It's A Small World

On Monday night, a group of ladies from the Lions Of Judea Northeast division traveled to Netivot for a taste of some ethnic cooking, Israeli hospitality, and Philadelphia Love. Gabby and I are the only individuals from the Philadelphia area and Shaina will be joining the City of Brotherly Love next fall while attending University of Pennsylvania. Rachel, Gabby, Mike, Shaina and I walked to the Mercaz where we would be meeting the ladies for a gourmet dinner.


During the meal, I sat next to three women from the Philadelphia area. One of them was the aunt of my neighbor. It really is a small world! They were very excited to hear about my experiences thus far on Otzma; so impressed they wanted me to persuade our mutual friend to venture to Israel. Throughout the evening, women would come up to me and ask if I was from Upper Dublin(…which I am!). Earlier in the night they had spoken to Gabby who had told them where in the Philadelphia area I reside. The women were excited to know that I attended the same school as their children! Upper Dublin Township is the same size as the town of Netivot (both have 25,000 residents).


Now down to the actual meal, the food was INCREDIBLE. The chefs of the evening are women who enjoy sharing their ethnic dishes with various guests in Netivot. The women come from a variety of countries including Tunsia, Ethiopia, and Moroco. Instead of being on wealthfare, the women earn money by doing what comes naturally to them…Cooking Ethic Foods. I am not alone when I say I wanted to try EVERY DISH! My favorite dish was the couscous with the raisin glaze. My plate looked like it had eaten a rainbow; there was bright pink Kubay, Yellow chicken, Red chicken, Green peas, and Orange cooked Pumpkin. The Lions of Judea were surprised and pleased by the variety of choices and amazing flavors that accompanied each dish. I can honestly say no one left hungry and luckily we got to take home leftovers. I know I am excited for sweet potato and couscous tomorrow!

Yemen Breakfast, Morrocan Lunches, and Good Wholesome Honesty

First a side story about something that would never happen in the States…
During Sukkot holiday I traveled to Egypt and Eliat with a few of my friends. On our last day in Eilat, my friends’ Ipod Touch went missing. We filed a police report but not really expected to ever get the item back. This weekend my friend gets a Facebook message from the Eilat Police Department saying they found his Ipod! Someone at the police department even contacted one of his friends living in Israel to see if they could locate my friend. The police department is wiling to ship it to his current location in Yokneam! Unreal! This kind of occurrence has happened numerous times to fellow Otzmanikim who have lost wallets, laptops, and jackets. Ever heard of finders keepers, losers weepers…clearly that does not apply to Israelis. Talk about honesty.

(Me, Shulah, and Gabby at the Women's Center)

Back to my weekend, Gabby and I were invited to a Shabbat dinner with one of the women we teach at the Women’s Center. Shulah does not speak much English but her daughter does and wanted to practice English with us. Thursday night plans were finalized for Shabbat; We would attend dinner and lunch at their home. Well that soon became dinner, BREAKFAST, and lunch. At 5:30pm on Friday, Gabby and I walked over to Shulah’s home. We got lost (of course) and then we bumped into one of the Ofek guys who knew the family (of course) and helped us find our way. Soon after arriving at the home, we welcomed the Sabbath Bride and said the respectful prayers. Dinner included over 10 types of salads which could barely fit on the long dining room table. This was followed by spicy fish and soup and then the meats and grains. By the time the main course arrived Gabby and I were already filled to the brim. Dessert included homemade cake, nuts, and ample servings of tea and coffee. As the evening came to a close, Shulah walked us all the way to our home. To preface this, Shulah is no spring chicken but has the energy of someone half her age.

(English Class at the Women's Center)

When the morning came around, Gabby and I were still full from dinner but excited about having our first Yemen breakfast. Shulah’s daughter, Hagit, is Morocan but her husband, Daniel, is Yemen. The Yemen breakfast included a MASSIVE dark bread/cake straight from the oven. The bread is then dipped into various sauces, creams, and cheeses. The fresh bread topped with the homemade sauces was AMAZING! I couldn’t even imagine eating lunch in a few hours after stuffing my face with such incredible Yemenite food. We spent the rest of the morning talking and playing with the kids. At 2pm, we had the traditional Shabbat Morocan lunch which includes ample salads, cracked wheat, cholent (my favorite!), couscous, rice, chicken, beans and more. Another wonderful homecooked meal! Daniel mentioned how he gained 10 kilos from his wife’s cooking and I am beginning to understand how. It's incredible how you can meet someone for the first time and truly feel like one of the family. The food would not be half as good if it did not have good company to accompany it.

