Elyse in Haifa: Yom HaShoah

This evening marks the beginning of an important series of Israeli holidays which are to come in the next few weeks. Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) starts at sundown tonight, and continues until sundown tomorrow night. Less than a week later comes Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day) and Yom HaAtzma’ut (Israel Independence Day). The first two are somber holidays, so much so that a siren rings out through the entire country, stopping all activities to elicit Israelis to stand silently and remember the ones who have fallen for the sake of the Jewish people.
To start Yom HaShoah, the International school organized a second-generation Holocaust survivor to come and speak to us. As I listened, I decided that it was one of the most influential things I had done thus far in Israel. Oranit seemed to be in her upper 50s, and had the most soothing voice I had ever heard. She spoke so matter-of-factly about her parent’s experiences during the Holocaust that it was hard to imagine how they actually lived through it. It would be a failed attempt for me to even try to recreate anything that she said, but I will mention some points that stuck out in my mind.
She started off by telling us that her parents considered themselves ‘graduates’ of the Holocaust, not survivors, and that there is no one who truly survives such an experience. Both parents were lucky enough to escape the lives of concentration camps, but, since they were young children when the war started, their disturbed childhood persisted as they became adults. Oranit described her mother as a ‘fixer’ – she could not handle what was going on in her mind, so she set off to fix the problems of others instead. This lifestyle landed her in mental hospitals many times, but she later became a painter, and used beautiful landscapes and still lifes to suppress her memories of losing her father and fleeing from the Nazis.
Oranit’s parents’ marriage only lasted for five years, which she believes was typical of those who lived through the Holocaust. Her father was violent, and built a wall between himself and everyone else around him. Because of this, Oranit felt that she grew up with very little nurturing and love, and says she is only just beginning to learn about herself. Throughout her speaking, she encouraged people to ask questions, so I decided to ask about her feelings towards Yom HaShoah, knowing that the Holocaust is a part of her daily life. Of course, she replied that this is a question she hoped no one would ask… oops. Anyway, she went on to explain that thinking about the Holocaust is like looking at a picture book- usually, it is important to keep the book closed, and on a shelf, and not to plaster the pictures all over our walls and live with the pain of them. However, we also need to open the album and take a look at the pictures every so often.
I know that tomorrow and next week will bring a very different perspective to being in Israel, so I will post more once it happens…

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Elyse in Haifa: Day Trips

Since it is still spring break here at Haifa University, I have been going to a few more places around the northern area of the country that I have yet to see. On Monday, I traveled with Debby to Old Akko, a beautiful port city. Akko is mostly inhabited now by Muslims and Arabs, and is a huge tourist attraction because of its ancient buildings and breathtaking landscape.
Debby and I first went to look at the Al-Jazzar Mosque, which was built in 1781 (according to my trusty guidebook), but were not allowed in because we were considered “naked” in only shorts and t-shirts. Luckily, many of the sites in Old Akko are close to each other, so we kept walking until we found the Citadel, which proved to be the main attraction of the day. This massive structure was built and rebuilt for many years, with tunnels and grand hallways. Part of the Citadel was actually used as a prison for Zionist leader Vladimir Jabotinsky in the 1920s. The size of the Citadel was unbelievable – even more still because it stands to this day.
After viewing the Citadel, Debby and I decided to take a taxi to Rosh Hanikra, which is a beautiful area near the border of Israel and Lebanon. We took a cable car ride down the side of the white cliffs overlooking the clearest water I have ever seen, which ended at the Grottos which developed in the sides of the cliffs. At this point, it was getting late, and neither Debby nor I had eaten all day (the only Kosher for Passover food we saw was in a vending machine), so we decided to head home to the University.
The next morning, Debby’s Israeli roommate Keshet invited us to spend the day with her family in the Carmel National Park, near Haifa University. Since it is Passover break, most children have no school and work hours are much more flexible. Keshet and her parents picked us up at the University and we met up with two other families at the park for a Passover picnic. It was so nice to be around families again, and Debby and I were able to use some of our Hebrew to talk to everyone. We ended up staying for hours, relishing in the ability to relax in the park on a Tuesday afternoon. If there is one thing that I have learned from studying in Israel, it is how to relax!
Unfortunately, the past two days have been a lot cooler and even rainy, so I haven’t done much touring. However, spring break has left me in a very ’sieze-the-day’ morale, so I will hopefully be planning many more day trips to come!

