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Thank you for the continued love and support!
Shalom,
Sarah
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Betach, Lama Lo?! - Sure, Why Not?!
Only 7 days before I head back to the US and 10 days until I'm back in Bakersfield. Then I start another whirl wind tour trying to see everyone before I make Alliyah and immigrate to Israel. Yes, you heard me right. I, Sarah Neal, am planning on becoming an Israeli citizen. I'll be in the US just under 2 months. In that time I'll be visiting family and friends, and selling or shipping my belongings to my new home in the Holy Land.
I spent some time reading some of my old blog posts, especially from the beginning of my time here in Israel. Woah. Things have sure changed in such a short amount of time. I caught a glimpse of myself in a window's reflection the other day and thought, 'who is that Israeli woman that keeps looking at me?' Wait, that's me! The way I dress, the way I walk, the way I speak, the way I interact... to me seems so Israeli. To Israelis I probably seem sooo American, but to me I'm hardly recognizable as the California Jewish American Princess I once was.
Don't worry though, I am still me... a more clear and self aware version of me, but none the less me. My soul has not changed, my purpose in this life is just more clear and to me living in Israel and feeling Israeli feels like the true me. I was talking with my sister Alisa a few weeks ago and we were joking that before we know it she'll be all country and have a nice southern accent, and I'll be all middle eastern and Israeli before either of us knows what happened. Ya know what... I like that idea.
I like that when I come back to Eretz Yisroel in January I'l be coming back as a citizen. As a Jew, what better place is there for me to be? Now I have the task of figuring out where I will live. My heart is in Tekoa and my soul is in Jerusalem. My mind tells me that there may be better opportunities to buy a home if I decide to move north to the Golan Heights, Tiberius, or the Kinneret. I don't know where specifically I'll be yet, but I do know that as much as I'm looking forward to my trip to the US... I am equally (if not more so) excited about coming back to Israel afterwards.
I reread one of my first blogs from when I first came to Israel ad I sound like such a different person than I am today. I was so scared and so unsure of what I was doing and why. I couldn't imagine spending another day here, let alone another week... month... year... That was such a hard time for me and I was second guessing my decision to come here. Thanks to the love and support from my family and friends at home, coupled with the love and support from my family and friends in my new home... I stuck it out. I can't even express how grateful I am for staying through the hard times and making it to now. I know that this doesn't mean it won't or can't be hard again, but I feel read and able to face it now.
I've lived outside of my comfort zone for so long that I can't remember what "comfortable" is. Comfortable is uncomfortable. Comfort is pushing myself to try something new, talk to someone I wouldn't have before, take a new bus, carpool with a neighbor, take a hike off the beaten path, walk all day instead of riding at all, exploring, praying, thinking, believing, dreaming, finding myself, finding truth. Fortunately for me I have an amazing support system. My friends from jewel, my friends from Tekoa, and my family from all around Israel have been so great for me to lean on. I couldn't imagine doing this with any amount of sanity if it wasn't for them.
So much of what I have been studying revolved around free will. We have the opportunity to make free will decisions everyday. I choose life. I choose to live. I choose to choose. One of the classes I took entailed a great analogy that i'd like to share with you. If you got on a bus and 15 minutes down the road realized you were going in the wrong direction, what would you do? Would you say to yourself, oh well... I've already paid so I may as well stay on for the ride. Or would you say, stop the bus! I need to get off! I want to encourage everyone that is riding the bus (of their life) in the wrong direction to have the courage to stand up and say "Stop, I need to get off the bus!" Get off the bus. Stop, gather yourself, and go in the direction you choose. Walking back might not be easy at first, but where you'll end up is going to be beautiful and wonderful and amazing.
So, I stopped... got off the bus... and started walking back uphill to get to the Promised Land. The view is amazing. I hope that some of you find the time and energy to come and visit me here someday. I hope to someday have a home and family for all of you to visit here. The Holy Land... Eretz Yisroel... the Promised Land... Israel... my new home.
Let's get Spiritual
The soul of a person is their true essence. The way someone looks and the clothes they wear is not who that person is. That's a physical manifestation, a vessel for their true self. A person is their emotions and feelings... their soul is as unique as a fingerprint. You should not change your personality. It is who you are. Your unique soul is meant to serve a very important purpose in this world. The purpose of this existence is to harness the soul and your insides in order to find true happiness and contentment.
