I didn't plan on it, with finals and packing rushing up, but Thursday night and Friday was a special holiday, and while in the States it's one of the most boring since there's nothing special that you do on it. Here the circumstances change.
Shavuot marks the fiftieth day after the second day of Passover, and the time where the Israelites get their Torah. Customs usually include studying all night. So for the second Thursday in a row, Jerusalem was awake into the dawn. I did the usual 4km walk from the dorms to Town, eventually arriving at the Conservative Yeshiva, a place where I'd stayed on numerous occasions. This time, though, I couldn't figure out where to go. I ended up eating a fine dinner of cheese barekas, potatoes and watermelon with a bunch of high school students, before finding the lighter dinner I was supposed to be at. So already with two meals under my belt in under an hour, I was glad I came along.
The sessions themselves didn't appeal really. I caught only about every tenth word that the teachers said, as they discussed Ruth and the meanings of the characters names, as well as Abraham the iconoclast. However, there was always a break for more food in between sessions! Eventually I joined my friends on a short walk to another center, the Avi Chai Center, where more lectures were going on in Hebrew and English, but there I absolutely passed out, so I missed the class on science and religion. On the way back to the Conservative Yeshiva I learned the only piece of information of the night, that there's an interpretation that since the Israelites received the Torah on Mt. Sanai, and nobody's really sure where it is, it therefore belongs to everybody, and everyone can therefore accept it. I responded saying that first of all, others do accept it, even if not in the same way we do, and second, events relevant to Jewish history have happened in many places, but none of them are marked except for those in Israel (ie Purim, Sanai, Moses).
We returned in time to chill out for a few minutes, eat some food, and take off with the entire community of Jerusalem. At approximately four o'clock, the streets filled up with people, as we walked to the Old City. As I threw on my tallit to stay warm, it was an odd feeling seeing everybody walk the same path through the shuk to the Kotel, in the darkest hours of night. The Kotel was mobbed, everywhere. I stayed at one minyan about 20 feet from the wall, and then moved back, to the very very back of the entire plaza, and heard the Ten Commandments. Finally, I left the crowd for the Southern Wall Excavations, where the Western Wall meets the Southern Wall, and the Conservative (Masorti) egalitarian service was privately proceeding. You can see what this place looked like on Christmas Eve, Ramadan, and Hannukah in 2000...
Today, however, it was like walking in on a peace protest. People were sitting everywhere-on the floor from around the Roman Period, on the tall stone structures that once supported the archways up to the Temple,and everybody had different colored tallitot, contrasting the stark black and white at the Plaza.I heard Ruth, the Ten Commandments again, and then went back to the Kotel for possibly the greatest thing Chabad has ever done for me: Free breakfast.
After a delicious muffin, I was in a pickle. I could either walk all the way back to the apartment, even though I was overexhausted and had pulled a muscle speed walking the night before, or I could try and locate an apartment my friends had rented out for two days. It was another half hour walk away. I decided to just get moving to the outer wall of the city and then make up my mind, but before I did so I was lucky to find Sarah, who was walking right back to the apartment. She said it would be fine to come over, which made my leg feel so much better, and made the trek, with me eventually collapsing on a huge leather couch. It was easily the most fantastic and memorable Shavuot ever!
But then, after I walked back to the apartment, I realized I had no place for dinner. All day Thursday, while most people were getting food and making plans the next two days, I was working on papers. When I entered the apartment complex, I found Dayna reading outside, and she offered to see if there would be room at the house she was going to for dinner tonight, at a place she had never been to (so even though I felt bad for intruding, she was also a new face).
and of course, this plan worked out too,
A twenty minute walk later, I had met a guy from Philly who made aliyah after high school, having never been to Israel, served in the army as a sniper, roomed with friends of mine from high school, and now carried a gun everywhere he went. He and a bunch of grad students and Rothberg students arrived at the home of a wonderful young American orthodox couple, and for the rest of the evening, we discussed ridiculous children's games, Shavuot, Persian heritage (the guy was Persian), tap water, and the ongoing miracles of Israel's existence. It was a pretty simple and serene conclusion to my Shabbatot in the Holy Land.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Laila Lavan לילה לבן White Night
Just because I don't go to things doesn't mean I can't let you know about 'em.
Attached are the events that took place last night in Tel Aviv. Basically, it was an all night celebration for Tel Aviv's 100th anniversary. The real reason I'm listing these is so I can go back and see them sometime.
Also, Here's the fourth month, בקיצור
"WHITE NIGHT" EVENTS
Wednesday, MAY 27, 2009
Lighting the Bauhaus
50 Bauhaus buildings along Rothschild Boulevard and Bialik Street will be lit with
special lighting designs.
Theatre in the Station Complex
What: Tel-Aviv-Yafo's theatres salute Little Tel Aviv
Gesher Theatre will present selections from William Shakespeare's "The Twelfth
Night"
Gesher's website: www.gesher-theatre.co.il
Habima Theatre will present "About the Kettle and the Broom": a musical tribute to
the theatres that started performing in Tel Aviv in the late 1920s
Habima's website: www.habima.co.il
Where: Station Complex – adjacent to Neve Tzedek
When: 21:00-24:00
Singing in Sarona
What: A song festival of Israeli classics
Where: Sarona Templar Colony – along Kaplan Street
When: 22:00-02:00
Dancing in White
What: Dance and song festival – come dressed in white!
Where: Gordon Beach
When: 22:00 – 02:00
Yehudit Ravitz at dawn
What: Famous Israeli singer will perform at dawn with her biggest hits
Where: North Tzuk Beach
When: 01:00 – 05:00
All-Night Party at Alma Beach
Where: Charles Clore Beach (Manta Rey)
When: 22:00–04:00
"Ballad to a Woman" – Poems by Tirza Atar
What: Presented 30 years after the poetess's death, the show offers a glimpse into
the world of this special and multifaceted creator. Performed by Hanna Meron, Shula
Hen, Alma Zak, Ofer Bashan and Natan Salor, et al.
Where: Performing Arts Center Piazza, 19 Shaul Hamelech Boulevard
When: 22:00–02:00
Little Tel Aviv – East and West
What: Bialik Square will host a coffee shop reminiscent of the European cafes of the
1920s, accompanied by live music – Between East and West. Bialik Street will be lit
with decorative lighting and there will be nighttime tours of the complex.
Program: Yair Delall and an ensemble of musicians playing violin, oud, sitar, Bedouin
flute and percussion instruments (20:00-21:30); Marsh Dondurma Band – 15
percussion and woodwind musicians in a captivating Balkan craze: a parade along
Bialik Street and a dazzling performance in the square (21:30-midnight)
Where: Bialik Complex
When: 19:00-02:00
Electric Opera in the Sharon Garden
What: Israel Opera soloists, accompanied by a pianist, in an evening of songs from
Little Tel Aviv and the Good and Beautiful Israel; the prize-winning Coral Vocal
Ensemble presents a fascinating and diverse repertoire, including unusual
arrangements of songs composed by Israel's leading musicians, Little Tel Aviv songs,
and some added jazz, Gospel, pop and folklore
Where: The Sharon Garden – Hahashmal Park Complex (Levontin, Barzilai,
Hahashmal Streets)
When: 21:00-midnight
If You Were on Rothschild
What: White Night pays tribute to Little Tel Aviv on Rothschild Boulevard – from
21:00 to 01:00
* Dizengoff Statue Dedication – A statue of Dizengoff on horseback, created by
David Zondelowitz, will be installed opposite Dizengoff's home on 16 Rothschild
Boulevard, 18:00
* A special tour of the White City marking the inauguration of The White
Route – from Rothschild to Sheinkin – the generation of growth; Tel Aviv's
development to the east from the 1920s to the 1940s; Starting at midnight The first 30 participants will win a free tour – courtesy of the Centennial
Administration
A Variety of Activities, Shows and Festivities on Rothschild Boulevard:
The Y Circus presents "Four Floating Frames" – a performance by the "Fly Y Aerial
Dance Theatre"; Israel's National Circus Group; a display of period costumes; the
Story Bus – transportation stories related to Tel Aviv's history; an exhibition of
classic cars by The 5 Club; screening of student films, part of the "Revealing the
City" project; a tango band and dancers on an old-time dance floor; a pageant of
carriages driven by poets reading poetry; a display of traditional crafts; Photography
Studio – photography booths set against a period background reminiscent of Little
Tel Aviv, where visitors can have their photograph taken and receive a framed
picture; the Shabazi Circus presents "Ascending Café" – a characteristic Tel Aviv bar-
restaurant that operates in the air; I'll Clothe You in a Dress of Concrete and Cement
– fashion pageants inspired by Tel-Aviv-Yafo; Wearing White – characters dressed in
white costumes and illuminated using a special technique, will dance among the
crowd of celebrants
Where: Along Rothschild Boulevard
When: 21:00-01:00
White Night in the Sephardic Synagogue
What: Traditional melodies and songs
Where: The "Ohel Moade" Sephardic Synagogue, 5 Shadal Street
When: Starting at 21:30
Tel Aviv's Hyde Park: A Tel Aviv Mosaic at the Big Synagogue
What: an open stage for discourse and singing; participants: Rabbi Israel Meir Lau,
Tel-Aviv-Yafo's Chief Rabbi, Pini Gershon, Maccabi Tel Aviv's basketball coach,
Shmuel Vilozny, et al.
Where: The Great Synagogue, 110 Allenby Street
When: Starting at 21:30
Opening White Night at the Jaffa Port
What: A musical feast before sunset: classical Jewish music and traditional Arab
music performed by the Joseph and One Ensemble – nine Jewish and Arab musicians
who create original music inspired by a variety of styles - including classical Arab
music, western classical music, Flamenco, jazz, rock, et al.
Where: Jaffa Port entrance piazza near the shore
When: 19:00-20:30
* For details call: 03-6832255
There's Nothing like Jaffa at Night – Guided Cruise
What: A guided cruise from the Jaffa Port to the open seas, with guides from
Mishkenot Ruth Daniel
Where: Jaffa Port
When: Tours leave at 18:20, 19:30, 20:30; tour and cruise duration: approximately
45 minutes
Price: NIS 30 per person; reservations must be made in advance
For details and reservations: 054-2288958; www.beit-daniel.org.il
"Kappisch" Café Under the Stars
What: Food and beverage booths will be manned by deaf waiters and barmen at the
"Nalaga'at" Center coffee shop
Where: "Nalaga'at" Center, Aliyah Shenia Pier, Jaffa Port, Tel: 03-6330808
A Variety of Marine Activities
Sailing Center: Riding aquabikes at sunset, between 18:00–20:00
Special terms for those registering for courses; details and registration: 03-6810066
Sailor Club: Romantic cruises, starting from sunset until 04:00. The cruise includes
explanations about yachts and sailboats. Participants will be able to navigate the
yacht, supervised by the instructors.
Tour and cruise duration: About an hour; light refreshments will be served during
the cruise
Price: NIS 95 per person or NIS 170 per couple. Discounts for those registering for
a yacht sailing course.
For details and reservations: 077-2120367
Sea Goddess Club: Sea Goddess, a new and elegant sailing yacht, will cruise along
Tel-Aviv-Yafo's charming beaches on White Night
Departures: A special sunset cruise at 19:00; additional cruises at 20:30, 22:00,
23:30, 01:00; the cruise lasts about 90 minutes; cost: NIS 100 per person or NIS
180 per couple; advance reservations are recommended: 03-5189447
Kyak4all Club: A chance to try out marine kayak rowing; cost: NIS 100 –
reservations must be made in advance: 054-7757076
Flea Market – The Nighttime Version
What: The Flea Market will stay open into the night, offering a unique opportunity to
stroll around its picturesque and charming alleyways and various shops, galleries,
cafes and restaurants
Where: Flea Market, Jaffa
White Stage
What: A function preceding the "Small Bama" events, where students will present
plays they wrote during the year as part of their studies in the Department of
Theatre. There will also be creative, dance and theatre workshops facilitated by
students and teachers from the Department; food and beverages and a dance party
until the wee hours of the morning
Where: Tel Aviv University, Faculty of Arts, Mexico Building (entrance via Gate 8)
When: 22:00–04:00
The 5 Club Car Show
What: The famous collectors club exhibits classic cars
Where: Rabin Square
When: 20:00-23:00
Education Biennial
What: An exhibit of works prepared by pupils as part of the special Centennial
projects. 25 different schools in the city will present works of art inspired by Tel-
Aviv-Yafo, created during the Centennial year
When: 19:00-20:00
"Tel Aviv Postcards" Films
What: Screening of "Tel Aviv Postcards" films – short documentary films made by
11th
and 12th
graders
Where: Tel Aviv Cinematheque
When: Starting at 13:00
Tel Aviv-Jaffa Tourism Association -Tours Throughout the City
* Price of each tour: NIS 30 per person
* Reservations at the Tourism Association's Information Bureau: 03-5166188 (which
will provide information about where the tours leave from)
Houses Talk in Nachlat Binyamin: 19:00 – Guide: Yehudit Livnat
Bialik: 19:00
Neve Tzedek's Magical Lanes: 19:30 – Guide: Ilan Shechori
Along Rothschild Boulevard: 20:00 – Guide: Doron Ozer
Around Dizengoff Square: 20:30 – Guide: Shula Vidrich
Tel Aviv Amidst the Songs: 21:00 – Guide: Yifat Avitzedek
Tel Aviv Today: 21:00 – Guide: Maor Sadeh
Late Night Stories: Midnight – Guide: Yossi Goldberg
Special White City tour marking the inauguration of The White Route:
Midnight
* Price for each tour: NIS 30 per person
* Reservations at the Tourism Association Information Bureau: 03-5166188 (which
will provide information about where the tours leave from)
* The first 30 to make a reservation will receive a free tour – courtesy of the
Centennial Administration
A Night of Surprises at the City's Pantheon – Trumpeldor Cemetery
What: This lantern-lit tour starts with a mysterious murder in the municipal park,
and continues with secrets, stories and surprises between the graves at the
Trumpeldor Cemetery
Where: The Restored Trumpeldor Cemetery
When: Two tours: 22:00, 24:00, led by Yossi Sherman and Yossi Goldberg
Special Menus in Honor of White Night – NIS 79 per Person
What: Restaurants around the city will offer discounted menus in honor of White
Night:
Where:
Avant-garde
Alter Nativ
Amali Resto Bar
Badolina
Bar Giora
Betty Ford
Binyamin
Brewhouse
Dim Sum
Dita
Frida Kahlo
Kimmel
Lemon Grass
Lucas
Max Brenner
Mifgash HaSteak
Ming Ling
Nalaga'at Center
Patron Events
Poike
Subkuch Milega
Sushi to Go
Tel Aviv River
When: Throughout the Shavuot holiday and weekend, Wednesday-Saturday, May
24-30
Driving and Making Music
What: A Dixie band will drive around the city on the Tourism Association's Dan City
Tour Bus, playing Tel Aviv songs from different periods and styles
Where: Throughout the city
When: 20:00-24:00
Using a Positive Approach
What: The "Anima – Positive Approach" Center and the Two for Cats boutique will
together offer activities for your pets: first behavioral consultation free of charge;
complementary and alternative treatments for animals; organic products for pets
manufactured by the Center will be sold at a 20% discount
Where: "Anima – Positive Approach" Center, 3 Eliezer Peri Street, Atarim Square,
street level; Tel. 072-2501049, 052-2611049, 054-2382770
White Night Events at Beit Ariela
What: Classical music concert, featuring the pianist Tal-Haim Samnon who will play
works by Grieg, Brahms, Chopin and Paul Ben-Haim, and the clarinetist Keren
Goldenzweig
Where: Beit Ariela, 25 Shaul Hamelech Blvd., Tel 03-6910141
When: 22:30-23:30
What: Jazz Into the Night
Where: Beit Ariela
When: 23:30-01:30
What: The "Soft Cover" band in a melodic rock performance, featuring the best of
Hebrew songs
Where: Auditorium
When: 23:00-24:00
What: "The Family" band in an Israeli rock performance
Where: Auditorium
When: 24:00-01:00
What: The Eliyahu Brothers – "Tel Aviv Postcards 1920-1940" – an exhibit from the
first postcards company in Israel, documenting Tel Aviv's history from the beginning
of the 1920s until the late 1930s. Books from the library's surplus stocks and
Graphotek collection lithographs by Israeli artists will be sold as well. Visitors will
also be able to sit in the coffee shop on the premises.
