Second Semester

OK

So, it’s been such a long time, and I really do apologize. So much has happened, and I have fallen so far behind, so I’ll do my best to catch you up with everything, and give you short tidbits of my second semester!

Yerucham:

My love for this small town only continues to grow. I love interacting with the locals (my Hebrew is the strongest it’s ever been!) I love living in a community where people welcome you into their house and feed you and more. It’s amazing

Work: MDA

So, as I write this, I’m relaxing in the Magen David Adom station. For the previous 5 shifts I have worked, there have been 0 calls, COMBINED! So although it’s a good thing, I haven’t seen much action. Today, I worked on Shabbat with Yanai, and we got a call to Dimona, the next closest town, where a 27 year old was playing soccer and broke his ankle. It was notably bent in a horrible direction, but Asher (the patient) was incredibly cool and collected. He laughed at himself, told funny jokes and was really cool, ALL in the ambulance. When we dropped him off at the hospital, I told him that he was very strong, and it if was me in his spot, I would be crying. He laughed and wished me luck with the rest of my time here! Totally awesome.

Work: Gan

So, I know I started out really unhappy with the gan, but it turned out to be one of the greatest parts of Nativ. I loved the kids, and I had an amazing time working there. Thursday was my last day, and the kids went around the room, one by one and said something to me and gave me a hug. Needless to say, I started to cry and I know that the relationship with the kids has changed my life!

Pesach:

Probably one of my favorite holidays to be in Israel for. I went to Caesarea for the Seder and spent some time with Eli, Amit, Lisa and Moshe, which was a blast! I then went to Jerusalem for a couple of days, where I ate out in restaurants and did other things that I wouldn’t dream of in the states. At the end, I went back to Yerucham, and spent time my host family, with the highlight being eating cow brains with Tyler! ITS SOO GOOD!

Yom Hazikaron:

Israel’s Memorial Day. Except it is way different than you would think. Since there is mandatory service when you graduate high school, everybody in the country can relate to what is happening. We went to Har Herzl, the military cemetery for the ceremony, and it was incredibly emotional and you could feel the sadness. After the official ceremony, we went back to Beit Nativ, and heard Michael Levin’s Parents speak. Michael Levin, a personal hero of mine, was a person who was active in USY, went to a Ramah Summer Camp, went on Nativ, and then joined the Army. In the 2006 Lebanon War, he was killed in action, and his story became known through the country. It was incredible hearing his parents speak for over 2 hours, and really touching. At the end of the day, when the sun set, the mood changed from incredible sad to incredibly happy… why? Because of….

Yom Ha’Atzmaut

Israel’s Independence Day. The mood changes completely! Everyone starts to celebrate and dance in the streets! We stayed out until 4 AM, dancing and partying with everyone! The next day we had a huge Mangal, or BBQ, and it was such a fun day!

So, I’ll be home in 16 days, and its really sad! In the next two weeks, I’ll be traveling on a Northern Tiyul, packing to come home =(, and spending the final way in Jerusalem…

So, sorry this is short, but I hope you enjoyed it!

GO BLACKHAWKS

Seth!

Here are some links to some pictures!

More Yerucham Pictures

Pesach, Random and Yom Ha'Atzmaut

Life In Yerucham!

Hello Everyone!

I know it’s been a while, and I don’t really have a good excuse, so I’m not going to even bother making one up! =) Anyways, I’m living the dream here in Yerucham, and its awesome

Yerucham:

Last semester, while in Jerusalem, I would tell people that I was living in Yerucham the second semester; I would almost always get the same reaction… “UGH… YERUCHAM? Why? Its so gross”… Needless to say, it got me really nervous to come. But after living here for a month, I can honestly tell you it is one of my favorite cities in all of Israel. It’s small (only 10,000 people) and has one major road. No bars, 2 pizza places, and zero Laundromats. With the exception of one pizza place, which closes at 11, the town basically shuts down by 8:30 PM. It’s a place where everyone knows everyone, and is actually pretty religious. We live right across the street from a synagogue (that we go to everyday for the nightly service, Ma’ariv). It’s a small little town that welcomes everyone and enjoys seeing new faces. When we first came, we (Nativ) stuck out like a sore thumb, but everyone who saw us introduced themselves and welcomed us into their lives. It really is amazing how hospitable the city is! My friend Michael Gelb once said, “Drive to the middle of nowhere, then go another half hour… you’ll wind up in Yerucham”. This past week and a half, Yerucham has been in a heat wave, and the temperature has been well over 90-95, and it is excruciatingly hot, especially without an air conditioner in our apartment! Here is the Wikipedia page for Yerucham!

