megashields

I was very interested in the theoretical and practical underpinnings of kibbutz culture even before coming to Israel. My favorite high school teacher, Mr. Trodd used to call me "Commi", so maybe my left-ward leanings have cultivated this interest. Yotam and his entire family are kibbutznikiem (kibbutznik being a person from a kibbutz, add "iem" for pluralization) so coming here to the Jordan Valley, which hosts many kibbutziem of varying stature and success has been an extremely educational experience. A kibbutz by traditional definition is a communal settlement. I think they are found only in Israel, and in Jewish communities elsewhere, although it should be stressed that these communities (from what I've seen anyhow) are not intrinsically identifiable by their Jewishness. In fact, in the kibbutziem I've been to, there is a staunch secularism that prevails, ... read more

Here in Israel, there are security check points EVERYWHERE. Not manned by police or military, just security dudes with handguns. But they are literally everywhere (grocery stores, IKEA, movie theatres etc.) Paranoia is God here. So this weekend on our Dead Sea vacation, we were coming back to the hotel from a hike in the desert, and while going through security with the car, everyone was being asked to open their trunks. I was driving, so when we pulled up I obliged, and the guy checked. Then this other guy came to the window, stuck his head in and flashed a police badge. Starts talking to me in Hebrew, and I had no idea what was going on. Yotam passes him the car registration (we had taken his father's car for the trip) and then the ... read more

One can come to be used to new circumstances at an alarming speed. I have experienced this phenomenon on more than one occasion, and find it to be a theme running through my current travels as well. Where I currently reside, in Poriyya Illit on the south-western slopes above the Kinneret, the feeling is one of quiet, relaxed solitude. Unlike in the kibbutziem where the collective is the priority and I think you would be hard-pressed to ever feel alone, in this hilltop village people live in detached homes, behind gates and fences and more or less mind their own business without too much interaction with the rest of the 'community.' Despite my description, I have not in any way found this place to be lonely (yet... I reserve the right to alter this statement in ... read more

It is amazing how in any given moment time can feel as though it is crawling by, but when you stop to look back, a whole week has passed. And this is where I presently find myself. I arrived in Israel at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv at 2:30am local time on Feb. 14/09. After a near eternity of traveling, it was glorious to be somewhere permanently, even if it did mean facing Israeli immigration. Being a bit of a worrywart by nature, I had spent a fair amount of time trying to conceive of every possible question that could be asked, along with the appropriate range of potential responses. However, about a week before departure I decided to abandon all worry and instead projected the image of myself walking out of the airport with ... read more

I have postponed writing so many times during this current adventure due to my complete lack of commitment to spending time on the computer. A dearth of high-speed internet has certainly contributed to this less than diligent approach to recounting my travels, but I must admit that I have been more attracted to living, than writing about it. This being said, I am now in a perfectly banal suburb of Vancouver, with high-speed wireless (drool) and am finding myself reminiscing on some of the life-changing experiences fortune has delivered to me, and thought I'd might share a few here. Where to begin.... from somewhere near the beginning seems appropriate. After five days on the road, Yotam and I landed in the craziest festival in the Kootaneys; Shambhala. We entered this wonderland outside of Salmo, BC by ... read more