Where: Beit Ariela, 25 Shaul Hamelech Blvd., Tel 03-6910141
When: 22:30-03:00
White Night at Ben-Gurion's House
20:00-24:00: Guided tours at Ben-Gurion's House (every hour starting at 20:00;
the last tour is at 23:30)
20:00-21:30: "Israel's Wars as Reflected in Hebrew Songs" – a lecture by Yotam
Regev, Ben-Gurion Heritage Institute 22:00: "A Mysterious Murder on the Beach – Who Killed Arlozorov?" – a guided tour
led by Yaron Dishon, Ben-Gurion Heritage Institute; the tour leaves from the Ben-
Gurion House yard (contingent on a minimum number of participants)
Where: 17 Ben-Gurion Blvd., Tel. 03-5221010
"Key Role" – A Multimedia Performance Written and Performed by
Shlomo Bar-Shavit
What: The play, adapted and directed by Moshe Becker, is part of the conference
"Habima at 90 – New Approaches to National Theatre." Tickets can be
purchased by phone at 03-6295555, *5008, or on the Habima website:
www.habima.co.il
Where: Shein Auditorium, "Yad Lebanim", 63 Pinkas Street
When: Wednesday, May 27 at 20:30
The conference, open to the public free of charge, will be held on May 24-27; the
conference program is posted on http://www.tau.ac.il/~habima90 .
The City's Jewel – The Tel-Aviv-Yafo Jewelry Fair
What: Rashbel Ltd. and the Magnolia jewelry store chain, in cooperation with the
Centennial Administration, invite you to a jewelry fair presenting the creations of
Israel's top jewelry designers.
Where: "Gan Haeer" Roof, 71 Ibn Gevirol Street
When: 17:00-03:00
White Night at the Third Ear
What: A variety of events and activities at the store's complex, marking Tel Aviv's
Centennial and Arik Einstein's 70th
birthday, the singer most associated with White
and Black Tel Aviv – and their common elements; entrance free of charge
*A performance called "Don't Give Up On Me…Night After Night" will be held on the
Third Ear's piazza – a cabaret marathon honoring Arik Einstein, with Yaheli Sobol, Dr.
Casper's Rabbit Show, Tamar Eisenman, The Right Bunny, No Bears, Esther's Fast,
The Good Looking Guys are With Me, and Midnight Peacocks.
* The Champions League final will be screened at Third Ear's bar, starting at 22:00;
there will be a Free Style party starting at midnight
* Starting at midnight, films featuring Arik Einstein will be shown at Third Ear's
movie theatre: "Peeping Toms", "Big Eyes", "Lool" and "The Snail"
* Customers who purchase a subscription for 25 or more movies will be entitled to a
20% discount at the DVD library, free lending of films whose titles include the words
"white" and "night", and a free bonus movie if they are fans of Hapoel Tel Aviv
* Customers who purchase 3 Israeli films on sale will receive a free copy of "Peeping
Toms"
More details can be found on: www.third-ear.com
Where: The Third Ear, 48 King George Street
When: Starting at 23:30
The Israeli Opera
What: A midnight concert of popular operas
Where: Opera House – Performing Arts Center, 19 Shaul Hamelech Blvd.
When: Starting at midnight
White Night at the Eretz Israel Museum
What: Exhibitions open to the public:
"Haredim" – Menahem Kahane, Photographs
"Tel Aviv's Secret History" – What Happened Here Over a Period of 20,000 Years?
"Ode to Concrete" – The Concrete Ethos in Israeli Construction and Culture
"Faith Train" – The Hejaz Railway Centennial
"China's Coins" – Chinese Means of Payment Over Time
"Nomads in the City" – Yael Ravid, Photographs
"Kinneret Memories" – Ben-Zion Yisraeli's Photograph Albums
* The Anina Cafe, located at the entrance to the Museum, will serve a Centennial
Cocktail to all patrons and remain open until 02:00
* Special White Night entrance fees:
Entrance to the Museum: NIS 25 (instead of NIS 38)
Entrance to the Museum and the Planetarium: NIS 35 (instead of NIS 61)
Parking in the Museum's parking lot: free of charge after 22:00
More details can be found on: www.eretzmuseum.org.il
Where: Eretz Israel Museum, 2 Haim Levanon Street
When: 20:00-02:00
White Night at the Rubin Museum
What: A selection of Rubin's paintings will be on display – including early paintings
made in Europe, paintings made in pre-State Israel in the 1920s, and his late
paintings from the 1960s and 1970s. Visitors will also be able to view a biographical
presentation from the Museum's archives, tour the artist's restored studio and watch
a documentary film about Rubin entitled "Even the Shadow is Light." Explanations
about the exhibition will be provided by audio guides in Hebrew, English and French.
A special exhibit will also be on display: Ida Reicher – Embroidery Works – Inspired
by Rubin's Tel Aviv Landscapes from the 1920s. Ida Reicher creates unique
embroidery works using a personal and precise work technique, with each figure
taking one to five years to produce, depending on the size of the material. Reicher's
works are a tribute to Rubin who, together with her father, was active in Zionist
organizations in her hometown in Romania.
Entrance fee: NIS 15
Additional details on: www.rubinmuseum.org.il
Where: Rubin Museum, 14 Bialik Street, Tel. 03-5255961
When: 19:00-midnight
Miri Masika in an Acoustic Performance
Where: Tel Aviv Zappa Club, Ziv Towers, 24 Raoul Wallenberg Street, Ramat
HaHayal; for reservations call: 03-7674646
When: Doors open for the first performance at 20:00; doors open for the second
performance at 23:00
Bikurei HaItim Center
Wensdance – Movement workshop with Eyal Shemesh, 21:00
Free dancing in a variety of styles with the D.J. Michal Gefen, from 21:45 until the
wee hours of the morning
Cost: NIS 30 per person
6 Heftman Street, 03-6919510, http://tlvitim.co.il
Welcoming the Sabbath – The Big Days of Little Tel Aviv
What: "Welcoming the Sabbath" was one of the most famous and popular cultural
events held in Little Tel Aviv. Started by Bialik, every Sabbath it attracted hundreds
of people, who came to hear lectures on literature, culture and spiritualism,
alongside explanations of the weekly Torah portion as well as liturgical gems sung by
Cantor Shlomo Ravitz. The White Night event will incorporate excerpts taken from
the "Welcoming the Sabbath" archives and films shown in Tel Aviv's earliest days.
Artists, cantors and choir singers will reenact the special works that were composed
for "Welcoming the Sabbath."
Performers: The Tel Aviv Cantorial Institute Choir, The Shikmim Choir (conducted by
Menashe Lev-Ran), the singer Lior Yeni, the klezmer player Bernie Marinbach, and
the wonder child Orad Katz. Musical direction: Menashe Lev-Ran.
Starting at 21:30 at the Brodet Center piazza; shops, a cafe and booths will be
reconstructed to reflect the period and highlight the atmosphere; klezmer music will
be played by Bernie Marinbach and other musicians
Where: Brodet Center, 22 Zeitlin Street
When: 22:00-24:30
"Tel Aviv Scenes" Exhibition – Opening
What: A comparison of photographs taken by Avraham Susskin between 1909 and
1926 and photographs taken by Ran Arda in 2009, documenting Tel Aviv's streets,
buildings and quaint corners. Guy Raz, Shula Vidrich, Ran Arda and Susskin's
grandson will speak at the opening. As part of the White Night events, the Bauhaus
Center will be open until midnight.
Where: Bauhaus Center, 99 Dizengoff Street
When: 19:30
Spanish and Flamenco Dance Celebration – "Anda Jaleo"
What: The show highlights all the wealth and styles characterizing Spanish dance,
with a focus on Flamenco.
Two performances in an intimate and authentic atmosphere. Tickets: NIS 50
Tickets can be purchased by phone at 03-5231453 or on the website
www.silviaduran.com
Where: Silvia Duran Spanish Dance and Flamenco Center, 53 Ben Yehuda Street,
basement level
When: First performance at 21:30; second performance at 23:00
Tel Aviv Kabbalah Center – Evening Seminar
What: 21:00 – Kabbalist Astrology; 22:00 – Couple Relationships According to the
Kabbalah; 23:00 – A Journey Through Kabbalist Spheres; 24:00 – "The Secrets of
the Zohar" with Michael Berg, by live satellite broadcast from the U.S.; 01:00 – "Tel Aviv Kabbalists" – Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag and his student Rabbi Brandwein who lived
and worked in Tel Aviv, and thanks to whom the city has become an important
cultural and philosophical Kabbalah center.
No entrance fee to all the lectures – also suitable for beginners. It will be possible to
meet individually with Kabbalah teachers for private lessons, receive reduced prices
and discounts on the gamut of Kabbalah books in all languages and on Kabbalah
courses, read Kabbalah books and the Zohar in the Kabbalah library, and participate
in the launch of a new collection of Kabbalah jewelry made by Israeli artists and
designers.
Additional information: www.kabbalah.co.il
Where: Kabbalah Center, 14 Ben Ami Street, Dizengoff Square, 1-800-32-2626
When: Starting at 21:00
The National Dance Company of Spain, Under the Direction of Nacho
Duato
What: Part of the "Great Stage" events, three of the company's classics will be
performed: Gnawa, Castrati and For Thee I Die
Tickets: NIS 210 (a discount for Tel Aviv residents)
Tickets: Tel. 03-5105656 or on the website: www.suzannedellal.org.il
Where: Suzanne Dellal Center
When: 21:00. The Great Stage piazza will be open to the public about 45 minutes
prior to showtime.
Shavuot Party: Alcohol and Refreshments Honoring the Shavuot
Holiday at Studio 6B
What: 21:00 – an exhibition of the preparatory course graduates' portfolios
23:00-01:00 – a nude model drawing marathon at three different sites in the studio
Where: Studio 6B, 39 Ahad Ha'am Street, Tel. 1-800-360366, www.6bstudio.co.il
When: 21:00-23:00
Dance Classes at the Naim Studio – Mind, Body & Soul
What: 24:00-01:30 – hip hop; 02:00-3:30 – Brazilian samba; 03:30-05:00 –
contact improvisation; 05:00-06:30 - yoga at sunrise
An exhibition of photographs by the artist Tali Alohav is on display at the studio.
Cost per class: NIS 40
Where: Naim Studio, 46 Salame Street, Tel. 03-5188998, www.naim.org.il
When: Starting at midnight
Tel Aviv Cinematheque – A Marathon of Documentary Films Dealing
With Israeli Music and Rock
What: The following films will be screened during the marathon:
On the Move (Israel, 2008): directed by Avida Livni (75 minutes, Hebrew) – Ehud
Banai, Yossi Elefant and the "Refugees" (Jean-Jacques Goldberg, Gil Smetana and
Noam Zaid-Halevi); an everlasting musical passion that laid the foundations for all
Israeli rock – 24:00
Wearing Top Hats: A Postcard's Disturbed Skies (Israel, 1998): directed by
Hen Sheinberg (48 minutes, Hebrew) – rare excerpts from performances and songs
never incorporated in any formal record Hard Light, Soft Light (Israel, 2000): directed by Hen Sheinberg (40 minutes,
Hebrew) – a film about the journalist Kobi Or, one of the most influential figures in
Israeli alternative rock, and about rock journalism – 24:00 (Auditorium 2)
Stormy Souls (Israel, 2002): directed by Natan Mandelbaum (82 minutes,
Hebrew and English, Hebrew subtitles) – a film about the Israeli rock band "Minimal
Compact"; a journey to discover the band's extraordinary story through interviews
with its members – 01:30
Bombs En Route to the End of the World (Israel, 2000): directed by Yeshri
Halperin (52 minutes, Hebrew, English subtitles) – documents the world of trance in
Israel, as well as trance and drugs and what's common to them; a documentary
ballad about young Israelis at the end of the second millennium - 02:00 (Auditorium
2)
Prices: Long films and/or two films: NIS 33; films shorter than 60 minutes: NIS 20;
Tel Aviv residents with a resident's card: 50% discount; subscribers enter free of
charge
Where: Tel Aviv Cinematheque, 2 Sprinzak Street, www.cinema.co.il
When: Starting at midnight
White Night at Tzavta
What:
20:30 in Tzavta Lola (1): "A Dove with an Olive Leaf" – songs of peace and longings
for it, with Sarale Sharon and guests: Yehuda Elias, Dudu Zakai, Dorit Reuveni, Shuli
Natan, Lubana Salama, Dror Meshulam
20:30 in Tzavta 2: "Tel Aviv Once Upon a Taste and a Time" – a fringe theatre play
dealing with Tel Aviv
24:30 in Tzavta Lola (1): "Nerve Song" – an evening of satire with Ephraim Sidon –
the best Israeli songs performed with a sharpened and piquant twist
24:30 in Tzavta Hazan (3): Sacred Wigs Drag Performance, an evening of special
entertainment and provocative stand up comedy: replete with wigs and dresses,
makeup, dancing, singing, and Israeli cynicism
Where: Tzavta, 30 Ibn Gevirol Street, Tzavta Box Office: 03-6950156/7, extension
21; www.tzavta.co.il
When: Starting at 20:30
"Hummus, Fries and Salad" – Theatre, Dance and...Hummus
What: The play, part of the Khan Theatre's repertoire, takes place in a hummus
restaurant. The audience is invited to be seated and taste the hummus. Dancing
about, the waiters serve a portion of hummus to each member of the audience until
the creators of the play come in for some hummus and to resolve a crisis that has
emerged between them. Regular price: NIS 70; special price for Tel Aviv residents,
senior citizens and pupils: NIS 50
Where: Arab-Hebrew Theatre of Jaffa, 10 Mifratz Shlomo Street, Old Jaffa; for
reservations call: 03-5185563; www.arab-hebrew-theatre.org.il
When: 22:00-24:30
Plastic – Fashion and Culture Market
What: A nighttime shopping experience combined with a fashion party
A celebration for all fashion, art, music and culture buffs: 50 young fashion designers
will sell their own creations – clothing, bags, jewelry, accessories, and household
items. There will also be theatre presentations and live shows, as well as video art, photography and art exhibits. A Glam-Ou-Rama fashion party will be held in Shalom
Tower courtyard.
www.telavivcity.com/plastik7
Where: Shalom Tower ground floor, 1 Herzl Street
When: 19:00-04:00
Attached are the events that took place last night in Tel Aviv. Basically, it was an all night celebration for Tel Aviv's 100th anniversary. The real reason I'm listing these is so I can go back and see them sometime.
