Israel at Home

Good afternoon everyone!

Earlier this week, my teacher sent us a question to ponder in this week's blog. He wanted us to think about what role Israel will play in our lives when we get home (in 2 weeks). My first response was, "...but I am home"

Thinking about this is beyond scary. One, it means that I won't be in Israel soon, two, it means that I'm going home with no knowledge of when I'm returning, and three, it means that I actually have to put my new knowledge of Jewish History to use in defending Israel.

Before I came here, when I got into debates about the legitimacy of Israel, I was that annoying girl who just screamed that I was right and we deserved Israel...with no facts or support.

Now I have so much information. I know why we left the Land of Israel, where we went, why we went where we did, how we returned, why we returned, where we returned. I gained perspective on the Palestinian side as well. With all of this new knowledge, I can go back and argue with my peers. I can defend this amazing country. I won't stand there, without an answer, yelling back random things.

As well as defending and supporting the Jewish State, I will promote it to other Jews. I plan on participating and leading an Israel connection committee at my Temple. I will be sure to lead a program at the JCC during Yom Haatzmaut next year. Yom Haatmaut for us is amazing. Everyone goes to celebrate and have fun. But I dont think that everyone realizes the true awesomeness of Israel's birthday and I want to help them see that awesomeness.

As well, teaching and continuing to learn about Israel will always help me remember the incredible memories I've made here.

Shabbat Shalom!
Shoshana :)

HAPPY BDAY ISRAEL

Hey guys!

In the middle of last week, Israel celebrated her 66^th birthday. So let me take a moment to say “HAPPY 

BIRTHDAY ISRAEL!!”

To celebrate this AWESOME day, we went to Ben Yehudah Street, which is commonly a very touristy area filled with Americans. However, that night, Israelis took over the streets with inflatable hammers with Israeli flags painted on them (displayed below). They go around bopping people on the head. Which my parents warned me about, as it was a tradition 20 years ago as well. They failed to mention, though, the cans of soapy-foamy bottles that they spray at you. Don’t worry, it didn’t stain J

It was such a great experience. We got there and it was beyond crowded. Worse than Disneyworld on spring break and a Backstreet Boys reunion concert…combined. But like I said, it’s a touristy place. My friends wanted to go around and find presents for their friends and family. Going to just a store one block down took half an hour because it was so crowded.

I really didn’t understand why we were spending so much damn time looking for presents, ignoring the flourishing culture around us, in a place that we were definitely coming back to! (To prove my point, we went again last night)

So after wasting an hour brushing through drunk Israelis and American tourists, I found my way to a concert that was just smack in the middle of Ben Yehudah. Literally there was a fenced concert in the middle of the street, with sweaty teens (and old people) dancing everywhere. It was so cool!!!!

I stayed in the concert and simpy enjoyed myself. I was really able to enjoy and focus on the culture instead of racing and racing to get a Mezuzah for great aunt Sally. Sorry Sally. 

But everyone was able to relax and appreciate the culture enjoyed themselves so much more. It's these kinds of things that make me scream "I'M IN ISRAEL!!" It's just so awesome. I can't explain it farther.

Again, Happy birthday Israel, you’ve made it farther than a lot of people would have thought.

Shoshana J

Women of Israel Kick Butt

Hey Everyone!

I have a pretty cool woman to tell you about today.

Rania Okby is a prime example of a woman standing up to her community and tradition and showing the world who's boss.

Okby, a Bedouin Israeli, was the first Bedouin women to ever earn a medical degree. She did so several years ago, graduating from Ben-Gurion University. She and her mother both took major strides in the Bedouin community. Her mother divorced her father when he tried to marry a second wife. Okby was raised by her single mother and she stood out in her community.

Okby took strides in becoming a world, female leader in her field. I admire her greatly. Being a doctor is no small feat, and she accomplished it when she had no precedent in her community.

For the last ten minutes I've been trying to think of a way to make this blog longer, mainly with a reason as to why I look up to Okby. However, I can't say that I look up to her for any more reasons than I look up to other leading females. She did break the status quo, but so have so many other women in the world. I think it's really awesome that she gets special recognition, and even more awesome that she's a Bedouin. But to be honest, all of these women are awesome!! The world is finally starting to see that women can do everything that men can. So I look up to all of these women, Okby included.

I really hope that I can make a difference in the world too, and maybe someday be on a "Women of the World" list on some NY Times article.

Until next time,
Shoshana :)

Kobi Oz Concert

Shabbat Shalom!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. With all of the AP’s and SAT business that I’m dealing with here, it’s becoming very stressful. However, EIE gave us a chance to relax with an amazing concert.

The URJ (Union for Reform Judaism) board joined us at the concert, as they were here for the week. I had the privilege of speaking in front of the board, and our group. But I basically just shared many of the revelations and epiphanies that I’ve outlined in previous blogs, so I won’t bore you all with that.

After I, and another peer, made our speeches, the artist was introduced. His name is Kobi Oz. He is a renowned Israeli singer, who was previously the lead singer in a group named Teapacks. The group disbanded in the 2000’s, but he is still touring.

