High Expectations Need to Go

            I left the North Shore because I hated just about everything. The girls I didn’t know glaring at me in the hallways, the way guys expected to be loved by everyone, the number of people believing that they were entitled to everything around them. But mostly the high expectations. I left feeling unappreciated, insignificant and like I was just another outlier for the school statistics for the test scores. I can be a good student if I tried the only problem is I don’t. I don’t see the benefits in staying up until three in the morning trying to finish all my homework for the next day. I don’t see how being involved in three clubs, two sports and getting on the honor roll every year can be beneficial. We as students are told to be well rounded, to get perfect scores on everything, join a sport and as many clubs as we can, but the only thing that does for us is puts us in the hospital for mental breakdowns from the overwhelming amount of work we are expected to do in one night. We are only teenagers. No, college will be nothing like this because we will have more freedom to do what we please. All these extra activities are so our college applications look good. Not because we want to. Yes, there are a few cases in which we do the clubs and activities because we enjoy them, but to be expected to get all A’s in every class, on every test is too much.

            We as students do not get a break. Going from event to event. The madness needs to stop. These ridiculously high expectations need to end. School should not be so stressful that mental breakdowns are a normal occurrence. School would be less dreadful with lower standards. Of course we would still hate the early and long hours. These are the exact reasons I do not care much for grades. They do not define who I am. The standards of Deerfield High School are nothing but nonsense to me. I refuse to push myself over the edge mentally to get a perfect score on anything because it’s not worth it. My mental health is more important to me than a grade. I am perfectly content with a B because I still did a great job. Sure an A would be nice but not if I spend hours crying over the stress of the assignment. 

A Few Interesting Things You Should Probably See

Thank you Michael Oren

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/21/opinion/oren-hamas-media-strategy/index.html?c=&page=1

Even Hamas thinks Hamas is wrong. 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10153371313967316

World support. 

https://graph.facebook.com/StandWithUs/photos/a.350931762688.151625.19459912688/10152252423072689/?type=1

Dear Hamas

Dear Hamas,

I hate you. Your ability to turn Jewish people against their own state is repulsive. The images you show of Palestinian women and children severly injured or murdered just as an attempt to get sympathy and corrupt the minds of people all over the world is disgusting. You make it seem like its not your fault these innocent human beings are targeted when in reality, you use them to protect the bomb and missiles meant for populated areas in Israel, yet we're the ones to blame for retaliation and for trying to protect the land we love. Have you ever warned the citizens of Gaza about a possible missle or bomb landing in their area? No. Have you ever let called YOUR citizens warning them to leave so they may protect themselves and their families? No. Have you ever taken in a wounded Israeli soldier to your hospitals to help him survive his injuries? No. Yet why is Israel getting all the heat for protecting its citizens? We warn Israeli's with a siren to give them time to get to a bomb shelter, we've called your people, the Palestinian Citizens of Gaza, warning them of future attacks near them and we have suggested they flee, we have taken in YOUR people, Hamas terrorists, into our hospitals to be under our care yet Israel is still the bad guy. Throughout Operation Protective edge, you have sent out tons of propoganda saying that your citizens are dying, showing videos and pictures, some of which aren't even from this year or from the middle east. You use clips from movies as a disgusting act to gain not only support but attention. I am sick and tired of people defending you, a terrorist organization that has been in power way too long, instead of Israel, a country dedicated to making inside its boreders the safest place for Jews who seek shelter from opression and anti-semitism.
Palestinians can complain all they want about you, but one thing people have to remember is that they elected you into power in 2006. It is not our fault you were given a position in government and the power to do whatever the hell you want with your people. None of this is Israel's fault. Its all on you.

Sincerely,
Not your biggest fan.

What to Bring Home....

My prompt this week for my blog is "What role, if any do you want Israel to play in your life when you go home?" Now that is a fully loaded question that take a lot of thinking. Truthfully, I still do not believe that I'm going home in two weeks and I refuse to think that I am ever leaving this unbelievable country. 

I would really like Israel to still be a huge part of my life when I get home. How I plan to make that is a totally different story. I hope to keep speaking as much Hebrew with my friends as much as I can in Hebrew class and to some of my Israeli friends who live on the North Shore. I'm hoping to also be elected onto my temple youth group board for the third year in a row and I wan't to bring over current events from Israel to our weekly meetings or plan programs based on those current events. I'm so interested in learning more about the peace process and what the outcome might be. I'm taking an International Relations course next year at school and I hope that I can contribute as much as possible because of my experience here.

66 Israeli Women That You Should Know: Ester Rada

Recently, Haaretz put out an article of 66 influential Israeli women that everyone should know. One of them in singer and actress Ester Rada, whose music has a different style but very appealing. Life Happens, is one of her newer songs and personally I think its a really good song. 

