Went to Shira Chadasha for Simchat torah. Got there just in time for Hakafot. Lots and lots of dancing. Their rule is that they only sing one song per hakafah. Ran into Jenny A. Was at services until 1:30 when i left and they were still going.

Came home and Navit was starting to move in.

Sukkot is only 7 days here so its time for Simchat Torah, going to Kibbutz Gezer for a celebration. Had a very farm atmosphere but lots of fun with a Yiddish band and lots and lots of dancing. Much fun.

Finally caught up on my sleep...for now! Had a productive day of laundry, groceries, and some homework.

Got some really yummy cake at Eliana's that she and Liz made for her birthday!

After an attempted night sleep, got up and went to shul with Annette and Tal. Came home and had yummy lunch in the sukkah. Hung out in the afternoon. Had a big dessert, Marzipan a hit! Took an end of shabbat nap. Got packed and Annette and Paul drove the 3 of us to the bus station. Took bus back to J-town, took city bus home (first time this trip!). Had a quick dinner and went to the Yellow Submarine for a David Broza concert. Wow, i didnt know a lot of his songs but he puts so much energy into playing his guitar and singing. He was really great to watch and listen to. Had a really nice time!

Goin to Petach Tikvah to visit the Rosenbergs for chol hamoed shabbat. While I was waiting for Orna to call to go I was watching tv and i saw this cute kids show where they showed how to make a Sukkah out of food. You take a small cardboard box, spread chocolate spread on in, lay biscuit cookies as walls and put long pretzel rods as the scach mixed with green sour straws. Decorations can be made out of bisli and other small candies strung on strings. Was really cute!

So I met Orna, her cousin Stacey, and Stupid, her dog at the bus station. Took a bus to Petach Tikvah. Paul picked us up and took us to the apartment. Met Eli and his wife Dalia. They are bothe really sweet. Their kids Tal and Ido are adorable. Natanel was home as were Adin and his wife Hadas. Full house! Went to their shul for shabbat. Had a really nice dinner in their sukkah. Stayed up late playing with the kids and talking!

Sukkot Day 3

Today Michael, Jason, Rachel A., Nathaniel and I went to the President's sukkah. Was lots of fun, got to meet him and his wife. Lovely estate they live on. Visited their private synagogue. Had a band performing on the way in and a dance troup on the way out.

This afternoon we went to the Jerusalem March, had lots of different countries, Israeli banks, and clubs. Lots of fun, very European parade, everyone actually marched! Nathaniel and I got some really good hot drinks after, I got a mocha and they put squares of chocolate at the bottom!!! YuM

Today when I got up it was really dark and cloudy. Started raining and rained all day! Eliana and I went to the shuk, got some snacks, pita, and Marzipan for the Rosenbergs! Rain and Eliana do not mix, she was not able to get a good grip with her crutches, but she made it without fall. Came home and worked on school stuff all the rest of the day. Really dreary and yucky outside, apparently this weather is not normal for now....phew that means it won't last. Looks like it will warm up by the end of the week!

Sukkot Day 1
Went to Kol Haneshama with the gang. Had a group aliyah for those studying to be rabbis and "the one studying to be a educator" ;) Had a nice time. Shook shook shook the lulav. After kiddush we all went home and gathered what was in our fridges and had a big potluck in the HUC sukkah. Lots of good food. Hung out for a while and chilled in the Sukkah.

Relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. We then went to El Gaucho for Dena's birthday. Had lots of fun. Ate a great meal, yay Argentinian steak! Afterwards we walked on Ben Yehuda, lots of tourists! Saw the Chabad group dancing in the middle of the path. Jake got dragged in....not so good. Went back to Jess and Jason's and watched Harry Potter 1 but didn't finish. Called it a night.

Went down Beit Lechem and got my haircut and Dave's, cute new cut! Ran some errands on Emek and came back to get ready for Sukkot.

Went to Kol Haneshama for services, half of the service was done in the sukkah where it was very cold. Came to HUC and had Pizza in the Hut with a bunch of people. We then went to Jason and Jess' and played cards.

