Greetings from Israel

We are almost in January and have not hit a daytime high lower than 52 degrees - for two people from Chicago/Silver Spring - we are a little unsure about what to do with ourselves. In case you were wondering, as everyone seems to be asking, we still do not know where we are living after we get back from Israel - our plane tickets take us to Chicago and from there it is an open world. We had a busy week this past week - events almost every night and are looking forward to the relative quiet this week is scheduled to bring, We did get to see Rabbi Benjy Levine perform his, mostly, one-man show - "The Four Faces of Israel" it was a pretty humorous take on a variety of people you might encounter while experiencing Israel. Aaron even got to ask a question, and as a result will no longer be riding buses in Chicago (ask him for more of an explanation if you are interested).

Who wears the pants in this family...

This past Saturday night Ilana and I went back to the mall in Jerusalem in order to return our webcam that we bought for the mac. Unfortunately, many webcams are incompatible with Macs. Additionally, outside of America, few countries are into Macs so it is rather hard to get the extra stuff.

Background for those who may not know: Most stores in Israel will only give store credit when a customer returns merchandise regardless of the condition or procurement of a receipt.

We went back to Office Depot to return the webcam. The receipt clearly said that electronics must be returned within 15 days in order to get money back. After that time one could only receive store credit; today was day 15. I told the women that I wanted to return the camera so she took it, checked it out, took our receipt, and then told us that she could give us store credit. I was about to protest (in English) when all of sudden Ilana starts up in fluent Hebrew and says, "I sorry but today is the 15th day, please give us a refund." And with all the flair of a seasoned Israeli sabra she adds "if you meant 14 days you should have written that on the receipt!" The women proceeded to credit our credit card in full without another word. Customer service never suspected the cute little pregnant lady was capable of it. Well she sure showed them.

Chanukah Status

Our first Chanukah in Israel. We thought we'd go all out - an oil menorah (no more candles for us) and a box so we can even light with our window open to further display the miracle.
This first picture shows the first night - a success - we got both wicks lit and they stayed lit to take pictures and enjoy the light.



However...our oil did not seem to want to last the eight days of the miracle. Nights 2, 3, 4 and 5 were all struggles until we made our new menorah (picture below). Night two we ended up using shabbat candles after multiple attempts to unsuccessfully light the oil. Night 3 we finally got them all lit after 30 minutes of experimenting. Night 4 we got two on the first try, 2 more on the 2nd and 3rd tries and went without a shamash - that one really didn't want to light.



So we are back to candles and look forward to using our menorah back in the states that happily takes candles that light on their first try. Maybe another year we'll try oil again, but for now we'll let that miracle reside in the tales of the holiday.

Tiyul to Ein Gedi

This past Wednesday the Yeshiva took one of their first tiyulim of the year to the south. We set off at 8:30 in the morning and it was really a great day as a whole. We did a rather strenuous hike that was "frought with danger." Dangerous situations for Israelis I think is in a whole different category than what an American would be used to. Unless you really are searching for a rush, I think most "adventures" are rather tame. Dangerous paths are cordined off and fences are put in places that pose hazards. Not so in Israel. I think that the culture just accepts that Israelis will basically just see any warning sign as an outright dare. They may also be smarter than Average Joe American and may take signs such as "hot coffee is extremely hot" as too obvious to waste ink on. One of the caves that we explored was situated in a very difficult location to reach. At one point, on a narrow path along the side of the mountain we were descending, we reached a sign post with three directions: forward, backwards, or up. So we went up. It was rather cool. I am not sure if the pictures do it justice but try to imagine a dangerous situation.

On the way to and from the hike site I had not one, but two camel encounters. The first time we pulled into a gas station and the picture speaks for itself. The second one is a sign warning you of camel crossings. I love Israel.

Yay Gliders

We got a rocker! And as you can see I greatly enjoy relaxing on it - though I am giving Aaron some turns - I did learn how to share in Kindergarden. It was an experience going somewhere in the Sanhedria area and then finding a cab to get it back to our apartment. We got a station wagon cab, but either those are a little smaller here and he drove the whole way back with the trunk partially open - luckily the chair got back, and thanks to Aaron, up the stairs, all in one piece. I guess this officially is our first "baby" related purchase.

Mazel Tov

We would like to wish Michael Friedman and Nikki Kane congratulations on their recent engagement. They are both very special people and alums of the University of Maryland. Additionally, Michael and Nikki are both alums of Darche Noam and Midreshet Rachel, respectively. Michael was the person who was most influential in connecting me with Darche Noam and I can't thank him enough for that. They should be zocheh to build a bayit neman b'yisrael.

