Get ready everybody, there are some big surprises in this week’s entry, but I guess they are balanced off with some classic times too…
Apparently each week I am lucky enough to have a visit from back home; Monday morning I went down to breakfast and was greeted by Harry and Dianne Schneider. Our Family has known the Schneiders since before I was born. Nina and I became friends even before I moved back to Cincinnati after living in England, and it’s been so lucky having her on Nativ with me, because we’ve known each other for so long. Since Rachel (Nina’s older sister) just moved to Israel, the Schneiders wanted to take advantage of having both their daughters in Israel at the same time, and are visiting Israel twice this year (once being for thanksgiving/Chanukah). I knew they had just arrived Sunday night, but hadn’t gotten to see them, so it was by chance that we were at breakfast at the same time that morning. Nina had already left for Ulpan when I got there but it was so great to see Harry and Dianne and get such nice hugs to start out the day. That night we also had our usual football game; I was worried I wasn’t going to be very energized since it was soooo cold out, so all I really wanted to do was curl up in a ball and sleep, but once we got on the field, it was a whole other story… WE WON! If you haven’t been following our game situation, the past three games we have lost… badly. But this week we played the little giants, suuure they were younger than us, but we beat them by 6 touchdowns, which felt amaaazing! Even though we know how it feels to lose and had some sympathy for the other team, we couldn’t help but cheer with each touchdown and interception that was made. After the game I got the treat of going out to dinner with the whole Schneider clan. We found this really cute restaurant near Rachel’s apartment, called “The Garden Café”. The restaurant was so quaint, it was all glass walls so you could feel like you were outside in a garden, but still stay warm. I got a delicious hearts of palm salad (it was so big I got to take home leftovers), and spending the night with family friends made for an extra special end to the day. But what made the night even more special was when we all got back to Beit Nativ and the Schnieders took me to their room to give me my winter boots that my parents had sent with them. I was really excited to get my winter boots, and I knew I was getting a few other treats PLUS one of our family’s Chanukah song sheets, so I’d have a bit of family with me during the holiday. But to my surprise there were 4 extra little goodies included in my “package”. Imma had been soooo sneaky, and had included 4 little treats to open during Chanukah so I have s little piece of home during the chag.
The following day seemed like a pretty normal day. I did get to go to the shuk with a few friends, with a mission to get a filet of salmon that my chevruta (one of my study partners at the yeshiva), Evan Ravsky, would make for me for Thanksgiving! Since our whole family is vegetarian, every year of my life, instead turkey, we have salmon. Since I had already had Evan’s amazing salmon, I had asked him if it would be at all possible for him to make me the salmon, and being the great guy that he is, he graciously took on the responsibility with honor. Since Evan had been so busy writing essays to get into rabbinical school, he didn’t have time to get the salmon but gave me perfectly clear directions of where to get salmon in the shuk and what to “order”. Not only did I get salmon but my friends and I discovered a great health food store with a huge variety of delicious dried fruit. I thought that would be my only excitement for that day since I knew our weekly Teusday night Erev Nativ, would just be a discussion/ learning session about Kashrut with our Be’er Sheva group. Little did I know, that night held one of the hugest impacts I would have on this Nativ trip. After our discussion, Yossi Garr, the director of Nativ, turned around a white board with a map of Israel on it, and marked with a few cities including the 3 cities that our 3 tracks would be spending the second semester. With a weird introduction, Yossi broke the news that made all our jaws drop… our group would now be group Karmiel! Instead of Be’er Sheva, our track is going to be the first group on the history of Nativ to be going up north for second semester. Apparently for the past three months the staff of our program have known that the absorption centre we were supposed to stay at in Be’er Sheva got shut down by the Jewish Agency, and have been struggling to find a place for our group to stay, whether in Be’er Sheva or other cities… such as Carmiel. I don’t handle change very well so I was not happy with the news, but after talking/venting with Imma for a while about the change, I took a deep breath and started to look at the positives. Ultimately the city is beautiful and near a lot of nice places, the only downer is that now we are way far away from the 2 other tracks that are based in the south. But because I can’t change the fact that we are going to Carmiel, my biggest issue is getting used to calling our group, group Karmiel, what an Identity Crisis.
