So someone came across my post about Kaparot and gave me the link to his post about Kaparot which is very, very, very different from mine. I'm posting the link below.
PLEASE KNOW THAT THE PHOTOS INCLUDED IN HIS POST ARE VERY, VERY, VERY DISTURBING. This isn't just sensitive ole Amy talking -- I looked at them quickly and was truly appalled. It's not going to make you vomit but it will almost certainly make you shudder and question the ways of the ultra-religious. The writing on the blog is interesting too. Viewing the photos might help you see that in yesterday's blog post I wasn't speaking from pure irrational emotion -- it really is a pointless and disgusting religious practice. Plus, it truly gives you a very good idea of what happens during Kaparot if that is something you want to know. AGAIN, THE CONTENTS OF THE LINK BELOW ARE HIGHLY DISTURBING.
http://niralon.wordpress.com/2007/09/18/send-the-sinful-chicken-to-hell-take-ii/
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Desperately Trying For A Creative Title But Coming Up Empty
Hopefully the Cipro isn't depleting important brain matter....
I did not make it out of the apartment today, just didn't feel well enough. It was interesting to be here with all of the windows open all day and hearing all of the sounds of the people strolling up and down Jabotinsky rather than the loud cars I am used to. I periodically went to the window to look out -- in broad day light it was not quite as interesting as what I wrote in the blog post about last night.
I kept myself busy today praying, not something I really planned on doing, it just happened and I'm glad I did. First I did a little Shabbat specific praying by going through the Shabbat service Rachel and I created for the Shabbat service we hosted the weekend of my conversion. I hadn't looked through that in quite some time -- I was looking in my original tallis bag and found it -- and it really felt good to become familiar with it again. I actually found myself thinking that right now in my life I don't feel the need to become Bat Mitzvah, that in many ways my conversion experience and the before mentioned service was kind of like a Bat Mitzvah -- I was called to the Torah in that I gave a D'var Torah on that week's portion and brought together many family and friends to pray with Rachel and I and to celebrate my becoming Jewish. Who knows what time will bring, and I'll go with the flow. I then read the entirety of the morning, afternoon, memorial and concluding services since I was missing all of it. I know that a big part of prayer is that it is something done within a larger community, but I kind of liked being alone today -- I felt better able to really read, understand and reflect on the liturgy. Turns out I'm glad I read the prayerbook cover to cover as Rachel reminded me that the URJ is releasing a new prayerbook next year. I had post-it notes with me and marked some places where the liturgy really struck me or where I had questions and wanted to ask Rachel for some insight when she got home -- what can I say, I keep her on her toes.
I was still praying when sunset came and went. At 5:57pm I heard the first car drive past me on Jabotinsky. At 6:07pm I heard a second car. Then at 6:13pm a third car went by and the floodgates were opened. Within 20 minutes it sounded like just another day in Jerusalem -- car after car, scooter after scooter went by, and just like it was 24 hours ago, the horns they were a' blowin'. The unique and special experience I witnessed, the quiet and calm, the innocence and quiet of Yom Kippur disappeared quickly and it became just another night on the streets of J'lem -- loud and annoying. I quickly got up and shut the windows, trying to hold on to that peaceful quiet a little longer but resigned to the fact that not even closed windows can keep the world from spinning onwards. Time, it moves forward, whether we like it or not.
I did not make it out of the apartment today, just didn't feel well enough. It was interesting to be here with all of the windows open all day and hearing all of the sounds of the people strolling up and down Jabotinsky rather than the loud cars I am used to. I periodically went to the window to look out -- in broad day light it was not quite as interesting as what I wrote in the blog post about last night.
I kept myself busy today praying, not something I really planned on doing, it just happened and I'm glad I did. First I did a little Shabbat specific praying by going through the Shabbat service Rachel and I created for the Shabbat service we hosted the weekend of my conversion. I hadn't looked through that in quite some time -- I was looking in my original tallis bag and found it -- and it really felt good to become familiar with it again. I actually found myself thinking that right now in my life I don't feel the need to become Bat Mitzvah, that in many ways my conversion experience and the before mentioned service was kind of like a Bat Mitzvah -- I was called to the Torah in that I gave a D'var Torah on that week's portion and brought together many family and friends to pray with Rachel and I and to celebrate my becoming Jewish. Who knows what time will bring, and I'll go with the flow. I then read the entirety of the morning, afternoon, memorial and concluding services since I was missing all of it. I know that a big part of prayer is that it is something done within a larger community, but I kind of liked being alone today -- I felt better able to really read, understand and reflect on the liturgy. Turns out I'm glad I read the prayerbook cover to cover as Rachel reminded me that the URJ is releasing a new prayerbook next year. I had post-it notes with me and marked some places where the liturgy really struck me or where I had questions and wanted to ask Rachel for some insight when she got home -- what can I say, I keep her on her toes.
