Winter Break Explorations Part 1

Yes I’m still catching up so get ready to hear more about Tamar’s visit and my Winter Break in Israel…

December 31, 2010 – January 8

It had been a week since Tamar had arrived, and though the week had gone by too quickly it had been full of fun and we still had one more Shabbat to enjoy together before she left for America. Since it was Friday, we returned to the shuk (out-door market) one more time and visited Ben-Yehuda street (the center of down town) for some last minute shopping. We got back in time to grab our already-packed bags and head to the bus; we were going to spend Shabbat at our cousin’s apartment in a northern suburb of Jerusalem. When we got to Shira’s apartment we got an awesome surprise, our other cousin Batsheva, and her husband and adorable baby boy, had been able to come spend Shabbat with us too! We had hoped she would come for Shabbat but had never found out if Shira was able to find another apartment for one of us to stay in. Luckily some neighbors had gone out of town for that Shabbos, so we got their apartment and Batsheva got the extra room in Shira and Yitzi’s (her husband) apartment.  It was so sweet they gave us the extra apartment, and it was nice to have our own space together for Tamar’s last bit of time in Israel, though we spent the majority of time in Shira’s apartment. It was awesome being with more family, helping cook in the kitchen and having a relaxing Shabbat, after all the adventure and nonstop movement that past week. After a delicious dinner with yummy soup, salmon, and salads that I helped make, we played some fun bananagrams (a favorite game of mine) and played with Batsheva’s baby, Meir Simcha. Even though it was New Years Eve, in Israel it’s not really celebrated because they celebrate the Jewish New Year instead, which is like a modified lunar calendar. So around 11 we went to bed and Tamar and I enjoyed being together for one last night.

Bat Sheva, Shira, Meir Simchah, Tamar, and I

Saturday morning we woke up to 2011. Tamar says there were fireworks at midnight and she had even had a short conversation about them with me when they went off, but apparently I was sleeptalking because I had no recollection of any of it! Either way, 2011 wasn’t really our focus, I wanted to have the best time with Tamar, as it was her last day in Israel. We helped Shira get ready for lunch while the men were at shul (the center Jews pray in), and after another delicious meal, there was more relaxing, games, and catching up with the cousins. It was another really relaxing Shabbos, which is always needed after such busy  weeks. After Havdallah (ceremony to end Shabbat), we called our family friends, the Weiner family, who live 10 minutes away from our cousins, because we were going to their house for a visit before Tamar’s flight. It couldn’t have worked out any better, because we were so close to them and Tamar had really wanted to see them before she left Israel. Dinner was delicious as it always is with the Wieners but the real treat was seeing everyone. As I’ve mentioned before, we met the Weiner family when we moved to Baltimore and I was just a baby; it worked out well because they have 3 daughters the same ages as my two sisters and I. Since we had talked to them earlier to make these plans, both Michal and Navaa came in for that Shabbat, not to mention Yael was already there. It was especially great for Tamar to get to see Michal and have a chance to catch up, while Yael and I had some fun together.  Plus, a while ago Imma found a letter that Tamar had written Michal when we were still living in Baltimore and the Wieners were in Israel. There was even a picture included in the letter that I drew for Yael! Even though Imma sent it with family friends a while ago, I waited for Tamar’s visit to reveal the long lost letter. The revelation was worth the wait. Being able to share the surprise with Tamar there made the visit with the Weiners even better. Unfortunately we had to get back to finish Tamar’s packing, which meant we only had a few more hours together, but the last visit with the Weiners was a perfect way to end her visit. We got back around 10, but her sheirut (taxi to the airport) wasn’t coming till 2 am, so we got a few more hours to spend together and have final sister bonding. We watched 2 of our favorite movie – Singing in the Rain and Princess Bride- which helped keep us stay awake and let us reminisce on our fun time together. When the taxi/shuttle thing came for the airport, it turned out my friend Aviva was taking the same one, which was nice that they’d both have someone (plus they got to talk a lot so Tamar got to know another one of my good friend’s better). As I gave Tamar a final hug goodbye, I started to cry unexpectedly, and even though I was so sad to see her go, it was definitely an unforgettable visit and the fact that she was able to come at all was amazing

Tamar, Michal, Yeael, and I altogether after 6 years!

Even though I hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before, after staying up late with Tamar, I had to wake up early Sunday morning; we had to move out of our rooms so they could clean them and put us in new rooms for winter break, since most people would be traveling and not be on base. It was also weird being back because break had started Thursday night, but I’d been too busy with Tamar to realize, so a lot of people had already left for vacation and Nativ was pretty empty. By the time I finished rushing around with suitcases and boxes I was pretty worn out but glad to be done with that stress, and I had a great afternoon to look forward to. Since I knew I’d be missing Tamar like crazy, Yael had promised the night before that she’d spend the day with me and go shopping to help distract me. We were able to kill two birds with one stone- cheer me up and find 2 amazing dresses for Yael’s cousin’s Bar Mitzvah! Plus I found an awesome pair of jeans, another bonus to the afternoon. Seeing Yael was fun as always, and it was nice to have a day out on the town. That night Dena Rapaport was also able to stop by. She wanted to comfort me after Tamar’s recent departure, plus she brought me back a few treats from home , including letters from my Imma, Grams, Aunt, and cousins!(she had just been back in Cincinnati for the week). It was great as always to see Dena, just hanging out and sharing stories about Cincinnati and Tamar’s visit. And the goodies from home were an extra comfort.

I decided that after the nonstop moving with Tamar’s visit, which had been like starting winter break a week early, that Monday was a good day to just debrief and take a day off from everything – it was winter break after all. My body really appreciated sleeping in and I spent most of the day relaxing and working on my blog (as you know, I was and still am, very behind on it). After a busy day I was glad to get a call from my friend, Jake Gillis, who was in Israel on a program through his college, he had free time for the afternoon and night. The whole evening went perfectly! I got to see Jake and we walked around Emek Refaim, a cute area with lots of restaurants and shops, and even saw a couple of his friends.  Though Jake had to disappear for dinner with his group, I already had plans for a Sushi dinner date with Dena Rapaport that we had organized the night before. I hadn’t had sushi in far too long and greatly enjoyed me tuna-avocado-carrot- roll, but not nearly as much as the fun time with Dena. My night wasn’t over after dinner though, because Jake had more free time and wanted to meet up again and take advantage of the time that we were both available in Israel. We wound up going to a karaoke bar with some other mutual friends on Nativ; it was definitely a new experience for me, but I was very amused and even got up and sang with Jake for one song (though I let him do most of the singing). It was definitely an experience, but it was nice to have such a packed evening after a boring morning – no matter how relaxing and necessary it was.

