The past 5 weeks

Hello again from Jerusalem!

Sorry for the long gap between posts.  Make sure you check out Liana's blog, http://lrpadventures.blogspot.com/.   She has posted several times in the past few days, catching up on all her experiences, and her stories are wonderful!

The main reason for my lack of posts the past few weeks is that I came down with quite a case of pneumonia in the middle of March.  It took me 3 1/2 weeks to get over it, but thankfully I am totally back to myself now.  See pic.

I received excellent care from clinics, hospitals, doctors and a physical therapist in Jerusalem, as well as from my fabulous husband, who not only took care of me, but also our kids, our house, and pretty much everything during those weeks.  THANK YOU, JAY!!!!

My parents, Melanie and Jerry, arrived at the end of March for their very first visit to Israel.  They spent two weeks with us, walking Jerusalem, talking with Israelis (imagine my Dad, talking to people!), enjoying amazing Israeli food and hospitality, and traveling the country.  We visited the Sea of Galilee, Sefat, Tiberias, Haifa, Kibbutz Yagur, Tel Aviv, Masada, the Dead Sea, and the Ein Gedi nature reserve.  The kids took their grandparents to the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, and we spent a day with Lana Sadok, our neighbor in Needham.  We finally saw the David's Citadel light show in the Old City (we all loved it), we hosted our cousins for a really nice Shabbat lunch, we spent a fun Shabbat evening with Ethan Bennett, and we enjoyed Friday night Shabbat services at the progressive congregation in Mevasseret Tzion, outiside Jerusalem, where our good friend Maya Leibovich is the Rabbi.  (And we had another delicious meal at her house, as well!) Liana has really enjoyed being part of her school choir.  During my parent's visit they participated in a Jerusalem-wide choir festival.  We all got to see Liana sing/shine!! In short, it was a very full visit.  What my parents loved most was meeting and talking with people everywhere they went.  Here are a few pics, and again, go to Liana's website for more descriptions!

Gorgeous Ein Gedi, with it's waterfalls, ibex, and hyrex walking along the paths with us!

 

 
Masada--We all walked up the snake path at sunrise and came down the cable car...

In Sefat, we walked and walked...Despite the rain and cooler weather, we loved the narrow streets, alley ways, the mystical synagogues, the awesome Sefat candle shop, and the art.....

And a rainbow followed us back to our guesthouse...

On my parents' first day in Israel, we sent them with three kids (including Lana) in a cab to the zoo.  Of course, within moments, my dad was on a first name basis with the cab driver, Moti, his first of many, many new friends in this country!

At the Sea of Galilee, trying to make a splash with stones from far away...

Shabbat lunch with representatives from the Israel Zeffren family (Alan, Naama, Micha, Matar, and Nomi)

A very relaxed Melanie, wearing her stylish hat she bought at the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve.

And here are a few more highlights from the past few weeks:

Jonah is in a soccer class once a week up at our neighborhood Park Gid'on.  Watch him use those skills he learned from Scott McConchie!  Much of Jonah's Hebrew vocabulary is soccer related!

Jay and the kids got to hear the Megillah on Purim at Kol Haneshama congregation (a Reform/Progressive congregation right around the corner from our apartment).  Liana and Jay dressed as "Ish Adom" and "Ish Yarok," the red and green men from the crosswalk signals.  Jonah was a very cute Ninja.



We have spent time at a really good petting zoo, which is part of the kids' school.  Way to go, Jonah, who used to be scared of most animals...

Jonah and Liana ice-skated under a big tent in Safra Square in downtown Jerusalem in April!
Very crowded, and everyone only gets to skate for half an hour, but an experience, nonetheless!

Jay has been able to return to lots of studying, speaking Hebrew, working out at the gym, and reading huge books in cafes and on our porch with a glass of wine!  His classes at the Conservative Yeshiva and the Hartman Institute will pick up again after Pesach.  And Jay and I have enjoyed some time alone, walking around the old city, eating at yummy restaurants, like this one in the Arab shuk!