After that load of drama, I was lucky enough to have my Wednesday fun-filled and drama free. I spent my lunch break with a nice movie break. One of our staff members, Maya, just made aliyah (became an Israeli citizen), so she was able to get a library card, and is now able to take out 2 movies at a time for free. She told me that she had taken out the movie Hair, and I’d always wanted to see it, so after lunch, Maya, Calah, and I watched the first half of a really cool musical (I had to get to class so well finish it this week). That evening I still went to the Beit Midrash activity where Nativ students can discuss/learn about different Jewish subjects with JTS students. I had my leftover salad from my dinner with the Schneiders (yum) and was ready for discussion. It was such an interesting topic, astrology and how our ancestors used/believed in it while still believing in god. The stories and texts were so fascinating, and I loved hearing different people’s points of view in if they think it has any affect on our lives or not. Immediately after Beit Midrash I had to rush down to JET; even though we have one more class I will have to miss it because I have plans that night to have dinner with a family friend from Cincinnati, so I couldn’t miss my last session. As always JET was fun, mostly because of the people and our really funny teacher, Mark Lazar, and even though it’s over, I had fun during the whole process, and definitely learned a lot that can help me with my work at Northern Hills Synagogue. To sweeten up the night after the ending of JET, I got to go out to Max Brenner ice cream (it’s an extremely popular gelato company in Israel). My friend Aviva’s dad was in town for business and took out a bunch of Aviva’s friends for dessert to meet them. Her dad is so sweet and ice cream is always a special and scrumptious treat. To end the night after a very busy day I was just happy to curl up with my friends, Kayla and Hillary, and watch the newest Glee episode, which was amaaaazing (I might have cried of happiness).
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everyoneenjoyed the yummy ice cream |
When Thursday rolled around, I was more than surprised that it was already Thanksgiving, not only has time flown by but the weather here is still so warm, it definitely did not feel like Thanksgiving day. Some of you may also wonder if Thanksgiving is even celebrated here because it’s an American holiday, and why would we celebrate it if we’re in Israel? Well first of all, most Americans will still celebrate the holiday, and every year Nativ throws a huuuge Thanksgiving dinner and all families and Nativ alumni are invited (but I’ll talk more about the dinner later). But to answer the other question, why would we celebrate thanksgiving in Israel? Not only is at a nice family holiday that is about being thankful, but I think that it is secretly a Jewish holiday too... Another name for thanksgiving is Turkey-day and “turkey” in Hebrew is “hodoo” which also means thanks in Hebrew, which must mean something! Because of the excitement, the morning classes flew by. Everyone gets dressed up for Thanksgiving dinner at Nativ because the night is so special, so I decided to straighten my hair. In the midst of the chaos of everyone getting ready for the evening activities, I was glad that I had a skype date planned for Tamar and me. I was definitely missing being with the family at home on this extremely family-oriented holiday, so seeing Tamar and Imma in the kitchen while the Macy’s thanksgiving day parade played in the background, put me in high spirits. Plus, Tamar and I were able to book our hotel for the night we go to Eilat when she visits me in Israel (it’s sooooo soon!). Even though I was missing the family, that skype session really helped, and when I signed off, I got a call from Evan, my chevruta, who was just around the corner with my salmon(even more home-comfort)! I was so thankful for my salmon and gave Evan a big hug, and it was so sweet because he was so concerned that it would be alright. On my way back from the corner where I got my fish, I saw my friend Aviva, and was so excited, that I showed off my salmon. As we were walking back onto base we passed the kitchen windows (which we usually pass by without noticing) and saw Yossi Garr (the Director of Nativ), Elkhana Cohen (the Assistant-Director of Nativ), and David Keren (the Director of Nativ before Yossi) COOKING/ MASSACRING SOOOO MANY TURKEYS FOR THANKSGIVING DINNER. It was hilarious to see all three of them in aprons and gloves slicing and carving all those turkeys (I tried not to think of them as birds, and put aside my vegetarianism). With that distraction, I had very little time to get dressed, and joined the mad rush of girls in our hall, so we’d be ready by 5:30 for the night’s entertainment. Luckily I managed to be on time, and there was time for photos before the evening. We were then shuffled into the Synagogue on base (Nativers, families, and alumni!) to get treated to an amazing performance by the Nativ accapella group, I was definitely surprised by some people, who I had no idea could sing. Plus there was a small video that three Nativers made that showed clips and moments from our past three months here (I was in it studying at the yeshiva, I’m famous!). Finally it was the main event… dinner! I had my salmon and was ready to go, but Nativ had a little surprise for us at the entrance to the dining hall... letters from our parents! I had e-mails, from Imma and Abba, Leah and Matthew, Tamar, and even my Imma’s friend, Jenny, who has been following my blog. Reading the letters definitely brought a few tears and made me a little sad I wasn’t with my family for the holiday, but mostly the surprise was a very exciting treat for everyone. Dinner was next on the agenda and I made everyone at my table say what they were thankful for, just to throw in one of my family traditions. Surprisingly the food was really good. The salmon was obviously delicious, Evan had used an Asian sauce, and was perfectly cooked. Nativ itself had really good green beans, yams, and even vegetarian stuffing. Needless to say, like any other thanksgiving, I was stuffed to the gills. Even though I was done eating, people were still enjoying talking and I had heard that some Nativ alumni that had been on Tamar’s year were at dinner. JJ, who used to work for Nativ and got close to Tamar when she was on Nativ, introduced me to the 4 people, and having that connection to Tamar was pretty special. After meeting Tamar’s friends, I ran up to my room, to put away my camera before the last of the night’s festivities. As habit, I quickly turned on my computer to check if I had gotten any mail and while I was changing into comfy clothes for the night, my computer started ringing. I got to skype with my family a second time that Thanksgiving. Abba was there too this time which was extra special, and I got to tell them all about my delicious Thanksgiving (even though they hadn’t even had theirs yet!). After the “visit” from the family, it was nice to spend the rest of the night in the auditorium where they were playing all the Thanksgiving episodes from the show “friends”.
