May Their Memories be for a Blessing, for Peace, and for Healing

  Baruch dayan emet.

May their memories be for a blessing. 

May their parents find peace and comfort.

And may all who mourn on this day find healing and peace.

Amen.

   A few minutes after I finally began to cook my dinner, Sasha walked into the kitchen and told me the news. According to the New York Times, CNN, Jerusalem Post, and Haaretz, the bodies of the three kidnapped boys, Naphtali, Gilad, and Eyal, had been found. I was shocked. My heart sank, and my thoughts immediately turned to the mothers and families of these young men, and to the greater implications for Israel and the greater world. Tears welled in my eyes as I thought about the extreme loss that only a parent can feel with the passing of a child. At the same time, I could not help but also reflect on possibility of violence and retribution for such a heinous act. 

  There are people who believe in revenge. I am not one of them. As I scrolled through the comments on the JPost article on Facebook earlier I counted far more statements related to violence and revenge rather than those sending prayers and condolences to the bereaved families of the boys. Unlike in the United States, where many kidnappings occur, rarely if ever are they interwoven with international politics. Not only that, but rarely are they if ever associated with and become representative of a major religion. 

   Among the comments of those who have expressed their sadness and anger about the deaths of these boys, I have found far too many statements which contain "revenge against Muslims" rhetoric in association with the deaths of these boys. These statements in particular were disturbing on a number of levels 1) because they generalize Muslims and Arabs 2) they assume that all Muslims are militant 3) the use of Muslims in such generalized statements then becomes synonymous with Hamas and other terrorist groups 4) Such statements remove focus from the small group of individuals or even the possible greater group of people who likely had a hand in the deaths of these boys and again generalize and associate these horrific events with an entire religion. I am angered and deeply saddened by the deaths of these boys, however I refuse to be caught up in revenge rhetoric especially rhetoric that chooses not only violence but complete generalizations of an entire religion and group of people. Simultaneously, I am fearful for the outcome of such events. As tensions rise on the West Bank and in Gaza, what will the future hold? How will Israel retaliate and what will the greater implications be for the Middle East and life in Israel? In terms of my own life specifically, what does this all mean for my life in Israel? Honestly, I do not know. All I can do is pray for the bereaved families of these boys, for the State of Israel, and for peace. 

A PRAYER FOR PEACE AND STRENGTH

By Rabbi Karyn D. Kedar

Holy One of blessing,

we pray for the soldiers

who are called to defend the people of Israel.

Keep them safe. When they are weary

give them strength.

When they are scared give them courage.

May they find strength and faith in the days ahead.

Holy One of blessing,

we pray for the people of Israel

who long to live under your canopy of peace.

Keep them safe. When they are threatened

protect them from harm.

When they are wounded and bereaved

grant them healing and comfort.

May they find strength and courage in the days ahead.

May our voices carry prayers of hope

that the people of Israel know that they are not alone.

Dear God,

give us strength

and know that there is nothing more sacred than peace.

Grant us dear God,

Faith. Courage. Wisdom.

(Israel Resources from the CCAR-http://ccarnet.org/ccar-press/israel-resources/).

Prayer for the Children of Abraham/Ibrahim

      Rabbi Rachel Barenblat

For every aspiring ballerina huddled
scared in a basement bomb shelter
For every toddler in his mother’s arms
    behind rubble of concrete and rebar
For every child who’s learned to distinguish
“our” bombs from “their” bombs by sound
For everyone wounded, cowering, frightened
    and everyone furious, planning for vengeance
For the ones who are tasked with firing shells
where there are grandmothers and infants
For the ones who fix a rocket’s parabola
    toward children on school playgrounds
For every official who sees shelling Gaza
as a matter of “cutting the grass”
And every official who approves launching projectiles
    from behind preschools or prayer places
For every kid taught to lob a bomb with pride
And every kid sickened by explosions
  For every teenager who considers
    “martyrdom” his best hope for a future:
May the God of compassion and the God of mercy
God of justice and God of forgiveness
God Who shaped creation in Her tender womb
    and nurses us each day with blessing
God Who suffers the anxiety and pain
of each of His unique children
God Who yearns for us to take up
    the work of perfecting creation
God Who is reflected in those who fight
and in those who bandage the bleeding –
May our Father, Mother, Beloved, Creator
    cradle every hurting heart in caring hands.
Soon may we hear in the hills of Judah
and the streets of Jerusalem
in the olive groves of the West Bank
    and the apartment blocks of Gaza City
in the kibbutz fields of the Negev
and the neighborhoods of Nablus
the voice of fighters who have traded weapons
    for books and ploughs and bread ovens
the voice of children on swings and on slides
singing nonsense songs, unafraid
the voice of reconciliation and new beginnings
    in our day, speedily and soon.
And let us say:
amen.