Jordan day 3

Early rise to get started in Petra. The city was the capital of the Nabatean Empire over 2 thousand years ago. It was the central meeting point for their spice routes which came from the Persian Gulf, W. Arabia and the Reed Sea. First we rode horses to the entrance of the Siq, a small and deep narrow gorge. At the end is the Al-Khazneh, or the Treasury (where the Holy Grail from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was filmed). We continued on and some of us hiked for about 800 steps up to the monastery (Al-Deir) which was like the Treasury but much bigger and elaborate. We came back down and had some lunch, luckily there was some pasta for us veggies again. Rode a donkey back to the Treasury, he had a mind of his own and started going off with some horses and then took me up onto a hill for a snack....maybe he forgot i was up on his back? Walked back through the Siq with Robert and his kids. Took our horse back to the entrance.

Hopped on the bus and headed back to the border. Made stop so our driver and guide could break their fast, thought they would go somewhere with restrooms for us, no such luck, say it isn't a good place to stop. 45 min. to the border.

Exit Jordan and get back to Israel, so great to hear Hebrew again! Found our driver and headed back to Jerusalem, poured rain in the West Bank but made it back o.k. Jerusalem was much cooler than we left it.

Jordan day 2

Stayed overnight in Amman, got up and drove to the Crusader's Castle in Kerak and then to Mount Nebo, one of the most holy sites in Jordan where Moses viewed the Promised Land and the Dead Sea. He also died there. End of Deuteronomy 34. "Had our shabbat torah reading, even though this parsha isnt until next week!" Saw direction of Jerusalem and Jericho too. Went to the Moses Memorial Church which had beautiful walls and floors of mosaics. Pope John Paul visited this church. We went to some mosaic store and they tried to sell their goods to us (guide must get commission).

Madaba, Byzantine and Ummayyad mosaics in the Church of Saint George, 6th century map of Jerusalem and the Old city. Discovered in 1884 when the church was rebuilt.

Went to a restaurant for lunch where they served salatim and even made us vegetarians some pasta! Yummy sweet fried donut hole things!

Drove to Wadi el Ram, vast beautiful desert. Took a Jeep ride around. The door to the jeep back kept opening, had to keep Roberts kids inside! Did some rock climbing, went up a steep sandy hill, was like walking on a stairmaster because it was hard to make progress. Saw a beautiful sunset in the desert. Great way to end Shabbat. Stopped in a campsite to catch our bus to Petra. Drove past a royal castle. Came to hotel and had a big dinner. Sang Happy Birthday to Eliana over baklava, they put the song on the speakers in english and arabic except they forgot to turn it off, was really funny! We checked out the Turkish baths but were too tired!

Went to Jordan!
Met early in the morning at Laurie's. Got our bus to the border. We had to drive through the West Bank. ON the way we saw sheep, goats, camels, lots of Bedouin villages. Had a big sign when we went below sea level. Saw Jericho on one side and Dead Sea on the other. Passed the Allenby Bridge. All of the sudden in the West Bank we pull over to some shady car repair place. Tire problem, had to change a tire, with all of us on the bus! All ok, got a little lost in a beautiful neighborhood near Beit She'an. Arrived at the border and took a special bus across the border to Jordan. Found our guide and tour bus. Toilets nearby are literally "squat pots."

First visit, Ajiloun Castle, first built in 1184 by the nephew of Saladin. Then we went to Jerash which is one of the best preserved Roman towns outside Italy. Saw the South Gate, Oval Plaza with ionic colonnades(1st C) , the Roman theatre with a band of retired soldiers, and some Byzantine Churches including Zeus' Temple, the Jupiter Temple and the Sanctuary Artemis. What is really cool is that the colonnades are never still and constantly shaking because of they way they are built. Our guide put a spoon in a crack in one and we watched the spoon quiver.

So we got to practically fast for a 2nd day because it is Ramadan in Jordan and few places were open and our guide wanted us to see the sites because they closed early for the holiday. Very hungry for dinner, not so much for the vegetarians. Crashed after a very long day!

Lions and tigers and bears...oh my! I went to the Zoo today with a bunch of people for Ann's birthday it was so much fun. We saw lots of really cool animals including really cute monkeys that look like they are from the book Caps for Sale. One monkey had a little baby clinging to her....sooo cute. We saw some rambunctious baboons ;) and beautiful birds. At the top was a Noah's Ark activity center, in the welcome sign it said, "entrances in pairs not necessary" :) Very impressive place.

Afterwards Raina, Eliana, and I went to the mall for lunch and to run some errands. Came home, took a nap and got ready for Shabbat.

