Last Days

Getting down to the wire.  We leave tomorrow starting with a 5:45 am wake up to get to Ben Gurion Airport for our 9:40 am flights.  I am on El Al non stop to NYC, Michelle, Susan and the kids are on Turkish Air through Istanbul.  (Shorter flight for me, better food/plane for them.)

Gabriella and Buddies

Toby and Gabriella have had lots of farewell parties at their school, which has been totally nice.  And not to be too boastful an Abba, but they also got glowing report cards. The teachers told us they loved having Toby and Gabriella as their students. (They even described Toby as 'civilized' which amazed me, because he seems to have become so argumentative and aggressive since being here.  But maybe he saves that behavior for us. Gabriella was just all around great.)  I am so proud of how the kids met the challenge of a difficult learning environment, adjusted, made friends, improved their Hebrew and weren't wimpy Americans. :)  It has been fun to watch the growth.  And it is sad that just when all of us are feeling comfortable, we have to leave.  But I suspected that it would be like this.

With Alejandra, her teacher

Today we took a last touring day to Caesaria National Park (amazing ruins on the coast north of Natanya) with the Roths. We are really going to miss them!  It has been so nice to have been in Israel with them - the best tour guides in the country and wonderful friends!

Soon it is back to reality for all of us.

PS.  Everyone safe and sound in New York as of the evening of 12/29.

Mishpacha Meer in Israel

Caveat to readers - the subject of this post may be mostly of interest to the Meers and the Dashes (or maybe just to me as I write it, because my family knows this stuff). But anyway, here goes:

I have not written much about my extended family, but I have cousins in Israel.  My Dad (Samuel Meer, of Blessed Memory) was the second youngest of eight children. My Mom, on the other hand, had only one sibling, her older brother Frank. (Can you guess who grew up in the orthodox home and who grew up in the commie household?)  My Dad's brother Lou had two sons, Mosely and Fred (both of Blessed Memory).  Fred made Aliyah in the 1960's and met a wonderful Sephardic woman (Simone Sebbag) at his Ulpan. Simone's family was chased out of Morocco, settled in Antibes on the French Riviera and opened up a restaurant (early Moroccan/French fusion).  We visited Simone's parents in Antibes in 1966 and I remember having a fantastic meal and looking at a binder full of sketches by Picasso.  Apparently Picasso frequented the restaurant because he loved to hear the Spanish folk songs that Simone's grandmother would sing for him. Instead of paying for his meal he would do a quick sketch. (I always wondered what happened to that binder...for sure a cherished family heirloom.)

Anyway Simone has three adult children (who are second cousins to Toby and Gabriella) and a number of grand kids. She lives near Jerusalem and we tried several times to get together so the families  could meet.  Unfortunately we did not find the right time and then the clock ran out. We were invited out for Sukkot but Toby and I were under the weather.  Then Simone had some health issues, and then before we knew it, December was upon us, with the snow storm.  (Simone is very observant so driving to her house for Shabbat was out of the question.) Oh well, it will have to be next time.

Acclimation Indicator

Q:  How do you know when you are fully acclimating to Israel?

Kumquats for the taking

A:  When you scavenge fruit from a downed tree.

Michelle and I passed these branches from a Kumquat tree on the street (part of the snow clean up) and we immediately scavenged a bunch of ripe fruit.

Starting Our Last Week In Israel

Our next to last Shabbat in Jerusalem. A clear, sunny day, but still cold. Gabriella and Toby spent the morning making a music video with Shanie and Meshi.  Pretty funny stuff with some break dancing moves thrown in (Very cute, but I don't think the break dancers in Flatbush, Bed Stuy or South Central have anything to worry about).

The Old City remains a magnet for us on Shabbat.  It is interesting to see the emphasis and attention shift towards Christmas and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, as December 25 approaches. It is also really nice to not have the constant, commercial drumbeat of an American Christmas season - there is no Black Friday and X number of shopping days left!! here.  The focus is religious, as it should be. I will definitely miss that.

Where is that antique?

So we wandered through the city to the Kotel, paid our respects and ended up at our favorite falafel restaurant in the Muslim Quarter. The shops in the Old City are 90% overpriced tourist traps, but some of them, you suspect, have buried treasure - it's a question of can you find it and would you know it if you saw it?

Why are they smiling? (Because they go home in 8 days.)

