The Return of the Blog

This post is the hardest to write, because I have so much to say. At one point I was in 4 different Palestinian cities in a single day. I have not been in the same place for more than twenty-four hours since July 21. Since my last post, I've finished working at ACRI (the Association for Civil Rights in Israel), stayed at two Palestinian refugee camps, and seen one of the "Seven Wonders of the World." Putting a "refugee camp" in the same sentence as "Seven Wonders of the World" somehow seems inappropriate, but that's what's challenging about writing this: trying to catch-up on a whole bunch of disparate events that were all personally significant but in ways that feel completely separate. I'll try to sort them out. Let's go:

Fun stuff:
I went to the Tel Aviv opera. Well, Simone says it wasn't technically an opera, it was merely a "performance" or something. All I know is that there was an orchestra, people in tuxedos with binoculars, and, actually, a "heavy" lady singing. Call it what you will. Entirely unrelated, I was lucky enough to have some members of my synagouge from back home in MD hit me up while on their own trip in Israel. I met up with my Rabbi and his wife, long-time friends and all-around great people. it was amazing to see em. To hear how their relationship with Israel has evolved in all the years since they've been coming here, what it's like to be an American Rabbi in Israel, and what Israelis and Americans both need to understand about the idea of peace. The other cool thing about it was that we went to a restaurant that gets their dairy from the Kibbutz I stayed near about a month ago. So maybe I met the cows that were now supplying the cream-cheese on my bagel. Feels local.
More friends from shul were also out in about in Jerusalem, and we had a really wonderful time at a Moroccan restaurant there. It was all decked-out Morroccan style, with a beautiful courtyard and halls with painted ceilings and women in traditional dress (as far as I could tell). I also learned that Morrocan food involves putting powdered sugar on everything, which I see as a plus.

Spiritual stuff: I took a day off from work to go to the Pardes center in Jerusalem, a pluralistic Yeshiva-style center for studying Jewish texts. My study partner was a Professor of psychology from Carelton College, I think. Our first assignment was to take the first and last sentence of each of the Five Books of Moses and organize them by themes we create. It was a surprisingly insightful excercise. We kept finding more and more connections and metaphors and before the hour was up we had created a pretty elaborate cosmology. So that was dope. Other aspects of it were disapointing. I went to a lecture on "personal prayer" and found the teacher to be one of the coldest, stalest, and least-spiritually awake people I have met in some time. "Those who can't do, teach," I guess. That's too harsh. Maybe she's enlightened on the inside. Like a spiritual M&M or something.

Alright, that's installment one. Get ready.