Winter Taglit-Birthright Israel: DC Community Trip Day 10

Day 10 - The End

This morning started a particularly emotional day for us, compared to some of the less intense days we'd had previously on the trip. This is partially because we spent the morning at Mount Herzl, which is both Israel's main military cemetery and the burial ground of many of its greatest leaders and pioneers, from Golda Meir to Yitzhak Rabin and to Theodore Herzl himself. Connecting the graves we were seeing to everything from the 1948 War to the Six-Day War to incidents that happened as recently as two months ago, as well as seeing the grave of a prideful American Jew who made aliyah and joined the Israeli Defense Forces made for a difficult and solemn morning, to say the least. Our Israeli friends shared many emotional and heartbreaking stories of friends who left this earth far too soon in an effort to protect the country and people that they loved. Many of us have friends and family who have served in the American military, and even some who have not made it home. But the harsh reality of Israel's mandatory military service is something that our generation does not know - our friends, lovers, brothers and sisters having no choice to go to war. The bravery, dignity and strength of the Israeli people is truly awe-inspiring, and Mount Herzl is a gorgeous and sobering tribute in their honor.

Following this, we returned to Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem for lunch and shopping. We spread out on our own, often in the cliques and packs that have formed over the past nine days. Many of us left with full bellies and even fuller shopping bags, ready to tackle the challenge of how exactly all of this Israeli swag is going to fit into our already overstuffed suitcases. Do you try and shove it all in, or do you toss that pair of jeans, fearing that the camel blood will never truly come out? Is there any way to get your favorite Israeli participant through customs?

As I write this, we have very little time left together. We have one meal, a group activity, and a final trip to the Western Wall tonight. And then it is the final bus ride to the airport. Once we step through the security line in Tel Aviv, we are no longer numbers 1-45, and we are no longer Shorashim Bus 229. We're a collection of individuals who happen to be returning from a trip to Israel on the same flight. Some of us will keep in touch and see each other again, whether at community events or on our own. Some of us will never return to Israel, while others may be back sooner rather than later - and maybe that time for good.

In many ways, we are still the same people today that we were ten days ago - exhausted, and really hoping that winter weather doesn't delay or cancel our flights. But in other ways, we have changed profoundly. We may go back to cubicles and law libraries, apartments and town homes, Metro stops and traffic jams. But even as we do that, we will never forget how we felt here in Israel, together as Americans and as Jews. There is a little bit of every participant that I will take with me, whether an inside joke or a lifelong friendship. And there is a lot of Israel that I will bring back with me as well.

If I am truly the last blogger for this trip, I'd like to thank you all for reading along with us for these ten days. I'd like to thank our staff, Lani, Sarah and Ariel, for leading us through this wonderful experience. I'd especially like to thank our Israeli participants - Tom, Orin, Udi, Nir, Meidan, Noa and Yarden - for sharing so much of themselves and their country with us. As we prepare to start preparing for the "Reverse Mifgash" in an attempt to bring all of them to the United States in 2010, I will close: "See you soon, my friends."

Josh Frank, Falls Church, VA

Winter Taglit-Birthright Israel: DC Community Trip Day 9

Day 9 – Old McDonald Had a Moshav and Other Tales of Service-Learning

Thus far on our trip, we have had the opportunity to see renowned sites throughout Israel from Masada and the Dead Sea in the south to the Golan Heights to Jerusalem. Today, however, brought us the chance to see a different side of Israel, that of its everyday citizens.

We started the morning at a farm (moshav) in the Negev Desert, where we learned about farming and agronomy in Israel. The farmer who guided our tour allowed us to sample the various fruits, vegetables, and herbs that he grew, directly from the source! While many of us have been to "pick-your-own" farms in Maryland and Virginia, I cannot remember having been to a farm with such a wide variety of crops at any given time. Some of the samples included small citrus fruits, cucumbers, more than 30 types of tomatoes, strawberries, basil, and peppers, including the extremely hot habañero pepper, which a few of our group members were brave enough (or crazy enough, depending on your opinion) to try.

Additionally, the farmer demonstrated the skills of his carrier pigeons, as they flew messages between sites that we visited. At the close of our visit to the farm, we were invited to try the farm's homemade basil pesto, along with freshly baked pita that we put on hot grills ourselves. We've tried many types of pita on this trip (seriously, there's been a LOT of pita), but this was by far the best I've had.

