Reflections on a meaningful Passover

Shalom, my dear darling readers.

Each year, as we sit around the Passover seder table, we say "בשנה הבאה בירושלים"--Next year in Jerusalem.

You can imagine the excitement with which I said this sentence last year, sitting with my family, celebrating my acceptance to rabbinical school and upcoming move across the world to Jerusalem. I would literally be spending the next year in Jerusalem! After all of our years of wishing, I would actually have the opportunity to spend not only the year, but specifically Passover in Jerusalem!

But wait, Elle, I thought you just put up 400+ pictures on your facebook of your adventures in Ukraine...which happened during Passover! 

That's correct, friends.

Instead of staying in Jerusalem for Passover, I made the decision to participate in the 2012 FSU Pesach Project. I fundraised over $3000 (a huge shout-out of gratitude to my donors! I could not have done it without you!), spent time organizing and programming, and finally departed just before the first seder with my #partnersincrimea, Jessie and Vlad. We had an incredibly meaningful experience, which we blogged about here: http://partnersincrimea.blogspot.com/

Since we blogged about our specific seder-leading activities, I'll spare you the details here, but I do want to share some reflections on what I learned there.

Until this year, I had had basically no exposure to the Former Soviet Union, let alone contemporary Jewish life there. Throughout the course of the year, I've learned a lot about how life was during the Soviet regime, how there was persecution, and how over one million Russian Jews came to Israel. I've learned how the influx of Russian Jewry was different from the influx of Ethiopian Jewry. I've learned how, when you're up in the North of Israel, signs are in Hebrew, Russian, and Arabic.

But I hadn't really learned what happened to the Jews who decided to stay in the Former Soviet Union. The Jews who, unlike so many of their family and friends, made the choice not to immigrate to Israel, bur rather to stay where they were.

This year has been so Israel focused that I think I've largely forgotten what it's like to be in an American Reform community, let alone a progressive community somewhere else in the world.

We've had a couple of speakers in our Israel Seminar who have worked closely with the FSU Jewish communities. Some tell us stories about their own experiences helping the Jews there. Others tell us about how this whole enterprise is about reclaiming Former Soviet Jews, not the other way around [that is to say, it's not about Former Soviet Jews reclaiming Judaism or their Jewishness].

Upon arriving in Simferopol, the city we considered our home base for the week, it was not obvious that we were among Jews. Unlike what has become normal for me to see here in Jerusalem, the streets were not packed with black hat wearing obviously Orthodox Jews. In fact, we walked right past the synagogue the night of the first seder, not realizing that it was where we needed to be. This sort of concealed or camouflaged Jewishness didn't seem to be intentional, but after so many years of repressing any outward signs of religious observance, it does not seem shocking that so few of the Jews there looked like what I see each day here in Israel.

During our time in Crimea (the south region of Ukraine), Jessie, Vlad, and I got to experience a lot of what Vlad (originally from Belarus) has been talking about all year when he talks about his family or memories from his time in Belarus. The food, the culture, and of course the language were all consistent with what we had come to expect. Something that surprised me, though, was the large range of religious diversity present in Crimea. Jews, Karaites, Muslims, and Crimean Tatars have all found a home among the gorgeous Russian Orthodox churches and their communities that abound in Crimea. I found myself intrigued by the Russian Orthodox services we would pop into as we walked around the various cities; they have such a multi-sensory tradition, and hearing different praises being chanted while candles are being lit and incense burns nearby creates a very powerful prayer environment. I feel like I learned so much about the different religions in the region!


We had the opportunity to travel for 3 days after our official seder leading gig was over, and I feel like we did a great job seeing a lot of different regions in Crimea. We spent some time by the Black Sea, looking at different historical palaces and cool museums. We were also, as it turns out, the three smiliest people on the peninsula.

All in all, it was an incredible experience. The memories of the seders and my interactions with the various Jewish communities there are so valuable, and I look forward to sharing them with the communities I'll be working with in the future.

So, with that, a great big thank you to everyone who supported me in this project. And, for those of you reading this who may one day have the chance to study at HUC in Jerusalem, I cannot recommend highly enough that you participate in this project!