I really like the influence that she has on Israeli youth especially for Ethiopian children. She's someone to look up to. I find her such a beautiful human being inside and out with an incredible voice and her drive to make bring her to where she is now is amazing.

I have already downloaded Life Happens on to my phone and I look up to her for her determination and successful rise from where she was to where she is now.

Suffering is Not a Competition

Recently, I was on the phone with my friend Evan and believe it or not we had a pretty intelligent conversation that stuck with me and kept me thinking. We started talking about how it has become a competition to see what people have gone through more suffering. When people begin talking about how terrible their life is, another person has to jump in and add their terrible news and try to make their news seem even more terrible. 

The point of this whole "competition" is to be the center of attention. To prove that you're suffering more. But its not about who's gone through more hardships or who's been hurt worse, its about getting the most attention. It's something that I personally find disgusting and I'm definitely guilty of doing it. 

The real reason we got on this topic was because of the talk of religion. How the Jews have been persecuted so many time throughout history but the only persecution and mass murder of Jews that anyone ever remembers is the Holocaust. The numerous other terrible times for the Jews are always forgotten because they're not as recent. 
You can't rely on one piece information to back up your argument and the Holocaust should not be a reason for you to be the center of attention. 

(I know this was a little all over the place but I feel like I covered what I wanted to and that's all that matters.)

Music

Music has been a HUGE part of my life. A day without music is impossible for me. Every night I go to sleep listening to Panic! At The Disco or Paramore on repeat.

But ever since I was introduced to Israeli music, my love of just music in general has been totally changed. I am so thankful that I was able to go to Chalutzim at OSRUI (a seven week Hebrew immersion program that I highly recommend to anyone) and learn from my two very musical Hebrew teachers all about music. Our class names were even Israeli bands. Mine was Hatikvah 6 (shesh) and now one of my favorite songs is one of theirs called Kol Yom M'Hadash. Its truly a beautiful song about how every day is a new day. It always puts me in the best mood after listening to it because it brings back memories and has such a meaningful message.

Another song I REALLY love that has helped me get through so many tough times is called Yihye Tov (Things Will Get Better). It's a beautiful song by David Broza, probably the one of the most talented guitarists in the world. If you don't know any of his songs I strongly suggest looking him up because he's got a beautiful voice and even more beautiful words.

So to get to the point, music has a huge influence on my life, but now knowing these Hebrew songs my library and taste in music has been changed and improved because of this wonderful piece of Israeli culture.

If you ever want any good Hebrew songs I have plenty and I'm willing to share. :)

Why Minecraft is Better than the Peace Talks.

As you might know, recently there have been some serious peace talks about whether or not there should be a two state solution. One state being Palestine and the other, of course, being Israel. Well, those peace talks haven't been going so well. Not much has been done to improve the relationships between Israeli's and Palestinians.

Until now.

Uri Mishol has been working on a project called Games For Peace where he connects students from Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and other Arab countries over Minecraft, a game that in my opinion is well worth spending hours playing. (If you don't know what Minecraft is heres a link to the wiki page: http://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Minecraft_Wiki )

The idea has been very successful in connecting teenagers to each other and getting them to talk to each other about kid stuff and nothing very political. 

It's truthfully a wonderful creation because you really must put into consideration that in around ten years, these kids and young adults could be running these countries and the peace agreements will be in their hands. Teaching them that their countries enemies are not every single Palestinian or Arab or Israeli can help the future relationships in the middle east. We may not reach peace today or tomorrow, but with this new generation it's all very possible to happen in the near future.

If you're interested in the article: http://www.timesofisrael.com/can-games-succeed-where-diplomacy-fails/

Who Loves Matzah?

After five days of eating practically only matzah and shachar (chocolate spread) I can definitely tell you that it is NOT me. 

Pesach is difficult enough as it is, not eating any chametz for eight days but not being able to eat chametz while on a five day hike from the Kinneret to the Mediterranean Sea is even worse. You are forced to get as creative as possible when making your meals. Every lunch we would have to make our own food which included corn, salami, rice, tuna, cucumbers, tomatoes, and bell peppers. It was nearly impossible to enjoy a meal until we figured out that we can cook things together and make some decent meals. I was still always left hungry at the end of lunch but proud that our group of high schoolers could make something that didn't taste disgusting. It was truly a struggle to not eat any bread.

The whole idea of keeping Pesach while on a difficult hike got me thinking, this is what Israelis do every year. They take time off after the army or from work or whatever and hike from sea to sea without eating any chametz. At home I will see people eating matzah during lunch at school with PB&J on it or a matzah pizza and I will see people that don't even know what matzah is or why its the tradition, but in Israel, just about everyone will be eating matzah at every meal. Its not only a tradition among the Jews but its part of the culture here. Restaurants change their menus, stores cover up anything chametz, every Jewish household and synagogue burns their chametz in a big fire. Its practically impossible to find bread during Pesach. You'd have to search in the Arab quarter or in the Christian quarter. And I'm pretty sure even there it's difficult as well. The culture in Israel is so Jewish that you'd have to put in a LOT of effort to not keep kosher or observe the holidays. It's the kind of place that a person who grew up in a fairly Jewish community filled with "Jews" (people that call themselves Jewish without observing any holiday or high holiday) can fall in love with and potentially see Israel as their future home.

