Blogs from Haifa District, Israel, Middle East - page 17

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Middle East » Israel » Haifa District » Haifa April 22nd 2006

Early in the morning today I went back to routine. Classes are up and running. It might be a bit difficult to adjust back to school after a wonderful Passover vacation. For the first few days of break, I had a seminar with the Carmel group in Jerusalem that focused on tensions, or clashes, that are woven into and throughout this country. The goal was to visit places that represented challenges in Israel and to experience those challenges head-on. Our first stop was at a village called Neveh Shalom in Hebrew, Wahat AlSalaam in Arabic, or Oasis of Peace in English. It was established jointly by Jews and Palestinian Arabs of Israeli citizenship and engages in a bilingual lifestyle of education and work towards peace, equality, and understanding between the two peoples. From there we visited ... read more
Kibbutz Lotan
Kibbutz Lotan
Kibbutz Lotan

Middle East » Israel » Haifa District » Haifa April 2nd 2006

April has begun and it is bringing with it lovely weather. Life here in Haifa has been continuing one day at a time as it has been all year long, and March was a month full of goodies! A few weeks ago we celebrated Purim--a holiday of rememberance and joy. The evening of Purim we dressed up and went to Beit Knesset Ohel Avraham for the reading of the Megillah, or scroll. Our group participated in the service. We read and acted out one of the chapters of the story. It was quite a performance! Later that night I went to a party and concert hosted by the Student Union of the University of Haifa. It was held at a convention center in the city. There was loud music and lots of dancing. My favorite part ... read more
Purim!
Purim!
Purim!

Middle East » Israel » Haifa District » Haifa March 11th 2006

The weeks are passing by very quickly here--I can't believe that it's already the middle of March. A week or so ago, my six-month anniversary since my arrival in Israel passed. It's unbelievable! The second semester is going well. I am liking my classes--Hebrew, Arabic, Rabbinic Literature, Literature of the Shoah, and Intro to Special Education. They're all interesting and challenging in different ways. Two Thursdays ago I saw a fantastic Israeli film here at the dorms called, "The Syrian Bride." It takes place in an Arab town in Northern Israel close to the Syrian border and grapples with the question of land owndership and the dividing of communities. I would highly recommend it. I spent last weekend in Akko with a friend of mine from my last trip to Israel. She's also in Israel for ... read more

Middle East » Israel » Haifa District » Haifa February 20th 2006

Kibbutz Lotan is a very special place, and over the past month it became an important part of me. Throughout the month, as a group we spent most of our mornings working on our project--an "Insect Safari." We built a large wall with date palm branches, mud, and hay that eventually will be the perimeter to some sort of learning exhibit about insects. In the afternoons we learned about ecology, global awareness, Progressive Judaism, and all sorts of other things. The sessions were engaging and inspiring. We spent the rest of our time reading, writing, thinking, relaxing, playing outside with Kibbutz kids, and visiting with Kibbutz members. The community on Lotan was warm and loving, and welcomed us with open arms. We also traveled around the area quite a bit, with one of the Kibbutz members ... read more
Kibbutz Lotan
Kibbutz Lotan
Kibbutz Lotan

Middle East » Israel » Haifa District » Haifa January 9th 2006

Well, EVERYBODY woke up late today. We ate cake and oranges for breakfast, and putzed around for most of the morning. The kids worked on an "always 15" math puzzle for a while, then eventually figured out how to work the TV, and watched Nickelodeon with Hebrew subtitles. Around Noon, we all drove north to Rosh Hanikra, right at the border with Lebanon. There are amazing white cliffs with a great view down the coast--we could see all the way back to Haifa. After taking in the the view, we took the cable car down to the park area. As with most places in Israel, it has a checkered past, but it is currently a national park, with a protected breeding ground for green sea turtles, and a nice tourism area. The sea has worn away ... read more
At the border of Lebanon
The cable car
Jim and Sammi