Still have snow on the ground and our central heat is basically non functional.  So we bundle up in layers at night and the kids fight over the hot water bottle (instead of the kindle fire).  The new family theme song is 'Steam Heat' from the musical Pajama Game, with the lines:

"I've got a hot water bottle,
but nothin' I've got'll take the place of you
holding me tight"

In the mornings we have had to scrape frost from the car windows.  I showed the kids the credit card technique - they thought that was quite the innovative use of a cc.

I know it's here somewhere

And basically capping our Israel adventure was the near miss bus bombing outside Tel Aviv today. Or as Gal told me, "Welcome to the Middle East".

Hasidic Variety

I have been struck by the range of styles among the orthodox communities in Israel. I should stress up front that these thoughts are observational and subjective. I have not talked to anyone or done any research on the subject.  I've often seen 'black hat' men, especially in Jerusalem, resplendent in their standard uniform of black suit, white shirt and a variety of hats (veritable peacocks), walking very fast (Where are they going, I always wonder?) with super serious expressions on their faces. (Probably late for Torah study). All that studying could explain their pale, slightly unhealthy pallor. Then you have the 'hippy' Hasids, cool, younger guys with long peyos, shortish beards, suspenders, alpaca wool hats from Peru and the like, hanging out in the squares of Tsfat's old city and the hip neighborhoods of Tel Aviv.  And today, Michelle and I were treated to some street theater by the 'Na Nachs'.

We were sitting outside Michelle's newest favorite falafel joint after her Ulpan, eating a 'hetsi lafa' (that is half of a lafa or wrap - no pita for us), when we heard some thundering, techno Hasidic hip hop music blasting from a van down the street. Then a few men with peyos, beards and wearing white knitted kipot came out and started dancing around the van to the music.  According to Jewish Humor Central, these guys are known as the 'Na Nachs', ecstatic orthodox followers of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. Apparently they go around various cities dancing to the music with the intent of 'bringing joy to passersby'. They did look very blissful - and had definitely taken a slug of Reb Nachman's kool aid. We just watched with amusement - I had not seen this flavor of observance. I guess you've been in Israel awhile when you just shrug this stuff off and don't even get the camera out.

Interior of Ethiopian Church

After this dose of religious fervor we took things down a notch with a visit to the Ethiopian Church on, you guessed it, Ethiopia Street. This church is a beautiful building with a circular architecture, patterned after similar structures in Ethiopia. Nice to wander around inside (shoes off before entering, please).  Oriental carpets grace the floors of the outer circle, surrounding an inner room.  Very different from other churches that are built to resemble the shape of the cross.

Drum and flowers in an alcove

Snowblind, the Aftermath

Nice Boots

Jerusalem continues to dig out of the snowstorm and we do the same at 1 Rashbag. Michelle, Susan and the kids got into the act and bailed out the front porch area with the bucket, the dust pans and added a new tool, a cooking pot, to the fray. Schools were closed for four days and opened late (10 am) on the fifth and sixth days. Which is fine with me because the roads can freeze up over night and frankly, the way people drive around here, the morning rush hour is challenging enough without adding icy streets to the mix.  Michelle has missed so much of her Ulpan that she arranged to meet some friends from her class for coffee on Monday, so they could practice. (She is taking her Hebrew very seriously - she hardly talks to me at night because she is so busy studying her flash cards.)

Fun in the Snow

Toby and Gabriella, on the other hand, enjoyed their snow break and were happy to be out of school.  They are both funny though, vacillating between counting the days until they are home and the next minute talking about how boring it will be when they are back. We are all at that stage where the end is clearly in sight and we are anticipating the return and feeling sad about leaving, at the same time. We have all made connections and friends here, in our separate spheres, and it will be hard to leave. And we still have a bit of uncertainty about where we are spending our last 4 days in Israel.  We have to vacate the Rashbag house on 12/25 but we don't leave Israel until 12/29 (a communication lapse on dates with our house swappers).  We are debating between staying in Jerusalem (so Michelle and the kids can stay in school until the very end) and heading to Tel Aviv.  My vote is Tel Aviv, just because we haven't spent that much time there, we can see a few final sites and be closer to the airport for the final departure.  Plus it will be warmer - the girls are spending each evening wrapped in blankets, clutching hot water bottles and shivering from the 'bone chilling' (40 degree) weather. It's really not that cold, it's just that space heaters don't cut it and the house is very damp.  (These California girls just don't have a clue about cold weather, although Susan did grow up in Chicago, but that was long time ago). I keep talking (ad nauseum, I'm afraid) about my college winters in upstate New York, but it falls on deaf ears - I get a lot of  'yeah Dad, whatever...'. But still, I love them just the same.

