My first Dvar Torah!

Here is my first dvar Torah that I gave at services on Thursday.  Enjoy!

Everyone has heard the phrase “seeing is believing.”  It’s a cliché to be sure, but one that is used in our everyday vernacular.  People often feel as though tangible proof is the only way to truly believe in something—so if they don’t see it, its not really there.

As rabbinical, education, and cantorial students, we have a lot of work.  We are in class every day, absorbing information, learning about tashloom dageshes and second temple history, and what the words to the Amidah mean when translated.  It is easy to get caught up in the daily grind, to lose sight both physically and spiritually of what is truly important. How many times this year have we lost sight that we are living in Jerusalem, that we are steps away from an ancient city that is at the root of our people-hood and history?  How many times this year have we lost sight of why we came here—why we decided to dedicate our lives to becoming Jewish professionals?  How many times this year have we lost faith—in ourselves, or in each other?

In Parshat Va’eira, the Jews are caught up in their daily grind of being slaves in Egypt  (maybe).   The Jews were building pyramids (maybe), and were totally enveloped in their present reality. 

When God decided to free the Jews from slavery, God contracted Moses to deliver the message.   

“Therefore say to the Israelites in my name, “I am God.  I will take you away from your slavery in Egypt and free you from their slavery.  I will liberate you with an outstretched arm, and with great acts of judgment.”  But it wasn’t that easy.  The Jews didn’t really want to listen to Moses.  It wasn’t that they didn’t care or didn’t want to be liberated from their slavery, they just didn’t see how it could be done.  The parsha says that when Moses spoke to the children of Israel, they did not listen to him “because of their shortness of breath and because of their hard labor.”   Rashi writes that they did not accept consolation; they were “despaired completely of ever being redeemed.” They had lost sight of salvation, of any hope of being free.  But more than that, they had lost their faith. And so, to get the attention of the Jews, God mixed things up a bit.  Rather than swooping in and magically erasing the pain and suffering of the years of slavery, God chose a two fold course of action: free the Jews, and remind them and Pharoah of the power of God. Moses’ staff turns into a snake, the Nile water turns to blood, frogs infested the area, there was a lice problem, beasts, snakes and scorpions plagued the Egyptian people, the cattle died, and there were boils and hail.  And that’s just what happened in this portion! 

However, the parsha never says what the Israelites felt about all of this.  God made sure that only the Egyptians were affected by the plagues, and the Israelites were safe.

But in the end, it almost doesn’t matter if the Israelites physically saw the plagues happening or not.  If the Israelites didn’t have a faith based on more than they could physically see, and didn’t truly believe that God caused the lice and the frogs and the darkness, they wouldn’t really see it anyway. 

I may see the walls of the Old City from our classrooms, I may see the work that I am doing and understand fundamentally where I will be going, but if I don’t believe in the power of those things, if I don’t have faith, then our work loses some of its meaning. Shmuel Goldin, author of “Unlocking The Torah Texts,” writes about this parsha, and how the transition from slavery to freedom was so difficult for the Jews that even after that generation was freed, they never really left Egypt behind.  Only their children, who never knew slavery, were able to live in the land of Israel.   Perhaps the Israelites, despite all the plagues and the signs from God, never really believed, never really had faith. They may have seen what was happening to them, but because of their difficult past, it was hard for them to believe in the present or future.

We are halfway done with our year here.  The concerns that we had at the beginning, the trials and tribulations of the past are in the past.  We don’t have miraculous plagues to help us renew our faith, so we have to do it ourselves in order to move forward.  It doesn’t have to be faith in God, it could be faith in ourselves, in each other, in this community.  Only then, can we truly believe in what we see.

Haredim, Hannukah, and the Home Stretch!

Hello everyone!  Happy Hannukah to those who are celebrating!  (and Merry almost Christmas to those celebrating that!)  It's pretty incredible being in Israel for Hannukah--Jerusalem is so beautiful and festive!  There are gorgeous hannukiot (menorahs) everywhere, and lots of pretty lights strung from the old city walls.  Sufganiyot (filled donuts) are sold basically at every place imaginable, and they are so delicious.  I have eaten way more than I will ever need to eat again, and they have all been so worth it!  On the dreidel in the Diaspora, it has the Hebrew letters Nun, Gimmel, Hay, and Shin on it.  The letters stand for "Nes Gadol Ha'yah Sham" or "A Great Miracle Happened There."  Whether you believe the miracle is referring to the traditional oil lamp lasting for eight days instead of one, or the more historically accurate version of the victory of the Macabees, the idea that a "great miracle" happened "there" is something Diaspora Jews commemorate on this holiday.  However, in Israel, the dreidels say "Nes Gadol Ha'yah Poh" meaning, "A Great Miracle Happened HERE."  To think that thousands of years ago, a "great miracle" happened in the place where I am right now is amazing.  There are so many moments when I look around and think about how incredible this place is, and how much history and rich tradition is embedded in the ground I walk on and the walls of the city.  When I'm sitting in class and am feeling a bit overwhelmed, I look outside the window and see the Old City, and instantly I remember what I am doing here.  The fact that even the driedels, these cheap wooden or plastic toys that are only useful once a year reflect a tradition and history that goes back centuries is unbelievable!  This country, with all its flaws and problems, remains one of the most special places on Earth.

I am in the home stretch now with finals, and will be coming home in a few weeks!  I am so excited to be finished with this semester and to feel a sense of accomplishment at how much I have done this year!

Yesterday my Israel Seminar class went to Me'a She'arim, an ultra Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem.    Signs posted before you enter into the area say "Please don't walk down our streets dressed immodestly" and "Large groups are disrespectful to the residents."  It's hard to describe the place itself, except to say that I felt as though I was being transported back to a shtetl in Eastern Europe.  All of the men were dressed in black coats and pants and a white shirt, with big black hats, and the women were all wearing long skirts and long shirts, some with their hair covered if they were married.  School children ran around with tzitzit (ritual fringes) flying, and peyos (side curls) bouncing.  I was dressed carefully, wearing a long (to my ankles) skirt and a long sleeved shirt with a jacket over it.  I still got stares from people on the street, but that could easily have been due to the fact that I was with a large group.  Our guide who took us around the neighborhood had moved to Israel from Western Europe and became Haredi, but then left the community after he realized that he identified more with the religious Zionist movement than with the Ultra Orthodox community.  He still considers himself very religious, but not Haredi.  Haredi Judaism is a fascinating community, and the movement itself was really born with modernity in Judaism.  They chose to deal with Enlightenment and modernity by rejecting it.  Haredi means "trembling" and the idea is that the Haredi Jew is trembling before God, because he knows that God has ultimate power.  When Zionism comes on the scene, Haredim don't accept it, they feel that there is no need to start seeing the land of Israel in any way that is different from how they already do.  When the Messiah comes, that is when ultimate redemption will occur.  Working the land and creating a new state for Jews is not what needs to be done in order to bring about salvation--rather studying Torah and adhering to Mitzvot is what matters.  When our guide chose to leave the community, he didn't give up his commitment to Torah and Judaism, but rather chose to live a more modern lifestyle that supported Zionism.
We went on a walking tour of the community, which was fascinating.  Most of the people live in relative poverty, because working isn't as much a priority as study and commitment to Torah is.  Things are changing and more people are entering the workforce, but keeping the Mitzvot and practicing Judaism to the level that many Haredim do is difficult when also working in a more secular setting, so there options are limited.  Also, having many children is common, so money is tight with so many people to support.  Houses were relatively run down, but some were in better shape than others.  As we were walking through one of the streets, a young man came out of his house and asked our guide why we were walking down the street "mixed," meaning men and women together.  Our guide kept walking, and the man got increasingly angry as he said that it was unacceptable for men and women to be walking down the street together and that we had to leave.  Our guide spoke to him softly, saying we were on our way out and that we weren't doing anything wrong, but that didn't seem to placate him.  He started screaming "Shiksas!  Shiksas!  Shiksas!" at us, which was extremely troubling.  (Shiksa is a derogatory term for a non-Jew.)  I realized at that moment that while I considered myself a Jew and not particularly different on a fundamental level from these people, that they didn't see it that way at all.  That became even more clear during our meeting with a Haredi rabbi in the community, who said that Reform Judaism was destroying Judaism as a whole and that dilution of Jewish tradition is extremely dangerous.  It was troubling to hear him say that, but at the same time, important.  I understand that they have their beliefs and I have mine, but something I am grappling with is where the line of pluralistic tolerance is drawn.  If I am willing to be tolerant and accepting of them, why can't they be of me?  And if they aren't going to be of me, then do I need to be of them?  These are questions I am still trying to work out, but I definitely felt that it was important and interesting to be in that community, and it enhanced my understanding of the variety of Jewish practice in Israel.

