"Gilad is Still Alive"

This post refers back to an older post I wrote about a soldier who had been kidnapped, Gilad Shalit. Without repeating everything I wrote the first time, as of about two weeks ago, Gilad has been in captivity for 4 years. He was a 19 year old boy when he was taken. There is some controversy about what should be done. Hamas asks for the release of hundreds of captured terrorists in exchange for Gilad. However, there is an INSANE amount of support. There are flags EVERYWHERE for Gilad, constantly reminding the government that he is alive (there has been proof over the years that he is in fact still alive). There are yellow banners, also showing their support.

Two weeks ago, Gilad's parents started walking from the north to Jerusalem (there just arrived in Jerusalem a couple of days ago). Family friends of mine joined the Shalit family along the way and said tens of thousands of people had also joined the family to show their support.

This happened on a Friday. I'm not sure for how long, but people had been gathering in Caesaria, in front of the house of Benjamin Netenyahu, Israel's prime minister, every Friday night. They had been holding a Shabbat service on his front lawn, again, to remind him that Gilad is still alive and we want something done to bring him home. Last Friday, because the Shalit family was in attendance, thousands of people showed up.

This past Friday, I went to visit those family friends, and, as usual, they wanted to go to Caesaria, so I went with them. I sat on the lawn with a couple hundred other people, most wearing shirts of yellow ribbons to show their support. Singing songs about bringing Gilad home, and it was unbelievably moving. I can't imagine half of the United States standing behind one lone soldier kidnapped in war. I can't imagine the same degree of support any where else in the world. Given all the bad press that the world loves to dish out to Israel, it's a country that cares about it's own like no where else in the world.

Last Day of Work

I'm going to pretend that today was my last day of work, since I meant to write this on my last day.

Today, I finished working at McCann Erikson. It was a bit bitter sweet for me. Yes, at times my job was a little bit less interesting than I would have liked. Getting a brief and being told to add a letter, or copy and paste a text change, isn't really my idea of an amazing job. But then days that I really got to do something creative. To use my photoshop skills. To see ads I worked on around the city. It's exciting.

One of the things I'll miss the most is this bench, under this tree. This ended up being my favorite place to sit and eat lunch. To get out of the office, see some sunlight during the course of the day. Goodbye tree.

Tzeva Adom (Color Red)

Today I went to Sderot. We got on the bus, and our Madrich (or counselor) told us that, while in Sderot, if we hear a siren go off repeating "Tzeva Adom" (Color Red), we need to immediately run to the nearest bomb shelter. "Tzeva Adom" is the warning that Kassam Rockets may be heading to the area. Once the siren goes off, you have 15 seconds to get to a safe location.

We arrived in Sderot, and were once again instructed what to do if we heard the "Tzeva Adom" warning. They reassured us, though, that the room we were sitting in, a large room in the Chabad House, had been converted into a bomb shelter, so we would be safe there.

We spent the day listening to lectures speakers talk to us about life in Sderot. Sderot is a smile town that sits just miles from the Gaza strip. Since Hamas took over the Gaza strip, thousands of Kassam rockets (a small number of which can be seen in the picture I took at the police station), have bombarded Sderot, as well as other cities in the area, including Ashkelon, where I still have family. It is because of these rockets that were continually fired into Israel, that Israel took it's actions towards Gaza a few years ago.

In the beginning of 2009, a cease fire was declared between Gaza and Israel. Since there, there have only been a little over 300 rockets fired into Israel, although we were told the frequency increased since Israel intercepted the Gaza Flotilla. Someone asked, when the last "Tzeva Adom" alarm went off. We were told last Thursday, less than a week earlier. There were a couple of rockets, however, earlier this week that hit just south of Ashkelon, that came without warning, luckily no one was hurt. To be honest, I'm a bit surprised that, given the current situation with Gaza, they took us to Sderot. But, at the same time, maybe it's that much more important because of it.

We took a short tour of Sderot. Our first stop was at a playground. Parents had been scared to let their kids go out and play during the peak of the bombardment from Gaza. As a result, this worm was created as a bomb shelter. If kids hear the alarm go off while at the park, they have a safe place in the park.

Earlier, we had watched raw footage of kids at a school when the "Tzeva Adom" siren went off. I, thankfully, could never imagine what it's like growing up in a city where you live in fear. Constantly ready to run to the nearest bomb shelter. It was quite interesting to watch. The kids were taught to sing loudly once they enter the bomb shelter, to keep them from here the explosion.



Being there, seeing the city, all the bus stops that had been converted to bomb shelters. All the houses that had added bomb shelters to their properties. Constantly being told what to do in the event of a "Tzeva Adom," it really puts things into perspective, especially given the world's condemnation over Israel's actions on the "aid flotilla."

Spelunking

This weekend, I last minute decided to join a group that was going on a "cave hike." I didn't really know what to expect, but I was aware of a giant cave near Beit Shemesh (where we were heading), do I thought we'd just walk through the cave. Well, we didn't go to that cave. Instead, we went to an area that used to be a Jewish village in the days when the Jews were forced out of Jerusalem (and a lot of times into hiding) in order to avoid being persecuted by the Romans.

