Bibi Netanyahu, End of Ulpan, and a Negev weekend

Lots to update on:

Bibi

Last Wednesday (the night before my Ulpan final), I walked five minutes out of the Kfar Studentim (student village) to the Hyatt Regency hotel nearby to see PM Netanyahu speak.  I walked into the hotel unnoticed, waited in a line for security, and after about half an hour was ushered into a small conference room, with probably less than 200 people.  I grabbed a seat in the fifth row and sat down with the translator headphones I had been given upon entry to the conference room.  About 15 minutes later, the Prime Minister of Israel walked into the room.  Take a look at the view from my seat:

Absolutely surreal.  Imagine if Obama were to speak in the small gym at Aptakisic, and all you had to do to get in was to literally walk in (and pass through a metal detector), and then once in, you got fifth row seats with virtually no effort at all (I could have gotten a seat in the first row but it was all the way at the end; still I kind of regret not shaking his hand because it would have been so easy to do so).  That's what this was like.

His speech was very different from the kinds of political speeches you'd here in the US.  "Bibi", as he is affably nicknamed, wasn't running for anything.  There were no lofty words of hope or change.  And he wasn't particularly PC either, at least in the English translated version of the speech I heard.  He told it how it was.  At first, he started talking about the city of Jerusalem, how it was the home of the Jewish people, and how small it was - he pointed up and mentioned a soldier's name who had been killed just three years earlier, two stories directly above where Bibi was standing.  He discussed this soldier's sacrifice and tremendous courage for about five minutes of his 35 minute speech.  The anecdote wasn't used as an emotional rallying cry - there was no push to fight back, to retaliate.  Instead, Bibi waved his arms to the left and the right, mentioning how the streets around the hotel (the same streets I walk every day, running around Hebrew University) had a remarkable coexistence of Arabs and Jews, and he expressed the belief that one day, the rest of the country would get to that point.  How it was possible.

The most surprising part was when Bibi dovetailed his speech into a rant against Iran.  It's clearly the #1 issue, but he didn't speak in the careful, balanced tones I expected from a politician.  He told us, after mentioning that he was aware there were a lot of Hebrew University students in the small crowd (we all cheered) that he was telling us the same thing that he told Obama five days ago, and Hillary three days ago.  He told us how he had been warning against Iran's nuclear presence for seven years and that finally, now, the cat was out of the bag for everyone and there was no denying the truth.  The only remaining question, he said, was how the international community would respond - would they impose the sorts of strict sanctions against Iran that were necessary for Iran to hold off on the nuclear program, or would they allow Iran to set off a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, threatening not only Israel but the entire world?

Bibi never came across as pleading, or desperate, or helpless.  But it took me a while to realize that his speech was a cry for help from the international community.  Israel can't stop Iran on its own.  This was such a different tone from the sorts of speeches I was used to hearing, how "WE" need to do this or "WE" won't stand for that.  This was very clearly a diplomatic call for help against Iran.

It was an amazing, unforgettable experience to get that close to a world leader, especially the PM of Israel.  I kept wondering how it was so easy to just walk into the hotel and see him - why would he give a speech there?  Well, Israel's a small country, and he wanted to be at the furthest east point possible to make a statement - like Israel still has a presence in East Jerusalem.  Why weren't more people there?  Most Israelis are making about 1/2 as much money as Americans, but they are paying the same price for everything - they are more concerned with getting by than listening to schemes about international politics.  Even so, the ones who were interested have the opportunity to see the PM in such an intimate setting so often - he was in Herzelia (right next to Tel Aviv) and Eilat just a few weeks before - that it's not really that huge a deal.  Israel's a small country, I have to keep telling myself, and the football stadium-sized speeches that I'm used to just don't happen here.  There's not enough people.

End of Ulpan


I got an 84 on my Ulpan final (somehow, without studying), and while the final grade is still pending, it doesn't matter at all because the credit doesn't transfer.  School starts today (Sunday), with my first class at 4:30 - Foreign Politics of Israel.  I've heard so many good things about this class, and it's probably my most anticipated class of the semester.  The professor, Medzini, is supposed to be amazing, and I'm signed up for another one of his classes - The Middle East: Coexistance and Rapprochement - so hopefully the hype is true. After that, I have an internship class from 6:30-8:30.  It's kind of a weird time for classes but I like having free time during the day; now I finally can go pick up toilet paper.

