We began our celebration of Yom Ha'Atzmaut this morning with prayers at Yakar, the Carlebach shul near our apartment. The service was pretty standard aside from Hallel, which lasted 45 minutes (as opposed to the standard 15). The tunes sung were all very nice, and a woman brought a bag of musical instruments with her, and so the service was accompanied by guitar, tambourines, and bells. It was a little weird and reminiscent of Jon's Debbie Friedman-infused childhood, but made the atmosphere very festive.
At 10:30 we made our way to the Jerusalem theater to make use of the Chidon HaTanach tickets we obtained yesterday. After making our way through tougher-than-airport security that included metal detectors, x-ray machines, chemical-detecting swatches, and interrogations, we got into the main auditorium, which quickly filled up. The stage had been turned into a neon and smoke covered game show set, with seats and microphones for the contestants and rows or tables for the judges. The host stood in front of a large video screen, which was used for film clips and interactive sections of the competition. The event itself was split into four rounds, each one thinning the crowd of contestants until only two remained, and those two went head-to-head. In between rounds the crowd was entertained by the army choir, dancers, and rock performances. We only knew the answers to a handful of questions, but watching the spectacle and an Ulpana girl make it all the way to fourth place made the whole thing a lot of fun.
In the afternoon we took a bus to Neve Daniel, where we met up with friends for the traditional Independence Day barbeque/mangal. Is charred flesh something all cultures associate with freedom and statehood, or an American import? Anyways, we had a lot of fun with our disposable charcoal bbq, and even got to roast blue and white marshmallows! How patriotic. Or unpatriotic, if you choose to dwell on the charring and melting. Fun either way.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Independence Day - Part I
We began the transition from Remembrance Day to Independence Day with a festive prayer service held by the Bnei Akiva alumni association in Jerusalem. The room was full of relatively recent immigrants to Israel from different countries around the world. This made the service seem far more meaningful than it might have otherwise, as all of those present truly felt an emotional attachment to the creation and maintenance of the the State.
After the service and dinner, we walked to Kikar Zion, a square at the bottom of Ben Yehuda street and at the center of town. There we were met by mobs of other celebrants, many wearing blue and white and the younger attendees spraying shaving cream and silly string in the air. All of the streets had been closed to car traffic, and a massive stage was set up and performers helped turn the jostling crowd into a mosh pit. The area quieted down when a fantastic laser and firecracker show began, and all eyes were glued to the skies as the explosions signaled the start of the celebration.
A few blocks away we soon found ourselves at Kikar Safra, the square we'd visited earlier in the day for a sombre ceremony. Now the venue was full of plastic chairs, video screens, and speakers, and everyone there was singing along to Israeli music composed and popularized over the last century. At 11:30 the chairs were cleared away and the vast area became crowded with people eager to celebrate the birthday of Israel with a throwback to the days of the kibbutz - Israeli folkdancing. For hours on end the hundreds of people in the square formed arbitrary circles and pranced, twirled, and Yemenite-lefted; if the dancers had worn tembel-hats and shorts instead of kippot and pants, we could easily have been looking at 1948 and not 2008. We left at 2 a.m., but the party was still going strong.
After the service and dinner, we walked to Kikar Zion, a square at the bottom of Ben Yehuda street and at the center of town. There we were met by mobs of other celebrants, many wearing blue and white and the younger attendees spraying shaving cream and silly string in the air. All of the streets had been closed to car traffic, and a massive stage was set up and performers helped turn the jostling crowd into a mosh pit. The area quieted down when a fantastic laser and firecracker show began, and all eyes were glued to the skies as the explosions signaled the start of the celebration.
A few blocks away we soon found ourselves at Kikar Safra, the square we'd visited earlier in the day for a sombre ceremony. Now the venue was full of plastic chairs, video screens, and speakers, and everyone there was singing along to Israeli music composed and popularized over the last century. At 11:30 the chairs were cleared away and the vast area became crowded with people eager to celebrate the birthday of Israel with a throwback to the days of the kibbutz - Israeli folkdancing. For hours on end the hundreds of people in the square formed arbitrary circles and pranced, twirled, and Yemenite-lefted; if the dancers had worn tembel-hats and shorts instead of kippot and pants, we could easily have been looking at 1948 and not 2008. We left at 2 a.m., but the party was still going strong.