From the farm, we drove through the Negev back toward Jerusalem, stopping in the city of Beit Shemesh. Beit Shemesh is Washington, DC's sister city through Partnership 2000, so we were given an afternoon to learn more about the city and its citizens, as well as performing community service. We were welcomed at the city's high school, where we met the director of the Partnership 2000 program and watched a new video highlighting the different aspects of the partnership, which also includes the Jewish community of South Africa. Then, we split into groups to work on art collages with students, do yard work at the school, or in my case, paint benches on the grounds of the school. We interacted with 11th graders at the school, who had much more in common with high schoolers in the U.S. than I might have originally thought. They seem to listen to similar music and enjoy each other's company (often to the detriment of their paying attention in class). As we left, we sang and danced with the Israelis (including to "Cotton-Eyed Joe" and the "Electric Slide", which proves that horrendous music is universal). Overall, this was a rewarding experience that allowed the students to practice their English and the members of Bus 229 to give back to citizens of the country that has been our host for more than a week now, while building a partnership that already exists.

We then continued on to Jerusalem, where we split into groups to work with the group Elul, which does Torah and text study with a modern twist. This was the first time many of our group members had studied Torah before, but we had a lively and interactive discussion. Following dinner, we also had a brief program in which we discussed and debated our views on Israel and its role in Judaism, the IDF, and the issue of intermarriage. Many of us then went back to our floor of the hotel to relax and talk and enjoy one another's company as we prepared to return to the U.S. in less than 36 hours.

Overall, today was unlike any other day I experienced on this trip. The chance to see Israeli citizens going about their everyday lives was enlightening and reminds me that there is more to this country than religion, tourism, and conflict. There is a vibrant culture here, and Israelis are proud to share their work and their lives with visitors. This trip has been truly rewarding, and I'm glad I made the decision to come to Israel, especially with my fellow DC community members, with whom I can share these experiences upon our return. I had many opportunities to participate with Birthright Israel until now, and for whatever reason, it never just seemed like the time is right. Thankfully, I'm glad I waited; I think I am more able to appreciate this trip now, and I can't think of 44 other people with whom I would have rather shared this. Many of us have commented over the last nine days that we were looking to find a Jewish community on this
journey; I think I speak for them when I say that we've found it.

Adam Lewis, Crystal City, VA

Winter Taglit-Birthright Israel: DC Community Trip Day 7

In response to the group's visit to Yad Vashem

"Dragged Down"

I knew a man,
Neither by name nor face.
I knew him
Because I know myself.
When he fell,
I was dragged down.
No, I did not stumble.
I became shorter.
How will I reach the ledge?

Richard Schneider, Potomac, MD

Winter Taglit-Birthright Israel: DC Community Trip Days 5 and 6

We left Tel Aviv and drove to Jerusalem. The scenery on the way ranged from really pretty to nice to look at. The company and conversation on the bus was nice, as usual. We then stopped at an overlook and looked over the entire city of Jerusalem. The view was amazing. All of us taking pictures of each other staring off at the city, listening to the stories.

We then traveled to downtown Jerusalem. We saw the start of the hustle and bustle in preparation for Shabbat. We looked at King David's burial site, which was near the scene of the last supper, on Christmas day. We had Shabbat challah saying the motzi before heading towards the wall. Once closer, we saw the menorah said to be from the original Temple. Eventually we got to the wall. Men and women split up and went in. Even while looking at the wall, I knew I felt something, but could not describe it. It wasn't until after I put the note in the wall, walked backwards and turned away before I realized the sensation was "awe." All these years of turning towards Jerusalem in prayer, I was at the spot that I pray towards. It was amazing.

Then we made our way to Mahane Yehuda, an outdoor market. The preparation for Shabbat was in full swing. Incredible! Fresh pomegranate juice, falafel and more were there for us to purchase and enjoy. It was great. Then we headed toward Kibbutz Tzuba in Jerusalem. It sits in gorgeous hills, looking out towards the mountain. We prepared for Shabbat and had a nice discussion about the meaning of Shabbat and what each portion of the service means. We then went to dinner.

After dinner we returned to our classroom to have a boys versus girls sing off. The songs had to include the words "sun" in the first round and "peace" in the finale. The songs ranged from classic kid's songs to Backstreet Boys to classic rock. It was hysterical, quite possibly the funniest thing thus far. Who knew 22-to-26-year-old boys from DC could sing and dance in unison so well. After that we all hung out and relaxed and enjoyed Shabbat. The day was great!