There is a term in Hebrew called T'Shuva which is the process of coming back to who you really are... your personality coming back to your inherent nature of both body and soul. First you have to be natural with yourself and then you will see where your Neshama (soul) is and wants to go. That is how you find your purpose in this existence. Turn off the sights and sounds and distractions of the world around us and see the inner beauty and passion and desires that your soul has been trying to scream at you. For me I've found writing. I can have a stream of thought come to me faster than I can type. My soul through my conscious mind expresses itself in a way that I could have only hoped it would before. We as people crave spirituality. Our job is to take our spiritual desires and use it to fuel and harness our physical ones. Our body and soul should be working in harmony with each other.
Every time you go to sleep it works like a proverbial reset button. You wake up each morning to a new dawn and a new day. An opportunity to connect with yourself and with others in a deep and meaningful way. When you purify your body and soul TOGETHER you are enabling yourself to find the highest levels of purpose and meaning in the short existence in this world.
I want you to know how holy the body is. Know how to relate to your body. It is the vehicle that is used to elevate your soul and you only get one! The story of our souls is one of our bodies and our personal struggles through the Yatzer Hara (an inclination to choose what your mind knows isn't good). The balance between those is what brings happiness. The connection to your soul. I wake up each morning and am embracing each moment of life. I connect to my soul and my body moves me through the day.
This past weekend was the beginning of a new month in the Hebrew calendar. The start of each month is a holiday called Rosh Chodesh (head of the month). This is a holiday for women and I use it as a chance to celebrate womanhood and our unique purpose in this world. Women are the vehicles that take potential or thought and make it into reality. We take a single seed... potential for life... make it into a human being. Potential into reality. Subconsciousness into consciousness. Each month we get to celebrate the fact that much like the Creator of the universe we have a unique ability to create through cycles... much like the lunar cycle and the new moon.
So to celebrate Rosh Chodesh I went to a party in Tekoa Dallet. For those of you who have been following my blog for a while you'll know that this is the second one I've gone to in Tekoa Dallet. The first one was right before Jewel. This one felt fitting since it's right before I head back to the States for a visit. Like wonderful bookends for my trip out here. Tekoa Dallet never fails me. There are beautiful people out there on the outskirts of Tekoa. We drove into the mountains and Judean desert to a great host's home. The celebration was a bonfire with music and lots of friends and family.
As I sat by the fire looking up into the vast star filled moonless night I took a moment to remember how grateful I am to be here. My soul was and is happy. The entirety of me is happy. I sat with my friends from Tekoa, a few friends from Jewel, my cousins & their dog Bamba, and neighbors from all over Tekoa and watched and listened to them sing about Jerusalem and Eretz Yisroel (the land of Israel). There were drums, guitars, a flute, and even a guy beat boxing (which made an interesting dynamic).
This past Shabbos was by far my favorite since coming to Israel. I felt so lucky to be surrounded by people that I love and care about and that care about me... all celebrating Shabbos together... all celebrating Rosh Chodesh together. Throughout the weekend I went from one family's house to another chatting and laughing and enjoying our day of rest as a family and as community. What more could one want?
I highly recommend that one day a week you break yourself from the routine monotony of life. Spend that time fine tuning your essence. Your soul. Reflect on the week. What did you learn? What did you do? Sleep and indulge in yummy meals, a good book, and good company. You work hard. Treat yourself to one day. A whole day. A day of rest. Trust me, both your body and your soul will thank you for the gift.
I wish you all a Chodesh Tov (Good Month)!