Going to Heather and Nathaniels for dinner.

School...homework and stuff. Went to KEEP orientation to learn more about teaching ESL to Israeli kids. Had fun, ran into Hazan-Arnoff's again, this time Stephen and kids. Came home made dinner, had lanlord and wife come to collect rent, brought their little dog that jumped all over my bed!

Went to Rebecca and Sean's for Sean's birthday....was mad crazy fun. Drinks and dancing and just chilling....much needed.

Today I went to Kol Haneshama for Rosh Hashana services day II. Had a lovely time. Thought they did a really nice service mixing the traditional tunes and familiar tunes. Afterwards I walked to Sally and Michael's house in Abu Tor for potluck lunch. Had a really nice time. Lots of great food and nice people there. I brought my banana/choc.chip bread. Went over well. Came home and relaxed for a bit. Then went over to Jordans and picked up some of Rachel A.'s leftover chicken soup for dinner. Hit the spot and worth the schlep to bring it home! Well Rosh Hashana is now over. Looking forward to a great year. The car horns are welcoming us back to a regular day.

For the first day of Rosh Hashana I went to HUC for services....wasnt exactly my cup of tea, lots of choral singing and very little congregational tefilot. I did like that it was a rather condensed service and that it was actually going to end. We had a big potluck at the Moadon afterwards. Lots of desserts and drinks, not so much main dishes, still was good. All my kugel dissapeared Went home and took a nap then returned to Beit Shmuel for Tashlich with Gingy. He took us on this little tour as we went through the Old City through Zion gate. We went out of the old city through the Dung Gate to E. Jerusalem where the City of David is and climbed down the stairs at the end of Hezekiahs tunnel in Silwan and did tashlich there. Lots of people were there and not so much room. Apparently Jake and Jason got some rocks thrown at them because they were near this really loud big group of Yeshiva boys, I dunno. There was a lot of Israeli security ready to go.

Came back and went to Jordan's for dinner. Brought my tzimmes, were a hit with Jordan's brisket and lots of other yummy things like homemade chicken soup with matzo balls, thanks Rachel A. I tried a rare fruit that was spikey like an artichoke but bright pink and green. The inside was BRIGHT pink with little black seeds, tasted a lot like a Kiwi.

Only in Israel....when you get a call from a wrong number do they wish you a Chag Sameach erev Rosh Hashana!

Today has been a crazy day! Got up did laundry, went to the grocery, made a apple cinnamon kugel, 2 banana chocolate chip breads, carrot tzimmes, and helped clean the apartment!

Excited to be celebrating my first Rosh Hashana here in Eretz Yisrael. Have lots of exciting plans for the chagim. Look forward to sharing them. Here comes 5766!!

.....went to HUC for Erev Rosh Hashana services at Beit Shmuel. Afterwards we had a big buffet dinner in one of their halls. Had lots of food. Cappacino cake for dessert sure was a winner. Went home and went sleepy.

Today we had school, even thought I feel that we should have off to get ready for the Chagim. We had an all school including the Gan and all the staff Birkot Rosh Hashana. it was really cute, the kids all sang and we had wine, apples/honey, and cake. Did a special text study in Hebrew class about a Rabbi looking for someone to blow the shofar for Rosh Hashana. He gets 3 people and chooses a simple man whose main concern is supporting his family. It was a nice little story.

Had a really great liturgy class with Gingy today. We spoke about Rosh Hashana tfillot and Slichot. I did not know before but Sephardim start at the beginning of Elul while Ashkenazi do it after the Shabbat before Rosh Hashana or at least 4 days prior to R.H. He read us a story by I.L. Peretz which was really interesting. We spoke about the Shofar and he has made each of the sounds into a phrase, the funniest is Shevarim= happy happy happy, T'kiah G'dolah=Neeeeewwww Yeeeaaaarrrrrrrrr

Went with Owen to Pomerantz books and got my Machzor. Meandered around Ben Yehuda and came home.

Peaceful and restful shabbat. Chilled read, went for a walk to Mishkenot She'Ananim and then went and sat in the park on Sokolov for a bit. After Shabbos Raina and I went to Ben Yehuda, wow it really is quiet off season motzei shabbat! We went to Mr. Zol where if you bought 200 Shekels of food you got produce for really cheap. Somehow we lugged it all home! Wheew...