It was so great to see Jake

Dena and I had such yummy sushi

Kareoke was a very interesting experience

After enjoying a day of vegging around, I decided one more was in call for my winter break before I started my adventures around Israel. I tried working more on my blog of course, plus I did a looot of research and planning for my trip I wanted to take Sunday and Monday. I even tried to go to the Israel Museum, but after we missed the bus, it was too late to catch the next bus before the museum would close. Instead of the museum I got to cuddle up with a book, before I got to go out to dinner with the Seidenbergs! Alex Freedman married Laura Seidenberg literally the day before I came on Nativ, but since Alex is our cousin we got to meet Laura and her family a few more times before the wedding. Since they were in Israel they invited me out to dinner to the Anna Ticho House. Not only was I excited for the restaurant that I’d heard great things about, but the Seidenbergs are such a warm and loving family and I couldn’t wait to spend the evening with them. Even though Laura’s youngest brother, Adam, couldn’t join us for dinner, he was on his high school Israel trip and staying at Agron, so I had already been able to see him.  I was really excited to see Laura’s sister, Lindsay, and her parents, and the evening wasn’t a letdown.  Not only was my sweet potato soup and Anna Ticho Salad delicious, hearing about the Seidenberg’s visit in Israel was really interesting and made for an awesome dinner.

Wednesday finally arrived and after Tamar’s visit, I was finally going to be doing more travel during winter break. Tali Marcus and I were going to Tel Aviv, and she even got us a place to stay. After taking the bus we arrived to her family friends, Mary and Alberto. They were so cute. Apparently Tali is friends with their grandkids and knows them from Boston, before they made aliyah (moved to Israel).  Mary had plates of fruit salad all set up, and then fed us lunch – she even made a special vegetarian soup just for me!  They were so cute and kept making sure we had enough to eat, plus they had such cool stories about making aliyah to Israel; after lunch they told us how to get to the center of Tel Aviv and when we asked what time we should be back, Mary said, “Any time, your big girls, we trust you”-it was so cute! With Mary’s directions and my newly acquired “knowledge” of Tel Aviv after Tamar’s visit, we made it to Allenbees, which is the road with all the fun and cheap shops near the beach.  It was fun walking around but Tali and I had heard of a gluten-free falafel place from my family friend, Michal Weiner, who has celiac disease, like Tali. We knew it was near Rabin Square, near the Dizengoff mall, so we grabbed a bus and enjoyed some window shopping for a while. Tali was really excited when dinner time arrived. Since she’s celiac she can’t eat falafel because the pita is made of flour, of course, and everywhere else they put flour in the falafel balls. This was Tali’s first falafel since coming to Israel (and since being diagnosed with celiac diseas), and I think the 4 month wait made it even yummier. After such excitement, we found a movie theater in the Dizengoff mall; apparently it only showed “small” films that don’t play in a typical theater but that just made the experience even better. We saw some Woody Allen movie call, “When you meet a Tall Dark Stranger,” and it was definitely off the beaten path. There wasn’t even a real plot or ending to the movie, it was like life, there are no happy or sad endings, it just keeps going on. It was definitely weird and has some funny moments, plus our movie tickets included free ice cream which is where we went to next. With free ice creams in hand, we walked around the Tel Aviv streets window shopping at the higher-end shops that we didn’t get to see on Allenbees and enjoying the nice weather. Even though it was pretty early, Tali and I were exhausted from our travel and walking around all day so by 10 we decided to find a bus to get back to Mary and Alberto’s… which was another tiring adventure in itself. We walked around for an entire HOUR! Apparently the bus that we needed to get back to the apartment didn’t stop on Dizengoff Road so we had to walk all the way to Rabin square to find the right bus stop. Rabin Square is the square where Yitzchak Rabin, one of the best Prime Minister’s of Israel, was shot right after a rally in Tel Aviv in support of his peace-making plans. Yitzchak Rabin was all into making peace, such as with Egypt. Unfortunately not everyone agreed with his treaties and a disgusting extremist shot him just because he opposed Rabin’s ideologies. It was really intense being in the square at night and I decided that “getting lost” had been a blessing in disguise since I got to re-see the square and think about Rabin and Israel.

Tali was really happy with her first bite of falafel!

What an interesting movie....

Free ice cream tickets!

After a great night’s sleep – in a real bed – and a yummy breakfast courtesy of Mary and Alberto, Tali and I headed back to Allenbees for a second round of shopping.   Tali was actually going to meet up with friends from home that were on a different “year abroad” program in Israel, once I returned to Jerusalem that evening. One of her friends, Julia, from junior high was visiting Israel too and had nothing to do all day so we invited her to hang out with us. After walking around the shops on Allenbees – and finding slippers for Tali – we went through the shuk (outdoor market) and bought delicious strawberries and sunglasses for me. After talking with Michal Wiener earlier, she had given us a list of some gluten-free restaurants, including the falafel stand from the night before. We walked and walked in search of “Fresh Kitchen”, but our persistence paid off. The restaurant was really cute and “fresh”; with each dish the menu gave symbols that said if it was vegetarian, vegan, low-cal, etc… and most importantly, Gluten Free! Julia, Tali, and I all really enjoyed our lunches, and I was especially pleased with my Brocoli and Mushroom Pesto Salad – I had really been craving broccoli so it hit the spot just right! After such a filling meal, we all enjoyed a walk along the beach before it was time to head back to Mary and Alberto’s so I could get my stuff and head back to Jerusalem. Though I was exhausted from another day of adventure, it wasn’t over once I got back to Jerusalem… I went straight to the Weiner family to have a sleepover with Yael.  Even though we had planned to stay up all night watching movies, we passed out in front of “Guys and Dolls” by 11o’clock, but spending more quality time with Yael before my move to Karmiel was super fun… not to mention I got an invite to continue my stay through Shabbat, an offer I couldn’t refuse.