5 months in... 3 weeks to go
Life in Israel is so fascinating... intriguing... different. I live 10,000 miles away from my family, friends, loved ones. I live 30 minutes from the Temple Mount on the West Bank in a town called Tekoa. How did I wind up going from Bakersfield, California to the West Bank? I wake up some mornings and can hear the Muslim call to worship. I think to myself... how did I get here again? The pull of living in Israel overcame me and still overcomes me. Everyday that I spend living in Israel makes me feel more and more connected to my heritage, culture, faith, and nation. I have personal and spiritual clarity here that I could never find at home. Things that used to cloud my mind and make me unsure of life's purpose and why I am even here are now becoming more and more clear to me. The mundane life of animalistic instincts has no appeal to me. Get up... get ready for work... eat... work... eat... work... eat... see people... maybe do something outside of the norm... maybe not... sleep. Routine monotony had taken over my life. I was marginally happy. Mostly happy that I was surrounded with wonderful people... family and friends. I was successful. I never had a problem working hard and making my way to the top of any endeavor I took on. On the surface, things were good. On the inside I was screaming for meaning... purpose... connection.
With 3 weeks left in Israel before I head back to the states I spent my Shabbos in Tekoa (like I do most Shabbats). On Saturday, Shabbos day, I was hanging out with some friends and talking. We spoke about the history of Israel, politics, and religion. Interestingly enough religion and politics were two things that I would steer clear of in conversations back home. When you're the only Jew that most people know AND happen to be a bleeding heart tree hugging liberal, who happens to live in a predominately Christian community of right wing Conservatives... well, there's not much to say when it comes to religion and politics (as I'm sure you could imagine). Here the leftists and the right wings talk and talk and talk. Their insights and reasonings are so intriguing to me.
One of the people I was talking with last night said something that was truly impactful to me (and I'm paraphrasing this): 'You know the secular and the religious Jews might not agree on much, but one amazing this is how they unite without division on the big issues.' For example, 'the boat that tried to deliver "aide" to Gaza was 100% deemed wrong and it was within the rights of the IDF to stop them.' Let me expand on this statement a bit. Gaza is a section in the south western coastal region of Israel that was given to the Palestinian government during a peace talk negotiation less than 5 years ago. Gaza is currently governed by Hamas which is an extremest branch of Islam and is one of the dominate terrorist organizations right now. Gaza has been under blockade to stop imports into this small section of land. The blockade is meant to ensure that no materials are smuggled into Gaza that could potentially be used in bombings or terrorist attacks. The flotilla ship that was attempting to deliver aide to Gaza was outright defying Israeli blockade and knew they would be stopped by the IDF. Instead of this "humanitarian organization" attempting to deliver aide appropriately through the Israeli Defense Federation, the flotilla ship decided to take matters into their own hands and were ultimately stopped. How do Israelis feel about this? They were all behind the IDF. From the secular to the religious and everything in between... agreed. Could you even imagine if Americans had such unity on the important issues? Hash out the minor details on a day to day basis, but complete unity when it comes to the big rocks. I found myself completely intrenched and engrossed with the information. Here it is, Saturday night... Shabbos just ended and I'm sitting on the patio at my friend's house talking about all of the things I always avoided talking about at home.
I had a bit of a cold this Shabbos, but initially I had thought of going to Hevron the weekend. My friend's family went for the entirety of Shabbos and camped out near Machpelah. Machpelah is also known as the Tomb of the Patriarchs. This is where Adam & Chava (Eve), Abraham & Sarah, Isaac & Rivkah, Jacob & Leah were all buried. In case you were wondering Rachel's plot is between Jerusalem and Bethlehem... she's the only one not buried in the family plot. This past week was the portion of the Torah where Sarah Emanu (the mother of the Jewish people) passed away. To honor her Yartsite (anniversary of her passing) thousands gather in Hevron to spend Shabbos. It rained on and off all of Shabbos, so since I was trying to kick a cold I'm glad I wound up staying home.
Hevron is a highly disputed area of the West Bank. Muslims and Jews claim the holy land of the forefathers as their own. Our cousins, the Muslims', father is also Abraham... their mother is an Egyptian princess (who left to become a maidservant for Sarah) named Hagar. The tension is very high in Hevron. Extra IDF and police is brought in for the weekend's festivities. Jews celebrate the life of Sarah together while camping out. Yes, there are Muslims that live in Hevron. A lot in fact. Is it brave that Israelis go there to spend Shabbos honoring Sarah? I think so. It is our land. Of course there are precautionary measures in place and of course I wouldn't have gone alone even if I was feeling up to it. Next year... I'll give a full first hand report of what it's like to spend a Shabbat in such a holy and coveted place.
