Jerusalem Diary - Sunday

After a slow morning, I arrived at the Conservative Yeshiva at around 9:30. After I walked in, I saw Josh Kulp and went to give him a hug and catch up. A few of the other Kollel members and faculty came to say hello (Shlomo Zacharow who worked at Ramah and others). Also, I recognized a number of the students from dinner Friday and Kedem on Shabbat morning. After schmoozing with Josh, I started to go over the Talmud passage he would be teaching and then joined his shiur. They are studying a long section on muktzeh in the third chapter of Shabbat.

I left Josh's class at noon to meet with Clare Goldwater who was visiting the Yeshiva after I reached out to her. After time with Clare and Daniel Goldfarb (Director of the Yeshiva), I joined Clare for lunch at Masrik (great pasta). We talked about how I could return to Israel for a year with my family. Don't worry, it won't happen soon. Clare and I talked about some of my plans for Smith-Amherst Hillel (not ready for publication) and other developments. I always enjoy talking with her but can never get more than a few minutes at Hillel conferences.

I spent the afternoon shopping--getting nature material at SPNI for Deborah, a stamp book for Zev, gifts for the girls (they will remain surprises for them), and a few other items (also surprises but they come from Yirmiyahu's, Dahab, and a CD store). I then went to the Conservative Yeshiva for ma'ariv and some more schmoozing. At 7, I went to the apartment of a friend from Pardes (Craig Preston). Matt Berkowitz had been staying there and I said goodbye to him. Craig then took me to a great place for Israeli food--stekiat bibi in the industrial zone of Talpiot (near Pardes).

Craig drove me back to the apartment in Givat Mordechai to pack and post on the blog.

I walked a lot today, ate great food, learned some Talmud, and talked to amazing people--a typical day for me in Jerusalem. This will probably end my Jerusalem diaries as I meet the two Five College birthright Israel busses tomorrow afternoon and will have little computer access.

Tomorrow's plans: learning Talmud in the morning, dropping off my luggage at the hotel, meeting my group at the airport, and then heading back to Jerusalem for dinner and the start of their program.

Jerusalem Diary - Shabbat

The last day was a great Shabbat in Jerusalem. Last night, I arrived at Aryeh Bernstein's in the afternoon before an early Shabbat (candle lighting was a little after 4 with shkiah closer to 5). We went to the Minyan Shivyoni Baka and then to a great dinner at a friend's apartment. In addition to people from the Conservative Yeshiva, Pardes, and foreign rabbinical students, there was a couple from the US with two small children. The man, Alex, went to Maimonides with Deborah (even though they haven't seen each other since high school). Also, one of the rabbinical students has a brother and sister-in-law in Northampton.

It was a great night of intelligent conversation with people from a variety of Jewish backrounds. All of Aryeh's friends are intellectual and tend to be on the traditional end of liberal Judaism (or the liberal end of traditional Judaism). After a long, leisurely dinner, we walked back to Aryeh's apartment. At his apartment, we talked about critical Talmud study and halakhah until his lights turned out.

This morning, I went to Minyan Kedem. It was nice, Ramah-style davening. It did not seem like too many people spoke Hebrew as a native language. They had a great kiddush. Noam Raucher met me there. Noam was a CIT at Ramah and was a student at Hofstra when I worked there. It was great to see him now that he is a mature Rabbinical Student (at the Ziegler School in CA). He is spending his year at Machon Schechter. A JTS student and two HUC students visiting for their break joined us for lunch. I brough the Marzipan rugelach--yum!

At 3:30, I walked to the home of Audrey and Harvey Scher. Audrey is an proud Smith alumna who is friends with Renee. She returns each time her class has a reunion and is also the chair of the Pardes board. I spent around two hours talking to them about Smith, Northampton, me, and we played a few rounds of Jewish geography. They know people living in Northampton and their daughter worked one summer at CRNE as mishlachat. I returned to Aryeh's apartment after havdalah. Aryeh was hosting a number of people visiting Jerusalem who had attended Yeshivat Maaleh Gilboa with him. We all davened Maariv together and I got to hear him teach a little.

Thanks to Aryeh for an amazing Shabbat in Baka/Talpiot. Even though I have been to Jerusalem a few times since we last lived here in 1998, a Shabbat like this makes me realize that there is no place like Jerusalem (and especially no place like Baka/Talpiot/German Colony). I have to get my family here for an extended period (Deborah, I hope you read this. Start planning for a year here before Zev's bar mitzvah)!

Motzei Shabbat, I met Devorah Schoenfeld and we walked around, had some schwarma, and did a little shopping.
More later.

Jerusalem Diary Erev Shabbat

Woke up at 5am to go to the restroom and then spoke on the phone to Deborah.
Fell back asleep until after 9. Eventually made my way downtown. Went to Mahane Yehuda to buy rugulach at Marzipan Bakery. After fighting the crowds, I made my way to the midrehov to stop by Dahab to pick up necklaces from the girls. For those who joined late, Dahab is owned by my Beduin friends Issa and his brother. I need to come back Sunday.

Then, grabbed some pizza (the good schwarma place had already closed) before catching a bus to spend Shabbat with Aryeh Bernstein (friend from JTS, Israel, etc. and brother of my friend and colleague Eddie Bernstein). Aryeh agreed to host me last minute and even lined up dinner tonight. Tonight we will daven at Minyan Shivyoni Bakka and tomorrow I meet Noam Raucher (a Hofstra student from when I worked there who also worked at Ramah New England) at Kedem before lunch.


