#Batya-Batya Falls

[emmanuelbagac]

Siniloan, Laguna

Major Jump-off: Brgy. Macatad, Upland Siniloan Elevation: 300 MASL Days required / hours to summit: 1 day, 2-3 hours

Specs: Minor Climb, Difficulty 2/9, Trail Class 1 Features: Waterfalls, rain forest

Mt. Romelo is one of the most visited mountains in Laguna province, It offers several waterfalls and breathtaking views of the Southern Luzon region. Mt. Romelo rises 984 feet or 300 meters above sea level. Despite having a lower elevation than other mountains in Southern Luzon, this peak has become a popular weekend destination for hikers of all skill levels. In the past, Mt. Romelo was also referred to as Mt. Kapaynutan and Mt. Famy.

Mt. Romelo consists of seven waterfalls namely Buruwisan Falls, Lanzones Falls, Batya-Batya Falls, Sampaloc Falls, Sapang-Labo Falls, Binaytuan Falls, and Diwata Falls. The famed Buruwisan Falls, which rise to a height of roughly 55 meters, is the tallest and largest of the seven waterfalls. The hardwood mixture that used to grow on the banks of the Siniloan River, it was claimed, is how the falls got their name. In contrast, Lanzones Falls, which is encircled by woods, is only 21 meters above sea level. The well-known Buruwisan Falls, which rise to a height of roughly 55 meters, is the tallest and largest of the seven waterfalls. The hardwood mixture that used to grow on the banks of the Siniloan River, it was claimed, is how the falls got their name. In contrast, Lanzones Falls, which is encircled by woods, is only 21 meters above sea level.

[beingalive1]

Bibi And Her Blue-Eyed Baby ⎯ Pt. 1

Rosie Rosenthal x Oc [Batya Bernstein]

Summary: In an attempt to escape his office and the mutterings of the war occurring an ocean away, Rosie Rosenthal hails a cab and finds himself in a dingy jazz club in downtown New York. Never did he think he'd find himself hopelessly enchanted by the jazz singer with the curly hair and white fur coat but he here he is following her outside, his legs moving on their own accord. Maybe he would see her again? Maybe he would ask her for a dance? Maybe she'd write a song for him?

Part two: Here

Author's Note: I've been hooked line and sinker with all these MOTA men and have felt the need to join the fray and write my own fic so here it is - hope ya'll enjoy x

September 5th, 1941

The dull purple glow of the club made the red lipstick placed carefully on her lips shine as she crooned into the microphone.  Many blocks away from her silver spooned upper east side apartment she knew if anyone saw her stood upon that stage swaying her hips to the music, she would never escape the judgemental gazes of the Jewish community. Batya Bernstein, twenty-one, unmarried and swaying precariously in a tight little black dress as she sang through a haze of cigarette smoke. The vague taste of a vodka soda still remained on her tongue; the drink adding to the delightful haze of her evening. 

This was downtown New York – nobody knew who she was here. 

Walking on a tightrope between never ending shame and the thrill of anonymity, Batya continued her swan song. The warmth of admiration caressed her skin like a summers ray; here she was loved and cherished for the gifts she possessed. Here she was merely a woman with an enchanting voice, not the daughter of the famous jeweller Harvey Bernstein. 

Harvey Bernstein. The prized and beloved chairman of the Park Avenue synagogue. The famed owner of Bernstein Jewels. Her father. She often wondered how a man like him could have a daughter like her. It must’ve felt rather shameful. His lack of a son and his only daughter being what many in the community dubbed as ‘wild.’ The park-avenue princess had refused every proposal he had sent her way. The only reason she had not been completely dismissed within the community was due to her quick wit, the love the rabbi had for her and the fact that her father had been the one to finance the new children’s school adjacent to the synagogue. For all her faults he did love her so, his secret Shanda singer of a daughter. 

She could imagine her papa’s face if he caught here tonight: his already greying hair would surely turn completely white at the sight of many men enthusiastically clapping along to the tune of her passionate lyrics. Her songs of melancholy and sadness set to a happy tune subdued her silent feelings of shame. Here, she was not Batya rather Bibi: the jazz singer who would frequent this club every second Saturday Night. As soon as Shabbos had come and gone, she’d greet her beloved audience with a flutter of her fingers, sing for twenty -five minutes, polish off two vodka sodas and leave before she became too memorable. 

But this night was different. 

This night she was going to be remembered. 

He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. The way her lips graced the metal expanse of her microphone. How her hair began to fall out of its silken scarf prison as she sang, a rich brown curl falling in front of her face. It was if he was cast under a spell, the dulcet tones of her voice dragging him under the surface and into the smoken depths of her influence. He wasn’t meant to be here. His need to escape the overpowering mutterings of his office had caused him to lose all rational thought, call a cab, and to command the driver to take him to the best jazz club he knew. 

That’s how he ended up here.

Watching her.

He knew her from somewhere. Couldn’t tell if she resembled a girl on a war-bond poster or in a movie he had watched at some point but somehow and somewhere he had seen her before. The familiar shape of her nose, her deep brown eyes, the way she smiled as the audience applauded. He didn’t know what overcame him, a force coercing him to stand from the rickety chair at the back of the room and to follow her bewitching figure out of the club’s back door. A fur coat had been placed on her shoulders; the white material glistened in the evening moonlight. He rushed out towards her, his feet splashing against the puddled gravel of the club’s back alley. 

Her figure froze, her fur-draped shoulders tensing as she turned to face him. Her dark eyes almost glowed as she gazed upon him, a perfectly shaped eyebrow moving upwards as she took him in. His feet shifted from side to side, a nervous grin on his lips as he looked upon her. He was a never a nervous man. He had no idea why he was acting so strange; he blamed the scotch he had sipped as he watched her sing, and the empty stomach he possessed due to his rush here from work. She smirked at him. “Can I help you?” Her voice echoed through the darkened alley, the same rich tone gracing his ears as she spoke. He coughed awkwardly. A futile attempt to pull himself together with a rough hand combed through his curls does nothing to cool the slight burning of his ears. She watched the movement with a curious look upon her face: as if she was waiting for him to scare and run off like a deer in headlights. She looked amused. He coughed once more. He wasn’t the running type.

‘I..’ He began, silently cursing himself for stammering so foolishly. He was a lawyer. His mother’s pride and joy. His ma’s favourite topic over the Shabbos dinner table: boasting to her friends about how his eloquent way of speaking could convince any judge. Why he was struck silent in the presence of this woman he knew not, his lips dry as he tried to throw a sentence together. ‘I enjoyed your show.’ The eyebrow remained raised. A grin broke out upon her face, he didn’t think he had ever seen something so bright. 