Apartment:

I live at 1004 Rambam Street, apartment 11 with 6 other guys. I included a video tour of our apartment.

Our apartment is a lot of fun, and a great place to relax. Since the video, we’ve gotten a new couch, but its still the same set up! It’s really weird living on our own, buying our own food, preparing it and cleaning it up. There is a strong sense of independence and it is a big change, but one we’re all embracing. Since I can’t really cook, I usually help out with the clean up. It’s a good balance between everyone in the apartment.

Work:

So, while living here in Yerucham, I have two jobs. My first job, is working in a pre-school (Gan). Now, this job has a lot of ups and downs. In the classroom there are 23 kids, who are all SUPER CUTE and really fun, but I specifically work with 3 kids. These three kids, Yonatan, Avial and Maor, have been diagnosed with ADHD, and are all best friends. It is my job to keep them occupied while the rest of the class is busy being good little 4 year olds. As cute as they are, they are tough, especially when the three of them are together. There are days that I have been bitten (literally), had my hair pulled out (they like the face I make when they grab my leg hair and yank), had sand and other objects (phones and shoes and more) thrown at my head. I won’t lie. It’s very difficult to stay positive in a hard environment, but the teachers (ganenets) are actually amazing. Though they don’t speak English, we still are able to communicate through basic Hebrew (my Hebrew is improving!) One of the ganenets is actually my host mom! But I’ll talk about that later!

My Bite Marks

I have also been volunteering with Magen David Adom. It’s been harder to get shifts in because the hours don’t always agree with my Gan job. So far, I’ve only worked 3 shifts, but I have had my share of action! On my first shift, I got called to a car accident, where the car was totaled after rolling over 4 times. When we got to the scene, it was really brutal, and I thought there would for sure be casualties, but, thankfully, only one person was injured, and it wasn’t too serious! I took her blood pressure (160/100) and helped her hand stop bleeding. She probably needed stitches, but I don’t know what happened to her after we dropped her off at the hospital. It was really cool to be involved in the action. The next (half) shift I went to, there were exactly 0 calls, so it was basically me chilling in the MDA station. My last shift started at 3 PM on Shabbat. I decided that I was with working on Shabbas because someone needed to do it, and it’s a good place to relax, read a book and learn how to play Shesh-Besh (Backgammon). That 8-hour shift saw us get 4 calls(ish), which is a lot for Yerucham. Side note: because Yerucham is kinda in the middle of nowhere, the nearest hospital is in Be’er Sheva, which is about 30 minutes away when you’re driving 160 KM/H (over 100 MPH!), so it is a long process to get a call, treat them, take them to the hospital, deal with the paperwork and come back home. The first call, a man called to complain about chest pains, so we took him to the hospital and dropped him off. As we drove back through the street (not streets) of Yerucham, we saw a woman pass out on the side of the street (good timing, right?!). So we pulled over and the driver knew her (everyone knows everyone in Yerucham) and knew she was a diabetic. The reason she fainted was because her BS was 27, which is really low. So we treated her in the street, and by the time her BS was up, her family showed up and they took her to the hospital. So the driver and I went back to the station. We got a call a little while later for a reported stabbing in the next town over (5 miles away!) but by the time we got there, the guy ran away. So we went on another call in the city, which was transporting an elderly man to the hospital, which was uneventful. The driver for all three of my shifts is a man named Yanai, who speaks great English, and is really cool too! This is also a great place to transition to my next topic, because Yanai is also my host dad!

Host Family:

So, as you already know, I work in the Gan with my host mom, Ya’arit, and with Yanai at Magen David Adom. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that they are some of the nicest people I have ever met in my life. My Yerucham experience would be completely different without them, and I feel so lucky to have such a close relationship with them. They’ve invited me to their house for dinner multiple times [which of course I accepted=)], invited me to go to see Avatar in 3D with them (which hasn’t worked out yet) and allow me to come and hang whenever I want. They have 2 kids, a 4-year-old daughter named Noa, and a 1-year-old son named Levi. They both are adorable! Yanai works on his computer as a web site designer when he's not working with MDA, so he downloads a lot of TV shows and movies (its legal here!!!!) and he’s shared so much with me! He got me hooked on the show “How I Met Your Mother” and has given me so many movies and other TV shows. He really is amazing, and I think the world of him and his family! They truly are amazing.

