A weekend in Jerusalem

Hey all,


After a really hectic week, things are starting to fall into place. I finally got my last suitcase on Friday (they left it outside the wrong apartment, classic), decided last night on where to live ('שכונה ג), and got everything settled with the bank and mail (have a new number, so give me a call or email at any time!). I'm also looking forward to setting up some Arabic classes, so hopefully that'll work out too.

Now then, I decided this past weekend to go to Jerusalem for the weekend, having always wanted to be there on Tisha B'av (warning: here comes the Jewish part of the post). First off, thanks so much to my friend Daniel for hosting me! Shabbat was really wonderful. Tisha B'av, I suppose, had my hopes up for being uber-meaningful. I mean, the organizers for the reading of Eichah on the promenade overlooking the Old City were clearly American and had been to JTS for at least one service, because it was styled just like it, except that the songs were rushed through and were not super-inspiring, as I have found them to be at JTS in years past. Nevertheless, it was so interesting to juxtapose the living, breathing Jerusalem with the dead, burning Jerusalem of Eichah, that same Jerusalem in which the most merciful and compassionate mothers ate their own children out of hunger (Lam. 4:10). The cry of Jeremiah to his God, ראה ה' והביטה למי עוללת כה, "Look, O Lord and see, who [else] have you treated like this!?" did not awaken the same feelings here in Israel as it did in years past. I think there is a reason for that. Seeing Israel alive and well, with businesses open, with people going about doing their daily jobs, feeding the hungry, tending to the widow and orphan, and making space for all sorts of people and opinions within this tiny country, is really inspiring. It's quite the opposite of Lamentations' portrayal. And I would go so far as to say that Tisha B'av is thankfully partly a thing of the past. That's what struck home the most. We really are building on the lessons of our ancestors to make this land filled with life and holiness, one of justice and peace, one in which these days of mourning become days of happiness and joy, just as the prophet Zechariah once foretold (8:19).

And I hope we continue to do just that! Shavua tov, have a great week!

My first few days

Wow, what a long and tiring first few days. After the safety lecture, the pedagogy lecture, the health insurance lecture, and all the welcome lectures, I'm about ready for a break. I may have just placed out of ulpan after the fact (hello again year one of JTS). Instead, I am learning some basic writing and phrases in Arabic, hopefully to be used in a program I am coordinating to learn Arabic with local Bedouin community members who want to learn English. But more of that later.
I have been apartment hunting like crazy--er, rather, other people have been, and I've found myself in a bit of a hole that I will hopefully get myself out of. There are some nice places (and some not so nice) around here, and I can't wait to figure out where my place will be. There is still so much to see and do in this city, but I've just been caught up with everything school and living related and haven't really had the chance.
Foibles: I'm waiting on a new credit card coming via UPS...the delivery guy can't find my place, so hopefully my speaking to them will aleviate it some tomorrow.
My sim card for my phone was delivered today, but I missed the delivery. Hopefully I'll be around when they come by tomorrow, along with the UPS guy.
I went to the bank today to pick up my bank card. After looking, they could not find my pass code. That's okay, they said--come again in another 4 business days. Great. At least I got the checks.
My second of three suitcases arrived today--this despite the fact that I told them not to deliver it separately from the third bag. So of course they did anyways.

I love this place, I really do. For all of that, it is still an amazing place to live. From davening arvit at a moshichist Chabad shtiebel in which they concluded their davening by repeating the "yechi rabbeinu" line three times to getting lost multiple times in the terribly-laid-out streets of this city, it has been a ridiculously hectic almost week here, and I cannot wait to see what's next!!!

I've arrived

After a busy day in France, seeing all the sites I had wanted to see and meeting up with a new friend who is also a friend's friend, I left tired and groggy for Israel. I arrived in Beer Sheva, and, just as I had feared due to all my connections (my routing was originally with miles from ORD-BWI-JFK-CDG [but was changed to ORD-JFK-CDG after check-in took so long on my bags] and then paid for CDG-VIE-TLV), they lost my baggage somewhere. I flew AirBerlin/Niki from CDG-TLV, and while nicer than more AA or United planes, the customer service here in Israel is a nightmare, simply because I can't get in contact with them. So, as stands, I am borrowing my temporary roommate's things, and will go from there. Hopefully my things will arrive eventually.

Beer Sheva is quite a nice city, and while I'm still dazed, I did accomplish opening a new bank account with Bank Hapoalim, the bank of the campus, which took a lot of Hebrew (I was good except for the words for checks [I switched המחאות with מחמאות] and scholarships [or at least that's what she said it was, but I don't think she said מלגה]). Anyways, I also ordered a new SIM card from the new Golan Telecom, so my Israel number will be posted to Facebook soon.

Time for bed! I look forward to updating again soon.

Shabbat Shalom,
David

Here we go! A new adventure awaits.

I can't believe it...I'm actually off to medical school tomorrow. In Israel. For those of you who don't quite know my plans, I am doing a unique program between Ben-Gurion University and Columbia University, the Medical School for International Health. The next three years will be in Israel, followed by a semester at Columbia, and then two months working in an impoverished community somewhere in this world. I'm already doing some of my preparatory reading on global health, readying myself for this new world and new experience. We begin with a session on global health and an ulpan (Hebrew language class); that much I know. Beyond that, I suppose I'll see and go from there. Like many of my classmates, I'm coming into this program filled with uncertainty and excitement. I truly hope that medicine is my calling, that I can make a tangible difference in this world through it, in whatever field I choose. I decided to go to school over taking a job, fully realizing that either choice would have shaped my life in a very different way, but that medical school may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I pray and trust that this path choice was the best one, and I will move forward with the good wishes of friends and family behind me. Your support has been really, really amazing, and I can't wait to show you what I can achieve. I hope that each of you finds your path as well, and that we can meet up soon in the Holy Land. As we always say, 'next year in Jerusalem,' but this year in Beer Sheva!!!