Local Park

YMCA Courtyard

Snowblind (continued)

The unprecedented December snowfall is fun for a day or so, even with having to improvise cold weather clothing (plastic bags on the feet, socks on the hands for gloves, etc).  The kids are having a blast stomping around in the snow, throwing snowballs and building snowmen (especially Toby as he pelts his sister.)  The snow has a high moisture content and is ideal for packing.

View from the YMCA Tower

We have a lot of standing water in our front porch area because the drain is clogged and I spent Friday morning bailing out snow and water with a bucket and a dust pan.  (Have to use what tools are available because I have not seen anyone with a snow shovel).  Then the sun came out and Michelle and I took a walk towards the Old City. Absolutely beautiful, winter wonderland in Jerusalem but very slow going as the sidewalks are 6-8 inches deep in snow and slush and many intersections are flooded.  We made it as far the as the YMCA on David Ha Melech and went to the top of the tower for the first time.  Great 360 degree views of a snowy city.

It is not all fun and games

But the fun stopped when we lost power at around 2:30 in the afternoon.  There has been a lot of damage from downed trees and power lines and tens of thousands of people are without power in Jerusalem. Apparently about 60% of the West Bank is without power as well.  We also heard that some people in Tel Aviv, wanting to see the snow in Jerusalem, ignored police warnings to stay off the highways and ended up getting stuck on the freeway to Jerusalem for up to 11 hours. Big fun that.

Spending the late afternoon in a freezing, dark house left a bit to be desired but we got out the candles and the flashlights.  Luckily we were invited to Shabbat dinner with friends or it would have been a long night. And then at around 8 pm power was restored (Baruch Hashem!).  So we were spared a cold, cold night huddled under the blankets. But clearly people are suffering in this weather.

Saturday brought more snow mixed with rain. We started to take a walk but did not make it far before the cold, wet weather turned us back. Toby hit Gabriella in the face with a snow ball (totally lucky shot) so she was not too pleased.  Just another quiet Shabbat at the Levin-Meers.

Snowblind

Bob Dylan said it one way in 'You're a Big Girl Now' from his Blood on  the Tracks album:

'a change in the weather is known to be extreme...'

Jerry Jeff Walker put it another way in 'London Homesick Blues':

'Well it's cold over here
and I swear,
I wish they'd turn the heat on...'

Preparing the ordnance

Why am I quoting these obscure lyrics? Because I can? Because I've sung the songs?  Because I drive my family crazy by singing a song when someone says something that triggers a line in my memory? NO!

The reason is because it's snowing in Jerusalem!! A rare event that has everyone pretty excited. It's all over the local news. The first December snow here since the 1950's. Schools closed, big flakes drifting down, definite accumulation, kids having snowball fights, front end loaders doing duty as snow ploughs.  The only negative is that it's very slushy, because it has been raining for the last two days and it is not that cold. Utah powder it's not.

Gabriella to me:
'Dad it's the first time that snow is falling on a house that I have lived in, not just visited.

And then:
'I have never even made a snowman, how pathetic is that?'

(Well, now she can cross that one off the bucket list.)

Of course, if it is cold enough to snow, we are going to be cold, by definition.  Especially with a dearth of winter clothing, central heat that masquerades as central air and tile floors that give you frostbite, if you step on them with bare feet.

Bubby (aka Susan, Michelle's Mom) has been walking around in sandals until today. Why didn't Bubby pack any shoes, you might ask? (A good question but one that I am not prepared to pose at this time, because I know what's good for me.) Admittedly, it is hard to pack for summer and winter. Also, the summer-like weather lasted until virtually the end of November. Michelle and the kids have sneakers but no one has cold weather jackets, hats, gloves etc.  I brought my hiking boots, thinking we might do some serious hiking in the desert (which we haven't done yet but still might), but they have a hole on the top, limiting their utility in snow and slush. But it definitely beats slogging through the slush in running shoes. Actually I am very glad to have my hiking boots, especially compared with some of the clothes I packed. Before we left Michelle said, 'you must have a sports coat for the high holidays...'  (Little did we know that the rabbi would show up in sandals and an aloha shirt on Yom Kippur).  I read an article before the trip describing Israeli society as 'aggressively informal' and now I know what they meant.  But it is great fun to experience snow in Jerusalem.  And luckily I have not had to drive anywhere.

