Tel Aviv
July 12
I couldn't decide if today counted as a desert day or a Tel Aviv day... We had both. It's been amazing. ✌️
At 10:00 we met with Naftali Aklum. He told us about Jews in Ethiopia and how they came to Israel. There were so many things that were amazing about his story. Am I overusing 'amazing'? 😅
First of all, Jews in Ethiopia weren't aware that there were Jews anywhere else in the world. Their origin story has two possibilities... #1 when the Queen of Sheba / Solomon were married and had a son (Menilek) he became the ruler of Ethiopia and had Jews sent from his father. Their descendants could have made up the Jewish population in Ethiopia.
Naftali told us the more widely accepted story, is that the tribe of Dan fled Jerusalem after Nebuchadnezzar conquered. They came to Ethiopia and stayed there, believing they were the only ones to make it out alive.
It's been a little crazy to have history in the Bible / places in the Bible come up so often here. Lost tribe of Israel? So cool.
Anyway. Israel was founded and the goal of the new state was to create a place for Jews, right? People have accused the Zionist movement of being a racist movement. Soon after the UN issued a declaration stating Zionism = racism (3379) in 1975, 2 chief rabbis in Israel said 'Ethiopian Jews are Jews. They should come to Israel'.
The Law of Return says Jews can relocate from wherever they are in the world and claim Israeli citizenship. We have heard so many stories of the government designating certain places for certain people who arrive under the law of return. And it so often is not equitable. Sometimes they were told they'd be going to Jerusalem or settling in Tel Aviv, but then given little resources and being dropped off in a settlement town in the desert. In a poor area.
The journey / grouping of the Jews in Israel is known as the Aliyah. A person talks about their aliyah / year they moved to their homeland. David Ben Gurion had that year etched in his tombstone.
So, Ethiopian Jews. They didn't convert to Christianity when the rest of Ethiopia did, because they thought the Jewish religion would die if they abandoned it. Later they found out, there were many Jews still around. Naftali told us he knew 'Jerusalem' before he knew the world for mom and dad. The Ethiopian Jews always had a desire to return to Zion. But getting to Jerusalem was not easy in the 70's and 80's.
Ethiopia and Israel were on different sides in the Cold War. So peaceful immigration from Ethiopia to Israel wasn't simple or easy. Mossad (Israeli version of CIA) was involved and so was Menachem Begin (Israel Prime Minister). To make a long story a little shorter.... eventually Jews in Ethiopia had to WALK to SUDAN. 300 miles. In Sudan, the Ethiopian Jews were granted refugee status by the UN. But the Sudanese guards treated them awfully. They let the Ethiopian Jews stay (because the got paid by the UN for housing refugees) but they were treated awfully. Naftali told us 10-20 Ethiopian Jews died every day in the Sudanese refugee camps. Women were raped. Children starved.
Netflix made a movie about transporting the Ethiopian Jews to Israel. Red Sea Diving Resort. Naftali was an advisor on the film. He got to meet CHRIS EVANS! 😮🧨
Though Naftali wasn't a fan of the end result of the movie, he said he's happy the movie was made. If for no other reason, than people will want to learn more about the Ethiopian Jews when they watch it. He said he's not a fan of how Hollywood portrayed the people as needing saving. How it underplayed the struggle and the bravery the Ethiopian Jews went through beforehand. And they added lots of inaccurate things to make it more action-packed of course. The CIA was not really involved and the movie places them in Sudan.
Between 1979-1984 around 20,000 Ethiopian Jews went through Sudan to Israel. The Israeli equivalent of the CIA -Mossad- carried out an operation nicknamed 'Operation Moses' to bring the Ethiopian Jews to Israel. Operation Solomon came after, int eh 90s. In Israeli school systems, they learn a lot about the history of the Jews, but not the Ethiopian Jews. Naftali goes on speaking tours (he has one coming up where he's visiting cities in the U.S.) to inform people about the Ethiopian Jews. That's his mission. Tell people about his story.
He talked about struggling with identity in Israel. He grew up in a neighborhood in Be'er Sheva that was 90% Ethiopian Jewish. He was very proud of his Jewish ancestry, but he said he struggled being a black Jew. He didn't know where he fit in, and he wasn't really exposed to Jewish culture outside of Be'er Sheva, until he joined the IDF.
There are 160,000 Ethiopian Jews in Israel now. Naftali has started the Yerus Project to educate people about the Ethiopian Jews.
I recorded his presentation if anyone wants to hear it 😂
At 10:00 we met with Naftali Aklum. He told us about Jews in Ethiopia and how they came to Israel. There were so many things that were amazing about his story. Am I overusing 'amazing'? 😅
First of all, Jews in Ethiopia weren't aware that there were Jews anywhere else in the world. Their origin story has two possibilities... #1 when the Queen of Sheba / Solomon were married and had a son (Menilek) he became the ruler of Ethiopia and had Jews sent from his father. Their descendants could have made up the Jewish population in Ethiopia.
Naftali told us the more widely accepted story, is that the tribe of Dan fled Jerusalem after Nebuchadnezzar conquered. They came to Ethiopia and stayed there, believing they were the only ones to make it out alive.
It's been a little crazy to have history in the Bible / places in the Bible come up so often here. Lost tribe of Israel? So cool.
Anyway. Israel was founded and the goal of the new state was to create a place for Jews, right? People have accused the Zionist movement of being a racist movement. Soon after the UN issued a declaration stating Zionism = racism (3379) in 1975, 2 chief rabbis in Israel said 'Ethiopian Jews are Jews. They should come to Israel'.
The Law of Return says Jews can relocate from wherever they are in the world and claim Israeli citizenship. We have heard so many stories of the government designating certain places for certain people who arrive under the law of return. And it so often is not equitable. Sometimes they were told they'd be going to Jerusalem or settling in Tel Aviv, but then given little resources and being dropped off in a settlement town in the desert. In a poor area.
The journey / grouping of the Jews in Israel is known as the Aliyah. A person talks about their aliyah / year they moved to their homeland. David Ben Gurion had that year etched in his tombstone.
So, Ethiopian Jews. They didn't convert to Christianity when the rest of Ethiopia did, because they thought the Jewish religion would die if they abandoned it. Later they found out, there were many Jews still around. Naftali told us he knew 'Jerusalem' before he knew the world for mom and dad. The Ethiopian Jews always had a desire to return to Zion. But getting to Jerusalem was not easy in the 70's and 80's.
