What is Conservative Judaism? (Week 8)

Sunday

Today was a pretty typical day on Nativ. I had Yeshiva classes, and really enjoyed them. It’s been basically a week straight of enjoying Yeshiva classes, so I think I’m getting settled in. I’m glad I didn’t get too worked up last week and switch tracks, because I really do like the Yeshiva most of the time.

After class I hung out with my friend Ilana. She’s from Cleveland, so I knew her through my USY region throughout high school, but we were never really friends. We’ve been getting a lot closer on Nativ, so we spent basically the whole night together. For dinner, we went to Nativ’s Beit Midrash program, which is basically a once a week Yeshiva class taught by a past Nativer that allows non Yeshiva students to get a taste of the Yeshiva. At Beit Midrash, they had free pizza, which was nice because it meant not paying for a meal. After that, we walked to Aroma for iced coffee. We got there right as they were closing, but they still served us which was nice. We finished off the night watching clueless, which is one of Ilana’s favorite movies, but I’ve never seen it. I really liked it, even though it was stupid.

Monday

Today was my shortest day at the Yeshiva. I got out of class at 12:45, which gave me lots of time to get stuff done. After some lunch, I dedicated my time to doing laundry, a long overdue task. I realized I haven’t done laundry since before tiyul, which means about three weeks. I was almost out of a lot of necessities, so it was good that I got it done.  The rest of the day was pretty boring, just watching TV on my laptop and hanging out with friends.

Tuesday

Today at Yeshiva we had our second round of Nativ classes. In our Halacha class, we got into a heated debate about appropriate dress and actions for women. Some people’s comments were a lot more extreme then I expected, and it really frustrated me. It was especially frustrating being someone who falls in the middle of the debate. I don’t think women need to have their shoulders, elbows, knees, and elbows covered all the time, but I also understand that there is a time and place for everything. I also don’t take it as a personal offense that some men think women should be covered. There is a certain aspect of being dressed modestly that I can respect.

After class we had Erev Nativ. Tonight we went on a scavenger hunt on Ben Yehuda. We had to take pictures and videos of ourselves completing ridiculous tasks including talking to tourists, dancing with Israeli’s and taking pictures in stereotypical facebook poses. It was tons of fun, and gave me a chance to hang out with some people that I’m not typically around.

Wednesday

Today was an interesting day at Yeshiva. We started out the morning with a whole Yeshiva Shiur (lesson). Rabbi Levy told us that the intent of the morning was to take a step back and look at what we have been learning as a whole instead of the nitty gritty details. It sounds like a great idea, but ended up being mostly the rabbis arguing with each other, while the rest of us zoned in and out. On the flip side, my evening class, which I usually hate, I really enjoyed today.

After class my friend Cara and I walked to a school supply store to get an accordion folder for my papers. Then we got bagels on Ben Yehuda for dinner. I got a pizza bagel, which was delicious. Then we came back and watched the Pretty Little Liars Halloween special with Angela and Miriam. I finished off the night with the David Project, our weekly optional class about the issues that are currently facing Israel. Tonight we learned about the peace process, specifically the two state solution. It was interesting to hear about the situation, but one thing I always wonder is what the story would sound like from the other side. It also got me interested in seeing a movie called Unsettled, about the evacuation of settlements in the West Bank. Hopefully I’ll be able to see it sometime soon.

Thursday

This morning the Yeshiva started with some special excitement. Josh Kulp’s (one of our teachers at the Yeshiva) daughter had her Bat Mitzvah this morning. It was fun to get to celebrate with him and his family, and also helped me feel like I knew one of my teachers on a more personal level.  

Other then that it was a typical Thursday at the Conservative Yeshiva. Just when I’m losing focus and motivation I am rejuvenated by Kehilla Midaberet. As always, our discussions inspired me to focus and work hard on my studies at the Yeshiva.

