Hi Everyone! It has been a very interesting week, for good and not so good. I'm going to stick to the positives for right now though. On Tuesday David and I started our first batch of beer, and everything is looking great. David did a great job of documenting it on his blog and the link is here.
Last night I moved into our apartment in Jerusalem and everything looks great. I knew I was giong to have to go shopping for some stuff, and I will be getting that done today. I'm going to be spending the next few days getting settled, and finishing up my assignments for Pardes. Shabbat will hopefully be peaceful, and it'll be welcomed. Time to go shopping, hope everyone is well.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Friday morning in Jerusalem
Seriously, is there anything better? It's amazing (and somewhat humorous) to watch everyone running around so frantically. It truly is a special feeling to be in the middle of it. I can't wait until I am one of these frantic people trying to get ready for Shabbat...
This past week has been very relaxing and everything is going very well. As I said Sunday was Tisha B'av, and I spent the day studying at Pardes. We are not supposed to be social on this day, so when I was meeting people I would be studying with in the coming year, I had to hold back on wanting to know more about them. I am positive that there will be opportunities for that in the future.
Monday-Wednesday I spent my days at Pardes also. I received some summer assignments earlier in the summer and so I am working on finishing up those up before classes start at the beginning of next month. The first part is reviewing and familiarizing myself with the Parsha Shavua (I know I am supposed to be including that in my blog, but I forgot to my Tanach this weekend). The other part is going over all of Malachim Bet. It's an interesting book that goes over all the kings after Jehosophat, and the falls of both the Israeli and Judean Kingdoms. I'm not sure where these will be brought into my studies, but it's a good feeling to atleast prepare for school.
Thursday I came into town and met up with Shosh's group on Ben Yehuda during the afternoon. We are staying at the Young Judea youth hostel which is located near the Jerusalem Zoo. Last night we took her group out to a bar and I got to meet up with my friend Simi who has been here for the last couple weeks. He is leaving this weekend, so I was happy I got to see him beforehand. Overall it was a fun and interesting night.
Today I am in town doing some shopping for Shabbat (not frantically as I said earlier, I don't have that much to get!) I'm spending Shabbat with Shosh and her group. Her group is leaving right after Shabbat so Shosh and I will be heading back to Kfar Adumim on Sunday morning. She leaves first thing Monday morning, and then we are going about 6 weeks before she comes back. This is going to be a hard one, but we decided to not think about it. I am going to purchase the beer brewing materials on Tuesday, moving in to my apartment on Wednesday, and brewing beer on Thursday. It should be a fun week!
That's all for now, talk to everyone soon!
This past week has been very relaxing and everything is going very well. As I said Sunday was Tisha B'av, and I spent the day studying at Pardes. We are not supposed to be social on this day, so when I was meeting people I would be studying with in the coming year, I had to hold back on wanting to know more about them. I am positive that there will be opportunities for that in the future.
Monday-Wednesday I spent my days at Pardes also. I received some summer assignments earlier in the summer and so I am working on finishing up those up before classes start at the beginning of next month. The first part is reviewing and familiarizing myself with the Parsha Shavua (I know I am supposed to be including that in my blog, but I forgot to my Tanach this weekend). The other part is going over all of Malachim Bet. It's an interesting book that goes over all the kings after Jehosophat, and the falls of both the Israeli and Judean Kingdoms. I'm not sure where these will be brought into my studies, but it's a good feeling to atleast prepare for school.
Thursday I came into town and met up with Shosh's group on Ben Yehuda during the afternoon. We are staying at the Young Judea youth hostel which is located near the Jerusalem Zoo. Last night we took her group out to a bar and I got to meet up with my friend Simi who has been here for the last couple weeks. He is leaving this weekend, so I was happy I got to see him beforehand. Overall it was a fun and interesting night.
Today I am in town doing some shopping for Shabbat (not frantically as I said earlier, I don't have that much to get!) I'm spending Shabbat with Shosh and her group. Her group is leaving right after Shabbat so Shosh and I will be heading back to Kfar Adumim on Sunday morning. She leaves first thing Monday morning, and then we are going about 6 weeks before she comes back. This is going to be a hard one, but we decided to not think about it. I am going to purchase the beer brewing materials on Tuesday, moving in to my apartment on Wednesday, and brewing beer on Thursday. It should be a fun week!
That's all for now, talk to everyone soon!
Monday, August 11, 2008
a bit from the past month
Hi everyone, in case you forgot I’m still in Israel. I’m very sorry for not keeping this more updated. I’ve been doing quite a bit since I last reported to you. Let’s see…where to begin.