(http://blogs.rj.org/blog/2012/11/20/prayer-for-the-children-of-abraham-ibrahim/?utm_source=Share&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=Barenblat&utm_campaign=Israel).

This Week In Pictures

 This week has been a busy one as usual, but also such a very lovely one. See the pictures below for a "this week in pictures" overview. 

We completed our second to last week of pre-ulpan, and this weekend we're going to Tel Aviv for the day and then attending a Kabbalat Shabbat service on the beach! Look out for more updates soon! 

Cute picture as I walked down the greenline towards Tachane Rishona (the first train station). 

Welcome to ulpan! Thursday was game day in Tali's class. Zach has a funny hat on his head with a Hebrew word on it. We gave him hints, and he had to guess the word. 

"Inconsiderate Joe" aka Joey in Ilana's sunglasses and Zach's hat. Such a great moment 

This week I went with Jen to try out the YMCA because we get a free one day trial as HUC students. It was a lot of fun, but I'm really excited for the event I found out about above. 

As I was exploring Mahane Yehudah with a friend, he pointed out this mural. Really neat, huh? 

On Sunday night I went to an amazing concert of the Yale Whiffenpoofs and the YMCA Youth Chorus. Both groups were fantastic and inspiring. The young students in the chorus come from both Palestinian and Israeli Jewish households. The group is a combination of choir and a space for interfaith dialogue and dialogue about their respective views about living in Israel and in conflict. 

Sasha on the swings near one of our favorite bars/restaurants in Rehavia! 

I decided to go for a walk through one of the parks near my house to sing. Here's the view from where I was sitting. 

Here the fountain at the intersection of Ramban, Rambam, and Karen HaYesod. I love passing it each day! I feel like I should magically turn into Belle every time.

Best falafel I've had since I've been here was from shalom falafel which has been in business since 1947. 

Jen and I went shopping on Sunday, and I just had to get a picture of her in this hat. It was just such a Southern lady hat!

Street fair in Tel Aviv! 

Ira's new found talent for balancing and juggling at the street fair. 

Building near the HaCarmel Market in Tel Aviv which reminded me of the French Quarter. 

Cool carousel at the Tel Aviv port near where we attended services with albeit Tefilah. 

Picture from Beit Tefilah where I ran into Rabbi Kamrass, Rabbi Adam Grossman, one of my students from Wise Temple, and Elise Suna from Rhodes. What a small small Jewish world. 

Inexplicable Times

  As I near the one month anniversary of my arrival in Israel and the arrival of Rosh Chodesh (the new Jewish month), I reflect on what has transpired in that time; not only in my life but also in the day to day life of Israel. One month ago, I had no conception of what my life would like in Israel.  Here I am a month later settled in and in fact quite content with my life. I have been so lucky to have met a truly inspiring group of Jewish leaders like myself, who like me, find a balance between exploring Israel while having fun and deep and meaningful dialogue about American and Israeli Jewry. My cohort constantly amazes me and brings a great deal of joy into my life, and I look forward to many more months of learning and growing with them in Israel and for our future as colleagues and friends.

