Rosh Hashana!

  Rosh Hashana 2011 is gonna be the bomb! I'm staying in Jerusalem, and will be going to various dinners, shuls, and hangouts around the city. Please forgive me for any wrongs I have committed in the past year. Shanna Tova!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_M5-qthA8w

Wedding Course

 Last week some Your Coursers crashed a wedding in the Old City, which was absolutely nuts. A rabbi that works for the Heritage House (which is a free hostel in Jerusalem) invited us, and hooked us up with free dwanks and food. The band was real funky, and the lead guitarist was shredding all night. It was Leah Lebowitz wedding caliber. L’chaim to crashing as many simchas as possible! 

The Scene

Shredding...this guy was so cool I may have to make him a cool guy of the week.

What's up with Palestine?

 It is a very tense time in the Middle East right now. As each speech at the United Nations conference in New York City is delivered, Jews and Palestinians from all over the world look on in wonder. 6,000 years of conflict is basically being boiled down to one question. Will Palestine become as state?

 Over the past few days, I have been analyzing the media coverage on the bid for a Palestinian state in my David Project Class. The David Project is an initiation to educate people about the State of Israel, and teaches students how to be activists. Our talented teacher Zev is a Middle East analyst, and has been giving us updates and showing us clips on the bid for Palestine.

Here is what I’ve seen from the three speeches given by Netanyahu, Obama, and Abbas:

http://news.yahoo.com/israel-pm-peace-impossible-u-n-resolutions-174859388.html;_ylt=Ajz3ovw_1vSCc6w6PaNlKays0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNsMGMyNmpmBG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBGUARwa2cDMTg1ZWFmMzktZDk0MS0zZmY5LWJmNTAtOTdkZmQ1YWI0Njk4BHBvcwMxBHNlYwN0b3Bfc3RvcnkEdmVyAzg0NzE4NmUwLWU2MTEtMTFlMC1hNzdhLWRhZmZhYmViMWQyNw--;_ylg=X3oDMTFvdnRqYzJoBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25zBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3

Netanyahu: Let me first say that no one wants peace more than Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s goal is for peace, and he wishes to achieve this goal by negotiating with the Palestinian Authority. In Netanyahu’s speech in New York City, he stated, "The truth is that Israel wants peace, the truth is that I want peace”.

Along with Netanyahu, I believe a two state solution could accomplish this common goal, however the current UN Palestine bid is not a legitimate way to create a country or to achieve peace. Bibi goes on to say, “We cannot achieve peace through U.N. resolutions."

Grade: B+

http://www.jpost.com/VideoArticles/Video/Article.aspx?id=238923

Obama: When I first saw Obama’s speech in class, I almost cried from a mix of relief and American pride. I have always known that Obama has been very pro-Israel, and have misunderstood the wide criticism given by both Jews and non-Jews towards Obama’s views. With the exception of the settlement frieze that Obama orchestrated, and the terrible “lets go back to 1967 borders speech” (which he later clarified at an AIPAC conference), Obama is loving Israel is still the man straight up G. His idea of having mutually agreed swaps to create two states is a solid one. In one of the most pro-Israel speeches ever given by an American president, Obama solidified America’s support for Israel, and declared that Palestine’s bid for a state is not a cohesive solution for either the Israeli or Palestinian people. Obama is a realist, who knows that an end to this issue must be solved by continued negoteations, not by passing a premature United Nations bid for sovereignty. Great work Barack keep it up.

The Highlights:

“Ultimately, it is Israelis and Palestinians who must live side by side. Ultimately, it is Israelis and Palestinians – not us – who must reach agreement on the issues that divide them: on borders and security; on refugees and Jerusalem.”

Peace, he said, “depends upon compromise among peoples who must live together long after our speeches are over, and our votes have been counted.”

Grade: A

http://www.jpost.com/VideoArticles/Video/Article.aspx?id=238923

 Abbas: Abbas was by far the most intense and hilarious speaker of the three. Many people actually walked out during his speech. He claimed that Israel was unable to negotiate with Palestine, and waived his UN application like a victory flag.

Highlights: “This is a copy of the application!”

Grade: Incomplete

In my opinion, the people of Palestine deserve a Palestinian state just as the Jewish people deserve a Jewish state. However, the current PA campaign will not create a peaceful, safe, strong, or successful Palestine.

 Hopefully in the next few days and weeks we will see little violence. My counselor Yehudeet has a top-secret job in the IDF, and was called back to the Army two nights ago. It would be amazing if I were in Israel to experience the end of a 6,000 year old conflict, but it seems doubtful. Who knows, after all this is Israel: anything could happen.