Rashbag Snow

Aspen it Ain't

Winter Sets In

Jerusalem and Tel Aviv finally received some significant rain this week, as a cold front moved in. Not Minnesota or Montana but definitely brisk, compared to what we have been experiencing. We'd been warned about the possibility of cold, wet weather in November and December but until now it has been surprisingly mild and dry.  (Our visitors really lucked out on the weather). But this week the rains finally came, mobilizing the motor oil and grease that has accumulated on the streets over the summer and fall. That first flushing of oil and dirt by the rain always results in highly polluted storm water runoff. (And also reminded me of walking down icy streets in New York winters, especially on those ancient cobbles).

Chow Down that Haute Cuisine

So we took a rain day and headed to the Palmach Museum in Tel Aviv.  Heard an amazing and moving story of how Israel built its armed forces from virtually nothing (in the military equivalent of the blink of an eye) and then successfully defended the country in 1948 against 4 or 5 professional armies.

After the museum we headed for the old port in Tel Aviv which has been gentrified with shops, restaurants and the like.  Very scenic, with crashing surf and the setting sun but once inside the shopping areas, close your eyes and you could be in the Ferry Building or Stonestown. We ended up in our first chi-chi restaurant since we've been here.  I am so used to the downscale places where they put 10 little salads and side dishes in front of you, with a mound of pita bread, before you even get the menu, that I was getting impatient when they left us with the menus for 10 minutes.  Really, give me a cheap shwarma or falafel and humus any day of the week (but you have to love a kid - that would be Toby -  who orders the lamb tortellini and then chows it down).  An enjoyable last day of the holiday break - the kids are back to school on Dec 6 - and they want to go :)

Edible Art - looks better than it tasted

Last Two Nights of Chanukah

Spent an interesting evening on the seventh night of Chanukah with Shifra and Baruch Emanuel, the parents of Chana Goldberg (whose house we are living in).  They live close by and are extremely gracious people. Baruch is a Holocaust survivor who was sent to Bergen-Belsen as a teenager. Towards the end of the war, when it was clear Germany would lose, the Nazis attempted to erase evidence of Bergen-Belsen and shipped the inmates by train to Auschwitz. But at that point the Russian army was approaching from the east and the American and British forces from the south and west. The transport train that Baruch was on never made it to Auschwitz. Baruch's mother died on that transport train. At one point the train was stopped and there was food available for people to eat.  Baruch was too sick to get off the train and that is what probably saved him.  Others gorged themselves and died because their bodies could not digest the food, after the starvation conditions at the camps. When he was liberated Baruch weighed around 50 pounds.  He spent his first years in Israel as a farmer on a kibbutz - no running water, plumbing or electricity.  Today he is in his eighties and plays tennis four days a week! An amazing story of survival.

Sufganiyot Heaven

On the last night of Chanukah we ventured into the Old City with our trusty tour guides - Sharona, Shanie and Meshi.  It was packed with people - apparently it is now very trendy to come to the Old City to see the Chanukiah and the Kotel. (Probably the first time we have caught the leading edge of a trend).  And of course everyone chowing down on sufganiyot. But it was beautiful to see the candles and oil lamps burning low and lighting doorways and windows, virtually everywhere we looked. The Old City never fails to amaze and stir the emotions, no matter how many times we go there.

