Lesson #65 - How to write with a fountain pen and ink or "Do I really have to write on that tiny piece of pottery?"

This morning, I knew I was in for something different. Having requested not to use a pickax while my body recovered from the work, I was sent to the pottery cleaning and marking. It was a lot of fun but still hard work.Here's my supposition... on a dig, there is nothing but hard work. You can't escape and really, I didn't want to.Here's the deal with pottery marking. There are tons and tons of shards that have been found. Approx 300 BAGS of them at this point in the dig. All of those have to be washed and scrubbed, then marked. If they are edge pieces, like the lip of a jug or bowl or handle or spout... aka recognizable pieces, every single one has to be marked. If they are just random pieces of pottery, all of them above a certain size have to be marked. In this case, anything bigger than three of my thumbs... I don't actually have three thumbs therefore this is just an estimate.Here comes the challenge (other than writing tiny)... You aren't using a sharpie to mark them... you are using a fountain pen and ink well (in this situation, the ink well is a bottle cap). I know a fountain pen sounds romantic but there very little control for a novice on the flow of ink... and you have to write really tiny. As the day progressed, my writing got more consistent and smaller. Thank goodness! Because one of the girls hasn't been feeling well and she was doing the tiny parts, the rim parts, and she had to go rest so I had to finish the tiny parts... yeah... For this work, you are hunched over a piece of pottery, trying to keep your hands steady. The bonus of this work was I had to stop to stretch my hand and arm and back frequently so I got a bunch of pictures. AND I got to go see the synagogue today. What a real thrill to walk down the main street from 1900 years ago! Truly amazing! The intact mosaics on the floor are incredible and you can see the plaster and paint (frescos) on the some of the walls. As they try to understand more about this synagogue, it will be facinating to watch.And here is another sunrise... a nice progression through the morning... for you!(To see all my pictures, go to THDpr Flickr)

You speak Hebrew like my mother speaks Chinese...

Says the Israeli Arab man to me...Great. Thanks... at least I KNEW what you were asking... I knew to answer that I am from Colorado and achshav, gar b'yerushalim (and now I live in Jerusalem). And who taught me Hebrew? Ulpan v'abba sheli! (Hebrew class in Israel and my dad)...But Habibi... I appreciate you trying and helping me practice my Hebrew.Interesting experience. On a dig with a 10 Mexicans who can speak okay English, one Slovakian who also speaks okay English, in Israel with Israeli workers who speak Hebrew and Russian and me.Needless to say, I don't talk much here...

Lesson #42 - How to wield a pickax or "I am SO not built for this"

All in all day one was successful. I cleared a trench another 10 centimeters. It was hard work and took me the whole time we were at the site.We got up at 4:45am... it came way too soon... Up and dressed... Off we went! We headed to the site but one girl got sick so we had to drive her back. Finally, we make it to the site to eat a small breakfast of cereal and watch the sunrise. Then we walked over to the dig site. The synagogue isn't being touched right now but instead we worked on a row of Jewish houses from the same time period. I sat in this trench from 6 until 1:30 digging up pieces of pots. Around me they found some coins and glass too. We were pulling up pieces of these people's lives!The routine was the same...

1. Swing the pickax, chomp up the ground. If I got stuck on a rock, my kind neighbor, Carlos (an older gentleman from Mexico) would help me out.
2. Sit on the ground and bend down with a small pickax and clear the sides that are more delicate than the middle... the sides near the wall that we don't want to collapse or the side near the string that marks the area we are digging.
3. Then sit on your tush and break up the clumps to ensure that you don't have a tiny coin in there or a piece of pottery.
4. If you find something, it goes in the appropriate bag. One big one for pottery, one for shells, animal bones, or glass. Coins get handed to the boss.
5. Then use the bottom of a big broom and sweep up the dirt into a dust pan and dump it into a bucket.
6. Repeat.