He introduced each song with a unique story. For his second song, he talked about dancing with his father at his Bar Mitzvah. Another song had a Holocaust background. And another dealt with the hierarchy from his hometown. These stories were, alone fascinating, but the fact that they were actual inspirations for songs was just so cool.  Actual, popular songs were based on a religious coming of age ceremony, a tragedy from Jewish history, and his home town. Rather than American popular songs which usually deal with illegal substances or sexual activity.

I think that this really highlights the difference between the two cultures. As well, the songs were awesome!! We were all so into the concert. With the lyrics displayed behind the stage, I had the opportunity to sing along. The songs were fun, upbeat, and relayed good messages.

It was overall an amazing, and surprisingly, educational experience. I’ll definitely be downloading some Kobi Oz music.

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Shoshana J

The Awesomeness that is Israel

Hey everyone!

So I haven't talked about my actual Jewish history class in awhile. I figured that since we are at my favorite part of Israel's history, I would share my thoughts with you all.

Today we began learning about the 6 Day War. Before I get to what I really want to talk about, can we please pause for a moment and think about that. Israel, as a young, still under resourced State, won a war against multiple Arab countries in less than a week. Just so much "wow". That's just really damn amazing!! I can't express how cool and inspiring that is!

All of Israel's history is fascinating. Every little decision that was made affected the existence of Israel. From the Zionist conferences to the UN's voting on the Jewish State to the Independence War to the Declaration of the State of Israel to the 6 Day War. Every outcome was a result of a leader's decision, every outcome was a miracle.

One thing that I learned this past summer was not to simply focus on my Jewish history, but to relate it to me and my life now. This sounds sort of obvious, but once you focus on this, everything becomes so much more real and significant. 

Saying that, my parents met in Israel. It's where the met, fell in love, got embarrassed by the fellow Kibutzniks, scarred their hands picking fruit, and decided to move back to the States to get married and have children...like me. 

If Ben Gurion hadn't declared the State of Israel when he did, or if Yitzhak Rabin led the army into battle with alternate strategies, I wouldn't be here, in classroom 4, writing this blog. Naturally, life is full of "if's" and I could say many more less significant "if" statements that would change the course of my life. However, these miracles that made Israel a State are the truly important ones. 

And I'm not the only one. In my 8th grade graduating class alone, around six of us had parents who met in Israel. Israel has become so relevant to Jewish life around the world. 

I wish that Yitzhak Rabin, David Ben-Gurion, Moshe Dayan, and so many more great Israeli leaders could see that importance that they had on the growth of the global Jewish community. They were amazing. Their decisions were amazing. Israel is damn amazing.

So I'm going to try my hardest to enjoy my last month in this amazing country.

Have a great week!

Shoshana :)

The Beauty of Israeli Culture

Shabbat Shalom!

This week, for my blog, I've been asked to write about some aspect of Israeli culture. Our fabulous teacher, Aaron, has requested that we choose an Israeli song, show, movie, or author for us to write about.

I had a problem with this. While art and literature are clear signs of a thriving culture, when I think of Israeli culture I think of yelling, rudeness, community, falafel, and chutzpa (sort of like courageous stubbornness). I'm sure that I will touch on those aspects of Israeli culture, which I think truly depict Israeli life, in the future. For now, I'm going to explain the history of my favorite song.

This past summer, as many of you know, I partook in a program called Diller. Twenty of my friends from Pittsburgh became close to twenty teens from Israel. We had the opportunity to live with them and experience parts of their daily life. This often included playing music during free time. One of the songs that we sang every single time was "Ahava" (Love) by Daniel Solomon.

It's a song which talks about love coming suddenly and erupting. It has a nice melody and, to me, beautiful lyrics. When I ask Israelis now if they know the song the simply shrug and say yes. However, to my Pittsburgh friends and Israeli friends, that song is just amazing.

When it gets to the second chorus, we would all get really quiet then suddenly burst and shoot our hands out, screaming, "Ahava....PEATOM HI MIT'PARETZET" (love...suddenly, she came).

It was the one thing in the program that completely united us. We would argue on political and religious matters, we might not have liked every person in our cohort, but when we heard the smooth, Israeli melody of Ahava, we threw our arms around each other and truly became one cohort of Americans and Israelis together.

This is why, when I'm asked what my favorite song is, "Ahava" is always my answer.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Shoshana :)

Spring break or a 5 day hike from Sea to Sea?

Hi everyone!

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, we were off on an amazing adventure for two weeks.

During this break, I went up north (again) for Passover Seder. I had an absolutely amazing weekend with my host and her family. They welcomed me in with open arms. I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my first Seder in Israel. After this, the group got back together and embarked on a 5 day hike from the Kineret to the Mediterranean Sea.

I learned so much in those 2 weeks. To start, the Seder was Sephardi, which as a very white Jew with family from Poland and surrounding countries, I had never experienced. This entailed lettuce instead of parsley, which was dipped into lemon water instead of salt water. There was a sweet sauce in place of either the bitter herbs or the charosset, which for my family is usually composed of apples, cinnamon, wine, and sometimes nuts. Needless to say that their Seder plate was very different than my family's.