Party In The USA

Part of my volunteering includes planning English lessons for the Ethiopian girls at Youth Futures. It’s hard to think like a 12 year old even more an Israeli 12 year old. For this week’s lesson, the trustee I work with, Hofit, recommended I pick a popular American song to translate into Hebrew. Picking the ideal song was quite the feat. First let me note that almost every pop culture song mentions topics that I don’t want to bring to the attention of 12-year-old girls. Second most songs include slang that don’t translate into Hebrew well.
After looking up countless lyrics, I came across Miley Cryrus, Party in the USA. She’s popular, but does she appeal to a too young audience? Over the past year, Miley has gone from looking like a cute 14-year-old Hannah Montana to a Britney Spears in the making. Watch out Billy Ray!



Three girls attended the Youth Future’s session. We began by playing the music video which included the lyrics. This was followed by going over every word of every line in the song. The process was severely slowed down by all the slang words and American references. Phrases such as “It’s definitely not a Nashville party cause all I see is stilettos” took a bit of time to explain. First, I pulled up a map of the USA and pointed out Tennessee and explained what it symbolizes (country music, slower lifestyle, etc). Second, I found an image of a stiletto and described what the shoe represents. Lyrics I would not think twice about such as “hoppin on a flight” or “my tummys turning” brought about confused looks from the girls. Not having the Hebrew vocab to clarify the lyrics, I was thankful to have the Internet handy to show visuals of the words. The girls enjoyed the lesson and ended the afternoon with replaying the music video numerous times and creating their own dance. Final note…children all over the world sing American lyrics with little clue about what the lyrics mean or stand for; would they still be singing them if they understood the symbolism?

Israeli Transportation

Many people fear Israeli transport due to the terrorist attacks in previous years. For volunteers such as myself buses, trains, and taxis are truly the only way to get around the country. I can say with certainty that each Otzmanikim has had at least one odd, if not extremely frustrating, experience while traveling through the country. I have become more confident with the process of inter and intracity travel but still experience a hiccup now and then.



One of my best friends from the States was visiting Israel for two weeks earlier this month. Her family lives in Haifa which is a pretty far from the Negev region. Being the more experienced traveler, I made the trek up North and back to the Soth over the span of 4 days. Let me sum up my return journey…Train from Haifa to Beer Sheva…Got off at the wrong station…Taxi to the correct station…Sheruit (shared taxi) to Netivot…Sheruit got pulled over for a seatbelt check…Arrive in Netivot 15 minutes before beginning my 8hr shift of volunteering after traveling for over 4 hours.



I think sheruits may be the issue. Most times they don’t leave the station unless they are full. I have spent up to 40 minutes waiting for the sheruit to fill up. In addition, they can stop on a highway make you get off and get into another sheruit. This can happen two or three times throughout your journey. The one benefit of this mode of transporation: if you are the last person in the sheruit and you don’t get stuck on the side of the ride, your total journey time can be cut in HALF! My word of advice on Israeli transportion: always leave extra time and if you are late, don’t worry because so is the rest of the country.

20 Wishes for $1.35 US Dollars (5 Shekels)

Baba Sali, aka Rabbi Israel Abuhazera, was one of the prominent leaders in the Moroccan Aliyah movement as well a scion of a leading rabbinical family in Morocco. Over 600,000 visitors pay respect to his grave located in Netivot with 100,00 people flocking on the anniversary of his death, which took place this past Monday. To put that in perspective there is a total of 28,000 residents in the Negev Town of Netivot.


Rumor has it that every year it rains during the Baba Sali Festivities and this year was no different. The Jerusalem Post noted that the rainstorm’s “total precipitation in the central Negev will exceed the entire amount that fell in the past 10 years”. Despite the messy weather, Derek, Shaina, Rachel, Gabby and I headed to the grave for a night of praying and entertainment. With the smells of kebabs wafting through the air, we headed down the muddy walkway lined with ample vendors. I bought a HUGE cotton candy for 5 shekels. Gabby bought corn on the cob for the same price. Other food choices included candy apples, fresh popped popcorn, pizza, and lots of beef. Other stalls were selling hamsas, Israeli music, house supplies, scarves, and Baba Sali water also known as the popular Israeli liquor, Arak.

