It all begins here- new faces, new places

A tiny tidbit: I wrote this post sitting on the bus with my group as we descended from Tel Aviv down to Eilat two days ago. 

__

My program has started!

It feels a little bit like a model United Nations conference! We met just two days ago but between the jet lag and extremely closed quarters it seems like much longer! We are 14 people ranging in age from 19 to 29. We are from the U.S., Ukraine, South Africa, Romania, France and Georgia (the country!).

Between all of us there are probably at least six or seven languages spoken. Our guide Rami is originally from Ukraine and he speaks fluently in Ukrainian, Russian, English and Hebrew. Being around so many people from non-English speaking countries has really opened my eyes. Languages build bridges between nations, civilizations and between humans. With language we have the power to tie the world together. I am convinced that if everyone spoke the same language, there would be less violence in the world (though this is just a theory!).

That night we went out as a group to an American-themed bar called Mike’s Place. It was open mic night and two people from our group performed! Not to mention there was a crazy man who got on stage shouting profanities as if he had some kind of agenda to dominate the bar. That man needs a good therapist, maybe an hour or two with Oprah and he’ll be all set! I wish I had a picture of said crazy person... but instead, just these crazy people ;)

The next morning we had breakfast and then headed to Haifa! This trip was especially exciting for me because on neither of my two earlier trips to Israel did I go to Haifa. We learned from a tourguide, Natalie, that Haifa is a symbol of the world’s ability to practice coexistence. In Haifa exists the Bahaii gardens and a Bahaii shrine, the second holiest site for the Bahaii religion. The Bahaiis believe in uncompromising world peace and beauty in nature. They are pacifists. Some Bahaiis also practice other religions. To me it seems the Bahaiis should practice veganism… I would just think that if they are interested in achieving world peace, they need to also acknowledge that humans are not the only beings of the world. But hey, I could be wrong.

View of Haifa from above the Bahaii gardens.

People come from all over the world to see the Bahaii gardens.

Artsy shot of Bahaii Gardens in Haifa

After touring the gardens we learned the port in Haifa is a very old port and was involved in the African slave trade a few hundred years ago. During a single moment everything for me came full circle - I have now been to Charleston, S.C., to Accra, Ghana and to Haifa; all three were involved in the African slave trade. It is so baffling to think people would trade other people as commodities. Going back to my earlier theory - perhaps if they had spoken the same language the oppressors would have seen there was no difference between one man and another, regardless of skin color. 

This artwork is plastered on the side of a building in Haifa. It is a symbol of the city's unparalleled coexistence.  The boy on the left is Jewish and the boy on the right holding his hand is Muslim.

Random view in Haifa Arab neighborhood.

We then went to hear a member of the Islamic Ahmadi community share with us his sect’s views on how the Qur’an has been misinterpreted by millions of people who proclaim themselves Muslims. Omar, our discussion leader, said that jihad is supposed to be a holy war within one’s mind and NOT an interpersonal battle. After a less-than-heated debate with the discussion leader on a few tenets of the religion, we got lunch and visited a small market in an Arab neighborhood. After only five minutes I was able to see the entire market and took advantage of the time to study my Ivrit!

Market in Haifa - such a colorful array of fruits and veggies!!!

The building where we had a discussion with the Ahmadi leader. We were not allowed to enter the actual mosque due to our dress.

Max, Costa, Luca, Dima, Rami, Nata (None are American!)

The Ahmadi sect's mosque in Haifa.

The group peaks into the doors but not all were permitted to enter.

When we arrived back to Tel Aviv three people from my program and I went into the city, had dinner and explored before settling into a popular bar on Dizengoff Street. We met a few German travelers and I got to share my knowledge of how to say 555 in German ;) They wondered why I knew how to say this and not even to know how to say “hello.”

Restaurant we ate at had a vegan menu!

This is my dinner, it was SCRUMPTIOUS!

Vegan gelato labeled in green! Wow!!!!

Navigating through the city was difficult because there was a NEVER ENDING stream of participants in the 10 kilometer Light the Night run. It was a pleasure to see so many physically fit people in a city that is smaller than the one to which I am accustomed.

Yikes!

Eventually we made our way back to the hostel and met up with the rest of the group. Together we ventured to a nearby bar where I learned a few Ukrainian words and phrases from the Ukrainians in our group! Ex. How are you: Yak teh?; I’m good: Klows-no. Hello: Pree-veet. It is really a pleasure to get to interact with people from completely different backgrounds and upbringings. We are all so different and yet at the core we are all the same.

The next morning we woke up, took a guided tour around Tel Aviv and headed out for our breathtakingly beautiful voyage through the desert! 