I was still praying when sunset came and went. At 5:57pm I heard the first car drive past me on Jabotinsky. At 6:07pm I heard a second car. Then at 6:13pm a third car went by and the floodgates were opened. Within 20 minutes it sounded like just another day in Jerusalem -- car after car, scooter after scooter went by, and just like it was 24 hours ago, the horns they were a' blowin'. The unique and special experience I witnessed, the quiet and calm, the innocence and quiet of Yom Kippur disappeared quickly and it became just another night on the streets of J'lem -- loud and annoying. I quickly got up and shut the windows, trying to hold on to that peaceful quiet a little longer but resigned to the fact that not even closed windows can keep the world from spinning onwards. Time, it moves forward, whether we like it or not.
Yom Kippur -- And Amy's Sick Again
Yup, the funky nasty bacteria I had 5 weeks ago is back with a vengeance, which means the Cipro I took that is quite good at killing anthrax didn't do the job for me. So I'm back on Cipro and probably will be for 10 days total to make sure it's all gone this time. I hate to think of what else will be wiped out as well. I've basically been sick since I got here so I'm anxiously awaiting sustained health!!!
Not only have I not been able to attend Yom Kippur services -- if you could see me right now I'm not exactly crying about it :) -- but I cannot go on the HUC tiyul (trip) to the Golan Heights and the Galilee. Between my foot that hurts so bad at times that it is difficult to walk and my unpredictable GI tract, along with a slew of other smaller, related problems, it just isn't going to happen. It won't be good for me and it won't be good for the group, but that doesn't erase the disappoint both Rachel and I feel about me not sharing this interesting experience with her. But who knows, maybe we will have a chance to take a few days and go north and she can show me all of the cool stuff that she sees on the trip. She leaves early Sunday morning and will be back late Tuesday evening. I just keep telling myself that the rest will really be good for me in a lot of ways and worth it in the end.
I slept in on Friday while Rachel went with a friend to the shuk to pick up some last minute necessities and to see the Kaparot near the shuk. A brief description of what Kaparot is reads as follows from a random website: [The original form of the kaparot ceremony involves taking a chicken (a white rooster for a male, hen for a female) and waving it over one’s head while reciting this prayer: "This is my exchange, this is my substitute, this is my atonement. This chicken will go to its death while I will enter and proceed to a good long life, and peace." Then the chicken is slaughtered and it (or its cash value) is given to the poor.]
Okay, so I would not have gone even if I was feeling perfect as I am too sensitive to the pain and suffering of all living creatures. That being said, I think people who participate in this are lying to themselves. It is not a "ritual." It is a sacrifice, in my oh so humble opinion, something that has supposedly been abandoned since the destruction of the 2nd temple. How can a person "exchange, substitute, atone" for their own sins by tormenting, torturing and slaughtering a live, innocent chicken which I'm sure if you asked if that is what it wanted it would most certainly say no. I mean, come on, how would you like for someone to grab and squeeze your arms together and swing you hard and fast over their head, probably breaking shoulder bones in the process and then pulling your head back and slitting your throat. Then they would throw you in some watery stuff that drains your blood while your killer throws sawdust on your blood to "make it all go away." Personally, if I were the Creator upstairs, I'd kind of laugh at the folks who really believe that they can exchange all sins and transgressions for a chicken. If it were that easy, chickens would be an overproduced and overpriced bird as people stupidly believed that they could do whatever they wanted as long as they had a chicken to absolve all of their sins. If there is a redeeming factor it is that the chicken or the monetary equivalent is given to the poor. Or else the chicken ends up in the shuk and is sold to people like me -- talk about funky nasty bacteria!!! If Rachel has a chance, she might be able to elaborate on Kapparot in a less emotional and more intellectual way as I clearly am quite biased. As I write all of this I acknowledge that I eat meat that I'm sure comes from inhumane slaughter -- although not so much here I guess since kosher meat is supposedly slaughtered humanely and it's really hard to find non-kosher meat -- but in the states this is not so. Rachel and I have been talking a lot lately about slowly bringing the ideas behind ethical kashrut into our daily lives, so I am happy to say that we are trying to start living by our words and will be moving to a city and state that makes it easy to be ethical and environmentally friendly in terms of foods.
