The Oud

I found the oud to be a beast, (as an instrument that is).  I had this idea that I would study the oud here and expose myself to a brand new musical language.  That was the plan.

I found myself a teacher after a number of false starts, a young guy named Thaer Bader. A really great guy and a good player.  He even had an oud that he was selling (he has three or four instruments) and that I would be able to use.  But as I found out, the oud is a beast - 11 strings, tuned to 6 notes on a C octave.  The low C is a single bass string and the other five are doubled. Just tuning the instrument was a major undertaking for me. And that was just the start.

The oud is picked like a mandolin or guitar and has a fretless fingerboard like a violin.  In my hubris, I thought - I can play guitar, so my right hand should be ok with the picking and I can play violin, so getting good intonation without frets should not be too challenging...was I ever wrong!!

Thaer Bader - a great guy and a great player

I had difficulty grasping the non Western scales that Arab classical music uses - 24 tones, half flats etc.  It became clear to me after only a few lessons that I would have to devote a significant amount of time and effort to learn this instrument and the musical culture that goes along with it - more than I was willing to spend.  And the notion of playing western style music on the oud was not very practical.

The other thing I found was that the music just did not resonate with me (is it genetics?)  In contrast, the klezmer violin I am studying strikes an immediate and primal chord in my soul.

So Thaer and I came to the mutual decision that my quest to study oud just did not make sense. I will stick with the klezmer fiddle for my time in Israel (and maybe I will take up mandolin if I need another instrument to play :)

Musrara Neighborhood

Hanging Out in a favorite cafe

We are living the tough life here :).  Jerusalem is full of cafes and sometimes we just hang out after Michelle finishes Ulpan and the kids are still in school.  Other times we walk neighborhoods as we did today (10/12) in the Musrara neighborhood, just northwest of the Old City's Christian Quarter.  This was an organized walking tour by a group of artists that want to encourage peace and dialogue. Given the multiple flash points here - Arab/Jew, ultra orthodox/secular, municipal authority/neighborhood activist, right wing/left wing Israelis, the artists certainly have their work cut out for them.

Musrara Alley

The artists, who live in the Musrara neighborhood, formed a collective of sorts to promote street art in public spaces. We walked the neighborhood and looked at examples of the art.  The neighborhood, a warren of alleys, pedestrian streets and small squares, is beautiful.  (The street art is highly variable, to put it mildly.) But all in all, a thoroughly enjoyable two hours that ended in an east Jerusalem restaurant that reportedly has the best humus in town.  The restaurant was full when we got there, so we can't vouch for the humus, but we will be back.

Musrara Street Art

Footloose

Today's walk started in an old neighborhood near the town center, Nahalat Shiv'a.  Originally home to Orthodox families that left the Old City to branch out (sort of like the Jerusalem version of pioneers in a Calistoga wagon), it is now home to hipster cafes, bookstores, galleries and restaurants.  We all know the drill - Valencia Street redux.

Nahalat Shiv'a Alley

Round Ethiopian Church

Wondered through the Russian Compound, stopping at the Palestine Central Prison, now a museum called the Shrine of Heroism.  The British held captured members of Jewish resistance groups there - they have preserved the gallows at the prison (although executions took place in Acre)- kinda spooky.

Ended up in Me'a She'arim via Ethiopia Street, a street with beautiful homes, great ambiance and the circular Ethiopian Church.  Me'a She'arim is endlessly fascinating to me because of how cut off it is from the rest of the city - deliberately so, with small synagogues, cheders and yeshivas scattered throughout and woven into the fabric of daily life.  Pretty much everything revolves around study and observance.  But coupled with obvious poverty and hardship, especially for the children.

Me'a She'arim warning about modest dress for women

Luckily I wasn't around in the late afternoon because 500,000 people took to the streets to lament the death of the Chief Sephardic Rabbi, Obadia Yosef - he died around 4 pm.  Absolute chaos where the van carrying the body was moving through the streets.

Lamenting Obadia Yosef's death

Masada

Finally to Masada.  We have been putting it off, waiting for cooler weather.  The weather turned, so we made the drive on Shabbat - thought there would be less traffic and tourists but the place was a veritable zoo of tour buses - Saw groups from Spain, Brazil, Germany, Russia, and the U.S., just to name a few.

Base of Snake Path

But it's quite a place - this guy Herod just couldn't stop building himself five star country palaces. We blasted up the Snake Path, Gabriella leading the way. Excellent cardio workout!!  The setting, vistas and architecture/engineering are pretty amazing, given the location and elevation.  Herod certainly knew how to abuse his slaves...

Headed back to Jerusalem for dinner with the parents of a very good friend, Josh Graff Zivin.  This must be the week of the grandparents because on Sunday Michelle and Susan had lunch with the mother of another of our good friends, (Art Eidelhoch) who is visiting Israel.

