Monday - Ayalon and Anna Ticho

Monday morning we took a local Jerusalem bus to the Central Bus Station (viewing the new bridge of strings) then boarded an inter-city bus to Rehovot.  When we went to buy the bus tickets, the man thought Adam was a minor!  He asked me how old he was.  Of course, I’m terrible with numbers, so I said 82, meaning 28, even though he’s 29.  I was so confused!  The guy behind us jumped in, saying, give her an extra discount, she’s wearing a kipa!  Oh yah, what’s it like wearing a kipa all the time in Israel?  Fun for me.  People stare.  Very few ask me anything directly.  A few store people have commented, either sharing that they used to be religious or asking what seminary I was ordained at.  It’s easier when I wear a black kipa, not my white or pink with butterflies, or my new kippot from Rhea (one is pink with a Wedgewood design, one is metallic sparkly, and one is a very unique rendition of the bush from the JTS logo).  Anyway, it was nice to be on the bus, a good chance to read/sleep.  From the station in Rehovot we caught a cab and found Park HaMada, which is also known as Har HaKibbutzim, and the place of Machon Ayalon, the Ayalon Institute.  So many Israelis don’t even know about this place!  There we had a very cool tour of the secret bullet factory that they created in the 1940’s to trick the British and supply the Haganah with bullets.  It was a great tour.  Very interesting, especially since I’m reading (rereading actually) Ruth Gruber’s Raquela, A Woman of Israel, which describes the same time period.  From Rehovot a return trip back home (with bad-for-you borekas in the bus station while we waited) and then all the way to our hotel.  Elisabeth came by to visit and we had a lobby date with her.  Then we went downtown and met Ben and Shira for dinner at Ticho House.  We ate outside, trying different dishes and sharing everything.  It was great and so wonderful to catch up.  There was a wedding happening in the courtyard right by where we ate, so after dinner we watched the huppah and sang and danced (not actually in the wedding though) for a bit.  Ayzeh kef!  Adam and I went on to Ben Yehudah street for more shopping and ended the night with a chocolate crepe.

Tuesday - Yom Shilshul

(note, written on the day, but posted later, but I’m too lazy to change the tenses of this post, so it’s read as is).So maybe you’re wondering how I’ve had so much time to write all of these blog updates.  The water or something finally caught up to me.  I’ve been sick since 3 AM (almost called my Ima at that hour to whine, but woke Adam instead).  So we cancelled our trip to Tel Aviv and sadly cancelled our tour of the Palmach museum.  I’m sad, but it’s reason to already start planning another trip! J  So for now we’re just hanging in the room.  Adam went to the supermarket by himself and bought me crackers and vitamin water and bananas and soft toilet paper (you know Israel……) and I think after a few rounds of Pepto I may be on the mend.  But we’re both exhausted.  So we’ll see what happens next but for now we’re staying close to home.  Not so bad though if you’re calling Jerusalem home! J  This day has continued as above, not getting better yet.  Bought Israeli product called “Stop It” to see if that works and instead of Gatorade, they give you powder to shake in water. Gross.  The day has been mostly in the room, sleeping, taking a bath, etc, with Adam as my wonderful nurse.  I made it to Ben Yehuda for a few hours.  I bought Adam a custom-made leather belt and ate a lemon Artik (popsicle) while he had a felafel.  But besides that and a roll of bread, I’m just sitting here.  Not a fun way to spend a day of our trip.  I’m hoping tomorrow to be back to normal!  Adam just ran out for something to eat for him and then we’ll watch a movie.  Israeli television is boring – even though most of it is just old US television.  Watched Young and the Restless today – twice.  And Bold and the Beautiful but it was dubbed over in Italian! Crazy day.  Tomorrow and forever, we’re on to bottled water only!

Wednesday - Back to Normal = Shopping!

