From Egypt to Israel and Beyond

Back in chicago for a hot minute! (Taken with instagram)

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 20:06:24 -0400

Back in chicago for a hot minute! (Taken with instagram)

12 Steps to Surviving Ulpan

Thu, 31 May 2012 05:21:17 -0400

Here is a little piece I wrote that is going to be in the OTZMA guidebook that I am helping put together.

A Twelve Step Guide to Surviving Ulpan.

By David Korenthal

1. ACCEPT the fact that there is no “right” level. Remember that these classes need to cater to the lowest common denominator. Unless you are at the absolute beginner’s level, you will either be too advanced or not advanced enough for the level you are placed in. That being said, the classes are also a numbers game. The less people on OTZMA, the fewer classes there will be. For my year, there was only one class. Make do with what you have, and make it work for you.

2. KNOW that your Hebrew skills are totally and completely on you. You can sit in a class and be taught Hebrew forever, but that does not mean that you will learn anything. The learning part is your responsibility. Whatever work you put into it you will receive twofold.

3. EXPECT it to be difficult. The only people who think learning languages is easy are the people who know a million of them. It takes work. It takes effort. Asking “why is this so hard” will only frustrate you. Know that it is difficult, get past it, and remember that it is a slow process.

4. PRACTICE everywhere. Are you the only customer in the store? Great, then take each item up to the counter and practice your Hebrew. Ask what things are, point to something and say what you think the Hebrew word for it is. Practice with your friends, practice with the neighborhood kids, practice with the guards, practice with the Russians. If you’re volunteering in a school, use the break times to hang out with the kids and learn from them.

5. DON’T be afraid to look like an idiot. You’re going to make mistakes. A lot of mistakes. However, do not think for a second that people are judging you for it. If anything, the Israelis that you will encounter will be impressed that you are willing to try their language. What is more, realize that you don’t LOOK like an idiot, you just feel like one, and that is OK. Your Hebrew level will be just one of many things that makes you uncomfortable in Israel that you will grow out of by the end of your year here.

6. LAUGH at your mistakes. They really are funny. Did you cause a scene going through security at the mall because you actually had a pomegranate with you? (“Rimon” means both ‘Pomegranate’ and ‘Grenade’). Did you just accidentally tell that soldier that you liked his big kiss? (‘Neshek’ means ‘Weapon. ‘Neshika’ means ‘Kiss’) Scary and embarrassing at the time, hilaaaaarious a month later.

7. READ everything you can. You’re turning into your father anyway, so you may as well start reading every sign you see out loud. Read a newspaper (Yisrael HaYom has all the vowels), and especially find some kids books. Everyone was at Level Zero once, and you are there now with your Hebrew. So start at the starting point. Reacquaint yourself with The Cat in the Hat and Madeline, but this time in Hebrew!

8. WRITE everything down. It will help you practice your writing and help you learn new words. Keep a little book in your back pocket to write new words in. Bring it everywhere with you, because if you don’t remember the words, you will remember that you wrote them down. Plus, people will be impressed with your initiative and it will lead to an enormous vocabulary.

9. DRILL yourself. Practice your verb tenses. Practice your vocabulary sets. Whether you do it with 30-second self-administered “name as many colors as you can” type tests, with flashcards, or with any other method, just do it. It’s boring. It sucks. But it helps.

10. REWARD yourself for small accomplishments. Did you just successfully ask for directions in Hebrew? Did you find what you want in the grocery store by looking at the signs? Pat yourself on the back, buddy, mazal tov! As with everything in the beginning of your OTZMA journey, celebrate every small victory. It makes the big victories better and helps you through the mistake that you are inevitably going to make next.

11. BE persistent. People will want to practice their English with you. Keep responding b’Ivrit and eventually they will yield to your effort. You will get tired, you will want to quit. It is OK to take a break and only speak English for a day, but the more persistent you are the better your Hebrew will become.

12. RELAX. It will be fine. You’ll survive. And people will think you’re pretty lame if Ulpan killed you. Imagine what that would look like on your tombstone….

The Life and Death of Odie

Thu, 31 May 2012 05:12:00 -0400

Everyone, meet Odef Bagg O’Change, or Odie for short. And don’t let the Irish last name fool you. While Odie does indeed have a wide ranging and international heritage, he is Israeli through and through.

Odie was a special little friend who was born in an empty water bottle in our first week in Karmiel. I had a bunch of coins in my pocket from a week of spending money on new shiny Israeli things, and they were weighing me down mightily. As such, Odie began to grow out of my spare Odef (which means “Change” in Hebrew. But not Obama change, money change).