Passover in Belarus!

Hello everyone!  Sorry about the delay in posting (it seems I say this a lot...) but I am in the beginning stages of finals and things have gotten crazy busy.  I am still very much enjoying my program and really love my classes.  We had an interfaith day recently with my Israel seminar class, which was fascinating.  We went to an Arab school in Abu Gosh, a predominantly Arab neighborhood in Jerusalem, and spoke with the students there about their experiences living in Israel and going to their school.  The students were really sweet and engaging, and it was great to be able to get a glimpse into their lives. Mostly though, the students were busy learning science and math and hanging out with their friends--totally typical high schoolers!  (although many of them were passionate about physics, which personally I couldn't relate to--but I admired their dedication!)

After the visit to the school, we went to the Armenian quarter in the Old City.  Every time I visit the Old City I am continually amazed by this little microcosm of world religion.  Jews, Muslims, several denominations of Christianity, all in one relatively tiny place!  The avenues curve and bend and as you walk through the cobblestone streets you hear Arabic coming from one side and Hebrew from the other,  and church bells ringing down the street.  Pretty incredible!  On our trip, we met with three Christian leaders in Jerusalem, an Armenian archbishop, a Protestant nun, and an Anglican priest.  All three were fascinating and talked a lot about their communities and what it means to be living in Israel.  After the panel, we went to services at the Armenian church.  It was the most beautiful building, and I really wanted to learn more about the architecture and history but unfortunately we didn't have time.  The service was unlike anything I'd ever experienced, the seminary students sang psalms and another bishop read something in Armenian, and that was it.  It was pretty short, but beautiful.  There were no benches except for a small row of three in one corner, the rest was open space.  Then in the far back there were benches for the seminary students to sit--and a balcony up above for one of the bishops.  I wanted to sit down, so I ended up sitting on the same bench as the Archbishop we met with--but I didn't want to originally sit too close since I wasn't sure his feelings about that, and also I didn't want to interrupt his prayer experience.  But he motioned for me to come sit near him and then throughout the service he told me what was happening!  It was pretty awesome!  I felt pretty special getting to sit next to him, and it was very cool. 

This week we are going to switch gears and learn about Haredim (ultra orthodox) in Israel, which will be very interesting.

Also, in other extremely exciting news, I will be participating in a joint project with the World Union for Progressive Judaism and going to the Former Soviet Union this spring to lead Passover seders and programming for communities there.  Me and 12 other classmates will be traveling to these communities and providing a passover experience that they might not otherwise have.  I am going to Belarus with another classmate, and I am so excited!  Part of the project includes a fundraising component, and my letter and the link to our website is below.  Please consider donating--it would mean a lot to me!  Thanks!

My fundraising letter:

Hello!  I hope you are doing well and gearing up for the holidays!

As you know, I am living in Jerusalem this year and studying at Hebrew Union College to become a Rabbi.  This year has been challenging, but also an incredible experience.  I have been able to explore my Judaism and my traditions with a group of thirty-seven dedicated future Jewish professionals, and learn more about being a Jewish leader.

This spring, I will be going on a Passover trip to the Former Soviet Union (FSU) with some of my classmates.  This project is sponsored by the World Union for Progressive Judaism, which unites and supports Reform congregations worldwide.  This is the 10^th year of this project, and I am so excited to be a part of it!  I will be going to a community of the FSU and leading a Passover seder, providing educational programming, and working to create a meaningful Passover for Jews who otherwise may not have one.  These communities do not usually have rabbis or Jewish leaders, so our job is to connect with them and make their Passover rich in tradition and spirituality.  In addition, I will be creating a relationship with Jews in a community I may never have known before, and it will certainly enhance my understanding of world Jewry as I continue on my path to becoming a Rabbi. 

As a group, we are divided into committees and will be responsible for various aspects of the program.  My job, along with two other classmates, is to create the seder materials and educational programming we will be taking with us to our communities. 

However, I need your help in making this project a reality for me.  There are many costs that go into the project, including air travel, interpreters, food for the seders, and educational materials.  It is my responsibility to raise $2500 in order to participate in the project. 

Your contribution will help make this initiative possible.  There are several ways to donate, and all donations are tax deductable. 

Online:                        http://fsupesachproject2012.wordpress.com

By mail:             HUC-JIR Attn: Christina Gall

             3101 Clifton Avenue

             Cincinnati, OH 45220

*Checks should be made out to “HUC-JIR-FSU Project”, please put my name in the memo line.

If you have any questions regarding this exciting project, please email me at ­ratner5268@gmail.com and check out our website: www.fsupesachproject2012.wordpress.com

Thank you so much!

Rebecca  

Thanksgiving in the Desert! (aka A Lot To Be Thankful For)

Hello everyone!  Happy belated Thanksgiving!  I hope everyone had a wonderful celebration with family and friends.  This year, I was in the desert for Thanksgiving on a class trip, and while it was very different from past years at my aunt Rachel's house with my whole family, it was definitely an experience!  The trip took us to the Arava area (between Beer Sheva and Eilat).  We stayed at a Reform Kibbutz in the area (Kibbutz Yahel), which upholds many of the socialist values that the early kibbutz movement in Israel propagated.  Every person, regardless of income, puts their money into a general fund that benefits every kibbutz member, and each family gets a monthly allowance that is based on family size.  Many people work on the kibbutz, which has a dairy farm, vegetable crops, and guest houses for visitors.  Others work outside the kibbutz in Eilat or the surrounding area.  The Kibbutz is sponsored by the Reform movement but not all of its members are Reform, some are secular and some are significantly more religious. 

There is a rabbi who lives there, but he also works with people at other kibbutzim and communities in the area.  He spoke to our group while we were there, and one of the things he said was that his job was very much about meeting people where they were at in terms of religious observance.  He described a time when a family approached him about having their son have an "aliyah l'torah" (basically, a chance for their son to read from the Torah).  They were not a particularly religious family, and the son's main interest was scuba diving, not practicing Judaism.  They wanted to have the ceremony in their home, and wanted this rabbi to do it.  He was more than willing, and brought over a Torah scroll for the boy to read, and adapted the service to make it appropriate and meaningful for them.  It was a great example of how rabbis need to adapt to the needs of their communities, and its not just about making sure that traditions and rituals are upheld.  In fact, that can often be a turn off and make people feel isolated or excluded from Judaism, but if you are willing to help people find spirituality or meaning in a way that makes sense to them, then that is going to create a more welcoming environment for them to approach Judaism and Jewish life.  I definitely feel that this is why I want to become a rabbi: not to ensure that everyone is practicing Judaism "correctly" or to help people find the "right way" to be a Jew, but rather to guide people towards a sense of connection and meaningful relationship with Judaism and the Jewish people, and to allow people to question and wrestle with their faith in a productive way.  Part of that is teaching people the Jewish traditions and the meanings behind them and allowing for them to interpret those that they find pertinent and important to their lives. 

In addition to spending time on Kibbutz Yahel, we hiked, took tours of other kibbutzim in the area, and went snorkeling in Eilat!  All in all, a very fun and relaxing trip.  Students from the Jewish Theological Seminary and American Jewish University (both Conservative seminaries in New York and LA respectively) came with us, and it was great to get a chance to meet them!  I knew some of them already from other things I have done, but it was fun to see them again and to interact with new people!  Don't get me wrong, I love my HUC class, but a little variety once in a while is definitely nice. 

