Thank Goodness!

Today is Simchat Torah, the last (I think! I hope!) of the Jewish holidays this time of year! It's been so many holidays, we're a bit tired of it! I think after this we have regular days from now till Hanukah! It's interested that Israel celebrates both national holidays and Jewish religious holidays, unlike in the US which mostly just celebrates national holidays and Christmas.

KEY WORDS & PHRASES - SEPTEMBER

• I DON'T SPEAK HEBREW.
• PLEASE WAIT A SECOND.
• I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
• DAD SAYS, NICE TEACHER!
• WAIT!
• JUST WAIT!
• HOW MUCH DOES THIS COST?

FACTS & MAPS OF PLACES I'VE VISITED - Haifa

Haifa - 9/29/10

Today we went to Haifa. Haifa is very open and tolerant to different religions and thoughts, unlike Jerusalem which is almost all Ultra Orthodox (Haredi). There is a Ba'hai Temple that is the most beautiful gardens in the world, but they wouldn't let us into it and the Temple itself is under construction so its gold dome was covered up. We tried going to 2 very cool museums about the Israeli navy and illegal ship immigration but they were closed. We went up and down of cable cars to the top of Mt. Carmel and it was a beautiful view and a little scary! We had drinks and lunch at a restaurant right at the top, so beautiful! To finish off our day, we went to the beach and climbed on the rocks. It was coarse sand and felt like quick sand - I don't know how those people swam to shore from ships 1 mile off at sea!

The dot on the northwest coast is HAIFA!

Nothing's Open!

We drove an hour to Haifa and it was - you guessed it! - the day before ANOTHER holiday so everything either was closed or was closing early! We missed a few things, but enjoyed our day! We loved the cable car after a few seconds (yikes!) and the Bahai Gardens were amazing even if the gold domed Temple was covered up!

The mount was steep as the cable car climbed!

Ba'hai Gardens - beautiful!

We'll surely return to Haifa to see the things we missed!

FACTS & MAPS OF PLACES I'VE VISITED - Casaeria

Casaeria
Today we went to Casaeria, or Qusarriya in Hebrew. Casaeria has been conquered by many nations over the last 2000 years. It originally was built by the Romans in honor of Emperor Julius Casaer. King Herod wanted to build a big port from scratch that would be a center for ships to trade.
We went first to the aquaducts. Romans built them 6 miles long to transport water from natural springs to the new city of Casaeria. They are beautiful, right on the beach. This is where Hanah Senesh walked along the beach and wrote her poem "Walk to Casearia" or "Eli Eli." Hanah was a brave heroine who lived on a kibbutz nearby; she parachuted into Hungary during the Holocaust to save Jews but was captured, tortured and killed. She is a big hero in Israel, and her poem is now a beautiful song.


After that, we saw a short movie about Casaeria, and went to a chariot and horse show in this huge and beautiful horse rink (hippodrome). After that we went to a big amphitheater and climbed to the top. We played at the beach right next to the ancient site and played in the waves. Next, we walked on ancient ruins and saw floor mosiacs and marble columns and got stuck walking around the back way before going home.

Shake Your Lulav!

We had a really nice visit with the Lipseys - the son Josh goes to CLC, and they're spending the year here. The house they're renting is the most beautiful place I've ever seen! They had this built-in sukkah and we had a great catered meal with them and some other folks.

Mr. Lipsey helps me shake the lulav.

Casaeria, Amidst the Ruins

We had a great day in Casaeria, a beachside site with Roman ruins. Read my next post for details!

This is my favorite photo, the flag through the archway at dusk.

In Tel Aviv... Meet My Friend Shani!!

Today we went to Tel Aviv Unviersity, and the Museum of Jewish Heritage in the Diaspora.  They had a huge family festival for Sukkot.

We learned about families immigrating to Israel from all different countries: here we pretend to be Morroccan immigrants.

Mom and Ben and I in a portrait of a family tree.

I saw Shani, one of my best Israeli friends from CLC!  On the way back, we didn't just hit traffic but we also had to go through a million back roads because we were diverted due to a runners' race on the main road.  To make matters worse, Ben was screaming, my mother and I had the hiccups, and I had to go to the bathroom real bad.  Plus, our street was blocked of and we had a car we were trying to get back to our apartment! What an adventure! It was great to see Shani!

Our 1st Day Trip: Jaffa!