And on a lighter note, Jon Stewart’s take on the current situation.

http://www.haaretz.com/culture/jon-stewart-lampoons-obama-s-stance-on-palestinian-statehood-1.386237

   

Gotta love the face. 

Cool looking guy of the week goes to:

Dress guy. This cool looking guy was just killing it on Yafo all day chatting up a storm. Gotta love the dress.

Craziest weekend of our lives part 2

 We awoke the next day to loud Arabic yelling, and turned over on our sides to find a fifteen person Arab family making camp next to us. It was around 7:00 a.m., so we decided to pack up camp and head to the trailhead. Danny and Hershel (who went to private school and Yishiva) were particularly nervous about the large Arab-Israeli family next to them. Jacob and I, (who went to public school and are now exploring Israel and the world), did not feel threatened. This sparked a great convo about racism, tolerance, and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

  

 We reached our hike, which was named the nachal arugot, and within ten minutes had found our first cliff jump. Nachal Arugot is a beautiful hike, which winds in and out of river canyon. Our first jump was about ten feet, and Danny started us off with some fearless leaps. We spent the day climbing, swimming, canyonering, arguing, jumping, and sunbathing.

 After a solid eight hours in the sun, we headed to Ein Gedi Kibbutz for a swim in their outdoor pool. On the way we suffered our first casualty. Hershman was only twenty minutes form the kibbutz, when he stepped in a pot hole and re-sprained his ankle. Dr. Lebowitz had to perform sports medicine on the side of road, which was very entertaining.

 We caught a packed bus back to Jerusalem, and readied ourselves for a week of classes and blah blah blah. This was a great trip, and showed us a diverse side of Israel both ethnically and geographically. Good-bye dessert, here we come Tel Aviv!! 

    King Kong aint got shit on me!

    Weeeeeeeeeeee

  exploring

    Much better than college...

  Front flip

  Dr. Lebowitz on scene

Craziest weekend of our lives part 1

I just got back from a two-day dessert adventure with Jacob Gilbert, Hershel Singer, and Danny Lebowitz, and it was absolutely meshugenah (crazy)! Ein Gedi (Kid-Spring) is a beautiful oasis next to the Dead Sea, which is about an hour bus ride from Jerusalem. If you can bear the extreme heat, the water pools, ibexes, and expansive scenes are well worth the trip. As the main motivator, planner, dad, and chef of the adventure, I can proudly say that we were well prepared for the rugged climate of the Judean dessert. Nonetheless, there are some things you just can't plan for: after all this is Israel!

  Our first mission on Friday morning was to meet at the Central Bus station to catch the ten o'clock bus to Ein Gedi. In Israel the weekend starts on Thursday night, and ends on Saturday night. This is to honor Shabbat, and in religious cities such as Jerusalem, the city comes to a stand still (which means very few cars are seen on the road). The Central Bus Station on Fridays is a busy scene, with students, soldiers, and families traveling or coming home for the weekend. Jacob, Danny, and I showed up on time with our sleeping bags, and massive backpacks filled with food, wine, challah, frisbees, and lots of other crap. It was 9:45 and we were all ready to go, we just needed Hershel. "Where is Hershman?" We called him. "I'm still in the Rova (old city)", says Hershel. "I won't be there for another half hour." Plans ruined and we hadn’t even left yet! I wanted to leave the lazy man behind, but the kind hearts of Lebowitz and Gilbert persuaded me to wait for the next bus. 

 After eating some decent falafel made by an angry Israeli man, we finally hopped the one o'clock bus. On the bus I spotted a young looking guy with a Red Sox hat, and immediately shouted "Go Sox!” It turned out this guy was actually an atheist from Canada, who had been traveling through the Middle East with his girlfriend for the past couple of weeks. He wasn't Jewish, and knew almost nothing about Judaism or Israel. This was a great opportunity for Danny and I to show our Jewish knowledge and pride. He asked us questions like "what are those funny hats you are wearing? Why are you (Danny) wearing one, but you (Alex) aren't? Does this mean that you (Alex) aren't Jewish? He told us that he had just gone to Mount Sinai in Egypt, and wanted to know why it was unsafe for us to travel there. These questions were simple, but really made us think on our feet. There are so many different people in Israel It's intriguing. 

 

   As we stepped off the bus in Ein Gedi, the heat slapped us in the face like an angry girlfriend. We grabbed our bags and assessed our new surroundings. Sand, rocks, a few buildings, and the beautiful mountains of the dessert were all that could be seen. We were certainly not in Jerusalem anymore. The egged bus zoomed off down the highway, leaving four bewildered teenagers standing on the side of the road.