  At the same time, as I transition into my new life in Israel, and as I become more and more comfortable with my new life,  I cannot ignore the reality of living in Israel. As the director of our Year in Israel put it, living in Israel means being simultaneously uncomfortable and comfortable with the reality of conflict and the tensions that are ever present in Israel. I cannot ignore the fact that three young men were kidnapped. I cannot ignore how this incident has deeply impacted these boys' families as well as Israelis on the whole. At each Shabbat service I have attended since their kidnapping I have witnessed signs of solidarity on a number of levels. Rabbis mention the boys' names in their sermons and say prayers for the state of Israel and for these boys' safe return. Many Israeli and American Jews have posted and re-posted images of the boys on Facebook or Twitter with the tagline #BringBackOurBoys. As I contemplate these actions on the part of many a clergy member who I will be learning from this year, I wonder what I as a future American Rabbi can take from such a situation? How does this incident impact American and Israeli Jewry in the long term? What does such a galvanizing response in Israel mean for American Jewry in terms of our views on Israeli politics as well as our own perspectives on violence and terrorism in our own country?

    I cannot help but think of this week's parashah. One of the common themes in the parshah is the inability for us to understand why things are the way they are. For instance, within the first few paragraphs of the parashah, God instructs Moses and Aaron on how to purify someone who has come in contact with a dead body. The sacrifice associated with this purification process makes very little sense in the modern world. God tells Moses and Aaron to find a red heifer without blemish that has never been yoked (used for agricultural labor or moving objects). Of all things, why a red heifer? Why not just a typical brown, black or white heifer. We don't know. The rabbis struggled with this law and others like it that seemed to make very little logical sense. The other major three include Levirate marriage (when a man is required to marry his brother's wife if he dies and they have no children), the prohibition against mixing linen and wool in clothing, and the use of the scapegoat during the the Yom Kippur ritual. The agreement by the rabbis was that such obligations were required to demonstrate obedience to God. As modern day Jews, how do we understand these commandments? Why would God provide the Jewish people with such seemingly odd commandments? They are unlike the ten commandments which are universally accepted, nor are they like many of the other 613 commandments which on most occasions fit the time, place, and society for whom they were composed. These commandments like the one referring to the red heifer, or Parah, are seemingly inexplicable.

Let us return for a moment to the kidnapping of these three young boys. Is such an act easily explainable on any level? No. It is, in fact, something that prompts often asked questions such as "Why do bad things happen to good people?" or in general "Why me?" "Why us?" or perhaps more profoundly "Why, God?" According to Harold Kushner, the author of "When Bad Things Happen to Good People," only making sense of experiences helps us to make them bearable. I'm not sure any of us can say how this situation could be made bearable for these boys' parents, or for that matter any parent who loses a child or a loved one. But, perhaps there is something to be said for the inexplicable nature of the laws from this week's Torah portion and for the inexplicable nature of life. We never truly know where we are going, what will happen to us, and where we will end up in the end. We are not in control, even though we so often would like to be. Instead of asking why me or why bad things happen to good people, as Kushner suggests, we should be able to say to ourselves "This has happened, now how do I deal with it?" Truly, it is not about accepting inexplicable events in our lives, but rather how we react to such events, how we give them meaning, and what we might give back into the world through our actions.

    Currently, it is hard to live in Israel without seeing the ways in which the kidnapping of these boys has galvanized the country. Israelis and Diasporic Jews alike have rallied around the cause of bringing these boys home. At the same time, it is impossible to ignore the connection of such events to Hamas and to the current steps taken towards peace talks between Israel and Palestine. In the United States rarely if ever is a kidnapping on US soil a matter which deeply impacts global or even regional politics. Our experiences of these kinds of events differ greatly, yet American Jews stand right alongside Israelis hoping and praying for the return of these young people. It is possible that when all is said and done that something positive will develop out of such terrible events. For instance, President Abbas stated unequivocally that he rejects the actions of terrorists like Hamas and the kidnappings of these young boys. This move by Hamas has in all likelihood damaged the relationship between Hamas and the elected leaders of the Palestinians. While I pray daily for the safe return of these boys, I recognize the potential for growth out of total and utter inexplicable circumstances. Like the commandments for Moses and Aaron to sacrifice a red heifer and to use it to cleanse those who have come in contact with death, perhaps this is a moment to acknowledge the unknown, and to find meaning in the events that follow. Moreover, it remains to be seen what our reaction as both American and Israeli Jews will be to the events of the past two weeks. At the same time, while we will never control the events that surround us, we can always control our reactions. May our reactions to these terrible events produce positive rather than negative results. May we find peace, unity, and love in the face of trying and inexplicable times.

