Happy New Year

Shalom family and friends,

We are writing this entry at 2:30 a.m., 30 minutes away from Buckeye football kickoff. That's right, thanks to modern day technology, for the right price and a major sacrifice of sleep, we can watch the game live on ESPN Gameplan. We are so die-hard! Well...we also don't have school tomorrow since it is a holiday and we gain an hour of sleep because we changed our clocks back tonight (so, for the Ohioans, its only a 6 hour time difference until you change your clocks in a few weeks).

Unlike our past entries, we don't have any exotic trips to tell you about, nor any breathtaking photos. I mean everyone has to take a break from the high-life once in a while, right?

Matt has been very busy with his studies and High Holy Day choir reharsals/performances and I have been hanging tight until after the Holidays, in which I will have a better idea of what I will be doing for the rest of the year (other than vacationing and living the life).

We hosted our first Shabbat dinner together at our apartment this past Friday night. We had 17 people over for dinner! It was a wonderful evening. I even made lasagna for the first time and it was delicious! Below are before-and-during pics from the evening, along with some cute Mitzi pics (just for fun)!

A few days following Yom Kippur comes Sukkot and the students get a week-long vacation. We are traveling with 5 other friends to the Dead Sea for 3 days. We are very excited to get away to this part of the country. It seems all of Matts classmates (Matt included!) are ready and very much looking forward to this break. One of the highlights on the Dead Sea itinerary is a Sunrise David Broza concert on Massada (for those who are not familiar with David Broza, he is a very popular, mainstream Israeli musician.) He is well-known for these sunrise concerts, gates open at 2:30am. We will take a cable car up to the top of Masada and watch the sunrise to amazing music. We will be sure to take lots of pics and post them along with the details of our vacation.

We both wish all of you a very happy and healthy New Year.
We miss you all very much!
Love,
Erin & Matt

Happy New Year Pics

The 17 person Shabbat-table-set-up at our apartment


We did it! The Cohen Shabbat!


Mitzi doing what she does best :)


Peek-A-Boo!

Trip to the Golan Hts and much more!

What a week! HUC took all of us on a three day trip through the Golan Heights in the Northern-most area of the country. It was a wonderful trip and very educational. At times, it was hard to believe where we were. We stayed on a beautiful kibbutz and spent our days touring various historical parts of the north. We were on the Syrian and Lebanon borders and even spent some time in Kiryat Shimona, one of the cities hit hardest by the war. All along, learning the history of this land and why it is so stragically important we keep it in our control. We kayaked down the Jordan River and went hiking through the mountains and waterfalls of the Golan Heights. We concluded our trip with a little swimming in the Kinneret followed by a special visit to a cemetary which contains the graves of some of the most important figures in the pioneering and development of Israel, prior to 1948(when Israel became a Jewish state). By the time we arrived back to Jerusalem Thursday evening, we were completely exhausted!

Friday was our day to relax- but not really because I had lots of shopping to do for the big birthday bash we had at our apartment Saturday night for Matt's birthday! Forty people came over for dessert and Havdalah to celebrate Matt turning the big 3-0! It was a really great night.

Attached are many photos from our trip. Unfortunately, I got so caught up in the birthday celebration, I forgot to take pictures at the party!

Photos from the Golan/Galilee Tiyul (tour)

Rose Garden in the Rothschild Memorial Park in Zichron Yaakov


Rothschild Memorial Park (overlooking Mediterranean Sea)


View of Israels Northern-most-city, Metulla. In distance are the hills of Lebanon and Syria


David, Me, and Aaron posing with Lebanon at Metulla overlook.


Sipping wine at the Golan Heights winery


Posing in front of the Golan Heights winery.


Army outpost overlooking Syria


Sunset over the Golan Heights from Army outpost


View while hiking in Nahal Gilaboon


Hiking in Nahal Gilaboon


Devora waterfall on hike in Nahal Gilaboon


Us and the Millers posing from an old Syrian army outpost (pre 1967)


The Kinneret


Molly and us at the K'vutzot Kinneret Cemetary

Matt's first week of class

This week was exceptionally busy for Matt because he started classes. All the students are taking a full load and are in class from 8:30am - 5:30pm almost every day. He is also going to be singing in the HUC High Holiday Choir so those rehearsals have begun as well.

I have been making my way around the city much better these days! I have found an ulpan (intensive Hebrew classes) that I would like to take, however I am not committing to anything just yet until I see if any of my part-time job opportunities work out. Its a big committment because the classes are 5 days a week, 4 1/2 hour sessions each.

On Thursday, the SOs(significant others as we are called to be politically correct) had an outing of our own with one of the HUC rabbis. He took us on a tour of the non-Jewish part of the Old City - however it wasn't your typical walking tour. Rather, tourists can pay to "walk on the walls" surrounding the Old City - a very interesting way to travel. Essentiallly, it is a way to "cross the border" without putting yourself in a sticky situation. We climbed, and climbed and climbed up many sets of steep steps and made our way around the Arab Christian and Muslim neighborhoods while the rabbi gave us a history lesson.

Friday we went with a group of about 40 HUC students to a kibbutz about 45 minutes outside of Jerusalem. It is no longer a working kibbutz, rather now it is a piece of land run by a reform rabbi and her husband and it is used primarily for educational seminars and youth group workshops/projects. Unfortunately, she is not recognized by the Israeli goverment as a rabbi (not Orthodox and female) so she does not even get a salary to run this congregation. They hold services every Friday night in their outdoor sanctuary. It felt just like camp and then we had Shabbat dinner with the other members of the congregation.

Attached are photos from the Old City tour and Shabbat at the kibbutz.
Take care everyone. We'll write more soon!

Old City and Kibbutz photos

me, Colby and Lauren "walking the walls" of the Old City.


View of the Old City.


Shabbat dinner at the Kibbutz


Kate, me and Lauren


HUC students participating in a song session with Rabbi Merri Gold.

Week One

Shalom family and friends! I can't believe I have been in Israel for a week already! It was wonderful to be reunited with Matt and Mitzi (Matt even showed up to the airport with flowers)! Everything in Jerusalem is beautiful and I have enjoyed every minute I've been here. We have been so busy this week shopping, walking, shopping, walking, walking, walking.....my poor legs! Matt is used to it already, but I have a long way to go! He has been showing me around Jerusalem and has been an excellent tour guide. We have been to Beh Yehuda St (the street where everyone buys the crazy Hebrew t-shirts and souvenirs), the open-aired market A.K.A. the Shuk (where Matt has become an excellent bargainer), HUC campus (which is beautiful), the Old City, and yesterday we went with two couples to the beaches of Tel Aviv. Matt has had a week "vacation" following his intensive Hebrew course (and his hard work shows as he gets us around Jerusalem with his Hebrew) and Sunday he starts his full load of classes. I have slowly started to meet all his classmates and spouses and everyone seems wonderful. Tonight we are going to services and then to couple's apartment for Shabbat dinner. This week, I will start to figure out my plans for the next 9 months.
Our goal is to make these blog entries a regular occurrence, but bare with us as Matt begins his crazy schedule. We love you and miss you all! Enjoy the attached photos under this article. Included are pics from the Kotel, Max Brenner Chocolate Bar in Tel Aviv where the entire menu is foods made out of chocolate (yes that is a chocolate hamburger), the beach in Tel Aviv, the Beautiful HUC campus, and of course our Mitzi.

Love,
Erin, Matt & Mitzi

Week One Pictures