!בשנה הבאה בירושלים...או אוקראינה

Want to see pictures from the trip?
Ukraine Pictures

This year in...Crimea?!

Shalom!

As Passover rapidly approaches, I just wanted to share with all of you lovely readers what I will be doing to commemorate the Exodus from Egypt.

I have been fundraising all year to participate in the Former Soviet Union (FSU) Pesach Project!

To learn more about this incredible project, please click below

http://fsupesachproject2012.wordpress.com/

I look forward to leading seders, exploring Ukraine, and learning about how other progressive Jewish communities celebrate Passover!

If you're interested in donating, please click here: http://fsupesachproject2012.wordpress.com/donate-now/

Thank you all for your support!

The Whirlwind of Second Semester

Shalom readers!

What can I say? School really picked up this semester, and my time in Israel is evaporating before my very eyes. Time is moving so very quickly so I'm just working on soaking up as much Hebrew as humanly possible for the next couple of months.

Israel is still very cool. I'm finding new places in Jerusalem, even right here in my own neighborhood, that are filled with beautiful pathways and historic sites. In a city that's always moving and crazy and tense, there's such an incredible and important history to be learning from. I'm really making an effort to read all of the signs I've been largely ignoring; signs that mark terrorist attacks from the intifada, or signs dedicating neighborhoods to famous Israeli poets, etc. are everywhere, and they add a real richness to just walking around in the city.

Since my last post, a lot has happened here.

• Helping Leah with her World Read Aloud Day initiative in Jerusalem

• A visit to Beit Shearim and Tzippori to learn about the early rabbis and see some really incredible ancient mosaics (including one in a synagogue that includes zodiac imagery!)

The Mona Lisa of the Galilee--Tzippori

• Representing HUC at a Jewish Agency event with the theme "Haredim and the Jewish Collective: Engaging with Voices from the Field." We got to meet with Natan Sharansky and hear many different perspectives on the diversity of religious observance in Israel.
• It SNOWED IN JERUSALEM. That's right, friends. And not just a little bit. Well actually just a little bit but it seemed like a lot, as I live in JERUSALEM.

Snow at the Kotel! Whoa!

• We had a fake shabbat dinner one Thursday. Roasted chicken and all. Totally random, totally awesome.
• We celebrated a semester of dedication to American television shows by throwing a Top Chef finale party. Highlights include the actual viewing of the episode, the right person winning, and some tasty homemade treats.
• Purim in Israel! More on that below.

Happy Purim!

• An educational tiyul (trip) to the North where we explored the issues of Israel as a Jewish Democratic state, and what all of those adjectives mean to different people. Highlights include raindrops on flowers, some very interesting speakers (including Arab high school students), and an extended weekend in Yoqneam with the mishpacha (משפחה=family)

The monastery of Elijah (Mukrakah) with Vlad, Michael, and Jessie

• An Israel Seminar day at the Maglan Army Base! Very cool, impactful experience.
• More fun with the Hallel Choir, a group that I sing with here.
• We took Foxy Woxy (a fox puppet/our mascot) to the Kotel

Abram, Todd, and Foxy

• A bunch of Buckeyes came to Israel on Alternative Spring Break--they had a week filled with service projects and I got to share a few delicious meals with them in Jerusalem. So great to see familiar faces, and to know that there is a regular life somewhere back in America.

Leo, me, Brian, and Stacey!

Those are some brief, abbreviated highlights. For more details, feel free to ask!

As far as Purim is concerned...

Haman and Joel/Jeremy. [Vlad and Benjamin]

First of all, Purim in this country seems to last for two weeks. It's hilarious seeing the surplus Halloween costumes mosey their ways over here from America. In the center of town there were several costume shops that opened just in time for Purim, where you could really buy any random assortment of hats, wigs, and other disguises in order to hide yourself from the evil forces around. The kids always had the best and cutest costumes, but there were some clever grownups out there, too. Since Jerusalem technically counts as a walled city, here they celebrate Shushan purim. This is all very complicated but basically it means that you have a bonus day to celebrate and people watch. For the first night, we went to Modi'in, where the cantorial students did a lovely job reading from the scroll of Esther (מגילת אסתר) and where we watched a group of feisty students try to beat up Haman. The next night, we had a Purim fiesta at school where we heard Esther again and got to have our own HUC-themed celebration. That night, my roommate Becka even saw a girl get her hair caught on fire on Ben Yehuda street because of all of the fireworks people were shooting off. It was really a crazy night. The next day, my friend Jessie and I went to people watch at the Kotel (Western Wall) and then in the Jewish quarter. We saw a man dressed as Spiderman at the Kotel. It was a successful day.

