Another new week in J'lem

It's almost midnight, and with the end of Shabbat, another week begins. Classes start in the early morn at the Conservative Yeshiva, so I'm heading off to sleep soon. Had a nice Shabbat  - walked with classmate L. to services at a nice little congregation in Ge'ulim (Baka) near the German Colony neighborhood…about a 45 min walk away. The congregation is called Kol Haneshamah (literally, "every living thing" from the last line of the last psalm (no. 150) - "every living thing shall praise G-d, Halleluyah."But there is a little pun here, because the word for "every" and the word for "voice (of)" are homonyms, and "haneshamah" can mean either "(the) living (thing)" or "the soul," so kol haneshamah could mean "the voice of the soul," which is also a cool name for a congregation. Anyhow, nice place, excellent davenning (praying), friendly people, and when the rabbi spoke in Hebrew about the haftarah (reading from the prophets), I was able to understand 75% to 80% of it, probably because he is American born and he spoke at a pace and about a subject that I could understand. Nice services last night and tonight at the Conservative Yeshiva - studying there should be great!

Tel Aviv Tell-All

During my short hop to Tel Aviv, I furthered my independent study project, although not as much as I would have liked. Nevertheless, I met two leaders in this work and saw some of the products of that work.

Wednesday afternoon, I met Dr. Ruth Calderon at Alma - House of Hebrew Culture and heard four hours of final presentations by her class at this interesting, secular yeshiva. During last fall semester, my Hebrew class read one of her essays on creating Jewish ritual.  During this trip, she did not have time for a private interview with me, but we'll talk on the phone on Sunday (I hope I can get some time away from my orientation at the Conservative Yeshiva, which is then). I did get to hear all of her class's presentations, and while I'm sure that they were all fascinating, it's sad to say that I understood maybe 10% to 20% of what was said. The ones that were visual or that referred to the Tanach (the Hebrew Bible) were obviously easier to follow. But the ones where participants simply spoke or read were beyond me. I could always get the gist, and Ruth's sitting next to me in the bag and filling me in on main points, summaries, or highlights was very helpful. I had always wished that by this time, I would be far more fluent in Hebrew. Ah, well.

The atmosphere was friendly, open, and informal. Most of the students are in their 20s and are artists (poets, visual artists, actors, etc.) and all brought food to share for this final celebration of their learning. The overall theme was motherhood and, even with my limited Hebrew, I found myself fascinated with the intensity, diversity, and, often, beauty of their offerings to their class. Remember that these are clearly hiloni (secular) Israelis, but all looking to Jewish learning and culture to enhance their lives. They are clearly getting this from Alma, and their tributes to the school and its teachers (from what I could tell!) were quite touching.

Afterwards, I sat at a very nearby restaurant/coffee bar with internet access, had a bite, and went online to look for a hotel room. I found one on Dizengoff and Gordon. Took a monit (taxi) there, thinking that I would check and then head out to walk around. The room was nice - air conditioning (not a given in this country, for sure - for instance, our apartment in Jerusalem is not air-conditioned), a little kitchenette (which I didn't need), and a big TV. I didn't end up going out, though; again, I hadn't heard back from anyone I know in Tel Aviv, and I was a bit tired. So, I went online and watched a little bit of Israeli TV simultaneously (mostly stupid comedies, ripoffs of American shows like Dancing with the Stars, etc.) I did watch a bit of the National Geographic channel, which was at least visually interesting. Comfy bed, quiet, good AC - so it was a nice, dull evening, and I'm $100 poorer, but that's not bad considering it included a full breakfast. I love the Israeli idea of breakfast. Of course you can just get a muffin or croissant, but when I saw "Israeli breakfast" on the menu, with its eggs, Israeli salad (usually chopped, with a good lemon-based dressing), crusty bread, libneh (not sure about the name, but it's Israel's cross between sour cream and soft cheese, and is delicious), cheese and jam, with a cappuccino on the side, I couldn't turn it down. Had that at 8 am, and haven't had anything except a cup of tea since, and it is almost 3:30 pm, so it was pretty filling.

This morning, I met with Lior Tal at Bina, another incredible place which is also a secular yeshiva, this one in South Tel Aviv, directly across the street from the Central Bus Station. Bina was started following the Rabin assassination when several secular thinkers/teachers/leaders realized that young Israelis needed to have an inspirational Jewishness that was positive and totally unlike that which Rabin's slayer represented.

Bina is not in a great part of town  - South Tel Aviv has sadly seen some anti-immigrant rioting (but that is worthy of a separate post some time in the future).