It was great to spend Thanksgiving in the desert, and being out there really was a beautiful experience.  The stars in the sky there are just so much clearer, and its pretty powerful to look up and see the wide expanse above you.  I was walking to dinner with a student from AJU, and he said "the stars up there--those are the same ones Abraham saw when God told him his people would be as numerous as the stars in the sky."  It was a really amazing sentiment, and made me feel so connected to the land and to the Jewish narrative.

Now is the final push until winter break--so I will be busy with papers and tests and lots and lots of work.  But, I am glad I got to spend Thanksgiving with people I have grown to love over these last few months, and I am so appreciative to each and every one of them for making me feel like even though I wasn't with my actual family for Thanksgiving, I was with another just as wonderful group of people. 

The Knesset, Meeting with Rabbi David Ellenson, and Other Reflections

Hello everyone!

Happy Tuesday!  This week has been busy (and its only Tuesday!) and its only about to get busier!  Yesterday my Hebrew class took another field trip and we went to the Knesset building.  I had been there several years ago when I came to Israel the first time with my family, but this time the tour was in Hebrew!  It was really fascinating, and gave me a first hand glimpse into what Israeli politics is like.  It's one thing to read Ha'aretz or Jpost, but to really see where the action happens is incredible.  The building itself isn't particularly interesting, but there were two things in particular that stuck out to me.  As part of the tour, we got to visit the room where the knesset members meet, and it was really cool.  Very different from the capitol in DC.  The room itself clearly hasn't been renovated since the early 70's, and the whole beige/orange/brown decor is pretty terrible.  But, it was still really amazing to be in a room where so many powerful people sit, and where so many important decisions are made.  The guide we had told us that the cameras that film the knesset meetings are always facing the opposition of the party that is in power.  This is because apparently they make for more interesting television!  It's more exciting to see their reactions rather than those who already agree with what's going on, so they focus the cameras towards them.  Hilarious.  Also, there was apparently a problem in the past with members pressing the voting buttons of their neighbor, in the hopes of scoring some more votes, and so they had to put people's names on their buttons to make sure it didn't happen again!  Sneaky Israeli Knesset members!  The tour was pretty awesome, and I understood about 70% of what was happening, which I was happy about.  Clearly my Hebrew is improving!  Always a good thing. 

This week the Board of Governors of the college is visiting, and they are all on campus in meetings and such all week.  They are even coming on our tiyul with Israel Seminar tomorrow--which should be interesting.  Tonight we met with the president of HUC-Rabbi David Ellenson.  I had met him several times before, because his son was actually a camper of mine at OSRUI, but it was nice to see him again (and he most definitely had no idea who I was, so I had to introduce myself again.  Totally understandable---I am sure he meets and talks to a million other more important people than his son's summer camp counselor!) The conversation we had was really nice, it was certainly very candid and honest which I appreciated.  He talked about his own journey to his job, which was cool to hear.  He also touched on the financial situation of the college, which also was interesting.  He told us the outrage that people felt at the thought of closing one of the campuses, and how they had to come up with other ways to cut costs so all three could stay open.  I appreciated his willingness to be open and honest with us! 

In other news, I am leading services again next week, which I am very excited for.  This one is a mincha (afternoon) service, which means its a lot less work and a lot fewer prayers than the one I led before.  I am MUCH less stressed about this one.  The support I felt from my classmates when I led a few weeks ago was unreal, and I was so grateful to each and every one of them.  I am struck constantly by the incredible generosity of so many of my classmates.  Example: I needed someone to co-lead services with me, and I was having trouble finding someone who was able to do it because everyone was already leading the week before or after, or was already participating in some way in the Torah service.  My friend Lenette immediately offered to lead, even though she certainly didn't have to because she was already leading later in the semester with someone else (we are only required to lead one of each kind of service this year). Also, when I asked my friend Jeremy to play the guitar for us he immediately said yes, no questions asked.  I was so happy to have their support.  And, when I was expressing how nervous I was before services, my classmate Yael said "don't worry about it, we will support you no matter what."  It was so incredible to hear that.  Not to mention reassuring!  Everyone sang super loud and participated fully and it was so so so wonderful. 

Ok, time to go finish studying for a Hebrew test!  Another post will come soon.

My first service!

Hi everyone!

This past week, I led my first HUC service.  It was such an incredible experience!!  I have been preparing for this for weeks, and my friend Lenette (another rabbinical student) and I have been working hard trying to create meaningful prayer experience for our classmates.  I was SO nervous before the service, I actually was shaking a little bit as we started the opening song.  But, as we continued through the service, I began to relax.  My classmates were unbelievably supportive, and looking out at their smiling faces as Lenette and I went through the prayers of Thursday morning services, I felt so warm and happy to be part of such an amazing community.  It was wonderful to feel supported in such a tangible way, and I really couldn't have done it without everyone.  My classmate Jeremy played the guitar for a few songs, which was also fantastic! People came up to me afterwards and told me how much they enjoyed it, and it meant so much to me.  It reminded me why I wanted to come to rabbinical school in the first place.  One of my classmates told me that he entered the synagogue feeling a little down, and by the end of the service he felt refreshed and so much better.  I was SO happy I could provide that for someone, and it made me feel great!  I am leading again in a few weeks and I can't wait! 

Things have been crazy busy here with midterms and lots of work, but I am still enjoying everything so much.  Israel is a crazy country and I love living here!  My parents and sister were just visiting, which was wonderful.  We went to Yad Vashem, the Israel Museum, spent time with my family in Ra'anana, and i was able to introduce them to many of my classmates.  I loved being able to show them my life here.  We also went to visit my cousin Ariel at his army base in Beer Sheva, which was incredible.  Seeing my little cousin wearing a uniform and holding a gun was a little overwhelming, but it was great to see him and he seems to be enjoying his army service.  He's in the air force and hopes to be a pilot one day! 

A new post will be up soon but I just wanted to give a short update now since its been so long since my last post.

xoxox
Rebecca

A Time To Turn...

As the High Holidays approach, I have been thinking a lot about the idea of repentance.  When we sit in services (for what seems like hours on end!) during the Days of Awe, who are repenting to?  Are we asking God for forgiveness, or are we seeking it from other people?  Perhaps we are truly looking for forgiveness and pardon from ourselves, in order to move on and embrace the New Year with a clean slate.  I have participated in High Holiday services for years, and every time I do, I don’t necessarily think about repenting.  I listen to the music, I appreciate the solemnity and importance of the day, but I never leave services feeling truly “refreshed,” like my sins are really gone and have been forgiven.  I have trouble with a lot of the liturgy that is said on the High Holidays, especially the part about God being the ultimate decider as to “who shall live and who shall die.”  To me, that’s not the kind of God I believe in, and I don’t think that’s the kind of God most Reform Jews believe in either.  And what does it mean to truly repent?  Does it mean that we sin all year long and then make sure we remember all the bad things we did during Yom Kippur, so we can ask forgiveness before the sunset and the “book is sealed”?   Does it mean saying “well, that thing I did last week wasn’t great, but rather than reflecting on it now and trying to make amends, I’ll just ask forgiveness on Yom Kippur”?  Maybe.  But I think repenting means more than that.  There is a reading that I love that my synagogue growing up does on Rosh Hashanah, and it was also done at an HUC service we had on Saturday night. It says:

To everything there is a season, and an appointed time for every purpose under heaven.  Now is the time for turning.

But for us turning does not come simply.  It takes an act of will for us to make a turn.

It means breaking with old habits.

It means admitting that we have been wrong, and this is never easy.

It means losing face.

It means starting all over again, and this is always painful.

It means saying “I am sorry.”

It means admitting that we have the ability to change, and this is always embarrassing.

These things are terribly hard to do, but unless we turn, we will be trapped forever in yesterday’s ways.