Spidey at the Kotel

All in all, it's been a really fabulous semester. My Hebrew is getting better, I'm loving the change in seasons (all the trees are blossoming--it is GORGEOUS), and I'm just trying to take advantage of the next few weeks because the end of May is rapidly approaching!

Where we had morning services on our tiyul!

Thanks for reading!!!

Only in Jerusalem.

Israel is still awesome: an update

Shalom!

Writing to you from sunny Yoqneam, where I've been staying this weekend with my Israel family. There is something so refreshing and calming about taking a break from Jerusalem, and I'm very thankful for the opportunity to have a change in scenery.

Plus, I'm not complaining about the home cooking.

Alright so what's been going on here in Israel?

I've been learning so much and going so many places. With school we've visited a few secular yeshivot (study places) where lots of post-army Israelis are learning about Jewish text and finding deeper meaning and connections to the traditions of the Jewish people. I love that it's possible to be a secular Jew in Israel but dedicate so much time and energy to learning about Judaism. These students are certainly not taking it for granted that you can be "Jewish enough" simply by living here. Most recently we visited the yeshiva at Ein Prat and then did a little hiking afterward. The landscape itself is so inspiring!

Life in Israel has finally lost its "vacation" feeling and I finally feel like my life is normal here. I'm so used to the culture and the tension and the language that living here doesn't feel out of the ordinary--it feels regular.

Marla came to visit!

With school we've gone a lot of interesting places lately: Gush Etzion (a religious settlement that was of strategic importance during the War of Independence), the Diaspora museum in Tel Aviv, and, in our discussions about the Arab-Israeli conflict, several cites of terrorist attacks. Everywhere we go I feel like I learn so much, even just from interactions and brief conversations with the Israelis where we're visiting.

Outside of school, I've been traveling, too. One day I went to Ein Gedi and the Dead Sea for some hiking and relaxation. This weekend, like I said, I'm up north near Haifa. I love how many different things it's possible to see in Israel. A 45 minute drive outside of Jerusalem in any direction lands you in an entirely different environment.

We had an incredibly rainy winter (and also tons of hail) and it looks like spring is finally approaching. The days are getting longer, shabbat comes in at a more normal time (instead of on Thursday.), and the flowers are blooming.

welcoming shabbat at kibbutz gezer

shabbat walk in yemin moshe

It's hard to believe it's already the end of February! There is still so much to see and experience here, and I'm hoping to make the most of the few weeks I have left in this incredible place.

sunset in haifa

Also, here's a link to my d'var torah I gave last week! click here



oh, and my sister got a hedgehog. meet la señorita pricklepants.

MUHLBAUMS IN ISRAEL

My dear, dear readers.

I have to apologize. The semester has been flying by without a moment to breathe. I have absolutely been neglecting my blog. Don't blame me--talk to the 2nd century rabbis. They basically occupy all of my time these days.

Okay so while I would love to update all of you about school, that will wait for the next post. Because we have business to attend to.

In December, I received the best Chanukah gift of all time.

The Muhlbaums came to Israel to visit me.

Not just my Muhlbaums, but the New York Muhlbaums as well! 9 of us together in Israel. What an amazing blessing!

We did a million and a half fun things. Mostly what we actually did was walk around and eat basically everything in this country.