Tali, Julie, and I, loved Fresh Kitchen

Though I was staying over a second night for Shabbat, I hadn’t gotten any clothes and still had a few things to take care of that Friday before the evening. It worked out perfectly that Beth had to go to work that morning, so she was able to drop me back at Nativ. After I had showered, unpacked from Tel Aviv, and repacked for Shabbat at the Weiners, it was finally a good time to see Mattan Silberstein, my staff from my summer program two years ago. The summer before my senior year I went on USY’s Eastern Europe / Israel Pilgrimage, where I traveled through Prague, Vilna, and Poland, the first two weeks and then explored Israel for 4 more weeks. Not only was the trip life changing, I made great friends and also bonded with my staff. I was so excited Mattan was in Israel and it worked out so well that neither of us had plans for Friday day. It was so great showing Mattan how much I knew the city and had grown up since Pilgrimage. I showed him my special stands at the shuk (outdoor market) and had fun hearing how his Israel trip had been so far. Seeing Mattan made for a great afternoon and when I got back to Nativ, I had just enough time to get ready before the Weiner’s picked me up for the weekend. We were lucky with the schedule again, as they were able to pick me up on the way to Friday night services. This week was a special Friday night service at their synagogue with special songs to make for an even more joyous welcoming of the Sabbath. From services we went back to the Weiner’s for a delicious dinner –as always, and another fun sleepover with Yael!

Seeing Mattan was great!

Saturday morning was just like I’d hoped. I always have the most relaxing time at the Wiener’s, especially when it’s Shabbat –which always makes for a perfect vacation. Yael and I slept in and then relaxed/talked all morning. After lunch we resumed our “hanging out” time and played Bananagrams. I really didn’t want to go back to Nativ that evening and leave my “restful resort” and fun with Yael, but I knew I had to get back and get ready/pack for the next part of my Winter Break Explorations…

CRAZIEST SCHEDULE EVER! Part 2

Yes, I just posted the last blog entry and am continuing to make up all my late postings, so get ready for more crazy entertainment, there’s a lot…

December 22 – December 30, 2010

Even though the Conservative Yeshiva had started their break, that didn’t mean I was done with classes. Since the other Nativ students still had classes, Nativ wanted to make sure we wouldn’t be jealous so they created a special “Nativ Week” at the yeshiva with special classes just for us… how considerate :/ . Even though it would have been nice to have a break like all the other students, I was really excited for one of the particular classes they had lined up for us that Wednesday. Rev Shmuel is the Rosh Yeshiva (head Rabbi at the Yeshiva), and through listening to his many Thursday sichot (lessons/speeches), us Nativ students have been able to piece together different parts of his life, which seemed extremely interesting. The class that afternoon was “Questions with Rev Shmuel”, in which we could ask the Rabbi any questions we had. Of course the question from both Sean and I was to find out more about Rev Shmuel’s life, that led to him being the head Rabbi of the Conservative Yeshiva. The question was well worth it. Rev Shmuel told us about how he was raised in a Conservative Jewish family, but after high school he moved to Israel instead of college and joined the Charedi (ultra religious) community for 12 years to study at Charedi Yeshivas. Throughout his time studying he always felt like something was missing. He wanted to study more than what the Yeshivas were offering and eventually realized the Charedi community wasn’t for him. Of course there were a lot more stories and events that led to his role in Judaism now, at some points it even brought tears to his eyes, I was so glad we had the chance to hear his life story. The day continued with more interesting Jewish discussion; we were having our last Beit Midrash session that night, where JTS students come to Nativ to lead classes about Judaism for any Nativ students who are interested. For our last session the girls and boys were separated and we had a discussion about our feelings on women’s role is in Judaism. I loved hearing everyone’s views but I was also sad that it was our last program for the trip; I had found it so interesting studying with other Nativ students, not just at the Conservative Yeshiva.

The next morning I woke up extremely excited. Tamar was coming that night (well technically the next morning but she was technically supposed to land at 3 in the morning). Even though all I could think about was Tamar, on all her flights and long layover in Poland, I still had a full day ahead of me. We had a day off at the Yeshiva that Thursday, so I figured I’d take advantage of the free time by exploring Jerusalem. That morning after breakfast, my friend Sean and I went to the Underground Prisoner’s Museum he’d heard about. I had never of this museum, so I was especially excited to explore a place I knew nothing about. The second we arrived I knew this wasn’t going to be like a typical museum, considering we had to wait for a guard to electronically open the “jail” gate for us. Basically the “museum” is held in what originally was a Russian women’s hostile, and was later converted into the central prison by the British mandate in 1918-1948. It was so interesting learning that the prison was not only used for basic criminals, but for hundreds of Jewish underground fighters (members of Haganah, Irgun and Lechi), who were fighting against the British mandate to free the land of Israel and establish it as the Jewish State. I didn’t even know such organizations were going on, and even during the Holocaust and World War II. I learned so much and all the rooms were set up like how they would have been for the prisoners, the videos were even surprisingly good. I was so glad I had spent my morning taking advantage of Jerusalem; I had fun and learned so much. When I got back, I realized I should probably get ready for Tamar, so it was time for me to do laundry and get the room ready for her visit. By the time I had cleaned everything, it was time for dinner. As I’ve mentioned before, Paula Sass, a friend I met in USY, was studying at the Hebrew University this semester; my friend, Ben Roth, and I are both friends with Paula, and since she’d be going back to America soon, she had us over for dinner to bid goodbye. It was so exciting to see her and her apartment, plus helping with dinner was a bonus. I miss helping Imma cook at home, so chopping and stirring the stir-fry helped make it even tastier. After a delightful evening, I had more fun just hanging out with friends, and even though it was already midnight, I was too excited about Tamar’s arrival so I watched the movie, “Easy A”… at 12 am. Halfway through the movie I was greatly surprised by a knock on my door… it was my good friend Jake Gillis, all the way from Pittsburgh. I know Jake from USY and was so excited when I found out he was coming to Israel on a college program for a couple of weeks. I had tried to see Jake earlier that day but his schedule went later than expected, so he surprised me by showing up unannounced, the second he got free time. I was sooo shocked to see Jake and tremendously excited. Even though I was exhausted, I hung out with Jake for a bit to hear how his trip was going, and promised I’d see him again, but it was time for me to sleep. I said goodnight and kicked out all my friends from my room once they finished the movie. I fell asleep, ready to wake up to a call in the middle of the night from Tamar, and at 5:30 I woke up to a voice I’d been waiting to hear for quite some time. Even though Tamar’s plane had been delayed, she had finally landed and was catching a Sheirut (giant taxi used for the airport that stops at many cities, but is cheaper than a private taxi) that minute. She said shed call when she was at the gate, so I went back to sleep, though it was hard because of my excitement.