Jacob: “Oh my god, no one knows where we are right now. This is the most free feeling ever.”

Hershel: “I feel like we are in the movie the hangover right now!”

 Our first stop the stream of David, was only a ten-minute walk down the road. We’d been to the David pools before, except this time there was no tour guide. We splashed around in the cool refreshing springs, and climbed a huge boulder. At this point Danny realized he wanted the rest of his falafel, and climbed down the rock to retrieve it. Danny being Danny, he decided to throw the falafel up to us before climbing the boulder himself. His throw was a decent one, but had a little bit too much arc on it. Gilbert managed to grab it, but somehow it slipped out of the bag. The half eaten falafel bounced off the boulder and exploded in mid air, showering the Israeli family below us in hummus, chips, and soggy bead. Hilarious.

  Next we met up with an Israeli guy from Kibbutz En Gedi, who told us there was a fight between two male Ibex’s just beyond the ridge. It was incredible to see these two beautiful animals compete for a mate, by smashing their massive shofar-like horns together.

 After a nice afternoon in the pools, we walked to our “campsite”, which was actually just a dirty public park next to the Dead Sea. We went for a nice swim in the Yam Hamelach and attempted to float to Jordan, but eventually became to dehydrated to continue.

Finding a campsite for the night was a sure challenge. The campsite was one of the most ethnically diverse places I have ever seen, and was filled to the capacity with all types of people. Also, did I mention the campsite was free? We found a decent place to sleep, but were soon bombarded by a large Russian family who made camp three to five feet away from us. We moved our things across the park to some picnic benches, and finally brought in the Shabbas.

  Our meal of my Grandma’s famous schnitzel, complimented by some challah and beans was simple yet satisfying. We sat around drinking wine, and had an intense emotional conversation about the importance of god, grandparents, balance and humbleness.

 After our Shabbas meal, we decided to make the twenty-minute trek down highway 90 to Ein Gedi Kibbutz, where we heard there was a concert. We stashed our backpacks behind a rock circle, and headed off onto the darkness. A half our later we were trekking up a massive hill to the entrance of the kibbutz. We exited the sandy dessert and entered a raging tropical party. The kibbutz had a full bar, and a stage with colorfully lit trees surrounding it. The performer was a woman named Dania, who had a beautiful voice that echoed off the mountains. We grabbed a table on the patio, and opened our last bottle of wine.

 After a long night of playing Shesh Besh with some local kibbutzniks, we headed back to our Dead Sea campground. We had to move our campsite once again, this time because of the loud Arabic music being blasted from the parking lot. At around 2 a.m., we finally laid out our sleeping bags on at the edge of the Dead Sea, and peacefully fell asleep under the stars.

      Sir Gilbert checking out the Lenny Zakem-Golda Meir bridge at the central bus station.

The Lenny Zakem-Yitzchak Rabin bridge.

   Danny in the zone energizing for the dessert.

  The Crew

   Howawe?

    Some of the best lifeguards Yisrael has to offer.

    The scene at Kibgutz Ein Gedi.

Jerusalem is a happening city.

 Every night I try to find a different concert, bar, restaurant, or event. Talpiot has a great music scene, with a venue called The Yellow Submarine. The Yellow Submarine is about a five minute walk from my apartment, and is tucked away behind a Super Sal. I saw an Indie band called Umlala there. They were very funky, and we all had a great time dancing. I also went to a rock and sports bar called Blaze, where 40-50 year olds come to hang out, watch sports, and listen to some pretty bad music. Last night I went to a musical open mic night at a comedy club called Off The Wall, where a few year coursers were performing. My roommate Caleb is a rapper from North Carolina, so I beat boxed for one of his songs. Year Course is a lot of fun!


          The opening band for Umlala at the Yellow Submarine                             

The Only good musician of the all dad band was the key board player who also played everything

The bassist of this band looked like a mix between David Micley and Shlomi.

Ceiling of Blaze sports bar.

   My Friend Caleb at the open mic night.  

Jacob, Danny, and I enjoying the show. Don't worry mom, they made us buy atleast one drink to get in.

In the hood of Talpiot hummus has been spotted.

 Today I explored the neighboring town of Talpiot, a grimy and fun city with few english speakers. Here is what I found; Talpiot is a hot bed for hummus! I was searching for a legendary hummusaria named Pinati's, when I found a place called Hummus Talpiot. The hummus is creamy and sesame tasting. Very good! It literally melted in my mouth and made me want to eat only chickpeas for the rest of my life. I bought 200 grams for my tiyul this weekend. En Gedi water hikes it is!

