As Gertrud Nelson wisely commented last week, winter and spring are the same thing here. So as autumn deepens, I had to turn on my heat this week. The markets are full of permissions, pears and purple grapes. And at the same time, the flower stands are full of cyclamens and anemones - my favorite flowers! This week I also had occasion to reflect again that one of the incredible things about living in Jerusalem is that even a so-called normal, uneventful week is actually filled with so many astonishing opportunities both in and out of the classroom! Living This Tuesday [View Full Entry]

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A sunny week and all the northern slopes are suddenly green with fresh grass - even the Judean Desert in the distance is misty greenish. And yet, the trees on the street are all losing their leaves in dry, brown heaps; only the vines on the sides of some of the houses are vivid red. Today we've seen bursts of rain and it's supposed to continue off and on all week. It's Jerusalem late autumn! I'm still processing my visit to Hebron last week, but I wanted to share with you a much more light-hearted trip and some of the topics [View Full Entry]

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Winter made its presence known this week; it rained hard for four or five days and I pulled out my sweaters and coat. I spent Shabbat with my friend Tamar and her family north of Tel Aviv and in between downpours we walked along the beach so I could stock up on fresh salty air and the sound and surge of the waves. We even made it down to Jaffa, a charming, ancient port city where Jews and Palestinians live together relatively harmoniously. Which brings me to my main theme for the day. But first, my disclaimer: There are obviously as [View Full Entry]

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It rained a little today - just enough to make the plastic chairs on the balcony dirty. We are hoping for more rain this weekend; the Southern Californians will understand the importance of the beginning of the rainy season! For all you foodies out there (and there are plenty of you, judging from the happy comments about the food photos last week), it is also the beginning of the Krembo season, an odd "delicacy" that has been compared to a mix between a twinkie and a s'more that is only available during the winter. (For more information, check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krembo) [View Full Entry]

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Jerusalem has forgotten that we are a month into autumn; it has been sweltering all week! I have enough reading to do that I could sit and study all day, but there is so much going on! I had to venture out to sample ideas and food. Living This week the President of Israel, Shimon Peres, hosted an international conference, bringing together thinkers from all over the world, to explore new ideas and possible directions for Israel and the Jewish people. I finagled an invitation as a Jerusalem Fellow and attended two amazing sessions. One session was exploring issues of Jewish [View Full Entry]

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If you work in the Jewish community, you know that really, everything starts "after the holidays." Surprisingly, this year for me is no different. Sukkot is over, garbage cans are over-flowing with dried-out palm fronds and even lulovs, everyone is back from vacation and back to work! Living I think the time has come to marvel at the bus system here in Jerusalem. It is like a six day a week roller-coaster ride but without the seatbelts. You cannot say that busses here drive down the street. They hurtle! And most mysteriously, there is no official bus map. If you [View Full Entry]

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No, it's not snowing and there are no Santa Clauses running around. But there are some surprising similarities between Christmas and Sukkot here in Jerusalem. But first: A few political thoughts Some of you may have read about the rising tensions around the Temple Mount in the Old City. This is not the forum in which I want to go into my political views on the issues (I'm happy to do that on an individual basis), but I do want to share with you a little about what the political tension feels like. The odd thing is that, even living in [View Full Entry]

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Every so often, I have to stop and just marvel that here I am, in Jerusalem! Things happen here that I just can't imagine happening in other places. This week presented several of those moments. Living Yom Kippur was Sunday night and Monday. Adina Wollner, a young San Diego woman who just made aliyah, came to stay with me. It is against the law to drive on Yom Kippur, unless you are 1) an emergency vehicle or 2) exclusively in a non-Jewish neighborhood. That means the streets are just full of kids on bikes, kids on scooters, people wearing white (the [View Full Entry]

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Shanah tovah to all! It is definitely moving into fall, at least up here in Jerusalem. Last night I put a blanket on my bed and the acorns are starting to drop. (Who knew there were oak trees in Jerusalem?!) Living I spent my Rosh Hashanah with my friend Tamar, her husband, Eric, and their extended family, who all live just north of Tel Aviv. I must confess I had been feeling a little homesick (ok, more than a little!) with the arrival of the holiday, but I quickly was put to work cooking and getting ready! Best possible antidote! We [View Full Entry]

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The weather is starting to change here: odd, unsettled days with heat and wind that carries fine, fine sand, and then chilly nights. The equinox will be next week, right in between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. So my main theme today is up-coming holidays! Living It is so much fun watching people get ready for Rosh Hashanah, which begins Friday night, and all the holidays that follow! The stores are full of gift baskets (Rosh Hashanah is a gift-giving holiday here in Israel), things to make the table look beautiful, pomegranates of all kinds, both real (as in to eat) [View Full Entry]

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