I can see myself living here in the near future. Deerfield is Jewish, yes I will admit it, we have three synagogues in our small little town, but the culture there is not Jewish. We celebrate Halloween and other Pagan holidays and I don't find them appealing or necessary. Yes Halloween is fun but it has no meaning for me as opposed to Pesach where we are celebrating yitziat Mitzrayim or the exit from Egypt while remembering the hard times our people went through to finally be free in Israel, the very place I am in right now. That is what a holiday should feel like. You should feel a connection to it and to your ancestors that you are remembering while celebrating or mourning. 

That's what's truly important.

One Year Ago

It's crazy to think that this time last year I began my fundraising for my four month semester trip to Israel. One year ago I was told it was not possible to get to Israel. 365 days or so later I am sitting at Kfar Tavor in the Galil writing about last years struggle. After a year of being optimistic and working my butt off to get here, it finally happened. I made my dream come true. My longtime dream of coming to Israel has been fulfilled because of my determination and my ability to convince my mother that I could do it. Despite her doubts, she was more supportive than I have ever seen a single person ever be to help someone achieve their goal. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful woman in my life and I would not be here without her. Both on earth and in Israel.

Thank you Mommy. <3

Who's Wearing What?

As many should know, clothing has not been the same throughout history. Teenagers were not wearing Uggs and Lululemon back in the time of the Tanakh. So the question stands, what did they wear? And what were the customs in different countries/areas back in those times? Well thanks to the Israel Museum, we can now visualize these outfits. 

In an article on the Times of Israel ( http://www.timesofisrael.com/events/dress-codes-revealing-the-jewish-wardrobe-5/ ) the different varieties of clothing options are shown. 

One thing that really stood out to me from the article was the theme of "Through The Veil" where dress for Jewish women is explained and how it was influenced by Islamic culture. A woman covering her body was an expression of modesty, which is not unlike today. To me it seems that this culture has been passed down and kept by the Hassidic and Ultra Orthodox around the world. This idea of a woman being modestly dressed as to not distract a man or "tempt" him is one I understand but don't entirely agree with. I believe that a person should have the ability and the right to express themselves through dress, piercings, tattoos (that is only to some extent) and what ever else they choose to express their feelings or personality.

Another thing I found important was the purpose of undergarments. Today we use bras and underwear for support which is similar for back then, but underneath all of the clothes, would draw attention to the parts of the body that this particular dress was meant to cover. 

The rest of the article is very interesting and I strongly suggest reading it if you get the chance.

What Makes You Jewish?

By the title you might think this is a blog post on what makes a person Jewish, which is only half right. The other half is whether or not I, Jenna Paige Solomon, consider you a Jew. 

****I would like to emphasize that these are MY PERSONAL OPINIONS and in no way at all what actually makes you a Jew.****

Coming from a very Jewish community like the North Shore of Chicago, I hear very often people saying they are Jewish at my school and many others in the area. My guess would be that around 60 percent of my school in particular considers themselves Jewish. I believe that around 10 percent of that 60 are actually Jewish. 

To me being Jewish does not mean that because your mother is Jewish, you are by default Jewish. To be considered Jewish in my eyes, you must have been called to the Torah for an aliyah during your Bar/Bat Mitzvah and you must have continued your Jewish study after to the point where you become confirmed or you graduate high school. I believe that if you do not go to high holiday services every year, you are not Jewish. If you do not observe Shabbat every once in a while (that most definitely includes a youth group event like NFTY or a temple youth group event) I do not consider you Jewish. If you do not have a basic understanding of the holiday you get off for school, I don't think I can consider you Jewish.

Though it may seem like I have very high standards, its an important topic to me and I feel like some people say they're Jewish without even realizing what that actually entails and without knowing anything about their religion.

Masada: Much Challenge, Such Asthma

Wow. If I have ever complained about not being able to breathe or that I'm having the most ridiculous workout, I was so wrong. 

We started off our day waking up at 2:30am to get all of our stuff ready to get on the bus and to leave by 3:15am to head for Masada. Needless to say, we were all exhausted and running on about four hours of sleep on average. The drive was about an hour and a half total, driving through the West Bank next to the Jordan river and south until we reached the bottom of Masada. It was still very dark and we were barely able to see each other. 

It was so dark and the flash was so bright, I can promise you, we were not high. 

The majority of us dressed in layers because it was freezing as we got off the bus but we all soon found out that within the first five minutes of climbing, layers were not the way to go. 

