Yom Kippur in Jerusalem

I'm sure you all have been biting your nails anxiously waiting to hear how Magen David Adom training went, right? You can now rest assured knowing that I am officially certified to volunteer as a first aid responder in Israel after sitting 8 days of lectures and drills from 8:30am until 10:00pm including exams and practice. Although it was challenging sitting in a strikingly whitely lit classroom for biology lectures, I clearly learned a lot. It is fascinating to think about the human body in terms of problem solving and strategies first aid tactics. The drills we practiced were hypothetical situations that we will come across in the field in order to prepare us for our volunteer shifts. An example? One afternoon I had to sprawl out along the sidewalk in front of the conference center where our course was held with a motorcycle helmet on.

The scenario: I had been in a motorcycle accident, faded in and out of consciousness, and most likely had spinal injuries. From there, our instructor sent out an ambulance team to the scene to save me. Poor passersby stopped one after another to ask if everything was all right and to help while my classmates meticulously strapped me to a backboard and took my vitals. Because my Hebrew is not so great I could only respond, "Hacol biseder, anachnu lomdim." (Everything is fine, we are studying...) Some of my classmates have already begun covering shifts and have reported stories of injuries as scary as strokes, heart attacks, and car accidents and as minor as scrapes and public drunkenness. I am looking forward to work to come in Be'er Sheva.

Yom Kippur fell in the middle of the course and all of the Otzma participants met in Jerusalem for a seminar. The day before we learned with various educators for workshops on topics such as holiday traditions, spirituality, and creative writing. Regarding the holiday itself we each did as we pleased and spread throughout the city attending a multitude of different synagogues if we so chose, rested at the hotel if we chose, or visited with relatives in the area. I spent Kol Nidre at the kotel listening to the loud voices of many groups of men davening with family and community members by the Western Wall. On Saturday I spent the afternoon at the Kotel as well, and after reciting the Mourner's Kaddish in front of the wall, I broke fast with hundreds- if not thousands- of people as soldiers handed out muffins and juice. It clearly wasn't my typical Yom Kippur, and I missed my family's break the fast (especially Helaine's kugel) but I am grateful for the experience and enjoyed the unique opportunity I had. I haven't exactly processed that the high holidays have come and gone, but hopefully now that I have vacation during Sukkot I will breathe a bit and think about the year that passed and the year to come.

It is amazing to walk around the city and see so many sukkahs every where you turn. Tons of homes have them in the the yards, and people even build them on their porches and patios of apartments completely clad in decorations. Tons of restaurants have built them blocking sidewalks- some even protrude into the street and it is just part of the culture. I wandered through plenty of markets specifically for lulavs and etrogs and it is like nothing I have ever seen before.

My first free day out of class I enjoyed the day with Chani, my cousin from Pittsburgh, and her husband, Schlomo who are spending the year in Jerusalem. We spent the afternoon chatting and looking through pictures in their perfectly located and cute apartment, venturing out to the zoo, navigating the market, and enjoying freshly sliced halvah after dinner. We took plenty of pictures in front of monkeys and such so hopefully we will have those up soon for you to admire. After a night out on the town in Jerusalem we hopped over to Tel Aviv where I spent the afternoon on the beach with a huge group of others from my program and danced the night away by the beach with Michal and friends. We are planning fun field trips in the country as we speak so I must run...

Let's start at the very beginning...

As I am about to pass the three week marking point, I realize that I have yet to write down much of anything substantial in any forum- be it email, journal, or scribbling notes in the wee little notebook I forgot to bring along. For better or for worse I haven't stopped for a moment since landing in Tel Aviv to process anything I am experiencing as I have been non-stop on the go jumping from city to city, hostel to hostel and busting my chops navigating unfamiliar streets while chewing on bits of this foreign language called Hebrew trying to piece together what I know. All in all: Ha'kol biseder (loose translation: everything is fine and good).

My first few weeks in Israel have been similar to my experiences on Taglit-birthright israel trips. In other words, lots of Americans jumping on and off a big charter bus as we are schlepped all over the country on various fields trips and outings such as hikes, came rides, and of course quick dips in the Dead Sea. This also obviously includes large groups of Americans dining out together, going to bars together, and sticking out like a sore thumb. I have relished my last few weeks as a tourist as I am constantly making an effort to blend a bit more and acculturate to the Israeli lifestyle. I have been told by many that my first step is to lose the flip flops, but I am not there yet.

Otzma, the program I am on, has done a great job orienting the 47 participants both to Israel and to each other. I feel frighteningly comfortable with the other Otzmanikim (participants) and look forward to growing together over the next ten months. We have officially moved into our first apartments in Be'er Sheva, a desert city in the center of the country. We are living in the mercaz sc'lita, an absorption center, with immigrants from all of the worlds. It is totally surreal to walk along the outside corridors and see families from Russia, Ethiopia, India- even Cuba- all living together and all arguably Jewish. It is quite different from experiences along the East Coast and I look forward to joining the greater community as time passes.

On my first free weekend I jumped on a bus, with 38 other "kids" in my group and ventured off to Tel Aviv where we slept in sub-par hostels and enjoyed delicious sushi and great nightlife in clubs on the beach. On the Mediterranean, that is. After a lovely few days of lattes and napping in the sand I am thrilled with my decision to come to Israel for the year and found that feeling again of a swelling heart from excitement that I always experience while here. Furthermore, as nice as relaxing has been I am exciting to begin studying Hebrew in Ulpan and volunteering whenever possible. Sitting still isn't for me.

At the moment I am writing you from Michal's apartment in Modi'in, a city located conveniently half an hour outside of both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. For Rosh Hashanah we all went to adoptive families and Michal, who I know from UVA, was kind enough to take me in. As an American I am so appreciative of the hospitality Israelis have shown me time and again, but they all promise that this is the Israeli way: to invite people into their homes and family. Michal has gone above and beyond that, but never mind, she will be embarrassed if she reads this later. Thank you, Michal.

For Rosh Hashanah her family coordinated one of the most lovely dinners in my life. On the beach up north we sat under large tents at big tables loaded with homemade meats, salads, vegetables, fruits, spreads, drinks... you get the point? We sat outside for hours eating, talking and enjoying the coming of the new year. Frequently when her father or aunts were telling stories in Hebrew, it took me a few minutes to realize I didn't even know what they were saying as I was so enveloped in their energy and enthusiasm for reminiscing that I caught myself laughing when they laughed or sighing when they sighed. Being part of an Israeli family on the holidays was "chaval al ha'zman", like none other. Of course it is weird not to be home for Rosh Hashanah, but if I can't be with my family, there's no other place I would have rather been.

This weekend I went with Michal, her roommate Asaf, and their friends to the Jordan Valley where we rented log cabins and spent the days swimming and horseback riding in the hills overlooking Jordan. I feel quite spoiled and grateful for the opportunity and acknowledge that the rest of my year here probably won't be quite the same. But who knows?

Tomorrow I begin training for Magen David Adom, the Israeli volunteer ambulance service. I have been crazily studying vocab words such as tourniquet artery, tension pneumothorax, and vomit bag and wondering what exactly I am getting myself into... That said, I cannot wait for the ten days ahead of me and look forward to learning about emergency medicine in whatever vein they will teach me.

So, running with my reference to The Sound of Music in the title, I hope this glimpse into my first few weeks in Israel has answered a few questions and provoked many more. I would love to hear from you and I am sending you all my love and best wishes- especially for the new year!