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Sam, Tali, and I, all spiffy for the evening |
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Hillary, Ariel, Becca (clad in Nativ American attire) |
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JJ and I |
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Ari and Aaron, before we said what we were thankful for |
I woke up reeeally early (6:30) Friday morning, which is usually my sleep in day, because I hadn’t been feeling well the previous night and stayed up till 2:30, dealing with not feeling well and packing for the Yeshiva Shabbaton (spending Shabbat with a group of people, usually at a different place, like a youth hostel) and I had to go to the doctor. We were supposed to leave at 8:30, but I knew I needed to go to the doctor first. I was really worried I’d either not be allowed to go on the trip, or miss the bus, and I had been looking forward to it since I’d heard about it. Considering I wasn’t feeling well, and I had barely anytime to figure out my transportation, I was very stressed and flustered. Even though this was an awful time to not be feeling well, I got the best turnout for an awful situation. I talked to Rabbi Goldfarb, who is in charge of the Conservative Yeshiva, and basically, after many phone calls, he was able to find me a later ride to the Shabbaton, plus the medicine the doctor gave me made me better by the afternoon! Even though I missed the hike that all the other Yeshiva students got to do, since I arrived later, I wouldn’t have been able to do the hike anyways since I wasn’t feeling 100%, so it worked out perfectly. I got to the youth hostel in time to wait for the rest of the Yeshiva students to return from their hike. Everyone got ready for Shabbat, and the evening went on from there. Kabbalat Shabbat (services to bring in Shabbat) was beautiful (a lot of people in the Yeshiva have nice voices, unlike me). Dinner was adequate taste-wise, but being with all my friends from the Yeshiva for dinner was so much fun, and when people finished they started singing songs. There was a Chumash study session following dinner, but it was only 7:30 and I was already exhausted, and I still wanted to have energy for the Tish (sing songs, eat food, and tell stories, usually relating to the weekly torah reading). Becca (one of my roommates that weekend, fellow Nativer, and friend) and I decided to take a nap before the tish. It was definitely worth it, the singing was so fun, and afterwards I hung out with a bunch of people, bonding was definitely a big plus to the Shabbaton, so it was a fun night.
I didn’t get much sleep, like I usually like to get during Shabbat, because I had stayed up late the previous night hanging out with friends, and still had to get up for services. Even though I was still a little sad that I had missed the hike from the previous day, I was lucky that we were located in the north in Ein Harod in Beit She’an, which had some really cool landmarks, so after services there was an option to go explore/hike to those locations. We got to see Harod’s spring, which was the location of where Harod was able to test the soldiers/eliminate them to a smaller number for god(the story isn’t so clear in my memory but I’m sure it’s on google J). From the spring we hiked up a small mountain that ended out the grave of a huge Zionist, who was a huge cause for the establishment of Israel. Not only were these cool sights, but the view was amaaazing. Even though it was the end of November, the weather was so sunny and gorgeous; the flowers were still in bloom on the trees the sun just makes everything happier. Another mediocre meal followed the hike, and we were given free time in the afternoon to rest, or in my case, play games! Abby Ravsky, Evan’s wife, who I clicked with during Yom Kippur came to the Shabbaton (everyone’s family was invited), and she introduced a big group of us to the card game FLUXX. It’s too complicated to explain, but it’s definitely addicting. We played all afternoon until it was time for an early dinner. We had quick evening prayers and were on the bus by 6:30. Although it was so early, it was so dark out that it felt like it was 8:30, and I was exhausted from my nap-less Shabbat. After getting carsick I enjoyed a “nice” ride back home, and after reuniting with friends after a long weekend, I passed out in my bed, sleep deprived, and realizing how much I needed an American Sunday the next day, instead of classes.
Even though I had school, because of the Shabbaton, we got to come in Sunday a half hour later than usual, which is better than nothing. I was still tired from the weekend, so during our lunch break, I took a nap and got to watch Bones with my friend Zoe (it’s our show). That evening turned out to be really fun too. We had our Carmiel November-Birthday party, and it was dress-like-a-superhero theme! My friend, Debra Goss, dressed up as “catwoman” together, there was also a superman, 2 powder puff girls, and even captain underpants. Seeing everyone’s costumes was a fun surprise, and the food and games added to some group bonding, and just a fun rest of the night.
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Debra and I dressed as cat woman |
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Catwoman surrounded by Powder Puff Girls (Zoe Kronovet and Allie Griff) |
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Roni (my staff) was a troll! |
Elana, this week's blog entry was fun to read. Your Thanksgiving festivities and your Shabbaton sounded wonderful. (And Tali looked cute in your dress.) Your cat woman costume was superb! Loved the hair! Love you! Imma
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