Sean looking at newspaper articles about the underground Jewish fighters

I got to go inside a tank!

Just an hour later, at 6:30 am Friday morning, I was at the gate of Agron, helping Tamar inside with her suitcase, after many many hugs of course. Of course we were both so tired, so we talked and talked till we fell asleep. I woke up at 8:30, got myself breakfast (and brought some back for Tamar, when she woke up), and after I showered, it was time for Tamar and I to start our day. After working out many plans for our exciting week-and-a-half together, we headed out for the Jerusalem arts fair and shuk (outdoor market) for an easy day after all the traveling. It was exciting for Tamar to first of all just see Jerusalem after FOUR years! Apparently, a lot has changed, and yet a lot has stayed the same. It was nice just walking around the city with Tamar, checking out the beautiful pottery and jewelry, etc. at the arts fair. From the fair we walked to the shuk, which is always busy and a big highlight of Jerusalem. Tamar and I even ran into Jason Mellman, a friend from Cincinnati who had moved to Israel this year. If that weren’t a crazy enough surprise, just as Tamar and I were choosing which scarves to buy at the shuk, I saw my Chevruta, Evan Ravski, and his wife Abby. I was so excited to get to introduce them to my sister; I guess the shuk isn’t just great for shopping, it’s a great place to see people too. After the adventurous morning, Tamar and I still had to pack overnight bags because we were spending Shabbat with Alex and Laura Freedman. We arrived at the Freedman’s and there were even more hugs, but then we got ready for Shabbat so we could make it for services at a shul Laura and Alex like to go to. Clali, the name of this shul, is known for its famous “Lecha Dodi”, a song sung during the service that welcomes in Shabbat. The services are mostly silent and not very exciting but when the congregation sings Lecha Dodi, they use a beautiful tune that makes their shul well-known. Unfortunately for Tamar, her jetlag hit in only for that song, and she couldn’t keep her eyes open during it, which was very ironic.  After services, all four of us enjoyed a relaxing and DELICOUS Shabbat Dinner. I loved spending Shabbat with Tamar, and of course the Freedmans; I especially loved how natural it was to be right back with Tamar, it made my Shabbat amazing. After having such fun talking (and eating), not only was Tamar exhausted, but so was I and we passed out by 9:45.

what a surprise to see Jason at the shuk

Spending Shabbat with Alex and Laura is always fun

After 11 hours of sleep, it was time to get up for synagogue, though Tamar and I both could have both slept longer after the little sleep the night before. It was surreal waking up next to Tamar, she was finally hear in Israel with me! After services at Shira Chadasha, we came back with Alex and Laura, and Nina Schneider too. Since we were staying with the Freedmans, they said I could invite a few friends over for Shabbat lunch so Tamar could meet them too. Since we know Nina from home, this was a great time for Tamar to get to see and spend time with her. My friends Tali Marcus and Aviva Pollack were supposed to come too, they just weren’t meeting us at Shira Chadasha. Tali arrived for lunch right on time, but Aviva wasn’t there. Tali had thought Aviva left before her so she came by herself but after waiting another half hour, we decided to start without Aviva and hope she’d show up eventually and hadn’t gotten lost (apparently she hadn’t printed out the directions before Shabbat and couldn’t never found Tali, but she was able to see Tamar later which was nice). It was still a fun lunch being with my friends and family, especially Tamar. And after Shabbat was over Tamar and I gave big hugs goodbye to Alex and Laura and hoped to see them once more during Tamar’s visit.  Tamar and I came got back with just enough time to get ready for the evening’s awaiting festivities. Last month the girls from our group, Karmiel, got together for brunch and some Karmiel-girl bonding- and had a blast. So another girl coordinated a dessert night for our group’s girls for more bonding. Of course Tamar was more than welcome, and, even though hanging out with a bunch of 18-year-old girls wasn’t at the top of her-to-do-list, she came along in great spirits, plus I was excited for the chance of her meeting a big group of my friends. We had made reservations for this cute restaurant called “Little Italy”, planning to get desserts; unfortunately after they realized all 17 of us were only ordering desserts, they kicked us out! None of us realized how much of an issue it would be that we weren’t ordering real dinners, but apparently the manager didn’t want to waste their seats on a group of girls who wouldn’t be spending more money than just desserts. We were pretty lucky that just down the road was “Cup o’ Joe”, sure it wasn’t as fancy as little Italy, but they took in our whole group, and the atmosphere was really welcoming. Tamar and I decided we actually needed some dinner since we had been in such a rush and had run out of time to have any. We shared a delicious Haloumi cheese salad. The Haloumi was cooked in this delicious Asian sauce, needless to say, we were both left very full. After dinner Tamar and I got to hang out with one of my friends Allie Griff for a while, and I was glad Tamar was able to get to meet another friend on a closer level. That night Tamar and I moved into Dan Brenner’s apartment and watched a movie in bed, which put me to sleep while Tamar knitted my scarf.