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Elyse in Haifa: “This Year in Jerusalem…!”

Needless to say, being able to spend one of my favorite Jewish holidays in Israel is something I never thought I would get to experience. While it is difficult to be so far from home on what is traditionally a family holiday, experiencing a Passover in Israel is like nothing else.
Last Tuesday I went food shopping in Mercaz HaCarmel to get ready for the holiday and found the supermarket like the Natick Mall on the day before Christmas. I managed to make my way through the aisles to do my Passover shopping, all the while marveling at the fact that all things Hametz (bread or other things forbidden on Passover) were covered with plastic sheets and taped off. Later that evening, I headed to Ra’anana, a town north of Tel Aviv, where I would be having seder (literally means order, figuratively refers to the big dinners held on Passover) with some family friends.
On Wednesday night, the official start of Passover, I had my first seder in Israel, and even read from the Hagaddah (prayer book) in Hebrew, with vowels of course…! The rest of the evening was fairly similar to my usual family seders at home, with a meal that resembled a Thanksgiving feast, complete with four cups of wine. Since the holiday didn’t begin until after sunset on Wednesday night, our seder lasted until after one in the morning, at which point we all went to sleep to prepare for shul early the next morning.
After the end of the holiday on Thursday night I met up with Abraham, a friend of mine studying in Italy for the semester who came to Israel for Passover. Together we took the bus from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and met up with Miriam at Hebrew University, where we stayed for the night. It was so nice to see so many friends! Friday morning we all woke up and took a bus to Emek Refaim, a street near the Old City in Jerusalem, where we were able to eat a meal in a Kosher for Passover restaurant – definitely one of the highlights of spending the holiday in Israel. After, Abraham and I said goodbye to Miriam and headed to the home of another friend’s family where we were being hosted for the night. We walked along Emek Refaim before getting ready for Shabbat and then had a nice hot meal after Friday night shul.
Saturday morning we woke early and walked to the Kotel to observe Shabbat Chol HaMoed (the Shabbat after a holiday) in the holiest site in the world. We stayed at the Western Wall for a little while, and then headed back to Emek Refaim for a more traditional Shabbat morning service at Shira Hadashah, a synagogue which is known for its beautiful singing, and then walked back to our hosts’ for lunch and relaxing for the rest of Shabbat.
After Shabbat ended, we hopped on a bus and came back up to Haifa, and then spent Sunday on the Haifa beach and shopping in Mercaz HaCarmel before Abraham’s flight back to Italy early Monday morning. It was great to spend the first half of Passover in the company of such good friends!

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Elyse in Haifa: Kibbutz Geva

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of going with Miriam to the Kibbutz that her mother lived on for the time that she was in Israel, located in the Gilboa region of the north. Kibbutzim are communities of families which live and work together and share all possessions. Kibbutzim were first developed in the early 1900s when Zionist Jews came to Israel to begin their lives and learned that living together was a good means of survival. Kibbutz Geva used to be one of the major providers of chocolate in Israel, but now produces metal pistons. The Kibbutz employs all of the people who live there, either in the factory, school, kitchen and dining room, or with other work, such as laundry and gardening. Geva is also home to hundreds of cows and sheep, which are milked for drinking and making cheese.
The members of Geva also share a very large bank account – there are no salaries, and no doctor’s bills or rent to be paid. Each year, a family receives a budget, which is supposed to be enough to include all expenses. In order to become a member of Geva, people must live and work on the Kibbutz for six months, and are then placed before the other residents (Geva has about 600) in a vote. Since the community is so tightly knit, it is very important for all the residents to get along with one another.
Miriam and I stayed with a wonderful couple, Asnat and Richard, who both knew Miriam’s mother when she lived on Geva. They took us to the dining hall for our meals, and showed us around the Kibbutz so we could get a better view of how the community lives. The area surrounding Geva is beautiful with lush green fields and forests; the view from Richard and Asnat’s home is an unbelievable site! We spent the afternoon walking around the Kibbutz, and then went out for dinner in the nearby town of Afula, before watching the news in Hebrew and heading to bed. As we walked around Geva the next morning, I thought about how sweet and simple life was in the Kibbutz, and how much I would prefer it to the hassle of paper-writing and food shopping. Hopefully I will be able to go back to Geva during my next two months here!

