Yesterday was my first full day of classes. Our program of 22 girls is split into two groups- I'm in the "Dimensions" group, which means we have some more basic Jewish knowledge than the other girls. There are only 9 of us in the class which is nice.

My first class was on kashrut (laws of kosher) and what they represent, taught by an older religious English woman. The second class was called "More Essential Jewish Concepts" which appeared quite vague but was really interesting- a rabbi from Toronto who had previously explored many other faiths (like Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism) before deciding to pursue what he was born into... These classes are intense- big thinking all the time and challenging claims by the orthodox word. Though most teachers encourage all questions, it is still uncomfortable for me at times. This rabbi discussed the difference between knowing, believing and having faith in a very real and upfront way.

After our lunch break (falafel!) I had a class called "Path to Prayer" which was taught by another religious English woman, but this time an unmarried woman- not as common here. Again, very heavy, but interesting. Unfortunately she said something about Muslim prayer that kind of set me off but I'm trying to keep an open mind for the next class I have with her. We have our teachers a few times throughout the program- which is good and bad. Some of the teachers' form of communication is difficult for me to connect with, but again I'm trying to stay positive. The last class of the day was about happiness and not as interesting- but the woman who taught us had went to Brandeis, which was cool.

My roommates and I enjoyed a bottle of Israeli red wine on our balcony off our room- pictures to come soon! Heather from Toronto, Liz from Denver and Marissa from Seattle, are all awesome. There are two houses for the program- one is where most of the girls live and where we learn, and the other, where I live, is two blocks away and much more spacious and mellow. We spent some time beautifying our room- Liz is a virgo like me and we've connected on many levels, including cleaning and organizing our room :)

A bit later Liz and I went down to a cafe near our place with one of the madrichot (counselors) who lives in our house. Her name is Leah and she has been studying in a seminary in Israel for almost 2 years now. We had Turkish coffee and went to the grocery store called "yesh" which means there is or have. It was so incredible to see everything with Hebrew labels and to try to decode what it said- everywhere I look is like a mental puzzle trying to read the Hebrew words. I love being surrounded by Hebrew!

Today was another intense day of learning. We went to the Old City and spent the entire day at this seminar called "discovery." The basic goal of these classes was to "prove" that the Torah was written by/comes from God- WOAW crazy right?! So I was skeptical going in and still am... but there were a few lectures that were really interesting. I don't want to bore everyone with details from every class I take but one that was quite unique was about the codes found in the Torah by researchers here in Israel... the lecturer wasn't the best but it was pretty crazy to see these encoded Hebrew words in the Torah, discovered by statisticians in Israel and then confirmed internationally. I'm not doing the best job at explaining this- too complicated without the visual examples from the text. I can show you when I come home if you want :)

Finally back at the house chilling out and watching the sun set over the gorgeous horizon of Jerusalem. Ramot means heights in Hebrew, so our area, Ramot Eshkol, has wonderful views and a cool breeze a night. I still have to pinch myself that I'm here in Jerusalem- so much I still want to explore, especially the museums and different neighborhoods.

Tomorrow we're learning then going to the blind museum where they simulate being blind... should be quite an experience- like everything else! Laila tov :) good night!

Shalom mi'yerushalaiyim

Sitting in our living room, all the girls are connecting with the outside world via the internet as Shabbat just ended. I have been here now two days and adjusting slowly, dealing with jetlag and getting to the program a few days late...

To recap my travel experience- flew early out of PDX, arrived in Newark and soon was picked up by my uncle Donny and cousin Ellie, who had driven up from NYC. They took me to dinner at a Portuguese restaurant. My flight to Tel Aviv was kinda rough, a bit of nausea and then got to sleep and made it through the flight. Sat next to a friendly English, orthodox gentleman who invited me to Shabbat at his home, like everyone you meet here. I then got my luggage and a shuttle to Jerusalem. The weather was bizarre- almost like a dust storm but no storm... since then the weather has been normal- sunny and hot during the day and cool in the evenings- lovely!

So I arrived in Ramat Eshkol, a neighborhood in northeast Jerusalem, where my program is located. This area is largely religious, meaning many men in black coats and hats, women in long shirts and skirts and families with lots of kids. There are other more secular people as well, but largely very religious. I met one of my madricha (female counselor) at my building and got to shower and feel normal-ish again :)

That evening, Thursday, was free time for the girls so most were out. I got to meet Chava, another madricha, who I have been learning with on the phone for a year and half, and that was very special. Went back to my room, which I share with two other girls, and crashed, only to wake up at 4am and lie awake listening to the birds...

Yesterday morning we had a class with a young rabbi on Shabbat preparation. He had been into Phish back in the states before becoming religious, which was entertaining to hear. We then had free time until 5pm when we went to the Old City for Shabbat. In the afternoon my roommates and I took the bus (very exciting) downtown to Ben Yehuda (a main shopping street) and had a nice lunch. The place was called the Village Green and there was an organic salad bar with quinoa and tofu! I was very happy of course :) It was fascinating taking the bus with real Israelis- silly sounding I know, but after two trips to Israel travelling around on a tour bus with other Americans, it was truly an exciting experience.

All dolled up, we all boarded a bus for the Old City where we went to a brand new building right beside the Kotel, or Western Wall. A now chasidic man who used to be a surfer (bizarre) led us in Shabbat singing, in which he changed Bob Marley's One Love song to include Shabbat Shalom! We then went to the roof of this gorgeous new building and had the most amazing view of the Kotel. There were tons of people praying and singing and dancing- very powerful. We sang songs and danced together as the sun went down. We then had a long dinner hosted by a few religious families... very interesting stories I can share another time :) Afterward at midnight we made the trek back to our neighborhood, which took about an hour.

I've bonded with a few girls, including my roommates, and am trying to stay open-minded about the experience. Will write again with more stories- please send me comments and questions! Love to all :) Ahava l'kulam!

Preparing for the journey...

In June 2008 I was in Israel on a birthright trip (after my first trip in 2000 with a Zionist youth group called Young Judaea). I signed up for Torah learning with a program called jewpiter- the initial attraction to signing up was a cute canvas tote that reads "medium jewish bag" which I still have today :)

Months later I began learning over the phone with a young lady named Chava who lives in Maryland. Every time we learned together I logged my "miles" on the jewpiter website. A few months ago I reached 5000 points and have now been sponsored by jewpiter with Partners in Torah to study in Jerusalem. The program is called Jewel- for young women ages 19-30 for 3 weeks in an area called Ramat Eshkol- learning a wide range of Jewish topics...

After this part of the journey I will spend time with the Abrams family, cousins of my mother, in Efrat- so looking forward to meeting some of my second cousins- I think thats what we are :) I am also hoping to visit some other places to see friends and sites around the country.

My next post will be from Jerusalem!