We must remember the Jenna has asthma and a sprained ankle and a bad back, so the struggle was very real. I ended up stopping every few minutes to catch my breath. And with every stop, I looked out at the Dead Sea and the rest of the land and it was all so breathtaking that I found it hard to catch my breath again. It took about forty minutes for me to get to the top. Sadly I didn't the chance to see the sunrise from the top but my friend Arianna and I stopped on the side about three quarters of the way up to watch the sun peak over the top of the mountains in the distance. It was one of the most beautiful things either of us have ever seen. We truly enjoyed sitting with each other and bonding the whole way up and having an experience together that we would never have again. We had great conversations on the way up (there's a possibility that we crawled the last few meters....)and finally made it to the top and hugged each other even if we were both sweaty and gross. (I may or may not of collapsed on the ground and just layed there for twenty minutes. Minor details.) The view from the top was unbelievable. Especially with the sun just beginning to rise. 

It was remarkable. 

Once we were all at the top (I wasn't the last one believe it or not) we had beautiful  t'filot (services) at the top all together. It was so peaceful and serene that I thought I might have been dreaming. Along with feeling ridiculously  accomplished. 

After services we started learning about why Masada was built. I hope you're ready for a little history lesson because I'm ready to spill out some info. 

So after the first temple was destroyed the Jews were sent to Babylon in exile. After about forty years they are allowed to go back and about 10% actually returned. A few hundred years later, Alexander the Great introduces Hellenism to Israel which is a form of Greek culture and it divided the country into pro hellenists and anti Hellenists. After a few more hundred years, there's a revolt and the people of Israel win and retake Jerusalem and rededicate the temple (which is the actual story if Hannukah) then Judea falls under the rule of the Romans and they get a new king named Herod. Herod rebuilt the temple. 

Now Herod was convinced that a lot of people were out to get him because he wasn't technically Jewish, so him being the paranoid king he was built a fort on top of Masada. If you go there, you will see that Herod always built things big. Very big. If you've seen a model of the second temple and Masada you'd understand. His fort on top of the mountain was luxurious with multiple bath houses, storage units and a view of every major road to make sure no one could attack him. 

After Herod's Rule, the Romans were still in charge and there was one group from Judea that believed in no foreign rule. They we're known as the Zealots. And this is the real story of Masada. 

The Zealots had a smaller group called the Sicarii who were much more intense and basically were extremist in a sense. They went to live at Masada for protection from anyone forcing foreign rule on them. They ended up being surrounded by Romans with no way to escape and so they decided it was better to die at the hands of their friends and family rather than their foes. They had a raffle and about ten names were picked. Those ten people, were chosen to kill each person. One of the ten would kill the other nine and then himself. 

And that was the fall of Masada. It was an emotional story to hear about and the choice they made was one that would be unthinkable today. I truthfully was in awe learning about the whole story. Having to choose between dying at the hands of someone you love and trust rather than dying at the hands of your enemy is a hypothetical question I could never answer. Both are equally terrifying. I'm still in awe of how that decision was made. All of the Sicarii gathered around their house of prayer and listened to one man make the decision for them. It's one thing to take a vote and it's another to take the word of one man speaking on behalf of a whole group of people. 

I will never forget the story of how Masada fell. Nor should anyone who has read this forget. 

Israel is Safe. I promise.

The most common comment I got when I told people I was going to israel was "be safe." People have this view of Israel as being under attack at all times and there are always dangerous protests I'm the streets. But truth is, I feel safer here than I ever felt in America. 

I think it could be that I'm living near one of the most holiest places in the whole world Judaism and Islam and regardless if how much Hamas or Hezbollah hate the Jews and the fact that they are occupying the Palestinian land, they wouldn't dare compromise the integrity of the dome of the rock. Most of the extremist groups happen to believe in Islam.  

Then again these are just my thoughts on the subject. It doesn't necessarily mean that they are true. 

In the case of the Gaza strip, missiles are shot into Beer Sheva (the middle of the desert) every so often but we rarely know they are happening and the majority of them are intercepted by the amazing invention called the iron dome. Or as my Jewish History teacher calls it: some Star Wars like technology. It's a wonderful creation and if you want more information on it I strongly suggest looking up the details. 

Now, I'm not just going off on a tangent right now on why Israel is safe, there is a reason behind my argument. 

Recently, (as in today) the Israeli defense forces intercepted a major shipment of missiles from Iran to Gaza. 

More information on the situation here: http://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-intercepts-major-iranian-weapons-shipment-to-gaza/

The appreciation I have for the IDF definitely increases with every unbelievable feat they accomplish such as this. I have never had more confidence in an army than I do in the IDF. That is definitely saying a lot but look at what they have done. They just saved Israel from so much destruction and a potential outbreak in violence all over the state. 