Ethiopia and Israel were on different sides in the Cold War. So peaceful immigration from Ethiopia to Israel wasn't simple or easy. Mossad (Israeli version of CIA) was involved and so was Menachem Begin (Israel Prime Minister). To make a long story a little shorter.... eventually Jews in Ethiopia had to WALK to SUDAN. 300 miles. In Sudan, the Ethiopian Jews were granted refugee status by the UN. But the Sudanese guards treated them awfully. They let the Ethiopian Jews stay (because the got paid by the UN for housing refugees) but they were treated awfully. Naftali told us 10-20 Ethiopian Jews died every day in the Sudanese refugee camps. Women were raped. Children starved.
Netflix made a movie about transporting the Ethiopian Jews to Israel. Red Sea Diving Resort. Naftali was an advisor on the film. He got to meet CHRIS EVANS! 😮🧨
Though Naftali wasn't a fan of the end result of the movie, he said he's happy the movie was made. If for no other reason, than people will want to learn more about the Ethiopian Jews when they watch it. He said he's not a fan of how Hollywood portrayed the people as needing saving. How it underplayed the struggle and the bravery the Ethiopian Jews went through beforehand. And they added lots of inaccurate things to make it more action-packed of course. The CIA was not really involved and the movie places them in Sudan.
Between 1979-1984 around 20,000 Ethiopian Jews went through Sudan to Israel. The Israeli equivalent of the CIA -Mossad- carried out an operation nicknamed 'Operation Moses' to bring the Ethiopian Jews to Israel. Operation Solomon came after, int eh 90s. In Israeli school systems, they learn a lot about the history of the Jews, but not the Ethiopian Jews. Naftali goes on speaking tours (he has one coming up where he's visiting cities in the U.S.) to inform people about the Ethiopian Jews. That's his mission. Tell people about his story.
He talked about struggling with identity in Israel. He grew up in a neighborhood in Be'er Sheva that was 90% Ethiopian Jewish. He was very proud of his Jewish ancestry, but he said he struggled being a black Jew. He didn't know where he fit in, and he wasn't really exposed to Jewish culture outside of Be'er Sheva, until he joined the IDF.
There are 160,000 Ethiopian Jews in Israel now. Naftali has started the Yerus Project to educate people about the Ethiopian Jews.
I recorded his presentation if anyone wants to hear it 😂
After the lecture, we headed north. We stopped at a market and wandered around and had lunch
After the market we headed to Holon. Ori mentioned it is the 'children's city'. We went to the Children's museum to see one exhibit... 'Dialogue in the Dark'. It's an hour-long exhibit where you walk through a series of experiences in pitch black darkness. You're led by someone who is blind or visually impaired that works at the museum. Afterwards, you chat with that person in a pitch black cafeteria. It was an eye-opening experience. And our guide was making blind puns the whole time, so I feel like I'm okay making jokes. 😅
Like I said, it was a cool experience. He had to tell us how to get to the next place, had us follow the sound of his voice. Find the different objects in each of the rooms we were in. I swear he could see the way he was giving directions. We had to cross roads, get on a boat, identify fruit, sit down and stand up. Cynthia held on to me the whole time.
The conversation afterwards was really interesting too. As our guide talked to us about his life, I was glad we were all in the dark. I liked that we got to know him first without seeing him. We didn't see him until after the experience. It seemed fitting. He gets to know everyone without seeing them. I almost wish I could get to know everyone that way. No judgement based on appearances. He said the biggest challenge he faces as a blind person, is that people assume he's not intelligent. Or he can't take care of himself. He said people speak more loudly to him. Or talk about him like he's not there.
He talked about a lot of personal things. He talked about women he's dated. He said he's content being blind. He said he's not sure he'd change it if he could. He lives alone. Commutes on his own from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv every day. He asked us to guess his age by his voice (we had never seen him). Then he guessed I was the youngest in the group (it's because I was being the most obnoxious 😭). It was a great experience.
We've been talking a little bit about age with each other lately (us teachers). Last night at dinner, Ramona told us that she's going to tell her daughter to have kids in their 20's because by your 30's you're too old. Yolanda and I joked about that for a bit, but obviously I've been thinking about it. And I might as well share my opinion in case it's helpful in any way.
Some people decide not to have kids or decide to wait on purpose. And some people don't have the opportunity but desperately want the opportunity to have children. It's painful to not only be reminded of something you want but don't have, but to be reminded that 'time's running out'. People will sometimes even tell you if you're single or not having babies that "you're wasting your time". #nothelpful.
It's hard to stop yourself from doing the math in your head 'if I were to have a kid right now... I would be ___ old when they were ___'. It brings kind of a sinking feeling and it's hard not to be anxious about it, at least for me.
I find, that when I focus on what I can do now is what makes me happy and okay with where I'm at. It's allowed me to not wait to travel. To not wait to buy a house. To live my life (kind of) as if I were to die young. Because I can't control other people's actions, but I can control my own. So as often as I can, I'm going to do things that help people now and make me happy now. Just my two cents. :)
After we did the exhibit, we got to our FABULOUS hotel in Tel Aviv. Right by the beach. Rooftop terrace. ❤️
Some people decide not to have kids or decide to wait on purpose. And some people don't have the opportunity but desperately want the opportunity to have children. It's painful to not only be reminded of something you want but don't have, but to be reminded that 'time's running out'. People will sometimes even tell you if you're single or not having babies that "you're wasting your time". #nothelpful.
It's hard to stop yourself from doing the math in your head 'if I were to have a kid right now... I would be ___ old when they were ___'. It brings kind of a sinking feeling and it's hard not to be anxious about it, at least for me.
I find, that when I focus on what I can do now is what makes me happy and okay with where I'm at. It's allowed me to not wait to travel. To not wait to buy a house. To live my life (kind of) as if I were to die young. Because I can't control other people's actions, but I can control my own. So as often as I can, I'm going to do things that help people now and make me happy now. Just my two cents. :)
After we did the exhibit, we got to our FABULOUS hotel in Tel Aviv. Right by the beach. Rooftop terrace. ❤️
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July 13
This morning I just woke up and headed down to the beach.
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At 10am we had a teacher's panel back at hotel. They brought in 4 teachers from around the area and we asked them questions about school in Israel and they asked us a couple of questions about school in the states.
The mandated bible class is definitely a difference in Israel. Afterwards a few of us went to lunch and we talked a long time about what we learned at the panel. I've said this before, but the lack of separation of church and state still surprises me. I mean, all the parts of their lives it affects. One of the teachers was adamant that he didn't teach the bible religiously in this mandated Bible class. He wanted us to see that he objectively teaches the Bible. But they don't teach the Quran. In Arab schools they do (remember their education system is segregated... another issue) but in Arab schools they also teach the Bible. And when I say, Bible, I mean the Torah in this case. There is no New Testament. So it is religious. But not in an informational let's teach the kids about different beliefs way.