As Odie grew in his little water bottle, he accumulated LOTS of different types of coins. Agurot, chetzi shekelim, single shekelim, shnekelim, even some 5’s and some 10’s. And lets not forget about the Jordanian Dinars, Czech Crowns, and Euros. Somehow a quarter and a nickel and a few pennies ended up inside Odie too!

Odie lived a long and prosperous life. After suffering through that water bottle in Karmiel, he moved to a manila envelope that used to house a T-shirt. It was much drier and infinitely better for his metallic insides (rust is the number one illness for coin-beings like Odie). Unfortunatly, Odie left us this morning; a victim of excessive weight and nontransferable value. One of the most difficult things for coin-beings is to keep a slender and shapely figure. They are gluttonous by nature, and tend to eat all of the spare change in one’s pocket at the end of the day. Odie was also only valuable here in Israel, and his innards needed to be exchanged for larger bills.

And so, with sadness in my heart and a bit more room in my back pack, Dganit (My program’s director) and I laid Odie to rest. We counted his insides, which we gave to Betty (our office manager) who provided me with cold, hard cash. Here are some photos Odie’s tragic demise:

And here is a picture of me with Odie’s remains. In the end, our dear friend Odie turned out to be worth a total of 524.50NIS, which comes out to $135.26.

RIP Odie, may your memory be a blessing on my wallet. Z”L.

Yomim: HaShoah, HaZikaron, Ha'Atzmaout

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 08:49:00 -0400

In the beginning of the year, there is a slew of High Holidays. Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and then Sukkot. In April, the situation is somewhat similar. In rapid succession, we have Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron, and Yom Ha’Atzmaout.

On both Yom HaShoah- Holocaust Rememberance day, and YomHazikaron- memorial day- there are sirens to commemorate those who died. During these sirens, the ENTIRE country stops. If you are on the road, you pull over, get out, and stand at attention for the duration of the siren. If you’re at the grocery store, you stop wherever you are. It is eerie, inspiring, and strange all at once.

On Yom HaZikaron in particular, Israelis are very serious and solemn. Memorial day here is not beaches and barbecues. Memorial day here is remembering everyone you know who has been killed while in the Army or as the result of a terrorist attack. And thats the thing, EVERYONE knows someone or is related to someone who has been killed. That’s right. Not died. Been killed. It is a very heavy and intense day, with lots of ceremonies and memorials. One of the very interesting things that happens is “Gravesitting.” In the big military cemeteries, Har Herzl in particular, a soldier who is currently serving will stand guard at a grave until the family arrives. If there is no family, that soldier will stand guard at that grave for a while so that everyone has someone mourning them. People go to great lengths to make sure that everyone they know who has been killed has someone to remember them.

Immediately after YomHazikaron, however, is Yom Ha’Atzmaout, independence day. As the sun sets on YomHazikaron, people start gearing up for one of the biggest party days of the year. This year, I went with my friends to Rabin Square in Tel Aviv. Everyone was drinking and having fun. Families were out and about and all the kids had blow up baseball bats and hammers with the Israeli flag on them to hit each other with. There was a huuuuuuge concert, great fireworks, and then all the young people party the night away. Needless to say, I cannot remember much of the evening, but I know that it was fun! The next day, everyone barbecues and hangs out.

KADIMA!!!

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 08:49:00 -0400

“Kadima” is the Hebrew word for “Forward.” This is often used as a command, and its use speaks so much not only to the Israeli psyche, but to my present state of being.

I have exactly 5 weeks left in Israel as of today, and the sense of forward momentum is almost unbearable. I am enjoying every second of being here, but I just want to ride down a giant hill on horseback with a sword raised triumphantly over my head and scream “KADIMAAAAAAAAAAAA” as the trusty steed of life hurls me towards the unknown. Think “Braveheart,” but switch out Mel Gibson for me, maybe put set in the Roman era, and don’t throw that kid out of the window. I have applied to 2 jobs for which I am VERY far into the interview process- I might even get one of them! I might even get one of them before I leave Israel! What a change from this time of year last year, when I was in the middle of my stint waiting tables and being miserable and not getting interviews, much less jobs. I feel as if I have a direction, which as I look back on my lonely blog posts from earlier in the year, I was craving. And even though this is the direction of NOW, it is a direction from which many roads can diverge.

With this forward momentum though has also come a certain closed-ness. I don’t want to form any new relationships with my new Israeli roommates. I don’t want to meet new people or do new things. I don’t want to find anything else that I could get attached to before I leave. Ends are a blessing and a curse. Time for the whirlwind to stop, and not of its own accord.