Oil Lamps in the Old City

The Kotel

Old Style Chanukiah

Gabriella in the Old City

Kosher Shofarot and Orthodox Chanukah

Horns in a basket

On our second day in the Galilee we visited the Roman ruins at Bet She'an and then went to a shofar factory east of the Kenneret and up in the hills.  Kol Shofar, the brainchild of owner Shimon Keinan, is a shofar manufacturing facility in Givat Yoav, Golan Heights. Shimon gave us the low down on how he makes shofars, where he gets the horns, how they are drilled out, shaped and polished, what is the glatt kosher shofar (ram's horn) and on and on. (According to Maimonides a ram's horn is the only valid shofar.  Others say any horn but a cow's horn will do.) Some say curved horns are preferable to straight ones.  (As with many things, if you ask 5 Jews for an opinion you get 6 or 7 answers.)  We saw antelope, orxy and other animal horns at the factory.  Going back to Abraham finding the ram caught in the thicket by its horns, when he was about to sacrifice Isaac, I can be convinced that a ram's horn is the way to go.  (Actually, in the end the musician in me wins out and the horn with the best sound gets the nod :) )  But it was pretty cool to see Shimon make us a shofar right on the spot, all with tools of his own design. His English was spotty at best but Gabriella did a great job of interpreting. We walked out of there with 3 shofarot, one kudu (long and twisty) and two ram's horn.

Horn Wrestling

The Levin-Santalones ended their visit with a night tour of Jerusalem (conducted by the Roths of course), to see the Chanukiah in some of the religious neighborhoods - Nachalat Tsiyon and Me'a She' Arim.  It was a lot of fun to see everyone out lighting their candles, singing songs and generally having a good time.  It was also great to see Chanukiah everywhere, in every window, outside virtually every door. We even got an impromptu exposition on the holiday from one resident outside of his home. A far cry from the Richmond District during Chanukah...

Chanukiah Display

Hanging Out in Me'a She'arim

Chazarnu Le Galilee

We returned to the Galilee for two days with Michelle's sister Sara, her husband John and their two kids. It is definitely fun (but tiring) to play tour guide and now we are going back to places that we love and can show them to our visitors.

We spent the first day in Tsfat, one of the truly magical and mystical spots in Israel. The first time we visited Tsfat in August, we sort of stumbled around and missed a lot of things.  This time we hired a local guide, Dov Bouzaglou.  Dov was an interesting character - long beard, payos, extremely upbeat and friendly (bordering on manic).  He had definitely ingested the Moshiach kool aid.  (He spent 5 years as a rave and party promoter in Santa Monica before coming back to the fold and he was eager to bring us back as well). But he knew everything and everyone in town and it was great to have someone take us around and not have to constantly consult the guidebook to figure out where to go.

Yemenite Wraps

We started at a local cheese factory (Tsfat is famous for its cheese), then moved on to several beautiful synagogues, a wine bar, a candle making factory, several art galleries (one where I got to play some fiddle with the mandolin-playing owner) and an interesting remodel of a house in the old city. We also made an obligatory stop at a well known Yemenite wrap/pizza place - ta'eem meod. Then it was on to a site commemorating the decisive battle for the city during the '48 war (bullet holes still visible in the buildings) and finally to the Crusader fortress at the highest point town. We ended the day at a Chanukah candle lighting (it was the first night) in the old city.  I danced with the men after the lighting (women are spectators only).

Candle Lighting

 My day ended with a first for me - in a mikva.  Now as most of you know, I am not exactly Mr. Observant Jew - in fact I was raised in a secular home and went to a Yiddish 'folk shula' instead of Hebrew school (The Yiddish didn't stick but the Hora steps did).  But this was an opportunity to dunk in the 'Ari's mikva' (the Ari being one of the 'big macher' Tsadikim of Tsfat).  Michelle's mom insisted this was a unique opportunity, not to be missed. Dov waxed ecstatic about what a great experience it was and how I would feel renewed and reborn  afterward.  I had visions of a transcendental and transforming experience in a Turkish bath-like environment - you know, sitting in a beautiful tiled steam room, inhaling eucalyptus vapors while drinking an 18 year old whiskey. Instead I got immersed in freezing, funky rainwater in an outdoor, concrete hole in the ground. (Dov insisted that I dunk myself 5 times to be truly blessed and blissful.)  So I froze my butt off and was ritually cleansed at the same time. But hey, it was a 'unit of experience', as my Dad used to say.

And there you have our day in Tsfat - a wonderful spot and a place I would return to again and again (but I'll take a pass on the mikva).

Levin-Santalone Visit Continues

Levin Santalones in Ein Kerem

We are having fun with Michelle's sister and her family. Toby and Gabriella get to hang out and make mischief with their cousins and show them the wonders of Jerusalem.  Today we took them to Ein Kerem and they went to Yad Vashem.  Tomorrow we head to Tsfat for the first night of Hanukkah.

