First Grades of College

Passed.

Coming Home

Something I have learned being here is that the world does not stop changing around you just because you have some blog posts to catch up on. Unfortunately the old posts are going to have to wait, but honestly—it is not so unfortunate.

Gilad Shalit is an Israel solider who was kidnapped in Gaza over five years ago and has been held captive ever since. This summer, I worked at the Mercer Island JCC camp as the Judaics educator and as part of our Israel week I had the kids write letters to Gilad’s parents. Three weeks ago Julia Snyder and I walked to the Gilad Shalit tent (that sits outside of the prime minister’s house) to drop the letters off and instead of finding a box to leave them in we found his parents accompanied by a group of visitors. We waited outside the tent because we weren’t sure who the visitors were and it looked like they were talking. We waited a bit longer…and then a bit longer. Then I realized, no, they’re not talking. Everyone was just kind of sitting making small talk because, really, what is there to say? All there is left is anticipation: what will tomorrow bring? News of life? News of the unmentionable? There are no right words to offer, but there is something to say for the prayers and hope that come from kids. I entered the tent and explained to them what I had and who they were from. We exchanged awkward smiles and thank yous, then Julia and I headed right back down the street to our building.

But tonight? Tonight celebration has exploded from the tent. Tonight there is singing. Tonight there is dancing. Tonight there is hope. Tonight you can hear the song and feel the smiles of Gilad’s family, friends, and nation. Tonight a deal was signed for the release of Gilad Shalit.

For five years Gilad hasn’t seen his family, hung out with his friends, slept in his own bed, gotten to choose what he eats for dinner, or gotten to listen to his favorite song. In the upcoming days, בעזרת השם, he will.

Walking down any street in Israel on a day-to-day basis you see signs that read “גלעד עדיין חי,” and  you see graffiti on sides of buildings with messages of the like. People all over the world have been hoping and praying for this day that is finally right around the corner.

I cannot even begin to explain to you what it is like out in front of Gilad’s tent tonight, so instead I’ll give you a few pictures/videos so you can see for yourself!!!

This is the chair in Gilad's tent that is left for him to sit on when he comes back!

This sign sits outside of the tent which is outside of the prime minister's home. It reads: "Sarah and Bibi, I have been sitting in my cell alone for 1934 days, and where are you?" The number is changed on a daily basis...

Unfortunately, the terrorists did not just wake up this morning and say “Hmm, I feel like letting Gilad go home…” If only it were that simple. In exchange for Gilad’s return, 1000 terrorists are being released from Israeli prisons. Among them are men of lethal standings. You must realize that this is a victory of Hamas too. You must realize that celebration is happening in the streets of Gaza too.

Tonight, among those celebrating there were also those protesting. I think it was only a girl and what appeared to be her brother, but she was holding these signs:

The first sign says “Today is a day of mourning. The blood of my parents is boiling in their grave.” The second sign reads “I hope that the terrorists from the attack on the Subaru restaurant launch an attack on the Shalit family, or even the prime minister’s.”

It is evident that this girl’s parents were victims of terror and it is understandable how the release of these terrorists affects her. As I was taking these pictures a man came up to her and began arguing with her about how she could stand out here and hold signs like these. An officer then came and got in the middle telling him to back off because this is an emotional subject.

There is no saying that this trade was done lightly. We want Gilad back and we wish we didn’t have to make an exchange of this type. What is the right answer when trying to negotiate with terrorists?

Gaza and the West Bank want independence, Egypt is turned upside-down and the list could go on.With all that is happening in the Arab world right now, this is our best chance.  I truly believe that the Israeli government would not agree to a deal of this magnitude if they did not believe the same—this could be our last chance.

For now all we can do is continue to hope and pray that within the upcoming days an innocent boy will be returned home to his parents.

גלעד עדיין חי, וגלעד חוזר!!!

P.S. the videos would not upload, but they are on their way!

"Fast"Forward: Yom Kippur in Yerusalaim

Okay, we are going to "fast"-forward (hahaha, I'm sorry, I couldn't help it) about two and a half weeks, and then we will rewind again in a few minutes.

YOM.KIPPUR.IN.JERUSALEM.

Should I say it again? “Yom Kippur in Jerusalem.” If you haven’t done it before I would highly recommend it.