Carolyn Abraham, Washington, DC

Winter Taglit-Birthright Israel: DC Community Trip Day 6

The Holocaust is a scar across the face of humanity, and Yad Vashem is a literal scar on the landscape of Israel. Early Sunday morning our group ventured to the Holocaust memorial museum for the most gut-wrenching three hours of our trip through Israel. A prism-shaped building that cuts through a hillside outside Jerusalem, the primary structure of Yad Vashem presents the Holocaust from the victim's perspective from the beginnings of modern anti-Semitism through Eichmann's trial in 1961. We saw the sadness of the ghettos, the terrors of the gas chambers, and the placid faces of mass murderers who never fired a single bullet. It is impossible to describe the confusion, anger, and despair we felt in that building, but one lasting memory will be the hope we felt when the end of the main hall opened up to a vista overlooking the hills of Jerusalem and the modern Jewish state. We continued through several ancillary areas of Yad Vashem, walking through the children's memorial and then the Valley of Communities, a rocky canyon constructed to memorialize every European community affected by the Holocaust.

Throughout the entire trip, our days have been packed and Sunday was no different. While the names and faces of Yad Vashem will be forever etched in our minds, we nonetheless ventured away from Jerusalem and south into the Negev. As the landscape changed from green mountains to plains and then desert, our amazing driver Hussein demonstrated his mastery of the south's treacherous roads, though even he was unable to prevent a short delay when the road was blocked for an IDF training exercise. While Bus 229 sat idle, cars, trucks, and boys on donkeys and bikes simply went off-road through the dunes. In short order we arrived at the Bedouin tent camp that became our home for 12 hours. We were greeted not only by our hosts but also by camels and donkeys. Those beasts of burden took us on a brief tour of the site, one of the highlights of our trip. After the walk we stole away to our tent to claim a prized mattress in our 45-person tent before our host, Haled, welcomed us with tea, coffee, and an introduction to Bedouin culture. Yes, he said, they have plumbing, satellite television, and laptop computers - and tell great jokes - but above all they value their traditional way of life, the beauty of the desert, and the expression of hospitality. Haled invited all of us to his house on Tuesday for goat, and after the traditional feast of lamb, rice, and pita we had at night, we were sad to pass up on his offer.

Our day, which began at Yad Vashem, ended with a sing-a-long around a bonfire. Absurd, really, to move so quickly from visions of trauma in the lush beauty of Jerusalem to warm hospitality amid the barren rocky dunes of the Negev Desert. No time to think too hard about it though...sleep beckons with another early morning over the horizon.

Abram Fox, Laurel, MD

Winter Taglit-Birthright Israel: DC Community Trip Day 5

So if it was not blatantly clear that we were in Israel it became clear yesterday. We visited the "Holy City" - Jerusalem. Having been there ten years ago with my family, you might think the experience would be less overwhelming or meaningful but that was not the case. The Western Wall, while in most people's opinion smaller in person, is still quite a sight and experience. Men and women were of course separated and we were given time to approach the Wall and in whatever way we felt comfortable pay our respects, so to speak. It is almost impossible there not to feel connected to being Jewish when you see people from all countries and walks of life gathering at a single place to pray, leave notes, or just touch the Wall. As if anything could live up to this experience, afterwards we headed to the open market. With the help of our Israeli haverim (friends) we had lunch and participated in a scavenger hunt of sorts. If this sounds exciting, you won't believe our evening. After a brief but touching Shabbat service and dinner we had what can only be called a sing-along battle. Men versus women with songs as diverse as Salam to Grease, Shalom Aleichem to Sir Mix-A-Lot. This evening proved that we are here for a religious experience, but that does not mean we can't show Israelis how to have a proper battle of the sexes in the Holy Land! Shalom for now.

Mindi Levitz, Washington, DC

Winter Taglit-Birthright Israel: DC Community Trip Day 4

"Because it's bleepin' free!"

That's what he said, artist Udi Krauss. It's true: that's how we're here, but it's not why.

Our last day in the Golan Heights was activity-packed: after leaving the kibbutz we've called home for 3 days, we loaded ourselves and our luggage into our second home, the bus, and traveled to the Kinneret to spend time getting a sense of the individuals who gave birth to Eretz Israel: the pioneers. We sang emotional songs together, led by Oren's guitar, at the graves of Naomi Shemer and Rachel.