A Tel Aviv man has transformed his home into a Matkot museum. Matkot is an Israeli sport played on the beach. It is like ping pong but without the table and net.

To be continued...

Tel A-beautiful Tel Aviv

The past few days have seemed like they spanned much longer than they did in actuality. I mean this in a good way!

I arrived to my friend Amir’s house in Tel Aviv and was greeted quite warmly with hugs and a welcome lunch, see the picture below - it was quite a spread!

That night after dinner Amir and his friends took me to a local bar in Herzliya (just north of Tel Aviv) called Siesta. I got to practice my Hebrew! Also it just so happened that one of Amir’s friends spoke Spanish so I got to speak some Español :) At the bar I sampled Israel’s flagship beer Goldstar. It was great! The bar offers both the filtered and unfiltered versions of the brew. My preference was for unfiltered. 

The next day I woke up and went for a run. The neighborhood adjacent to Amir’s, B’nei Brak, is religious so it was a show for my eyes to see another side of everyday life than to what I am normally accustomed. There was an awesome paved bike path for both runners and bikers - Israel is VERY bike and pedestrian friendly! The only problem, like in most big cities, is that people don’t know how to wear helmets!

After my run I took the public bus into Tel Aviv where I toured the Carmel Shuk. The market was robust with fruits of all different colors, shapes and sizes. There were eggplants so purple and beautiful I wanted to break out a stove and pan and immediately get to cooking! 

From the shuk I took the boardwalk about a mile and a half (?) into the old port city of Jaffa. I should have planned better - I forgot at the time that it was a Sunday and I couldn’t enter any of the old churches there, and of course the museum was closed. In israel the work week goes from Sunday until Thursday, which leaves Friday and Saturday as the two weekend days.

Jaffa was beautiful. From nooks and crevices to art merchants and colonizing vines, it was like every inch of the city was in sync to produce a truly unique vibe. I just need to go back on another day of the week!

From Jaffa I walked back to Tel Aviv, away from the shore, and was invited into conversation by many people on the streets - perhaps by the paleness of my skin it was evident I was a foreigner? 

After four hours of walking I finally decided I was tired, got lunch at Aroma and took the bus home… during rush hour. On the bus it was a battle for the survivor of the pushiest! Anytime someone got off the bus, it was a mad dash to see who could conquer the vacant seat first. I was not too terrible at this game if I may say so myself!

That night I had dinner with cousins at their home in northern Tel Aviv. My immediate family only recently discovered the Sleptzoff family on my mom’s side from old letters my grandmother had written to the matriarchal Sleptzoff. I am very happy to call these people my cousins :) They were nothing but hospitable and insisted that I could not leave without a full stomach! 

After dinner cousin Roy, who is two days older than me, brought me to a local outdoor bar on the Tel Aviv University campus. (Side note: I guess this is legal here because the drinking age is 18 in Israel?) I do not think this would ever happen in the States!

The next morning I packed up by bags and headed to meet with my program group at a youth hostel in Tel Aviv. It was a wonderful few days staying with the Altman family and I am lucky to have been welcomed into their home. 

Here are a few pictures from my adventure through Tel Aviv:

Entering Jaffa - ancient staircase!

In Jaffa, this is how the passageways look, similar to Tsfat.

View of Tel Aviv coast from Jaffa coast.

Yay!!!!!!! This was spray-painted a few times on some buildings.

Private residence in Tel Aviv, beautiful!

First Post from Israel!

It is not without major jet-lag that I sit down to write this post. I arrived yesterday around 1:00 p.m. Israel time and was immediately greeted by an hour-long line getting through passport control. Supposedly right now tourism in Israel is down, I can't even imagine what security must be like at its height...

My first flight from Dulles to Charles de Gaulle was about seven hours long. I sat next to a woman who just happened to be from Bethesda - nice coincidence! She was also en route to Tel Aviv. I was in the window seat and she was in the aisle. We got lucky, the middle seat in our row remained empty the entirety of the flight.

The first meal served on the flight was this:

The hot dish was a yellow rice with tomato stew and veggies. The meal also included sugar-free applesauce, a piece of multigrain bread, a roll, some dried fruit, some fresh melon and a small green salad. The salad was DISGUSTING! Everything else was okay.

The second meal on the first flight was supposed to be a light snack. When the stewardess came to drop it off to me I was very confused because the tray had dairy yogurt on it and some kind of muffin that had egg. The stewardess informed me that Air France does not serve a vegan snack, just the meals. Kind of absurd for a seven hour flight if you ask me. When I flew British airways in June, we had two full meals on each flight, and everything served to me was vegan. If you request vegan meals, you should not be served anything non-vegan at all... Good thing I brought some Larabars with me!