Also, Here's the fourth month, בקיצור
"WHITE NIGHT" EVENTS
Wednesday, MAY 27, 2009
Lighting the Bauhaus
50 Bauhaus buildings along Rothschild Boulevard and Bialik Street will be lit with
special lighting designs.
Theatre in the Station Complex
What: Tel-Aviv-Yafo's theatres salute Little Tel Aviv
Gesher Theatre will present selections from William Shakespeare's "The Twelfth
Night"
Gesher's website: www.gesher-theatre.co.il
Habima Theatre will present "About the Kettle and the Broom": a musical tribute to
the theatres that started performing in Tel Aviv in the late 1920s
Habima's website: www.habima.co.il
Where: Station Complex – adjacent to Neve Tzedek
When: 21:00-24:00
Singing in Sarona
What: A song festival of Israeli classics
Where: Sarona Templar Colony – along Kaplan Street
When: 22:00-02:00
Dancing in White
What: Dance and song festival – come dressed in white!
Where: Gordon Beach
When: 22:00 – 02:00
Yehudit Ravitz at dawn
What: Famous Israeli singer will perform at dawn with her biggest hits
Where: North Tzuk Beach
When: 01:00 – 05:00
All-Night Party at Alma Beach
Where: Charles Clore Beach (Manta Rey)
When: 22:00–04:00
"Ballad to a Woman" – Poems by Tirza Atar
What: Presented 30 years after the poetess's death, the show offers a glimpse into
the world of this special and multifaceted creator. Performed by Hanna Meron, Shula
Hen, Alma Zak, Ofer Bashan and Natan Salor, et al.
Where: Performing Arts Center Piazza, 19 Shaul Hamelech Boulevard
When: 22:00–02:00
Little Tel Aviv – East and West
What: Bialik Square will host a coffee shop reminiscent of the European cafes of the
1920s, accompanied by live music – Between East and West. Bialik Street will be lit
with decorative lighting and there will be nighttime tours of the complex.
Program: Yair Delall and an ensemble of musicians playing violin, oud, sitar, Bedouin
flute and percussion instruments (20:00-21:30); Marsh Dondurma Band – 15
percussion and woodwind musicians in a captivating Balkan craze: a parade along
Bialik Street and a dazzling performance in the square (21:30-midnight)
Where: Bialik Complex
When: 19:00-02:00
Electric Opera in the Sharon Garden
What: Israel Opera soloists, accompanied by a pianist, in an evening of songs from
Little Tel Aviv and the Good and Beautiful Israel; the prize-winning Coral Vocal
Ensemble presents a fascinating and diverse repertoire, including unusual
arrangements of songs composed by Israel's leading musicians, Little Tel Aviv songs,
and some added jazz, Gospel, pop and folklore
Where: The Sharon Garden – Hahashmal Park Complex (Levontin, Barzilai,
Hahashmal Streets)
When: 21:00-midnight
If You Were on Rothschild
What: White Night pays tribute to Little Tel Aviv on Rothschild Boulevard – from
21:00 to 01:00
* Dizengoff Statue Dedication – A statue of Dizengoff on horseback, created by
David Zondelowitz, will be installed opposite Dizengoff's home on 16 Rothschild
Boulevard, 18:00
* A special tour of the White City marking the inauguration of The White
Route – from Rothschild to Sheinkin – the generation of growth; Tel Aviv's
development to the east from the 1920s to the 1940s; Starting at midnight The first 30 participants will win a free tour – courtesy of the Centennial
Administration
A Variety of Activities, Shows and Festivities on Rothschild Boulevard:
The Y Circus presents "Four Floating Frames" – a performance by the "Fly Y Aerial
Dance Theatre"; Israel's National Circus Group; a display of period costumes; the
Story Bus – transportation stories related to Tel Aviv's history; an exhibition of
classic cars by The 5 Club; screening of student films, part of the "Revealing the
City" project; a tango band and dancers on an old-time dance floor; a pageant of
carriages driven by poets reading poetry; a display of traditional crafts; Photography
Studio – photography booths set against a period background reminiscent of Little
Tel Aviv, where visitors can have their photograph taken and receive a framed
picture; the Shabazi Circus presents "Ascending Café" – a characteristic Tel Aviv bar-
restaurant that operates in the air; I'll Clothe You in a Dress of Concrete and Cement
– fashion pageants inspired by Tel-Aviv-Yafo; Wearing White – characters dressed in
white costumes and illuminated using a special technique, will dance among the
crowd of celebrants
Where: Along Rothschild Boulevard
When: 21:00-01:00
White Night in the Sephardic Synagogue
What: Traditional melodies and songs
Where: The "Ohel Moade" Sephardic Synagogue, 5 Shadal Street
When: Starting at 21:30
Tel Aviv's Hyde Park: A Tel Aviv Mosaic at the Big Synagogue
What: an open stage for discourse and singing; participants: Rabbi Israel Meir Lau,
Tel-Aviv-Yafo's Chief Rabbi, Pini Gershon, Maccabi Tel Aviv's basketball coach,
Shmuel Vilozny, et al.
Where: The Great Synagogue, 110 Allenby Street
When: Starting at 21:30
Opening White Night at the Jaffa Port
What: A musical feast before sunset: classical Jewish music and traditional Arab
music performed by the Joseph and One Ensemble – nine Jewish and Arab musicians
who create original music inspired by a variety of styles - including classical Arab
music, western classical music, Flamenco, jazz, rock, et al.
Where: Jaffa Port entrance piazza near the shore
When: 19:00-20:30
* For details call: 03-6832255
There's Nothing like Jaffa at Night – Guided Cruise
What: A guided cruise from the Jaffa Port to the open seas, with guides from
Mishkenot Ruth Daniel
Where: Jaffa Port
When: Tours leave at 18:20, 19:30, 20:30; tour and cruise duration: approximately
45 minutes
Price: NIS 30 per person; reservations must be made in advance
For details and reservations: 054-2288958; www.beit-daniel.org.il
"Kappisch" Café Under the Stars
What: Food and beverage booths will be manned by deaf waiters and barmen at the
"Nalaga'at" Center coffee shop
Where: "Nalaga'at" Center, Aliyah Shenia Pier, Jaffa Port, Tel: 03-6330808
A Variety of Marine Activities
Sailing Center: Riding aquabikes at sunset, between 18:00–20:00
Special terms for those registering for courses; details and registration: 03-6810066
Sailor Club: Romantic cruises, starting from sunset until 04:00. The cruise includes
explanations about yachts and sailboats. Participants will be able to navigate the
yacht, supervised by the instructors.
Tour and cruise duration: About an hour; light refreshments will be served during
the cruise
Price: NIS 95 per person or NIS 170 per couple. Discounts for those registering for
a yacht sailing course.
For details and reservations: 077-2120367
Sea Goddess Club: Sea Goddess, a new and elegant sailing yacht, will cruise along
Tel-Aviv-Yafo's charming beaches on White Night
Departures: A special sunset cruise at 19:00; additional cruises at 20:30, 22:00,
23:30, 01:00; the cruise lasts about 90 minutes; cost: NIS 100 per person or NIS
180 per couple; advance reservations are recommended: 03-5189447
Kyak4all Club: A chance to try out marine kayak rowing; cost: NIS 100 –
reservations must be made in advance: 054-7757076
Flea Market – The Nighttime Version
What: The Flea Market will stay open into the night, offering a unique opportunity to
stroll around its picturesque and charming alleyways and various shops, galleries,
cafes and restaurants
Where: Flea Market, Jaffa
White Stage
What: A function preceding the "Small Bama" events, where students will present
plays they wrote during the year as part of their studies in the Department of
Theatre. There will also be creative, dance and theatre workshops facilitated by
students and teachers from the Department; food and beverages and a dance party
until the wee hours of the morning
Where: Tel Aviv University, Faculty of Arts, Mexico Building (entrance via Gate 8)
When: 22:00–04:00
The 5 Club Car Show
What: The famous collectors club exhibits classic cars
Where: Rabin Square
When: 20:00-23:00
Education Biennial
What: An exhibit of works prepared by pupils as part of the special Centennial
projects. 25 different schools in the city will present works of art inspired by Tel-
Aviv-Yafo, created during the Centennial year
When: 19:00-20:00
"Tel Aviv Postcards" Films
What: Screening of "Tel Aviv Postcards" films – short documentary films made by
11th
and 12th
graders
Where: Tel Aviv Cinematheque
When: Starting at 13:00
Tel Aviv-Jaffa Tourism Association -Tours Throughout the City
* Price of each tour: NIS 30 per person
* Reservations at the Tourism Association's Information Bureau: 03-5166188 (which
will provide information about where the tours leave from)
Houses Talk in Nachlat Binyamin: 19:00 – Guide: Yehudit Livnat
Bialik: 19:00
Neve Tzedek's Magical Lanes: 19:30 – Guide: Ilan Shechori
Along Rothschild Boulevard: 20:00 – Guide: Doron Ozer
Around Dizengoff Square: 20:30 – Guide: Shula Vidrich
Tel Aviv Amidst the Songs: 21:00 – Guide: Yifat Avitzedek
Tel Aviv Today: 21:00 – Guide: Maor Sadeh
Late Night Stories: Midnight – Guide: Yossi Goldberg
Special White City tour marking the inauguration of The White Route:
Midnight
* Price for each tour: NIS 30 per person
* Reservations at the Tourism Association Information Bureau: 03-5166188 (which
will provide information about where the tours leave from)
* The first 30 to make a reservation will receive a free tour – courtesy of the
Centennial Administration
A Night of Surprises at the City's Pantheon – Trumpeldor Cemetery
What: This lantern-lit tour starts with a mysterious murder in the municipal park,
and continues with secrets, stories and surprises between the graves at the
Trumpeldor Cemetery
Where: The Restored Trumpeldor Cemetery
When: Two tours: 22:00, 24:00, led by Yossi Sherman and Yossi Goldberg
Special Menus in Honor of White Night – NIS 79 per Person
What: Restaurants around the city will offer discounted menus in honor of White
Night:
Where:
Avant-garde
Alter Nativ
Amali Resto Bar
Badolina
Bar Giora
Betty Ford
Binyamin
Brewhouse
Dim Sum
Dita
Frida Kahlo
Kimmel
Lemon Grass
Lucas
Max Brenner
Mifgash HaSteak
Ming Ling
Nalaga'at Center
Patron Events
Poike
Subkuch Milega
Sushi to Go
Tel Aviv River
When: Throughout the Shavuot holiday and weekend, Wednesday-Saturday, May
24-30
Driving and Making Music
What: A Dixie band will drive around the city on the Tourism Association's Dan City
Tour Bus, playing Tel Aviv songs from different periods and styles
Where: Throughout the city
When: 20:00-24:00
Using a Positive Approach
What: The "Anima – Positive Approach" Center and the Two for Cats boutique will
together offer activities for your pets: first behavioral consultation free of charge;
complementary and alternative treatments for animals; organic products for pets
manufactured by the Center will be sold at a 20% discount
Where: "Anima – Positive Approach" Center, 3 Eliezer Peri Street, Atarim Square,
street level; Tel. 072-2501049, 052-2611049, 054-2382770
White Night Events at Beit Ariela
What: Classical music concert, featuring the pianist Tal-Haim Samnon who will play
works by Grieg, Brahms, Chopin and Paul Ben-Haim, and the clarinetist Keren
Goldenzweig
Where: Beit Ariela, 25 Shaul Hamelech Blvd., Tel 03-6910141
When: 22:30-23:30
What: Jazz Into the Night
Where: Beit Ariela
When: 23:30-01:30
What: The "Soft Cover" band in a melodic rock performance, featuring the best of
Hebrew songs
Where: Auditorium
When: 23:00-24:00
What: "The Family" band in an Israeli rock performance
Where: Auditorium
When: 24:00-01:00
What: The Eliyahu Brothers – "Tel Aviv Postcards 1920-1940" – an exhibit from the
first postcards company in Israel, documenting Tel Aviv's history from the beginning
of the 1920s until the late 1930s. Books from the library's surplus stocks and
Graphotek collection lithographs by Israeli artists will be sold as well. Visitors will
also be able to sit in the coffee shop on the premises.
Where: Beit Ariela, 25 Shaul Hamelech Blvd., Tel 03-6910141
When: 22:30-03:00
White Night at Ben-Gurion's House
20:00-24:00: Guided tours at Ben-Gurion's House (every hour starting at 20:00;
the last tour is at 23:30)
20:00-21:30: "Israel's Wars as Reflected in Hebrew Songs" – a lecture by Yotam
Regev, Ben-Gurion Heritage Institute 22:00: "A Mysterious Murder on the Beach – Who Killed Arlozorov?" – a guided tour
led by Yaron Dishon, Ben-Gurion Heritage Institute; the tour leaves from the Ben-
Gurion House yard (contingent on a minimum number of participants)
Where: 17 Ben-Gurion Blvd., Tel. 03-5221010
"Key Role" – A Multimedia Performance Written and Performed by
Shlomo Bar-Shavit
What: The play, adapted and directed by Moshe Becker, is part of the conference
"Habima at 90 – New Approaches to National Theatre." Tickets can be
purchased by phone at 03-6295555, *5008, or on the Habima website:
www.habima.co.il
Where: Shein Auditorium, "Yad Lebanim", 63 Pinkas Street
When: Wednesday, May 27 at 20:30
The conference, open to the public free of charge, will be held on May 24-27; the
conference program is posted on http://www.tau.ac.il/~habima90 .
The City's Jewel – The Tel-Aviv-Yafo Jewelry Fair
What: Rashbel Ltd. and the Magnolia jewelry store chain, in cooperation with the
Centennial Administration, invite you to a jewelry fair presenting the creations of
Israel's top jewelry designers.
Where: "Gan Haeer" Roof, 71 Ibn Gevirol Street
When: 17:00-03:00
White Night at the Third Ear
What: A variety of events and activities at the store's complex, marking Tel Aviv's
Centennial and Arik Einstein's 70th
birthday, the singer most associated with White
and Black Tel Aviv – and their common elements; entrance free of charge
*A performance called "Don't Give Up On Me…Night After Night" will be held on the
Third Ear's piazza – a cabaret marathon honoring Arik Einstein, with Yaheli Sobol, Dr.
Casper's Rabbit Show, Tamar Eisenman, The Right Bunny, No Bears, Esther's Fast,
The Good Looking Guys are With Me, and Midnight Peacocks.