While I have been enjoying my Klezmer fiddle lessons, I miss listening to my music. I probably should have bought a docking station for my iPod when I got here but our experience with purchasing 'gear' in Israel is that it is poorly constructed and very expensive.  So I have been relegated to the CD collection at the house, which leaves me with the likes of Shlomo Artzi - 'My Love Songs'.  But there are a few discs of interest so I have been alternating between Queen - Greatest Hits (not my favorite), Amy Winehouse - Back to Black (very good) and, Baruch Hashem, Joni Mitchell - Blue. This latter is a brilliant album, one of my favorites. And I certainly have developed an appreciation for James Taylor's guitar playing on California, All I Want and A Case of You.

Ein Kerem Doorway

More Musings

Gabriella at School

Just had our parent teacher conferences. Ironically not that much different from the ones at Brandeis.  Maybe that should not be a big surprise. Gabriella's teachers love her, no holds barred and don't want her to leave. Toby's teachers take a more nuanced view:) but love what he brings to their classes, even if he cuts up on occasion. Both kids continue to adjust well, have really integrated themselves into their classes and are doing great. Today, Toby cut school to hang out with his cousins who are visiting from New York and Gabriella took the bus home by herself, for the first time. This generated no small amount of anxiety because of our track record of bus mishaps, but all's well that ends well and she made it home safe and sound, Baruch Hashem. She also had her piano lesson all by herself, with her Russian teacher who speaks only Hebrew and Russian. Two very empowering experiences for her!!

Michelle's sister, Sara, her husband John and their two kids (Carly and AJ) are visiting this week, so we get to play tour guide.  So far they have had a tour of the City of David and the Old City, played archaeologist at the Temple Mount sifting project and shopped in the Jerusalem Shuk.  We head up to the Galilee on Wednesday, for the first night of Hannukah, where we will be in Tsfat.  Visits to Tel Aviv, the Dead Sea and Masada and the must-see museums (Yad Vashem and the Israel Museum) should round things out.

Levin-Santalones and Levin-Meers in the Old City

I have been enjoying a Bible history class at the local community center.  The Old Testament really is the greatest story ever told, as Hollywood put it.  We have been reviewing the prophets - I'll tell you what, those guys knew how to lay down an argument :)  No BS or thinly veiled references for them - a lot of doom and gloom, fire and brimstone...but what they were preaching was good stuff and (should) hold true today - take care of the poor, the oppressed and downtrodden, widows and orphans, live a righteous life or you better look out for Hashem.  Or, as one of our modern day prophets (Bob Dylan) put it

'God said Abraham kill me a son,
Abe said man you must be puttin' me on,
God said no, Abe said what?,
God said you can do what you want
But the next time you see me comin', man you better run
Abe said where you want this killin' done
God said down on highway 61'

I don't know why, I've always loved those lyrics :)

Musing on Maturity

Toby and Gabriella have definitely matured during our Israeli sojourn.  The manifestations span a range of behavior, not all of it desirable.  But I guess that is part of growing up.

On the pro side, they have both grown, physically and emotionally

Toby is filling out and has been working out a bit - jogging and doing upper body and abs work. This Sunday he is going to a Bat Mitzva party at a dance club in Talpiyot (the industrial area of Jerusalem) and is (kind of) looking forward to it.

 


Gabriella has really matured emotionally and is a lot more independent. She loves going off to the bakery by herself on her scooter, to get bread and jelly donuts. She is taking the bus with Toby and would do so by herself (if we let her).  She has made some friends at school and is really enjoying herself now - today she gives a talk in Hebrew to her class about making chocolate.  And she doesn't want us to come watch her.  (I can't help comparing to what we would be doing if she was giving a talk at Brandeis - both parents and several grandparents in attendance with video cameras at the ready, to post immediately to facebook...).  Gabriella has also gotten stronger and tougher physically (the Israeli boys in her class complain that she plays too rough in futbol.)

Which brings me to the not so great behavior - the near constant bickering, comparing, physical altercations.  Also they are both getting a lot more argumentative and obnoxious with us (maybe it's from hanging around with their Israeli classmates, maybe just their New York genetics kicking in.) Needless to say, this aspect is not the most pleasant thing to witness or live with.