The next flight was approximately four and a half hours. I sat in the aisle next to two very friendly older French men who I think were a couple. They reminded me that in French the words for "thank you" and "please" are "merci" and "s'il vois plait." There was one meal served and it was this:

Evidently my dreams came true and I can now die a happy person, for I was bestowed with the joy of not one, but TWO vegan croissants! They one on the left even had dark chocolate in it! The fruit on the top right tasted kind of like grapefruit. The pudding on the top left was made of soy and was vanilla flavored. It was quite tasty but after having two croissants I couldn't bare to eat the pudding. The "entree" on the bottom was almost like a burrito or a Hot Pocket. It was filled with veggies and a yellow sauce. It was.. interesting.

From the airport in Tel Aviv I took a taxi to my friend Amir's house where I am currently staying a few nights. The taxi driver and I spoke in Hebrew the whole time! Originally he is from Russia (I think?). I tipped him well for being so patient with my lack thereof Hebrew abilities :)

From there I was warmly greeted in Giv'at Shmuel at Amir's family's home. I will save the rest for the next post!

Au Revoir Washington!

With a collection of diverse feelings I embark upon this exciting and much anticipated adventure. Today is the day it all begins.

"It" is my five month adventure in Israel.

From Washington I am flying to Paris and then from Paris to Tel Aviv. I arrive in Tel Aviv around noon on October 24.

So, I know what everyone is thinking - PARIS!!?? I wish. My time in Paris is just a one and a half hour layover at the airport :( Paris and I will have to get acquainted another time around. To what I am most looking forward on the journey to Israel is the food!

If you have ever flown on an international flight then you know how hit or miss the meals can be. I have read wonderful things about the meals on Air France flights and hope to also be driven by my tastebuds to write wonderful things. Maybe I'll even get to sample a vegan croissant! A girl can dream, right? I hope the person who sits next to me is going to be ready for all of my foodie photos!

Though this post is on the lighter side it is not without some bittersweet sadness that I leave my home behind. 

In honor of my motherland Maryland, here is a list of the things I feel I will miss most (people excluded because obviously I will miss the people in my life the most):

1. The dewey smell of rain and how it always seems to remind me of the Land Before Time movies. Anyone following me on this one? Tree Stars?
2. Holiday music playing on the radio nonstop around Christmas time. Good thing I have Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You on my iPhone!
3. Halloween! I can't imagine growing up and not going trick-or-treating! What else are you supposed to do on the night of October 31? Certainly not homework.
4. Thanksgiving - but mainly just pumpkin-flavored everything! I wonder if Israel grows pumpkins?
5. Large piles of crunchy brown leaves to jump into! That's the best part of Fall!
6. Ice skating outside! Not that I actually do this regularly, but it's nice to have as an option :)
7. Valentine's Day and hearts. Hopefully I'll still be able to send Glen Coco his annual Valentine!  Mean Girls reference anyone?
8. The way the snow looks on the trees in the Winter. It looks like a scene straight out of The Nutcracker.
9. Christmas lights! Does Israel do Hanukkah lights? This probably is not a thing. Ironic because Hanukkah is supposed to be the festival of lights... it seems like American Christian households are winning on this one!
10. Target! Who wouldn't miss this place? They have everything anyone could possibly need. Where else can you get a Dora the Explorer DVD, a few oranges and a bookshelf all in the same place? Walmart is not a valid answer because its stores are always very inconveniently located.

It is hard to believe the next time I post to this blog will be from another country! I feel like I am about to go on an undercover assignment. Stay with me throughout the next few months for some groundbreaking coverage ;) 

Until next time, !להתראות (Lehitraot! - This means goodbye/ see you later in Hebrew.)

The great debate of Slim Shady: My name is WHAT?

Breaking news!!!

It has been brought to my attention that I may want to consider adopting a modern Hebrew name for the time I am in Israel.

The Hebrew name for Rebecca is Rivka. Most English names do not directly translate into Hebrew, but since Rebecca is a biblical name, it does. My Hebrew tutor says the name Rebecca is a very outdated name and usually only people in religious communities have it. I hit the jackpot with Rebecca Rachel (my middle name)! It would seem that the name Rivka in Israel is like the name Henrietta or Eleanor (sorry if I am offending anyone who has these names!) are in the US, in that no one really gives their kid these names anymore.

Come to think of it, I have met neither an Eleanor nor a Henrietta. The only Eleanor I can think of throughout history is Eleanor Roosevelt - and also Eleanor Waldorf (Gossip Girl reference anyone?) but fictional characters don't really count.

It is a bit ironic that I write this post... Both of my grandmothers were born with the name Rebecca and they BOTH changed their names. One became Bette and the other became Ruby.