Lior, 36, grew up in a Masorati (traditional) household, but began to reject the theology of much of what he was taught by the time he had turned 15 or 16. He had always had and asked a lot of questions, and they were rarely answered to his satisfaction. He ceased to believe in Revelation (Torah miSinai, the idea that G-d gave the Torah directly to Moses on Mt. Sinai). Feeling that he must be wrong, he started to seek answers from inside the tradition, and tried to find them within traditional schools, but he could not. Yet, Jewish identity was still central to him, and he asked himself (and others, as well) why one couldn't be both secular and intensely Jewish. By age 17 or 18, he knew that he wasn't wrong, and naively thought that he had invented something new ("I thought I was going to win the Nobel Prize!") but then learned in college that many others, among them some of the most important Zionist thinkers such as Brenner and Berdichevski, had long ago written about this and the need for its actualization.

Lior became actively involved with and began to learn from those who were doing this work of creating a strong secular Israeli Jewishness, such as Shai Zarchi (one of his strongest mentors and someone whom I hope to interview). Lior started his own program (Bet Midrash Zehut - House of Study-Identity), which failed, and when his friend Tal Shaked (pronounced Shah-caid) proposed creating such a school in S. Tel Aviv along with colleague Eran Baruch, he signed on. Within Bina, Lior currently runs a mechinah (preparation) program for Israeli teens for the year after high school graduation and before entering the IDF (Israel's military), which both males and females join. This mechinah program, among the 40 in existence, is the only one that is both secular and teaches "the Jewish bookshelf" - that is, the classics (Bible, Talmud, Midrash, etc.). When they offer a learning session (shiur, in Hebrew) on a topic such as social justice, instead of sticking to just one of the texts, the teachers pick and choose from all of the "sacred" texts as their sources. Generally, and not surprisingly, halacha (Jewish law) is not included in the learning and discussion, but Jewish thinkers as early as Moses Mendelssohn in the late 1700s, early 1800s rejected the idea that Jewishness was not centrally concerned with adherence to law.

When I asked Lior about any particular, dramatic success stories of students who had transformed their lives, or at least the Jewish part of them, he said that would include at least half of the students in the program!  That alone, even apart from his teaching at another program, the Tel Aviv branch of Kolot, and the post-IDF program, makes him a major player in this important "new" Israeli phenomenon.

Jerusalem at Night

No, this is not a post about the exciting nightlife of Jerusalem. I'm sure there are wonderful cultural, entertaining, and spiritual things to do here at night - I haven't had the chance to take advantage of any yet.  What I want to mention is how pleasant it is to walk in this city at night - as hot as it can get during the night is as cool and delightfully breezy it is at night. You can walk everywhere without worry, enjoying the air, smelling the varied aromas of the city. I have a very old memory of this feeling from the summer that I was here with Ramah Seminar 1973 (that's right, immediately before the Yom Kippur War that changed so much about Israel). I was having Shabbat dinner with late family friends, the Bargteils, who had made aliyah and were living on Rehov Kaf Tet b'November (I know, odd name for a street - November 29th Street - but it was named after the momentous date when the UN voted on and approved the partition plan that effectively allowed Israel to be later established). After dinner, my host offered to drive me back to Chavat HaNoar Tziyoni - the youth hostel where Ramah rented space during the summer (and still does, as a friend who works there told me), but since it was Shabbat, and it wasn't far, I said I'd rather walk back. So he gave me directions, but anyone who knows me is familiar with my challenges in the direction department. Two hours later (of what should have been not more than a 20-minute walk), I flagged down a cab to bring me back. But during those two hours, I was confused but not at all scared or worried (of course, don't all 16 year olds think that they are invincible?), but rather I was simply enjoying the delightful night air.

For this trip, first thing when I got here, I bought a good street map, needless to say. But I can't think of a better city for getting lost at night than Jerusalem.

The calm before the storm...

I've been experiencing a much slower pace of life in these last couple of weeks than I have had in a long time, between not working and no classes yet. I have done a couple of interviews and reported on them, started a blog for news of my summer and my project, visited with old friends, and have walked a lot in this part of town and down to Talpiyot and Katamon, but in general, I'm not busy. I go out during the day when I have to (the mid-day heat is not too pleasant), but I often have only one appointment a day, which leaves me a lot of time for extra sleep in the morning (I'm rarely up before 8 am - practically unheard of at home). I don't like the loneliness, though. That's ending soon, because a couple from RRC and their baby are coming in on Tuesday, and I think the apartment will suddenly seem very small! The place will certainly be more lively, so I'm looking forward to their arrival. I met a college friend whom I hadn't seen since about 1976 for a late lunch today. On Wednesday, I'm off to Tel Aviv for a couple of days to continue my project (anyone there have a place that I can crash Wednesday night?) Hope all are well and that the heat wave in DC has passed.

Shavuah Tov!

