Took a three day tour of Jordan. On the first day we saw the Roman ruins at Jerash, one of the largest Roman sites in the world. We drove through Amman but didn’t get to see much as we didn’t have the time to get out of the bus. We spent two nights in a… Read More Jordan
Took part in a match to the Knesset sponsored by Women Wage Peace. There were hundreds of people. We sang and danced, walked up to the Knesset and held a rally. A number of Knesset representatives came out to address the group. I would like to talk about this group at Shir Tikvah. Below are… Read More March on Knesset
It is hard to express my feelings about being here in Jerusalem. My senses are about to explode with the sights, sounds and smells that I have experienced. For example at the Dung Gate yesterday, I saw these families celebrating a Bar Mitzvah, young soldiers waiting to take an oath to protect their country at… Read More Thoughts
This week has been devoted to seeing the sites of Jerusalem. On Tuesday, as you know, I went up to Mt. Herzl. Wednesday I went to the Israeli Museum. Did I learn a lot about ancient Israel. They have this incredible exhibit called Pharoah in Egypt. First off, Canaanites are attributed to creating the first… Read More Archeology
In Israel Succot is celebrated for 8 days with the last day being both Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. I tried out both of the reform synagogues, going to Kol Haneshama on Sunday evening and Har-El on Monday morning. Har-El is a reasonable walk from my place. It is really hard to fit in. Most… Read More Simchat Torah
Yesterday I visited Jericho, Ramallah and Bethlehem. We had a Palestinian guide. I took notes so here goes some random thoughts and information. First facts. You can tell which were the Jewish settlements because there were many succahs in the balconies. Hebron is the biggest city in the West Bank. Israel controls 60% of the… Read More West Bank
Went on a tour of Hebron. For those of you who are concerned, I was in a bullet proof bus. The tour was sponsored by the settlers in Hebron as a fund raiser. On the way to Hebron we stopped at Rachel’s tomb. The way into Rachel’s tomb has a high wall on each side… Read More Hebron
On Sunday morning I took the bus to Raanana to visit my cousins. They put up a really nice succah which I got to eat in. I learned more about what it means to live in an Orthodox home. I enjoyed getting to know my family better and look forward to other visits. On Tuesday,… Read More Raanana and Tel Aviv
Being here for the holidays is truly amazing. Very different than being in the states. On erev Yom Kippur, everything became very quiet, no cars to be seen anywhere. People go out and purposefully walk in the streets. I went to a Masorti shul that was an easy walk from my apartment. They had a… Read More Jerusalem
