What Surprised You the Most About Israel?

Sitting through a four hour flight delay (after having already been in the airport for six hours), I wished more than ever to be back in Israel. It seemed so unreal to be back and casually lounging in the airport terminal, attempting to stay awake. Just before leaving for Ben Gurion Airport, I walked along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, and 16 hours later I was dragging my sleepy feet through customs. 

The lovely 10 hours I spent in JFK (a small fraction of the 32 hours it took me to get to Ohio) was used wisely to keep myself awake by making a video!

Although a large portion of this summer in Israel was unexpected, there were other smaller surprises about living in Israel.

Mission: Accomplished

Procrastinating Packing….

I came to Israel with a meager Hebrew vocabulary, only able to speak in the present or past tense, and barely able to roll my “r’s.” I really wanted to expand my vocabulary and improve my accent. Truthfully, it was hard at first. It is overwhelming to be surrounded by a language you can understand only on a basic level. I distinctly remember my grammar embarrassingly corrected by a helpful bus passenger when I asked the driver where the bus was going. I tried my hardest to learn new words and improve my (apparently horrific) grammar.

But, it was difficult. I was frustrated that my mind couldn’t process the language quick enough or that I couldn’t remember the word for receipt.

Just in the past few weeks, my Hebrew vocabulary has been expanding exponentially. I pick up the names of nuts in the shuk and learn random words for appliances when I am sent on errands for work.

Mission: accomplished. I have improved my Hebrew vocabulary AND accent. But, I am by no means ready to leave. I want to stay and continue to be immersed in the language. (Hence why I am trying to procrastinate the packing tasks ahead)

But, I must remember all the words I learned and how to properly pronounce “Mahane Yehuda” until I return. My next mission: making sure my suitcase is under 23 kilos.

A Moment in Tel Aviv Time

I was on my way back from a stroll along the boardwalk in Tel Aviv, enjoying the sunshine, the cooler afternoon weather, and the sound of the crashing waves. I had walked at least twenty minutes from my accommodations, so to keep me company on the way back, I called my dad. We were talking about my day when the siren sounded. Louder than ever. I hung up and frantically searched for the closest shelter. I ran across the four-lane street, still searching for shelter, following other people. I figured they knew they best place to go. I couldn’t locate the bomb shelter. Running with other people from the boardwalk and street, we gathered under a cement overhang (where the video was taken). There wasn’t time to think about other shelter possibilities. I had to take what I could find. Then I heard booms. Window-rattling booms. They are louder than a clap of thunder outside your window and they shake the walls of buildings. In the sky, there were two vapor lines with a cloud of smoke where Iron Dome intercepted the rocket from Gaza.

 

 

So what happened next?

I waited a few minutes before heading back to the boardwalk to continue my stroll home. Life goes on.

So You Want to Hike Like an Israeli?

I have enjoyed every Shabbat in Israel, but this one was especially memorable. It’s been a bit rough lately, as you might have read earlier. I try to make it sound like everything is normal and ok, but really, some things aren’t. Every time I hear a bus, motorcycle, car horn, or anything that sounds remotely like a siren, I jump. Honestly, it’s really annoying. I find this happening to myself almost every other hour. I wish I could help it, but I can’t. I just can’t really relax.

View from beginning of hike

Friday, I finally relaxed. I went hiking in the Golan with a group of Israeli friends. For one day, I didn’t have to worry about sirens. I enjoyed the outdoors and the peaceful sound of rushing water was calming as we hiked along a stream. I was carefree in the outdoors—my favorite way to relieve stress. Hiking all day with all Israelis was quite the experience and I am happy to say that I have learned how to hike in Israel. I wish to share some tips.

The crew!!

How to hike like an Israeli (tips are in no particular order)

• Pick a trail with as many opportunities to swim under a waterfall as possible
  

  The second waterfall

First waterfall swimming area

• Always bring a mini camping stove to boil water forcoffee
• Make fresh coffee in the middle of the hike in the middle of the day when the sun is at its peak and it is almost 100ºF. A fresh boiling cup of coffee will surely hit the spot
• Don’t worry about remembering a swimsuit. Just jump in fully clothed or you can just wear your underwear
• Regardless of the terrain or hike difficulty, it is perfectly fine to wear sandals. (Hiking shoes are not needed, but just be prepared to slip a bit more than usual)
• Save old peanut butter jars to fill them with tahini (remember the loaf of bread and whole fresh veggies to eat with the tahini)
• Be prepared to get creative when finding ways to reach the fresh wild figs so you can have a tasty snack
• Bring as much water as humanly possible and never stop drinking water
• Never stop applying sunscreen
• If you get too hot while hiking, find a small shallow stream and submerge yourself (clothes and all) to cool off
• If you don’t feel like laying face down in an extremely shallow stream, you can simply take off your clothes and soak them in the water
• Always wear a hat. Always.