Let me start by saying we had AMAZING weather. Israel in the summer is not known for being fun. It tends to be hot, and humid, but we had a great day. It was warm, but we had a nice breeze. We arrive at the place, and Itzik informs us that we will be going to three cave.

The first, was used as a storage area (hence all the holes).

The second one was where people would bury their dead. The room that I'm standing in front of is where they used to take the bones of their loved ones to be stored a few years after their death. This was done because of the limited space to bury everyone in your family in the same place. Luckily, the bones are no longer present here.

Actually, this cave was carved out quite nicely. By far, the most decorative cave of the three. More than that, they had created a gate to try to keep grave robbers out. A giant wheel is positioned between the stones and rolled closed. These caves are also made up of the Jerusalem stone that is seen in buildings all over Jerusalem.


The third cave was a bit different. We started by lying on our stomach and commando crawling through a tiny little space, just to reach a space big enough for 3 (in which we had at least 10 before Itzik agreed to move forward). This pattern continued until we got to the "giant room in the cave where we were able to all sit somewhat comfortably for a little. This cave is referred to as the "refugee cave." It was here that the public of the village could go to hide from the Romans. Because of this, the entrances are so hard (to make it that much more difficult for the Romans to get through with all of their gear). There are dead ends, the tunnels move up and down in unexpected ways. All in an attempt to make things more difficult for the Romans. Not to mention the absolute darkness. It's one thing to be in a little cave with a flashlight on, but in darkness...

All in all, it was quite a pleasant and unexpected way to spend the day. Yet another reminder of how much history there actually is in Israel.

Wine and Gas

Probably, when reading the heading, you think wine and bodily gases because that makes more sense. On the way to work the other day, I noticed for the first time a sign at the gas station advertising wine and cheese. So, like a normal person, you'd think they sell some wine at the gas station. Many do. I've recently gotten wine from a gas station. But this was a nice wine store. It was located between the car wash and the repair shop.

So I started thinking, that could be convenient. You're on your way to a dinner party, running late, need to get gas. And there's a nice wine store to get something to take with you. Then I thought, can you imagine the conversation when the bottle of wine is opened and the person says "Wow, this is good wine. Where did you get it?" And you have to respond, "The gas station."

Rothschild

One of my favorite things about living in Tel Aviv is what a nice city it is. I know a lot of people have this vision of Israel as a desert, and can't really get past that. Well, there's a lot more to Israel than desert, and Tel Aviv has neighborhoods and streets that have such a charm.

One of my favorite things about the city is all the Sderots. No, I'm not referring to the city that was attacked by Gaza a couple of years ago. I'm referring to the streets that have pedestrian walkways down the middle, with trees and benches, and coffee shops. One of the nicest being Sderot Rothschild (pronounced Rotshield in Hebrew), pictured to the side.

The other day, I went on a mini adventure, to find a photo gallery a friend told me about. I got there, and it was very blah. One photographer, and very much not my style. They took the same picture, one under exposed. One over exposed. Why is that supposed to be interesting? That's supposed to be the process to get to a real picture.

Anyways, on the way back, I wasn't really feeling well (this is before I found out that I had the stomach flu) so I stopped for a gelato and strolled down Sderot Rothschild. On the way, I found a bench, from which I took the photos. People rode by on bikes, walked along with friends or strollers. It was so peaceful. Yet, at the same time, it's in the middle of the city.

On a random side not. All of the streets in Israel are named after people who have done some sort of services to the state of Israel. So who were the Rothschilds? Well, according to Wikipedia, they were an influential banking family. Walter Rothschild was the addressee of the Balfour Declaration to the Zionist Federation, which led to the state of Israel.

There's another street in Tel Aviv named Goor Areyeh, which translates to Lion Cub. That means someone's last name is Lion Cub. Just found it random....

Across the Divide

Last Friday night, I went to a potluck in my building. It was a bit unexpected. My friend told me about it in advance, but I had other plans. My plans got postponed, so I went.

When I arrived, it was mostly people from my program. Once the last person arrived, Ilan stood and recited the Friday night blessings, in Hebrew, as I'm used to. He doesn't really speak Hebrew (at least I'm pretty sure he doesn't), but he's Jewish, so he knows the blessings. As he recited, you can hear a twinge of an accent. He's from Ecuador. As he got to the middle, Susan joined in. She's from Canada. And I couldn't help mouthing the words. I'm from the US (I know, you all had no idea). Then I started looking around the room. Also represented was the UK, Russia, and Greece.

It struck me how uniting it is to be Jewish. Yes, I know, lame of me to say. Perhaps it's the same among Mormons, Protestants, Muslims, or Hindus. But I felt it as a Jew because that's something that's united me to this random, eclectic group of people.

My favorite part of the meal was when the food came out. Susan made chicken noodle soup, Ilan made beer chicken, and Irina made chicken curray. I guess there are things other than Judiasm that unite people. Chicken.

The picture isn't actually from the potluck, it's purim, but the US, Turkey, Canada, Germany, and Urugay are represented...