I did go to the Kotel before the sun came up on Friday morning. Into the tunnels as close to the Holy of Holies as you can get. I brought my cousins with me and showed them the special place that women can go to pray that is the closest to the holiest spot on the Temple Mount. Yes, the women have a special place that the men don't go too.
There's so much I want to do before I go back to the states. I've been taking an incredible seminar in Nachlaot (a section of Jerusalem) for the past week. One of the assignments for the seminar was to do something out of the norm of what I would normally do. My dear, and slightly crazy, friend came up with an amazing idea. There is graffiti in Nachlaot that says (er said), "Love Israel Hate the State" and another that says (er also said) "Love People Hate the Police". So she got some spray paint and the 2 of us took out the "Hate"... did I mention it was 4pm when we did this? Traffic time! This was also the same day as my participation in the first Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Jerusalem. Soooo I raised some money and then wiped out some graffiti! Pretty productive day if you ask me. The tagging now says, "Love Israel [White Blob] the State" and "Love People [White Blob] the Police". People were thrilled that we did this. They were chatting us up and telling us how happy they were about what we were doing. A M A Z I N G ! ! Spray painting is fun, but don't worry I'm not about to go be a tagger or anything.
I'm also going to be learning how to make short pro-Israel videos this upcoming week and am so thrilled to have the opportunity to learn a different form of media that I know absolutely nothing about. I feel like I'm burning the candle at both ends, but I am so excited to be able to be learning so much and doing so much and experiencing so much. Classes. Seminars. Writing. Traveling. Only 3 weeks to go and then I'm back stateside. Lehitraot! (See you later.)
A normal day
Life has fallen into another sort of routine since starting school at Neve. I wake up every morning at 5:30am to give myself enough time for morning blessings, shower, and little yoga before dashing out the door around 6:45am to catch a ride into Jerusalem. I usually make it to the bus stop on the main road on the south side of Jerusalem called Derech Hevron around 7:05am and wait for the 74 bus to come. Usually by around 7:12am the bus pulls up and if I'm lucky I get a seat. The traffic at this time of day with students going to school and adults heading to work is intense. I, along with everyone else, am looking forward to the day that the light rail finally opens in the city hopefully lightening the traffic load significantly. I've been downloading audio classes for the Aish.com website so for the next hour I turn up my iPod, settle in and take an audio class while slowly making my way across town. My trip is about 13 km once I hit Derech Hevron and it takes me at least an hour to get to Har Nof on the other side of town. The 74 bus ends in Har Nof and from the Tachana (bus stop) to my school is an additional 15 minute walk. (Although I did just learn the secret short cut hike that cuts my walk in half.) So assuming traffic is forgiving I can make it to my 8:30am class on time. Typically, traffic is not forgiving so I've been making it to class about 20 minutes late. Thursday I tried leaving home at 6:30am and for the first time I was 15 minutes early, and I even stopped for a Cappuccino!
I have 4 classes at Neve that last from 8:30am to 12:45pm. Twice last week I attempted to take second half of the day classes at the Aish Center in the Old City. The first day my trip took me an hour and half so instead of taking 3 classes, I only made it on time for 2. The second day I took a different bus route and wound up making 3 afternoon classes. So my day ranges anywhere from 4 classes (which are mandatory at Neve) to 7 classes depending on what I'm interested in at Aish. My classes have a tendency to end around 6pm. Yes, it does make for a long day. Yes, it's totally worth it.
Having friends in and around the city has continually made the world of difference for me. I'm still meeting with them once per week to check out a new restaurant for dinner. Last week we went to a place called "Fish and Olive". It wasn't as exciting as the Moroccan feast we had last week, but it was the largest turn out of girls we've had so far. The core group consists of girls from Jewel from this past summer. We've each been involved with different programs and activities since then so the group has a tendency to expand and include new roommates and friends from all the new programs we're all involved in. This past week there were roughly 10 of us at dinner. Great food and 2 bottles of wine (for our half of the table) later, we were chatting away and comparing commentaries about life in Jerusalem.