That being said, my exit will be seamless and jarring at the same time. I leave early on Sunday June 3, right after a Shabbat, which I know that I will be spending in Jerusalem packing and cleaning and tying up what loose ends I can. I leave early in the morning so there will be no heart-wrenching long-lasting goodbye hugs or tears. I only have 2 days at home before I go to camp, so my time to be depressed is limited before I need to jump into whats next.

I will go quietly in the morning, slip out before the city and my friends rise to continue their own lives and journeys. And though I will probably leave no note, or anything tangible of myself here, something- I don’t know what- will always be here in Israel. A piece in Karmiel, a piece in K-Gat, a piece in Jerusalem, and even a piece for Gretchen Wieners.*

*Does the “Mean Girls” reference kill it? Mitztaer, I couldn’t help myself.

Jerusalem!!!

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 08:47:00 -0400

I live in Jerusalem now!!! I moved here on the 17th of April, after a 2-day job seminar which seemed only to be relevant to me. Chaval for everyone else, Chaval HaZman for me.

We are living in the K’far HaStudentim, the Hebrew University dorms. I am in an apartment with 4 random Israeli guys who seem not to live there at all. It is the strangest apartment ever, as there is NOTHING in any of the public space, except for dishes in the kitchen. Not a poster on the walls, not a tube of toothpaste next to the bathroom sink. Strange, but whatever, I’m only here for 6 weeks.

For my internship, I am working at the OTZMA offices putting together a practical and spiritual guidebook for future participants. I am soliciting submissions from former OTZMAnikim, editing them, and deciding what to use. I am also looking for outside sources, and organizing the cabinets of pre-existing educational materials. Furthermore, I am holding focus groups for my fellow current OTZMAnikim about what they would have found helpful in an OTZMA-specific guidebook. I also get to hang out with Erika and Sarah and Dganit and Betty and distract them from doing work that they actually need to do. Mostly though, I send lots of emails on my fancy JFNA email account.

Last week, Sarah and I did a photoshoot to celebrate the launching of the new OTZMA website. My high school math teacher “liked” the photo on facebook, which provided an opportunity to reconnect and learn that he was on OTZMA 3 in 1988-89. This was my first year of life, though I did not tell him that. But what a small world, no?!?!

End of K-Gat and Pesach Break

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 08:47:00 -0400

Kiryat Gat is my favorite place in Israel. Absolutely. Unequivocally.

A few weeks ago I went to go visit one of the groups I volunteered with- the high schoolers who are going to Camp Chi this summer, and I slept over at the house. When I walked in, I felt so at home, and even got a little homesick for it that I could not be there all the time. I haven’t been homesick since I was 10 and at my first summer of camp.

And so, a deeply profound thanks to everyone who was involved in my time in Kiryat Gat. Thank you Davey, Tiegs, and Greenie for being the best housemates ever. Thank you Orit for being the best teacher and resource ever. Thank you Einat, Niva, Yaffa, Omer, Susan, and Ofer for being the best federation staff of all the federations that we worked with. Thank you arsim and frechot for providing endless entertainment. Than you Barmochas for feeding me until I burst and being the best host family I could have asked for. Thank you students for being awful and awesome and hilarious and irritating. Thank you Cafe Cafe and Aroma for all the coffee and sandwichim.

Thank you K-Gat.

AND I WAS IN PARIS FOR PESACH!!!! It was fantastic. I stayed with my friend Angie and had a lot of fun! I did touristy stuff in the mornings by myself, and then me and Angie did off the beaten path stuff in the afternoons. I also spent a day with Tiegs and got to spend a couple nights in her hotel room. Overall it was lovely and a great break from Israel, even though I missed Pesach.

Also, I had seder with the family that Angie aupairs for. It was really fun and all in French. The dad kept asking me if I knew what was going on, and my answer was “Rabbi Eliezer says the same thing every year in every language, its fine.” And when it was my turn to read the Hebrew, I found myself actually reading the Hebrew instead of the transliterations, because they were all in French! It was very funny and I’m glad that I at least did a seder in between eating all that chametz.

Backtracking

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 08:46:01 -0400

Why? Because instead of offering yet ANOTHER apology for not being a consistent blogger, I am just going to make a really long post and go back in time and tell you about all the things that I should have told you about. How am I going to do this, you ask? Well, I will create entries and fill them in… later. But the emptiness in the entries will force me to fill them up with happenings and musings and all things bloggable. B’seder?

Conflict and Hope Seminar

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 08:46:00 -0400

Wow, this was SO long ago. It is now Sunday, May 13, and this seminar was in the middle of February. As, unfortunately, my memory has faded somewhat, details might be scant. Also, as it is a touchy subject, that might actually be a good thing.

We met a LOT of people. We learned a LOT of things. See? Few details.