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Elyse in Haifa: Yisrael

After our extreme adventures of last Friday, my friends and I had a restful Shabbat morning, and then went out to our first soccer game in Tel Aviv!
Almost 20 students from the International School at Haifa got tickets to the game, which was against Greece, and we all ordered two big taxis to take us to the Ramat-Gan Stadium, which is a little over an hour away from the University. Once we arrived, we walked around and bought some Israeli National Team regalia before heading into the stadium. We were surprised to realize that seating was first-come, first-served, so we took full advantage and sat in the sixth row up from the field near one of the goals.
One of the coolest parts of the night occurred even before the game started. Since we got to our seats early, we were able to experience all of the pregame action, including an Israeli flag parade. We also got to hear the Israeli team fight song (even though the only words I understood were Israel, blue, and white), and it was amazing to be sitting in a stadium where everyone was cheering for their home country, which is something that you can only imagine happening at the Olympics.
The excitement before the game started was only increased when the Israeli team scored their goal; unfortunately, the game ended in a tie, and Greece overcame Israel in their next game later that week.
We got back to Haifa really late, and I had an academic tour for a class early Sunday morning. My Contemporary Israel class goes on two field trips during the semester to various sites that we talk about in class, and Sunday was our first. We visited Mount Shaul, Mount Barkan, the Kinneret Cemetery, Tiberias, and Mount Arbel, which are all in the Northern Galilee area. It was a really beautiful day, and I got to see a lot of historical sites that I had never visited before, and to see the similarities between Israel in the past and Israel today was really empowering. I decided that the view of the Kinneret Sea from the coast of Tiberias is one of the most beautiful sites I have ever witnessed. Hopefully I will be able to go back there again during spring break or another weekend.
This week wrapped up the first half of the semester, and we are now on spring break until the end of Passover. While a lot of abroad students generally use this time to travel around Europe, I decided to stay in Israel, not only because everyone says it’s an amazing experience over Passover, but also because I want to take full advantage of my time here. I have a lot of lame tourist-y days planned, which I am really excited about, so I will for sure have more fun updates soon!

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Elyse in Haifa: Israel Extreme!

This Friday my friends were able to go on an adventure into the Galilee area of northern Israel. A few months back, I came up with the idea that it would be fun to repel from one of the many mountains here in Israel, and I researched a few good companies with my dad. After a lot of planning, a group of seven friends (including myself) were finally able to go. We were picked up at 7:00 a.m. and driven by our guide from ‘Israel Extreme’ to Alma Cave in the Galilee. The drive there turned out to be scarier than the rest of the day’s activities – a lot of dirt paths and winding roads!

When we first arrived at Alma Cave, our guide, Moshe, set up a rope for us to swing across the opening of the cave, which was my personal favorite activity of the day. The height was initially scary, but we were harnessed in very well. The swinging was thrilling, and it was easy to relax and allow the rope to hold you up.
After our rope-swinging over the opening of Alma cave, we were able to crawl through it, with the help of many man-made steps and railings. Once we reached a certain point, Moshe had us turn off the headlights on our helmets and have a moment of silence to understand the intensity of the experience. It was so interesting to be sitting completely cut off from the world for a few moments, but we were all glad to see the sunlight again when we emerged from the cave.

We broke for a quick lunch on the field outside of Alma Cave, then drove to our next destination, Qeshet Cave. I have yet to understand why this is called a cave because it looks more like the side of a cliff. It was here that we were each going to repel (almost 160 feet) down the side of the rocks and into the base of the cave. There happened to be a lot of wind that day, which made the process a lot scarier, especially when I was about to step backwards off of a mountain! Everyone in the group made it successfully down to the bottom of the cliff, but the adventure wasn’t over yet! Once we got back on solid ground, we had to hike back up to the top of the cave before getting in the car and heading home. The hike up was overlooking the Galilee area, which is luscious and green at this time of year.

After a loooong day, we arrived back to Haifa campus just before Shabbat, where we showered, ate dinner, and got ready for the next day’s adventure…

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Elyse in Haifa: Adventures in the Holyland

I know it’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog, but it’s only because I’ve been doing and seeing so much!