Nomad

I am a nomad in the Promised Land
The land of milk and honey
I am near and I am far
To the East and from the West
But my Jewish map differs from yours.
I am uncertain of my way
Yet I am strengthened by the brightness of the stars.

We are one. We are holy. We are a covenantal people.
Yet where am I? Am I East Am I west?
Am I the child of my parents or of my chosen people?
The people I chose? Not those chosen for me?
Am I the ger? The stranger?
 Or am I just as familiar as Abraham or Moses, Sarah or Miriam?

As I wander through the desert I am wholly myself.
The words of Hashem whistle in the wind.
Here, in this space there is none else.
I am ger.
I am Jew.
I am welcomed.
I am loved.
I am East and West made one.

IKEA Purchases Revealed

Resting, Lighting, and Nesting

I've been a busy bee as usual this week. Go figure! So many things have been going on. I'm not even sure I can list them all here, but I'll try!

On Erev Shabbat I went with a group of pre-ulpaners to Tachane Rishona (The First Train Station), a really hip place to get food, drinks, go to a man made beach minus the water, and to listen to live Jazz (because Israeli's love Jazz and New Orleans). While we were there we saw Nava Tehilah, a really interesting group of Jewish musicians associated with the Renewal movement in Judaism. Towards the end of the concert Sasha and I joined a group Israeli dance. It was so much fun! At the very end, we even managed to get Ira to dance! What a wonderful way to spend Kabbalat Shabbat! Shabbat dinner last week was hosted by Joey, one of our fellow pre-ulpaners. We had an absolute blast!

 Shabbos morning I slept in until 10am!!! (This is such an accomplishment in my world in general but also following five days of waking up at 7:30.) Later Ira finally convinced Sasha and I that we should probably leave the apartment at some point during the day (like we don't get enough sun during the week or something?). It was quite a lot of fun, actually. I took some time to draw the trees in the park while the boys played frisbee, and while Sasha went off and made new friends with some American and Canadian ex-pats. After a while, Sasha and I went to explore the Tachane Rishona where we discovered the really cool man made beach and cabanas with refreshing smoothies. When we got back to the park, we saw that there was an Ethiopian Jewish wedding taking place. The music was fantastic and was really quite something to see.

After the park, we went to a restaurant called the Paradiso. There we had one of the most entertaining and awkward interactions with a waiter I've ever had, who so happened to be from Berkeley, CA. In spite of the interesting service, the food was fabulous! Unfortunately, it will be closing in a few weeks. Oh well! A pizzeria is opening up next door to it!

For Havdallah were led by our YII intern, Amanda G. (there are two Amandas=Amandot, so initials are necessary), to an absolutely breathtaking view of the Old City. There we did havdallah and had a lovely song session led by Zach and Ira. Afterwards, we went to Ben Yehuda St to get Gelato. Let's just say Snickers gelato wins all the points!

Sunday began my second week of ulpan! It's crazy how fast these weeks have been passing. I've been in Israel for 18 days! I still cannot believe it. In pure Bailey fashion, I was overjoyed to hear, after I expressed complete boredom in class, to receive EXTRA WORK! I know who else would be excited about this? In any case, my boredom level has greatly decreased even if I am just doing busy work.

On another note, I learned a plethora of things from living with Danielle, Pratima and Sarah my first year of graduate school, but two things from Danielle have really stuck out to me in the last two weeks 1) the need for proper lighting that reflects the way our bodies naturally respond to light--in this case--eliminating overhead lighting during the evening and using small lamps instead 2) cooking and experimenting with food.

 I don't recall ever not having some kind of alternate lighting in my room, especially reading lamps. When I arrived in my new apartment, there wasn't a reading lamp in my room. I figured one couldn't be too hard to find. It's just a lamp after all. Boy was I wrong. I can't even tell you how many stores I  explored and only two of which, outside of IKEA, had lamps. I'm not sure why Israeli stores don't sell lamps, but it's definitely a real question I have.

