This morning I woke up and it was just another day. December 25th—nothing special, nothing happening.
I never thought I would say this but I'm missing Christmas. In America I was annoyed that Christmas music began playing earlier and earlier every year. (Mariah, I love you but all I want for Christmas is to never hear that song again.) The idea of kids going to sit on santa's lap creeps me out and the mad rush of people in the mall between thanksgiving and December 25th makes me insane.
But here there is none of that. And there are some things about Christmas I do miss. I miss my mom being "santa's elf", spreading Christmas spirit when she wears her Santa hat for the month of December. I miss seeing beautifully decorated trees in houses I visit, ornaments from the years their kids were in elementary school hanging as memories. I miss Christmas lights all over the streets lighting up the dark winter with something warm.
But alas, I moved to Israel and over 80% of the country could care less. December 25th is just another day here and so even the Jews aren't celebrating with their usual Chinese food and a movie. It's days like these that make me contemplate what my life will look like moving forward as an Israeli. Christmas was a wonderful part of my childhood (as an American and part of a mixed family) and I want my family to have a taste of that. So now comes the challenge of how will I do Christmas in Israel? I suppose I'll cross the bridge when I actually have a family to think about. But for now I'll miss Christmas.
Merry Christmas to my family and to everyone else in the world celebrating, religiously or not. I hope you all feel "the Christmas spirit".
Last week I returned from my first visit back to the States since my Aliyah. At 11 months into this whole thing I was really curious about how I'd feel being back in America, in my parents' house, away from here.
Essentially it went like this: I ate yummy (mostly treif) food, I hungout with my mom and dad or visited cousins, went shopping and drank Starbucks . Livin' the life!
No, but on a more serious note this visit felt very much like just that—a visit. My room at my parent's house is looking less and less like "my room" as my parents start to use it for other things. Most of my friends no longer live in Sacramento and very few of them have the time to take off work to come visit as often. My life, outside of my family and childhood memories (and Chinese/Mexican food, Starbucks and Target) are now in Israel.
My bed here feels more comfortable. Hebrew words dribble out of my mouth. I seriously missed having tahina on all my food. Naturally I arrived jet-lagged, but I never really adjusted to the time difference until around a week before I had to leave again because I'd wake up at 5am and just decide to answer work emails.
This isn't to say I didn't enjoy my trip. I really am so happy I got to "live" with my parents (and even my brother) for 3 weeks. We'd wake up and have coffee and breakfast together. I insisted on having Shabbat dinners together. We celebrated Thanksgiving and even a few nights of Hanukkah. I got to see my grandparents, my aunts, uncles and cousins and had a lot of quality time with all of them.
But as a conversation with one of my Israeli friends revealed to me, America might be the land of my birth, but Israel is my homeland.
Here are some fun photos from my visit. I've been very busy getting re-situated and catching up with work, but I'm going to try hard to update this thing again soon!
I've been feeling a bit guilty lately. Why? Because I don't think I'm giving myself enough credit. If I can't be my own personal cheerleader then who in the world can? So right now I'm going to talk a little bit about how I've achieved one of my biggest Aliyah goals within my first year of being here.
I am so excited to announce that I am the new Marketing and Communications Manager for Masa Israel Journey. Guys, this is really kind of my dream job. I am working for a huge piece of the Jewish Agency who's goal is to provide Jewish young adults with meaningful, real Israel experiences. Not only am I working for them, but my specific job is to tell their story, our participants stories, using my creativity and experience. I hoped that when I made Aliyah I'd someday be working in a position like this at an organization like this but I honestly thought it would take at least 2-3 years.
Sorry not sorry, I'm majorly patting myself on the back right now because I feel that sometimes (a lot of the time!) during this Aliyah process I beat myself up. I feel bad for not having been able to save any money still, I sometimes question my friendships and think I'm more alone than I am, wonder why I haven't explored Israel since I've been here, why I haven't been to the Kotel to pray...the list goes on.
The reality is that I'm doing so well and I sometimes need to sit down and just appreciate it. It is stressful and it is hectic and there are days/nights of tears, but 9 months is not a long time. It feels like a long time. You can incubate a baby in the womb for 9 months, but when that baby comes out it doesn't know how to speak or walk or do virtually anything. That is because 9 months is just not a long time (and other scientific reasons I'm sure, but that is really beyond the point).
