Higia hazman lacoom lagan!
Lucky for us, there’s a library in Nazareth Illit only about 15 minutes walk from our apartment. My housemate Matt has frequented the library every couple of weeks or so since we arrived to use the computer and for a change of setting for any reading or work he has to do. He had, on numerous occasions, attempted to get a library card so that he could take books out, but to no avail. Given the language barrier (or just communication issues in general), the staff at the library never gave him a card, and so he was unable to check out books. We decided that I would come with him to see if I had any luck… sure enough, I asked for a library card and they easily gave us both ID numbers (but no cards) so that we could check out books. I’ve started a mental list of #mattproblems — his seeming inability to navigate the library bureaucracy is one of them.
One of the books that we checked out on our last trip is entitled, “Hachalom shel Charlie,” or “the dream of Charlie.” It’s a children’s book with beautiful illustrations, about a kid named Charlie who has a dream about a toy store and toy elephants. At the end of the dream, the mom wakes up Charlie: “Higia hazman lacoom lagan!” “The time has arrived to wake up for kindergarten!” In my never-ending desire to mess with Matt, I now say this to Matt on a regular basis.
We don’t wake up for kindergarten here, but our schools with screaming, laughing kids everywhere sometimes don’t seem so far removed, especially first thing in the morning. We do have to wake up pretty darn early to take the bus (or buses) from Nazareth Illit to our schools in Nazareth. So now, at about 5:30 when my alarm clock goes off, I commiserate to myself as “higia hazman lacoom lagan” crosses my mind.
A few weeks ago, Hanna and I attended a rally in Tel Aviv — roughly translated, the event title was “Arab-Jewish Rally: They destroy, we build a common future.” The many Jewish and Arab organizations that co-sponsored the rally bused in people from all over the country, and Hanna and I were able to get a ride on the bus from Nazareth. Once in Tel Aviv, we heard the rally before we saw it. People chanted in Hebrew about Jews and Arabs standing together, and about building a future together while putting an end to hatred and the fear. The demolitions in Umm al-Hiran and Qalansawe were fresh in everyone’s minds, so a lot of the signs and rhetoric were about stopping home demolitions.
There were a few speakers at the rally at the end of the march, including the Chair of the Joint Arab List, Ayman Odeh, a Jewish professor, and the wife of the man who was recently killed in Umm al-Hiran on the day demolitions started in the village. Almost all of the chanting during the march was in Hebrew, and the rally at the end was conducted in both Arabic and Hebrew. It was clear from the responses (or lack thereof) from the crowd during the Arabic portions that only the Arab participants could understand the Arabic, although everyone could understand the Hebrew — it felt a bit awkward when only the Arab people could respond to what was said on stage. For all of the talk of power-sharing, friendship, and cross-cultural understanding, in practical terms it seems important that Jewish Israelis learn to speak Arabic. That said, I’m one to talk since I can’t speak another language fluently…
The message of the march and rally clearly targeted the current (and most right-wing in history) administration in Israel. It’s telling that none of my Jewish-American friends, including all of the fellows in Nazareth and Nazareth Illit, think that the current administration embodies our conceptions of Jewish (or just human) values, like compassion and democracy. Our feelings of alienation from the policies and rhetoric of the State I think are multiplied and intensified among other secular American Jews of my generation, many of whom feel so alienated that they don’t feel any kind of connection with Israel or Jewish peoplehood. I wonder what the implications of increasingly disaffected Jewish-Americans will be on the State of Israel. Will US abstentions become the new norm in the UN? Will the US start attaching strings to its billion dollar blank checks?
A couple weeks ago, one of our BINA Sunday “learning days” included a trip to Haifa to meet with a representative from Adalah, which calls itself the “first nonprofit, nonsectarian, Palestinian-run legal center in Israel.” Adalah actually used to be a wing of the Arab Association for Human Rights (HRA), where I’m interning, but its now a separate organization. Adalah was co-founded by a husband and wife team — the husband is a Palestinian Arab, and the wife is a Jewish American immigrant who used to work for the HRA. The Adalah office was beautiful, in an old building near the German Colony with high ceilings and big windows. We sat down with a representative at a central table, and (over Arabic coffee and sweets) he gave us the lowdown on Adalah, their structure and mission, and their past and current work.
Then we all had hummus together at a famous place in Haifa. YUM.
And then, (because why should we ever stop eating?), we got off the bus halfway back home to get ice cream in a town called Ramat Yishay.
All is well at school. The Israeli standardized “meitzav” exams are coming up for the fifth grade, which has all of the teachers of the meitzav subjects in a tizzy.
About a week ago, the school brought in a local jazz band to teach the kids about jazz music and jazz instruments. The music was really nice, and we all danced together at the end.
