Searching for Doron Sheffer

Searching for ...

2008-07-28T01:56:00.003-04:00

My new blog highlights my time in Australia

arm

2007-06-07T04:09:00.001-04:00

yup ... worst cast ever

One hand ....

2007-05-31T07:36:00.000-04:00

I only have a left hand .... no seriously. I will not be blogging for a while.

Going, going, .......

2007-05-01T09:23:00.000-04:00

GONE

Actually, this could sum up many different things in Israel this week.

First off, GONE is the end of the year. As I'm very very close to the end of school and have a bunch of finals and papers over the next few weeks and then most of my classmates are back to North America. Since I'm discussing classmates, these people get so worked up about finals it's disturbing. The teachers must be so frustrated by scores of questions coming in about this final or that final -- what happened to just learning the information. Sure we want to do well, but i think we're taking this to a new level. What's a shame, is that half of these people are totally worked up about getting good grades in hebrew, but when it comes to ordering a cup of coffee at the local coffee shop, they'll only speak in english.

Two, GONE, it may end up summing up the proud Israeli government. A new report criticising the government for ineptness stemming from last summer's war in Lebanon/North was released this week. It is quite damaging to anyone in the government and it has many individuals calling for Olmert's resignation. Currently his approval rating is hovering around 3% (not a typo). 3%, for the record, is about the standard margin of error in most of these polls, so Olmert effectively has the support of not one person in the entire country. (stroll into Israel wearing a white sheet and hood and holding a burning cross and you'd be more popular) It's insane how far this government has fallen, corruption, ineptness and deceit have become the norm. (at least, Israel has an independent review for poor war choices ... but i digress)

Three, GONE. The first dinger hit in Israel's inaugural baseball season. I should have tried out as the draft of the 6 team league was held this week with the season to start over the summer. As a blatant publicity stunt, the last player drafted was .... Sandy Koufax. Yup the Dodger southpaw who hasn't thrown a pitch in 41 years was drafted by one of the local teams.

Four, GONE. Me, to study for some finals, but i've put a couple picture from me in Egypt up for your viewing pleasure.

Howdy

2007-04-17T16:00:00.000-04:00

Back in Jerusalem after a rather remarkable time in Egypt -- my travels this year have been spectacular and i'll try and get some photos out of Egypt in the next week or so.

My passover break was wonderful, it's really hard to be back at school -- spring fever has set in and i think most of the class is trying to finish the race without having to pit again and lose momentum. For me, i plan on enjoying my homestretch as much as possible.

As you can tell, for better or for worse blogging has fallen victim to what promises to be a wonderful and fun spring. Perhaps some notes that you take at whatever level you'd like.

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Currently in the high holiday's of Israel. About a one week stretch has Holocaust Memorial Day, Memorial Day, and Independence Day -- it's a wonderful time, each of the events is taken really seriously and the spectrum from sadness to joy really reflects the mood of the country. The two memorial days are marked by a two minute siren where everyone/thing stops (people get out of cars in the middle of the highway) and takes an extended moment of silence.

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Classmates are same as ever, too much competition between one another way too much oneupsmanship (ooops not gender neutral term) . But, I do want to state for the record that I'm generally rather happy with the make-up of my class and have more friends here than I ever could have imagined.

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Great Great Great webpage for you to visit ---- especially if you are single www.druzedate.com
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Played and scored a goal in a soccer game the other day. We played HUC vs. HUC staff and faculty. We lost 6-2. It's rather embarrassing, until you realize that the other team brought ringers (no seriously they did -- and half the staff is British).

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Hope all is well, enjoy spring.

Returning, Bethlehem, England vs. Israel

2007-04-07T05:57:00.000-04:00

Constant emails pouring into my inbox have been asking me to resume the blog. So my apologies to those who use my blog as a welcome 10 minute relief once a week from the horrors and pains of day to day office life.

I've been busy, or super busy as they say in the Panama. I've been all over the country and tomorrow am off for a week to Egypt, to see the pyramids and hopefully climb Mt. Sinai. I'll be sure to bring back little imitation tablets that say "Moses climbed Mt. Sinai and all I got were these stupid little tablets."

Some of my travels have taken me to Bethlehem. 6 miles and an entire world away from where I live now in Jerusalem. Bethlehem is one of the major cities in the West Bank and is one that has, for a plethora of reasons, really suffered since the outbreak of the second intifada. It's now shut off from Jerusalem by a rather massive and truly ugly separation wall which depending on your view either shuts off Palestinians from their livelihood and prevents a steady flow of tourism (Jesus was believed to be born in Bethlehem) or protects Israel from suicide bombings and other forms of terrorism. To be honest, it probably does both.

The trip to Bethlehem was called encounter and attempted to provide my group with a better sense of life on the other side of the separation wall, we had a few tours, met with some speakers (including the former mayor of Bethlehem) and had some small group dialogue with students and other young people from Bethlehem. It was a very powerful trip, probably didn't change my ever changing views so much, but I'm quite glad that I went and it was remarkable to get to such an important city which is so close. Unfortunately, after coming back from Bethlehem it's hard to be optimistic that a peaceful end to this conflict is on the horizon.

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Also headed out to a rather big big soccer match. England vs. Israel in a qualifier game for Euro 2008 - probably the second biggest soccer tournament in the world. The game itself was rather sloppy and not all too exciting, it finished 0-0, but the atmosphere was spectacular and it's fun to have seen some of the best soccer players in the world on the England team. England looked very rusty and couldn't really figure out how to play together and Israel seemed content to play defense and settle for a tie. The highlight was spending the afternoon on the beaches of Tel Raviv hanging with the loyal England faithful that traveled to Tel Aviv for a game. Israel has never seen so much beer consumed in a single evening. I went with a couple friends from HUC -- i've attached a few photos. I have some more photos and anecdotes from the game but thought that you would probably enjoy these mores. Two of the people on the left are in my class, can you guess which one isn't?

All else is well, Passover is going very nice and it's great to be on a vacation, I promise you it is well deserved and popular to contrary i'm not on "vacation from vacation", even though I guess I could see how one would think that. I spent a couple of days in the north, hiking around and am now back in Jerusalem. I'll try and post a photo of me sitting on top of one of the pyramids.

Long time no blog ...

2007-03-19T14:00:00.000-04:00

Sorry if i've been a tad AWOL from the blog the last stretch or so. I have found "blogging" much trickier than i could imagine. So a little update

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Purim in Jerusalem was rather fun. I dressed as a Mormon or Mitt Romney depending on how sophisticated you are. I also was a Mormon with a mohawk ... didn't really go all that well with the costume, but it was a really badass mohawk. (I no longer have it) For those of you who don't know, Purim is a time for joy and craziness (some people compare it to mardi gras) and it's really an insane scene. There are tons of parties and dancing and different meals and loads of libation. (Since, I don't drink ... i just watched my friends act silly).

I took a stroll through the old city on purim and everyone was singing and dressed in costume and it was quite a scene, it's really excuse for a lot of the yeshiva boys to let loose.

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Weather in this country has been bazaar -- two weekends ago I was on the beach in Tel Aviv in shorts and the weather across the country was spectacular. Last week, we had a crazy, nasty day that included hail, snow, sleet, rain, sun, wind and everyother weather pattern imaginable. I had put away my winter gear, so it was a bummer to have to go dig it all out again.

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An almost devastating moment the other day ... my friend Aaron and I were watching March Madness and with 1:45 left in the creighton/nevada game (one of the few good ones) our feed flipped over to beach soccer. (i kid you not ... beach soccer) I guess because the game was supposed to end at 9:30, they cut away from the game immediately at 9:30. I ran around the apartment screaming ... but then they fixed the problem and i watched the rest of the game.

Nothing more frustrating than the feeds in this country ... you never know when you are going to get a game or not. For the record, like the rest of the world, i have florida vs. georgetown in the finals.

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Thought you would enjoy this photo. Now this clergy having fun!!!

And we think Peace in the Middle East is a Pressing Concern ...

2007-03-14T17:52:00.000-04:00

This gem is an actual news story floating around ... it's spectacular and not made up at all ...

JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel has recalled its ambassador to El Salvador after he was found bound, drunk and nude, according to information reported Monday by Israeli media and confirmed by a government spokeswoman.

The longtime diplomat, Tsuriel Raphael, has been removed from his post, and the Foreign Ministry has begun searching for a replacement, ministry spokeswoman Zehavit Ben-Hillel said.

Two weeks ago, El Salvador police found Raphael in the yard of his residence, tied up, gagged and drunk, Israeli media reported. He was wearing several sex toys at the time, the media said. After he was untied, Raphael told police he was the ambassador of Israel, the reports said.

Ben-Hillel said the reports were accurate and that Raphael has been recalled although he did not break any laws.

"We're talking about behavior that is unbecoming of a diplomat," she said.

The ambassador did not file any police complaint in connection with the incident, she said.

Raphael had served for six months as the ambassador in El Salvador and for several years at different missions around the world, she said.

The embarrassing affair was one of several involving Israeli diplomats in recent years. In 2000, Israel's ambassador to France died of cardiac arrest in a Paris hotel under circumstances the Foreign Ministry refused to publicize. Media reports said he was with a woman who was not his wife at the time.

Last year, Israel replaced its ambassador to Australia, Naftali Tamir, after he said Israel and Australia are "like sisters" because both are located in Asia and their peoples don't have the Asian characteristics of "yellow skin and slanted eyes."

In 2005, Israel canceled the appointment of a diplomat to Australia after it was discovered that he published pictures of nude Brazilian women on the Internet while on a mission in Brazil.

Closer to God????

2007-03-08T09:46:00.000-05:00

It's a good thing Judaism is a monotheistic religion otherwise I could only imagine in what light some of my classmates would view themselves. At this point in their lives they may not be god -- but they certainly have the pulpit right next him. (and sometimes, only sometimes ... god even takes advice).

