I am very sorry that I have not been able to update this over the course of the past week, but life has been such a whirlwind that I have not had the opportunity to sit down and write. I hope this entry doesn't turn out to be too ridiculously long, but I have a lot to say!
My last entry mentioned that I would be attending a special program in a very religious area of Jerusalem. Right before the holiday of Sukkot, you are required to purchase 4 species of plants to use in ceremony. We were taken to a special market where these plants were sold exclusively. There were dozens of different vendors each alleging that their product was superior. Very religious men walked around with magnifying glasses to examine the plants to make sure that they adequately fulfilled the requirements of the holiday. The scene was loud, and energetic, and I am very glad I had a chance to see it.
The next morning two friends and I decided it would be a nice idea to spend the holiday on a hike. We took a bus up to the north of Israel and made camp at the Yahudia camp sight. After eating and enjoying the peaceful atmosphere, we went to sleep. In the middle of the night a giant wind/lightning storm swept through the camp sight. Extremely fast winds blew everything everywhere, and the sky lit up with the brilliant glow of lightning. Thankfully it did not rain because we were not fortunate enough to have a tent. The hike the next day was one of the most fun I have ever done featuring waterfalls, great views, and pools of water which you needed to cross (the challenge was trying to keep as much of your stuff dry as possible).
On Wednesday morning I watched a movie about Sukkot in Hebrew class, and then I was able to take a much needed nap for several hours. That night several friends and I bought tickets to see the Jerusalem Symphony perform. I had realized that they were going to be going on tour in the United States and this would have been our last opportunity to see them, so we went. It was an amazing concert, and made me very much miss playing the cello.
On Thursday my program took us on a bus early in the morning to the Old City of Jerusalem. It was the day of a very special prayer in which many thousands of people had gathered to participate. Above is a picture of the crazy scene. A group of friends and I were lucky enough to be able to witness the madness from atop the roof of a school. I spent the rest of that day wandering the streets of the Old City and I received a tour about the history of the city and the surrounding areas.
That night at about 8:00 I got on a bus and headed for the Kineret (Sea of Galilee) for the Breishit (Genesis) Music Festival. The festival had dozens of interesting Israeli musicians, workshops, the beach, a water park, and many friends who I haven't seen for weeks. I camped out, cooked food, and enjoyed all that the program had to offer. The picture above is me with several friends as the sun sets on the Kineret.
Despite the exhaustion induced by the festival, Sunday was full of programming. We woke up early and drove several hours to the coast of the Mediterranean to "dive for techelet". Techelet is a special dye that comes from a snail found in the sea. In the Jewish religion you're supposed to use the dye for certain ritual objects. We snorkeled around and were very successful in finding dozens of these special snails. We then drove to a special park where we saw many different "sukkahs". The Sukkah is hut which Jews stay in for 8 days during the holiday of Sukkot to represent the huts stayed in while wandering in the desert after the exodus from Egypt. We saw many fascinating Sukkot in many shapes and sizes and learned which were acceptable for observing the holiday. Later that day we experienced life as biblical shepherds and we were actually required to herd sheep! It was a long, tiring day, but I will certainly remember it for years to come.
The next morning we boarded a bus headed for Sfat, one of the 4 holiest cities in Israel. In Sfat we were hosted by a program called Ascent who tried to give us all the experiences of a traditional chasidic Simchat Torah. Simchat Torah is the holiday on which we finish the yearly cycle of reading the Torah, and begin again. Considered one of the happiest days of the year, the dancing and celebrating literally did not stop for 30 hours straight. We had some meals at the Ascent building, and some meals we went to the houses of local families. The holiday was very fun, and very memorable. A perfect cap to a phenomenal holiday season.
Today I woke up at 8:30 for Hebrew class which was relatively uneventful. After class we had a field trip for Zionism. We were required by law to take a bulletproof bus because we would be exploring the area in and around the West Bank and East Jerusalem. We saw the complicated borders, we discussed the potential for peace agreements, and we learned about the defense fence and the trouble it has caused. The situation in Jerusalem is going to be very difficult to resolve during the peace process, and seeing the geography up close put the entire Palestinian-Israeli conflict in a different perspective.
Right now I have homework, and I'm very behind on sleep. Once again, I'm sorry for the absurdly long entry and I will do what I can to update on a more regular basis so the entries aren't so painful for both of us.
Until next time!
-Zach