Negev


We spent the weekend in a small town called Arod, in the middle of the Negev desert.  After getting up at 6 am on Friday, we got there at 8 and promptly spent the next five hours hiking in the desert.  It was awesome.  Here's a pic of the view:

We went bug catching and caught a scorpion, lizard, and millipede.  The guide knew EVERYTHING there was to know about bugs, and just desert life in general.  Throughout the hike, he stopped us multiple times to eat the plants.  They were delicious.  We collected them and made tea and fried them into chips later in the hike.  Shabbat was another amazing dinner, and then Saturday largely consisted of laying out in the 80 degree sun, listening to music, talking, and reading.  We got an intense game of whiffleball going later.  Overall it was an extremely relaxing weekend, I got some color, and I learned the best way to poop in the desert: hold a friends arms and both of you lean back at once (didn't try it, it was just one of the guide's words of wisdom).

After just getting back from the Negev, it's hard to believe I'm headed for Istanbul in four days, or that Purim is in a week.  Crazy.  And I am really really starting to appreciate the constant warm weather - why do we put up with snow in Chicago?  WHY????  IT'S SO NICE OUT ALL THE TIME HERE.  WHY DO WE LIVE WHERE IT'S FREEZING AND SNOWING FOR HALF THE YEAR?  IT MAKES NO SENSE!!!

shalom

Tzfat Round 2

I spent last weekend in Tzfat for another Shabbaton.  I already wrote about the city of Tzfat when I visited it a little over a month ago, but this weekend was completely different.  Instead of having a crazy kabbalah shabbat in the streets, we went caving, rope swinging, and ATV'ing before having a Hebrew U/Tel Aviv shabbat on the hotel balcony.  The highlight had to be the ATV'ing.  For those who don't know, ATV'ing is basically off-roading in these golf-cart-like jeeps.  In order to do it, they tested you before hand because you are literally driving over rocks and it can be difficult to control the vehicle.  I passed because of my superhuman strength and got an authentic check mark on my hand which is impossible to duplicate.  Below are some pics of the ATV experience:

As you can see, we went on dirt roads through streams and up mountains, with breathtaking scenery all around.  At some points on the 45-min drive, we went on the highway, which was actually more scary than driving up mountains because there would be huge trucks zooming past you in the opposite direction while you are in this tiny golf cart, not wearing a seatbelt, armed with a red helmet.  The vehicles could actually go up to 45 mph, so it was a lot of fun to gun it on the highway and feel the wind in your face - it made me want to get a convertible, weather permitting.  Anyway, near the end of the drive we heard popping and the engine died shortly after - luckily, we were able to get off the highway before the very expensive ATV stopped moving.  But it was a convenient place to run into engine trouble because all we had to do was hike up a short hill and then we had an amazing lookout point and were treated to snacks while we took pictures and met up with everyone before heading back.

This is my last week of Ul-pan, just got back from a 3 on 3 basketball tourney which we lost in the semis, this weekend we will be camping out in the Negev and I'm excited to say I just booked a trip to Istanbul next Wednesday, getting back on Sunday in time for Purim.  There are a lot of groups going to Istanbul at that time because we don't have class.  I also made my schedule, I'm taking Foreign Policy of Israel and Archaeology of Jerusalem - the two classes I really wanted to take, archaeology is basically a walking tour of the city - as well as the mandatory Hebrew class and my internship class for JCPA.  I don't have class on Thursday so I will be able to keep traveling - Petra and Cairo are next on the list.

It was summer today.  Everyone wore shorts and sandals and a t shirt, we played basketball outside, after Ul-pan ended I came back and took a nap in my room with the window wide open and the sun shining in.  Just unbelievable weather.  I'm very excited for the weekend, we have our big Ulpan final on Thursday so I need to start studying for it, but Ul-pan really hasn't been that stressful since the credit doesn't transfer so it doesn't matter how I do, and the teachers are very understanding if you miss days or don't turn in homework on time.  Weird to think I haven't even started classes yet; seems like I've been in Israel forever.

Oh, one more big update.  Last night (Valentine's Day), me and Isaac cooked stir fry for about 10 people.  It was delicious.  We didn't use any oil, just paprika, chili pepper, black pepper, and teriyaki sauce, but we had a ton of fresh veggies from the shuk and got tofu from the supermarket.  It took about an hour to prepare but it was amazing, so I'm slowly making progress in the cooking department.  

Another update: we switched rooms.  The old room just wasn't working out and we had zero communication with the roommates, and it's so easy to switch rooms, so we figured why not.  A few days ago we packed our bags and moved to building 4, and the new roommates are awesome, one is Israeli who cooks very well and one is an Arab Christian who I've already had tons of very interesting talks with.  He has lots of Jewish friends but still brings a unique perspective to everything; he flat out asked me why Jews have a right to the land of Israel and I was stunned to realize that my best answer was "We were here first, it says in the Bible" to which he asked me if I truly believed everything in the Bible.  It's obviously a very complicated issue, and one that I've had explained to me about a million times, but evidently it didn't stick so I need to brush up on my Jewish history.  

