Once again, I find myself apologizing for lack of blog posts. Well, I've been a LITTLE busy. Here's what's been up:
Last week was my birthday (yay for 19!) and my parents came to visit me. We hut up the Douche (yes, they both made it out in one piece, but I had to teach them the "Slicha and push" technique in order to spend less than two hours in the produce section) and of course, Home Center, where all home goods and needs are met, just in no particular order or organization. They came with me to volunteering to meet my kids, and since it was my final day at Ben Gurion school, my students made me goodbye cards and wouldn't let me get out the door. They don't understand why I need to move (quite honestly, neither do I, other than it's what I'm scheduled to do) and only want to know if I'm coming back. I told them I would do my best to visit.
After visiting the school where I work, the college where I take classes and showing them around Tel Aviv and the most exciting parts of Bat Yam, my parents helped me prepare a Thanksgiving meal for me and my friends! My dad chopped vegetables and my mom sauteed (she also cleaned the place from floor to ceiling). A trip to the Douche returned 7 kilos of "hodo" (turkey) but not in the form of whole, bones and skin bird; turkey breast only. Cooking it became interesting, but not nearly as much of an adventure as the pumpkin pie. My mom and I found what we thought resembled pie crust in the frozen pastry section of the supermarket, lined a pie tin and made a pumpkin pie. After sticking it in the oven for about 20 minutes, we checked on it, and my mom, with a petrified look on her face, said, "Elana, I don't really think we got pie crust. This is, um, puffing. Pies shouldn't puff." Indeed, we hadn't bought pie crust. We got puff pastry dough. Ooops. Nonetheless, the pie was saved, and after some time playing with the oven temperature and moving the pie around, it didn't end up being a complete disaster.
On Friday night, our tsofim threw us prom, Israeli style, in Tel Aviv. Beforehand, I invited a bunch of my friends for "pre-prom" leftovers (those 7 kilos of turkey might have been overkill). Prom was, to say the least, eventful. An open bar, thirsty American teenagers who still haven't learned their limits and a reason to celebrate combined in what can only be described as mayhem. Naturally, around 3am, it seemed like a good idea to go to Benedict's for breakfast. Yum.
So now, it's my last full day in Bat Yam. I'm sitting among suitcases and bare walls, an empty refrigerator and cleaned-out closets. The apartment is nearly restored to the state in which we found it. A little while ago I returned from picking up my laundry one last time. Generally, I'd try to flag down a cab to take me from the one side of the city where the laundry place is back to my apartment. However, today, I decided to walk, laundry bag in hand. As I trekked back through the city to Katzenelson street, I found myself noticing all the little things that make Bat Yam special to me. The kitty count reaching 20 before turning a corner (that is, 20 cats on one block. No repeats) Women walking to the Douche with their wheeling grocery bags (really, it's plaid and otherwise unfortunately patterned luggage with a handle and oversized wheels for easy navigation to and from the market). Children running through the street, screaming, dodging cars that are exceeding speed limits by about 50 kilometers. I also noticed that I barely broke a sweat, unlike three months ago when simply breathing made me start schvitzing like a farm animal. I walked past the mall, home of the Douche and schwarma stand, up Yoseftal street that runs all the way to the beach, where we spent our first weekends when it wasn't too cold to sit out in a bathing suit. I listened to the bickering and shouting around me, shocked at how much I understood. I saw the cat lady feeding stale bread to the neighborhood kitties behind the library. And then, as I reached my front steps, I glanced at the Super Katzenelson, where I've had to run for emergency milk, extra cheese, a piece of fruit, or an ice cream pick-me-up more times than I can count. It was then that my eyes started to well and I realized that I really am leaving this place. This place that has become my home. I know that Arad will be new and challenging, but I don't feel quite ready to pack up and go. Just as I've learned the bus system, the short cuts and all the ins and outs of Bat Yam and Tel Aviv, I'm reloading my suitcases (they're heavier now) and heading south. There is no way for me to know exactly what awaits, but I know there won't be a Douche, a Super Katzenelson, a finicky oven or the students of Ben Gurion School in Arad. I may find their equivalents, but I know it won't be the same. It feels like only yesterday I was moving in, flooding the apartment due to lack of shower plumbing, and getting lost everywhere I went. Time has flown by. I know that these three months are unique and special in and of themselves, and I know I will never forget the people, the places and the crazy memories I've made here.
Thank you, Bat Yam, for teaching me so much about Israel and about myself. I know I'll be back. And next time, I'm bringing a meat thermometer. You can't find those here.
