thing in my mind that goes against all logic. Internet banking exists, and so does direct deposit, but it is HIGHLY recommended. by every Israeli, that you open your account at a bank near your home. This is a great idea, if your a family and don't plan on moving for a long time. I on the other hand only plan on living in my current apartment for a year at the longest, and who knows where i will go after that. Thus, i chose to open my account in the city center, AKA town.

So Monday morning i got someone to cover for me at work and i headed to the bank. I arrived and felt like i walked into the year 2040. There were bright lights, flat screens on any and every flat surface, a touch screen ATM type thing that's sole purpose was to dispense numbers for waiting in line, a woman's recorded voice announcing which number was being helped at which of 25 plus windows and EVERYTHING was a bright, shiny, headache inducing white.

Since i wasn't sure which side of the bank i was supposed to be on, i opted not to take a number. It was a risky choice, cause Israelis, if they are actually choosing to follow the rules, will get in your face if you even think about cutting the line. In the end it worked out since i am female and i played the dumb, American, damsel in distress card.

A very nice woman, who spoke maybe two words of English, helped me open my account. We did the ENTIRE transaction in Hebrew. The documents they had me sign were also in Hebrew so i could have very well signed my life away but, anytime i signed near a number with a $ next to it i made sure to ask, "Ani lo tzricha leshalem et zeh, nachon?" (which roughly means, "I don't need to pay this, right?, and would be totally acceptable Hebrew if i was 4 years-old). About an hour after i walked in, i walked out of the bank with my very own Israeli bank account number and the promise that i would return in 4 days to receive my ATM card, the ATM code of their choice, and the ability to deposit money into the account.

After work that day, with the number to an empty bank account in hand I ventured into the cell phone store. If i thought i was in 2040 in the bank, i entered the year 2070 when i set foot in the Cellcom store. It was more futuristic, with more flat screens, with bubble graphics, white lacquer furniture and the same woman's recorded voice announcing numbers and windows.

I waited patiently and was helped by the nicest girls, who fortunately spoke perfect English, but for the life of her could not understand why i would leave America for "this". The first question she asked me when i sat down was, "Do you keep Shabbat?" I was stunned. I didn't know the answer. She was asking me a personal question and i was racking my brain. I must have looked perplexed because after 10 or so seconds of no response from me she explained that she was asking because they have really great phone plans for people that "keep Shabbat" or in other words, don't use the phone on Shabbat.

I have to admit, lately I've been experimenting with my religiosity. For the first time in my life I am observing the laws of Kashrut, and i have been playing around with my ideas of what i want to do on Shabbat and what I want to refrain from. Choosing to tell her that I was in fact "Shomer Shabat", or observant of the Sabbath, seemed like a perfect way for me to explore these internal issues some more.

So, YOU are now reading about the life of a proud owner of a cell phone that is Shomer Sabbat. The phone still works during Shabbat but from 8:00 pm on Friday until 4:00 pm on Saturday it is 10 shekels, roughly $2.80, a minute to use. However, incoming calls are still free. So i guess the phone is only partially "Shomer Shabbat", but either way i think it is hilarious, amazing and totally unique to this incredible country and i FREAKING LOVE IT!

Much love from the Holy Land!

The Big Day...

So this past Sunday morning I woke up bright and early to experience a true right of Israeli passage... I visited the Misrad Hapnim (The Israeli Ministry of Interior), the office responsible for Citizenship, Israeli ID cards, Travel documents (passports), Birth certificates and Visas. I was going there to receive my Teudat Zehut, Israeli ID card.

My employer gave me the morning off to go on this "adventure", they told me, "see you around 1:00", since the Misrad Hapnim closes at noon on Sundays.

There are a few things that I should explain before this story continues...

First, my job. I currently work at a truly INCREDIBLE organization called "Nefesh B'Nefesh" (Jewish Souls United). Nefesh B'Nefesh (NBN) was founded in 2002 by one of the most fascinating, inspiring, dedicated and respectable people I have ever had the honor working with. The sole purpose of NBN is to help Jews from North America and the UK move to Israel, become citizens and live happy and successful lives in the Holy Land. Since its inception NBN has helped nearly 14,000 people fulfill their dreams of making Israel their home.

Enough with the PR... so I am a receptionist at NBN (you can call me Pam) and I freaking love it. I sit at the hub of the office answering all the calls that come into the organization's main line, over 100 a day, and greeting all the people that visit our offices, nearly 70 on any given day but often more. I have various other responsibilities and truthfully look forward to going to work everyday. I have amazing co-workers and get to work with a population that loves Israel as much as I do.

So when I had to go to Misrad Hapnim, obviously NBN understood why I had to go, how long it would take and what the process I would be going through would be like... I had been advised to bring a book and lots of patience.

Also important to share is, certain institutions in Israel don't really believe in 9 to 5. For instance, banks are open in the morning, they close for a few hours in the middle of the day and then, if your lucky, they re-open in the late afternoon for a couple hours. Government offices, like Misrad Hapnim, do something similar. They choose days to be open in the morning, like on Sundays they are open until noon, and they choose days to be open in the afternoon, like on Mondays they are open from 2:30 - 5:30, thus making everyday packed with people trying to do their business.

The story continues... so everyone at work told me to get to Misrad Hapnim at 7:00 to start waiting in line for the doors to open at 8:00. Now, if you have even been to Israel, or even a place with a lot of Israelis, you know that there is no such thing as a line. It may start out as a line but as soon as the doors open, or the bus pulls up, or the person at the window calls "next in line", it is a mad dash. Elbows are thrown, old people are knocked over, pregnant women stomp on toes to get you out of their way, all common courtesy is lost and whatever line may have been there becomes a mosh pit.

Since i am a sleeper i figured there was no point in getting there to line up in a line that was going to be irrelevant at 8:00am. I arrived at the office just as the doors were opened, pushed my way up to the front along with everyone else, and received a ticket with #10 printed on it along with a form to fill out. I was stoked to get #10, i sat down, filled out my paperwork and waited for them to call my number. I only had to sit about 20 minutes but in those 20 minutes i was reminded of one of my favorite qualities of Israel... her diversity.

Because there are so many different services provided by the Misrad Hapnim (see above) it is a complete cross section of Israeli society. There are Sabras (born Israelis), tourists, new immigrants, Jews, Arabs, old people, babies, moms with 10 kids in tow, Ethiopians, Russians, Thais, Brits, Americans, Canadians, Israelis and everyone else under the sun. As i sat there, half asleep, I partook in some of the greatest people watching of all time (Coachella is the only people watching experience I've had that rivals this one). I witnessed a son helping his elderly mother navigate the complicated system of paperwork and numbered windows. I saw an Israeli mom to a 6 or 7 month old daughter translate the form of an American mom to a 6 or 7 month old son. In that office I experienced a sense of community that I can honestly say I never felt at the DMV in the states. I'm sure my senses were heightened due to the fact that my 10 year old dream was about to become a reality, but I was truly touched by my experience the day I received my Teudat Zehut.

With my Teudah Zehut, and much love from the Holy Land.