So I haven't saved money yet. Establishing a life anywhere is a huge commitment, monetary and otherwise. My friends here are really great. We have only known each other for 9 months (or less) and I need to keep that in mind. Our connections are still being built and strengthened and regardless, the love they've shown me is beyond this short time-frame. I haven't traveled Israel because I'm living here! Hello, Amy! You are not a tourist and now you are living real life. You'll get to see all the beautiful Israel you love soon enough. The priority right now is building your new life.
Do you know what has been happening in Israel the past few days? The answer is probably not. Sorry if I'm assuming incorrectly, but the fact of the matter is the mainstream media either neglects to report stories of terrorist attacks in Israel and/or they completely twist the story. And to be honest, why should you be concerned about Israel anyway? I'm sure wherever you live has it's own local problems.
I've thought a lot about whether or not I should post about things. I don't like to talk about terrorism or the conflict or political problems. This is my home. I want to talk about the yummy restaurants I've gone to or the stupid Israeli boys I've dated. I don't want to talk about parents being shot in front of their children or people being stabbed on the street. Unfortunately that is something that happens here and because several of my readers seek information about Israel from this blog I feel that perhaps I need to suck it up and write about it because the rest of the world isn't going to do it.
This is what October 8th looked like in Israel. In the recent days there has been a wave of terror attacks, mostly in Jerusalem but now also in Petak Tikvah, Tel Aviv and some other cities in Israel. My Facebook feed is filled with 3 things: breaking news every few hours of another attack, fellow Israelis asking where to buy pepper spray/what areas to avoid, and photos/names of victims.
So how do I feel?
I can't say I feel scared necessarily, but I do feel restless and worried. Growing up in America I am very unaccustomed to this kind of situation. Luckily I grew up in a place where violent crime was a rare and very isolated thing. That is not the situation right now. Anyone (well, actually just anyone who is obviously "Jewish-looking") could become the victim of the next attack. On one hand we are safer than ever because security and police are literally all over the place and on high alert. But on the other hand we aren't because these perpetrators are unmarked and unidentifiable. One moment they are riding the light rail with you and everyone else and the next moment they have a knife in your neck. You really can never know.
And what am I doing?
I'm being vigilant. I'm thinking peaceful and hopeful thoughts. I avoid "problem areas" (as if any area can be considered a safe one) and I will not go out alone at night. I've spoken with some of my Israeli friends, all of whom grew up through the Intifadas, and they have said I'm handling it well and doing the right thing.
Praying for a quiet and safe Shabbat. Please, as always, feel free to ask me any questions about the situation.
This past month or so has been Israel's holiday season. Just as around Christmas and New Year's Eve in America people here are in a frenzy as we approach our string of high holidays (holy days): Rosh HaShanah (the Jewish new year), Yom Kippur (the day of atonement), Sukkot (the festival of tabernacles), and Simchat Torah (celebration of reading the entire the Torah). Stores have sales, decorations for Sukkahs line store aisles, arrangement for meals with family and friends are made; as one can imagine it is a joyous and exciting season for a Jewish State.
Unfortunately it is not just flowers and rainbows. As with anything in Israel things are complicated. The past few weeks have been full of unfortunate headlines. Jews want to visit the Temple Mount, where the Al Aqsa Mosque sits, aggravating the Islamic extremist population and thus causing increased violence. There are several reports of stabbings, shootings and molotov cocktail throwing. This morning I woke up to see that two parents were shot and killed in front of their 4 young children. How sad to attend funerals when we should be attending holiday parties.
This week Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Bibi) addressed the UN. He spoke strongly about the nuclear threat of Iran, the difficult and stagnant peace process with the Palestinian Authority, and about Israel and the amazing nation it is. I will admit I'm not extremely happy with the current coalition government. When I voted for the first time as an Israeli I did not expect this outcome. We have many problems here, social and economic, that need to be fixed on top of our struggles of being the odd man out in the Middle East. But Bibi's speech at the UN rang true to me and inspired me to think about my Zionism. Despite these issues in Israel I will always remain a Zionist. I will always support Israel's right to exist as a refuge for Jews from around the world and it's right to defend itself from the seemingly never-ending evil that threatens it.