I didn't make it to dinner at our friend's apartment with Rachel, not that I could have eaten anything, but I did manage to shower and meet her so we could walk to HUC for Kol Nidre. What we had heard about YK in J'lem is most certainly true. By 5pm all of the traffic lights were blinking yellow and the walk signals were blinking red. There were almost no cars left on the roads at that point. We met some friends and walked to the sanctuary together. My prediction turned out to be correct -- there were no seats and people were bringing in plastic chairs. We luckily got some of the first plastic chairs and sat down for the service. I went specifically for Kol Nidre and didn't make it much past that before leaving to go back home. Rachel had told me that it is customary for people from all over to meet on Emek Refaim and walk down the street after Kol Nidre. I obviously wasn't doing this, and when I left HUC there were officially no cars on the streets, so I joined others in walking down the middle of typically very busy and congested streets the whole way home (King David and Keren Ya Hasod specifically).
Once inside, I turned on the TV to see what on earth is playing on Yom Kippur in Jerusalem. Well, absolutely nothing. All of the cable channels but one random channel said that broadcasting would resume at 20:00 the following day. There were also some random news channels on, mostly different BBC channels but no Israeli news channels. I actually read through the evening service in our prayer book at home and then spent a lot of time watching people walking up and down Jabotinsky, yet another normally busy street. It being night and very dark outside made it seem very fictional. If there was no noise I envisioned a scene from a horror movie or something, like all of these zombies walking around in their white clothes. And it seemed so nonsensical to see all of these people on Jabotinsky that I again fictionalized it and thought of a good ole end of the world Hollywood flick where the only thing people knew to do was to wander the streets. Rachel pointed out that this is kind of weird while I call it imaginative and creative. The one thing that really stuck out was the 4 teenage girls, walking, holding hands and singing beautifully, wearing white robe type things. I immediately thought of the film O Brother Where Art Thou when the 3 men come across the 3 women singing on the river's banks. It's interesting how universal religious connotations can end up being.
Not only have I not been able to attend Yom Kippur services -- if you could see me right now I'm not exactly crying about it :) -- but I cannot go on the HUC tiyul (trip) to the Golan Heights and the Galilee. Between my foot that hurts so bad at times that it is difficult to walk and my unpredictable GI tract, along with a slew of other smaller, related problems, it just isn't going to happen. It won't be good for me and it won't be good for the group, but that doesn't erase the disappoint both Rachel and I feel about me not sharing this interesting experience with her. But who knows, maybe we will have a chance to take a few days and go north and she can show me all of the cool stuff that she sees on the trip. She leaves early Sunday morning and will be back late Tuesday evening. I just keep telling myself that the rest will really be good for me in a lot of ways and worth it in the end.
I slept in on Friday while Rachel went with a friend to the shuk to pick up some last minute necessities and to see the Kaparot near the shuk. A brief description of what Kaparot is reads as follows from a random website: [The original form of the kaparot ceremony involves taking a chicken (a white rooster for a male, hen for a female) and waving it over one’s head while reciting this prayer: "This is my exchange, this is my substitute, this is my atonement. This chicken will go to its death while I will enter and proceed to a good long life, and peace." Then the chicken is slaughtered and it (or its cash value) is given to the poor.]