View from the end of the hike

Freshly picked figs!! SO YUMMY!!

Hopefully I can hike one last time before leaving Israel. It is one of the best things I have done this summer!

 

-Shoshana

Coolest Thing About Our Internships!

It’s Hump Day

I wish I could say my life is completely normal. On the surface, my daily routine has not changed. I work, shop for groceries, and make my lunch the night before. However, I have changed.

Who ever knew how war could affect someone?

I feel as if this entire country is depressed. Sundays in the Shuk used to be my favorite. People were everywhere, there lines formed to order food, and live bands played at restaurants. Not anymore. Streets that used to bustle with families Birthright kids are barren. I find it astonishing how quickly things change. Sometimes I feel guilty having an enjoyable night out with friends and ice cream.

Times are tense and stressful. I feel helpless. My time left in Israel is limited and I have many conflicting feelings. I am not the homesick type, but this war has made me really wish that I could curl up in my own bed at home. On the other hand, why should I get to escape when all other Israelis have to stay? Why do I get to go to America while kids my age are going into combat and risking their lives every day? I can’t imagine leaving in the middle of this war. I want to be here, to support Israel.

It’s like a tough breakup.

When this first started (kidnapped boys, rockets, sirens), I was confused and didn’t quite understand what the situation would turn into. Then, I was sad and glum, as the events escalated and death tolls on both sides rose. Now, I feel angry. I am mad at people for being so hatful. I am mad at the rioters in Europe and the rioters in Boston. I even feel mad at America for banning flights. I feel isolated and abandoned by the country I call home. I am not breaking up with Israel, but the rapid change of emotions affects my daily life and actions almost too much.

Thankfully, my best friends are here to support me. We support each other and tonight we pow-wowed to discuss our needs from each other in these times. By far, this is not the summer experience I ever imagined. Would I change anything? Absolutely not. This summer has forever affected my life, my perspective on the world, my connection to Judaism, and my connection to Israel. I am a stronger person who has learned to overcome fear. I have learned how to articulate my opinions and feelings, analyze news, and respond to inflammatory anti-Israel rhetoric. I have learned things about the State of Israel that could never be expressed in a textbook, but things I have learned simply from living here through this war. It is impossible to understand and know Israel without being here, and I feel so incredibly lucky that I had the chance this summer to do so.

Don’t think that my summer is coming to a close! I have plenty of time left in the Holy Land, and I plan on taking advantage of every minute. I love hearing from friends and family back home, so please feel free to comment on the post or email me at Shoshana.weiner18@gmail.com

I look forward to hearing from you!!

B’shalom

Shoshana

Wishing for Some Shabbat Shalom

Why have I been blogging about the film festival and art museums when so many friends and family want to hear about the rockets and want to constantly know that I am alive and well? Why haven’t my blog posts been about running for my life to a bomb shelter? Because that’s not what life here in Israel is all about. I don’t constantly blog about rocket attacks because rockets don’t stop me from continuing a normal life. They don’t stop me from going out for ice cream with friends. They don’t stop me from going to the movies or traveling throughout the country. Rockets still pose a threat, but my reaction to them has changed.

 The strangest thought occurred to me yesterday as I was walking to Noa’s grandma’s house in Tel Aviv. I received a frantic text from a friend wanting to make sure that I was ok because apparently a barrage of rockets was sent to Tel Aviv. I didn’t freak out. My heart didn’t skip a beat. I didn’t shake or immediately call my parents. I shrugged my shoulders, “eh, I didn’t hear anything. I’m fine. 

Later that evening, I went out for sushi with friends. The first thing I noticed walking into the restaurant was a large sign pointing to the bomb shelter. Though a common sight in Israel, I noticed it because no where in America are there public bomb shelters. But, I don’t live fear. I don’t know if the word fear is in the Israelis’ vocabulary. Last night in the middle of my sushi dinner, seven rockets were sent to Tel Aviv. We simply got up, walked to the bomb shelter, and prayed that no one would take our sushi while we were gone. In the shelter our conversation continued. We took funny snapchats, and raved about the incredible sushi. Again, I was relatively unaffected by the air raid.

I have an application on my phone called Red Alert. You can select a city and all air raid alerts can go to your phone. I have push notifications turned on for Israeli newspaper apps. A week ago, I would have jumped when my phone buzzed with a red alert or a news update. Now, I glance at the notification and continue on with whatever I am doing. A week ago I jumped at anything that sounded remotely like the air raid sirens: ambulances, someone’s music, a gust of wind whistling through the window. Now, those sounds don’t phase me. Don’t worry, I know the air raid siren when I hear it and I get myself to the closest shelter. I am not downplaying the reality of the situation by any means. But, I am saying that I am not afraid of the constant rocket attacks and sirens. It’s part of my life now, as it is part of every Israeli’s life.

