Wow What A Week (Week 12)

Wow. Another crazy amazing week on Nativ. Instead of going day by day this week, I decided to write about the few main events that happened, since they monopolized most of my time. There were four key events this week: the conflict with Gaza, my Birthday, Thanksgiving, and Shabbat.

The ongoing conflict with Gaza was an immense part of this week. On Tuesday afternoon there was another siren in Jerusalem. I was in my Hebrew class when it happened. We headed to the bomb shelter, stayed for ten minutes, and then went on with our day as usual. The rocket landed in the Gush, the same place as the last rocket that was shot toward Jerusalem. I came up with an analogy for what being in Jerusalem when the siren went off was like. It feels like when you’re watching a scary movie and someone walks into the room and scares you. You realize after a few minutes that you aren’t really in immediate danger, but it still scares you. Then, on Wednesday afternoon, there was a bus bombing in Tel Aviv. This was really scary, because it was the first act of terrorism from within the country. Also, when there are bus bombings they frequently happen in Jerusalem. For the rest of the day Wednesday we were instructed not to take buses. Luckily on Wednesday night Israel and Gaza agreed upon a cease-fire! Of course, a few minutes after the cease-fire more rockets were shot into Israel, but after a few more rockets, things were calm, and have remained calm since.  This means that our staff Roni can come back to Nativ, and is supposed to get back sometime Saturday night.

Wednesday was an exciting day because it was my 18^th birthday! I had a day full of festivities. In the morning, my roommate Amanda bought me lots of yummy food for breakfast, like my favorite cereal and oatmeal. During my day at the Yeshiva, the Gift of Life foundation came. This is an organization that focuses on getting Jews in a bone marrow registry. It was perfect that they came on my birthday, because you have to be 18 to register. I signed for myself for the first time as a legal adult. It also felt good to do a mitzvah on a day that was so fun for me. Then, after my morning class my friends Adiva and Eliana bought me a delicious chocolate cake. They gave it to me at lunch, and candles and a song were included. I didn’t eat lunch, but I did have my cake and share with the people around me. Then I went to get my cartilage pierced. For anyone wondering, it didn’t really hurt, but has been sore ever since. Also, just to keep my family calm, this is the last piercing I plan on getting in Israel, so you can stop worrying. After that, I went out to lunch with my friend Julia and her mom. We went to this pretty outdoor café above the Mamilla mall. It was delicious, and so much fun. Then Wednesday night, I went out with a group of girls to get Sushi at Sushi Rehavia. When we got back, I found presents waiting on my bed. My roommate Miriam made me a peanut butter chocolate pie, Angela got me marzipan rugalach and spa night gift set, and Elana Pentelnik got me a really cute scarf. Also, my parents got me flowers, which Yossi picked out for them, and they are gorgeous. Overall it was one of the best birthday’s I’ve had in awhile. I definitely missed my friends and family at home, but my friends here made it easy to have a good time anyway.

On Thursday night we had Nativ Thanksgiving. All past nativers and their families are invited to come to Beit Nativ and have Thanksgiving with the current nativers. The Nativ a capella preformed two songs, and we had the best meal so far on Nativ. Then, the current Nativers go downstairs and have special activities. a cappella sang again, and we watched a slideshow that said what everyone on Nativ is thankful for, and had pictures up to this point on Nativ. It was weird not being with my family on Thanksgiving, but as Yossi pointed out, this is my new Nativ family.  

Shabbos was an amazing end to an already amazing week. Friday night I went to dinner at Miriam (my roommate’s) parent’s apartment. We had an amazing meal, and had lots of fun just talking and having a peaceful Shabbos meal. Saturday morning I woke up and went to davening at mayanot. It was about a 45 minute walk from Beit Nativ. I liked services there, but they were nothing so special that I would walk there again. The best part was that quite a few people from the Conservative Yeshiva daven there. After services I had lunch at my teacher Shiyah’s house. We had make your own burritos, and it was delicious. It was fun to bond with the other Nativ CYers, and to get to see a teacher outside of school. After lunch I headed back to Beit Nativ just in time for Mincha services, where I read the same Torah portion as at my Bat Mitzvah.  Overall it was the perfect end to the perfect week.

עם ישראל חי (Week 11)

Sunday

Wow! Today felt like such a long day. In Talmud class this morning we looked a Gemarah for the first time (since I’m in the lowest level we usually stick to Mishnah and Toseftah). It was so difficult and I left class feeling drained. The rest of my day at Yeshiva went pretty much as usual.

JET for tonight was cancelled because Mark (the teacher) is out of town, so I had lots of free time on my hands. I had a late dinner with Angela, and then we started watching one of my favorite movies, Matilda. Then I headed to be early, since I didn’t sleep well last night.