We then took the drive down to Tel Aviv, where we first stopped at the site of Yitzhak Rabin's assassination. Since most of us were too young and detached from Israel at that time, it was the first opportunity to make that event a real, tangible event. We then gathered at the top of the square to discuss that fateful day, the events and political climate that led up to it. Our Israelis shared their personal stories and feelings, and we closed with a meaningful read of Rabin's final speech.

What was supposed to be a short drive to the Independence Museum was slowed down by a painful pkak, so we all got off the bus to walk on the beach boardwalk and take beautiful sunset pictures. Ariel then told us a short story of Jaffa.

When we finally made it to Independence Museum, we saw a short video about Tel Aviv's history and the declaration. Our guide then took some time to describe in detail the events behind the historic event. After listening to 3 minutes of David Ben Gurion's original declaration of independence, both the Chicago group and our group stood for what turned out to be a very emotional rendition of Hatikva (the Israeli national anthem), to the track that played following the declaration. When Richard approached me and said what I had been thinking, my mind was blown away: we both sang Hatikva every day in school but it never felt as meaningful and connecting as it did at that moment, in that room, and with those people around us.

Finally we made it to the hotel and after dinner went for an activity with alumni from the Reverse Mifgash. We played an ice-breaker and they shared with us their favorite things about DC and their US experience. I was personally touched by 1Israeli, Uri Lerner, who mentioned how touched he was by OUR Judaism, OUR Judaism in the States. He said that we were free to practice a Judaism we were comfortable with, which was something he had never experienced here in Israel. What a mind-boggling comment!

Just when you'd think it was bedtime, we were treated to an interactive, educational and fun performance by Udi Krauss, who gave us insights into Israeli life, culture, and music. We closed with an awesome dancing and singing of Salam, with its uplifting lyrics that certainly brought us closer to what the Israeli reality is day to day, and how much we all just want peace. After some marshmallow puffs we were ready to join our Israelis, new and old, at Manda Rosa, where we had an hour and a half to disco disco!

Even though we may have at first been surrounded by sadness and painful memories of loss, we were at the end of the day reminded of what life is truly worth living for: doing, feeling, creating, pioneering. Ariel left us with an open question: what are we doing to be pioneers today? And while we may not get the opportunity to put our bare hands into the land and create a promised land like our ancestors did for us here, we can pioneer a new consciousness of our Judaism, a new relationship with our fellow Jews, our culture, our neighbors, our past, and our future.

Tanya Arditi, Washington, DC

Winter Taglit-Birthright Israel: DC Community Trip Day 3

In the afternoon, we made a four-hour stop in the city of Tzfat in Northern Israel. Tzfat is a mystical city that is home to Kaballah. The city is beautifully set in the mountains and has an abundance of art. We went inside two synagogues, one Sephhardic and one Ashkenazi. Avraham, the artist formerly known as Robert, hailing from Detroit, showed us his Kaballah-inspired studio, art, lifestyle and personality. Learning about the art and mysticism of Kaballah, walking the stone paved streets, and finagling for less expensive mezuzot completed the experience that was Tzfat.

Jennifer Higgins, New Orleans, LA/McLean, VA
__________________________________________________

Lifted Barriers

Barriers:
Obstacles blocking. Spurning.
Knowledge:
Merrily unlocking learning.
Yearning
To know.

Knowledge of ladders lifts your limbs.
Knowledge of floating fells your fall.
Knowledge of cultures connects newfound compatriots.
Knowledge of language frees tongues:
Ma'hamatzav, chaver?
I am excellent, friend.

Knowledge makes the then tall ledge now small.
Israel: barriers lay bare here.

Richard Schneider, Potomac, MD

Winter Taglit-Birthright Israel: DC Community Trip Day 2

We spent our first full day in Israel in the Golan Heights. After spending the night at Kibbutz Gadot, we started the day with a hike through the Banias National Park, where we walked along a stream and saw a waterfall and an ancient temple. Next, we drove to the foothills of Mount Hermon. We saw the border with Syria and walked through bunkers from the '67 war. As the sun set, we visited a former Syrian army base and heard the story of the famous spy Eliyahu Cohen. In the evening, we went to a local bar and enjoyed singing some karaoke.

After struggling through a blizzard as we left Washington, we have been happy that the weather has been beautiful since we have been here. The sunny skies and 60 degree weather is perfect for sight seeing.

The landscape in the North is lush and green. On the border with Syria, we can see firsthand the security implications of the Golan Heights. From the top of the mountains we can see miles into Israel and Syria. A highlight of the day was listening to views about the future of this piece of land. Some thought it should be annexed by Israel and others suggested that it should be used to negotiate peace. Overall it was a great way to start our adventure in this complex and exciting country.