I'm going to write a list of highlights, but what you really want are the photos. Collectively we took over 7 gb of photographs. Here are some highlights:

• The Muhlbaums [OH] arrive. They stayed in the King Solomon Hotel (approximately a 12 second walk from my apartment) which was super convenient. I met them in the lobby and got to hug all of them for the first time since June. Mark this day as a win. After a yummy dinner we gathered together and lit the 6th candle of Chanukah together. Yay!
• The next day we went to Yemin Moshe for some beautiful views of the Old City. We went to Machane Yehudah (the shuk) for some foodie fun and sufganiyot, and then my dad's cousin Eli came down from Haifa to reconnect with my family--he hadn't seen my dad in 40 years!
• Next day brought the Israel Museum and more fun in the Old City (the 5 Muhlbaum men together at the Western Wall was particularly awesome)
• We went to the Haas Promenade (aka the tayelet) for some awesome sight-seeing
• The 9 of us prepped for a Jerusalem Shabbat. Cooking together with the family was so incredible, and we just generally had an awesome shabbat.
• The next day, we went up north to Haifa for more family time and New Years! We saw Rosh HaNikra and even went through the prison in Akko where some of my favorite Muhlbaum legends were born.
• With so little time left, we had to fill up the days! We went for Uncle Joel's favorite hummus at Abu Shukri, and then wandered into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
• Sadly, it was almost time for the Muhlbaums to leave. But not before going to the Time Elevator.

I feel so unbelievably lucky to have a family who is so supportive of me stateside, but it was really just an incredible experience to have them here with me and to get to play tourguide for all of my favorite people. I'm a lucky lady!

Muhlbaums in Israel! - make slideshow

Chanukah in Jerusalem! --נס גדול היה פה

In the states, the weeks leading up to the end of the year are filled with wishes for happy holidays. The same idea exists in Israel: any day after Tuesday, I hear people wishing each other a shabbat shalom, just in case they don't see you again before shabbat. Right around Rosh Hashanah (in the Fall) there were signs up at the supermarket and special displays of apples and honey wishing everyone a sweet new year.

But Chanukah?

Sufganiyot--Jelly donuts!

If you weren't looking for it, you wouldn't have seen it coming. As our semester was coming to a close, I felt blindsided by Chanukah. All of the sudden, we were planning our Chanukah party at Mevaseret Zion for the families we volunteer with (buying every Chanukah-themed craft supply possible, figuring out games to play, and my roommate even made something like 400 dreidel and menorah shaped cookies to decorate). How was it already Chanukah? With the weather in the 60s and not even a dream of snow in the forecast, it still felt like autumn to me.

Kids at our Chanukah party at Mevaseret Zion!

We had lots of different Chanukah related things to do with school, but in general, Chanukah is really not a big deal in Israel. You can see menorahs lit in the windows of many homes, and sufganiyot (donuts, usually of the filled variety) can be found at every bakery in colorful displays. Other than that, and the menorah decorations on the lamp posts, there is not much indication that it is "the holiday season." We had a latke competition one night--I made those awesome zucchini pancakes again, yum--and a Chanukah quiz bowl a different night.

Chanukah Quiz Bowl

On Christmas eve, a group of us decided to go to the Anglican church nearby for midnight mass. First, we had Chinese takeout (a must on "what's a Jew to do" day) and hot cocoa, and then we trekked out into the pouring rain to head to church. It was my first time to midnight mass and I absolutely loved it! I thought it was a wonderful service; there was lots of singing (I loved knowing the songs) and lots of congregational participation. All in all, it was very lovely, and it was one of the few times I saw a Christmas tree in Jerusalem this season!

Midnight Mass

Friends, family, and future rabbis/cantors at church!

All in all, Chanukah was a lot of fun, but kind of anti-climactic. One key difference: what's written on the dreidels. Outside of Israel, dreidels have letters that stand for נס גדול היה שם––"a great miracle happened there." However, in Israel, the letters are different--they stand for נס גדול היה פה––"a great miracle happened here." The best part of Chanukah, I have to say, was when my family arrived on the 6th night, but more on that in the next post!

Nerd Pilgrimage and other fun updates

Something truly awesome happened the last couple of weeks.

Actually a lot of awesome things happened the last couple of weeks.

But the thing I'm thinking of is my visit to Qumran with Professor (Dr. Rabbi) David Levine.

Caves at Qumran.

