Happy New Year! & Happy Birthday!

Yes, we know that it is not even October and that January is months away, but it is in fact the Jewish New Year. It's Rosh Hashana here in Israel, marking the beginning of the Jewish High Holiday Season. The kids are out of school for the week, stores are closed, and people are gathering with friends and family to relax and celebrate. It also happens to be Stewart's birthday, and I think he is loving the extra festivities, although it is a bit of a bummer when all the cool restaurants and places to visit are shut down on your bday. Raincheck? You bet.

So what exactly is Rosh Hashana (רוש השנה) you may ask? Well, it means "Head of the Year," and it is the new year based on the Jewish Lunar calendar.

A little background:

The Bible refers to this holiday as Yom Ha-Zikkaron (the day of rememberance) or Yom Teruah (the day of sounding the shofar), and was instituted in Leviticus 23:24-25.

This holiday is meant to be a time of repentance and soul searching; a time to reflect on the year that has past and make amends for the sins one has committed. Jewish tradition teaches that on Rosh Hashanah God writes the fate of every person in the book of life and determines who will live or die. (If you were on the naughty list, you have until Yom Kippur, 10 days later, to right your wrongs before the book is actually sealed). The Shofar, or ram's horn, is blown 100 times each day during Rosh Hashanah as a call to prayer. It is intended to remind everyone to pray continually and also inspire everyone to improve their deeds for the coming year.

Another common practice for Rosh Hashanah is "Tashlikh" or "casting off". People fill their pockets with pieces of bread and then throw them into running/ natural water such as the ocean or a stream. This symbolized casting off your sin, and starting the new year with a clean slate.

As with any holiday, families and friends gather together for meals, and there are many foods that are symbolic for this holiday. Apples are dipped in honey for a sweet new year. Pomegranates are said to have 613 seeds, the same number of commandments in the Torah, so they are also present at the meal. The head of a fish is served, because you would rather be the head than the tail (um, just go with it), and the typical braided Shabbat bread, Challah, is modified into a circle to represent the circle of life.

During this holiday, we were invited to share a holiday meal with two different families. Both meals were absolutely lovely, and being Tel Aviv, they were each more focused on tradition and family than religion. We have not heard the Shofar blown, we have not seen people throwing bread in the sea (we did take a stroll to see if anyone was out), and people don't exactly flock to the synagogues in our neck of the woods. I'm sure the scene is quite different in Jerusalem or other conservative areas of the country. However, here it's mostly secular and similar to a non-Christian celebration of the American Christmas. Regardless, the food was divine, and the company was simply wonderful. Israelis are genuinely hospitable and welcoming, and beyond generous with our bumbling, Jew-ignorant American family.

Didn't our friends prepare a lovely table?

Although theologically we don't agree with the notion of God writing everyone's fate in the book of life once a year (to include a 10 day do-over period), there is something very beautiful about a time to reflect on the year that has past and taking special care in inventorying your spiritual life. This new year's experience is not like the typical American new year's resolution list. There isn't the superficial "eat less, exercise more, take better care of myself, blah blah blah." It's a time of sincere reflection on who you are as a person, your relationship with God, and how you treat others. It is also a time of forgiveness. And Lord knows, we could all use more of that!

Shana Tova ve Metuka!

(May you have a good and sweet New Year)

Shalom Y'all

Carmel Market

Nothing says Middle East like a crowded, open-air market.

It's loud, humid, and you can find anything there...clothes, food, toys, spices, CDs, and wide variety of products that defy description. Its kind of like a pawn shop in the middle of the Dixie Classic Fair (where ironically, accents can be just as difficult to decipher).

and everything is negotiable.

If only this blog had a smell function...

(This is quite possibly the spot that led to Elizabeth's food poisoning and intro into Israeli hospitals.)

On second thought...maybe pictures are enough.

Yes Will, it's hot here.

Please don't get distracted...

Keep up with the girls....

Yes Will, you found mounds of candy.

Shalom yall...

Protests

On September 3rd, Israeli citizens held the country's biggest demonstration in history. Over 300,000 people gathered in several different cities, the largest of which was in State Square in central Tel Aviv. They advertised this on FB & Twitter as "March of the Million", but who's counting, really? Seeing as this was not too far from our apartment in TA and a few of our friendly neighbors were headed there on their bikes, I thought I'd take them up on their invitation and tag along. What's more Israeli than taking to the streets to demand social justice, right? Here's the view from the air (I'm the guy in the green shirt):

So what started in June as just a row of hippies in tents on Rothschild Street soon ballooned into several giant rallies that have drawn thousands and thousands of protesters. This is seen as the Israeli nod to the Arab Spring. It seems that everyone is protesting something in the Middle East these days.

Below are our friends enjoying the whole experience. The atmosphere was very positive, with lots of music, a few speeches, and a rock band on a stage that was just too far away to see. There were people there of all ages, & I even saw a couple of strollers w/ toddlers demanding social justice, too.

The view from the ground--the atmosphere was positive & energetic:

So what's all the fuss about? Mainly this is an economic protest centering around the price of apartments in Israel. From there it expanded to the price of education, the price of living in general, and then to the astronomical taxes that Israelis pay on just about everything (try 100% taxes on new cars--yikes). Their motto is simple: "The People--demand--Social Justice!" It sounds like a soccer chant in Hebrew, & everybody sings along. This is a catch-all phrase that different people use to demand solutions to a variety of causes. After talking to people around the neighborhood, at the University, and at the Protest itself, I think this slogan covers the following issues (among others):

1. High Prices-People need lower prices to make it day-to-day (I think Elizabeth had a minor heart-attack when she first realized what we pay for a 1/2 gallon of milk)
2. High Taxes- they are astronomical here
3. Equality- All Israelis serve in the Israeli Military (IDF), except for the ultra-Orthodox Haredim, who not only get a pass from service but also receive government relief to study in their 'yeshivot' schools for Jewish scholarship). This is seen not only as not fair, but also as a a form of welfare by many.