Also, we went to an AMAZING dinner at this Arabic restaurant in East Jerusalem with a huge crowd of people last Thursday night.  The walk there was kinda intense because it wasn't the best area to walk through at night, but we were a group of about 16 people so it wasn't that bad.  Once we got there, the owner was so happy to see us he just brought out a ton of food.  They don't use menus, the eating is very communal, so you get huge portions of food in the center and you're expected to share everything.  We sat on these couches and they brought out a ton of sides and HUGE pitas, I ate a ton but then they brought out a gigantic pot of rice and lamb, after that they brought out a ton of fresh apples, bananas, and oranges - it was delicious.  Gotta go back there, if I can find it, it's a hole in the wall place (literally, the walls are rock).  A lot of pictures were taken but I was only able to track down one, of course it's the most awkward one but you can kinda see what it looks like, how we were sitting on couches with a curved rock wall/ceiling around us:

It's just been endless new experiences here and hasn't slowed down a bit.  Can't wait for the Negev and Istanbul!

EDIT: WOW LOOK AT THIS WEATHER

YES PLEASE.

Weekend Update

This weekend was a ton of fun.  After Ul-pan ended on Thursday, I walked back in the freezing cold to the gym, where I have vowed to go at least 20 times/month to get my money's worth.  After working out, I took a shower and saw about 18 missed calls when I got out - Alex and his friend Aaron had gotten in from Tel Aviv and were standing around on campus with no clue where to go.  Oops.

We unloaded their stuff and after a brief tour (I took them back to the gym, they were very impressed with it), we met up with their friend Nikki, who they came down with and who was staying with Kayla.  A group of us headed off to the shuk to stock up on food for the big Shabbat dinner on Friday.  It was my first time at the shuk since I moved in to campus, and I quickly realized two things: 1) everything at the shuk is free if you have quick hands, and 2) 2 arms aren't nearly enough to carry everything.  Luckily I had Alex and Aaron with me, so we were able to divide all the fresh produce and DIRT CHEAP AVOCADOS!!!! amongst us as we made our way along.  The shuk adventure ended at a famous marzipan place, with regalla that cost literally one shekel.  The regalla was delicious, Alex ate 3.  I found another deal that seemed too good to be true: they were selling 6 packs of beer in cardboard boxes that came with free Doritos!  Of course I had to buy a box, just for the Doritos.  Take a luk at the shuk:

Do you notice anything about that picture?  Look to the right, at the rectangular sign with blue lettering.  IT'S THE NACHMAN'S!!! THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!!!

Thursday night was a pretty typical Ben Yehuda night.  It consisted of us hopping from bar to bar, settling at Zoli's, and having trouble getting in to at least one club.  The highlight has to be a random Nachman girl who joined our table at Zoli's and started helping herself to our popcorn, before getting bored and throwing kernels at us.  She started a mini food fight and then vanished in the chaos that followed, leaving us all to wonder why we started throwing popcorn at each other and where 3 shots went.  

Friday morning Alex, Aaron and I went to the Old City and, after some aimless meandering, decided to follow the funny hats and sure enough ended up at the kotel.  We all did tefillin and for the first time I actually read the Hebrew myself instead of having someone recite it for me.  The guy just handed me a booklet, I guess after two weeks of Ul-pan I now look like I can read Hebrew.  After the kotel we were starving so Alex found this amazing bagel place that overlooks the wall.  We had gigantic lox bagels that were probably the best bagels I've had in Israel, but Alex was on a mission and immediately next door to scarf down schwarma and falafel.  So much good food.  With our stomachs full, we decided now would be just as good a time as any to try to get into the Dome of the Rock.  I led them through the Muslim quarter (the same area where the confrontation on Hamerkaz happened, but this was during the day with tourists all over, not at night, so we were fine), and we found the gate.  We take two steps towards the gate and the security guard gives us a once over and sees three Jews wearing Northfaces, then tells us in English "Closed.  Only Muslims."  We didn't try to press our luck because we were clearly not Muslim, but I plan on returning with Isaac and a few other people and it is now my goal for the semester to get into the Dome of the Rock at some point.  It'll happen.

Friday night we shlepped all the produce to the girls' room and we started cooking.  There were 8 of us, and we cooked for a solid hour and half.  I chopped up the veggies and scooped the avocados while Alex did something to turn the chicken from pink flabby meat into delicious tender strips.  The dinner was delicious and we just hung around and talked for a few hours after.  It was very relaxed and overall an amazing Shabbat meal - the only thing was there was a miscommunication regarding bread crumbs, so we couldn't make schnitzel, and we forgot to use the onions.  But it was a legit feast, with a gigantic salad featuring every veggie imaginable, mashed potatoes with hot sauce, chicken, wine, pita, and hummus.  I was proud of everyone involved for putting it together.

