Of Israeli Rap-groups, Rooftop Tents, Beautiful Slums, and Neon-Arked Synagogues. [Part 2]

I am going to try to keep this short and sweet. Especially since this happened two weeks ago, and the smells, tastes, and neon lights are all fading into the depths of my poor long-term memory.

I spent Shabbat with the venerable Chaim Kutnicki. Chaim is a friend from MIT who made Aliyah this summer, works at an amazing software company outside of Jerusalem, and...lives in a small, one-room apartment in Nachlaot.

Shabbat services Friday night were spent at Kol Rina, described as a "Carlebach Shul" that is set in a bomb shelter, and is packed, standing room only, with possibly the most diverse crowd of religious (word chosen carefully!) Jews I've ever seen: there were different kinds of Chassidic sects, Da'ati Leumi (Religious Zionists), Hill-Top Youth, Na-Na-Nach's, probably a smattering of vaguely-Reconstructionist/Searching Jews, and some hippies who got lost in Jerusalem and, when they asked for directions, were promptly pointed in the direction of Kol Rina. Services lasted at least 1.5 hours, and included some of the most intensely beautiful and loud praying I have ever taken part in (though the loudness may have had something to do with the fact that there were about 200 people packed into a room the size of a basketball court). Dinner was some Persian food bought from the Shuk, and then some much needed sleep.

The next day was the same place for morning services (though these were considerably less raucous), and lunch was spent at a newly-married couple in the neighborhood (and friends), none of whom spoke English. I mostly sat and tried to figure out what they were talking about while eating the delicious (vegetarian) lunch. I should mention that before lunch, we visited a retirement home, where we sang Shabbat songs for the residents---these visits always a mix of the depressing reminder of our either our mortality (or the depressing realities of old age) along with a few happy moments when a sweet old lady or man seems to be made somewhat happier by our presence (or at least pretends to be). After lunch, the rest of Shabbat was spent napping, reading, and then a short exploration of the neighborhood.

Since then, I have (in no particular order):
-Lost my apartment
-Regained my apartment (+ a stove....long, long story which you can call me to talk about/email me if you are at all interested)
-Studied in Ulpan
-Played Paintball w/ fellow Med Students
-Spent Shabbat in Netanya at Colin Berkeley's (Cambridge Student who studied at MIT for the year) beach front home, along with four other MIT students (and an American in the Israeli Army)
-Spent Shabbat in Petah Tiqwa (aka Petach Tikvah) with the Friedman's (Betzalel Friedman is an old friend from Inianapolis)
-Ate tons and tons of unhealthy food (including, but not limited to, Pizza Hut, Burger Ranch, shwarma, shwarma, shwarma, Israeli-mall-chinese-food, shwarma, pizza bourekas, Bulgarian cheese bourekas, potato bourekas, regular cheese bourekas, mushroom bourekas, and shwarma).
-Read the following books in whole: Saul Bellow's "Herzog"
-Read parts of the following books: S.Y. Agnon's "Days of Awe", Saul Bellow's "To Jerusalem and Back: A Personal Memoir", Kafka's "The Castle" [Too difficult to read...]
-And other things...

Today it rained in Haifa, which was strange. Not just for me....I hear that raining in September is very, very rare. I have many things to write about, but not so much time. Please send me emails if you want to pick my brain. And to all of you who I owe emails...have patience.

I'm going to also try to post a video tour of my new (unfurnished) apartment. In case you wanted to see it.

Yallah Bye,

Michael