Adventures in Wonderland: 2009

Friday, February 20, 2009

So, the Ulpan ended. I am very sad to be leaving Kibbutz Ramat Yochanan. I had a really wonderful experience, that at some point I will blog in more detail about. The last weekend we had a big party, with a big dinner, a talent show, slide show, and dance party. I couldn't have asked for more.

After the Ulpan ended Hannah and I traveled for about 10 days. We went to Jerusalem for Jackie's birthday, then north to the Tel Dan nature reserve and Tzvat. We then took the LOBGEST bus ride of my life to Eilat and then spent a few nights in Tel Aviv with Eado and his family (related to the Cohens and their amazing family in Haifa). (Pictures of all of these places will follow, but my computer cord is in Jerusalem, and I am not).

In Tel Dan we hiked all day. It is absolutely gorgeous, and there is an awesome hollowed out tree called "Pooh Bear's Tree" that I fell in love with. There are also old ruins from the tribe of Dan during biblical times. There was a Christian tourist group there with their Pastor. They were from Mississippi and very sweet. Hannah and I sat and listened to the Pastor's explanations/sermon, and for the most part I enjoyed it, although I had a really hard time staying quiet when he started to talk about the golden calf archeologists found at Tel Dan. When the tribe of Dan came there, they established it as an alternative religious cite, but it was cultic, unlike the Judaism being practiced in Jerusalem. He said that since they found the calf, and it was only the size of your hand, it didnt reeaallly count as an idol, and so they werent really cultic/pagan... Since they were already kind of staring at us, Hannah and I also got a kick out of acting like a couple...holding hands and being cuddly to really freak them out. Unfortunately I think it bit us in the ass. Later we needed a ride to town when they were leaving and they did NOT want us on the bus...ooops.

Tzfat is one of my favorite places in Israel. It is beautiful and old, and all winding roads and artist colonies and ornate old synagogues. It is the home of Jewish mysticism, and I swear you can feel something in the air up there, it is just different. To start off our stay, Hannaha nd I managed to royally piss off the ultra-religious woman working the front desk at the Ascent hostel (a jewish learning hostel that provides classes, sabath meals, and many other things that I have forgotten...it is a very interesting place, although a little too restrictive in atmosophere at times). We asked if it would be ok if we got a bottle of wine and brought it back, thinking this was a fairly innocuous request and that if it was a problem she would just say no. Instead she just threw up her hands and looked at us sideways in akward silence for a few moments. Apparently this was an odd request and she just didn't know what to do with us. She didn't seem to want to say no, but she made it veerrryy clear that it was not socially aceptable. So, like the trashy 16 year old rebels we truly are at heart, we got a couple of bottles of wine, flavored cigarretes and chocolate covered halva and drank on some steps in town. It actually turned out to be an awesome night. Since there is absolutely nothing to do at night in Tzvat (its small and 70% religious) there were a couple of girls also hanging out on the steps. They only spoke hebrew, but we hung out with them for 3 hours!!! It turns out that when there is no alternative, we can communicate pretty well in hebrew.

Eilat was gorgeous, and we met up with two other Ulpanists, Ramon and Kirsten, who were also there. We went snorkeling and just hung out in the beautiful warm weather. Tel Aviv was great, but very rainy at first. We went to the art museum and just generally bopped around. Imet up with Rachel, a girl fromt he Ulpan who has been teaching me to bellydance for the last 5 months. I went with her to her dance class, and I did pretty well if I say so mysel! The teacher was incredible and I am really excited to find a place to bellydance around Boston this summer.

When I got back to the north I returned to the kibbutz to stay with my adopted family there and see some friends, then I went to Haifa to stay with the Hechts and help celebrate Anat's birthday. Her family and friends were so nice and very interesting. I met a wonderful, very passionate left-wing zionist named Noga who lives in an "urban kibbutz". It is a new movement trying to return Israel to its more socialist roots and I am very very interested...