Middle East » Israel » Haifa District » Haifa December 23rd 2005

Finals begin in three days, and I am not yet ready, but still, I have now found a bit of time to talk about the past few weeks. Three weeks ago, I traveled north to the Golan with Ilana. She has family friends at Kibbutz Alumote, and they more than happily hosted us for the weekend. We ate a lot, walked a lot, and relaxed. We had a great time simply being out and about exploring new terrain. Last weekend, we took a group trip to Jerusalem. We didn't do much, which was actually very nice. We went to Shabbat services at Kol HaNshema, walked around (although it was a bit rainy), and did some end of the semester reflection. This morning I went on a mandatory trip for my history class to the Galilee. We ... read more
Kibbutz Alumote
Kibbutz Alumote
Kibbutz Alumote

Middle East » Israel » Haifa District » Haifa December 8th 2005

Midterms thankfully ended on Wednesday November 23, and also thankfully, I got through them with more or less enough sleep and not too much stress. I woke up early on Thursday and quickly filled my birthday with a lot of activity. The morning was dedicated to administration--the post office, bank, and library. That evening, the overseas department put together an international Thanksgiving dinner for all of the overseas students. They served turkey right along side middle eastern salads. Ilana, another Carmellie, stood up and said she was thankful that I had been born and requested that everybody sing. It was a bit silly, but also really nice. Afterwards, I went out with some friends for the best ice cream in Haifa to celebrate. The next morning I left Haifa for Kibbutz Nativ HaLamedHey, which is close ... read more
Birthday Ice cream
EIE Get-Together
EIE Get-Together

Middle East » Israel » Haifa District » Haifa November 21st 2005

These past couple of weeks have been very busy. I began volunteering two weeks ago with an after school program for teenagers with Autism. I am volunteering for six hours per week. With the students I swim, play on the computer, do arts and crafts, and just hang around. It's quite a challenge, but also interesting. On Saturday night, November 12, I went to Tel Aviv for a peace rally commemorating the 10th anniversary of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. Rabin was not only Prime Minister of Israel, he was also involved in nearly every face of the country's development. Every square inch of the street on which the ceremony took place was filled with people, the majority of whom were youth. In addition to several Israeli politicians and musicians, Bill Clinton also spoke. I am ... read more
The Rabin Rally
The Rabin Rally
The Rabin Rally

Middle East » Israel » Haifa District » Haifa November 4th 2005

Last Sunday the campus at University of Haifa changed drastically from being nearly empty and occupied only by overseas students to being filled from wall to wall by 15,000 students in total. The hallways, elevators, and even outdoor grassy areas are crowded all the time. It's unbelievable. All of the sudden there is noise and activity. It's nice to finally feel a part of a university atmosphere. I am going to be a part of a dialogue group made up of 10 overseas students and 10 Israelis. We'll meet once a week, speak half in Hebrew and half in English, and talk about who knows what. It should be interesting. I'm also looking into joining club swimming--we'll see if that works out. Sunday, I visited Jerusalem with the rest of the Carmel group. We visited the ... read more
The Old City of Jerusalem
The Old City of Jerusalem
The Old City of Jerusalem

Middle East » Israel » Haifa District » Haifa October 20th 2005

I am still on vacation from classes due to all the holidays, but the start of the regular school year is nearing. Last week, I spent Yom Kippur at the local progressive synagogue, Ohel Avraham. We ate our last meal before the fast there around 4pm and then went to Kol Nidre services. We slept overnight at the syngagogue, or actually, on the grass outside, because there was no way for us to commute back to the University--during the holiday there were no transportation services available. I spent most of Yom Kippur in services and finally broke the fast at the synagogue around 6 in the evening. The day before Sukkot, we built a sukkah on campus. We got permission to take wood from a nearby construction site and a university contractor lent us a couple ... read more
Out for Coffee
Out for Coffee
Making Sukkah Decorations




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