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.