Galentine's Day

Yesterday, was Galentine’s day, which is like valentines day, but it celebrates girl friendships! This was a day created on Parks and Rec, which is possibly the best TV show in the world. Galentine’s day is all about celebrating being a strong and independent, powerful woman, and that is just what I did. The day also represents how important it is to take time to acknowledge friendships, because often times we just expect friendships, instead of putting forth the effort necessary to let them thrive. For Galentine’s day, Me and my friends had a picnic outside for lunch. Tzuba is so beautiful, and often times at meals we are confined to the dinning hall, so it was incredibly refreshing to get some fresh air and a change of scenery. We then went to the market and bought a bunch of chocolate for one another and went down to the spice garden to eat it. There we set Galentine’s day goals that we each wanted to accomplish by the end of EIE. It felt empowering to set our own goals, instead of them being set for us. Some of my goals during these next months in Israel (and hopefully for the rest of my life) are to become stronger, emotionally and physically, not care what others think of me, not be so quick to judge, and and to become more care free. Galentine’s day was definitely a care free day, so I already feel like I am on the path to achieving my goals! After the spice garden, we walked around and found little places I had seen before but never spend the time to notice. For example, the view I wake up to everyday is so beautiful, and something I definitely do not get to see at home. At the end of the day, I took a yoga class, which allowed me to meditate and reflect on my time here. It made me feel strong, and remember to not take anything here for granted. While 4 months is a long time, I can already feel the days flying by, and I want to live every moment to the fullest. 

Super Bowl Sunday: The Forgotten Jewish Holiday

The closest I’ve ever been to understanding football was watching the entirety of the TV show Friday Night Lights. Not being a football fan, I at fist found this article to be extremely confusing due to the fact I did not get the football references. As I read on, I realized that I did not need to understand football to understand the theme of the article; Judaism plays in to all aspects of modern life. This article was to show that the tradition and experience of watching the Super Bowl and eating guacamole with friends is equal to going to the high holiday services, dressing up, and going to a break the fast party after. Although the events themselves are incredibly different, the processes are the same. Both Super Bowl watchers and High Holiday goers go to their event even if it is something they do not normally do on a regular basis, they see friends and family, sing both prays and the national anthem, and eat lots of food of course. I thought this article had a very interesting and cool outlook on relating the super bowl to Judaism. Being such a minority in the world, it feels incredible when we feel included and incorporated into the world. 

I really liked this article because it turned a modern event and related it back to our Jewish traditions. I think it is so important for Judaism to remain relevant and affect young people for it to thrive. This article showing that football and Judaism are basically the exact same made me feel like going to a friday night service or watching sunday football are also basically the same. Except, I would understand the service a lot more. I enjoyed this article and found the points it made to be not only intriguing but also true. 

Sataf

Recently, we went on a tyul to Sataf. This trip was different from most because we walked to our destination which is something I definitely couldn't do back home. We walked for about 30 minutes and then we were at a completely new view. It felt like we were transported to a new part of the world, but in actuality we were just one mountain away. We were able to take pictures before class started and really take in what we saw. I really appreciated this, because loving photography, I find pictures to be the best way to capture a memory. We then had class outside, which was not only beautiful, but make the learning experience even more memorable. I was able to take in my surroundings, and the past, present, and future for the Jewish people. We received noise makers to symbolize the victory of the battle of Jerico. That make learning about the war imbedded into my memory as it was an experience I will never forget. It also felt liberating and like I was one of the victorious people who survived the war. We walked to a new location where we could see the terraces we learned about in Jewish History, they were more intricate and beautiful than I could ever imagine. 

Not only did we get to walk outside around Sataf, but we were able to go inside into the caves from the Tanakh. The caves were scary, exciting, dark, and alluring all at once. Crawling through the caves was scary to say the least, but it felt super cool knowing this was something people thousands of years had to go through. The architectural design intrigued me, and made me wonder how the caves were utilized and functioned. We learned about how people back in the day found a rock that was dripping water and slowly chipped away at it over time to find the source. They then would find where the water was coming from and use it to build and create an irrigation system. They were ahead of their time to say the least. It was inspiring knowing how inventive our ancestors were, and made me want to be that innovative in my own life. I really liked all aspects of this tyul, also shoutout to Aaron for taking us to the second cave! 

Obama Vs Netanyahu Response

The Holocaust is an unforgettable historic event that still affects our world today. By remembering it, we are able to not repeat history, and learn from past mistakes and intolerance. President Barak Obama shared his views on the Holocaust on Holocaust remembrance day at the Israeli embassy. His speech was not obligatory, which shows the strides he is willing to take to defend and support Israel. His views were very generalized, and instead of talking about just the Jewish people and Israel, he used this opportunity to reflect on the intolerance in the past, present and future. He discussed how we cannot blame others for our own injustices, and that above all else we must have empathy. I really liked this, because I felt like Obama used a momentous event in History to not only learn from the past, but to touch on important events going on in our world today (such as the threat Muslims do or do not pose on America). On the other hand, Ambassador Ron Dermer focused more on what the holocaust means today, and the intolerance Jews still face. Dermer focused more on the Jewish people and what we can do to support them, while Obama focused on how the holocaust relates to the rest of the world. I feel like Dermer's speech felt more personable and affected me more, it made we want to see a change for the Jewish people and see how important having Israel is for the Jewish people. Obama's speech made me want there to be change not just for the Jewish people, but around the whole world. Although Obama was more general, I feel like he affected a larger audience. Since I am in Israel currently, I felt more moved by Dermer's remarks, but what Obama had to say still really resonated with me.

Reading this article made me realize how opinionated I am on politics and that I do not want to stand idly by. I find (Israeli) politics really confusing, but nonetheless I thoroughly enjoy learning about each party. I hope by the time I leave Israel I have a clearer understanding of politics and know which party I identify myself with. Until then, I am still learning.