Food and Hebrewness

So I am finally healthy, or at least as healthy as I get. My complete inability to sleep in Israel (at least without the aid of Tyledol PM) persists. At this point I think it is safe to say that my body has rejected Israel.

All in all, it was a pretty atypical week, though it felt like every other week. I had my Hebrew midterm on Tuesday, and, if I may say so, I kicked butt. I have been craving Focaccia like crazy, so Kristin and I indulged on Wednesday, and then the lovely Ms. Becky (Annie's sister) decided to grace us with her presence Thursday evening. We had Burger's Bar (or rather Annie, Becky and Kristin did and I just stole half their fries!) while Annie gave us a detailed account of her whirlwind tour of PhD schools in the States.

Friday I went to Ein Kerem with Ayana, my language buddy. The pictures are already posted on Facebook; if you're not on FB and you want to see them, let me know and I will send you the link. Ein Kerem is Hebrew for "spring of the vineyard" and according to tradition, it was the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth, parents of John the Baptist, and where Mary visited when both women were pregnant. We visited the spring, over which a mosque was built, and the Church of the Visitation, commemorating the aforementioned event. Elizabeth was also said to have hidden in the mountains with John during the "Slaughter of the Innocents" - a tradition with which I was not familiar. I thought the "slaughter" was limited to Bethlehem. Anyways, after we saw the church, Ayana really wanted ice cream and who was I to deny her that?

Ayana dropped me off back at the kfar around 6pm, which gave me plenty of time to prepare for synagogue, which doesn't start until 7pm now, thanks to the time change last week. Annie accompanied me, and we ended up having Shabbat dinner with the rabbi and her family. Pesach (Passover) is coming up, so I had asked if there were people in the congregation who were hosting international students for the seder. In the process, the rabbi invited us to Shabbat dinner. They have 3 little girls, the oldest of whom is no more than 9 or 10 (if that). It is a truly bilingual (Hebrew and English) household, and all of them switched back and forth in the same conversation. The youngest, who is 2, uses both in the same sentence, but that is to be expected. Having Shabbat dinner with a rabbi's family was a different experience, as was having it in a home with young children. I had a good time, and the food was delicious!

When I had asked about seder, I originally asked the person who had made the announcements, and he in turn called the rabbi over. She asked me something - I believe it was if I was an international student - and I answered "yes", but in Hebrew - it's become almost an automatic thing to say yes or no (along with other random words) in Hebrew. But since I answered in Hebrew, she responded in Hebrew. I just looked at her and said, "I have no idea what you just said," which made everyone - including Annie and the announcer-guy - burst out laughing. The man thought maybe she didn't realize she switched to Hebrew, but she said she did, that it was because I said ken (yes). I guess that will teach me from throwing Hebrew around! I do try to use it as much as I can when I am out - I can request a non-smoking table and ask for 300 grams of cheese at the deli in Hebrew - but my vocabulary is still rather limited. I tried to order in Hebrew at the ice cream shop, but the guy lost patience with me immediately and was like "I do speak English." Oh well.

But anyways. I will be attending a Pesach seder, at the home of a couple who moved here from the US 30+ years ago. They are hosting some other students/young people and their daughter's (I think) family, including three children under nine. Jon is supposed to be hosting a seder but not on the first night of Pesach, so hopefully I will celebrate Pesach for the first time twice - and in Jerusalem! I am also supposed to go on a "trip to the desert" Thursday-Friday this week, although if more people don't sign up tomorrow it may be cancelled. :(

Randomness

So today I thought I would post some random reflections on living in Israel.