Now, I am working on a farm in Rosh Pina, in the north. My friend Ben and I found this farm through WWOOF, although Mark, the guy who owns it refuses to call it a farm. He says it is a "Happy Hippy Homestead". He and his wife Amira are in their late 50s and she had a stroke 5 years ago, leaving her without the use of the left side of her body. Even so, she can do an amazing amount of work, but they need help. They have goats, chickens, a bakery and they make cheese. On Fridays they open a restaurant and store in their house to sell all their baked goods, cheese and other amazing food. They used to distribute on a larger scale, but it's too much for them now. We have been here for 3 days, and so far I have baked, cleaned tooonnns of dishes, done lots of gardening (it has been neglected since Amira's stroke, so there is so much to do) and MILKED A GOAT!! I am beyond thrilled to be here and I think that Amira is going to teach me to make homemade hummus this week!!! And, next week is my birthday, and then I move to Jerusalem!! I am pretty sure I couldn't love life more right now :)

Friday, January 9, 2009

Today is the 13th day of the Israeli operation in Gaza. Operation Cast Lead had not affected me much until yesterday when rockets from Lebanon hit Na-ariya, about 20 miles north of me. Before that I felt safe here. I am in the north, far away from Gaza and the rockets being sent into southern Israel on a daily basis. We even went on a trip to the Negev this week, and though I could see the military planes and helicopters flying overhead, I felt safe. Israeli's have lived with terror and war for so long that they have learned to live their lives despite the situation, and I am so amazed by them. I have felt safe because everyone around me has been relaxed and unconcerned. Everyone talks about what is going on in the south and fears for their families there, but they do not stop their lives, it doesn't affect their daily activities. Yesterday a terrorist group in Lebanon (apparently not Hezbolleh...they have more advanced, longer range weapons, and they would have sent 100 not 4) sent rockets into two towns in northern Israel. Thankfully, they were met with a swift response from the IDF. For the first time, the kibbutzniks started asking me if I knew where the bomb shelters were and what to do in case of a Siren alarm.

I was really anxious all day yesterday, because this is a situation I have never had to deal with before. As my dad said, no one is sending rockets to Burlington, not even to Woburn. But I do not want to go home. Part of this is because I honestly don't feel that I am in very much danger, especially not on the kibbutz. The northern front has been quiet until now, and the fact that Hezbolleh allowed a smaller group to send a few rockets is being generally interpreted here as a show of support and solidarity with the Palestinians, but not a real threat against the safety of those in the north of Israel. Also, here there is a government that cares about its citizens. There is a warning system in place and safe places to go in case of emergency. There is such a disproportionate number of civilian deaths because Hamas does not care about its people. The IDF calls homes before they bomb them, but that is the only warning the people get. Hamas has not installed any warning system or given the people a safe place to go. Beyond that, they hide their weapons and their terrorists in the civilian homes, deliberately making them targets. I hate war and violence in all forms, and I want peace here as much, if not more than most, but Israel is not the one blocking it. I read the papers and I get so upset about the way the world is perceiving this. People in America are chanting "Palestine from the river to the sea". I can't tell if they are just stupid and do not understand that this is a call for the destruction of the Jewish State at all costs, or if they truly want that. In either case, the anti-war people who support the palestinian people are joining a side who's solution to the conflict is the complete destruction of another country.

I am planning on leaving Israel at the beginning of April, and I am going to stay here for as much of that time as I can. I know I am not a citizen of this country, and I would never stay in any other country when it was at war, but this is not just an attack on Israel. Hamas wants the destruction of Israel becuase it is a Jewish state. I do not want to run away from an attack on the Jewish people. I am no hero, and I will probably leave as soon as I am in serious danger, but I can't leave now. Partly because I would feel like a coward and like I was running away, and partly becuase I think that if I came back to the States right now, I would end up fighting with too many people and I would just be angry and unhappy. I am very liberal, especially in terms of American social policy, and I am generally anti-war, but it has become clear to me that you cannot be completely anti-war when there are groups that want nothing more than war and destruction.

For everyone at home that I love and miss, I am totally safe, and I promise to do everything I can to stay that way. (My travel plans for after the Ulpan are very dependent on what is going on where and which areas are definately safe, I do not want to take chances). Despite everythign that is happening here, I am still having a wonderful time and I am loving my life :)

Sunday, January 4, 2009

CHAG SHEL CHAGIM - HOLIDAY OF HOLIDAYS

Haifa has this great festival every saturday in December in an area called Wadi Nissnass. It is a loud hectic amazing fusion of Muslim, Jewish and Christian traditions. People sing songs, roast chestnuts, sell everything you can think of and even have snakes to take pictures with...

Me, Jackie, and Hannah went with our adopted family from the kibbutz. They took us to the festival and then to dinner at this delicious, but tiny restaurant down one of the many winding alleys. It was basic middleeastern food, but the Hummus was home made and incredible, and I had the BEST lemonade I have ever tasted, it was mixed with rosewater.

kids from "seeds for peace", an organization that brings Jewish and Arab kids together for summer camp and other activities to foster understanding and peace.