I have to share a small triumph I had this past week. I went to grab some Felafel and Schwarma with some girls after class and I, Sarah Neal, was able to decipher the menu on the wall in Hebrew... by myself. Woo hoo! I know that Mair (my teacher) and Ulpan Aviv would have been proud of me. I was even able to order primarily in Hebrew. Guess the Ulpan worked.
After classes the next bus back to Tekoa doesn't leave the central bus station until 8:45pm (arriving at 9:30pm) so I wind up meeting with friends for a cup of coffee or a light dinner. Needless to say, I'm usually pretty tired so I read a little... write a little and by about 11:00pm I'm officially done for the day.
This next week I'm going to cut down the afternoon classes so I can focus more on my Hebrew and my writing. There's so much to know that I need to remember to pace myself before I just crash out in exhaustion. A few late nights in Jerusalem is amazing, but for sure... not everyday.
I've found that the more I've been writing the more I really love it. Writing and studying is like pure bliss for me right now. I can't think of any other way I'd rather be spending my time. So, I'm going to be changing up my blog in the next few weeks. I want to give more information about what it's like to be here; personally, religiously, and politically. I really feel like there is so much misinformation out there and what I'm experiencing can hopefully give everyone else a glimpse of what it's really like to be living in Eretz Yisroel. The challenges and the triumphs.
I have found that being 10,000 miles away from all that used to be important to me has helped me to gain clarity and insight to myself and to what's truly important. When people at home are hurting I can't just go and give a hug or even head in the other direction to avoid it. I'm privy to exactly what the information is that is filtered to me and I choose to respond in the best way I can. It's hard. Strength is a muscle like all the others I'm trying to develop over here. Strength, courage, intellect, patience, love, kindness.
As I'm sure you all have gathered (by way of all of my blogs) I spend a lot of time at the Kotel. I find clarity there. If I'm in the neighborhood, I like to stop by just to be able to spend a moment of time. Fortunately the Aish Center knows me now and I can go up to the roof and typically there are no more than 5 people up there doing the same thing I'm doing... thinking, praying, taking pictures, watching life go by in the Kotel Plaza below. The army does boot camp graduations at the Kotel and Thursday I got to see one from the roof. Night time at the Kotel with so many soldiers celebrating their graduation was outstanding. It is by far my favorite place to be and I hope that someday as people hopefully come to visit me I get to share this special place with them.
This week's Torah portion talks about Abraham leaving and going to the land of Israel which Gd promised to him. Lech Lecha. Go. Go for yourself. I first learned about this portion during Jewel and it really touched me then. When Abraham left his home he went first without knowing the destination. He knew it was time to go. I knew it was time to go. When I left Bakersfield I know that it was time to go. Go for myself. Lech Lecha. I want each of you who read this blog to know how much I appreciate all of the support, challenges, ideas, surprises, and love while I'm on my journey. I may not know my destination, but figuring it out is the most incredible part. Abraham's wife Sarah teaches us that internal development leads to strength of character. You don't have to sway on your values or self confidence. Sarah was a model of internal development, strength, and beauty. So do I hope to become the same.
Picture 1: I'm pointing to Tekoa on the map. The Dead Sea is the body of water to the right, Jerusalem is north past 2 blue dashed lines in larger block letters. See, now you know where I am.
Picture 2: The best dessert... chocolate milk. Yes, it's served in a bag not a box here.
Picture 3: IDF Soldier graduation at the Kotel
Picture 4: The model of the Temple with the Dome of the Rock in the background (which is where the Temple stood and will one day again stand).
Picture 5: The path where the girls are walking up is the route of my new short cut hike up to Neve.
A Crash Course about the History of the State of Israel
I've realized my own lack of knowledge about the history of the land which is now called the state of Israel, and our capital city of Jerusalem. Over the past few months I have begun doing research on the subject and I think that it's important for those of you reading this to know and to understand why we (the nation of Israel) are here and what the factual history is about this land compared to our cousins (the nation of Islam) that surrounds us.
This information is based on the many classes I've been taking here and the countless books I have been reading. The majority of the information I will be sharing with you is based on and thanks to Rabbi Ken Spiro from Aish HaTorah along with the Max Dimont book called, “Jews, Gd, and History”. With these sources in mind I have complied a short review of why we're here. (Thereby showing you more reasons why I am here.)