Almost 2 years ago I was applying for my Masa program and I wrote a short essay for a scholarship about what it means to be a Zionist today. After watching Bibi's speech I went back to read it and I really want to share it with you all:
In his address to the First Zionist Congress (1897), the great Theodore Herzl said, “Zionism, or self help for the Jews…is simply a peacemaker. And it suffers the usual fate of peacemakers, in being forced to fight more than anyone else.” With the current state of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the nature of today’s global politics, this statement seems to define the experience of present day Zionists. I have personally been forced to fight for Zionist ideals on my college campus. Just as the forefathers of Zionism saw their ideas challenged, the current campus climate in regards to Israel is one of extreme demonization. In a false co-optation of liberal, progressive values, both students and faculty call upon others to boycott Israel, and falsely claim Israel is committing genocide and apartheid, and pursuing a policy of ethnic cleansing. As a Zionist student, I have been yelled and cursed at while handing out fliers about the 800,000 Jewish Refugees from Arab states. I have been harassed and photographed without my permission on campus at department-sponsored anti-Israel conferences, been called a racist, colonizer, and Islamaphobe, and watched trains featuring maps attempting to rewrite Jewish history run through the center of campus. I have even been told I was not allowed into student events simply because I support the Jew’s fundamental right to self-determination. The reality is that Zionism is the belief that the Jewish people of the world have a right to self-determination: the right to a place to call home and a national culture of their own. Throughout history the Jewish people have been denied this right, persecuted, expelled, and discriminated against by foreign powers. Although the most obvious manifestation of this dream is the creation of the State of Israel, I believe that Zionists have also become defenders of basic human rights and democracy, and a hope for peace among humanity. Israel is the only Jewish nation in the entire world and the only true democracy in the Middle East. Israel has made great strides in medical, technological, and environmental innovations, and is home to more start-up companies per capita, has more Nobel Prize winners per capita, and has the highest number of university degrees per capita than any other country in the world. It is one of the first nations on the scene of any natural disaster and even sends food, fuel, and medical supplies into the West Bank and Gaza Strip. I would never try to convince anyone that Israel is a perfect nation. I do not believe Israel, or any country, is perfect, and I understand that there are issues within Israeli society and political policy that need to be addressed. Thus my conclusion is this: As Zionists today, our job is to not only to continue to carry on the legacy created by the great original Zionist minds, but also to defend the fact that the Israeli people are amazing, intelligent, and driven, and in effect, their country at only 65 years old is responsible for some of the most amazing developments in the world. We must remind the world that the Jewish people have the same right to self-determination as all other people and spread the truth that the State of Israel remains a beacon of light among the nations.
So hello, my name is Amy and I am a Zionist. In case that was not clear, here it is now. I am very unsure about several things in my life, but this is simply not one of them. If it bothers you then that is a personal problem. If you have questions about it, please ask me.
Picture this: Me sitting in an American-style bar (at 4AM) full of Yeshiva boys screaming at a hundred screens as Tom Brady's face flashes across the screen.
This was literally my night last night and it was totally awesome.
I've recently been having an internal dilemma. (I promise to elaborate on why the story is important.) I've been living in Israel for 8 months now (go me!) and life has become life. I work, I hang out with friends, I buy groceries and pay bills, etc., etc. And recently I've been feeling that perhaps Israel has lost it's enchantment because it has become so familiar. Don't get me wrong—I am very happy that I can take the bus to most places I want without worrying about getting lost or knowing which stands at the shuk I'm like to buy my vegetables from. However, sometimes I am sitting on the bus and I have to check my google maps to remember that I'm in the freakin' Middle East.
Well last night, during the opening night of the NFL, I was reminded that I live in Israel. Let's back track in the events of my night a little bit to really get the full effect of what happened. At 3AM I walk into Mike's Place (the notorious "American bar" in Israel) to see my roommate who has been working since 7PM. I'm there for a few reasons: moral support for her because she will be working until at least 7AM, and to watch some football! Naturally none of my friends here are interested in football, at least not enough to stay up literally all night to watch, so I sat at a table for 6 by myself.