Wishing everyone a good new week, whether that week begins for you on Sunday or Monday. Shabbat has ended here. After Reconstructionist services this morning at HUC, and after the potluck, just chilled at the apartment all afternoon. Now, do I go out (and take the risk of eating something good and fattening on Ben Yehudah street) or do I just stay here and read? I'm setting up more interviews for my project and will post when I can. Hope all you readers (both?) are well!

Second interview and Shabbat Shalom

Had my second interview at an outdoor table at Cafe Cafe on Emek Refaim with Tamir Nir, a really interesting person who has started a congregation in the Beit HaKerem section of Jerusalem.

Born in Jerusalem, Nir's Mizrachi Masorti ("religious but not strict") background gave him a different religious perspective from those of the Alon Shvut neighborhood of Gush Etzion (in the territories) that he moved into as a ten-year old. Nir was not happy there, it not being really accepting of Mizrachim, and when his father asked for some concessions in the synagogue for Mizrachi liturgy and practice, they refused and he went to start a separate synagogue.  But Tamir still had Ashkenazic friends, liked Ashkenzic melodies as well, so he began to have the sense that he was split between two worlds. When he was 15, he began to attend the yeshiva in Ma'alei Adumim, which was more accepting, and after that, he went into the army. It was there, after serving as a tank commander that he entered the educational part and found that he loved being an educator.

Nevertheless, after finishing his army service, he trained to become an architect and also left the religious way of life completely. He worked as an architect for 5 years. But it is practically impossible for a Jew living in Israel to leave Judaism (it's in the calendar, the history, the language), and he was still involved in teaching and in working with nature, and those became Nir's path back to Judaism, albeit in a different format. He started a company aimed at running nature camps for children called Yeled Teva (Nature Kid), but after a few years, the company failed. However, the parents who had sent their children to his camps approached him to start a community (a kehilla) where his teachings could take root. "They were trying to take responsibility for all the space around them: the cultural, society, and physical space," Nir said. The community would not simply be based on a school but on a total inclusive life space, with improved roads, a community garden, and a community center, although not a formal synagogue (bet knesset). But a bet knesset literally means a "house of assembly," and that is what Nir and his community started. There they would have kabbalat Shabbat services, and mark religious milestones such as bar/bat mitzvah (for those who want the service).

The kehilla in Beit HaKerem sees itself as the last secular neighborhood in Jerusalem [see my previous post on "haredization"], and the people of the neighborhood are afraid of a religious takeover of the neighborhood and the resultant changes in law. They are proud of their own way of life and of how they approach Judaism. For example, when they give a d'var Torah (a lesson from the Torah), they prefer to give it as "k'firah," that is, in a way that challenges assumptions of piety of the Biblical characters or that questions the morality of the stories or laws presented, or even present an interpretation that is opposite that which is normally accepted.

But Tamir Nir, who is 45, has seen a change in himself, perhaps via exposure through his teaching at Hebrew Union College. Now he has begun to pray again, and slowly he has lost much of the anger that he had built up in his youth against tradition. He sees his life as having gone through a cycle: he spent his first 20 years as a religious person, and then 20 years as a secular person, "and now I'm starting 20 years as something new, I don't know."

Nir is an activist, one this phenomenon's movers and shakers, but in many ways he and his community typify so many modern Israelis who are looking for the way back to a Judaism that is communal, nourishing, guiding, and both spiritually and intellectually satisfying.

This blog is going offline for the Sabbath; I'm having Shabbat dinner with friends who live in Talpiyot and then will attend Shabbat morning services at the Hebrew Union College student lounge, where the Reconstructionist monthly minyan is held. So I wish everyone Shabbat Shalom, a sabbath of peace and enjoyment, on either day (or neither!) on which you celebrate it!

My first interview!

Yesterday I interviewed Roni Yavin at Bet Midrash Elul in Katamon (a neighborhood in the southwest quadrant of Jerusalem). This is a fascinating place and she is a fascinating person. At Bet Midrash Elul (named not only for the month of Elul, when it began in 1988, but also for the famous rabbinic phrase "elu v'elu divrei Elohim hayim" - "these and these, too, are the words of the living G-d" - that is, difference of opinion and varying perspectives are what keep Torah ("word of G-d") alive, and that is what Elul offers. Here, Jews from many different backgrounds come together over classical Jewish texts, an activity that before Elul began, rarely if ever happened.

Roni Yavin grew up on a moshav that was open, egalitarian, and had a synagogue that was led by a rabbi, so there was a more open, organic, less strict atmosphere and attitude toward Jewish life and expression. Her relationship with her grandparents in particular was informative of her later direction in becoming not only a scholar of Jewish texts, but one who wanted to share those texts with all Jews.