1. I'm an Old Maid

When I moved to Israel, I suddenly became an old maid. Back home, I didn't really give much thought to being a 24-year-old single female. In fact, I rather enjoyed it. I could focus on my studies and hang out with my friends - and when I decided I wanted to study at Hebrew U, I didn't have to convince a guy that moving halfway around the world was what was best for me and my vocational goals. But once I arrived here in Israel, I discovered that everyone is married. Okay, not really, but there is an overwhelming number of girls my age (and younger) who are married. Perhaps it is just more noticeable when a large percentage of the population are religious, which translates into head coverings for married females. Not to mention the abundance of pregnant women and small children. Walking through Hebrew U, I pass dozens of pregnant women and even several strollers each day. I can't imagine how they do it. I had a hard enough time juggling a boyfriend and school some days, let alone an entire family!

2. Neither Tourist nor Resident...

As a student studying abroad, I am in this weird position of being neither a tourist nor a resident. Perhaps it's the same for all students studying abroad, I don't know. But at least here in Israel, it seems as if everyone is either a tourist (or a pilgrim) or a resident (Israeli or Palestinian), which, of course, leaves all of us international students out. In my case, my Hebrew is so elementary that I pretty much fall under the category of "tourist" as far as the Israelis are concerned. A few weeks back, we read several articles about pilgrimage for my methodology class, which is what got me really thinking about all of this. My first trip here, I was a tourist. We had a tour guide and a tour bus and we went to all the tourist places, although we also went to some additional, less tourist-y places. But this time around (other than the few weeks my parents were here), I am not a tourist. I have taken up residence, even if I am not a resident. Perhaps I am a "pilgrim," though not in the traditional sense of the word. I am not here to visit all the churches and re-trace Jesus' footsteps, but I am here to deepen my connection with the Divine and to attempt to figure out my life (if that is even possible). For me, the holy is not so much in the pretty churches as it is in the archaeology, the landscape, the language.

3. Israel is on Israel's Time

Literally. Everyone else set their clocks ahead a few weeks ago, but no, not Israel. We waited until Thursday night/Friday morning to "spring forward." They also "fall back" at a different time - I believe it coincides with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. I was told there was likewise a religious reason for the delay in springing forward, but I don't know what that would be. Purim was a couple of weeks ago, and Pesach (Passover) isn't for a couple more weeks. But regardless, while the rest of you have adjusted to the time change, I am suffering through it now. And not too happy about it.

4. 5 Girls, 2 Toilets, 1 Shower = Bad Math

That's right, we are now a full-house. Benni moved in with a friend from Italy, and two undergrads from Chicago moved in shortly afterwards. The girls are nice, but 5 people sharing one apartment feels like cruel and unusual punishment to me. Okay, it's really not that bad, and so far I don't think there has been any issues with the toilets or the shower - or even the kitchen, where we are currently sharing one cooking pot with a broken handle. But I have a feeling this could get pretty old pretty fast, regardless of them being nice. 5 people, and especially 5 girls, in one apartment is just asking for trouble. Really wishing I would have been housed in one of the grad apartments (where they are 2 or 3 bedrooms each) right about now! There was a reason I never joined a sorority!

Okay, that's it for now. Have a lovely week everyone!

Rockets and Bombs and Deaths - Oh My!

It's been a rough week.

After suffering through hives and the prednisone side effects, I ended up back at the clinic on Tuesday with a sinus infection. In the States, I have always had doctors check my nose, throat and ears, but this doctor decided to bypass my nose and ears and to press really hard on my face instead. I have witnesses who claim this is a legit means of diagnosis, but let me tell you, I prefer the less painful approach of looking at my ears and nose! The doc gave me scripts for amoxycillin and codeine - again, never had codeine prescribed for a sinus infection, but the pharmacist acted like it was normal. I only took three of them, one each evening the first three days, and I was amazed at how all the pressure in my head magically disappeared! Of course, instead of getting codeine's drowsiness, I ended up with amoxycillin's insomnia. I really can't win when it comes to side effects.