But really, we heard from people like Eve Harrow, ultra-liberal. radio-host, and then we heard from Rabbi’s For Human Rights, who are ultra-left wing. We stayed with “settlers” in T’koa, we met with a PR guy from the Palestinan Authority, we talked to professors, we met with “Breaking the Silence,” a group of former soldiers who are speaking up about their experiences serving in the West Bank.

From this I learned two things:

1) Words- and word choices- matter.

You may notice above that I used quotations around “settler.” This is because that term, believe it or not, is completely relative. The family that I stayed with in T’koa were not the first to live in their house, that “settlement” has been around for years. In fact, the only reason we know them as “settlers” who live in a “settlement” is becuase that is the only word to describe it in Hebrew- yishuv. These people are not Pioneers in the sense that they hitched their starving horse to a covered wagon, forded the river, and died of dysentery. These are poeple who moved out there because, above all, its CHEAP. They were not crazy idealogues who point to the heavens and proclaim “HE will save us!” (That happened at Shabbos dinner with them, though it was their neighbor, whom the family admitted was “a bit of a conspiracy theorist”). Furthermore, you can usually tell by the names people use for places

2) I know nothing, and the people who march around college campuses declaring their allegiance to either side know even less.

If I have learned anything, it is that I know nothing. Every time I learn a “fact,” there is also another “fact” on the contrary, depending on who you ask. If I can live here all year, meet all these people, and learn all these things and STILL feel like I know nothing, than how can the crazies (on BOTH sides) on campus know anything? It is so easy to argue and yell and make a scene on an American college campus when you are so far removed from the realities. I thought all those people were crazy and stupid before, but now I KNOW they’re crazy and stupid. For better or for worse, knowing that I know nothing about this has really detached me from the conflict. At the end of the day, it is not my conflict to be involved in.

This is where we get into the intersections of being a Jew, being an Israeli, and a Diaspora Jew’s connections to Israel. I am a Jew, yes, and thus feel it important to fight for the state of Israel abroad. However, I am not Israeli, and so as a political issue, this is not my issue. I think some of my uncertainty/unknowing stems from the fact that I do not know where I fit in. On the one hand I see the state of Israel as essential to the continuation of the Jewish people, and thus feel the need to defend it and fight for it- but on a personal level. When some of my friends post articles disparaging Israel, I get upset because I feel like they’re also attacking me as a Jew. Is it latent anti-Semitism, purely impersonal political jabber, or is it actual anti-Semitism and pointed anti-Semitism? SEE! I just did it- I just assumed that it was all anti-Semitic. But I have to look on the other hand, because the state of Israel is also a political entity in which I, as an American, should not have anything to do with- as they are not my politics. Then again, that also means that anyone who is not an Israeli or Palestinian should not have a say. And so, my head starts spinning. Some days I agree with myself, and some days I think I’m an idiot.

BFL

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 08:46:00 -0400

MASA is an arm of the Ministry of Education of the Israeli government. They support the long-term Israel experiences for Diaspora Jews from all around the world. Not only do they run many of these programs, but they also provide massive scholarships to enable young Jews from around the world to come to Israel. Every year, they have the BFL- Building Future Leaders seminar, a weeklong conference with kids from every program that teaches leadership and career skills.

This year, content wise, it was so-so. However, I also wasn’t looking for content. I was looking for a job. As such, I used this conference to network network network, and actually got some results! The great thing about this conference was that it brought in leaders in the North American Jewish Community- so higher-ups from Hillel International, the Federations, Jewish Non-Profits- everyone was there. I worked it, I worked it good. Though no job has come of it yet, the contacts I have made have been really helpful, and it felt good to be getting my feet wet in the job market so early.

I also learned that OTZMA is better than everyone else, and that the only people who really hold a candle to us were the Israel Government Fellows- who are spending 10 months interning with different ministries in the Israeli government. The other programs- most of which are only 5 months (eyeroll!), just have different goals. I, and the others on my program, came to Israel knowing that we would be living in the middle of nowhere, we came wanting to volunteer, and we came wanting to learn. WHile this clearly isn’t true for everyone, the people on other programs came to live in places Tel Aviv and have a fun 5 months. We came to make a difference to others, they came to build there resume. I am also building my resume, but in a way that benefits everyone around me as well.

A graphic from the Israel Ministry of Public Diplomacy and...

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 13:41:30 -0400

A graphic from the Israel Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs’ facebook page detailing the range of rockets fired from Gaza into Israel.

The Iron Dome is Neither Iron, Nor a Dome: Discuss

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 13:39:00 -0400

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/gaza-rockets-strike-residential-neighborhood-in-be-er-sheva-1.417846

http://www.idfblog.com/2012/03/10/israel-under-fire-gaza/

If you keep up on Israeli news, you by now know that more than a hundred rockets have fallen on Israel from Gaza this past weekend.