First, why do the 5 books of Moses start with creation of the universe as opposed to the Exodus from Egypt and the receiving of the Torah? Rashi, who was a great Rabbi in the 11th century of France, answered this question and what he determined is that 'down the road it will be said that we [the Jewish nation] stole the land.' The Torah... explains the history. Today, archeological and scientific evidence backs up all claims as far back as 2000 years. More and more is being discovered ALL THE TIME.
This "crash course" is going to begin with the 3rd portion we read of the Torah: Lech Lecha. This is the section of the book of Genesis teaching us about when Abraham leaves, what is now called Turkey, and migrated to the land of Israel. This trek happened in the 18th century BCE (before common era). Abraham left for Israel (then referred to as Canaan) after which our nation had to leave the land of Israel. Abraham's grandson Jacob left due to a famine and wound up in the land of Egypt. There, as the story goes, we were enslaved for hundreds of years. Then with the leadership of Moses, we were liberated from slavery. After we left the land of Egypt with Moses, we wandered in the desert for 40 years eventually leading us to Mt. Sinai where we received the Torah. Shortly thereafter Moses died and his brother Joshua led us into Israel.
Joshua led us to the conquering of the land in 1272 BCE. We were then in the land of Israel for 440 years until the end of the 1st Temple period. There was a period of nearly 860 continuous years in the land which will take us from 13th century BCE all the way through the 5th century BCE. Between the 1st and 2nd Temple periods there was a 70 year exile. The 2nd Temple period lasted 420 years ending in the year 70 CE (common era). There were 1270 years of occupation in total (so far). 1400 years of total presence ended and lead to a period of diaspora, which is the period we're in today. You should know that archeological evidence dates back to the divided monarchy period, which was roughly 1000 BCE.
Now that we know Jewish history, let's talk a little bit about the Arabic presence in Israel. Islamic year 1 is the Common Era year 623. This was when Mohammed makes his journey from Mecca to Medina. Mohammed dies 10 years later in the year 632 CE. In the year 638 CE a man by the name of Omar, takes over Islamic leadership for Muhammed. Omar conquers Jerusalem from the Bizantines and then from 638 CE to 1917 CE was the time of Arab/Islamic rule (roughly 1300 years). The nation of Islam call this land the "Providence of Syria" and the time period is known as the “Islamic Dynastic Time”. In this time there is no capital city. The only break in Islamic control was from 1099 to 1187 CE which was the time of the Latin kingdom (which had no Arabs). On a side note, Crusaders were the only other people who had a capital in the land of Israel besides the Jewish nation.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) wants an Independent state with Jerusalem as a capital. So what is the significance of Jerusalem? For the Jewish people the location of a capital city has to do with spirituality and the connection to Mt. Moriah. The Western Wall is a retaining wall around Mt. Moriah which is where the Temple stood. This, we believe is the holiest place in the world. This is where Abraham & Isaac went for the sacrifice which led to the “binding of Isaac”. It was the place of Jacob's dream. Isaac and Rebecca met here, and the list goes on.
There are 349 mentions of the city of Jerusalem in the Bible, 148 mentions of Zion, and 750 mentions of this exact spot. This is the only place we can build our holy temple. Therefore it is the only place that can be considered our capital city.
For the record Christian Churches face eastward to represent the rising sun. Conversely Mosques will be facing towards Mecca which is their holiest city. An example of this is shown by where the Al Aqsa Mosque was built on the southside of the Temple Mount. This location would be opposite from where our holy Temple would have stood. It was built precisely so that there would be nothing standing in the way of the direction of Muslim prayer... in the direction of Mecca. The Koran never mentions Jerusalem. All synagogues face towards Jerusalem, specifically towards the Holy of Holies.
The Islamic connection to Jerusalem happened during the 7th century CE. The Umayyad Dynasty lasted from 650 to 750 CE, which is also referred to as “Omar's Dynasty”. During this time the Umayyad's loose control of both Mecca and Medina, which are both located in Saudi Arabia.