Her gaze drank him in like a cool drink on a hot summer’s day. Heat flushing upon his ears as he waited for her to reply. Her mouth opened as she attempted to speak, her dark curls fluttering slightly in the breeze. He couldn’t hear what she had said in reply, the rich tone of her voice drowned out in favour of the sound of a yellow cab screeching to a halt on the pavement next to them. Her hands tightened across her coat; he spotted red nail polish painted carefully upon her fingers. It reminded him of her lipstick. Red suited her. She smiled once more, her body gliding past his own as she entered the back seat of the cab. His eyes followed her powerlessly, his hand itching to reach out and stop her. To touch her red-nailed fingers and ask for a dance.

His eyes remained on her until the cab drove away, the white coat dazzling through the rear end window of the vehicle. He never heard her reply, but he had an inkling he’d see her again. 

She refused to look back as she drove away. The urge to gaze upon him once more burned through her like an inferno as she sat comfortably on the cab’s black leather seats. His eyes had been so blue. A crystalline colour that made her skin flush when he stared at her, his full attention on her figure. She didn’t get his name, but Batya had a feeling she’d see him again.

And even if she didn’t all would not be lost. 

After all, ‘Bibi and her blue-eyed baby’ sounded like a perfect addition to her Saturday Night set list. 

Word count: 1231

Yiddish dictionary: • 'Shanda' - shame, can be used in reference to a person who makes their family feel shame • 'Shabbos' - the sabbath.

Author's Note part 2: Thank you for reading! I'm really excited to share this with you guys - been a while since I've written something so I hope you liked it, next part I think will be out in the next few days x [if you would like to be tagged in any future chapters - drop a note in the comments]

[lesfruitsdores]

Israeli films with female protagonists.

Zero Motivation (2014) dir. Talya Lavie

A unit of female Israeli soldiers at a remote desert base bide their time as they count down the minutes until they can return to civilian life.

Cinema Sabaya (2021) dir. Orit Fouks Rotem

Eight women, Arab and Jewish, take part in a video workshop hosted by Rona, young filmmaker. With each camera take, the group dynamic forces the women to challenge their beliefs as they get to know one other.

Jellyfish (2007) dir. Shira Geffen & Etgar Keret

Jellyfish tells the story of three very different Israeli women living in Tel Aviv whose intersecting stories weave an unlikely portrait of modern Israeli life. Batya, a catering waitress, takes in a young child apparently abandoned at a local beach. Batya is one of the servers at the wedding reception of Keren, a young bride who breaks her leg in trying to escape from a locked toilet stall, which ruins her chance at a romantic honeymoon in the Caribbean. One of the guests is Joy, a Philippine chore woman attending the event with her employer, and who doesn't speak any Hebrew (she communicates mainly in English), and who is guilt-ridden after having left her young son behind in the Philippines.

Blush (2015) dir. Michal Vinik

Trying to escape her tumultuous home life, Naama, 17, indulges in alcohol and drugs, but everything changes when she meets a sexy, free-spirited new girl at school and the two become more than fast friends.

Atomic Falafel (2015) dir. Dror Shaul

Two girls from nuclear towns in Israel and Iran spill their countries most valuable secrets on Facebook while trying to prevent a nuclear crisis.

Kiss Me Before It Blows Up/Kiss Me Kosher (2020) dir. Shirel Peleg

When two generations of Israeli women fall for a German woman and a Palestinian man, chaos follows. What happens with lovers who don't fit--but do belong together?

Red Cow (2018) dir. Tsivia Barkai

Red Cow is a coming-of-age film that takes place in the days leading up to the assassination of Rabin and depicts the life of Benny, 16, orphaned from mother at birth and the only child of Joshua - a religious, right-wing extremist, in those critical junctures when she is forming her sexual, religious and political awareness.

Sand Storm (2016) dir. Elite Zexer

A Bedouin village in Northern Israel. When Jalila’s husband marries a second woman, Jalila and her daughter’s world is shattered, and the women are torn between their commitment to the patriarchal rules and being true to themselves.

[addieslibrary]

Azriel Masterlist 2

* means smut, minors DNI

Series

Cupid’s Chokehold part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6 part 7 ✔️

Dear Azriel part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 ✔️

Unrequited part 1 part 2 💀

Stars He Hung part 1 part 2 part 3 ✔️

Let Me In part 0 part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5💀

Free Falling part 1 part 2

Coming Home part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6 part 7 part 8 part 9 part 10 part 11 part 12 part 13 part 14* part 15 part 16 part 17* ✔️ bonus chapter: Starfall (kinda*) 🤍

Healing Shadows part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6 part 7 part 8 part 9 part 10 part 11* bonus ✔️

Reach Out a Hand part 1 part 2 ✔️

I Hate You I Love You I Can’t Live Without You ✔️

Always part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5* part 6* part 7 part 8 part 9 ✔️

A Game For Two part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 ✔️

Broken Bond part 1 part 2 ✔️

Slow Dancing in the Dark Turning Page ✔️

Batya part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 ✔️

Crazy Stupid Love part 1 part 2 ✔️

Satisfaction part 1 part 2 part 3* ✔️

Can You Love Me Most? I’ll Love You Most✔️

Oneshots

Traitor

Love Between*

Too Late

Breeding kink filth*

Lifetime

Yours*

Unexpected

Before You

Feel Too Much

Confessions at Starfall

I’ll give you wings so you can fly

[thedalatribune]

© Paolo Dala

Batya-batya Falls

Mt. Romelo is know for having 7 seven water falls... one of them is the Batya-batya Falls.

[post-noseek]

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because I want

[eretzyisrael]

Swedish court rules in favor of Jewish doctor, says firing was antisemitic

The neurosurgeon had alleged that the dismissal had been the culmination of years of harassment at Karolinska Hospital.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

A Swedish court ruled Wednesday that a Jewish doctor had been wrongfully fired from his position at a hospital near the capital due to antisemitism, Dagens Nyheter (DN) reported.

The neurosurgeon, who was given the pseudonym “Dr. Svensson” to protect his privacy, was dismissed from his post at Karolinska University Hospital last fall. According to a February report in rival Swedish paper Svenska Dagbladet, a press officer in the hospital said the reason for his firing was “to secure the working environment for managers and employees in his vicinity.”

The doctor promptly took the medical institution to District Court for what he deemed was an unlawful dismissal. The real reason, he maintained, was that it was retaliation for having sued Karolinska in 2018 for the constant antisemitic harassment he and other Jewish colleagues were undergoing at work.

His original lawsuit stated that his department head had long intimidated and verbally attacked the Jewish doctors and promoted less-qualified colleagues over them, while the hospital administration did nothing. According to Swedish station SVT, the doctor said that besides the bullying, they were also prevented from doing research and that he, personally, had not been allowed to work in his specialty for almost two years.

Two of his fellow victims left their positions during this time.

Svensson has been receiving legal assistance since then from the U.S.-based Lawfare Project, which provides pro bono services to protect the civil and human rights of the Jewish people all over the world. According to some of the letters his lawyers wrote to the court since his removal, the doctor had suffered a “years-long campaign of reprisals to intimidate and silence him” since the lawsuit, culminating in the dismissal.