And before I continue, know that I AM FINE.

But, this experience has been nothing short of surreal. As such, I will divide this post by my senses.

Sight- A few flashes last night. We’re pretty sure we saw the Iron Dome in action, becuase we saw what looked like a single firework shoot up from Israel and then heard a boom.

Sound- A fair amount of booms, but no sirens as of yet.

Taste- Nothing much, as I am completely stuffed up.

Touch- The 85 degree weather. Occasionally shaking of the house due to rocket impacts.

Smell- Due to my cold, also nothing much.

Lightheardedness aside, there has been one rocket that landed uncomfortably close in Kiryat Malachi- it’s the next bus stop on the way to Jerusalem. We are well briefed on the procedures, we know where our safe room is, and we have been in constant contact with both OTZMA and the Federation.

Our friends who are living in Netivot are probably leaving out of precaution, but as of now we in Kiryat Gat are going to be staying. However, I have no doubt that should a siren go off, we will be whisked out of here faster than something that gets whisked out of someplace really fast.

Strangely enough, I can honestly say that I feel NO tension. Yeah we’ve heard some booms and seen some flashes, but its amazing how, sans volunteering, we’ve been living our normal lives. Schools were cancelled, but our cafes and most stores were open. The streets were noticeably more empty, as people are staying home, but I don’t feel unsafe at all. In fact, it was really warm out today so I laid outside for a little bit.

Either way, the situation is constantly developing, and I’ll probably be in Jerusalem tomorrow anyway. Now I know that I should pack a change of clothes and a toothbrush, just in case I’m told I shouldn’t go home.

Kiryat Gat!

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:39:48 -0500

Another long overdue post and unrequited promises of more posts. My apologies my few but fantastic readers.

Part II of Otzma has commenced! I am living in Kiryat Gat, which is Chicago’s partnership city, with another David, and two Arielles! That makes 2 Davids and 2 Arielles! Needless to say, much fun is had when we introduce ourselves.

Our schedules are pretty packed, and mine is as follows. On Sundays I teach school in the mornings, and then will work with a group of high schoolers going to Chicago in the Summer. Mondays and Tuesdays I teach school in the mornings and teach english to 8th graders who are going to Chicago in March. On Mondays, I also teach English to some Ethiopian immigrants. On Wednesdays, I have the morning off (its Shuk day, so its a good day to have off!), and then in the evenings I will be working with the high schoolers again. On Thursdays, I teach in the mornings and I’m done for the week!

I am working at a fantastic elementary school in the morning with one of the Arielles. We work with an incredible teacher named Orit, whom the kids really respect, which is very rare for an Israeli school. There is only one class for each grade level, so we have really gotten to know the kids well in our 3 short weeks here so far. I have been working mostly with the excellent students, providing a little extra support for them and pushing them to be even better than they already are. I also do a bit of work with some kids who are behind, particularly a few kids who are part of a program called Youth Futures, which helps at-risk kids succeed. While they may not know the alphabet, they definitely have the desire to learn, and if they are willing to work hard, so am I.

Working with the 8th graders is also really fun. They are pretty advanced in English, and will be going to Chicago to visit with the 8th graders at Anshe Emet day school. We really just lead discussions with them and help them get more comfortable speaking.

The MOST rewarding opportunity, however, is working with the Ethiopian kids. Even though its only 1 hour a week, Davey and I really feel like we are providing a service that these kids would never normally get. Sometimes it is difficult, as some of the kids’ Hebrew is worse than ours. However, after only 2 weeks, all of them now know how to write their names in English and know how to write the entire alphabet. We have also been teaching them useful phrases like “How are you?” and “What is your name?” We know that we don’t have much time with them, but we are going to teach them as much as we can.

On Sundays and Wednesdays there will be a high school group that is going to Chicago in the summer. It hasn’t started yet, but after our seminar this week we will start with them. They will be learning how to be Israel advocates and planning programs and presentations to do with junior counselors at Camp Chi and Camp Ramah. And, wouldn’t you know, I will be in charge of the junior counselors at Interlaken, a mere 20 minutes from Ramah, so they’re going to come to CIL too! It will be SO cool to work with these kids and help them develop their program, and then see them over the summer with a completed product.

On top of it all, Kiryat Gat is an incredible little town. The four of us get along SO well, the Chicago Federation has provided us with a great house, we have great staff taking care of us, and we have host families that feed us until we burst. I cannot believe almost a month has gone by, and I cannot wait for how awesome the next two months will be.

