Look at Us! We're Social!

We're typing the blog together!

Time is flying...August 3rd marked two months of being married! It's hard to believe time has gone by so quickly. But, in the meantime, SO MUCH has happened. With classes in full swing, we are starting to really see what our life will be like for the next year. We will be busy, but there will be lots of fun to be had, lots of learning to do, and lots of new experiences to partake in. With that in mind, here is an update on the last two weeks!

July 25: After spending a week and a half learning new words, a lot of grammar, and all of the nitty-gritty details of verb conjugation, it was time for Jason's first Ulpan test (and first test for a grade since college!). Thankfully, fire and brimstone did not reign down from the sky, and he survived the examination in one piece. After classes ended, Jason met up with the BYOT (Bring Your Own Torah) group and studied the weekly parsha. Meanwhile, Gavi went on a tour of the Musrara neighborhood of Jerusalem with CY as part of her "walking tours" class.

That night, we met up with Gavi's cousin Anya in the shuk for some delicious pasta and to have some family catch-up time. Afterwards, we met up with a Sam L., a friend from D.C., at Babette's for glorious waffles of deliciousness. Holy moly. We decided to go for a digestion-walk and took him for a walk through the very posh/American-European Mamila Mall which happens to pop you out right at the Jaffa Gate. A very strange melding of two worlds, but still a lovely view at night. It was wonderful to have a fun (and of course tasty) evening with family and friends to share our adventures and hear about their exciting journeys as well!

July 26: Jason's Biblical History classes' Thursday field trip was to the Israel Museum to go through archaeological findings from the Bronze Age (which ranges from 3500-2000BCE, the period where the Tanach says the Israelites sojourned to and eventually escaped from Egypt). There were a LOT of notes to take, so, naturally, there are mostly illegible.

Great gift from our cousins Yoni & Revital!

Before the field trip, there was a session with Rabbi Michael Marmur, HUC's Vice President for Academic Affairs, on "Why History Matters." There was a conversation about the range of Jewish history and the importance of understanding the development of Jewish events, peoples, and changing theologies as well as how they intersect with major changes happening in the world around us. It is quite likely this program may be making a re-appearance in a pulpit or youth group near you.

When Gavi got home from class, cousin Yoni (the one who works down the street from our apartment) came to say hello and drop of a super helpful wedding/welcome present: Hebrew-English stickers! We hope that next year's residents in our apartment don't mind having everything labeled. Thanks Yoni (and his beautiful wife Revital!).

A Bar Mitzvah classic...Smash Mouth's All-Star!

That night, we went to join HUC for a highly-entertaining karaoke night. It was a funny little bar that was jam-packed full of HUC-niks. Whew. This was quite the day.

July 27: Shabbos! First, our good friend from Brandeis Meredith I. who had been working for the last few weeks in Qatar made a pit stop in her travels to spend a few days with us in Jerusalem! She and Gavi went for some girls'-time at Ben Sira Hummus and Jason braved the Supersol to pick up some Shabbat dinner necessities. We spent the afternoon prepping to have friends over for dinner...12 people! Our largest group ever. Thankfully, we survived the preparations, made what we think was some delicious food and had a really wonderful time. We ate, we talked, we bentsched, we sang. A really lovely Shabbat meal. AND! It was our first-ever meal that we hosted as the Fensters!

July 28: Jason chanted Torah at HUC shacharit (morning) services. Looks like cantillation classes are working. After services we went to have lunch with some CY friends. Then we went to hang out with some HUC people and THEN we came home to eat a pre-fast meal with Meredith before heading to the Old City.

Womens' side of the Kotel

This night started the commemoration of Tisha b'Av (the ninth of the month of Av). It was on this date the 1st Temple was destroyed in 586BCE and the 2nd Temple was destroyed in 70CE. There are a number of other tragedies that tradition teaches occurred on this day and modern history also associates the 9th of Av with many of the tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people. (Commence Jason's interlude:) While mourning the loss of (and praying for the rebuilding of) the Temple does not play a significant role in the theology of the Reform Movement, this is still an important day of reflection, commemoration, and mourning throughout the Jewish world. We struggle to identify with some of the religious framework of the day, but we can still take the opportunity to understand what the day represents and how it can be meaningful to us as Jews in the modern age.

View of the men's side

HUC organized a short program and then gave students the option of a number of different services happening around the city. We opted to go to Kotel, the remaining outer protective wall of the Temple, to see and experience the night there. We eventually made our way to Robinson's Arch and the Masorti Kotel (a section of the Wall excavated more recently where men and women are permitted to pray together). There, a service was held with the chanting of Eicha (Lamentations).

After the service ended, we went back up to the main section of the Kotel to walk around and soak in the experience of being surrounded by people mourning (this is why they call it the Wailing Wall) the destruction of the Temple before heading home for the night.