Anyways…

That’s all for now, but here are some picture and videos to keep you entertained!

Life In Yerucham!

Leadership Seminar - Purim

Southern Tiyul

Here's a video of my roommate Ethan Singing

and here is my friend Lainie being tricked by my amazing Magic skillz

Alright! I hope you enjoyed!

Update you soon!!

Seth

Quick Update!

Hello all!

I know that I haven’t written in a while, so I am going to update you only on my happenings since coming home from Italy. The week that I came home (Beit Nativ), we had an all-Nativ week, which was called “Israel Today Seminar”. This weeklong seminar focused on many different current event issues and areas of modern day Israel.

On Sunday, we had a discussion with an Editor-In-Chief of the Jerusalem Post. It was a really cool experience to hear what he had to say about current issues, as well as talking about his job at the newspaper. After the lecture, we took a 10-minute walk to the Menachem Begin (Pronounced Bayg-in) center, an education facility dedicated to the life and work of Menachem Begin, a former Prime Minister of Israel. Many people believe that Begin was the most successful PM Israel has ever had, as he created the first peace treaty with Egypt, and was the first opposition party to take control of the government. It was really interesting, and learned a lot about a man I that I didn’t know much about! After dinner that night, we had a panel discussion with a bunch of people in the army, (which included 3 Nativ staff). It was interesting to hear about their perspective of Operation Cast Lead, the 2008 Gaza Strip war. It’s really weird to hear people close to my age telling their war stories. It’s amazing to hear their perspective on it. I thought the panel discussion was actually really informative and fun!

On Monday, I went to 2 different science museums, and I was able to play around with the exhibits and other fun stiff. It was like the museum of science and industry back at home, and I love that, so it was a really great morning. After that, we went to a comic museum, which was kinda boring, kinda fun. We looked at political cartoons and other Israeli comics. Comics aren’t really my “thing” so I didn’t get as into it as others, but it was still an experience! After that, we saw an Israeli movie called The Lost Island. It was… interesting… to say the least. It was themed about teenagers, and their… impulses… anyways… we ate dinner at a mall in Tel Aviv and then relaxed the rest of the night.

On Tuesday, I went to the Supreme Court of Israel, which was not as cool as I expected, and I was really bored at that, as well as the discussion that followed. It was a really long an uneventful day. However, at night, we all hoped on a bus, a went to a show in Old Jafo (outside of Tel-Aviv). This show was really special and uniquie because all 15 of the actors and actresses were the “Helen Kellers” of Israel, meaning, they were all Blind AND deaf. It was really amazing, and we all wound up tearing up. It was really moving and its something that I’ll never forget in my life.

The next day, we started our trip down South, where we hiked, went to biblical theme park, stayed in a Bedouin tent, Rode camels, hung out at the beach, watched the super bowl (without commercials), and explored the desert for the week.

On Wednesday, February 10^th, we were supposed to go from Eilat to Yerucham, however, in transit, our staff told us we were heading to Be’er Sheva, which made no sense, as we were going north, and then turning around back south. All of us were confused as to why, and upset at the staff, but it turns out they had a good reason. A person from Nativ, who was not on our tiyul was diagnosed with the Mumps. We had to go to the Ministry of Health and get a MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) booster shot. It was an unexpected turn in the day, but hey, you gotta be flexible when you live here in Israel.

So, im going to go now!

I’ll update you on Yerucham life soon!

Peace!

Seth

Shalom From Israel!

Hello Everyone!

I don't have much time, but I'm just letting you know that I am back from Italy safe and sound!

I will write a massive update about it when I get the chance, but as for now, I'll show you my pictures from the trip!

Here are pictures from Rome

Here are pictures from Pompei, Sorrento, Naples and Florence

Here are pictures from Venice, Madonna De Campiglio and Milano

Enjoy!

Hope all is well!

Seth

Israel Experience Week!

Hey everyone!

Long time, no update! (again!)

I apologize for my long delay, but I believe that I have a pretty good excuse for why I’ve been so busy that I haven’t been able to blog.