Of course, the real news of the week was the bombing near the central bus station on Wednesday. I was in class when it happened. Someone from the grad office came and told us the news and did a roll call. We were all in shock. I was actually there the day before, since the clinic is nearby. (Normally I have no reason to go there.) Class continued, but I can't say that I really paid attention after that. I spent the rest of the class checking Google News for updates and emailing my friends and family to let them know what had happened and that I was okay. It was initially reported as a bus bombing, but the bomb was actually on the sidewalk, near some of the bus stops. From what I understand, the blast hit two buses. Over thirty people were injured, and one, a 54-year-old British woman, was killed. That woman was a student at Rothberg and the classmate of one of my roommates. She came to Israel to learn Hebrew so she could translated the Hebrew Bible into one of the African dialects. She had spent 20 years living in west Africa and had already translated the New Testament. It's all so tragic.

Thursday, it was more or less business as usual, although we did learn bomb-related words in Hebrew.

Yesterday, four pipe bombs were found in the possession of several Palestinians at one of the checkpoints.

Prior to the bombing in Jerusalem, there were already increased tensions between the Israelis and Palestinians. I don't really know anything more than what I read on Google News (and I admit, I don't always check it as often as I should), but apparently Gaza has launched some rockets into Ashdod, Ashkelon and Beer-Sheba. In response to these rockets and the bombing on Wednesday, Israel has launched rockets into Gaza. And of course, Gaza responded to that with more rockets. The Israeli mortar attack killed 9 Palestinians, including 4 civilians - 3 of whom were children, with an additional 19 Palestinians injured. According to one report, there were "no victims" from the over 100 rockets launched by Gaza last week. Israel is threatening a major ground invasion, larger than Operation Cast Lead of 2008.

I don't know why Hamas and Gaza decided to attack Israel, and I don't trust the media to offer an unbiased report of the events. I do not condone violence (even if I am admittedly seemingly obsessed with it) and I do not agree with any of the violence that has occurred over the past week. Six months ago, Israel and Palestine were sitting down to talk about peace. Now they are bombing each other. How is violence going to lead to peace? I understand that the Palestinians are desperate, and honestly, I don't blame them. But are attacks on settlers, rockets and bombings going to solve anything? All it does is give Israel an excuse to retaliate, and let's face it, Israel can do far more damage to Palestine. Gaza managed to launch over 100 rockets without killing any Israelis, military or civilians, but with just one hour of bombing, Israel killed 9, including 3 children. I don't know if Gaza intentionally chose targets that wouldn't result in fatalities or if Israel wanted their bombs to be lethal (although the latter seems likely, since the Israeli defense of the deaths was that they took out 4 known Palestinians militants), but the statistics don't lie: the Israelis are more efficient when it comes to killing their enemy. There is no question about Israel's military prowess. So why is Hamas giving Israel any excuse to attack innocent Palestinians? I don't understand it. And after Wednesday's bombing, and especially since the only fatality was a foreigner, Israel pretty much has the world's support.

Don't get me wrong. What happened on Wednesday was inexcusable. But so was the death of four innocent Palestinians, among whom were three children, at the hands of Israel.

Side Effects of a Day Trip

So it has not been the best week. The prednisone brought the hives under control in no time, but the side effects had me wondering on multiple occasions if the cure wasn't worse than the disease. Insomnia, nausea, lightheadedness, inability to concentrate - you name it, I had it. I even started having side effects of side effects! I spent most of the weekend, in bed, attempting to recover from the prednisone. I never, ever want to be on this stuff again!

Despite feeling more dead than alive most of the week, I actually did a lot more than I normally do. Tuesday was Annie's birthday, so Kristin and I (and Kristin's friend Meg who is visiting) had a mini-surprise party for her. She had class until 8pm, so we couldn't go out, but we made chocolate-covered strawberries and spent some quality time together. We celebrated more officially on Thursday, when we (the four of us plus Jon) had dinner at Focaccia Bar, which is one of our favs. We had a grand ol' time, although I did have to duck out after a couple of hours because I was having major side effect issues and needed fresh air.