Today we went to Jaffa, or Yafo in Hebrew. It is the oldest working port in the world. It's famous flea market is SO cool! My dad bargained with the shop keeper and I got a huge African drum there.

 And they have the BEST bakery, icea cream store, and humus in the whole country, and boy was it good! I have a bunch of videos that I took, will put them on the blog later.

We went with our good friend Rotem, who stayed at our house in Worcester 5 summers ago.

We ate an incredible lunch with Rotem right near the Clock Tower, in an ancient stone building now a yummy restaurant!

We walked in Old Jaffa, through these cool streets to the port. We played on Turkish cannons that are more than 200 years old, used to defend the port of Jaffa.

Paddle Ball!

Dad and I are getting pretty good at Israeli paddle ball, but nothing like the Sabras on the beach! Mom fell asleep on the beach towel to the sounds of the ball being hit back and forth! Ben runs between hits! KADIMA!

What's Worse Than Israel's Ikea during Sukkot Break on a Friday Morning?

Not sure!  Traffic was horrendous, and loads of aggressive Israelis were lined up to get into the parking lot, then to get into the airport-security thingee at the front door, then to get little kids in the kiddie play area, and then to eat at the restaurant, and wow, yes, then to check out.  All Israeli kids are out of school and their parents want to shop! We waited 40 mins to put Ben in the hall of balls and finally when he got there, he lasted 1 minute exactly before crying that he wanted to come out! And our friends Itzik and Anat were in line waiting to check out and couldnt take it anymore, so they abandoned the stuff and we all took off!

After, we went to a cafe in Ramat HaSharon, a very upscale LA-eseque neighborhood. While there, we ran into a kid who goes to Crane Lake Camp! Imagine, 10 kids in the whole country who go to CLC and we see 1 of them!

Wow, Israel is a small country!!

INDEPENDENT WORK - A LETTER HOME

This is a letter to my class at Temple Emanuel Religious School, in Worcester, MA!


Dear class,

Over the holidays, we went to synagogue for Kol Nidre. Here in Israel, it is very different than in the US. One of the reasons being that I went to a Coservative synagogue, one of the very few non-Orthodox synagogues in Israel.

Rosh Hashana: here things are different. Some examples are: we eat a huge feast outside on a long table with our friends. We shared this meal and there were many symbols on the table, including a fish head with its eyeballs symbolizing looking forward a HEAD of the new year! Parents give their children honey candy in deocrative plastic apples, and everything is closed. Some things are the same as at home: for example, going to synagoge in the first place, although many Israelis don't go at all. Something interesting is that they sell 1,000,000 pomegranites in 1 store (well, almost!).

Yom Kippur: Again, some things are different. For example, not a single car drives in the streets, nobody plays loud music, etc. On Erev Yom Kippur, kids are out by themselves rollerskating, bicycling, skateboarding right in the middle of the streets while their parents stroll along in white clothes. Some things are the same, though: people fast here as well as in the US - this is the 2nd year in a row I made it! Something interesting is that you walk everywhere on Yom Kippur!


Sukkot: You guessed it, some things are different and some are the same. For example, there is a community sukkah in the middle of the city square, and a sukkah for literally every building. There are some similar things too: more people have their own home sukkahs, and like in the US, people hang stuff in it. Something interesting is that every restaurant patio is transformed into a sukkah so that customers can have their meals in the sukkah.
I miss you all a lot! Look forward to seeing you when I return!

- Caleb

SHORT STORY - THE CASE OF THE MISSING ETROG!

Yum! Yum! thought the camel, as he chewed the etrog. Now you're probably wondering who this camel belongs to, right? Well, he belongs to the Ackapeas: David, Sarah, Emma (mom) and Ben (dad). They live with their uncle Moses in the Negev desert where they've been wandering after leaving Egypt...

It's almost Sukkot and we are still missing the etrog! panicked Ben. And, to make matters worse, cried David, we're missing the camel! Oh no, worried Sarah, what will we do?! We just can't go on, screamed Emma.

Family, don't worry. God will bring the camel and etrog back, said Uncle Moses. So, the family waited, and waited, and waited for 5 days. Finally, the whole family shouted out, We don't believe in God!

Everyone gasped. Then out of the blue, the camel walked in and burped. Eeeww! Wait, it smells... like an etrog?! The family patted the camel's stomach and felt something hard and round. In the end, they all believed in God for returning the camel and etrog, and they got a new etrog for Sukkot.

