Chanukah (Adventures)

Chanukah in Jerusalem. There's nothing like it. There are Chanukiahs and donuts EVERYWHERE. Many people light the candles outside, and others in their windows. Then there are the giant Chanukiahs on the streets, Chanukiah shaped lights on street lights, Chanukiahs on top of cars...

Shelf full of Chanukiahs outside an apartment building.

And the donuts. I (unofficially) went on a quest for the best in the city. The winner was English Cake, with numerous locations in the city, and Brooklyn Bake Shop in Mea Shearim.

  

Scott and I were also excited to have some time off to explore. And by some time, I mean two days. But did we make efficient use of those two days.

On Wednesday, we went to Jaffa. We explored the Old City, and walked down to the marina, which was recently renovated with new restaurants inside old warehouses.

The Old City of Jaffa

View of Tel Aviv from Jaffa

On our way from Tel Aviv to Jaffa, we stumbled on the Etzel Museum, which focused on the Jewish fight for Jaffa during the War of Indpendence.

Etzel Museum

While at the museum, we learned that the History of the IDF (Israel Defense Force) Museum was across the street. So, of course, we went there too. Although it explained some history of Israel's wars, it mostly displayed equipment used in them.

Armored cars used in the 1948 War of Independence

After all that, we somehow made it back to Jerusalem only 15 minutes late for our 5:30 Ulpan (Hebrew class).

Thursday we planned to go down south because Scott wanted to help support the businesses in places victimized by the rocket attacks. We originally planned to go just to Sderot, but because of an unfortunate bus schedule, we were forced to rent a car. Which turned out well, as the reason we went in the first place was to buy a lot of stuff. 

Our lovely rental car. Look closely and you can see Scott inside, apparently making a sharp left turn. 

On the way south, we had our first Israeli experience--picked up a hitchhiker. It wasn't very daring, he was very ultra Orthodox looking. The only problem with our Israeli experience was that he spoke NO English. Good thing we learned how to say left, right, and straight in Ulpan (smol, yemin, and yashar, respectively).

We went to Ashkelon, a southern city on the Mediterranean, first. We got a rainy view of the Marina and then went to a mall, where we ate kosher McDonald's ice cream. Most notably of all Ashkelon activities, we went to the bus station and got a transit pass. This is only notable because we had previously tried twice in the bus station in Jerusalem. The first time, it was Friday afternoon, their number system was broken, and we were the first people in line (or rather, the disorganized mass of people pushing inside) when they closed the doors at 1pm. The second time, we had a number. The problem was, it was 17. They were on 600 something. So... we were close, only a few hundred people away. We were going to wait, but then they evacuated that floor of the bus station due to a suspicious object. Not knowing when it was going to open up again, we left.

As it turns out, if you need a Rav Kav, it's worth going to Ashkelon just to do it. There was no line. 

Lastly, we went to the Ashkelon national park, which has some interesting archeology:

Canaanite gate, 3900 years old, the oldest known to exist

Remains of the circular end of a Roman Basilica

Finally, we made it to Sderot, the closest Israeli city to the Gaza strip.

For the most part, it seemed like a normal city. But frequently along the streets it had bomb shelters. This was my view of one (the blue painted thing with the door opening) from the restaurant where we had lunch.

Last, but probably best, we drove past the police station. And we realized it was the police station. Earlier in the day, we had run into a staff member from Scott's yeshiva (also there to support the businesses) with his daughter, and he told us that they were going to go to the police station to see the rockets that had been shot into the city form Gaza. We didn't know where the station was, but happened to drive by as Scott drove around randomly, exploring. So we waltzed into the station to the security officer with his feet up on the desk. When we told him what we wanted, he said "This is a police station, it's not free" (just like that), and then proceeded to let us in and walk back to where they keep all the rockets. Without even coming with us.

Only in Israel (Part II)

Given that everyday life has basically returned to normal here, I thought it was time to comment more on everyday life.

But first, a couple of comments. For those who haven't seen, here is a summary of everything that happened not too long ago: http://www.idfblog.com/2012/11/21/ceasefire-agreement-comes-into-effect/ (admittedly I posted this on facebook and most of you probably got here via my facebook, so it's probably not new). I also saw an statistic that a few of the southern cities each heard an average of 21 sirens per day during the eight days. Whoa. Jerusalem's two sirens total over eight days was nothing.