Without going any further, let me state that I really do like my classmates, and let me also say that it's a damn good thing that I'm around (my own god complex) to knock some of these individuals off his/her pedestal. I'll continue, at times their is an aura of oneupsmanship or full out competition that takes place among classmate to classmate. Everyone needs to read one verse more than the person before, or add one extra element to a service or spend an extra half hour studying.

Student A: I'm so tired, I stayed up until 3 working on my Hebrew homework.

Student B: I know, I stayed up until 3 too, but then I got up at 5 to contiune to read commentary on (insert ancient text here)

Student A: I'm analyzing Plato from a Jewish Vegan Lesbian perspective, so I need to make sure that I stay up until 5:30 this morning to really dive into the text.

Yours Truly: I'm very tired too, I stayed up until 3:00 watching the Pac-10 semi finals and I need to get up early tomorrow for my fantasy baseball draft.

(the above dialogue was totally fabricated ... only one line is true, you guess which one.)

'neath the elms

2007-03-05T04:25:00.000-05:00

The witty individuals at HUC seem to think it's really funny that I spent my undergrad years at a college named Trinity. I can't tell you how many times someone thought they were being creative and witty and say: Did you study with the father, the son and holy ghost?

I usually respond to them in one of 4 ways:

1. I punch them in the eye
2. I say Did you really study with a United States Supreme Court Justice?
3. I give a 10 minute soliloquy about the Trinity's religious roots (this bores them mightily -- they can't focus on anything more than 2 sentences long without reverting to thinking about themselves)
4. I punch them in the eye

Well my point of all this is that there are currently 3 bantams studying at HUC in Jerusalem. Classes of '73, '98, and '01. How you like them apples. Now I can truly imagine that some of the original founders of the great Hartford Institution must be turning over in some rather large graves knowing that this trio is learning torah and hebrew in the holy land.

One even more wild item about the Jerusalem "trinity" --- Liz (wearing a Trinity in Hebrew shirt in the photo) was my freshman year RA and her father worked with my grandfather in NYC.
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The other photo is me and liz at a soccer game. (notice the look on the face of the Israeli man on the bottom left, i thought about photoshopping it out, but rather enjoyed him being in our photo) About 15 of us went to the game including 4 older british men who waxed nostalgically -- in a language I'm not sure I understand -- about the first time they saw Sheffield take on Tontenham in '63. Even though three of them have been living in Israel for more than 20 years the accents are so crisp when they talk to other british mates, it's rather enjoyable.

I've seen some bloody boring football the last couple weeks. Anyone that says soccer is more exciting than baseball, needs to be seriously reevaluated. I spent a cold, wet evening watching 22 men wander around a soccer field and not score. Not only did they not score, one team was obviously not even trying to score -- believing that by playing only defense they would settle for a tie and take the 1 point that comes with it in the league standing. The last 180 minutes of soccer i've attended (and this is supposedly a decent league and i've been going to see the first place team) i've seen a grand total of 0 goals.

I'd rather watch the Millview 9 year old girls softball team warm up for the 4th of July dizzy bat race.

CKCKCKCKCK ... armiel

2007-02-18T13:06:00.000-05:00

Over ten years ago, I spent some time in the little northern city of Karmiel (also written with a C ...) I lived in a ugly ugly orange building with 3 other guys in apartment 1221 (see photo circa 1996) . The building we lived in was the tallest building in the area -- truly tallest building for miles. We used to joke the farthest south Syrian missiles could hit was Karmiel and we lived in the one tall bright orange building in the entire area. (Not as funny anymore, considering last summer, Karmiel was often hit by rockets from Lebanon)

Karmiel is the main city in the central north of Israel and while being very nice is very very boring. If people know Karmiel for any reason it's because each July they have a rather large and famous Dance festival that bring troupes from around the world. It's also surrounded by a lot of Arab villages and is close to Sachnine one of the major Arab cities in the North.

Anyhow, I revisited Karmiel last week for a little while. Karmiel is a unique city -- it's home to about 50,000 people and many of them are recent arrivals from Russia. I remember clearly having some serious issues with the Russians that lived in our building. There are still a host of Russians in Karmiel as well as Ethiopians, Argentines and immigrants from all over the world.

Karmiel is actually a rather successful development town and unlike many of the other ones across the country has done a pretty good of absorbing new immigrants. Part of this is because of it's location with good access to industry and jobs (only 30 minutes from Haifa). Other reasons have to do with strong local government, a good number of sabras and some luck.

It was neat to get back to Karmiel (see photo of me above circa 2007 - i looked thrilled to be there) ... i actually remembered it remarkably well and had a tiny (oh so tiny) sense of nostalgia from being in the Big K or the Big C

Israel Hoops Update

2007-02-15T07:36:00.000-05:00

One of the main reporters here at "Searching for Doron Sheffer" traveled to Tel Aviv for the finals of the Israeli Cup. (Israel basketball has a 1 and done tournament that is played in addition to the regular season -- it's a ton of fun) In a total total shocker Maccabi Tel Aviv was upset in the semi-finals.

Without having knowledge of Israel basktball it's hard to imagine how big of a deal Maccabi's loss was, for example let's say that the State of Connecticut played a 1 and done tournament -- UCONN would be like Maccabi Tel Aviv. There would be other DI teams (Fairfield, Hartford, Yale, etc... ) in the tournament and maybe even some years a DIII team (Trinity) would sneak in, only to be promptly eliminated in the first round. Well as you can imagine once every decade or two UCONN would have an awful season, some other team would be very streaky and bam a major upset would occur. Well this year happened to be that year.

Just a note -- in general Maccabi is a little better than a DI team and the other top teams would be about DI level. It's would be a lot of fun to see Maccabi play UCLA or Florida or another top DI team.

Maccabi lost in the semis and the finals pitted Jerusalem vs. Bnei HaSharon (the team that beat Maccabi). Well the Jerusalem fans (which i am one of) could smell blood and they trekked to TA for the finals, which they had lost 6 times in the last 10 years all to Maccabi. The game wasn't even close Jerusalem dominated Bnei HaSharon and won by about 18 points. However, the game was fantastic and the fans were incredible (none of this corporate MSG shit). Singing, dancing, jumping the entire game. There were even flares in the stadium and the stadium was shaking with noise. The players got really into it as well and at the end of the game, some of the players climbed into the stands to celebrate with the Jerusalem fans.

Some other highlights:

*** I love finding old American players (each team is allowed 4 foreigners) and in the finals i had appearances from among others, Lee Nailon (former Knick as well as a handful of other NBA teams, that's him on the foul line), Julius Page (a force on the early 2000 Pittsuburg teams) Mario Austin (Miss. State Univeristy -- who was easily the best player on the floor) Ed Cota (UNC -- he's 7th man for Jerusalem), Cookie Belcher (Nebraska)

*** My favorite was Scott Greenblatt (or something like that), some Jewish Kid who was all-ivy at Princeton last year and who, since he is Jewish, can play in the league without the team having to give up one of the foreigner spots on the roster. He's probably 5'9 and can hit a jump shot from any place on the entire floor. He only played in garbage time.

*** On another UCONN note -- former Husky Albert Mouring is playing ball in Israel. Remember him? He was a silky shooter who played on the 99 championship team with RIP and Khalid.

*** One of the coolest things about being in Israel is the songs that the fans sing. One of them is "Jerusalem of Gold" which we know as an Israeli folk song and was sort of made the cities national anthem after the 6 day war.

*** Nothing funnier (and I may have mentioned this before) to see the American's playing basketball in Israel with large large Tattoos of crosses.

*** The president of the Knesset (Israel's Nancy Pelosi) was on hand to present the final trophy and the fans booed her relentlessly. They would have booed anyone that had anything to do with the government -- Israeli's are rather fed-up -- it was quite enjoyable.

Hope that gave you a sense, it was an incredible experience. Loved just being able to go a game especially one that will be remembered for years in Israel. Jerusalem is having a very good year and has a chance to win the Euro Cup that they are in the middle of -- i'm going to keep on going to games.

Temple Mount Troubles

2007-02-11T09:58:00.000-05:00

Serious happenings in Jerusalem these days. I'm confident that you've seen the news over the temple mount/dome of the rock/al aqsa/western wall/etc... that has threatened to cause the old city and other Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem (and Israel) to erupt into chaos and violence.

A brief synopsis, construction of a new pedestrian ramp going up to the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa has been going on immediately to the south of the Western Wall. The construction of the ramp requires excavation and many in the Islamic world believe that the excavation is being used to undermine (and potentially destroy) the Temple Mount which is the 3rd holiest location in all of Islam. The Israeli government says that the construction (which is being done in the Jewish Quarter) is totally safe and doesn't threaten the foundation of any structure and that Arab leaders are using the construction solely as an excuse to insight riots and induce violence.

As with everything in the Arab/Israeli conflict there is plenty of blame to go around. While I have no proof, I'm quite confident that the ramp construction would not in any way threaten any building or structure on the temple mount and I know that many radical Muslim leaders would use any excuse to spew hatred against Israel and encourage intifada.

However, the Israel government consistently fails to acknowledge the pressure point that is the Temple Mount and acts in a way that seems (or may even be) remarkably unilateral and without a doubt flames legitimate Muslim fears. Twice in the last 10 years, once with the opening of an underground tunnel and the second with Ariel Sharon's public visit to the Temple Mount, have major and deadly skirmishes stemmed from conflicts at the Temple Mount. (some consider, Sharon's visit as one of the catalysts to stopping the peace process of the late 90's and starting the second Intifada.)

So as with much that occurs in this country, spin the wheel and cast blame in whatever direction you seem fit. My hunch is that things will calm down rather quickly, hopefully cooler heads will prevail and the threats of a major escalation of violence will be averted.