Pablo Kapusta, Washington, DC

Winter Taglit-Birthright Israel: DC Community Trip Day 1

Day one. The blizzard almost knocked us out. It swept into DC Friday night, closing roads and shutting down bus travel to New York. Alternative travel plans were hastily arranged and we met up at JFK International Airport as planned for an on time departure Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, three of our trip mates didnt make it.

At the airport, we met our lovely American chaperones, Lani and Sarah. We held some icebreakers in the terminal as curious onlookers walked by. Spirits were high.

We flew to Israel by way of Frankfurt. 18 hours later, we touched down in Tel Aviv. At 68 degrees and a clear night --not a flake of snow -- we were happy.

We were shuttled to an olive grove on a hill overlooking Tel Aviv for a welcoming ceremony. There, Ariel, our dreadlocked Israeli chaperone explained to us that thousands of years ago, in that very place, Judah Maccabee and his gallant followers staged an insurrection against the Greek empire. We lit candles and talked about our hopes for the trip.

9 pm. We arrive at Kibbutz Gadot in the Golan Heights, a two hour busride from Tel Aviv. We are weary from travelling, but ecstatic at being in Israel and at having the opportunity to eat a decent meal after too much Lufthansa airline food. We were served a bountiful feast of chicken, meatballs, couscous, and, of course, hummus.

11pm. We were taken to our quarters, which were clean, and to the relief of all, had working showers. Tomorrow, we are off to the Golan for a day of hiking and frivolity.

Seth Engel, Washington, DC

Reverse Mifgash 2009: Day 2

Monday, November 2
By Karen Slachetka

On Monday night I had the opportunity to participate in a volunteer event with our visiting Israelis. It was great to learn with the Israelis about how extremely active the Washington, DC Jewish Community Center is in the area of community service. Our efforts for the evening aimed to support local after-school programs and food banks, providing food and toiletries to the needy in Washington, DC. The kitchen team, of which I was a member, had a great time making tomato salad, peanut butter sandwiches and bag lunches. It seemed like such minor things, but showing the Israelis how to make a peanut butter sandwich for the first time, hearing about their day, playing games or trying to sing songs to pass the time really made for a memorable experience.

Reverse Mifgash 2009: Day 1

Sunday, November 1
By Yelena Barakh

It was really rewarding to see the Israelis on Sunday night. There was a sense of "Wow, they are here!" After a year of planning, fundraising and talking about their arrival and everything we wanted them to get out of the experience, it was here! I got the feeling that they were all very different, yet had common ground, similar to the members of the young D.C. Jewish community. I'm hoping this is an amazing 10 days for all of us!

Taglit-Birthright Israel: DC Community Trip Day 10

At Mt. Herzl
By Daniel Kliman (Washington, DC)

The last morning began with a trip to Israel’s military cemetery on Mt. Herzl. Entering the cemetery, the noise of Jerusalem fell away. In silence lay the heroes of Israel.

Walking alongside rows of lovingly maintained graves, I experienced a range of emotions.

Grief: the soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice for Israel were so young. For many, life ended at 18, 19, 20. With each perished an entire world – their hopes, dreams, and the family that might have been.

Awe: the courage of men and women, many younger than myself, was inspiring. Michael Levin’s story struck a particular cord. An America oleh, Michael Levin set aside a comfortable life to join the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). Like so many other solider, he died so that a Jewish state might live.

Frustration: Israel emerged from the ashes of the Holocaust only because its citizens were willing to pay the ultimate price. The geography of Mt Herzl symbolizes this: the graves of the soldiers and Yad Vashem and the memorial to Theodore Herzl, Zionism’s leading visionary. More than 60 year later, the geography of Mt Herzl still describes Israel’s precarious existence. The Jewish state would cease to exist if not for the sacrifices of its people. Little has changed.

Resolve: services in the military imbues the lives of Israelis with meaning. They serve a cause larger than themselves. As American Jews, it is easy to focus on our narrow personal goals. Standing amidst Israel’s heroes, my resolve to live a life of meaning was reinforced.

Taglit-Birthright Israel: DC Community Trip Day 9

Hiking Masada
By Max Spitulnick (Potomac, MD)

Transitioning from the Bedouin camels to the beauty of the Masada mountain was no easy task at 4:30 in the morning, but well worth it. Black as the night could be, we ascended the “Roman Path” with 4 other group as if we were following Moses out of the desert. I was dehydrated, sleep deprived, and had a blasting headache from the horrible French singing all night long. I kept asking myself, why are we doing this horrible hike?

