I have been away a long time and have no excuse so I won't even try. Instead, I'll just dive in.
In case you want to skim, here is a list of what this post will include:
1. Future plans: this summer and next year!
2. Ramallah
3. Shavuot
4. Ein Gedi Hiking
5. Ir Amim Tour of East Jerusalem
6. Dance Class
7. Crafts Club
So away we go:
1. drum-roll please....
I'M GOING TO BE A MILLS WOMAN! That's right, I have officially accepted a spot (and a very generous merit-based scholarship) at Mills College in Oakland to finish my degree in Public Policy! Depending on how things go, I might continue in their +1 program in which I can get an M.A. in Public Policy with one extra year. I am incredibly excited to sink my teeth into a more rigorous academic program (Israel has been fun but not exactly challenging..) and become a member of the Mills community which promises to be engaging.
In addition, Matan and I are moving into my parents' beautiful home while they relocate to Washington D.C. (for those who don't know, my Dad is a baller and now works for the good guys out there in the capital). We are renting out the other two bedrooms to friends, and are so excited to live in the gorgeous house and use the kitchenaid mixer and cuisinart!
As for the summer: We're moving to the Kibbutz! I will be working in the Education department of the guest houses which means I will be leading activities for groups of high school students who come to visit Israel and the Kibbutz. In particular I will be the head madricha (basically counselor) for a Green Seminar for a group of students who are interested in the environment. This trip will include going to a Kibbutz in the Golan and learning about sustainable development in Israel. I am really looking forward to the summer (even though I'm terrified about the heat!) and hope to share great stories with you in a few months.
2. I went to Ramallah! with my friends Julian and Dan. To be honest, it was sort of anti-climactic. We got on a bus near the Damascus Gate of the Old City (East Jerusalem) that cost just over a $1 and rode about 45 minutes. We hardly even noticed when we got to the checkpoint because the bus didn't even stop. In Ramallah we walked around and saw the sights (there are a lot of clothing stores), walked through the produce market and ate delicious hummus, falafel and fresh-squeezed juice (we got the "cocktail" - oranges, apples, pears, carrots and fennel). Then we came home. When entering back into Israel the bus stopped, everyone without a visa to Israel got out and walked through the checkpoint (this can take hours) but those of us with visas just showed them to soldiers and kept driving. I didn't take any photos because I was getting lots of unwanted attention just by looking how I look, so I unfortunately can't give you an image of it, but it sort of looks like a regular Middle Eastern city which is misleading because they only sometimes have water, electricity, etc. It was also very different to see Palestinians (the PA) with guns.
3. Last week was the Jewish holiday Shavuot which marks when the Jews received the Torah! Pretty big deal. The tradition is to study all night long, and in Jerusalem, to walk to the Western Wall at dawn to do morning prayers. Now you all know that I am not religiously observant in the slightest degree, but I decided to get into the spirit of things on this one, and dragged Matan to a lecture at Beit Avi Chai that turned out to be very interesting: a relatively young Rabbi gave a great talk about whether or not the Torah believes in humanity. Basically he said that if you take the Halacha (the laws) and the stories together, you learn that the Torah does believe in the goodness of human beings and in their ability to make decisions. He gave the example of King David who is the descendant of a forbidden relationship whose descendants technically should have been excommunicated from the religion by being banned from marrying a Jew. However, because the woman who entered into a forbidden relationship was in the right, she was able to have King David in her line. In this way, the Torah is telling us that there are "exceptions," and that while there can't be anarchy, there is room for human decisions. He finished by saying that the expansion of Halacha to govern ALL aspects of life by the ultra ultra Orthodox does not reflect an increased belief in G-d but a decreased belief in humanity. This is a thought that I've had countless times while living among the ultra-Orthodox in Jerusalem, and it was very interesting to hear it backed up by a scholar and his reading of the Torah. After the talk we went home and took a nap, and then woke up and walked to the Kotel. As we started walking there were groups of people walking around us, and by the time we reached the entrance to the Old City we were surrounded by people making the same pilgrimage – it was a very neat experience. I couldn't take photos because it's against the rules on a holiday and I would likely have been spat on, but when we got home I was hungry, and here is a picture of me eating a pb&j. The tradition is to wear white, so there's my white dress.
4. Ein Gedi Hiking!
A few days ago Matan and I took a bus down to the Dead Sea and the Ein Gedi kibbutz/nature reserve (about an hour south of Jerusalem) and went on an amazing hike. Ein Gedi is basically an oasis in the middle of the desert with two valleys, each with a river running through it. We decided to hike in the Arugot valley because the hike is a bit longer and typically (as we were told) less crowded. We had an amazing day hiking through and above the river, swimming in natural pools and under waterfalls, and seeing awesome wildlife (like Ibexes, frogs, crabs, and a weird rabbit/mole thing!) I am really going to miss the amazing desert here, which for me (and definitely for Matan) is a very powerful place. You can find many pictures on Facebook.
5. I went on a tour to East Jerusalem with an organization called Ir Amim http://www.ir-amim.org.il/eng/ I'm not certain that I agree on all points with what this non-profit stands for, but it was a great opportunity to get a comprehensive view of "who lives where" in Jerusalem and about the various areas where the Separation Wall runs. A few interesting tidbits: We visited (on the outside) the Shuafat Refugee Camp which technically is inside the municipal boundary of Jerusalem (which by the way is not internationally recognized), but when the wall was built it excluded the refugee camp in order to effectively subtract 35,000 Palestinians from the balance of demographics in the city. We also saw an Arab neighborhood where a private company bought land and built apartment buildings for ideological Jews. On one side of the street there are sidewalks, a playground, and access to water/electricity/garbage collection (which means that while this area is run by a private company, there is government involvement). On the other side there are black water tanks on the roofs to collect water and garbage everywhere. It's so complicated and sad here. My tour guide used to be the chief of operations for the Jerusalem police force which was fascinating. He told us something I didn't know which was that in 1967 the residents of East Jerusalem were offered full Israeli citizenship and (for some understandable reasons) refused at the demands of their leaders, partially leading to the limbo state that they're in now.
6. I've been going to two hip-hop dance classes at a studio in town and it's been amazing. It's great to get back into dance and also to feel like I'm part of a studio – somehow having a regular exercise routine really makes you feel like you live somewhere.
7. And lastly, I have started a Crafting Club with a couple of friends! Ariella and Drorit, the daughters of the family that Matan and I have nearly every Shabbat dinner with (close friends of Matan's mother, and the most generous people on the planet), and I have been making hair bows and headbands, and are tackling canvas tote bags next. We're having a great time being creative, buying beautiful ribbons and digging around Judy's basement to find gorgeous fabrics. I'm going to miss this family so much and am so thankful for what they've done for us this year, and the Crafting Club has been the icing on the cake!
I'm off to try to finish up the semester – 2 weeks of taking exams, writing papers, and packing up the apartment we've lived in for a year. Wish me luck!
All my love,
Kate
