Israel Museum Tiyul

Today we took a Tiyul to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. It was absolutely beautiful, and so much fun! While we were there we saw the infamous אוהב sculpture, the model of the second temple of Jerusalem, and the old dead sea scrolls! We learned about all of the different sects of people during that time, including Sadducees, Pharisees, Zealots, and Essenes. We had different kids in our class portray the different people in the sects, which really helped me to understand what each sect was about. 

The sects all differed from each other in their beliefs about religion, afterlife, and culture. For example, the Sadducees wanted to adopt Roman Culture, but not their religion. The Pharisees sect wanted to adapt to the Roman Culture, but not be influenced by it. The Zealots were against the Romans, and they were very harsh and forceful towards them. Lastly, the Essenes sect isolated themselves because they did not want to be influenced by the hellenists. 

The Choice Between Jewish Life and American Life

Today in Jewish History class, we discussed the challenges of keeping Judaism alive, while being surrounded by another dominant culture. Living in America, where Judaism is a large minority, this is an issue that truly effects me.

There are many aspects of my life where I feel like I have to choose between my religion and my American life, because they don't always mesh together. One example of this is having to skip school to observe Jewish Holidays. I go to a public school, where there are a small amount of Jewish kids. Therefor, we don't get most Jewish Holidays off. It's important for me to observe the major holidays, such as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, however it is frustrating to have to miss a day of learning to do so. The class can't simply stop to accommodate my needs, so I have to make up the work.

Another example of this is having to choose between my social life at home, and my Jewish social life, or family obligations. For example, many of my school events are the same weekend as a NFTY event, or the same time of a major Jewish Holiday. Personally, I am much more interested and involved with my Jewish social life than my social life at home, so the decision isn't too difficult. Nevertheless, it's difficult to have to make a decision between my religion and my social life. It seems as though this isn't as big of an issue with other cultures such as Christianity or Catholicism.

Our Past Tiyul: The Old City of David

This week we had our first full-day Tiyul! We were gone from breakfast until dinner, which was exhausting, but the entire day was so interesting!! We started out at Jerusalem Tayalet, where we got comfortable on the grass and had a Jewish History lesson. We discussed the Tanakh, diving into it's characters and stories. What I found most interesting, was that we were sitting in the location that these stories took place. Not to mention the incredible Nof (view) that we had. We looked out and had breathtaking view of the entire city of Jerusalem.

Later in the day, we headed to The Old City of David. We started off our time there with a free hour to walk around and shop, which was really fun! Afterwards, we met up with our Jewish History Classes and continued our discussion of the Tanakh while exploring the beautiful ruins. Walking around the Old City while learning about it, I felt so inspired and intrigued by everything around me. 

mushki song# : מוקי - לב חופשי

I was scrolling through the awesome playlist of Israeli songs that our madrichim have created for us, and I came across one called 'לב חופשי' (Free Heart.) There were a few things that attracted me to this song. First of all, the melody really intrigued me. I like that it is a slower paced song, and that it has a very relaxing tone to it. However, I can tell that there is a lot of emotion in this song. The artist sounds very passionate about the lyrics and the subject that he is singing about.

Below are the translated the lyrics from Hebrew. (Unfortunately, the translation isn't great, but it is enough to give you a good understanding of the song.) The artist is singing about his "free heart." He says, "Today my heart is free, no cables, and no more worries." The way I interpret that line, as well as this song, is about a past relationship. I think that the artist was in love with a woman, and now he is finally mustering up the strength and courage to move on from her and their previous relationship, in order to better his own life. He continues to say, "And life goes on, family, friends, women, So I'm not alone, I'm just without you." To me, this line shows a lot of strength. Although he has lost someone very important to him, he is focusing on the other positive aspects in his life, which is imperative to do  during a difficult time, such as the loss of a relationship.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQUwvwgNpNs&index=11&list=PLFdaDs6jm04gmKjghLvy09QV7cqWTZU53

Muki- Free Heart

Free heart,  Today my heart is free,  No cables  And no more worries.  Clean lie  Free of nostalgia,  Naked.  Free heart  Like the wind.  And after it was burned,  And after it was over already  Released and fled  One more time.  And a great light emerges from the darkness,  Is revealed.  Night escape from this morning  Rising.  Free heart,  Today my heart is free,  Without programs  And no promises.  And life goes on,  Family, friends, women,  So I'm not alone  I just without you.  And this heart burns,  This heart already runs  Released and fled  One more time.  And a great light emerges from the darkness,  Is revealed.  Night escape from this morning  Rising.  Now far from me,  But it does not hurt.  Because as you've so did you go -  The, you broke my heart.

'Crazy Jewish Mom' texts go viral article

Jewish Mothers have been characterized as "crazy" and "overbearing" for as long as I can remember. Some of these typical Jewish Mother's characteristics include being loud and proud, loving, guilt-inflicting, defensive, urging loved ones to eat, as well as many others.

I think most Jewish Mothers are stereotyped as the "Crazy Jewish Mom" from time to time. However, the degree of how crazy they are can vary. My mom does "typical Jewish Mother things" every once in a while, such as telling me to put on a sweater, telling me to bring a snack wherever I go, and making sure I've had enough to eat. Despite her caring and motherly attitude towards me, I know that she would never go as far as Kate's mom has, pretending to be me on JDate and flirting with random strangers. Thus, one of the reasons that makes me love her even more! I think that Kate's mom may be so extreme in her ways because of her lack of self esteem. Kate is her only child, and she wants Kate to be happy, making her go to extremes to accomplish that. She may also be living vicariously through her daughter, wanting her to experience things that she never had an opportunity to!


Below are two links. The first one is to the article that this blog post was based on, and the second is a buzzfeed post called '35 Signs You Were Raised By a Jewish Mother' that I found relevant and entertaining!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/35-signs-you-were-raised-by-a-jewish-mother#.xyO4dgObl

http://www.timesofisrael.com/crazy-jewish-mom-text-messages-go-viral/

My Experience At The Kotel

As I previously mentioned in my last post, I have been wanting to visit Israel for as long as I can remember. Everything about it intrigues and excites me. The fact that I have the opportunity to live here for four months is extraordinary. Prior to my arrival in Israel, one of the things I have been looking forward to the most was visiting and experiencing the Kotel. After sixteen years of learning about it, seeing pictures of it, and hearing stories about it, I finally got to go and experience it for myself. 

Walking through the Old City yesterday was unbelievable. Each step I took, I admired my surroundings-the people I was with, the city I was in, and so much more. Although the Old City of Jerusalem is beautiful and incredible, being at The Western Wall was such a special feeling. Each step I took, I was overcome with emotion. I couldn't help but feel emotional and empowered as I felt so touched, knowing where I was standing, and thinking of all who have stood before me. I was standing in front of such a holy place. People from all over the world come here to pray-regardless of culture, tradition, or religion. The Western Wall is a sign of resilience from the Jewish people, showing that we can overcome anything, and we are still standing strong, which is so empowering to me.

Below are some pictures from my experience at the Kotel :)