A Busy Friday

The past week was very busy as they go. As I have commented before, yeshiva life is rather routine and any change of that routine is relatively a big deal. For example, in Maryland, going out for pizza and a movie is not much to sneeze at. In fact, one might even be considered, dare I say, socially bland . However this year, it's a whole production! A trip to the mall or a dinner out would compare in the states to nothing less than tickets to the Broadway musical you were dying to see.
After seeing Dave and Talya Weinberg for not one, but two fantastic meals, we also got together with Ilana's sister and nieces and nephews for a Rosh Chodesh Kislev party. To cap it all off, due to the yeshiva having an in-shabbos (which entails no Shabbos preparation) we decided to go to Machla Mall in Jerusalem for some errands. We ended up spending about 2-3 hours there. Three interesting experiences:

(1) We went shopping (Toda, anachnu rak mistaklim) for strollers. It was sensory overload to the power of 10. There are more things in that store than babies in the entire world. I commented to Ilana that I had felt like that only one other time in my life. When we registered for wedding presents. "WOW, bed bath and beyond has everything! And I have nothing. I NEED/WANT EVERYTHING."

(2) A woman came over to us and in English explained to us that she had no food at all for shabbos except for some challot. Apparently, the government screwed her on her divorce and she got all the kids but no support from her husband. She asked us to call her on her phone if we happened to be shopping in the grocery store and we wanted to buy something for her. We did and I hope that she will soon know no trouble.

(3) And last, but certainly not least was our excursion to the "department store." Try to imagine a JC Penny crammed into 1/16 of the space. Very crowded. Apparently they had a shortage of changing rooms as well. One man wanted to try on a shirt so he just stripped down in the middle of the racks and modeled it for all of us. He stood bare chested for many minutes. Let's just say you should be happy there is no photo attachment to this blog posting.


Finally, when we were all set to go home for some lunch around 1:00pm, we got back on the bus. I guess we got on the wrong bus going the wrong way or something. What a trip it was; 90 minutes later after a stunning tour of southern Jerusalem we finally came back to our apartment.

We have another busy week this week. We'll keep you posted.

Sunset in Modin

So we spent Shabbat with Marc and Emily in Modin and got this picture right before Shabbat. It was a great way to end/start the week. Everything else is going well - it is starting to be Israeli winter season (a little cold and rainy, but not horrible yet). Luckily, we are also getting a space heater from the school and then are one room has another heater for whatever we need. There is an in-shabbat at the Yeshiva this week so no cooking...

General Update

So we had one of the key doctors' appointment the other day and are happy to report that we are all doing well, especially Aaron (he was the one that was actually sick last week).

We also spent this past Shabbat in Yeruchum, a development town in the South of Israel. We went with Aaron's program - it was a nice chance for me to get to meet a lot of the people he hangs out with on a day to day basis and for him to spend time with them outside of the classroom.

It is starting to get cool year. The middle of the days are still really nice, no jackets necessary, but by 4 pm you definitely start to feel the chill. Luckily, we are still getting plenty of sunny days so we've been able to hang out all the laundry.

PS Meet Sonic our pet lizard


We came home one night and he was hanging out in our kitchen - he ended up in the sink and if we didn't need to wash dishes we might have just left him there, but alas cleaning called. He was a fast little guy so it took us awhile to catch him and then Aaron took him outside. He was are pet only for a short period of time, but he was a cutie.

You know you are in Israel when...

We were at the mall the other day and happened to walk by the pharmacy. We didn't realize that a trop to the mall should include a camera, so we ended up going back just to get this picture of the sign over the pharmacy counter. The quote is from the 15th chapter of Exodus, verse 26 saying that if you follow in the ways of G-d and listen to the commandments G-d will not bring any of the plagues on Israel that he brought on Egypt, because he is your healer. Only at a pharmacy counter in Israel would you find an advertisement for G-d and not penicillin.

Adventures Abound

So over Succot we went to Neot Kedumin - which is a biblical botanical garden here. The different signs by the vegetation don't just say what species they are, but rather give the quote from the texts that mentioned it. So here are a bunch of pictures from that trip (the view was great) the etrogim were large and the sunset was breathtaking. We'll have to try and get back at other points during the year and see the different seasons of flowers, plants, etc.

...And the rain falls

So we are having the first thunderstorm here in Jerusalem. Not to much rain actually falling, but its exciting here as the rainy season technically started a couple of weeks ago and we need every inch we can get. And luckily I brought in our laundry from the line a couple of hours before it started (Yay me for remembering). And now it just started coming down again so hopefully we'll have a decent count at the end.