Okay, so I would not have gone even if I was feeling perfect as I am too sensitive to the pain and suffering of all living creatures. That being said, I think people who participate in this are lying to themselves. It is not a "ritual." It is a sacrifice, in my oh so humble opinion, something that has supposedly been abandoned since the destruction of the 2nd temple. How can a person "exchange, substitute, atone" for their own sins by tormenting, torturing and slaughtering a live, innocent chicken which I'm sure if you asked if that is what it wanted it would most certainly say no. I mean, come on, how would you like for someone to grab and squeeze your arms together and swing you hard and fast over their head, probably breaking shoulder bones in the process and then pulling your head back and slitting your throat. Then they would throw you in some watery stuff that drains your blood while your killer throws sawdust on your blood to "make it all go away." Personally, if I were the Creator upstairs, I'd kind of laugh at the folks who really believe that they can exchange all sins and transgressions for a chicken. If it were that easy, chickens would be an overproduced and overpriced bird as people stupidly believed that they could do whatever they wanted as long as they had a chicken to absolve all of their sins. If there is a redeeming factor it is that the chicken or the monetary equivalent is given to the poor. Or else the chicken ends up in the shuk and is sold to people like me -- talk about funky nasty bacteria!!! If Rachel has a chance, she might be able to elaborate on Kapparot in a less emotional and more intellectual way as I clearly am quite biased. As I write all of this I acknowledge that I eat meat that I'm sure comes from inhumane slaughter -- although not so much here I guess since kosher meat is supposedly slaughtered humanely and it's really hard to find non-kosher meat -- but in the states this is not so. Rachel and I have been talking a lot lately about slowly bringing the ideas behind ethical kashrut into our daily lives, so I am happy to say that we are trying to start living by our words and will be moving to a city and state that makes it easy to be ethical and environmentally friendly in terms of foods.
I didn't make it to dinner at our friend's apartment with Rachel, not that I could have eaten anything, but I did manage to shower and meet her so we could walk to HUC for Kol Nidre. What we had heard about YK in J'lem is most certainly true. By 5pm all of the traffic lights were blinking yellow and the walk signals were blinking red. There were almost no cars left on the roads at that point. We met some friends and walked to the sanctuary together. My prediction turned out to be correct -- there were no seats and people were bringing in plastic chairs. We luckily got some of the first plastic chairs and sat down for the service. I went specifically for Kol Nidre and didn't make it much past that before leaving to go back home. Rachel had told me that it is customary for people from all over to meet on Emek Refaim and walk down the street after Kol Nidre. I obviously wasn't doing this, and when I left HUC there were officially no cars on the streets, so I joined others in walking down the middle of typically very busy and congested streets the whole way home (King David and Keren Ya Hasod specifically).
Once inside, I turned on the TV to see what on earth is playing on Yom Kippur in Jerusalem. Well, absolutely nothing. All of the cable channels but one random channel said that broadcasting would resume at 20:00 the following day. There were also some random news channels on, mostly different BBC channels but no Israeli news channels. I actually read through the evening service in our prayer book at home and then spent a lot of time watching people walking up and down Jabotinsky, yet another normally busy street. It being night and very dark outside made it seem very fictional. If there was no noise I envisioned a scene from a horror movie or something, like all of these zombies walking around in their white clothes. And it seemed so nonsensical to see all of these people on Jabotinsky that I again fictionalized it and thought of a good ole end of the world Hollywood flick where the only thing people knew to do was to wander the streets. Rachel pointed out that this is kind of weird while I call it imaginative and creative. The one thing that really stuck out was the 4 teenage girls, walking, holding hands and singing beautifully, wearing white robe type things. I immediately thought of the film O Brother Where Art Thou when the 3 men come across the 3 women singing on the river's banks. It's interesting how universal religious connotations can end up being.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
More Rosh Hashanah, And A Bunch Of Random Stuff
2nd day of Rosh Hashanah we first went to some long time friends of Rachel's parents home for a truly special meal. They have a very large apartment home, rare for Jerusalem, with multiple balconies of various sizes and a very open living/dining/kitchen area. They were very gracious and loving hosts and there were tons of people there of all ages. Their home was literally filled to the brim with the sweetness their friends and family brought with them. The food was fabulous, and more and more kept appearing on their large buffet table. Judging from this Rosh Hashana I could easily say that lasagna is a traditional new year's food to eat (we ate it at Thursday's lunch too) as there was what seemed like a never ending stream of lasagna coming from the oven that was truly divine. It really was one big free for all around the food table and we have an all new appreciation for the phrase "Dig in!" after surviving several rounds at the buffet table. And we came away from it all with no stains on our clothes! It was a joyous occasion enjoyed by many.