I’ll start where we left off. Ashley came to Israel! I had such a great time hanging out with her. Some highlights of the trip included her coming out with my friends and I, spending Shabbat at Shira Hadasha, and hanging out, just relaxing! Hopefully, we can get her to guest blog and tell you all about her trip (HINT HINT, ASHLEY!)

After Ashley and Mom left, it was close to finals at Hebrew University, so it became time cramp down and write some papers and study for some tests. I wrote 5 papers, and took one test. My test was in my Holocaust class, wrote a paper about the redemption of papers for my Talmud class, and wrote four papers for my Modern Jewish History Class. These papers ranged from the history of Jews to my opinion on intermarriage between a Jew and a non-Jew. I really felt like I did well and I can’t wait to find out how I did!

On Thursday (A week ago today), I spent the entire day packing up my entire Jerusalem life and preparing for the next month of adventures. That day, I packed up my life into 4 different sections. The first section of stuff was a bunch of clothes and random items that I put into storage and will pull out of storage when I go to Yeruham. The second section was clothes and other random items (electronics and such) that will be taken with me to my Israel Experience Week. The third section is the stuff I am bringing with me to Italy for break, and the fourth is for the Israel Today Seminar that I will be going on when I get back from break, before Yeruham.

Our last Shabbat in Israel was really special. It was a closed Shabbat and it was absolutely amazing. The seniors at Chicagoland Jewish High School are on their annual trip to Israel for three weeks, and they stayed at Beit Nativ for the week! On Shabbat, I got to lead Friday Night Ma’ariv in front of not only my Nativ friends, but also my CJHS friends! It was so fun to see so many people that I knew from home all at the same time! After a great dinner, I hung out with a bunch of friends in a room, and enjoyed the rest of Shabbat relaxing, going to Kol Rina, and having a great time with all of my friends.

Sunday morning, we woke up really early, put our stuff on the bus and went on our way for Israel experience week. There are 4 different trips that you could go for the week. The first tri[, which left a week before was a trip to Poland, where you could get guided tours and stuff of camps and other significant places. I did this on pilgrimage, so I decided to pass on this opportunity and do something new. The second option was you could do a weeklong Army training program, called Gadna, with the highlight being you get to fire a M-16 machine gun at the end of the week. As cool as that sounded, I couldn’t picture myself going through a week of army, so I decided to pass. The third option was to go to Haifa and volunteer in the community there. While volunteering, you could work at a zoo and do other things, which seemed cool, but not as cool as what I chose, which was an Archeological Dig in Tiberias!

When we got off the bus after a 2.5 hour ride, we found ourselves on the shores of the Kineret, Israel’s largest (and only!) freshwater lake. We were at an amphitheatre that was from the roman times, almost 700 years BC! It was mostly excavated, and actually really beautiful. You can see it in pictures in the link below! It was here where we got associated with the site, had our introduction to the tools and learned what we were going to be doing! After we left the excavation site, we wound up back at our hostel! It was absolutely beautiful!

We went straight out to the back of the hostel, and started to play in the Kineret. It was so fun to play in the water, and hang out with a bunch of other Nativers. I wound up getting into my boxers and shirt because I didn’t want to get my pants wet, and completely submerged myself. It was great to escape the 83 degree (!) heat! It was hands down the hottest January 10^th I’ve ever had in my life!

The next morning, we woke up early, as we did every day that week, and went to work! I was in a group with Adina, Joey and Seffi and we wound up digging in a room that was about 8 feet by 8 feet, and about 4 feet down. After 4 days of intense work, the room was 8 feet by 8 feet, about 7 feet down. It was truly astonishing to see the progress that we were making! We found pottery, bones, and a lot of rocks! It was so fun, and we had a lot of laughs!

Alright, im sorry to wrap this up so quickly, but I am about to walk out the door to go to the airport to depart for my 2 week vacation in Italy!

I will be sure to update you when I get back!

Here are some pictures from the Archeological Dig!

Until next time!

Seth

Long Post with a Guest Blogger!

Call off the dogs! I’m here! I’m here!

I have heard your calls, and I am back to blog about life here in J-town!

One of the reasons why I haven’t blogged in so longs is because I have fallen into an everyday pattern of going to school, coming home, and studying. Life has been really busy with schoolwork, as finals quickly approach! In fact, I had my first final yesterday! It was an oral exam in Hebrew. My partner, Jordana and I had a dialog that we created and memorized that involved me dressing up, going to the post office, and having a conversation with the clerk (Jordana). It went really well! Our teachers loved our script and loved my costume. They even took a picture of me in the middle of our skit!