Old & New Friends

We spent the first night of Sukkot at the moshav of Inbal's family. Inbal is a counselor from Crane Lake Camp and one of the people I was closest to at camp! Turns out her 12 year old sister Shira went to CLC 2nd session! Their family was super nice and we stayed up till midnight playing Wii! They have 50 pets, including a cockatoo who dances. Eating in the sukkah was really fun and the food her mom made was delicious!

For some reason, when my class was studying about Sukkot, the kids cracked up when they learned what a sukkah was for! Huh?!

Not Much of an Adventure, huh?

After long days in the hot sun, this is how we spend many a late afternoon...

BOOK REPORT - THE GIVER

Have you ever been selected from a group of people to do something special? Jonas was. In the book The Giver by Louis Lowry, Jonas is selected to do something nobody has done for over 70 years: to be the "Receiver of Memories."

Jonas has been selected to be the Receiver, the only one who knows what the other world, called "Elsewhere," is like through memories. In Jonas's world, everything is the same, no color or anything. After he is chosen, he isn't sure if he wants that life or not. Unfortuantely for him, he is forced to take it. He wants to see what the real world is like so he goes on a journey to Elsewhere. The reader never learns where or when this takes place, but it appears as though ti is in the future.

There are many things in Jonas's world that are similiar to mine:



1. We both have houses.


2. We both have food.


3. We both have bicycles.


4. We both have technology.


5. We both have leaders.


However, there are key differences as well:


Jonas's world:


1. All rules are made by the central government.


2. Birth mothers must bear 3 children, but not raise them.


My world:


1. Rules are made by community leaders, parents, government, etc. but not all are centralized.


2. Parents can have as many kids as they want, and they raise them.


I think the author wrote this book because he wanted to show that differences in the world are good. For example, in the real world, people have different skin, eyes, and clothes colr, shape and size. It makes it interesting to compare these differences. Personally, I wouldn't want to live in their world because I like to see differences in the world. In their world, they eat in one place only but I think that would be hard to do.

In conclusion, The Giver by Louis Lowry should be read, specifically by people who wonder what it would be like to be selected from a group of people to do something special.

Kol Nidre Israel-Style

Just got back from Kol Nidre services at a Conservative, mostly English-language synagogue a short walk from our apartment. Most members are older, having immigrated thirty-plus years ago from the US, England, etc. but increasingly, there is a number of Russian immigrants admist the congregants, learning more about the rituals of the holidays. Of course, the Rabbi (I don't think he technically is one, actually) went on a little too long with bad jokes; the tzedekah appeal by the President felt strangely out of place; and the Cantor sang poetically as we all asked for God's forgiveness for this past year's sins. 

We walked home to a cool sight: people dressed in white were walking home from services while kids in families who did not go to services were biking like crazy right in the middle of what are usually some of the busiest streets in Netanya.  Bikes, scooters, roller blades were everywhere.

Walkin on the Highway

Here we are an hour or two before Erev Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year. You can hear a pin drop. Television stations have switched off, not a car is on the road, even sunbathers refrain from the beach. At home in the US where few people I know are Jewish, I am always aware that my family is spending Yom Kippur apart from everyday activities, but here, this IS the everyday activity for the day. Strange feeling.

Old Friends

Today two emissaries who spent time with us in Worcester came to our Netanya apartment. Neta is the one who stayed at our house in Worcester for 3 weeks; the other is Itai and he stayed at someone else's house for a year in Worcester. They're really good friends with us. We met Itai's family yesterday. I really enjoyed their visit!

Streetside Shofar Serenade!

So this evening, we're strolling back from a visit to a friends' apartment and these 2 black hat Haredi duds with the long beards (and can I tell you it's 90' F here at 7pm, I kid you not) walk by us and ask if we've had the privilege of hearing the shofar (ram's horn) blow (it's like a good deed to hear it blown on rosh hashanah)... anyway, so we said no, and then the dude plops a yamulke on my dad's head and makes him recite a couple of prayers and then proceeds to perform a sidewalk shofar serenade for like five full minutes with his eyes closed, and I mean really blowing that thing till he's red in the face (can I hear an amen? Tikiyah Gidola - Google THAT!!)... I'm looking at my mom like OMG, should I laugh or be scared or be impressed, and she's refusing to look at me b/c she doesn't want to crack up... anyway, it was broad daylight on a surburb street and then the guy simpled finished and we both went on our ways!! Wow, that's bizarre, eh? Unless you live on NYC's lower east side...

