Breathe Move Dance: Blogspot

2012-01-17T17:58:00.000-08:00

Journey to Jordan

Sundaymorning, December 11, 2011. Up at 5,luggage out before 6, breakfast at 6, rolling at 6:30. The good thing about traveling in winter isthe pleasant weather. Aside from somewind and rain on Erev Shabbat, we have had nothing but sunny weather. The difficult thing about traveling in winteris the brief sightseeing day. The sun issetting at 4 and most tourist venues close at that time. Hence the early morning. Our bus is comfortable, with plenty of roomto spread out. Leslie and I each taketwo seats in the back of the bus, across the aisle from each other.

Weare crossing the border at Beit Shean in the north. Originally, we had planned to cross at theAllenby Bridge. A security advisory fromthe government suggested Beit Shean as a better choice. Allenby is where many Palestinian laborersemployed in Israel cross each day. Thetouring company decided it was better to separate the tourist crossing to adifferent location.

Flocksof migrating birds gather in the fields in early morning. Gilah is taking us up to the border , wherewe will transfer to a Jordanian bus with a local guide. She points out that landscaping is not partof the Arab culture. The communities inArab villages are not very organized. Mostimportant is what is inside the house. Manyhomes are multiple generations of a single extended family.

Alongthe road, we see Arab villages, Israelisettlements, and Bedouin communities. Bedouins are no longer nomadic, for the most part. Tents became shanties, then homes, now moreand more elaborate. Israelilicense plates are yellow, Palestinian plates blue or green.

Theborder crossing was easier and quicker than I expected. We had to load all ourthings from our Israeli bus onto a shuttle bus in the secure area, then unloadagain and reload onto a Jordanian bus. This involved several steps:

Israeli passport control and payment of $32 border crossing fee
Transfer of luggage to neutral shuttle
Jordanian passport control
Transfer luggage again from shuttle to Jordanian bus.

Thisprocess saved time. If we continued intoJordan with an Israeli bus, it would have to be inspected on the way in andout, two hours or more each way.

OurJordanian guide is Rami, similar to our Israeli guide Ronny. Our bus driver'sname is Suleiman, Solomon in English, Schlomo or Schlomi in Hebrew, the same asour Israeli bus driver.

Ourfirst stop was a walking tour of Jerash, ruins of an ancient Roman city nearthe modern Jordanian city of Jerassa. The entrance to the ruins is a huge archcalled Hadrian's arch, constructed to commemorate a one-month visit by theRoman emperor to the city. Excavated ruins include roads with columns, an ovalplaza, temples for Zeus and Artemis/Diana, and a theater in the round. A Jordanian quartet played a bagpipes anddrums performance for us. Acoustics inthe theater were excellent. I had wornmy clogs to give my feet a break from lace up shoes. They were not a goodchoice on the stone streets of Jerassa. I got an amazing workout for my legs fromwalking on the uneven surfaces in the clogs. My legs were very tired at the end of the day.

Westopped for lunch at a restaurant with a banquet style buffet, middle Easternsalads and meats, fruit for dessert. Themeal was served with lovely refreshing drinks. I chose lemon and mint.

Nextwe drove to a Greek orthodox church in the city of Medaba where we saw theoldest map of the holy land in mosaic on the floor. This map was used by thearcheologists in Jerusalem to locate the cardo in the recent excavations of theold city. Medaba was the hometown of our guide Rami.

Wedrove to Mount Nebo where Moses is said to have died and be buried, although wedon't know where his grave is. Aaron's grave is known to be on Mount Hor to thesouth. Mount Nebo was where Moses stood and looked toward the promised land. God told him that he would die there and not beallowed to enter the holy land. It wasnot certain that we would arrive there before their early closing time of4:00. We arrived at 3:50.

I was fascinated with the visitor’s centerwhich was a traditional Bedouin tent made with woven goat’s hair. The goat’s hair is oily, providing protectionfrom wind, rain, dust. Multiple colorsof goat hair are used. Today, tents aresupported by aluminum poles, stronger, steadier, and more reliable than thetraditional wooden poles.

Ramiread to us from Deuteronomy about Moses's experience there. Then Rabbi Weinergave a brief homily about Moses facing toward Jerusalem to pray. He explainedthat, even though Moses knew he was not going to make it into the promisedland, it was still important for him to know where he was heading. Similarly, thoughwe may never make it to our goal, having a goal is important to direct oursteps.

Ourlast stop of the day was a factory that produces mosaics. Fed by tourist’s interest in ancient mosaicsin the area, the government supports the growth of this industry. Near the church we visited in Medaba is aschool that teaches the production of mosaic art. The factory where we stopped is supported bya private foundation and subsidized by the Jordanian government. Disabled people are trained there and paid towork four hours a day producing mosaics. Several images are repeated over andover. One favorite theme is The Tree ofLife, a depiction of a tree in the center, with three gazelles eating theleaves of the tree and a lion attacking one of the gazelles. The store attachedto the factory was massive with goods produced in the factory by hand: mosaics,fake painted mosaics on table tops, dishes, also rugs, scarves, dresses, pillowcovers. Salespeople tagged each of us,encouraging us to buy something.

Wearrived at our hotel in Amman about 6:30, just in time for our shared dinner at7. Leslie and I returned to our room about 8:30 and climbed into bed rightaway, slept until my alarm sounded at 5. The room was seriously overheated, so much sothat even with the door to the balcony open, it was still uncomfortablyhot. I called the desk and learned thatthey had switched from air conditioning to heat and that they were not able tocontrol the temperature in the rooms. Alittle later, they sent up a fan which we kept running all night. It cooled the room enough so that we sleptwell.

TheJordanian government is a monarchy led by King Abdullah II and QueenRania. Queen Rania was born aPalestinian in Kuwait. When King AbdullahII and Queen Rania married in 1993, they did not suspect that he would becomeking. The Crown Prince was King Hussein’sbrother Hassan. However, on his deathbed, King Hussein named his son Abdullah as his successor. Abdullah ascended to the throne at the deathof his father two weeks later.

TheJordanian flag has four colors: a red triangle commemorating the Great ArabRevolt of 1916. On it is a 7-pointedstar representing the seven verses of the opening Sura of the Kuran. The three stripes from top to bottom areblack representing the Abbasid Caliphate, white for the Ummayyad Caliphate, anda green stripe on the bottom for the Fatimid Caliphate.

2012-01-16T19:14:00.001-08:00

Shabbat in Jerusalem

OnShabbat morning, December 10, 2011, Leslie and I woke at 6:30 for an earlybreakfast with sisters Myra and Maxine from Brooklyn. The breakfast was lavish even on Shabbat,though some features were missing, such as custom-made omelets. We walked together to the Italian synagoguenear Ben Yehuda Street at 9. We sat inthe women's balcony built directly over the bima so that we had a constant viewof the lectern, the Torah, all the prayer leaders, and all the honorees. There were windows in front of the balconythat could be pushed out at the bottom to afford an unobstructed view of theark, one end of the sanctuary, and the bimah which was in the center of theroom.

Severalyoung boys had the job of undressing and dressing the Torah. Instead of a simple band or tie around thetorah, there was a thick cumberbund-like belt that was wrapped many timesaround and around the torah scroll, with an ornate cover over that. Many young children ran in and out of thesanctuary and the women's balcony. Placesbegan to fill close to 10 or 10:30. We were able to follow the prayers and thereading of the Torah and Haftarah easily with our English siddurim and with theItalian translations in the chumashim.

Thesanctuary was ornate and colorful. The men and boys interacted and walkedaround, moving to face the ark during certain prayers. On two occasions duringthe priestly blessings, fathers wrapped their sons in their tallitot, placedtheir hands on top of the boys' heads, and blessed them in an intimate andphysically affectionate way. Thepriestly blessing was chanted slowly, one word at a time, with an ornatemusical motif.

Iloved the service, found it accessible. Ienjoyed the pace of the davening and the readers. Each honoree received an elaborate misheberachwhich seemed to be just for them. Ifound that the time passed quickly. Eventhough we were not invited to enter the sanctuary, I felt very much part of theservice, viewing it through the windows provided. When shut, the windows had carved out latticepatterns. There were sticks hinging out from the bottom of the windows thatallowed the windows to be propped open at about a 30 degree angle, so we hadfull visibility of the bimah in the center of the room, the ark, and thebenches for the men on each side. Several men looked up toward the women'sbalcony frequently and I saw some meaningful glances exchanged between one ofthe men and the woman sitting next to me. Rabbi Weiner mentioned that these glances toand from the women’s balcony serve as a kind of dating service for the young peopleof the congregation.

Afterservices we had a lavish Shabbat lunch at the hotel: 20 salads and vegetable dishes, 10 meatdishes, 20 desserts. I limited my eating, filling my plate only once withsalads and fish. I must admit that I tastedsamples of six different desserts. Evenwith the limitation, I ate too much.