********************************************

As you can tell, I've figured out a way to include some photos in the blog (it was really easy and a 4 year old could have done it for me), I'll try and keep getting a few more pictures on line so you can see. The photo I'll leave you with is one from about a year and a half ago -- you may have seen it before. The story behind it is that the bastard who took it couldn't get the camera working and got the photo 5 seconds after we had shook hands and BO had already turned to the news media. Anyhow , it was the second time I had met the man and I still don't have a proper photo with him!!!!

Tel Aviv

2007-02-04T12:41:00.000-05:00

Tel Aviv is pretty much everything Jerusalem is not ... which is quickly making it one of my favorite places in Israel. It's about a 45 minute ride from J-town and sits directly on the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea and in terms of style, people, history and character couldn't be more different than Joe Biden and Barak Obama.

Unlike Jerusalem, Tel Aviv is a brand new city, it was founded only 100 years ago and has tall skyscrapers, super trendy neighborhoods, a rather funky music scene and everything that young, middle class young people could want: boutiques, beaches, soy lattes, chicken pad thai, gay bars, tattoo parlors, boardwalk, shopping, surfing, bar hopping, jogging, etc...

It also is usually about 10-15 degrees warmer than Jerusalem.

The Tel Aviv v. Jerusalem division really marks the entire country. On one hand you have the holy of holiest cities with a history dating back thousands of years. Jerusalem has the government, the main museums (Israel Museum, Holocaust), the most popular tourist destinations, ancient ruins and religions of all shapes and sizes.

Tel Aviv has the best theater and dance, the locations for major political demonstrations, the dominate basketball team, premier restaurants and bars, the stock exchange and everything secular you could imagine.

I've started to spend a bunch of time in TA. It's a real fun city, and one I could see myself living in. It also, holds the best future for liberal Judaism in Israel and if liberal Judaism was ever to truly blossom it would have to stem out of Tel Aviv. I've hung out with my friend Yoav who lives in Tel Aviv (see photo of us in front of the map of Tel Aviv)

editors note: I seem to have lost the last part of this post, you'll have to take my word that it was witty, funny and probably the best thing i've ever written. Also please note that in the lost part I was able to determine a mathematical way of proving absolute zero.

Israel Update

2007-01-29T11:45:00.000-05:00

First a note -- many thanks for those who expressed concern about the suicide bombing in Eilat. I'm fine and very very far away from Eilat.

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On a much much much lighter note ... Thanks for the recent surge in posts. I do appreciate it -- keep it up.

Also -- I've linked a couple of other links on the side of the page, check them out if you get the chance.
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I haven't really discussed how the teams are doing lately so I'd thought I'd provide a little update. As you may remember I play on two football teams and in both the season is winding down. Let's start with the HUC team:

What may be most remarkable about our season is that we are considered the best HUC team ever. Seriously, a handful of people in the league have told us that an HUC team has never been this good and it's fun to have us in the league ---- by the way our record is 4 - 6. We would be 5-5 which if it weren't for a last second touchdown by METV (Middle East TV) to win by 1 point. It's also considered a good season because we have defeated our rival Pardes twice. Pardes is a liberal yeshiva in Jerusalem that we have a rather good natured rivalry with. As luck may have it ... we actually play our first playoff game (everyone makes the playoffs) against Pardes tomorrow.

I've enjoyed the season. It's fun to play with members of my class and I get to run around and play a lot. However, to say that it's not frustrating at times would be an outright lie. At least once a game a pass will bounce off of somebody's chest, hands or shoulders and be caught for an interception. Twice it's happened on the first play of the game. Most people have no idea how to run a route and there are only two players on the team that can catch a ball thrown over 10 yards. On the whole, most of my classmates have gotten a lot lot better.

Men's league:

Come to a men's league game and you are in for a scene. Have you ever thought you'd hear the following during a football game? "Chaim get back in the Huddle." "Moshe you're in for Akiva at cornerback next series." It's the one night a week that a lot of the Yeshiva boys get to let out all of their aggression -- my team is without a doubt one of the most reserved in the league

However, at this point the league is actually pretty good and there are a lot of talented teams. We made the playoffs, (16 out of 58 teams make the playoffs) and won our first game in the playoffs 33 - 7. I play in a rotation at Tight End, usually substituting as a receiving Tight End with another guy as blocking Tight End -- I also come in at D-Line occasionally and depending on the score will line up in other positions on the field.

One of the unique things about our team is that we are actually sponsored by some guy named Karelitz who also happens to be the chief lawyer of the New England Patriots. (Robert Kraft - is one of the league sponsors and built the field that we play on). He (Karelitz) visited not too long ago and has three superbowl rings -- last year he brought Tom Brady to one of the games. He told our coach (and I'm not making this up) that'd since the Patriots have been eliminated that if we make the "Holyland Bowl" he'd fly out for the game. Our quarterfinal game is this Saturday.

Also, in theory, upon my return to the United States, anyone on my team gets a ticket to a Patriots game at Gillette stadium, so that's nice.

Will keep you posted, if you so desire on the status of our games.

The Gender Battle Continues

2007-01-23T10:19:00.000-05:00

This little gem floated into my inbox and I couldn't resist sharing it with you. I think you remember my rant on Man's Shabbat, well this is too good to be true. As you notice I'll have to bring a non starchy side dish, any suggestions? Anyhow, No comments are necessary (except for yours of course), I promise I have not fabricated a word of this email. Names, addresses, etc ... have been changed to protect my ass.

......

Hi ladies of the class and female SOs,

On behalf of Team Vagina Monologues, Jennifer and I would like to let all the women of the class and female SOs about an exciting event to kick off V-month! Friday evening, February 2nd will be MENStruation Shabbat - Shabbat dinner, girl bonding, and hearing from Kara Steinfeld about environmentally friendly products for women.

MENStruation Shabbat will be at 123 Main Street at 7:00 p.m. (or whenever services end). Please RSVP to isthisshitreal@yahoo.com by Wednesday morning, January 31. It will be vegetarian potluck. Here is a tentative list of what to bring, although it might change as the RSVPs come in so we can keep a good balance of food. If you have any questions, please let me or Jennifer or anyone on Team Vagina Monologues know.

Last Names:

A-E: Fruit or Dessert

F-J: Starchy side dish (potatoes, couscous, burekas, etc)

K-N: Green Salad

O-S: Non-starchy side dish

T-Z: Dips, spreads, appetizers, etc.

A few of us will be making veggie lasagnas for the main course - if there is one other person who is interested in doing this, please let me know. Also, if everyone could team up and bring a wine or beverage for every few people (basically BYOB/W). Challah will be provided.

Thanks!!

Susan, Jennifer and Team Vagina Monologues

Age ...

2007-01-20T07:07:00.000-05:00

Age is a tricky tricky thing around the HUC community ... I never thought I'd be the one to sound like an aging grandpa (soon i'll be removing my teeth to eat jello, going to bed at 9:30, driving with my blinker on, and ordering the early bird special at restaurants) but HUC is really bloody young.

It turns out that most of the people in my class are younger than me. When I entered school I thought I'd be about the average age of the class. And while there are a number of people older than me there must be 8 - 10 people that are not even a year out of college. (have i told you about this before, if i have forgive me ... ) While I guess this isn't that big of a problem -- I think most of them are rather qualified candidates and will be rather good at whatever they choose to do --- I question the desire to go right from one school to another. There is with out a doubt a different attitude about living here and being in school from the people that have been in the "real world" for a couple of years. And believe you me this year is not the real world ...

These people are much more serious about grades (see previous post) and potentially are less about learning for the sake of learning. Often times, when they ask questions and they allude to what they studied in college, which is really just a means of self-promoting ... this drives me nuts. (for example)

*** As a history major, I analyzed .... blah blah blah blah blah

*** Or my Senior thesis discussed the relationship between ... I can't believe that you are wasting my time with this question, if you have a question ask it, i really don't care about your resume.

*** My Sociology professor at Bradeis Doctor (Insert Jewish Name here) insisted that a clinical observation of ... i wonder if there is a trail of drool running down my chin because your ego and your question drives me deeper and deeper into a fantastic sleep.

*** At my hillel we ran a program that delved into ... ahh is someone talking about Hillel again, at Christian seminaries do they talk about the wonderful palm sunday program someone ran during his/her sophmore year?

My brother just stayed with me for about a week and I think he was a little shocked that he was actually older than many of people in my class. The only good thing about having a younger class is that since my maturity level is still hovering around 14 it does bring me closer to many of my classmates.

Note --- big football game tonight, a sports update to follow.
Note 2 -- if you read this blog (both of you) you can comment after every post, i'd love to hear any comments, thoughts, or suggestions
Note 3 -- I shaved my beard and pierced my nose

What's new in town

2007-01-14T15:14:00.000-05:00

Condoleezza is in town. She's staying at the hotel right near my school -- there is a lot of security. She's attempting to revive some semblance of a peace plan. She also is around to promote Abbas, meet with King Abdullah of Jordan and the various Israeli diplomats. She has a variety of concerns for the future of the Middle East -- even though last I looked, the US of A was caught in a rather dirty mideast predicament.

In theory, the biggest threat in the region has nothing to do with Gaza, Baghdad or Beirut, but rather stems from Iran. There is little doubt that Iran provides major funding to Hamas or Hezbollah and other terrorist groups that pledge destruction of Israel. They also recently had an anti-Semitic media grab conference that fell under the guise of Holocaust denial.

In Israel it's hard to really gauge the Iranian threat to the country. Some believe that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is actually not as radical as he may seem and is a rather prudent politician who knows exactly how to be a really irritating thorn in the side of Israel and America and knows how to push the right buttons to grab media attention and create a frenzy, but in truth isn't all that dangerous and probably would not start a war, especially one against Israel.

Many believe that Ahmadinejad benefits more from instability in Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank and certainly Iraq than from declaring a full-scale war against Israel. Even with an advanced nuclear program, Iran probably doesn't pose a direct threat on Israel. The thought is that Iranian programs is so far behind Israel that an attack would mean almost certain destruction of Iran, has no guarantee at success, and could never be accurate enough as to not risk attacking a major Muslim area or even The Dome of the Rock (Islam's holiest location outside of Saudi Arabia).