* The Champions League final will be screened at Third Ear's bar, starting at 22:00;
there will be a Free Style party starting at midnight
* Starting at midnight, films featuring Arik Einstein will be shown at Third Ear's
movie theatre: "Peeping Toms", "Big Eyes", "Lool" and "The Snail"
* Customers who purchase a subscription for 25 or more movies will be entitled to a
20% discount at the DVD library, free lending of films whose titles include the words
"white" and "night", and a free bonus movie if they are fans of Hapoel Tel Aviv
* Customers who purchase 3 Israeli films on sale will receive a free copy of "Peeping
Toms"
More details can be found on: www.third-ear.com
Where: The Third Ear, 48 King George Street
When: Starting at 23:30
The Israeli Opera
What: A midnight concert of popular operas
Where: Opera House – Performing Arts Center, 19 Shaul Hamelech Blvd.
When: Starting at midnight
White Night at the Eretz Israel Museum
What: Exhibitions open to the public:
"Haredim" – Menahem Kahane, Photographs
"Tel Aviv's Secret History" – What Happened Here Over a Period of 20,000 Years?
"Ode to Concrete" – The Concrete Ethos in Israeli Construction and Culture
"Faith Train" – The Hejaz Railway Centennial
"China's Coins" – Chinese Means of Payment Over Time
"Nomads in the City" – Yael Ravid, Photographs
"Kinneret Memories" – Ben-Zion Yisraeli's Photograph Albums
* The Anina Cafe, located at the entrance to the Museum, will serve a Centennial
Cocktail to all patrons and remain open until 02:00
* Special White Night entrance fees:
Entrance to the Museum: NIS 25 (instead of NIS 38)
Entrance to the Museum and the Planetarium: NIS 35 (instead of NIS 61)
Parking in the Museum's parking lot: free of charge after 22:00
More details can be found on: www.eretzmuseum.org.il
Where: Eretz Israel Museum, 2 Haim Levanon Street
When: 20:00-02:00
White Night at the Rubin Museum
What: A selection of Rubin's paintings will be on display – including early paintings
made in Europe, paintings made in pre-State Israel in the 1920s, and his late
paintings from the 1960s and 1970s. Visitors will also be able to view a biographical
presentation from the Museum's archives, tour the artist's restored studio and watch
a documentary film about Rubin entitled "Even the Shadow is Light." Explanations
about the exhibition will be provided by audio guides in Hebrew, English and French.
A special exhibit will also be on display: Ida Reicher – Embroidery Works – Inspired
by Rubin's Tel Aviv Landscapes from the 1920s. Ida Reicher creates unique
embroidery works using a personal and precise work technique, with each figure
taking one to five years to produce, depending on the size of the material. Reicher's
works are a tribute to Rubin who, together with her father, was active in Zionist
organizations in her hometown in Romania.
Entrance fee: NIS 15
Additional details on: www.rubinmuseum.org.il
Where: Rubin Museum, 14 Bialik Street, Tel. 03-5255961
When: 19:00-midnight
Miri Masika in an Acoustic Performance
Where: Tel Aviv Zappa Club, Ziv Towers, 24 Raoul Wallenberg Street, Ramat
HaHayal; for reservations call: 03-7674646
When: Doors open for the first performance at 20:00; doors open for the second
performance at 23:00
Bikurei HaItim Center
Wensdance – Movement workshop with Eyal Shemesh, 21:00
Free dancing in a variety of styles with the D.J. Michal Gefen, from 21:45 until the
wee hours of the morning
Cost: NIS 30 per person
6 Heftman Street, 03-6919510, http://tlvitim.co.il
Welcoming the Sabbath – The Big Days of Little Tel Aviv
What: "Welcoming the Sabbath" was one of the most famous and popular cultural
events held in Little Tel Aviv. Started by Bialik, every Sabbath it attracted hundreds
of people, who came to hear lectures on literature, culture and spiritualism,
alongside explanations of the weekly Torah portion as well as liturgical gems sung by
Cantor Shlomo Ravitz. The White Night event will incorporate excerpts taken from
the "Welcoming the Sabbath" archives and films shown in Tel Aviv's earliest days.
Artists, cantors and choir singers will reenact the special works that were composed
for "Welcoming the Sabbath."
Performers: The Tel Aviv Cantorial Institute Choir, The Shikmim Choir (conducted by
Menashe Lev-Ran), the singer Lior Yeni, the klezmer player Bernie Marinbach, and
the wonder child Orad Katz. Musical direction: Menashe Lev-Ran.
Starting at 21:30 at the Brodet Center piazza; shops, a cafe and booths will be
reconstructed to reflect the period and highlight the atmosphere; klezmer music will
be played by Bernie Marinbach and other musicians
Where: Brodet Center, 22 Zeitlin Street
When: 22:00-24:30
"Tel Aviv Scenes" Exhibition – Opening
What: A comparison of photographs taken by Avraham Susskin between 1909 and
1926 and photographs taken by Ran Arda in 2009, documenting Tel Aviv's streets,
buildings and quaint corners. Guy Raz, Shula Vidrich, Ran Arda and Susskin's
grandson will speak at the opening. As part of the White Night events, the Bauhaus
Center will be open until midnight.
Where: Bauhaus Center, 99 Dizengoff Street
When: 19:30
Spanish and Flamenco Dance Celebration – "Anda Jaleo"
What: The show highlights all the wealth and styles characterizing Spanish dance,
with a focus on Flamenco.
Two performances in an intimate and authentic atmosphere. Tickets: NIS 50
Tickets can be purchased by phone at 03-5231453 or on the website
www.silviaduran.com
Where: Silvia Duran Spanish Dance and Flamenco Center, 53 Ben Yehuda Street,
basement level
When: First performance at 21:30; second performance at 23:00
Tel Aviv Kabbalah Center – Evening Seminar
What: 21:00 – Kabbalist Astrology; 22:00 – Couple Relationships According to the
Kabbalah; 23:00 – A Journey Through Kabbalist Spheres; 24:00 – "The Secrets of
the Zohar" with Michael Berg, by live satellite broadcast from the U.S.; 01:00 – "Tel Aviv Kabbalists" – Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag and his student Rabbi Brandwein who lived
and worked in Tel Aviv, and thanks to whom the city has become an important
cultural and philosophical Kabbalah center.
No entrance fee to all the lectures – also suitable for beginners. It will be possible to
meet individually with Kabbalah teachers for private lessons, receive reduced prices
and discounts on the gamut of Kabbalah books in all languages and on Kabbalah
courses, read Kabbalah books and the Zohar in the Kabbalah library, and participate
in the launch of a new collection of Kabbalah jewelry made by Israeli artists and
designers.
Additional information: www.kabbalah.co.il
Where: Kabbalah Center, 14 Ben Ami Street, Dizengoff Square, 1-800-32-2626
When: Starting at 21:00
The National Dance Company of Spain, Under the Direction of Nacho
Duato
What: Part of the "Great Stage" events, three of the company's classics will be
performed: Gnawa, Castrati and For Thee I Die
Tickets: NIS 210 (a discount for Tel Aviv residents)
Tickets: Tel. 03-5105656 or on the website: www.suzannedellal.org.il
Where: Suzanne Dellal Center
When: 21:00. The Great Stage piazza will be open to the public about 45 minutes
prior to showtime.
Shavuot Party: Alcohol and Refreshments Honoring the Shavuot
Holiday at Studio 6B
What: 21:00 – an exhibition of the preparatory course graduates' portfolios
23:00-01:00 – a nude model drawing marathon at three different sites in the studio
Where: Studio 6B, 39 Ahad Ha'am Street, Tel. 1-800-360366, www.6bstudio.co.il
When: 21:00-23:00
Dance Classes at the Naim Studio – Mind, Body & Soul
What: 24:00-01:30 – hip hop; 02:00-3:30 – Brazilian samba; 03:30-05:00 –
contact improvisation; 05:00-06:30 - yoga at sunrise
An exhibition of photographs by the artist Tali Alohav is on display at the studio.
Cost per class: NIS 40
Where: Naim Studio, 46 Salame Street, Tel. 03-5188998, www.naim.org.il
When: Starting at midnight
Tel Aviv Cinematheque – A Marathon of Documentary Films Dealing
With Israeli Music and Rock
What: The following films will be screened during the marathon:
On the Move (Israel, 2008): directed by Avida Livni (75 minutes, Hebrew) – Ehud
Banai, Yossi Elefant and the "Refugees" (Jean-Jacques Goldberg, Gil Smetana and
Noam Zaid-Halevi); an everlasting musical passion that laid the foundations for all
Israeli rock – 24:00
Wearing Top Hats: A Postcard's Disturbed Skies (Israel, 1998): directed by
Hen Sheinberg (48 minutes, Hebrew) – rare excerpts from performances and songs
never incorporated in any formal record Hard Light, Soft Light (Israel, 2000): directed by Hen Sheinberg (40 minutes,
Hebrew) – a film about the journalist Kobi Or, one of the most influential figures in
Israeli alternative rock, and about rock journalism – 24:00 (Auditorium 2)
Stormy Souls (Israel, 2002): directed by Natan Mandelbaum (82 minutes,
Hebrew and English, Hebrew subtitles) – a film about the Israeli rock band "Minimal
Compact"; a journey to discover the band's extraordinary story through interviews
with its members – 01:30
Bombs En Route to the End of the World (Israel, 2000): directed by Yeshri
Halperin (52 minutes, Hebrew, English subtitles) – documents the world of trance in
Israel, as well as trance and drugs and what's common to them; a documentary
ballad about young Israelis at the end of the second millennium - 02:00 (Auditorium
2)
Prices: Long films and/or two films: NIS 33; films shorter than 60 minutes: NIS 20;
Tel Aviv residents with a resident's card: 50% discount; subscribers enter free of
charge
Where: Tel Aviv Cinematheque, 2 Sprinzak Street, www.cinema.co.il
When: Starting at midnight
White Night at Tzavta
What:
20:30 in Tzavta Lola (1): "A Dove with an Olive Leaf" – songs of peace and longings
for it, with Sarale Sharon and guests: Yehuda Elias, Dudu Zakai, Dorit Reuveni, Shuli
Natan, Lubana Salama, Dror Meshulam
20:30 in Tzavta 2: "Tel Aviv Once Upon a Taste and a Time" – a fringe theatre play
dealing with Tel Aviv
24:30 in Tzavta Lola (1): "Nerve Song" – an evening of satire with Ephraim Sidon –
the best Israeli songs performed with a sharpened and piquant twist
24:30 in Tzavta Hazan (3): Sacred Wigs Drag Performance, an evening of special
entertainment and provocative stand up comedy: replete with wigs and dresses,
makeup, dancing, singing, and Israeli cynicism
Where: Tzavta, 30 Ibn Gevirol Street, Tzavta Box Office: 03-6950156/7, extension
21; www.tzavta.co.il
When: Starting at 20:30
"Hummus, Fries and Salad" – Theatre, Dance and...Hummus
What: The play, part of the Khan Theatre's repertoire, takes place in a hummus
restaurant. The audience is invited to be seated and taste the hummus. Dancing
about, the waiters serve a portion of hummus to each member of the audience until
the creators of the play come in for some hummus and to resolve a crisis that has
emerged between them. Regular price: NIS 70; special price for Tel Aviv residents,
senior citizens and pupils: NIS 50
Where: Arab-Hebrew Theatre of Jaffa, 10 Mifratz Shlomo Street, Old Jaffa; for
reservations call: 03-5185563; www.arab-hebrew-theatre.org.il
When: 22:00-24:30
Plastic – Fashion and Culture Market
What: A nighttime shopping experience combined with a fashion party
A celebration for all fashion, art, music and culture buffs: 50 young fashion designers
will sell their own creations – clothing, bags, jewelry, accessories, and household
items. There will also be theatre presentations and live shows, as well as video art, photography and art exhibits. A Glam-Ou-Rama fashion party will be held in Shalom
Tower courtyard.
www.telavivcity.com/plastik7
Where: Shalom Tower ground floor, 1 Herzl Street
When: 19:00-04:00
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
David(less) Citadel
On our last Archaeology of Jerusalem trip, we visited a fantastic place for reviewing the history of Jerusalem, right next to the Jaffa Gate. It's called the Tower of David or Citadel, but it really has nothing whatsoever to do with David. He never lived there, and the place wasn't even part of his city (City of David). It was the site of Herod's Palace, as well as a fortress for subsequent empires who ruled Jerusalem, such as the Muslims, Crusaders, and Ottomans. Today it's an archaeological candy store, where houses from the 1st Temple Period, the outer wall from the 2nd Temple Period, a fantastic panoramic view of the city, the desert behind it, and valley below it. I also hear that a one of a kind light show takes place at night.
Pictures
Pictures
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Jolly 'Ol Jaffa
My Israeli Settlements class, which has traveled much of the country exploring the history of Jewish settlement over the past 100-150 years, took our last trip to Jaffa, an ancient city, and the port through which thousands of Jews entered Palestine. From there, we walked to Shuk Hapishpushim, literally and actually a flea market, and a dream for my parents. Anything, anything unnecessary is available at this place, from shoes to receipts. Then we walked to the original settlements outside of Jaffa, ending at the neighborhood which became Tel Aviv, called Ahuzat Bayit. Tel Aviv is 100 years old, so I thought there would be a fair amount of literature to use for a 15 page term paper I have yet to start for this class. I guess I should get on that. In the meantime, it's a beautiful place.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Shabbat Shalom Syria? A Wet Date with Yehudia
Four hours of sleep after the events of past, I awoke, saying "what have I done, what am I doing, what am I going to do?" The time was 5:30 and I found an SMS waiting for me. Apparently two girls had backed out, so that meant only Rob was in the running. I gave him a ring, and he was packing up...
"They were out late. They're not gonna make it."
"Hmm. Well Ira, do you want to still go hiking this weekend?"
"Yeah, sure."
Before arriving in Israel I had dreamed of returning to the region I had visited last when I stayed here five months in 11th grade. It's called the Golan, a beautiful and distinctive region, once under Syrian control, but acquired by Israel for defense in '67. It's at the very northeast tip of the country, contains many land mine areas, but also some beautiful sights and hikes. Right after Yam el Yam I wanted to go and hike there, but Italy happened, and I couldn't find anybody to go with. Over the past week, my luck changed and I assembled a group of three, but on the morning of, the three turned into one, but this was my second to last weekend, and next weekend's Shavuot and finals and packing, so I had to get out one last time.
Robin Super, a giant of a Canadian with the heart of Fezzik joined me and together we took a bus to Tiberias, where we bought Shabbat Dinner (Pita to complement my imported Skippy's PB, and grapes). From there we took the only bus of the day to Nachal Yehudia, a nature reserve I had heard good things about. I even brought along a floaty penguin from Dayna, a one year student who had done the hikes a few years back and remembered parts that required swimming. She was right about that!
Friday afternoon we took a short trail through an abandoned Syrian village to a beautiful waterfall on the Zavitan River, and jumped off the rocks with the rest of the wild Israelis, breaking more walls than necks. The waterfalls were all hidden in gorges, so from above, the area looks dry and arid, with nothing special or noteworthy. But once you enter the gorge, it's like walking into paradise.
Friday night we had our special dinner, and talked with some others who were camping at the park with us. One family was Russian, and the husband's father was Jewish, so he used that to leave Russia for a better life. He represents a very small minority of Israelis who can immigrate even though they're not Jewish according to Jewish Law. He shared his fears with us of future governments who may take away his rights, since there's nobody looking out for people like him in Israeli Parliament.