Now since I am so far behind, I figure that I’ll just update you on the recent, most exciting things that have happened, specifically in the last week!

Anyways, back to the previous week. On Friday December 11^th, 2009, I woke up and said goodbye to everyone from Nativ. The Yerucham (Kehilla) track (my track) was going to Yerucham for the weekend, and the Kibbutz track was going to a kibbutz up north. I was staying back at base because… MY PARENTS WERE COMING TO ISRAEL!!!! I spent the entire day cleaning up my room, reading and I going to the shuk to get some marzipan and other fun food. At about 4 PM, I walked across the street to the Prima Kings hotel and sat in the lobby, awaiting the arrival of my parents! No longer than 2 minutes after arriving, I saw two familiar faces pull up in taxi! I ran out of the hotel and gave them both a huge hug and kiss. It was SO good to see them for the first time! It made me really happy that I got to spend the next week with them! Side note: Friday night was the first night of Hanukkah. In Israel, Hanukkah is a huge deal and all of the streets are filled with menorahs and it’s an incredible experience. So after my parents got situated into their room, and showered and everything, we walked over to Beit Nativ, (literally right across the street) and lit the Hanukkah and Shabbat candles on my balcony. It was great to welcome in the holiday with my family, truly something to be blessed for! We had Shabbat dinner at Beit Nativ and it was actually a lot better than what the Nativers eat for our meals. I feel like we are being cheated out of our delicious meals, which included an amazing orange Tang drink that we are never served! After dinner, we put on some warm clothes (it was relatively cold for me, not so much for them) and I took them to Yemin Moshe, a neighborhood with a beautiful overlook of the old city. It was stunning to see Jerusalem’s golden façade at night. We then went back to the hotel and hung out in the room for a while. It was a relaxing way to end an amazing day!

The next morning, I woke up, got dressed for shul and went over to the hotel to pick up Dad. We went to Kol Rina, a synagogue in a bomb shelter, and Mom went to Moreshet Israel, a conservative synagogue located at Beit Nativ. Because it was both Shabbat and Hanukkah, the services that I was used to at Kol Rina were a little different and longer than normal. But that was ok; it was still a fun experience. After services, Dad and I walked back to base, where we meet up with Mom for Shabbat lunch. Again, I felt like the Nativers were getting the short straw by not getting the Tang juice. It was so good, and it’s never served to us. It would indeed be an upgrade! After a great lunch full of hot dog barakeas, chicken schnitzel and more, we walked back to the hotel to take a nap. After a 5 hour (!) nap, we all woke up and realized that Shabbat was already over! Wow, that went by fast! We got dressed to go to dinner at La Guta, a really nice restaurant (one that I wouldn’t go to on my Nativ budget, but since my parents were here, I had to make the most of the opportunity) =). The food at La Guta was absolutely incredible and it was a wonderful way to kick off the evening. We took a cab from La Guta to Ben Yehuda, to see what exciting activities were going on there! We got off at the top of the street and started to make out way down, with mom stopping at stores, searching for looking for things to get. We stopped at “Ann”, my favorite kippuh and judaica store. We went in, and spent a good amount of time in the store. At one point, Dad tried on a tallit, and absolutely fell in love with it. After spending some time debating if it was worth getting, he decided that it was perfect for him on the high holidays and other chaggim! I also got 2 kippot, which I have been wearing all the time now! We walked around town and I showed them where we like to go out to the bars, and a bunch of other places. When we got back to the hotel, we climbed into bed, and put on the movie “Up”. I have never seen it before, and I absolutely loved it. It was funny, cute and told a great story of friendship. Needless to say, it was a late night, and we all had a hard time falling asleep after our 5-hour nap!