Being at their Seder, in such a different environment I grew to appreciate the global unity of Judaism so much more. Even though the Seder plate was different and they served rice without thinking twice, we were sitting down for the same reason that my family was in America. The same reason as Jews in England, France, Canada, and anywhere else where Jews are situated. It was also just a really fun night.

Afterwards, the group reconvened to begin our 5 day long journey. For the trip, we were split into smaller groups of 12. Throughout the hike, we had fairly intelligent discussions. We all agreed that this trip, these 4 months, are not what we expected them to be. We didn't make best friends for a life time, but we did make tens of good friends. We didn't have any religious epiphanies or suddenly change our viewpoints, but we have delved into opinions more thoroughly.

One conclusion that I came to, is that this trip has already been life changing. Whether or not you've enjoyed it (which I have), there's no denying that you've learned about yourself here. I've had the privilege to explore my Jewish identity, my relationship to Israel, and discovered many personal things about myself.

I can't wait to share these discoveries with you all!
Have a great week!
Shoshana :)

Poland Reflections

Hi all!

If you didn’t know, we spent the previous week (March 23-27) in Poland. We studied the pre-Holocaust Jewish life in Eastern Europe, the extermination of the Jews and other minorities, and the current state of Jewish life in Eastern Europe. As you could assume, the trip stirred many emotions throughout the group. I had three main thoughts run through my head throughout the experience: 6,000,000, an almost guilt, and hope.

To understand the significance of 6 million, I had to look at it in smaller quantities. At Yad Vashem, the Israeli Holocaust Museum and Memorial, I read an account of 70 Jews being killed in a sudden uproar in Germany. That’s all of the students on EIE Spring 2014…plus four of our counselors. Can you imagine, nowadays, if an entire group of American students studying abroad were massacred. It would be all over the news. I thought of each of the parents I met, and siblings, grieving over my new friends. It would truly be a tragedy. But that’s only 70 people!!

Another 50 children were shot one by one in the head with hand guns. That’s my entire CDS (middle school) class…twice. It’s all of the girls (or guys) in one unit at camp. It’s Pittsburgh Diller, Karmiel Diller, and Toronto Diller. It’s too many people!!! 50 is simply too many. 6 million is just unfathomable. During my experience, I focused on comprehending the severity of 6 million. I still don’t get it. But there is an exhibit at Majdanek that has cages of 430,000 shoes. So many shoes. If you put 1 person per shoe, you would have a good image of Jews in camps. Dirty, bent, unidentifiable, and locked up. It made me sick.

Leaving the Majdanek and Birkenau also made my stomach twist in pain. As we were leaving, I looked back past the barbed wire at the barracks. I looked back at the place where around 360,000 people died.  I didn’t exactly feel guilty, but I just kept muttering “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry”. Every time I turned back, I was looking at welcome home for death. A place where my people, Jews, were whipped, beaten, tortured, and eventually killed. I was looking at a hell. But I only had to be there for 3 hours, they were there for years. It was disgusting.

When walking through Majdanek and Birkenau, some of our group wrapped Israeli flags around themselves. It’s common for Jews to do when visiting concentration and extermination camps. We would also sing Hatikva, the Israeli National Anthem, at almost any significant memorial or site. Both of these annoyed me in the beginning. To me, they went along the ideology that God “gave” us the Holocaust in order to receive Israel. I hate that so much. 6,000,000 Jews shouldn’t have had to die in order to receive a Jewish State. I love Israel now that it’s here, but at the time it wasn’t worth it. It wasn’t worth the death.

However, then I thought about the song Hatikva. It means hope. It speaks of hope for the Jewish people, how the hope is not lost yet, and the existence of the Jewish soul. That, I liked. We still have hope for the Jewish people, and we’re still here.  And the kids walking around the camps with the Israeli flag were flaunting that to the Nazi’s. We were saying “Ha! We’re still here!” I loved that. I loved letting the ghosts of the camps know that the Nazi’s failed, and that the Jewish people were still alive and thriving.

Once this hit me, I had the sudden urge for other people to know too. I began drawing the Star of David into the dirt at Auschwitz I. Every place with good, visible dirt I would draw the Jewish star to let everyone visiting the camps know that we are strong, and that, if they are Jewish, they aren’t alone. One other student stopped and stared at one of the stars. Watching her take it in was inspiring and gave me hope.

I don’t know if I’ll go back to Poland again, and I definitely didn’t love the country, but I did learn so much from it.

Hope everyone has a great Shabbat!

Shoshana

The Beauty of Being Created in God's Image

Hi Everyone!

Before I start, I just want to thank you all for actually reading my blog. I really appreciate that you take time out of your week to do so!

Anyway...this week I read an article about the fashion of Jewish women throughout the 18th-20th century. There is a new exhibit being featured in the Israel Museum (which I highly recommend visiting) that focuses on the dress code of Jewish women.

Looking at trends in "fashion history" through various religions, I find it very interesting that, especially in Judaism, a religion which praises God for making us in his image, we hide our bodies. Through veils and burkahs both Jewish and Muslim women cover their faces, bodies, and figure. We see this progress throughout history.