You Know, Like, Feelings and Stuff

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 10:14:33 -0500

So I just read my little sidebar thing and noticed that I described this blog as “my thematic Journey from Egypt to Israel.” This means that now I need to talk about feelings and stuff.

So as any of you who read my previous blog can attest, its pretty melancholy. I was pretty unhappy in Egypt, which now, fortunately, I see as a good thing. After Egypt I was all “Boohoo I have no direction! Woe is me! Waiting tables sucks! Blahhhhhh.”

And now here I am 3 months into this program and I cannot stress how RIGHT of a decision this was. Whether or not I have any direction is yet to be determined- I’m pretty sure that I have no idea what having direction feels like, as such I’ll probably be able to tell you whether or not I had a direction retroactively. However, I DO feel as if I am greatly benefiting myself and those around me by being here.

So whether or not that means I am on a specific trajectory I have no idea. What I DO know is that I need to start looking for jobs. This time, however, it seems much less daunting and much more likely that I can get a job.

Israeli Schools Vs. American Schools

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 09:50:36 -0500

As much as they are different, Israeli and American schools are also very similar. For the past 3 months I have been volunteering at Beit-Sefer Irisim, helping Roni the English teacher with the 5th and 6th grade classes. I work with 2 other Otzmanikim, Laura and Jacob, and usually we either work with small groups in the workbook or work with kids to improve their reading.

Formality

In the states, school is a very formal thing. Our teacher’s are Mrs. Robinson and Mr. Whipple; even the parapros in high school were Mr. and Mrs. The schedule is very set: we start promptly at 9am, periods change on time, one arrives to class on time. Schedules are firmly set and followed. Kids walk through the halls in our elementary schools in 2 straight lines, a la Madeline (which I have read this month more than I ever did as a child).

In Israel, school is the opposite. Teachers are “Teacher,” or “Roni,” or “Shlomit,” instead of Mr or Mrs So-and-So. Teacher’s take their time getting to class. Yes, the schedule SAYS they start at 9, but Teacher will wander in when teacer wanders in. Same goes for the kids. If the soccer game during recess took a little longer than it should have, the kids will get a minor talking to and then move on with their day. Schedules here are made to be broken.

RESPEK!

Israeli kids have none of it, American kids are conditioned with it. This goes along with calling their teachers by their first names/last names. It also manifests itself in the general order of things at school. There is LOTS of yelling in Israeli classrooms (and Israel in general). It is very obvious when the kids do not like or respect their teachers, because they say so. When they DO respect the teacher, it is also very obvious and usually results in a sort of revered silence.

There is also a huge difference with respect to fellow students. There is SO much hitting and kicking and bullying in Israeli schools. Not that it isn’t there in American schools, we know it is, but in Israeli schools there’s no need to be sly about it. If Chen is bothering Inbal, Inbal has no qualms about giving Chen a good smack/kick/punch, what have you. If Ma’ayan thinks you are ugly, she will tell you so. Then she will hit you for good measure. Part of the mentality in this is that if kids aren’t bullied, they won’t learn the social cues. I don’t know how much I agree, but it certainly cuts down on the surreptitious under-the-table bullying that goes on in American schools. The bottom line is that kids everywhere are awful to each other, its just in the open here.

Special Ed/ Bad Kids

I hate to group these two together, but since they are unfortunately dealt with in the same way in Israel, it seems appropriate. In Chicago, I am lucky enough to have come from an excellent public school system with excellent special education resources, and I am also lucky that I never needed to make use of those resources. In Israel, at least at the school I am at, those resources just do not exist. Too often, teachers will throw up their hands with kids who need “too much” extra help, and those kids often end up wandering the halls or playing on the computers all day. The same thing happens to the bad kids, as that extra infrastructure that my schools enjoyed is just not there.

Even more of an issue though is getting kids screened for LD’s and placed in the appropriate classes. One of the classes we help out is the unofficial special ed class, in which the majority of students SHOULD be in special ed classes. Because their parents either did not get them screened or refused to heed the results of the screening, these have ended up with a curriculum that moves far to fast for them and in a class of kids who just can’t keep up.

Synagogue and State

In the States, though it is being challenged every day, there is a firm separation between church and state, particularly with the education system. You would never find a New Testament class as a requirement public school; an elective, maybe, but never as a requirement. In Israel its different, and as easy as it is to forget it sometimes, the state of Israel is a JEWISH state. This means that the kids have mandatory classes on the Old Testament, and in high school there are optional Talmud classes as well. I have not experienced these classes first hand, so I cannot necessarily speak to the amount of propaganda and whatnot, but I would assume these classes are fairly biased.

Erm..... Ummm.... Whoops? Yala BYE!