Others believe that he is a crazy man who if truly has the capability to attack, wouldn't hesitate to attack Tel Aviv (or Paris, London, Rome or Madrid for that matter) and that he must be stopped. Israel attacked a reactor in Baghdad about 25 years ago in a remarkable strike and some feel that a similar strike, if the intelligence is strong enough, should be strongly considered. Many believe that the strike on Iraq saved thousands of lives in Israel and was essential to the preservation of the state. Israel has always denied having nuclear weapons but has also pledged that if need be it would be the first to use them.

Probably didn't shed all that much new light for anyone, but it is a fascinating development and it's hard to gauge what shape the Iranian situation will develop.

On a side note, when I lived in Chile, Colin Powell came to Santiago when I was living there. Colin took me out for a beer ... Condi told me she had more important things to do and told me to shove it.

A return ...

2007-01-10T09:30:00.000-05:00

Long time no blog -- is that a saying. So a quick update. The vacation was fantastic. Some time in Paris, which is a wonderful city and about a week off here in J-town. I'd be fibbing if I said I couldn't use a few more days, but getting back is good for the brain and my Hebrew has become rather deliquent of late so I need to get my hide back in gear. Also -- it's not as if I'm Richard Kimble coming back to Chicago -- but I do have a bunch of things to take care of and a ton of errands to run.

I did get my grades and much like Slater did at Lee High School in 1976 I got straight A's. You all should be very very proud of me. Which brings us to a good topic: Grades.

I assumed that when I started Grad School that the competitive nature of grades wasn't going to exist. I thought people were going to learn what they needed to learn and were in school for the sake of professional and personal advancement -- boy was I wrong!! There are some cutthroat sobs in my class. These people ask so many annoying and petty questions about tests, quizes, grades, scoring, etc, that I feel as if I'm back in High School. Some of the questions and comments that are asked make me feel dumber and dumber, I cringe in the room when they are asked.

Pop Quiz -- Which is worse an 88 or Cancer? -- HUC answer an 88.

A very very scattered year in review.

2006-12-24T12:44:00.000-05:00

It's remarkable to think that I have been in Israel for a year and a half already. A year ago at this time i had no idea I would be coming to Israel and I was gearing up for winter break from local politics. It's remarkable and who would have thunk it. It's rather weird that I've been in Jerusalem for half a year already.

So far this year has been rather fantastic, I've had a handful of great visitors, i've taken trips to europe, sinai and all over israel. Survived a war in southern lebanon and northern israel, a near civil war in Gaza (hard to believe that I'm only 30 miles from Gaza sometimes -- even though it feels a world a way) and general unrest in the country I'm living in.

What may be more impressive is that I've survived half a year in a program filled with future clergy members and have even made a friend or two. Survived truly vicious and boring classes that include learning biblical grammar (seriously biblical grammar -- they didn't teach that at Trinity) survived not having Sunday's off -- which i've come to realize is truly the greatest day of the week. I'd for any one for president if they proposed a 3 day weekend. Even a republican.

I also now speak hebrew decently. Can sometimes chant torah. Know how to properly set up a Nargilla. Can catch a touch down pass from a yeshiva boy. Have had a Trajon Langdon sighting (he plays for some team in Moscow). Been in the same country as Tony Blair and a variety of other things that I can be very very proud of.

5 more months in Israel ... it's gonna be grrrrrreaat

AWOL

2006-12-19T13:51:00.000-05:00

chalk up my lack of posts to Finals, Chanukah, a match fixing scandal in Israeli soccer, a bout of the flu and an infestation of rattlesnakes.

my bad ... check back soon

Notes from the Motherland

2006-12-08T05:23:00.000-05:00

Winter has descended on Jerusalem which means, it's just as cold in the apartment as it is outside. My apartment, at night is frigid, I feel like a jewish eskimo. The problem is that the walls, windows and floors let almost all of the heat escape and it's very very expensive to heat the apartment to any proper temperature. All this means we rely on space heaters and hoodies most of the time I'm at home.

What adds to the problem is in the morning you need to light the lamp (hockey and eskimo reference in the same post -- it must be very cold) in order to heat up the water in the boiler for the shower. It takes about 45 minutes to heat up so at around 6:45 am (i didn't even know there was a 6:45 am) my alarm goes off and I climb out of my cozy cacoon and waddle/freeze my way to the shower hit the switch and run back into my bed and try and get warm as possible, and fall back asleep until it's time to run over to the shower. Some mornings I decide I need not shower and sleep until 7:30, however then nobody sits next to me in school the next day. Often I shower at night, but it does mean that I have to wait 45 minutes to shower after I get home from a football game.

Does all this sound like sour grapes? Not my intention. I know, I know ... some poor child in Malawi hasn't had a hot shower in his entire life. (but Madonna never tried to adopt me either).
*****

My football teams are doing well. My men's league team (the one with the Chaims) is 4 and 1 and we will make the playoffs. I rotate between tight end and defensive line. It's really quite a scene to attend one of these games. They happen after shabbat on Saturday night and the American Yeshiva boys and sometimes girls pour out to the field. It's place to be seen on a Saturday night and people run into this or that person who they knew from Torah Academy or Hebrew Academy or Baltimore Yeshiva etc.... I had a friend Aaron that came to one of the games and he filled me in on the best line he heard which ended a conversation between two, probably 19 year old, orthodox boys with the line "let's go back to the yeshiva and get the beer bong."

If you get a chance to come on Saturday night, it's really worth checking out the game on a sociological level. It's insane. My team has three yeshiva boys (from a yeshiva in the Gush) on it and a few other that are now out of the yeshiva but know each other from the glory days. We also have a handful of secular israelies and since Colby and I are part of the reform movement we probably have the most diverse team in the league.

I'd like to write more ... but I got to get the yeshiva, the beer bong's awaiting.

Rethinking Gaza

2006-11-22T15:22:00.000-05:00

If you've been following any Israeli news source, you've probably read that rocket attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip have been increasing over the last couple of weeks. The small city of Sderot which is only miles from Gaza is the location most often hit. The rockets are generally small and very erratic but they have claimed lives and sent most of the area into fear. The IDF has responded and have prevented numerous attacks, but also have killed civilians. Recently, a sort of cease fire has been put into place, but no one is confident that the cease will hold (in fact there have been three rockets shot into Israel since the cease fire).

It's a rather serious situation and many in Israel are rethinking the decision to evacuate from Gaza unilaterally 18 months ago. It's not as if the general public thought that an enhanced presence in Gaza was a good thing, and most civilians, especially the non-religious ones, didn't want their sons serving and defending a few number of people in the Gaza strip. However, the withdrawal was billed as a way to bring security (if not peace) to a volatile border and there is no doubt, that quiet has not come to the Gaza Israel border. In fact the Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit who was kidnapped by Hamas in July is still in captivity and there has been very little progress in securing his release.

The future of Gaza is in remarkable flux. Constant tensions between Hamas and Fatah, Israel and Palestine, Orthodox and Secular will continue to plague the area -- hopefully the cease fire and some open dialogue will surface and better days are on the horizon.

Gay Pride ... Jerusalem

2006-11-18T10:03:00.000-05:00

Last week after days of protest and controversy I attened Jerusalem's Gay Pride parade, which actually turned into more of Gay Pride Rally. Believe me -- the rally was much much more fun than the parade ever could have been. One of Israels top hip hop bands played, it was a great day and despite threats the protests were kept far away from the rally.

The ultra orthodox Jews were protesting the parade for weeks, including blocking streets, burning tires and mild skirmishes with police. During the week the situations in Gaza began to escalate (more to follow in a future blog) and all groups, the LGBT community, Police/Government, and Ultra Orthodox were all able to claim some sort of victory by turning the parade into a rally.

Two years ago a fantatical Ultra Orthodox Jew stabbed three people that were marching in the parade so security alerts were remarkably high. Of course, the irony of Gay Life in Jerusalem is that it seems homophobia it is the only issue in the country that can bring muslim, jewish and christian leaders together.

Check out Jon Stewart's great piece on Gay Pride Jerusalem.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=F2SGKs_eSu8

Man's Shabbat

2006-11-11T11:39:00.000-05:00

The first Friday night of every month the male members of my class get together for what they term a Man’s Shabbat. (Yeah, yeah – I can see the feminists in the room saying “isn’t every Shabbat man’s Shabbat”, and I agree, but that is not the point.)

The men of HUC get together the first Shabbat of every month and eat “manly” food, like potatoes and Chili – with meat. They drink beer (more to follow) and play cards or play guitar. (yes you read that right, they play guitar at man’s Shabbat). I’m not sure, but rumor is that they scratch themselves and belch a lot.

I have never been to a man’s Shabbat. I’ve been invited --- they wouldn’t want to exclude me, but it’s really not my style. You see,

My idea of hanging with the boys has nothing to do with man’s Shabbat and --- unless it involves smashing them --- has nothing to do with guitars.

I like spending time with women

I was never in a fraternity, especially a Jewish one! Which is where, I think, a lot of this male bonding over Shabbat – let’s eat tacos, talk about chicks and make off color jokes – stems from. (Not that I don’t enjoy any of those activities, in fact they are some of my favorite pastimes) but I’m not longing for my A E Pi, Z B T, Duke lacrosse days.
The men at HUC don’t like sports. Which to me seems like an obvious staple of any Man’s Shabbat. Sure individuals may like the Packers or the Lakers or Michigan, but I think there is one other true sports fan here.

Any Shabbat that ends with some 24 year old guy singing “The dreamer keeps a dreaming” really isn’t for me.

HUC students don’t really know how to drink. Which I think may be a problem with Jews in general. Basically, they either don’t drink or drink so that they get drunk. (this is not an indictment on either) But, it’s very hard to be the only one that wants to have a drink at dinner - “scotch on the rocks – you must be kidding me.” Also as a side note, when they do go to a bar they don’t know how to tip either – but don’t get me started.