Today I went on a day trip with some of the other grad students to the north, to Akko, Kibbutz Yagur and Daliat el-Carmel. It was a lovely day and so nice to get away from campus and from Jerusalem. At Akko, we saw remains from the old city, from the Crusader and Ottoman periods, along with the British prison where members of the Jewish resistance organizations (Haganah, Irgun and Lehi) were imprisoned. We bought lunch in the Arab market and walked to the Mediterranean via the Templar Tunnels. Akko has an interesting history because in its 4000 years of existence, it has always had a 'mixed' occupancy - even in the glory days of David and Solomon, Akko was never fully defeated by Israel. Apparently Napoleon was also defeated at Akko in 1799, and according to our tour guide, his visit is what sparked modern interest in Israel. (I am sure he contributed to Western interest in the land, but it seemed to be a rather slanted view of history. The tour guide said there was nothing in Israel for all those centuries - which, of course, isn't true - and, of course, it wasn't Israel, it was Palestine. But that's just me.)

Anyways, after Akko, we visited Kibbutz Yagur, which is the kibbutz on which our grad student assistant Maya grew up. It is one of the original kibbutzim and played an important role in the foundation of the State of Israel, with several of the Haganah missions being launched from there. It was very interesting to see the kibbutz and to hear how it operates. It is still very much communal, more so than many of the other ones in Israel. Everyone must give all their money to the kibbutz, and each month each family is given an allowance according to the number of people. It is not very much money - not enough to save anything - but their housing, healthcare, schools, etc. are all covered. They also don't own their own cars - the kibbutz owns 100 or so cars and apparently there is some system in place that allows the members to use them. And they have cows! They weren't guernseys, but they still made me :)

Our last stop today was Daliat el-Carmel, a Druze village. Being Druze, from my understanding, is sort of like being Jewish - it is both an ethnicity, in that you are born a Druze, and a religion. However, there is no becoming Druze. The religion originated in the 11th c. as an offshoot of Islam and there was a very short period of time that people were allowed to join. They are an esoteric monotheistic religion whose primary or supreme prophet is Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses. They also believe in reincarnation. Other than that, though, there is not much to tell because only the religious Druze are allowed to read their holy books. There are roughly 1 million Druze in the world, about 100,000 or so in Israel. Something interesting about the Druze is that they do not want their own country. They believe in being good citizens of the country in which they live. Which means the Druze here in Israel identify as Israelis (not Arabs or Palestinians), and they serve in the IDF with the Israeli Jews. Apparently it is not uncommon for Druze to stay in the IDF and rise in the ranks, and many Druze could be considered Zionists.

Okay, that is enough of a history lesson for today. There was more that I was going to write about, but it is late and I am exhausted. Pictures from today will hopefully be posted on facebook tomorrow.

Hives, Hebrew & Ham

The highlights of the past week all seem to be "H" oriented.

On Thursday, I rather spontaneously decided to accompany Annie and Kristin on their quest to find an air mattress and bedding. It started out at the bookstore on campus, where Kristin had previous success in locating an air mattress. All we found was 50% off Dr. Seuss in Hebrew for me and 80% off some book on translations for Annie. Of course, I deliberately chose Green Eggs and Ham without thinking about the irony of that particular book being translated into Hebrew. However, the Hebrew title, לא רעב ולא אוהב, means Not Hungry and Don't Like, and throughout the book that is the translation for "green eggs and ham." Alas, Israel has koshorized Dr Seuss! When I return to the States, we can have storytime in Hebrew! [On a related note, a few weeks ago, I was given a Hebrew copy of the New Testament, which made me rather happy.] After Annie and I made our 'elephant' purchases, we tried our luck at the non-bookstore on campus (the name I gave it because both stores are called Academon) but to no avail. So we decided to make an afternoon of it and travel to the Jerusalem Mall, which is about an hour-long bus ride, to try Home Center. Success! We found both an air mattress and bedding for cheap (cheap for Israel AND cheap for the US - that NEVER happens!). And since we were having such a lovely time together (and had no desire to do homework), we extended the shopping trip into dinner at Black Burger, which ended with a victory lava cake for dessert. I don't know that we ever decided what 'victory' we were celebrating, but we're girls, so it's not like we really needed much of an excuse for hot, gooey chocolate goodness.

