Hello,

It's been almost three weeks since my last post, and that time has actually been quite eventful - so, here's a bit about it:

Strangely, while everyone back home is already having mid-terms, my semester is just beginning . . .
I finally have my full school schedule together (well, everything except composition lessons . . . ?) and it is really great, and for once pretty light too. I only have class Monday through Thursday, only have one morning class, and Monday is the only day on which I have more than one class. So, I have actually committed to a plan of going to the gym five mornings a week [three days swimming, two days weights]. It's really nice to actually be able to do that. And I have time to keep exploring Israel, make some weekend trips, and work on all that composing.
I'm also loving the courses that I get to take, which are:

From Jewish Jesus to Christianity   (which has the potential to be my favorite class ever)

Intermediate Biblical Hebrew   (technically my first graduate course!)

Israeli Music   (which is just for the four of us Jerusalem Sounds students)

Jewish Music   (a regular Academy course, in Hebrew!)


I have gotten to go to a few more concerts as well:

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Zubin Mehta himself)
- Josef Bardanashvili (who is actually on the JAMD faculty)  "A Journey to the End of the Millennium"
- Schuman   Piano Concerto in A minor
- Beethoven   Symphony no. 9
This was an amazing performance in an amazing space. It was very moving to hear "HaTikvah" (with which, as the national anthem, they opened) performed by the orchestra, and this was also my first time hearing a full Beethoven Symphony live.

Got a front-row balcony seat with a superb view.

Matisyahu with Idan Reichel, opened by "Nechi Nech" and "Strong Black Coffee" (which sounds way better in Hebrew).
This is the only real, big, rock concert I've ever been too. It was a cool, outdoor venue built in an ancient water-storage pool just outside the Old City. Musically wasn't exactly my thing, and Matisyahu's lyrics painful closeness to the truth was difficult, but I'm very glad I went.

The real, big deal.

Terrible picture, but this is how close it is to the Old City.

Young Philharmonic Orchestra Jerusalem Weimar
- Ziv Cojocaru   "Links.Metamorphosis"
- Kurt Weill   Symphony no. 2
- Schostakovitch   Cello concerto in Eb Major
- Tschaikovsky   Romeo and Juliette overture
This orchestra is comprised of students from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and Music Academy Franz Liszt in Weimar (Germany) and is dedicated to performing "works reflecting the historical connections and ruptures between the two countries." To say their performance was top-notch would be a severe understatement.

We also got to go on a really nice, school-organized hike at Yad Kennedy, which is a nature park and monument in honor of JFK. It was great to spend the day outdoors, out of the city area, and get to know people some more (and some more people).

The monument is structured like a tree trunk, symbolizing JFK's life being cut short.

It has 53 columns, one for each US state, one for DC, and two with plaques identifying the monument itself.

There is a group of students (of which I am now a part) who all live in building 7 in the Student Village and regularly gather for Erev Shabat dinner. We are an interesting mix of Christians and very diverse Jews, and we always end up having great theological, philosophical, or otherwise somewhat deep discussions - when we aren't playing card games, that is. It has been very special to have a kind of family-like group of fellow students, and some fellow believers and Jews, with which to celebrate Shabat. And, of course, going to the Kehilah on Saturdays to observe Shabat with fellow Messianics is always a blessing, a privilege, and a high-point in the week. In a truly amazing and wonderful way, every single Shabat here has somehow been special for one (or more) particular reason(s) or other.


Thursday was Israeli National Cinema Day, so I got a cheep ticket to see "Inside Out" in Hebrew. It was a great movie, and a really nice theater. It seems that they actually produced a full Israeli release of the film as the characters mouths were re-animated to match the Hebrew dubbing, and so was some on-screen text changed to Hebrew. I think I got about 85% of the dialogue. And, yes, I cried.

The Hebrew title is a clever pun.
It means "The Voice in the Head" but is a homophone of "Everything's in the Head."

Since some of you who did not see my Facebook post about the recent surge of tensions and violence here in Israel, and may be curious about my thoughts, I will re-post it here as well:

"I feel that, in some ways, it may be wrong for me not to comment on everything going on in Israel at this time. So, I will do so briefly and with the hope of not causing unnecessary offense to anyone. [For any friends back home wondering about me: I am fine, and do not feel that I am in any particular danger. I am exercising caution, but not worrying.] I am not an Israeli and do not feel that I have the knowledge or the right to make many judgements, but I am a Jew, and I am a human being who cares.

