Previously On… This Year in Jerusalem

Emily Bernstein
September 19, 2018

I know, I know… I haven’t written in a while. There’s no excuse, other than the fact that I’ve been busy, and, probably more importantly, without WiFi. #firstworldproblems

So, I feel like, before I post the next real blogpost, I need to post a recap of the last week and a half of my life.

Probably the most important thing that has happened: we found an apartment! It’s a beautiful three-bedroom in the city center, with a ton of bus lines and access to literally everything we could need. Now, you might be thinking, okay, but who’s we?

The roommates:
–Yours Truly: a Utahn, studied creative writing and politics, is very witty and snarky, loves Netflix, and will be working at the Ethiopian National Project;
–Jenna: from Massachusetts, has a MA in American studies, is so so smart and funny, a great cook, and will be working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Congressional Affairs division;
–Ines: Australian (Melbourne specifically), is probably one of the funniest people I’ve ever met, studied law, is adorable, and will be working at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Services.

We get along really great and have become the hosts for various events (which Jenna and I specifically love because we love being the hosts).

The High Holidays have since passed – Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

For Rosh Hashanah, a few of us were hosted by various families for dinner which was an amazing experience to attend a Rosh Hashanah seder (something I hope to bring home with me. You’re welcome, family!) where we bring simanim to the table – various foods that we have made into puns for the new year (ex: pomegranate so our worthiness increases to the value of the 613 seeds, apples dipped in honey for a sweet new year).

We’ve also had more Hebrew classes and incredibly fascinating lectures about the diaspora and the history of Judaism in Israel and the world.

More soon (including pictures since I’m getting in trouble for not taking or posting any).

!שׁלום

Shabbat in Jerusalem (The First of Many)

Emily Bernstein
September 1, 2018

If you’ve ever spent a Friday in Jerusalem, you know that you only have until about 4pm before things start closing and you have to walk everywhere. So, even though I got out of bed for breakfast only to get back in bed until 10:30am (my room had AC and a comfy bed, who could blame me?), I still had a bit of time to wander around Mahane Yehuda – the main shuk/market – before Shabbat really started in Jerusalem.

On Friday night, a few other Fellows in my program graciously offered to host us for Shabbat dinner, so I wanted to make sure to be ready for that. I walked through the shuk for almost an hour, getting used to a) the heat, b) the bustle of people also doing their Shabbat shopping, and c) the heat. Oh, did I already mention that? Well, it’s hot.

Around 3pm, I met up with Jenna – a fellow Fellow who I am trying to live with – at our AirBnB, and we hung out there (read: napped) until we got ready to head to Shabbat dinner.

It’s fun being surrounded by people around my age who know all the Shabbat prayers, keep kosher, and share the love for Israel that I do. Zoe, Lindsey, and Sydney all cooked for us at their apartment and hosted about 6 of us last night. It was nice because we could all get to know each other in a more casual setting than opening seminar for our program.

Saturday morning and day, we rested. That’s what Shabbat is for! We may or may not have taken a two or three hour nap, then continued to rest until we met up with a few other Fellows for dinner and a drink in the shuk and then we headed to the Kotel for some evening prayers.

Tomorrow, we start our program with opening seminar at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center.

Blog more soon!

!לילה תוב