Knowing this, I have had a long-existing promise with myself that I will not follow in their name traitor footsteps! I did not give myself this name and so it is not mine to take away. My name is my name and that is that. And so I have decided to go against the grain and start a new tradition in my family: My name is Rebecca and I am not changing it.

This doesn't necessarily mean I will go by Rivka. I haven't decided whether I will introduce myself as Rivka or Rebecca. Israel is a modern country where (so far) all of the people I have met have spoken at least a little English. It is no secret that I am a foreigner, so why should I care if I have a foreign-sounding name? It is my name!

The verdict is out: name change = not happening.

What would you do if you were me? Am I making the wrong choice? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! (This is an opportunity to prove you are persuasive.)

Countdown to Israel - 1 MONTH

Disclaimer: This post is going to be a bit heavier emotionally than will be the rest of the blog. I probably will not speak this openly again about my feelings on Israel's existence and the Jewish people as a whole.

Once upon a time there was a young lady named Rebecca. This young lady traveled to a land far, far away from her home. Rebecca grew very fond of the village people and their customs. She returned home, instantly planning her voyage back to the foreign land. Despite a rival kingdom's constant plots to seize the land and drive its people into the sea, Rebecca's mind remained unchanged. She admired the courage and steadfastness of the villagers. And so here the story is only just beginning -- with a one-way ticket to happily ever after..!

One month from today I will be embarking upon the real-life journey from DC to Israel where I will partake in a five-month hotel management program sponsored by Masa Israel. In June of this past year I visited Israel as part of a 10-day all expenses paid trip with 39 other young American adults. I had been to Israel before, but for some reason this time was different. It's as if I was colorblind before, and now I can see all spectrums of the rainbow. Stemming from the experience there has been a complete dissonance inside my head. I feel as though I belong in Israel. Do I leave everything I know and love in the Land of the Free just because of a fleeting feeling of belonging? Do I really belong there? That is what this experience will help me to see!

On my trip back in June we visited Israel's military cemetery, Har Herzl, with actual Israeli soldiers on the same day we visited Israel's Holocaust museum, Yad VaShem. This day was enough to make me rethink my entire existence. How can it be real that if I were to time-travel 70 years back to WWII Europe that I would almost certainly be put to death just for being born unto Jewish parents? This is CRAZY! The population of Jews in the world today would almost certainly be double its current 13 million if not for the genocide of two-thirds of Europe's Jews.

While it's not in anyone's best interests to dwell on the past, we NEED to plan for a brighter future. We can argue: if the Jewish people had had an organized military by which to defend themselves, would they have been able to defeat the Nazis and prevent the inhumane slaughter of millions? The world will never know. What we do know is that we do now have an organized military. We have a state, one state. If Israel should fall, there will be no army in the world to defend the Jewish people. If this happens, it will be a struggle for us to exist.

To introduce you to your author for just a moment so that you can understand the mind from where these thoughts escape... At the innermost of my being I believe that we are all just living beings of the Earth. We all share the same basic rights to exist and be happy. However we are not all the same. We come from a collection of past experiences that have led us to become the individuals we are. I am not Jewish in a religious sense. I am Jewish in the sense of my identity and my heritage. I enjoy the traditions and customs, but I do not believe in a god. I am Jewish just as much as I am an American. But before I am Jewish or an American, I am a vegan. I believe that nonhuman animals are entitled to all the same rights that human animals have. The genocide (I know this is technically incorrect grammar to use the word 'genocide' since the word applies to the killing of humans, but I wasn't sure what other word to use..) of nonhuman animals throughout human existence is a wrong that boggles my mind.. but I digress.. and will save this for another post.

We (the Jews) have been persecuted for centuries and centuries. I exist today as a product of survivors of oppression. I am descended from immigrants from Eastern Europe circa the time of the Pogroms and from Spanish Jews who fled the inquisition to keep their lives. We have survived throughout history because we have each other. Israel, only just the size of New Jersey, must continue to exist as a home for the Jewish people. One can argue, but there are many Jews in America.... Yes, the area in which I currently live is heavily populated with Jewish people. Yes, there are probably 20 synagogues within a 10 mile radius of my house. Yes, in school we got off for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Yes, we sang Hanukkah songs in my public elementary school. Yes, our weekend is conducive to Shabbat. Yes, we are allowed to practice Judaism publicly and freely. BUT- can we really say that if aliens came from outer space and threatened to kill all the Jews and their friends, that the gentiles living among us would defend us? I don't know the answer. I would certainly hope so. I do know that in the case of World War II the answer was no.

Right now I feel the need to be in Israel. We, the Jews of the diaspora, have the chance 2000 years from our dispersion to reunite in our home land of Israel. Why not go? And so off I go!

This video pretty much sums up my thoughts.

Goodbye for now!