Once your bucket is full, call one of the Israelis or Russians over to dump the large rocks or sift the dirt to see if you missed anything.We broke at 10:30 for actual breakfast and then we took a breather at noon. We finished for the day at 1:30... and boy was I ready. My hands hurt to open or close and my back from stooping. It was quite an odd position to be in. We got back to the church where we are staying and had lunch at 2.All in all a good day... but I learned something today... maybe with practice I could do this every day but... wow! Chewing up the ground with a pickax is hard work for a small girl! I am totally not pulling the girl card... just that this sucker was heavy and even the small pickax became hard to hold. Hitting rocks with a pickax hurts your bones.Here is your lesson for the day -Wielding a pickax. Stand firmly with your dominant foot in front of the other. Don't bend over too much. Swing pick side into the hard packed, clay like earth. Straight down, just a bit towards you. Then let the tool pull up some earth. Don't stand there beating the ground like a mad person... it doesn't help. Thanks to Carlos for the lessons. And thanks to Carlos for helping me get out my big rocks.

And I am off!

What a whirlwind!I found out, quite literally, 10 minutes before shabbis began that I am leaving today to go to an archeological dig up north! How crazy!It has been a blur of grabbing supplies, packing and getting a lot of work done before I leave today. I have to go catch a bus at 3:30 to head up north tonight since the dig begins at 5:30am tomorrow (Monday).So I will be in Tiberias for the week, using my sleeping muscles and exercising my body rather than my brain. I can't wait!Forgive me if you don't hear from me often but I promise to take pictures and post when I can.In addition to the excitement of the dig, I have realized that this is a nice chance to overcome my need to control the situation. I have no idea where to get off the bus in Tiberias. I have no idea where I am sleeping (I believe it might be in a Greek Catholic church). I don't know what I am eating, when I will be sleeping, or anything else for the next 5 days. A little unnerving but as my mother keeps reminding me, a good test and chance to overcome this tendency of mine.Wish me luck! 

I long for my mother's Jerusalem

When I told my mother I was going to be studying in Jerusalem for the fall, the first words out of her mouth were (and I kid you not), "After Sukkot? Bring rain boots!"Her advice was born out of her experience living in Israel with my father in the 70's where they were deluged with rain and she had to purchase wellies here in Jerusalem.And so I brought the less comfortable but more waterproof black boots with me on my adventure (rather than my go-to every(winter)day boots that I wanted to bring). Alas, I have not yet had cause to use them.Israel is in the midst of a rough seven year drought. A couple of years ago, some rabbis even took flight to end it, getting on a flight over Israel to pray for rain. Praying for rain is an ancient custom within Judaism. We have been praying for rain for a very long time. It is structured within our prayers. We are to start asking for rain around Sukkot time however, many don't start praying in earnest for about 10 days after the end of Sukkot (on the 7 of Cheshvan). If we are in such a drought, why not start immediately? Well the tradition stems from when all the Jews would make a pilgrimage to Israel for Sukkot, one of our Shalosh Regalim.Since we eat and hang out in our sukkahs for a week during sukkot (some even sleep in them), it isn't the best idea to then pray for rain, so it was agreed that we would wait until after Sukkot. However, there are all these pilgrims in Jerusalem for this holiday. Surely we don't want to make their journey back home harder or impossible by the land being flooded. So we wait 10 days until the furthest pilgrim is finally home (rough estimates on walking/camel time). It is at that point that we begin praying for rain in earnest.On the flip side of this, it is important to note that when we stop praying for rain, around Passover, we must have the rain stop. If the rain were to continue at that point, the wheat crops would be ruined.At this point it is 27 days since we started praying for rain in Israel, perhaps it is too much to hope that we would have been washed with the cleansing rains from the heavens at this point... but I don't think so. And I don't think it is selfish to say so. I want the rain. I want the rain to quench the land. I want to wear my dusty rain boots. I want the Jerusalem weather of my mother's memory.Jews in Chutz L'aretz (the other lands) will begin praying for rain on December 5. Remember, this isn't rain for Brooklyn or Denver... this is rain for Israel. Israel where we are constantly aware of the unique agricultural aspects of the land and Judaism.Here's hoping I can break out my mother's rain boots soon! (and this 70-80 degree weather breaks!)[And mom... I really do miss those boots I left at home... :)]

I'm feeling rather bl(ah)(og)...