The bar quickly gets crowded. Every seat is filled with a kippah-covered Yeshiva boys and a smattering of their Seminary girlfriends. The energy is through the roof. These baby 18-year-olds are about to watch football in a bar and order as many drinks as their parents' credit card limits can buy them. Eventually the only empty seats around are the ones at my table. I see yet another group of boys coming in and they look around - no where to sit! But one of the brave ones comes over and asks if I'm sitting alone and so I decide to invite them to join me. What am I thinking? Generally I can't stand these little shits. They are loud and obnoxious, they take up all the seats on the bus, and they can't hold their liquor. But tonight they are my new friends and I am going to watch football with them (and maybe get a beer or two out of their constantly-refilled pitchers).
The game is starting and I start up a conversation with them. "So, what are our names? Where are we from? How old are we?" They're all from the New York or New Jersey area and they are all fresh out of high school. The brave one extends the question to me. I tell them my name and how old I am and then they wanted to know what I was doing here. "I made aliyah. I live here."
"What?! You live here?! That is so awesome!"
And at that moment I paused, looked around me and thought about it. This kid is right. I live in Israel! This is awesome! Sure, the day-to-day isn't so exciting. I wake up, I work, I eat, I sleep—I'm just a human being living my life. But it is cool that I live in Israel because only in Israel would I find myself in a bar at 4am watching football with a table of Yeshiva boys.
Just like only in Israel do I get to ride a space-age light rail next to the ancient walls of the Old City. Only in Israel do I get to hear people on the streets speaking every language of the world only to be united by the common language of the Torah. And only in Israel do I get to say I live in the world's single Jewish state, something that is amazing today and will always be amazing even past the day I die.
So thank you Yeshiva boys for reminding of how awesome it is that I live in Israel. I hope you all will join me for some more football at Mike's Place this season and that your year here is even a fraction as amazing as my life here is.
6 months of headlines in the local news.
Likkud takes majority in the Israeli elections.
Mayor of Jerusalem takes down terrorist at the Jaffa Gate.
Rockets fired into Ashdod and Ashkelon.
6 months of energy and faith and love around me.
The men shouting to sell their prodice at the shuk to the bustling pre-shabbat shoppers.
The man putting on Tefillin in the middle of the side walk as i walk the kids I babysit to school.
Kadima! Kadima! Our common language is Hebrew.
The amen my roomates and I saw around a table of food while making Shabbat Kiddush together.
6 months of blood, sweat, and tears.
Blood on the bottom of my feet.
They crack because I only wear sandals and I walk kilometers every day.
Sweat because we live in an endless summer.
Tears because some days I just with this magical place I love wasn't 8,000 miles away from so many of the people I love.
Picnics on the Tayelet.
Birthday cake Kiddushes.
Trying shakshuka at every restaurant.
Suprise birthday parties.
Late night waffles and ice cream.
Ordering coffee like an American.
Being blessed on the street by Korean tourists.
Taking the bus the wrong way and discovering how small Jerusalem really is.
Falling in love and losing it.
Making new friends and finding new apreciation for old ones.
6 months of Aliyah.
And I've got a lifetime to go.
This past weekend were what I believe to be two of the most important days of the year for Israel, and they also happen to be my favorite. In Israel Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day) and Yom Haatzmaut (Independence Day) are celebrated back-to-back in an intense tradition of deep mourning that switches to grand celebration. Part of why I love these two days so much, as hard as they can be, is because to me they embody the truly paradoxical spirit of Israel and life in Israel. Eastern culture meeting Western, people full of both generous love and brutal honesty, ancient history and modern technology—so many things here are full of two extremes, coming together in unique harmony.
Although I was here last year for these two incredible days, each year I am in Israel I seek to do something new. As much as people like to believe it, there isn't necessarily an "everybody does this" in Israel. The country is full of many types of people with many types of experiences who observe and celebrate in their own ways.