Sunday brought up an exciting day for us! We got off to a late start, and went to make a reservation for a car for them for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. After that was settled, we walked to Babet for a waffle breakfast. After walking all the way to Ben Yehuda, we got to babet to find out that it was closed! So, using my vast knowledge of food in Israel, I guided them to a place, which makes delicious crepes. It was great! Afterwards, we headed towards the old city, to go shopping and exploring the old city! We stopped in a couple of stores, but didn’t purchase anything. It was around lunchtime, and we were all getting a little hungry, so I decided it was time to introduce my parents to the wonder, known as Burgers Bar. We sat in the old city and had a great meal. Afterwards, we walked down to the Kotel, also known as the Western Wall. It was here where I realized how fortunate I am to be living here in Jerusalem. While my parents were wowed and religiously motivated to go pray and touch and kiss the wall, I did not feel the same need as them. To me, I could do this any day of the week, and although it was still amazing and special, it wasn’t a one-time thing for me. I know how fortunate I am and I can’t thank my family and friends who supported and continue to support my decision to spend a year of my life living here. After we left the old city, we went to the new Mamilla shopping center right outside the old city. It was a cool experience to show my family one of the up and coming places.

We went back to Beit Nativ and waited for the Nativers to come back home, so I could introduce them to my parents! It was kinda harder than I expected to do this because everybody walked in at the same time and it was a mad rush to get back to their rooms. But Ann and Mitch got to meet a bunch of my friends! That night, we went out to an Italian restaurant with David Helfand, who my parents met when he stayed at our house for a night before Nativ. It was a great dinner, and after hearing David speak Hebrew, they no longer thought mine was that impressive =( (just kidding, they were still impressed, but they were also really impressed with David’s ability)

For the next two days, Mom and Dad went to Haifa and Caesarea to spend time with family and friends that we know. Maybe I can get one of them to “Guest Blog” about their experience, so you can hear about it!

Ok. Fast forward to Wednesday, I get home after a long day of school, and meet up Mom and Dad, who got back earlier in the day. We walked over to Beit Nativ, and met up with a Adam, Hadley, Tyler, Shira, Sender, Ally, Josh and David, who all joined us for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Caffit. It was a great dinner, and my parents really got to know a group of my close friends. My parents loved everyone there and really had a great dinner with them. It was a great meal, and the company of all of my closest friends and family made the meal that much better!

Thursday was an absolutely incredible day! After waking up on the later side, the parental units and I took the 19 bus to Hebrew U and I got to show them around school! I showed them where my classes where, where we hang out, and of course, the Frank Sinatra lunchroom. I decided that we should eat there, and show my parents why I can never get enough of “Franky C”. The only downside of the day was that the weather was actually really sucky, and it was almost impossible to see the beautiful sight of Jerusalem through the dust and fog. I thought that was really unfortunate, because it is amazing to look outside your classroom and see clear across the entire country. After a terrific lunch, we took the 19 back to Beit Nativ and met up with a bunch of Kehilla-nicks who were going to volunteer at a place called Shalva, so we tagged along. Shalva is a home for kids with special needs, where they can go and have fun with other kids. It was an incredible experience and it was great to see the kids lighting the Hanukkah candles. That night, my parents were “lucky” enough to experience a rare Jerusalem rainstorm. As I’ve said in previous posts “We never complain when it rains in Israel” however, this rain was really frustrating. I was going to take my parents to my favorite place in the entire country to eat, Moshikos, where we were going to eat schwarma. But because of the storm, we had to change plans, as there would be no place to sit (it’s a stand) and we didn’t want to walk. Needless to say, I was sad that my dad wasn’t able to experience the beauty that is a “Schwarma Laffa Shel Moshikos Im Hummus, Salat, Mayod Chamutzim, Chips, Falafel Balls v’Tichina” (A large schwarma wrap with hummus, Israeli salad, lots of pickles, fries, falafel balls and tichina). Hopefully I’ll be able to take Mom and Ashley there within the next week. Anyways, we wound up going to Café Joe, a local café with good food for dinner. It was a nice dinner and relaxing! It truly was an incredible day

I woke up Friday morning, and walked over to the Prima Kings, where I met up with Mom and Dad, and hopped in a cab to take us to Tel Aviv. The drive took about 35 minutes. When we got to our hotel, the Dan Panorama, we unpacked a couple of things and watched some ESPN, something I haven’t done in a LONG time, and missed it a lot. As we looked outside, it started to rain. So we hung in the room for a little longer, watched more ESPN (not complaining!) and kept checking on the weather. When it finally appeared to stop raining, we took the elevator down the 17 floors, and by the time we got to the main entrance of the lobby, it was raining like there was a hurricane! We toughed it out and went to an indoor mall where we hung out for a while. As we waited in line at Agvania (literally translates to “tomatoes”), I felt someone jump on my back! I was confused, and when they found finally got off of me, I saw that it was Aaron Leven and Gabe Cohen, 2 Nativers who were in Tel Aviv! We decided to pull up a table and eat together! It was a fun meal, and my parents got to meet more of my friends! After lunch, Aaron and Gabe left, and the Lerman clan stayed and shopped for a little. I wound up getting an external hard drive and a new case for my computer! On the base floor of the mall, there was a shuk (market), so we stopped and got some food! We had delicious pomegranate (“Rimon” in Hebrew) seeds and other stuff too! That night, we had a GREAT Shabbat dinner at the hotel and a great time enjoying each other’s company. It was our final meal together, as Dad had to catch a flight after dinner.