More from Arad in a few days,
Elana
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Gin, Tea and Hummus
Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you well. There isn't much groundbreaking news to report from Bat Yam, but here is an anecdote from yesterday's adventures that I particularly like:
After classes yesterday, a large group of us traveled to Old Yafo (Jaffa) to visit the Etzel museum, which is dedicated to the history of the Irgun, one of Israel's first underground fighting brigades before the birth of the state and the IDF. Our guide, Yosef, was a member of the Irgun. Interestingly, Yosef (he introduced himself as Yoske) was first a member of the British army during British Mandate, and joined the Irgun simultaneously (so really, he was working for both sides at the same time). He was not even 15 years old when he first began serving (he told us he forged the date on his birth certificate so he could enlist at a young age). When he had been with the Irgun for some time, he was given a special mission by Menachim Begin (a leader of the Irgun): on Christmas, they were going to steal all guns and ammunition from a nearby British army base. Since Yoske had been a member of the British army, his English accent was perfect and he already had an official British army uniform. So, on Christmas Eve, Yoske and several other Irgun members soaked themselves in gin, to give the British officers the impression they were drunk, and offered drinks to their British "comrades" as well. Yoske told us a local doctor had told him it would take about half an hour (assuming the British drank all the gin they were given) for them to become tired and fall asleep. During this time, the Irgun fighters who were drinking with the British officers weren't actually downing gin: they were drinking tea. Same color, no adverse affects, no drunkenness. Genius plan.
Two and a half hours later (so much for what that doctor had said), the British had all gone home for Christmas or were asleep from the alcohol. Yoske and his Irgun buddies, running out of tea, loaded trucks with ammunition and drove off the base. However, during their escape, shots were fired and Irgun members were wounded. Yoske made it out alive, and with a whole new artillery.
In June 1948, Yoske was aboard the Altalena, an Irgun ship loaded with fighters and military supplies. David Ben Gurion ordered Menachim Begin, Irgun leader and passenger on the ship heading for Tel Aviv, to hand over the weapons and military supplies on the Altalena to the Israeli government; now that Israel had become a state, it should have only one army. When Begin refused, Ben Gurion ordered the Altalena to be shelled. This is the only time in Israel's (rather short) history that its leader ordered a direct attack on his own people. Several Irgun members were killed. Yoske and his wife (both were aboard the ship) found a lifeboat and saved five other people. One of the people on the lifeboat was a man from Cuba, who, once reaching the shore, went to a local hotel and refused to return to Israel (understandably, he was very upset by the Israeli government's actions). In 2007, he finally came back to Israel, where his daughter now lives, to find Yoske and properly thank him for saving his life. To learn more about the Altalena affair, please visit: http://www.etzel.org.il/english/ac20.htm
Once our museum tour was over, a group of my friends and I decided to venture into Yafo for dinner. One of the most famous and (delicious) restaurants in Yafo is Aboulafiya, which features classic Middle Eastern dishes (best kababs in a fifty mile radius). Everything you order comes with a selection of fifteen salads (cauliflower, corn, tomato, tahina... each one is better than the next) and laffa bread for dipping. Not to mention all the hummus you could ever want or need (it's all very overwhelming, let me tell you). We ate way too much and rolled ourselves onto a bus home.
I know this is somewhat short, but I wanted to share some recent highlights with you.
Thanks for reading - I need to go check on my brisket now.
Love,
Elana
After classes yesterday, a large group of us traveled to Old Yafo (Jaffa) to visit the Etzel museum, which is dedicated to the history of the Irgun, one of Israel's first underground fighting brigades before the birth of the state and the IDF. Our guide, Yosef, was a member of the Irgun. Interestingly, Yosef (he introduced himself as Yoske) was first a member of the British army during British Mandate, and joined the Irgun simultaneously (so really, he was working for both sides at the same time). He was not even 15 years old when he first began serving (he told us he forged the date on his birth certificate so he could enlist at a young age). When he had been with the Irgun for some time, he was given a special mission by Menachim Begin (a leader of the Irgun): on Christmas, they were going to steal all guns and ammunition from a nearby British army base. Since Yoske had been a member of the British army, his English accent was perfect and he already had an official British army uniform. So, on Christmas Eve, Yoske and several other Irgun members soaked themselves in gin, to give the British officers the impression they were drunk, and offered drinks to their British "comrades" as well. Yoske told us a local doctor had told him it would take about half an hour (assuming the British drank all the gin they were given) for them to become tired and fall asleep. During this time, the Irgun fighters who were drinking with the British officers weren't actually downing gin: they were drinking tea. Same color, no adverse affects, no drunkenness. Genius plan.
Two and a half hours later (so much for what that doctor had said), the British had all gone home for Christmas or were asleep from the alcohol. Yoske and his Irgun buddies, running out of tea, loaded trucks with ammunition and drove off the base. However, during their escape, shots were fired and Irgun members were wounded. Yoske made it out alive, and with a whole new artillery.