Thursday night was the start of our Conservative Judaism seminar. Essentially, this is an entire Shabbos dedicated to learning about the movement, the problems facing it, specifically Halachic concerns (issues pertaining to Jewish law). We started off with a session with Jules Gutin, the former International Director of USY (the high school youth group for the conservative movement). He spoke to us about our view on Conservative Judaism, based on the results of a survey we filled out. It was very interesting to hear people’s views about our movement, and really inspired me to research and understand my Judaism’s foundations.

Friday and Saturday (Shabbat)

This was one of my favorites Shabbotots in Israel by far. On Friday before Shabbat started Ilana and I hung out with a few of our USY friends that are in Israel on different programs. It was really great to see them, and even though I wasn’t that close with them in High School just being in Israel brought us together. We spent the whole rest of the weekend learning about Conservative Judaism. We had multiplte sessions with Jules about Halachah, specifically the process the movement uses to change the laws, and the laws concerning Shabbat. We also had a session with Mark Lazar, who will be teaching a night class called Jewish Educators Training. I was debating whether or not to participate, but his opening session made it seem fun and beneficial. It also brought a wave of confusion over me, in my process of trying to decide what I want to do with my life. I have been leaning away from education, but things like this always make me question. It’s confusing, and I always feel like I’m going in circles, but I also know I don’t have to decide right now. So for the time being, I’m left with happy confusion. 

Settling into a Schedule (Week 7)

Sunday

Today was a day of thinking for me. It is my second full week of Yeshiva classes, and I am starting to question if the Yeshiva was the right track for me. At first, I was excited to learn about Judaism purely for the sake of learning, but now I get up and wonder why I’m at the Yeshiva. I want to learn about Judaism, but I find myself zoning out in class and not taking full advantage of the teacher’s knowledge. What’s worse, it doesn’t bother me that I’m not paying attention. I’ve been thinking about asking to switch to the Ulpan track, but I’m worried that it might be too late, or that in the long run I’ll regret it. Hopefully the next few days will bring me some clarity about how to deal with this discomfort. Also, my feeling on the Yeshiva change frequently. For example, this morning I left unhappy, and feeling unproductive, but at the end of the day I left feeling rejuvenated and having enjoyed class. It’s very confusing, and I’m trying to work out how I feel about it all.

After Yeshiva, I went out to dinner with my friend Julia. We went to waffle bar (finally) and it was amazing! A little on the pricey side, but definitely worth it every once in awhile. After that she showed me around the complex she live in for TRY (a high school program in Israel, that she spent the last four months of her senior year on.) Then we walked back to Beit Nativ, stopping for ice cream on the way.

When I got back, I decided to go with my friend Josh to the Kotel. He wanted to do Maariv (the prayer service at night), but I just wanted to go since I realized I’ve been here for six weeks and still haven’t made it to the wall. Being back at the wall was a completely mesmerizing experience. Every time I go there, I feel different and notice different things. This time, I felt such a strong connection with my Judaism. I actually got goose bumps when I touched the wall, and for the first time in awhile I actually felt like my prayers were being heard. I also noticed how many people were crying. Usually, I go at prime tourist hours, so not many people are crying. But the sheer number of women overwhelmed by being so close to the holiest place for Jews was astonishing. It also amazes me to think that this wall was once part of the temple, such a crucial piece of my religion. The amount of emotions I felt all at once is inexplicable, and I definitely want to go back to the Kotel soon.

After the Kotel I ended up staying awake to Skype my best friend Shannon. We are practically inseperable at home, so it has been weird not talking every day. Because of the time difference and both of our busy schedules it has been extremely difficult to talk. I ended up talking to her from 3:30-4:30 am my time. It was a very late night, but 100% worth it to get to talk to her.

Monday

My struggle with the Conservative Yeshiva continues today. This morning I told myself that I would make a conscience effort to pay attention and participate in class. I took notes as if I were going to be tested on the material, and I found that with this I was naturally participating more in class. This participation made me love my morning at the Yeshiva, and I left with a new sense of fulfillment.

