Differences & similarities

I wanted to start off with a few things that make Eretz Yisrael so unique and different from home ...

First of all ... the toilets.  So there is no handle on the side near the top of the tank.  Instead, you have two buttons on the top of the toilet.  One is for a small flush, and the other is for a large flush.  ROTFL!
Next up ... hot water heaters.  At home, when I want to take a shower, I can just pop into the shower.  Here, it requires advanced planning.  The hot water heater is expensive to operate, so people only turn on the hot water heater in the winter when they need it.  Now keep that in mind ...
This morning, I wanted to take a quick shower.  So I go and turn on the water heater.  Because it's cold, I need to give it about 30-40 minutes to heat up.  So I wait about 40 mins and go into the bathroom.  UH, guess who put on the bathroom heater instead of the hot water heater??? So the bathroom was nice and toasty.   Too bad I'm not taking a shower in cold water.  So, I flip on the hot water heater, and then start my wait again. *sigh*
Third of all ... Israelis are very friendly.  I was waiting outside a store for the girls to finish shopping.  Some elderly guy asks me why I am just pacing around outside.  I explain how bored I am.  He starts telling me about where he was born, that he lived in the US for 35 years, his wife died, and he buried her here and came here to be close to her.  Now I normally do suffer from a horrible case of MY-lipus-FLAPPUS, but this time I was out done!  I normally do get people to tell me various things, but a whole life story?  That is a record.  Later, a woman asks in English (in the same overcrowded store), "Can someone help me?"  It was super busy, so they just blew her off saying there are only two of them working.  I smiled and said, "Welcome to Israel".  They don't care if you buy from them or not.  You don't want to wait, go ahead and leave.  (On the opposite side of the spectrum , you will have sellers who are desperate for  you to buy their stuff!)  The woman's kids start acting up, so I volunteered to watch them for her outside.  A total stranger trusting another stranger with her most precious possessions.  LOL!  The kids and I stood outside counting busses and taxis.  I can guess you can file these under the ONLY IN ISRAEL file.

So now to share my full day (after my shower mishap).  We went to the kosel because it was a stunning day out.  There is something about the wall.  There is a strong feeling, a yearning, a shame for not rebuilding the Temple in our days, and more.  It is so over powering.  Again, as I approached the wall, I was overcome, and just started to cry.  I put my head against those holy stones, and just cried, begging Hashemi to please, please, please send Moshiach NOW!
After that, I again said tehillim for my classes full list.  (If anyone has a name they want added; I'm going again on Tuessday, IY"H.)

Afterwards, we headed to Geula. We actually ended up in Meah Shearim.  Meah Shearim is a busy shopping street full of religious Jews.  (I hate the label "ultra-orthodox".  What does that even mean, anyway???)  As we are walking along towards Geula, I saw a woman and several girls walking.  I was shocked, because they were wearing black burkas! They didn't even have their faces showing.  I said to Zahava, I thought they weren't allowed in here, meaning I thought they were Arabs.  Someone near me answers me ... They are Jews.  <OH. MY. GOSH.  Open mouth, insert foot!>  Personally, I think they are nut jobs.  There is no where in the entire Torah that is says a woman has to cover her entire body from head to toe.  If that is how these ladies feel, maybe they would be better off just staying in their houses?  Anyhoo.  I realized after I should have taken a picture.
Next stop, shopping.  Geula is basically 13 Ave on steroids in Hebrew.  Now, let me tell you ... If you think going to the grocery store without a list is bad, because you find a million things you didn't realize you desperately needed, well, then, you know how bad this was.  Store after store after store full of all kinds of wonderful and exciting things that I totally did not realize how important it was for me to own these.  So much for traveling light when I go home.  Let's just say that I am helping the Israeli economy as much as I help out the American economy back home.

The pictures are in black and white on purpose.  I was trying out "street photography", and I am really very pleased with the results.  Enjoy!

this one is my favorite --

OH yeah, I almost forgot to include this.  Israel is a very small country.  It is only the size of New Jersey .  It is very common for people to bump into other people they know.  I kept hoping I would run into someone from Richmond, but no such luck.  As we are walking along, Zahava tells me, "There's Hanoch Teller".  (He's an author who wrote a TON of books.)  I saw him giving his autograph to someone, so I asked him for one.  I mentioned that he once came to Richmond, VA, and he said it was a very long time ago.  Zahava snapped a picture of us.