The organization said that Karolinska had fabricated a complaint against their client to the medical authorities, claiming that he was a risk to patients.

Moreover, the lawyers wrote, “In a shocking display of the Karolinska’s institutionalized Jew-hatred, the complaint identified Dr. X’s Jewish identity as ‘relevant information’ with regard to the risk he allegedly posed for patient safety.

“Reporting Jewish identity as ‘relevant information’ for patient safety is not only morally despicable but also appears to be illegal under Swedish law,” the organization pointed out.

The authorities closed the complaint without criticizing the physician.

The Swedish Medical Association filed a separate case in support of the doctor against the hospital in Labor Court, demanding compensation for “wrongful termination.” It is this court that decided that the physician’s dismissal was illegal and antisemitic in nature.

The hospital’s human resources director, Patricia Enocson, told DN, “We accede to the lawsuit is because we know that if we were to dispute it, it would be a lengthy legal process.”

The senior physician who was at the center of the allegations took a leave of absence when Svensson’s complaints went public in 2018. He returned to an administrative position some six months later and by 2020 was allowed to start working again in his field.

The doctor’s lawsuit over the allegedly institutionalized Jew hatred at Karolinska made the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s list of its Top Ten antisemitic incidents in 2018.

[unfortunvte]

the mortal sun has risen and set a thousand thousand times, and the younger titanness styx is yet bound to the earthly realm, the reincarnation loop continues. this time their mortal coil has taken the shape of anya taylor-joy, a human born on 25 DECEMBER, 1995, a capricorn and named sofiya “fee” violetta morozov. 

tw: death, suicide, drowning ( PLEASE TELL ME IF ANYTHING SHOULD BE ADDED )

feel free to skip to the end where there’s quick summary at the end !!

age: 26, 25 december. 1995 ( capricorn )

nicknames: fee

gender identity & pronouns: cisfemale ; she/her

sexual orientation: bisexual

birthplace: st petersburg, russia

nationality: dual citizenship ( united kingdom & russia )

languages: english, russian, latin ( she was bored ), french, spanish, bulgarian/ukranian/serbian/polish ( passable )

occupation: cashier and thrifter at golden fleece thrift store ( also wealthy shhh )

education: various boarding schools; oxford ( dropped out )

living arrangement: labyrinth apartments ( roommate ?? )

favorite spots: hidden falls and olympus club/bacchae 

pets: flotsam, a white ferret & jetsam, a medium-haired black cat

vices: apathetic, reckless, harsh

virtues: artistic, disinterested, intelligent

physical appearance: blonde ( damaged ) hair, bangs, eye colour same as her dad ( tbd ), pale, tattoo of a rose behind her left ear, tattoo of a small peach above her right hip bone

deity: styx, young titanness of the infernal river of hatred, gloom & oaths

power traits: seeing and hearing the dead through water, minimal communication, & withering plants ( water draining ) with touch

locked powers: see doom prophecies in water, communicate with the dead via water, predict misfortune, negatively influence emotions, and drain water from living things

sofiya was born in a marriage of false pretences. one party wanted love, affection, family. the other wanted power. sofiya’s father married her mother, illyana morozov, to gain wealth — something that had been apparently lacking previously in his life ( & wife ). he used the money & privilege he gained with his young new wife to begin a life of diplomacy. sofiya was excepted to be nothing but perfect. clever was good, silent was better. by the age of four she already understood why her mother rarely smiled and, worse, why she had such dull eyes. she watched as her mother withered and became hardly anything but a shell.

one dark stormy evening, sofiya had been having a tepid bath, the bubbles having long deflated. she liking hiding away in the water though, it was the only time she felt a little bit free. her mother was sitting at the edge of the bath, head tilted to lean on the tiles, eyes closed. sofiya didn’t know if she liked the silence or if she was simply accustomed to it then. that was all the more reason why when she heard a soft voice echoing in the room, bouncing off the water as it lapped the tub, she was so surprised. she energetically tugged at her mother’s sleeve and repeated what she’d heard. ‘ Любопы́тной Варва́ре ’ she cheered. curious barbara. sofiya had liked the way it sounded, she only got to speak russian when she was with her mother so she was excited to tell her mother something she’d learned herself.

the young girl would never forget her mother’s eyes. ‘ Любопы́тной Варва́ре на база́ре нос оторва́ли ‘ her mother replied, nearly in a daze. a smile it would take some time for sofiya to realize was wistful crossed her face. she turned to look at her daughter almost mechanically. “curious barbara had her nose torn off at the market... mama said that to me when i married your father. she was against the marriage, but batya was all for getting me out of the house... she was right.” illyana took special care tucking her daughter in that night, and then she tucked herself off to sleep forever.

sofiya would quietly shoulder the blame for her mother’s death for years, without really understanding that she felt responsible. her father couldn’t be burdened with her and left her at any boarding schools he could deem appropriate for his dignified daughter — especially at the expense of the morozov family. sofiya slowly learned rebellion in these years. everyone who would come to her side, would eventually leave as well. it seemed as if anyone she truly invested in would pass tragically or grow to detest her unfathomably. it was as if her very existence was a curse.

by the time she was seventeen she heard the water whispers ( as she’d called them since the age of five ) nearly everyday. they told her silly things, such as strange facts, to ominous warnings of the future. trying to ignore them drove her mad. or at least that’s how she felt. it was easier to chose to be alone, crazy, cruel — than to let the world force it upon her. after graduating high school, her father reappeared in her life to force her into going to an acceptable college. sofiya was able to at least choose one of the five schools he’d offered her. she picked the one as far from him as she could. she’d always been a touch reckless, but that was where it thrived.

despite her best efforts to be alone, she befriended a girl named georgina. george was the one who encouraged her to follow things she was passionate about, taught her how to draw. sofiya had nearly given up on caring about anything. george was a touch more sheltered than sofiya so she enjoyed dragging her out to party. they’d gone out to a house by the sea with a few friends. it was dark outside, but the world seemed bright to the mildly intoxicated young adults. they watched a movie, had a campfire, and decided to end the perfect night with some skinny dipping. everyone was having fun. it was only then when she heard the voices coming from the waves had sofiya realized how quiet they’d gone over the past few months. she didn’t have time to take joy in that discovery. 

                haven’t you noticed?

you won’t find her

                            you’re too slow

                                                                                        where am i?

the last voice was george’s. but she wasn’t anywhere near sofiya. which by then, she knew could only mean one thing. the coastguard wouldn’t find george’s body until the next afternoon. twenty-four and she hadn’t felt so alone since she was five. sofiya tried to stay at school for another year — to do something with her life, but dreams, memories, hallucinations, she wasn’t sure what to call them, came to her. she dropped out after a year and moved to australia in hopes of disappearing from all the worlds she had ever known and hiding away. she just needed to escape. she didn’t make any large plans to stay in australia, but after a short stint in various cities, she found herself drawn to magnetic island. she didn’t see it as settling down but perhaps it just felt like the closest thing to a cave she could hide herself away in.