I'm not sure how much news the bus bombing last week in Tel Aviv generated in the U.S. No one died, thank G-d, but usually that means less news. Here, it was a pretty big deal. That was the first bombing in Tel Aviv since 2006. At least one of the suspects arrested is an Israeli citizen, obtained through marriage to an Israeli Arab. Whereas previously, my school specifically told us, in spite of the fighting, to carry out business as usually, our school then said we should avoid public transit and crowded areas when possible. The ceasefire is no guarantee, but hopefully there will be no more. We're still wary.

So, only in Israel. 

1. Salespeople throw things at you. Next to you at least. I was sitting trying on shoes, and the sales girl literally threw the shoes down next to me from 5 or so feet away. (Then she tried to charge me 80NIS more than they were marked, but that's a different story.)
2. Cars honk whenever a person/car/bike is in the remote vicinity.
3. Drivers make u-turns to get out of traffic. Well, there was no no u-turn sign there..

Ignore the poor photography, it was from a bus, on a rainy night, with my phone. But you can see the car on the center island with the tree to the left and the planter to the right. For some reason, the curb onto the island was angled.
4. To stop cars from going the wrong way in a one way parking lot, they put spikes. I guess you can't blame them, as drivers will do whatever they feel like doing (see #3).
5. There are lines to get into malls. Not because of black friday. Because Israel needs security everywhere.

6. Women soldiers with machine guns in H&M trying on clothes. It looked like it made it more difficult for her.
7. Although 98% of Jerusalem families have 6 kids under the age of 8 (just to clarify, that's a made up exaggeration), there are often no curb cuts at crosswalks. 

I apologize that most are shopping and driving related. The latter is ironic, as I've never actually driven here.

Considering that this post heavily involved both terrorism and driving, this is a good place to point out that more people have died in car accidents than terrorist attacks and wars combined.

All of this said, Israel is an amazing place to be, a feeling that only becomes stronger in times of distress. As one of my rabbis said, Jews should live in Israel unless they have a good reason not to. That it's hot in the summer and that the people are rude, though true, he said, are not good reasons.

The Situation

No, not the reality "star". The situation in Israel.

In my next posts, I planned to write about grocery shopping, laundry, etc. I promised posts about Spain, Budapest, and Vienna. And it will come, just not now. That all seems kind of silly and/or disrespectful at the moment.

Hamas has fired hundreds of rockets--approaching 1000, into Israel over the past four days. Over 12,000 since 2001. They aim at population centers, and have no idea precisely where the rockets will land. Israel meticulously aims at militant targets. Be careful about what you see on the news.

This is not the first time Israel has faced such a situation, to say the least. Israelis will tell you that they've been through this before, and Americans are bound to worry more. Which is probably true, but this time there are some differences. This is the first time terrorists have fired rockets toward Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Scott and I live in Jerusalem, but we were in the North when the sirens sounded here. The rockets aimed here landed around 30km away, near both Jewish and Muslim areas.

Thank G-d, the Iron Dome missile defense system has intercepted rockets headed toward population centers with 85ish% accuracy, meaning the number of rockets that have hit cities is only in the double digits. Three Israeli civilians were killed in the South, among them a pregnant mother of three.

Last night Israel had a quiet night, but today a few rockets hit southern cities and a couple were intercepted on the way to Tel Aviv.  Meanwhile, Israeli troops are gathered at the Gaza border. Reservists have been called up. For Scott and I, this includes husbands of friends, friends of friends, children of teachers. On our way back to Jerusalem yesterday, we passed at least 10 trucks transporting tanks south.

Hopefully we're on our way to lasting quiet.

Random Israel Tidbits

I just feel like there's a lot I need to get off my chest. Not that I need to justify my post. It's my blog. But don't expect any theme to this.

My mother in law and stepfather in law arrived on Friday. (Thus no time to go through pictures and and figure out what we did on our trips; Budapest, Vienna, and Spain coming soon.) I really intended to take pictures of our apartment after we cleaned but before she came, but, alas, I did not. Now there are four people living here, which will probably not make it cleaner.

My mother in law brought Scott and I lots of things, for which we are very grateful. There are the things we needed, like medication and ziplock bags. Then there are the things that we needed not so much, like shoes (me) and Clif bars (Scott). So, my mother in law shlepped my beautiful new suede shoes across the world with her, and I wear them right away. And what happens? I step in dog poop. At least it wasn't severe and didn't reach the suede.