I'm trying to be understanding of the culture and open-minded, but I came in suspecting that we wouldn't get much of a Palestinian / Arab / Muslim point of view when we were here. We've had a couple experiences, but not many. We've learned a lot more about the Jewish struggle to establish Israel. And it seems, in a way, like a justification for taking the land and making it theirs. Rationalization. Classic defense mechanism. The fact that some get defensive when you ask about religious inclusion and the fact that they fail to mention / recognize another narrative when they're telling stories is an indication there's a problem.
When we ask about inclusion, often they list the different races of people they employ or serve. But the whole, 'if you want to move here and be a citizen you have to be Jewish' thing (aside from a few Palestinian exceptions)... I feel like, is problematic. I don't think the majority of people here see it that way.
Someone made the comment 'well this land wasn't densely populated, Jewish people were settling in unpopulated places'. Buying the land and settling is fine. It's when you claim it as your own and then make the former / native inhabitants live by your rules. And some of them can't be citizens even though they want to (West Bank and Gaza). Also Jerusalem was a battle. Not all the land they wanted was free for the taking.
Ramona told a story about an experience she had in Romania. She had just become the principal of a special education school in Romania. A parent came in. She had a daughter who I think was in her late teens or early 20s and this mother was trying to find her daughter a job. Apparently she had spoken to the previous principal and he promised her daughter a position in the cafeteria. When this mother met with Ramona she told her, 'I'm sorry, but we do not have any job positions that are open for cafeteria work'. The mother asked if her daughter could work as a janitor. Ramona replied, 'I'm sorry, but we don't have any janitor positions available'. The woman sighed and said 'Fine. Then give her a teaching job'.
We all laughed at that story. Teachers know. She told the story when one of the Israeli teachers asked us if we feel like teaching is a respected profession. While that story happened in Romania (and Ramona assured us it really happened) it shows how we sometimes feel as teachers. Ramona said, 'if you work in the cafeteria, you can take home extra food. If you work as a janitor, you can take cleaning supplies. If you work as a teacher? What can you take? It's lots of work and there are not a lot of benefits'.
In my experience, most of the gratitude I get comes from the students. They really are the best. They're the ones that see and experience what we do. And honestly, they're the ones I want it from the most. So, while teaching is a lot of work... the students almost make it worth it. 😉
A few of us went to lunch after the panel. We chatted for a few hours at lunch and then went and got gelato. That took up most of the afternoon.
The mandated bible class is definitely a difference in Israel. Afterwards a few of us went to lunch and we talked a long time about what we learned at the panel. I've said this before, but the lack of separation of church and state still surprises me. I mean, all the parts of their lives it affects. One of the teachers was adamant that he didn't teach the bible religiously in this mandated Bible class. He wanted us to see that he objectively teaches the Bible. But they don't teach the Quran. In Arab schools they do (remember their education system is segregated... another issue) but in Arab schools they also teach the Bible. And when I say, Bible, I mean the Torah in this case. There is no New Testament. So it is religious. But not in an informational let's teach the kids about different beliefs way.
I'm trying to be understanding of the culture and open-minded, but I came in suspecting that we wouldn't get much of a Palestinian / Arab / Muslim point of view when we were here. We've had a couple experiences, but not many. We've learned a lot more about the Jewish struggle to establish Israel. And it seems, in a way, like a justification for taking the land and making it theirs. Rationalization. Classic defense mechanism. The fact that some get defensive when you ask about religious inclusion and the fact that they fail to mention / recognize another narrative when they're telling stories is an indication there's a problem.
When we ask about inclusion, often they list the different races of people they employ or serve. But the whole, 'if you want to move here and be a citizen you have to be Jewish' thing (aside from a few Palestinian exceptions)... I feel like, is problematic. I don't think the majority of people here see it that way.
Someone made the comment 'well this land wasn't densely populated, Jewish people were settling in unpopulated places'. Buying the land and settling is fine. It's when you claim it as your own and then make the former / native inhabitants live by your rules. And some of them can't be citizens even though they want to (West Bank and Gaza). Also Jerusalem was a battle. Not all the land they wanted was free for the taking.
Ramona told a story about an experience she had in Romania. She had just become the principal of a special education school in Romania. A parent came in. She had a daughter who I think was in her late teens or early 20s and this mother was trying to find her daughter a job. Apparently she had spoken to the previous principal and he promised her daughter a position in the cafeteria. When this mother met with Ramona she told her, 'I'm sorry, but we do not have any job positions that are open for cafeteria work'. The mother asked if her daughter could work as a janitor. Ramona replied, 'I'm sorry, but we don't have any janitor positions available'. The woman sighed and said 'Fine. Then give her a teaching job'.
We all laughed at that story. Teachers know. She told the story when one of the Israeli teachers asked us if we feel like teaching is a respected profession. While that story happened in Romania (and Ramona assured us it really happened) it shows how we sometimes feel as teachers. Ramona said, 'if you work in the cafeteria, you can take home extra food. If you work as a janitor, you can take cleaning supplies. If you work as a teacher? What can you take? It's lots of work and there are not a lot of benefits'.
In my experience, most of the gratitude I get comes from the students. They really are the best. They're the ones that see and experience what we do. And honestly, they're the ones I want it from the most. So, while teaching is a lot of work... the students almost make it worth it. 😉
A few of us went to lunch after the panel. We chatted for a few hours at lunch and then went and got gelato. That took up most of the afternoon.
For dinner, we ended up walking a few blocks and having pizza. Brooklyn style pizza. It was pretty good. Again, the food plus the company :)
After dinner, a few of us hopped on a party bus and went to a local jazz show at a place called Beit Haamudim. That was a lot of fun!
July 14
Today we went to a museum on Tel Aviv University campus. They renamed it last year, it's now called ANU which means 'us' in Hebrew. It's a museum about Jewish people, history, and culture. We spent most of the day there.
I know yesterday I was going on about how there's not a lot of Palestinian voice and I was frustrated by that. I also want to say- that I appreciate Jewish culture. It's admirable that they've persevered. They have endured a lot of persecution and anti-semitism from so many sources. Instability for thousands of years when it came to Jerusalem and a homeland. They're used to being a minority.