So glad to be relatively human again, Wednesday began with a walk to Yad Lekashish.  But I always get lost trying to find it, so first we went to Yirmiyahu’s (when I realized that’s where we were) and bought a beautiful tablecloth (we hope it fits) and netilat yadayim towels.  Then to Yad Lekashish, where we received a very warm welcome.  Anat, who works in the embroidery room where I used to volunteer, immediately recognized me and wanted me to sing like I used to do for the ladies.  Nope.  She loved our kippot from Rhea and took them around to show people!  We toured around a bit but the people weren’t as into talking with us as they used to be.  So then we shopped.  And we shopped.  A nice way to support an important mitzvah.  We left and covered up, then walked to Meah Shearim (despite signs that clearly stated visitors were not welcome) and we stopped at the Olive Wood Factory (but bought nothing!).  Then we walked all the way home for a quick rest.  Oh, on the way, we stopped at the Conservative Center so I could find David K.  That was fun.  My claim to fame when he introduced me to others was that my sister is engaged to Aviva’s brother – go, go Yaf!  Nice yiches.  Adam and David had a nice talk about music and we got some good ideas for our next trip to Israel together – hopefully an elongated study time for both of us.  After a brief stop at the hotel to change clothes (I could no longer be so covered up), we met Yitz and a very pregnant Shosh for lunch at Dolce back in the city.  Delicious salad – and I think I stomached it.  But if feels very snobby to refuse tap water!  For dinner on Wednesday we were picked up by Adam’s relatives, Shaul and Sandy Erez, who brought us to their home in Ramot.  We had a very nice time together, enjoying their BBQ and hearing family stories.  Adam and I went out much later for a late-night hot chocolate at Cuppa Joe, and we were dismayed to note that Israelis are less likely to ask me about my kippah, but more likely to comment on it or laugh with others.  I wonder what that says about society, about people’s self-esteem or about communication skills.  Ten years ago I was challenged daily and entered into wonderful conversations.  So what’s happened?  Anyway, I don’t like when people laugh at the kippah – so I stare them down, of course!

Thursday - Tzfat

Thursday was our one tiyul (trip) to Tzfat.  Sarah Allen was our driver/tour guide/companion and it was great fun.  We got an early start, drove about 3 hours (over the green line, she announced, as we could see Jordan!), and arrived in beautiful Tzfat.  We shopped (of course) but didn’t find too much.  I bought a watercolor painting and we went to the candle factory.  The cheese factory was closed.  We also went into some of the shuls briefly.  A quick slice of pizza for lunch.  Then we drove a bit, saw the Mount of Beatitudes (i.e. the place where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount), and walked in Rosh Pina, then went to Tiberias for a fish dinner right on the water – gorgeous view of the Kinneret!  I had Mousht (St. Peter’s fish).  Adam had trout with almonds – his was great.  I was a bit more freaked out than I wanted to be by the fish’s bones, eyes, etc.  But as they say, lo nora, it wasn’t terrible.  Then we drove home and went to Café Hillel for a late dessert and hot chocolate.  So yummy!  

Friday

On Friday we started our day at the Israel Museum and Shrine of the Book (Heichal haSefer).  Most of the Museum is closed for construction (but don’t worry, it was the same price for admission!).  We saw the Dead Sea Scrolls and that whole exhibit (but my favorite was watching them “water” the shrine building).  We saw the model of the 2^nd Temple period, which used to be at the Holyland Hotel.  We went into a cool exhibit on Israeli art 1998-2008 which included very creative and modern art and interesting messages about Israel.  Then we ran to Emek Refaim for, of course, some last minute shopping!  We had a quick and huge lunch at Caffit, then walked back to the hotel.  A bit later, Aaron B picked us up (we missed Mollie and Livnat by a few days because they are still in Denver!) and he drove us to Machaneh Yehudah.  We went shopping with him – lychee nuts, rugulach, pita, humus, olives, and lots of spices!  We sat with him and had a quick coffee – so nice to catch up.  He drove us home and we got ready for Shabbat, then walked to Shira Chadasha for nice, but very long, tefilot.  Then Adam and I had a lovely dinner in the hotel – it was nice to be relaxed and to be together.  We read our books in the lobby a bit – it was quite a scene of different kinds of Jews, in fact, so was dinner, which was very cool.  Israelis seem to really enjoy Shabbat dinner, and to find it important, even if they have cell phones with them.