My Karmiel girls and I

It was great that Tamar got to meet some of my friends

The next morning it was the start of a normal week in Jerusalem, including more “Nativ Week” classes at the Yeshiva. The director of Nativ and the director of the Yeshiva both exempted me from most of my classes so I could spend time with Tamar, but I wanted her to come to at least one of my classes – I thought she’d find it interesting and it would be nice for her to be with all my Yeshiva friends. I decided on the class that my Talmud teacher would be teaching that week, since he had taught me the most classes and was one of my favorite teachers. The class was on being a “sofer” (scribe for holy Jewish documents: Torah, Mezuzahs, and Tefillin). We learned about the specific materials and calligraphy used to make these holy documents and even got to practice the special calligraphy with ink and special quill tips. After introducing Tamar to my Yeshiva-world, we had to grab a quick lunch. We wanted to go to the museum Yad-Vashem and have enough time to “take in” the exhibit. It was no question that lunch would be Moshiko’s- the best falafel in Jerusalem, from even before Tamar was on Nativ. After eating such a delicious and quick lunch, it was a perfect “dessert” for Tamar to run into a friend she hadn’t even known was in Israel – because that kind of thing ALWAYS happens whenever you come to Israel; you’ll be in this far of country and see EVERYONE you know. Since Tamar had co-oped in Australia 2 years ago, she had rented a guest house from a family who she became close with, and of all the people to run into, she got to see Tali, their daughter. Tamar was so excited to see someone she knew, especially because of how random it was! Though they both wanted to stay and catch up more, Tamar and I still had plans to go to Yad Vashem. Yad Vashem is this Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem that leaves me speechless.  Even though I had been to Yad Vashem just 2 summers ago, the exhibit was just as jaw-dropping as ever. The architecture really works with your emotions, and the path led out is truly spectacular. As you are led through the journey of the Holocaust from start to end, you learn something new with each visit, and can watch movies and read facts that touch your heart. I highly recommend it to anyone who comes to Israel. After that emotionally draining experience, Tamar and I stopped by Har (Hebrew for Mount) Herzle to see the grave of Theodor Herzl, the founding father of Israel. We didn’t stay long though because we wanted to get back so we could get dressed for our fancy dinner to come. Most people in America have probably heard of groupons, where you can buy coupons online for amazing deals but they only work if a certain quota of that coupon is purchased. I was able to find something very similar in Jerusalem, called groupbuy; when I got an email giving a great deal for some fancy restaurant, it was around the time Tamar and I were making plans for her visit and I thought it would be a cute treat for us to go there. The restaurant was called, “Polly’s”, and though it was a little difficult to find at first, it was well worth the hunt. The restaurant had a pretty “outdoorsy” feel, inside. It was fancy with cloth table cloths and napkins, and the food was delicious. I got a tuna steak, because I hadn’t had one since before I came on Nativ and missed it a lot. Tamar got a goat cheese salad with pesto and seame-toasted-goat cheese on crackers and covered in grilled vegetables –we shared and had a fun and fancy evening together, I was very proud of that groupbuy purchase

Tamar saw Tali from Australia

Yad Vashem's architechture is so impressive

After going to bed with full stomachs, we woke to an adventurous day that awaited us; the day before Tamar and I had spontaneously decided to go to Tel Aviv on Monday. Since Tamar’s visit only had Jerusalem and Eilat in-store, she thought it would be nice to visit another city. Not only did the spontaneous day hold promise, even the bus ride was fun. This past summer the family visited Leah and Matthew, where we all went to Northern California for vacation… and listened to the book, “Percy Jackson”, on tape. What else could make an hour long bus ride fun other than more “Percy Jackson”, so Tamar and I had a nostalgic start to the day with the action packed children’s story. After listening to such adventure, we faced some of our own as we got off the bus in the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station – neither of us knew which bus to take from the station! We had both assumed the other knew what to do once we got there, but alas we stood lost in the station. Luckily, we had already planned to call our friend, Michal Wiener, to see if we’d be able to see her in Tel Aviv that day, so we just called her from the bus station – even though she couldn’t see us, she did give us directions to the shopping area/beach so we’d be set for the day. When we finally got to Allenbee – the road with all the cheap shops that leads to the shuk (outdoor market) and beach, we realized our jackets were extremely unnecessary, it was in the high 70’s! The weather was gorgeous and it was time for shopping! It was mostly just fun walking around and looking at aaall the shops, but when it came for lunch time we went to this road where they host the famous art’s fair on Tuesdays and Fridays. It’s so cute with little café’s, tooons of fabric shops, and some boutiques too. Lunch was fun in the sun with my fresh salad and Tamar’s quiche. We got to sit down at a cute café’ outdoors and soak up vitamin D that Tamar’s had been missing a lot this winter in Minneapolis. Of course, after lunch, we needed to help our food digest by… doing more shopping! It was a good thing we went, we were able to find Tamar a really cute dress (that she could wear in the hot Tel Aviv weather) and a winter hat for me. The rest of the afternoon called for more sun time… on the beach! We even found someone willing to take cute sister photos, and enjoyed listening to more Percy Jackson, and reading our own books. We even got a little color on our cheeks (who knew we’d need sunscreen in the winter?). It was definitely a disappointing shock to get off the bus in Jerusalem and have the harsh weather hit us after such a “summery” day, but it made us appreciate our spontaneous trip even more.

Tamar and I had so much fun together on the beach



You always need at keast one jumping picture...

Since my official Nativ Winter Break hadn’t officially started, even though Tamar was visiting, I felt like I should go to at least one more class at the Yeshiva, even though I was excused. It was good we had had such a busy and tiring day in Tel Aviv because Tamar didn’t mind sleeping in while I went to my morning class, and I was really glad to see all my Yeshiva friends together one more time.  When I finished with class I met up with Tamar in my room so she could shower and we could start our day in The Old City of Jerusalem. The Old City of Jerusalem is the original “Jerusalem” that holds all of the ancestral history that has led to Judaism today. The entire Old City is enclosed in a huge and beautiful stone wall with 4 gateway entrances and inside there is David’s citadel, The Kotel (Western Wall), the Dome of the Rock, and tons of other Religiously important sights, not just to Jews. Since there is so much to see and it’s really important to see with each visit to Israel, Tamar and I designated our whole afternoon to touring it. Luckily it’s literally a ten-minute walk from where I live (we have an amazing location!). To get to the Kotel – which was THE key sight on our list! – we walked through the Arab shuk (market); they sell tons of little items, jewelry, scarves, shoes, everything! There’s always shouting and bartering and it’s so much fun, the chaos is a part of the experience. We took some turns through the shuk and wound up at our desired destination – The Kotel! We both were able to pray and it was extra special for Tamar, after not being there in 4 years. From the Kotel we had to pick up a quick lunch – falafel is great to eat on the go J - because we had heard about a free tour of the old city and we didn’t want to miss it. The tour was definitely not what we expected but it was very interesting. The tour wasn’t a religious tour at all, but much more diplomatic. Even though all the facts were right, it was still weird to hear about our holy sites without any emphasis on Judaism, but since I already knew all the Jewish facts, it was definitely interesting to hear all the other stories and it was nice to be taken around the city and see things we hadn’t yet gotten to see. After the Kotel part of the tour we left the group, we wanted to get back to Nativ base so Tamar could see JJ. I’ve mentioned JJ before, he used to work for Nativ, and though he doesn’t anymore, he led our 6 “Jerusalem Tours” at the beginning of Nativ. When he worked for Nativ, Tamar and he got extremely close and he was definitely a person that was top on our list of people to see. Even though Tamar and he didn’t get tons of time together, Tamar was really glad she had gotten the time to catch up on life and just see him. The rest of the night worked out well with both mine and Tamar’s schedule. While I had my usual mandatory Tuesday evening activity with Nativ –I got to make homemade hot chocolate by stirring chocolate into milk on a stove top, yummm J - some of Tamar’s friends had come in from Tel Aviv for a friend’s bachelor party and she was able to grab a coffee and catch up with them before the party. The whole day went accordingly, even when I had Nativ commitments, and we went to bed as early as possible, knowing we had an early wakeup call and long bus ride ahead of us.