Saturday we spent eight hours hiking the Yehudia River, jumping off of waterfall after waterfall. The highlight for me was the Paradise pool, where on one side there was a short but strong back-massage type of waterfall, and from the other a wall of the gorge where water sprinkled down, and made rainbows with the sunlight in the pool. It was extremely relaxing and slippery with algae. Also, there were snails everywhere, and snails cannot tolerate polluted waters, so the water was pretty clean.
There were places where we had to climb into pools of water, so we tried to waterproof everything and put it on the floaty penguin, but it didn't work and the thing capsized unfortunately. Whatever, though, we survived, and it was really only one time that we absolutely had to. We did look a little funny carrying an inflated penguin for much of the trail.
Hopefully these pictures will show you how pretty this place was, but they probably won't. It was like another world. Sure there was trash in spots, wild cows and their leftovers, and tremendous heat and a flat boring landscape up top, but when the secrets of the rushing water were revealed, it was totally worth it.
We took a bus back to Tel Aviv for dinner at Micky D's, thus concluding one fairly cheap but overall refreshing and relaxing weekend to wrap up my ridiculous series of life threatening adventures.
"They were out late. They're not gonna make it."
"Hmm. Well Ira, do you want to still go hiking this weekend?"
"Yeah, sure."
Before arriving in Israel I had dreamed of returning to the region I had visited last when I stayed here five months in 11th grade. It's called the Golan, a beautiful and distinctive region, once under Syrian control, but acquired by Israel for defense in '67. It's at the very northeast tip of the country, contains many land mine areas, but also some beautiful sights and hikes. Right after Yam el Yam I wanted to go and hike there, but Italy happened, and I couldn't find anybody to go with. Over the past week, my luck changed and I assembled a group of three, but on the morning of, the three turned into one, but this was my second to last weekend, and next weekend's Shavuot and finals and packing, so I had to get out one last time.
Robin Super, a giant of a Canadian with the heart of Fezzik joined me and together we took a bus to Tiberias, where we bought Shabbat Dinner (Pita to complement my imported Skippy's PB, and grapes). From there we took the only bus of the day to Nachal Yehudia, a nature reserve I had heard good things about. I even brought along a floaty penguin from Dayna, a one year student who had done the hikes a few years back and remembered parts that required swimming. She was right about that!
Friday afternoon we took a short trail through an abandoned Syrian village to a beautiful waterfall on the Zavitan River, and jumped off the rocks with the rest of the wild Israelis, breaking more walls than necks. The waterfalls were all hidden in gorges, so from above, the area looks dry and arid, with nothing special or noteworthy. But once you enter the gorge, it's like walking into paradise.
Friday night we had our special dinner, and talked with some others who were camping at the park with us. One family was Russian, and the husband's father was Jewish, so he used that to leave Russia for a better life. He represents a very small minority of Israelis who can immigrate even though they're not Jewish according to Jewish Law. He shared his fears with us of future governments who may take away his rights, since there's nobody looking out for people like him in Israeli Parliament.
Saturday we spent eight hours hiking the Yehudia River, jumping off of waterfall after waterfall. The highlight for me was the Paradise pool, where on one side there was a short but strong back-massage type of waterfall, and from the other a wall of the gorge where water sprinkled down, and made rainbows with the sunlight in the pool. It was extremely relaxing and slippery with algae. Also, there were snails everywhere, and snails cannot tolerate polluted waters, so the water was pretty clean.
There were places where we had to climb into pools of water, so we tried to waterproof everything and put it on the floaty penguin, but it didn't work and the thing capsized unfortunately. Whatever, though, we survived, and it was really only one time that we absolutely had to. We did look a little funny carrying an inflated penguin for much of the trail.
Hopefully these pictures will show you how pretty this place was, but they probably won't. It was like another world. Sure there was trash in spots, wild cows and their leftovers, and tremendous heat and a flat boring landscape up top, but when the secrets of the rushing water were revealed, it was totally worth it.
We took a bus back to Tel Aviv for dinner at Micky D's, thus concluding one fairly cheap but overall refreshing and relaxing weekend to wrap up my ridiculous series of life threatening adventures.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
JERUSALEM DAY #42
See why I live in Jerusalem?
Bright and early I left with Will and Chandler, two non-Jewish students fascinated in the religions and politics of the Middle East, on an Arab bus to the Damascus Gate, where we met Jamal and Ramzy, two Arab students from Hebrew U. The goal of the day was to get an in depth tour of the Temple Mount, including all its sites. The rule was that only Muslims could enter the holy sites, but we figured with the help of Jamal and Ramzy, things would work out.
There were complications.
From the get go, we had trouble getting up. We entered the Western Wall Plaza, and saw that that the tourist line went all the way to the outer wall of the Old City, so we didn't want to wait three hours. I gave Jamal a quick tour of the Kotel, and then we tried to get in through the Muslim-only entrances around the platform. Jamal and Ramzy to go through any entrance around the Muslim quarter, but none of us Americans could because we had no proof that we were Muslim, but then when we went back to the tourist entrance, Jamal and Ramzy almost weren't allowed in. We were nearly stuck, trapped, and separated in the Old City by these security points, so what was this talk about Jerusalem being united?
We finally got to the tourist entrance, and there we managed to budge our way in to the front of the line, in time to see some percussion...
Remember today was Yom Yerushalayim. Even though the Hebrew date fell on Friday, it was being followed today so it wouldn't interfere with Shabbat. Half an hour later we were on the Temple Mount, my second time. Unfortunately, all the sites were closed, because there were only tourists there at this time. For three hours, the five of us walked around الحرم الشريف al-Haram ash-Sharif (the Arabic name for it, or simply Al-Alqsa) discussing religion and taking pictures. Through our religious discourse, I found out just how important the afterlife is in Christianity and Islam.
Once tourist hours ended, we talked strategy. I really wanted to enter Solomon's Stables, to see the archway built by Herod that still supports the Temple Mount platform. Will had been there and said it wasn't that pretty. He on the other hand, wanted to enter Islam's third holiest site, the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Jamal and Ramzy decided we should just all go in because it was empty, so we did. It was a long open sanctuary with a soft red carpeted floor and two rows of pillars. Thirty seconds later, we got nabbed by the security officers and others. They told us to leave the plaza, but not before the Arabs fought on our behalf, asking why nobody else was allowed into the Mosque. Another one of their friends had joined them, and he was a Christian Arab. we learned that as long as you were Arab you could basically go into any of these places. The security officer said reasons included Israeli Prime Minister elect Sharon's visit, which the international community views as the spark of the Second Intifada, and just the fact that Israel chooses to let anybody up, so they want to make their own choices, so they're saying no. It was a bit of a letdown, but I can say that I walked into Al Aqsa on Yom Yerushalayim.
Following a relaxed lunch, Will guided us to an interesting Church just inside the Jaffa Gate called Christ Church. What was interesting about it was not just the underground remnants of Herod's aqueduct system, but that everything was in Hebrew. I asked one of the volunteers why a Church about the details, and he said it was chosen as a way to make the Jews feel more comfortable and remind them that Jesus has Jewish roots. I still didn't understand this strategy though, because it would require the Christian community to learn and read Hebrew as well, since they used a Hebrew New Testament.
I also found something I had been looking for for a long time, since Bet Jamal: A Yiddish edition of the New Testament. I got the dual Hebrew Yiddish version since that was all they had, but for the rest of this post, remember that I was walking around with this book...
From here we walked through the Muslim Quarter, and I discovered just how cheap the Arab market is. When one of us Americans asked for a popsicle, it was 5 sheckel, and that's cheap for us, but when Ramzy asked, it was one! That's a quarter. While enjoying the popsicles, a group paraded by singing Jerusalem songs.
It was a very unusual feeling. I was now with two Arab Muslims, two Arab Christians, two American Protestants, and myself. I was the only one who had a connection to the group that just walked by, as well as the only one around who understood what they were saying. I began to think how the local Arabs must understand this day, and it might come close to another event where Israel shows off the territory it's captured. This of course is not the real reason. Regardless of the enemy at the time, a day such as the recapturing of Jerusalem would be celebrated. Even if there were no Arabs in Jerusalem, the day would still be celebrated, but without any knowledge of the significance of this day, and remember the Muslim calendar is different from the Jewish calendar and all Israeli holidays follow the Jewish calendar (Memorial Day, Independence Day), it can only make them feel less comfortable and more irritated.
That said, I knew that by the end of the day I would in effect be on that other side. However, I spent much of the day thinking over this turn of events, and how I could celebrate the holiday in a more respectful manner. I decided it would be okay to celebrate throughout the Jewish Quarter, and of course, the Western Wall. We'll get there later, but remember I gave Jamal a tour so I had already been there once.
After popsicles, we climbed to the roof of the Austrian Hospice, a Christian site, and enjoyed the Old City from a bird's eye.
Then Jamal led us to an incredible archaeological discovery known as Zedekiah's Cave, a quarry that runs under the Muslim Quarter, and may have been where Solomon took stones to build the First Temple. It was a huge area that Freemason's use for ceremonies since they view Solomon as a freemason. It was also the site where I nearly passed out because it was cool and humid and I had slept four hours the night before from the Student Day concerts.
We broke up after the cave, but in thanking Jamal and Ramzy, I recognized how much of an eye-opening experience the day was for me. I had combed the alleys of this city so many times and was amazed to find still so many more places, not to mention new faces and perspectives.
On my own now, I returned to Jaffa Gate, looking for Jason and Tom from my apartment. The parades continued through the Jewish Quarter. Did I mention soldiers were everywhere?
I had to buy a kippa since I had brought no religious anything onto the Temple Mount. I found Jason and Tom and then visited the Kotel for the second time. On the way to dinner, we found streets packed with cars that were stuck because of concerts and parades in the middle of the streets. It looked like these things, like road closings, were absolutely spontaneous, but it was pretty cool.
Dinner was on Ben Yehuda Street at Pinati's (known for their hummus with ground beef), and then we returned with the mounds of people, back to Jaffa Gate, back to the Kotel, and all the while with my Yiddish-Hebrew New Testament.
At the Kotel, for perhaps the only time all year, a band and cantor led an evening service over the microphone. It was perhaps the most amazing time to be at the Kotel because the ultra Orthodox don't follow modern holidays like Yom Yerushalayim, so they weren't there. All the youth of the city were though, complete with flags and extreme shirts and banners. Thousands of people then danced and sang to Hallel, a special service usually only done of traditional Jewish holidays.
I thought about where I had started the day, how many circles I had entered and left, and where I now was. I had spent almost 15 hours in the Old City, and now I was back with my normal group of friends, back in a very Jewish Jerusalem scene, but with far greater understanding than most of just what Jerusalem, القُدس, Al Quds, ירושלים, Yerushalayim means. Here is what it means to the Jewish People:
and now for a different perspective, Here is Will Smether's account of the day:
Bright and early I left with Will and Chandler, two non-Jewish students fascinated in the religions and politics of the Middle East, on an Arab bus to the Damascus Gate, where we met Jamal and Ramzy, two Arab students from Hebrew U. The goal of the day was to get an in depth tour of the Temple Mount, including all its sites. The rule was that only Muslims could enter the holy sites, but we figured with the help of Jamal and Ramzy, things would work out.
There were complications.
From the get go, we had trouble getting up. We entered the Western Wall Plaza, and saw that that the tourist line went all the way to the outer wall of the Old City, so we didn't want to wait three hours. I gave Jamal a quick tour of the Kotel, and then we tried to get in through the Muslim-only entrances around the platform. Jamal and Ramzy to go through any entrance around the Muslim quarter, but none of us Americans could because we had no proof that we were Muslim, but then when we went back to the tourist entrance, Jamal and Ramzy almost weren't allowed in. We were nearly stuck, trapped, and separated in the Old City by these security points, so what was this talk about Jerusalem being united?
We finally got to the tourist entrance, and there we managed to budge our way in to the front of the line, in time to see some percussion...
Remember today was Yom Yerushalayim. Even though the Hebrew date fell on Friday, it was being followed today so it wouldn't interfere with Shabbat. Half an hour later we were on the Temple Mount, my second time. Unfortunately, all the sites were closed, because there were only tourists there at this time. For three hours, the five of us walked around الحرم الشريف al-Haram ash-Sharif (the Arabic name for it, or simply Al-Alqsa) discussing religion and taking pictures. Through our religious discourse, I found out just how important the afterlife is in Christianity and Islam.
Once tourist hours ended, we talked strategy. I really wanted to enter Solomon's Stables, to see the archway built by Herod that still supports the Temple Mount platform. Will had been there and said it wasn't that pretty. He on the other hand, wanted to enter Islam's third holiest site, the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Jamal and Ramzy decided we should just all go in because it was empty, so we did. It was a long open sanctuary with a soft red carpeted floor and two rows of pillars. Thirty seconds later, we got nabbed by the security officers and others. They told us to leave the plaza, but not before the Arabs fought on our behalf, asking why nobody else was allowed into the Mosque. Another one of their friends had joined them, and he was a Christian Arab. we learned that as long as you were Arab you could basically go into any of these places. The security officer said reasons included Israeli Prime Minister elect Sharon's visit, which the international community views as the spark of the Second Intifada, and just the fact that Israel chooses to let anybody up, so they want to make their own choices, so they're saying no. It was a bit of a letdown, but I can say that I walked into Al Aqsa on Yom Yerushalayim.
Following a relaxed lunch, Will guided us to an interesting Church just inside the Jaffa Gate called Christ Church. What was interesting about it was not just the underground remnants of Herod's aqueduct system, but that everything was in Hebrew. I asked one of the volunteers why a Church about the details, and he said it was chosen as a way to make the Jews feel more comfortable and remind them that Jesus has Jewish roots. I still didn't understand this strategy though, because it would require the Christian community to learn and read Hebrew as well, since they used a Hebrew New Testament.
I also found something I had been looking for for a long time, since Bet Jamal: A Yiddish edition of the New Testament. I got the dual Hebrew Yiddish version since that was all they had, but for the rest of this post, remember that I was walking around with this book...
From here we walked through the Muslim Quarter, and I discovered just how cheap the Arab market is. When one of us Americans asked for a popsicle, it was 5 sheckel, and that's cheap for us, but when Ramzy asked, it was one! That's a quarter. While enjoying the popsicles, a group paraded by singing Jerusalem songs.
It was a very unusual feeling. I was now with two Arab Muslims, two Arab Christians, two American Protestants, and myself. I was the only one who had a connection to the group that just walked by, as well as the only one around who understood what they were saying. I began to think how the local Arabs must understand this day, and it might come close to another event where Israel shows off the territory it's captured. This of course is not the real reason. Regardless of the enemy at the time, a day such as the recapturing of Jerusalem would be celebrated. Even if there were no Arabs in Jerusalem, the day would still be celebrated, but without any knowledge of the significance of this day, and remember the Muslim calendar is different from the Jewish calendar and all Israeli holidays follow the Jewish calendar (Memorial Day, Independence Day), it can only make them feel less comfortable and more irritated.