( me with my 5 shekels cotton candy! )

For 5 Shekels, you could purchase a box of 20 candles at the gravesite. These candles were not to be used in the traditional way, but rather thrown into a large furnace located near the tomb. People were chucking prelit candles over people’s heads into the fire pit. Each candle signified a wish that hopefully would come true once it was consumed by the fire. Due to my lack of coordination, not all of my candles made it into the fire. Rachel said the Baba is forgiving and that the close to the grave is good enough(…I hope so!)

(Derek at the Fire)

After hurling our candles into the fire, we walked through the stalls one more time before heading on the 15 minute walk back to the apartment. Never in my life have I experienced anything like tonight and probably won’t again. Here’s to wishing to health and happiness…

(Shaina, me, and Gabby with our candles)

007 and Jewish Grandmas: First week of Volunteering

On Sunday afternoon, I headed directly to Ofek for my first night of volunteering. Ofek is the local security unit of Netivot; crime has dropped by 30-40% since its inception. Gabby and I will be working the Sunday afternoon shift from 3-11 and Tuesday mornings from 7-2. Our first night at the Ofek headquarters went like this: quick introduction of the security computers and then being left there for the remaining 7hrs while the men did their runs of the city. By 8pm, the entire town was dead as in no cars or people on the streets. I guess I should be thankful that the town is so safe. Tuesday was a lot more eventful. We got further training of the security system, got to witness a possible bomb threat, went on a few runs around town and the day ended with off roading in the Netivot Forrest. I can't wait to go back on Sunday.

(Quality Ofek time with the guys)

As part of my 40 hrs of volunteering, I also work at the Women's Center and the Robert Saligman Early Childhood Development Center located in Sdot Negev Region. I am in love with both of the sites! The Women's Center is an elderly daycare for women who are high functioning; the main goal is on education. Some of the daily activities that the women can partake in include: torah lessons, English classes, aerobics and dance therapy, as well as computer classes. Gabby and I volunteer at the center from 9-12:30 on Mondays and Wednesdays. Our main task is to organize activities that will help the women improve their English such as Family Tree Building for T'Buishvat. Best moment at the center so far: waltzing with one of the women during dance therapy!

( The women from the center during dance therapy/sports)

I volunteer at the Saligman Center two afternoons a week with Derek and Rachel. Between the hours of 2:45-5:45, we tutor children in English. This is actually more difficult than it looks. My first student on my first day came to me with an English grammar lesson I couldn't explain in English, let alone, in Hebrew. Certain verb tenses just sound right within the sentence. Thankfully, this was the hardest lesson I encountered all week. On Wednesday, I received a two page letter from one of the students documenting what I should work on each week; included in this letter was an invitation to have Shabbat Dinner on his Kibbutz. Only in Israel would someone you have NEVER met invite you to their home for a meal and accommodation. Did I mention this was my second invite of the day? I was also invited by Shulah, one of my students at the women's center, for some homemade couscous at her home on Shabbat. One of my favorite things about Israel: the never ending hospitality.

(Derek with some of his students at Saligman)

Alas the week is finally over and Shabbat will be here tomorrow. I am looking forward to the peace and quiet and the home cooked meals that accompany the Sabbath Queen. Shabbat Shalom

Double Language Barrier- A night out at Nalag’at Center

One of my closest friends from the states, Michelle, came to Haifa to visit her family for the past two weeks. Michelle is attending graduate school for speech pathology and came across the only deaf and blind theater group in the world located in TEL AVIV! I have some experience with ASL (American Sign Language) but nothing compared to Michelle. So, on Thursday night we met up at Nalag’at Center located in Jaffa.

(Tablecloth at Dinner)

Our evening began with dinner at Café Kapish, which is unique in the fact that all of the waiters are deaf or hearing impaired. How can we order when we don’t know Hebrew Sign Language? Are there any universal signs? Thankfully our waiter had taken some ASL classes and Michelle was able to sign our order perfectly to him. For those who are less familiar with sign language, there are photos next to many of the items on the menu which you can use to point out your desired entrée or drink.

(Hebrew/English/Arabic/Sign Language...VERY COOL!)

Our amazing meal was followed up by a performance of “Not by Bread Alone” acted out by the deaf-blind acting ensemble. The goals of the ensemble, as listed on their website, are the following: “to integrate deaf-blind people into the community, promote their needs and aspirations and provide them with the opportunity to express themselves and exercise one of the most basic rights – to contribute to society”. “Not by Bread Alone” is the second production for the company.