יום הזכרון
Our Remembrance Day began in the square amid Jerusalem's municipal buildings, Kikar Safra. There we heard from the mayor and several other dignitaries about the importance of the day, some of them talking about Jerusalem's contributions to Israel's history, the many sacrifices the population has made, and the possibility for a brighter and less violent future. There were also honor guards made up of policemen and soldiers, as well as a group of teens wearing the traditional blue and white. The event didn't match the scope or the intensity of the Independence Day preview Jon saw, but it wasn't supposed to - the people there honored the State's fallen by their presence and their respect.
After the ceremony we went to the shuk, and while we were there the siren sounded. We've already heard the wailing call to remembrance twice in the past week - on Holocaust Day and last night - but this time was very different. Rather than people stopping their cars in the middle of the street or halting their relaxation to stand at attention, it took several moments for the bustling arena to be shushed into silence, and even then you could see the smiling shopkeepers counting down the seconds until they could resume their shouting and hawking. The reverence and awe seen and felt at the other siren-soundings was almost completely absent there. At the same time, it was amazing that so large and busy an area could be quieted so quickly and to such a great extent.
In the afternoon we tried to plan out our schedule for tomorrow, Independence Day. We decided it would be fun to go to the Chidon Hatanach, the International Bible Quiz, which takes place annually on Yom Ha'Atzmaut. We called the venue, who directed us to someone named "Rav Somethingorother". This Rav referred us to another, who agreed to give us tickets after Jon said his students often compete (which is true). Jon then went down to the office where the tickets were being held. He entered the room and was greeted by a bearded "Rav".
"Can I help you?"
"Yes, I'm Jonathan Parker. We spoke half an hour ago about tickets?"
"You're Jonathan Parker?"
At this point the Rav strokes his beard and raises a critical eyebrow, as if to say "why would someone as beardless as you want tickets to this event? And why would some as beardfull as me agree to give them to you?" Luckily he had already put the tickets in an envelope and written Jon's name on it with permanent marker, and probably couldn't bear to waste all that work, so with a dismissing wave he sent Jon on his way.
After the ceremony we went to the shuk, and while we were there the siren sounded. We've already heard the wailing call to remembrance twice in the past week - on Holocaust Day and last night - but this time was very different. Rather than people stopping their cars in the middle of the street or halting their relaxation to stand at attention, it took several moments for the bustling arena to be shushed into silence, and even then you could see the smiling shopkeepers counting down the seconds until they could resume their shouting and hawking. The reverence and awe seen and felt at the other siren-soundings was almost completely absent there. At the same time, it was amazing that so large and busy an area could be quieted so quickly and to such a great extent.
In the afternoon we tried to plan out our schedule for tomorrow, Independence Day. We decided it would be fun to go to the Chidon Hatanach, the International Bible Quiz, which takes place annually on Yom Ha'Atzmaut. We called the venue, who directed us to someone named "Rav Somethingorother". This Rav referred us to another, who agreed to give us tickets after Jon said his students often compete (which is true). Jon then went down to the office where the tickets were being held. He entered the room and was greeted by a bearded "Rav".
"Can I help you?"
"Yes, I'm Jonathan Parker. We spoke half an hour ago about tickets?"
"You're Jonathan Parker?"
At this point the Rav strokes his beard and raises a critical eyebrow, as if to say "why would someone as beardless as you want tickets to this event? And why would some as beardfull as me agree to give them to you?" Luckily he had already put the tickets in an envelope and written Jon's name on it with permanent marker, and probably couldn't bear to waste all that work, so with a dismissing wave he sent Jon on his way.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Independence Day Preview
Somehow Jon's program was able to get twelve tickets to the dress rehearsal of the offical Yom Ha'atzmaut celebration, so tonight he and several classmates made their way back to Har Herzl. They arrived at 5:45 to get seats together, and at 8 p.m. the program began. It was a complete run-through of the presentation that will be nationally televised on Wednesday night, only with a different guest of honor delivering the address.
