Today began with errands for work with Sarah, the other counselor staying back from the trip. However, immediately after arriving in Talpiot, a Jerusalem suburb, I got a call from a frantic Batya, our Israel Coordinator, about an exciting event taking place in two hours. An inter-faith gathering was to take place just south of Jerusalem at a spring called Ein Haniyya, including an appearance by Rabbi Fruman, a very unique leader who lives in the settlement of Tekoa near Herodion, but has conversed with Hamas and PLO representatives. The reason for the gathering of Jews, Muslims, and Christians was to pray together for rain.
Exploration and education, nestled in the nook of a neighborhood bully.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Alone with the Stalactites and Stalagmites of Soreq
Only a few Jews remain in the Jerusalem Kivunim community. While the rest are off exploring and discovering Greece and Bulgaria, I dug into the web for a local sight that wasn't too accesible, but would provide an easy day of adventure. I found the Soreq Cave.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Kiryat Ono, Ethiopians, Anti-Zionists, and Dreams of Hang-Gliding: The Heights of Mt. Tabor
Before the weekend, I took a night walk around the city with my camera, trying to capture some of the contrasts in dark and gold. PICTURES
The next day I awoke to a phone call by one of my Dutch Israeli relatives, and since I didn't have a plan for my day off, I jumped on a bus up to Kiryat Ono, a Tel Aviv suburb. There I found Fien and Shimon, who discussed with me their lifestyle in the neighborhood and the difficulties of efforts they and their family has made to promote co-existence. They also shared their warm hospitality, offering fruits of their garden, including some enormous oranges, as well as a palmello they bought recently. I ended the day wandering around the outskirts of the town, on a walk with Shimon. Where there were once endless orange groves, there are now neglected dunes and future sights of mile-high apartment complexes. PICTURES
Thursday I took Ari and Zoe, two students, to explore some local hot spots, the Ethiopian Church Compound and Mea Shearim. Both the Church and the neighborhood are a next-door to each other, yet both are insular environments. PICTURES
I made it a priority to see Fien and Shimon, because I was fortunate enough to find two students, Zach and Emily, who hadn't made plans for the weekend yet, and were interested in trying something new: a hike up north!
The next day I awoke to a phone call by one of my Dutch Israeli relatives, and since I didn't have a plan for my day off, I jumped on a bus up to Kiryat Ono, a Tel Aviv suburb. There I found Fien and Shimon, who discussed with me their lifestyle in the neighborhood and the difficulties of efforts they and their family has made to promote co-existence. They also shared their warm hospitality, offering fruits of their garden, including some enormous oranges, as well as a palmello they bought recently. I ended the day wandering around the outskirts of the town, on a walk with Shimon. Where there were once endless orange groves, there are now neglected dunes and future sights of mile-high apartment complexes. PICTURES
Thursday I took Ari and Zoe, two students, to explore some local hot spots, the Ethiopian Church Compound and Mea Shearim. Both the Church and the neighborhood are a next-door to each other, yet both are insular environments. PICTURES
I made it a priority to see Fien and Shimon, because I was fortunate enough to find two students, Zach and Emily, who hadn't made plans for the weekend yet, and were interested in trying something new: a hike up north!
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