We want to hear from you

It is kind of quiet here in Israel and we'd like to hear from you. Therefore, we took the technological dive and got Skype. For some one who didn't own a cell phone before this year it's a pretty big step! Please look for us by either mine or Ilana's gmail account and hopefully we'll be able to chat soon.

Holiday Recap

So we spent Succot (yes the one were we move into a "hut" for the week) with my parents in Modiin - there we are in the succah in the pic below. It was an interesting experience - being outside of Jerusalem. A couple of interesting things to note - Modiin is really pretty - everyone has amazing gardens - palm trees, flowers, citrus trees growing all around and the garbage is hidden. It is very hilly though from ground floor to our second floor apartment was almost 40 steps and then from our apartment up to the next street was another 80 steps (hence I only made it to shul about 3 times - it was in the 80 step direction and then another hill). It was also interesting spending a holiday really Israeli style and not having all the Jerusalem hotels and therefore all the American tourists around, though there was plenty of English being spoken in Modiin. Anyway, time to run and light shabbat candles - I can hear the warning siren sounding.

You know you are in Israel when...

So we knew things would be different when we got here, from the basics such as the language and currency to the luxuries such as not having a car, etc. However, we didn't appreciate how inherent the differences would be to reflect the religious and cultural tendencies of the population. Then we bought a Brita pitcher...



...so in the states the "fancy" Brita pitchers have a digital reader on the top that lets you know how long the filter has been in use and when to put in a new filter. However, for the orthodox Jewish population it causes a slight problem with the use of the pitchers (and therefore the electrical/digital reader). But not here in Israel - here we still have the manual reader - set it to the date you put in the filter and now at that same time next month to change the filter - yes it is only a month her per a filter - quality of water is something we do miss.

Shanah Tova

We just wanted to take this time and wish everyone a Shana Tovah u'Mituka - a sweet and happy new year. May this be a year of reaching our potentials, health, happiness and peace for everyone. We know it will start of interesting for us as our "new" fruit this year is a Dragon fruit or pitaya - it pretty much looks like a magenta pink exploding artichoke, slightly reminiscent of the plant from little shop of horrors. All else is going well, we are off today to spend the day cooking and cleaning in preparation of hosting our first groups of guests in our apartment (over 14 throughout the course of the holiday and Shabbat). Therefore, the kitchen calls...until next year.

My New Best Friend

This Wednesday will mark the third week that I have been learning in Yeshiva. I am not sure exactly when the moment struck me, but it has officially set in. Yeshiva life is no longer so novel to me. In only a few weeks the schedule seems to have become rather routine. I don't mean to give the wrong impression; I am learning a lot and the atmosphere is intellectually challenging. By way of analogy, despite the fading of the new car smell the car is still awfully fun to drive. Yet when you are in the same building for 12 hours a day with the same people it doesn't take long to adjust to that environment before it can become a bit stale.

Yesterday afternoon I had an unbelievable moment with a complete stranger that completely changed my mood.

I decided to walk home in the middle of day during the break to do a few chores around the apartment. We just had the building exterminated and the kitchen needed to be cleaned pesach style. In any case, on my way home I stopped in the street because an Israeli driver was trying to completely turn his car around on a street that was far too narrow to accommodate the turn radius of the car. So I waited. After almost a minute of futility I just made up my mind to go around the car and get moving. Just as I did I felt someone slide their hand into mine. I looked down and saw an adorable girl who couldn't have been older than six years old. She asked in Hebrew, "can you please help me cross the street?" And before I could process what was happening and uttered a weak "ken" she was leading me precariously exactly where she needed to go. When we got to the curb she beamed at me and said "todah." I challenge anyone to find a greater high than that. I literally felt like a hero the rest of the day!
This girl helped me realize that in the midst of great spiritual pursuit the reality of the world around you can occasionally become quite blurred. And that can't be a positive thing. I hope that I can find this girl again so that I can tell her "todah" for helping me see this lesson.

Another Week Begins

and it is going to be a hot one - 90 degrees for the week. Though we know we will be refreshed through our studies (and our trip to the store to get a fan later today. Learning/Teaching/Classes whatever you want to call it are going great - we are enjoying our respective programs and really look forward to a great year.

We are eating plenty of burekas and other Israeli delicacies and learning our way around more and more - maybe in 11 months we'll have it figured out.

Shabbat was in Beit Shemesh and assuming the adventure to get a plata and crockpot are successful I think we'll try making our first Shabbat in our place.

Thanks to everyone for all their well wishes, comments, etc. - we'll keep you updated.

Growth

We intended this year to be a year of spiritual growth, learning new skills, improving our hebrew and forging our way in a new home. We're getting more than we bargained for: Not only are we growing spiritually, Ilana is growing daily.

hmmm....what does that mean?