I fear for the lives of the soldiers, who are my age or younger, going into Gaza. In America, I was detached from any violence in the Middle East. Here, the first Israeli soldier died a short two-hour bus ride away from me. As Shabbat approaches, I just wish for some eventual peace, because unfortunately it doesn’t happen over night.

 

Side note: I was editing this post as the air raid sirens went off in Tel Aviv…it was quite the experience because I heard booms for the first time when I was barely out of the apartment door. 

Who Needs Sleep??

Banner from the Conference!

I don’t think it’s a matter of needing sleep, because rest assured, I value every bit of sleep. It’s more along the lines of me just not wanting to sleep. There is too much to do, and so little time. Take yesterday as an example. I got up at 5:45 a.m. and was in Central Bus Station by 7:00 to catch a bus to Tel Aviv.

Instead of a normal day in the office, Tevel presented at a conference on agricultural sustainability and food safety at Tel Aviv University. This was right up my alley. I am a geological science major and am interested in applying my geology knowledge (soils, groundwater hydrology, etc) to develop sustainable agriculture methods for nutritional security in underdeveloped communities. Perfect. (please don’t hold me to that, I very well might change my mind tomorrow) It was quite the interesting time. The conference, held by the Manna Center Program in Food Safety and Security, hosted a variety of organizations focused on agriculture in developing communities. Tevel is a non-profit NGO with a very unique agriculture model and a very different approach than any of the other organizations. There were organizations from the private sector that are very much for profit. Some organizations combined the non-profit with the private while others involved government funding. To sum up my reaction the conference nicely… although I have 762% decided that I will never ever want a desk job, I am 945% certain that if I go into the sustainable agriculture field, I will work in the non-profit sector.

The Conference ended around lunchtime, and I was done with work for the day. Having anticipated this early dismissal the night before, I had a list of museums to explore before going back to Jerusalem. My first stop was Beit Hatfutsot, which is actually on the university’s campus. This museum chronicles the history of the Jewish people. It was an interesting museum and my Jewish history knowledge was revamped. I always love history lessons in Israel because here the history is very accessible and tangible. I learn about King Herod in a museum and then go see the big wall he built hundreds of years ago. I learn about the Romans and can touch the remains of their bathhouses. It is absolutely incredible. Encountering tangible historical elements reinforces the facts. The history of this region of the world is one of my favorite things about Israel.

Tel Aviv Museum of Art

Beit Hatfutsot was interesting, but the exhibit was small so I made it through quickly. Next on the list was the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Somehow, I managed to walk through the entire museum before leaving. The museum is not small by any means, but I had plenty of time on my hands and I wanted to see it all. I started in the Israeli art exhibits. I enjoyed this wing of the museum because besides Marc Chagall, I don’t know much about Israeli art. The pieces were unique. One thing I realized is that Israeli art is very new, since the country is only 66 years old. The subjects of the art are modern and mainstream. I saw plenty of pieces depicting soldiers and different cultural groups within Israel. I also saw Israeli works of art that I never would be able to guess the country of the artist. Also, to be very cheesy and cliché, I loved seeing Marc Chagall’s work in person. I don’t remember if I have ever seen his original work, but it’s incredible.

By the end of my museum expedition, my feet were duly sore and I decided it was time to head home….for a short 45 minutes.

Cast of The Kindergarten Teacher at the world premiere

Cast and Crew of The Kindergarten Teacher

Yes, after spending all day in Tel Aviv I only came back home for 45 minutes to finish my leftovers from last night’s sushi dinner. Afterwards, I was back out on the town at the Jerusalem Film Festival to see the premiere of the Israeli film, The Kindergarten Teacher. I cannot say I recommend this film, but I definitely had the film festival experience. I didn’t come home until midnight. Basically, I was     yesterday. Unfortunately, although I was home early, I was up until 2 a.m. covered in hives. Sleep just didn’t happen. I was up bright and early this morning for our tiyul to Yad Vashem. Such is the life of a college student abroad.

I am Glad I Got Lost That One Day…

Café Smadar Entrance

Sometimes getting lost can be a good thing. When I was trying to find the Museum of Natural History the other day, I spent a good amount of time wandering on Emik Refaim, a large street in the German Colony, full of cafés and restaurants. During lunch, I was browsing through the Jerusalem Film Festival schedule when I saw that there was a movie conveniently showing about 30 minutes after work. When I saw that it was located off of Emik Refaim, I was ecstatic because I knew right where the theater is located, and I did not have time to spare for getting lost.