Furthermore, when they drink sometimes they have drinks with fruit in them. Fruit in a drink – at man’s Shabbat.

I’ve promised the masses that I’d go to one. I may. If I do you I’ll keep you posted.

Rabin's Memory

2006-11-06T15:58:00.000-05:00

10 years ago, when I was living in Israel for the first time, I went to the one year memorial of the anniversary of the death of Yitzhak Rabin. It was one of the most incredible events I've ever been to -- 100,000 + people in Tel Aviv for the rally.

This past weekend, I went to the 11th anniversary rally. It was, as you can imagine, very somber. Not only was it a memorial rally, but the state of peace in Israel is at one of the lowest levels it's ever been. The memories of this summer's war still linger, cyclical violence occurs in Gaza and recently, an extreme hawk Avigdor Liberman (i even like Joe better) was appointed to serve as a member of the Government.

David Grossman, the keynote speaker at the rally and one of the star authors in Israel today said of Liberman's joining the government: "The appointment of a habitual pyromaniac as director of the nation's firefighters." Grossman, a known peace activist and celebrated writer, son died in the war in Lebanon this past July. I've linked the translation of his speech below. It's remarkable.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/784034.html

It was great to be in attendance. Also speaking was Dalia Rabin (Yitzhak's granddaughter) and performing was a who's who of Israeli musicians including David Broza and Eviv Gefen. Visibly absent were any politicians (they weren't invited) and anyone wearing a kippah (they don't agree). All in all a fantastic evening ... we can only hope that things move towards peace. Let's get back on track

Thoughts from the Holy Land

2006-10-29T11:48:00.001-05:00

Rain:

Rain has descended on the Middle East (actually, I can't speak for the entire Middle East, but at least it has descended on Jerusalem). One of the more remarkable aspects of rain in Israel is that right after sukkot (the holiday that ended two weeks ago) we switch our prayers to ask for rain. The day after we switched the prayers it rained. How you like them apples?????

The other thing about rain is that it turns the roads into a total mess. The drivers in J-town are bad enough, but rain really messes with them, accidents galore. It also is starting to get very cold, not winter cold outside, but in J-town inside is a similar tempature to outside, so we end up walking around with hoodies on even in the house.

Football:

Am on two flag football teams. You know you're playing in Israel when three guys on your team, are named Chaim (i kid you not). Even our quarterback is named Chaim. On the team I go by Jack, try to add a little gentile into the Israeli league and hope it strikes fear into some of our opponents. My friend on the team is named Colby, he converted to Judaism a few years ago --- obviously he's the best player.

Presidential Problems

2006-10-24T15:20:00.000-04:00

As you may or may not have heard, Israel's president Moshe Katsav is in a world of trouble. It's a story that's been in the news for a few months, but it appears that Katsav has harrassed, (and possibly even abused or raped) a number of women that came under his contact.

It's important to realize that being President of Israel isn't an elected position and it holds very little power in the Coutnry. President is primarily a cerimonial position and people in Israel often compare it to being Queen of England. I hate it when people compare it to the Queen of England, I can't imagine that they have very much in common whatsoever.

Anyhow, Katsav has been under intense scrutiny since July and despite police investigations, numerous allegations, rumors of fraud, wiretapping, obstruction he still is the President of Israel. The hunch is that the indictments of Katsav will come any day and he has said that if he is indicted, he will resign.

I have met not a person who thinks Katsav is anything but guilty and his names has turned into something of a joke in the country. It's shocking he's endured this long without resigning. Israeli politics is notorious for scandals, some legit others fabricated, but this one has got to be one of the most embarrassing and probably the most serious. Numerous government leaders refuse to be seen with him and the press he gathers is so intense, you'd think he's a congressman from Florida.

Season is starting

2006-10-17T06:50:00.000-04:00

A basketball focused post from me:

Basketball is about to start and I want to do an Israeli league fantasy team, will anybody join me?

Maccabi Tel Aviv, (the best team and a perennial European powerhouse) also Doron's home team for many years, is now doing a tour of North America and has games against The Cavs and the Raptors. They recently lost to the 76ers in a European tournament and often play other NBA teams during the preseason. They beat the Raptors last year in Toronto during a preseason game, beating the Raptors last year was hardly impressive, but nevertheless, I'm impressed. My pick up team could beat the Knicks.

Maccabi's big name player from last year, Anthony Parker is now on the Raptors (a good late round pick in Fantasy Drafts ... you heard it hear first) and the Americans on Maccabi current the team (each team is allowed 3 non-nationals) are: former NJ Net Rodney Buford, GA Tech point guard Will Bynum (who played very well in a trip to NCAA finals a few years ago where the Jackets lost to UCONN) and a guy I've never heard of of, but who I guess had a cup of coffee with the Supersonics last year Noel Felix.

The stars of Maccabi may be two kids named Tal Burnstein and Yaniv Green, both of whom may sniff the NBA someday and probably the best Israeli young talent playing today.

The season is a little weird, it's a lot like European soccer where the best teams, (Think Arsenal or Barcelona) play in both the country's league as well as the European League. More than one season plays at the same time, so Maccabi will play against a team from Haifa and one from Rome in the same week.

More to come on Maccabi Basketball --

Still Waiting for Guffman

2006-10-14T13:58:00.000-04:00

Ever see Waiting for Guffman? If not go out and rent it right away.

It is one of those movies that you pick up something every time you see it and most recently I realized that Dr. Alan Pearl (Eugene Levy) and his wife are the two most sterotypical Jews in the entire midwest. Not that one could ever mistake Eugene Levy for any thing but Jewish (hell if he was wearing a headdress and wielding a tomahawk I'd think he was a Jewish Indian) but until recenlty I never thought that there would be any Jews in Blaine. Blaine just doesn't seem like a town where there are Jews.

In one scene, Dr. Pearl's wife is wearing a Chai (backwards no less) as she talks to the camera about the remakable talent of her husband. It is important to remember, that at the end Dr. Pearl does end up movie to Florida, to perform for his fellow people.

What am I saying ... don't really know. Sorry if I've wasted your time.

Bringing it all back home ...

2006-10-03T07:47:00.000-04:00

The holy days are done ... well most of them. Rosh Hashana (the Rosh) and Yom Kippor (The Kip) have come and gone. My Muslim brothers are still in the midst of the Holy Month of Ramadan (not being a Muslim I don't want to submit a insensative nickname here -- take heed Benedict). A rather remarkable sight in Israel, to think that Ramadan and The Kip fell on the same day this year. Please correct my math, but this probably happens once every 25 or 30 years based on the varying lunar caledars of Islam and Judaism -- which is quite a scene to think that the most holy day of Islam and Judaism overlapped this year -- and I was in a Holy City for both religions as this occured.

Nevertheless, it meant that yesterday nobody ate, nobody drove, everybody prayed and as the sun went down - Muslim Arabs and Jews began in the ritual known as "gorging out" which is common in most religions -- and is even found in the United States of America on the 4th Thursday in November.

My days of awe were rather nice ... I enjoyed being in J-town on the Kip, at night, thousands of people gathered on one of the main strips of Jerusalem and chatted and told stories and caught up. Kids rode bikes, played soccer and people meandered in the middle of the road. Imagine if all of a sudden one night a year neighbors and guest just decided to spend the night together --- in the middle of Columbus Avenue.

Happy New Year, Gamar Chatima Tova, Ramadan Karrem, May the Force be with You and LETS GO METS.

Where have you gone ... Sandy Koufax?

2006-09-28T09:23:00.000-04:00

If you've ever been to Israel, or if you've ever read about Israel, you no doubt know about the constant struggle between Religious and Secular Israelies. Well a small little sports story has fueled the fire between that divide even more.

An Israeli goaltender named Dudu (David) Awat, who plays in Spain, told Spanish journalists that even though his team's game was to fall on Yom Kippor, he'd still play for his club. Awat, said that he would fast on Yom Kippor (the game starts on Erev Yom Kippor) and that he would start his fast a few hours later. Like most Israelies, Awat does not strictly observe the Jewish Holidays or Shabbat and, my guess is, probably has never been to Yom Kippor services in his entire life.

Nevertheless, to the Religious in Israel, this was shocking. One Member of Knesset (Congress) even demanded that he be removed from the Israeli National Team. (He's been the starting goalie for the last two international games.) No doubt, Awat, who, I'm 99% sure, served in the Israeli Army, never thought that his decision would fuel the wrath of Israel's religious, much less members of Knesset

As things happen in Israel, it turns out the fury was over nothing -- because of the Spanish league's scheduling snafu, Awat's game actually starts before Yom Kippor begins this Sunday.

It's a funny story and what that gives remarkable insight into a major divide into Israeli culture. My hunch is that if Shawn Green or Sandy Koufax or Hank Greenberg were Israeli, they would have played on Yom Kippor.

Happy New Year

2006-09-22T17:39:00.000-04:00

Happy New Year from Jerusalem. Hope that you are well. Stay tuned for some post RH Blogging.

Shana Tova

This time Shalom means goodbye

2006-09-06T16:12:00.000-04:00

Wanted to take a moment to mention the retirement of Andre Agassi, not that there has been a lack of media coverage about his swan song in Flushing, but even across the globe his retirement has been getting a lot of press and has been on peoples mind.

Realizing I’m not a sports writer, or even a writer, I hesitate to use the blog as a form to wax nostalgically about Andre (I’ll save that for sermons), but thinking back on it for sports fans of my generation, no other athlete brought so many different things for such a long period of time. While he wasn’t the best Tennis player of his time (Sampras, more recently Federer) he was always fun to watch, always exciting and, even as he got older, always hip.

I remember seeing him at and getting his autograph, I must have been 11 years old, at LaGuardia Airport when he was in his long crazy hair days. He signed his autograph Andre – no last name, just Andre. How many other athletes of my generation could do that? Michael, Magic, Tiger, Pedro?, Mariano, Barry (Sanders or Bonds or neither) Lance, Wayne, maybe a few others. And Andre was never as dominating as any of them.