Overflow from the women's side of the Kotel

When we first arrived at the Kotel shortly after shabbat had ended, the area had a fair number of people, but wasn't packed - Gavi was even able to secure a "prime" spot on the women's side with a chair touching the wall, the first time she was able to get close enough to pray there since we arrived. But as the night progressed, the area around the Kotel became more and more crowded. Even as we were leaving at 11:30PM, there were still large groups of people streaming into the Old City and toward the Wall. It was very interesting to read about the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple while seeing a vibrant community of people coming to mourn in that very spot.

July 29: Tisha b'Av is a fast day, so regularly scheduled classes were canceled. CY put on a special series of lectures and HUC had an adjusted class schedule that focused on commemorating the day. We broke the fast with a group of HUC students and then went for ice cream. We weren't eating that day so our memories are a little fuzzy about the rest of the day's details.

July 30: Monday's are nice...we both have a break in the middle of the day, so we ran home to have lunch together. After classes were over, we decided it was time to give Meredith (who was still staying with us) the true Fenster Jerusalem experience...went to the shuk for rugelach at Marzipan and 10 shekel falafel on the walk back home. The 29th was her last night staying at בת פנסטר, and she opted to stay at a hostel in the Old City to increase her chances of getting to the Temple Mount early in the morning. Gavi walked her to her hostel in the old city, she stayed off of St. Marks Street in the Muslim Quarter.

Meredith and Gavi say their goodbyes on the busy streets of Jerusalem

(Gavi has control of the computer now and will therefore talk in first person). Meredith, being a super savvy world traveler, and a pretty impressive Arabic speaker (she studied in Egypt for her Junior semester abroad) was excited to sleep in the heart of the city. Little did we know how close she would get to the city that night. After only one wrong turn, Meredith and I arrived at her VERY cool hostel built into the Jerusalem stone of a very old building. When she checked in, the nice man at the front desk said, "All the way up to the roof, your bed is the one with a blanket and no luggage on it." What?! Meredith had opted for the "roof" option at the hostel. I walked with her up the narrow stairs of the beautifully old building until we hit the top. We climbed up to the roof where there were  mattresses laid out on the floor and this view (check out the pictures below). I was in shock, not being much of an outdoor kid, that she would be sleeping under the stars of the Old City. The view was amazing and she was surrounded by fellow travelers who had been drawn to the holy city. It was a special moment, seeing my new city through the eyes of young travelers, standing on top of the Old City at night and noticing what draws people here from around the world. They want to be here and feel the city so deeply that they are willing to (or want to, in Meredith's case) sleep on the roof to feel closer to it for the short amount of time they are there. The weight of this place creeps up on me sometimes and then suddenly astonishes me with how little I know and how many layers there are under every surface. I was sad to leave Meredith, having a small taste of Brandeis and DC was quite comforting for a few days, but I was so excited to have been a part of her Israel adventure.

The view from the roof (where Meredith slept that night!)

The inside of Meredith's hostel in the Old City

July 31: Earlier this week Jason brought a guitar home from school and Gavi spent an hour or so after school trying to learn a chord or two. This proved to be both difficult and painful (those strings dig into your fingers REALLY hard!). We have almost a whole year to learn, so maybe we'll make some progress. After Gavi's first guitar encounter, we joined some of Jason's classmates for a DELICIOUS meal at Beit Ticho, a cool restaurant/historical house/museum/jazz venue. We listened to the live band while we ate and drank wine from the buffet (yes, it was all you can eat AND all you can drink for 95 shekel). If you are in Jerusalem on a Tuesday night, we highly recommend it (even though it is dairy), it is also a good place for big groups when the weather is nice

Aug 1: To celebrate the midpoint of the summer session and Ulpan, each of the classes prepared a song to sing and translate for the rest of the students. Jason's class picked "עד לא אהבתי די" (Od Lo Ahavti Dai--"I Haven't Loved Enough"). There was much ruach and dance moves. Needless to say, Kitah Gimmel won. Unfortunately, the video is only on Facebook and we are not tech savvy enough to get it posted here. If we acquire a YouTube link, we will of course share it on the blog.

After school we stayed in and watched the Olympics as we did our Hebrew homework. It was Pam's Birthday (one of Gavi's best friends from Camp) so we skyped and sang happy birthday from across the ocean. She and her fiance, Dave (One of Jason's best friends from Brandies!) just moved into a new apartment in NYC so we traded skype apartment tours of our new places. The internet is a wonderful thing. Getting to hang out with our friends from across the world on a Wednesday night in our home is a true gift. HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAM (and happy belated to Sam (July 4th) and Dana (July 16th) who are also worthy of blog birthday shout outs).