I guess I could begin with my shabbatot for the past month. I’ve been lucky enough to spend almost every Shabbat in a different place every week. Four weeks ago, I spent Shabbat in Jerusalem at a friend’s house that I met through ulpan. They live off of Emek Refaim, which is a neighborhood that I am very familiar with. It felt great to be in that area. I davened at Shira Chadasha, which is a modern orthodox synagogue that Shosh enjoys a lot, and happily I really enjoyed it. It’s a very Anglo synagogue with great singing and a strong community. What made it great was the singing, I loved the tunes and the fact that everyone had great savannah towards everything they were doing. After shul my friends hosted Shabbat dinner, and we just ended up staying up till 3 am talking. The next morning, I slept in and was still able to make it in time for the Torah service. As I walked in, I had the pleasant surprise of seeing Itzik, my madrich from Nativ! I hadn’t spoken or seen him for so long and it was great to catch up. That afternoon, we hosted a seudat shlishit and waited for Shabbat to end. That evening as I was walking to a coffee shop I ran into Becca Sykes. I hadn’t been able to see any of the Sykes family while they were here, so I was ecstatic when I got to spend some time with her.
The following Monday I went to Tel Aviv to see Shosh and get to spend the evening with her. I had the great opportunity of doing homework in a bar that night. Shosh has some great pictures of it, and I’m sure you will all see them soon. The following Shabbat I traveled down to Eilat to spend Shabbat with Shosh and her group. It was great to hop on a bus and travel through this country again. Even if it is to the single hottest place possible. We spent Shabbat afternoon on the beach and in the ocean. I got some great sun, and even bought a new bathingsuit. The next day I hopped on the bus with Shosh and her group to catch a free ride up to Jerusalem. On the way hope we did a short water hike, and enjoyed the rest of the ride.
Shosh finished up with her group the following Wednesday, so I was ecstatic to have her all to myself. We came back to the Kirschners’ house that night and I started studying for end of ulpan class. The next morning we went straight to Hebrew U, so I could take my test. After school we went into town so I could run a few errands, and then we made our way back home at the end of the night.
The following morning is when all the fun started. Shosh and I had decided to go to Tel Aviv for that Shabbat a while ago. I had made reservations at a hostel there and I had no real idea what kind it was. Boy did we luck out! All Shosh had asked for was for it to be close to the beach, and have a bit of sketchiness. The only thing I was looking for was air conditioning. We certainly got the best of both worlds. There was great variety of people at the hostel, it was located two blocks away from the beach, and best of all our room was air-conditioned. We had a very nice relaxing Shabbat, and then went out to get drinks with people from her group that night. The next day we hopped on a bus up to Rosh Pinna to stay at one Shosh’s family friend’s Bed and Breakfast. This was an extra special treat because I love going up north, and I had never been to Rosh Pinna before. We get to the town, and I realized how much I missed the small town feel. I’ve been living in a small town for most of the last ten years and at times it’s been difficult to adjust to life in Jerusalem, which is busy and always very fast. We arrived to the bed and breakfast, and all I can say is WOW. It was beautiful. We found out while we there that Rosh Pinna was the first town the Russian Olim founded when they arrived in the late 1800’s, and even better the house we were was one of the first built. We spent that first night there enjoying the company and just relaxing in the fabulous setting. The next day, Shosh and I went with Orli to the local market, and then we went to her sister’s bed and breakfast for a great breakfast. From there we returned and lounged around for most of the afternoon. That night we went to the hill of Righteous Men. It’s a hill with burials spread out all around it of Rabbis from different time periods. Each spot is dedicated to a different need. One grave women go to help them find a husband, another to help them have children, and so on. From there we went to a great restaurant that we wouldn’t have found without Orli’s help. They set up mats outside and brought out course after course of delicious food. It was a great atmosphere, and perfect way to end a trip.
The next day we went back down to Jerusalem so I could make it to my….BEER CLASS! That’s right everyone, I’m going to be brewing my own beer. My friend David and I are going to be taking this on together. I’m sure that some batches will not be so delicious, but I’m excited to test some flavors out and to give me some variety from the lackluster Israeli beers. I’ll keep everyone updated on what comes of this.
On Sunday we observed Tisha B’av, this is a fast day that commemorates the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem and marks other sad anniversaries in Jewish history. I spent that day fasting, and learning at Pardes. I wasn’t the hardest fast, more than anything I was very thirsty at the end of the day.
One more update on stuff, I signed the lease for my apartment this afternoon, so everything is official. Hopefully I’ll be able to post some pictures of this place, but sadly pictures can’t truly capture how great this place is. It is a 5-minute walk to Pardes, and is surrounded by great cafes, synagogues, and people. I will be moving in next Wednesday, and I’ll be getting ready for Andy’s arrival on September 5, and of course Shosh’s arrival (permanent, that is) on October 6.
Again, I apologize that I haven’t kept up with this as much as I should have. There were times that I felt like not a lot was going on, but after looking through all of this, I guess I stand corrected. I look forward to hearing from everyone soon, and I hope you are all well.
