L'hitraot to Jerusalem

Today was our last day in Jerusalem. True to form the situation in Gaza flared up with over 100 rockets flying out to Israel over the past two nights. Last night even in Jerusalem we were once more in the shelter. The tonight, our last night in this amazing city Hamas warned that flights out of Ben Gurion Airport as of 6am are in danger. Our flight leaves at 1:45pm...long enough to assess the situation on the ground.

Meanwhile, we ordered our Sherut to the airport for a 10am pickup tomorrow right outside our apartment at Shatz and Shmuel Nagid in Jerusalem. This has been a great location for us. Close to all our favourite places and a short 20 minute walk to school. We had no real obligations on our last day here. We walked to school to bid farewell to some of our teachers. Here we are with Professor David Ilan...our own Indiana Jones...who has taken us on several archeology adventures while we have been here. We are very grateful for our learning with him.

 Next we wanted to use the Jerusalem light rail system. Whereas previously we had taken it a few times just to the Central Bus Station, today we jumped on board and rode over the big white bridge in Jerusalem and to the end of the line, which is at Mount Herzl. At this location there is a tremendous view of the En Kerem neighbourhood, the Jerusalem Forest and more. Har Herzl is a cemetery of great import. This peaceful location is next to the campus of Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial and education centre. The cemetery is maintained by the World Zionist Organization and at its centre is the Kever of Theodore Herzl, the father of Zionism. Also here lay the national leaders of Israel, such as Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin and many others. Missing only is David Ben Gurion, who is buried in the Negev at Sde Boker. Amidst this peaceful parklike cemetery are groups of graves for various soldier groups, paratroopers, different brigades, and soldiers who died on various missions. It is moving and sombre to walk these pathways and acknowledge and deeply feel the sacrifices for the freedom of this country. In the distance we can hear fighter jets and we know they are headed south to deal with the situation in Gaza.

We take the train back to our neighbourhood. All in all a wonderful last day in Jerusalem. We do not know how flights will work tomorrow at Ben Gurion Airport. Every day has been a new adventure, requiring patience and understanding and lizrom, hebrew for flow...or going with the flow. That is the best advice we received about living in Israel for the summer. I am, of course, excited and happy about seeing my loved ones tomorrow night, but I am sad to leave this extraordinary place. Jerusalem, you have moved me and brought me closer to your heart and I will not forget you!

A View From the Hammock

Recently we were in Tsefat, Tsafat, Sefad, Sefat, Safat, Safad...for a Shabbat. We rented a car and three of us gals in the Cantorial Certification program took to the road. Our trip took us southeast to Jericho and north up the Jordan Valley. Boy was it hot! The Jordan Valley route separates Israel from Jordan along the Afro-Sryian rift...two tectonic plates that never really made friends. The terrain is desert like...especially in the summer. As we travelled north the two and a half hours it took to reach the Kinneret/Galil, we noticed several things; date palm groves (with the dates bagged on the tree), banana groves under burlap awnings, the Jordan River valley's fertile ground which appears to be utilized by Jordan, since there were border fences all along the route preventing us from getting near the river, and LOTS of the following graffiti.

Na...Nach...Nachma...Nachman...M'uman (in hebrew letters of course!)

What is this strange graffiti we find everywhere? Apparently it is a special string of words with a mystical meaning:

Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman (Hebrew: נַ נַחְ נַחְמָ נַחְמָן מְאוּמַן‎) is a Hebrew language name and song used by a subgroup of Breslover Hasidim colloquially known as the Na Nachs. The complete phrase is Na Nach Nachma Nachman Me'uman. It is a kabbalistic formula ^[1] based on the four Hebrew letters of the name Nachman, referring to the founder of the Breslov movement, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, along with a reference to his burial place in Uman, Ukraine.
~Wikipedia
You can read more about this popular string of words online, and the Na Nachs are an interesting group in Israel. Their head covering is a white knitted cap bearing the Na..Nach...words, as in the picture. Na Nachs are thought of kind of like religious hippies here. The magical words originated on a note allegedly written by  Nachman of Breslov. 
The note is here on the right.



When we arrived at Tsafat (choose your own spelling) we were blessed to stay at a childhood friend of Alisa's. Ricki and her husband, Dubi run a B&B in Tsafat called the:
SAFED INN. It was a wonderful oasis in our time in Israel. Ricki and Dubi made us feel completely at home. Ricki is a spectacular cook, making her own cheeses, jams and liqueurs from their garden. I can't even begin to describe how wonderful the food was a the Ruckensteins Safed Inn!
The old city of Safed is a delight to explore. Hundreds of years of mystics, Kabbalist Rabbis have studied and taught here. Their graves are pilgrimages to thousands. The Thursday evening and friday we were there was the yahrzeit of Ha Ari, known as Isaac (ben Solomon) Luria Ashkenazi (1534 – July 25, 1572). Lots of pilgrims are in town to sit at the grave. 

On Friday we three explored the old city of Safed. It is a charming and enchanting place of artist studios, small synagogues. Here are some of the sights that drew my attention.

The engraving of the city name on the garbage receptacles.











An old city alley way.

A Safed cat with two kittens.

View inside an interesting sculpture shop.









Self portrait in shadow.

 Safed Candle Shop...gorgeous multicoloured candles. 

 View down towards the gravesites of famous Safed Rabbis.

Beautiful stained glass synagogue doors.

Beautiful window.

Stained glass window featuring the Sephirot.

Street scene.

Saying affixed to a wall in the street.

Directions to one of my favourite artists, David Friedman.

Alley view with afternoon sun.

David Friedman's studio.

My friends, Alisa and Laurie taking in the view.

 Bar Yochai Street...just cool!

Sunsets on the old city of Safed.












All in all it was a magical Shabbat in Safad...no matter how you spell it. I waited a long time in my life to be able to visit this amazing place and I hope to return one day soon!