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.