God help us turn…

From callousness to sensitivity

From hostility to love

From pettiness to purpose

From envy to contentment

From carelessness to discipline

From fear to faith.

Turn us around Adonai, and bring us back towards You.  Revive our lives, as at the beginning.  And turn us towards each other God, for in isolation there is no life.

I love this reading for a lot of reasons.  I love it because it says that turning and truly recognizing our sins and faults and discretions isn’t something that we can do in the hour and a half service on Yom Kippur afternoon.  It’s difficult and messy and confusing and frustrating.  I love it because it says not only do we need to renew our faith, whatever that means to us, (whether its faith in God or not doesn’t matter, at least in my opinion) but we need to renew our relationships with each other.  We need to remember those who have touched our lives and thank them for it, and remember to call friends on their birthday and send a note when a friend is sick, and make sure to schedule in a coffee date or a lunch with someone who we don’t see as often as we’d like.  I love it because even if you don’t agree with the idea that God needs to help us turn, the sheer recognition that making a serious change in our behavior and in our lives isn’t easy makes doing so even more powerful.  Whether God helps you or not, admitting you are wrong or apologizing is not something a lot of people like to do, but when we do it, the impact is astounding. 

Those are my thoughts on the High Holidays.  It’s a little heavy and not necessarily entirely coherent, but I’m still working out how I feel so I apologize for the messiness.  In other news, classes are in full swing and have been great so far.  I translated a really long verse in the Bible the other day in class, from Biblical Hebrew to modern Hebrew to English, and when I was done the whole class breathed a collective sigh of relief and said ! ישר כוח which is colloquially used to mean “good job!”  It was a great moment for me, because the verse was hard and I was so nervous translating it my palms were sweating and I was shaking a little, but I did it!  And, to have the support of my classmates was great too—it made me feel so good!  My assuredness when it comes to speaking Hebrew is relatively low, but it is definitely something I am working on.  Being able to translate that verse and do it well was a really important confidence booster!  I have really been enjoying my classes this semester, my teachers are interesting and passionate and clearly love teaching.  One of my favorite classes is Israel Seminar, where we learn about modern Israel and the issues facing it today, as well as historical information about the State and what that means in the context of its current form.  We go on trips all over Israel to experience what we learn in the classroom, and I have loved them all so far.  Last week we went to Tel Aviv, and ended with some relaxing time on the beach, which was so nice!  (And in my opinion, very well deserved by my classmates and I—we all work so hard!)  I also am really liking my Biblical Grammar class—even though its challenging that it’s in Hebrew.  I love the teacher and I find her to be incredibly dynamic and interesting, and she’s just hilarious to be around. 

I started my volunteer project last week.  I am working at KEEP, Kol HaNeshama’s English Enrichment Program.  The program is for kids who are struggling in English, usually failing it in school, and need extra help.  The woman who runs it, Helen, is unbelievable, and I have so much respect for her.  She’s hilarious and dynamic and engaging, and I definitely want to emulate her as much as possible.  The program is held at Kol HaNeshama, a Reform/Progressive synagogue in Jerusalem, but its not affiliated with the shul itself.  The kids are 5-6^th graders, and many come from difficult home lives.  There is a large group that comes from the domestic violence shelter in Jerusalem, and there are others who are living well below the poverty line.  I worked with a girl last week who was great in English, but needed some help with sentence structure.  She was so sweet and seemed to love hearing that I was impressed with her skills.  It struck me that she might not hear “I’m proud of you” very often, and I really want to be able to provide her with more confidence.  I have only had one session, but I really loved it so far.  I hope to continue building relationships with the kids and gaining their trust, and being able to have an impact on them (and vice versa!).  It’s a great program and it offers these kids not only English language help but also a safe place for them to go and be nurtured by caring and supportive adults, which isn’t necessarily something they get very often! 

I think that’s about it for now—but I wish you all a sweet new year and I will be sure to write more after the holidays. 

Xoxoxox

Rebecca

The New Jew, A Pluralistic Kibbutz, and New Perspectives on Jewish History and the State of Israel

This past week I went on a tiyul (that means trip in Hebrew) with my class to the north of Israel.  The tiyul was based around our Israel Seminar class, which is a year long seminar focused on the history of modern Israel and our connection to the land and the people as Reform Jews.  This week we have been learning about Zionism and the history of the movement.  Our tiyul involved visiting various historic sites, meeting individuals connected with the aliyah movements, and spending time on kibbutzim.  The whole trip was unbelievable, and Northern Israel is probably the most beautiful place on earth.  The mountains and the Kinneret are breathtaking, and I love every minute of being up there.  Rather than recap the entire trip for you (we did so much in so few days, I can barely even remember what happened!) I will pick out a few key moments and experiences that really resonated with me. 

One of the things we have been learning about in class is the idea of the New Jew.  This stems from the early Zionist movement, and is a result of the Jewish need to shed the Eastern European characteristics in favor of newer, stronger, better qualities.  The thought was that in order for Jews to truly progress as a people, certain changes had to be made.  Individuals who wanted to come to Israel were considered chalutzim, or pioneers. They were seen as strong, tough people who wanted to connect with the land.  Gone were the days of sitting in a beit midrash and studying Talmud all day, gone were the long beards and the modest clothing.  This was a new era: an era that sought to re-claim the Jew as a people and as a nation.  A lot of this stemmed from the stigma that Jews carried in Europe of being weak and fragile.  The New Jew was supposed to erase those stereotypes and usher in a new people that was physically and emotionally stronger.  Early propaganda posters that sought to advertise the appeal of Israel both in terms of getting people to move there and in terms of gaining financial support showed Jews standing with agricultural farming tools and looking off into the distance at a horizon that promised prosperity and a bright future.  It showed men and women working side by side and cultivating a land that not only had biblical ties to the Jewish people but also was a fresh start for Jews escaping anti-Semitism in Europe.

I had learned about the New Jew prior to coming to HUC.  We studied the movement in Hebrew school and I also learned about it on Alexander Muss in high school.  However, this time around I got a totally different perspective that shattered my preconceived notions about Zionism and the early pioneers of Israel. 

When the chalutzim came to Israel (or Palestine as it was called pre-1948), they came for a variety of reasons.  Some came because of a religious connection to the land, others wanted a fresh start and to escape the rampant anti-Semitism in Europe.  Regardless of their reasons for coming, they all hoped to find prosperity and happiness in this new land.  And based on the propaganda posters they saw, it seemed like a done deal.  However, once they got here they found that the work was hard, the desert was unforgiving, and life generally sucked.  They didn’t speak the language, they didn’t know anyone, and they were far away from anything or anyone familiar.  Many of them who came during the 1^st Aliyah left and went back home.  During the 2^nd Aliyah more stayed, but there were still those who couldn’t handle it, and right across the street from the first Kibbutz in Israel (Kibbutz Degania, one of the places we visited), there is a small plaque underneath a tree.  The plaque designates that tree as the “suicide tree” where many men and women hung themselves because the despair was so great.   The disappointment at not finding everything they were looking for in this land was so intense that they felt they had no choice but to end their lives.  Later on in the weekend we met with Muki Tzur, a historian and Jewish teacher that has studied Zionism and was colleagues and friends with many of the famous Zionist thinkers.  He said “one of the foundations for the creation of the society of Israel was despair and loneliness.  The New Jew was a symptom of something problematic and broken, and that Zionist society was mainly a community of orphans, people who left their families and friends behind in search of a better future.”  He talked about how orphans create utopias, but once it is formed then they aren’t orphans anymore, and the second and third generations don’t understand the roots of the movement to create the utopia in the first place.  Then, there becomes a new set of problems.  There is nostalgia for the old days and guilt that these people can’t explain to their children the passion they had for creating this society.  But, “you can’t create a country on nostalgia and guilt.” 

