The second Dryest place on Earth

***I just uploaded a lot of pictures from this trip, and the rest of my Year In Israel, to my picassa website: picasaweb.google.com/kcummingenator

This week, the HUC-Year in Israel program went on a tiyyul to Southern Israel in the Arava desert. The Arava desert is the second dryest desert on earth. They usually get the equivalent of a half hour of light rain for the entire year. This year, they got 23 millimeters, and they called it a flood. While we were there, temperatures rose to 40 degrees celcius, and this is February. Knowing these conditions, why anyone would voluntarily live there is beyond me, but a lot of people do- mostly Kibbutznicks (people who live on Kibbutzim) that were part of the zionist enterprise to populate the entire land of Israel. In their defense, the Arava desert is the most beautiful place I have seen, even if neither plants nor animals can survive en masse. For more information, check out this article on lonely planet: www.lonelyplanet.com/middle-east/travel-tips-and-articles/42/13952.

We began our journey at the Qumran Caves, where the dead sea scrolls were discovered. For nerds like me, it was fascinating to see a community like Qumran, and to see the place where the Ultra Religious Jews hid the scrolls. Below is a picture of the two caves where most of the scrolls were hidden.

After Qumran and Masada, we headed to a Reform Kibbutz in the Arava Desert called Kibbutz Yahel. For those of you who don't know, a Kibbutz is basically a Socialist exercise in Communal Living. The families all work on the Kibbutz, and the money is separated equally between everyone. Furthermore, the children are all raised together- they even sleep in their own "Children's House." Kibbutz Yahel is based specifically on Reform beliefs and practices. Kibbutz Yahel is also a big producer of Pomelos in Israel. They took us on their Pomelo Fields and let us pick our own Pomelos! For more information about Kibbutz Yahel, go to their website:

http://www.yahel.org.il/Default.aspx?tabid=160

My favorite part of the trip was hiking at Timna. Timna is the home of the Copper Mines that the Egyptians used to turn copper into weapons before the Bronze Age. The area is full of beautiful rock formations and views. There are also ruins of the ancient Egyptian civilization, including their furnaces and holes from the mines. For more information about Timna, go here: http://www.timna-park.co.il/. This hike was a beautiful way to connect with God and nature. We did an exercise as part of shacharit where we walked in silence with the words of the Amidah in our heads. It was a very moving and spiritual experience. Every time I looked at the beautiful rock formations, i couldn't help but feel Gods presence in that place and in that beauty. Timna is the most beautiful place I have seen, and I'd recommend it to anyone visiting Israel. I have many more pictures up on my picassa website, but here are some highlights. (Also, I wore JFGP's Women's Philanthropy Committee t-shirt, so here is my official shoutout!)

We also visited Kibbutz Lotan, another Reform Kibbutz in the Arava. Lotan is an eco-friendly Kibbutz that is really cool. For more information, here's their website: http://www.kibbutzlotan.com/

And here are some pictures of eco-friendly housing at Lotan.

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We also took a trip down to Eilat, which is on the Red Sea and borders both Jordan and Egypt. The water was comfortable, the sun was warm, and the breeze was cool. All in all, the perfect combination for a relaxing afternoon. We went snorkeling to see the beautiful coral reef and exotic fishes, and spent some time soaking up the sun. You will never hear me complain about time at the Beach- and this is no exception!

We ended the trip with a beautiful Shabbat at Kibbutz Yahel. After a student-led service for our program and the Kibbutz members, we had a fun song session with Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback and Rabbi David Wilfond. Shabbat morning was very special, and a once in a lifetime opportunity I am glad to have. Gingy (Rabbi Wilfond) took us out into a wadi (dried up riverbed) on the spice trail. He took us out of the site and hearing range of any civilization, and it was there that we davened. We began the service by spreading out in the mountains for silent meditation. I walked away from the group and sat beneath a tree that my ancestors sat under for shade on their long journey. As I thanked God for waking me up to a beautiful Shabbat, I looked down and saw the shadow of my Tzitzit on the dried up riverbed. I looked to the mountains and saw Rabbi Zweiback wrapped in his white tallis on the top of a hill, and for a moment i was transported back in time, watching one of my ancestors praying. We came back together to pray and read Torah as a group, and finished a beautiful Shabbat morning service. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and learning together, topped off with a Havdalah service at the Kibbutz. Overall, an amazing Shabbat that I will never forget.

ps. careful. the flies bite.

Amirim- a little slice of heaven

Last weekend, some friends and I visited a vegetarian moshav (basically a cooperative community unique to Israel) in the Galilee (Northern Israel) near Tzfat called Amirim. It's a really quiet community with beautiful views, and everything is vegetarian! Rather than boring you with the details, I'll just post a few pictures from the trip. For more information about the guest house that we stayed in, here's the website! www.amirim.com/home/en

the view from the city. that's the Kinneret (sea of galilee) in the distance.

Israel never lets you go anywhere without being reminded of the people that made it for us.

Bess, Lauren, and I

Winter Break and the beginning of second semester!

Ok I promised an update about my trip to the States during break, so here it is. After a looooong few flights and several layovers, I arrived in Portland! It was so wonderful to see friends and family, and especially a visit from my (almost) entire family to Portland! I spent almost 3 weeks in Portland and soaked up every bit of American niceties that I could before returning to Jerusalem. My return was more difficult than I expected, but after almost two weeks back I can say it is good to be here. It is also nice to be here with a suitcase stocked full of items from target :)



Second Semester is off to a running start! past students have come up with a fun acronym for this semester "PPP" which stands for Purim, Pesach, Packing. That is to say, it goes by quickly! My classes changed slightly this semester, so here is a breakdown:

Classical Grammar. not very exciting, still grammar.