The Arab Shuk and all it's craziness

Tamar finally made it to the Kotel

Tamar and I before the tour

Wednesday finally arrived… very early in the morning! Tamar and I got up at 5:15 in the morning so we could catch a city bus to take us to the Central Bus Station for our 5-hour bus ride to Eilat. Luckily our tickets worked and we made it on the bus and left on time for the south! Halfway through the bus ride we got an extra bonus to the trip… Sarah Ganson, a family friend from Cincinnati, got on the bus, it was so surprising to see Sarah, especially because a bus to Eilat is pretty random and small, but it was definitely an awesome surprise. We told Sarah how we had planned the trip to Eilat becuase we thought it would be a typical winter in Jerusalem (cold, wet and very rainy), and so we had planned to at least have 2 days of warmth in the southern most city of Israel , Eilat. Yet irony was on our side… we arrived to a very cloudy and wet Eilat. Even though weather in Jerusalem had been surprisingly gorgeous and warm, not to mention our extremely hot and sunny day in Tel Aviv, we were still looking forward to a day on the beach and maybe even snorkeling with dolphins. But alas the weather did not seem to correlate with our plans. From the bus station we checked in at our hotel, which was a nice treat for us both, but we were still in a disappointed mood about the weather. Rather than sit inside and mope, we decided to head to the center of town (in the few layers we had). We walked around and browsed at all the cute kiosk shops, and had a really nice lunch with a view of the deserted beach. We even came across a cute little art gallery and after looking at the paintings and sculptures, we walked outside to SUN! It wasn’t much but it brightened our mood, and we sat in a park, soaked in as much sun as we could and listened to our favorite Percy Jackson. Once the sun started to fade we walked back to the hotel, and even though our outlook on the Eilat trip had gotten a bit better, after talking with Imma our moods were much better. Mommies make everything better, and Imma reassured us that it was actually kind of funny, and even though we couldn’t really enjoy the beach or dolphins, we had each other and to just make the best of it… which is what we did J. After laughing at our ironic situation we relaxed in the hotel room and got to watch Matilda which was playing on the tv. Then we went out for a yummy dinner right next to the hotel and even sat outside - it was surprisingly warm enough. The rest of the night we spent together in our hotel room, having fun watching Sister Act and another movie with the actress from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and doing crossword puzzles.

It was so funny to run into Sarah on the bus

Tamar and I enjoying the burst of sun outside of the art gallery

 We woke up the next morning to actual rain, which we couldn’t do anything but laugh at. Plus rain is important in Israel, so at least Israel was getting some, especially in the south! Since swimming with the dolphins was out of the question, we planned to spend most of our day at the underwater observatory. The Underwater Observatory is a very popular sight in Eilat, it’s basically an aquarium, but there’s a whole observatory underwater too, where you can see all the fish and coral in the Red Sea. Tamar and I had lots of fun; we took lots of fun pictures with all the sea-creature-statues and found all the exhibits beautiful. We even got to see them feed the sharks in the shark tank! We had a beautiful view of the sea while we had our lunch. Plus they had just installed this new movie/ride called Oceanarium. Even though the story line was a little silly, it was another fun activity, especially since the seats moved, and it took up time- and we had aaall day since we couldn’t really relax on the beach haha. We made it back to town with time to walk around and shop some more. Tamar and I got matching scarves and each got a couple of necklaces; Tamar even bought me a purse to thank me for all the time I took off from my friends and all the planning I had done – it wasn’t necessary but I had been looking for a purse like this for all of Tamar’s visit and the surprise was extremely appreciated! We made it back to the hotel with just enough time to do another crossword puzzle and make it back to the bus station to catch the bus back to Jerusalem. That night I had to pack up my room because they wanted us packed for our move to Karmiel before winter break started. Tamar was able to pack up her suitcase too, since she’d be leaving right after Shabbat L, and we fell asleep exhausted from Eilat and packing.

There were camels outside of the observatory!

Tamar and I with a giant turtle head

cold but enjoying the view

CRAZIEST SCHEDULE EVER! Part 1

As you can tell from my blog entry title, I’ve been crazy busy and unfortunately, even thought the craziness has all been fun, I got REEEEALLY behind on my blog entries, so frommy last entry till now will be broken up into 3 or 4 segments that I’ll keep writing. Sorry theyr’e so late, but I promise theyr’e worth reading.

December 14 – 21, 2010

So most of you already know, but Thursday, December 16, was my 19^th Birthday!..., but the celebrations definitely began and lasted longer than just one day! I had one of my best birthdays ever, here in Israel and I can’t wait to tell you all, all about it.

If I had thought my week would be like Tuesday, I would have been greatly deceived. Tuesday was a pretty relaxing day with not much on the schedule. My friend, Zoe, and I always watch this show, Bones, together- but this week was special, it was the last episode for two months. The ending was so suspenseful and now I won’t have a new show to entertain me for quite some time. That evening I was entertained with a very different kind of motion picture. Like every Tuesday night, we had our weekly Erev Nativ meeting and this time, we got to see a movie/documentary on how homosexuals are treated and perceived in the Orthodox Jewish movement. The movie evoked so many different emotions- frustration, sympathy, confusion, hope, etc… The movie documented certain homosexuals, both gays and lesbians, who came from the orthodox movement and how they dealt with their religious dilemma. The majority of the orthodox movement believes it is a sin to be homosexual, it made me so frustrated to see Jews pushed away from their communities, families, and religion because of something they can’t control. Halfway through the movie we were divided into groups to discuss and reflect on the movie and homosexuality within Judaism. It was so interesting to hear peoples’ thoughts on the topic at hand. I definitely left with a new understanding on Judaism but also felt reaffirmed in some of my other beliefs.