Happy New Year!

Today is Rosh Hashanah, Jewish new year. Our friends Anat and Itzik and Ilai invited us to Anat's mom Hani's house for a big family dinner... it was all set up outside in the yard and was very beautiful. They were so sweet, they picked us up and drove us there, and wanted to make sure that we would not be alone on the holiday.

There were lots of kids and family, and everyone was super nice! It was baby Ilai's 1st birthday just that week, so we also celebrated that together.

Ilai in a birthday crown of flowers with his great grandmother who survived the Holocaust.

Anat gave me and Ben these pretty silver decorative apples that were filled with sparkling honey candy. Gosh, they were all so nice, treated us like family, and the party was fun and there was a ton of food. I liked the lemon grass tea and the desserts.

BOOK REPORT - ALICE IN WONDERLAND

In the story Alice in Wonderland, there is Alice. She is a kind, young girl with a mind of her own. There is the White Rabbit, who is always late; the Mad Hatter, who can't keep time; the Cheshire Cat, the Duchess's grinning cat who tends to disappear; the March Hare, who's the host of the Mad Tea Party; the Queen, who rules the croquet game (and people's heads); and the Caterpiller, who's a mushroom sitter who gives advice.

The first event in the story was that Alice chased the White Rabbit right down the rabbit hold. Then, she finds a talking, advice-giving caterpiller. Next, she finds the Duchess's house and has a rude conversation there. After that, she finds herself in the middle of a mad team party hosted by the March Hare. Then she went to a harshly played croquet game. Finally, she went to court where she yeled, got attacked and woke up! Was it all a dream?

The places the story takes place include the river bank (at the beginning of the story), on a mushroom, the Duchess's house, the March Hare's front yard, the Queen's lawn, and the court.

I recommend this book to people who like fantasy and adventure.

I Wish!

Today, the kids at school thought that my dad was Bill Gates! Then, they asked me, "You millionaire?" "No." "Then, you billionaire?"

I wish!

Walkin' Home

Today as I walked home from school, I felt a ‘plop.’ I didn’t know what it was so I kept on walking. A couple of minutes later, my mom said, “Caleb, what’s that on your arm?” I looked, OMG! A bird had pooped on me! My mom says it’s good luck to get pooped on by a bird, especially in the Holy Land!

(This is not really me - just a graphic to make my point!)

BOOK REPORT - DOCTOR DOLITTLE

Dr. Dolittle is a kind and clever animal doctor from England. Therefore, he has many pets. Some of his pets are: Polynesia (the doctor’s parrot), Teacher (the crocodile who lives – in peace – in the doctor’s fish pond), Chee-Chee (the monkey who knows his way around Africa) and Jip (the dog who can sniff out anything).

The main problems in the story are the monkeys in Africa are very sick and the doctor has no money to travel there. They find a boat, given to them by a friend, and sail to Africa. After they cure the monkeys, they get a ship from Prince Bumpo in return for a trip for him. They then, unfortunately, ran into pirates. After a while, they finally defeated the pirates. As they boarded the pirates’ ship, they found a kid locked up. He said he lost his uncle to the pirates. The doctor then said he would find the boy’s uncle. After they found his uncle, they sailed to the uncle and the boy’s home. Finally they went home themselves.


The places the events took place included Puddleby-on-the-Marsh, Africa, the ocean, Rock Island, and the Barbary Bay.
That was my book report.

Havdalah Mishap!

At the end of the day on Saturday, we tried to have our very first family Havdalah but Dad/I couldn't get the candle to light with all the wind:

So we abandoned the idea and played on the promenade instead - until Ben caught me off guard with a left kick, OW!, below!

First Family Shabbat

Today was our first Shabbat together as a foursome - it was awesome!

Friday night, we had a nice dinner overlooking the sunset over the sea... it was too much for Ben, he passed out!

Saturday was a lazy beach day with some cold drinks by the sea:

Earth Day

Today we had Earth Day at my school - no classes, everyone spent the day outside doing science and nature activities.  We learned about conserving water.  We learned which is better: paper or plastic, and stuff like that. 

For more info, write me with questions or comments.

First Day of School!

I walked into that classroom crying (in a bad way) but I came out happy as a clam! For more details, write me with questions or comments.