Well, we finished the ulpan (intesnsive hebrew study) and now we have 2 weeks off until we start regular classes. Ulpan was great, and it's incredible how much my Hebrew improved. I even got moved up to the top Hebrew class at the school :-).
So, like I said, we have 2 weeks off, and while some people left the country, I feel like I just got here (been 6 weeks already) and I'm not ready to leave yet. So, I'm taking these 2 weeks as a chance to relax in Jerusalem and ???????see some other parts of Israel. I just got back from Tel Aviv where I stayed with Shirly (from camp) and her family for a couple of nights, ate in their sukkah, and enjoyed Tel Aviv. Last night it was me, Shirley, Evy, and Ittai (all from camp) enjoying the town which included roller blading and a great dinner. It's really great having friends here outside of the class. Speaking of which, I'll be going to see Deutsch next weekend on his Kibbutz, as well as possibly traveling to Eilat, maybe going on a hike in the golan, and also visiting family in Haifa. So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that.Reverse it. So, once again, although the news has started again, and it seems as though an unfortunate trend is also beginning again, I am doing all I can to stay safe, and the important thing to remember is life goes on. Israeli's are living their life, and I feel more Israeli every day. There is no place I would rather be right now.
B'shalom,
Joel
So, I've been bad about writing, but here's the last 2 weeks in half a page. I went to stay with Shirly (a friend from camp) and her family in Neve Monoson (just south of Tel Aviv) for the first day of Sukkot. It was really nice to be staying with a family and have a home cooked meal (even though it made me sick, but don't worry Shirly, it wasn't your fault ;-)). I saw Tel Aviv and went rollerblading in the sporttek. Then I came home, got better, met the president, went back to Tel Aviv for a trip to the beach, came back and went to Kibbutz Chatzerim (about 10 minutes outside of Beer Sheva) to see Deutch (also from camp) and his family. I came back just in time for Simchat Torah. Being in Jerusalem for Simchat Torah wasn't quite as much of a party as I expected, but it was a lot of fun. Then, after a day off, I went with Mike and a few other classmates to Masada, which we climbed twice. I knew I remembered going down a different way then we went up, but I didn't know our bus had driven the 70 km trip to pick us up, which remarkably our rental car did not do, so we had to go back up and down again. Then I realized I had left our bag by the stairs, but the nice cablecar man got it for me saving me yet another trip.
Then I went to Ashkelon to see Yael (also from camp) and some friends on Otzma. We went to the beach, even though the weather was terrible, and had a great time. Now I'm back just in time to start classes tomorrow which I'm really excited about. Ok, that's my break. If you want to hear more, e-mail me :-)
Joel
The first week of classes has come and gone, and I love it. Almost all of my classes (Modern Hebrew, Classical Grammar, Bible, Talmud, and Liturgy) are taught in all Hebrew, which is taking some getting used to, but it's great. And then we have history and a few electives that are taught in English. Then, on Wednesdays, we have what we call Wednesdays. It's a very special day where we go on trips or have special lectures or activities on campus. This week we went to the zionist cemetary in Tel Aviv as well as Independence Hall (where Ben Gurion declared independence) and to Latrun (home of one of the more famous battles of the war of '48).
Friday was my first day volunteering at the Tali school in Bayit Vegan. I promised myself that I would go the whole year without teaching music for the first time since 7th grade, but that didn't last too long. It's ok though, cuz it was a lot of fun. It's first through fifth grade, mostly americans, but I'm only allowed to speak Hebrew, so it's great practice for me, and the kids are really appreciative. It should be a lot of fun.
This weekend we had a nice Shabbat dinner at home, and then this afternoon, after services, I went to Tel Aviv for a nice relaxing day on the beach. It was just what I needed after a long, hard week and before another one. I went with Evy and Ittai, and it was a lot of fun. And after that, we met up with Daniel, who was my co-counselor in 2000. He's studying in Switzerland but is here visiting, and it was great seeing him.
So, class in 7 hours, and I'm staying up tomorrow night for the Broncos game that starts at 230 in the morning, so it's time for bed, but I hope this message finds you all doing well and I look forward to hearing from you,
Joel
Wow, this webpage now has 600 hits, and over 1000 for the whole site. I know most of those are my mom, but I still want to thank all of you for showing how much you care. I can't tell you how much the e-mails, messages on the message board, letters, and instant messages mean to me. Being so far away can be tough, but between my communication with all of you and the great friends I have here, I really couldn't be happier. On that note, if there's anything you want to see on the webpage that's not here or anything I can do for any of you from here please let me know :-)
Anyway, I'm in my third week of classes, and I'm really getting used to the Hebrew and the schedule. Last night I started classes at the Hartman institute which is a weekly seminar for Rabbinical students from all movements. I think it will really be one of the best things I'm doing here. It's great that future Jewish leaders are so eager to work with eachother and try to break down some fences and keep others from being built.
This past Shabbat I had dinner with other students and Rabbi Margie Meyer and Dr. Michael Meyer. They're both from Cincinnati, and Dr. Meyer is one of the most renowned scholars in modern Jewish history. It was really a nice night.
Rabbi Cohon will be here next week on an ARTZA trip, so it will be nice to see him, and then the middle of next week we are spending on a trip to the Golan. So, it should be an exciting week. I look forward to hearing from you all,