Our usual morning classes got out early today, so that we could have sichot (a community learning and discussion). We talked about education, and how to best learn in the Beit Midrash. This topic struck me, because it made me realize how much I care about education. Recently, I have been trying to decide what major and eventually career I want to pursue after Nativ. I have always wanted to be a teacher, but recently I have been questioning that, and looking at careers in the medical field. Today’s Yeshiva discussion, along with some research I’ve been doing helped me realize what I want to do (at least right now I think it’s what I want). I want to become a youth and adolescent psychiatrist, and am specifically interested in helping diagnose and working with students who have learning disorders such as ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, etc. I think this is a perfect combination of my desire to have an impact on children’s lives, but by doing something other then education. So for now, this is the path I plan on heading down.

After Yeshiva, I went out to dinner with a group of friends to celebrate two guys birthdays. It was really fun, but it was a little annoying because the restaurant cost more then I wanted it to. But oh well, it was a birthday dinner so go big or go home. I spent the rest of the night hanging out with friends like always. Overall it was a good and productive day.

Tuesday

Tuesdays are definitely going to be “Nativ Day” for the Yeshiva kids. We have both of our Nativ only classes, Halacha and Zionism. To top off the day, we have Erev Nativ on Tuesday nights, a once a week mandatory program for all Nativers. It was (and will be) a day full of Nativ bonding, which is not a bad thing in any way. Both of my Nativ classes were awesome. Halacha was like a typical Yeshiva class, with chevruta time and then time as a whole class. It was different from other classes, however, because we are discussing issues that are relevant now. It makes the debates much more interesting, because they are things that are being decided as we debate them. Zionism was interesting because it isn’t structured like a normal Yeshiva class. The teacher is from outside the Yeshiva, and the class was set up as more of a discussion then a lecture or Yeshiva style class. It gave us all a chance to voice our opinions, which doesn’t always happen in regular Yeshiva classes.

For lunch yesterday (on Tuesday’s we get stipend money, so lunch isn’t provided for us) Me and three friends (Josh, Eliana, and Michaela) pooled our resources and made grilled cheese. It was really fun because we all worked together to make them and then ate them together. It was also significantly cheaper then going out and all buying food.

After Yeshiva we had Erev Nativ. The staff planned a program that focused on happiness. We did different activities that are proven to make you happier, such as listing things we are grateful for, exercising, and meditating. It was a really fun program, and I actually felt leaving happier then when I came in.

I spent the night walking around the two buildings talking to different people, and trying to make new friends. Even though we’ve been here for a month and a half already, there are still people that I barely know. So my goal for the next few weeks is to try and get to know some of those people.

On a non- Nativ front, I also avoided what I thought was going to be a huge crisis. I had to sign up today for housing at Michigan State for the 2013-2014 school year. I decided I wanted to live in honors housing, so this is the priority sign up date for honors. I went online to sign up, and saw that to sign up to live on an honors floor, you had to go to the honors building on campus. I freaked out, since obviously I can’t go to campus right now. Luckily I emailed Bess (my contact in the honors college who I worked with to make it possible for me to come on Nativ) I she said it was no big deal. I told her which honors building I wanted to live in, and she said she would sign me up. Once again she saves the day, making a great end to an already great day.

Wednesday

Today was a pretty typical day. No super exciting activities or incredibly deep thoughts. One highlight: On Tuesday at Erev Nativ our staff challenged every room to do something together that would help someone else, or make them smile. So tonight, my roommates and I made Oreo bars, and then walked around and distributed them to everyone on the Yerucham track. It was fun, because it made everyone smile and included quality bonding time with my roommates. I also got a chance to skype Jess, one of my best friends from home. I have really been missing her, so it was great to catch up.