Obviously not every pioneer or person who came to Israel during any of the Aliyot was full of despair and pain.  Many found success here and obviously the state of Israel wouldn’t be what it is today without all of those people who dedicated themselves wholeheartedly to its creation.  We spent the last part of our tiyul visiting Kibbutz Hannaton, a pluralistic community in the northern Galilee that sought to re-vamp a struggling kibbutz.  The people there are pioneers of sorts, trying to create a community of people that is open to new ideas and experiences all within the context of communal living.  Everyone on the kibbutz has different religious backgrounds, some are very religious and others are secular.  But, even despite their differences, everyone lives in relative harmony with each other, and is willing and able to work through any challenges.  This is especially evident when it comes to prayer.  They have one synagogue, and it is there for all to use.  However, since everyone comes from different backgrounds, how prayer services should work and look varies from person to person.  As a way of dealing with this, they compromise.  When a person who is orthodox wants to lead a service, they put a mechitzah up.  When a person who is Reform wants to lead a service, they use musical instruments and have mixed seating.  Everyone is uncomfortable at least some of the time, but it allows for the whole community to function cooperatively.  Obviously its not easy, and they certainly have struggles, but they are working through it and are so dedicated to creating this pluralistic community that sometimes its worth feeling a bit out of place for a few hours to make that happen.  When I heard about this, a quote from the Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth came to mind.  He said: “Whenever Jews pray, we end with a prayer for peace, and at that point we take three steps backwards. To make peace you have to make space for someone else. You have to give up a little of your dream for the sake of someone else's dream."  I truly believe that the people on Kibbutz Hannaton embody this idea.  They are willing to take steps backwards to allow someone else to achieve their dream or to feel comfortable, both in a prayer setting and in daily life.  They work together on committees and make decisions as a collective, all the while allowing for disagreement and compromise.  It’s an incredible effort, and one that I really connected to.  If I were to move to Israel, I would absolutely live there! 

We ended our tiyul on Kibbutz Hannaton, and I truly felt like it was one of the most magical places I had ever been.

On the way home, we listened to the radio and heard about the Egyptian attack on the Israeli Embassy in Cairo.  That, coupled with news earlier in the week of Israel’s strained relations with Turkey and the tension that is mounting because of the UN vote on the Palestinian state recognition coming up, brought me out of my fairytale world of Kibbutz Hannaton and back into the harsh reality of this country.  Is this what the early pioneers fought so hard for?  Is this what people sacrificed everything to create: a country with so much violence and strife?  It was hard not to think so catastrophically as I listened to the news report, and wonder if there really would ever be peace in the Middle East.  But then, just as I was sinking down into what I knew would be a really intense sadness about this country, I thought back to Kibbutz Hannaton and the incredible work that is being done there.  Perhaps there is hope that those who are different can work and live and create a world together.  Perhaps there will be a day when the dreams of the early pioneers will be realized, we might just have to take a few steps backwards to get there.

Ivrit, Ivrit Daber Ivrit

Hello everyone!  For those of you who don't speak Hebrew, or who don't understand my terrible transliteration, the title of this blog post is: Hebrew, Hebrew, Speak Hebrew!  I just finished my second day of fall semester classes, and it's been an exhilarating, slightly terrifying experience.  I have seven classes this semester: Biblical Grammar, Bible, Liturgy, Modern Hebrew, 2nd Temple History, History of the Zionist Movement and Israel Seminar.  I also have two mini courses that don't count for grades, but are part of exploring our Jewish identity.  We have one entitled "Why I am a Reform Jew" and one that is a discussion section based on our experiences and trips through Israel Seminar.  I also will be volunteering once a week at a local synagogue teaching underprivileged fifth and six graders English.  Basically, I am going to be busy all the time and this is probably the last you will hear of me until May.  Just kidding!  But seriously, I have a jam packed schedule!  I wanted to give you all a taste of what I have experienced so far, so I thought I'd break it up by each class that I have had so far and describe it to you.

Modern Hebrew: This is a continuation of our ulpan, but with a different teacher this time.  Her name is Rivki, and so far she's great. We are doing a lot of conversation and dialogues which is awesome, and definitely going to help my Hebrew skills!

Bible: This class, unbeknownst to me when I walked in the room, is taught entirely in Hebrew.  Oh boy.  Today we took a passage from Samuel, read it in the biblical Hebrew, translated it into Modern Hebrew, and then again into English.  It was really difficult!  The teacher was relatively patient with us, but I could tell that he was getting frustrated that we didn't know everything we apparently should know.  It will be a very challenging class, but hopefully really interesting too!

Biblical Grammar: This class, which thankfully I did know before hand, is taught in Hebrew as well.  Our teacher is hilarious, she's probably in her 70's.  She is incredibly feisty and definitely going to be entertaining.  Luckily, I took Biblical Grammar in college so I have a pretty strong background in it--which will make this a lot easier!

Second Temple: A class in English!  Finally.  We've only had one lecture so far but it's super interesting and will hopefully be a good class.  The professor is great and really passionate about the subject, which definitely helps.  He is funny and dynamic and a great lecturer!

Why I am a Reform Jew: Another class in English.  Hooray!  This class is taught by Dr. Michael Marmur, who is on staff at the college.  He's great, and has an excellent British accent.  The first day we talked about the difference between modernity, post modernity, and pre modernity and how Reform Judaism looked in each of those periods.  We also talked about how other streams of Judaism reacted to changes in society and whether they felt that modernity and Jewish tradition could interact in any way.  It's going to be an interesting class, and hopefully will give way for some good discussions.

Those are all the classes I have had so far, but I will keep you posted on the rest of them!  This week we have a trip to the northern part of Israel for our Israel Seminar class, so I'll  be gone Thursday-Saturday.  I am not entirely sure what we are doing on it, but my general practice thus far has been to get on the bus at the designated time and let someone else handle it from there!  I'll be sure to write more about the trip when I get back, but for now, I need to go study!

Love and miss you all,
Rebecca

She wasn't where she had been, she wasn't where she was going, but she was on her way...

Hello everyone!  Happy September!  My summer classes have come to an end, and we just had a week chofesh (break).  While some of my classmates took off for Budapest, Greece, and Turkey, I stayed around Israel and relaxed.  I spent Shabbat with my family in Ra’nanna, which was lovely, and then met three of my friends for a few days in Haifa.  It was so nice to see my family and get out of Jerusalem for a few days—sometimes this city is overwhelming!  Haifa is my favorite city in all of Israel, so it was great to be there too.  I love everything about it, the sea, the air, the way the city lights up at night and sparkles against the sky—its all so beautiful.  We were in Haifa for three days, and managed to do a lot!  Monday we arrived and picked up our rental car (which took forever!  When I was little I remember my parents renting cars for various vacations and standing at the counter for what seemed like forever, and I never understood what took so long.  On this vacation, I was the one who stood at the counter for what seemed like forever, and I still don’t understand what takes so long up there) and drove to our hotel.  That afternoon my friend Elle went off to meet some relatives that she has living in Haifa, and the rest of us went to the Haifa zoo and out for lunch.  Monday night we had dinner at the restaurant that Elle’s family owns—it’s right on the beach and absolutely delicious!  Tuesday we got up early and drove to Ceasarea (I drove both ways!!), a beautiful national park that has remains from the Roman period.  It’s right on the water, and completely breathtaking.  There is an old ampitheater there that has been renovated slightly and is now used for concerts, and several other ruins scattered all throughout the park. 

After Ceasarea we headed back to Haifa for a tour of the Bahai Gardens, which were also beautiful.  I don’t know much about the Bahai faith, but from what I gathered from our tour guide it sounds like an interesting religion.  It’s a monotheistic faith and was started by a prophet who was in Iraq.  The religion is relatively young-- it’s only been around since the 1800’s.  They believe very strongly in equality among all people, so the garden is completely symmetrical and has even amounts of all the decorations and plants.  The tour was only about 45 minutes, but the gardens were so peaceful and serene that I really wanted to stay and just take it all in.  Unfortunately they are very strict about only going into the gardens on an official tour, so we had to leave.  After our tour, we went to lunch and then headed to the beach.  The beach was beautiful, and it was so fun swimming and relaxing in the sun.  We had dinner at a Chinese restaurant in our hotel, which was delicious.  We had planned to explore the area a bit more but we were all so exhausted that we ended up just going to sleep!  Wednesday we had breakfast at the hotel, Elle saw her family again, and Jessie and I went to go get pedicures at a place near our hotel.  It was such a treat to get a pedicure, and definitely needed!

