תרבות ישראלית

So we've all had some nice cultural encounters recently, and some nice encounters with Israeli culture.

Hannah:

Zoe was gone last Shabbes (see below) but Hannah and her roommate Eliana were back, and we had a great time with them -- of course!  

They left right after Shabbes, though to go do some volunteering for a relatively new organization called Here Next Year,

which provides information, guidance, and general assistance to young kids here on gap year programs who are considering staying a bit longer, for army, national service, or college.  Some of them might be considering aliyah, but that’s not really what this group is all about.  Hannah and Eliana (who both attend Tel Aviv University) went to talk to students who might be considering attending there. (Sheryl actually stopped by on the way to an Akiva reunion.  But here’s a picture of her at Hannah’s event, wearing what she she describes as her frum and puffy outfit).

Hannah also stopped by the apartment for a few minutes later in the week (really not much more than that, though it is one of the perks of the year to get to see her for even a few minutes) ‘cause she was going to a local seminary to discuss national service, which of course Hannah also did.

Seth:

Danny Nevins was in town for a week of work, but we were really lucky to get together with him a few times (including a fly-by appearance by Hannah
on her way home from that seminary visit.

Wednesday night Danny and Seth went to the Jerusalem Jazz Festival, just in its second year.  (Don’t tell my Aunt Debbie, who will feel justified in recalling our debate from 35 years ago, and her insistence that I would eventually like jazz.  OK, fine, you win!)  It was conducted in conjunction with the Israel Museum; you got to listen to jazz and see a little bit of art at the same time. Such a cool (if I may borrow some classic jazz jargon) idea.   

We first went to listen to  an American group, the Jeff Ballard Trio.  He’s a great drummer, and we really liked his guitar player, too.  Maybe if I was more of a connoisseur I could comment on his sax player.  Then we heard the closing of a set by an Israeli group, the Hagiga Sextet, whose piano player was particularly fun to watch. The headliner was Rickie Lee Jones, accompanied by an Israeli outfit called the Non-Standards Project.

 

It had been raining all day, the heaviest rain of the year so far) but had all but ended by the time we left around 11, so Danny and I decided to take a longish walk home, including a short detour to visit the apartment he and Lynn had lived in 25 years or so ago when he was a student here.  It was a great night of music, art, and schmoozing.

Sheryl:

There is something here called Open Restaurants which took place recently. It started in Tel Avi, and has since spread out.There are food events throughout the city every day:  food demonstrations at restaurants, chef talks, food tours, even chef tours at the Israel Museum. Sheryl wanted to go to at least a dozen events but only made it to one.  She and Aviva Cohen went to hear Nomi Abeliovich, who did the background research for the Yoatam Ottolenghi book, Jerusalem.  This talk was in English and really wonderful.  Many of you probably know this cookbook which was an international sensation and they got to hear how it came to be.

First of all the setting of the talk was great.  It took place at the Abraham Hostel in the center of town.  Aviva had been there years ago but it is really very clean and hip these days with a lounge, bar, communal kitchen, and events.  It was filled with people from all over the world, back packers and lone, young travelers.  There is very little that makes Sheryl want to be 21 again but this place did.  

The talk took place in the lounge area and a screen was set up. Aviva and Sheryl really liked Nomi Abeliiovich, who is good writer, really insightful and had a great story to tell.  Her job was to research what foods were authentically Yerushalmi by going to bakeries, restaurants, private homes, markets, etc.  She had a lapsed Haredi take her through Meah Shaarim; she went into a basement bakery in the Eastern part of Jerusalem where all they make is one delicacy and they are the only place that makes it the world; she went to a Moroccan home cook making Shabbat dinner for her children using two bottles of olive oil for this one meal.  It went on and on.

She wrote down original recipes and gave them to Yoatam and Sammi and they tweaked them the Ottolenghi way.  A former Jerusalemite, she had a great grasp of the city.  Aviva and I were so glad we ventured out on a coldish night.  So put that on your travel plans to come here if you are a foodie.  You will have the most amazing trip.  Check out the website so you can see what you missed: http://open-restaurants.co.il/?lang=en

Sheryl and Seth:

Seth’s old teacher Jonathan Sarna is Israel for the year, and Seth and Sheryl have been going to a small series of talks he’s giving at Pardes.  (We also had a nice dinner one night on Emek with Jonathan and his wife Ruth Langer, who is herself an accomplished historian).  The lectures have been a lot of fun, as talks by Jonathan always are.  

We hadn’t been able to get together all year with Amitai Zuriel, whom some of you might remember was a Steinsaltz Ambassador in Detroit for a couple of years.  But he joined us for one of the lectures, and then we hung out a bit afterwards.  He’s still a super smart and super sweet guy.  What a treat.  Now that we’ve made contact, as it were, we plan on seeing him more  often.

Zoe

Most of us are aware that there can be some slight differences in the Jewish calendar in Israel and that of Jews living outside the Land of Israel.  What most Americans don’t realize, however, is that Israelis actually have an entire other month around Kislev: Hodesh Irgun. What?  An entire month we don’t even celebrate?!  It’s true, though it took us a while to realize what was going on.  Our first clue was Zoe’s extended absences from home, going out it seemed on a nightly basis.  Then she started taking things from our home, like folding tables and extra food.  Sometimes she returned covered in paint.  Then came a letter from school saying they understood that our daughter might miss some school, but that this would be ok with them.

Finally, Zoe was home long enough to explain to us what was going on.  It’s called Hodesh Irgun. And no, it’s not really an an extra month; it’s the name given here to the transition between the end of one year’s activities for Jewish youth groups and the start of the next year.  It’s a highlight of the year for them.  It involves all sorts of activities:  there are committees (Zoe’s was selling food at a kiosk, thus the extra grocery shopping and the borrowing of our table -- for serving); there is painting (thus her colorful appearance on arriving home) of their youth center with decorations apropos the new theme; there is evidently a lot of cheering, dancing, sleepovers, and more than one all-nighter.  It ends with a Shabbaton, entirely coordinated by the kids, including preparing the food.  Parents are actually invited Shabbes afternoon to see the newly painted walls and on Saturday night to see some of what the kids have been working on, including a daglanut/flag dance (although not done by Zoe’s age group).  (In Zoe’s branch, at least, this included  girls and boys , in contrast to back home where flag dances are the exclusive purview of girls).

The climax of the Shabbaton and the entire Hodesh Irgun is the moving up of each age group and taking on the name of the age group that had been ahead of them -- and the oldest kids (9th graders) getting a new, special name that belongs to them forever.

And that’s it for this little window into our cultural excursions.  If we don’t speak with you before, best wishes to all for a חנוכה שמח !

What happens in Israel...