The bleachers were packed with flag-waving celebrants, and none (that Jon spoke to, anyways) left disappointed. The ninety minute event, whose theme was "Israel's Children", was made up of dances, acrobatics, daglanut (flag waving) by both the military and youth group representatives, speeches, videos, music, and of course torch-lighting. The event was a masterpiece of propaganda meeting entertainment, and although there were several moments of overly-militaristic grandstanding, the artistry and excitement of the performers made the entire spectacle spectacular. Jon now understands why Israelis in North American educational institutions love to plan assemblies - having grown up with fantastic displays of patriotism like this, prancing and setting things on fire is in their blood.
The bleachers were packed with flag-waving celebrants, and none (that Jon spoke to, anyways) left disappointed. The ninety minute event, whose theme was "Israel's Children", was made up of dances, acrobatics, daglanut (flag waving) by both the military and youth group representatives, speeches, videos, music, and of course torch-lighting. The event was a masterpiece of propaganda meeting entertainment, and although there were several moments of overly-militaristic grandstanding, the artistry and excitement of the performers made the entire spectacle spectacular. Jon now understands why Israelis in North American educational institutions love to plan assemblies - having grown up with fantastic displays of patriotism like this, prancing and setting things on fire is in their blood.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Waffles!
After Shabbat, we and Oren walked over to Beit Lechem road to a wonderful cafe named Waffle Bar. Unlike the joint nearer to us, which is actually a bar that happens to serve waffles, this restaurant seems to take pride in its product, with mountainous waffles topped with flavored creams, ice cream, fruit, and toppings made from chocolate to bananas to fans of apples drizzled in maple syrup. They also serve a range of sandwiches, pastas, and crepes, but at a place named Waffle Bar it seemed silly to order anything without a grid. The servings of the desserts were massive, and we each left feeling stuffed and tremendously satisfied, if not a little high on the sugar.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Har Herzl
To prepare for the upcoming days of Remembrance and Independence, Jon's school today took a tour of Har Herzl, Israel's cemetery and monument-center in honor of its political and military leadership. As always, our guide constantly pressed us to look beyond the words on the sign, and to try to penetrate to the deeper meaning and purpose behind them. He pointed out many interesting ideas that we would certainly have missed on our own, for example the use of a phrase found on Bar Kochba's coins on the inaugural plaque, and a grove of imported cedars, the type of tree used in the construction of the Temple. Stopping near Herzl's grave, where the building of a massive auditorium for Independence Day celebrations is underway, we discussed the political motivations behind different elements of the structure, the placement of the grave at the mountain's highest point, and many other issues. When the group proceeded further into the cemetery Jon got spooked by the rampant impurity and so we left.
After an inadvertently-long tour of the very pretty neighborhood of Beit HaKerem, we made our way to מנה וחצי , a shwarma place we have been told is the best in the city. While the name means "serving and a half", for some reason a serving in a pita cost more than a serving in a laffa anywhere else. Still, the salad bar was fantastic and the meat was very tasty. Even so, the product wasn't twice as good as the front runner's, which it would have had to be to make up for the ridiculous price.
After an inadvertently-long tour of the very pretty neighborhood of Beit HaKerem, we made our way to מנה וחצי , a shwarma place we have been told is the best in the city. While the name means "serving and a half", for some reason a serving in a pita cost more than a serving in a laffa anywhere else. Still, the salad bar was fantastic and the meat was very tasty. Even so, the product wasn't twice as good as the front runner's, which it would have had to be to make up for the ridiculous price.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Holocaust Remembrance Day
We spent the day today, both separate and together, attending lectures and workshops centered around the the theme of the Holocaust. There were discussions about the nature and purpose of the Israeli version of the holiday, a film about Polish Christians discovering their Jewish roots, and a lecture about what may have motivated individuals to murder, among others. Perhaps most interestingly, few of the activities involved discussion of the Holocaust itself, but rather looked at the present, the future, and the psychology of the perpetrators. This suits the Israeli holiday - The Day of the Holocaust and Courage - very well, as the State understanding of the Holocaust is as a catalyst for the formation of Israel, and as the ending of the "old" Jewish paradigm in favor of the new one: the self-sufficient, strong, independent Jew.
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