The recent outburst of random, disorganized, savage attacks (the media wants to call it a "wave of terror," and I do not want to get into politics here, but it simply isn't) is incredibly tragic. It is important to remember, though, that tragic things are happening all around the whole world, and also that the problem (and its solution) is not merely political, cultural, ethical, economical, but lies primarily in a spiritual battle which no human can hope to fully understand. However, there is a God who does understand it all, and loves humanity so deeply that no human could fully understand that love either. Forgetting that, or never seeing it at all, is exactly what the Enemy would like us all to do.
I am impressed by the resilience and courage of the Israeli people. The citizens who confidently carry guns though hoping never to need them, not out of fear but rather an understanding of their right to defend themselves and their duty to protect human life. The IDF and police who daily risk their lives and make very difficult, often quick out of necessity, and lifesaving decisions. The medical personnel treating wounded on "both sides" of these clashes. The security guards, from schools to concert halls to grocery stores, who gently and politely do their jobs and do them well. All the people who continue to live their daily lives in prayer rather than fear, because that is the only viable response. I am not one of them, but it is an honor to be among them.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore. - Psalm 125:2

But overhearing what they said, Yeshua said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe. - Mark 5:36

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. - Matthew 10:2

. . .for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. - 2 Timothy 1:10

May God's light shine through all of this, and may true peace come to Jerusalem and the world."



In the words of Bugs Bunny, "That's all folks."

L'Shalom,
Noach

Sukot - Headings, Photos, Captions!

Hello again,

So, lots of great stuff here during Sukot, and I thought the best way to share would be mostly pictures with explanation and commentary. I took hundreds of pictures this past week (sometimes of the strangest things) and narrowed it down a bit, but still, this is a long post . . .

I will mention separately (since I actually don't have pictures from this) that I went to Santoros' for Erev Sukot, which was a wonderful time with great people and delicious, home-cooked food.



Lulav & Etrog

Got lulav and etrog the morning of Erev Sukkot in the Shuk (sadly, I forgot to take a picture of the shop where I bought them):

(Some assembly required.)

The Sukah in the Student Village

Somebody moved his bed out here to sleep in the Sukah. 

Lunch and waving in the Sukah on the 1st day.

Downtown Jerusalem

I went downtown Tuesday evening in search of decent bass strings, and also just because it is a neat place.

There is, in fact, a place called "Holy Bagel." 

So true - couldn't resist.  ; )

Sukot, downtown style.

Realized I didn't have wire-cutters for changing bass strings. Thankfully I found nifty multi-tool at the Jerusalem Night Market. 

Old City

I spent most of Wednesday exploring the Old City, a very neat place.

Making our way down . . . 

. . . to the Jaffa Gate. 

Inside - a bustling day.

Flocking towards the Wall.

The Cardo, a main Roman highway in its time.

A very big Sukah.

Nice view on the way down to the Western Wall.

It was totally packed that day.

Interesting ruins near the Wall.

City of David

I went on a free tour of the City of David excavations, which had some intriguing sights and a very knowledgable tour guide.

People - the international symbol for restrooms.  : )

Not the City of David, but a good view of the surrounding area from within it.

This is thought to be part of an ancient palace. 

A wealthy family's home of some 2,000 years ago.

More of the uncovered City of David.

So, this is what it feels like to be sewage 2,500 years ago.

These are actually the foundational stones of the Western Wall. 

This, in its day, was basically a manhole cover.

Back in the Old City

There is light at the end of the tunnel . . . 

I love arches. 

Another Sukah.

Another pretty arch.

The motorcycle seems a bit out of place.

A super-Sukah.

Did I mention I love arches?

My dad would love this place. 

Just a little glimpse of the myriad shops.

On the way back I passed the placed from which I got my Hebrew-English Bible, which was actually open that day. Kind of a neat little bookstore.

And . . . another Sukah.

Food, the Shuk, Etc.

Went to the Shuk Thursday night to get a couple things before the weekend.

The Shuk: always a busy place.

After seeing these chocolate chalot everywhere in the Shuk, I finally got one. So good.

After visiting the Shuk, I felt inspired to do some Israeli style cooking at home:

1. Fry potato strips.

2. Add veggies.

3. Take pita.

4. and hummus.