Who knows if all these demands will be addressed by the government here? The major criticism leveled at the protesters is the fact that their demands are vague, and too all-inclusive to receive an substantive solutions. We'll see what happens between now & next summer. Until the next big demonstration (& this is Israel so there's sure to be more)....shalom y'all.

** And many thanks to גיא & דנה for the invite--I won't forget it. You guys rock! - Stewart

Israeli Traffic Laws 101

If you ever wanted to drive in Israel (it is a beautiful country to explore), then there are a few driving tips you will need to know first:

1. Anything goes.

2.  Drivers are aggressive.  Aggressive is sometimes an understatement.

3.  Traffic around Tel Aviv can be likened to that of Washington DC, San Fran or NYC.

4. There are no personal safety rules.  You will sometimes see children in car seats, other times on the laps of drivers or passengers.

5. Motorcycles, mopeds, and electric scooters/bikes have no legal restrictions whatsoever.  Therefore, you will see and experience scantily clad motorists sans helmet whipping around you on all sides all the time.  This can be very unnerving.

6.  Fender benders happen routinely without any penalty.  Bumper car driving, as we like to call it, is the norm.  Have a hard time getting in and out of that tight parking space?  Just bump the car to your right or left until you're clear.  Tired of waiting in traffic?  give the car in front of you a little tap to display your impatience.  I have now witnessed 3 "accidents" first hand where absolutely NOTHING was done.  Motorcyclist flipped off his motorcycle - was able to stand up, pull his motorcycle off the road, and then hopped back on.  Man dented the car to his left pulling out of a parking space - drove off.  Car in front of me rear ends the car in front of him.  Both drivers hop out, survey the noticeable dent, decide it's not a problem, and both hop back in their cars - whole thing happens and is over by the time the light changes.

7.  Parking: NEVER park where the curb is painted with white and red stripes.  SOMETIMES park when there are blue and white stripes (i.e. never park when there are blue and white stripes) ANYTIME park where the curb is unpainted grey or you invent or discover any other type of unidentified parking area, such as the sidewalk.

8. Traffic light etiquette:  In Israel there is also a yellow light between red and green in addition to the yellow light between green and red.  So, once the light turns yellow from red, your foot must be off the brake and on the gas by the time it turns green.  Otherwise, NYC honking ensues.

9.  Lanes shmanes.

10. Pray without ceasing.

More on Israeli parking:

First Day of Kindergarten

September 1st was Lydia's first day of Kindergarten.

This was huge.  This was EPIC.
Not only was our baby girl, our first born, going off to school,
but she was doing it in ISRAEL....
at a local public school....
where everyone speaks Hebrew....
except her.

And I must say, she did it with dignity, bravery, and poise that I did not know was possible for my child.
This was the baby that never made it an entire Sunday morning in the nursery. ( I was the mom called out of every service and Bible study on account of my unhappy baby/ toddler.)
This was the toddler who went kicking, crying, and screaming her first week of preschool, and the child who thought any activity where she was "dropped off "or watched by someone other than her mommy was not a good idea.  Slow to warm up is a good descriptor for our sweet Lydia.

Where did my baby go? And who was this child in front of me on Thursday morning saying, "mommy, I know the way to school.  I can walk by myself." (which of course, we did NOT let her do)



Did I mention that I missed it? I missed my daughter's first day of kindergarten.  I came down with a nasty stomach virus and fever, and didn't even make it out of bed to walk my daughter to school or give her kisses and well wishes for her first day.  I was totally bummed, but she didn't miss a beat.  She came back with a full report: "I had fun." "It was good." "I asked all the other kids if they could speak any English; they couldn't, so I decided to just keep it to myself."

Lydia's first day of school was actually her second day.  On the day before, Lydia went for one hour in the morning for an orientation of sorts, and then the whole family went that evening for the opening ceremony for the kindergartners and first graders.  This was before the full onset of my virus, so I was in attendance, and I must say there is just a new cultural experience waiting around every corner it seems.  The assembly was charming and chaotic. Parents and kids were constantly up and down out of their seats, walking around, talking, taking pictures.  It was almost as if the assembly itself were background music at a party.

So, schools in general here are the same as the states in many ways.  Similar classrooms, toys, educational type materials, etc., and then Oh so different in so many ways.

Different like chaotic different.
Different like heavily armed guards and large gates different.
Different like mobs of parents fighting and pushing to pick up their kids at the end of the day different.  It takes us anywhere from 10-15 minutes to get Lydia from her classroom and out the door of the building 20 feet away.  Insanity.

Here's another funny sidenote: besides being completely ill-equipped and lacking in the school supplies department (yeah.....we didn't get the memo..... on what kids were supposed to have for kindergarten), it took us four, yes four, days to realize that there is a school uniform for her school.  The teacher mentioned something about white shirts for Friday, but we thought it was a one time deal.  Turns out they wear different colored t-shirts with the school logo printed on them every day.  So, as if  our English speaking, blonde, straight-haired, sweet Lydia didn't stand out enough as it was, we complicated the matter by sending her to school in cute dresses and coordinating American clothes.  All is well now.  We bought the t-shirts. We even know what color she is supposed to wear tomorrow: Carolina blue.  Things are finally taking shape a little.

And so as not to leave Will out entirely, he also started at a private Israeli preschool where they only speak Hebrew.  The school is great, and he seems to be enjoying himself so far.  We'll let you know when he figures out that no one speaks his language.  We're not sure he has noticed yet. We're going to take this as a sign of extreme intelligence and nothing to the contrary.

Shalom y'all!
Elizabeth