I know I should be over the moon that I have the opportunity to study full time but all I can think about is all the things I need to do and accomplish and where I am deficient.It can't help that I feel like I have to cram as much learning as I can into my time in Israel since I'm older... it's as if for every year over 18 or 22 I am, I have to work that much harder, go to that many more classes, answer that many more questions.Now, in addition to that, I have the practical concerns for certainly I could not forget I have bills to pay, student loans to make good on and hopefully a job when I go home.But how do you suck every drop of learning out of an experience when a third of your brain is devoted to your work tasks that have to get done that day and your mind is dreaming of that delicious garden tub and clean bathroom you left in the States?It's a balance I am constantly striving for while I spend time in Israel learning. I envy those men and women who dedicate their lives to learning Torah or stay in academia all their lives. I watch the women around me with their varying degrees of commitment to classroom learning and I know that while we are all here for the same reason (mostly), many of them would benefit from a program with more experiential classes. Not all of us are built to sit in a chair and learn for hours upon hours a day. I think about myself and my commitment to learn everything these amazing teachers are willing to give over. My face is almost always in the classroom, not only do I try not to miss classes, I dislike missing classes but how do I balance that with my need, my primal need to use my hands for more than note-taking, page flipping, and computer typing? What about the knowledge that I want to sweat and be sore, use my muscles until they ache?And just as I had these questions, a solution walked into my lap. Go on an archeological dig. I have the opportunity to go up north to the Galilee and dig a 1st Century synagogue. 1st Century people! Let me explain what this means for the normal humans who are not as obsessed with history or archeology as I am...Our Second Holy Temple was destroyed in 70 CE. Prior to the destruction, it was not common that Jews had synagogues. There was only the one Temple in Jerusalem. It was only after this time that Jews rallied around making a local structure with rabbis (this took a lot of time). Therefore, this synagogue was either from the 30 years after the Second Temple was destroyed or one of the rare synagogues built DURING the Second Temple period and to make it even more rare, there have only been 7 found in the world.Here's some info about it from the Israeli Antiquities Authority:

"A synagogue from the Second Temple period (50 BCE-100 CE) was exposed in archaeological excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is conducting at a site slated for the construction of a hotel on Migdal beach, in an area owned by the Ark New Gate Company. In the middle of the synagogue is a stone that is engraved with a seven-branched menorah (candelabrum), the likes of which have never been seen. The excavations were directed by archaeologists Dina Avshalom-Gorni and Arfan Najar of the Israel Antiquities Authority.The main hall of synagogue is c. 120 square meters in area and its stone benches, which served as seats for the worshippers, were built up against the walls of the hall. Its floor was made of mosaic and its walls were treated with colored plaster (frescos). A square stone, the top and four sides of which are adorned with reliefs, was discovered in the hall. The stone is engraved with a seven-branched menorah set atop a pedestal with a triangular base, which is flanked on either side by an amphora (jars).According to the excavation director, Dina Avshalom-Gorni of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “We are dealing with an exciting and unique find. This is the first time that a menorah decoration has been discovered from the days when the Second Temple was still standing. This is the first menorah to be discovered in a Jewish context and that dates to the Second Temple period/beginning of the Early Roman period. We can assume that the engraving that appears on the stone, which the Israel Antiquities Authority uncovered, was done by an artist who saw the seven-branched menorah with his own eyes in the Temple in Jerusalem. The synagogue that was uncovered joins just six other synagogues in the world that are known to date to the Second Temple period”.

What an amazing opportunity to use my other skills in life and come back to school with a zest for sitting in class. I imagine after a week of hunching over in the sun and dirt, I will enjoy a clean classroom with comfy chairs.