I woke up the next morning excited for the evening that awaited me. Even though my birthday was still a day away (Thursday), a lot of my friends were in a program called B’yachad, which trains them to be better counselors for Jewish sleepover camps, so I was going out that night to celebrate my birthday with them since they would be leaving Thursday for a B’yachad overnight seminar. I was a little nervous if my friends would want to celebrate my birthday with me early, but they were more than excited and wanted to make sure my birthday would be extra special. Two of my friends, Aviva and Hilary, even asked me to tell them a list of people I wanted to celebrate with so that I wouldn’t have to worry about finding everyone to invite. After much thought of where I wanted to go out wednesday night for dessert, I was accompanied by 14 of my friends to the infamous Waffle Bar. The Waffle Bar is this pretty famous/popular restaurant in Israel, where they serve, waffles, of course, except these are no ordinary waffles! They are huge Belgian waffles decked out in crazy toppings and ice creams, like caramelized apples and chocolates sauces and more! I was already having fun just being with my friends walking to the restaurant, but picking out my waffles was a treat in itself. Since the waffles are so huge, my friend Tali Mandelkern and I decided to share one and when we heard the special of the week had bananas, strawberries, cream, and 3 different chocolate sauces, there was no turning back. When the waffles came out everyone’s looked delicious, but mine didn’t just look delicious, it looked… SPARKLY! Apparently, after we all placed our orders, my friend, Becca Steiner, told the waitress it was my birthday, so when they brought out my waffle, it came out with sparklers! Not to mention they made the waffle extra special by making a heart out of the bananas and pretty designs with the sauces! I felt so special, especially when they sung me happy birthday in English and Hebrew. Of course my waffle didn’t just look beautiful; it tasted decadent and was definitely a birthday treat. Plus when it came time to pay, no one would let me pay for my part of the bill, which made me feel extra special. I got back to my room at around 11:45. My Birthday still hadn’t even happened and it was already amazing. Then when I opened my door, things got even better… My roommate Rotem hadn’t been able to come out and celebrate with me at The Waffle Bar, so instead she surprised me with a scrumptious tiramisu from Roladin Bakery AND a perfume that had a surprisingly decadent aroma – it’s always hard to pick out  perfumes for someone else. Then Allie, who had celebrated with me at Waflle Bar, came in to my room for my last few minutes as an 18 year old, and when the clock struck 12 , not only did Allie and Rotem start dancing around me, my phone rang! I flipped open my phone to hear “Happy Birthday” being sung to me by a bunch of my friends who hadn’t been able to go out to the Waffle Bar. I felt so special, and the fact that my friend Aaron Gillman, had been able to get everyone together and call at exactly midnight made me feel so special. Then, just a half hour later, a got another special call… from my Imma! She was driving on her way back from an art show in Baltimore and realized that, because of the time difference, I had already turned 19. My birthday had barely started but I could tell that this year, as a 19 year old, was going to be superb!

I couldn't wipe the smile off my face!

So many friends to celebrate with :)

Rotem was so sweet, that Tiramisu was delish!

I woke the next morning, as a 19 year old, still excited from the previous evening’s celebrations, but still had Yeshiva ahead of me – life never stops, even for my birthday. Even though I had class on my birthday, it was nice to see all my friends at Yeshiva, as they kept wishing me a Happy Birthday. My Talmud class even sang me happy birthday. Since it was Thursday, we had a half day of classes, as always, but that gave me the afternoon off. I thought the best way to spend my birthday afternoon was shopping, of course – something I always love! My friends, Zoe and Ariel came with me while we looked around browsed, and I bought 2 rings with birthday money from my Bubbe and Zayde. I’ve always liked the rings from this one person who makes them downtown, and finally decided, I was going to start wearing rings and this would be the best way to do it! I also bought myself a skirt as a birthday treat to myself, and came back, exhausted from shopping. Yet again, I was surprised by my roommate; Rotem’s mom was in town so she left to Tel Aviv with her before I got back, but when I walked into the empty room, Rotem had more birthday surprises for me! She had bought me beautiful flowers and fun birthday balloons tied to the bed (as if the tiramisu and perfume weren’t enough!). Then I was given another great present – football practice was cancelled (not because of my birthday though). Even though I love football it was nice to have the night off so I could plan with all my friends who had not gone on B’yachad, what we could do for my birthday that night. Since it was still Hamshushalayim (free and discounted events for the first three weekends of December), we decided to go to the Israel Time Machine, since it was discounted 50% off. And as I left my room to spend the evening with friends, I was faced with a huge “Happy Birthday” sign hanging above my door! My friend, Aviva Pollack, was still determined to make my birthday amazing, even without all of my friends, it was perfect. The time machine was fun; it was basically a movie with moving chairs that took us through a history of Israel from ancient times till now.  My Birthday was amazing, even though I wasn’t at home with family, I had one of my best birthdays ever because I was with my Nativ family, they made me feel so special with all their surprises and attention!

Tali got me a crazy birthday hat like the one I got her, even though she still had to go to B'yachad!

beautiful flowers from Rotem

we were all ready for the Time Machine!

The Birthday sign was such a surprise!

Even though I spent all night with friends, at the Time Machine and just hanging out, I made sure I woke up at 7 the following morning because, it was Imma’s Birthday and I wanted to call her at midnight her time like she did for me! It’s always funny for people to find out that my birthday is the day before my Imma’s, but it makes it easy to remember, and I like to joke that I was an early birthday present when I was born. I think Imma was happy that I woke up early my time just to acknowledge what was the start of her special day. Since it was Friday, I didn’t have any class so I decided to take a chill day, and the weather outside was gorgeous. I couldn’t let a day like that go to waste, so at 12 30, my friend Zoe and I went to the park across the street to read and enjoy the weather. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, and I was staying at Nativ for Shabbat, so I was looking forward to relax that weekend in my room and with my friends from Nativ.  I got an extra bonus that Shabbat by choosing to stay on base becuase Alex and Laura Freedman were eating at Agron (the hostel Nativ lives inand eats at for the first semester) for Shabbat dinner too. Alex is studying at JTS Rabbinical School which is why he is in Israel for the year. His program was having a special Shabbat dinner for all the students in Israel, which they decided to have at Agron. Even though his group was separated from mine for Shabbat dinner, it was nice to get a Shabbos hug, and after they finished dinner they were able to talk a bit before going home.