On an unrelated note, today was the yarzheit (anniversary of death) of Rachel, as in Rachel from the bible. It's a popular time to visit and pray at her tomb. So our school took us there (my second time). Unfortunately, it's in an area not fully controlled by Jews, so this is the road to get there (excuse my friends' heads):

Inside, it was a little bit (or a lot) like bumper cars, but with people. Of course, where I stood became the main thoroughfare to the better seats in the building. I guess everyone could just sense that I enjoy large groups of people, especially when they bump into me.

Later that day, I made beer battered onion rings. Yum.

I can't remember where I found it. Recipe:

2 large white onions

1 cup beer

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 cup flour

1 tbsp oil

1 beaten egg

Garlic powder (my addition)

Directions:

1. Slice onions into ¼ inch slices.

2. Separate into rings.

3. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, egg, beer and oil.

4. Blend until smooth.

5. Dip onion rings into batter to coat well, fry in hot oil at 375 degrees until golden brown.

6. Drain on paper towels, serve hot.

I also made a delicious batch of baklava:

Syrup:

2 cups sugar and 1 cup honey

1 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons lemon juice

(though as a warning mine was drowning in syrup; I had to strain it)

Filling:

4 cups ground walnuts

1/4 cup sugar

1 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 pound (about 24 sheets) phyllo dough

About 1 cup vegetable oil

1. To make the syrup: Stir the sugar, water, lemon juice, and if using, the corn syrup, cinnamon sticks, and/or cloves over low heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Stop stirring, increase the heat to medium, and cook until the mixture is slightly syrupy. Let cool.

2. To make the filling: Combine all the filling ingredients.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-by-9-inch or 13-by-9-inch baking pan.

4. Place a sheet of phyllo in the prepared pan and lightly brush with oil. Repeat with 7 more sheets. Spread with half of the filling. Top with 8 more sheets, brushing each with oil. Put the rest of the filling on, and then another 8 sheets. You get the idea.

5. Use a sharp knife to cut length and width wise, and then diagonally for a diamond shape.

6. Just before baking, lightly sprinkle the top of the pastry with cold water. This inhibits the pastry from curling. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake until golden brown, about 15 additional minutes.

7. Drizzle the cooled syrup slowly over the hot baklava and let cool/put in fridge. Cover and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Also, if you ever come to Israel and buy avocados, wait until they look a little bit black and rotten on the outside, and then they're ripe.

New feature, Hebrew word of the post: matana = gift

Sorry if there are typos herein. It's 11:23 and I'm too tired to proofread.

Prague

Here is a preliminary summary of our trip:

1: time an Asian tourist wanted to take a picture with us (probably because we're Jewish?)
2: number of shows (one opera, one ballet)
3: cities (Prague, Budapest, Vienna), all with fantastic transportation
4: pairs of shoes I wore
5: palaces we toured
6: kosher restaurants
7: times Scott got mad at me for taking too many pictures (approximately)

8: days

9: nights
10+: times I tripped over nothing

If I split up the cities, this job seems much more manageable. We visited Prague first.

So, Prague. We arrived in Prague around 10am.. to rain. We took a bus to a train to our hotel. We had a great location, a little bit outside the Old Town, one of the main areas of the city, and the location of the Jewish Quarter. I'm pretty sure we had the biggest room, and definitely the only one with a balcony.

Prague is a cute, colorful city. It has a bit of a medieval feel with the architecture of the buildings and the cobblestone streets. We planned to start in the Castle Quarter across the river, but on the way, we passed some nice streets (first below) and Old Town Square (next three). Scott kept wanting it to be called Prague Square, but... it's not.

By this time, Scott had already become annoyed that I was stopping to take so many pictures. Which was really counterproductive, because then he just walked into my picture and I had to take it a second time. Ironically, the reason he was getting annoyed was the same as the reason I felt obligated to take so many pictures. We only had until 6pm or so to do our activities before yom tov (holiday) started and we had to be back at the hotel. In addition to being in a rush, we planned only to spend three days in Prague, the next two of which were yom tov, meaning I couldn't take pictures after that first day.

On the way to the Castle Quarter, we also stumbled upon the Parliament building. Unfortunately they didn't think to pave the pathways.