Leah Meyerhoff answering questions from the audience

I am very much a person who likes to plan, but for some reason I really never make plans until the last minute. Deciding to go to the film festival was the best last minute plan ever. Not only did I know where the theater was located, but the also the film was in English! I went to see I Believe in Unicorns by Leah Meyerhoff.

THIS WAS THE COOLEST MOVIE THEATER EVER!

Inside the café

Inside the café/movie theater

It was at Lev Smadar, a hole in the wall theater in a hole in the wall café. I walked in and didn’t think I was in the correct place until I asked someone. I was so giddy and excited to be at the movies!! Given the events of the past few days, I hadn’t been that excited about  something in a long time. I was just so happy to be taking myself to the movies! (Yes, I was alone at the film festival, but I get off work way before any of my friends, so I really try to take advantage of my extra time). The theater was amazing. If Lev Smadar wasn’t so cool, I don’t think I would have been as happy. This screening was also amazing because Leah was in the audience and introduced her film and then held a Q&A session afterwards.

The film’s opening was incredible! I was shaking with excitement as the first scenes flashed across the screen. Never have I seen such an artistic film! I Believe in Unicorns is a true work of art. Although I didn’t care for the plot, I enjoyed Leah’s filmography. This was definitely not a film one would see in Tinseltown back home.

The great thing is that the Jerusalem film festival runs until July 20! There are seven different screening venues with movies playing all day long. I kid you not. Screenings begin at 9 am and last until midnight! The films come from all over the world in many different languages (yay English subtitles). The genres range from Israeli to Fringidaire to Carte Blanche. Every night, in addition to the movies, there are free concerts around the city to attend. Now that I have my film festival booklet, I can carefully plan out all the movies I wish to see after work for the rest of the week =)

Today Was a Good Day for Getting Lost

Morning

Today began on a lovely note when I awoke to a text from my boss saying that I didn’t have to work until 1 pm. I had SO much time, since I was barely 8:00 am. While all my apartment mates made their way to work, I sat at the table reading the news, responding to Facebook messages, and making a nice breakfast. I wanted to take advantage of my extra time to explore. I decided I would adventure to the Museum of Natural History in Jerusalem. I looked up the address, Hamagid Street 10, according to Google. The museum is close to work and easy to get to on the bus, so why not go!?

Word to the wise: double check addresses before leaving. Using my handy smartphone, I made my way to Hamagid Street, walking under the sweltering sun and sweating to death. I easily found Hamagid Street. No problem. But, there was another problem. At Hamagid Street 10, there was a synagogue. I understand that this is Israel and it might be very likely that an old synagogue may be some type of tourist attraction, but this most definitely was not the Museum of Natural History. To my dismay, the museum’s telephone line was busy when I tried to call for help. For future tourists, the Natural History Museum is on Mohaliver Street, only two blocks away from Hamagid Street.

On the bright side, I passed signs to the Nature Museum on my stroll to Hamagid Street. So, I turned around and decided to follow these signs to the Nature Museum. Basically, I just got really lost. I walked and walked and sweated and sweated and chugged my water until I decided I should just turn around because at that point I had only 45 minutes before I needed to get on the bus to work. Yes, I spent a good portion of my morning walking around trying to find museums. Thankfully I had plenty of water!

With my spare time I treated myself to the best popsicle in the world at the Old Train Station (Remember when I had a banana-date-chocolate-halva popsicle a few weeks ago? This popsicle was from the same amazing place!). I have a flavor that translates to “city fruits.” Wow. Wow. So so good. There were whole fruits in the popsicle and it wasn’t too sweet and it was cold and refreshing. I am planning on going back to the train station tomorrow to try another flavor.

Off to Work

After a short popsicle break where I read my book in the comfort of the shade, I made my way to work. This was one of the more interesting work days. It was just me and my boss in the office, so we basically relaxed. About half the time was spent sharing stories about our families, talking about life, and then reading through posts from the hilarious Benji Lovitt. Check him out: http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/live-blogging-war-with-jokes-july-10/. Warning: he has a dry sense of humor…not everyone may find him funny.

This gave us a lot of laughs and helped lighten the fearful mood of the past days. Disclaimer, Benji is a comedian and NOT a reliable news source!!

Later…

The day continued to be interesting when the code red sirens went off the second I stepped into my apartment after work. I simply turned around and ran down to the bomb shelter. Four rockets were fired at Jerusalem. Thankfully, the Iron Dome took care of business, and then it was back to getting dinner ready, The fear remains, but I am getting used to it, which sounds very weird to me. It is so incredibly unfortunate. Tonight I went to the Old Train Station and found a huge dance party. You never would guess that a few hours earlier four rockets threatened our lives.