I also had the honor of being at the classic Agassi/Blake quarterfinal match at last years US Open. Agassi won in Epic fashion – similar to his Baghdatis match this year - and it was remarkable to see him grit out an amazing win. Leaving Queens that night (more accurately, the next morning) it felt as if I had played. The crowd soaked up every moment of Andre (I did too and I was rooting for Blake) and not only did he play tennis, but he performed tennis.

So Andre, thanks for playing tennis. Thanks for not being an aging punk like Connors and McEnroe. Thanks for not having a perfect game and being predictable like Sampras or Becker. Thanks for winning tournaments in weird, wild ways. Thanks for losing as the 1 seed and winning out of the blue.

No kid played tennis wanting to be Courier, Sampras, Edberg, Rafter, Chang, Martin, Washington or Sampras – we wanted to be Andre.

Ich bin ein Berliner

2006-09-04T16:56:00.000-04:00

Not really, actually didn’t even come all that close to Berlin, but I just got back from a week of vacationing in Western Europe in Germany and Holland. My base was a small town in Western Germany called Aachen. Aachen is home to about a quarter of a million people and only a few miles from the the Belgian and Dutch borders. The world equestrian championships brought me to Aachen, even though I didn’t attend one event of the horses. I was visiting a friend from the USA who was sent here to work for the week.

Aachen is a charming little town. It’s actually rather historic as well, as it was Charmalagne’s most favorite city and it was very historically significant during the Roman times (coming from Jerusalem it gives you a sense of how broad the roman rule really was). It’s built on a series of mineral water/hot springs and, I gather, has been used as a place to soak tired bones for thousands of years. Needless to say, I’m well rested.

Some other thoughts:

*** Germans like their beer. People drink beer constantly, old/young, men/women, every one was drinking at pretty much every hour of the day. Each little town, neighborhood, street has little bars that, while not crowded, have people in them whenever they are open. The beer is rather good as well, far better than any beer I’ve had in Israel.

*** Took a day trip to the city of Koln (Cologne), which is about an hour from Aachen and one of the biggest cities in Germany. Cologne is right on the Rhein River and has first class museums, philharmonic and boy do I smell good! If you had visited Cologne 125 years ago you also would have been able to see the tallest building in the world. (not even the tallest in Cologne anymore) but the main cathedral still is the center of the City. It’s a rather impressive Cathedral and I trekked my sore legs to the top of one of the Cathedral’s towers. The Cathedral is also the most visited spot in all of Germany. It was a remarkable cathedral, having never really traveled Europe before I sure got a sense of the

*** Made the mistake of order traditional German food at a local Aachen Brauhaus. As you can probably gather pork products are not all that common in Jerusalem (though you can get them) so after diving into the “Butcher’s Platter” one evening -- all of Israel was laughing at me -- I soon became violently ill.

*** Was able to experience first hand the remarkable, and I do mean remarkable, European Train System. Clean, easy, effective, a great way to get around the area.

*** Finally, I can’t help but acknowledge some of my personal feelings about being in Germany (especially coming from Israel). It is a weird parallel between recognizing that Germany is a modern, western and progressive country and also realizing that this was a Country that attempted a full scale genocide of the Jewish People. For me the most poignant moments had to do with the train stations, the same tracks that I traveled on, only 60 years ago were used for deportations.

All in all a great vacation, I’m about to hit full stride and will continue to blog about once a week. Questions, comments thoughts, please share.

2006-08-23T05:05:00.000-04:00

Update from Jeruslaem:

My summer semester is coming to an end. I am taking a mini vaction, which will involve me seeing some long lost friends in Western Europe. I am excited.

One of the tricky things about being at HUC is balancing time between hanging out with your classmates and being by yourself. All of the classes, programs, tours, trips are with the same people and it can get very easy to fall into a patter of hanging out with the group and, for lack of a better term, being with a clusterfuck of people. I like my fellow classmates (better than I probably thought I would) but hanging with only Americans and only in a large group can become frustrating and overwhelming.

Also, lest we forget we are talking about some strong personalites here. (I know -- I've got one too) but these people can take themselves very seriously and really like to talk about themselves. They are all deciders, that's what they do decide (some big egos need stroking)

But ... I like these people, I'm going to go to school with them for a while, so I don't want to be a total outsider.

A few things that have helped me with the situation.

1. I have a non-HUC roommate. This makes a huge difference, I'm one of the few people that doesn't have a roommate from HUC and it helps seperate your day between school and home. In fact I live in a neighborhood that is a little bit farther from school, which also limits the number of HUC students living near me -- it's a great neighborhood.

2. No Big Vacations together. During the break (where I'll be in Western Europe) The clusterfuck is heading off the Rhodes and Barcelona, two places I'd love to go, but not with other HUC'ers. Spending 5 days in Rhodes with the same people I see everyday isn't the vacation I need.

3. Guests. I've had 3 already and have other friends that are living here, they are a nice buffer for me when I want to hang with others that are outside of the program.

That's all for now:

Also we know Doron's in Israel: See bottom of article where it talks about Sheff and Henafeld (UCONN's other great israeli star)

http://www.courant.com/sports/custom/calhoungame0812,0,1911004.story?coll=hc-headlines-sports-custom

Pardon me ... but did you go someplace

2006-08-20T07:27:00.001-04:00

Not really, but i'm sorry for those of you (two, maybe three) who missed the blog. I've had a hosts of guests and have been away a lot and also have a few other (mostly lame) reasons why I haven't posted in the last few weeks.

First some thoughts on the war:

Quiet, (or some sense of it) has descended on Israel. World War Three did not erupt and I am still safe, happy, learning hebrew and practicing jump shots in the land of milk and honey. From my point of view, the consesus of the country seems to be that the war was both a necessity and at the same time remarkably unproductive.

Necessity -- the majority of Israel supported the actions in the North. A country can't let soldiers be kidnapped and rockets fall on major cities. Since everyone goes to the Army, nobody would stand for inaction after soldiers were kidnapped. It hits too close to home. I knew of three (two in my program) people who had boyfriends/husbands called up to fight in Southern Lebanon and two others who had good friends die during the war.

Unproductive -- The war didn't stop the rockets from falling, Hezbollah was not anahillated, the kidnapped weren't returned and no long standing peace or even truce really exists.

Since the cease-fire, Joe/Jane Public have been remarakble critical of Israel and are slamming Olmert and his government for a host of reasons on the way they ran the war.

************************************************************************

For me, things are great. I've taken trips to Sinai, Tel-Aviv, Ashkelon (roman ruins on the Med. Sea), The Dead Sea, Ashdod and been all over Jerusalem. I'm looking forward to going to the north one day soon.

FYI

For those that want, this one in a series of articles written by a Professor at University of Tel-Aviv dealing with the war. I agree with a lot, disagree with some. But he seems to know his stuff. And he seems to admit his biases.

VI: WHAT WENT WRONG? ISRAEL'S WAR IN LEBANON

Historians often point out that to really understand a war, it's necessary to wait several years or more before it's possible to make an accurate assessment of what happened.

In the case of Israel's recent war in Lebanon, the assessments are flying around like bees in a bee hive, with a new one appearing every hour. We already have a long list of who should resign, who should apologize and who should declare his/her unsuitability for public office.

The erudite (and less than erudite) journalists and media experts have already judged everyone - except themselves. I have been reading reports and listening to the international media and am amazed at all the instant experts on all realms: they seem to know so much of how everyone is thinking, feeling and dreaming, that my envy has reached unexpected heights.

It's a difficult act to follow the multiple military experts who appear on TV for hours on end and manage to decide on tragic events with the aplomb of a bull in a china shop

Permit me to make some comments which might give the reader a handle on how to evaluate the past month, and the months ahead. I'm no general or journalist, though the time I spent in southern Lebanon in the 1982 War as a communications soldier gave me a fairly comfortable sense of that country. All I can claim in my favor is thirty five years on the faculty of Tel Aviv University and being totally biased towards Israel.

My list of "what went wrong" is a tentative statement and only time will prove me correct or not.

1) Israel is perceived as being weak by many of the players in the Middle East. Withdrawing from Lebanon in 2000 (which I supported) and giving back Gaza to the Palestinians and removing the Israeli "settlers" (which I supported) have been understood by observers as a clear sign that the Jews/Israelis are once again on the run. Many Muslims claim that just as the Crusaders were kicked out of the Holy Land the same will happen to the Jews. They believe that Jewish history is about the migrant, the nomad, the wanderer and that the modern sovereign state of Israel is a temporary aberration. Thus the Jews will either disappear or will return to their homes in Europe.

2) Israelis have increasingly been using their creative energies to build a dynamic and vibrant society. The goal is to live in a normal middle class and democratic country with all its benefits. Money and human resources have been invested in internal development and the successes of this tiny new state, surrounded by unfriendly neighbors, are mind boggling. As years went by, did the finest of our citizens, the brightest and boldest, go to business, industry and academia, and not the army?

3) We were fighting the last war. Israel had clearly not prepared itself for the Hezbollah, a powerful, well-armed, heavily-financed fighting force that was willing to use Lebanese citizens as human shields. Iranian and Syrian support over several years, underground bunkers and determined fighters seemed to have been ignored. Israeli intelligence, claimed to be excellent, was incorrect or inaccurate or, just not passed down the ranks. The question remains: who knew what and why didn't the soldiers in the field know more?

4) Chief of Staff Dan Halutz, the former chief of the air force, was convinced that air attacks over a period of more than 3 weeks would do the job. He was wrong. Where were the voices in the military asking the important questions? Did anyone really imagine that it was possible to reach the Litani River in less than 48 hours? Were our "experts" dreaming? Why weren’t techniques developed to deal with a guerilla force shooting missiles from highly populated civilian areas? I, a former simple soldier, looking at events from home, realized that the forces in the field were given impossible tasks to fulfill.