That said, I knew that by the end of the day I would in effect be on that other side. However, I spent much of the day thinking over this turn of events, and how I could celebrate the holiday in a more respectful manner. I decided it would be okay to celebrate throughout the Jewish Quarter, and of course, the Western Wall. We'll get there later, but remember I gave Jamal a tour so I had already been there once.
After popsicles, we climbed to the roof of the Austrian Hospice, a Christian site, and enjoyed the Old City from a bird's eye.
Then Jamal led us to an incredible archaeological discovery known as Zedekiah's Cave, a quarry that runs under the Muslim Quarter, and may have been where Solomon took stones to build the First Temple. It was a huge area that Freemason's use for ceremonies since they view Solomon as a freemason. It was also the site where I nearly passed out because it was cool and humid and I had slept four hours the night before from the Student Day concerts.
We broke up after the cave, but in thanking Jamal and Ramzy, I recognized how much of an eye-opening experience the day was for me. I had combed the alleys of this city so many times and was amazed to find still so many more places, not to mention new faces and perspectives.
On my own now, I returned to Jaffa Gate, looking for Jason and Tom from my apartment. The parades continued through the Jewish Quarter. Did I mention soldiers were everywhere?
I had to buy a kippa since I had brought no religious anything onto the Temple Mount. I found Jason and Tom and then visited the Kotel for the second time. On the way to dinner, we found streets packed with cars that were stuck because of concerts and parades in the middle of the streets. It looked like these things, like road closings, were absolutely spontaneous, but it was pretty cool.
Dinner was on Ben Yehuda Street at Pinati's (known for their hummus with ground beef), and then we returned with the mounds of people, back to Jaffa Gate, back to the Kotel, and all the while with my Yiddish-Hebrew New Testament.
At the Kotel, for perhaps the only time all year, a band and cantor led an evening service over the microphone. It was perhaps the most amazing time to be at the Kotel because the ultra Orthodox don't follow modern holidays like Yom Yerushalayim, so they weren't there. All the youth of the city were though, complete with flags and extreme shirts and banners. Thousands of people then danced and sang to Hallel, a special service usually only done of traditional Jewish holidays.
I thought about where I had started the day, how many circles I had entered and left, and where I now was. I had spent almost 15 hours in the Old City, and now I was back with my normal group of friends, back in a very Jewish Jerusalem scene, but with far greater understanding than most of just what Jerusalem, القُدس, Al Quds, ירושלים, Yerushalayim means. Here is what it means to the Jewish People:
and now for a different perspective, Here is Will Smether's account of the day:
Jerusalem: Al-Aqsa and other exciting times!
Jerusalem is like any other city, except when it's not... which is all the time.
Since the Pope left last Friday, things have gone back to normal in Jerusalem. Today we planned to visit Al-Aqsa (the Temple Mount). So, Chandler, Ira, and I met up at 7:30 and took the big Isawiyya bus to Damascus Gate. Ramzy and Jamal, two of our Arab Muslim friends, met us there. We decided to enter from the tourist entrance next the Cotel (the Western Wall). When we arrived onto the Cotel grounds, Jamal announced that he had never been here before. How ironic that his first time would be with two Christians and a Jew.
The line for the tourist entrance was full of tour groups so we decided to try our luck at one of the Muslim entrances. So, we made our way to an entrance. The Israeli guards stopped us and said, "Where are you from? Are you Muslim?" For some reason, I said, "yes". Which started a big inquiry into proving that we were Muslims. They demanded passports with proof of our religion which of course we didn't have. They questioned Ramzy and Jamal in Arabic and ran their Palestinian ID cards through the machine. Eventually, we just gave up. I think it was Chandler's fluffy curly hair that prevented us :P. Either way, we weren't going to get in easily.
So, we returned to the Cotel. We returned through the same door we had exited merely 5-10 minutes before. This time, the Israelis stopped Jamal and Ramzy - what a turn of events! They seemed unconvinced that the two Arabs were with the three Jewish looking guys. After a long impromptu interrogation, they were allowed to pass.
We made a quick detour so that Jamal could say that he had been to the Cotel. And then we went up to the tourist entrance. The line was incredibly long, so we acted in typical Israeli/Middle Eastern fashion and simply cut. But you have to understand, these are tour groups. If you don't cut, you'll never get in. The tour guide we cut was giving us trouble and so we cut behind her group. We were slick though. Tour groups are clueless without their guides. So, I asked the group behind us where they were from. Spain. Wow! So, I'm extremely interested, where at in Spain? And of course, that gets them completely distracted from the fact that you obviously just cut them and now they are explaining their entire trip and why they are here. We entered with them. Piece of cake.
Climbing up the wooden ramp above the Cotel, Jamal laughed that he was having to enter Al-Aqsa like a tourist. How ironic for him. Once on the Temple Mount, I immediately launched into a tirade of pictures. The Temple Mount is a notoriously difficult place to get into, so I wasn't taking chances. We walked around musing about how we might enter the mosque of Al-Aqsa. We chilled for a moment in the shade and watched some kids play soccer. It's such a peaceful place. A couple kids were sliding down the ramp of Marwani Mosque (Solomon's Stables) on plastic chairs. A Muslim guard was chasing them saying in Arabic "Don't be shaming this place in front of tourists!" He was right, there were many tourist groups. It was a much busier place than the last time I was there. And there were Israeli police patrolling around.
We finally settled under the shade of a tree on the steps of the Dome of the Rock. Our conversation shifted to questions about religion. So, there we were: two Christians (Chandler and me), two Muslims (Jamal and Ramzy), and a Jew (Ira) having a major interfaith dialogue on the steps of the Dome of the Rock. Wow. We talked about the fact that Christians believe Muslims and Jews are going to hell unless they accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, that Muslims believe that Jews and Christians are going to hell unless they accept Islam (although Jamal did say that he thought that someone was not condemned if they truly weren't convinced of Islam), and about how Judaism isn't concerned with the afterlife but with doing the laws today. We talked about how Jews and Christians believe that Mohammad was a false prophet and that the Qur'an was not inspired and about how Muslims believe that Jesus was just a man and that Christians and Jews corrupted their Scriptures. It was truly an amazing moment that we represented the three faiths and could talk without getting upset and at the holiest of holy sites. It encouraged me that we could be frank and state what we really believe instead of dancing around it by claiming that we really don't believe in heaven or hell or that the other side is "wrong".
I encourage everyone to state what they believe and not be afraid of looking cool, being politically correct, or being considered "intellectual". In the end, your conviction matters not how you looked. We could all use more openness. Besides, if we are being honest, we have to realize that we are all engaged in the same quest to find the truth.
We stayed on the steps until the tourist time ended at 10:30. Then we tried to enter the Dome. Come to find out, it's just flat out not allowed for anyone who's not Muslim. The guard, humorously was wearing a "I'm 40 and still naughty" hat which looked ridiculously out-of-place at the entrance to this holy shrine. Jamal and Ramzy explained what it meant to him and he got really embarrassed.
Another one of our Arab friends, Jack, joined up with us and we decided to make a try on the mosque of Al-Aqsa itself. So, we resolved to ask for forgiveness not permission and walked straight to the side entrance. We took our shoes off and walked in.
I was enraptured in the awesomeness of the moment. I was walking inside Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third most holy site in Islam. It was so incredible to be in such a contested, famous, and... forbidden place. An elderly Muslim man praying at the door started yelling at us. He told us to go to the front and make sure it was okay to enter. We walked back out the side entrance and around to the front and made our case. The guard wasn't too pleased, but he didn't yell or get angry. He and another man argued with Jamal and Ramzy for a while. I caught bits and pieces of their conversation. They were arguing that Mecca and Medina were closed to non-Muslims, so why not Al-Aqsa? To which Ramzy countered that we (Chandler and I) had been in many mosques in Egypt and Jordan. But it ultimately came down to the new rule enacted around a year ago: non-Muslims are forbidden to enter Al-Aqsa or the Dome of the Rock. Why? Because the Muslim authorities are annoyed that the Israelis let just anyone into the Temple Mount and so the only way to exert control is to forbid entrance to all tourists not screened by the Muslim authorities, which is everyone.
So, not wanting to cause an international incident or have to explain to my mom why I'm on CNN, we left. We were starving anyway. It was by now 11:30 and we had been on the Temple Mount for 3 hours! So, we ate at Humus Lina, owned by our friend Mohammad. I had Humus with Fol, great stuff! We wandered around for awhile and found ourselves standing outside the Austrian Hospice when a large crowd of Israeli youth marched by waving Israeli flags and chanting something about "Jerusalem... ours..." Ira explained that today was the 42 anniversary of the Israelis retaking Jerusalem in 1967, Jerusalem Day. That explains why we had no school...
We said goodbye to Ramzy and Jack and went and chilled in Zedekiah's Cave/Solomon's Mines. I don't know how there's that deep of a cave underneath the Muslim quarter. It scares me honestly for the safety of the people living there.
Jamal taught me three new words:
"Shtana" - "Wait!" (Shtanu is plural)
"Fhhemet" - הבנת
"Al Jader" - "fence/wall" (what the Arabs call the Separation Wall/Fence)
Jamal and Ira said goodbye and Chandler and I headed up Yafo Street to catch a bus to Givat Ram. Little did we know that Jerusalem Day means lots of parades and tons of Israeli patriotism. Yafo and King George were closed due to parades. There were groups of Israeli youths everywhere we went chanting songs and waving flags. Around the Old City especially in the New Gate area there were soldiers and police everywhere and traffic was horrible. Bellagon! And I thought we just went through the chaos from the Pope being here...
We walked the entire length of King George, gave up on buses, and took a taxi. The Hebrew University campus on Givat Ram is nicer on the outside, but the library is pretty confusing. We bussed back to Mount Scopus and went to the library there and then starving, we finally headed home. We reached the Kfar at about 7pm. Almost 12 hours since we had left. Starving and tired, we went to get some food at a local restaurant.
Burger's Bar was out of wings. So we tried a new place. We ordered some food and sat down. The Israeli TV was in an uproar over Iran's latest missle launch and what the Saudi royals were saying. Chandler and I started to discuss it and so did the guys next to us. So, we sort of just began to all four talk about it. Turns out, these guys work for the European Union. We questioned them about the Islamification of Europe and Holland (they were from Amsterdam) and what they thought about Iran. They were the most conservative Europeans I have ever met.
Turns out, they are Dutch commandos who are deployed here to protect EU and Dutch ambassadors! They invited us to go to the shooting range in Tel Aviv the next time that they go! We exchanged numbers and parted ways. I immediately called my dad to tell him that I had just been invited to go shoot with Dutch commandos! Ha, crazy!
So, I must say, Jerusalem is full of excitement. Today, we had an interfaith talk on the steps of the Dome, got kicked out of Al Aqsa, and got invited to shoot guns with Dutch commandos.
And now I'm just sitting here in Chandler's room listening to the loud explosions of fireworks for Jerusalem Day.
Dream big, go places, and do amazing things people. I'm not special, but I will probably get many "I could never do that" comments. As long as you tell yourself you can't do something, you won't. So stop telling yourself you can't, and start working towards some amazing goal! The world awaits!
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”
- St. Augustine
Since the Pope left last Friday, things have gone back to normal in Jerusalem. Today we planned to visit Al-Aqsa (the Temple Mount). So, Chandler, Ira, and I met up at 7:30 and took the big Isawiyya bus to Damascus Gate. Ramzy and Jamal, two of our Arab Muslim friends, met us there. We decided to enter from the tourist entrance next the Cotel (the Western Wall). When we arrived onto the Cotel grounds, Jamal announced that he had never been here before. How ironic that his first time would be with two Christians and a Jew.
The line for the tourist entrance was full of tour groups so we decided to try our luck at one of the Muslim entrances. So, we made our way to an entrance. The Israeli guards stopped us and said, "Where are you from? Are you Muslim?" For some reason, I said, "yes". Which started a big inquiry into proving that we were Muslims. They demanded passports with proof of our religion which of course we didn't have. They questioned Ramzy and Jamal in Arabic and ran their Palestinian ID cards through the machine. Eventually, we just gave up. I think it was Chandler's fluffy curly hair that prevented us :P. Either way, we weren't going to get in easily.
So, we returned to the Cotel. We returned through the same door we had exited merely 5-10 minutes before. This time, the Israelis stopped Jamal and Ramzy - what a turn of events! They seemed unconvinced that the two Arabs were with the three Jewish looking guys. After a long impromptu interrogation, they were allowed to pass.
We made a quick detour so that Jamal could say that he had been to the Cotel. And then we went up to the tourist entrance. The line was incredibly long, so we acted in typical Israeli/Middle Eastern fashion and simply cut. But you have to understand, these are tour groups. If you don't cut, you'll never get in. The tour guide we cut was giving us trouble and so we cut behind her group. We were slick though. Tour groups are clueless without their guides. So, I asked the group behind us where they were from. Spain. Wow! So, I'm extremely interested, where at in Spain? And of course, that gets them completely distracted from the fact that you obviously just cut them and now they are explaining their entire trip and why they are here. We entered with them. Piece of cake.
Climbing up the wooden ramp above the Cotel, Jamal laughed that he was having to enter Al-Aqsa like a tourist. How ironic for him. Once on the Temple Mount, I immediately launched into a tirade of pictures. The Temple Mount is a notoriously difficult place to get into, so I wasn't taking chances. We walked around musing about how we might enter the mosque of Al-Aqsa. We chilled for a moment in the shade and watched some kids play soccer. It's such a peaceful place. A couple kids were sliding down the ramp of Marwani Mosque (Solomon's Stables) on plastic chairs. A Muslim guard was chasing them saying in Arabic "Don't be shaming this place in front of tourists!" He was right, there were many tourist groups. It was a much busier place than the last time I was there. And there were Israeli police patrolling around.
We finally settled under the shade of a tree on the steps of the Dome of the Rock. Our conversation shifted to questions about religion. So, there we were: two Christians (Chandler and me), two Muslims (Jamal and Ramzy), and a Jew (Ira) having a major interfaith dialogue on the steps of the Dome of the Rock. Wow. We talked about the fact that Christians believe Muslims and Jews are going to hell unless they accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, that Muslims believe that Jews and Christians are going to hell unless they accept Islam (although Jamal did say that he thought that someone was not condemned if they truly weren't convinced of Islam), and about how Judaism isn't concerned with the afterlife but with doing the laws today. We talked about how Jews and Christians believe that Mohammad was a false prophet and that the Qur'an was not inspired and about how Muslims believe that Jesus was just a man and that Christians and Jews corrupted their Scriptures. It was truly an amazing moment that we represented the three faiths and could talk without getting upset and at the holiest of holy sites. It encouraged me that we could be frank and state what we really believe instead of dancing around it by claiming that we really don't believe in heaven or hell or that the other side is "wrong".
I encourage everyone to state what they believe and not be afraid of looking cool, being politically correct, or being considered "intellectual". In the end, your conviction matters not how you looked. We could all use more openness. Besides, if we are being honest, we have to realize that we are all engaged in the same quest to find the truth.
