the jew-do master speaks

Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha'Atzmaut in Israel are so different than they are in America.
Yom Hazikaron in the states is like, it's written on the Jewish calendar so I vaguely remember it's there but I never really thought about it before, it never directly affected me. Self-absorbed, I know, but I'm not gonna deny it. Here it was commemorated immensely, of course. We went to a tekes on Har Herzl, there were a million people there. A ton of them were surrounding Mike Levin's grave. It's so strange to think, when I was on Pilgrimage and my staff DJ was about to join the Israeli army, he was friends with Mike and they joined together, they'd gone on Nativ together. When I got the email from USY last August about Mike, I was sad in a global sort of way, but now that I've had so much more exposure to aspects of his life, it's different. I have no right to be as sad as anyone who knew him, but I still feel a sort of link, however stupid that sounds. Today Matan and I went back to his grave and rearranged the hundred bouquets of flowers that were piled around it so it looked nice. His was the most decorated of the surrounding ones, which made me both happy and sad in different ways.
Then there's Yom Ha'Atzmaut. It's like the 4th of July in the states in that there are bbq's and picnics, but it's so much crazier at night because there are ridiculous concerts all over the country. Matan and I were savvy enough to book a forward-facing room with a balcony at our hostel, seeing as HaDag Nachash would be playing that night at Kikar Tzion. It was so cool. I hate crowds with a passion, and we didn't have to be down there fighting for standing room, much less a view of the stage. We were above it all, with a perfect view of one of the few Israeli bands I'd actually heard of before Nativ. Because of this wonderful luxury, I could happily lie in my bed with the balcony door open and listen to the music without being in the crowd and getting smoked on or worse, thrown up on because of the inevitable hundreds of drunk people. I could even fall asleep with the insanely loud music playing fifty feet away from the hostel, and I slept later than I'm usually able to.
Matan, Abbie, Justin, Traci, Molly, and I went out to breakfast and a little cafe on Solomon, after which Matan and I went to Har Herzl to clean up Mike's grave, or organize it anyway. From there we went to the Nativ bbq in Gan Ha'Atzmaut, which was fun for the first two and a half hours and then got somewhat monotonous. Then we came back here, and now here I am doing this and preparing for work tomorrow.
For Shabbat this weekend we're going to Holon to stay in Justin's apartment, then Tiyul Tzafon, which I am actually pretty excited for.
It's bedtime. Goodnight.

Public Safety Alert



In compliance with the "Timely Notice" provisions of the federal Jeanne
Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics
Act
of 1998 the Department of Public Safety has been advised that three (3)
Drexel University students have been assaulted off campus by groups of
juveniles while walking in the area of Baring and Hamilton Streets,
west of
34th Street. The assaults have occurred over the last three days at
various
times of day.

The Department of Public Safety strongly encourages students to be aware
while traveling in this area and to always stay alert and take the
following
precautions to reduce the chances of becoming a victim:

* Use well-traveled routes.
* Walk with friends.
* Be aware of what is going on around you.
* Walk purposefully, briskly, and avoid becoming distracted with the
use of
iPods or cell phones.
* Walk in the center of the sidewalk, away from buildings, doorways,
hedges, and parked cars.
* When possible, walk on the side of the street facing oncoming
traffic. If
you are walking with traffic and a car going in the same direction
pulls up
next to you, reverse your direction.
* If a stranger tries to engage you in a conversation, use discretion
before stopping to talk. It is a good idea to say that you are in a
hurry to
meet someone.
* If you see a group of juveniles hanging around or coming towards you
change direction, select a different route, or go to the nearest
building.
Contact the Department of Public Safety to alert us to any potential
safety
risks to yourself or others.
* Have the key to your home or car ready as you approach your door.
* Have the Department of Public Safety emergency phone number in your
cell
phone. 215-895-2222

We encourage individuals to contact the Department of Public Safety at
215-895-2222, if you or someone you know becomes a victim of crime.







Come on. You gotta love Philadelphia!

It's pajama day on Kibbutz. For me anyways, it's all cloudy and cold. Or it was when I got home from work.
Yesterday was crazy fun. We had a kibbutz field trip to Nitzanim Beach, where the army base. It was tons of fun, we swam in the ocean and got french fries and had a barbeque. Matan and I wrestled a whole bunch, he always beat me but it was okay, I got him down once by cheating and attacking when he wasn't looking.
This weekend Matan and I are doing our regular J-lem weekend getaway, except this weekend Abbie and Justin are joining us! It's gonna be tons of fun, on Thursday night we're going out to dinner, and I think Elana's coming too. We're going to Nona/Nuna, whatever the hell it's called. Yum. :-D
At work yesterday we played in the sprinklers. Just thought I'd note that. And I finally learned how to say irrigation in Hebrew. Hashkaya. I remembered to ask David.
Today we did the usual, layin' the pipes and putting them together. It's sort of nice now how we're trusted with things. Like how David drives the tractor. I couldn't do it cuz I can't drive a stick, but at the beginning of our time there we couldn't be left alone with anything. I still feel like we're the cute little bumbling Americans that they enjoy babysitting, but it's okay because they like us and we have fun together. We sing lots of songs out in the fields.
Anyways time to go call my Grandmother and wish her a happy birthday. Byebye.

Allo.
I'm in Tel Aviv at Matan's great aunt and uncle's house for Shabbat. Internet on Kibbutz has been out for a very long time. I'm not actually in the mood to update right now, I just feel like I should cuz I haven't in so long. Gotta be somewhat consistent, anyways.
I'm still alive and everything, that's good news. We're on Passover break. The first few days I spent here with Matan and his family, we had a lively seder (all in Hebrew) and his cousins' house. After a few days we went back to Kibbutz, now we're back here again, then we're back to Kibbutz tomorrow morning, when Matan's parents are coming with us to see it.
Right now I'm sitting on my borrowed bed listening to Matan's great uncle, who is 93 and more kickin' than any old guy I've ever met, berating Matan about how he should hire a guide to take him and his friends around for a week after Nativ ends. Matan wants to do it himself (professional guideless, that is), and I know for sure he could, considering we've gone around by ourselves every weekend for the entire year, and we've also done every tour possible in the entire country. We can manage. And it's a nice piece of knowledge, knowing that we can manage. If we can manage here, being young, foolish, and thoughtless Americans (as so described my Matan's uncle) we can manage practically anywhere. We're even at an advantage, because we speak more Hebrew than the average American tourist.
Anyways. I think tonight we're meeting another family member. And then who knows.
Gotta go. Byebye!