We discussed at length the strides that have been made by this non-movement, of which Elul is a part, but also what more needs to be done. Many, many Israelis are no longer satisfied to give over Judaism and Jewish texts to the ultra-Orthodox and are coming to accept that the religion and its timeless bookshelf offer unique guidance, wisdom, and a tremendous source of identity to "secular" and religious Jews alike. Secular houses of study (batei midrash) such as Elul have been springing up all over the country for the last 20 years, attracting both people with lots of background and those with little to none, all of whom can equally share their knowledge, particular perspectives, questions, and insights toward mutual enrichment and growth. To participate in this study, and in the social and cultural activities that spring from it, one does not need to believe in G-d or observe the mitzvoth (commandments), but rather merely wants to grow Jewishly and in community.

This phenomenon is growing but has not achieved brushfire status; it is simmering, growing slowly, but  may become far more widespread, which I think would only benefit Israeli society, culture, and identity. People have been asking for many years "What makes 'the Jewish State' Jewish?" This phenomenon can only help and it will be a Jewishness that has not been imported from Europe or from the U.S., but rather will be organic, homegrown, and particularly Israeli. If it isn't Israeli, it will surely not take hold. If it succeeds, however, it could transform Israel.

Bar Mitzvah Atop Masada

Unusual but interesting day today - I led a Bar Mitzvah service on Masada for a family from Florida with whom an old friend put me in touch a few months ago. Nice people, the boy chanted very nicely from a small paper Torah that they had brought along, and all in all, it was a meaningful day. I gave a short crash (sermon-study session) on the Torah portion, gave the young man a blessing, and we had a little bread and grape juice after the service so that he could make the blessings over them. The family had hired a driver with an air-conditioned Mercedes van with a built-in refrigerated console filled with bottled water, so we all stayed cool and hydrated for the trip. We stopped at the Dead Sea swimming area afterward, which with the sharp and slippery rocks, was not too pleasant. Overall, a great trip and a meaningful day for a family.

Tomorrow, my first interview in support of my independent study project, so more to come!

For a taste...

For a taste of some really good felafel, try Moshiko on Ben Yehuda Street when you come to Jerusalem. Had it on laffa rather than pita….and for those who are wondering whether I would renounce vegetarianism when I saw (and smelled) my first Israeli shwarma - no, I didn't even lust after the shwarma and happily ate the felafel.

Also, for a taste of what my independent study is about, see the following article from Ha'aretz on the resistance agains the "haredization" (that is, the takeover by the ultra-Orthodox) of Jerusalem:

http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/feeling-they-are-losing-jerusalem-orthodox-and-secular-jewish-residents-join-forces-1.415809.

"The latter"

Right, so I didn't say what the interviews will be about. I hope to interview many movers and shakers in an Israeli phenomenon called, variably, Free Judaism (Yahadut Chofshit), Jewish Revival, and other names. It is not synonymous with activities of the Reform, Conservative, or Reconstructionist movements in Israel, although there appear to be some relationships between these Jewish denominations and this new phenom. It is characterized by "secular" Israelis finding ways of expressing their Jewishness not only through Zionism (actually, sometimes not at all through Zionism) but rather through study of the classic texts (Torah, Talmud, Midrash, etc.), through some observance of the Jewish holidays, especially Shabbat, and has seen the establishment and growth of secular yeshivot (which admittedly sounds like an oxymoron), where secular Jews sit and study texts. I'm cautious to not call it a "movement" - at the moment, it is too disparate and disorganized for that name. I see this as a very positive, encouraging development and gives me a little hope that Israel will become what I had hoped it would when I was growing up. Much more on this to follow.

Bruchim Ha'baim (Welcome)! I am intending this blog to be an open ongoing commentary on my gleanings this summer in Israel as I live and study in this mystical and often mystifying place. I am renting an apartment in Jerusalem on Lincoln Street (pronounced here Lin-co-leen because apparently modern Israeli Hebrew seems to have a problem with English double consonants).

My first 5 days here have been taken up in acclimating myself, being a bit jet-lagged, reading, preparing for my upcoming studies and interviews (more on the latter to follow), and on being a bit lonely. Although I am used to being away from home for two to three days at a time since I live in Maryland and go to school in Philadelphia, I am decidedly not used to being this far away and for this long. I have managed to see some friends here and there is no shortage of things to do - I just need to find ways of ignoring the heat and getting out more. Jerusalem has so much to offer and I need to take advantage of it as much as I can.

Although Phyllis and I kept a blog when I was going through kidney cancer surgery and treatment, this is my first blogging experience for a non-medical reason, so I'm still learning. Please give me suggestions on how to improve this site!

Don't worry  - posts will get more exciting the more I experience life here.