Thursday

My favorite day of the school week rolls around again. I love Thursdays, because it means Kehilla Midaberet at the Yeshiva. Today we got into small groups and made skits, all of which had to include certain basic things. It showed us that even though we all had the same rules, we all ended up in different places. I took that as a metaphor for the Yeshiva, all of us studying the same things but understanding them in different ways.

Friday and Saturday (Shabbat)

I spent this shabbas with Angela at her sister’s kibbutz. We started our day at the shuk on Friday morning to pick up a few things we needed for Shabbat, and then headed to Kibbutz Sa’ad for the weekend. It was really fun to get away from Nativers, but also still be with people relatively close to my age. We ate our meals at Jessica ‘s (Angela’s sister) host family. It was difficult because they don’t speak English and I don’t speak Hebrew. It also made me realize how little Hebrew I know. The whole weekend inspired me to really work on my Hebrew skills. I want to know the language, I just don’t want to learn it. Obviously I’m not going to learn anything with that mentality, so I’m trying to come up with ways to encourage myself to speak Hebrew.

When we got back from the Kibbutz, we headed to New Deli for dinner, and then headed back to Beit Nativ. I watched the Michigan State Michigan game (Michigan State lost for the first time in 5 years) and then headed to bed.

Bye bye mini-mester, hello stipend (Week 6)

 Wow I have been horrible at keeping up with my blog for the past week. Although I only post my blog once a week, I try to write every day, so I don’t forget anything. This also helps me focus on how I feel about a given event, instead of just chronicling what I have been doing. That said, please excuse this weeks blog post; it probably won’t be up to my usual quality.

This week was the last week of mini-mester, the first six weeks of Nativ during which the chagim (holidays) fall, so things run a little differently then the rest of the year. For Yeshiva students like myself, not much changes after mini-mester, but a few things do. These changes were discussed at our orientation to the regular semester on Thursday night. Highlights include that I start getting stipend next week. Up until this point, all of our meals have been provided for us. During the regular semester, some meals are provided and when they aren’t we get stipend money to pay for food. We also start getting money for a bus pass. Because the Yeshiva is right next to Beit Nativ, and I don’t ride the bus that often, I’m going to keep my bus money to use for whatever I want. Also, the optional night programming starts for the regular semester. This is everything from classes and lectures, to sports teams and learning to lead services.

One of the optional night programs is a David Project seminar. This focuses on issues currently facing Israel, both internally and extrernally. To kick off these sessions we had a mandatory speaker come from David Project. He essentially gave us a small taste of the topics we will be covering in more detail in the seminar. I am definitely going to be participating in these classes, because I feel it will help me advocate for Israel at Michigan State next year. I also want to gain a deeper understanding of the issues Israel is facing. This seminar is made even more interesting by the upcoming elections, both in America and in Israel. With these impending elections, the issues we’re discussing in the seminar will be at the forefront of Israeli news.

That is the main points of this week. The rest of my time was spent at my Yeshiva classes, watching the Reds lose (I was very upset about that), and getting tons of sleep over Shabbat. I feel well rested and even though I’m sick I feel ready to take on a new and exciting weeks on Nativ.

Sukkot, Sleeping Under the Star, and Severe Sunburn (Week 5)

Sunday

I spent Sunday at the Weisberger’s with Angela getting ready for Sukkot. We made tons of food, including victory buckeyes (I didn’t help make them but I definitely helped eat them). The holiday started Sunday night, and we were all ready and excited to eat and sleep in the sukkah. These dreams were crushed, however, when we started finding tics in the sukkah. We decided to make Kiddush and Motzi (the blessings over the wine and bread) in the sukkah, and then move inside for dinner and sleep.

Monday

Monday was a relaxing day because it was still chag. We spent the day playing games, and Elizabeth almost beat us all in monopoly, until Angela made an amazing comeback. Other then playing games we spent the day laughing at all of the shenanigans Rina got into. She would always come out of nowhere and be wet or covered in marker and no one knew how she got that way. The best was when we look over and she was standing on the table holding a bowl of powdered sugar, grabbing handfuls and sprinkling them on the floor. It was hilarious. After Sukkot, we headed back to Jerusalem to get ready for our trip. We were scheduled to leave at 6 am, so everyone wanted to head to bed early. Just as we were all stressing about the fact that it was so late we got a text from our director Yossi informing us that due to a heat wave we didn’t have to be up until 8:30. Everyone in the building started cheering. It was amazing.