 Chickpeas on top

  

    I'm almost a professional by now.

The Peace Forest

On a hot summer afternoon I took off on a run, excited to get outside after a long academic day. I planned on going to a small park in Talpiot which is next to Bakah, but on the way spotted a sign that read "Peace Forest" in three different languages. In the dirty, bustling, and holly city of Jerusalem, a peaceful forest could not have sounded better. I followed the sign for about two blocks, and found myself at a familiar but also surprising place...I have stood at the top of Derech Chevron street in Talpoit many times, and have ewd and aahd with other tourist groups at the breathtaking panoramic view of Jerusalem. Never did I think it possible to go down into the beautiful valley that separates the old city from it's suburbs.

The Peace Forest is a giant sloping valley with one main walking trail, fountains, benches, Arab and Israeli homes, and plenty of sheep and donkey trails. I wasted no time descending down one of the donkey trails, running towards east jerusalem with the border wall shinning off in the distance. It was great to be in such a rural and open place so close to my home.

 On the way back to my campus I ran through the park, which is a completely different side of Jerusalem. Instead of donkey droppings and farmers, I passed families playing soccer, and a pack of young girls who meowed at me when I ran by. You never know what's is in your back yard until you throw on a pair of running shoes and start exploring.


    Na'aleh 2010 enjoying the view.

  
Play time...

The Search For The Best Falafel Ball Is On

The old city is officially underrated for it's falafel. I have walked by the arab vendor that sells bread by the entrance to the Jaffa gate many times, but have never noticed the massive falafel balls being sold for 5 shekel. Although this was a little bit pricey for a f-ball, it was well worth it. The giant falafel was spicy and warm, and did not taste at all like Israeli falafel.

 Next we went to the Arab Shuk, which is forbidden to go to by most high school summer programs, birthright, yeshivot blah, blah. The Arab Shuk is extremely safe and is much quitter than Machneh Yehudah. The Arab vendors aren't as sharp as those I battled at Machneh Yehuda, and fell easily to my aggressive bargaining skills. I convinced a vendor to give me an old painting of Jerusalem for four shekel, bought a cafia for 10 instead of 20 shekels, and found some great falafel spice.

 At the end of the Arab Shuk, there is a long corridor that spills out to the Jewish quarter with a few food stalls. It is here that I tasted the best falafel balls of my life. The Arab kid who makes these falafel balls, throws them into a huge vat of oil, and watches over them intensely. He then picks only the best to put in the pita. The falafel I had, had a focus on the f-balls and not the hummus, which is different then the standard Israeli falafel. It was spicy and crispy on the outside, with a warm soft interior. It was amazing. Best falafel stand as of now goes to the Arab Shuk!

                                                
Some nice looking balls

 Get in my belly!

                                     The entrance to the forbidden Shuk

                                     Saruds and drums

      The master chef himself. This stand also sold brains and kidneys. Yum

Victorious. Jacob, Alex, Georgey, and I.

It's Shuk Time

Shuks are the best things that have happened to Israel since the invention of the Uzi. A Shuk is an open market with fresh foods, cheap deals, counterfeit clothing shops, and tons of people. To really experience a Shuk and to find the best deals, one must go alone, dress like an Israeli, and try everything that meets the eye.

The first Shuk I went to is called Machneh Yehuda, which is the largest Shuk in Jerusalem. I spent about an hour and a half there, bargaining and tasting food. Here are some things I learned about making a deal in an open market.

1. Try everything (the vendor will almost always let you taste something.)
2. Dress like an Israeli
3. Name your price first, and the go up from there.
4. Don't be afraid to leave the deal and come back.
5. Don't ask if they speak English, because they all do.
6. Don't ask to try anything, because they will put it in a box for you and ring it up.
7. Assume that all Israeli's are jerks and are trying to rip you off. If they are nice it will be a pleasent surprise.
8. Dress like in Israeli

 At the end of the day I had only spent 100 shek, and had gotten some amazing items such, as pesto, wassabi beans, mango, gourmet cream cheese, and guacamole. Farmer's Markets will never compare!

Lots of Gourmet cream cheese.

 Dog store. Picture dedication to my dog Malibu.

Running from the Arab-Israeli cab driver.