Severalmembers of the group met Ronny at 3 for a Shabbat walk in the neighborhood. Wewalked through the Rehavia neighborhood where the prime minister and thepresident live, and the Yemin Moshe neighborhood, the first created outside theOld City walls by Moses Montefiore, the stockbroker for the Rothschild family.That's where the windmill is located which was supposed to be used to makebread, but it was never functional. Whenwe visited the King David Hotel, I was impressed with the luxury and eleganceand fascinated with the signatures of celebrity guests engraved in the floor.

Leslieand I both skipped dinner and packed for our trip the next day to Jordan,leaving at daybreak. Leslie stayed in the room to rest her feet, and I walkedto Ben Yehuda Street with the Currans and the Models for a cup of coffee whilethey ate supper at The Bleeker Street café. This was the café we started our stay in Jerusalem five days earlier. After dinner, we did some post-Shabbatshopping. I was thrilled to find abeautiful pewter hanukkiah for Louis with a design of buildings from the OldCity. When I was enjoying my tour andlearning about the Old City, I thought often of Louis. I feel sure that he will visit Jerusalem withinthe next few years.

2012-01-16T18:37:00.000-08:00

Yad Vashem, Har Herzl, Machanei Yehuda shuk, Shira Hadashah

On our third day in Jerusalem, Friday, Dcember 9, 2011, we began ourvisit to Yad Vashem with a walk through the children's memorial, inspired andfunded by a Hungarian couple Abe and Edita Spiegel who survived Auschwitz andreunited after the war. They donated thememorial in memory of their son Uziel who was murdered at Auschwitz along withhis grandmother. I was struck by howmuch the photos of Uziel looked like my husband Alex's baby pictures, and ofcourse his youngest granddaughter Lena Jane who looks just like him. Theyobviously have a similar Eastern European heritage. Insidethe memorial designed by architect Moseh Safdie, it is dark except for fivecandles which are reflected by multiple mirrors into a million spots of lightrepresenting the 1.5 million children who were murdered. They died not because of anything they did,but because of who they were, the accident of their Jewish birth.

The museumitself had been redesigned during the last couple of years to be a triangulartunnel through which you can see light at the end. However, you could not passstraight through. You have to zigzag through all the exhibition rooms to reachthe end. It was an emotionally and physically exhausting experience. I feltembarrassed about my fatigue. Afterall, I was riding in a comfortable coach bus, staying in luxury hotels, and eatingsumptuous meals every day. It was absurdto compare my strength and stamina to that of the victims who did everything intheir power to keep their families together, and, failing that, everything tokeep their body and soul together, who watched each day as their fellow Jews were systematically murdered.

Ronny did amasterful job of guiding us through the maze, pointing out many of the mostpoignant photographs and videos. One photograph showed a group of women holdingbabies, with their hands extended toward the camera, begging for their lives just before beingshot. He told us that 90% of thephotographs were taken by SS officers in an effort to document the"wonderful" work they were doing for the world by eliminating Jews. A famous Dachau album was found that documentedone transport being processed into the camp. One of the survivors was able to indentifymany of the people in the album as neighbors in her town.

One video wasthe testimony of a man who had been a young man in Dachau. He and others werepunished by having to stand outdoors in a thin shirt in sub-freezing weatherbetween two electrified wires for many hours. He said other boys eventuallyfell against the wires in exhaustion and despair, ending their torment. Heworked to distract himself with thoughts of his childhood and, after a while,with efforts to control his full bladder. When he finally had to release hisurine, he experienced a moment of warmth from the urine running down his legsbefore it froze into ice on his legs.

He said that withall the fantastical images and memories he had used to distract himself, he wasno longer sure if he was alive or dead, dreaming or awake. The SS officer whoeventually released him from this torture was furious that he had survived andbegan slapping him over and over across the face. He said that's when he wassure that he was still alive.

From Yad Vashem,we went to Har Herzl, the Israeli military cemetery, equivalent of Arlingtoncemetery in Washington. Herzl's tomb was marked with HERZL and no other words. Herzlwas a Hungarian Jew who was the father of modern political Zionism and, ineffect, the State of Israel. We saw graves of presidents and generals ofIsrael who chose to be buried there. Teddy Kollek is buried there. Others are buried on Mount Zion or with theirfamilies.

When we movedcloser to the graves for young soldiers recently killed, we saw moreelaborations and decorations on the graves. At one grave, two women sat keeping watch. Ronny asked them if it was their relative'smemorial day. They answered that they,the mother and the aunt, come “Kol yom hashishi,” every Friday, for five years.

At lunchtime, wewent to the shuk near Ben Yehuda Street. It was so crowded, Leslie and I walkedaround without buying anything and came back to the room, had some snacks andgot ready for Shabbat.

Myra and Iwalked with Rabbi Weiner down to the German colony to a new congregation calledShira Hadashah, made up of a combination of traditional Conservative men andsome feminist Orthodox women. They have a special interest in renewing themusic of the liturgy. The harmonies of the liturgical tunes were magnificent,with men's and women's voices blending in four or five voices, complete withdescants. I was happy to have my “pocket”Sim Shalom siddur with English translations, although some of the songs werenot a part of my siddur. I was able tofollow the service about half the time, the rest sitting immersed in the musicwith my eyes closed. Myra and I helpedeach other find our place in our siddurim.

This minyan functionsas an orthodox congregation, with all the accompanying restrictions. At the same time, they include men and women in theworship experience as much as possible. Themehitza was a translucent curtain down the center of the room. Rabbi Weiner sat on the men's side, Myra and I on the women's. The lectern was located in the center of theroom, divided by the curtain which was cut to fit over it. The leadership of the Kabbalat Shabbatservice on Friday night is always assigned to a woman, the following maarivservice to a man. When the woman wasleading, she stood at the lectern, a few inches from the curtain that divided theroom. When the man was leading, he stoodat the same lectern where the woman had previously stood, on the other side of thecurtain. During the dvar torah, the speaker stood at the front of the room and the curtain was pulled all the way back, so that the congregation was one unit. I found this creative use of rules very interesting. My previous experience with orthodox congregations is that women's voices are not heard. This was clearly quite different.

Women and menboth sang in full voice in impressively harmonic arrangements, obviously theresult of much artistic attention and practice. Rabbi Weiner is acquainted with some of the leaders of the group, whoare willing to share what they have developed with us, possibly with an on-siteconsultation in Pittsfield.

2012-01-11T11:23:00.000-08:00

Israel Supreme Court, Israel Museum, and avisit to French Hill Masorti Rabba Chaya Baker

Our guide Ronny explained animportant reality in current Israeli political culture. Arab and ultra orthodox families in Israel arepoorer in general because they have more children and they seldom have morethan one income. Families that have more than six children get a tax break.This creates a greater tax burden on the middle class. In previous generations, life was harder butthere was a greater feeling of solidarity.

Our first stop on this sixth dayof our trip, Thursday, December 8, 2011, was to Government Hill on theoutskirts of Jerusalem for a visit to the new Supreme Court building. The Minister of Foreign Affairs office isacross the street. Hebrew University isacross the hill.

The areaof the court’s jurisdiction is all of Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. The Court has ruled on numerous issuesrelating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the rightsof Arab citizens of Israel, and ondiscrimination between Jewish groups in Israel. It is unique in that its rulings can intervene in Israel Defense Forces militaryoperations. The building was opened in 1992,designed by noted architect Ram Karmi and his wife Ada Karmi-Melamede. It was donated to Israel by Dorothy deRothschild.

The building is a blend of enclosed andopen spaces, old and new, lines and circles. Approaching the Supreme Court library, one enters the pyramid area, alarge space that serves as a turning point before the entrance to thecourtrooms. This serene space acts as the inner "gate house" of theSupreme Court building. Natural lightenters round windows at the apex of the pyramid, forming circles of sunlight onthe inside walls and on the floor. Circularshapes are featured in the design throughout the building.

In the afternoon, we visited the IsraelMuseum. A quick stop at the museum caféfeatured a surprisingly fresh and delicious salad that tasted like I wasstanding in a garden eating just-picked vegetables. This standard of freshness is not at allunusual in Israeli food. We spent a longtime examining the model of Herodian Jerusalem in the courtyard of the museum,and the collection of Dead Sea Scrolls and other ancient manuscripts in theShrine of the Book.

I was disappointed that our time insidethe museum was so short. There was somuch to see: magnificent displays ofevery aspect of Judaica as well as impressive collections of art from everypart of the world and every period. Whenthe group was ready to depart on the bus, Rabbi Weiner suggested that I stay alittle longer and take a cab or bus back to the hotel. It was my first time on the trip to ventureout on my own, separate from the tour bus. I took his advice and extended my stay long enough to visit the exhibitof synagogues from Surinam, India, Germany, and Italy that had donated theirartifacts to the museum. It was amemorable experience to step inside each one of these environments that hadbeen so lovingly reconstructed to represent Jewish life in each community. The beauty of each setting reflected theclimate and culture of the region.