Byzantine Church Mosaic at Masada

 

Mrs Eidelhoch visits

Cool Jerusalem Neighborhood

Taking a break in Ohel Moshe

Ohel Moshe Common Area

Jerusalem is a great walking city and some of the nicest neighborhoods have no automobile traffic. Today Michelle and I took a walk around one of these, Ohel Moshe, just south of the famous Jerusalem
shuk.  It is among one of the oldest Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem outside of the Old City.  Narrow streets, quiet with no traffic, beautiful common areas and a great combination of orthodox and hippy residents.  And just a two minute walk from the Shuk where you can buy virtually any kind of food plus clothing, hardware, kitchenware, etc.

Israel is rightly famous for its olives so we went olive picking a few days ago in a public park, Ya'Ar Ha-Shalom, about a 5 minute drive from our house.  We are now in the soaking phase (pre-pickling) - we will let you know how they come out.

Olive Picking

And lest you think that it is all fun and games here, we still have a house to clean - the term is 'sponga' for the cogniscenti of cleaning a floor in Israel. (Of course this duty falls to the man of the house, although Toby has been pretty good about doing his room).

The tools of the sponga trade

Simchat Torah

Simchat Torah dancing

The holidays create their own rhythm and in Jerusalem, the preponderance of very observant people creates a unique pulse. Businesses start to shut down around 3 pm the day before, traffic thins, buses stop running and quiet reigns. I am getting into walking the city on holidays and Shabbat because everything slows down.

We enjoyed a nice Hakafot service at Kol Haneshema on Erev Simchat Torah but the real action took place on Thursday evening. Virtually every synagogue hosts its own outdoor dance party, some with live music, some with DJs but always with the Torah Scroll as dance partner 'Eser'. (I felt for people who live near the synagogues because the music was so loud that it was blasting over the neighborhood.) There were also big parties in city squares with entertainment, food etc.  It's a relaxed holiday with a great vibe but there is a bit of an edge because people are preparing to face reality and 'back to work' after the long break.

Dance Partner 'Eres'

Sometimes of course, a boy just has to take a break from all of this religion business and chill out with friends.  (Which we did with the Israeli-Roths on Thursday).

Chillin

Visiting President Peres

Peres Speaks

One day during Sukkot break we visited President Peres along with several thousand of his best friends.  A tradition here that during Sukkot the President opens up his residence and Sukkah to the public.  Supposedly everyone also gets the chance to shake his hand.  Long lines for everything and so much speechifying and performances before the main event - we got bored and left but it was fun to see his house. The Ministry of Agriculture is on a big healthy living kick so they handed out little packets of a tomatoes, a cucumber and a pepper.  Good photo ops, if nothing else.

Call Any Vegetable

Sukkot is a Party

Sushi at the Ba'ka Steet Fair

You would not know there is a war on next door.  The country is partying for Sukkot.  Free music everywhere, street fairs and festivals galore.  Giant Sukkot in the squares, of course the Old City is a magnet for every tourist in town.  Toby and Dan have been a bit under the weather with 'flu like' symptoms so we have been laying low.  But we buzzed through a street fair in the Ba'ka neighborhood last night (and ate crepes and sushi and heard a Beatles cover band, of all things - the falafel line was too long.)  Starting to get cool at night, even put on a long sleeved shirt for the first time.

Beatles Cover Band on the Balcony

Sukkot with the Israeli Roths

Under the waterfall

Spent the day with the Israeli-Roths, enjoying nature near the Dead Sea.  Sharona is one of the best tour guides, knows all the 'in' spots and has not steered us wrong yet. Started out at Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, a fantastic oasis of waterfalls and freshwater pools.

Fun in the Sun

Then we stopped at an archaeological site just a few hundred meters away from the Nature Reserve - remnants of a synagogue and other buildings dating from the Second Temple period.

Mosaic in Synagogue Prayer Hall

Ended up at another nature reserve with a number of endangered and threatened species.  The shoreline of the Dead Sea used to be at the margin of this reserve but has receded dramatically over the last 30 years.

Steps to old shoreline - Dead Sea in the distance

And to top it off, we had some visitors to our Sukkah.

Dinner in the Sukkah

Erev Sukkot

It takes some effort to be a good Jew (and we are barely in the ball park in this town.)  No sooner do we finish atoning then we start preparing for Sukkot.  Have to get that Sukkah built and ready for action.

Buckminster Fuller has nothing on me

The Finished Product

Balcony Sukkah

Balcony Sukkah

There are all kinds of Sukkot around town. And the sidewalk Sukkot can make walking down the street a challenge.  It is also always striking how things shut down the afternoon before a holiday. But finally we are done and can enjoy our first meal.

Mamilla Mall Shutting Down

First Meal in our Sukkah

Sidewalk Sukkot