Like every Saturday morning, I woke up very tired from the entire week. My body was in “Shabbat” mode and knew I could finally rest, and as part of the routine, I always want to go back to sleep, but this Shabbat I made myself get out of bed and go to synagogue, and I’m so glad I did. I had not been able to go to Kedem, a shul that I enjoy a lot because of the service and small-community-feeling, because I had been sick, had closed Shabbats with Nativ, and travelled. But when Allie Griff and I walked into the shul, it was as if I had never been away. So many of the members at Kedem study at the Conservative Yeshiva with me, so I’m always welcomed with “Shabbat Shalom”s from all my friends, I’m a true part of the community. I also love the singing and really feel revitalized when I pray there.  I was so happy that I had pushed myself out of bed; it was a great way to start the morning. After Kedem, Allie and I met up with a bunch of other Nativers because we had all been invited to Paul Freedman’s house for Shabbat lunch. Paul Freedman is the founder of Nativ and everyone that visits Israel over the summer through a USY (United Synagogue Youth group) trip visits his home. Paul and his wife, Nina, are a really cute old couple that love to be with the Jewish teens. When the summer programs visit their apartment (which is literally right across the street from Nativ), they are all treated to the infamous surprise that I was hoping to be treated to again. Nina sings Menucha VeSimcha to a special tune that has been passed down through her family for generations. Nina sings her song with her unique voice, which makes the experience extra memorable; and as we repeat each line after her, she has us make promises to sing the song to our families and in the shower and on the plane, etc. Luckily enough, we were given the same pleasure once again at Shabbos lunch, which put a big smile on everyone’s faces, but that could have also been from the massive amounts of delicious food we were served. After such a filling lunch and busy morning, it was time for my Shabbos nap so I’d have energy for the rest of the night. The nap worked well and that night I was able to meet up with Dena Rapapport the night before her trip back home to visit Cincinnati. It was great seeing Dena, as always, plus she was able to take home a few things that I realized I didn’t need to have in Israel anymore, which will help when I’m packing to return home. Afterwards I stopped by a friend from yeshiva’s apartment to help celebrate Evan Ravski’s acceptance into JTS Rabbinical School. As I’ve mentioned before, Evan is one of my chevruta’s (study partner) at Yeshiva, and I was very proud of him!

Evan and I

After such a crazy week and weekend I was glad that Sunday was pretty uneventful. I did lead Shacharit (morning services) for my very first time ever! It was a big accomplishment for me because I’ve never had the confidence, but after practicing a few times with my madrich (counselor), I was able to do it! Everyone said I did well, and I want to continue leading, so I don’t forget how. Other than hanging with friends I didn’t do much else. But I did have fun skyping with both Tamar and Leah (separately), it was a delight  to have some sister time.

Monday was a day of goodbyes. Tuesday would be the last day of normal classes at the Conservative Yeshiva with all the students, because then the Yeshiva has winter break. Even though Monday wasn’t the very last day, it was the last day for my Talmud class. I have that class four times a week (the others I have only once or twice a week), so it’s become very special and important to me. My teacher, Rabbi Hillel, and my fellow students have taught me so much and I think this class helped me truly begin my process in understanding how to study the Torah. Even though I was really sad for it to end, since the Nativ students wouldn’t be returning to class second semester, the non-Nativers told us how much they would miss us and how much we added to the class, which made me feel proud and important. That evening we had another football game, unfortunately though, we didn’t win. Luckily we didn’t have a loss like we did with our first couple games; we only lost by a touchdown, which is an improvement. After the game I ran over to Dan Brenner’s apartment. Dan is a classmate from Yeshiva and he was going back home to America for his winter break from Yeshiva. Since he was going to be gone when my sister, Tamar, was coming to visit me (J) he offered us his apartment for us to stay at when we stayed in Jerusalem!! This was just another example of how great of a community I’ve made at the Yeshiva (no wonder I’ll miss it so much). I went over that night to meet his roommates, get a tour of the apartment, and get a key - not to mention, get really excited for Tamar’s visit! It was good to get so excited because it reenergized me after our football game, and I still wasn’t done with my evening. Like I said, Monday was a day for goodbyes, and Tamar, Sean, Joel, Becca, and I were all going out with our friend Viki from Yeshiva to say our goodbyes. Viki is only a year older than the Nativers, and some of us have gotten very close to her and hang out with her outside of class.  It was sad to say goodbye, but we had a great time reminiscing and telling funny stories from all the times we’d shared, in and outside of class.

After the day of goodbyes I thought I’d be prepared for the last day of Yeshiva, but it was still hard to face the truth that I was really done studying with all my friends in an environment that I’d probably never have a chance to study in again. I definitely took pictures and luckily I plan on visiting the Yeshiva a couple times during my second semester, so the goodbyes weren’t completely final. Since it was also the last day, we got out of class early, which gave me a chance to skype with Imma … but she wasn’t the only one waiting for me in Cincinnati. My Grams, Auntie Mara, and cousins, Ariel, Sarah, and Dayna, had just arrived in Cincinnati the night before so I got to skype with them too! It was so funny to see them in my kitchen, but it made me sad that I couldn’t be there with them. I love family visits, but I made sure they said hi to my room for me and just seeing everyone cheered me up a bit after goodbyes at the Yeshiva. That night was Erev Nativ, as usual, and we got to see the Nativ promotional video for the USY International Convention. After all the filming we’d done it was cool to see all the scenes put together. I was actually very impressed, it was funny and tastefully cheesy, plus it was cool to see myself as a star (just joking). After the movie the real fun began. We broke off into our tracks, to do some more activities for the evening, and my Karmiel group was lucky enough to get to bake cookies! But it wasn’t so simple… We were divided into groups; within our groups each person was assigned a role in the cookie-baking process. The first person could only read the recipe to the person next to him… in Hebrew! Then the next person had to translate it in English but could only whisper it in the next person’s ear. That person who heard the whispered translation then had to tell another person what ingredients were needed, but couldn’t actually speak. Then there was a person who could measure ingredients but couldn’t put the ingredients in the mixing bowl, and the last two people could bake, but one was blindfolded and the other couldn’t use his arms. Needless to say, baking cookies was a delicious disaster. No one could truly follow the recipe so the different batches came out tasting very unique, but watching all the groups and participating was definitely an entertaining adventure. After a yummy dessert I was treated to a song to put me to sleep. I found out that night that my friend, Becca Rosenthal has a cd on iTunes! I knew she played guitar and sang but I didn’t realize she wrote her own songs and sang so well! She also sang some songs to me live, I was rvery impressed. I highly recommend you check her out on iTunes.

Last time for Evan, Ari, and I, as chevrutot in Chumash class

The Nativers with our Chumash teacher, Shaiya

Fernanda was great chevruta from another class

Okay so now I have another two weeks to work on writing -good thing I wrote daily summaries so I don’t forget all my adventures which you will soon read. I hope from reading this entry you can see of why I’m so behind (because I’ve been so busy!). I hope to have the other segments up fairly soon! Take care and enjoy.