I found a cab waiting in front of themuseum with a Russian cab driver who had lived for many years in Canada andspoke English easily. On the short driveback to the hotel, he told me his opinions about various hotels and touristattractions in the city and gave me a running description of the fashionableneighborhood of Rehavia we were driving through. He gave me his card and said I should callhim wherever I might be if I need a cab. I was happy to have made this connection.

Inthe evening, our group went to the French Hill Masorti synagogue in northernJerusalem to hear Rabba Chaya Baker speak about her experiences as spiritualleader in that community. The FrenchHill congregation is one of the flagship congregations of the Masorti movement inIsrael. They endured many years withno rabbi; this is Chaya’s fifth year as rabbi there. She is married with three daughters. Her husband’s family was one of the foundingfamilies of the congregation, one important reason why she was able to get thejob. In witnessing her energy, wisdom,enthusiasm, and creativity, it is apparent why she still has the job and isserving a growing congregation.

Israelis in a tough situation vis a vis Jewish religious life. There are secular and religious divisions inschools and in the army. The officialreligion of Israel is orthodox, tending toward ultra orthodox, although manypeople who are members of orthodox congregations are affiliated in nameonly. They want the shul they don’t goto to be an orthodox one. In case theyneed a rabbi or a minyan for a life cycle event, they have an affiliation. Otherwise, they are not observant, involved,or engaged by Jewish life and thought.

Thereare many social issues decided by the religious government that affect everycitizen, such as “Who can marry?” InIsrael, the only marriage sanctioned by the government is a religious marriage. In order to be married in Israel, you have toprove that you are Jewish enough to pass muster with the orthodox religiousauthorities. Those who cannot or do notprovide such proof are forced to marry elsewhere. There is a thriving industry of weddings innearby Cyprus for such couples.

Secularpeople are resentful about the political power of religious authorities whomake decisions that affect them directly. For example, many families consist of an orthodox father and a reformmother. Chaya’s husband grew up in the Talischool system which is a quasi-religious school system that serves families whowant some religious training in the school, but reject orthodox teachings.

Forthe last five years, Chaya has been developing programs that expose secularJews in the French Hill commuinty to different ways to engage as a Jew. In Israel, Jewish identity *is* in conflictwith modern life. She is searching forways to build bridges between those who live a modern lifestyle and theirdesire for connection to Judaism.

Forexample, humane treatment of animals is a moral imperative taught in the Torahand Talmud. Hospitality in the Jewishhome is strongly connected to Jewish tradition, customs, and philsophy. One reform Jewish mother reported to Chayahow her daughter had taught her about counting the Omer between Passover andShavuot.

Chaya’sapproach is very delicate, very gentle, reaching out in a way that keeps peoplefrom feeling embarrassed about what they know or don’t know. She connects a Jewish value to a story or a skitin a program that includes children and their parents as much as possible.

Aswith every congregation, she battles the concept of a drop-off mentality,pediatric Judaism that is appropriate only for children. When she has program for children only, shealways includes something for them to take home. Before high holidays, for example, sheteaches about the meaning and function of the shofar and gives children andtheir parents a chance to handle a shofar and try it out.

Oneprogram called Modern MIKI has 35 kids and their parents enrolled. An average of 50 kids attend each function,including those who are visiting and shopping. Mini MIKI, a program for younger children, has 20 kids. She has Shabbat activities for children andtheir parents on Friday night and Shabbat morning, including KabbalalaHashabbat .

Shehas created a parent training program to run programming for youngchildren. Parents who are participatingin synagogue activities say, "I can't believe I'm in synagogue!” Sixteenchildren are in the synagogue preschool.

ChayaBaker chooses to use the title “rabba,” a designation of ordination for a womanrabbi. Many people ask her, “What’s arabba?” She answers that it’s like arav, but it’s a woman.

Forone child in the synagogue’s programs Chaya was the only rabbi he had everknown. When he heard someone mention arabbi, he asked Chaya, “Mah hu rav? (What is a rabbi?)” She answered that it's like a rabba, but it'sa man. Score one for Chaya who broughta secular family unfamiliar with Jewish religious life closer to feelingengaged.

Conservativesynagogues, schools, and programming receive no government support, whereasorthodox synagogues are supported by government grants. One conservative synagogue got the court toforce the government to finance the building of their synagogue.

Thesynagogue in French Hill is the victim of frequent vandalism. It’s a border neighborhood adjacent to ahostile Arab village and hostile orthodox Jewish neighbors. The conservative congregation is hated byboth groups for different reasons. It isnot always clear who the perpetrators of the vandalism are or what theirreasons are.

Manypeople in Israel identify as Jewish, but are not halachically Jewish. There are 64 Masorti synagogues in Israel, 11 in Jerusalem. Chaya is the only woman rabbi among he 64congregations.

Theidea that “we are one Jewish people” is not helpful in practice. American support has made life more difficultfor the Masorti movement. American Jewssometimes contribute to religious efforts in Israel that hurt Masorticongregations. For example, absorptioncenters in Israel teach Judaism to newcomers. In the past, reform and conservative congregations have participated inthese efforts. Recently reform andconservative participation was ended because funding for the project wasthreatened if they continued.

Chayasays, “What about pluralism, freedom of choice?”

Ourgroup asks, “What can we do to help?” She answers, “Care. Campaign to get people to come back to Israel. Some financial contributions to programs inIsrael are ill thought out. Be carefulto whom you give your money.” Shecongratulated all of us for our efforts to travel to Israel and exposeourselves to lots of experiences while there.

Masorticongregations are forced to support themselves with dues paid by members,unlike orthodox synagogues that are supported by tax money.

Atthe end of Chaya’s presentation, we chose to pass a hat and made a contributionto her efforts. Many expressed aninterest in addressing the issues mentioned with Arlene and the JewishFederation of the Berkshires and with our congregations at home.

2012-01-10T12:26:00.000-08:00

Learning in Jerusalem

Earlyin the morning on our first day in Jerusalem, Wednesday, December 7, 2011, wewalked across the street from our hotel, the Leonardo Plaza, to the Fuchsberg Centerfor Conservative Judaism. The center hasbeen a Conservative congregation since the 1970s. Rabbi Gail Diamond, Associate Director wasour guide and teacher. The center hasrecently expanded its offerings of Jewish learning for people of all ages andfor different periods of time. Studentscan come to the Fuchsberg to study for a week, a month, 3 months, a year,several years. Early students were youngpeople of or just past college age. Nowthe Fuchsberg is attracting more retired people who, for the first time intheir lives, have the time and resources to come to Jerusalem to study.

RabbiDiamond presented a lesson using two psalms and other poetry to explore theconcept of place, specifically the place of Jerusalem in time, space, history.mythology. She invited us to read anddiscuss the texts with a study partner for several minutes, identify importantthemes, notice which Hebrew words were familiar, and generate questions.

TheBook of Samuel details David’s conquest of Jerusalem, the capital of theJebusites. Jerusalem means “City ofPeace,” but has always been a place of contradictions. It is full of information from the past, butalso lives vibrantly in the present. Thenational bird of Jerusalem is the crane, used for the many constructionprojects always in the works in the city.

Thecity of Jerusalem is rife with controversy between those who want to enforcethe rule of strict Jewish law and those who want to embrace the present andfuture of social issues. For example, canwomen's faces be on billboards? Whatshould be the city’s response be to the international pride parade in the holycity? These questions must be decided bya religious government.

Psalm48: Jerusalem is not conquerable because of its height and vistas. It has only ever been conquered from thenorth. Sena Horib, an Assyrian king, wanted to conquer Jerusalem and failed.

Themorning newspapers carried a disturbing story that created a crisis in publicconfidence for the government. Israel’sformer president is going to jail because he was convicted of rape. Women have long been harassed and abused by menin power, but the enforcement of this ruling in support of abused women is newfor Israel.

Psalm122: Jerusalem is the city of peace buthas been full of killing and hatred. EarthlyJerusalem is corrupt.

Puritansin America went to build a city on a hill in Massachusetts. Literature is full of references to theearthly Jerusalem and the heavenly Jerusalem.

Lopashut. Nothing in Jerusalem is simple.

RabbiDiamond advised: Listen to the citywhile you are here. What did you hearwhile you were in Jerusalem? What will you say? Will what you say draw othersto Jerusalem and support the constant building/rebuilding of the city?

Ournext stop was a tour of the Old City. Weentered through the Zion gate. As wewalked along the Cardo, the center of the Old City, we looked over the railingsto view excavations below down to the level of Herodian Jerusalem 2000 yearsago. In other locations, excavationshave been completed revealing life from the time of Solomon’s first temple.

