Life in Israel

Holy cow, it's been a long time since my last update. Sorry about that, friends! Life in Israel has been great and I have a lot to tell. I started my journey in Jerusalem and spent a few days seeing the city. I went to the Western Wall on Sabbath and the whole day was a great inspiration. The bobbing heads of praying Jews, the notes in the wall, and the warmth of humanity spreading out from the Jewish Quarters all made me feel like I had found my home. This beautiful culture and people... every waking moment I have had in Israel has felt like a dream. When I was leaving the Western Wall, I heard that familiar Chicago accent coming from a small group of Americans. I stopped by the group and they invited me to spend some time on their Kibbutz! So that is where I have been all this time. The Kibbutz is a small one, for American ex-patriots and it is in the middle of nowhere. We do have a computer here, but I have just been so busy helping with the cooking, taking care of children, and I even sat in on a few Torah readings. Israel really is the place for a Jewish grandmother, though. I mean, everywhere I turn I see reminders of what I love about my faith and my people. If only Maya could see this place...

That's it! I'll bring Maya here! Maybe then she'll get a little understanding about her history, and this could become my first job as a rabbi (even though I haven't even started classes yet, but a young man named Avi who lives on the kibbutz told me that he has a cousin who is enrolled in a wonder, small rabbinical school just outside of Jerusalem).

Well, I am going to sign off now so that I can close this blog window and look at the American Airlines website for a little to see if I can manage to hold off on the return flight without crazy fees!