In the end, it turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences of my trip. On the top of the mountain, I closed my eyes and was able to hear such a vast array of sounds of the Jews who fled to this mountain in efforts to escape the Romans - screaming, terrorizing everyday living, scrambling footsteps and more.

I sat within the walls of a water cistern and touched with my bare hand a piece of architecture made by the Jews over 2000 years ago. We explored the bath house, the aqueduct filtration system and several other components which were used by the Jews for survival. It really was an inspiring experience for me.

Finally, after hearing the most incredible ending to a story I’ve ever heard (if you don’t know it, you should really check it out) – we made our way back down through the Snake path, crisscrossing through sideways baths and half completed crossings. It was a wonderful experience – ps, we all missed Shaun.


The Dead Sea
By Stephanie Grow (Washington, DC)

We approached the Dead Sea by bus and marched towards the changing rooms filled with trepidation. "I hear it hurts," could be heard by everyone as we assessed our numerous cuts, scrapes and bruises. "Do you think it's worth it?" was asked as we paid our two shekels to change into our bathing suits and headed down to the hot sand. We marched down to the water in 40 degree Celsius heat and looked out at a gorgeous blue body of water. It looked harmless, and inviting, after a long day of hiking Masada.

The members of the group that were the most adventurous stepped in first, navigating the rocks in our brand new water shoes. We took a few more steps, turned our backs to the sea and leaned back. Everyone's jaws dropped as we became instantly buoyant. The water, warmer than bathwater, held us, suspended and floating nearly against our will. If we tried to sink, we couldn't. If you moved around too much, you ran the risk of splashing oily salty water in someone’s eyes. How does floating like that feel? Like laying on a bouncing trampoline, or like we were totally weightless. It was the most amazing feeling. Does it burn? Oh hell yes. Was it worth it? Most definitely.

Photos from Israel

Members of the Taglit-Birthright Israel: DC Community Trip Volunteering at our Partnership 2000 community, Beit Shemesh.

Taglit-Birthright Israel: DC Community Trip Day 7

The Sabbath Day in Israel
By Brian Scheur (Rockville, MD)

For most of us, we haven't been to a Shabbat service led by a peer since our Bar or Bat Mitzvahs over a decade ago. Maybe that's why our Shabbat service in Israel was so special. For some, it was the first Shabbat service they ever attended and for others it was their first in years. Regardless of how often each of us attends shul or recognizes the sabbath, this was likely to be a day we won't soon forget.

Friday Night Services

Our service was led by three individuals from our group, Clark Hagen, Daniel Kilman, and Jon Kushner. After soaking in the entire day, Jon spent a few minutes discussing the experience of leading a service with me.

It had been over two years since he had last led a service. Prior to that it was his Bar Mitzvah back in the mid-nineties. He described the experience as inspiring. Leading his fellow peers and a group of people he was a stranger to just a few days ago added to the experience. He felt the support offered to him by Daniel and Clark aided the calming of his nerves and once they were into the service, everything seemed to just click.

Jon continued to describe the evening as an elevated experience because of the location (on a kibbutz in Israel) and stated that it was one of the few times he really felt connected to Judaism. Of course, this trip is not just about experiences, it's about learning from those experiences. Jon felt he learned to really embrace the sabbath. After spending a relaxing sabbath at the kibbutz, he really felt the significance between the work week and a special day of rest.

Sabbath Day

After several succesive early mornings, we all ushered in the sabbath day by sleeping in. When we finally met as a large group, we broke into smaller groups to discuss the week's parsha (Torah portion).

The portion we talked about involved Moses' final message to his followers as they approached Israel. He recited the laws that were passed down from G-d that were important for the Jews to follow. Specifically, we talked about kashrut (keeping kosher) and the origins of some of those guidelines.

The day continued with everyone relaxing around the kibbutz. Most spent time by the pool sunning and swimming. Others took this day as an opportunity to catch up or get ahead on sleep as the rest of the trip is going to seem like a sprint after the slow pace of the sabbath day.

Conclusion of Shabbat

The day ended with a challenging exercise where everyone was forced to confront several moral and political issues that have challenged Jews and Israeli politics for the past seven decades.