I'm still going to stand by my comments from yesterday though. Hardship doesn't give them the right to discriminate. They hardcore discriminate based on religion, and it's less blatant, but they discriminate based on race / ethnicity. One of the Fulbright leaders this week is Besan. She's Muslim. We were having a discussion today with a museum employee and Besan added her insight a couple of times. Besan told us that people treat her differently when they hear her name and realize she's Arabic. She says she gets mean stares on the train when she's talking to her daughter in Arabic, but then she just talks louder. Not everyone is like that, but enough people that it affects her everyday life.
I admire Besan for being willing to say things when there's misinformation about Arab culture. I can't remember her exact words, but she said something like 'no Arab / Palestinian you talk to will be happy with the situation in Israel'.
We had a discussion with Lindsay Shapiro in the basement of ANU. We talked about different ethnicities of Jewish people coming to Israel. She showed us video clips and interviews and then we discussed. Lindsay told us about how important religious identity is in Israel. When you sign up for things, they ask about your religion. That's something that's very different from the United States. She grew up in Florida. We asked her about how she felt about not having a Constitution in Israel and if she thought Israel needed one. She said, "I don't think we'll ever have a Constitution. We can't even decide on a Prime Minister. We have an election every six minutes."
I know yesterday I was going on about how there's not a lot of Palestinian voice and I was frustrated by that. I also want to say- that I appreciate Jewish culture. It's admirable that they've persevered. They have endured a lot of persecution and anti-semitism from so many sources. Instability for thousands of years when it came to Jerusalem and a homeland. They're used to being a minority.
I'm still going to stand by my comments from yesterday though. Hardship doesn't give them the right to discriminate. They hardcore discriminate based on religion, and it's less blatant, but they discriminate based on race / ethnicity. One of the Fulbright leaders this week is Besan. She's Muslim. We were having a discussion today with a museum employee and Besan added her insight a couple of times. Besan told us that people treat her differently when they hear her name and realize she's Arabic. She says she gets mean stares on the train when she's talking to her daughter in Arabic, but then she just talks louder. Not everyone is like that, but enough people that it affects her everyday life.
I admire Besan for being willing to say things when there's misinformation about Arab culture. I can't remember her exact words, but she said something like 'no Arab / Palestinian you talk to will be happy with the situation in Israel'.
We had a discussion with Lindsay Shapiro in the basement of ANU. We talked about different ethnicities of Jewish people coming to Israel. She showed us video clips and interviews and then we discussed. Lindsay told us about how important religious identity is in Israel. When you sign up for things, they ask about your religion. That's something that's very different from the United States. She grew up in Florida. We asked her about how she felt about not having a Constitution in Israel and if she thought Israel needed one. She said, "I don't think we'll ever have a Constitution. We can't even decide on a Prime Minister. We have an election every six minutes."
After we got back from the museum, a few of us went back to the SAME place we went yesterday. #gelato.
After dinner I talked with a couple of the teachers on the beach as the sun was setting. Then I went for a walk. Down the boardwalk and back along the beach. I walked for a couple of hours. I crave that feeling of being alone and no one knowing where you are. Is that weird? I feel so uninhibited. It was a fantastic way to end the night. The weather was perfect, the water was perfect, the humidity was perfect. I had some eye-opening moments tonight on that beach.
July 15
Hey folks! Today we had a couple hours with Dr. Nana Ariel, she's another Fulbrighter. (The Fulbright Israel program sends teachers to the United States for 3-12 months). We had a discussion about rhetoric and then talked about things we've all experienced in Israel that have surprised us. Dr. Ariel mentioned when she was in the states people would ask where she's from and she'd say "Israel / Palestine". That surprised me a little. Most countries don't recognize Palestine as legitimate. And Dr. Nana Ariel is clearly not Arabic. Good for her for acknowledging that the place she comes from is complicated and partially belongs to a people whose voices have been suppressed.
I have tried to refrain from using too many names / details of my colleagues... but if you're this deep into my blog... I figure I can use first names and more details :)
Walt gave the most hilarious explanation of how Zion Square was hoppin' and there was 'bumping and grinding' going on in the market on Friday at noon (he meant it was crowded😅). Walt talks about his blog a lot and I joke that I have a 'private blog' but I'm trying to 'out-blog' him. 🥇 Walt's hilarious. He said he has about 2 followers. But he's dedicated to them. I might have around the same #... but I mostly blog for me. ANYWAY Walt's point was that come Shabbat, the city seemed deserted. It was surprising to him how stark the contrast was between Thursday night and Friday night. Jerusalem really shuts down.
I talked about how I was surprised at the lack of separation of church and state. How people who live in Israel and aren't Jewish, are still subject to Jewish law because it is Israeli law. The implications of that continue to surprise me.
Jonathan has lived in Israel I think for a year now? He's also here on a Fulbright grant, he teaches English in Haifa. He's been with us since Jerusalem. He said when he first got to Israel he was surprised by the soldiers. How young they are and also how sloppy their dress is compared to soldiers in the U.S. I haven't noticed sloppiness, but I also haven't really noticed that people dress really casual here. Lots of people in my group have made that comment. Maybe in Utah people also dress super casual?? Or maybe I'm not as observant as everyone else. 😂 Jonathan also mentioned that it's still kind of a shock that they carry guns around. In the museum yesterday, the soldiers had guns. He said he was once sitting next to a soldier on the train and the gun was resting on the soldiers leg in a way that made it so the barrel was pointing right at Jonathan. Jonathan asked him to move it and was told that it can't fire (bolted), but still. Don't point guns at people. Also he mentioned how he found it a little offensive that officers would go into churches and sacred spaces for different religions, armed.
Jonathan is 24, and we tease him a lot about being young. And about eating. We sound like bullies. At breakfast today we were talking about dating and Andi mentioned that your 20s are really great, but in your 30s you realize all the trauma you have and you start working on that. #truestory.
I also had a good conversation with Besan this morning. She's been one of our leaders that works with Israeli Fulbrighters. We met her a couple of days ago. She lives about 40 minutes away from Haifa. She told me a little bit about her experience being Muslim / Arabic and we talked a little bit about her family.
I have tried to refrain from using too many names / details of my colleagues... but if you're this deep into my blog... I figure I can use first names and more details :)
Walt gave the most hilarious explanation of how Zion Square was hoppin' and there was 'bumping and grinding' going on in the market on Friday at noon (he meant it was crowded😅). Walt talks about his blog a lot and I joke that I have a 'private blog' but I'm trying to 'out-blog' him. 🥇 Walt's hilarious. He said he has about 2 followers. But he's dedicated to them. I might have around the same #... but I mostly blog for me. ANYWAY Walt's point was that come Shabbat, the city seemed deserted. It was surprising to him how stark the contrast was between Thursday night and Friday night. Jerusalem really shuts down.