Monday

Today was a stay inside kind of day. It was on and off raining all day, yuck! This sudden change in weather also made my sinuses act up (typical me) so not much happened.

After Yeshiva I went shopping with my friend Cara. We had fun walking up and down Yaffo street looking in all the different stores. Neither of us bought anything, but it was still a fun adventure.

I spent the night at my second kippah making class (I forgot to mention the first on in last weeks blog). It’s taught by Yossi’s wife, and is so much fun. I’m not very good, but I’m still learning so hopefully I’ll get better. After that I headed to bed early for some much needed beauty sleep.

Tuesday

SHHHH don’t tell anyone but I played hookie from Yeshiva today. It’s actually not a secret, but I spent the whole day working on a video to send back to CRUSY (my youth group region) about why Nativ is so great. We spent all morning filming, then stopped for a lunch break. I had my first ever shwarma and it was delicious! On the walk back from lunch we stopped to get Hot chocolate and apple cider to warm us up. I then spent the afternoon with Ilana editing the video, which turned out to be really good.

Tonight we had an amazing speaker for Erev Nativ. Jonathon Kassler from AIPAC came and spoke to us about getting involved in Israel advocacy. He explained to us the importance of young leadership getting involved, and told us a few things we can do if we’re interested. I think it would be incredible to get involved, but I just feel so uneducated about some of the issues. Even living here sometimes it’s hard to keep up with what’s going on. That’s something I really need to work on here; staying informed on the news in Israel.

Wednesday

Well staying informed about what’s happening in Israel has definitely been easy today because the news is EVERYWHERE! For anyone who doesn’t know, today the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) successfully assassinated Ahmed Jabri, one of the leaders of Hamas. Over the past several years, he has been essential in planning numerous terrorist attacks, as well as playing a key role in the capture and holding of Gilad Shalit. It’s unclear right now what this attack will lead to in the next few weeks. Over the past few weeks tons of rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza, and its unclear if this number will increase or decrease as a result of the attack. Right now, the area in southern Israel around Ashdid, Ashkelon, and Beer Sheva is off limits to Nativers. Hopefully this restriction will end soon, because it means I can’t see Tracy and her family.

That’s essentially the only exciting news of the day. I’ll keep you posted on how things are going in the South, and Israel as a whole. Just to reassure everyone, I am perfectly safe. Jerusalem is probably the safest place in Israel, because it is holy to so many different people that it is almost never a target for terrorism. Also, if it becomes dangerous Nativ is very cautious, and will add additional safety precautions without hesitation.

Thursday

Things in Israel continue to heat up. The constant rocket fire in the South continues. I talked to Tracy today, and they were in and out of their safety room several times today. As of when I talked to them there had been no actual rockets falling in Even Shmuel. As for the rest of the country, a rocket landed just south of Tel Aviv this evening, and there were sirens in Tel Aviv itself. This is concerning because it is outside the 60 km range that Hamas’s rockets usually stay in. In terms of me, it means Nativ is no longer allowed to go to Tel Aviv for the weekend.

To make things very clear, I myself am perfectly safe. Living in Jerusalem I am probably in the safest part of Israel. It is highly unlikely that anything will transpire here. Also, people continue to ask me what the feeling is here. I can’t speak for the areas that are constantly under fire, but here in Jerusalem there is a feeling of uncertainty. No one really knows what is going to happen with the conflict with Gaza. I feel perfectly safe, but am nervous to see what will happen over the next week or two.

As for my actual daily goings on, today at Kehilla Midaberet (the Yeshiva’s weekly community lunch and discussion) Moshe, one of the students, spoke about his life. He is from Uganda, and spoke about his struggle to make it to Israel, and his desire to become a rabbi. Not only was it nice to get to know more about Moshe’s life, it makes me really appreciate the ease with which I got to Israel. I had almost no problems coming to Israel, thanks to the amazing Jewish community in Cincinnati, as well as my parents’ eagerness to send me on Nativ. Moshe really had to work to get here, and it’s really eye opening to see, and makes me appreciate what I have.

Friday and Saturday (Shabbat)

Wow. What a crazy Shabbat. I can separate the excitement into two parts: the conflict with Gaza and the Yeshiva shabbaton. The Yeshiva shabbaton was amazing. We spent the weekend up north in Arbel near the kinneret. We started Friday with an amazing hike. I had already done it on pilgrimage, but I didn’t really remember it and it was fun to do it with other Yeshiva people. Then we headed to the hostel we stayed at for the weekend. We spent the remainder of Shabbat bonding, learning, and becoming closer friends with each other.