We are having seder with the Zeffren family, and then we are travelling  to our family, Sara and Yuval's Moshav in the south.  We'll be visiting friends near Beer Sheva later in the week, and then we'll be in Tel Aviv for a couple days before school starts up again.

Hope all is well with you and where you are!!

Hag Sameach, and thanks for reading!
Love,
Emily



Jerusalem Science Museum--video trial

Just checking to see if I'm able to post a video.  This one's a keeper!

Nava Tehila, Shabbat lunch, Tel Aviv, Biblical Zoo, and more...

Some more highlights to share:

We went to Kabbalat Shabbat services at a Jewish Renewal congregation in Jerusalem called Nava Tehila.  Allie Klein had told us about it.  The music and congregational participation in the music was incredible.  An inner circle of musicians (guitars, tof, violin, mandolin, recorder, rain stick!) was surrounded by concentric circles of congregants, and a few of us sat on the floor right in the middle.  They write their own melodies, which are easy to learn and very satisfying to sing.  Some congregants danced outside the circles as well.  The most inspirational part for me was the energy that was created within the community, through the music.

We're looking forward to other new prayer experiences...

We invited some new friends over for Shabbat lunch, and enjoyed a very relaxing afternoon with them.  Udi Cohen is the director of a Reform preschool, and he and his wife, Sharon, have 3 kids around our kids' ages.  Here's a picture of the table!  Those of you who were on this year's TBS Sisterhood retreat, may remember that this was one of my Shabbat goals...

Jay and I spent part of a day with Andy and Martha Hausman/Vogel in Tel Aviv on the beach.  It felt quite decadent to sit by the beach for brunch in the middle of the week.

Our family has enjoyed several more outings.  We went to the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem, which has beautiful grounds and many very interesting animals, including tapirs, ibex, lemurs, kangaroos, cassowaries, and a serval.  (See below, and see Liana's blog for more pictures.)We spent 4 glorious hours there last Shabbat!

We also went to the old city specifically to put prayers into the wall.  Liana posted a beautiful piece about this visit on her blog, as well.  Both kids really enjoy being there, which is very sweet.

In this next picture, we are sitting in front of the newly rebuilt Hurva Synagogue inside the old city.  This is the one that used to just be the Hurva Synagogue Arch.  Isn't it beautiful?  (You have to look at the following picture to actually see the Synagogue!!!)

We also spent a lovely Shabbat in Ashqelon with the entire Zeffren family, played at the "Mifletset (monster) park" (also see Liana's blog) and sampled some delicious hot fudge and caramel covered waffles at Babet's Waffle Bar.  (Well, they tell me the waffles were delicious!!)  Unfortunately, the sound and light show at David's Citadel was sold out, so we still have that to look forward to.

I have tried out 4 Israeli Dance sessions so far.  Each one has a totally different flavor.  I haven't found my perfect spot yet, but I'm enjoying hopping around.  Last night I went to Hebrew University, where I danced with 300 other people in a huge gym.  Most of the people there have been dancing for several years, and I was especially entranced by the couples dancing.  It's quite beautiful, and very difficult, but everyone made it LOOK easy!  I was also amazed by the huge age range of people who take Israeli Dance very seriously.There were equal numbers of dancers in their 20's, 40's, and 60's, plenty of women AND men.

Tomorrow night, Maya and Menachem Leibovich, from M'vasseret Tzion are coming for Shabbat dinner.  Maya is an Israeli Reform Rabbi who has visited both Temple Beth Shalom and Shaare Emeth.  Many of you have met her.  Jay has been close to their family for a very long time.

That's all for now.  Laila Tov! (Good night...)

Jonah in the Old City, Monkey Park, and Dancing!

A window into Jonah's first trip to the Old City with Daddy:
Jay made a scavenger hunt for Jonah.  They rode the bus, found ALL the items, and of course had fresh, warm pita at the end!