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:36:44 -0500

Dearest Blogosphere Friends and Foes,

My most sincere apologies for the neglect of the past 2 months. Some interesting things HAVE happened, and you shall be privy to those posts which will be in production shortly after the completion of this post. So fret not. Otherwise though, nothing has happened. I have settled, the program has settled, and things are going quite well. Ulpan has been very helpful, and as much as we do in class, I have learned the most Hebrew on the job volunteering. My volunteering has finished at the school, and my last day at Pitchon Lev is Wednesday.

Next sunday, we pack up and go to Sar-El, which is volunteering on an army base, for two weeks. I probably won’t have internet access, but I will have weekends off. Tit for tat, methinks. After Sar-El, we have 2 weeks of winter break. It looks like Petra will ACTUALLY happen then, and I will be in Prague from Dec 23-29 to visit my friend Kendra, who is in grad school there. So a packed month is a head of me, indeed!

Chagim

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 08:26:45 -0400

These past couple weeks have been full of holidays, the High Holidays to be exact. Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur are, if you are American, most likely the only two days out of the year that you actually go to temple.

Rosh HaShana: Hebrew for “Rosh The Shana”

No but really, Rosh HaShana is the Hebrew new year, and literally translates to “Head of the Year.”

Originally, everyone was supposed to spend it with their host families in their federation cities. However, I recieved an invitation from my mom’s childhood friend to spend the Chag (holiday) with her and her family, and that is what I did.

They live in a suburb of Jerusalem called Tzur Hadassah, and it is a super nice area. THey were very nice and very welcoming, and since Marla and my mom grew up together in CHicago, and Ari, Marla’s husband, is Canadian, everyone spoke English. I also met their neice who is in Israel doing Year Course. For dinner wednesday night, we essentially had Thanksgiving Dinner, which was awesome. There was stuffing and cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes with marshmallows and it was great.

Thursday, we had lunch with some friends of theirs, and then just hung out the rest of the day. On Friday, we went up to Haifa to visit Marla’s sister and parents. Marla’s mom was VERY pleased to meet me, as she was very good friends with my grandparents and basically watched my mom grow up. I ended up staying in Haifa Friday night, becuase its much easier to get back to Karmie’l from there. So that was Rosh HaShana

Yom Kippur: Hebrew for “Day Kippur”

Yom Kippur is the Jewish day of atonement, where we take all of our sins from the year and repent for them. Many people fast for 25 hours, and in Israel at least, nobody drives. Thus, all the streets were empty.

For Yom Kippur, OTZMA took us all to Jerusalem early in the morning on Friday, and then we had a seminar all day. We had a couple options, so I started off the day with “Torah Yoga,” which essentially was a beginner’s yoga class in which the teacher repeated all the instructions in Hebrew. Then I did a session that compared and contrasted AA and other Anonymous anti-addiction programs with what we do on Yom Kippur. Finally, I participaten in a session in which we discussed the Yom Kippur War’s effect on how Yom Kippur is celebrated today.

After the seminar, we went to our hotel and had a pre-fast meal. That night, a group of us walked to the Western Wall. It was pretty packed with religious people, Chabadniks singing and dancing and telling me that I’m not Jewish enough if I haven’t wrapped t’fillin today, Japanese tourists completely clueless as to whats going on, and various people milling around the plaza.

Saturday, the actual day of Yom Kippur, I tried to go to services with a couple friends, but I was uncomfortable with the giant mechitza (separation curtain between men and women), that I sought out another place to go to services. My friend Dan and I ended up at Aish- which is kind of like Chabad in the states, and their sanctuary overlooks the Wall in the Old city. As we reached the Mussaf/Viduy (the MOST important part of the service- its when you actually confess), the Muezzin’s call to prayer rang out over the old city. It was a very surreal experience to be hearing Suras from the Qur’an while participating in arguably the most important day/set of prayers in Judaism.

Afterwards, I went back to the hotel and took a nap, then broke the fast at the hotel with the rest of my program.

Education Day: Jerusalem Through the Ages

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 07:27:48 -0400

3 weeks ago we had another education day, this time to Jerusalem to learn about its foundations and history.

We started off the day with a lecture called “Jewish History in a Flash.” I’m still not quite sure who the guy leading it was, but I was not a fan. First off, he was decently religious, which meant that right off the bat I knew we would be served a healthy dose of propaganda. Secondly, he talked like an infomercial; though I heard him speaking to some people at the end of the lecture and apparently that’s just how he talks, but it seemed pretty disingenuous regardless. Furthermore, you can’t just go through 5000 years of history in an hour. It doesn’t work. Period. Nice try, but no, not having it.