Wetoured the Hurvah Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter, a synagogue that had beencompletely destroyed. Only part of onewall survived, that remnant incorporated into the front wall of the sanctuaryin the recently rebuilt synagogue. Thesynagogue was first built in the early 18^th century, destroyed onlya few years later by the Muslims in 1721. It was rebuilt in 1864 and was the main center of worship for AshkenasicJews in the Old City. The Arabs reducedit to rubble again during the War of Independence in 1948. The last time I visited the Old City in 1989,I saw the single arch that had been constructed as a sign of the intention ofrebuilding the synagogue in its entirety.

Wehad a lecture from the synagogue’s educational director while sitting in the women'ssection in a balcony high above the ground floor sanctuary where yeshivahstudents were studying. We climbed fromthere to an indoor and outdoor upper balcony for a rooftop view of the Jewishquarter and a bird’s eye view of students studying inside in the beit midrash. Looking out over the rooftops of the OldCity, we imagined King David’s first sighting of Bathsheba, who later becamehis wife and the mother of King Solomon. The rooftop was one of the highest points in the Old City, givingspectacular views in every direction, including the Dome of the Rock and theTemple Mount.

Wevisited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, a colorful and emotional spectacle toobserve as Christian pilgrims from so many groups came to offer theirdevotions. Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox, RussianOrthodox, Armenian, Coptic Christians, and others gathered in that place toadore the relics collected there.

Weate lunch in the Old City crowded with adolescent school groups, touring withtheir teachers. One Hebrew-speakingschool girl was completing a school assignment to find an American Jewishtourist. She chose my friend Leslie. Leslie was thrilled to have this interactionwith a local student.

Afterlunch, we had some time for shopping in the Cardo. I found a shop called Mira where the ownerwas acquainted with Ellen Masters from Pittsfield, a frequent visitor toIsrael. I found a silver dreidel therefor Alex’s collection, his only Israeli dreidel with the words Nais Gadol HayaPo, a great miracle happened *here*!

Wewalked to the Western Wall where we had some time to spend any way weliked. I was able to observe myself as aJewish pilgrim similar to the Christians I had observed during the morning. I felt so happy and grateful to be there atthe wall, so much in the right place at the right moment for the right reason.

Fromthe center section of the Western Wall, traditionally used for prayer, wewalked south to a new, recently excavated site at the southern end of thewestern wall and the southern steps leading up to what used to be the TempleMount. Now the Al-Aksa Mosque stands atthe top of the southern steps of the ancient temple. The southwest corner of the wall has become afavorite site for conservative and reform Jewish groups to stage mixed-genderceremonies such as bnei mitzvah. Notice the remnants of Robinson's Arch in the center of the image below.

Atthe excavation site, we watched an animated movie about the experience of apoor farmer offering a sacrifice at the ancient temple. The movie traced the steps in the process ofbringing a sacrifice to the temple, including a visit to the mikvah.

Nextwe toured the excavated south wall. Wesaw several of 153 mikvot uncovered near the entrance to the temple, recallingthe sequence in the movie where the farmer had entered into the mikvah beforehe offered his sacrifice. We walked onthe steps that our guide Ronny said were the exit steps from the temple,another yet-to-be-uncovered set of steps being used for entrance. Most striking to me were the varying sizes ofthe steps to the temple, some wide, some more narrow. With the unpredictable sequencing of widerand narrower steps, the supplicant was forced to step carefully, to become morecontemplative as he climbed.

Whilewe climbed the steps, Rabbi Weiner led us in singing Shir Hamalot (Step byStep) from the blessing after meals. Myformer cantor Abe Lubin in Chicago used to say that some messages come onlythrough music. This was one of those messages: Slow down. Take your time. Contemplate theexperience you are having while you are having it. Consider the steps you are taking, each onebringing you closer to Hashem. The rootof the Hebrew word for sacrifice means coming closer.

Inthe evening, we returned to the Western Wall plaza for a night-time tour of thetunnels under the Western Wall. Theexcavation of the full length of the wall began in 1967, shortly after theSix-Day War gave Israel control over the area. The exposed open-air section of the wall that has been used for prayersince 1967 is about 60 meters in length, while the entire retaining wall of theancient temple is 485 meters long. Therecently excavated section to the south was described above. The excavations on the north end areunderground, under existing buildings in the Old City. These areas have been designed for easy andcomfortable access for visitors, with air conditioning, lighting, signage, andother safety measures.

Ronnydescribed a fortress in the northwest corner of the temple platform as thebeginning of Via Dolorosa. Frombedrock to the top of the wall is 210 feet. The temple itself was 150 feet high, yet took only 1.5 years to buildwith Herod’s vision and resources. Stepsto enter the temple were on the south end. The area at the entrance included places to change money and purchasesacrificial animals. Pilgrims comingfrom far reaches of the land would have to change their local currency to thecurrency of the city to get in.

Somestones in the wall weighed as much as ten tons. The largest stones were the length of ourtour bus. Each stone had a frame of onefinger’s depth around the edge on each side. A comparison of the workmanship in the Herodian temple and surroundingMuslim buildings shows the high standards enforced by Herod.

Duringexcavation work undertaken by a team of British Royal engineers in 1871, CharlesWarren found a door where the priests entered into the holy temple. Muslim distrust forced the closing of this doorwith modern concrete. Along theunderground pathway, the spot closest to where the ancient Holy of Holies wouldhave been was occupied by woman praying fervently. As we walked to the far north end of theunderground wall, stopped for discussion, and returned, the same women werepraying the whole time.

2012-01-07T18:35:00.000-08:00

Sefat, Tiberias, and into Jerusalem

OnTuesday morning, December 6, we left Haifa for a long day of sightseeing inSefat, Tiberias, and along the West Bank, finishing with an after-dark entryinto Jerusalem from the east.

OnNovember 29, 1947, the UN voted to partition Palestine to allow for contiguousstates of Israel and Palestine. Jerusalemwould be international. The new state ofIsrael would be Tel Aviv, the Negev Desert, and some areas along the coast.There was no connection between the new state of Israel and Jerusalem. Religious Jews rejected the proposal becauseJerusalem was not included. Arabsrejected it because they wanted the whole country for themselves. When theBritish moved out, the War of Independence began immediately. After the Israeli victory, Israel unified thecity of Jerusalem. Palestinian Arabsare citizens of Jerusalem, but not citizens of Israel.

Thereare three groups of Arabs:

Israeli Arabs with full citizenship, right to vote, right to run for Parliament
Jerusalem Arabs
West Bank Arabs

Allthese Arabs speak the same language, dialect, accent. There are many differences in political,social, and educational benefits. Arabsin Category 2 and 3 can become 1 by marrying an Israeli Arab, and thereby get healthinsurance, a free funeral, social security, and education in Israeli publicschools.

Kibbutzimare undergoing a capitalist revolution. Now outsiders can buy a house and live on thekibbutz without being a member of the collective. In some kibbutzim, residents work outside,contribute their salary to the kibbutz, but receive an allotment from the groupcommensurate with their contribution.

LowerGalilee 1000 feet on the left, Upper Galilee 2500 feet on the right towards Sefat. The best olive oil in the region comes fromhere. Mount Hermon at 9000 feet is coveredwith snow.

Whowrote the Zohar? Rabbi Moshe Sierra Leonof the 13th century wrote it, but it is attributed to Simon ben Barkai. Why?

Mysticismis more important in bad times. In 1492 Jews went to Turkey, among otherlocations, after the expulsion from Spain and Portugal. A mystic community developed in Zefat led byJoseph Caro, author of the Shulkhan Aruch. Rabbi Yitzhak Luria took Zohar to the nextlevel. Torah study, prayer, gemilut chasidim(deeds of lovingkindness) make tikkun olam (repair of the world).

The teachings of the Zohar explain that ourtask in life is what is hardest to do. Selfishness,gluttony, violence, shyness might be the focus of your life’s mission, dependingon what is hardest for each one to do. Weare all a part of God. Just as a tinyvirus can make your body sick, you as a tiny individual can have an effect onGod, for good or for ill. Your job is toimprove yourself and thereby improve the whole of mankind.

250,000,000trees have been planted since Mark Twain travelled in the region and reported that it was the ugliest place on earth. Water is pumped up 300 feet from Lake Tiberiasbefore it is distributed to the rest of the country. Desalination of water from the Mediterranean accountsfor 25% of use. 75% of household wateris recycled. Another country with thenext highest rate of recycled household water is 35%.

Ourfirst stop was in Sefat. We had sometime for sighseeing of Sefat synagogues and shopping in the beautiful galleriesfull of Jewish art, textiles, jewelry, and other delights. I stopped for fresh pomegranate juice. My friend Leslie from Chicago wandered out ofa shop alone, made a wrong turn, and was lost. The good news was that she had a cell phone and called me. With the help of Rabbi Weiner and severalkind bystanders, we were able to find each other again. During that interval, we missed a presentationabout kabbalistic art from a local artist which the rest of our group saw.