We also visited "Park HaKofim" with our friends, the Resnicks.  Every Tuesday the kids get out of school at 12:45, and we've decided to take afternoon trips together as much as possible.  As you can see, kofim are monkeys.  We saw some, and also did a little monkeying around ourselves!  The monkeys at this

have a lot of space to move around in an wonderful environment.  The park is also connected to a Sanctuary where injured monkeys or lab monkeys come to be nurtured and resocialized, and then they are sent to healthy environments, often in Africa.

Liana and I went to our first Israeli Dance session on Tuesday evening.  Three of the dances we did in the first hour were dances I taught during the Beth Shalom class this fall!  Liana was so excited to recognize them and know them!  We ended our evening with Liana's first taste of Israeli Falafel and Shwarma!  Yum...

Tonight we're all going to the David's Citadel Sound and Light Show in the Old City.  Life is good!

Hello from Jerusalem!

We're well into our first month in Israel!  It's been 3 1/2 weeks since the kids and I arrived at Ben Gurion airport.

Of course, Jay was here to pick us up, feeling very well rested after a couple weeks of settling in himself.  Here he is watching the sunset on the Tel Aviv beach!

 I am sitting in our wonderful apartment on an overcast Thursday morning listening to a beautiful CD (Yonatan Raz'el) that Andy Vogel gave to our family.

Liana and Jonah are at their school, Tali Geulim, a 10-minute walk from here. Jay is with Andy on a Palestinian Encounter program, where they will be meeting with Palestinians and learning about the Palestinian narrative firsthand.

Here are some highlights from the past few weeks:

Jay and Liana visited the Old City for her first time. They walked through the Arab shuk, saw the Kotel (Western Wall) from afar, and bought some delicious fresh, warm pita!  Then they stopped off at the Tayelet for a fabulous view of the Old City and the mountains around her.

 Temple Beth Shalom very generously and thoughtfully gave us a membership to the Israel Museum.  On our first visit, we found a sculpture of a HUGE apple core! 

We all had Shabbat dinner with the Arbel Family, our "Tuchas k'rovim" (cousins of cousins we call family!) Naama Arbel is married to Micha Zeffren, who is my first cousins' first cousin. Naama's family welcomed us warmly, and we enjoyed them all, including the newest family member, Naama and Micha's 2-month-old daughter, Matar.


We visited Soreq Cave Nature Reserve in Bet Shemesh about a half-hour drive from here. It's an amazing Stalactite and Stalagmite cave, which we all loved. Jonah enjoyed "the witch" (you can see her to the left of the small light in the 3rd picture below)and Liana's favorite was "disappointed love." (A stalagtite and stalagmite that will never meet because the sedimentation in that area has stopped.See picture #4.)  Also, Jonah wore his special night vision goggles to see better in the cave.  Thank you, Ryan Idelson!


On our first full day in Israel, Jonah lost his first tooth!  What an exciting story!


Liana and Jonah have each had playdates with kids they've met through school or friends. We visited "Mini Israel" with some of these friends the other day. It's an outdoor miniature model of the country that you walk through, to get a sense of Israel as a whole.  The 3rd picture is a model of the Temple Mount and Kotel.

Liana and I went to a special memorial concert for Jewish singer/songwriter/teacher/inspiration Debbie Friedman at Beit Shmuel in Jerusalem. We enjoyed the music (Kenny Chasen was there playing Debbie's guitar),saw Allie Klein perform with her fellow Rabbinical students, and ran into Ethan Bennett, son of Rabbi Jim Bennett!

Jay has enjoyed a 2 week intensive Hebrew Ulpan, explored classes at several wonderful learning institutions, attended lectures, and now he's off at this 2 day Palestinian Encounter.  But most importantly, he is relaxing, reading, having dinner with his family every night(!) and breathing deeply.

We are all in good spirits.  We're watching the events in Egypt unfold just as you are, I'm sure; right now we don't "feel" anything different in our daily life, except the increased hope that the peace between Israel and Egypt will continue, and that the transfer of power in Egypt will be a peaceful and positive one.

I'm off to research great places for Israeli Folk Dancing.
Saturday we head to Ashqelon for a Zeffren/Perlman family Shabbat lunch.
More soon...XOXO...Emily