Journeying On

Lord of the cloud and fire,

I am a stranger, with a stranger's indifference;

My hands hold a pilgrim's staff,

My march is Zionward,

My eyes are toward the coming of the Lord,

My heart is in thy hands without reserve.

Thou hast created it, 

redeemed it, 

renewed it, 

captured it, 

conquered it.

Keep from it every opposing foe,

crush in it every rebel lust,

mortify every treacherous passion,

annihilate every earthborn desire.

All faculties of my being vibrate to thy touch

I love thee with soul, mind, body, strength,

might, spirit, affection, will,

desire, intellect, understanding.

Thou art the very perfection of all perfections;

All intellect is derived from thee;

My scanty rivulets flow from they unfathomable fountain.

Compared with thee the sun is darkness,

all beauty deformity,

all wisdom folly,

the best goodness faulty.

Thou art worth of an adoration greater than my dull heart can yield;

Invigorate my love that it may rise worthily to thee,

tightly entwine itself round thee,

be allured by thee.

Then shall my walk be endless praise.

From The Valley of Vision, p.198-199

Construction

The people upstairs have inspired me.  I guess waking up every morning to the sounds of drills running will do that to you.  Thus, the blog is under construction.  Perhaps it's just another semi-productive way to procrastinate.  At any rate, I will be playing around with the look a bit.  Not yet sure what, if anything will stick, but feel free to share any accolades or criticisms.  

From Ballard Street by Jerry Van Amerongen

What's not to love?

Happy Birthday, Israel!


In honor of Israel's 62nd year, another blogger wrote a list of 62 things he loves about Israel. The entire list can be read here, but I figured I'd include some of my favorites (with a few additional comments of my own), just for kicks.


5. I love the kumkum (electric hot water kettle). I'm not saying that I brought it into my bathroom to shave because the dood (solar water heater) wasn't hot, but… Ok, that's exactly what I'm saying.
I personally don't use it to shave, but I do love the hot water kettles.  So handy.  So much tea. :)


6. I love how the painter not only asked me for coffee before working on my apartment but how I immediately made it for him without any feelings of weirdness. In the US, I'd have him committed.


7. I love how the Nefesh B'Nefesh Hanukka video on Ben Yehudah Street got a million hits. Now if you'll please excuse me, I have to go do a flash mob in Gaza. (The Black-Eyed Peas are huge in Khan Yunis.)
You can watch it yourself here.


8. I love humous for approximately 47,000 different reasons. By the way, when Israeli kids try to pull a fast one on the substitute teacher, do they use the fake name "Hugh Muss"?
Ditto the loving humous thing.  Love humous.  However you spell it.  Humus.  Chumus.  It's all good.  


11. I love that during a visit to New York, I stopped by the Aroma on the Upper West Side, struck up a conversation with an Israeli woman at the counter, and within thirty seconds, found someone we knew in common. Look out, parents: there's a new drug hitting the streets. It's accessible, it's addictive, and it's a menace to society. Goodbye, cocaine; hello, ice Aroma.
They have Aroma in New York?!


12. I love emphatically saying the word "ba-RUUUUUUUUUUUUUR!!!!!!!!!" It's like "duh" with more raysh-es.
I think this is one word I'm going to have to pick up.  


13. I love that while waiting at a photocopy shop in the dead of summer, an employee walked around and gave out cups of cold water to the customers. That's what I call Israeli hospitality.
Gotta share water.


14. I love that the cleaning lady asked, "Do you want me to organize this too? You know, because Pessah is coming..."


26. I love the new Apple stores with the best customer service I've ever seen in this country. Are we sure these are really service representatives? Quick, somebody check their passports for "Dubai."
I'm not an Apple person, but do they actually have good customer service?  IN ISRAEL?  I might have to switch.


32. I love how Israel is kicking Lebanon's ass in the humous wars. Take that, Hizbullah. Now what about the biggest bottle of arak?  First round's on me.
Yeah, the humous battles make me laugh.  So random.

33. I love that in a recent episode, the Simpsons came to Israel, that the tour guide spoke Hebrew, and that I understood it.  If he had said yiyeh b'seder, it would have made my year.
Yeah, I really wish I could understand more than a word here and there of what the guide said.  It sounded good.


42. I love the insanely awesome juices you can get here, even at the grocery store. Strawberry banana, pomegranate, humous fig. Ok, I made the last one up. This would be a good time to mention again that whereas fruits are tasty and affordable here, you have to take out a small business loan to buy a banana in the US. $1.25 at the airport? No thanks, I'd rather lick the runway.