For those of you who don't know, I really love linguistics and ancient semitic languages. This is almost entirely due to the incredible professors I studied with in the NELC department at The Ohio State University. So, this year, when I started my History of the Second Temple Period class, I was already looking forward to learning about the Dead Sea Sect at Qumran. Luckily, my professor set up a quick day-trip to Qumran to see what the archaeologists have discovered there since a family of Bedouins discovered the scrolls in the 1940s.

Cave 4!

This trip was unequivocally a nerd pilgrimage for me. After spending spring quarter of last year in a class dedicated to learning about the Qumran community and learning how to read and translate the scrolls themselves, the trip to Qumran was huge for me.

Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum

It was perfect timing, also, because earlier the same week we traveled to the Israel Museum to see the Shrine of the Book. This is the exhibit that was built in order to house and present the Dead Sea Scrolls. In it is a facsimile of the Great Isaiah Scroll (the original is in their archives so it doesn't get damaged) and several of the artifacts and scrolls discovered in the Qumran area. Learning about the building itself was totally awesome; basically, in the theology of the Qumran community, there were the sons of light (they followed the line of Zadok, and were the members of the Dead Sea community) and the sons of darkness (others) and the way the building is set you up you have to walk from darkness to light. The whole thing was built so intentionally and so perfectly. It was a dream to get to hear from the curator of the scrolls, Adolfo Roitman, and to learn about sacred secular spaces in Jerusalem.

Birds at Qumran with the Dead Sea behind them

So, between our awesome visit to the Shrine of the Book and actually seeing Qumran, it was a totally awesome hands on learning sort of week.

Mini replica of Ancient Jerusalem. That's the TEMPLE FOR ANTS!

We've been keeping busy with school as we head into finals. One day we spent the day in the Old City learning at the Armenian Patriarchate. It was a great day, and it's nice to have the chance to learn about the vast diversity of religions of this city. It's really cool knowing that you live in a place that's so important to so many people, and hearing why so many different types of people feel connected to Jerusalem.

Seminary at the Armenian Patriarchate

Additionally, there have been a couple of really cool shabbat experiences the last couple of weeks. Two weeks ago, I joined a few of my friends from HUC at Benjamin's house, and we got to meet some of Ben's friends from Hartman, a text study group for rabbinical students here in Jerusalem. They study at Hebrew College, and it was awesome getting to hear from other types of rabbinical students. Before dinner, we joined together in an alternative kabbalat shabbat (welcoming shabbat, another term for Friday night shabbat services). Each of us brought something to share with the group; anything from a conversation on gratitude to reflections on loss and happiness to a mantra meditation helped us welcome shabbat that night, and then we feasted on a quasi-thanksgiving dinner. It was really awesome.

Sculpture at the Israel Museum

Last night, I joined one of the Israeli students in the HUC Israel program for shabbat services at his community and dinner with his family. It was totally amazing to hear from someone in the Israeli program, get to hear about how they made the choice to become a reform rabbi in Jerusalem, and to spend time in a home surrounded by such a warm and welcoming family. Also, the meal was totally delicious. There is just something so wonderful about a home-cooked meal and being surrounded by family, even when it isn't your actually family. Shabbat in Jerusalem is just an incredible thing.

Christmas spotted in the Christian Quarter of the Old City!

So, as we gear up for finals after my first ever semester (I'm used to 10 week quarters...this semester thing is tough!), everyone is going a little crazy. One of our professors remarked in his lecture last week that the semester doesn't end, it just deteriorates. He's totally right. We're basically all falling apart at the seams over here, but at least we're together.

Stick, Benjamin, and I in "Space that Sees" at the Israel Museum

I'm truly amazed at how much I've learned in the last 6 months. I use Hebrew instinctively now instead of being afraid to ask questions and being misunderstood. I can tell you about the structure of a morning service and why, historically, certain elements are important. I can write an essay in Hebrew analyzing literary devices used by the narrator in the biblical text, including an interpretation of several medieval and modern commentators. I can explain more coherently why issues in Israel are as complicated as they are. I'm growing to understand Jewish diversity in the Jewish state. All in all, it's been a wonderful semester filled with learning and new experiences and, most of all, seeing Israel through a new lens. I can't wait to see what the next 6 months bring!

Thanks for reading!