This morning (Saturday) we went to an amazing look-out spot on campus and took some pictures.  We wanted to go to the amphitheater because that has the best view, but school was closed on Saturday and not everyone was up for climbing the gate.  It was probably a good call, because you really shouldn't mess with Israeli security.  After we took pictures, we went to the tiny falafel shack that's a few minutes walk from our dorms, and scarfed down 9 sheckel pitas and 12 sheckel falafels.  It was perfection.  Alex fell in love and is going to insist on going there every time he comes down now.  How can you resist the Falafel Guy??!!

Overall a very solid weekend.  Between the shuk, Ben Yehuda, the Old City, touring campus, and making a feast on Friday night, we did a lot but it felt very relaxed.  We had a quality group of people together.  Hard to believe Ul-pan starts tomorrow, but I'm already looking forward to the next couple of weekends:

Next weekend - Skiing/Snowboarding Shabbaton at Mt. Herzl, Shabbat in Tzfat (I have to go back)

Weekend after - Negev hike/campout retreat

Weekend after - Tel Aviv, or maybe Petra (that is happening soon)

Only 2 more weeks of Ul-pan, then finally I start classes and have some more free time!  We have a 3 on 3 basketball tournament this Friday so I'm gonna go practice with my team, Ben and Max, in a few hours after Alex gets up from his nap and they all head back to Tel Aviv.  Alex will help me with my take-home Ulpan test first though.

Oh, and for those of you wondering, yes it did snow.  Just a little, and it never really accumulated on the ground.  It's back to being sunny and nice out, still a bit chilly but I'll take it.  Hopefully that's the worst weather we get here.

SHALOM

OMG SNOW

Jerusalem, 1/31/08

It might snow tomorrow.  Not a big deal at all, right?  You're all basically living in snow, and I've been around snow probably at least 4-5 months/year since I've been born.  So when rumors started whispering about the possibility of SNOW IN JERUSALEM on Tuesday, I didn't really believe it.  Of course, it was also sunny and high 60s outside and I was playing basketball in shorts and a sleeveless shirt, so it all seemed pretty farfetched.  But for people who live in Jerusalem, the mere possibility that snow is around the corner is a huge event.  Let me recap the events leading up to the eve of the (possible?) snowstorm tomorrow:

MONDAY - Rumors first swirl in my Ul-pan class about snow.  I look outside, see sun, and go back to trying to nap while my teacher babbles on in Hebrew.

TUESDAY - A strange man opens the door to our Ul-pan class in the middle of the day, cutting off our teacher (Israeli teachers don't get interrupted), and excitedly bubbles out about how "If there's snow coming, you will get an email telling you if class has been cancelled or not.  Make sure you check your email because there might be snow."  Later conversations with students in other Ul-pan classes confirm that the stranger went into every single class to spread this unnecessarily cautious message.

WEDNESDAY (today) - Class is again interrupted, this time by a slew of phone buzzes and chimes.  We all receive a message via the EMERGENCY TEXT MESSAGE SYSTEM that reads, "FYI: In case of snow in Jerusalem a Madrich-on-call will be available for any questions or problems: 054-882-XXXX"

A few things:

"A Madrich-on-call will be available for any questions or problems?"  We are dealing with snow, not a Haitian earthquake.  And what possible questions are we supposed to have, exactly?  "Excuse me, there are white powdery flakes falling from the sky... I'd like to confirm that this is the alleged snow and not an anthrax-based terrorist attack?"  I love how they have a madrich (counselor) on-call specifically to deal with issues related to the snow.  I might call him up and ask him where I can find a good hill to sled down.  You'd think the world was ending the way they deal with snow here.

It might have to do with the fact that the last time it snowed in Jerusalem was 1/31/08, in the picture shown above.  It's been over two years since it snowed in Jerusalem, and it was even longer prior to that.  There are people on my trip, from warmer, sunnier hometowns, who have NEVER SEEN SNOW BEFORE IN THEIR LIVES!  It baffles me.  Here I am, thinking I escaped the frigid Champaign winter, happily walking around in a T-shirt and shorts in the sun, playing basketball... and the snow just follows me.  And nobody else is unhappy about it - they're talking about the concept of snow like the Red Hot Chili Peppers are playing it in a concert at the Kotel!

***

With the exception of the snow flurry (bad pun intended) lately, things have settled into a pretty comfortable routine.  I still have yet to go to the shook, but it'll happen as soon as the weather gets warmer.  Ul-pan just dominates the week; everyone's too tired after to do much during the day.  I still want to explore more but there's plenty of time for that.  Basketball and working out and napping are my three main activities right now, and I wouldn't have it any other way.  Tomorrow's Thursday, so it's almost the weekend!  Alex is coming in from Tel Aviv so it should be a great Shabbat.  Hopefully it DOESN'T snow tomorrow because, a) I hate snow, and b) if classes are cancelled, we have to make it up on a Friday.  A Friday!  The Day of Rest!  Oy vey.