Tuesday-Thursday (Desert Survival)

We headed out Tuesday morning for the Negev, for our desert survival trip. We spent the three days hiking and camping. In total, we hiked 25 kilometers, which is about 16 miles. The two nights at our campsites we could sleep in a tent, but I decided to just sleep under the stars. It was a gorgeous, and I’m so happy I did it. The trip was incredible, but the only down side was I got the most intense sunburn I’ve ever had. My entire body is bright red, and I literally look like a tomato. Luckily it’s not too painful for right now; we’ll see how it is in a few days. When I got back to Beit Nativ I found a letter from my best friend Shannon waiting for me, which really made my day. 

Friday and Saturday (Shabbat)

This Shabbat was one spent full of thinking for me. As you may or may not know, I have been keeping Shabbat since I’ve been in Israel. This means not using technology of any sort, or writing, or doing various other things from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. I have been thinking about this a lot, because I didn’t keep Shabbat at home. The issue I have been dealing with is consistency. It is easy for me to keep Shabbat here, because I am in a community where a lot of people do it, and in a country where not much goes on on Shabbat. When I get back to America and start college, however, this will be much more difficult. As much as I want to tell myself I’ll keep Shabbat in college, I know I want. It will take away from my social life, and it doesn’t even mean that much to me. With that in mind, I decided that I will no longer be keeping Shabbat. However, I don’t want to go back to completely not keeping Shabbat. For the next few weeks (maybe even months) I will be trying to find a happy medium. My own personal way of keeping Shabbat, that will work both while I’m in Israel, as well as at home in America. 

Shabbat, Sukkot, and Spending Time with Friends

Sunday

Today was my first full day at Yeshiva in awhile, and let me tell you it was intense. I had all three classes today, which means nine hours of studying with only an hour lunch break. On the bright side, today was also my first day of ulpan (intensive Hebrew study), which I have been looking forward to because I really want to learn to speak Hebrew. The class was amazing! We were playing catch up, because the non nativers have already had two classes. The teacher was moving at the perfect pace; nt too slow to the point where I was bored, but also not too fast to the point that I was lost. I’m not sure how the other Nativers felt, but it definitely made me excited for the rest of Ulpan.

The downside to a full day of Yeshiva: it’s exhausting. After school I didn’t feel like doing much of anything. I stayed in and hung out with people, and worked on my Torah reading (I was reading Monday so I probably should have started it earlier—whoops).

Monday

My Torah reading this morning went fantastic. Everyone said I breezed through it no problem. While I was reading, I didn’t even know what was going.  It felt like the words were just coming out of my mouth, but I wasn’t saying them. It was crazy, and such an adrenaline rush.

Today was the second to last day of Jerusalem class. Finally almost done. Today we toured neighborhoods around the old city. It was cool to see some of the oldest neighborhoods in the area, and we even ran into another Yeshiva student who lives in one of them. We ended class at the shuk, which was fun to explore. I’ll definitely be going back there soon to get some fresh fruit.

After getting lost on the way home from the shuk (we turned the wrong way on one of two streets we have to walk on) I headed to the old city with Angela and Miriam. We picked up our Hadaya, and then wandered around for a while. Then we walked to Ben Yehuda and I had my first meal ever at Burger’s Bar. It was delicious. Then we walked around Ben Yehuda and looked for white clothes to wear. We didn’t have much success and planned to go back on Tuesday.