We left there after dessert (dessert was its own insanity!) for a classmate of Rachel's apartment where she and her boyfriend hosted folks for a relaxing afternoon lunch. We were both so full that we felt rude declining food initially, but we were there long enough to have little pockets open up in our stomachs to taste the fruit salad and desserts. It was nice to just hang out with folks and talk and laugh, mostly about inappropriate things, but hey, we can't be serious learned students and their SOs all the time now can we?!
We had talked all day about possibly going to services and left our friend's home intending to walk to Kol Hanishima. But we ended up standing on the sidewalk outside the apartment building talking to a friend of ours who is a fellow SO at HUC. We stood there for an hour and 45 minutes talking, never thinking to sit on the benches next to us and literally watching people we know walk to and from services, all in disbelief that we had stood there for that long talking. It was a wonderful time spent, and we were perfectly okay missing Shabbat services. We took a picture to commemorate our marathon conversation -- check it out on DropShots. Rachel and I then walked home and spent the rest of the evening relaxing in our PJs. Shabbat morning (today) we slept in rather than get up and go to services. Honestly, Saturdays truly are Rachel's only days of rest. I did some long overdue dishes (see hilarious picture on DropShots) and made us a nice dinner. We are looking forward to setting our clocks back one hour when we get in bed in a few, and tomorrow starts a new week here in Jerusalem. Unfortunately, with the end of Shabbat returns the loud traffic on Jabotinsky. We can't wait for cold weather when we can have all of our windows closed.
Until daylight savings in the U.S., effective tomorrow (Sunday) there is only a 6 hour time difference between Israel and the EST in the States. This will change in November when y'all fall back and the time difference will return to 7 hours. There are some random pictures I put on DropShots that y'all can check out. The link is towards the top of the left hand side of the blog home page. Happy New Year!
We left there after dessert (dessert was its own insanity!) for a classmate of Rachel's apartment where she and her boyfriend hosted folks for a relaxing afternoon lunch. We were both so full that we felt rude declining food initially, but we were there long enough to have little pockets open up in our stomachs to taste the fruit salad and desserts. It was nice to just hang out with folks and talk and laugh, mostly about inappropriate things, but hey, we can't be serious learned students and their SOs all the time now can we?!
We had talked all day about possibly going to services and left our friend's home intending to walk to Kol Hanishima. But we ended up standing on the sidewalk outside the apartment building talking to a friend of ours who is a fellow SO at HUC. We stood there for an hour and 45 minutes talking, never thinking to sit on the benches next to us and literally watching people we know walk to and from services, all in disbelief that we had stood there for that long talking. It was a wonderful time spent, and we were perfectly okay missing Shabbat services. We took a picture to commemorate our marathon conversation -- check it out on DropShots. Rachel and I then walked home and spent the rest of the evening relaxing in our PJs. Shabbat morning (today) we slept in rather than get up and go to services. Honestly, Saturdays truly are Rachel's only days of rest. I did some long overdue dishes (see hilarious picture on DropShots) and made us a nice dinner. We are looking forward to setting our clocks back one hour when we get in bed in a few, and tomorrow starts a new week here in Jerusalem. Unfortunately, with the end of Shabbat returns the loud traffic on Jabotinsky. We can't wait for cold weather when we can have all of our windows closed.
Until daylight savings in the U.S., effective tomorrow (Sunday) there is only a 6 hour time difference between Israel and the EST in the States. This will change in November when y'all fall back and the time difference will return to 7 hours. There are some random pictures I put on DropShots that y'all can check out. The link is towards the top of the left hand side of the blog home page. Happy New Year!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
L'Shana Tovah -- A Happy, Healthy, Sweet New Year To You All
It's hard to believe that we were at the shuk shopping just over 24 hours ago. Since Rosh Hashana doesn't end until Friday at sundown at which point Shabbat begins, the shuk and stores and shops will not be open again until Sunday, so we had to consider social obligations, plan meals and shop accordingly. We didn't head to the shuk until after noon on Wednesday, yet it was still very crowded. Rachel usually doesn't go to the shuk with me but was able to this time because she did not have school yesterday. We went armed with tote bags and a back pack as we had a long list. My favorite shuk thing happened which is that we were able to get everything we had on our very diverse shopping list at the shuk. It's simply the most cost effective way to shop but is a total pain in the ass at the same time as Rachel and I were barely able to make it home and up to the top floor without falling down from the weight of the bags. We first went to the Iraqi Shuk -- see previous post -- and it literally looked like what most Iraqi markets may look like these days; it was over half wiped out of all produce, and what was left was slim pickings (I'll keep from making any snide Bush comments).