Hebrew. also not new, but it's still fun.

Rabbinics Lecture. It's a once a week lecture where we learn about the period of the mishnah and Talmud, to give us the background for our Rabbinic texts course.

Rabbinics Text. right now we are reading Pirke Avot. and it's taught in Hebrew and our discussions are all in Hebrew. probably my favorite class.

Liturgy. same as last semester.

Israeli Society. we will be studying modern Israeli society through the eyes of Israeli philosophers. First stop, Martin Buber!

Israel Seminar. still really awesome to travel around Israel for school.

so far so good!

FSU Pesach Project continued!

HI Friends!

thank you to everyone who donated to the FSU Pesach Project! I still need $400 by February 1st in order to participate in the project. If you have not yet donated, please DONATE NOW!!!! every little bit counts, even just $18! Plus it's tax deductible, so really there's no reason not to donate!

here's how to donate:
1. www.pesachproject.com
2. click "donate now"
3. fill out the form including how much you want to donate
4. make sure you select "FSU Pesach Project"
5. put my name "Keara" in the comments section
6. sit back, relax, and wait to hear my updates from the Former Soviet Union about how your money went to help people celebrate Pesach!

ps. update on my winter vacation coming soon.

Pesach Project!

Want to get a last minute Tax Deduction for 2009? Make a TAX DEDUCTABLE DONATION to the Pesach Project today!!!!! Thank you to everyone who has donated so far, but I still have a long way to go to reach my goal!

Go to www.pesachproject.com and donate now! Don't forget to put my name in the comments section so I receive credit for your generous donation!

Happy New Year!!!

Retail Therapy and friendly Israelis

Recently a friend and I made a list of what we love about Israel. It started as a way to help us remember what we like about Israel when we are having rough days, and it has become a really fun way to be conscious about experiences living here. I had a wonderful afternoon of shopping for Chanukah presents, and came up with one great thing for the list- friendly Israelis. So in case you are wondering what a very stressed Rabbinical student does to relax (and get things done) here is a recap of my fabulous afternoon!

I got to school at about 7:15 this morning to do a practice Biblical Grammar test (got them all right..yay!), and officially started classes at 8:30. We refer to sundays as a "grammar marathon" because we start the day with Biblical Grammar, and then have a period of Hebrew, and then Bible- lots of Hebrew, and lots of Grammar! We have 15 minutes between each of these classes, and a lunch break at the end. Sundays are my easiest day because I am done at 1:30 and have a break until 4 when I leave for my community service. Today, my brain was very tired so I decided to do some Chanukah shopping that I had been putting off. And this is where my day got very interesting and very fun, and also a great way to practice my Hebrew!

First I went to the bank to cash a check, and of course the bank was not open. For some reason, banks are open only very weird hours here- an hour here an hour there, at random times throughout the day.

I continued on my way and entered a kippah shop where I had a lovely conversation with the attendant all about different colors and styles of kippot that different kinds of people wear. You can often tell someone's political ideology in Israel based on the style of their kippah and the way they wear it.

The next stop was a Judaica store where the attendant is a religious man, who knows Rabbi David (Gingy) Wilfond, the director of admissions for HUC in Jerusalem. Yedidiya (the attendant) and I had a really nice time talking to him. His topic of choice was a shock to me- religious pluralism in Jerusalem! He was very happy and supportive of my decision to become a Rabbi, and he even said that Rabbi Wilfond should be appointed the chief rabbi of Jerusalem- I couldn't agree more!

The next store was my favorite- it's a puzzle store that I absolutely love to go to and play with all the toys. And today the owner's mother and brand new baby niece were visiting from America! while the owner of the store helped me pick out presents and then wrapped them, I got to talk to this adorable baby and her grandmother! There's no better feeling than a really cute baby smiling and laughing! It's also really fun to talk to babies in Hebrew, especially since they dont' care if I make a mistake! It reminded me how much I miss my nieces and nephew back home!

On the way home I stopped by a restaurant on the first floor of my apartment building. The man recognized me and we started talking about his travels in the United States (most Israelis travel extensively in the States after their army service) and it turns out that he lived in Scottsdale for several years! We talked about our favorite restaurants and places to hang out- such a small world!

Anyway, I know this may not seem like such an exciting day to someone in America, but it was such an accomplishment for me to spend an afternoon shopping and conversing in Hebrew with all of these people. Especially to have conversations not just about the objects at the store, but real life conversations in Hebrew! Some days in class it is hard to see that my Hebrew is improving, but it is days like this that I know I am here for a reason and that I am learning a lot.

And 2 weeks from today I will be waking up in America to see my family and friends! I can't wait! But until then...it's study study study for my finals!

Help Me, Help Jews!

Have you ever wondered how you can help Jews in the Former Soviet Union? Guess What! Now is your chance! As you may have read in a previous blog post, I am going to the Former Soviet Union for Pesach! but...I NEED YOUR HELP! I need to raise $2500 to make the trip and help pay for Seders for these communities.

And I'm not the only one who thinks this trip is important! Watch the video below to see Rabbi David Ellenson, President of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religiou, talk about how important this trip is!


and then go to www.pesachproject.com to donate now! And don't forget to put my name in the comments section!


(credit for the video goes to Molly Plotnik and Bess Wohlner of mollyandbessonmoshehess.com)