But ultimately, as one of Josh's preschool teachers once told me, one of the joys of parenthood is that you get to see the best AND the worst of your children. On balance the kids are doing great and (I think) have had a really great experience here.  On the one hand I wish we could stay for a year, because that would really nail down their Hebrew, but I don't know if I can take them becoming even more Israeli :)

Finally the Temple Mount

Dome of the Rock

We've been trying to visit the Temple Mount (or Al-Haram ash-Sharif)  since we arrived in July.  The Dome of the Rock is such a prominent part of the Old City architecture - visible from virtually every direction and view - that it exerts a weird kind of gravitational pull, especially with that golden dome gleaming in the light.  (Wikipedia says that King Hussein of Jordan sold one of his houses in London to finance the plating of the dome with 80 kilograms of gold.)  However, it is not an easy place to visit.  Access is limited and the gates are open only one hour per day - and then not every day. There have also been some violent incidents recently which have triggered even more restrictions.

I gave it a shot today while the ladies and kids were in school.  Luckily I took my passport because you need it for entry. The line was horrendous but I guess I am becoming more Israeli by the week, because I just cut in the front of the line, without even a twinge of guilt.

Dome of the Rock Facade detail  

Non Muslims can enter the Temple Mount site but not the mosques themselves.  Then there are the signs at the entrance warning that Torah law forbids entering the Temple Mount itself because it is a holy site. (This religion business can get awful complicated, especially in Jerusalem.)  But my agnosticism won out and in I went. The mosques are beautiful, even just from the outside. And the views of the Mt of Olives and the rest of the Old City are great. The Sabil of the Quaitbay was built in 1482 as a charitable act to please Allah and has the only carved-stone dome outside of Cairo (according the the Lonely Planet, the traveler's Tanach).

Sabil of the Quaitbay

The Negev

Feeding the Camel

The Negev is Israel's answer to 'Big Sky' country and we spent two fun days down there with the Roths.  We stayed at an alpaca farm near the small town of Mitzpe Ramon which is near the 'crater' (Makhtesh Ramon) that is billed as Israel's Grand Canyon.  (Well that might be stretching it - more like the Grand Canyon of Connecticut) but it still has gorgeous vistas, incredible geology and beautiful desert flora and fauna.  Unfortunately we were a bit short changed at the farm because most of the staff were off on an annual 100 km horseback ride through the Makhtesh - so we were not able to take advantage of everything there, like horseback riding, wool spinning, etc - but such is life...

You Go Girls

Still, the kids had a ball feeding the llamas, alpacas and camel at the farm and it is a very picturesque and unique place to stay - in the middle of nowhere, to be honest.   We all enjoyed a beautiful hike through a wadi (dry riverbed) in the Makhtesh at the end of a 5 km drive over a very bumpy gravel road.  The next day, after the classic Israeli breakfast of eggs, yogurt (vanilla and chocolate), cheese, bread, fruit, labaneh, granola, cereal, humus, pastry and salads (eating really is a national obsession here), we visited an amazingly well preserved ancient Nabataean city at Avdat National Park and then ended the trip at David Ben Gurion's tomb.  He and his wife have a really incredible view of the Negev from their final resting spot.

Future shofarot?

View from Ben Gurion's Tomb

Olives and Life

We have a bit of olive curing going on at #1 Rashbag and it has been a learning experience.  We picked olives at a public park, the Tayelet, which overlooks the city and is a 5 minute drive from the house.  (As I walk Jerusalem I am starting to see that there are olive groves all over the city.)

We researched a recipe. First we cut or smashed each olive and then soaked them in water for 4 weeks, to remove some of the bitterness.  Then we mixed up a batch of pickling juice. I had this notion that the salt:water:vinegar ratios had to be exact or the olives would not cure properly. So there I am, measuring ingredients like I am in some pharma lab.  We had the idea of asking Sharona's Dad, Avner, for his advice.  He is an experienced olive man, makes 10 kilo batches at a time. Avner comes over, with hot peppers in hand, and we show him our jar.  He tastes one (I thought you could not touch them for a month) and immediately starts tearing up the hot peppers and throwing huge pieces into the mix. Then he dumps in two handfuls of salt - so much for my careful ratios.

Two batches of olives

I flashed back to 1986 when I was working for a petrophysics (flow of oil through rocks) company in Mountain View.  I had very little exposure to computer technology at that point (I was one of those people that thought I would break the PC if I shut it down the wrong way.)  The engineers at this company had no problem with pulling off the back of the computer, digging around with screwdrivers, installing memory boards and the like. Sort of the same deal here.