I talked about how I was surprised at the lack of separation of church and state. How people who live in Israel and aren't Jewish, are still subject to Jewish law because it is Israeli law. The implications of that continue to surprise me.
Jonathan has lived in Israel I think for a year now? He's also here on a Fulbright grant, he teaches English in Haifa. He's been with us since Jerusalem. He said when he first got to Israel he was surprised by the soldiers. How young they are and also how sloppy their dress is compared to soldiers in the U.S. I haven't noticed sloppiness, but I also haven't really noticed that people dress really casual here. Lots of people in my group have made that comment. Maybe in Utah people also dress super casual?? Or maybe I'm not as observant as everyone else. 😂 Jonathan also mentioned that it's still kind of a shock that they carry guns around. In the museum yesterday, the soldiers had guns. He said he was once sitting next to a soldier on the train and the gun was resting on the soldiers leg in a way that made it so the barrel was pointing right at Jonathan. Jonathan asked him to move it and was told that it can't fire (bolted), but still. Don't point guns at people. Also he mentioned how he found it a little offensive that officers would go into churches and sacred spaces for different religions, armed.
Jonathan is 24, and we tease him a lot about being young. And about eating. We sound like bullies. At breakfast today we were talking about dating and Andi mentioned that your 20s are really great, but in your 30s you realize all the trauma you have and you start working on that. #truestory.
I also had a good conversation with Besan this morning. She's been one of our leaders that works with Israeli Fulbrighters. We met her a couple of days ago. She lives about 40 minutes away from Haifa. She told me a little bit about her experience being Muslim / Arabic and we talked a little bit about her family.
After the workshop we were given ₪50 for lunch and then set free. A group of us walked to Nachalat Binyamin Artist Market. So far, most of the markets we've visited have been mostly food (apart from the Old City). This one was so cool. Handmade arts and crafts. I bought art this guy was making on his grandma's sewing machine from 1939. It was so cool 👇
There was a furniture shop we wandered into #homedesignismyweakness
Yolanda asked me what style my home was decorated in... It's hard to explain. I told her 'a little bit boho with some really bright colors'. She said 'that explains your personality too'. I took that as a compliment. 😊
After we got back from the market, I showered and then we headed to the port to do another Kabbalat Shabbat. It was another great experience. Li'i didn't get to go to the Kabbalat Shabbat we had at Jerusalem (at the Western Wall), and he mentioned he was surprised at this one. They get up and sing and dance and it's a celebration. I liked being reminded of that.
I had the thought 'this is a nation of people whose hearts have turned to their fathers'. That was inspiring.
I had the thought 'this is a nation of people whose hearts have turned to their fathers'. That was inspiring.
July 16
Today was our day off! I took the opportunity to go to Jerusalem. In Israel, there are 3 branches of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (my church). The one in Jerusalem is on shabbat (Saturday) the other two (in Tel Aviv and Be'er Sheva) meet on Sunday.
There isn't any public transportation on Shabbat. People who observe shabbat are expected not to use it, and since Jewish law influences Israeli law... ya. There is a system of vans run by mostly Arabs that will take you from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and I also heard them calling for Haifa. They don't publish their hours / any information about pricing. When I tried to check with the front desk at our hotel- they told me to check with my contact because they can't find any official posted information. Rebecca's the one that told me to show up, pay cash, and then once the van fills up they leave. I ate breakfast and then got myself a scooter! |
With the free trial and the 10% discount for wearing a helmet- my 30-40 minute scooter ride cost $7.27. Not bad, right?
I found the bus station pretty easily, but it took me a few minutes to find where the sherut were. I had to ask directions.
This is my first day off where I went off by myself (remember I intended to in Jerusalem, but was joined by Walt, Ramona, and Mark). 😄
When I travel I'm used to this stuff, but the rest of this trip has been totally planned and paid for so I haven't had a day like today yet. It was nice.
They told us that Tel Aviv doesn't totally shut down on Shabbat, like Jerusalem does. This morning was dead. We were in that area the day before to look at the art market, and it was bumpin'. Today it was not. It was nice as I was trying to figure out scooter driving. My way back was less dead. I definitely should have had cars honking at me and people yelling at me, but no one did. Everyone was nice to me today.
This is my first day off where I went off by myself (remember I intended to in Jerusalem, but was joined by Walt, Ramona, and Mark). 😄
When I travel I'm used to this stuff, but the rest of this trip has been totally planned and paid for so I haven't had a day like today yet. It was nice.
They told us that Tel Aviv doesn't totally shut down on Shabbat, like Jerusalem does. This morning was dead. We were in that area the day before to look at the art market, and it was bumpin'. Today it was not. It was nice as I was trying to figure out scooter driving. My way back was less dead. I definitely should have had cars honking at me and people yelling at me, but no one did. Everyone was nice to me today.
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I got on the sherut at 8:15 and the sherut left at 8:22. ₪35. Which is about $10. Not bad for a half hour ride! Our driver was insane. Straddling lanes, playing on his phone, swerving through cars... I've always said that I have guardian angels looking after me when I'm on the road. Usually it's because I'm not a super safe driver... but it also works when I'm in a sherut. I'm not joking though. I really believe that. Ask me about my experience with a piece of a brake coming through my windshield Lehi. 😱 I felt safe today though. Not to mention my mother prays like crazy for me when I travel. And she has the faith of 100 of me, so I'm good. Don't worry mom, I'm still careful 😇 |
The buses here are Mercedes Benz. Ori made a comment about how that is related to reparations paid to Israel from Germany for the Holocaust. I tried to look up information online to see if I could corroborate that. Here's something I found.
I got to Jerusalem and realized I was a 5 minute walk from the Garden Tomb, I decided to hit that up before church. It was everything the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was not (sorry for people who love that church). It was fairly quiet. Self-guided. Full of nature. It's run by non-denominational Christians. There were other tourists, and I didn't necessarily have a revelatory experience walking into the tomb... but I felt the Spirit on the grounds.
I got to Jerusalem and realized I was a 5 minute walk from the Garden Tomb, I decided to hit that up before church. It was everything the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was not (sorry for people who love that church). It was fairly quiet. Self-guided. Full of nature. It's run by non-denominational Christians. There were other tourists, and I didn't necessarily have a revelatory experience walking into the tomb... but I felt the Spirit on the grounds.
