Yom Kippur In Jerusalem

This past weekend we went to Jerusalem for Yom Kippur. While Friday was spent in seminars regarding the Yom Kippur, Saturday was given to us to explore the city and attend services (if we so desired).

Throughout the day on Friday we had three seminars (with food in between, of course). For each seminar we were given two options of lectures. Since all of the options seemed interesting, choosing was a serious dilemma.  However once I finally chose, I was not let down.

My favorite of the three seminars was one entitled, "Jonah: The "Art" of Prophecy" given by Rabbi Matt Berkowitz. In this seminar we dissected the Torah portion about Jonah (which is read on Yom Kippur afternoon) through artwork. Rabbi Matt started by showing us a piece of artwork by David Moss where he depicts each verse of the story of Abraham through the use of colors and shapes. After looking at the story of Abraham, we then created our own story of Jonah in a similar fashion.

Moss's artwork works as a scroll with the first section being the top photos seen here. In this initial frame, Moss presents a key that shows what each color represents. For instance, blue is God, white is Abraham, red is Isaac, and brown is land. After this frame, he then goes on to show each verse as a new picture. In the clip I have chosen (as seen in the second photo above), Abraham is taking Isaac to the mountain and they are climbing up it. As you see the white circles (Abraham) are going with the blue triangle (God) up the brown (land) mountain and at the top of the mountain is white (Abraham) and red (Isaac). I found this artwork extremely cool and was really excited to create our own version for the story of Jonah. We gave our scroll to one of the OTZMA staff who said she would scan it for us, so once we are given an electronic version of it I will post it as well. However, if you are interested in seeing Moss's full work you can find it at http://www.davidmoss.com/category.aspx?id=39&subcategory=87&page=0

Friday night after our last dinner (Seudah Mafseket), I went with about a dozen people to Kol Nidre services at Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem.  First off, the services were beautiful. However, even more than that, it was incredible to be in an English speaking service with a to die for view. The Bima was located in front of a wall full of windows that overlooked the old city. To make it even better, during Kol Nidre the sun set and we were able to watch a beautiful sunset over the old city of Jerusalem. Needless to say, the service was an incredible experience.

After sleeping in on Saturday, a few friends and I took a walk to the old city and walked through a dead city. The beauty of Jerusalem during Yom Kippur is that there is not a single car on the road so everyone walks (and bikes) in the streets. There are tons of little kids biking around and families walking to and from shul, however absolutely no cars. It is quite a site to see.

Anyways, it was an incredible weekend but now I am back in Ashkelon and need to go study for a quiz tomorrow in Ulpan.

Hope everyone had a great Yom Kippur.

GO BLUE!
Jenn 

First Few Weeks...Long Overdue

Upon first arriving to Israel, I met the 35 other OTZMA participantsn Jerusalem and had a quick meeting before immediately heading to a beautiful overlook where we broke bread and had a glass of wine with our madrichim (staff) to welcome us to Israel.

After seeing the beautiful city we went to a Bedouin tent for the night where we road camels and had some delicious food! The next few days continued with hikes at Ein Gedi and in the south, along with going to the dead sea and getting to know each other. 

About a week into the program, we moved to our new home in Ashkelon. Ashkelon is a beautiful little town about 50 minutes south of Tel Aviv. Our home in Ashkelon is a Mercaz Klita (Absorption Center) called Beit Canada. I live with three other girls in a one bedroom apartment and while it may seem small to some, I love it. We have our own kitchen and everyone gets to live together in one building. And to top it off, we are only four blocks from the yam (beach). The beach is really nice and a great way to relax at the end of the day (if we have time). 

A little about my days... I have Ulpan (Hebrew Class) from 8:30-1:30 during the week and then volunteering in the afternoon. Since most of our individual volunteering opportunities haven't started yet, we have been doing quite a bit of group volunteering. We have volunteered a lot at the absorption center where we live. The absorption center is mainly filled with Ethiopian families who have recently immigrated with small children. The children are adorable and we have gotten the opportunity to throw parties and carnivals with them. They are really outgoing and super excited anytime we get to hang out with them.

In addition to volunteering at the absorption center, one day we helped deliver fresh fruits and vegetables to poorer families for Rosh Hashannah. We are also currently painting apartments around Ashkelon.

When we are not volunteering we have had some incredible guest lecturers who have talked about topics such as Israeli Arabs, Israeli Culture, Shlichot, Rosh Hashannah, and Volunteering Jewishly. The lectures to this point have been great and I'm really excited to see what is still to come. This weekend we are heading to Jerusalem for an educational weekend. I am really excited to be in Jerusalem during Yom Kippur as I have heard the city shuts down and that it is an incredible cite to see. Plus, we have some great lectures lined up for us and the overall experience should be inspiring. 

As for now, I must go study some Hebrew or my Ulpan teacher, Nana, will not be thrilled with me. These updates should start to come more frequently now that we are settled. 

Sending all my love home,

Jenn