I guess I could begin with my shabbatot for the past month. I’ve been lucky enough to spend almost every Shabbat in a different place every week. Four weeks ago, I spent Shabbat in Jerusalem at a friend’s house that I met through ulpan. They live off of Emek Refaim, which is a neighborhood that I am very familiar with. It felt great to be in that area. I davened at Shira Chadasha, which is a modern orthodox synagogue that Shosh enjoys a lot, and happily I really enjoyed it. It’s a very Anglo synagogue with great singing and a strong community. What made it great was the singing, I loved the tunes and the fact that everyone had great savannah towards everything they were doing. After shul my friends hosted Shabbat dinner, and we just ended up staying up till 3 am talking. The next morning, I slept in and was still able to make it in time for the Torah service. As I walked in, I had the pleasant surprise of seeing Itzik, my madrich from Nativ! I hadn’t spoken or seen him for so long and it was great to catch up. That afternoon, we hosted a seudat shlishit and waited for Shabbat to end. That evening as I was walking to a coffee shop I ran into Becca Sykes. I hadn’t been able to see any of the Sykes family while they were here, so I was ecstatic when I got to spend some time with her.
The following Monday I went to Tel Aviv to see Shosh and get to spend the evening with her. I had the great opportunity of doing homework in a bar that night. Shosh has some great pictures of it, and I’m sure you will all see them soon. The following Shabbat I traveled down to Eilat to spend Shabbat with Shosh and her group. It was great to hop on a bus and travel through this country again. Even if it is to the single hottest place possible. We spent Shabbat afternoon on the beach and in the ocean. I got some great sun, and even bought a new bathingsuit. The next day I hopped on the bus with Shosh and her group to catch a free ride up to Jerusalem. On the way hope we did a short water hike, and enjoyed the rest of the ride.
Shosh finished up with her group the following Wednesday, so I was ecstatic to have her all to myself. We came back to the Kirschners’ house that night and I started studying for end of ulpan class. The next morning we went straight to Hebrew U, so I could take my test. After school we went into town so I could run a few errands, and then we made our way back home at the end of the night.
The following morning is when all the fun started. Shosh and I had decided to go to Tel Aviv for that Shabbat a while ago. I had made reservations at a hostel there and I had no real idea what kind it was. Boy did we luck out! All Shosh had asked for was for it to be close to the beach, and have a bit of sketchiness. The only thing I was looking for was air conditioning. We certainly got the best of both worlds. There was great variety of people at the hostel, it was located two blocks away from the beach, and best of all our room was air-conditioned. We had a very nice relaxing Shabbat, and then went out to get drinks with people from her group that night. The next day we hopped on a bus up to Rosh Pinna to stay at one Shosh’s family friend’s Bed and Breakfast. This was an extra special treat because I love going up north, and I had never been to Rosh Pinna before. We get to the town, and I realized how much I missed the small town feel. I’ve been living in a small town for most of the last ten years and at times it’s been difficult to adjust to life in Jerusalem, which is busy and always very fast. We arrived to the bed and breakfast, and all I can say is WOW. It was beautiful. We found out while we there that Rosh Pinna was the first town the Russian Olim founded when they arrived in the late 1800’s, and even better the house we were was one of the first built. We spent that first night there enjoying the company and just relaxing in the fabulous setting. The next day, Shosh and I went with Orli to the local market, and then we went to her sister’s bed and breakfast for a great breakfast. From there we returned and lounged around for most of the afternoon. That night we went to the hill of Righteous Men. It’s a hill with burials spread out all around it of Rabbis from different time periods. Each spot is dedicated to a different need. One grave women go to help them find a husband, another to help them have children, and so on. From there we went to a great restaurant that we wouldn’t have found without Orli’s help. They set up mats outside and brought out course after course of delicious food. It was a great atmosphere, and perfect way to end a trip.
The next day we went back down to Jerusalem so I could make it to my….BEER CLASS! That’s right everyone, I’m going to be brewing my own beer. My friend David and I are going to be taking this on together. I’m sure that some batches will not be so delicious, but I’m excited to test some flavors out and to give me some variety from the lackluster Israeli beers. I’ll keep everyone updated on what comes of this.
On Sunday we observed Tisha B’av, this is a fast day that commemorates the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem and marks other sad anniversaries in Jewish history. I spent that day fasting, and learning at Pardes. I wasn’t the hardest fast, more than anything I was very thirsty at the end of the day.
One more update on stuff, I signed the lease for my apartment this afternoon, so everything is official. Hopefully I’ll be able to post some pictures of this place, but sadly pictures can’t truly capture how great this place is. It is a 5-minute walk to Pardes, and is surrounded by great cafes, synagogues, and people. I will be moving in next Wednesday, and I’ll be getting ready for Andy’s arrival on September 5, and of course Shosh’s arrival (permanent, that is) on October 6.
Again, I apologize that I haven’t kept up with this as much as I should have. There were times that I felt like not a lot was going on, but after looking through all of this, I guess I stand corrected. I look forward to hearing from everyone soon, and I hope you are all well.
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