Ournext stop was in Tiberias, at the Dona Gracia Hotel. Beatrice de Luna’s family were new Christiansin Portugal. Hanasi was the king. A Portuguese princess wanted to marry theprince of Spain. Duringthis time Hannah Nasi (living from 1510-1569) found out she was a Jew.

The story was told to us by a guide at the hotel who spoke English in such a charming way. Anolder successful Jewish merchant Francesco Mendes said to Hannah Nasi, “Do you marry me?” She said, “Who are you?” He knew about Hannah Nasi because theMarranos found information among themselves. They married and soon Dona Gracia Mendes found herself a wealthy widow. Her sister Reina asked for help in marrying. Hannah arranged a marriage with herbrother-in-law Diego Mendes. At hisdeath, Diego left all his holdings to Dona Gracia because of her proven abilityto handle finances. Her sister gotnothing, wanted revenge.

DonJoseph Nasi was a nephew, married the daughter of Dona Nasi. The sisters were in prison because of sisterReina’s actions. They asked Don JosephNasi to meet with Suleiman the Magnificent of Turkey, to ask him to release the sisters. He did. Now Hannah Nasi was willing to help the Jewish community, paid to print theShulkhan Aruch. She also supported thework to translate the Bible into Spanish.

Shemoved to Istanbul, asked for an audience with Suleiman the Magnificent. Shecame to his palace with 40 horses. She asked for a peaceful place for theJewish people, Tiberias. Tiberias was aplace of earthquake, heat, disease, criminals. The valley, second lowest place in the world, was209 meters under sea level. She obtaineda 99 year lease. She sent people to build walls, plant mulberry trees forsilkworms. No one came. She died at the age of 59.

Shewas forgotten for 400 years. The Ghost of Hannah Mendes, memorialized in NaomiRagen’s 2001 novel, was the hero of songs and poems. Two streets were namedafter her, one in Tiberias, one in Haifa. Herzl has 120 streets.

Manyrabbis chose to be buried in Tiberias. Dona Gracia was the first righteous oneto come alive again, to go from anonymous to famous. Terminal Palace Hotel in Tiberias, namedbecause people came to Palestine to die, changed its name to Dona Graciabecause they copied the name of the street it was on. Now people come from far and wide to viewtableaux of the story of Dona Gracia complete with authentic costumes of theperiod. Our group was treated to anexperiential learning activity of dressing up in costumes of the period of DonaGracia.

Newsin Israel is the water missing from the sea of Galilee, now down 12 feet fromnormal levels, because of water pumped out for agriculture and domestic usethroughout the country.

Ournext stop was at the Jewish center of learning created by Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi,a leading scholar of the period who was the first to write down theMishnah. His center at Tzipori was animportant center of study in the first century after the destruction of thesecond temple by the Romans in the year 70 CE. Notice the mosaic floor of the learning center which features adepiction of the zodiac, and a mural depicting dyadic study in the center.

From there we drove along the banks of the Jordan River, through the vast and abundant agricultural fields of the West Bank, around the city of Jericho and into Jerusalem. We stopped at a lookout before entering the city in order to see the layout of the Old City and surrounding areas. Each time I have been to Jerusalem, this first glance of the city is a stunning site, so full of myth and meaning, of memory and of hope.

After arriving in our comfortable rooms in the Leonardo Plaza in Jerusalem where we were going to stay for 5 days, we felt already so much at home in the city. Several of us made the short walk up King George Street to Ben Yehuda Street where we found a dairy meal, good conversation, and an Internet connection for touching base with home.

2012-01-07T15:12:00.000-08:00

Tour from Haifa

Breakfastis holy in Israel. We had the usual fabulousspread for breakfast at the Dan Carmel Hotel:

pastriesand bread, salads, fresh vegetables, fruit, halvah, hazelnut spread, cereal, cheeses,yogurt, custom-cooked eggs, broccoli soufflé, French toast, coffee, juices, a great start to our first busy day.

EarlyMonday morning, December 5, we were on the bus with our guide Ronny. Visible from our hotel balconies above, we viewedthe German colony below (moshav hagermanit) in Haifa up close, red tiled roofs,tidy buildings. The Germans came asChristian pilgrims, Templars, in 1868. They later became sympathizers of Nazism. Ronny told us that the only two countrieswhere the Nazi flag was flown during WWII were Germany and Israel in Haifa’sGerman Colony. That was surprising.

Theoriginal village of Haifa was on the north side of the harbor, opposite our hotelon the south side. Acco had a bigger harbor, but now there is aneed for a deep water harbor to accommodate international shipping and cruise ships. Haifa used to share the cruise industry withAshdod to the south, but due to the proximity of the Gaza strip and Palestinianrockets capable of reaching Ashdod’s harbor, Haifa has taken over virtually allof the cruise business in Israel. Haifa’sIsraeli army camp was built on an old British army camp site.

Haifahas always had a mixture of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Intel, Google, and Microsoft are now thebiggest private employers. Coexistence,duk yum, is a watchwood in local politics. British manipulation of Arab and Israeli conflicts, playing both endsagainst the middle, exacerbated rather than mollified the inevitableintercultural conflicts.

RabbiDavid Weiner asked us to hold up a mirror to our own lives, assess our degreeof success with coexistence in the Berkshires, among different religiousgroups, socioeconomic groups, racial and cultural groups.

Wepassed many banana fields with plants shaded by net tents and/or bags coveringthe bunches of fruit. Fruit picked fromthese plants can be in European markets on the same day. Winter agriculture is a profitable industryin Israel.

IsraeliArabs do not fly Israeli flags or sing the national anthem because of the Magen Davidsymbol and Zionist imagery. There is 20%Arabic population in Israel. Between1882and1900, 25,000 early pioneers came from Europe to settle the land, inspired byZionist ideology, prompting an outcry from the Arabs who inhabited the land. The Rothschildfamily sent money and advisors for agriculture. Zichron Jacov (remember Jacob Rothschild) is the name of a village. His advisors established the Carmel winery.

Thearea is powered by coal. Nuclear energyis not allowed by national policy because of its vulnerability to attack. There is a potential for lots of natural gas fromthe Mediterranean, to be developed.

Egyptexports oil and natural gas to Israel . The pipeline in the desert has been blown up 6 times in the lastyear. These destructive actions on thepart of current Egyptian activists is not in their own financial interest. Israel currently has a lot of questions aboutwhat to expect of the emerging policies of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Asthey say, In Jerusalem you pray, in Tel Aviv you play, in Haifa you work. There are many opportunities for business andindustry in Haifa: the harbor withcommercial shipping and tourist cruise ships, petrochemical and technologyindustries, agriculture, fishing, tourism, high technology.

BlueMacdonalds is kosher. The meat iskosher; mixture is not kosher. There’sno such thing as a kosher cheeseburger. Kosherrestaurants are either meat or dairy, not both. Hotels all have kosher dining. There is a growing industry of creating fake kosher foods.

Ourfirst stop is at the Givat Haviva retreat center, established in1949 for thepurpose of facilitating co-existence between Jews and Arabs in Israel. Arabs have a high birth rate. A Jewish woman produces 2.7 children, higherthan the American average of less than 2. An Arab woman in Israel produces 4.0 children, 5.8 in the WestBank.

HavivaReich is honored in the name of Givat Haviva. She, Hannah Senesh, and Surika Braverman, trained together, but HannahSenesh is much better known. HavivaReich was responsible for having women inducted into the Israeli Defense Force. Givat Haviva is located in a formerBritish army base.

The600 seat auditorium is rented out for peace education events, and for other eventsto increase revenues for the center. Hundreds of soldiers were on hand for 5 weeks of remedial work afterhigh school before university, scattered around the grounds with firearms. Usually soldiers attending events at GivatHaviva do not bring their weapons.

Anotherevent of the day was a paratrooper red beret conference. Each soldier has a “Catholic” marriage ofcomplete attention and fidelity to his gun. A soldier who loses his gun could be imprisoned.

A“peace tree” sculpture created by Arab and Israeli young people stands in aprominent place.

TheGreen Line, aka the1949 Line of Armistice, separates Israeli-controlled areasfrom those with full or partial Palestinian control. Ralph Bunche, a black diplomat working for theUN, created it. There are 160,000Bedouins in the area who have not been nomadic for several generations. Tourists avoid this area. One village in the area made up of a singleextended family was divided by the green line, creating East Barta, aPalestinian community, and West Barta, a community of Israeli Arabs. Muslimmen are allowed to take 4 wives, so more than one Barta husband had wives onboth sides of the Green Line.

TheHashemite kingdom of Jordan has 70% Palestinians. Some Israeli Arabs prefer to call themselves Palestinianswith Israeli citizenship. Some ArabIsraelis are considered to be traitors by Palestinians when they do not fullysupport the ambitions of the uprising. Between 1967 and 1987, there has been a deepening of the identitydilemma. Arab Israelis were happy withthe benefits they received from Israeli citizenship, did not want to break thelaw, make trouble. The Oslo agreementcreated big changes. During the year 2000second intifada, Arab Israelis joined in for the first time.