Now talking about Egalitarianism with Aryeh (who works for Mechon Hadar and also teaches Talmud at the Hartman high school).

Bye for now. Shabbat Shalom,
Bruce

Jerusalem Diaries-Day 2

Part I

Today, I had mostly free of plans. The only thing I arranged was to have lunch with my friend and former Hevruta, Rabbi Peretz Rodman. After a calm morning, I took the 6 bus downtown and had two hours before needing to meet Peretz for lunch. I took a slow tour of book stores in downtown and Meah Shearim before sitting down to read for the final half hour. I restrained myself from buying books but did enjoy two potatoe burekkas.

A few minutes after 1, Peretz joined me with his smiling face and heart-felt laughter. I accompanied him to the bank before we found a small place where I got a heaping plate of Schwarma, rice, beans and more. On the way, he introduced me to the director of Masorti Judaism and I introduced him to Cantor and Mrs. Ed Kulp. Cantor Kulp worked with my brother-in-law Aaron before his retirement. We had seen them over Thanksgiving weekend when we visited Ventnor-Margate.

Before parting, Peretz accompanied me to the Fuchsberg Center for Conservative Judaism. My colleague, Rabbi Jim Lebeau, the center's director gave me a tour and then a computer to use for this first part. I have a few more stops to make in the Center before heading back for a nap (I still have some jet lag).

Part II
I spent a while talking to the staff of the Yeshiva about a student applying, the program, how to support it. I connected them with some colleagues who are visiting Israel. Then I caught the 17 bus back to Givat Mordechai (the neighborhood I am staying in). Even though I stayed in the center of town, it was more walking than I do in the US (that is a great thing about Jerusalem--the hills don't hurt with getting exercise either).

I thought I would spend the night at Givat Mordechai when Matt Berkowitz called that he was going out to dinner with a mutual friend--Devora Schoenfeld. I joined them in the German Colony (a historic neighborhood home to great resteraunts and some cool shops). We walked around and looked at the variety of resteraunt types (cafes, meat and dairy, Italian, Japanese, etc.) and chose a small Asian resteraunt that had a few tables. The place, Soya, was a hole-in-the-wall but is located at the corner of Rahel Imeinu and Emek Refaim (the main drag in the German Colony). After a few hours, Matt and Devora went to sleep. I walked around for a while before catching a cab back to the Melammed's apartment.

Jerusalem Diary - Day 1

I arrived in Israel early this morning. The last few times I have come, my time has not been my own since I was leading a group. This time, I have a week free in Jerusalem before my students arrive. . . so a diary of my time is in order.

Before leaving: Sunday, I officiated at the funeral of my great-aunt, Dr. Ethel Platt z"l. Aunt Ethel died on Shabbat at 91. She graduated medical school in 1941 and spent close to 50 years in practice with her husband, Dr. David Platt in a large family practice in Wilmington, DE. David was the brother of my grandmother, Francais Kramen z"l. It is sad to have to see family at a funeral but not so sad when someone lived an accomplished long life.

My parents always joke that we never spend more than 24 hours in Delaware. Since we didn't leave until after Shabbat, this time it was more like 20 hours. On the way home, Deborah dropped me at a hotel near the Newark airport. It was lucky that my pre-flight plans changed. My ticket was leaving from Newark and I had booked a flight from Hartford to JFK!

After meeting the Birthright group I was escorting to Israel, I made my way to the gate. There, a Levine cousin, Ronit Field called out to me. Of course, this wouldn't be the only chance meeting of the last two days . . . On the flight was my former professor from JTS, Dr. Ed Greenstein (who is cousins with AC student Josh Glasser) and his family. Ed's son is classmates with the son of the family I am staying with in Jersuaelm.

The Birthright group was heading to Jerusalem so I joined them to meet my host, my college Professor and friend, Dr. Renee Levine Mellamed. She told me she would call when she was able to meet me. It turns out the bus was in a great place for her to pick me up--between Gan Sacher and Wolfson towers. So I told the bus driver who told me to get in the middle of traffic with my bags! Typical Israeli bus driver. A few minutes later, Renee picked me up on the road to Hebrew University and the Israel museum.

After settling in to their apartment, having some breakfast, napping and showering, it was time to venture to the Center of Jerusalem. I took the 6 bus into the center and went to visit my beduin friends from Dahab off of Ben Yehuda. I met Issa and his brother two years ago when I came during the war. Rabbi David Small and I bought our wives jewelry and promised to return with groups. I did so last year and decided to say hello. They served me tea and we talked for almost an hour. They showed me the new stuff in their shop and I promised to return with my students.

I decided I needed some lunch and went to Pinati--the best humus place in the city. Pinati is a hole-in-the-wall store that I walked by many times until my friend Rabbi Matt Berkowitz showed it to me in 1993. They now have a glass enclosure at the top and I had a great seat to people watch. You never know who you will see! After a few minutes, I hear a knock on the window and a loud call of "Bruce!" Matt was here in Jerusalem. With the type of coincidence that occurs in our Holy City, he had a few minutes free and was wandering around. If I hadn't gone to Pinati and he hadn't had free time, we wouldn't have seen each other. After finishing, we went for a walk and caught up about families, work, and Matt's art. I took him to visit Dahab and then waited with him until he met a friend. We will get together again on Friday.
After a little shopping (2 cd's and 2 books), I took the bus back to Givat Mordechai for the evening.