When I say I feel safe, I mean it. Israel has one of the most competent defense forces in the world and my new found appreciation isn't just from everything they do but also my week of Gadna which was five days of seeing what it's like in the IDF (which is an entirely different blog post coming soon)

Update on my ankle

It's sprained. I sprained my ankle. Accidentally landing on a pinecone. How I'm a figure skater with this kind of coordination baffles me. 

What also baffles me is that the medical center at Tzuba told me to just wrap my ankle and it'll feel better soon. I walked around on a sprained ankle for two weeks. Mostly in flip flops which is obviously terrible. 

The hospital gave me a sleeve for my ankle and some exercises to do to strengthen the muscles. They're ones that I've done before so I know how to do them and hopefully it gets better soon. Like very soon. Before Gadna. In three days. 

My first Googly Eyes.

I finally googly eyed something in Jerusalem. I've never felt more accomplished. I really felt like Sammy was standing next to me giggling as I stuck those two little eyes on the stone bulb thing with the old city in the background. If you look hard enough, you can see the Dome of the Rock in the distance. 

I felt it was important to share this experience. Considering it was the first of many. 

Shopping, Skating, and Superfriends

One week filled with many reasons to be thankful. It's only been three weeks here and I already feel at home. It feels like three years but at the same time it feels like two days. (If that makes sense) I really love it here and when my mom would tell people she was afraid I may never come back, she was very right. I never want to leave or anyone on this trip to leave. We can just live here forever as a huge happy family. 

The adventure of the past week really began with shopping on Ben Yehuda street. So filled with life and musicians and stores for everything. If you go to Israel and you don't go to Ben Yehuda street in Jerusalem, you're truly missing out on some amazing Israeli culture. So much bargaining and food and ice cream and jewelry and kippot and PEOPLE! So many people in on place at one time. 

I only bought one thing there, a mud mask with Dead Sea minerals that I have yet to use. But it's very exciting for me. 

The next shopping adventure was a t the shuk in Jerusalem. That may have been the busiest marketplace I have ever been to. In the words of Elah, there were like "500 billion" people there. Obviously that's not true but I thought the way she said it was really funny. 

No matter where we go, we always have to be in groups of three or more. We had five people. It's fun with a lot of people but it's very difficult to keep track of everyone. Surprisingly though, we never lost anyone in the hour and a half we were there. I'm very proud of that. 

The first day we got here, my necklace broke and I lost one of my rings so I have made it my goal to find a necklace and a ring wherever we go. Sadly I haven't found a ring yet but I'm still looking for one that really means something and will look perfect with the rest of my rings. But I did find two very, very pretty necklace charms and a chain. The total was about 67 American dollars for the two charms and the chain, all of which are sterling silver. I'm currently wearing one of them and I absolutely love it. It took me forever to decide which one I wanted and wheb I heard the price of both of them, I decided to get both because why not?

I also bought a pair of elephant pants, falafel lafa(I cannot describe the amazingness that was that falafel. It's an entirely different blog post) and a birthday  present for my brother who turned fifteen on February 16. It's nothing super special but I hope he likes it. I have yet to buy my parents a gift but then again, you always save the best for last. 

Now onto the skating part of this blog. If you're wondering if I'm skating in Israel, I'm bit, sadly. I truly miss it a lot and I miss my babies (my skates) and my coach Yasmin and all my skating friends but that's not what this is about. This section is about the amazing Jason Brown and his Olympic journey. The team event, his short, and his long were all incredible and I really cannot believe that I know him personally. I was unable to watch him skate live, which was very upsetting so I had to keep checking the USFSA's tweets on twitter to see how he was doing. But when it came to his long program, I had no access to twitter and just cell service. My friend Amit went out for the weekend and gave me a second by second update on how he was doing. When they announced his score and when Amit texted me what place he was in, I started crying. Jason, in his first Olympics at only 19 got 9th place out if 30 skaters from all over the world. He even did better than the US's other male skater who was at his second Olympics. I'm incredibly proud of how he did and how determined he is. 

Friends? More like superheroes. At EIE, you have the ability to organize theme days. So I took a chance and organized a super hero day in memory if Superman Sammy Sommer. The amount of support receive from everyone was unbelievable. Even if they didn't dress up, people still came to be a part of the picture. I truly cannot say how thankful I am for this group of about 70 teenagers, so wonderful and who want to give all the love and support in the world to their friend. It hasn't even been a month and everyone has already accepted each other as family. 

I really couldn't ask for a better group of people to be with in Israel. 

Some Interesting Statistics

So for my Jewish History class, every week we have to read an article and write about our reaction to it on our blog.
The article I was assigned this week was the one below on what drives success.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/26/opinion/sunday/what-drives-success.html?emc=eta1&_r=1

Its really interesting to see how a persons ethnicity affects their success. The fact that some stereotypes are actually correct about some people is both disturbing and intriguing and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. Being able to succeed based on race isn't something that should be taken lightly. If Asians have a better chance of getting a job than a perfectly able and smart person of any other race JUST because they are Asian is definitely unfair.

