Approximately a week ago (give or take some hours), I sat at the airport, waiting for five hours at Newark until my flight to TLV--having said my goodbyes to the family the day before (and having spoken with my mom at least five times throughout the day. Sitting at an airport restaurant and enjoying the company of strangers-turned-friends, time sped up before I inevitably was sitting in the exit row, questioning the sanity of this decision as my fellow passengers boarded.
Some on and off sleep, creative work, a Pitch Perfect 3 and a Ladybird later, I arrived in Tel Aviv, having lost most of Tuesday and upon landing, requestioned the sanity of this decision as I struggled with switching out my American SIM to my Golan SIM (it's not entirely as easy as one might think!). I learned how to take out a luggage cart (yep, never did it before!), loaded up on a sheirut with a driver who, for the first time in my history, did not take a shining to me and my American ways, and headed off to my new home in Old Katamon. The adventure had officially begun and I was welcomed with a warm embrace and huge smile by the Havilio family (my love, gratitude, and thanks for the park adventures and Israeli shortcuts to Tamar, Shmulik, Nadav, Tal, Noam, and Charlie!). Welcoming Julia (hi Julia!) into the house a few hours later made the experience more complete--with us being adopted into the Havilio family for the final week before their departure to the states. Every morning and evening have been filled with great conversation, fruit, chocolate, wine, Disney movies, or running around with our fun young friends.
Taking on an attempt at trying new things and getting myself out there, I found Wednesday filled with TWO walks in the park, a trip to HUC-JIR to say hello to our friendly interns, and a walk to the Shalom Hartman Institute, where I was able to learn from Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller about the topics of excess and sustainability in the Torah --When are we able to take exactly what we need and no more? When are things just enough that there should be no room for complaint?--followed by a lovely dinner out with two fantastic classmates (shout-outs to Jessica and Ashley!). By the end of the day, I found that I had walked 6.82 miles (don't worry, Thursday was a crazier amoutn).
Did you know that if you walk a mile here, a mile and a half there, and keep on doing that, you'll inevitably walk more than 10 miles? Whoops. Headed to HUC on Thursday for our tour (whatup ZOE!) and some friendly welcomes from Nancy Lewitt (she will ensure my survival in this country!) and then headed out for lunch with two new friends/classmates (thanks George and Sammy!). An adventure to seek a yoga mat didn't work out so well, but I ended up having an excellent evening out with my HUC classmates at the Jerusalem Lights Festival.
Friday, I decided on quite a few adventures. Julia and I walked about two miles to FINALLY get my yoga mat from MegaSport. I also decided to go on a trip to Khan Al Ahmar, a Bedouin village which is near K'far Adumim, a place that is being threatened to be torn down by the Israeli governments for reasons that I'm still not sure I entirely understand. I could tell you that I have a side, but that wasn't the point of my trip--I went, as I claimed on the bus in my introduction, to learn. I find that territories and Israel's relationships to them are things that I know extremely little about--but it's imperative that I have an understanding, especially if expectations are that I WILL have an understanding and more public position on Israel in the future. I went because I thought it would be difficult; I thought that it would challenge my thinking. It did. Walking around the village, I struggle to understand why it needs to be torn down. I question if there's not enough land for these people (who aren't attacking or causing harm) to stay. I wonder why they aren't granted protections, water, etc when there are soldiers there. Heading to Silwan to meet a family afterward, I wondered how it's possible that there can be such different perspectives on similar places, histories, locations. It was an introductory course in experiential education about the city, its significance, power, and "finding comfort in the uncomfortable."
Shabbat was an experience (a welcome one after a difficult day) at the Tachanah Rishonah (First Station) with many members of my class, and many other friends from the past that I got to run into. Having 100-200 people there celebrating the evening with musical instruments, line dancing, and a smile on my face. Heading home afterwards, I decided to take some breathing time in order to hurt a little less (hey, don't judge--over twenty miles of walking in three days is a killer on the hips!), and crashed a bit early. Saturday, Alumni Shabbat at HUC-JIR allowed me to enjoy in a day of prayer and study and free lunch and networking with rabbis, cantors, and educators, and I learned about rhapsod--rafts, rhapsodies, and the reality of moving inward as a Jewish community or extending outward to welcome others in (and the difficulties that lie within both). The rest of the afternoon/evening was a relaxing one and involved an official Havilio House Tour and a fun trip to the park with Nadav, Tal, and Noam!
Yesterday, I put myself in time out to get some work done and to prep for the week, but today, MONDAY, was our first real day of orientation! Getting to explore Israel a bit, heading to Aroma (icedddddddd choco for dayyyyys) and then hanging on campus was a fun time. Listening to the words of our YII leaders and our new provost, eating dinner together in the Persian Garden on campus, and then singing nigguns and passing a Torah around as a class in a special ceremony was a bit mindblowing. Last night, when I was speaking with Cantor Tamar Havilio (my for a week house mom and landlord), she reminded me that "We all start at Kitah Aleph" at one point in our lives...there is always an area in which we need to start learning, where we build our foundations (to be strengthened in the future), when we embrace the newness. I believe in this adventure there will be so many times where I'll feel like I'm back at Kitah Aleph--challenges that I will embrace, friendships that will be priceless, beauties that I'll uncover, gratitudes that I'll revisit daily. All of this is new--and so no matter what, I will find myself at Kitah Aleph, and eagerly await and enjoy every adventurous opportunity that comes my way.
R. Stephen Sondheim said, "I insist on miracles, if you do them, miracles, nothing to them! I say don't...don't be afraid!"
Yet....R. Barbra Streisand sang it better. :-)
Til next time fam!
#THISYearinJerusalem
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