First of all, I got to experience a St. Patrick’s Day in Israel! There is a bar in Mercaz HaCarmel called The Irish Pub, which is where my friends and I went for the evening. They had even more Irish flare than usual, with a live band singing all English songs, including The Beatles and Sweet Home Alabama. Honestly, being there made me feel almost as if I were back in Boston for the night!

That weekend I went to Tel Aviv for a night to visit with some of my counselor friends from Tevya – it was so nice to see a few familiar faces! I stayed in a hostel for the night with my friends from Haifa, and the next morning we walked around the city and went to Nahalat Benyamin (literally: property of Benjamin), the artists’ colony that occurs twice a week. Since it was a Friday morning, the area was packed with people getting ready for Shabbat, especially since the parallel street is an enormous shuk.

Walking through Nahalat Benyamin reminded me a lot of Faneuil Hall, with small shops and eateries on the sides of the streets, and many tables of artists in the middle. It was also interesting to hear all of the different languages that were spoken throughout the day – Hebrew, English, Russian, and even some Spanish. I bought some great things to bring home for souvenirs, including a wall clock made with Jerusalem stone and a beautiful stained glass menorah.

My friends and I had lunch at a cafe on the beach looking over the Mediterranean Sea and then sadly had to leave for Haifa before Shabbat started.

On Saturday morning, we woke up bright and early to head for my first Regatta race! My friend Chantal, who has been studying in Israel for the year, is a member of the Israel Maccabia crew team, and was having a race in Haifa! We went to watch and support her, then went for lunch in Mercaz HaCarmel, the center of town.

Sunday afternoon I started my internship that I will be doing for the rest of the semester. As of now, I am an intern at the Office of the Spokesperson at the University of Haifa under Amir Gilat, the head of communications and media relations in the Department of External Affairs. There is an English section of everything that the University publishes, including a website, monthly newsletter, press releases, and more, which is what I will be helping with. So far I’ve only been in the office a few times, but I’ve really enjoyed my time there and it reminds me of The Collegian, so it’s been great. I will let you know as soon as an article of mine comes out!

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Elyse in Haifa: Weekend in Eilat

This weekend I finally got to accomplish some of the goals that I set for myself before coming to Israel. So many of my friends have taken various trips to Israel before, and all of them have had the opportunity to spend time in the Negev, the southern part of the country, which is made up of mostly desert. The main city in the south is the port city of Eilat, which is located near the border of Egypt and Jordan. The city itself is very much geared towards tourists, with mostly English signs, hotels on the beach and a huge mall.
Anyway, the International school set up a weekend hiking trip, and we left around 3 in the morning on Friday. After driving for about 7 hours, we finally reached our destination – the Amir Mountains located about 15 kilometers outside of the city. It was here that we would spend the next 36 hours hiking to Eilat.
Now, when you think of hiking, you probably envision a path through some trees, maybe up a few hills, something like that. Apparently, hiking through Eilat entails climbing mountains and walking through the desert with only sand and boulders in sight. Our first day of hiking lasted about 4 hours before we reached the campsite where we were to stay for the night. We all helped out to make Shabbat dinner, then had a bonfire with s’mores. That night, I was so excited to finally be able to sleep in the Negev under the stars, something that my friends have talked about doing for years. And yes, it was literally me, my sleeping bag, and the desert night.
We woke up to the sun rising the next morning around 6:30 to have breakfast and clean up the campsite before we began our second day of hiking. As we walked through the desert for what seemed like forever, I began to realize that, until you’ve hiked through the Negev, you really haven’t experienced anything. Over the course of the next eight hours, I climbed higher than I ever thought I could, saw four different countries from the top of a mountain, and used muscles in my body that I never knew I had. At the end of the day, I was beyond exhausted, and sore in every way, but so proud of what I had accomplished.
After the extremely long day of hiking, we went to a hostel by the coast of Eilat, where we were finally able to shower and relax. On Sunday we were given a free day to go to the beach, go shopping, and experience the rest of Eilat. Debby and I took this opportunity to go jet-skiing, which was amazing. At around 2:00, we all boarded the bus for the long drive back to Haifa, feeling tired and accomplished.
Other than that, classes are going well and the weather is finally starting to warm up!