Zooming in on this topic of beauty, I learned that Muslim women actually cover their bodies because they are so beautiful. From what I understand, please feel free to correct me, other men aren't worthy of the beauty the women radiate. A radiance that God gave to them. I think that this is simply wonderful.

For thousands of years Jews have been modest. When the Greeks came strolling in with their "beauty is holy" Hellenism, we recognized that it went against Jewish morals. I disagree, respectfully, of course.

One of our daily blessings is thanking God for creating us in his image. Therefore, even if you don't love your body because of the way it compares to others, shouldn't you love it because God gave it you?

As Jews, we appreciate God's creations. I have always thought of his creations beautiful, thus, the human body is beautiful. I'm not saying we should walk around naked all the time...it would be very cold...but we also don't need to cover our literal God-given beauty.

Growing up, through literature or history, we often saw hiding as shame or cowardliness.To me, hiding your body coincides with ashamed of your body. Your body is not only beautiful in a 21st century sense, but in the sense that it was created in the image of God! Be proud of that! Own your beauty! And really appreciate what God gave you, never be ashamed.

Just something that's been on my mind recently.

Shabbat Shalom! Have a great weekend!
Shoshana :)

Keeping the Faith

Hi Everyone!

This past weekend, while staying with my incredible friends in Misgav, we decided not to sleep. Joking...sort of. Instead, one night, we watched a Keeping the Faith, featuring Ben Stiller.

I was so shocked that I had never even heard of it. Its truly a great romantic comedy. It had a good romance, predictable, though, of course. It also made me laugh out loud, something that very few movies and TV shows are actually capable of. But lastly, it really made me think.

A discussion that we had recently in Jewish history, and one that I had with my Rabbi back home, was interfaith marriage.

Surprise, that's what the movie focuses on...I'll try not to ruin it for you all, even though you can guess the ending 5 minutes in, but one of the main characters, Ben Stiller, is a Rabbi. He begins seeing a non-Jewish woman, secretly. She isn't particularly religious at all, but she is in no way a Jew.

Looking at interfaith marriage, I'm always stuck. I want to say that it's ok if one of the parties is non-Jew if they aren't otherwise religious, and as long as they raise their kids Jewish. But at the same time, I've always loved a good love story. Therefore, it's hard for me to restrict someone else's marriage if it really is true love. Quite a dilemma.

Watching this movie, though, the audience really sees a wonderful and happy love begin to bloom. If he was any other Jew, I would say, "go for it!" (I am a little bias though, she's one of my favorite actresses.) But he's a Rabbi. He's a role model to his congregation and an example. I'm not sure how comfortable I would be if my Rabbi was married to a non-Jew.

Personally, my congregation in Pittsburgh has a beautiful, home-y feel to it. Not only in the sense that I'm comfortable there, but in that everyone's family is yours. When I went to dinner with the Rabbi, we had a nice discussion with his wife and sons, over a lovey home-cooked, Jewish-styled meal that his wife prepared.

I honestly don't know if I would want to belong to a congregation where I couldn't enjoy that same luxury with my Rabbi's family.

It just really made me think...and I'm still thinking. I highly recommend Keeping the Faith for a great comedy, romance, and good intellectual debate. Like really, watch it. It's so good.

Have a great week everyone!
Shoshana :)

PS. Shout-out to Rabbi Gibson, Rabbi Symons, Sara and your families :)

Purim, Fur, and More

Hope everyone had a great and happy Purim!

Mine consisted of another amazing weekend in Misgav, seeing my Diller friends. The highlight of my weekend was definitely cancelling my lost credit card, then finding it 10 minutes later.

I was also a proud daughter this weekend, when learning that my father won the Temple Sinai adult Purim costume contest...as a minion. My 6'3'' bald-ish father painted himself yellow, bought goggles, and, of course, already owned the overalls. I still don't know if I'm embarrassed or proud.

Anyway, earlier this week I read an interesting article on the Jewish take on fur. Marjorie Ingall writes about her feelings about wearing her fur coat in public, and how she as a Jew feels about. it. http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/164717/fur-coats

Ms. Ingall made many excuses in wearing her vintage fur coat, trying to convince herself that it's ok to wear coat that was made by hurting innocent animals. Wow, that sounds very stereotypical anti-fur.

But I can completely relate to Ms. Ingall. I didn't know that there was real fur in my Uggs for about a half year.Once I learned, I continued to wear them saying, "Oh, well I didn't know, and I'm already wearing them so..." and "well they were a gift so it's ok". I attempted to justify them. But I didn't have any excuses for buying the second pair. All I can think now is that I honestly forgot, which is true.

I'm not going to get into the ethics of fur coats or even the Jewish perspective on fur coats. I have been anti-fur since the That's So Raven episode where Chelsea protests furs. But it had nothing to do with my Jewish morals.