On the way up to the castle we saw some more cute streets and saw a beautiful view of the city:

Finally arrived at the castle, winded of course. The first picture shows part of the complex. The second picture is an awesome ceiling inside, where coronations were held in the 15th century. We weren't supposed to take pictures, thus the lack of artistry. I failed to capture its beauty.

On the way down from the castle, some more nice views:

We had a couple of hours before yom tov, so we took a river cruise:

Looks like another passenger took the picture for us right? Oh wait.. there were no other passengers.

Above is the castle, from the bottom of the hill.

After the cruise, we were in a rush, per usual erev (afternoon before) shabbat or yom tov. We had to go check into the restaurant at which we would be eating our holiday meals, as well as the synagogue where we would be davening (praying). First, we went to the wrong restaurant. Then, we realized the restaurant wasn't labeled. We stood outside, thinking about how to get in, when out of nowhere, a young Israeli, clearly a plain clothes security guard, showed up. He started to tell us this is not Israel, you can't just show up somewhere on a Sunday and get in. We explained that we had contacted the restaurant beforehand and made reservations (for which the restaurant required references). After some questioning, he let us in.

The restaurant was next door to the shul, and luckily involved the same security. So, thank G-d, everything worked out.

Praying at that shul was special. It dates back to 1270, and as such is the oldest continuously used synagogue in the world. It's also a major tourist attraction, closed on shabbat and yom tov. Except to some random tourists security let in as we prayed. Surely with plenty of questioning. In addition to the shul's security, there were constantly a couple of state policemen with machine guns hanging around outside the shul and next door community center (that held the restaurant). As we later saw, this is common in central Europe.

Over yom tov, we walked. A lot. We walked around the Jewish quarter, all around New Town, across the famous Charles bridge, back up the hill next to the Castle Quarter, and around the castle to the other side. Sadly, no pictures to document.

When yom tov ended at sundown on the third day, we had a few hours left in Prague before our night train to Budapest. Here are some pictures of Old Town Square (aka Prague Square, to Scott) at night:

First, we went to the Communist Museum, which was above a McDonald's and shared an entrance with a casino. But the museum was very informative. And finally, Scott found a great, really old (400 years?) beer hall (U Medvidku). It makes this beer called X-33, which, I have to admit, was good. And, as you all know, I don't like beer.

That pretty much sums up Prague.

Dancing through the streets

The idea of going through the 600+ pictures I took on our trip to Europe intimidated me. So I'm starting starting from the most recent, and easier to handle, event and going backwards.

The other day, Shapell's, the school where Scott learns, got a new Sefer Torah (aka Torah scroll). It's a special event, and one that I never thought about until it happened. Basically the Torah (first five books of the Bible) is over 300,000 letters. And they're all neatly handwritten in order to produce a kosher scroll. They cost around $40,000. (Blogging is great.. I look up all sorts of things that I didn't know before in order to share them.)

In this case, the scroll was donated by the family of a Shapell's alum. They finished writing the scroll at the former student's house and danced it to Shapell's (for normal people a 5 minute walk; for a large group of people celebrating with a Torah, a 20 minute walk). There was fire, a chuppah, and music. Not to mention a fancing dinner after. It was quite the experience.

Only in Israel (Part I)

Unfortunately, we leave for Europe early tomorrow and I didn't find any time to post about our last Europe excursion. Life is rough. Posting is first on my agenda when we return. Promise.

And by early tomorrow, I mean early. Our flight is at 6 am, thus we have to get up at 2:30 am. So you don't have to do any complicated math, it's 10:30pm now (=4 hours sleep). But I wanted to make sure to post something, at least something quick, before we leave so you know I didn't already forget about my blog. Don't worry, I'm doing what any sensible person would do to save time and mental function in the morning--sleeping in my clothes.

Israel is a special place in a lot of ways. There is so much history here for so many different groups of people. But it's also special in other ways. Lots of things happen here that wouldn't happen anywhere else. I've decide to start a list, and will add on when I see or think of more.

1. Men and women walking around in regular clothes with machine guns.
2. Cars routinely parked on the sidewalk.
3. When something is wrong with a product at the grocery store, the checker asks the customer to go get another.
4. Cars honking at a police car because the police car doesn't move quickly enough on a green light. All 5 or 6 cars behind the police car.
5. The necessity of looking in dumpsters for stray cats before throwing anything in.

Bed time.