Tuesday

Yom Kippur starts tonight, so today was all about getting ready. After the typical morning Shacharit and breakfast we had Yom Kippur learning sessions, similar to the ones for Rosh Hashanah. I learned about the rituals of Yom Kippur, and their importance today in a world without a temple. After Mincha (afternoon services) I was planning on going back shopping, until our staff informed us that everything would already be closed. Luckily, I was able to find a white skirt that Angela brought, so in the end I saved money.

For Kol Nidre services, I went to the Great Synagogue. They have a cantor leading services and a spectacular choir. The service was gorgeous, but got to be tedious after awhile. I loved doing it once, but it’s not somewhere I would go for Shabbat services. After services I had the most amazing experience yet. Because Yom Kippur is the holiest day for Jews, there are no cars on the road and all of the businesses are closed down. So after services a big group of Nativers sat right in the middle of what is usually an extremely crowded intersection and sang songs for hours. We attracted a huge crowd, and it was so inspiring to see the whole country shut down like it was.

Wednesday

Yom Kippur services occupied basically all of my time today. I started off my morning bright and early; 6 am services at Yedidya. The services were much the same as the ones on Rosh Hashanah, and definitely worth the long walk and early morning. The best part about going to early services was finishing early. We were done by noon, when everyone else finished around 2. After walking back I did what I do every year on Yom Kippur, took a nap. By the time I woke up it was time to go to Neilah, the service that ends Yom Kippur. I decided to go to Moreshet Yisrael, the shul right next to my dorms for Neilah services. That way I wouldn’t have a long walk, and would be close to all the snacks in my room for break fast. The services were a lot like services at home, since this is a conservative shul. After dinner, most of the Hebrew U kids locked themselves in their rooms to study for a big exam tomorrow, so it was a chill night for me.

Thursday

Today at the Yeshiva we didn’t have our regularly scheduled classes. Two of the Rabbis talked about different aspects and regulations regarding sukkot, the next Jewish Holiday. It was interesting, but nothing incredibly enlightening. A lot of what they were saying is what we have been studying the past few weeks in class.

After Yeshiva the day we’ve all been waiting for finally arrived; the last day of Jerusalem class! I decided that since it was the last day, and we were talking about modern Israeli political issues I would try my hardest to pay attention. For the first half of the day I paid attention, and it was really interesting, but after that my attention span was shot, so I took in less of what he was saying. All in all I will miss our tour guide JJ, because he was a really cool guy, but I won’t miss the class all that much.

Thursday night we had an incredible speaker. Rabbi Joel Roth spoke to us about what he feels is Conservative Judaism’s biggest flaw; that the movement will lose its legitimacy by straying from its halachick basis. Not only did I agree with his points, but he was also extremely passionate about Conservative Judaism. It was inspiring to see someone so dedicated to a casue.

After the speaker I went out to dinner with my unofficial roommates, aka Angela’s roommates. It was so fun and we had some delicious chicken wings and chocolate cake. I will definitely be going back there again.

Friday

Since sukkot is coming right after Shabbat, we spent today learning about the holiday. After Shacharit, we had programming where we learned about the four species and their meaning. Then we talked about how to identify a good lulav and etrog. With this lesson in mind, we walked to the shuk (outdoor market) and everyone who wanted to buy a lulav and etrog did so. I decided not to, because I can always use someone else’s, but it was still cool to walk around and see all the vendors.

After the sale, we walked around the shuk for a while. It was crazy busy with people preparing for Shabbat and the chag (holiday). Once we were finished exploring, Angela and I headed back to Beit Nativ. On the way, we stumbled upon a few really cool little art fairs. We really enjoyed looking at all the crafts the vendors made.

We spent the afternoon chilling and getting ready for Shabbat. A lot of people went to explore different parts of Israel this weekend, so it was fairly quite on base.

Saturday

It was a quite Shabbat. Just like every week, I hung out with people and made new friends. After Shabbat ended Angela and I took a bus to visit Tracy and Mitch for Sukkot, and to watch the Ohio State Michigan State football game. Needless to say tensions were high watching the game.