5. Add hummus to pita.

6. Stuff pita.

I was very much in the holiday spirit and thinking of how thankful I am to have great dorm-mates (who are all traveling internationally over the break). So, I decided to leave them each a little "welcome back" gift.

(Welcome home.)

Tel Aviv

I basically went on vacation to Tel Aviv for the weekend. I actually relaxed, yet still managed to do a little bit of everything.

The Bus

The Central Bus Station, kind of like Jerusalem's equivalent to Grand Central Station.

Inside, heading for the bus to Tel Aviv. 

On my way . . .

The "Na-Nachers" (followers of Rabbi Nachman from Breslav's teachings) are everywhere.

First time I sat next to someone with an assault rifle (an MTAR-21, by the way) on a bus.

Definitely in Tel Aviv now. 

The Hostel

Stayed at this very nice "hostel" - more like a hotel for traveling hipsters.

Didn't really like the idea of sleeping in mixed company, so I splurged on a private room.

The Kehilah

I was able to visit the sister Kehilah on Friday evening. It was very nice, with lots of friendly people. There were two pastors from China as guest speakers that night, which was quite interesting. (The Chinese to English to Hebrew translation was too.) They also had their early Simchat Torah celebration, for which it was great to be there.


The Breakfast

I had heard good things about this 24 gourmet breakfast chain, and there was one right around the corner.

Now this is what I call orange juice - fresh-squeezed and lots of pulp.

White chocolate, espresso pancakes - with actual espresso that you pour on as a topping. 

Wow, they actual have the sense to give you wet wipes after sticky food.

The Beach

The weather was beautiful.

I went swimming for a bit in the Mediterranean.

. . . and played beach volleyball with some friendly Germans.

The Streets and Architecture

Sometimes you just can't get away from America. 

Beautiful bird. 

This was a sad sight.

Tel Aviv's "Great Synagogue."

And its Sukah. 

See the Sukah here?

How about now?

Monument in honor of Tel Aviv's founders. 

Even in Tel Aviv, the Hebrew Scriptures are a big part of the culture.

At least this graffiti has an interesting artistic concept.

I thought my time in Israel would not truly be complete without eating dinner at a gas station in Tel Aviv, so . . .

The Music

The big reason I went to Tel Aviv this reason was to see this concert, which was possibly the best non-classical, live performance experience of my life.
I am kind of glad I did not see pictures of the venue's exterior ahead of time - I may have decided not to go. It looks like a dump, but the inside is not bad, and the show wasn't weird at all - definitely a "there-for-the-music" crowd.

I shot a bunch of video clips (which don't even vaguely do the music justice) and would be remiss not to include some:

(Phineas and His Sons) פנחס ובניו

These guys (and gal) have soooo much energy - especially the bassist.

Stage setup change.

Project RnL

These guys are just plain cool. The songwriter actually stopped to teach the audience how to clap to a song in 4/4 with measures of 7/8 every five or six bars.  : )

They did one of their bassist's solo pieces too.  : )

And both bands joined together to perform my favorite Project RnL song:

The Diaspora Museum

Before heading back to Jerusalem I went to Tel Aviv University to see Beit HaTfutzot (The Diaspora Museum), which was very much worth seeing. They closed early that day, so I had to rush through and I didn't take many pictures [for which at this point whoever is reading this may be grateful : ) ].

I've read this before, but it was still kind of funny, and sad at the same time.

Wow, so cool.

This was very intriguing.

[Diorama mentioned above.]

Groggers haven't changed much over the years, have they?

The campus itself is quite beautiful as well. 

Back in Jerusalem

Staying a couple nights in Tel Aviv definitely made Jerusalem feel more like home. I certainly prefer the later.

Even the pizza place had a Sukah.

Simchat Torah

I went to the local Conservative synagogue again for Simchat Torah. It was nice to celebrate with them, and I even ended up carrying a Torah when someone I had met on my first visit hurriedly passed it off to me mid-hakafah after getting tired.

Rolling the scroll . . . 

I am now thoroughly convinced, though I often just don't take any pictures at all, that I am indeed capable of excessive photo-documentation.  : )

I have been extremely blessed to be able to do a lot of very cool things that I might not normally do, without worrying too much about money. Thank you to everyone whose generosity has made that possible, I truly appreciate it.


Shalom,
Noach