Earlier I had posted about Chanukah at the Kotel, and now it had actually happened. I went with my family to Israel for my little brothers Bar Mitzvah. He did a great job leining Parshas Meiketz, the longest Parsha, and I’m so proud of him! Since it was my little sister’s birthday also, she got a cake. It reminds me of my twin brothers bar mitzvah, when I got a cake too.
We left to Israel on December 6. It was nice having SN come over and see us off. I brought my laptop with me thinking I would have internet in Israel and be able to communicate with SN that way, but it wasn’t so simple. Everywhere I went I kept thinking about SN. We took lots of pictures and videos so that we would be able to share the experience.
I had a great time in Israel spending time with both of my grandparents, and meeting other relatives. We didn’t do much touring since the men and boys went to a lot of Kvarim.
While my father and brother were at Har Hazaisim they had an Arab aim a gun at them, and their taxi driver said he’ll protect them, and B”H nothing happened. Then they were walking around looking for Avremel Zalmanowitz’s Kever 2 men out of nowhere came to help them find it. Then after Davening there, they turned around and the men were gone. When I heard that it reminded me of the stories where Eliyahu Hanavi, or someone would just appear miraculously.
We went to 4 places, the Kotel, Kever Rochel, Mearas Hamachpaila and Mini Israel.
Some interesting things I noticed about Israel:
- The lights go from Red –> Yellow –> Green
- People do not cross against the light, even if there are no cars coming.
- Their latkes are not made from potatoes
- The people want it to rain
- There’s so much security, that they check your pocketbook at a grocery store
- There are lions everywhere, looks like it’s their national symbol
- The shuk sells everything loose, there are sacks of all different kinds of spices.
Last time I went to Israel I kept a diary of my trip. This time however, I e-mailed SN a daily summary of how my day in Israel was, instead. Interestingly most of my thoughts on my first Israel trip, apply to the second as well.
We left Israel December 21st, and arrived back in time to see all the snow on the ground. Our flight only got delayed about 3 hours. The day I was flying to come back, SN was flying to Florida, so we missed each other. Today SN is flying back from LA, and interestingly he’ll be arriving to snow too.
I had fun buying presents for friends and family. I gave the large family a present, and realized that the mother is expecting child number 13! (The oldest is now 18!). The 3 year old still didn’t get a hair cut! I think their afraid that he won’t want to wear his yarmulka and then he’ll look like a “goy”, this way he just looks like a 2 year old.
I spent a day with Auror and gave her some presents, she is really such a great friend! We had fun trying on dresses and perfume. She brings out the “girl” in me.
Tomorrow I get to see SN, and I can’t wait to finally see him and show him what I bought, and to give him some presents.
13 comments:
the lion is the symbol of jerusalem and a car named peugot which is french and common in israel.
aha, I didn't notice any peugot cars.
Also, I learned 2 new Hebrew words while in Israel.
Meshulosh and Magash. A slice and a pie. Which I do not eat.
nice, any more photos?
Yes, I do have more photos. On Facebook.
Wow, I haven't been to your page in a while, partially because of Facebook consuming my all and partially because I read your posts through Google Reader. Lol like I said, you have a new gadget every time I visit! I love the wedding countdown! :)
That's very cute with you and SN both coming back to snow!
Also, what are the latkas made from if not potatoes?
(Haha, this is like the 3rd or 4th time you're plugging me! Lol! Thanks again for the presents)
Have a great Shabbos!
lol, Thanks, I added it recently once it was 48 days away.
yea, though SN pointed out that his snow wasn't so bad.
They make the latkes from the same dough as the Jelly doughnuts, and I think the one I had by some cousins had cheese in it, cause I took a bite and tasted something sweet, so I knew it wasn't right, so I stopped eating it.
lol, yea, it's fun to plug you, I don't get to do it on FB though anymore. Your welcome for the presents!
I actually just gave SN his presents! He also bought me some cute stuff! :-), then we both went to SF and CSD to give them presents I bought for them. It was so nice to see everyone again, I'm really happy!
Thanks, you too have a great Shabbos!
Wow, sounds like you had a really great time!! I loved reading the things that you found different in Israel compared to here!! Soooo true!! I can still remember most of them!!! The crossing against the lights not so much haha, kikar shabbos wasn't like that from what I remember.. It was always amusing to see the old chassidish people make their 2 dozen false starts and finally make the break for it, arriving at their destination before a bus takes the place where they were standing not even a milisecond ago. The one thing that really made me nostalgic about Israel was the people wanting it to rain. I remember once that I ran outside while it was raining and started dancing I was so excited for it to be raining; and people joined in!!! And lastly, I'm so jealous!! I never made it out to Kever Rochel or Mearas Hamachpeila during my two year tenure there! Can you believe it?! I never visited Mini Israel either, but that wasn't really on my list of things to do :P.
Well, welcome back, mazal tov on your brother's bar mitzvah and sister's birthday, and bundle up for the weather!!!! :)
Oy vey, didn't SN teach you to eat it? :)
(And I never knew those words!)
lol, not yet...it's a scary food to try, it'll have to wait till after were married :-)
Thanks!
I guess the crossing the street one depends on the neighborhood, in the more secular parts, like where I was, they waited to cross the street. But yea, by Kikar Shabbos they just crossed, like by boro park. Really cool intersection there, where people from 5 different directions cross at the same time!
That's funny, about dancing in the rain!
It's interesting, other people were telling me too that they didn't get to go to Mearas Hamachpaila either. Mini Israel was really cool though, great for us since we didn't get to see much otherwise, and it's fun to recognize the few places we have gone to.
Thanks and Thanks! :-)
People don't cross against the light? You've gotta be kidding! In Yerushalayim, it's almost impossible to drive. People just walk into the street, without even looking, as though it was meant for pedestrians. And I thought Brooklyn was bad!
I guess it's just Near Lev Yerhushalayim that people don't cross the street against the light.
By Meah Shaarim I can imagine it being hard to drive with such narrow streets that have people walking in it too.
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