tl;dr

first, i don’t blame u

ok this is my lil sad tough bb

her dad married her mom for money but really didn’t care otherwise ( he had a whole other family !! )

when fee was 5 her mum took her own life ( fee would blame herself for this )

then she kind of went to different boarding schools, not keeping many people around

she was pretty guarded, she entered peak party girl™ phase at the start of college

a couple years after that she met a girl name george. fee would never admit it but she fell in love. george unfortunately drowned and it made fee gain a teeny bit of recollections about her past ( which honestly just upset her more ) and it was also when she stopped hanging with plants

after that she jumped around australia until settling on the island 6 months ago; she got a job at the thirft store just to kind of pass the time but she’s pretty good at picking out fancy things since her family only communicated that they knew she was alive another year by sending designer birthday gifts

not fully developed connection ideas:

a roommate ( wow original! - labyrinth apts )

a half sibling ( wc to be submitted )

past flings ( all ranges; she’s a mess )

maybe someone from one of her schooling experiences

fellow artists™

someone who frequents the thrift store

pls someone who knows her dad, pro or con i don’t care

if a cheery person wanted to try and be an opposite to fee i would uwu

[astrangerinbrownleatherboots]

can you pls do the name batya? im curious

The tiny waves that lap a few centimetres up the bank of a waterhole, mere ripples from leaves falling

[memecucker]

“A 1995 study, by Peter H. Kahn and Batya Friedman, of the way some children in Houston experienced pollution summed up our blindness this way: “With each generation, the amount of environmental degradation increases, but each generation takes that amount as the norm.” In decades of photos of fishermen holding up their catch in the Florida Keys, the marine biologist Loren McClenachan found a perfect illustration of this phenomenon, which is often called “shifting baseline syndrome.” The fish got smaller and smaller, to the point where the prize catches were dwarfed by fish that in years past were piled up and ignored. But the smiles on the fishermen’s faces stayed the same size. The world never feels fallen, because we grow accustomed to the fall.”

[thornescratch]

In discussing the Stanley Cup win with veteran Brooks Orpik last fall, I brought up something I noticed from the broadcast booth the night of Game 5. The game was scoreless through the first 20 minutes, but as the teams retreated to the dressing rooms for the first intermission, I noticed that Orpik picked up the puck and brought it with him into the room.

Months later, I asked him if that was accurate.

“The puck at the end of the first period? Yeah, could be. Maybe the puck at the end of the game too, I’m not sure,” Orpik said with a sly grin.

“So you took the puck at the end of the game too?” I asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe. I’m not saying I don’t have it.”

Oooh, Batya with the sticky fingers.

[theculturedmarxist]

Zionist historical revisionism constructs an erroneous presentation of Israel as accommodating a left-to-right political milieu, the left-flank of which amenable to a peaceful resolution of “the conflict”, instead of recognizing the entirety of Zionism, including its “liberal” faction, as inherently white supremacist, settler colonialist and genocidal.

The supposed left, “liberal” wing of Zionism, comprising Israeli political parties, non-profit organizations and media organs in Israel and outside it, serves to promote Zionist propaganda, which renders occupation, apartheid and genocide of Indigenous Palestinian people palatable to audiences in Israel and worldwide.

Liberal Zionism intrinsically promotes reactionary regimes and interest groups, which share Zionism’s ethnocentric, xenophobic, misogynistic and hyper-capitalist worldviews, including Trump’s United States, Bolsonaro’s Brazil, Duterte’s Philippines, Orban’s Hungary and Modi’s India, among others.

Why is it important to recognize and dismantle liberal Zionist propaganda?

The Zionist “left” in Britain

The corruption of the Zionist “left”, i.e. liberal Zionism, and its ensuing damage to democracy is evident in the UK Labour Party.

Electronic Intifada’s Asa Winstanley has reported extensively on the development of this manufactured crisis, which exemplifies the dangers of a major anti-Semitic Zionist propaganda fallacy – the conflation of Zionism with Judaism and its effectiveness in torpedoing social justice.

In fact, a recent Al-Jazeera documentary – The Lobby – exposed the extent to which the Labour Party has been infiltrated by Israeli/Zionist interests via The Labour Friends of Israel.

Jackie Walker, an anti-Zionist, Black Jewish ex-Labour Party member and vocal supporter of Jeremy Corbyn was recently expelled as a result of this fallacious campaign on trumped up charges of “anti-Semitism”. Chris Williamson is the most recent example. Additionally, in a blatant attack on press freedom, Labour revoked Winstanley’s press pass for its upcoming conference.

The Zionist “left” in the US

The fiasco involving Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib has become a teaching moment for pro-Palestinian activists.

An important lesson from the campaign, outlined by Noura Erakat and Fadi Quran in their recent article, is the evident lack of Palestinian sovereignty both in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in spite of Israel’s claims to the contrary.

Thus, Israel’s self-aggrandizing, manufactured image as “the only democracy in the Middle East” is once again rendered null and void, in line with its crimes and long list of discriminatory laws.

Similarly, the banning of Omar and Tlaib has exposed once again Israel’s white supremacist nature, consequent to its Christian Evangelical, anti-Semitic origins and supporters.

Further, the targeting of Omar and Tlaib demonstrates the powerful threat of intersectional politics to reactionary regimes. In fact, the Zionist Reut Institute and the US-based Jewish Council for Public Affairs quickly recognized the danger intersectionality poses to their discriminatory colonial agendas.

However, no less important than these, is a crucial lesson quickly whitewashed – the campaign against Congresswomen Omar and Tlaib was instigated by a liberal Zionist editor at The Forward – Batya Ungar-Sargon – opportunistically picked up by corporate Democrats, and unsurprisingly adopted by Republicans, including President Donald Trump and a host of American-Zionist lackeys as a wedge issue to split their opposition.

It is all too easy to blame Trump and his racist supporters, including within the Israeli government, for the campaign against Omar and Tlaib. Yet whitewashing liberal Zionist culpability sets the stage for additional smears instrumentalizing the “new anti-Semitism”, i.e. the canard that criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic, including against progressive front-runner for the Democratic nomination for President – Senator Bernie Sanders.

Notably, Sanders is a liberal Zionist himself, yet has conveyed support for Omar and Tlaib, as well as harsh criticism against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israeli apartheid policies. The UK example suggests Sanders’ surge in the race and his (relatively) pro-Palestinian rhetoric will likely lead to an increase in Zionist-led attacks on his intersectional campaign, including against grassroots supporters. In fact, concurrent to Sanders’ recent rise in the polls, liberal Zionist Haaretz published an anti-Semitic opinion piece echoing fascistic propaganda, calling Sanders “the last Jewish Bolshevik”. Sanders, of course. is a Democratic Socialist far closer to an FDR-style, new deal Democrat.