Aug 2: Biblical history is starting to kick in...Jason's class took a tiyul (trip) to Tel Gezer and to the Eretz Yisrael Museum in Tel Aviv. The bus left the campus at 7AM, which is normally not a time that you will see a Fenster functioning like a human being. But! 7AM Israel time just so happens to be Midnight EST, so Jason was able to surprise his unsuspecting brother with a "Happy 25th Birthday!!!" phone call. This will likely be the only time Jason is happy to be awake before 9AM.

Back to the tiyul...It's very exciting to get past the point of just looking at pretty vases and figurines behind the glass and to a place where it is possible to understand the history and significance of the artifacts displayed. There is LOTS of good thinking to do and, hopefully sometime soon, well-formulated thoughts to share on the history of the land and the people who dwelt here.

Thankfully, the latter part of the day took a sharp turn from heady theories of history and archeology. We stopped by the Jerusalem Pride Parade, which marches down the street behind our apartment. It was an honor to be a part of the celebration of gay life and love in Jerusalem. The street was lined with rainbow flags and people from all over the country came in support. It was without a doubt "tamer" than the DC pride parade (which also took place right outside our DC apartment).

Newlyweds drinking wine!

The week after Tisha b'Av, the Israel Museum in Jerusalem (where we went to the Contact Point) holds an Israeli Wine Festival. We went with a few friends and sampled wines, liqueurs, ciders, and even some chocolates from around Israel. It was an incredibly fun night full of lots of laughter and revelry. Then we got tired from being people who go out, so we came home early.
 

View of the Israel Museum's Sculpture Garden (where the festival is held)

August 3: Shabbat AND our two-month-a-versary! We spent the day relaxing and getting ready for Shabbat. Services with HUC were held at Kehilat Har-El, the first Reform synagogue in Jerusalem. The rabbi, the first female rabbi to serve in Jerusalem, lead a short text study with the students before services started. All of the HUC SOs were asked to play a role in the service, so Gavi and Annie F. lit the candles and Ben V. (remember Ben V. from Gavi's trip to the shuk?) said kiddush. Services were nice and it was wonderful to be surrounded by the HUC community to welcome Shabbat.

And after services, we had the pleasure of welcoming some of the CY community to our home. We had a few friends from Gavi's summer classes over for dinner. The food was delicious, the company was friendly and entertaining, and a wonderful Shabbos time was had by all. It's very nice to have a home where we can have people over to relax, celebrate, and sing. Shabbos=good.

August 4: Some people may say that Shabbat is the day of rest...so far Shabbat seems more like the day of "run around and see lots of friends." And while there have not been many Shabbat Sha-naps, it has been very nice to spend Shabbat surrounded by friends (and, of course, food).

This past Shabbat's escapades started with services at HUC and then we made our way to Talpiyot for a Bran-tastic (read: Brandeis-filled) lunch with our dear friend Estee Pestee (it is possible that half of that name is fake). She is a wonderwoman and prepared an incredible Shabbat lunch with more types of food than we normally eat over the course of the week. We spent the afternoon reminiscing about Brandeis, talking about gender-segregated pools and beaches in Israel, and singing Shabbat songs.

We made our way back home to sit for a few minutes before going to Rabbi Kelman's house for Havdallah and conversation. About half of the class was there and we all talked about our journeys to HUC. After about a month of classes, the chance to hear more about people's backgrounds was a welcomed opportunity. After a lovely Havdallah ceremony, we went for dinner with a friend before making our way to a bar on Ben Yehuda street to celebrate the birthdays of 4 HUC classmates. But, of course, on the way there we bumped into a friend from DC leading a Birthright trip. Only in Jerusalem.

August 5: After a full day of classes, we had the pleasure of going to dinner with the family of a close friend from Brandeis who happen to be avid blog readers (Hi Debbi B.! Thanks for dinner!). We met them at their hotel and then went for a delicious Italian meal in Mamila Mall. We sat and talked for hours about Israeli life, married life, and, of course, the lives of our various Brandeis friends (their son included of course). We also learned that our friend's brother, who was also on the Israel trip and joining us for dinner with his girlfriend, authored a book! Only the third Muhlenberg graduate to be published while still in school. Jason, in particular, is looking forward to reading his book: The Great Expansion: The Ultimate Risk that Changed the NHL Forever. (The first plug on our blog!)

August 6: After a busy few weeks, it's time for a quiet night in to catch up on the blog and emails. In case you're curious...dinner was baked ziti and garlic bread (using leftovers and bread that was about to go stale - still awesome). Jason will also be making chili for tomorrow night's Tex-Mex themed HUC Beit Cafe. Jason's famous chili recipe calls for canned green chili peppers, but we did not find them during our usual grocery shopping. What we did find is raw "Charif" peppers, which are found in Israeli shuks and super-duper hot. Jason needed to use gloves before starting to chop the veggie, we had not thought to buy gloves ahead of time, so he wrapped a plastic bag around his hand. Enjoy this picture. Want to know how the chili turned out (hint, it smells AWESOME in our house right now)? You'll have to check back for the next post to get all the details!