Starting Thursday night the city begins to change. Coming back from town with my friends we encountered a mass stream of cars kotel-bound on every city street. The traffic was barely moving and there were people walking all over the place looking for parking—keep in mind it is 12:30/1:00ish AM. I went back to base and gathered few stragglers to walk to the Kotel with me—I figured, why not; all of the cool kids are doing it. This night was the last night for slichot and it genuinely seemed like EVERYONE got the memo and wanted in. Walking towards the old city it felt like we were making a pilgrimage to the site of the Beit Hamikdash. The walk over was chaotic. There were people collecting tzedakah money left and right, as well as chickens running all over the place. Wait. Rewind…chickens? Yes. I’m not sure I can sufficiently explain to you what kaparot are, but in short: you buy a chicken and rotate it around your head, then shecht it and it is supposed to symbolize the removing of your sins or something to that extent (*p.s.* the edible chicken is then donated to the poor).

ANYWAY.

We were literally smushed into a crowd of people walking towards the Kotel, and it did not help that there were equal numbers of people going the opposite way. If you have ever been in the old city, you have experienced the tiny alleyways and close quarters (no pun intended), so I think you can sympathize with the experience. Finally we made it to the Kotel square, and…WOW. There were tons of people everywhere. At this point it was suppppper late and veryyyyyy overwhelming, so my friends and I took a few minutes to soak up the atmosphere and then headed back to base! (Don’t worry, we took the longer—but less crowded—route homeJ).

Finally Friday morning is here and after a nice chance to sleep in we were ready to go.

11:30am- Lunch

12:15pm-Mincha

12:30pm- Stores close

3:00pm- Dinner

4:20pm- Leave for Kol Nidrei

I could not decide where to go for services so I ended up going with my madricha to a service where the congregants really get into their davening—it was very cool. People are swaying left and right, singing their hearts out, and really making the most of the experience. I can only speak from my own experiences, but I have never seen that at home, and it was quite an experience.

After services we witnessed the city literally “off”. No cars (apart from emergency vehicles) were on the streets, and all shops and traffic lights were shutdown. People roamed the streets with their families, dressed in white, and machzorim in hand.

As we approached our building we joined a huge group of Nativers sitting in the middle of one of the largest and most busy intersections in town singing zmirot and enjoying the peace of the night. We attracted a large group of people, some of which joined in and others who just stood and watched. Sitting in the middle of an intersection that normally takes 10 minutes to cross, singing songs with all of my friends felt surprisingly normal from what one would expect it to feel—only now, looking back on it, when the streets are busy again and the city has reopened do I realize what we did…

Next thing I know I am waking up at 4:40am. GAHHH.

 You’re probably thinking I went back to sleep, in which case you are mistaken. It actually was no accident. A group of us woke up to walk to an early minyan so that we could have a break between davening during the day. Am I crazy? Yes. Was it worth it? I think I can say it was. Look, it was no OMGOSHTHATWASTHEMOSTAMAZINGSERVICEOFMYLIFELETSGOBACK, but it was definitely and experience that I am glad I had. I have made a decision to grasp experiences of the sort while I can, because before I know it I am going to be back in Washington and it is going to seem like I dreamt the whole thing. And, come on, you only live once!

The service was nice and ended fairly early, so who is complaining? Oh wait. Did I forget to mention the synagogue was a good 35minutes away? Yeah... that was a tough walk home—uphill. And an extra plus was that we got to see the sunrise on the walk there!

But we just kept going. Finally we made it back and rested for a few hours before “Kotel, here we come!” Another group of us went to the Kotel for Mincha and Neilah. Now that? That was cool. We walked all the way there in the middle of some of the busiest streets in Jerusalem, and the silence of the city was unimaginable. It was awesome, awesome, awesome…we talked about it the whole way there.  Once we got there it was not nearly as crowded as Thursday night, but got progressively so as the sun set. We found a minyan by the mechitzah and joined in. We davened Mincha and Neilah, and as Neilah came to a close you could hear all the shofar blasts begin to sound all over the square from all of the different Minyanim. As far as my most memorable Jewish experiences go, that was definitely one of them! We also had great timing, we made it back to base just in time for cake!!!! Mmmm, yummy.

Now I am showered and dinnered and sitting here writing this to all you at home who are still amidst your Yom Kippur. I hope you all had an easy fast and wish you all a SHANAH TOVA!!