62. I love that I've had this once-in-a-lifetime experience and that it's not over yet.
 Amen to that!

Idealistic Israelis

Over the course of my most recent field study (Historical and Social Settings of Modern Israel with Kaplan) we had the opportunity to visit a number of Jewish "institutions" (for lack of a better word), some of which were over 100 years old.  In terms of modern Israeli history, that's about as old as things get.  These sites, mostly kibbutz-like, are today no longer operational except as tourist sites, though some of them carry on the work under the same name at a nearby location.  We, however, only visited the historical sites.  At each of them we were met by fairly young and idealistic Israelis who told us about the historical importance of the site and how they see in it hope for the future.

The first such site was Old Geshur, located on the banks of the Jordan River, the border between Israel and Jordan.  It was founded by young, idealistic Jews before Israel was a nation.  The railway ran by it, located as it was by three bridges across the Jordan (Roman, Turkish, and the most recent British railway bridge).  It was destroyed twice, and after the second destruction that site was abandoned in favor of one slightly farther from the border.

This is the dining hall at Old Geshur, one of the few remaining buildings.

Another important aspect of this location was the joining of two rivers nearby: the Jordan and the Yarmuk.  The rivers actually join in Jordan at a place called Naharaim (two rivers.)  In 1920,Pinchas Rothenberg, a Jewish Russian engineer came to Israel with a dream: build a dam to supply Israel with electricity.  The site he choice was Naharaim.  It took years to get the Jordanians to agree to allow them to use the land, and then it took time to build the dam.  Finally, in 1932, it was opened.  It supplied 80% of Israel's electricity for the 16 years it ran.  When war broke out in 1948 it was damaged and permanently shut down.  Still, today it remains an example of Israeli determination and ingenuity.  The young woman who showed us around found in it beautiful inspiration and hope for the future.

In the middle of the picture you can still see the remains of the dam and power plant, in Jordan.

The second site was the Kinneret Moshav.  It was started over 100 years ago during the second aliyah, mostly by Jews in their early 20's or younger.  Their goal was not only to change the landscape (at which they succeeded) but to change the country, with the view that change starts with oneself.  Kinneret was a training farm, intending to teach young men and women the skills they would need to survive in Israel, especially agriculturally.  Many people who started there went on to be very influential in Israel's history, including Rahel,  possibly Israel's most beloved poet.  She is buried nearby where a large number of Israelis can visit her grave every year.  The kibbutzim (and similar things) are arguable the only successful socialist experiment the world has known.  These young, idealistic Jew dreamed of building the ideal society, starting in their little kibbutz or moshav and spreading from there.  While this has obviously not happened to the extent that they may have wished, the young Israelis who work at the historic site today still see hope for the future in the examples of those who went before.

Here our guide, Av-Shalom, shows us a picture of what Kinneret looke like before they changed the land scape.   Today, trees are numerous.

A third site was Tel Hai, in the Huleh Basin, a site of legendary significance in Israeli history.  When it was formed the boundary between French Lebanon and British Palestine was not finalized, but the Huleh Basin was under French control.  It was a time of conflict between the French and the Arabs, and the Jews at Tel Hai were caught in the middle.  There was thought of abandoning it, but this idea was rejected by those who argued that facts on the ground would determine borders.  Eventually, through a series of events not totally understood, a tragedy occurred and several promising young Israelis died at Tel Hai and it was abandoned anyway.  Whether the Jewish presence there played any role in its eventual inclusion in Israel is uncertain, but it has helped to form policy to this day.  The young lady who showed us around talked about the importance of "building your own reality," finding her example in the young people who had been at Tel Hai.  Something is always in your way and you have to find a way to get around it.

The restored/rebuilt Tel Hai building.  Farming was done in nearby fields.  

It was interesting to visit these sites which have had such an impact on forming the national consciousness of Israel.  One can see echoes of these young Jews of 100 years ago, what they did and how they thought, in current political policy.  It was interesting to see their "descendants" - ideologically, if not biologically - trying to carry on the dream in a new generation.  I will not claim to agree with everything they thought then or now, but it was a interesting perspective to see.

What’s for Dinner?

