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)