 The woman who was doing it started chatting with me, and before long we got into a pretty intense conversation.  She grew up in Haifa but had spent a lot of time in the States, and felt very connected to the US.  Her boyfriend is from New York, which I think helped.  She asked me what I was doing in Israel, and when she found out I was going to be here for a year, she asked me why I wanted to come here for so long and be away from my family.  Wasn’t I afraid?  I didn’t understand the question at first—afraid of what? And to be asked this by an Israeli was also strange—that had never happened before.  People in the US asked me if I was nervous about spending a year in a country with a lot of turmoil, but no Israeli has ever asked me if I was afraid, because it never would have occurred to them that I should be.  However, despite the fact that her question caught me off guard, I realized that perhaps I really should think about the answer.  I was surprised at how easy it was to explain to her that as part of becoming a rabbi, I was required to spend a year in Israel, and that if that was what I had to do in order to fulfill my dream, I was going to do it.  Also, I didn’t want to avoid coming to a country that has a lot of personal meaning for me and for my family, as well as for my faith, just because I was afraid.  She seemed to understand, but still thought that the US was much safer and a more pleasant place to live than Israel.  I completely recognize that this woman is very much in the minority, and that most Israelis really don’t feel that way, but it was an interesting perspective nonetheless. 

There have been times this year when I have felt anxiety—sometimes we get text messages from the head of Student Services telling us about a security alert or to stay away from crowded areas, but then I look at my teachers and my family who have lived here for decades, and I realize that if they aren’t panicking, I shouldn’t either.  Caution is obviously necessary anywhere that I go in Israel, but I think that’s true of anywhere in the world.  I don’t walk around alone at night, I don’t go to areas that aren’t governed by the State of Israel (Gaza, Bethlehem), and I look both ways before I cross the street.  (This is probably the most important one!  Israeli drivers can be a little crazy sometimes.)  I think about where I worked last year in Chicago, and how Uptown isn’t exactly the model of a nice neighborhood.  There were gang shootings all the time, in broad daylight, and the side street that led to one of the shelters near my office was affectionately referred to by my clients as “murder alley.”  I never felt unsafe there, so why should I feel differently here?  Yes, the threats may be different, but I couldn’t avoid going to work any more than I can avoid going to school or to the grocery store.  I just have to live my life, recognize when I feel unsafe or uncomfortable, and react accordingly. In the wise words of Eleanor Roosevelt: “we gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face…we must do that which we think we cannot.”

Have a little faith...

It’s a quiet night in Jerusalem as I sit here writing this post.  I’m on my porch, letting the evening breeze wash over me and erase the stresses of ulpan and cantillation homework.  The sun is setting, and it’s absolutely beautiful. However, even amidst the seemingly peaceful evening, I know there is a lot of turmoil and pain that is happening right now.  There have been over 80 rocket attacks in the last day or so, and several people have been killed.  We just got a text message from our head of Student Services saying that there is a security alert out for Jerusalem, so to avoid crowded places or public transportation.  It’s amazing to me that I can be sitting quietly on my porch watching the sunset with so much chaos not so far away.  Israel is a strong country, and I have no doubt that I am safe here.  It is my first time being in Israel during such an attack, however, so it is still a bit scary.  I see how my professors and staff of HUC react, and I see their pain and frustration.  I see their anger with the terrorists, who kill innocent people at the expense of a much larger political goal, and I see the hope that this will blow over and relative calm will resume again.  I also see the incredible trust that many of my teachers have in God.  This morning, my ulpan teacher said that her daughter is entering the army on Monday, and that one of the busses that was bombed near Eilat is the one that she will need to take to her base every day.  We asked if she was scared for her daughter, and she said: “it’s in God’s hands.”  My teacher is a pretty religious woman, but it was still striking to hear her say that.  It got me thinking about faith, and faith in God.

 A few weeks ago, one of the faculty at HUC gave a dvar Torah at services that really resonated with me.  He spoke of Moses, and how in the parshah where God tells him that he is not able to go into the land of Israel, his response is “Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad.”  (Hear o’Israel, Adonai is our God Adonai is One.”)  Even in the midst of profound disappointment and suffering, Moses responded with words of faith.  There is something really beautiful about that, about truly believing that no matter how hard things get or how unjust life may seem sometimes, having faith in God can help.

 As a Reform rabbinical student, I recognize that the whole God thing may be hard for some people to swallow.  I personally believe in God, but in a different way than what is written in the Torah.  I don’t think God is a person or a being that is sitting up in the sky dictating what happens to people and as it is said on Yom Kippur “who shall live and who shall die.”  Rather, to me God is an energy that exists to help people get the strength to heal themselves, to get through life’s obstacles, and to feel a sense of community and connection to other people and to themselves. 

I think prayer is an excellent vessel for this.   Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote: “Prayer may not bring water to a parched field, nor mend a broken bridge, nor rebuild a ruined city. But prayer can water an arid soul, mend a broken heart, rebuild a weakened will.”  When I pray, I am not praying for God to fix something in my life or to give me something, rather I am asking for the strength and courage to get through whatever is difficult for me, and the ability to recognize and not take for granted my many blessings   Not everyone connects with prayer or has faith in God, and that’s okay.  Having faith in something, anything, can be enough to give people the strength to persevere when they need it most.  It could be faith in community, faith in family, or faith in themselves.  It’s been pretty clear these last few days that my teachers have an enormous amount of faith in their country, in their army, and in their community to get through the violence and truly bring meaning to the phrase “nation shall not lift up sword against nation, they shall never again study war.” (Isaiah 2:4)

