Tel Aviv to Jerusalem

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Anywhoo day 2 in Israel:
Chilled at Ariel's house most of the day. He had to finish working at the Peruvian consulate (he's Israeli and Peruvian remember) but work took a little longer than expected .... meaning he was supposed to come home around 4pm and really came home at 10pm. To make it up to me, we went out to a fancy resturaunt and then a nice hooka place. It really felt like an Israeli place when we had to take off our shoes and sat on the floor. We had chumus and nana tea. It was really funny how much American music they played. I felt right at home.

Day 3 in Israel:
Ariel drove me to Jerusalem in the morning and dropped me off at my sister Sarah's school (Baer Miriam) in Har Nof. She's a madricha (counselor) this year so her girls got a kick that we are sisters. Some thought we looked identical. Others thought we look nothing alike. I tried convincing them that she was the adopted one or that she looked like the mailman or that the aliens left her and we had compassion so we took her in... I don't think they bought any of it. Oh well.

Spent the day looking for a place to spend Shabbat since Sarah was going on a Shabbaton and I didn't want to spend my first shabbat in Israel alone. Ended up staying at Neve with her friend Shoshana Dishinger. Really I roomed with the coolest girl Elianna Amzallag (who is from Encino and a really great singer / BT)

I just have to say the Jewish community rocks … I show up not knowing anyone but my sis and end up eating and staying at random people’s houses who open up their doors to a perfect stranger. I love being Jewish.

I ended up eating at the Lipman family Friday night and it turns out I went to school with the wife … Tamar Streicher at YULA. Turns out she’s a year younger than me and got married last year. Now she has a 3-month-old baby. That was quick. She met her husband in YULA (they were both yearbook editors) and were in love ever since. When she came to Israel to study for the year, they never really left. Very cute couple. Both are short so her daughter is in the 1% of the shortest Israeli population. It was a mini-me family.

Got home to find the lights in my room on… I thought we turned them off so we would be able to sleep on Shabbat. Then I looked at the wall and saw that my cell phone charger was on the floor. I thought funny … I thought I put it to charge. Then it dawned on me I WAS ROBBED. They took my wallet, camera and cell phone … What a welcome present to Jerusalem.

The thief was at least a nice thief because he left my passport, camera memory card, and they eventually found my wallet in the garbage at the yeshiva located at the top of Har Nof (guess he left it there after he broke into that place as well). He also left Elianna’s poem/song book she had in her wallet.

I kept thinking it could be worse … at least we were safe. I just didn’t expect to get robbed while eating Friday night dinner. Bummer. Guess it was a kapara (atonement) for something. Trying to stay positive here. I also really bonded with Elianna over this traumatizing experience. I couldn’t have asked for a better roomie.

I cooled down by joining the Israeli girls Shabbaton and beefed up on my Hebrew. It was really nice since it was 2 girl’s Shabbat Kallah (they are getting married later this week). It was a real compliment when the Israelis thought I was Israeli till I told them I was American.

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