Something, though, that I've been trying to do for some time now is draw lines for myself. What I do and don't agree with. I must stop crossing those lines because what I want is cute, or easier, or what everyone else is doing. When drawing those lines, say for alcohol, or fur, or being Kosher, etc., I look at a number of things: what my parents taught me, how it feels to me, is it stereo-typically ethically right or wrong, would I be disappointed in myself afterwards, and would my parents be disappointed.

Often in Jewish programming, we're asked how our Jewish morals affect us. To me, they never really have unless it's a straight up Jewish question such as keeping Kosher. But I like to think that my parents raised me with fairly Jewish ethics. Thus, by taking in account what my parents taught me, I'm also basing my decisions on Jewish ethics. No pressure.

I'm still figuring out my lines, and working on never crossing them. But staying true to your own morals in harder than I would have ever thought.

That's all for now,
Have a good week!

Shoshana :)

Toilet Paper

Hey everyone!

I hope you all had a great weekend!

I learned something new this weekend: on Kibbutz Tzuba, where I'm currently residing, the toilet paper is thin, small sheets. It's not a roll, but rather rectangular sheets of a very inadequate size. The reason for this is so that no one staying at the Kibbutz would have to tear or rip toilet paper on Shabbat. Ripping and tearing on Shabbat is prohibited. Can we just let that sink in for a second? I'm staying at a place that makes sure that their utilities don't break Jewish Law. Cause I'm in a Jewish State! THE Jewish State!!!

My mind was a little blown. I always knew that Israel was a Jewish State, but I never really grasped it until today. Just to clarify, not every hotel or facility offers "no-rip TP" but many do. I'm not a super huge fan of it, but that's just because I am an avid nose blower and these sheets aren't super soft. BUT on the bright side, it's one more commandment that I'll be following on Shabbat!

It's just so amazing to me that a state bases its supplies and resources around a religion, my religion. Obviously this brings up many problems, especially because Israel is supposed to be democratic. But I'm sure I'll get to that topic another time.

That's all for today, I was just really psyched about it and wanted to share.

Have a good week!
Shoshana Kaplan

Be Your Own Jew

Shabbat Shalom!

I recently read an article written by Rabbi Amitai Adler. In this article he outlines where his certain religious practices and beliefs lie on the "Jewish spectrum". He makes the strong point that he doesn't feel comfortable and homey in any of the defined Jewish sects. He grew up Orthodox, then transitioned throughout his life. He is currently a Conservative Rabbi but doesn't feel like he truly belongs in that movement. But I won't give you a full summary, you'll have to read it for yourself, http://shma.com/2014/02/motion-without-movement/

As I read this article, I completely understood where Rabbi Adler was coming from. We definitely have different beliefs and observances, but we both agree that we don't completely belong in one movement. The article made me reflect on where I lie on the spectrum.

The last few years, if someone asked me what kind of Jew I am, I would have easily responded, "A good, Reform Jew". I always took pride in the fact that I was Reform. I was one of two Reform Jews in my Jewish day school class of 28. I felt a responsibility to support and defend the movement. I was repeatedly accused of not being "a real Jew". I aligned myself even more with the movement, feeling like it needed to be protected.

Going to an AMAZING URJ (Union for Reform Judaism) camp, OSRUI, I connected even more with my Reform Judaism. I love singing prayers and learning about the Mitzvot (commandments) and then choosing whether or not I felt the need to follow them. It encouraged me to go to Temple more. When my family goes, I don't even complain anymore, I enjoy going...it's weird.

I really grew to love Reform Judaism.

However, as time goes on, I worry for the movement. Spending time with 70 Reform Jews, many of whom are leading services every week, I preview the future of the Reform movement. And the future includes a lot more English, a lot less understanding, and a lot less observance. We've begun singing random songs at the end of services. Once and a while they have a connection to the service, but most of the time its simply a song with a nice melody. I can't fully explain why that bothers me, but it really, really does. It just seems inappropriate.

I use my phone on Shabbat. I always have. But I refrain from using it inside the sanctuary. So it really bothers me when, not only the congregants are on their phone, but the leaders and rabbis are! It's disrespectful! I understand that technology is efficient, but it's not that hard to write down a quick outline on paper.

My Conservative day school is finally catching up to me. I can't sit during certain prayers, skip certain passages, or sing an English version of every damn prayer. Understanding the prayer is important, but the Hebrew is a part of our culture, our history, and our religion. We can't ignore it. I also personally believe that the Hebrew makes it so much more poetic.

If someone were to ask me now what kind of Jew I am, I might respond with a cheesy, "My own Jew. Sort of Reform, sort of everything else."

I'm still figuring out where I belong. But throughout this trip, I'm learning that my religion and spirituality mean so much more to me than I thought. I'm learning that I'm not as liberal as I thought. I'm learning that I really hate English in services unless it's call and response. But I haven't figured everything out. A common phrase in Israel is slowly, slowly, and that's just how I'm going.

Hope everyone has a great Shabbat/weekend!
Shoshana :)

Fun in the Very Very Hot Sun

Hey Guys!

Today, everyone on EIE is taking the day to relax and catch up on our work. I thought that I would take the opportunity to write another blog!