We stayed on the steps until the tourist time ended at 10:30. Then we tried to enter the Dome. Come to find out, it's just flat out not allowed for anyone who's not Muslim. The guard, humorously was wearing a "I'm 40 and still naughty" hat which looked ridiculously out-of-place at the entrance to this holy shrine. Jamal and Ramzy explained what it meant to him and he got really embarrassed.
Another one of our Arab friends, Jack, joined up with us and we decided to make a try on the mosque of Al-Aqsa itself. So, we resolved to ask for forgiveness not permission and walked straight to the side entrance. We took our shoes off and walked in.
I was enraptured in the awesomeness of the moment. I was walking inside Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third most holy site in Islam. It was so incredible to be in such a contested, famous, and... forbidden place. An elderly Muslim man praying at the door started yelling at us. He told us to go to the front and make sure it was okay to enter. We walked back out the side entrance and around to the front and made our case. The guard wasn't too pleased, but he didn't yell or get angry. He and another man argued with Jamal and Ramzy for a while. I caught bits and pieces of their conversation. They were arguing that Mecca and Medina were closed to non-Muslims, so why not Al-Aqsa? To which Ramzy countered that we (Chandler and I) had been in many mosques in Egypt and Jordan. But it ultimately came down to the new rule enacted around a year ago: non-Muslims are forbidden to enter Al-Aqsa or the Dome of the Rock. Why? Because the Muslim authorities are annoyed that the Israelis let just anyone into the Temple Mount and so the only way to exert control is to forbid entrance to all tourists not screened by the Muslim authorities, which is everyone.
So, not wanting to cause an international incident or have to explain to my mom why I'm on CNN, we left. We were starving anyway. It was by now 11:30 and we had been on the Temple Mount for 3 hours! So, we ate at Humus Lina, owned by our friend Mohammad. I had Humus with Fol, great stuff! We wandered around for awhile and found ourselves standing outside the Austrian Hospice when a large crowd of Israeli youth marched by waving Israeli flags and chanting something about "Jerusalem... ours..." Ira explained that today was the 42 anniversary of the Israelis retaking Jerusalem in 1967, Jerusalem Day. That explains why we had no school...
We said goodbye to Ramzy and Jack and went and chilled in Zedekiah's Cave/Solomon's Mines. I don't know how there's that deep of a cave underneath the Muslim quarter. It scares me honestly for the safety of the people living there.
Jamal taught me three new words:
"Shtana" - "Wait!" (Shtanu is plural)
"Fhhemet" - הבנת
"Al Jader" - "fence/wall" (what the Arabs call the Separation Wall/Fence)
Jamal and Ira said goodbye and Chandler and I headed up Yafo Street to catch a bus to Givat Ram. Little did we know that Jerusalem Day means lots of parades and tons of Israeli patriotism. Yafo and King George were closed due to parades. There were groups of Israeli youths everywhere we went chanting songs and waving flags. Around the Old City especially in the New Gate area there were soldiers and police everywhere and traffic was horrible. Bellagon! And I thought we just went through the chaos from the Pope being here...
We walked the entire length of King George, gave up on buses, and took a taxi. The Hebrew University campus on Givat Ram is nicer on the outside, but the library is pretty confusing. We bussed back to Mount Scopus and went to the library there and then starving, we finally headed home. We reached the Kfar at about 7pm. Almost 12 hours since we had left. Starving and tired, we went to get some food at a local restaurant.
Burger's Bar was out of wings. So we tried a new place. We ordered some food and sat down. The Israeli TV was in an uproar over Iran's latest missle launch and what the Saudi royals were saying. Chandler and I started to discuss it and so did the guys next to us. So, we sort of just began to all four talk about it. Turns out, these guys work for the European Union. We questioned them about the Islamification of Europe and Holland (they were from Amsterdam) and what they thought about Iran. They were the most conservative Europeans I have ever met.
Turns out, they are Dutch commandos who are deployed here to protect EU and Dutch ambassadors! They invited us to go to the shooting range in Tel Aviv the next time that they go! We exchanged numbers and parted ways. I immediately called my dad to tell him that I had just been invited to go shoot with Dutch commandos! Ha, crazy!
So, I must say, Jerusalem is full of excitement. Today, we had an interfaith talk on the steps of the Dome, got kicked out of Al Aqsa, and got invited to shoot guns with Dutch commandos.
And now I'm just sitting here in Chandler's room listening to the loud explosions of fireworks for Jerusalem Day.
Dream big, go places, and do amazing things people. I'm not special, but I will probably get many "I could never do that" comments. As long as you tell yourself you can't do something, you won't. So stop telling yourself you can't, and start working towards some amazing goal! The world awaits!
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”
- St. Augustine
The Dome of the Rock
Al Aqsa is like a park for Arabs... There is a high school on the far end by the Muslim Quarter.
This is the Muslim security guard for the Dome. Notice what his hat says. This is Jamal and Ramzy explaining to him what his hat means. He got pretty embarrassed.
The Dome is closed to non-Muslims. But Jamal got me in last time! Woot!
Us in Zedekiah's Cave/Solomon's Mines
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Student Day: All Night Concert and oy vay Macy Gray
On day 3 of yet another long stretch of trips, my archaeology class visited the Cardo Maximus in the Old City, where we discussed the dimensions of the Byzantine "Shuk". Many areas have been excavated, some older than others, and where there is an area of three streets of the Arab Shuk lined up, that was the width of the main Cardo.
Afterward we visited the Holy Sepulcher, discussing the mix of architecture and remnants from different periods. I had been there before so you can see it once again way back when. Afterwards, I headed to town to tutor english with an Ethiopian Israeli student, and then I fell asleep at a park in Rehavia, near Jason's Tomb, and a slide built on top of a bomb shelter.
But the real story is about the night's events. All month long, ads on buses and streets, as well as at the university, had been posting up details of this "Student Day" in the center of town. I bought a ticket, but didn't really know what I was getting into. I only knew that Idan Raichel, and unfortunately, Macy Gray were going to be there. I did know know that 16 THOUSAND students were going to show up, filling an entire park; that there were performances from 9-2am, and then from 4-8; and that in between shops of Ben Yehuda street were to be opened all night. This night coincded with the annual celebration of Yom Yerushalayim or Jerusalem Day, recognizing when Israel recaptured the Old City and all of Jerusalem, making it a Jewish city for the first time in 2000 years. For the 19 years beforehand that Israel was a state, the Old City was in Jordanian hands, and no Jews were allowed into their holiest site, the Western Wall, which the Jordanians turned into a garbage dump...
Anyway, the way I understood this evening event was that Israel was trying to bring to make Jerusalem more complete by including it's missing element: Tel Aviv, the NYC equivalent, the town that doesn't sleep, the cultural capital, etc. I didn't know that Tel Aviv was having its own Student Day, but this night was a real push to show that youth were still fond of Jerusalem and it wasn't just a religious hub.
The Idan Raichel concert was great, and as you can see, I got pretty close and recorded most of it, but Macy was HORRIBLE!!
I couldn't understand a word she said, compared with the performance in Hebrew, and she made the audience do ridiculous things like shout out their names at once. She also told them they smelled good. In the middle of her gig I left with some friends to get waffles at Max Brenner's (Chocolate Bald Guy), and then I went back because of what was sure to be an interesting yom Yerushalayim...
Afterward we visited the Holy Sepulcher, discussing the mix of architecture and remnants from different periods. I had been there before so you can see it once again way back when. Afterwards, I headed to town to tutor english with an Ethiopian Israeli student, and then I fell asleep at a park in Rehavia, near Jason's Tomb, and a slide built on top of a bomb shelter.
But the real story is about the night's events. All month long, ads on buses and streets, as well as at the university, had been posting up details of this "Student Day" in the center of town. I bought a ticket, but didn't really know what I was getting into. I only knew that Idan Raichel, and unfortunately, Macy Gray were going to be there. I did know know that 16 THOUSAND students were going to show up, filling an entire park; that there were performances from 9-2am, and then from 4-8; and that in between shops of Ben Yehuda street were to be opened all night. This night coincded with the annual celebration of Yom Yerushalayim or Jerusalem Day, recognizing when Israel recaptured the Old City and all of Jerusalem, making it a Jewish city for the first time in 2000 years. For the 19 years beforehand that Israel was a state, the Old City was in Jordanian hands, and no Jews were allowed into their holiest site, the Western Wall, which the Jordanians turned into a garbage dump...
Anyway, the way I understood this evening event was that Israel was trying to bring to make Jerusalem more complete by including it's missing element: Tel Aviv, the NYC equivalent, the town that doesn't sleep, the cultural capital, etc. I didn't know that Tel Aviv was having its own Student Day, but this night was a real push to show that youth were still fond of Jerusalem and it wasn't just a religious hub.
The Idan Raichel concert was great, and as you can see, I got pretty close and recorded most of it, but Macy was HORRIBLE!!
I couldn't understand a word she said, compared with the performance in Hebrew, and she made the audience do ridiculous things like shout out their names at once. She also told them they smelled good. In the middle of her gig I left with some friends to get waffles at Max Brenner's (Chocolate Bald Guy), and then I went back because of what was sure to be an interesting yom Yerushalayim...
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Ramat Rachel and a Blind Hike
Today was a light day of traveling. My Israeli Settlements class bussed to the southern edge of Jerusalem to learn about a kibbutz called Ramat Rachel (Rachel's Heights, since the matriarch's tomb isn't far from there). We talked about the Kibbutz during Israel's wars, since it was destroyed many times.
Later that day, I went for a return check up with my eye doctor on my terrible allergies which find me crying every morning uncontrollably. The doc said my eyes had improved, but he dilated my pupils to make sure there was nothing else wrong. Long story short, I was half blind in a very sunny Jerusalem afternoon, and I had to find my way back to the main street for a bus. However, since I was going to be missing class that night cuz I couldn't read anything at the moment, I thought I'd explore the area where the doctor's practice was. Rehavia is a neighborhood right in the middle of town, and I had hear about a 2nd Temple tomb nearby, called Jason's Tomb. Using my squinting skills, I found it on my atlas and took a nice stroll around the residential streets. It was pleasant, even if I could barely see what I was doing...
Later that day, I went for a return check up with my eye doctor on my terrible allergies which find me crying every morning uncontrollably. The doc said my eyes had improved, but he dilated my pupils to make sure there was nothing else wrong. Long story short, I was half blind in a very sunny Jerusalem afternoon, and I had to find my way back to the main street for a bus. However, since I was going to be missing class that night cuz I couldn't read anything at the moment, I thought I'd explore the area where the doctor's practice was. Rehavia is a neighborhood right in the middle of town, and I had hear about a 2nd Temple tomb nearby, called Jason's Tomb. Using my squinting skills, I found it on my atlas and took a nice stroll around the residential streets. It was pleasant, even if I could barely see what I was doing...
Monday, May 18, 2009
Here is the Man: Ecce Homo and Mt. of Olives Churches
On a wickedly hot summer Monday, I explored some new faces of historical and archeological relevance in and around the Old City, with my Archaeology of Jerusalem class. We started by entering the Lion's Gate, interesting because in a few days Israel would be celebrating 42 years since their Defense Forces entered and conquered the Old City, reuniting from this gate (only Israel and Persia and conquered through this gate). We arrived at the Ecce Homo, a Harianic archway (three to be exact) located on the Via Delorosa. We then explored the original Roman street level, Bethesda pools nearby which dated back to Herod and were used with religious significance as sites of Roman Temples and Byzantine and Crusader Churches. Then we explored the Mt. of Olives, including a Church of Ascension with one of Jesus; footprints, at a site which is now a Mosque, Dominus Flevit, one of only two churches I know of that face west (the other is the Holy Sepulcher), and Gesthemene. In between Churches we enjoyed the lookout, the enormous Jewish cemetery, and the site of one of the Pope's addresses from the week before.
Church-hopping
That night, there was a special educators panel with my Jewish education class, and we got to hear from three individuals at three different points in their careers as educators. We discussed the future of Jewish education and and the problems it's facing right now. Also, one of the guests at the event turned out to be the lovable headmaster of my alma mater...
Church-hopping
That night, there was a special educators panel with my Jewish education class, and we got to hear from three individuals at three different points in their careers as educators. We discussed the future of Jewish education and and the problems it's facing right now. Also, one of the guests at the event turned out to be the lovable headmaster of my alma mater...
Sunday, May 17, 2009
ENP visit in Ashkelon
So remember my ENP internship? It's become English tutoring, but it used to be traveling around to Ethiopian-Israeli communities in Israel, recording observations in a blog. You can see right now that the blog is noted on the running feed of their homepage. Anyway, I gave it one more try, visiting Ashkelon. It's not up yet, so I included it below, but eventually you should be able to read it here.
Coming from an American background, I know very well how demanding the SATs can be. Preparation means many hours of enrichment and tutoring sessions. If only I had gone to Ashkelon before 11th grade, I would have learned the wonderful value of group study.
The Ethiopian National Project funds a special program called סיוע לימודים, or Learning Assistance, that helps prepare students for the Bagrut exam. What surprised me was that while American SAT includes math, reading and writing, the Bagrut includes Bible Study and Jewish History, among other subjects. This year, in the Ashkelon area alone there are 475 students enrolled in the study group program, and 80 are in academic enrichment classes, or Atidim עתידים. I had the privilege to talk with the students about their work, and they pulled out their notes, full of Torah passages they were studying. They also have to learn drama and literary texts, and this brought me back in time to my studies of Antigone and other Greek tragedies in the States. I can't even imagine what they sound like in Hebrew. When I introduced myself and told them where I came from, one student mentioned she had visited the United States only a few months ago, through a special correspondence program with Ashkelon's sister city, Baltimore. Her face lit up as she described her visit, taking in the local sites with her friends. The previous summer, ten children from the Baltimore area made an exciting trip to Israel, and throughout the year, the groups keep in touch.
These two elements were only a small cross-section of ENP programming here, since most of the groups had already let out, and the rest were eager to prepare for their exams. However, you can experience the impact of these programs by the candid responses of the children. They're certainly enjoying what ENP has to offer. I couldn't even tell if they enjoyed the fact that I gave them a few minute's break when I interrupted their class to meet them.
The Ethiopian National Project funds a special program called סיוע לימודים, or Learning Assistance, that helps prepare students for the Bagrut exam. What surprised me was that while American SAT includes math, reading and writing, the Bagrut includes Bible Study and Jewish History, among other subjects. This year, in the Ashkelon area alone there are 475 students enrolled in the study group program, and 80 are in academic enrichment classes, or Atidim עתידים. I had the privilege to talk with the students about their work, and they pulled out their notes, full of Torah passages they were studying. They also have to learn drama and literary texts, and this brought me back in time to my studies of Antigone and other Greek tragedies in the States. I can't even imagine what they sound like in Hebrew. When I introduced myself and told them where I came from, one student mentioned she had visited the United States only a few months ago, through a special correspondence program with Ashkelon's sister city, Baltimore. Her face lit up as she described her visit, taking in the local sites with her friends. The previous summer, ten children from the Baltimore area made an exciting trip to Israel, and throughout the year, the groups keep in touch.
