- five of those 32 are in my exact cohort of first year Cantorial Certification students (hereinafter known as CCerts)
- six of those 32 are in the previous cohort of the CCert program and therefore are halfway through their studies already
- the remaining 21 students (by far skewed much younger than us) are in the first year of either the Rabbinic program or the Cantorial program
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| Left to Right: Adam Davis, Cantor Ellen Dreskin, Sarene Apelbaum, Lori Shapio, Rabbi Aaron Panken, Alisa Fineman Rachel Kalmovitz, Neil Michaels, Sheera Ben-David Rachel Reef-Simpson, Adam Kahan, Laurie Weinstein, ME:), ?, ?, Harriet D., ? |
Monday, July 7th
Today began with T'filah and a Torah service led by the summer interns. The summer interns at HUC in Jerusalem are fifth year Rabbinic and Cantorial students who apply and are selected to work on campus in Jerusalem. This summer we have two Amandas...almost Rabbi Amanda and almost Cantor Amanda. We also have Udi, who is an Israeli Rabbinic student at HUC. I am not used to weekday davening and the nusach or melody of prayers is very different, something I need to learn. I also learned that when we chant Nissim B'chol Yom on Shabbat morning at Temple Anshe Sholom we have been using the weekday nusach *gasp* instead of the Shabbat nusach. Well...that was the only nusach of the weekday service I DID know:) Clearly there is LOTS to learn!
After the service we all walked across the campus to the president's apartment. The president of HUC-JIR is new to the position. The previous president Rabbi Dave Ellison was a beloved teacher of my husband, Rabbi Jordan. The apartment on campus is made available to the president whenever he is in Jerusalem. Of course, he visits all the campuses and happens to be in Israel this summer with us. We gather in the apartment and file along a long table to collect a plate of yummy bagels, smears and veggies, coffee, cakes and fruit. We gather in the very large living room and Rabbi Aaron Panken, the new president of HUC, begins to speak. It is a lovely talk framing the year in Israel directed mostly at the 21 students who will remain here all year long. We appreciate the advice as well though. We are told; get out and experience different forms of Jewish worship, talk with Israelis, meet with Israeli Arabs and talk about their lives, soak in the country as much as you can.
By Tuesday evening though everything changed to a great degree. For the first time sirens rang out in Jerusalem and we all hurried to the bomb shelters. In hotels, there is always a Miklat (bomb shelter) in the basement (ours doubled as a workout room). In apartment building there may be a Milat, and if you do not have one you are to rush to a room in your apartment or house that has no windows. If you are in the street in transit you go into a building in the stairwell. If you are in a car you get out and lay on the ground belly down with hands over your head. After ten minutes the threat is over (if the siren is not sounding) and you can resume your activity.
Our experience was in our hotel (the Prima Royale) and as the siren began there was also an announcement that came through speakers throughout the hotel that we should proceed on the stairs to the basement. We did and, along with the other residents, gathered for about 20 minutes in the Miklat. I can truly say that friendships are made in Bomb Shelters. We try to stay calm and be positive for each other. We chat and get to know each other. We never forget with whom we spent those 10 to 20 minutes!
Wednesday, July 9th
Our program director, Cantor Ellen Dreskin, leads morning T'filah. It is a beautiful service of melodies and contemplative tunes. After the service our security team briefs us on last night's bombings and what is happening in the escalation of military activity.
A special happening...we have a Biblical History field trip today with Dr. David Ilan. We board a tour bus and travel to Haas Promenade. The view is the classic postcard view of Israel (sometimes in winter with snow).
Dr. David Ilan helped us orient ourselves to the view we have and what directions we are looking. Our goal today is to view Jerusalem from the four directions. Here at Haas Promenade the view we have shows us the Temple Mount, the Kidron Valley, the City of David, the Mount of Olives (to name a few). A short walk from this view brings us to a tunnel vent to the Roman aqueducts. Dr. Ilan explains the technology of the Roman aqueducts (lower and upper) to bring water to Jerusalem. I am fascinated by this information!
We travel next to Ramat Rachel. This area is just south west of Jerusalem. Ramat Rachel is a kibbutz. We stop first beside the kibbutz at a park area with a landscape art installation. It is fascinating. Three tall pillars and on top of each is a live olive tree. The roots of the three trees atop the pillars intertwine with the other trees. The symbolism of the art is of the three Abramhic faiths.
