By: Rebecca

This past weekend was Purim. Purim is much like Mardi Gras and Halloween rolled into one. Really, Purim commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination. The story is told in the book of Esther, who saved the Jewish people (along with her cousin Mordechai) by revealing to the King of Persia that Haman (advisor to the King) was planning to exterminate all the Jews. Haman was hanged, the Jewish people were saved and Esther was a heroine.

The Megillah (the book of Esther) reading is a raucous event. Every time Haman's name is mentioned, people make noise to drown it out. We decided to go to a Megillah reading in Gan Ha'em, one of Haifa's large parks. The park was completely full of kids (and adults) in all kinds of costumes. There were games to play, food vendors, and live music.

The reading was supposed to be at 10:00, but no one showed up because the announcement was made over loud music. They ended up reading just a few verses on the stage and we thought, "that's it?" We decided to wander around a bit and after a few minutes, stumbled upon the same man reading the Megillah to a handful of people on some benches in the park. There were all sorts of things going on around him (a drum circle, a carousel with music, kids playing hopscotch, etc.), but somehow he managed to read the entire scroll through all the chaos.

Megillah reading in Gan Ha'em

Halfway through we were handed a tambourine by a women dressed as "Super Storm Sandy". Turns out, Sandy (her real name) and her husband Issac live right next to the park. When the reading was over, they invited us for coffee and how could we refuse?
 

Jason and his tambourine

That evening we were invited to a special Purim dinner, or Se'udah, at our friend Jeff's house. Jeff is one of the other Fulbrighters and he and his wife Abby and son Rafi live in Haifa as well. We had a great time and it was a great way to end the holiday. 

In the spirit of the Purim tradition, we also attended a party that a friend was hosting in a village called Ein Hod (about 30 minutes outside of Haifa). This involved drinking, crazy costumes, and a midnight bus ride back to Haifa. If you want to know more, you'll just have to ask ;)

The long overdue first blog post is finally here!!

We've been in Haifa for about a month and it's been a great adventure so far. We are finally starting to settle into a routine and feel at home. 

The whole city is on a mountain and from our apartment, we have a gorgeous view of the city and the Mediterranean Sea. 

Panoramic view of Haifa from our balcony.

There are stairs connecting nearly every street and walking is often the fastest way to get from place to place. For the most part it's fine, but sometimes walking uphill the whole way home carrying groceries is a bit of a challenge! The bus system is great and will get us pretty much anywhere at anytime (except for Friday afternoons). In Haifa, the buses even run on Saturdays. 

We are both learning more Hebrew every day. Most people speak at least some English, but it's our goal to be able to have at least conversational Hebrew skills. It comes in handy especially while shopping. The shuk (market) is a easy walk downhill and we often go on Friday afternoons to get our fruits and veggies for the week. 

The work week here begins on Sunday. Many people work Friday morning so the weekend is pretty much Friday afternoon and all day Saturday. It takes some getting used to especially since some of the Arab and Christian neighborhoods have a different weekend so some places are closed on Friday or on Sunday instead of Saturday!

We've been making lots of friends. Some ex-Pats, some locals, but all very nice and from all walks of life. We have some great stories to tell and hope to get to those posts soon. 

We are also working on some photo albums so you can see what we've been up to. We will of course put some pictures on the blog, but the others will live here. We will try to link to albums that go with each post, but check back often for updates!

The Amazing Race

By: Rebecca

After a long drive to the airport, rushing through security, and waiting for de-icing, we were finally off from Boston. Let the adventure begin...

Landing at JFK, we realized we couldn't have landed at a gate any further from our departing flight to Turkey and thus began the race through the airport. Running full speed through the terminal, on the moving sidewalks and up and down escalators. I fully expected to get to the gate and have someone tell us, "Jason and Rebecca, I'm sorry, but you are the last team to arrive." Lesson learned: always make sure you have at least 3 hours between flights at JFK; that airport is HUGE!

With the help of some very nice Turkish Airlines staff who opened the flight back up, cut us into the business class security line, and told us to run to the gate, we made it for final boarding. I even had enough time to, in true NYC style, cut the line at the concession booth, yell "how much for these two waters?" and after hearing, "$4.50 for both," throw a five dollar bill at the cashier and take off running. Always travel with cash - small bills especially.

Safe on board Turkish Airlines flight TK4, we got snacks, stiff drinks (free!), and complimentary toiletry kits, headphones, pillows, and blankets.

Turkish Air goodie bag

After all that, we made it safe and sound to Tel Aviv which, after all, is the most important thing. 

Northern Israel - the lower Galilee

By: Rebecca and Jason

Our first weekend in Israel, Ehud (Jason's advisor) and his "significant one" Bat-sheva took us on a tour of the lower Galilee (Yam Kinneret). We had a great time and got to see a beautiful part of the country. 

One of the many highlights included a drive to the northern border-crossing with Jordan (Bet She'an); the Jordan River, which was incredibly full from the heavy rains the week before; and a rare piece of land shared by both Jordan and Israel: 'the Island of Peace'. We also had the pleasure of dining at one of the most interesting and best restaurants in all of Israel (according to Ehud). 

Of course, the Galilee and all its splendor and religious significance was something we got to (literally) dip our toe into.

We learned that there are infinite layers of history in every inch of land: old Turkish railroad lines from the Ottoman Empire, abandoned British forts, and remnants of wars past. 

The Sea of Galilee

Professor Ehud Spanier and Bat-sheva

The Yardenit - Baptismal Site on the Jordan River

Island of Peace - Jordanian and Israeli Flags

Most of these are old, but they do warn you!

More pictures here...