  On Wednesday I traveled to the Kotel to say Kaddish for my grandma. The trip started with me getting on the wrong bus. One thing about being in a foreign country is you can't be afraid to ask for help. After asking to nice Israeli school girls where to go, I got off at the next stop, and ended up at American shopping street Mamila. I hate Mamila because of the expensive snobby American stores, however Mamila is the most direct rout to the old city. I was on a tight schedule, and decided it was zig zag through the crowd on my skateboard was necessary. I continued skateboarding through the old city, gaining tons of speed on the long smooth hill that leads to the wailing wall's entrance. When I got to the wall, the security was crazy, because Golani (the northern unit of the IDF) was having their swearing in ceremony. They hassled me about my board, so I had to hide it in between two Jerusalem stones.

 There were videos of Golani soldiers chanting and screaming on training missions, and it was then that I decided that the Israeli Army may be to strenuous for me. I believe I could endure the training, but the intensity of a unit like Golani might be to much. We shall see.

I said Kaddish and said a few prayers for my grandma, and headed towards the exit of the Kotel. The old city can be a chaotic place, especially where west meets east. You can literally feel the tension between cultures. East Jerusalem residents (Israeli Arabs) are everywhere, and so are the Israeli police.

 I found a cab driver who agreed to take me back to 8 Gad for "40" shekels, although I told him I only had ten American dollars to spend. When we got the end of Gad street, the meter read 42 shekels. I gave him the ten America dollars, and told him the exchange rate is about four shekel for every one dollar. He did not understand, and preceded to yell at me. Lucky for me, the cab driver then spotted a blond european tourist, and called him over to ask what the exchange rate was. The tourist had no idea what he was talking about, and answered back in euros. My lucky break, I grabbed my board, and hustled out of the cab. The driver spotted me half way down the block, and proceeded to drive after me while yelling "where are you going!?". I ran into an ally James Bond style, and knelt behind a bush until he passed. Close call! Lesson of this story: Never get into a cab unless you have a fixed price.


This is actually a picture of the Tzamchanim's(paratroopers) ceremony, which I saw the next night. The soldiers march for a very long time before getting to the Kotel. At the ceremony they swear to give their life Israel, and officially get their guns. There are usually about 400 plus soldiers and their families.

Bet Arel Is Awesome

 Leaving from JFK went smoothly, except that I forgot all my dress clothes in my closet, and had to double back to get them. As soon as we got on the plane, a nice Chabad man offered to put t'fillin on the fifteen or so Year Course boys. Many agreed. Looks like we were in the Israel spirit already. The meals were fine, but instead of serving Sabra hummus (which is a half Israeli company), El Al went with Sunny and Joe's brand, which was started by two brothers form brooklyn. It wasn't incredible, but it was certainly better than Sabra, which to me is  an American chickpea and corn syrup paste. Fun fact: the word sabra means a native born Israeli.

 We finally reached Ben Gorion airport, where we were then shipped off to our assigned locations for the first semester: Jerusalem, Arad, and Bat Yam. Carrying my skateboard, guitar, and two giant bags into the campus was difficult, but the task was well worth it. The first thing I noticed when I put my bags down, was how beautiful our campus Beit Arel really is. It is a small friendly campus in the city of Baka, which is a fifteen minute bus ride from Ben Yehuda street and the old city of Jerusalem. It has a nice lawn area, flowers, and several beautiful buildings that make up a semi circle.

  At first I was a little disappointed that I didn't get roomed with my Newton/Needham friends, but chose an incredible room with only two other guys that has a balcony overlooking all of campus. I have more room in my Jerusalem apartment then at home. Living with fifteen others guys is awesome, and our apartment is huge. We have two fridges, and one plate for each person. It's so fun I have to go and help cook our dinner now!

 Alex

Leaving JFK for the journey of a lifetime! I believe this may be one of the last pictures of my Grandma Bonma, who passed away on Tuesday the 9th of september. She was a big traveler, and really wanted me to have an amazing time on this trip! If she could, she probably would have gotten on the plane herself :)

The view form my balcony.

Welcome to Hummus and beyond...!

  Hi All,
Welcome to Hummus and beyond...! This blog will be about tasting, making, and finding hummus in the holly land of Israel. I will be spending nine exciting months on Young Judea Year Course, and intend to eat only the best hummus available. The beyond part, will be reports on all the other amazing activities, experiences, concerts, foods, and friends that will make up my Year. And by the way, did I mention I like hummus? I LOVE HUMMUS, AND EVERYTHING THAT GOES ALONG WITH IT. Falafel, shawarma, hummusarias(?), shooks, pita, and tachina are all so much fun!

 Cheers and L'chaim to a great year!

 Alex