These two elements were only a small cross-section of ENP programming here, since most of the groups had already let out, and the rest were eager to prepare for their exams. However, you can experience the impact of these programs by the candid responses of the children. They're certainly enjoying what ENP has to offer. I couldn't even tell if they enjoyed the fact that I gave them a few minute's break when I interrupted their class to meet them.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Mini Israel, The Pope's Departure, and The Shrine of the Book
Down to Size
What with the Pope taking over the city's roads, and time winding down, I thought I'd put my experiences into perspective. Mini Israel in an excellent jumping off point for people coming to visit Israel. It's filled with miniature models of ancient sites, mountains, factories, museums, building, and anything else significant to Israel. There are holy sites, an airport, even a coca-cola factory, and in some cases, the structures come to life. The Western Wall site has little people that move back and forth in prayer. The Mosques amplify the Adhan, the shuks shout out bargains, and the trucks and planes move around. What struck me as most interesting though was the Masada exhibit. It appeared to be the only site that was rebuilt to reflect its ancient appearance. That is to say, at the bottom of the plateau, there was a camera crew filming the movie, but at the top, all the houses remained, and on the side, Herod's palace was completely intact. I think it was the only site not true to its modern representation.
There was a trivia game where we had to answer questions about sites by finding them and taking pictures. I certainly did not know all of them, such as where Jethro's tomb was, or where Cham Weizman was buried, but each group needed to have an Israeli, so I worked with Matan, and together we hauled in first prize, a soundtrack CD from Halahaka, The Band, from the army.
Thursday I was delighted to find an invitation in my mailbox to my sister's graduation. This is the reason I'm leaving Israel, so it's obviously pretty important. However, even though the addresses looked authentic, I had to check the invite to make sure it wasn't a fake. How do you check? Search for a mistake. This year, there are two commencement ceremonies planned on the same day at the same time, depending on your preferred language. On the English side, it's number 58, but on the Hebrew side, it's 59. At least I knew I was invited to the right ceremony.
That night, I met up with a family from my summer camp, and while I called them last minute and they were busy heading out for a birthday celebration, it was very nice catching up with them and reminiscing about past summers. From there, I went to the movie theater once again (last time it was Wolverine). In honor of it being the eve of the Pope's departure from the Holy Land, and therefore another few hours of house arrest for me, I saw Angel's and Demons, starring an Israeli actress, and with a screenplay written by Akiva Goldsman. I remember buying the book and looking it up online to find that the movie was set for release exactly a year from then, so I guess I read the book a year ago. I think that day also coincided with something involving wisdom teeth. Either way, the story takes place in a great location, Rome, and had a lot of fun recalling the Churches and other places I had just been too. In honor of the occasion, here's a clip I took of St. Peter's Basilica, a site used in a few scenes in the movie. The movie itself was so so, and I felt like Da Vinci Code was lacking as well. They're just not memorable movies, but they make good thrillers.
Friday I had to drop off the Dr. Seuss books from my Hebrew presentation at the other Hebrew University library, the national one, in Givat Ram. But first I stopped off at a public school in the city where I've been tutoring an Ethiopian-Israeli in English for the past two weeks, as an easier alternative to traveling all over for the blog I started for the Ethiopian National Project. Now, Givat Ram is the government district of Israel, so I went to visit the Smithsonian equivalent, known as the Israel Museum. The United States houses the Declaration in a building so secure it can sustain a nuclear attack. Israel does something similar, in the Shrine of the Book, but they're not as concerned about their declaration. They choose to protect the oldest known biblical and Hebrew textual records. These include the Dead Sea scrolls, some of which were purchased by Israel from an ad in the Wall Street Journal in 1947 for $250,000. Also included is the Aleppo Codex, what is believed to be the oldest known record of the Hebrew Bible used today, complete with grammatical markings. The codex was written in Tiberias, but spent most of its time in an Aleppo Synagogue. In 1947, right after the UN resolution was passed, the Synagogue was attacked, and the Codex smuggled out, only to be smuggled into Israel on a secret mission. The third and fourth most important artifacts are two metal amulets from the 1st Temple period which include the Biblical Priestly Blessing. This is the oldest Biblical inscription found.
I then explored a very cool art exhibit called "Bizarre Perfection." I can't explain what it was, but the exhibit is online, and you can see some of the pieces here. There was a glass floor held up by thousands of action figures, some of the most realistic looking dolls I've ever seen, and micro-calligraphy. There was also an exhibit on masks, and you can check that exhibit out here as well. If you click on masks from the exhibit, at the top, the last one is what they believe is the oldest mask found in the world. I think that's a pretty bold claim, but be careful, the mask looks like it would fit Anthony Hopkins well...
I would have stayed longer, but the museum was closing, so I quickly found the famous Love Statue and took off for some Shabbat shopping at the Shuk.
Friday night Jason and I took Damascus Gate to the Western Wall for services, and dinner took place at some random guy's family home in the Old City. I was once again disappointed by the orthodox opinion on public affairs, and felt a little weirded out walking through the shut-down shuk with Jason at a quarter to twelve, on our way to the Damascus Gate. All the doors were closed, and only the puddles and cats were still awake.
Lastly, I took this lazy weekend and procrastinated to the degree of catching up on video montages! Yay! So far we have:
and introducing...
the 3rd month,
and Italy...
What with the Pope taking over the city's roads, and time winding down, I thought I'd put my experiences into perspective. Mini Israel in an excellent jumping off point for people coming to visit Israel. It's filled with miniature models of ancient sites, mountains, factories, museums, building, and anything else significant to Israel. There are holy sites, an airport, even a coca-cola factory, and in some cases, the structures come to life. The Western Wall site has little people that move back and forth in prayer. The Mosques amplify the Adhan, the shuks shout out bargains, and the trucks and planes move around. What struck me as most interesting though was the Masada exhibit. It appeared to be the only site that was rebuilt to reflect its ancient appearance. That is to say, at the bottom of the plateau, there was a camera crew filming the movie, but at the top, all the houses remained, and on the side, Herod's palace was completely intact. I think it was the only site not true to its modern representation.
There was a trivia game where we had to answer questions about sites by finding them and taking pictures. I certainly did not know all of them, such as where Jethro's tomb was, or where Cham Weizman was buried, but each group needed to have an Israeli, so I worked with Matan, and together we hauled in first prize, a soundtrack CD from Halahaka, The Band, from the army.
Thursday I was delighted to find an invitation in my mailbox to my sister's graduation. This is the reason I'm leaving Israel, so it's obviously pretty important. However, even though the addresses looked authentic, I had to check the invite to make sure it wasn't a fake. How do you check? Search for a mistake. This year, there are two commencement ceremonies planned on the same day at the same time, depending on your preferred language. On the English side, it's number 58, but on the Hebrew side, it's 59. At least I knew I was invited to the right ceremony.
That night, I met up with a family from my summer camp, and while I called them last minute and they were busy heading out for a birthday celebration, it was very nice catching up with them and reminiscing about past summers. From there, I went to the movie theater once again (last time it was Wolverine). In honor of it being the eve of the Pope's departure from the Holy Land, and therefore another few hours of house arrest for me, I saw Angel's and Demons, starring an Israeli actress, and with a screenplay written by Akiva Goldsman. I remember buying the book and looking it up online to find that the movie was set for release exactly a year from then, so I guess I read the book a year ago. I think that day also coincided with something involving wisdom teeth. Either way, the story takes place in a great location, Rome, and had a lot of fun recalling the Churches and other places I had just been too. In honor of the occasion, here's a clip I took of St. Peter's Basilica, a site used in a few scenes in the movie. The movie itself was so so, and I felt like Da Vinci Code was lacking as well. They're just not memorable movies, but they make good thrillers.
Friday I had to drop off the Dr. Seuss books from my Hebrew presentation at the other Hebrew University library, the national one, in Givat Ram. But first I stopped off at a public school in the city where I've been tutoring an Ethiopian-Israeli in English for the past two weeks, as an easier alternative to traveling all over for the blog I started for the Ethiopian National Project. Now, Givat Ram is the government district of Israel, so I went to visit the Smithsonian equivalent, known as the Israel Museum. The United States houses the Declaration in a building so secure it can sustain a nuclear attack. Israel does something similar, in the Shrine of the Book, but they're not as concerned about their declaration. They choose to protect the oldest known biblical and Hebrew textual records. These include the Dead Sea scrolls, some of which were purchased by Israel from an ad in the Wall Street Journal in 1947 for $250,000. Also included is the Aleppo Codex, what is believed to be the oldest known record of the Hebrew Bible used today, complete with grammatical markings. The codex was written in Tiberias, but spent most of its time in an Aleppo Synagogue. In 1947, right after the UN resolution was passed, the Synagogue was attacked, and the Codex smuggled out, only to be smuggled into Israel on a secret mission. The third and fourth most important artifacts are two metal amulets from the 1st Temple period which include the Biblical Priestly Blessing. This is the oldest Biblical inscription found.
I then explored a very cool art exhibit called "Bizarre Perfection." I can't explain what it was, but the exhibit is online, and you can see some of the pieces here. There was a glass floor held up by thousands of action figures, some of the most realistic looking dolls I've ever seen, and micro-calligraphy. There was also an exhibit on masks, and you can check that exhibit out here as well. If you click on masks from the exhibit, at the top, the last one is what they believe is the oldest mask found in the world. I think that's a pretty bold claim, but be careful, the mask looks like it would fit Anthony Hopkins well...
I would have stayed longer, but the museum was closing, so I quickly found the famous Love Statue and took off for some Shabbat shopping at the Shuk.
Friday night Jason and I took Damascus Gate to the Western Wall for services, and dinner took place at some random guy's family home in the Old City. I was once again disappointed by the orthodox opinion on public affairs, and felt a little weirded out walking through the shut-down shuk with Jason at a quarter to twelve, on our way to the Damascus Gate. All the doors were closed, and only the puddles and cats were still awake.
Lastly, I took this lazy weekend and procrastinated to the degree of catching up on video montages! Yay! So far we have:
and introducing...
the 3rd month,
and Italy...
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Early Settlements, Gallilee Glamor, and THIRTEEN HOURS of Class
Today was such a long day, both from driving the length of the country both ways and returning just in time for my Arabic class, I had almost nothing left. I traveled with one of my classes taught in Hebrew to the north, visiting settlements from the early 20th century around the Kinneret. The first was Sajgra, coming from the Arabic word for trees, where an agricultural school was built. The second was Kinneret, a settlement built right on the Kinneret (and on the way we stopped by Kfar Tavor, where I had visited in 11th grade. Here the first Jewish guard was established, Hashomer. Also, a soldier from the famous '67 war photos lives here). The third was Deganya, the first kibbutz, and birthplace of Moshe Dayan, a famous soldier who participated in the conquering of Jerusalem in '67, which is being celebrated next week. We visited old sites and talked to old people about their experiences. One such person was in her eighties, and had a lot to share about growing up a place where there were two trees to start out.
Pictures
Pictures
Monday, May 11, 2009
Salve Papa, The Aphiphiore אפיפיור, and Jerusalem Up in Smoke
The morning required an increased amount of attention, due to a special presentation I was making with another classmate on Dr. Seuss books in Hebrew. But aftwerards, I skipped out of class, feeling it was my moral and religious duty to welcome a significant figure in the worldly scene, as well as someone who was landing next door to my apartment. That's right, the Holy See touched down on my turf, Haddassah Hospital on Mount Scopus, in Jerusalem. Security was very tight, meaning it was impossible to get in or out of my apartment complex during his landing, the place was swarming with soldiers, and there were four helicopters that landed. There wasn't even a Pope Mobile, so I never saw Benedictus, but there's a good chance who saw me. His schedule is listed below:
Monday, 11 May 2009: Arrival and Official Welcome
Tuesday, 12 May 2009: Jerusalem and Mass at Kidron Valley
Wednesday, 13 May 2009: Bethlehem (Palestinian Authority)
Thursday, 14 May 2009: Nazareth
Friday, 15 May 2009: Departure
That was all day, and I really didn't miss that much class. I mean, it was Archaeology of Jerusalem, and I has spent more than enough time studying that subject yesterday.
Monday night was the religious observance of Lag Ba'omer, and time when Jewish traditions have developed of bonfires and haircuts for young children. No joke. It sounds ridiculous, but in Israel, it's all taken to new extremes. This should shed some light.
Monday, 11 May 2009: Arrival and Official Welcome
- 11:00 - Arrival at Ben-Gurion International Airport (from Jordan). Official welcoming ceremony headed by President Shimon Peres
- 12:05 Arrival at Mount Scopus helipad, Jerusalem. Welcoming ceremony by Jerusalem Mayor, Nir Barkat.
- 16:00 - Visit to the President’s Residence
Celebratory reception ceremony, working meeting with President Shimon Peres, meeting with Noam Shalit, father of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, joint planting of a tree in the Presidential Garden, personal addresses, artistic program. - 17:45 - Visit to Yad Vashem, Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Memorial. Memorial ceremony at the Remembrance Hall; Wreath laying; Address by the Pope.
- 18:45 - Interfaith meeting at Notre Dame Jerusalem Center
Tuesday, 12 May 2009: Jerusalem and Mass at Kidron Valley
- 09:15 - Visit the Temple Mount and meet with the Grand Mufti
- 10:00 - Visit the Western Wall accompanied by the Chief Rabbis of Israel
- 10:35 - Visit the Chief Rabbis at the Heichal Shlomo Synagogue
- 12:00 - Visit to the Church of Dormition; prayer at the Cenacle, site of the Last Supper.
- 12:30 - Visit and prayer at Latin Patriarch
- 16:15 - Visit Gethsemane Church and a solemn afternoon Mass at the Garden of Gethsemane
Wednesday, 13 May 2009: Bethlehem (Palestinian Authority)
- 09:30 - Welcoming ceremony with PA President Abbas
- 10:00 - Celebration of Mass at Manger Square
- 15:30 - Visit the Grotto of the Nativity
- 16:00 - Visit Caritas Baby Hospital , Bethlehem
- 16:45 - Visit Aida refugee camp, Bethlehem
- 17:30 - Departure ceremony, presidential palace, Bethlehem
Thursday, 14 May 2009: Nazareth
- 9:15 - Arrival in Nazareth, welcoming ceremony and the ceremony of bread and salt. Reception by Mayor of Nazareth.
- 10:00 - Mass at Mount of the Precipice
- 15:50 - Meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Church of the Annunciation.
- 16:30 - Meeting with the Faith Heads in Israel, Church of the Annunciation
- 17:00 - Visit Grotto of the Annunciation; Celebration of Vespers, Church of the Annunciation
- 17:30 - Meeting with Catholic leaders, Church of the Annunciation
Friday, 15 May 2009: Departure
- 9:15 - Meeting with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch
- 10:00 - Visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and prayer
- 11:00 - Meeting with Armenian Patriarch
- 13:10 - Depart from Mount Scopus helipad to airport
- 13:30 - Official farewell and ceremony at Ben-Gurion International Airport, including speeches by President Shimon Peres and Pope Benedict XVI
That was all day, and I really didn't miss that much class. I mean, it was Archaeology of Jerusalem, and I has spent more than enough time studying that subject yesterday.
Monday night was the religious observance of Lag Ba'omer, and time when Jewish traditions have developed of bonfires and haircuts for young children. No joke. It sounds ridiculous, but in Israel, it's all taken to new extremes. This should shed some light.
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