And there you have another fun filled and enjoyable day in the Land of Milk and Honey.

Shabbos in Yerushalayim & Pictures!

Shauly and I had grandiose plans of walking around after the evening seuda.  However, Shauly wasn't feeling well, so he went to sleep early.  Instead, Zahava and I stayed up talking for hours.  Shabbos morning I got to sleep late, and then all afternoon, we just played games.  Much to my embarrassment , I can't tell you what Shabbos in Yerushalayim is like, because I haven't set foot out the door since I came back Friday afternoon.

And now for some pictures ...

This first one is my picture I took of the Kotel .  Just remember that it was sleeting, and we were unable to take better pictures.

Next, I have some from Ein Gedi.  These first two were right when we got off the tour bus.  You can see Masada in the background.

Ein Gedi has some lovely waterfalls.

and some breathtaking views -- 

Onward and upward to Masada --

Everything below the black line is the original structure.  Above the black line is a recreation.  These black lines are seen throughout the whole place.

A two thousand year old mikvah?

One of the spectacular views I got to see

And then off to the Dead Sea, which is so full of salt that no fish or plant life live there.

The beach is a separate beach.  Zahara and I are standing next to the dividing wall.  We didn't take our coats off the whole times.  A bunch of women and girls did go into the water.

The white stuff alone the shore is salt...

Tomorrow is a lazy day, hopefully a shopping day.  We are planning to go to Geula, which is a shopping area.   I would love to pop back into the Kotel to daven there again, but we'll see what happens when I wake up.

Good Night from the Holy Land, where every breath I take has holy air in it!

Not everything is necessary.

I know I may get a lot of flack For this, but here goes ...
Today we went to Yad Hashem. Now let me preface this with a disclaimer. I regularly read holocaust books. During the Nine Days, it's all I read. I wouldn't call myself an expert, but the Shoah is not a new idea to me. I personally found the museum to be boring. I think that the museum is incredibly very well thought out. It can be very, very meaningful. The museum itself has free entrance. We went to get information, and the woman told us where everything is. It has a huge, multi-complex lay out. We asked if we need a head set, but they cost 25 shekels. We decided not to get them. ( Maybe that was our mistake?) We did buy the map for $3. I wanted to see the children's memorial first. I thought that I had read that it has a bunch of children's shoes. ( Maybe that is the one in Washington, which I never visited.) Once we managed to find it, we were a little disappointed. You enter a dark building, and there is eerie music playing. Then you enter this dark room, with candles and mirrors. The room is set to reflect lights and make it look like hundreds and hundreds of lights, almost like stars at night. As you walk around, names, ages, and place of birth are being read. We left, and managed to get ourselves out of the whole complex. Much to our complete embarrassment, we had to walk back through the front and see the lady at information, who was surprised to see us entering again from the front of the building.
We decided to stick to the game plan, and go through the main building.
You enter a building with tons of rooms and displays. We watched a few movies, read a few displays, but truthfully, it was stuff I've already read. Ok, not word for word, but the ideas are the same. After a half hour, I was totally and completely bored. I found one quote that I really liked. When I whipped out my cell phone to take a picture, some guy comes running over ... No pictures allowed. Okay then .... So I told Shoshana I was bored, and it turns out she and Bashi were also bored.
We skipped through to the end, and went off in search of the gift shop. For us, the best part of the visit was browsing in the gift shop. I guess it doesn't reflect too well on us, LOL.
We took a taxi back to Shauly's, which was another interesting experience. Apparently, he didn't know where he was going. Once we got there, he tried to charge the full amount. I told him we weren't paying for his getting lost, and he nicely agreed to lower the price.
Came back to Shauly's apartment to find the power out. Great, I could be in  for losing power. I didn't come to Israel for that! Laughing at that.
We are preparing for shabbos; I'll see you on the other side.
GOOD SHABBOS or SHABBAT SHALOM!