The Forward has played a major role in the smear campaign against progressive Democrats Omar and Tlaib. In addition to its initiation by opinion editor Ungar-Sargon, who has been working assiduously to jam Zionism down the left’s throat, or else, senior columnist Peter Beinart whitewashed the outlet’s culpability.

Beinart blamed Omar for being “wrong”, “inaccurate” and “irresponsible” for her accurate tweet describing the corrupting influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) on politics in Washington, and praised her for her unnecessary apology, while conveniently shifting blame from The Forward’s dishonest liberal Zionism and its allegiance with corporate Democrats to Trump’s grotesque anti-Semitism and Republicans such as Lee Zeldin. Remarkably, in a masterful display of false equivalencies and straw man fallacies, Beinart did not mention Zionism at all, a likely prerequisite for safeguarding his position as a CNN commentator. Just ask Marc Lamont Hill. Unfortunately, Omar decided to promote Beinart on her Twitter feed.

Beinart’s column also demonstrates what is perhaps the most egregious of liberal Zionist contortions – the promotion of the fallacy of “the occupation” existing since 1967, not 1948, i.e limited to the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. This false assertion, also echoed by the American Jewish progressive group IfNotNow, erases the rights of millions of Palestinians in the shattat, including their right to return home.

The Zionist “left” in Israel

A careful examination of the Zionist/Israeli political spectrum leading up to parliamentary elections on September 17th, including the “opposition”, reveals an assortment of reactionary parties seeking power without providing any hope for equality and justice for Palestinians. Even the anti/non-Zionist Joint List, recently showed a desperate interest in working with the Zionist “left”, to the dismay of many.

To quote Israeli dissident Ronnie Barkan:

While a so-called leftist discourse in Israel is usually perceived as revolving around liberal and humanistic values, no discussion exists concerning the deeply-rooted supremacist character of the state, its inherent anti-democratic nature, nor the fate of those who have been disenfranchised, oppressed, subjugated and terrorized for the past seven decades by Israel — the Palestinians.

In an article for (wait for it) The Forward, Stav Shaffir – previously of the liberal Zionist Labor Party, now of the Democratic Union Party – engaged in some break-neck political yoga in an effort to smear the non-violent Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, while attempting to maintain her faux-left cred.

In another recent piece, Yossi Gurvitz accurately demonstrates the inherent contradictory nature of “left” and “Zionism”. Here, Gurvitz laments the deal brokered between the liberal Zionist Meretz party and corrupt war criminal and ex-PM Ehud Barak to form the Democratic Union Party, which also includes BDS-bashing Shaffir. Gurvitz’s impressive survey of Barak’s crimes falls short when he attributes Meretz’s selling out as a “wish to be, for once, on the winning side”. Gurvitz correctly identifies the reasoning as flawed yet does not lay out the hard truth, in which liberal Zionists opt habitually for apartheid over equality and naturally assume their role as propagandists while lambasting the adoption of an ideologically consistent, left-wing, anti-Zionist stance.

Significantly, the anti-Zionist, anti-racist framework intrinsic to the BDS movement and other campaigns, has yielded far more impressive gains for Palestinians than any collaboration with white saviors and/or liberal Zionist entities.  In fact, a principled anti-Zionism, with a focus on BDS provides real hope for Palestinians, Jews and others seeking an end to the ongoing injustice between the river Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea.

An intersectional alliance between all victims of white supremacy, including Palestinians, Black and Brown people, women, Indigenous groups, immigrants, the disabled and others, effectively exposes and dismantles all Zionist propaganda, en route to the promotion of equality and justice for all.

[me-evil-never]

About me~

Tagged by @baebyboyjinyoung,, thanks darling~~

It's kinda long but oof here we go ig,,

How tall are you?

I'm 153cm, which im pretty sure is like 5'0"

What colour and style is your hair?

Umm a dark enough brown that a lot of ppl call it black, it's wavy usually but it gets curlier the day after i wash it, and it's almost always tied up (in a low ponytail, high bun, braid...) bc i cant stand having it in my face since it's kinda long and reaches my waist??

What colour are your eyes?

Ppl say green, but they arent exactly. Theyre like a mix between olive green, grey, brown and some yellow. You can call them either green or hazel ig,,

Do you wear braces?

Nope, and hopefully will never have to

What's your fashion sense?

Black leggings, a colourful t-shirt usually and flip flops as my go to shoes. I like fashion, i just dont wear it oop,,,

Full name?

Pretty sure ive revealed this already but i dont really wanna do it again so ill just do first name and first letter of last name. Shahar F.

When were you born?

April 21, 2003 ^^

Where are you from and where do you live now?

Jerusalem, Israel and I now live in Mazkeret Batya, Israel

What school do you go to?

A public high school lol

What kind of student are you?

Meh,, i get good enough grades ig (70+) but i dont participate much in class or make sure to do all my homework.... i skip sometimes as well oops,,

Do you like school?

I get to see some of my friends there, and i need some kind of system otherwise id do nothing all day, and ig i like enough of my teachers, but i usually dont find lessons very interesting....

Favourite subject?

Arabic, or history

Favourite TV shows?

Lucifer, TAU,,, there are more but im bad with names,,

Favourite movie?

Dont really have one but maybe Hurricane Bianca or Rise of the Guardians? The Avengers movies, Thor or Iron Man movies are good as well. Marvel in general,,

Favourite book?

Wow OK.

Before i fall- Lauren Oliver (this is my fav book by her but all of her books are really good. panic, broken things...)

All the bright places- Jennifer Niven

Out of my mind- Sharon Draper

Unwind series- Neal Shusterman

basically all Rick Riordan books tbh,,

The Mysterious Benedict Society series- Trenton Lee Stewart

Favourite past time?

Watching kpop, dancing (+listening to music), reading (fanfiction mostly,,)

Do you have any regrets?

Definitely.

Dream job?

Lawyer, probably criminal, or diplomat

Do you like shopping?

Yep. With friends tho, not so much with family...

What countries have you visited?

Canada, Costa Rica, Italy, Spain, Austria, Cyprus, USA, Czech Rep, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece, Bulgaria, Tanzania (and France and England but I was super young and dont remember so that doesnt really count)

Scariest nightmare youve ever had?

Cant remember tbh, i usually dont remember my dreams,,,

Any enemies?

None that i know of??

Do you believe in miracles?

Yeah, sorta

How are you?

Mostly OK.

I’ll tag.... @fangirlingandprocrastinating @maggiandmilo @kimwowjin @pixiehoshi @you-chan-do-it and anyone else who has time on their hands ^^

[atarahsofer]

Activity Check - 31

"Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain."

Exhaustion eclipsed everything else as Atarah closed the door behind her. The sound of soft padding on the hardwood alerted her of Bamba before the small peanut colored pup was excitably jumping all over her. She set her bag down carefully on the entryway table and let out a soft coo to the pup before crossing to the kitchen, where she turned on the faucet. As calmly as she could, she ran her manicured hands underneath, sighing as scarlet painted the sink. A tinge of guilt settled in her stomach as she watched the blood pool in the drain.