The evening performance can best be described as a sensory overload which is kind of ironic. My brain didn’t know what to do first…Do I read the English subtitles? Listen to the narrator reciting the lines in Hebrew? Watch the translator sign the lines or pay attention to the actors’ performance? A screen hung on stage right displaying the actors’ lines in Hebrew, English, and Arabic. Next to the screen, was a translator who signed the lines in Hebrew Sign Language. The small 11 person ensemble each had their own role to play during every scene. I wanted to watch all of them and listen to their stories. The play takes the audience on a journey where the audience learns of the actors' past dreams, future hopes, and current concerns with living in a world of darkness and silence. In the play, bread symbolizes a longing for home. At the end of the production, the audience is invited to meet the actors and dine on the bread that was baking throughout the performance. That evening I left the theater with my senses still buzzing and a new found respect and admiration for the blind and deaf community.

3 miles from the Border: A look into Gaza City and the surrounding Kibbutzim

When many individuals think of Israel, the word Gaza also comes to mind. Never in a million years would I think I would get within 3 miles from the border to the Gaza Strip. Our day began with all six of us Otzmanikim, Adina (our Partnership 2000 coordinator), and Rafi (who is on the security council for the Sdot Negev Region), packing into Rafi's car. Our first stop was Kibbutz Alumim, which is one of the few kibbutzim whose economy still relies on agriculture. The kibbutz has 140 members and began in 1966 as a settlement town. Once arriving at the Kibbutz, we were given the tour of a day care built to withstand rockets and bombs. How does one move numerous babies in 15 seconds? The strong protective metal mushroom awning is the answer to that question. Next stop on our trip was to Rafi's house. One of Rafi's responsibilities is to collect rockets that land in the Sdot Negev Region. At his home he has transformed some of the qasam rockets into wind chimes and outdoor pieces of art. A beginning of many firsts that would occur today: touching a qasam rocket!


Following this we headed to the border...well as close as one can get without being in the line of fire. We were unable to stop the car for any period of time until we reached the IDF tank where we could look at the view while staying safe. From the border we could see air balloons jacked up with cameras, towers with drone machine guns, and a little bullet-proof digging machine that is constantly on the lookout for tunnels. We could even see the refuge camps were people still reside. UNBELIEVABLE! It was incredible to be standing in beautiful and fruitful agricultural fields, with lots of open space, staring at a tract of land that is the most densely populated urban area in the world and among the most dangerous.


After our quick peek into Gaza, we headed for an impromptu snack in the carrot patch. Talk about straight from the land. We got out of the car and watched the machine pick the carrots from the patch and then drop them at our feet. I also learned that one of the benefits to being a Jewish man is that the clip that keeps your kippah on your head can also serve as a very adequate carrot peeler! The carrots were delicious J Nearby was a nature reserve we got to drive through where we found a turtle, some funky birds, a few red flowers, and the promise that in a month we can go back when the entire area will be covered in red poppies!

Home Sweet Home: First Day in Netivot

I have been volunteering in Israel since September on a MASA sponsored post college program called Otzma. My journey in Israel began with Ulpan and volunteering in Ashkelon and has now brought me to Philadelphia’s Partnership 2000 city, Netivot.


There are six of us living in the apartment. Two of us are from the Philadelphia area (me and Gabby); Shaina is from Los Angeles and will be moving to Philadelphia for graduate school in the fall; Mike resides in the Washington DC area and Rachel hails from North Carolina. We are also the only apartment to have the Otzma resident Canadian, Derek. We range in age from 21-25 and have varied Hebrew skills and Jewish backgrounds.


Each of us have been graciously taken in by a family in town. I have personally spent various holidays and numerous Shabbats at my family’s house as well as their extended family’s home. Oddly enough within minutes of entering Netivot, my status changed from lone Otzmanikim to local celebrity. At the shuk, I saw my adopted family’s cousin and then later in the day at the supermarket I saw more extended family. I felt proud of all the connections that I made and that they remembered me from the few holiday celebrations I attended.



Sadly, my first day in Netivot is coming to a close and alas I still have not unpacked my countless suitcases and duffels, which have been dragged up three floors. You would think after traveling around the world, I would have packing and unpacking down to a science. Laila Tov!