After the Garden Tomb I got in a cab to head to the BYU Jerusalem Center. Hot tip if you're planning on going... Google Maps won't get you to the right place. Go to lds.org and find the address through the Meetinghouse locator. I got the cab ride for free though 👇
But also, can I just say.... I negotiated the price before we left. I tried to tell the crew a couple of weeks ago, ₪100 was WAYYYYY too much for a 10 minute ride. They didn't want to negotiate they just wanted to get in. Give me some validation though, I'm better on my own 😄
The Jerusalem Center is closed to guests, so I had to be let in the gate. I got in just as they were starting. We sang the opening hymn and I felt the Spirit so strongly. It's been several Sundays since I've attended Sacrament meeting. Being with a group of Saints was overwhelming. Especially hearing them sing. I couldn't even sing the Sacrament hymn I was so choked up. The view is amazing, but the feeling I had being with people and worshipping was overwhelming. To the point of tears. I'm so so so grateful to be able to worship with a congregation. I forgot how much I need that. ❣️
Most of the people there were students or kids on an international church trip. One girl who spoke, talked about how she expected to be so close to the Savior and so inspired in the Holy Land. But when she got here, she didn't feel it. Her classes were super hard and the places weren't inspiring her like she expected them too.
I could relate, I had planned to soak in all the history but also everyone talks about being able to walk where the Savior has walked and how cool that is. To me, when you're walking through the Old City, it's hard to picture that. It's hard to feel the 'awe' in the Garden of Gethsemane as the crowds are joking and you can hear the traffic really well. It doesn't feel like you expect it to feel. I expected it to be special. It was cool to see... but I was expecting to be more awed.
In the girl's talk she quoted Ponder the Path of Thy Feet ...
I could relate, I had planned to soak in all the history but also everyone talks about being able to walk where the Savior has walked and how cool that is. To me, when you're walking through the Old City, it's hard to picture that. It's hard to feel the 'awe' in the Garden of Gethsemane as the crowds are joking and you can hear the traffic really well. It doesn't feel like you expect it to feel. I expected it to be special. It was cool to see... but I was expecting to be more awed.
In the girl's talk she quoted Ponder the Path of Thy Feet ...
"Physically walking where Jesus walked is less important than walking as He walked. Emulating His actions and following His example are far more important than trying to retrace the remnants of the trails He traversed in mortality"
-President Thomas S. Monson
So true. Some religions emphasize the importance of taking a Holy Trip. We've seen several Jewish Youth Groups who come to Israel on Birthright Tours. And I can see how that would be exciting and inspiring. I'll admit I hoped to deepen my testimony by seeing the places from the Bible. BUT. I've learned, the Spirit comes from your relationships. Your relationship with the Savior and your relationship with others. And how comforting that is! Isn't it awesome that you don't have to spend a couple thousand dollars to take a trip to the Holy Land to know that Christ was the Savior? That the place doesn't determine your testimony, you do. You feel the Spirit where you are. I've felt the Spirit as I get to know the other teachers in my group. I feel the Spirit as I read my scriptures in the hotel room in the morning.
We walked around the Jerusalem Center a little after church, and then went and had lunch together.
☝️Mallory informed me that the taxi drivers and the locals know this place as 'Mormon University'. Sure enough, when the cab driver called to confirm our location, he was confused by 'BYU Jerusalem Center' but knew exactly where to go when Mallory told me to say 'Mormon University' 😅
The guy at the shawarma place also lit up when he guessed that we were Mormon. He talked a lot about how his father used to talk to the Mormons and how so many Jewish / Muslim / Christian beliefs are similar. Also, I finally tried shawarma 🙌 |
On my way to the sherut, I walked through the Muslim Quarter of the Old City. It was the only one we didn't experience when we went with our group. The shops were different, I took some videos. Damascus Gate is the one that leads out into the Muslim part of Jerusalem. Makes sense that that's where the taxis that run on Saturday are, right?
Just to keep track of words I'm learning...
*I know they're not spelled correctly* Beseda = okay Yalla = come on / let's go Shalom = hello Shabbat Shalom = hello for the Sabbath Toda= Thank you Toda Roba= Thank you very much ahlan= hello (Arabic) Shokran = thank you (Arabic) |
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July 17
This morning we headed down to Jaffa. One of the oldest cities in the world (where people still live). 2000 BCE.
Jaffa is now considered part of Tel Aviv, it's more like a Tel Aviv neighborhood than its own city. It's nice down there. Did I talk about Jaffa gate when I talked about going into the Old City in Jerusalem? It was the first part of the Old City we saw. It's called Jaffa Gate, because it faces the city of Jaffa (it's a 45 minute car ride... but it faces it :).
There's Damascus Gate and Zion Gate. Jerusalem was considered the center of the world for a long time. It's the center of many religions, so it makes sense that the gates are all named after important places you might want to go when you're leaving Jerusalem.
Jaffa Port existed for people who wanted to get to Jerusalem by sea.
Jaffa oranges are famous because they used to grow and export them. The company was sold to Spain though, so if you eat Jaffa oranges now, they're from Spain. Jaffa cakes are called Jaffa cakes because they used to have orange in them. From Jaffa.
Jaffa is now considered part of Tel Aviv, it's more like a Tel Aviv neighborhood than its own city. It's nice down there. Did I talk about Jaffa gate when I talked about going into the Old City in Jerusalem? It was the first part of the Old City we saw. It's called Jaffa Gate, because it faces the city of Jaffa (it's a 45 minute car ride... but it faces it :).
There's Damascus Gate and Zion Gate. Jerusalem was considered the center of the world for a long time. It's the center of many religions, so it makes sense that the gates are all named after important places you might want to go when you're leaving Jerusalem.
Jaffa Port existed for people who wanted to get to Jerusalem by sea.
Jaffa oranges are famous because they used to grow and export them. The company was sold to Spain though, so if you eat Jaffa oranges now, they're from Spain. Jaffa cakes are called Jaffa cakes because they used to have orange in them. From Jaffa.
Are you convinced yet of Jaffa's importance??!
If not, I mean, I could get into a Stargate reference 😏
Jaffa is 80+% Muslim.
29 Mosques. I learned something I didn't know about Islam. You know how in certain religions the direction you face is important? In death, in Christian cemeteries, people are usually buried with their feet to the east. If they were to rise, their face would be towards the east. (Facing the direction of the second coming of Christ).
In Jewish cemeteries, sometimes they face east, sometimes they face the land of Israel / Jerusalem. On our flight here, people were going to the front of the plane to pray and face Jerusalem.
In Muslim cemeteries, they're not buried on their back. They're buried on their side. And the whole front of their body is facing Mecca. I didn't know that.