Cats in Israel

I literally just watched a woman...a HUMAN BEING... cross the street to get out of a CAT'S path!! What?! Since when do human beings have to get out of the way for cats?Since I live in Israel, actually. The cats have their own underworld here. I sincerely believe there is a cat mafia and they have cat stores and little corrupt cat government officials. They run the place!No but seriously, what's with the cats in Israel? Well here's the short story.Back when Israel was under the British Mandate, prior to 1948, the Brits brought cats to Israel to help with the rat population. As far as I can tell, it worked. I haven't seen a rat or a mouse since I got here... however, the cats have become a nuisance. One vet likens cats in Israel to squirrels in the US... yeah, it's that bad here. They sit and wait in garbage cans and gather around restaurants. The garbage is outside by the street and so it is easy for them to access. However, many cats are sick and injured, it isn't pretty. The worst is when they get in the building. There aren't too many bugs here and not many people have screens so cats just waltz in. I caught a cat in our kitchen a few weeks back. Our kitchen is on the third floor and I noticed the trash was knocked over. I turned on the light and picked up the trash can and this big black cat went flying past me and down the stairs. Ewww... And the cat fights... it's like a movie with all the screeching and squalling.So yes, in Israel, the humans will cross the street to avoid a crazy cat... much better than meeting one in a dark alley at night! There are some movements in Israel to spay and neuter the cats then release them back into the wild in hopes that it will reduce the number of feral cats in Israel but who knows if it is working. The latest estimate I saw placed the number of feral cats in Israel at ... are you ready for this? 30 - 40 million! And most of them aren't cuddly and cute... Not to mention that I have seen a fair share of dead, dying, or decomposing cats... not pretty.And as I type this I can heard a cat whining... oh man!

Urban Exploration at Lifta

Rucheli and I had an AMAZING trip to Lifta this week. It is an abandoned old neighborhood that was last inhabited in 1948. There are about 50 stone building still 'standing' (and I used that word loosely). There are some squatters who live there but mainly it is like a nature preserve.Rucheli wrote an amazing blog about it so until I can get to it, I shall point you there - Rucheli's WritingsAnd if you want to check out the awesome pics, head over to our Flickr pages! Talia's PicsRucheli's Pics - Originals & EditedLook for more Urban Exploring in the future, Rucheli and I had a blast. And note... it is very important to have two photographers there! Why? 1. to take pics of each other and 2. to help each other climb!Some favorite pics:

Inferior vs. Superior Heath Care Systems

Living in America, there is a lot of talk about the heath care systems of the United States. Americans want to believe that since we live in America, we must have the best of everything including the dysfunctional mess we call insurance and health care.Let's talk turkey. I have lived without insurance for more than 11 years in America. Now many of you are saying, "what an irresponsible girl!" Okay, well thanks for that but the reality is, my parents lost their insurance therefore I did when I was 18ish. In college, the university clinic was a joke (no literally... the joke was you go with a broken foot and come out with a band-aid... which really happened to my freshman year roommate who then had to have major foot surgery because of their ineptitude). And after college my jobs didn't really offer insurance but by that point I had learned to live on sleep, chicken soup, and Advil. I think one job did offer it but I never really used it because the process was so complex.Regardless, there were times I looked into purchasing insurance myself only to run away screaming at the premiums... I had, by then, preexisting conditions (like being a female) and it was $150 - $300 a month that I could not afford. Working on a non-profit salary doesn't afford much luxury and insurance was a luxury... some months, so was eating. But there have been times I have bemoaned not having insurance... like when I ended up in the hospital after a car accident and other times. Paying out-of-pocket for an emergency room visit is not my idea of fun and neither is paying for a dentist out-of-pocket. But it seemed to me those times were fewer and it was easier than the monthly fee for not seeing a doctor.I trained myself to not need doctors. Viruses, bugs, pain... all fixed by rest and chicken soup (I am Jewish) but that isn't always the case and I can only wonder if I would be in better health now if I had yearly check ups. True that we over use the system and doctors over prescribe antibiotics but there are cases when they are necessary. There has to be some right balance.Fast forward to Israel. I land here and the program tells us that we should get insurance. I am ambivalent. I mean I have lived the past 11 years without it in America... but a friend who came to the program this summer suggested that with 40 girls living so closely, it would probably be a good idea. So for $1 a day I got insurance for my trip in Israel. Yup. $30 a month. That's it.Then I got sick. General malaise and fever and congestion for about a week or so and I figure, I've got the insurance, why not get checked out? I made the appointment... same day... impressive #1. He saw me at 5:45pm - impressive #2 (when have you ever had a late afternoon appointment?). I got there and waited on 10 minutes to see the doc - impressive #3. There was no nurse intermediary, the doc came and got me and sat right down... no nurse then wait 30 minutes - impressive #4. He listened to my complaints, asked questions, examined me and prescribed treatment within 15 minutes and I did not feel at all short-changed or rushed - impressive #5. He gave me two courses of treatment - one to try that is more mild and antibiotics if that doesn't work - impressive #6. He wrote me a prescription for all of it at once - impressive #7. I left his office and there was NO CO-PAY - impressive #8. I went to the pharmacy in the building and within 5 minutes she pulled the medicine - impressive #9. There was no co-pay or charge for the medicine - impressive #10!In less than an hour (I got there a bit early) I had my new patient paperwork done, seen by a physician, got prescriptions, got them filled and was walking out the building. So fast that my bus transfer was even still valid!I have to say, there is something really nice in not being afraid of the medical system and knowing that when I need to go to the doctor, I can. It only illustrates that America's health care systems is so archaic and crumbling and in desperate need of renovation.