Oursecond stop was at the Atlit detention camp, the setting of Anita Diamant’snovel Day After Night, which my Hadassah book club read in recentyears. In1917 during British rule ofPalestine, Arabs rebelled against immigration in response to the Balfourdeclaration.

(FromWikipedia) Aliyah Bet (Hebrew:'עלייה ב‎, "Aliyah'B'" - bet being the second letter of the Hebrewalphabet) was the code name given to illegal immigration by Jews to the British Mandate for Palestinein violation of British White Paper of 1939 restrictions, in theyears 1934-1948. In modern day Israel it has also been called by the Hebrewterm Ha'apala (Hebrew:ההעפלה‎; ascension). The Aliyah Bet isdistinguished from the Aliyah Aleph ("Aliyah 'A'", Alephbeing the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet): the limited Jewish immigrationpermitted by British authorities in the same period.

AliyahBet brought 140,000 Jews who arrived by boat, by foot, by air. Small boats arrived with several hundreds, biggerboats many hundreds more. A specialdivision of the British Mediterranean Navy was dedicated to keeping boats fromterritorial waters. The1939 British white paper allowedfor 75,000 Jews to immigrate to Palestine in 5 years. After that quota was reached, no more would be allowed. New detention camps were created in Cypress tohouse Jews on boats intercepted by the British navy. Theserickety boats were often floating coffins.

AtAtlit, genders were separated to prevent escape. They thought residents would not attempt escapewithout the opposite-sex loved ones and family members. Those who escaped did so alone. People were released every month up to thepoint where quotas were exceeded. Refugees from European DP camps arrived in freight trains. With all the different languages represented,there was litlle possibility of full explanations for what was happening to therefugees. They were taken to disinfecting showers andlaundry first, a terrifying prospect for those who had been in European deathcamps.

Wesaw a remarkable sound and light show with photos, life-size tableaus, andvideo, showing the conditions on the boats used to bring refugees toIsrael. I felt literally seasick when Isaw the waves through the video portholes on the boat.

TheJews from Syria were released from Atlit because they were going to be returnedto Syria. Most Ashkenazic Jews were fromEuropean countries to which there was no hope of return. There were many babies brought to Atlit, manymore born there.

TwoJewish policemen were recruited to cooperate with Palmach and lead an escape October10, 1945.

Between1933 and1939, as the Nazis came to power,10,000 illegal immigrants arrived inPalestine on 18 ships. There were 90,000refugees in detention camps when the quotas were full. A 1947 ship, the "real” Exodus fromFrance, unlike its namesake in the Paul Newman movie, returned to its point ofdeparture, bringing its passengers back to Hamburg DP camps. Escape from Atlit was necessary because therewas no reasonable place to go back to and no hope of being released for settlement inIsrael.

Aswe passed Arab villages on the highway, Ronny explained some differencesbetween Arab villages and Jewish settlements. Arab villages are full of private homes and nothing else. There are noapartment buildings, although an extended family might have a multi-familybuilding. Many of the homes are halffinished. Arabs often have a professionalcontractor lay the foundation and then rely on family connections to supply therest of the work. Their standards for the interior of the house are quite highfor cleanliness and beauty. Outside thehouse, e.g., landscaping, parking spaces, parks, common areas for thecommunity, are of less concern. The idea of having a pet inside the house isshocking to them.

Jewscannot buy a house in an Arab village. Even an Arab who is not a member of oneof the families in the village cannot purchase a house. When a new baby is born, construction of anew story on top of the house is begun. By the time that child is old enough to marry, his apartment will beready.

Bycontrast, Jewish settlements have carefully planned landscaping designs, parks,bike trails, walking paths, swimming pools, schools, synagogues, many commonareas for group activities.

2012-01-07T13:29:00.000-08:00

First night in Haifa

I had hoped to blog from Israel on my trip there with a group led by my rabbi David Weiner from Knesset Israel in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Unfortunately, we had not enough time, energy, or Internet access to make this happen. So...I am pretending that it's happening now, starting with our departure from Pittsfield on December 3, 2011.

Iwas surprised at the ease of the flight from JFK to Tel Aviv. The van ride from Pittsfield to the airportin the dark on a new beautiful rural route was an unexpected pleasure. I also had time to finish the novel I wasreading on my iPad on the way. I had alittle conversation with Bobbi Cohn sitting next to me until she was ready tonap.

Allthe personnel at El Al were courteous and helpful. The young woman agent askedme, "Eifo gar?". I was amazed that I knew she was askingme where I lived. This led to a series of questions about how, why, and fromwhom I was learning Hebrew. How? Rosetta Stone, 25 years in synagogue, conversation classes. Why? To feel more comfortable with the language around me in Israel, readingsigns, menus, to have a good base for learning more during my trip. From whom? My prayer book, my computer, Esther Benari-Altman, and most important,my husband Alex who is excited about my interest in speaking Hebrew, a languagehe spoke with fluency 50 years ago.

Myfriend Leslie from Chicago had been traveling all day, up at 3 in the morning,arriving at JFK about 4 in the afternoon. We were processed and inspected in notime and settled in for a long wait at the international gate. Boarding startedabout 11 and took over an hour to get everyone seated, not surprising sincethere were about 400 passengers on the 747. I didn't see the more spaciousquarters in first and business classes on the upper level. Three men sittingbehind us asked to move to business or first class and were told that it wasfull. Not a seat was empty in economy class, about 35 rows, 10 to a row.

Isat with Beth and Bernie. Leslie and I were not able to get seats together. It was ok since I went to sleep immediately.There were three loud and talkative men behind us speaking a mixture of Russianand Hebrew and playing a loud game of cards, pounding on the table trays andshaking the seats frequently while we waiting for takeoff. Happily they went to sleep as soon as theplane lifted off.

Iwalked around and up and down the aisles, stopped to chat with Leslie who wassitting with two handsome young CPAs from Israel. She pronounced them to bedarling. Then I watched a movie I hadalready seen and read the novel.

Easycheck in and baggage retrieval, quick comfortable bus ride to Haifa, sumptuousbuffet at the Dan Carmel Hotel. View ofthe harbor from our window, fabulous panorama of cruise ships, city sites andgardens, stunning even in the dark.

Forgetful

2010-06-06T15:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my husband and I were driving around together, running various errands. I mentioned a couple of times that I needed to go to the bank. I had a few checks in my wallet that needed to be deposited.

This afternoon when we were out again, I realized that I hadn't gone to the bank. At that moment, I didn't know if I forgot to go to the bank, or if I went to the bank and forgot that I had gone. I looked in my wallet for the checks and felt relieved to find them there. It somehow seemed worse for me to forget that I had gone to the bank, worse than forgetting to go. This seems like a new level of forgetfulness.

The good news is that I remember what a bank is, where my bank is, and how to deposit a check.

Breathe move dance into summer 2010

2010-06-05T11:44:00.001-07:00

The summer people are arriving and my classes are growing. I'm curious about workshops and private sessions I will offer this summer, some new forms of my ideas and services. The Nia organization is rebirthing itself after the departure of Carlos, and I've been invited to participate in the Next Generation Trainer training program this summer in Portland. I would also be able to see my beautiful 10-year-old greatniece Madi at the same time. It's very tempting. I'm not resisting the idea, but also haven't embraced it yet. At the very least, it's a chance to hang out with some of the best Nia teachers, share their energy, learn from them, enlist them in my network.

Repurposed

2010-04-23T18:20:00.000-07:00

The 40th anniversary of Earth Day is inspiring some to explore ways to utilize the resources that already exist around us, rather than endlessly creating more stuff, only to add it to the growing mounds of landfills and refuse. Kudos to Crispina Ffrench and the members of the artists' community she is growing in Pittsfield. Housed in a repurposed church, the Alchemy Intiative is helping local artists to live and develop their work in ecologically sensitive ways. This weekend's event at the Initiative is a clothing swap made possible by dozens of people who donated bags and bags of goodies. Tonight the redesigned sanctuary of the church was the setting for a fashion show of repurposed clothing, creatively outfitted on the volunteer models. Tomorrow will be the clothing swap where the community is invited to come and carry away all new duds (new to them). I applaud Crispina's vision of creating fun and fashion in an ecologically intelligent way.

Back in business

2010-04-21T15:05:00.000-07:00

After a year of down time, I'm ready to start blogging again. I want to follow progress I'm making in my yoga practice, my teaching practice, some new workshops I'm cooking up, and my domestic pursuits of cooking and gardening.