Spring is finally in the air! The landscapes are a deep green from all of the rain that Israel got this winter, wild flowers are popping up all over the place, and the air is getting a bit warmer. I’m so ready for this winter to be over.
We’re lucky in Nazareth Illit to have buses that run on Shabbat — we can take them around Nazareth and Nazareth Illit, and even to Haifa. So a couple weeks ago, I took off in the morning to spend the day exploring Haifa.
My first stop was the Saturday flea market, one of the best flea markets I’ve ever visited. It was packed with houseware items, antiques, clothes, costumes, and little trinkets — definitely looking forward to going back again, and maybe picking up a couple of things.
From the market, I walked towards the Wadi Nisnas area, an old Arab neighborhood. Some pictures from this jaunt:
From Wadi Nisnas, I walked up to Masada Street — Haifa is built against Mount Carmel, so it’s a hike to explore the city on foot. I stopped for lunch at my favorite little cafe with the laffa wraps, delicious coffee, and Che Guevara posters.
From there, I took a bus up to the Stella Maris Monastery. Stella maris means “star of the sea,” and is an ancient title for Mary, as she acts as a guide for the masses. The monastery was built by a Catholic order called the “Order of the Brothers of our Lady of Mount Carmel” — a bit of a mouthful. After the church’s destruction in 1821, the church that can be seen today was reopened in 1836. It’s beautiful, with incredibly detailed and colorful paintings on the dome ceiling. The alter is set above a cave associated with the Prophet Elijah, who is said to have inhabited caves in the Carmel mountains.
I took in the view from the monastery, and then took the bus back down to a park at the base of the mountain. I read on the grass for awhile before realizing that I was being devoured by mosquitoes, and then headed to the train station to take a train down to Tel Aviv. I met friends that night at the Dancing Camel Brewery, and then we moved to a nearby bar. We had to be in Tel Aviv the next morning anyway for our BINA Sunday learning day, so I slept over that night at a friend’s apartment and woke up bright and early the next day to meet the BINA bus.
The plan for that Sunday was to go to Emek Ha’ela (“the valley of the terebinth”) for a hike, and to talk about the “David and Goliath” bible story, which is said to have taken place in this valley. Unfortunately, it poured pretty continuously that day — mission aborted. Instead, the BINA staff arranged other plans at the last minute — they took us to a chocolate studio for a chocolate-design lesson and then to the “Srigim” micro-brewery for a tour and talk by the owner. The copious amounts of chocolate and beer consumed that day made for an enjoyable BINA Sunday.
Now that the weather is a little warmer, I’ve been taking more walks around Nazareth to explore little streets and alleys. The almond trees are in full bloom, with pink and white blossoms.
In food-related news, I’ve been eating well (as usual). My host teacher gave me a container of homemade sweet potato soup, which was delicious, and at school I’ve been filling up on fresh labneh balls and olives.
Last Saturday, my cousins in Afula took me to Beit She’an, a town about a half hour drive from Nazareth. We took the scenic route and drove through the Gilboa mountains on the way there — wow, it was beautiful! Families were all over the place in parks lining the road, having picnics and barbecues. There also seemed to be a pretty expansive network of hiking trails, so I’m hoping to go there again to explore the area on foot.
The Beit Shean National Park was really impressive — it houses city ruins from the Roman and Byzantine empires, including a Roman theater, bath houses, a central street, public toilets, and a Roman temple.
Next to the central street, there was a plaza area with a mosaic tile floor. The top layer (with the design pattern) dates back to Byzantine era, while the stone underneath dates to Roman times.
The theater was immense, and I was shocked to learn that this was only the first flight of what used to be a three tiered theater.
In the following pictures, you can see Tel Beit She’an, a large mound which excavations suggest is made up of over 20 layers of civilizations, including remains from the Egyptian and Crusader-era civilizations.
The city was eventually destroyed in the 8th Century by an earthquake, and was left in a ruined state until recent times — Israel is still working to excavate the city, and my cousins noted that every time they return to the site, there are newly unearthed facets of the city that they haven’t seen before.
In recent culinary adventures, Nathan, one of the fellows in Migdal Haemek, made an Asian food feast and a little BINA party this past week. He made sushi and pho, and persimmon sticky rice for dessert (mango is out of season). Everything was delicious, and it was nice to spend a weekday evening with everyone.
Can’t believe that we only have four months left — going to make the most of it with these folks.
Sending love and xoxo.
Also:
If you haven’t checked out the new TV series “Brown Girls,” you really should — it’s fantastic: http://www.browngirlswebseries.com/episodes/
I also just finished the book, “This is an Uprising.” Many thanks to my cousins Amy and Justin for bringing it all the way from the States for me. V relevant these days: http://thisisanuprising.org/