To end our 10 day trip that I mentioned in my previous post, we visited Kibbutz Lotan. A Kibbutz, according to Wikipedia, is a collective community based on agriculture. Lotan is based in the Negev (desert) right across from Kibbutz Yahel, where my parents happened to meet. So that was sort of awesome.

Anyway, a major aspect of Kibbutz Lotan is their focus on the environment. They are a huge center for ecotourism, and, as well, have started up the Center for Creative Ecology. Part of this center is Green Apprenticeships that have they throughout the year. Their programs last anywhere from 4-7 weeks. However, many people come to live at Lotan just to learn and understand how to sustain the environment in the desert.

This is definitely not an ad for Kibbutz Lotan, but I wanted to share, what I think, is something really amazing. Everything on the Kibbutz is incredibly sustainable. I believe that most, if not all, of their energy is solar powered. All of their buildings and houses are made out of clay, straw, cement, and a few other natural materials that insulate the rooms. Everyone who stays for the Green Apprenticeship makes their own huts.

However, my favorite part of the Kibbutz was it's playground. Anyone who knows me knows that I coulk still spend hours at a playground. Theirs was special, though. Instead of creating more waste, they reuse materials such as old tired to create new things. Their entire playground, pictured below, is made out of old tires, clay, mud, and straw. Not only was it a waste-eliminating playground, but it was fun and colorful!

I'm aware that playgrounds in America need to be safe and have special flooring but I think that we could all definitely take something from Lotan's playground and begin recycling old materials to create a fun space. While there are places like this in the US, there could always be more.

 This last picture is a big turtle.

Until next time,
Shoshana :)

10 Day Break :)

Hi everyone!

So these last ten days I haven't blogged...I've been sort of busy...hiking Masada, repelling down mountains (ish), Bedouin tents, camels, being a soldier for 1 week, seeing four countries from one mountain top, snorkeling in Eilat. So just a little busy.

My favorite part of the week was definitely being a soldier for 1 week. We partook in a program called "Gadna". It's a week to give students a taste of basic training. The highlights of the week included learning how to shoot, and actually shooting a long M16, learning a smidgen of Krav Maga (a form of self defense), and getting to know more people in my program.

Before Gadna I had thought about joining the IDF (Israeli Defense Force). I was fairly sure I wanted to but didn't really have any idea when I would actually be able to do it. After one long, hard week of (sort of) being a soldier, I realized just how much I wanted to join the IDF.

The army will be hard. I'm very aware. But it will help my grow as a person, a friend, a leader, and a Jew. I want to take the future hardships and challenges and convert them into oppurtunities to grow and learn about myself. 

As well, all of my camp counselors, my dad, and my commander at Gadna have shared stories about how close they each became with their unit. Their bonds have  and will last years. My dad still sees his “army buddies” about every other year. It’s unfortunate that I have to risk my life to find these bonds, but I have always been envious of those relationships. These reasons seem slightly selfish, but oh well. 

However, I also do want to sacrifice my time and life for Israel. Israel isn't where I live forever but it is one of my homes. My history, my heritage, my friends, my family, and my religion live here. I know that I, as a Jew, will always have a place here.

This past summer, in Diller, we discussed the IDF as well. It was interesting because we got both the American and Israeli perspectives on it. One point that came up often was that the Americans felt like the IDF was protecting Israel for them, sort of as a safety net. But I don’t think that it’s fair that we just sit here while other people are protecting our home for us. If you want something done, do it yourself. Therefore if you want something protected, protect it yourself. 

Lastly, 

Here are a few pictures...one right after I shot the M16, one repelling down a mountain side near Masada, and one of me and a couple friends leading morning services on top of Masada (an amazing opportunity)

Thanks for reading!

Shoshana :)

Religious Priority

Hi all!

I’m entering my 4^th week here! So if I didn’t already mention, as part of my Jewish History class, we’re required to blog on certain subjects throughout the week. Therefore, on top of my normal “catching up” blogs, I’ll also be including analyses and reflections of our class discussions and on articles that we are assigned in class.

Today in class, we discussed the integration of Hellenistic culture into Jewish society. We took the discussion to modern times, questioning when to prioritize Jewish events/traditions/customs over your normal life.

Growing up in my family, going to Jewish Day School for nine years, going to camp, going to services, and more, it has become my belief that certain customs and holidays you must participate in.  These include holidays/events such as Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and Passover Seder. Now personally, I try to attend these plus observe some parts of Simchat Torah, Sukkot, Purim, Chanukkah, plus Friday night services every few weeks. Naturally, a lot of these observances began with the enforcement from my parents but I grew to love and appreciate them. But I understand if not every Jew will follow these other traditions.

Now some Jews might accuse me, asking how I can even judge those who don’t attend those mandatory services, if I play music on Shabbat, or I don’t go to Shabbat services every week. Honestly, because I feel comfortable and confident in my Judaism and Jewish identity not to.