In June 1948, Yoske was aboard the Altalena, an Irgun ship loaded with fighters and military supplies. David Ben Gurion ordered Menachim Begin, Irgun leader and passenger on the ship heading for Tel Aviv, to hand over the weapons and military supplies on the Altalena to the Israeli government; now that Israel had become a state, it should have only one army. When Begin refused, Ben Gurion ordered the Altalena to be shelled. This is the only time in Israel's (rather short) history that its leader ordered a direct attack on his own people. Several Irgun members were killed. Yoske and his wife (both were aboard the ship) found a lifeboat and saved five other people. One of the people on the lifeboat was a man from Cuba, who, once reaching the shore, went to a local hotel and refused to return to Israel (understandably, he was very upset by the Israeli government's actions). In 2007, he finally came back to Israel, where his daughter now lives, to find Yoske and properly thank him for saving his life. To learn more about the Altalena affair, please visit: http://www.etzel.org.il/english/ac20.htm
Once our museum tour was over, a group of my friends and I decided to venture into Yafo for dinner. One of the most famous and (delicious) restaurants in Yafo is Aboulafiya, which features classic Middle Eastern dishes (best kababs in a fifty mile radius). Everything you order comes with a selection of fifteen salads (cauliflower, corn, tomato, tahina... each one is better than the next) and laffa bread for dipping. Not to mention all the hummus you could ever want or need (it's all very overwhelming, let me tell you). We ate way too much and rolled ourselves onto a bus home.
I know this is somewhat short, but I wanted to share some recent highlights with you.
Thanks for reading - I need to go check on my brisket now.
Love,
Elana
Thursday, November 4, 2010
We made history... and then there was Halloween...
This past Thursday, all of Year Course participated in the first ever Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Israel! Held in Jerusalem, this historic event drew thousands of participants. After receiving official t-shirts, I was handed a Hadassah flag to carry throughout the race - the flag was about as big as I am. Why they picked one of the shortest members of Year Course to carry the Hadassah flag is beyond me, but I was excited nevertheless (I tried not to hit too many people in my path, but eventually people realized they should avoid the short girl with the huge flag). At the start line, Senator Joe Lieberman spoke, and jokingly commented that he loves Hadassah so much, he married it (his wife is Hadassah Lieberman. Hahaha) and then, Nancy G. Brinker followed him. Nancy Brinker is the founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure; nearly 30 years ago, she promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, to bring an end to breast cancer. Today, the Susan G. Komen Foundation is the largest non-profit organization donating to breast cancer research (over $1.5 billion to date!) It was an incredible event, and I felt so fortunate to be a part of it.
As I mentioned in a previous post, we simply could not let Halloween pass us by, despite the fact that we're in Israel and no one here knows or understands what Halloween is, let alone celebrates it. However, as Americans in Israel, we took it upon ourselves to dress up and take Tel Aviv by storm. Well, my roommate and I dressed up as Tom Cruise from Risky Business; big white Oxford shirts, guy's briefs, high socks and, of course, sunglasses. After several hours at a downtown club (the local club-goers thought we were quite the sight. Over 200 American teenagers dressed up ridiculously in public. It was like a zoo) we decided it would be a good idea to go to the local 24-hour breakfast place (yes, they serve bacon). So, we sat, in costume, in a restaurant, and ordered omelettes, pancakes, french toast and the like. Don't worry, we tipped our waiter really, really well.
The following day was Yitzhak Rabin's memorial in Rabin Square (Kikar Rabin), where he was assassinated fifteen years ago. The service drew an unbelievable crowd; it was impossible to move. Members of all political parties, speakers including Shimon Peres and Rabin's grandson, and musical performances made the night very special. While standing in the audience, I saw a group of security guards coming through, the crowd parting for them (the sunglasses at night, black suits and earpieces gave them away). Who was in between the cloud of broad- shouldered intimidators? Isaac "Bougie" Herzog, Minister of Social Affairs. He stopped for a minute, introduced himself and shook my hand! I don't think his security details were too fond of the pause in proceeding through the crowd, but it was nice to meet him (for 12 seconds).
It's been yet another long several days of school and volunteering; one of the scariest moments of my week? A woman in the Super Douche had an argument with one of the cashiers and proceeded to raise a full soda bottle over her head and attempt to swing at the cashier and grocery bagger. Luckily, security was called before it escalated (and before any soda bottle to head contact was made). It was one of those "oy vey" scenarios. I paid for my chicken and aluminum foil and got out as fast as possible.
That's all for now - I should start preparing for my Shabbat dinner tomorrow night; I'm cooking!