The first thing we did in Jaffa, was stop by the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation
Shimon Peres was a politician in Israel (hand picked by Ben Gurion) who donated to, and worked at, the center after he retired. We had a discussion for about an hour on what the 'peace' part of the center was for.
We spoke with Yardin Leal-Yablonka. She told us the Peres Center's goal is to create and fund programs (they work from private donations) that help promote peace. Shimon Peres believed peace should be privatized. They have medical programs and education programs. We talked mostly about education programs. Though, they did mention in terms of sustainability and measurement, the medical program provides a lot more data. When you train 300 Palestinian doctors, you can measure how many patients they treat. When you try to teach kids to love their neighbors... you can't really measure the impact there.
Yardin made a good point, she said when people ask for numbers for sustainability in their education programs, she doesn't try to come up with a representative number. She tells their partners that the sustainability of those programs isn't measurable. If it were, they wouldn't need programs to continue to promote peace and good relations. Yardin said, 'it's a miracle they grow up in this conflict and they don't come out radicalized.'
When they come up with programs they try to find win-win solutions. Reminded me of Stephen Covey stuff. :)
The program they talked about the most, was the after-school sports program. Their soccer program is the most popular. Through donations, they can offer supplies for the players either free, or at a really low cost. Yardin mentioned that Biden just pledged some money to the center when he visited earlier this week.
We asked a lot of questions about how that program functions. In terms of teams, they said they try to service all groups. There are 4 different types of schools in Israel (I'm pretty sure I've talked about this before...)
Secular, Jewish, Non-Jewish / Arab, and Ultra Orthodox Jewish.
So 3 types of schools for Jews, and one for the Arabic population. And government funding for those schools isn't equal.
The Peres Center came up with an idea to help promote peace- get students from different diverse populations to play sports with each other. The Ultra-Orthodox population didn't want to participate so those schools don't have these sports programs. They try to get the players to solve issues on their own. There aren't any referees, so they coaches are trained to teach the students how to solve problems on the field. It's for kids 9-13, I believe.
They serve kids in Palestine (West Bank, not Gaza). They have Palestinians play Israelis. Though, they don't play in the West Bank, they bring the kids into Israel to play against Israeli kids. Normally the kids wouldn't be allowed to leave, but if they go on the buses with the Peres Center through the check point, they're allowed to leave for the game. The parents... not so much.
Inside Israel they have teams from Arab neighborhoods and teams from Jewish neighborhoods. Yardin told us they make them each take turns going and playing inside each other's community. The goal is to not just help the kids get to know people from another perspective, but for the communities and parents to get to know each other as well. So, while they can't do that fully with kids in the West Bank, they can with Arabs (even those who might identify as Palestinian) who have citizenship and leave in Israel.
They try to keep the amount of boys teams and girls teams equal. Yardin told us "we will never have more boys teams than girls teams". Equality seemed to be an important priority.
Yardin told us a story about an Israeli / Jewish girl who had been in their soccer program, and then she graduated and served in the IDF (remember, service in Israel is mandatory). While this girl was serving, she was killed. Stabbed by a young Palestinian. When the Peres Center heard about this, they wanted to reach out to the Jewish girls' family. Traditionally, Jewish families go through 7 days of mourning after someone in their family passes away. I think I've told you that before. The board at the Peres Center weren't sure if it would be appropriate to visit though. They represent efforts to bring Palestinians and Israelis together. They weren't sure the family would want a reminder of that right after their daughter had been killed by someone many Israelis see as an enemy. The family was very grateful to the Peres Center and they allowed them to visit. The told the Board Members of the Peres Center to keep those programs. To promote peace.
I know they told us that story to promote the Peres Center, but I thought it was also such a good example of forgiveness on the part of the parents. 💛 Makes me feel like forgiveness should be easier for me.
Anyway, it was good to hear about their efforts. And they started as an after-school program, but now they're training teachers to implement it in their P.E. classes.
Yardin made a good point, she said when people ask for numbers for sustainability in their education programs, she doesn't try to come up with a representative number. She tells their partners that the sustainability of those programs isn't measurable. If it were, they wouldn't need programs to continue to promote peace and good relations. Yardin said, 'it's a miracle they grow up in this conflict and they don't come out radicalized.'
When they come up with programs they try to find win-win solutions. Reminded me of Stephen Covey stuff. :)
The program they talked about the most, was the after-school sports program. Their soccer program is the most popular. Through donations, they can offer supplies for the players either free, or at a really low cost. Yardin mentioned that Biden just pledged some money to the center when he visited earlier this week.
We asked a lot of questions about how that program functions. In terms of teams, they said they try to service all groups. There are 4 different types of schools in Israel (I'm pretty sure I've talked about this before...)
Secular, Jewish, Non-Jewish / Arab, and Ultra Orthodox Jewish.
So 3 types of schools for Jews, and one for the Arabic population. And government funding for those schools isn't equal.
The Peres Center came up with an idea to help promote peace- get students from different diverse populations to play sports with each other. The Ultra-Orthodox population didn't want to participate so those schools don't have these sports programs. They try to get the players to solve issues on their own. There aren't any referees, so they coaches are trained to teach the students how to solve problems on the field. It's for kids 9-13, I believe.
They serve kids in Palestine (West Bank, not Gaza). They have Palestinians play Israelis. Though, they don't play in the West Bank, they bring the kids into Israel to play against Israeli kids. Normally the kids wouldn't be allowed to leave, but if they go on the buses with the Peres Center through the check point, they're allowed to leave for the game. The parents... not so much.
Inside Israel they have teams from Arab neighborhoods and teams from Jewish neighborhoods. Yardin told us they make them each take turns going and playing inside each other's community. The goal is to not just help the kids get to know people from another perspective, but for the communities and parents to get to know each other as well. So, while they can't do that fully with kids in the West Bank, they can with Arabs (even those who might identify as Palestinian) who have citizenship and leave in Israel.
They try to keep the amount of boys teams and girls teams equal. Yardin told us "we will never have more boys teams than girls teams". Equality seemed to be an important priority.
Yardin told us a story about an Israeli / Jewish girl who had been in their soccer program, and then she graduated and served in the IDF (remember, service in Israel is mandatory). While this girl was serving, she was killed. Stabbed by a young Palestinian. When the Peres Center heard about this, they wanted to reach out to the Jewish girls' family. Traditionally, Jewish families go through 7 days of mourning after someone in their family passes away. I think I've told you that before. The board at the Peres Center weren't sure if it would be appropriate to visit though. They represent efforts to bring Palestinians and Israelis together. They weren't sure the family would want a reminder of that right after their daughter had been killed by someone many Israelis see as an enemy. The family was very grateful to the Peres Center and they allowed them to visit. The told the Board Members of the Peres Center to keep those programs. To promote peace.