Yom Hazikaron (יום הזיכרון)
This year on Erev Yom Hazikaron (the night memorial day officially begins) our Ulpan took us to a ceremony on the neighborhood promenade. Community leaders and volunteers conducted the ceremony with participants from schools, community groups, and other community members. Each neighborhood generally has a ceremony like this where they read the names of soldiers and victims of terrorism lost in their neighborhood. Although all of us at the Ulpan are newcomers to the neighborhood, it felt very special to partake in such a meaningful ceremony.
The next day we went to the high school next door to partake in a similar ceremony. Most schools around Israel have these ceremonies. Friends, siblings, parents, and alumni currently serving in the army attend to remember and honor those lost.
The level of collective mourning is beautiful. But when you take a step back and realize that just about every person in Israel has a connection to at least one fallen soldier or victim of terror it is terribly sad.
Yom Haatzmaut (יום האצמאות)
Erev Yom Haatzmaut (after sundown on Yom Hazikaron) is probably my favorite part of it all. After the intense day of mourning Israelis take it to the streets and celebrate! There are concerts set up all over the country, vendors sell treats and flags, and people young and old go out to celebrate that Israel exists and has made it through another year. Naturally I joined them. A group of friends and I from the Ulpan went out in the streets of Jerusalem, dancing the night away, watching fireworks, and feeling so special to have our first Yom Haatzmaut as true Israeli citizens.
The next day I headed to Netanya with more friends to have a BBQ (al-ha'esh in Hebrew). The weather was so intensely windy that we had to take things inside, but it was great fun nonetheless. I think we grilled just about everything you could think of to grill. There's nothing like good friends and good food in a great place.
Here's to you Israel! Happy 67th Birthday and to 67 more!!!
As Israel transitions officially into Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, I'd like to extend a challenge to all of my friends. The common saying on this day is "Never Forget"—and this sentiment is of the utmost importance—but there is a hidden piece in our remembering that we probably do forget. That piece is to teach. If we are to insure that the world never forgets the 6 million Jews and Millions of gays, gypsies, and others who were systematically murdered by the Nazi regime and it's sympathizers, then we must teach those who are unaware: the next generation and anyone around us about what happened.
Someone told me that my generation is likely the last to hear first-hand testimonies from Holocaust survivors. Thinking of what an impactful experience hearing these testimonies and meeting these survivors has been for me, I try to picture what Holocaust education will look like for my future children without this.
So this Yom Hashoah let's remember those who lost, remember those who survived, and teach others to also remember.
After only a little over two months in this country I've already taken part in one of it's most amazing aspects—it's democratic process. Some fun facts about Israeli Democracy:
-Israel votes on a Tuesday because in the book of Genesis it is written twice on Tuesday (the 3rd day) that "this was good".
-This is going to be Israel's 20th Knesset (name for the Israeli Parliament)
-Israel has had one female Prime Minister—Golda Meir from 1969-1974
-The Israeli Parliament has 120 seats and a party must get at least 3.25% to sit in the Knesset
-On voting day you go to your polling place, are given a little blue envelope and are invited to go behind a little blue booth. Behind the booth are a selection of little slips of papers, each with the symbol of the participating parties. You choose one slip, seal the envelope and drop it in a blue box.
The election system here is much different than in the US because the style of government is different. Israel has a single chamber parliamentary system, with a Prime Minister (PM) and many more parties than the US. Essentially how it works is you get to vote for a single party. Each party then has a list of people who will sit in the Knesset (name for Israeli Parliament) depending on the percentage of votes they get. For example, Israel's current PM Binyamin (Bibi) Netanyahu, is part of the Likkud party, the party with the highest percentage of seats in the latest Knesset.
The PM is not necessarily the head of the party with the most seats, although they have always been. Once the elections are over each of the parties who qualified to sit in the Knesset go to the President and recommend who they think should be the PM. The President then appoints the PM and gives him/her a time limit to create a coalition. The purpose of the coalition is for the sitting government to function. In the US we have 2 parties, one is always the majority and the other the minority. One needs 61+ seats in the Knesset to have a majority and it is nearly impossible for any single party to receive this high number of seats. Thus, the appointed PM must invite different parties to be part of what is called "the coalition" (essentially the majority party).