In class, we shared stories about conflicts we've had where we had to choose either a secular or religious activity/service. I can easily understand wanting to miss a family Shabbat dinner or Shabbat service for a sleepover, etc. I honestly don’t mean to offend anyone, which is why I didn’t voice my opinion too loudly in class, but missing Rosh Hashana or Yom Kippur services for a game or a show is appalling to me. I understand that they can be boring, and maybe even make you resent your Judaism, but it’s they’re the holiest holidays. Whether you like it or not, those are two holidays in which there is no excuse to miss (except of course health reasons). In fact, my family didn’t go to a part of High Holiday services a couple years ago for health reasons. But we gathered around, a bit before sundown, downloaded the iShofar app (yes, it’s a thing), and heard the sounds of the Shofar.

I just can’t see how one can call themselves a dedicated Jew if they aren't attending the most sacred services. I love Jew camp and youth group as much as the next girl, but simply attending those events does not in fact make you a good Jew. I said earlier that I’m comfortable missing some observances due to my sense of Jewish identity. One might argue that they are comfortable with theirs without going to high holidays. It’s a fair point, but I bring it back to the fact that the High Holidays are THE High Holidays. Again, I’m sorry if I’m offending anyone, I usually try to show my bias is a more relaxed tone, but some of the stories in class today really agitated me.

Lastly, I noticed writing this, that this idea of religious priority takes a less liberal view than I’m used to. Some ignorant people might even say “un-Reform of me”, but I did grow up in an environment where holidays and services were mandatory. Whether it be my family or school’s influence, I stand firm on my view now.

FYI we’re going on Gadna later this week! That is a short, less than a week, army training program that many Israeli high schoolers take part in. I can’t wait to tell you all about it!

Thanks for reading!

Shoshana J

11 Hour School Days

I am writing this blog post from the luxurious seats of the 968 to Karmiel. I figured that a 3 hour bus ride was the perfect time to reflect on the past week. It was a fairly normal week, simply getting into the stream of things.

We had our first Jewish history test. We had three hours to take it. It was long. But it wasn’t actually that bad. Along with that test, I also had a couple chemistry quizzes, a couple pop quizzes in math, a research paper in APUSH (AP US History), and small papers in AP English. Though its really not as dreadful as it sounds.

The classes here are very different than at home. My largest class (besides Jewish History and Hebrew) is six people. There is a lot of individual attention which is really quite helpful. People keep asking me if its harder here or at Allderdice (home high school). I can never really supply with them with an adequate answer. We get more done in class here than we do at Dice. Along with that comes more information per class, which can makes certain things confusing and hard to grasp.  Especially in math. 

Despite the long list of homework that I mentioned, its not that hard. The quizzes and papers aren’t of the same rigor as Dice.

Oh but did I mention that I have an 11 hour school day? If you were wondering how that’s remotely possible or bearable here is my schedule

8:15-11:00 Jewish History with my fabulous teacher, Aaron Gertz

11:10-12:55-ish Hebrew

1-1:55 Lunch

Ok since I don’t know all the exact times… the next classes are all 45 minutes with 10 minutes between each class

English

Precalc/trig/El fun

SAT prep on Sundays and Tuesdays

Spanish on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursday (only student in class)

APUSH

Chemistry 

Yup. So just thought I’d let you all know what my day normally looks like.

Did I mention I’m on the bus to Karmiel? I am currently going up North to visit all my friends from Diller from this summer. My words here aren’t properly reflecting my excitement, but I’m actually bursting.  Its unreal that I get to see them again.

That’s all for now!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Shoshana :)

Equality

Recently, Rabbi Harcszatrk, a modern Orthodox rabbi at SAR High School, permitted a couple of girls to wrap tefillin. This is a practice, that for years, has been only for men. Allowing girls to do so in a religious setting is absurd to many more observant Jews and has caused quite a stir.

But come on, its 2014. Such a cliche line but so true. I understand the Habadnikcim not appreciating this change, as they don't stray from tradition...ever. But the entire Modern Orthodox community should get over it. I am not a "super ultra, no shave, boo men" feminist, but I will definitely preach equality. Women can vote now, women wear kippot (at least in the Conservative and Reform communities), work, and often provide the main income for a family. So why cant we observe religion the same way? Its not like women are less religious, less observant, less worthy of God's love, or even less capable of loving God. So why not let them demonstrate their love of God and their faith? Why restrict someone from loving and praying to God, especially if it's the same way you do?

I understand where the other side is coming from, though. Tradition, halachah. But I don't know if I cant respect a tradition that doesn't support total equality.

Shabbat Shalom,
Shoshana :)  

Saturday Memories

Earlier this week I shared my Friday night Shabbat experience with all of you. However, that was only Friday night. Saturday was even more incredible.

One of the best parts of the day was definitely, definitely sleeping in. Instead of our usual 7:15 wake up, I got to sleep all the way to 9:30. It was incredible.

But the day got so much better. After services, where I was yet again reminded of camp memories, I had a wonderful Shabbat lunch. Lunch was good, but not as quite as exciting the Kotel. Yea that big wall that everyone visits. Sort of cool. I guess.