In the religion of Islam there are 5 pillars of faith, one of which is to make a holy pilgrimage to Mecca (called a Hajj) at least once in their lifetime. Jerusalem was only considered a holy site at the point after the loss of control of Mecca, as an alternative point of Hajj. In the year 691 CE the gold dome was built as a shrine to a dream Mohammed had. In 701 CE the black dome, called Al-Aqsa, was built as the house of worship and the actual Mosque in Jerusalem.
80 - 85 % of Sunni Muslims consider Jerusalem their 3rd holiest city (all the while still praying in the direction of Mecca, Saudi Arabia). The other 15 - 20% of Muslims are called Shiites and don't even consider Jerusalem their 3rd holiest city. (They consider Karbala, Iraq to be choice number 3.) The PLO claims that Jerusalem is an only Islamic city.
Let's now talk about the past 100 years of history. The last Muslim rulers were in the 16th century CE and lasted through the year 1917 CE. At that time Ottoman Empire was ruling Israel and had an alliance with Germany and Hungry during WWI. As history shows, the Ottomans lost their empire at the end of the war. England was the biggest "power house" at that time and they wanted Palestine. The Suez Canal was the point of British interest and they wanted a revolt against the Turks. 1920 was the Treaty of San Rimo which divided up the Middle East. In 1922 Abdallah was given the land called Trans-Jordan.
Here's where the disagreements in the land dispute gets heavy: In 1937 the Appeals Commission made a land treaty accepted by the Jews and rejected by Muslims. In 1947 the UN votes 33 to 13 to partition separate Jewish and Arab states. The Jews say yes, the Muslims say no. 1948, Israel becomes a state and the 1st Prime Minister of Israel Ben Gurion calls on the Arabs to “make peace for the greater good of the Middle East”. The reaction: 1967 war of Independence. The '67 war was a miraculous victory in which prior land called Israel had not included the West Bank or Jerusalem. Arabs launch a war, and the Jews win another miraculous victory in 6 days tripling their territory with minimal casualties. Land acquired included: West Bank, Gaza, and Jerhico (to say the least). The Jews say, make peace and we'll give you ALL of this land back. Arabs say no. 1973 the Yom Kippur war follows in “response” to the '67 war. 1993 the Oslo process begins. The first offer that was made to the Arab nation was for the “return” of territory taken in the 50s and offered 100% of the West Bank, a redivision of Jerusalem, and the internationalization of the Temple Mount. Arabs say no.
Remember that Israel is the ONLY democracy in the Middle East which includes human rights and free press. It is the only country in the Middle East who's existence is a "threat". Costa Rica, Micronesia, and El Salvador are the only countries that accept Jerusalem as our capital. Since 1967 there have been over 1000 anti Israel resolutions in the UN and 2/3 since 1990 have been anti-Israel.
Jews must realize that anti semitism is on the rise. Anti semitism doesn't care if you're religious, secular, left, right, or whatever. They will come after us all together. Israel may be the front line, but the whole Jewish world is under siege. What should we do with this information? Have unity. Abraham Lincoln said, "a house divided against itself cannot stand." Israel and the Jewish world is under attack. This is the time for the Jewish people to come together. If we're not for each other than we have no chance for the world at large. Israel is the national homeland for the Jewish people whether you live here or not. We (the Jewish people) have a deeper and a PROVEN connection to our real estate, more than any other country does in the world.
I heard a great example from Rabbi Ken Spiro that I wanted to share with you, “Imagine if Mexico launched laredo shells into Texas. 2 hours later, there would be no Mexico. Americans would be in the streets waiving their flags and cheering... and the whole world would be on board. It would be justified. Israel is responding with a level of self restraint that is unprecendented in human history. We have nothing to apologize for. We only should be proud... We've outlasted the greatest empires in human history; Babalyonians, Greeks, Persians and we'll continue to be here.”
One door closes and another opens
The hustle and bustle of the holidays in Israel has finally subsided. Things are slowly returning to normal. People are going back to work and school. A sense of "regularity" is back in the air. Now when I say 'normal' and 'regular' please understand that there are few things about living here that are (compared to how I was living at home) both normal and regular. There was a term that we learned when I was in Jewel: "Chavaya". Its closest English meaning is adventure. My life here is an adventure. You have to be able to go with the flow, be adaptable, and ready for anything. That is the biggest difference between my life at home and my life in Israel.