We are attending Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services at HUC. The Blaustein sanctuary is breathtakingly gorgeous as all you see when you look out the floor to ceiling windows behind the bimah is the Old City. The choir was fantastic last night and today, with very talented cantorial students and some not so shabby wannabes. Today's service was about 4 hours long which was a bit painful, but hearing Gingy blow the shofar towards the end of the service, again, with the Old City in plain view, was pretty darn cool and definitely worth it. We are really looking forward to Kol Nidre -- we hear that it is a truly beautiful and spiritual experience, and people come from all movements and synagogues to hear the choir and soloists -- they stand in the back and leave after Kol Nidre. I even think some of our Orthodox friends are going to come with us to HUC. There was a student led Rosh Hashana seder last night after services that was nice. I had never participated in a Rosh Hashana seder, as was the case with most people I think, but it was nice to share a good dinner with friends regardless. We had a wonderful afternoon with our aforementioned Orthodox friends and a couple they are friends with. We were invited for lunch in their new apartment -- they just got married a month ago today. The food was exceptional -- pancakes and lasagne (I know what you're thinking) made up the main course. I said that it's a good thing we have some days left to ask God's forgiveness because that apartment was full of shameless gluttons today! We really love meeting new non-HUC friends, and the newlyweds have been very good, whether intentionally or not, at introducing us to their many progressive thinking and open minded Orthodox friends. One of my biggest wishes for this year in Israel is to be a part of as many experiences as possible where preconceived and uninformed opinions that I hold for a number of reasons can be chiseled away at if not totally shattered. I just really want to understand people, places and things in a way that is good and right and fair. A good thing to meditate on this next week until Yom Kippur. My list is long but I will make room for more.
I told myself I was going to be in bed hours ago, and it is almost midnight, so I will say laila tov for now. I have more reflections I want to write about and I know more will emerge this next week and on into the rest of the chagim, so check your email, I'll be in touch. I have updated DropShots by adding any outstanding pictures and videos and also worked on captions. The link to that is on the left side of the page towards the top. Also, if you haven't done so already, you can sign up with your email address to receive an email when I post something new on our blog.
To all of you, our family and friends, our community,
we wish you a Shana Tova u'Metuka,
Amy (and Rachel)
We are attending Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services at HUC. The Blaustein sanctuary is breathtakingly gorgeous as all you see when you look out the floor to ceiling windows behind the bimah is the Old City. The choir was fantastic last night and today, with very talented cantorial students and some not so shabby wannabes. Today's service was about 4 hours long which was a bit painful, but hearing Gingy blow the shofar towards the end of the service, again, with the Old City in plain view, was pretty darn cool and definitely worth it. We are really looking forward to Kol Nidre -- we hear that it is a truly beautiful and spiritual experience, and people come from all movements and synagogues to hear the choir and soloists -- they stand in the back and leave after Kol Nidre. I even think some of our Orthodox friends are going to come with us to HUC. There was a student led Rosh Hashana seder last night after services that was nice. I had never participated in a Rosh Hashana seder, as was the case with most people I think, but it was nice to share a good dinner with friends regardless. We had a wonderful afternoon with our aforementioned Orthodox friends and a couple they are friends with. We were invited for lunch in their new apartment -- they just got married a month ago today. The food was exceptional -- pancakes and lasagne (I know what you're thinking) made up the main course. I said that it's a good thing we have some days left to ask God's forgiveness because that apartment was full of shameless gluttons today! We really love meeting new non-HUC friends, and the newlyweds have been very good, whether intentionally or not, at introducing us to their many progressive thinking and open minded Orthodox friends. One of my biggest wishes for this year in Israel is to be a part of as many experiences as possible where preconceived and uninformed opinions that I hold for a number of reasons can be chiseled away at if not totally shattered. I just really want to understand people, places and things in a way that is good and right and fair. A good thing to meditate on this next week until Yom Kippur. My list is long but I will make room for more.
I told myself I was going to be in bed hours ago, and it is almost midnight, so I will say laila tov for now. I have more reflections I want to write about and I know more will emerge this next week and on into the rest of the chagim, so check your email, I'll be in touch. I have updated DropShots by adding any outstanding pictures and videos and also worked on captions. The link to that is on the left side of the page towards the top. Also, if you haven't done so already, you can sign up with your email address to receive an email when I post something new on our blog.