Lastly, we had one final service to conclude, havdallah. Daniel took leadership again as we sang, prayed and enjoyed each other's company for the last time on our first sabbath in Israel.

It was a fitting conclusion to a day filled with rest and relaxation without the stresses of a tight schedule or of the busy-ness that surrounds most of our Washington DC lives.

Taglit-Birthright Israel: DC Community Trip Day 6

The Golan Heights
"See that country there, there and there"
By Max Spitulnick

I'll begin giving away the ending: they all hate Israel. Clearly, it's not that simple but that's what it boils down to. As we all sat on top of the Golan Heights listening to Itzik, I couldn't help but ask myself, "Why all the turmoil?" Again, there is no clear answer, but as one of our Israeli friends put it "This is the same question that every eight-year-old Israeli asks. After that, you just stop asking." Seeing the international border of Syria and Israel, and seeing them from the Golan Heights, brings the conflict just that much closer. It is easy to see the strategic importance of holding onto higher ground and it is beautiful up there. Even though I was sitting in a bunker on top of a much-fought-over mountain range, looking over Israel and Syria simultaneously, I couldn't help but enjoy the view.

Just looking at Israel from a bus window is great, driving through the Bible is excellent, but everyone says that in order to understand the land, you have to walk it. So we did. We hiked down a mountain and along the Gilabon stream. We then walked back up and got on the bus. It was very hot. Jews are still the best. They certainly still rock.

Taglit-Birthright Israel: DC Community Trip Day 5

Tsfat and a Man Named Avraham
By Eshkar Vesler (Herzliya, Israel)

Writing a blog is something new to me, and I hope I can handle it. Let me tell you about Avraham or "awesome" or whatever we would like to call him. After sitting in his shop for something like 20 minutes, more or less, and listening to his life story I found myself getting confused. I'll tell you that the experience made me uncomfortable. It was not just that he repeated the word "awesome" a million times - it was because I knew that it was the first time that many of the people in our group had an experience with Kaballah. I'm Israeli and Jewish and it's only like 5 or 6 years that Kaballah has been trendy - in Israel and around the world. Most of you probably have heard about Madonna and other celebrities' relationships with Kaballah.

I find myself to be a curious person and took lessons to understand what Kaballah is. I found that there really are great main ideas in Kaballah, which means "receiving." From my point of view, that day was dissapointing, but after speaking with the Americans in the group, I see that he influenced everyone and made them think about this belief system and methodology and enlightened everyone and made them want to explore the subject. I was really impressed by everyone's openness and respectful observations. Moreover, I thought that the discussions and debates were really mature and polite. I hope that we, the Israelis, can learn this from you.

Taglit-Birthright Israel: DC Community Trip Day 4

August 13, 2009

By Anne Ruchman (Washington, DC) and Omri Sagir (Jerusalem)

In the morning we walked around the port city of Jaffa. There we learned about ancient life in the land of Israel. Later at the Hall of Independence, we had the opportunity to learn more recent history and see where this Jewish state was founded.

After leaving the Hall of Independence, where the young nation born, we continued to Rabin Square, where a part of it died with the assassination of one of Israel's greatest leaders and ambassadors of peace.

While stopped for lunch on our way up north, we managed to get ourselves turned around and were heckled by a fellow American enjoying a drippy McDonald's soft serve ice cream cone. The American turned out to be none other than the Majority Leaders of the US House of Representatives, Steny Hoyer. The Congressman joined our bus to share a few thoughts on the importance of the state of Israel and the responsibility of American Jews.

Taglit-Birthright Israel: DC Community Trip Day 3

By Gabrielle Lake (Arlington, VA)

After breakfast, we headed toward Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial and museum, about 15 minutes outside Jerusalem. Translated as the "Memorial of Names", Yad Vashem focuses on the personal stories of Jews and their lives prior to the war until after the liberation of the camps. Our visit was originally supposed to include testimony from a survivor, but she was unfortunately not able to make it. Instead, we watched the filmed testimony of a Greek Jew who recounted the experience of his family and the love story he shared with a fellow Greek woman in the concentration camp. After the film, we were guided by the granddaughter of a survivor, who intertwined the stories of her grandmother and other survivors she had met with the museum's exhibit. We also visited the children's memorial, commemorating the lives of the 1.5 million children killed.

From there we headed to Beit Shemesh to experience life through the eyes of Israeli children. Beit Shemesh is the partner city of Washington, DC (through Partnership 2000), and both cities regularly participate in cultural and volunteer exchanges. There we went to a kibbutz and volunteered with a group of 50 children. We did arts and crafts, cooked, played Frisbee, and helped them improve their English with games of Simon Says.