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Elyse in Haifa: “Home to Jerusalem”

So, it is now almost midnight on Sunday and I finally have some time to sit down and write about this weekend. In case you are looking for the abridged version, here it is: I had one of the best weekends so far in Jerusalem with Miriam and Debby!
Thursday night the University of Haifa offered their international students a trip to an Idan Raichel Project concert in Jerusalem, sponsored by MASA organization. Imagine the Wang Theater, packed full with screaming students from across the globe. Needless to say, it was crazy! Although the concert was all in Hebrew, the group put on a wonderful show. One of the most interesting facts about the Idan Raichel Project is that each group member hails from a different background (Ethiopia, Sudan, South Africa, and Yemen, to name a few), so the music was a great mix of sounds.
After the concert, Debby and I met up with Miriam, who has been studying at Hebrew University in Jerusalem for the year. We walked around Ben Yehuda Street, one of the main roads in the New City lined with restaurants and shops and got some pizza, then went back to the Hebrew University dorms for the night.
On Friday morning we set out to explore the Old City, which included a trip to the Kotel, a tour around the Cardo shopping area, and a walk through the shuk to prepare for Shabbat. At around 3 we went back to Miriam’s dorm to make kugel for dinner with her friends before showering and heading off to the Kotel again to welcome Shabbat. For me to try to describe being at the Kotel, the holiest Jewish site in the world, would be impossible, so it’s something you’ll have to see for yourself
Later Friday night, Miriam and her friends took me to a dance bar in Jerusalem called Shlomtzi’s, where a lot of Israeli soldiers come after spending a few weeks in training.
Our Shabbat afternoon was spent taking a tour of the Hebrew University campus, where we stopped at a WWI gravesite before heading off to an outlook over the city. At this point, we literally had a 360 degree view of Jerusalem, including the Dome of the Rock, the Kotel, and many other historical sites. It could have been the 85 degree weather, or the beautiful view, but it was one of the best parts of being in Jerusalem. After hitting this sight, we continued on to the back of the university buildings to get a view of the Dead Sea and the Coast of Jordan, which was another highlight of the trip. Although it was very dangerous for us to go close to the border, I was so excited to be able to see one of Israel’s neighboring countries.
After our walk, we sat out on the quad at Hebrew University and played cards, enjoying the burst of warm weather after the “winter” season. After a little while, it was time to say goodbye, and after a very easy bus ride, I was back in Haifa, realizing how much I loved visiting the religious and holy atmosphere of Jerusalem.
All in all, the weekend was wonderful, and it made me so proud of my choice to spend a semester in Israel. More updates soon!!

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Elyse in Haifa: First day of class

So, today was my first day of classes at Haifa University, and I survived! Now, you may be wondering what I’ve been doing here for the last four and a half weeks, but up until now I have only been taking Hebrew classes. Even though the rest of my semester will be taught in English, it is still very helpful to know Hebrew so that I can get around the country.
Anyway, each class offered for international students takes place only once a week, and we have the first two weeks to try classes we are interested in before making our final decision. This morning, I went to a Media, Politics, and Public Opinion class, which I found very beneficial and enjoyable, except that it was four hours long… The good news is that I really like the professor, who also teaches another media class that only lasts two hours.
During class a lot of points were brought up which I have recently been thinking about. First of all, our teacher shared her story of making Aliyah to Israel with her husband in 2001, only three weeks before September 11th. She recalled how she felt that afternoon when she turned on the television just in time to witness the second plane crashing into the World Trade Center, and I noticed her eyes well up with grief. While we spend so much time thinking about how these tragedies effect those on our soil, we often forget how it feels to be an American living abroad and to feel a connection when such an event occurs.
We also spoke about the elections and how both America and Israel are experiencing a change of government. However, while many American are elated at the alteration, there is less of a euphoria in Israel. There is always a general support of the government, but the election process has lacked closure. Unlike the 24-hour news coverage and the constant eye on CNN well into the night in the states, here there never seemed to be a definitive decision made. Tomorrow will be two weeks after the elections, and there is still a question of what will become of the government. However, there were a few similarities between the elections in the two countries, such as the surge of young voters, and the famous campaign slogan “Yes We Can,” which was adopted by Tzipi Livni of the Kadima party.

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