I know they told us that story to promote the Peres Center, but I thought it was also such a good example of forgiveness on the part of the parents. 💛 Makes me feel like forgiveness should be easier for me.
Anyway, it was good to hear about their efforts. And they started as an after-school program, but now they're training teachers to implement it in their P.E. classes.
After the discussion with Yardin in the basement, we went on a tour of the rest of the facilities. The building is all about innovation. Different tech and start-ups Israel has to offer. Instead of writing about it, I'll show you :)
👉 Did you know that Rummikub was invented in Israel? The idea came from a Romanian. In Romania, under the communist regime, people weren't allowed to own cards. So after he made Aliyah (Jewish pilgrimage to Israel to live), he invented the game based on the card game Rummy.
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After the Center, we went to Doctor Shakshuka (as featured on Somebody Feed Phil 😮!)
After that, Ori took us on a walking tour of Jaffa. He said that's where he got his start as a tour guide. On the streets of Jaffa.
We toured a German neighborhood in Jaffa (more on German history in Israel later), and we stopped to rest at a church for Messianic Jews. Jews that believe that Jesus is the Messiah. There's a teacher in our group who teaches religion at a Catholic school and I turned to her and asked... "If they believe in Jesus as the Messiah... wouldn't that make them Christians?"
She told me that they practice Jewish tradition, but she would definitely put them on the Christian shelf too. You kind of choose how you want to identify religiously here. Later I'll talk more about different sects that are considered Islamic, but aren't really Islamic at all.
I remember reading something in the museum that said something like 'Early Christians identified as Jews, but the Jewish religion is older.' I thought that was an interesting way of putting it. From my perspective... those two religions were one until they split over the disagreement of Jesus. So Abraham and Moses... same religion as me. But I guess that's how they feel in Islam as well.
And as I've been reading about Elijah and Elisha and realizing that Jesus did a lot of similar miracles (feeding multitudes, healing lepers, raising from the dead), I wondered if he was trying to show the Jews that he was from the same religion as the prophets from the Old Testament. Or that the prophets from the Old Testament were pointing to Him.
She told me that they practice Jewish tradition, but she would definitely put them on the Christian shelf too. You kind of choose how you want to identify religiously here. Later I'll talk more about different sects that are considered Islamic, but aren't really Islamic at all.
I remember reading something in the museum that said something like 'Early Christians identified as Jews, but the Jewish religion is older.' I thought that was an interesting way of putting it. From my perspective... those two religions were one until they split over the disagreement of Jesus. So Abraham and Moses... same religion as me. But I guess that's how they feel in Islam as well.
And as I've been reading about Elijah and Elisha and realizing that Jesus did a lot of similar miracles (feeding multitudes, healing lepers, raising from the dead), I wondered if he was trying to show the Jews that he was from the same religion as the prophets from the Old Testament. Or that the prophets from the Old Testament were pointing to Him.
We went to the Florentin neighborhood in Jaffa. A few of us went there a few nights before for the Jazz concert. The area was described as 'hipster'. It's becoming more bougie as they tear down old buildings and build skyscrapers. Because of all the tearing down, the police aren't as strict on people who graffiti. They figure the buildings will be torn down eventually...
Ori took us to an ally where he said artists go to learn and practice. A shop owner gave him a hard time, but he passed out markers and had us graffiti.
Ori made a couple of jokes about how the cops were going to come because we were breaking the law. He was being funny about it. But I think most of us were taken aback by his song choice in the van on the way back to the hotel though. 🤣 It was funny that we're a group of high school teachers 'rebelling' in Israel 😅
I had a quick dinner, and then headed to the beach for sunset. I ended up chatting for a while with Walt at the garden rooftop after that. Annnnnnd I've stayed up later than usual writing this entry. 😉
July 18
Our last full day in Tel Aviv. I've really loved this place.
This morning after breakfast we went to the Suzanne Dallal Center. It's a dance center. The home of the Batsheva Dance Company. We did an hour class. Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin came up with a style of dance he called the Gaga method. We did a workshop in this method. I loved it. It's a very improv-based, feel-your-movement type dance. There's a show on Netflix called MOVE, and Ohad and the Gaga method are featured on the second episode. I haven't watched it yet.
This morning after breakfast we went to the Suzanne Dallal Center. It's a dance center. The home of the Batsheva Dance Company. We did an hour class. Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin came up with a style of dance he called the Gaga method. We did a workshop in this method. I loved it. It's a very improv-based, feel-your-movement type dance. There's a show on Netflix called MOVE, and Ohad and the Gaga method are featured on the second episode. I haven't watched it yet.
After the Gaga class, we walked a few minutes to Asif. The culinary institute of Israel. The word 'asif' means to gather. They're working on gathering recipes from cultures in Israel. We took a tour. There's a garden that grows heirloom herbs and vegetables on the roof, and a test-kitchen on the top floor. They are trying to test the recipes that they gather that constitute Israeli cuisine. Palestinian cooking. Recipes that come from different Jewish cultures. They test the measurements and ingredients. When we first sat down, they gave us freshly baked bread. The bread was made from ancient wheat that they're trying to bring back. They have a library of cookbooks and they showed us a couple that were about 100 years old that have recipes they're trying to test and translate. They have them published on their website.
They fed us lunch downstairs in their cafe. They brought out like 10 different types of salads. We just thought it was a light lunch. Then they brought the main course. And then desert. So much food. Like 25 different things we tried. And, of course, it was family-style.
After lunch a few of us stayed in the area and shopped around a bit. I got some gifts / supplies for thank you cards for a lot of the great people we've met.
We all met up to scooter along the beach back to the hotel. Scooterin' is so fun 😎
I don't want to give you TMI ... but I got so sweaty today. During Gaga, like my whole body. And if you know me, you probably know I hate being sweaty. And I didn't necessarily enjoy it.... but I actually would rather be sweaty in the humidity. Is that weird? Don't answer #becauseyoucannot #thisisonewaycommunication. I've loved being outside in the humidity. Especially at night when the sun is gone. It feels like the air is hugging me. I've been on a few really awesome summer night walks along the beach. The thick air and the ocean are all I need.
Before dinner, we had a short baby shower for Andi on the roof. Then we headed downstairs and started writing thank you cards to people.
Before dinner, we had a short baby shower for Andi on the roof. Then we headed downstairs and started writing thank you cards to people.