Bamba had followed, watching her owner from the doorway as Atarah wiped her hands clean on a dish towel. Remaining as calm as she could, she took a deep inhale and undressed. She slipped off her combat boots, then her black skinny jeans, her top, her undergarments until she stood stark naked. Carefully, she set each item in the washing machine and put in the pod of detergent. Cold water. Delicate cycle.

By the time the washing machine cycle began, she’d already started the bath and put a Turmeric Latte bath bomb into the water. As the water filled, she looked at herself in the mirror. Was this who she’d become? Was this despite or because of what had happened? She could feel the ropes cutting into her wrists, the taunting words, the way her throat burned as she cried out. Her body had been battered and bruised, hanging there like an animal on a meat hook. No one ever tells you what it is like to pray for death, to feel yourself fall deeper and deeper into the darkness until you wish for everything to end.

There was always something that kept her from letting the darkness overpower her. A small flickering flame of hope as she delved deep into her psyche. Atarah could just escape to that moment and push past everything else to the happy place in her mind. She could just return to a place that would never feel be home again and remember what it had been like.

Shabbat dinner.

Their entire house smelled so fragrant from the intoxicating flavors that had been cooking all day. They covered every surface of the counter in salads, vegetables, meats, fish and desserts. It looked like they were catering a dinner for 90 (or 900, depending on the dinner), but it was just for them. Leah set the table, Atarah and possibly Tamar or Batya gathered all the serving utensils, platters, and set out wine and challah. Tatte and her brothers were coming home from synagogue just in time for everything to be ready.

Often and without alerting the women of the Sofer family, others from the community trailed behind after being given an invitation to join, causing the women to have to quickly find another table, set it and grab more wine. It was an honor to host others for Shabbat. God would bless them for sharing their bounty with others. Within minutes, everyone would be seated. Mamme had already lit the candles, but it was Tatte’s turn to say the blessings. He’d bless the wine, the children, his wife and slice the challah, sharing it with all of his guests.

Shabbat dinner was unlike every other dinner of the week. It was holy. It was a time to appreciate all they had, to relax and to assert their belief. God had provided once again though, really, more like the Israeli government, though no one would admit that. Atarah relaxed, filling her plate, listening to her father’s often off key singing and the deep discussions of complex religious text they assumed the women couldn’t understand. She listened with rapt attention, savoring the many dishes she had helped her mother cook all day long.

Dinner lasted hours, filled with many courses and discussions. It always felt so gratifying, so indulgent to share a table with people, especially her family, but Shabbat was the most special. Even now, whenever she needed to recall a time when she’d been truly happy, she thought of those dinners. Before things had gotten so complicated, before she’d been forced to make such a difficult decision. Before her father had disowned her.

The memory still made her chest tighten. If only she could've just been holy enough or understanding enough, maybe she could've accepted it. Maybe she would've been happily married and in love with a man who'd been a stranger. Maybe they would've had four children, maybe more. But she'd made a new life for herself, wasn't that enough? More than that?

Slipping into the tub, she allowed the warm water to soothe her sore muscles as she asked herself if she was truly as happy now as she had been at Shabbat dinner.

[the-mocking-bird]

So long, May. :) *All images and vids were taken while i'm feeling "TuNa".* "Ano ga ang TuNa?" (me asking my blocmate while in college) "Tubong Laguna", blocmate said. 🙄 (arte natin, teh? 😂😄😅) Pero, tadaaa! 🤗 I'm so back to the uptown and outside world. 📍 Mt. Romelo summit 📍 Lanzones Falls 📍 Buruwisan Falls 📍 Batya-batya Falls 📽️ Yael & Spongecola singing "Tambay" when in Cabuyao, Laguna (wag kang ano, pasok yan sa banga) 😁 (at Laguna) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeWVpD-Jzt8RekXBgKHP6WKEnAyzaMEAfeYC5Y0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bienstockonnativ]

Week 1

Week 1

Monday

It was right after fall boards. I was on the train with Zach, Noah, and Jeff on our way to Newark airport when I realized that I was actually doing it. I was really going to another country for a whole nine months. Now that wave of “what the hell” would continue on for at least another four days, and I don’t think will ever fully go away, but that was the beginning.

Once we got to the airport, Noah, Jeff, and Zach went off and I stayed to try and find food and then chill until the rest of the group would get there. Because I was so early I was in no rush. I ended up stumbling around for a few hours before I finally found where everyone was to meet before leaving for the gate. Noah and Jeff found me first, we waited a few hours, ate some pizza, and then finally Zoe and Deb from the office arrived and the Nativers started to trickle in.

There are 87 people on Nativ this year, the biggest group since 2013. In terms that one can understand, that’s about three USY on wheels busses- which is all of wheels basically. What they do in order to make it easier is they split you up into three tracks based on your second semester group. So I’m part of the Kfar Yemin Orde group which is composed of 32 Nativers and 3 staff members. Our little group is sort of like a mini family within the whole and a lot of what we do this year is done with them.

But back to the airport, I’m sitting there and thanking the lord that I know a lot of people going. Now it doesn’t really matter anymore, but at that first little bit- if you don’t know someone and you don’t like being friendly you just kind of sit there until you get on the plane. Eventually we all checked in and just as we were about to get through security I got this wave of what the fuck am I doing get me out of here. Having been here for a little while now, I know that everyone was thinking like that on the first day.

We met all those people who had connecting flights at the gate and started the second phase of waiting. I was still super tired from fall boards and I figured I had nine months to get to know people so I just got some food and started eating. Eventually I started being more friendly with everyone and by the time we had to go through security phase 2 (in order to get into the plane [an iIrael thing]) I had meant a bunch of new people. Deb and Zoe gave us all Siddurs and sent us off. Once we got through to the real gate we were alone, no more adults. Just us. That was a pretty weird moment.

I git on the plane and ended up sitting next to Max, a guy I went to high school with. We had the same sweater and were even listening to the same music which was pretty funny. The plane we were on was a brand new 777 on United so it was really nice and the screens were super sleek. I watched a movie or two, slept a little, listened to music, and before I knew it- 9 1/2 hours later- we were in the holy land.

And just like that, we’re onto Tuesday.

Tuesday

Once we get to Israel its already the next day. All of us are exhausted. Its 4 PM and we just woke up basically. Once we get of the plane and to customs we are put in a giant line. Eventually some lady comes over and tells us to go to the express line since we all have Visa’s. We get a pass to get out of customs and finally get to baggage claim. We collect all our bags and find our way outside where the Nativ staff are waiting.

All of this took almost 2 hours (ugh).