The major "H" of the week, however, was Hives. Wednesday I noticed some bug bites, which I assumed were mosquito bites as I was rather itchy. Every morning since, I have woken up with more and more bumps, itchier and itchier. They started to hurt and to sting, and sleeping became difficult. Yesterday, I woke up and was all but covered with these red bumps and finally decided they might be more than just mosquito bites. Of course, it was shabbat, so getting to a clinic (the Israeli version of urgent care) was not very ideal, so it had to wait until this morning. The doctor thought it was probably viral and prescribed steroids, since Benadryl (even 2 pills twice a day) wasn't helping. I maintain that it started out as mosquito bites, from which I developed hives. I have never broken out in hives before from mosquito bites, but I have had other allergic reactions to them (mainly ridiculous amounts of swelling). The doctor also wanted to make sure my blood counts were normal (they are), but once again I had a nurse who thought she knew better than me when I tried to tell her that she needed to take it from my hand. I get that normally it is more painful to take blood from a vein in the hand instead of the arm, but that is not the case when the veins in your arm are tiny and they have to dig around to find one. Katie, my friend who was kind enough to accompany me, said the look on the nurse's face was hilarious as she first tried one arm and then the other before finally realizing that I was right and she should take it from my hand. I realize that patients are not always reliable sources of medical information, but when it comes to things like where blood should be drawn, I think we tend to know what is best for our bodies - especially if we specifically request it to be taken from a nonconventional spot like a hand (or in my case, it was actually a vein on the side of my wrist). That probably means we have had some experience having blood drawn and know where it should be taken from! But anyways, the steroids seem to be doing their thing. I am not nearly as itchy (although I am still rather freaky looking), although I am having all sorts of fun side effects!

Crusadin' for a Minyan

Week 2 of classes went much more smoothly than week 1, largely because I had my schedule straightened out and didn't have to sit in on extra classes! I am enjoying my classes and think it is going to be a good semester. I have already completed one major assignment, an oral presentation in my Popes, Jews & Blood class, because I brilliantly volunteered to go first, before I realized it was 20% of our grade. But it seemed to go well. And if anyone has a burning desire to know more about the attacks on the Rhenish Jews in during the First Crusades, I'm your girl.

Since I have had additional inquiries as to my safety, let me reiterate: I am fine! I registered with the US Embassy before I arrived, and if there is any safety issue, I will receive an email. The only email I have received since I arrived in October was last weekend, when the embassy requested that US citizens not travel to Jericho Feb. 19-22, and even then, we were allowed to travel on the major highways near Jericho (not that I was travelling at all during that time). Although the reason I know I am really safe is that there has been no increase in security. For better or worse, the Israelis are more than a little paranoid when it comes to issues of safety, so the fact that security hasn't kicked it up a notch tells me that I am no less safe than I was when I first arrived.

I had an interesting experience at synagogue this week. In Judaism, a minimum of 10 people (10 men in Orthodox traditions), called a minyan, is required to begin prayer or Torah services. The synagogue that I attend near the kfar is a Conservative synagogue (meaning, among other things, that women count toward the minyan), and the Friday evening service, or Kabbalat Shabbat, is not when they have their big turnout - most people come to the Shabbat morning Torah service. Anyways, we were waiting for a minyan so prayers could start, and one person said we had enough and another disagreed. Now, normally counting to 10 isn't that difficult, but I discovered something about counting in synagogue. It turns out that I, as a Christian, don't count! It probably wouldn't have been so awkward for me, if it wasn't for the fact that the reason why we didn't have a minyan - namely, the fact that I am a Christian and therefore could not contribute to the minimal requirement - had to repeated a few times before everyone got it. And on top of that, the woman who "outed" me as a Christian then went on to say that I come every week and am a "faithful" part of their minyan - except, apparently, for the part where I don't actually count toward that minyan! I have to admit, at first I was rather upset, especially since one of the first times I attended this synagogue a lady had commented to me that we were lucky that we (meaning women) counted toward the minyan in the Conservative tradition, implying that even I counted (that week was the only time I mentioned that I was a Christian, because they had asked me where I went to school in the States). After further reflection (and a good night's sleep), I realized that as a Christian I will never fully be part of a synagogue, just like a Jew will never fully be part of a church. I may not be one of "them," but I am still welcomed with opened arms - and a hardy Shabbat shalom! - each week. What else could a (Christian) girl ask for?