To all of you, our family and friends, our community,
we wish you a Shana Tova u'Metuka,
Amy (and Rachel)
Thursday, September 6, 2007
The Iraqi Shuk
Apparently the shuk was historically sectioned off by ethnicity and nationality. It may somewhat still be this way, but more as recognition of the shuk's history and less who is actually working at stalls and where they are from. I still need to take a tour of the shuk and learn the history and random stories that will make it even more interesting to me than it already is. It is by far one of my favorite places in Jerusalem. I hope to shoot some video soon -- maybe before Rosh Hashana or next Shabbat -- because photos just can't do it justice. The shuk has 2 main arteries or corridors, one inside and one outside, one covered and lighted and the other not. Between these 2 strips are many, many alleys and connecting paths, all full of the beautiful sights and sounds of the shuk. A while ago I came across a section that is a bit off the beaten track. After walking through and seeing that it wasn't as crowded as the rest of the shuk, the prices were lower and the produce was fresher, well, I was hooked. I do almost all of the shopping there; today I was able to purchase everything on my list in this area. The shuk can be very overwhelming as there are a gazillion different stalls that sell cucumbers, for example. It is nice to have one area that I focus on and only stray for certain things that are not available in my favorite section. I did find out that the area of the shuk I prefer is known as the Iraqi shuk. I find great satisfaction in supporting the Iraqi shuk, regardless of whether there are any Iraqi men at any of the stalls selling their goods (95% of shuk workers are men, big surprise). I just sort of feel like, as I walk away with all of my goods, that I am making a statement about the war in Iraq and about W. The war is wrong, never should have started and needs to end now. Too many people on both sides have died. Iraq is in a civil war and people's lives are in ruins. If by some chance there is one Iraqi man in the Iraqi shuk, and I happen to buy from him and in some way help him and his family, wherever they may be, I consider it an accomplishment. Just being in the Iraqi shuk forces me to think about the war and the soldiers and civilians and step out of myself for a moment and remember that there are such bigger things out there. Don't worry, I'm not totally soft and PC. I also walk away from that section saying to myself : Screw you Bush, I support Iraq and would never buy cucumbers from you." Oh yeah, that is politically correct. When I walk home from the shuk, I almost always pass by a woman -- homeless, begger, I don't really know -- who sits against a building with her hand held out. I always make sure I have a few shekels to give to her, feeling guilty if I were to pass by her with bags full of wonderful foods but no pocket change for her. And relating this back to Bush? He wouldn't even understand.
Sour Cream Is 15% Fat Here...
and boy does it taste good!
I just saw a concrete truck that is called PutzMeister. What?!?!?
I was at the shuk today -- at Marzipan -- and ran a guy off! He was commenting on my tattoo and I asked him if he smokes and when he said yes I told him he was defiling his body more than I have mine via my tattoo. He left the store in a huff. And the guys behind the counter didn't throw me out, either. They wanted to talk to me in a mature way about why I wear a kippah. All was good, and I left with lots of cinnamon rolls and chocolate rugeluch. Too bad they are no longer a Shabbat treat like they originally were. If I'm anywhere near Marzipan I just sort of end up there involuntarily. We have taste tested many other bakeries and Marzipan is by far the best. The consistency of the pastries is a bit gooey which we love while other places are more hard and crunchy. Gooey good, crunchy bad.
I just saw a concrete truck that is called PutzMeister. What?!?!?
I was at the shuk today -- at Marzipan -- and ran a guy off! He was commenting on my tattoo and I asked him if he smokes and when he said yes I told him he was defiling his body more than I have mine via my tattoo. He left the store in a huff. And the guys behind the counter didn't throw me out, either. They wanted to talk to me in a mature way about why I wear a kippah. All was good, and I left with lots of cinnamon rolls and chocolate rugeluch. Too bad they are no longer a Shabbat treat like they originally were. If I'm anywhere near Marzipan I just sort of end up there involuntarily. We have taste tested many other bakeries and Marzipan is by far the best. The consistency of the pastries is a bit gooey which we love while other places are more hard and crunchy. Gooey good, crunchy bad.
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