For reasons which I am unable to fully explain, I hate that question. Unfortunately, it is one that often comes my way, so I have become accustomed to having this answer slide glibly off my tongue: "Food." Perhaps part of the reason is that I rarely follow recipes when I cook any more, especially in Israel where substitution is the name of the game. Generally I am asked this question while I'm in the process of cooking, and, frankly, it takes too long to say, "Well, I'm kind of working on a pasta dish which will hopefully bear a strong resemblance to lasagna, if I get the substitutions correct." It's much easier to say, "Food," get back to work, and let them work out the details of what American dish it reminds them of when they eat it. I'm a little afraid that if I just say, "Lasagna" they'll be disappointed when they taste it.

Or perhaps Gandalf better explained my reluctance to answer that question when he said, "Many folk like to know beforehand what is to be set on the table; but those who have labored to prepare the feast like to keep their secret; for wonder makes the words of praise louder." (The Return of the King, chapter 5)

Yeah, I'll go with that. J

Rosh HaNikra

The longer I am in Israel, the more I see of it, the more I find myself falling in love with the land. I first loved it for the history, the geography, the connection to the Bible. I still love that aspect, more all the time, in fact. But I've come to love more than that. I think it may help that this is my second spring here. It's a land that is easier to love in the spring, when the hills are all abloom with a multitude of wildflowers, the fields of wheat are fragrant with the coming harvest, and the sky is scattered with fluffy white clouds. It's glorious. In the summer and fall with everything brown and dead and hot and dusty it can be difficult to understand why God ever choose this land. But when those first rains kiss the ground and green again becomes part of the color spectrum, everything seems so much more clear.

With fewer required field studies this year I've had more chances to explore. I still often visit sites of historical interest (indeed, they are nearly impossible to avoid) but I've visited places more off the beaten track, and in addition to a better understanding of the history and geography of the land, I've also managed to get more of a feel for the land: the flora and fauna, the smells, the roads, the deserts and the shores.

Today I visited Rosh HaNikra. It's as far north on the sea coast as one can get in Israel. There the sea constantly throws itself against the white cliffs, eating away at them, forming and enlarging caves where the breakers can dash themselves with deafening thunder. Perhaps there are days when it is calmer, but this was not one of those days. It was a perfect day. Yesterday was gray and the air full of dust but the night wind blew it all away and we woke to a sunny day, scattered with clouds and waves joyfully racing to the shores.

I took hundreds of pictures, but they don't do justice to the feeling of being inside the groto, hearing the wave rush in the opening, seeing the light fade as the entrance is blocked by the foaming water, the joy and splendor or the water racing towards and up the sides of the cave, the surprised wonder when the force of the rush is enough to sprinkle all observers with a good amount of salty blue water. Still, I'll try to give you a taste of the beauty and the drama in this "slide show."



1Chronicles 16:29-34 
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;  tremble before him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.   Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!"  Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it!  Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.  Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!


Job 30:22 
You lift me up on the wind; you make me ride on it, and you toss me about in the roar of the storm.

Psalm 42:5-8  

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.  Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me.  By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.

Psalm 46:1-3  
To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song. 
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

Isaiah 17:12-14  
Ah, the thunder of many peoples; they thunder like the thundering of the sea! Ah, the roar of nations; they roar like the roaring of mighty waters! The nations roar like the roaring of many waters, but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away, chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind and whirling dust before the storm.  At evening time, behold, terror! Before morning, they are no more! This is the portion of those who loot us, and the lot of those who plunder us.


Isaiah 51:15  
I am the LORD your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar-- the LORD of hosts is his name. 

Revelation 1:12-16
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

Spring Break...Israel Style

I spent some time in Galilee last week. Fortunately, most of it was not along the Sea of Galilee. Don't get me wrong. I love the Gennesaret, but this was not a good time to be there. These photos, taken and we zipped by in a bus, don't do justice to the reality of Passover at the lake, but maybe you'll get an idea.

Basically, every available square inch of shoreline was covered in an unending sea of nearly identical tents. And where there weren't tents there were thousands of Israelis, burning meat on their portable charcoal grills. (The idea of a rare steak seems to be unknown here.)

Passover is a huge holiday here, which most people take advantage of by going on vacation somewhere. Apparently, an extremely large portion camps out at Galilee. (You would think that Sukkot would be the camping holiday, but no, it's Passover.) The hostel we stayed at, within easy rocket range of Lebanon, was also jam-packed. (No, we were not in any danger of being bombed...don't freak out.)

Anyway, with these beaches in mind, I was not surprised to come across this article, comparing the beaches to a garbage can in the wake of Passover visitors. Apparently the words, "clean up after yourself" don't penetrate the consciousness of the average human here, either.