Shabbat in Jerusalem

Shabbat morning we woke at 6:45 AM!  You’d think I thought I was running the shul! J  We walked back to Shira Chadasha and were just about 5 minutes late.  Nice davening – very, very long.  This week came the sad news that two of Israel’s soldiers, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, were dead, and their bodies were laid to rest.  So tefilot reflected this – very sad, very slow.  I noted how Israel really changed with this news.  All of the radio stations played sad songs on the day of the funerals.  In shul, we still prayed for the soldiers who are still missing, and two girls had aliyot because they are entering the army (we sang Oseh Shalom for them).  News is reality in Israel, and reality is felt in every element of society.  Very difficult.  After shul, Adam and I had a picnic lunch in our room and then went up to the pool for a bit.  It was hot up there so we only lasted a few hours.  We took an evening walk in Yemin Moshe, strolling through the neighborhoods.  We found the shul but didn’t go in because it was Mincha time.  We watched a group of Reform Jews (probably) sing Havdalah, Deb Friedman style, while a bunch of black hats stood nearby.  Very funny.  It is apparently the thing to do to have fireworks at a Muslim wedding, and we watched at least 10 different displays from East Jerusalem and beyond.  Saturday night, after we packed, we walked to the Machaneh Yehudah area.  Adam was convinced everything was closed, and it was a bit scary, but then we found Stekiat Hatzot and had one of the best dinners ever.  We ran into Etan W there.  We really enjoyed, then walked home very slowly, bellies full and happy, breathing in the sweet air of Jerusalem.  Funny story that Adam loves to tell.  On the way to Stekiat, a woman approached us on King George and asked if she could interview us.  I explained that we are Americans, so we probably shouldn’t be on her Israeli radio show, but asked what she was interviewing about.  She told us something that the government is saying you should stay a distance back from anything plugged in.  I said, ok, whatever, that’s ridiculous.  She then put the microphone at my face and said in Hebrew, “so now what are you going to do?” and I said, “we’re going to eat at Stekiat Hatzot!”  she said, “no, about this issue!”  I answered but not well and will probably just end up on the gag reel, but Adam thought it was very funny that I thought she wanted to know what we were doing that night!  Note my new necklace (thanks, Adam) in the picture.

Sunday - Lehitraot

We started the morning at the Kotel.  Adam even put on tallit and tefillin (this I would not dare).  We left the hotel and took a cab to Hod Hasharon.  There we schlepped all of our suitcases into Linda and Menachem’s house, and played with Ilan, Yasmin, Zohar (who is half and 2 years, as she’ll say), and Gilad (who is an adorable bouncy baby boy).  They left just as Emily, Simon (a very big 4 year old boy) and Eli (sweet and so blond) showed up from Raanana.  We went out for felafel (because the best is in Hod Hasharon) and Adam had important jobs, first of entertaining the boys, then of sitting between them in the car in the back between two car seats!  It was so hot but really nice to see them.  And it’s not true what you read on their blog, Eli does talk! J  We got to the airport, thanks to Emily, and checked in. 

The flight home was fine, El Al style.  Delayed, not boarded properly or with any order, and even started with broken ticket scanning machines so we had to go to a different gate first.  Loud annoying children sat in front of us, but Adam and I were tough and did not entertain them.  We landed late, got the bags and the car, and drove to NYC where we could not find a lot to park in.  Very annoying.  We slept from 4-7 AM then I went to my Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing training.  We’re back in West Hartford now and of course we miss Israel.  Can’t wait to go back soon!