Tisha B'av: A Day of Mourning For the Sake of Mourning

Hello everyone!   I apologize for the delay in posting, but it’s been a busy few weeks with exams and lots of homework, leaving little time for blogging.  However, I wanted to update you all on what has been happening this week!  Tuesday was Tisha B’av (the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av), a Jewish holiday commemorating the destruction of the beit hamikdash, or Temple.  The Temple was destroyed twice, once in 586 BCE and again in 70 CE.  The idea behind the Temple is complicated, but basically it was a place for Jews to offer sacrifices to God, and only certain people (priests and people from the tribes of Levi or Cohen) where allowed in the inner sanctums of the building.  As a modern Reform Jew, the Temple doesn’t stir up much emotion for me as a structure, mostly because the destruction really gave way to the idea that there didn’t need to be only one place to pray or connect to God.  It also ended the ritual sacrifices, which in my opinion, is a good thing.  I’m pretty sure I would drop out of rabbinical school if I had to sacrifice a lamb every week.  No thank you.  Also, once the temple was destroyed, the idea of a Rabbi really came to fruition.  It also allowed people to individually connect with God and not only have to do it via a priest or someone from a more important tribe.  However, I do recognize that the idea is not just that we are mourning the destruction of the physical structure of the Temple, but rather the destruction and violation of the Jewish people’s right and ability to practice their religion.  In that respect, I find the holiday meaningful.  Tisha B’av in Jerusalem is interesting, mostly because it is Jerusalem, and everything is interesting here.  On erev (the night before) Tisha B’av HUC took us to this monastery that was just outside of Tel Aviv.  There is a kibbutz nearby that does a lot of collaboration with this particular monastery, and they were having a joint Tisha B’av concert/service.  There were nuns from the monastery in attendance, as well as Jews from both the kibbutz and other progressive congregations around Israel.  (Progressive Judaism is basically the equivalent of the Reform movement in America, but in Israel it’s referred to as “progressive Judaism.”  More on that in another post.)  The concert was beautiful for the most part, the songs were mostly in Hebrew (some were in Ladino and Yiddish as well) and the cantor who sang them had a nice voice.  However, for some reason she just kept singing song after song after song, and it didn’t really appear to be any end in sight!  I found the evening relatively spiritual towards the beginning, and being in this ancient place with all these incredibly interesting and diverse people really touched me, but after the 10^th song, I was starting to check out a little.  Most of my classmates were getting a little glassy eyed towards the end as well, so I know I wasn’t the only one!  The next day we went to Pardes, which is an organization that runs summer and year long study programs for people from all over the world.  They had a special Tisha B’av program with lots of different study sessions all day.  I went to one that was very interesting and meaningful.  The session was called “Cosmic Crack—Personal Pain, Kabbalistic Insights.”  It was divided into two parts with two writing exercises.  The first was to write a list of all the events in our lives that were destructive that we had played a part in.  Then, we discussed in small groups what we had written down.  It was pretty powerful to hear what other people had thought of, and while I was hesitant to share at first, it felt really good to get it out.  The second exercise was to write down a list of events in our lives that were destructive, but that had become somehow hopeful or more positive over time.  We shared these as well, which was equally as powerful.  The main point of the program was that Tisha B’av is a different kind of mourning day.  We are not mourning in order to ask for forgiveness or repent like on Yom Kippur, rather we are just mourning to mourn.  It’s a day to be sad both for the things that we had played a part in destroying, and also things that were out of our control.  However, as the day goes on and we get closer to the end, we start to change our perspective a little and look towards the future and the positive aspects of our lives.  This is especially evident in the way we pray throughout the day.  In the morning service, people traditionally don’t wear tallitot or tefillin because wearing a tallit symbolizes being embraced by God and that’s not something that Jews are feeling during Tisha B’av.  Teffilin are made of leather, and are a sign of luxury and wealth, which is something that, like on Yom Kippur, many Jews chose to avoid during the day of mourning.  However, at the afternoon service, people do wear their tallit and their teffilin, showing a distinct shift from the earlier part of the day.  There is a sense that life continues, that even when there is horrible destruction, you can’t stop living your life in a productive way.  While I personally struggle with the more traditional reasoning behind the holiday of Tisha B’av, after the session at Pardes I feel much more connected to the holiday.  I learned a lot and will absolutely appreciate it much more next year. 

Everything I learned in Hebrew School is wrong...

Hello everyone!

Happy Thursday!  It has been a great week so far!   My Hebrew ulpan class went to the Jerusalem Bird Conservatory, which was completely random but also a lot of fun.  It was great to get out of the classroom and enjoy being outside, even if I didn't understand entirely what I was doing there.  The tour we got was entirely in Hebrew, but I was really happy that I understood most of it.  The birds were beautiful and the grounds itself are really nice, so I hope to get back there soon and spend more time.  Wednesday was the longest day ever--we had two tests in one day!  I had a Hebrew exam that covered basically everything we had learned so far, which was a little overwhelming.  I don't know how I did yet, but I am hoping not terribly!  Then we had a Biblical Archaeology quiz, which wasn't so bad except that our teacher did not tell us really what was going to be on it, so I ended up over-studying by a lot.  I suppose its better than being unprepared!

Today our class went to the Israel Museum for a Biblical Archaeology trip.  I had been there before and have really enjoyed it, but it was cool to go with my teacher who is incredibly knowledgeable about all things relating to the Ancient Near East.  In class we talked a lot about the Exodus from Egypt and whether or not based on historical findings, it could have actually happened.  There are a TON of examples where the biblical narrative doesn't match up at all either chronologically or geographically with historical or archaeological research.  For example: Egyptian history is usually divided up into three parts: the Old Kingdom (approximately 3000-2000 BCE), the Middle Kingdom (2000-1700 BCE), and the New Kingdom.  Based on archaeological findings, carbon dating, and research done by biblical scholars, it appears that the pyramids were built during the time of the Old Kingdom.  The problem is, if that's true than there is no way the Israelites could have built the pyramids, because we weren't around then.  Another example: Historians have found mentions of Ramses the 2nd as the Pharaoh during the time of the Exodus.  During his reign, Egypt also had control over the land of Israel, which means that if the Jews did in fact leave Egypt during Ramses' reign, presumably they were just going to another place controlled by Egypt.  There also is NO reference in Egyptian history to the enslavement of the Israelites specifically, although there are times when it discusses foreigners who were slaves.  Also, there are a lot of narratives depicting the capture of slaves who tried to escape, so it seems unlikely that 600,000 Jews could have just walked right out of Egypt and gotten the hell out of there with no problems.  All of this is really interesting, but also somewhat troubling.  If the Exodus narrative that I grew up learning in Hebrew school is wrong, then what does that say about the rest of what I know to be Jewish history?  Also, if this huge narrative that basically defines the Jewish experience isn't totally accurate, than what does that say about the Jewish people?  How can I, as a Jewish leader, help facilitate conversations about God and about the history of the Jewish people if I am not sure any of it is true?

The famous author Ahad Ha'am wrote a beautiful article that talks a lot about "historical truth," which is the idea that even if a biblical narrative is not entirely factual, the fact that it serves as a building block for religious education and a way for the Jewish people to identify with religion and ritual practice, then that's all that matters.  It doesn't matter if Moses actually existed, if the Jewish people use that narrative as a way to express and relate to their faith than who cares?  In some ways I agree with this, because while I don't think the Bible is divinely inspired, I do think its important for Jews to know and understand the ancient text.  But at the same time, I'm not sure I'm comfortable just saying "who cares."  History is such an important part of the Jewish people and if we got it wrong, then we should probably figure out what the truth is.  It's a little overwhelming to be hearing all of this as I start my journey to be a Jewish leader, but I suppose that's the point.  How can I be an effective leader if I don't understand the confusion and contradictions that exist within my own faith?  How can I help other people gain fulfillment from the texts if I don't totally understand them myself?  However, how can I possibly grasp all of the contradictions and reconcile all the apparent historical inaccuracies in the Bible?  I know that this is what this year is about, and the point of this course is to challenge my notions of what is true and what is not, and also to decide if it really matters.  It's fascinating stuff either way, but its also confusing and a little unsettling.  All those years I spent reciting the Passover story with finger puppets and plastic plague figures clearly was not entirely accurate!  It's a little bit like finding out that the Tooth Fairy doesn't exist, and that its really my mom putting a dollar under my pillow.  I am sure as the year goes on I will be able to answer a lot of my questions and figure out whether it matters that there are inaccuracies and contradictions in the Bible.  But in the meantime, I will just soak it all in and be okay with my current state of confusion.

Early Shabbat Shalom and love to you all!

Another week, another post

Hello everyone!  Happy Monday!  I am still getting used to this whole having class on Sundays situation, but its happening slowly.  There are times when I find myself not actually knowing what day it is, which tends to be a bit of a problem. 
Ulpan (my hebrew class) is going well, I have been scoring consistently high on my assignments and quizzes, which makes me happy.  Clearly all that Brandeis Hebrew paid off!  I was nervous at first, I switched into a higher level class and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do it, but I can!  Tomorrow we have a field trip to a bird conservatory (I have no idea what that has to do with anything we have learned or are learning, but I'm just going with it...)
We also are doing a cantillation class to learn how to chant Torah.  Its great, because I never really learned the trope.  I memorized my Torah portion for my Bat Mitzvah (shh, don't tell anyone!) and so never got the chance to learn how to chant without a wonderful cantor singing it on a tape.  The cantor who is teaching us is great, and very patient, which is necessary since most of us have no idea what we are doing. 
My biblical history class is also going well, although its a little confusing.  We went on a trip the other day and I wasn't really following the narrative that my teacher was telling.  It didn't seem to be in any chronological order, which is how I tend to learn best, so that was a bit of a problem.  He also handed us a topographical map (which to me looked like a piece of paper with lots of squiggly lines on it) and asked us to fill it in with the various landmarks of Jerusalem.  I had no idea what to do, so I just stared at it for a while and hoped the squiggly lines would magically become coherent.  I am pretty sure I was not the only one confused, so hopefully we can ask him to explain at another time.  The trip was interesting though, and made me realize why I love learning in Israel so much.  It's one thing to learn about an event or a historical figure sitting in a classroom, but its another thing to literally be standing where the event took place or the historical figure lived.  I have always loved that, and when I was here in high school on Alexander Muss, I found myself falling in love with the history of this place.  It's complicated and messy but so rich and unique, and I am so excited to be here.  (Don't worry mom, I am not making aliyah!) 
My classmates are fabulous, and so interesting.  Each one comes here with a different story and perspective on Judaism, and as I spend time with them I am gleaning little bits of who they are.  It's pretty incredible.  Several of my classmates are second career students, meaning they did something else for several years before they came to Israel.  One was a criminal defense attorney, another was an engineer, we have a rocket scientist who worked with the Navy, and someone else who worked in real estate.  Amazing! 
Jessie and I are enjoying life in Israel, even as the homework is starting to pile up!  We have set up a regular Hebrew study group, so we meet almost every day and do our homework together.  It's been great! 
Ok--time to get back to my biblical history readings!  Love you all.
Rebecca
 

Getting in to the swing of things...

