An Update from Jerusalem on our Visit in Haifa
January 8th and 9th, 2012
By Andrew Silverman
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. (I believe Charles Dickenstein wrote that.) Seriously though, visiting Haifa was the best of times. Our seven, beautiful Israeli peers are actually all from Haifa, which, needless to say, made our visit all the more intimate and personal.
Upon disembarking our bus, we took a deep breath of fresh Haifa air, soaked up the resplendent Israeli sun, and began a scavenger hunt. “What’s that?” inquires my new Israeli crony, who is actually quite proficient in English. She’s great, you guys. (Mom, if you’re reading this, look forward to a free wedding in Jerusalem.)
Anyway, we split into three groups and were given 15 tasks to carry out. (It shall be noted that my group was the best.) For example, we had to obtain a bus ticket, record a short video of people dancing the hora, take a photo with a notable Israeli figure, and learn a whole song in Hebrew - to name a few. The hunt was really a great activity for us to explore our surroundings while having a good laugh with new friends. We met several friendly locals who jew-bilantly (see what I did there?) took pictures with us and danced the hora. They were excellent.
After an hour or two of running around Haifa, we sat down for some delectable falafel and shwarma. I had myself a good ol’ falafel pocket with extra siz-auce. Tahina, if you must know. My good Israeli chum walked me to a wonderful spot atop the city, where we were able to gaze down upon the Mediterranean crashing its majestic waves on the shores of Haifa. I snapped some photos and waved goodbye to the glorious view of the city.
We’re on a tight schedule here on our Right of Birth trip. Thus, to make the most of the day, we promptly boarded the bus and set out for out Leo Baeck, a local community learning center near the water in Haifa. We had the opportunity to hear from a panel of high school scholars, who told us about their experiences and accomplishments. In particular, a gifted 11th grade boy named Yoni looks like he’s got a Nobel Prize in his future.
Next stop: Tel-Aviv! Oy vey! Did I use the phrase all right?
We arrived in the big city in the evening, ate some kosher comestibles, and went out for a night on the town by the beach. It was a long day, so it was nice to unwind a bit. We went to bed rather early, though, because we had to wake up at 7:00 AM the next day. Pretty early indeed. But it was worth it!
I’ll leave you on that cliffhanger, folks, for my time on this blog is up. Things to look forward to in future posts: (1) adventures in Tel-Aviv (2) shenanigans in Jerusalem (3) our notes in the Western Wall (e.g., “Dear G-d, I hope you know English. [Insert meaningful message] Sincerely, Andrew, but you already knew that.”)
So, thanks very much for reading my post.
FROM ISRAEL
Much peace and love,
Andrew