Rather intrigued aren't we?


Well you should be! I am happy to share with you that we are expecting our first child (due in March).
For future updates please refer back to this and other Branda related blogs.

Shavua Tov!

Immersing Ourselves in Israel

So we decided we had been here almost a week and hadn't really immersed ourselves in Israeli culture. We began to rack our brains thinking of the most Israeli thing we can do to show ourselves we are really here for a year. After much thought and deliberation, we figured it out - go to a baseball game. You read correctly, we went to one of the last regular season matches of the Israeli Baseball League featuring the Petach Tikva Pioneers (or as their shirts say Pionerim) versus the Modi'in Miracles. It was an exciting 6 inning game - they are supposed to have 7, but apparently the field doesn't have enough lighting in the outfield so they had to stop after 6 since it was getting too dark. Though the majority of the audience was at least american implants, if not still US citizens, there were some Israeli represented. However, in all aspects that was the minority, as the league clearly seems to be geared towards Americans. The scoreboard was in English, majority of the announcements were in English and we even sang "take me out to the ballgame" during the 5th inning stretch. Overall, it was a fun filled evening, though we will need to keep racking our brains for the real immersion opportunities.

Nanny 911 meets Animals Gone Wild

Ilana and I are starting to be productive getting our new place set up and trying to not sleep past 9:00am. We've almost been here a week and I still haven't slept through the night. It is definitely the worst case of jet lag I have ever experienced. What's even stranger is that I usually get over jet lag quickly. What's the 'x' factor? Well, I think it all begins with the first night. Perhaps the worst flight I or any of my closest relatives have ever experienced. Any transatlantic flight is arduous simply due to the length of the flight. On top of that we had two other factors (read: instruments of Satan) to contend with.

1) Two out of control children were running amok on this plane and there seats were directly in front of ours. Mom was of no help what so ever and ignored her children for the duration of the trip. Her pearls of parenting wisdom included, "just shut up already" as well as, "go ask the flight attendant for some food." The toddler, who could not be placated throughout the flight (no books, no games...I wonder why) regaled us with high pitched screaming throughout the flight.

If it was only the kid it would have been annoying but not mind blowing....however there was another...

2) The same women also brought her small dog in a carrying case. This dog had no muzzle and yipped and yapped for the ENTIRE FLIGHT. His ear-piercing cries were especially loud during when meals were served...because this women didn't bring any food or water for the dog. That was her plan to prevent him from marking his territory on seat 33D. People were actually yelling at the dog to shut up at points. If we weren't on the plane it actually would have been really amusing.


Anyway, we didn't sleep at all when we should have slept most of the time. When we arrived in Israel it was 8:00am and we had the whole day ahead of us. Therefore, I haven't slept in days.

But we're seriously having a great time!

We're Here

So we got here on Wednesday - though we are still unpacking. Jet-lag was pretty fierce (reads Aaron's soon to be posted post for more info) and we are still working to get settled in. Though we made our first dinner for ourselves on Thursday - figured out what temperature to put the oven to and how to light an Israeli stove. Thanks to my sister for helping to stock the kitchen so we didn't have to go out and by everything. We are slowly getting settled and brushing up our hebrew skills (lots of shopping is a great way to do that). Classes start on Wednesday and we will be unpacked by then. For now enjoy another glimpse into our apartment.

Almost Ready

So we leave bright and early in 3.5 days and thankfully we are almost ready to go. We both have our passports (don't worry I just got mine on Monday after a couple hours on the phone with the Passport Agency and the bribing of a mailwoman). We got our clothes half packed, we've hung out with the family, we've finished reading Harry Potter (not lugging that book with us) and we are almost there. We'll hopefully have internet set up in our place within a couple of days of landing, so we don't plan on being quiet for that long...

Some of the ladies from the BBQ - Thanks everyone, we'll miss ya

Thanks

Ilana and I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for coming out this afternoon and for all of the well wishes. We have connected with each one of you over the past few years and it was very touching to have everyone send us off. We wanted to especially thank Yaakov and Ahuva Lipman and Brett and Becca Kugler for hosting the BBQ as well as everyone who contributed to the evening. It was a terrific success. Please be in touch through email, blogging, or visits and we will look forward to seeing you again soon.



BTW: The quote of the evening goes to, I believe, Noach for his reason why we should not say tachnun during mincha. "Seudas mitzvah!" followed by my comment of "What? This is a goodbye party?!?!"

Coming Up

So we are leaving in less than a month - leaving our home in only a week and then visiting with family for a little bit. On a plane to Israel we go. The plan is to spend a year there, learning, working and experiencing the land.