5) The Israel Defense Forces went into battle unprepared. Reports indicate that military equipment was lacking, food inadequate and instructions confused. Soldiers and junior officers are highly critical of senior officers. The reality of poor planning and limited insights remind one of the 1973 Yom Kippur War when the term "cigar smoking generals" was used. The upcoming commission of inquiry should deal with both military and political inadequacies.

6) Our Minister of Defense, Amir Peretz is totally useless. It's a pity he didn't remain Sderot's mayor or an official in the Histadrut (labor union). The minister of defense does not have to be a general, but he should have some insights, good advisors and an ability to evoke confidence. Mr Peretz failed on all accounts. The Yediot Ahranot newspaper (Aug 16) show that 63% of the Israelis polled maintain he did a bad job. The remaining 37% were unjustifiably kind to him.

7) Prime Minister Olmert has stated that he takes responsibility for all the problems. The Smith Research poll shows that 62% of the population feels he didn't handle the war properly. He has displayed an inability to multi-task as he had focused his attention on the Palestinian question and improving relations with western countries. One recalls Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion who led Israel during its War of Independence between November 1947 to January 1949 with limited resources but tremendous foresight and endurance.

8) The Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, did not play the role required in a country at war. Her voice should have been heard around the world. During the crucial hours prior to the U.N. Resolution, when she should have been in the thick of discussion in New York, the Prime Minister demanded she remain in Jerusalem. We remember the erudite and brilliant Abba Eban, who appeared in the U.N. during the heady days of 1967 to represent Israel with dignity and honor?

9) The home front with over a million and a half civilians under attack received little government attention. Private initiatives, NGOs and local officials bore the brunt of the responsibility for the citizens' well-being. Families around the country invited people from the north to stay with them (we had 10 in four rounds), food parcels were sent and contributions from abroad enabled those areas under katyusha threat to somehow survive. The overall cost for Israel: 159 killed, over 5,000 injured, 12,000 homes damaged and over 750,000 trees burnt. The full financial implications have still to be evaluated though with overseas donations and a stable economy we will pull through.

10) One of the main reasons soldiers willingly went to war was to get back the 2 soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah. This has not happened. A totally inadequate earlier U.N. resolution has been replaced by another one (1701) which appears little better. Will the Lebanese Army, which consists of some 60% Shiites and the international U.N. military force be willing or able to disarm Hezbollah? It is doubtful. I recall meeting 5 delightful Nepal UNIFIL soldiers in Lebanon many years ago who at the first indication of fireworks would probably have retreated hastily to a bunker.

11) Lebanon's loss is tremendous and tragic. This complex country, subjugated until recently by Syria and increasingly the playground of Iran, desperately needs help. Sheikh Nasrallah may be perceived by many as a hero today, but history will show if this viewpoint remains correct in the future as well. The Arab world is also a loser for most Muslims are Sunni and the success of the Lebanese Shiites bodes ill for them.

At this stage the reader may feel totally disillusioned. Permit me to conclude with encouraging aspects.

THE GOOD NEWS

1) Israeli society is pained but also patriotic and determined. More than 100% of the reservists called up for military service went to their bases. Israelis love their country and will fight for it. The war saw about a thousand immigrants arriving from western countries, openly declaring their commitment to becoming citizens regardless of the immediate crisis. The pacifists and intellectual left, while attracting media attention, remain marginal.

2) I believe that Israel received significant global support and understanding. We have friends in the world today who recognize the dangers of Iran, Syria, international terrorism and capitulation. However, now as in the past, the intellectual left is against Israel, probably regardless of its actions.

3) The media has often been unfair to Israel. Did I sense, though, that this time, there were distinct voices of support and understanding? The exposure of faked photos and incorrect reporting are of tremendous importance. "Reutersgate" which showed how photos were doctored, is just one sign of how carefully we must deal with some of the news outlets. Well done to all those fine people who are placing the media under a microscope to ensure balanced reporting. The internet provides a powerful alternative voice but the battle has just begun.

4) As hard hit as we have been, perhaps this has served as an early warning signal for us. Let us all listen to every threat of President Ahmadinejad of Iran and President Assad of Syria and take them seriously. One can only hope that ,with time, enough people in Europe will begin to appreciate the dangers of long range missiles from Teheran which can not only destroy Tel Aviv and Riyadh but also Rome, Paris and London.

5) Donations and messages of support came from all around the world. We now need tourists and investors.

6) Many Arab leaders, in their heart of hearts, hoped that Israel would defeat Hezbollah. They could clearly never express it openly but they know that Israel is not the problem in the Middle East- radical Islam is. Day by day extremists in Iraq are killing each other, often choosing the local mosque as the site for their violence.

Many challenges lie ahead. The well-being of Israel has a direct impact on the western world and if anyone is still in denial about the Islamists threat, all I can do is hope that he or she will see the light before it gets too dark.

Shabbat in Jerusalem

2006-07-28T10:19:00.000-04:00

The Israeli week is a tad different the week back in the States. The weekend is friday/saturday and the work week beings on Sunday. The entire city, (religious and secular) begins to get ready for Shabbat (the sabbath, the Jewish Day of Rest) on Thursday afternoon. Stores stay open late on Thursday and all of the markets, especially the major produce market, are zoos thursday afternoon and all Friday until around 2 0r 3 in the afternoon.

At 2 or 3 the stores start to shut down and by 4:30 or 5:00 the City become more and more quiet as people prepare for Shabbat. No buses run, few restaurants are open and fewer and fewer cars are on the street. It's actually rather remarkable, Friday mornings are crazy, and by 6:00 on Friday it's a totally different place. Shabbat beings a half hour before sunset on Friday night (around 7:00 here) and lasts until about half hour after sunset on Saturday.

By 9:00 Saturday night, the City has once again shifted from quiet to chaos, as quickly the restaurants open and fill up. Cars and Buses start pumping noxious fumes back into the air. Families and Yeshiva boys stroll the streets, HUC students trek out to the bars and street musicians and performers return to the streets.

It really is a remarkable two day transition. Even the change of pace reaches down to the super secular of Israel (which is the majority of the country). Needless to say it's my favorite stretch of the week. (Who doesn't like the weekend best). Yesterday (thursday), I went to a movie, out to dinner and a few bars ... today i slept late, did some shopping, took a walk ... and tonight I'll have dinner with friends. Come on down, Shabbat in Jerusalem, you'll love it.

Check the Situation and Check the Ball

2006-07-25T15:52:00.000-04:00

Condi is in the Middle East and she was in Jerusalem today. We went and got a beer and put a note in the western wall together -- earlier in the day we headed off to the Israel Museum and floated in the Dead Sea. We had a nice day, it turns out she's really a nice lady, isn't going to run for president and believes that the Mets will win the world series and thinks Oswald acted alone. She also told me that VP Dick shot the guy on purpose.

Other things for me are going well, I jumped up a level in Hebrew and am now in Kitah Bet, it's a harder placement but the class is bigger and teacher isn't as good. Nevertheless, it's good to push myself and my Hebrew will get better. It’s not too tough, I’ll be fine.

Of course, the news in the North continues to dominate the country and a lot of the atmosphere of our program. Generally the mentality of the average Israeli is that they are behind the actions of the Israeli government (which is unique for the population) and support the actions in Israel in Southern Lebanon. I continue to feel the same way, but it’s a tough one.

Most people recognize that eventually Israeli actions will need to quiet down and Israel will need to withdraw back to the Israeli border. My hunch is that this will happen in the next 1 to 2 weeks, but it’s impossible to tell. The dilemma for many Israelis is that there is a concrete fear about any prolonged presence in Southern Lebanon. From 1982 until 2000 Israel had a major troop presence in Southern Lebanon which quickly became an impossible occupation and disaster for the country externally and internally (it's called the Israeli Vietnam). Many troops died and public pressure from Israeli citizens probably led to the withdrawal from Lebanon just 6 years ago.

That being said, rockets continue to fall on Northern Israel and Israeli soldiers were kidnapped in Israel – so inaction is not realistic.

I received an email from a friend of my mine and he was discussing his internal struggles with the entire situation. He wrote: "If someone came into my house and stole one of my kids, I would go buckwild on them, but then again can you go after anyone who had nothing to do with the matter in the process? Aren’t you causing yourself more problems and more fatalities? It's a tough one."

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I've been playing a little basketball at a park nearby my house. It's actually a great place, both Arab and Jews play at the park and they have lights that enable one to play ball late into the night.

This past Saturday, during the afternoon someone organized a game for other students in my program. I went to the court and participated in the whitest game of basketball ever. Never, Never, Never attempt to play serious basketball with 7 future Jewish professionals. Nice guys, Bad athletes. More shots went over the backboard than into the basket. I don't fancy myself a stellar basketball player -- but I was tough to be seen on the court for some of the plays. On the sideline Doron Sheffer was cringing.

Speaking of Doron, an entire generation of Israelis are growing up not knowing much about the Israeli Ice-man. This my friends makes me feel rather old. For instance, if you ask the average baseball fan under 22 who Dave Steib was, they probably would have, at best, only a slight recollection of this 7 time all-star. In 1985 Dave Steib was a god to me. Well Sheff's a little younger but he is descending into the same sort of status in Israel. He's probably a little more popular than DS (#37), but he's slipping. I think ESPN needs to remedy this by doing some sort of program on both DS and DS – ASAP!

Just an FYI -- Sheff was drafted before Malik Rose, Jeff McInnis and Shandon Anderson and in the same draft as AI, Kobe, Steve Nash and Ray Allen. I hope to run into him shortly.

Notes on the Links ...

2006-07-22T04:23:00.000-04:00

I've added a few new links on the side of the page for you to check out if you get a chance.

The first one is a bio on Doron Sheffer, #11 -- for whom this page is dedicated

The second one is a friend of mine the Off Color Commentator who writes a blog on the world of sports and news that may have slipped between the cracks. Even if you aren't a sports fan, you'll find the blog enjoyable.