Keep in mind that all of us still barely know each other- its pretty terrifying being in a place you barley know with people you really don’t know, being told what to do by people you really really don’t know. Anyways I knew it would get better. We got all our bags out to the busses and through them all into a giant truck (because 3 bags per person is not going to fit underneath a regular coach bus). The ride to Beit nativ was sufficiently long so between talking to people sporadically, I fell asleep, and when I woke up we were stoped at a random place right outside Jerusalem.

We all gather around and Yossi, the Nativ director introduces himself. He explains that he stopped us there to show the differences between the old and new Israel. Jerusalem vs. Tel Aviv. And he asks us our first question “where do you fit in between this, if at all.” As you may have guessed, I don’t have an answer for that yet. Maybe I will by May 22nd, maybe I won’t. I guess we’ll find out.

We got back on the busses and eventually arrived at Beit Nativ. Otherwise known as the Fuschberg Center, otherwise known as the fuckberg centre, otherwise known as Agron, otherwise known as the home of conservative judaism in Israel, otherwise known as just plain old home for us Nativers. It also houses the pilgrimage groups when they are in Jerusalem and since I went two years ago, I was already pretty familiar with the campus. From the outside it doesn’t look so big but once your inside, you realize how much actually goes on here. There is tons of room for sessions, people to study, to pray, to live, to have fun. Its great. And not only that, its relatively central in the city. So if you want to get to the Kotel or Ben Yehudah or the shuk its no more then a 20 minute walk. Also nearby is a nice park, some pretty good pizza, a place where people often protest, the PM’s residence, the US consulate, a supermarket, hair dresser, bank, and a ritsy shopping area called mamilla.

We didn’t do much that first night. I live in the older building, 2nd floor, with 3 other guys on my track; Sam from NJ, Jonah from Portland, and Josh from St. Louis. Besides lugging our luggage all the way up to our rooms, some people went out but most stayed home. The minute after I got my bags settled and we did our mini orientation, I got to my room and passed the fuck out.

Little did I know what was to come in the days ahead.

Wednesday

Wednesday was our first real orientation day. When we woke up we did our first schacharit with our track. The Yemin Orde staff, Ethan, Cassie, and Julia explained that we would pray together for the next monthish during the mini mester and holidays seasons (More on the mini mester later). Tefilot were pretty standard and similar to USY so all good there. Later, after breakfast, we did some icebreakers with our track and finally gathered with the whole group with Yossi for our initial orientation.

Yossi explained how Nativ was about many things, leadership development, finding a connection to Judaism and Israel, becoming a better person etc… We talked about how each of us will come out of this year not with answers, but better questions- which is really what we need. There is no curfew on Nativ, but if there are outside visitors they aren’t allowed to stay on the premises past 12. We talked about drugs and drinking. Since the legal drinking age here is 18, Yossi has no problem with it outside of campus but doesn’t want anything on campus. He basically wants to make Beit Nativ a safe place where we can all come when we are tired of the outside world. Drugs are a big no no though.

I never realized how much freedom we actually had until we sat down and talked about what we do on a day to day basis. If we aren’t in school, or at a mandatory service or program, we don’t need to be anywhere. That means we have a ton of free time- or in Yossi’s terms: opportunity time. I’ll learn what that means later.

After lunch, we got in a giant line to buy and order our phone plans. It took 2 1/2 hours but I finally got to the front of the line only to discover that my phone was in fact locked still. No worries though, after getting my SIM I called my dad to sort it out and in no time at all (or some time, depending on how you look at it) I had a phone that worked in Israel! I have 20 GB of data on this plan per month as well as international calls for only 99 shekels, which is like 30 bucks.

After waiting for so long I finally had some time to start unpacking but before I got a chance to finish I went down to storage in order to pick up some stuff past Nativers left for me. Both Batya Feder and Jack Lawson left me drawers (thanks guys) which were super helpful in unpacking. Then we went on a walking tour of the neighbourhood; the staff wanted us to get acquainted with what was around us. When we got back I basically finished unpacking before dinner. And finally we got on the bus to Tel Aviv to see a Eurobasket game between Israel and Ukraine.

I was actually full blown sick at that point, from fall boards and all the travel etc… And concidering the game wasn’t so exciting I wasn’t so happy. But it was all good in the end, I ended up chatting it up with a new friend named Rachel and spoke to an old friend, Jacquie, on the bus back. And again, once we got back, I passed the fuck out.

Thursday

For the first 4-6 weeks of Nativ, the 67 members of the Hebrew U track during 1st semester take a coach bus to school every day at 8:30 am. Each of us chooses between 2 classes for our first block, and 2 classes for our second block. The third, afternoon class, is pre chosen for us as it is a tour based class that takes place all over Jerusalem. This was all explained to us by Linor, our academic advisor at the rothberg international school at the Hebrew U campus on thursday.

After Shacharit, we got on the bus and took the 20 minute ride to the university for our orientation. Once we all sat down, Linor explained how the mini mester was created just for Nativ to transition us from high school into university life. After October 15th, we will be starting our real semester with much more flexibility in terms of classes and choices but for now we’ll be doing this intensive mini mester. Every day we take the same classes until the end of the semester. Think of it like university summer school, but in September. Since we are at Hebrew U’s international school, for now we’ll be with just Nativ kids, but in October we’ll start having classes with people from all over the world.

After orientation we were given a tour of the campus buy this cool guy named Ira and then taught how to get food at the Frank Sinatra cafeteria (cool name right?). You basically get a tray and wait for the Israeli behind the counter to yell at you, then quickly yell out the main and two sides that you want with your salad and drink. After lunch, we got back on the bus to beit nativ and had the afternoon to unpack more and go do anything we needed to do.

Once I got back, I napped for a few hours but I knew that I needed to do a whole lot of stuff so I made myself wake up, got dressed and journeyed out by myself for the first time. I walked across the street, where I met Moshe the hair dresser. Since I didn’t get a haircut before hand, Moshe was kind enough to fit me into his schedule and charge me only 60 shekels for a cut. Almost half of his regular price and about $20. Once I got my haircut, I went over to the supersol to buy a kettle and a bunch of other essentials for the room. And finally I found a pharmacy so I could buy Echinacea for my cold.

A successful first day as an adult out by myself I must say.

That night was the only free night we would have before school started on Sunday so after dinner 12ish of us decided to go out. We were out until after midnight and it was super duper fun. It was around then that I first felt like I was truly finding people to talk to that were real and that I enjoyed conversing with like Aviva, Talia, Aaron, the Zachs, and so many more people. And not only that, I was finally feeling as though I wasn’t just on vacation in Israel- I finally felt like I was actually living and growing here. Once I got back, I didn’t end up getting to bed until pretty late since we were talking for a few hours. That was ok though, Friday was next and in Israel- its not a week day.