Now, that is not the topic of the article, saying one ethnic group has an advantage over another, but that there are recent statistics that "debunk" these stereotypes. I'm just very glad that in today's society people realize that stereotypes are not the truth.

 You can relate that directly to Jews and their stereotypes. Like being good with money, big noses, super religious, greedy, etc. The majority of Jews do not possess these traits. For example, I do not have a big nose, I'm not religious and I'm most definitely NOT good with money.......


If you want an interesting read, I suggest reading this article, its one that I truly enjoyed reading and a topic I really liked learning about.

Gettin down and Dirty - February 7, 2014

Dirt and rocks. Rocks and dirt. Everywhere.


Friday morning we went to a farm in Jerusalem (outside of Jerusalem? I'm not entirely sure).
It wasn't just a plain old farm with nothing really special, it was a VERY special farm. This particular farm gives jobs to teenagers that have dropped out of school, haven't gone to college, or are on the street. It gives them an opportunity to not only get their lives together but it gives them a job in agriculture. There are teachers/therapists that also work to help to get those kids on the right track while working on the farm. 

When we went to the farm, none of them were there because it was Friday and they don't have to work on Fridays. 
Because Jerusalem was basically built on rock, it is hard to get fertile soil, so our job was to go through the huge field they already had plowed a bit and pick up rocks and bring them over to the side.

A few friends and I, to make the job more fun, started singing "Look Down" from my favorite musical "Les Miserables" and plenty of other songs. (We may have gone through the entire first half of the musical.) I truly enjoyed being able to get dirty with friends and sing the greatest songs on the planet.

This went on for two hours. Yes, it was VERY hard work, my back hurts still, my legs are sore, and I'm exhausted but I really don't mind because the faces of those kids when they see they don't have to clear that entire area of rocks is all that really matters. As long as they feel that there are people that are there to support them and want to help them and make sure they get to where they need to be in life is all that should ever be thought of when I think of this experience.

Oh my Goodness- February 5, 2014

Wow.

I have over 1100 views on my blog already. This is unbelievable. I'm very appreciative of how many people actually care about how my trip is going. 

So pretty much this is just a post thanking everyone for supporting me through my adventure in Israel. 

I hope to have more posts very soon considering we are going on more tiyuulim (trips) this weekend. 

Again, thank you so much for caring about what I'm saying and checking my blog.

One Week- February 3, 2014

It has really been one whole week already. This is kinda a crazy thing to think about. 

I have lived at Tzuba for an entire week yet it feels like I've know the people here for my whole life already. I really love them all. We are truly like a family. I've been getting so much more help on my homework here from not only teachers but friends! What a concept. Someone my age coming to help me with homework every night. I have never really appreciated being in the same class as someone until now. 

I'm still getting into the routine of actually doing homework, but I'm definitely not procrastinating as much as I used to which is very exciting for me and my grades. Having someone to come over every night to help with homework and to keep me on task is extremely helpful. (Thanks Sam!)

I can already feel myself learning more and more everyday. Whether it be about Jewish History, Hebrew, or even any of my general studies. Of course I really miss all of my teachers from Deerfield. Quite a lot actually, I'm still learning. And learning very fast. Instead of doing one unit over the course of a few weeks, we do one unit in either a day or a week. It moves fast but its still very easy and the work load doesn't overwhelm me. (Well, at least it hasn't yet.) I'm just so glad to be having this phenomenal opportunity and having the ability to still keep up with my friends back home.

I would also like to say CONGRATULATIONS AND GOOD LUCK TO JASON BROWN AT THE WINTER OLYMPICS IN THREE DAYS! SK8 GR8! So sorry I couldn't meet up with you at the airport yesterday, but considering where I am I know you understand. I love you and Bhatzlacha b' Sochi! <3

The Kotel- February 1, 2014

I've never had a more emotional experience or connection to a single place than the Kotel. 

I hadn't realized that I was actually in Israel until I actually saw the wall. I turned the corner after going through security and it hit me. I'm in Israel, standing at the most holy place in our entire religion. It was an overwhelming feeling to be at a place that 2000 years ago, people had the exact same footing that I did, that people stood in the same exact spot that I did. As soon as I walked into the women's side of the wall, emotion took over and my eyes filled with tears. I have never appreciated a place so much in my life. I walked slowly towards the wall taking it all in, crying like I'd never felt such a sense of belonging. I never thought it would be such a big deal to go visit. I always thought it would just be one of those really cool things to see but I was genuinely happy to be there. I even hesitated to touch the stones that made up the Kotel. And as soon as I did, I almost collapsed. I kept my hand on the wall for much longer than I probably thought I did. I connected so deeply to, what is only a wall to some people. I felt as though I was one with the wall and all the women around me. The words to truly describe this experience cannot be found at the moment. The spiritual side of me really came out today when I touched the Kotel. It was by far the most wonderful experience I had.