It really was incredible to spend time with him, and I know that I am fortunate enough to have him come visit me here in Eretz Yisrael, and he gets to see where and how I live my life. It was hard to say goodbye and I already miss him more than I did before he came. It was kind of a tease to see him for such a short time and then to have him leave =( But, Mom is still here and Ashley just joined her!

I’ll update you all later in the week about my experiences with them later, but now, I have a special guest blogger – Mitch Lerman

Thank you Seth for this opportunity to guest blog – here goes:

Well – the Chicago Blackhawk’s continue their fearsome presence in the NHL as each day moves forward. The recent shutout against the Detroit Red Wings, by Cristobal Huet, marked his third of the season – adding to the three others posted by his teammate Antti Niemi. That makes Chicago the NHL leader in shutouts for the season as of today!

Oops…..wrong blogging……..

As I traveled back home over the long 12 hour flight to New York just the other day – it was an appropriate time for me to reflect over the past 10 days. The opportunity to visit Israel, in itself, is rather fortunate. But to do so while visiting Seth as he journeys along, marks the travels as a life-time adventure.

Seth was a great host – sharing his home, his community, his surroundings – and his soul of the Land of Israel with me. He was truly my guide, my interpreter, my planner – along with being the loving son, as always. He welcomed me with great excitement upon arrival – as the expectations I may have put upon myself were immediately cast aside – so I could experience the days with an open mind, heart and soul.

He shared with me the street he walks on, the synagogues he prays at, the school he studies at and the friends of his community. It became very clear to me – and of great comfort also – that he is well settled in this environment, fully accepting and taking ownership of the challenges of his decision to spend this year in Israel.

The moments were many that we shared together – too numerous too detail in this one message. Whether it was Shabbat at a synagogue located in a bomb shelter, the ‘Frank Sinatra’ cafeteria at Hebrew University, sharing the holiday of Chanukah or simply walking the streets of Jerusalem - they all combined for chapters of their own.

And when I was not with Seth, Ann and I had the opportunity to travel to Haifa, Caesarea and Tel Aviv – to visit family, friends and the country itself.

I think there are three aspects of this trip that have left a special mark upon my life:

1. I traveled there in a different capacity as compared to before. My earlier opportunities were as guided tours with the congregational community I belong too. Those were important in their selves - to teach me about the Land of Israel. However – this time was just on our own – as a traveler picking and choosing what to see, where to go, what bus to ride, take a taxi to wherever or walk to Ben Yehuda street. Tour buses out – personal decision making in.
2. The opportunity to be in Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel, during the Chag (holiday) of Chanukah. It is a deep and moving feeling for me to have experienced lighting candles, every night, in a Jewish state. To walk the street in the evening and see Chanukiah (Menorah’s) burning brightly in nearly all windows – was a visual and constant reminder of the miracles that happened in that land. The holiday will never be the same for me again.
3. Most important though to me was the opportunity as a parent – to see a child – fulfilling a dream of theirs that was beyond our thoughts years ago – and to share it with him. That is the true miracle today.

It is most appropriate to also share that Ann, of course, has been a significant part of this experience – along my side nearly every moment. Though it is inappropriate for me to assume her thoughts were similar to those I have expressed – my guess is that they are probably pretty close! Many, many (many) years ago Ann made a ‘wish book’ of dreams she had for us to share experience’s together. Israel was in that book. However, this may have even surpassed the dreams of that page she created – thank you Annie…..

In closing, I need to say thank you Seth - for opening yourself to share this experience with me. I am eternally grateful for this opportunity – and your willingness to let me be a special part of your life.

B’Shalom….

Hi, Me Again: Here are some pictures!

Talk Soon!

Seth