The icing on the cake, however, was the ending. The last image in the presentation was a satellite view of the old city and the Temple Mount/ Dome of the Rock. With the words, “Someday, hopefully we will have this…” And on top of the image, he superimposed a picture of the Second Temple. It may not sound here as jarring as it looked and felt, but it was very uncomfortable.

Afterwards, we went to The City of David, which is just outside the old city. It is the location of the very first settlement of Jerusalem, and where the city was located during the time of King David. It was pretty cool, nothing much to say about its significance except for that it was where Jerusalem started. It was built near the Gilon Spring, and part of the attraction is that there is a tunnel you can walk through that used to get water from the spring to the city.

The final part of the day was a lecture by a very cool professor at the Pardes Institute, in which we talked about the meaning of courage and bravery. We disseminated different types of courage by looking at different sources from Jewish liturgy.

Overall a pretty good day, and as always it was good to see the ITF kids from Petach Tikvah.

Goals

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 09:15:00 -0400

At the beginning of every summer, we always have to write down our goals- often they get sent to us at the end of the summer so we can look back with fondness and see whether or not we held true to those goals. Truthfully, I always thought stuff like that was bullshit. I mean, I went to go have a lot of fun, and I honestly always saw camp more as a way to process the ways in which I grew during the year than a place to do more growing. Not that growing didn’t occur, but the perspective is a bit more difficult to gain in such a concentrated bubble of crazy. Also, my goals for the specific jobs I was doing always felt more like expectations. However, now that I am in a place where, essentially, I feel like I am coming out on the other side of a weird funk, it seems like a good idea to establish what exactly I want out of this year.

In no particular order, except the first, which qualifies all of them:

Treat these goals as a guideline, and not judge myself based on whether or not they are fulfilled.
Make it back to Istanbul
Become somewhat functional in Hebrew
Chip away at either end of the “what I want to do with my life” bell curve. If anything, these past 8 months have taught me that knowing what I want and do not want are essentially the same thing. All I’m looking for is the middle.
Find something I truly love.
Find something I truly hate, suck it up, and do it anyway.
Continue to prove my capability. Regardless of others’ thoughts on this matter, for some reason I still feel the need. This leads me to my next goal.
Get over my perceived lack of ability/qualification/worth based on employment or lack thereof.
Mature in ways I did not know I needed to.
Get a kick-ass internship.
Be good and do good, whatever that could mean, in as many ways as possible.
Accept that sometimes “good enough” is good enough.
Create lasting relationships with the kids on my program and those that I meet along the way.
Dive in. Kick Ass. Take Names (and other necessary contact info).

My Own Tiyulim

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 08:57:00 -0400

Kiryat Shmona - 9/8-9/10

Last weekend I went to visit my friend Jake up in Kiryat Shmona. I have known jake since I was 10, and we have gone to camp together every summer since I started going in 1998. He is doing a program called Israel Pathways, which is similar to mine except they are in Kiryat Shmona the entire time, and they are only here until February.

Once you figure it out, the bus system is remarkably easy to use. We are especially lucky to be living where we are, becuase the Karmi’el central bus station is right across the street. What was even more convenient was that Kiryat Shmona was the absolute last stop! One cannot get further north in Israel… otherwise you’d end up in Lebanon, and that is not a place someone with an Israeli visa would want or be allowed to be.

On Thursday night we went to the bar on Kibbutz Dan, where there was a blues band playing. It was super fun, and I even drunk dialed my house! The lead singer of the band happened to be from the same neighborhood as my mom and knew of my Papa Moe’s hot dog stand, and that was very exciting. For the rest of the weekend, we basically just hung out at the pool and played Chrononauts and Settlers of Catan, which are nerdy games that me and Jake like to play at camp.

It was really nice just to get away from my group. I’m really liking everything I’m doing and everyone I’m with, but it was nice to get away from everyone and recharge.

Akko - 9/16

This Friday we took the morning and spent it at the beach in Akko. What an incredibly perfect day it was. Myself, Davey, Alex, Grace, June, and Sarah hopped an a bus at about 9:30, and it only took about 20 minutes to get to Akko. The bus driver was kind enough to point us in the direction of the beach, which we found with only a few wrong turns. I swam in HaYam HaTichon (The Mediterranean) for the first time, I read a chapter of my book, spent some quality time with friends, and had a delicious picnic! Everybody brought something for everyone to eat, and I brought apples and some stuff from the bakery by the Mercaz Klitah. We had pita and hummus, some dried mango, tomatoes and cucumber, bread pudding from someone’s host family, and a bunch of other stuff. It was just a perfectly relaxed, stress free morning that I’m sure will be repeated many times while we are in Karmiel- at least while its still hot.