 On Monday we went to the mall to search for a lamp for me and some tupperware and a scale for Sasha. We went to the HOME GOODS section of the mall and there was not a single lamp to be found. No lamps. Leah said she had been to one store near her that had lamps, so off on a second adventure we went post ulpan. Magically, and for what reason I do not know, the store which was akin to Ace Hardware, had three kinds of lamps-Black-Red-Silver. I took the silver. The man put it together and got it all settled for me. I was elated. Never have I been so excited to have a lamp in my life. I can truly say, "I love lamp."

On Monday night we had a really fantastic outing. We went to a lovely hotel, the name of which escapes me, where we had yet another phenomenal view of the Old City at sunset. We had wine and cheese and gabbed with two new members of our cohort, Jordie and Alicia, who arrived that evening. While I was there, I also had a chance to speak to the new Amanda, which was lovely.

Afterwards, we headed to the Old City for the Jerusalem Lights Show. Throughout the Old City there are different tracks you can take which show off different kinds of lights paired with music. It was a cross between Celebration in the Oaks (NOLA minus the Holiday themes) and the lights show at Washington Square Park (Cincinnati). I think my favorite had to be the elephants (see below!).

Now, if you recall, I had been having a completely and utterly ridiculous time trying to get internet in my apartment. On Tuesday, drum roll please, I finally succeeded! On Monday, I got a hold of a human and scheduled an appointment for a technician from Bezeq, not HOT, to come install the service. I ended up with a technician from Netvizion (our ISP provider) on the phone while the Bezeq technician got everything together and walked me through the log in process. The two of them were the best. I was so immensely thankful for their assistance. Interestingly enough, the Bezeq technician told Ira and I about his grandfather who was apparently a Rosh Yeshiva and Talmud Hacham (head of a yeshiva and talmud scholar). He was so proud of his heritage and of his grandfather even though he himself, the technician, was religious but mostly secular. When we told him we were Reform/Progressive Jews, he was quite happy about this fact. What lovely interactions one can have with a perfect stranger!

After installing the internet, you can only imagine my joy. Now I can iMessage on my phone and more importantly, I can watch Netflix. My current list is The West Wing, 24, and seeing the recent season of Orange is the New Black in addition to my long list of shows I'm uber behind on. I can't wait!

Wednesday, today, was really exciting! Today I had a fantastic adventure with five of my classmates, including Sasha. Today we rented two cars and drove to IKEA, which is an hour away. I still cannot believe 1) I rented a car in another country 2) I drove in Israel 3) I, my passengers, and the car remain totally undamaged 3) I went to IKEA in Israel 4) I managed to get back to Jerusalem and to navigate around Jerusalem without a map and to eventually find a parking space in the HUC parking lot. It's been a crazy crazy day. All in all, however, I am so grateful to have had such an adventure with Sasha, Jen, Leah, Jordie, and Alicia. Also, IKEA in Israel gets all the points for their pareve chocolate mousse. It's so good! This week, all the brownie points go to the Ace Hardware Like Store/Guy, Bezeq and Netvizion for taking my money and being kind and amazing and giving us internet, and IKEA for being IKEA even when in Israel. Because I just set up my room tonight, I will post more pictures of my newly nested space later this week!

Look forward to adventures in the shuk and my shabbat post last this week!

 

Havdallah spot. 

 Song Session overlooking the Old City.

Each path follows a specific color at the Light Show.

 We took the white/blue route. The string lights denote the color of the path.

 Deck of cards

 Deck of Cards

 Elephants!

 Sasha and the elephants!

 Daniel and the elephants!

 More cool lights

 One of the first things to see as you enter the Damascus Gate is this interesting light show. It looked like a coo-coo clock!

 Inside of Damascus Gate

 Roommate selfie.

 Sasha, Ilana and I doing a selfie!

 Daniel, Sasha, and I at the Lights Show.

 Beginning of Light show!

 View from the hotel.

 Hotel

 Night view from hotel.

 Really neat glass overhang over a cabana like bar in Rehavia where 

Sasha and I stopped for OJ after our home goods excursion.

 The Fiat 500 I drove to IKEA!!!

 The Fiat 500 Sasha drove to IKEA. Yes, we were matching. 

The IKEA parking lot guy got a kick out of this. He asked where our third car was haha.

IKEA in Israel!