Hello everyone!  I apologize that it's been so long since my last post--I have been so busy with classes that I haven't had much time!  This summer we have three classes: ulpan (hebrew immersion), cantillation (Torah chanting), and Biblical Archaeology.  All three have been great, and I really like my teachers.  I keep reminding myself that we are learning things that will serve as a foundation for the rest of our careers, and it is so exciting!! 
Yesterday a bunch of us went to Tel Aviv for the day.  It was great to be out of Jerusalem and just relax.  We went to the shuk, (outdoor market) and to the beach, which was beautiful.  Then we joined up with a local congregation that does outdoor beach services every Friday night during the summer.  Hundreds of people were there, and there was a lot of singing and dancing.  It was beautiful to see the sunset over the Mediterranean.  Tel Aviv is so different than Jerusalem, partly because its a much bigger city with a lot more people, and partly because it is a lot less religious.  I felt like I was in any big metropolis while I was there, whereas when I am in Jerusalem I know I am in a place unlike any other in the world.  I love Tel Aviv and look forward to spending more time there when I need to get out of Jerusalem, but when I came back here I found myself appreciating the beauty of this city even more. 
I recently learned about a protest that is happening in several cities throughout Israel relating to the affordable housing crisis.  We talked about in ulpan, actually!!  There are hundreds of people who are living in tents in the street and in parks to protest how expensive the housing is here.  Some of the people are students, some are homeless, and some are just individuals doing it for solidarity.  There was a newspaper article that we read in class profiling some of the people who were there, and I found myself fascinated by the whole situation.  For the past year I have worked to try and find affordable housing for individuals who clearly needed it, and I rarely had any luck.  Affordable housing in America is scarce for a lot of reasons, but there still are lots of buildings and programs available. Additionally, many cities have housing authorities that work to create affordable or subsidized housing. In Israel, it's not like that at all, and most of the housing is incredibly expensive.  I don't think the idea of section 8 exists here!  I am not sure what kind of solution the people who are protesting are looking for, but it will be interesting to see what comes of it. 
Tonight I am leading Havdallah for a birthright group, and I am very excited.  It's great to see young people (although I suppose I still fall into that category!) experience Israel and try to understand its many complexities.  I love it here and am having the best time on my program, and haven't been so happy in a long time!  I hope everyone is doing well and please email or skype me if you have time!  I miss all of you lots!

Eretz Yisrael Sheli

Hello everyone!  Happy Bastille Day to those who are celebrating! (the only reason I know this is happening is because I live down the road from the French Consulate) 

Rather than re-cap my entire week, which has been simultaneously exhausting and incredible, I am going to focus on one particular event that stood out to me.  This week has been orientation, so every day we have lectures and programming that relate to both the land of Israel and our time at HUC.  As part of forging a connection to Israel, we had a program this evening entitled "My Jerusalem" where we were divided up into groups of about 8 people and paired with an Israeli.  Each Israeli had a connection either to the college or to a person who worked there, and each one planned a different program.  My "guide" for the evening works for the Israeli Religious Action Center, run by Anat Hoffman who is also in charge of the controversial Women of the Wall minyan (more about that in another post!).  The IRAC (a very unfortunate acroynm in this particular part of the world) focuses on social justice issues within Israel and raising awareness both in the country and abroad about injustices that take place every day.  One such issue that they are particularly focused on is segregated buses.

A brief history: In the last few years there have been pushes from the Ultra Orthodox community in Israel to make certain public city buses segregated (women in the back, men in the front).  In 1999 there were only a handful of public buses that were segregated, but by 2010 there were 60 bus lines that were segregated.  The Israeli Supreme Court ruled in 2011 that this goes against Israeli law, and mandated that all buses post signs saying that you can sit anywhere you want regardless of your gender.  They also ordered the bus company to publish ads in all the newspapers in the country saying that the bus lines are no longer segregated.  Some Ultra Orthodox papers refused to publish the advertisement, and when they were forced to, added their own disclaimer at the bottom of the ad saying that people should still segregate.  Now, there are only 2 bus lines in Jerusalem that are still considered segregated, even though legally people can sit wherever they want.  There are more unofficially segregated buses throughout Israel, but thanks to the work of the IRAC, this is declining.  IRAC has started having volunteers go on these particular bus lines and challenge the segregation.  There have been about 500 such events in the last few years, with volunteers both Israeli and otherwise coming to support the cause. 

So, as part of our program, we took a taxi to a very Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem and then rode one of these segregated buses.  There were 8 of us total, three men and 5 women, and all of us stood in the general vicinity of the front of the bus.  When we first boarded, some of the men sitting in the front yelled at us and said that this was a segregated bus and we (the women) needed to sit in the back.  One man got so angry he got off the bus at the next stop!  Some of the women on the bus also told us that we (again, the women) had to sit in the back.  One of my male classmates sat in the "women's section" but people didn't seem to make as much of a scene over that as they did to the females sitting closer to the front.  We were on the bus for about 20-25 minutes, which was a good enough amount of time to get a sense of the issue.  For the most part nobody said anything to us, although we did receive some strange looks from some of the passengers (both male and female). After we got off the bus, we took taxis back to the city center and had dinner and debriefed our experience. 

All in all, the trip was really eye opening, and provided me with a glimpse into a community that I don't get to interact with very much.  Obviously there are a lot of Ultra Orthodox people in Jerusalem, but going to an area that is very clearly defined as "theirs" was different than seeing them in the Old City or other places near the center of town, mixed in with all the tourists and other more secular Israelis.  Also, so much that is done in Israel is controversial, and so many people protest or riot or make statements about things that are happening both on a state level and in their communities.  However, rarely do I feel like these statements make much of a difference in terms of policy change.  It seems often that protests or rallies tend to only serve to raise awareness about a cause, which while vitally important, doesn't necessarily mean anyone's opinion will change.  The issue of segregated buses was one that I assumed would fall into this category.  What difference would it make if I sat in the men's section of a segregated bus?  No Ultra Orthodox man is going to see me there and suddenly decide that segregation is wrong and that women should be able to sit wherever they want solely based on my presence.  However, this has been done enough times and the IRAC has made enough of an issue out of it that policies really have changed.  Obviously its going to take time, and there will always be buses (just like the one I was on tonight) that will still remain mostly segregated, even if legally they aren't.  But the pressure from the IRAC has already caused so much progress to be made regarding this issue, and I felt excited and exhilarated to have been a part of the process to create positive change in Israel. 

Tomorrow is a much more uneventful day, although it is my little sister Emily's birthday so I will definitely have to call home at some point.  I am planning on sleeping in and then relaxing before services at HUC.  My time in Israel so far has been outstanding, and I have felt happier and more at peace here than I have felt in a while.  I am so excited to continue this journey and learn more about myself, the country I live in, and the Jewish tradition.  An early Shabbat Shalom to all of you, and look out for another post soon!

xoxoxo
Rebecca