Shabbat Shalom from Israel, and lots of love,
Elana
As I mentioned in a previous post, we simply could not let Halloween pass us by, despite the fact that we're in Israel and no one here knows or understands what Halloween is, let alone celebrates it. However, as Americans in Israel, we took it upon ourselves to dress up and take Tel Aviv by storm. Well, my roommate and I dressed up as Tom Cruise from Risky Business; big white Oxford shirts, guy's briefs, high socks and, of course, sunglasses. After several hours at a downtown club (the local club-goers thought we were quite the sight. Over 200 American teenagers dressed up ridiculously in public. It was like a zoo) we decided it would be a good idea to go to the local 24-hour breakfast place (yes, they serve bacon). So, we sat, in costume, in a restaurant, and ordered omelettes, pancakes, french toast and the like. Don't worry, we tipped our waiter really, really well.
The following day was Yitzhak Rabin's memorial in Rabin Square (Kikar Rabin), where he was assassinated fifteen years ago. The service drew an unbelievable crowd; it was impossible to move. Members of all political parties, speakers including Shimon Peres and Rabin's grandson, and musical performances made the night very special. While standing in the audience, I saw a group of security guards coming through, the crowd parting for them (the sunglasses at night, black suits and earpieces gave them away). Who was in between the cloud of broad- shouldered intimidators? Isaac "Bougie" Herzog, Minister of Social Affairs. He stopped for a minute, introduced himself and shook my hand! I don't think his security details were too fond of the pause in proceeding through the crowd, but it was nice to meet him (for 12 seconds).
It's been yet another long several days of school and volunteering; one of the scariest moments of my week? A woman in the Super Douche had an argument with one of the cashiers and proceeded to raise a full soda bottle over her head and attempt to swing at the cashier and grocery bagger. Luckily, security was called before it escalated (and before any soda bottle to head contact was made). It was one of those "oy vey" scenarios. I paid for my chicken and aluminum foil and got out as fast as possible.
That's all for now - I should start preparing for my Shabbat dinner tomorrow night; I'm cooking!
Shabbat Shalom from Israel, and lots of love,
Elana
Monday, November 1, 2010
VERY IMPORTANT: SOCIAL ACTION RWANDA NEEDS YOUR HELP!
Dear Readers,
As some of you may know, I am spending the month of February in Rwanda with the Social Action Rwanda track of Year Course. I will be living and working in the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village, located outside of the capital city of Kigali. Agahozo Shalom (ASYV) was established after the Rwandan genocide to aid in the country’s overwhelming epidemic of orphaned and homeless children. In 1994, Rwanda underwent one of the most horrific genocides the world has seen. Nearly one million lives were lost, and over 2.8 million children became orphans as a result of the violence; this number is one of the highest orphan rates in the world. A project of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Agohozo Shalom opened in December 2008 in the Eastern Province of Rwanda; it now provides a safe, nurturing and educational community for up to 500 Rwandan teenagers at a time.
Before I leave for Rwanda, the group of Year Course volunteers with whom I will travel, live and work must raise at least $5,000 for the Village. The money we raise could be put toward a new building project, buying textbooks or the Village’s sustainable agriculture program. Although $5,000 is our goal, I hope to surpass it with your help.
To make a donation and learn more about the village, please visit: http://www.agahozo-shalom.org/donate.html.
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT: You must indicate that the donation is in "support of" Young Judaea Year Course Social Action Rwanda (SAR); otherwise, we will not be credited for the donation and it will not be put toward our goal of $5,000. Also, please include YOUR name so we can thank you all for your generous support when our project is done.
Thank you all for your support, and, as always, thanks for reading.
Love,
Elana
As some of you may know, I am spending the month of February in Rwanda with the Social Action Rwanda track of Year Course. I will be living and working in the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village, located outside of the capital city of Kigali. Agahozo Shalom (ASYV) was established after the Rwandan genocide to aid in the country’s overwhelming epidemic of orphaned and homeless children. In 1994, Rwanda underwent one of the most horrific genocides the world has seen. Nearly one million lives were lost, and over 2.8 million children became orphans as a result of the violence; this number is one of the highest orphan rates in the world. A project of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Agohozo Shalom opened in December 2008 in the Eastern Province of Rwanda; it now provides a safe, nurturing and educational community for up to 500 Rwandan teenagers at a time.
Before I leave for Rwanda, the group of Year Course volunteers with whom I will travel, live and work must raise at least $5,000 for the Village. The money we raise could be put toward a new building project, buying textbooks or the Village’s sustainable agriculture program. Although $5,000 is our goal, I hope to surpass it with your help.
To make a donation and learn more about the village, please visit: http://www.agahozo-shalom.org/donate.html.
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT: You must indicate that the donation is in "support of" Young Judaea Year Course Social Action Rwanda (SAR); otherwise, we will not be credited for the donation and it will not be put toward our goal of $5,000. Also, please include YOUR name so we can thank you all for your generous support when our project is done.
Thank you all for your support, and, as always, thanks for reading.
Love,
Elana
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