Test Entry

2010-04-19T21:20:00.001-07:00

This is just a test entry

Test Entry

2010-04-19T21:18:00.000-07:00

This is a test entry

New commitment

2010-04-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm making a new commitment to blog here more frequently about my continuing activities and a few new ones:

Nia classes in my home studio and on the Williams College campus

Morning yoga practice with the Conte Community School faculty in Pittsfield

Four children's yoga classes during my one day each week at Conte School

My after-school Spanish yoga class with kids in grades 1, 2, and 3

My weekly Spanish lessons with tutor Jess Bashara (thanks, Jess)

My growing interest in bullying and the relationship/communication skills related to it

My continuing efforts to eat gluten-free

My connections with a few other bloggers, especially the fabulous Bloomin and Zoomin group that came together at Kripalu
Domestic pursuits such as cooking and gardening

What else? By looking at the list above, I should be able to find something to say.

Spring is here

2009-04-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

After an idyllic sojourn in south-of-the-border Miami Beach, our return to the Berkshires has been a slow and gradual process. I've been resurrecting my Nia classes little by little until now it looks like I may be teaching five days a week

Monday evening at the Williams College Faculty Wellness program
Tuesday morning in my home studio
Tuesday afternoon, assisting in a high school yoga class in south county
Soon adding a Tuesday evening class in my home studio
Wednesday evening in a gorgeous pilates studio in Florence, a one-hour drive from my home
Thursday afternoon in my home studio, hoping to attract the after-school crowd
Friday morning in my home studio

This leaves many of my days free. On Monday morning I'm meeting with a wonderful group of women who practice speaking Spanish. They all are more fluent than I am, with many more years of experience, instruction, and travel in Spanish-speaking countries. I appreciate their generosity, letting me join their group, slowing down their conversation so that I can understand. I wish they felt freer giving me corrections. I am always appreciative, never embarrassed, of being corrected. I really need a tutor or a small group class, having a few friends scout out possibilities here in Pittsfield.

I'm on the substitute staff for Canyon Ranch again, so this gives me access to the gym facilities and classes there. I am hoping to go there at least once or twice a week. I love classes, being challenged, directed, and guided by a knowledgeable teacher, I do so much more than I do on my own. I dropped in to the boot camp at PBP in Lenox last Saturday morning, early (7:30-8:30) to do and still get to synagogue on time. It was fun to work through a challenging circuit with a group. I definitely pick up the energy of a group, this one highly diverse with men and women ages 10-63, mostly 30- and 40-somethings.

I'm carving out some daytime hours to promote the new yoga@school program Debbie Cohen and I have cooked up. We're hoping to find some school districts who want to learn more about how yoga fits into the school learning/physical activity puzzle.

Cooking is a priority. I'm hoping to prepare four or five meals a week at home, cooking in the afternoon meals for Alex to enjoy while I'm away, or beginning the prep early in the day so that I can quickly prepare a freshly cooked meal after class. Both are good, better than looking for a restaurant where we can eat out. Don't get me wrong. I love eating out. However, with all my dietary restrictions -- no meat, no dairy, no gluten, no sugar -- where am I going to find a meal that works for me? Besides, cooking is a feast of sensory pleasures.

Open road

2009-03-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

One special treat during our stay in Miami was a Sunday morning practice of PrayerDanse led by Rachel Levy and Susana Perczek. Loosely related to Gabrielle Roth's Sweat Your Prayers, it is a guided free dance practice with interesting music, some partner work, some group work, and some sharing. The 2-hour format allows even the shyest participant to relax into a personal exploration of movement and energy flow. One organizing concept is that your prayer is your dance, your dance is your prayer, and that your wishes, hopes, dreams, goals, yearnings can be developed and advanced through your dance, and vice versa.

At my last PrayerDanse practice before leaving Miami, Susana guided each dancer to set an intention for their morning and to discover the nature of the dance (and prayer) for the day. I found myself focusing on my longing for home, my wish for a safe and uneventful journey, and my goal to partner with my husband as co-driver and co-navigator to create a pleasant and smoothly flowing passage. As I neared the end of class, I imagined an image of an open road before us, embracing us, welcoming us ever onward. Bright sunshine illuminated the road and all the changing scenes along the way.

As we traveled over the 2000 miles to reach our home, eight days of traveling across eleven states, punctuated by two stops to visit family and friends, I saw that same vision of the open road welcoming us and the bright sun lighting our way, this time on a real road under our wheels. Each time I caught a glimpse of that vision, I took a moment to give thanks for safety, the home that awaited us, and the pleasure of companionship with my husband.

Grandma in Alabama

2009-03-03T18:46:00.000-08:00

Today we are wrapping up a three-day visit with my stepdaughter and her young family on our way from a Florida retreat to the rest of our winter in the Berkshires. I have been welcomed as Grandma Jane, included in all the intimate details of running a busy household. Abra and her husband have chosen to live on one modest salary so that Abra can stay home with a three-year-old, 18-month-old, and the newest daughter expected in June. Most days, Dad rushes home after work in the afternoon to help manage the demands of building their young family.

Thousands of mundane acts of care and feeding fills her days with the girls. Both are enthusiastic and adventurous eaters, willing to try any of the varied dishes their mother prepares for them. I admire the calm equanimity that Abra brings to every moment, even with the inevitable temper tantrums. The days have a predictable rhythm, each time period aided by appropriate music or even a few minutes (very few) of vegging-out time in front of the tv as the older girl transitions from school to home and Mom prepares lunch.

The oldest goes off to preschool for 3 hours a day and the younger girl still takes a nap in the afternoon, so Mom has alone time with each girl every day. That will change soon with the coming of Number 3, so she is storing up millions of intimate touch points in the meantime. While the toddler naps, Mom brings out one of several baskets of art supplies for an afternoon project. She even has a special vinyl cover for the dining room table to turn this space into an art studio for the afternoon. We brought some new art materials, tools, and supplies with us, so I was in charge of the art project part of the time.

Baby #3 is expected on schedule this summer while Dad is on a break from his teaching position. They are both planning to focus their time and attention on integrating the new person into this peaceful, happy, and productive home.

Yoga en casa

2009-01-30T05:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I responded to a flyer advertising a free yoga class in the building where we are renting a condo in Miami Beach. I was surprised to see a dozen residents gathered there for a practice with Lovey, a longtime experienced teacher who led us through a soothing and mindful practice. About half the class was older women and one older man, the rest much younger. One athletic-looking young man clearly had a well-established yoga practice. It was fun to practice behind him and watch his well-toned body move gracefully through the poses.

Near the end of the class, she offered some advanced poses for those who chose to participate, about half of the class, plus a few minutes for us to add any poses we chose. Several people chose to add a headstand. Lovey's soothing voice guided us into a meditative savasana to end the class. I was pleased to discover this group where I could meet a few people in the building, especially those interested in praticing yoga.

Tour guides

2009-01-29T05:23:00.000-08:00

Alex and I just spent four days escorting youngest daughter Jessica and her husband Neil around the beach when they journeyed here from the south Oregon coast. We were thrilled to be able to show them the sights and to see things we would never have sought out on our own.

The first day we walked around South Beach, window-shopping and people-watching on Lincoln Road, Ocean Drive, and the promenade. We had lunch at Wolfie's (now Jerry's Deli) on Collins and then hit the beach for a lazy afternoon. The beach was a little too cold, but we consoled ourselves in the heated swimming pool. After dinner we saw Gran Torino at Lincoln Road.

We drove out to the Miccosukee Indian Reservation, about an hour west of the beach, where Heather had been a teacher in the tribal school. One of her former students now runs the airboat ride business there. We admired the gorgeously pieced colorful skirts in the gift shop, stitched by the talented Miccosukee women. A short ride through the Everglades on an airboat showed us half a dozen alligators and huge elegant birds, among them herons and egrets. We took the long way east on 8th Street which becomes Calle Ocho in the Cuban barrio. Lunch at Versailles was a festive immersion into the Cuban community. We located a picturesque fabrica de cigarros where Alex and Neil purchased some cigars made from tobacco originating in Cuba. We found the Mexican restaurant where my Spanish teacher Liliana had taken me for lunch, Taquieras El Mexicano on 5th Ave. and Calle Ocho, near the Brickell financial district. We wandered through the glamourous downtown area with dozens of new and architecturally interesting skyscrapers, including the ballet center and the Arsht Center for the performing arts.

We broke our fast on Saturday morning at a restaurant on Ocean Drive, watching the parade of beautiful people and a dog show devoted to dachsunds (!) The afternoon was a perfect beach day with warm sun and cloudless sky. Bird and Neil amassed an impressive collection of shells that Bird will incorporate into her art. Saturday night, they went out on their own to South Beach.

On Sunday, we drove out to Key Biscayne, a short drive, no more than 1/2 hour, but an amazing show of natural beauty. When a recent hurricane ripped up the non-native pines populating the island, the locals took the opportunity to replant with all native species. The result is an amazing display of arborial profusion. We spent time walking on the beach and hiking through the forest, also climbing to the top of the lighthouse for a spectacular view of the ocean, bay, and city. Lunch was at the Jaguar ceviche spoon bar in Coconut Grove, where we had Ecuadorian and Peruvian ceviche (they're different!) and finished it off with frozen yoghurt from Coco Walk. Bird and Neil spent the last night exploring on their own.

