What makes this holiday different from all other holidays?

Every Saturday night the streets of Jerusalem come alive again celebrating the beginning of a new week. What makes this Saturday night different from all other Saturday nights? Instead of opening up for business tonight, most of the restaurants have been cleaning! I took a short walk up the street this evening and saw restaurants with all of their chairs outside as they search for chametz, kitchen drawer liners and dish towels hanging to dry in apartment windows, and big barrels in the streets for burning chametz. Every holiday in Jerusalem is a new and wonderful experience, and Pesach is no exception!

This year for the first 4 days of Pesach, I have the great opportunity to travel to the cities of Minsk, Lida, and Grodno in Belarus to lead Pesach Seders for communities. I am confident that it will be a meaningful and eye-opening experience and I cannot wait to share my stories with everyone!

I wish you all a happy Pesach!

here's an ad that was in the paper this week- just another reason why I love Jerusalem during the holidays. it's a little hard to read, but basically the city of Jerusalem is putting out barrels in the streets for burning Chametz, and this is an ad telling you which neighborhoods they will be in.

the weekend I fell in love...with Tel Aviv

Every time I go away for the weekend I think "why don't I do this more often?"

well...this semester, I have decided to do just that. This weekend my friends Molly, Bess, Lauren and I went to Tel Aviv.

Thursday evening we saw a play called "not by bread alone" at the NaLaga'at Center in Old Yaffo. This theater is extra special because its actors are blind and/or deaf. Their play is very touching and meaningful. Before the play, we ate at their cafe where all of the waiters are deaf. They also have a restaurant where they turn all the lights off during the meal to simulate what it might feel like to be blind. For more information on the NaLaga'at Center, go to their website: www.nalagaat.org.il/home.php. If you are visiting Israel- this is a MUST SEE!

Lauren and I stayed with a friend from Portland, Ann Bardacke, who spends a few months a year in Tel Aviv. It was wonderful to see a familiar face! And also, she took us to some of the best restaurants in Tel Aviv!

Friday morning we went to the Palmach Museum. The Palmach was an underground military organization that fought for the Independence of Israel from Britan during the War of Independence. Their museum is probably the coolest history museum I have been to. It's an experiential museum so you really get a good idea of what the members of Palmach stood for and how they fought for Israel's independence. here's the website: http://www.palmach.org.il/

After the Palmach museum we went to the Nachalat Binyamin street fair. At this far, the artists hand make their own work and present it for sale at the market. The work varies from blown glass to beautiful jewelry to Judaica, and much more! I got a beautiful clock made of Dead Sea stone and Turquoise from Eilat in the shape of Israel. I ended up having a 10 minute conversation with the artist about what I am doing in Israel, and how he thinks Reform Judaism is so wonderful because it brings people back to Judaism who otherwise wouldn't be involved in the Jewish community. I couldn't agree with him more!

A glass blower at the marketmaking an alligator

Friday evening to bring in Shabbat, we went to a jazz club at Hanger 13 on the Tel Aviv Port. Wine + Jazz+ beach + Shabbat = winning combination.

Saturday morning we had a delicious Israeli breakfast on the Pier, and then went to the Tel Aviv Art Museum. I have to say- I am a sucker for a good art museum, and this one is fantastic! they have a special Chagall exhibit in town- which was a great coincidence since he is one of my favorite artists! We also saw some Picasso and Monet paintings- definitely a highlight of the museum (and of my weekend)

for more pictures, visit my picasa site: picasaweb.google.com/kcummingenator

Chag Purim, Chag Purim, Chag Gadol L'Yehudim!

Did you know that there's this great Jewish Holiday called Purim where people get really excited and dress up and run around town in costumes drinking?!

I have never experienced a Purim like this year in Jerusalem. (sorry Rabbi Herring- your Purim carnival was great, but Jerusalem is way better).

First let me start with the month of Adar. In the Jewish calendar, Adar is the happiest month- we are actually commmanded to be happy this month. We start singing fun songs even before Adar starts in preparation- I led services the Shabbat before Adar, and you better believe we sang some Adar/Purim songs!

Beginning in Adar, the general attitude in Jerusalem gets a major facelift. "happy purim" signs show up in storefronts, the delicious smells of hamantaschen come from the bakeries, and people slowly start wearing costumes in the streets.

There is so much to say about the wonderful-ness that is Purim in Jerusalem, but here are my highlights!

1. peeking into an Ultra Orthodox school in the most Haredi neighborhood in Jerusalem, Meah Shearim, to see an Adar dance party

2. butterscotch filled oznei haman (hamantaschen) for a shekel a piece

3. hearing "chag sameach" on the streets- that one never gets old

4. walking around Jerusalem dressed up as Eipho Ephi (where's waldo)

5. that there are more than a dozen people that even know what Purim is

and here's a picture for your enjoyment. It's me and my friend Todd dressed as a character from Arrested Development