As many of you may know, I’ve been trying to be shomer Shabbos. I figured since I was with the Yeshiva this weekend it would be easy since most people would also be shomer. Little did I know how wrong I was. None of my room mates for the weekend set an alarm, so Friday night I decided to set an alarm on my phone. When I looked at my phone I had a text from my room mate in Jerusalem saying that the emergency sirens had just gone off in Jerusalem. This was shocking news, because we never expected missiles to be shot at Jerusalem. I decided that in the interest of my peace of mind I would put aside being shomer Shabbos for the weekend to keep up with the goings on in Israel. Everything was fine in Jerusalem; the missiles landed south of the city in an open field, and no one was hurt.

 In the end, the biggest news was something we couldn’t find out from the internet. We knew that the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) had approved the IDF to call in 75,000 soldiers from reserve. We also knew that about 15,000 soldiers were actually called to immediate service. What we didn’t find out until after Shabbat was that one of our staff members, Roni, was called back to service. He left late Friday night to go back to his military base. Hopefully regardless of what happens he will remain safe. If a ground operation began in Gaza, the soldiers currently enlisted in the army would probably go in, and reserves like Roni would replace them in their daily jobs. There is no guarantee of this, however, so please keep Roni and all the other soldiers in your thoughts and prayers.

A lot of people are wondering what will happen next with Gaza. At this point, the general feeling is that there will be some type of ground invasion. Obviously no one knows anything for sure, but that’s what people are predicting. As to what this actually means, if there is a ground invasion things will probably get a lot worse. The more Israel pushes Hamas into a corner, the more they are going to try and prove they are still strong. This could include more missiles in the Jerusalem and Tel Aviv areas. As for my safety, Nativ has given us very specific instructions what to do in case of a siren, and I still feel perfectly safe here. It has been a nerve racking weekend, but all is still well. 

Two For One (Weeks 9 and 10)

Wow. It’s been a crazy two weeks on Nativ.  I have been really bad at keeping up with my blog the past few weeks, but I’m going to try and do better this coming week. As for the last two weeks they’re a little blurry, but I’ll try to recount to details as best I can, but I’ll probably only hit the highlights.

Week 1 (Oct. 28-Nov. 3)

Sunday night (October 28) was the first night of JET (Jewish Educators Training). I wasn’t sure if I would like the program, because I’ve already worked in a synagogue religious school, so I wasn’t sure how much the course would help me. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The class was amazing, and touched on exactly what I feel like I never knew when working at Northern Hills; how to keep kids engaged, when they’re learning things they might not care about in a setting they may not want to be in. I’m really excited to continue learning in the course. Of course, with all this talk of education I’m reconsidering what I want to do with my life again. I’m realizing that this is going to be a one of a few struggles I’ll be dealing with throughout the year.

Monday morning we started a new parek (chapter) of Kidushin, and the new material is more interesting to me. We are starting to get into marriage laws, which will be much more interesting then the laws of slavery we were discussing previously.

By far, however, Monday night was the highlight of my week. Nativ went to the MASA opening event. MASA is program that helps find funding for young adults to come to Israel. The opening event consisted of an Idan Raichel concert. It was absolutely amazing. I didn’t have high hopes, since I don’t know any of his songs. Regardless, the concert was amazing.  He is such a passionate performer, especially when he is singing about his Judaism. Only in Israel would I be able to see an Israeli artist, and have everyone in the room be as excited as I am. I don’t think I have smiled or laughed as much as I did tonight. At the concert I also ran into Debbie Karmel, a member of my synagogue who recently made aliyah. It was great to finally run into her, and hopefully I’ll be seeing her again soon.

The rest of the week was pretty boring, just going about my usual routine. For Shabbos Angela, Adiva, and I went to Tracy’s. It was such a relaxing and inspiring Shabbat. Angela, Tracy, and I had a heartfelt debate about the benefits and hardships of being Shomer Shabbos. She inspired me to return to being Shomer Shabbos for my time in Israel, and worry about what to do in America when I get home.

Week 2 (Nov. 4-10)

This week was another fairly average week. I’ve been getting homesick lately, so a major highlight of the week was skyping with two of my best friends Shannon and Jess. We used oovoo, so all of us were able to talk at once and it was absolutely amazing.

I also spent a lot of time this week trying to make my winter break plans. Angela and I originally wanted to go to Greece, but because it’s not the safest place right now we’re looking into a cruise. It’s very frustrating, however, because not very many cruises leave from Israel, and we’re having trouble finding schedules for the ones that do. Hopefully we’ll be able to work something out, otherwise we will make other plans.

This Shabbat was one of my favorites so far on Nativ. I stayed on base in Jerusalem, and just enjoyed the company of other Nativers. I talked to a few people that I don’t usually talk to, and learned how to play Jungle Speed. It was a very chill but very fun Shabbat.

Overall, it has been an uneventful but relaxing two weeks. Sorry again for the lack of details, and I’ll try to keep up with my blog more in the next few weeks. 

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.