Friday

On Friday morning we woke up at 8:15 (SO LATE) for Shacharit and soon after breakfast, left Beit Nativ for the Jerusalem Hills with bagged lunches in hand. I was pretty tired but so down for a hike. Once we got there Yossi gave the safety shpiel and we were off downhill. On the way we saw naked Israelis, hot springs, and caves. This lasted for a few hours until we got to the end of the hike near the Hadassah Medical Centre. Finally, we found a place to eat lunch while waiting for the buses to take us back and then arrived back at beit nativ.

I went out Friday afternoon with the intention of doing productive things but ended up putzing around Jerusalem while walking a whole lot. I went to ben Yehudah, the shuk, got lost a little bit, and finally back at Beit Nativ just in time to get ready for Shabbat. What I didn’t know then, that I now do is that most stores close really early on Fridays (who knew lol?). Once I got back I put my empty bags into storage and ran up to my room to get dressed for shabbos.

Shabbat was magical, let me tell you.

After we took pictures at beit nativ, we walked over to Yemin Moshe, a really nice area overlooking the old city for Kabbalat Shabbat and Mincha. I stood next to Casey, a girl in my track, who I helped follow along in the siddur. As she came from an orthodox background, our conservative tunes were super confusing to her but it was all good in the end. I love Kab Shab so I was singing my heart out the whole time. As the sun went down Yossi explained the value of a community and how Nativ will not only give you a community, but a place to discover where you fit in the great tapestry of Israel.

When we got back to Beit Nativ, we had a beautiful shabbat dinner and sicha with our staff. Then, we had our first Nativ Tisch which was a beautiful experience. Think of Tisch as ruach but less weird and high schooly. Later that night, I was planning on just chilling with friends but a bunch of people wanted to go to the Kotel. I didn’t really love the idea of traversing the old city at night, considering I have no idea where I’m going in there. But due to some quite persistent friends I was on my way with joggers, a flannel, socks, and sandals in toe.

It takes about 20-25 minutes to get from Agron to the old city and another 10ish minutes to find the Kotel. I almost turned back at least three times, but thankfully my friends brought my through and got us to the Kotel. Once we got there, Louis gave an inspirational speech that wasn’t really inspirational but made us look cool. The 3 boys and 6 or 7 girls split up to get to the wall where we all had a few moments.

I was stunned.

I mean, I had been to the kotel three times before- But as you walked closer, you could feel the power and history of the structure, the area, everything about it. I close my eyes, and felt thousands of years of history reverberating through my whole body- a feeling so indescribable that I’ll just have to leave it at that.

The kotel was relatively quiet at 12 AM but there was at least two circles of guys singing in their respective tischs. Once we met back with the girls, we were joined by Cassie and Noah and ending up chilling in the plaza. We sang songs and even took off our shoes and lay on top of each other. While singing a random Israeli came and lay next to us and later, a different Israeli came to teach us a song with his friend (who happened to have went to Ramah in America [yay jewish geography]).

There was one sour part of the night. The guard on our way into the kotel complex made my friend Emily take off her Kippah as he said that it was dangerous to aggravate the orthodox. She reluctantly took it of but such an event definitely goes to show you that there is so much work when it comes to the government and Rabbinate accepting different denominations in Israel, especially at such universal places like the western wall. Just some food for thought.

Anyways, once we were done we walked back to Beit Nativ but instead of going straight to bed (because who does that) I spoke with Cassie until 2:30 am.

Saturday

Yesterday was less magical then Friday but still pretty cool. First of all, I woke up only 5 minutes before we had to go so I had no time to shower, to put on different clothes then the other day, eat anything, or wake up. So 10 minutes later, when we were on our way to shul I was feeling pretty crappy. Keep in mind I was still sort of sick at this point.

I chose to go to Shira Hadasha, which is an Egalitarian Orthodox Synagogue in the German Colony about 20-30 mins walking distance from beit nativ. How can it be Egal and Orthodox you ask? Well they have a mahitzah because they believe that men and woman distract each other during prayer. BUT, both women and men wear talitot and lead the service. There is a table right in the middle of the mahitzah where both women and men can lead as well as read torah. Its a little strange, but in a more traditional country like Israel it makes more sense then what we are used to.

Shul ends at 11/11:30ish but we couldn’t stay that long so our group left at around 10:50 in order to get back to beit nativ for a program before lunch. In Yemin Orde’s program, Yossi led us in a discussion about our relationship with Israel. By going around the room we answered questions he asked but did not discuss with each other, for the conscious and intentional purpose of making sure we don’t have time to respond to the people around us; that way we are only worrying about ourselves and our own answers.

After a much needed lunch, we had free time before the rest of the day. I took that opportunity to sleep, which I did for 2 1/2 hours. After that we did Mincha, Seudah, Maariv, and finally Havdalah with the occasional Yossi rant in the middle. On Nativ I’m finding payer services more boring and purposeless then I ever have. I honestly don’t understand why we do it the way we do- I don’t really connect with it at all and I know there are better ways that I can connect to Judaism and God. But what do I know… I still have another 9 months to figure out my place. 
When shabbat ended, me and a bunch of friends went to find Pizza and Icecream so we could chill at Beit Nativ and watch a movie. After some work, we found Pizza and although we didn’t end up watchning a movie we did chill until 12ish. it was around then that I went to find some other friends before sleeping at 1:30. After all… Tomorrow would be our first day of school!

Sunday

Today was our first day of School! From here on out, night time fun will be at a minimum as mini mester is pretty intense. This morning I was introduced to my first two classes.

The first one is all about Jewish philosophy in reference to our relationship, or lack there of, with god and the land of Israel. The teacher has clearly been doing this for a long time, he knows his teaching style and how to communicate his ideas. It may be hard to grasp but boy was it interesting. Apparently I was so into it that I was making verbal noises and bothering people around me (sorry guys).

The second class wasn’t as good as the first partly because the teacher was less engaging and partly because the subject, jewish history, has been mostly covered at CHAT over the last four years. In this course we focus on the early modern period between the dark ages and modern times.

Later that day I regesitred in the library so I could take out my first book for readings while trying to figure out how the hell my 2nd teacher wants us to get the readings. She mentioned something called a moodle? Whatever that hell that is; and thought that we knew exactly what she meant, which was annoying. Its fine though, we have every day for the next month to figure everything out.

University is pretty cool so far, but at the same time 1. I can’t count the credits, 2. The classes are so small that it feels like high school, not to mention we can ask a lot of questions randomly, and 3. its only been one day.

Tomorrow is our first FULL day of school which includes our afternoon Jerusalem course. That course will take us all around Jerusalem with a teacher so that we aren’t just sitting in desks all day.

Anyways, the day isn’t over yet but besides doing some homework and chilling around the neighbourhood- I don’t have too many plans.

__

Nativ has been pretty cool so far. Like anything in life, its simultaneously strange, amazing, annoying, lovely, freeing, and constricting. Its a whole new experience in a land that I know only so well with people Ive just begun to scratch the surface with.

If I can learn this much in a week, I don’t even know what the next 9 months have in store. All I know is I think I’m ready now so lets go!

And tune in next Sunday for next week’s review!