Kibbutz Lotan

On the 17th, we drove from Jerusalem to Kibbutz Lotan.  Lotan is a Reform kibbutz in the south of Israel, right on the Jordanian border.  On one side, I can see the Jordanian hills (we're told that if we were to walk out past the fence, we would be arrested by the guards almost immediately).  On the other side, we can see the Israeli mountains, and all around is desert.  It's not so hot here right now because it is becoming winter, so being out in the desert really isn't that bad.

On Lotan, we're living in the eco-village, or Bustan neighborhood.  This is an entirely green neighborhood made up of ten domes, a kitchen, solar cooking tools, and eco-friendly 'bathrooms.'  The domes are basically wire frames with hay bales stacked around it, and covered in mud plaster.  They fit three beds each and have windows.  We have fans, air conditioners, lights, and electric outlets, but are encouraged not to use them as much as we can.  The bathrooms, and I use that term lightly, are compost toilets and eco-frendly showers.  Here is a link to the eco-campus website to find out more:

http://www.kibbutzlotan.com/creativeEcology/ga/ecocampus.html

We have had classes about ecology, the compost toilets, holidays on kibbutzim, and other subjects.  Last night was the last night of Sukkot, so we had a short service, and then we brought out the two Torah's and went outside, singing and dancing and celebrating for about an hour.  We sang songs in Hebrew and English, most of them I knew from camp.  After, we had tea and cake and sat around playing songs on the guitar and meeting people from the kibbutz.  My friend and I even learned how to dance a little Salsa.    It's funny because back home, people Salsa dance for fun, and go to special Israeli Dancing classes, but here it's the exact opposite.  During the celebration, we sang Israeli songs and danced Israeli dances, and I actually knew most of the dances.  It was a lot of fun, and everyone had a really good time.

Earlier this week, we went to Kibbutz Ya-hel, about a ten minute drive from here.  We all got on a bus and went to a huge Sukkot fair they put on.  There were vendors selling jewelry, food, clothing, and just about everything else.  During the whole event, there was an on-going loop of videos and interviews of Gilad Shalit projected so everyone could see.  That was the day he was finally released into IDF custody and brought home to Israel.

Life here on the kibbutz is very relaxed.  Everywhere has sand as the ground, so very few people wear shoes.  My feet haven't been clean since I got here.  Everywhere is within a short walking distance, and the people are so friendly and open.  We've gone swimming in the pool, shared meals with kibbutz members, and played with kids.  Today is a holiday, so we don't have scheduled programming until 4.  We're all just hanging out in the moadome, relaxing.  We're all sure we're going to be hippies by the end of the month; one of the Southern shnatties has even gotten dreads.

Jerusalem, Israel

Being in Jerusalem is a really interesting experience.  The first impression I got when we drive away from the airport was that it was all so different!  All of the buildings looked like they were built hundreds sand hundreds of years ago.  Everyone here is a horrible driver (that's not even a generalization, it's a fact) and they are all way too free with their honking.  There are always people everywhere, and they're so different!  Not only are they different from me, they're different from each other.  There were the Israeli boys doing backflips in the park, the Orthodox Jews wearing dark colors, the cute little Israeli kids speaking Hebrew, tourists all over the place, other students on gap years, and so much more.  Whether we're going for a jog around the Old City walls (trying to find the Zion gate, which we were unsuccessful at) for hours, walking around what is called Crack Square, buying falafels in town, spending time at the park, or wandering the Old City (the Jewish quarter, where we're allowed, of course), there is such diversity.  And there's always something new to find and somewhere new to explore!

One thing that struck me was the cohesiveness of history and today.  It's amazing to stand on the Herodian stones of the Old City drinking an Icearoma (equivalent of a Starbucks mocha frappe).  We can buy ancient Judaic art next to a store where we can get super cheap and tasty pizza.  People selling things and panhandling and kids running around and people praying and students studying and teenagers hanging out and tourists taking pictures and parents teaching kids about their history, pointing out sites and scenery.  It's praying at the Western Wall, and then going out dancing just down the street.  It's everything we love, everything we are proud of, everything we remember and study and look back on; it's our history.  And it's our present, where we live our lives and go about our day-to-day routines.  But it's also our future.  I see people singing Hatikvah, people protesting for change in tent villages, youth movements (like Netzer Olami) working in the community, and the overall congeniality everyone seems to have.  Whether you're an old Orthodox Jew who has lived in Jerusalem for all your life, or you're a tourist, or you're a teenager girl from California on a gap year, we all want to experience the land and the people and relish in Jerusalem.

Shnat so far...

This first week has been Orientation Seminar at Beit Shmuel, and it's been amazing!  We've done everything from building a sukkah to exploring the Old City to leading our own services to going out at night.  Two other shnatties and I led Havdalah tonight, and it went really well.

Everything here has been amazing.  The falafels and the architecture and the history and the people and horrible drivers and street life and parks and food and just everything is perfect!

Yesterday we went to the Kotel (aka: Western Wall, Wailing Wall, etc).  All the girls had to wear long dresses or skirts and cover up, but the guys didn't even have to change out of their Bob Marley t-shirts, and the genders were separated by a wall (the girls in the smaller section, of course).  It's really unfair, but it is technically an Orthodox synagogue, so I guess they make the rules.

Tonight, we split up for dinner.  The group I went with had pizza; they were gigantic pieces of delicious pizza for only 12 shekels each (around $3). Most everything here is better and cheaper so far, especially food.

I'm sorry if this is disjointed and out-of-order, but it's 2 am here and I really should get some sleep.  But the night life in Jerusalem is definitely worth staying up for!

Gilad Shalit

Most of you already know by now, but Gilad Shalit, who has been a prisoner of Hamas for over 5 years, is being released!  When we found out, we got to the tent where his family has been waiting almost everyday, in front of Benjamin Netanyahu's house.  There were hundreds of people there singing and celebrating, and we joined right in with them.  We actually got to wave the flags and lead songs, too!  It was an amazing experience and one I'm sure I will never forget.  So if you see anything in the news, look for me!

Israel!

So here I am, writing this from Beit Shmuel in Jerusalem.  After doing a little informal walking tour of the city, we had some amazing falafels, and are now back at the Hebrew Union College, which Beit Shmuel is attached to.  The El Al flight earlier was long and tiring but definitely interesting.  First, it was a huge plane, with two stories for passengers.  Second, all the announcements were made in both Hebrew and English, translated by an animated, 'flight attendant fairy.'  Third, the food was... interesting, to say the least.  And lastly, when the guy in front of me lost his kippah, he held a pillow over his head for hours until we found it.  But finally, we arrived in Tel Aviv.

We had breakfast (bagels, what else?) and then moved into our rooms at Beit Shmuel, which is connected to the Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem.  Later, we walked around Jerusalem and got to know the streets and culture around us a little bit.  We had falafels (obviously) and headed back to Beit Shmuel, where we now wait for other participants to arrive so we can formally start the program tonight.

I took some really cool pictures of our view of the old city from the HUC, and as soon as I figure out how to sync my new 90's-era phone to my computer, I'll post them here!

Some interesting facts:

• The Newark airport does not have wifi, but Tel Aviv does
• My father sucks at skype
• It's really hot here, like in the triple digit degrees.  I love it!
• Jerusalem is amazing, beautiful, cool, awesome, and interesting all in one
• I'm nine hours ahead of you west coasters
• I'm so incredibly tired

If you have any questions or anything, comment or e-mail me!