You Shall Live in Booths...

Sukkot in Jerusalem is really a sight to be seen. There are sukkahs on top of sukkahs. Every restaurant has one on the street (why? because men especially must eat all their food in a sukkah, if that is your minhag [tradition] and if a restaurant wants to be open during sukkot, they have to have a sukkah for these guys) and walking home at night, you see these beautiful booths lit up on every street.As soon as Yom Kippur is over, it is tradition to start building your sukkah. Some people just do a bit and finish the next day but some families get on it that night. There are two main parts to this holiday -

“On the first day you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook” (Lev. 23:40), and“You shall live in booths seven days; all citizens in Israel shall live in booths, in order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt” (Lev. 23:42-43).

The first part concerns the Lulav and Etrog. The lulav, as a bunch, is made up of three species - Willow, Myrtle, and Palm. The word lulav refers to the closed palm frond that is the spine or the middle of the bundle called a lulav. The myrtle is called hadass. It has small oval leaves and represents the eyes. Then comes the willow which is called arvah and with it's long leaves, represents the mouth. The last part of this package is the etrog, a citron fruit whose shape resembles the heart. There is another midrash that gives us different symbolism.

• The lulav has taste but no smell, symbolizing those who study Torah but do not possess good deeds.
• The hadass has a good smell but no taste, symbolizing those who possess good deeds but do not study Torah.
• The aravah has neither taste nor smell, symbolizing those who lack both Torah and good deeds.
• The etrog has both a good taste and a good smell, symbolizing those who have both Torah and good deeds. (thanks to Wikipedia for that)

Here is the lulav that my father bound for the family this year at home in Colorado -I went on a hunt on erev Sukkot (i.e. our holidays begin at night so this was during the day when sukkot was beginning that night) for some cool sukkot pictures in Jerusalem. We went to the ultra orthodox areas. While we couldn't go into the main shouk (market) I did get some neat shots...Also, we build the sukkah to eat, play, and sleep in for the 7 days of sukkot. There are some rules surrounding this dwelling. (For a fun but halachicly [legally] sound version of these rules, head over to my blog - The Laws of Sukkah According to Dr. Seuss.)Some groups choose not to decorate their sukkahs but others decorate them with fruit and vegetables and pictures and lights, etc. I heard one person exclaim, "It's like a Jewish Christmas tree!" Not quite but fun all the same.Here are some sukkah pictures that I collected on my walk -