The Kotel, also known as the Western or Wailing Wall is always a different experience. This is the 5^th time I had gone to the Kotel. Last time, this past summer, I felt an amazing connection to the Wall, and when I began walking back, I was completely satisfied with my experience. That is until I get a 10 minute lecture from an old Jewish woman on my attire (which, by the way, was completely appropriate). Luckily, this time I didn’t get a scorning, but I also didn’t feel as great as a connection.

I did look at the Wall in a different light, though. Usually, I attempt to make a religious connection. This time, though, I truly felt a connection to my past. This was the place that Jews thousands of years ago came to pray! This wasn’t a mythical place. It was standing there right in front me. Realizing that, was, frankly, mind blowing.

Seeing my friends’ reactions was amazing as well. For many of my friends here, this was their first time going to the Wall. Going for the first time at this age definitely has its benefits. You have learned about the Wall for years, understood its importance and have had years of waiting. Watching my friends cry and connect with this ancient structure, made me realize how amazing this trip is. It’s giving so many people the opportunity to align themselves with their Judaism and history.

The night wasn’t over yet. We headed to the HUC for a Debbie Friedman memorial concert. I consider Debbie Friedman and her music to be the primary reason that I continue to practice and participate in Judaism. So, I obviously love her music. We sang, danced, celebrated, and commemorated her music and legend. The ruach (spirit) of the room was amazing. And a great side note: Emily Schwartz, a former OSRUI song leader, was at the concert as part of the HUC choir. It was wonderful to see everyone share and celebrate Debbie’s music.

But the night still wasn’t over!! We headed over to the Mamillah Mall in Jerusalem. For the concert, a few teens from EIE were able to bring their guitars and lead some songs at the concert. At the mall, which is outdoors, they set up their guitars and laid out one of the cases for money. After shopping for awhile, everyone who wasn’t playing guitar formed a circle around them and sang with them. Singing “One Day” in a huge circle, with random Israelis gathering around us to watch was simply awe-inspiring.

We kept the ruach going on the bus ride home, as my friend Ethan and I got the entire bus to start singing random songs. We did everything from Britney to Queen to Grease. It was great to see all these new friends, of only one week, come together and bond.

It was an amazing night that I never wanted to end.

Thanks for reading!
Shoshana J

First Shabbat

Today is Shabbat. Last night, we all shared in a Kabbalat Shabbat service, ate, and met some Israelis that live on the Kibbutz. Afterwards, a few of us went back to my friends room and just hing out. It was a great way to spend our first Shabbat in the holy land. This morning we had, what I thought, were lovely services.

So during Friday night services, we sang a few songs that I hadn’t heard since camp (Chaulitzim 2012!!). Me and the fellow OSRUI-ites kept looking at each other and doing the small hand motions and verbal add-ins. It was great to see the other camps do their own traditions too. But something about services this morning had me so incredibly nostalgic. We began singing Oseh Shalom (the one with “Oseh! Shalom!” in between the chorus). I hadn’t heard that song in 2 years. It was the middle of the service, everyone was still participating but with much less spirit. But as soon as that song started playing, I literally jumped in seat and began singing aloud. Not gonna lie, I almost started crying simply form the memories and love that are instilled in that song.

So for all of your from OSRUI that are reading this, I miss you guys and can’t wait to be back with my family this summer (fingers crossed I get in).

Shoshana J

Day 4

Day four. It’s cold. I still need sunscreen. That pretty much sums up today, January 31^st. We went on a great archeological dig. We were broken up into three groups and we each got to dig for old pottery, climb through old traps used to catch the Romans, and take a tour of old cemeteries.  The great thing about all these places is that we were looking and exploring ruins from the time of Bar-Kochba, who to some people was believed to be the Messiah.

But tonight is Shabbat, so once we got back to the Kibbutz we all just chilled out and cleaned. A lot.

The trip has been great so far. Despite the long school hours (11 to be exact), I’m enjoying what I’m learning. Yesterday in class we discussed creation. We looked at different stories of creation, and debated how we see God. One of the arguments was the limit of God’s power. Should he be able to control all that humans do or simply create them. It prompted me to think about the extent of our free will. Is it boundless and completely up to us or is God in there somewhere. Did he just create us and let us think? Is he in our head guiding us somewhere? Or were we created in his image, with certain characteristics that he chose that influence us? There are many possibilities, but my preference is the third description. We have limitless free will, but the way that we were each specifically made, in God’s image, us certain instincts or decision making skills. I hope that makes sense.

Tomorrow we are headed to Jerusalem and to a Debbie Friedman memorial concert. Its going to be amazing. Lets just hope that an old Jewish women doesn’t yell at me again.

Shabbat Shalom,

Shoshana J

Hey all :) For the next four months (Feb-May) I will be living on the beautiful Kibbutz Tzuba, about fifteen minutes outside of Jerusalem, Israel. It is currently one days before I leave for NY and three days before my group (about 70 teenagers from around the country) embark for Israel. I should probably start packing. oops. I will be posting here occasionally to update you all on my new adventures. I am really looking forward to this trip and to my future experiences but saying to bye to everyone has definitely been hard. I want to thank those who made my last week in Pittsburgh amazing!
This post is quite short, but I blame the laundry that's calling my name.

Thanks for reading :)