We have been eating a few and they are not terrible and no one has gotten sick; admittedly a low bar but you have to start somewhere :)

On another subject, Gabriella had an assignment in English to write a 'diamond poem' - 4 words that end in 'ing'.  For me she chose shopping, mopping, driving and, of course, blogging - that's my life...

Bethlehem

As many of you know, Jerusalem is pretty darned quiet on Shabbat (except in the Christian, Armenian and Muslim quarters of the Old City).  It is one of the more charming aspects of the city, how it shuts down as sundown approaches on Friday, stays quiet on Saturday and then comes alive again Saturday night. One could follow a 'when in Rome...' approach and spend the day attending services, in religious contemplation, resting and the like.  But for some less observant Jerusalemites (aka the Levin-Meers), the challenge is what to do on Shabbat, especially when Toby and Gabriella are doing their best impersonation of the 'Bicker Brothers'.  It is the only 'day off' we have, since the kids have school 5.5 days a week (Sunday to mid day Friday).

So this Shabbat we decided to venture into the West Bank and visit Bethlehem.  It was a bit nerve wracking driving there in an Israeli registered car (kind of like driving your car into Mexico). And the big red signs warning Israeli citizens about the danger of traveling to Palestinian Authority territory don't help. We did not see many cars with Israeli plates until we got close to Manger Square, the main tourist attraction. Then Michelle and I debated about where to park - lot versus street, can we find a lot, is it safe, could the tires get slashed, it's not our car, what if something happens to it, and so on...but eventually we both calmed down. We found a spot on a busy street, I asked at a nearby gas station if street parking was ok, they said sure, no problem and off we went to the Church of the Nativity to see where Jesus is alleged to have been born (at least according to Constantine's mother Helene).

Church of Nativity Mosaic Floor

The church (originally commissioned in 326 CE) was packed with tourists and pilgrims but we hooked up with a guide, Said, who gave us the low down and got us in ahead of a long line to see Jesus' birthplace (marked by a 14 point star), the Chapel of the Manger and St Jerome's cave.  We also learned a few salient historical factoids - the Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox and Armenians have been in conflict for years and have separate dates for the birth of Jesus; St Jerome spent 35 years translating the Bible from Aramaic to Latin, while living in a hermit's cell with a skull (to keep him focused and give him incentive to keep working.)  The church itself has a stunning 4th century mosaic that was discovered in 1934.

Birthplace of that wise and gentle prophet

After a quick walk through the Bethlehem shuk (a lot less expensive than the one in Jerusalem) we stopped at a local felafel joint called Afteem (when you get a recommendation from your guide that is also the Lonely Planet's top choice, that is like hitting the trifecta).  It was great - felafel fresh from the fryer, fantastic hummus and a mostly local clientele. We got lost driving back to Jerusalem but the GPS saved the day.

Toby and the Tanks

You have to love Israeli schools :) Toby went to his grade's version of outdoor education on Monday, for an overnight at a kibbutz in the Galilee. It was not totally clear (to me anyway) what they did up there. Toby told me that many kids stayed up all night talking to each other on their cells phones and that at one point a girl came into the room Toby was staying in (with four other boys) and had to be chased out by one of the teachers. (I guess these Israeli girls are fast). Needless to say he was a tired camper when he came home - but they gave the kids the option of staying home the next day - which Toby availed himself to.

Checking out the new ride

So we had some father-son bonding time on Wednesday.  What better way to spend it than visiting Yad La'Shiryon Latrun - the Armored Corps Museum and Memorial to IDF armored corps fallen soldiers.  Quite a collection of tanks, APCs and other armored fighting vehicles, both Israeli and ones captured during the various wars since 1948.  Watch out IDF, you may have a new recruit coming in 6 years, (although his Mom might have something to say about that).

IDF here we come

I have time to play, so Tuesday I wandered around Tel Aviv for awhile and then met Gal for a late lunch at a fish joint in the old Jaffa port. One trademark of many restaurants here is that they put out 10 to 20 small plates of salads, pickled veggies, falafel, humus, olives etc and a stack of pita bread, before you order anything. (That way you pay for appetizers, regardless). I can make a meal out of the small plates - who needs an entree?  But of course we had some fish too and then waddled our way north to the bus station, for the ride home.

And we haven't ordered yet!