The system is a bit complicated to understand initially, so you can imagine how difficult it is to choose who you want to vote for. Do you vote for a larger party in order to influence who will likely become the next Prime Minister? Or do you vote for a smaller, fringe party because you want them to have a significant presence in the coalition? Will the party you want to vote for likely make it into a coalition led by a given PM? So many questions. On one hand the dynamic nature of the Israeli Political systems makes it engaging and fun, but it also makes it challenging to know what choices to make. I personally enjoy it very much and feel so privileged to participate in the only Jewish Democracy in the world! If you're interested in who I voted for and why, feel free to ask me!
I've officially been an Israeli for 1 week and 2 days and a lot has happened in that short period of time. Life in Israel is fast-paced and seems like it never stops (but it magically does on Shabbat).
Tuesday I arrived in Jerusalem at Beit Canada (בית קנדה) for Ulpan Etzion. For those unfamiliar, Ulpan is a course for learning Hebrew. My particular program is an intensive, live-in Ulpan. There are over 200 of us from all over the world living here at Beit Canada! I has been nice to be with many other olim chadashim (new immigrants). Together we've been navigating the many bureaucratic tasks that we need to get taken care of. I've visited several DMV-like offices in the last couple of days (you know the kind where you take a number and then go to a certain number window and then another window). I officially have my teudat zeut (ID card), phone number, and bank account – although not without some difficulty. My first teudat zeut was spelled wrong! They put Alberston instead of Albertson and I had to visit Misrad Haponim (Ministry of Interior) to get a new one before I could get my bank account or anything else.
Many have asked about my living conditions. We are placed in apartments with 2-4 people. In my particular apartment I have just 1 other roommate. Her name is Shelby and she is from Chigaco. Our apartment has one larger room with 2 beds in it and another tiny room with 1 bed in it. I decided to take the tiny room. Each apartment has it's own bathroom and a small kitchen with a little stove and refrigerator (although we don't need the refrigerators because our apartments are so freezing cold!!!). There are quite a few things we need to get for the apartment, and slowly but surely we are turning out little ice box into a home!
And for the foodies, I have officially had both falafel and shawarma. I have also had Israeli breakfast and shakshouka twice.
That's all for now! I'm sure I'll have more to report when class actually starts (if I survive...). Shabbat Shalom!
Approximately 34 hours ago something amazing happened. I made Aliyah! I became an official Israeli!
When I look back on my life it is so crazy to think this is where I'd end up. Who knew that little Amy, growing up in a mixed faith, mixed cultural and ethnic family in Sacramento, CA would someday be Israeli? I didn't even know what it meant to be Jewish until I was already double digits and post Bat Mitzvah age. Well, look at me now! I'm living in the Holy Land, the only Jewish country in the world.
It's obviously a difficult thing, moving to a new country all by yourself, but I never feel alone. I am so lucky to have the support of so many, both near and far. I have to say thank you to everyone for all of the supportive phone calls, messages, facebook posts, tweets, instagrams, etc. They really mean so much to me.
I have to say thank you to my family, both Jewish and not. You all have made me who I am today and each have played a special role in me ending up here. I realize I just put myself thousands of miles from you all, but our love is a strong connection (and it is made all the easier by the internet, thank Gd). I'll come visit you often and hope that you'll all get the chance to come visit me.
I have to thank the Jewish community of Portland. Thank you Greater Portland Hillel for showing me where to find friends and supporting me in finding my voice as both a Jew and an Israel advocate. Thank you to the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland for showing me what a Jewish community does for each other. Thank you to Congregation Shaarie Torah for welcoming me in with open arms and teaching me about being Jewish. You were my first Jewish community, you were where I discovered my intense love for Israel, and I hope that you can continue to be that for others.
I have to thank my friends, both in the US and Israel. To my American friends: thank you for accepting and supporting the transformation I've gone through in the last few years. I know not all of you can fully understand it, but you've always let me be me. To my Israelis: thank you for showing me what Israel is. I am so proud and excited to be one of you now!
And of course I have to thank Gd, but he and I talk a lot so he knows all that I have to say.
Here's to an exciting future as an Israeli! I'm not sure what the future holds but I feel good about it. I know I'll face many new challenges during this process but I look forward to building my new life.