Beyond this moving and living sculpture is an edge of a cliff with a view of the land South West Israeli. It is beside Kibbutz Ramat Rachel. At Kibbutz Ramat Rachel there is a hotel with sports facilities and lovely gardens. They are surrounding by groves of olive trees and cherry trees. Just beyond the Kibbutz hotel through the parking lot, Dr. Ilan leads us to an archeological site.
Here just north of Jerusalem, high on a hill, a palace was built. Later in Byzantine times the site was used as an olive oil processing plant. We learned what identified the site as originally being a palace were the distinctive pre-ionic capital stones. There are 4 of these found on the site. They are the pre-cursor form of the ionic capitals later found in Roman and Greek architecture. We learned that the stylized pattern on the capital at the palace at Ramat Rachel is of a date palm, the classic symbol of the area. One theory is that this palace was of the Kings of Judah. Another more recent theory is that Assyrian usurpers built the palace to rule over Jerusalem (there are great views from this hill of the area all around and of the Patriarchs highway which was the established travelling route up to Jerusalem in ancient times).
Later in the week we receive our results from the Hebrew and Biblical History Placement tests. I am thrilled to be put in Kitah Bet for Hebrew and in the higher level class for Biblical History. Bring on the learning!
By Tuesday evening though everything changed to a great degree. For the first time sirens rang out in Jerusalem and we all hurried to the bomb shelters. In hotels, there is always a Miklat (bomb shelter) in the basement (ours doubled as a workout room). In apartment building there may be a Milat, and if you do not have one you are to rush to a room in your apartment or house that has no windows. If you are in the street in transit you go into a building in the stairwell. If you are in a car you get out and lay on the ground belly down with hands over your head. After ten minutes the threat is over (if the siren is not sounding) and you can resume your activity.
Our experience was in our hotel (the Prima Royale) and as the siren began there was also an announcement that came through speakers throughout the hotel that we should proceed on the stairs to the basement. We did and, along with the other residents, gathered for about 20 minutes in the Miklat. I can truly say that friendships are made in Bomb Shelters. We try to stay calm and be positive for each other. We chat and get to know each other. We never forget with whom we spent those 10 to 20 minutes!
Wednesday, July 9th
Our program director, Cantor Ellen Dreskin, leads morning T'filah. It is a beautiful service of melodies and contemplative tunes. After the service our security team briefs us on last night's bombings and what is happening in the escalation of military activity.
A special happening...we have a Biblical History field trip today with Dr. David Ilan. We board a tour bus and travel to Haas Promenade. The view is the classic postcard view of Israel (sometimes in winter with snow).
 |
| View of Jerusalem from Haas Promenade |
We travel next to Ramat Rachel. This area is just south west of Jerusalem. Ramat Rachel is a kibbutz. We stop first beside the kibbutz at a park area with a landscape art installation. It is fascinating. Three tall pillars and on top of each is a live olive tree. The roots of the three trees atop the pillars intertwine with the other trees. The symbolism of the art is of the three Abramhic faiths.
 |
| Three faiths from Abraham |
Beyond this moving and living sculpture is an edge of a cliff with a view of the land South West Israeli. It is beside Kibbutz Ramat Rachel. At Kibbutz Ramat Rachel there is a hotel with sports facilities and lovely gardens. They are surrounding by groves of olive trees and cherry trees. Just beyond the Kibbutz hotel through the parking lot, Dr. Ilan leads us to an archeological site.
 |
| Kibbutz Hotel at Ramat Rachel |
Here just north of Jerusalem, high on a hill, a palace was built. Later in Byzantine times the site was used as an olive oil processing plant. We learned what identified the site as originally being a palace were the distinctive pre-ionic capital stones. There are 4 of these found on the site. They are the pre-cursor form of the ionic capitals later found in Roman and Greek architecture. We learned that the stylized pattern on the capital at the palace at Ramat Rachel is of a date palm, the classic symbol of the area. One theory is that this palace was of the Kings of Judah. Another more recent theory is that Assyrian usurpers built the palace to rule over Jerusalem (there are great views from this hill of the area all around and of the Patriarchs highway which was the established travelling route up to Jerusalem in ancient times).
 |
| Pre-ionic Capitals |
Later in the week we receive our results from the Hebrew and Biblical History Placement tests. I am thrilled to be put in Kitah Bet for Hebrew and in the higher level class for Biblical History. Bring on the learning!
Glad you are enjoying yourself...Love you
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