Before we actually entered the Kotel area, our Madrichim (counselors) gave us a bit of a native plant to Jerusalem and a slip of paper for meditation which I didn't read until I stepped back from the wall and was about thirty feet away from it I finally pulled out the slip of paper. It said, "You stand before the Kotel, the holiest of places. If you could transport any person (living or deceased) to this spot right now to share in this experience with you who would you bring and why?" I immediately thought of Sammy Sommer. Low and behold, the tears started streaming again, because this beautiful young boy would never have the chance to see this absolutely unbelievable and holy place again. It truly broke my heart, and I know it breaks all of his family's hearts, especially Phyllis and Michael. They are the two strongest and loving parents that I know and I love them more than anything. They are like my second family and Sammy's loss was hard for not only their family, but mine as well. The Sommer family was on my mind all night and even after the experience at the Kotel.

We left the Kotel to go to a Debbie Friedman memorial service where they sang "Those who sow" which was sung at Sammy's funeral. I'm so lucky to have had been sitting by so many beautiful and caring human beings during that song because I started to cry again. Its been a little more than a month and its still very raw that this amazing, strong eight year old boy, full of life and wonder, had to leave us so soon. I'm still very appreciative that I have the opportunity to be in Israel with my googly eyes to put all over and all my friends that are here for me whether we are super close or not. I love them all and I love the Sommer family more than one could imagine.

The Kotel will always be the most special place, most definitely causing tears everytime I think about it and/or go there. I'm very glad that my first experience was with people I trust and people I will be living with for the next four months.

The First Shabbat- January 31, 2014

The first Shabbat. What a Shabbat it was. Getting to sleep for four hours after the dig, getting to take a nice long, hot shower, getting all dressed up and pretty, wearing make up for the first time since Sunday. I didn't even mind services at all. It was all so much fun. 

After services and dinner and oneg Shabbat, we had a party. Like a crazy dance party. In a bomb shelter. With Israelis. TURN DOWN FOR WHAT???? It was awesome. Dancing for hours with lights flashing and music blasting. I'm actually surprised I can hear. It was maybe the most fun I've had in months. Then again, I've never actually been to a party like that. I've been to b'nai mitzvot and homecoming but those are nothing in comparison to crazy that was the bomb shelter party. 

Shabbat was super fun and I really don't want to wait another week to have that kind of fun again.

The First Tiyuul - January 31, 2014

I don't think I've ever loved a history lesson more in my life. 

We went to on a field trip (tiyuul) for the first time. To an archaeological dig. Not only did we get a chance to dig to find 2000 year old pieces of pottery but we also go to visit grave sites from around the time of the first temple and then around the Byzantine era. The differences in the two were incredible. I have never felt more intrigued in history. Israel is one of those places where everything around you is history whether you know it or not and learning about Kvar Bish (the hill where the people lived that we were learning about) was an experience that will definitely stay with me forever. 

We did have the opportunity to crawl through a man made tunnel, but because of the condition of my ankle I decided it probably wasn't the best idea. So I sat above the tunnels just looking over 

Jerusalem. It was beautiful. I took so many pictures. I couldn't believe how amazing everything looked from all the way on top of that hill.

Funny Story- January 30,2014

So lets have story time.....

Jenna was running and stepped on a pine cone and now her ankle is in an ACE bandage. 

The End.

First injury of the trip YAYY!

Homework- January 29, 2014

I've actually started my homework. 

I'm actually not procrastinating. 

I'm actually studying with friends. 

I'm actually doing homework. 

Israel may just have been a miracle for my grades. 

And So It Begins (School that is)- January 29, 2014

I never thought I would be excited for school. I guess it had to happen eventually. I'm not complaining. I'm super excited for school in Israel. Now if you're wondering if I'm going to an Israeli school, you're wrong, but thats okay. EIE has its own schooling program. Its pretty cool actually. All American classes, my normal classes plus three hours of Jewish History, which is amazing and two hours of Hebrew. I've been put in the highest Hebrew class, I'm a little unsure of how I'll do considering everyone in that class are very good speakers. I'm very good at reading and writing and I think I can speak fairly well but if that is not the case, I'll definitely be dropping down. I will be having Hebrew later so further down in this post there will be something about it. 

Right now it is 10:42 and I'm currently in Jewish History with Aaron Gertz. He's one of the coolest and most knowledgeable person I've met so far. He knows so much about Israel and religions. Its such an interesting class, I should probably get back to learning. Or sitting listening to my computer be obnoxious....

Hebrew class may just be my favorite class. I have Eitana as my teacher and I'm in love with this class. Barb and I started out in the second level learning the aleph-bet and we just looked at each other like we knew we were not in the right class. The main Hebrew teacher came in pointed at us and took us to the right class. Which happened to be Eitanas or the highest class with all the fluent speakers and readers. Hebrew is my favorite so far. Its quite wonderful.