Classes, Cairo and Conflict

Survived the first week of the new semester, but it was tougher than I would have liked. I discovered that classes I had registered for were not what I had anticipated and ended up sitting in on 8 extra hours of class in order to find 15 credits to take. For those of you who are interested in what I am taking, here is an overview of my class schedule:

Mondays: Modern Hebrew; Popes, Jews & Blood; Bringing the Bible to Life

Tuesdays: Modern Hebrew; Methodological Issues in the Study of Religion

Wednesdays: Reinventing Paul

Thursdays: Modern Hebrew; Cultural Encounters between Judaism & Islam in the Middle Ages

I think I ended up with some good classes, although most of them are outside of my field. I am excited about studying the relationship between Judaism and Christianity and between Judaism and Islam.

I was asked to blog about what is going on in Cairo and what sort of reactions I am seeing and hearing here. My parents and I were flipping through the channels one night at one of the hostels when we stumbled on CNN footage, although I honestly couldn't tell you what day that was. I would guess it was footage of the Jan. 28 protests. I remember realizing that it was footage of some sort of demonstration in Egypt and feeling a momentary sense of panic that was relieved when I realized that there was no attack. I was concerned that a(nother) war had started. Of course, since then I have realized that just because there isn't a war (at least not yet), that does not mean that everything is okay. There is concern over what sort of government there will be in Egypt when all is said and done, and if that government will be anti-Israel. That being said, the Egyptian revolution hasn't been a big topic of discussion, at least not among the people I have been around.

One exception to this, though, was Friday night. In celebration of a new semester, we had went to the German Colony for synagogue and Shabbat dinner at Jon's (sadly, though, it was too cold for the merpeset). After dinner, Jon asked if we had met any of the "Cairo kids," that is, the four Rothberg undergrads who had been studying at the American University of Cairo when the revolution started. Since things were too dangerous for the students to remain in Cairo, Hebrew U invited them to study at Rothberg instead, even offering them additional Arabic lessons. Jon told us about a Jerusalem Post article on these students, which I have since read. I will admit that some of the quotes were less than diplomatic, but I also sympathize with what they have been through in Cairo and now having to adjust to living in a city and attending a school that they had probably never considered before all of this. And while they probably shouldn't have criticized the country that has taken them in (especially to the media), I understand their frustration. They went to Cairo to study Arabic culture, in an Arabic country, and suddenly they find themselves in a Jewish state that can be very anti-Arabic.

Of course, there is always the question of the peace talks, which have yet to resume. Some say that what is going on in Egypt is a reason to resume the talks, others are using it as an excuse to not to continue the talks. And of course, the veto by the US on the UN Security Council resolution which condemns Israel's settlements does not help matters. (The US was the only one to vote against the resolution, but as a permanent member of the Council, the US has the power to veto any resolution.) So much for Obama being against the settlements. I am amused, though, that Israel is now ready to resume the peace talks - after the resolution was vetoed.

Living in the Middle East - in Israel, in Jerusalem - makes a person sensitive. Sensitive in that you are more aware of what is going on around you, and sensitive in that your responses to things tend to be more emotionally-charged. Nothing is black and white - and yet everything is presented as black and white. No one is entirely innocent, and no one is entirely guilty. And as an outsider, it is so easy to pass judgment, to say who's right and who's wrong. As if it were that simple.