They were both charmed by the city, its diverse population and culture, the animated street life, the lush vegetation, and of course the ocean.

Under the Miami sun

2009-01-19T22:14:00.000-08:00

We are in the middle of our third week in Miami Beach, finding our way around la playa and the busy, noisy, complex, diverse, and totally fascinating city. It seems that no one here speaks English. Mostly you hear Spanish, but there are plenty of other languages in the air as well -- German, French, Italian, Hebrew, Yiddish. I met a big group on the bus last week who were speaking Danish. It's a favorite destination for todo el mundo. Maybe it's just that the English speakers don't talk so much.

I spent last week in an immersion class to brush up on the Spanish I learned 20 years ago. A lot came rushing back and now I'm enjoying classes in grammar, literature, and conversation. I feel so much more comfortable now, able to chat with people in stores, restaurants, the streets, the gym, the laundry. It's all fun and festive here, especially when the sun shines, about 90% of the time. When the temperature drops to 58 degrees, everyone exclaims, Hace mucho frio. If only they knew what Massachusetts feels like right now...

Our friends Heather and Stephen, our neighbors in Pittsfield, are showing us around and helping us feel at home. Stephen and Alex play golf together, and Heather has introduced me to the Dance de la Soul group. It's an intense modern dance class twice a week that feels like a party. I stumbled around for a while and now am beginning to get in step, at least part of the time. Another favorite class is the anti-gravity yoga using a hammock hanging from the ceiling as a prop. Sometimes you're standing in it, suspended from it, or swinging in it. It feels like flying and the savasana at the end encased in the cocoon of the hammock is muy delicioso.

We're surrounded here by all things Latin -- the food, the music, the dancing, the language. Miami is south of the border, right here in los Estados Unidos. In spite of the language and cultural barriers, people here are friendly and bright, eager to welcome you and help you find your way.

Back in Chicago

2008-12-14T14:21:00.000-08:00

I'm back in Chicago for the first time in two years since we moved to the Berkshires. I've been enjoying seeing old and new sights, reuniting with old friends, practicing yoga, walking through the city streets, and best of all, spending time with my handsome son.

Attitude of Gratitude

2008-11-26T17:16:00.000-08:00

It's such a simple shift, from worry, anger, or sadness, into gratitude. Attention shifts from the past which is beyond changing, or the future which hasn't arrived, to consciousness of the only time we ever have, this one moment. This year I feel grateful for so many blessings: my home and family, satisfying work.

Breathing Out and In

2008-11-21T06:07:00.000-08:00

Even though it's right under my nose, I rarely notice my breath. My breath has the intelligence to flow into my lungs, passing life-giving oxygen into my blood stream so that every cell of my body can receive life, energy, and vitality. My breath also carries used-up air and other waste products out of my body, creating space for the new, fresh breath to come in.

I think of my breath as beginning with an inhalation, but of course, my breath began only once, at the beginning of my life, and since then has been a constant cycle of energy out of and into my body. I find it refreshing to think of the breath as flowing out and in. If I begin my breath cycle with a mindful deep exhalation, I clear the way for a fuller intake of breath to complete it. I can even engage my abdominal muscles to push more used-up air out of my lungs and get an abdominal workout with each breath. Breathe out, and in. If you make your exhalation twice as long as the in-breath, you are doing 2 to 1 breathing, a technique recommended by psychologists for stage fright and other forms of anxiety.

Slow, deepful, mindful, regular breaths enlist the powers of my parasympathetic nervous system to calm my body and promote the work of digestion, elimination, reproduction, and other sacred tasks my body is responsible for. I can warm my body, soothe my frazzled mind, ease myself into restful sleep, and clear my thinking, just by bringing my attention to my breath.

Kids on paper

2008-11-16T12:35:00.000-08:00

I taught a family yoga class this morning for four moms and their five children, ages 1.5 to 5.
Everyone participated part of the time. At the end, I provided chart paper for each family group to make a family picture. That's when I sat back and watched the magic happen. I was amazed at how the children were able to express themselves. The moms were delighted with the results and carried home the rolls of paper.

On and off the floor

2008-11-15T13:32:00.000-08:00

Dancing on and with the floor has become a more important part of the Nia classes I teach. Although our floor play is usually at the end of class, there are some opportunities at the beginning and middle of class to use the floor. The floor is one of the most useful pieces of workout equipment I have. I notice that whenever I get to the floor, it's a creative path to getting up again that leads to more strength, focus, grace, and balance.

I remember in one of my belt classes, Debbie invited us to rise from the floor and return to it 13 times, each time devising a different movement from the horizontal to the vertical and back again. Here are some:

rolling back and forth along the spine with enough momentum to roll all the way to my feet, then squatting deeply enough to drop the hips to the floor and roll again
from belly, piking my hips up into down dog, then walking to forward fold, then lifting the spine to vertical, swan diving back to forward fold, down dog, and belly on the floor
same as above, with more agile jumping moves
same as above, rounding the spine to curl up one vertebra at a time, and back down
moving in a spiral from lying on floor to standing and back to floor
rising from a seated cross-legged posture to standing, then sitting again -- Can I do it with no hands?
from all-fours, rocking back to balance on toes, then lowering heels and straightening legs to stand, descending slowly back to all fours
belly to child's pose, kneeling, lunging, standing, back to lunging, kneeling, child's pose, and extending onto belly

I'm going to invent 5 more for my next workout. Today we had fun in class with Carlos's free dance on the floor from Clarity, moving rhythmically with the hands, elbows, shoulders, chest pelvis, legs, and shoulder blades, a whole body dance with the floor as a dancing partner.

One of my students today commented that moving on the floor was one way to get a massage, a way to use the floor for pleasure and comfort.

Channeling my grandmother

2008-10-29T06:52:00.000-07:00

My grandmother has been on my mind, an important figure in my life. She cared for me as a preschooler when my mother worked. She used to tell me that God had more important things to do than wake me up in the morning. She thought I should be up and about the business of my day before the sun came up. She certainly was. That has stayed with me throughout my life. Now I make use of that early morning dark and quiet time with my daily yoga practice.

Planning for South Beach

2008-10-27T12:59:00.000-07:00

My husband and I are dreaming about a place to escape the cold Berkshires winter for a few weeks. We're looking at an apartment in South Beach, Miami. This afternoon we looked for gyms where we could work out -- Crunch looks like the one. We looked for bicycles to ride. South Beach even has a synagogue with a morning minyan. Whole Foods/Wild Oats has a store a few blocks away, and there's a vegetarian restaurant nearby. It's also near all the night life and beautiful people of South Beach. Is this how we want to spend our winter?

A Good New Year

2008-09-29T04:39:00.000-07:00

When my friends say "L'shanah tova" to me, it strikes me that they are saying "A good year," not "Happy New Year." I am thinking today about what a good year might be. What is the good life? What goodness do I want to bring to my work, my play, my home? What goodness do I want to surround myself with? Good thoughts, good health, good food, good music, good fun, good service. To all who read this, I wish for you a year filled with goodness and health.

High School Hamstrings

2008-09-27T04:55:00.000-07:00

My work in assisting high school yoga classes is showing me how tight teenage hamstrings are. Teens feel stress from the outside and the inside and that is reflected in their flexibility. The short hamstring issue is more intense for the young men and for the more athletic in the group. The challenge is to accept your body wherever it is right now today and receive the many benefits yoga movements can bring you. If touching the floor in a forward bend is not happening for you today, hold your opposite elbows in your hands and let the weight of your upper body and gravity provide the gentle stretch you need to elongate your spine and hamstrings. Exhale in a big sigh. Release the weight of your head. Enjoy your yoga.

Breathe Move Dance

2008-09-26T14:04:00.000-07:00

The name of my new web site is a mantra for me and my students, reminding me to keep on breathing, moving, and dancing, no matter what. I just picked up the new issue of Boom Magazine, a section of a free weekly here in the Berkshires, featuring people over 50 who sing and dance. It's exciting to see one of my pictures taken by my Yoga Ed colleague Scott Kaplan featured. We all have a responsibility to sing and dance every day -- no excuses.

My new web site

2008-09-26T14:01:00.000-07:00

I first started thinking about this web site years ago to help me keep track of all the things I do. I have been a teacher for my whole adult life, and now that I'm retired, I'm still teaching. I teach kids, teens, adults, and other teachers. It's always a cyclical process of participating, observing, experimenting, refining, reviewing, reflecting. The next time you begin again to participate, you are acting and observing from a different place.

my first blog entry

2008-09-25T13:06:00.000-07:00

Howdy,

Welcome to the blog section on my new website: www.breathemovedance.com and thanks for visiting. This is my first entry as I'm still learning the ropes! Check back soon for some really engaging info!