So the rest of my classes are interesting. Considering everyone is at different levels for every class. All the classrooms are super duper cold. Its very hard to concentrate with the cold air from the open windows. I can't wait until its warm it'll be so much nicer to walk to class. 

Life in Israel is absolutely wonderful so far. I'm in love.

January 29, 2014

To miss your best friends birthday is a little heartbreaking for both you and them. Today is Bailey Jayne Knowles' seventeenth birthday and I'm very upset that I can't be there to hug her and give her her present. (Which is the greatest present ever) so I wanted to dedicate a post to one if the most important people in my life. 

Bailey,

I miss you tons, you really are like my sister and I'm really sorry I can't be there today but I'm planning on waking you up with a phone call. I know you get to sleep until like nine but this call will be coming in at around 6:30 because you must know how much I love you. My mom is hopefully getting your present to you by the end of the well. I hope you have the greatest birthday of your life (even though I'm not there). Just know you're a wonderful human being and in the words of Peter Pan, "Never say goodbye because saying goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting." I love you! Happy Birthday baby girl!!!!

Holy Orientations Batman: January 27-28, 2014

I don't think I have sat through this many orientations in my life. We had so many in just two days. When arriving at Tzuba we went to the lobby (Belmont) and had the principal and vice principal speak to us about everything. Baruch is the principal and David Solomon (DSol) is the vice principal. They both had some very great things to say. None of those things do I remember though. After that we went to our rooms to unpack, I barely unpacked. I was way too lazy. I love all my roommates. Arianna is from Texas, Ilana is from Ohio, and Rachel is from California. They really pick people that don't live anywhere near me. Its perfectly fine though. The rest of the day is honestly a blur.

The next day was truly a day of Orientations. We got one for services, we got one for Jewish History class, we had one for regular classes, we had a tour of the campus. So much learning. It was crazy. But regardless of that today was truly amazing. I learned the history of the Castle at Tzuba, of which I cannot recite back but I can tell you right now my madrichim did not explain it. Another student, Ben Ross one of my new besties, literally knew everything about it. It was pretty impressive. Its a beautiful castle. So many great pictures taken of it. One is below.

I currently love my teachers from first impressions. I am currently taking US History, Chemistry, English 11, Algebra 2 and an ACT prep course. The required classes that I am taking are Jewish History and Hebrew.
I don't think I've ever been so excited to start school. Even if it is for 11 hours a day.

I must go to bed now because it is 11:40 and I must sleep.
Lilah Tov.

The First Day: January 26, 2014

Arriving in New York,

Lets talk about New York.

First we landed late.2:05. Five minutes after we were supposed to be at orientation. Getting out luggage was easy, but then we find out the airtram is broken and we needed to catch a bus to our terminal. We had to wait about an hour for that bus. In the cold. With two 50 pound bags each until a really nice lady named Deanna helped us get on a bus that wasn't going to our terminal, but she convinced the bus driver to go to Terminal 4 finally. And I don't think I thanked her enough. Should have given her tzedakah. Would have been the perfect opportunity to! Oops. Guess not... Once we got to our terminal we found Robin Kulwin who got us checked in within fifteen minutes of meeting her. When you go to Israel, you get asked a lot of questions before you get your boarding pass. The lady asking me questions seemed like she was nice smiling when I answered questions, asked very nicely but I could definitely tell she was VERY serious. And extremely intimidating. But the lady at the desk that gave me my boarding pass was very sweet.

We ended up missing the majority of orientation and stood outside the door with everyone facing us, getting some pretty awkward looks. I just ended up standing there awkwardly waving at people. They announced our arrival which made things more uncomfortable. 
Going through security at JFK took so long. You know, about 70 people having to go through all at once was pretty bad. We did make our flight though, which wasn't as bad as expected to be honest. So many people were willing to introduce themselves and sit with me during the flight, the whole time we were pretty obnoxiously loud, apparently EIE participants have never been this bad. Oops. We just really like talking, we're meeting new people, having fun, what else can you honestly expect from a group of teenagers. The entire flight was just teenagers being really excited and ready to bond with people they will be with for the next four months. I maybe slept for half an hour the entire flight. But I was totally exhausted and couldn't sleep anymore than that. Maybe the most incredible thing I saw was the orthodox Jews getting up to pray. Its like nothing I've ever seen before and I'm so glad that I did.The views over Israel were incredible and my anxiety and excitement grew with every mile we got closer. Once we finally landed in Tel Aviv, the wait to get off the plane was maybe 15 minutes considering we were all the way in the back. Customs was a pain in the but, then again when isn't it. While waiting in another line, everyone was uncomfortably hot. I was obviously complaining because its my thing but I loved that I wasn't freezing my but off. 
Baggage claim took a while. Lots of baggage for lots of people.
We left baggage claim and went to our buses and thats where the journey truly began in Israel.

(pictures are to follow.)