My friends and I have decided that the food in Israel is so amazing that we're going to try out a new restaurant every week. Expect a little more information about the food scene here in the coming weeks. So this past Sunday we went to a Moroccan Restaurant called Darna. I got in early and decided to go to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf before dinner to work on my Ulpan homework. Yes, I did say Coffee Bean. Oh how I've longed for a half mocha half vanilla ice blended. Yum! While I was finishing up my Ice Blended I got a call from a friend of mine who was at a restaurant with her family across the street. I love this part about Jerusalem. You can walk down the street and run in to people you know anywhere. So I met the family and then the rest of the girls showed up to head to dinner. Darna was incredible. It turns out that it was the same place that my Uncle Bob, Aunt Doris, and I went for dinner when I was in Israel last January. It was just as good this time as last time. We had a great spread of salads to start, followed by Couscous, sweet Cornish Gamehen, and Veel/Lamb Stuffed Artichoke Hearts. We finished off the evening with a "cookie platter" and Moroccan tea. I've also included some pictures of the wonderful meal.
So for the past 2 weeks I have been learning Hebrew intensively at an Ulpan in Rehaviya called Ulpan Aviv. Ulpan Aviv is a one on one training program where I spend 10 days trying to absorb as much Hebrew as I possibly can learn. Mair, my teacher, was phenomenal. For 10 days I was able to slowly slowly grasp more and more understanding of conversational Hebrew... although I can't always get the words out of my mouth to respond, I can understand more though. My reading and writing have increased drastically too. It's amazing what 3 hours a day for 10 days of one on one lessons can do. Now I just have to make myself use it. I'm at the point where I can walk down the street and think about stuff in Hebrew. Again, I just need to push myself to get the words out of my mouth. Just about every time I open my mouth a mixture of Spanish and Hebrew comes out! I'll get there though. I told Mair on my last day that I know I'm harder and more impatient with myself than anyone else. He agreed and reminded me how far I was able to come in such a short time. Thank you Mair. Thank you Ulpan Aviv. I've attached a picture of my certificate of completion (I couldn't figure out how to flip the picture right side up so you'll have to head tilt) from Level Alef along with a picture of Mair and I during our last class together.
Now ulpan is over. Free range learning is over. Onto a bit more structure and a set schedule of classes for the next 6 weeks. Today I started at Nevey Yerushaliym which is located in a section if Jerusalem called Har Nof. To get to Har Nof I usually carpool into to Jerusalem (20 minutes) with a neighbor and then take the 45 minute bus ride to the very end of the line and then have to walk about 15 minutes more to the campus. It's quite a trek, but I'm feeling like it's going to be worth it. Har Nof is beautiful and has sweeping views of the Jerusalem forrest. The campus is like an Oasis with lots of trees and grass which is a big deal for me. Tekoa is a desert so I'm not used to having so much greenery around me. Very beautiful. I only took 2 classes today; Ethics - Pirkei Avot and Connecting with People & Gd - Mishna Torah by The Rambam. Tomorrow I'll be adding; the Mystical Hebrew Alphabet - taught by the Rabbi who led Yom Kippur services in the Old City and the Logic of Faith - taught by Rabbi Katz who was one of my favorite (and most dynamic) Rabbis from Jewel. Next week I'll also be taking classes on Mitzvot (good deeds) and a class on Contemporary Issues. It's a pretty action packed and stellar line up if you ask me. Oh and there's also a History of Israel class that I think I'll take once a week that also starts next week.
I'm sure that the next 6 weeks are going to fly by like a blink of an eye. Once Nevey ends on November 17th I'm going to come back to the States for a West Coast visit. I'll be flying out to California after Shabbat on Saturday, November 20th. I'll be in LA for a few days before heading up to Bakersfield to spend the following few weeks. Thanksgiving and the start of Hanukah will be in Bakersfield. After that I'll be heading up to Portland for a few weeks to finish out Hanukah. As of right now, I'm planning on being back in Israel in mid December. After which I plan on making Alliyah (the process to immigrate and become an Israeli citizen)! If you're in California or Oregon during the 4 weeks I'm home please feel free to email me so we can find some time to get together. I look forward to seeing you all soon!!
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