The third is a link to Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper. This is the English version.

The forth is a rather cool intreactive map of Israel. Can give you a sense of the layout of the country a little bit.

The fifth is the blog of a friend of mine who is living in Alabama for the summer and doing anti-deathpenalty work. A northern boy moves to a southern city

What am I doing over in these parts?

2006-07-21T08:38:00.000-04:00

More than once I've asked myself the same question. I'll try and give you a little background on everything.

I'm attending a school called Hebrew Union College (HUC), which has three campuses in the States (Cincinnati, NYC and LA) and a satellite campus in Jerusalem. HUC is the only school of higher learning for Judaism's progressive (Reform) movement. The individuals that are in my program in Jerusalem fall into one of 4 groups they are either studying to be 1. Cantors, 2. Jewish Educators 3. Rabbis or 4. here just for one year of study and will not receive an advanced degree. Most people are studying to be Rabbis or Jewish Educators.

After the year, in Jerusalem everybody from options 1 - 3 will return to one of the campuses in the States to finish his/her degree. People from option 4 will do whatever they damn well please (maybe they'll end up being Yak herders or running for Congress). When I return I'll continue at the New York campus ... I'd rather shove rusty nails into my hands then be forced to go to Cincinnati for an advanced degree (Jesus analogies are totally accidental). It's not mandatory for students to spend year number 1, in Israel, but it is encouraged and most people do it. To be honest, I can't imagine why someone wouldn't

HUC in Jerusalem is also has programs for Israelies that are studying to be Rabbis, Cantors or Educators. The Progressive movement in Israel is, while growing, rather small and the program has different components than to the one I'm currently in. Hopefully in a future blog we can discuss (by we ... I mean I) a little bit more about the progressive movement in Israel. But not now ...

One of the best things about HUC is that it has an amazing campus. It's got great buildings, a museum on archeology, many gardens and is in a fantastic location ... 5 minutes from the old city, 5 minutes from downtown, 5 minutes from cool movie theaters (you get the idea, it's 5 minutes from everything). I'd be happy to give anyone a tour.

There are about 60 other North Americans (two canucks) in Jerusalem with me now. Ranging from just out of college to 45+ years of age. A few families are here and one woman brought her dogs over. 12 hours on a plane nearly killed me, I think she gave her Lab some ambien. Most people had been to Israel before and about 7 or 8 had been living in Israel before starting the program.

Hopes this sets my environment a tad better. Thanks for all the feedback. Love from Jerusalem ... Peace to all of your neighborhoods.

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3000 Years of Beautiful Jewish Tradition ....

2006-07-19T08:13:00.000-04:00

Thanks for checking in. Can you finish the sentence above?

Despite the ongoing "situation" which I've talked about in the last couple of posts, my life has entered some sort of routine. Jerusalem remains on high alert, but I am safe, comfortable and, I promise, being careful. Once again, I swear to you, my life doesn't resemble the images on CNN or BBC. My money says that more people have died due to the heat wave that has gripped the US than do to Israel's current conflict. Stay Cool.

I have started my Hebrew courses. I'm in the lowest level of 5, even though my Hebrew is not that bad and I speak better than most students 1 or 2 levels ahead of me. I speak well because I’m able to “throw caution into the wind” and am not afraid to make mistakes, so what if you get it wrong? (The fact that I act like an idiot most of the time, helps alleviate some of the fears that come with looking like an idiot when you speak poorly) My reading and writing need a lot of help, I may move up a level in Hebrew in the fall when the rest of my classes start.

One thing to be cautious of is that the many words are very, very similar to other words in Hebrew, "receive" and "terrorist" are only one letter apart -- a good one not to mess up. A less serious example: imagine if a foreigner were to arrive in the US and tried to say, "I am a very important person back home" and said impotent instead of important --- it would take on quite a different meaning. Well, I'm sure I've made many of those mistakes. When I was living in Chile I'm once said "estoy caliente" which while technically means, "I'm hot" actually translates to "I'm aroused." (wow, impotence and arousal in the same sentence -- maybe this war is getting to me). One quick story that made me chuckle to myself and also question how I ever made it past the 5th grade, occurred when I learned that the past tense of the verb to sing (for a female) is pronounced ... shart. Yup, I thought that was the funniest thing ever ... I can't believe they let me in either.

I'm still iffy on many of my classmates, I'm starting to find the people that I like the most ... but it continues to be a process. Don't get me wrong, I like a lot of people and am confident I will have good friends, but many people, especially the men, take themselves quite seriously (something I've never been accused of doing … see above). As a group it seems we really like to hear ourselves speak -- a trait that I am quite aware is not foreign for members of the clergy. I hope to provide some more anecdotes on individuals (names will be changed to protect ... my ass) and the program on the whole. As always --- questions, comments and anecdotes are encouraged.

My goodness ...

2006-07-16T10:51:00.000-04:00

The situation in these parts continues to get worse; Lebanon today reined rockets on Haifa, Israel's third major city and its primary port in northern

Israel

. There is no doubt that Israel is at war. However, despite what you read on the news, or what you watch on CNN, I am not running for cover or hiding in a bomb shelter most of the day. Jerusalem remains quiet and for the most part my daily life is as close to routine as I ever will have.

I'm remaining in Jerusalem and will not go to the north of the country. There is a heightened security presence in Jerusalem but I went to the movies yesterday, have taken buses and am pretty much living life as normal as possible. Thanks for all of the concern from friends and family, I'll continue to keep everyone posted.

One of the things that is most tough for me is that even though I tend to be a left winger on most every political issue, (even dealing with Israeli politics) it's hard for me to be objective. The initial act of the current conflict dealt directly with the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers, in Israel. What's Israel supposed to do? What would be the appropriate response? The situation between Israel and Hezbollah/Lebanon is very different than what is going on with the Palestinian territories. Is there any country in the world that wouldn't respond when soldiers were kidnapped, ships attacked or train stations blow-up? I don't think Israel should be let off the hook completely -- and I think they need to be strategic in any action, but how else should the respond? (opinions, thoughts, etc... welcome and encouraged) What's almost as hard for me to fathom in the entire situation is that when I listen to the news I find myself agreeing with W and Condi -- strange bedfellows for a liberal New Yorker.

School started today and the summer will be devoted almost completely to Hebrew. I have class for about 4 - 5 hours a day. I'll try and bring some more lighthearted nature to the blog, probably what you are more interested in reading anyway.

Notes from a conflict zone ...

2006-07-12T14:11:00.000-04:00

As one of my friends emailed me "I picked a hell of a time to move to Israel." Couldn't have said it better myself. The Situation, as most Israelis like to call it, has heated up. As you probably have been following in the news, Israel is now in major combat (if not all out war) on two major fronts.

One is in the Gaza Strip, where a 19 year old Israeli soldier is being held hostage by the military wing of Hamas, and despite no Israelis or Jews living in Gaza, Israel has invaded Northern Gaza to prevent rocket attacks on Southern Israeli cities and kibbutzim. Earlier today, 7 Israeli soldiers will killed by Hezbollah in Northern Israel on Lebanon border and 2 others were kidnapped by Hezbollah militants. Israel responded by attacking targets in Southern Lebanon and for the first time in over 6 years, Israel has an active military force in Southern Lebanon.

Hamas and Hezbollah are demanding the release of hundreds of prisoners in exchange for the release of the IDF soldiers. Currently, Israel has said they will not negotiate with terrorists and will not swap prisoners. Israel has called up reservists and is preparing for what could be a full scale war.

This is my 5th time being in Israel and except for a brief stretch that concerned control of a tunnel in Jerusalem (in 1996) this is the most tense the "Situation" has been while I've ever been in Israel. In fact, I've been blessed to have been in Israel for periods of calm and safety.

Despite the tenseness of the "Situation", I feel very safe in Jerusalem. I noticed a heightened police/army presence in the City - but nothing that made me feel uncomfortable or unsafe. Jerusalem continued as normal, people were in bars and restaurants, attending the Jerusalem film festival. I went to orientation programs and walked around the City.

I am safe; Jerusalem is very far either Gaza or Lebanon border. I will be careful ... I promise.

Checking in and Kicking Ass

2006-07-11T08:31:00.000-04:00

I've been in the mother country for 10 days now and after a stretch touring around the homeland, I've plopped myself down in Jerusalem. I'm living in the German Colony, (Jerusalem has an insane amount of neighborhoods that are marked by other countries = Russian Compound, Greek Colony, French Hill, American compound, etc ...) which is a nice area and only about 15 minutes from my school. Someone called it the Park Slope of Jerusalem, I hope that doesn't mean there will be a ton of strollers.

My apartment is rather nice, I live on the 3rd floor of a building and am sharing it with, at least for the summer, a girl named Allison who is from someplace in Jersey. After the summer I will either 1. Absorb her rent and live alone, 2. Move out, 3. Find another roommate. I'm hoping for #3, but probably will not start the roommate search until August.

I have not yet started school, tonight I'll meet most of my classmates for the first time -- we'll see.

In other news ....

I have decided that my first major purchases will be a basketball and a grill. I need hangers and soap as well, but they'll come second.

As this blog is named after the greatest Israeli basketball player ever I feel that a basketball is essential, how else am I going to find Doron. The average Israeli plays a rather ugly form of basketball, lots of chucking and traveling, a good deal of hacking and an ability to whine about every call or non-call. To their credit -- professionally they are much better -- but the when you live on the street, you play ball on the street. (don't know what that really means)

I do have a balcony, not a huge one to host major parties or moving screenings, but one big enough to deem a grill necessary. This no doubt will add a nice feel to the apartment.

Thank you for checking in, I'll try and post more often.

Israeli Ice Man

2006-06-18T22:50:00.000-04:00

Location: New York City

I'm off to Israel in about 10 days , I'm going to try and get this thing up and running before my departure.