Beyond awesome

It's hard to believe that Eretz Yisroel is basically the size of New Jersey. You have so many different climates and areas.
For day two, I took a tour with Artzeinu, an orthodox tour guide group. Zahava, her sister Shoshana, her friend Bashi and I started off the  with a short walk to the Prima Kings hotel to meet the group. Of course, I held everyone up, and of course, we were the last to arrive!
Our tour guide was a fun and very knowledgeable man named Moshe. He proceeded to keep us entertained with all kinds of interesting facts and tidbits about the areas we were passing. It's an unbelievable feeling to hear about Israel in connection with various parts of the tanach. He really brought it to life.
Our first stop was Ein Gedi, a nature reserve. We spent an hour and a half hiking up a mountain, learning about the wildlife and plant life. Of course, there were plenty of picture opportunities along the way. Israel is truly a beautiful and unique country. Next, we popped over to Masada. The story of Masada is a chilling one of Jews not willing to give up Torah. We rode a cable car up to the top. In case you have never been there, the place is HUGE! We literally spent 1 1/2 walking through and learning the history of it. It's mind boggling to touch stones that are over two thousand years old! The views were breathtaking. Pictures truly do not do them justice. After lunch we headed over to the Dead Sea. I guess I was expecting the thick goop I make at pesach, so I was pleasantly surprised to find it feels life water. Until I pulled my hand out of the water. The water not only has salt, but there are minerals and oils in it as well. A bunch of ladies went in the water, although we were content to stand around in our coats snapping pictures.
I'm writing this on the bus back to Yerushalayim, where I know it is a lot colder than where we are now. I'm watching the sun set paint beautiful hues of red and deep purple in the back drop of mountains. I just want to add that the colors here all day have been so vivid. It's almost like someone took my brain and set it to high saturation. The sky is such a deep shade of blue. The Yam Hamelech can't even be described. The colors vary from place to place, from blue to green and in between. The shoreline is white, coated with layers of salt.
Overall, it was another fantastic day in a land that is a delight to look at and experience.

One thing I forgot to mention yesterday ... When the plane arrived at Ben Gurion airport,  the pilot announced,  "Welcome to Israel". There was applause. Only in Israel do the passengers clap upon arrival!!!

(I'll add pictures from today over the weekend, b'n.)

Dreams DO come true!

When I was 18, I had a chance to go to Israel for a month.  However, the administration of my school said no, I can't take off and go.  It's been a dream of mine since then to go to Israel.  When I taught first grade, part of the curriculum was learning about the Land of Israel.  I taught the kids to love a country I myself had never seen.  I learned Torah, read stories, and always my heart was in Israel.  At one point, we considered making Aliyah.  Yes, I am totally willing to move a country I have never seen.

Then it happened!  All the stars lined up (JK), and now, here I am, in the Land of Milk and Honey!  

The flight was long, and very uncomfortable.  (I paid to upgrade to Delta Comfort Plus.  Problem is, I must be a little shorter than the average person (5'3"), so my legs did not hang comfortably from the seat in the recline position.  Let's just say it was a terribly long flight.  The ride to Shauly's house was also long.  I left 1 foot of snow in VA, and arrived to find Jerusalem expecting snow.  The main road to Yerushalayim was closed.  We were stuck in horrible traffic, and had to turn around and take another route.  It ended up taking well over 2 hours to get to Shauly's apartment.  At that point, it was really too late to do my first item on my itinerary, going to the Kosel.  

First thing (11:30am!), we headed out to the Kosel.  WHAT AN EXPERIENCE!  I had made sure to bring with me a shirt to be able to tear kriah on it.  You can go on eruv shabbos or rosh chodesh, but I wanted to show mourning for the loss of the Bais Hamikdash.  It was a very dreary, gray cloudy day.  It was also quite cold, in the 30s.  We went through security, and as we turned the corner, there it was in all its glory.  We tore our shirts, and went up to the wall.  There was a spot that a lady vacated, so we "claimed" it.  It was a very small spot right up against the wall.  I took the far end with a chair right near the fence.  And then I touched the wall.  I can't explain the feelings.  I was suddenly overwhelmed, and just started crying.  I started davening, and at one point, in the middle of shemonah esrai, I started crying again.  I couldn't even get the words out, so I just stood there and cried.  It was cleansing, like a Yom Kippur cry.  Here is Hashem's Holy House, and it is gone because we haven't yet earned it back.  I finished up, and then sat down to begin my tehillim.  Then it started to rain ... a few tiny drops.  And then ... came the sleet.  Tiny little balls of sleet, and nothing mattered.  I was sitting at the Kosel, a place I have dreamt about for so many years.  We finished our davening, and left.  Overall, it was a very moving and emotional visit.  A perfect start to my visit of the Holy Land.

MAY MOSHIACH COME SPEEDILY AND WIPE AWAY ALL OUR TEARS FOREVER AND EVER.