From the kibbutz, we went to Tel Aviv, checked into the hotel, and enjoyed an evening out at a bar on the Mediterranean Sea.

Taglit-Birthright Israel: DC Community Trip Day 2

"A Holy Uncomfortable Experience"

By Max Spitulnick (Potomac, MD), Brian Spitulnick (Potomac, MD), Jonathan Kushner(Washington, DC)

Our first stop today was a network of caves the Jews used over 2000 years ago. To get to the caves, 48 over-educated, over-fed Jews (us) crawled, shimmied, spiraled, and slithered our way through passages far too narrow for comfort. In the end, it turned out to be a claustrophobic, mud covered, highly informative experience that powerfully connected us to our history.

The dark twisting caves of 2000 years ago gave way to the falafel and Judaica shops of Ben Yehuda Street. We spent our hard earned American dollars and enjoyed our first free time in Israel (incidentally, free time in Jerusalem tastes like fried chick peas and hummmus).

Our final destination was the Old City of Jerusalem. We perused the ancient street known as the "Cardo," now the heart of the Old City, marked by ancient Roman archways and ruins.

Walking from the Jewish quarter of the city to the Western Wall provided each of us with a unique blend of anticipation, excitement, and even anxiety. Everyone seemed to have a fixed notion of what they should be feeling at the Wall. What we found was an undeniable connection to our culture, our heritage, and to each other.

As we write this blog, max, Kush and I are chatting with fellow travelers and watching several members dance like baboons to the beats of Missy Elliot and Justin Timberlake. All in all, a great second day! And I love Jews. They rock. Totes.

Another Perspective on Day 1 in Israel

By Will Rothstein

As we arrive at the Philadelphia airport a wave of faces emerge. Along with many new faces comes a new adventure. Some of us have yet to travel to Israel, and with the adventure comes a certain amount of excitement and curiosity.

Security checkpoints and delays brought skepticism and nervousness to those with short travel resumes. Others are aware of the uncertainty of traveling to a distant land. A ten-hour flight and it was official, we had landed in Tel Aviv.

Our adventure had begun! A bus driver and our Israeli escorts greeted us at the airport in Tel Aviv. This trip not only permits us to visit the many beautiful sights in Israel, but we have the opportunity to bond with an eclectic group of professionals, students and Israelis. I look forward to this bonding experience as much as the physical landmarks. There is much more to come, stay tuned!

Taglit-Birthright Israel: DC Community Trip Day 1

By Sara Burns and Laura Malamud

We are so excited to be in Israel!!!

After a bit of a rain delay (aka pretty intense thunderstorm) and 10 hours of flying, we touched down in Tel Aviv. We were welcomed by enthusiastic singing Israeli friends, fresh fruit, and Capri Suns (Israeli Style - kinda sweet!!). We then set off to Jerusalem and got our first taste of traffic. But when we pulled up to the hill overlooking the Haas Promenade, we knew we had finally arrived. We snapped some pictures and gathered to hear about Abraham and the first time Jerusalem is mentioned in the Bible. We also heard a poem about the quirkiness of being an Israeli tourist. We then finished with a quick welcome ceremony, and jumped around in circles as a group cheering "brother" and "happiness." In Hebrew. Then it was off to the hotel and a tasty buffet dinner. We really enjoyed the hummus - and expect to be eating a lot more of it.

After dinner we all took much needed showers, and then got to know each other better playing those cheesy but helpful games - the ones involving sitting together in circles. By the end of the night - at least one of us (go Gaby!) could remember every one's name. We are a diverse group and look forward to learning more about each other over the next 10 days.

That's all for now. Goodnight.

Shabbat for Young Professionals

By: Rachel Mauro

Following in the footsteps of DC Birthright Israel NEXT’s Shabbat Hoppin’ and Sixth & I’s 6th in the City Shabbats, YP@AI, Adas Israel’s young professionals arm, has created the monthly “Shir Delight,” a lay-led Friday night service aimed for the 21-35 crowd.

Their first Shabbat took place last Friday, July 10, with about 50 people in attendance.

The “Oneg Happy Hour” started at 7 pm, an hour before the service, and allowed for friends to schmooze over drinks and appetizers. Elie Greenberg, Adas’s Director of Informal Programming, led the hour-long service, and Associate Rabbi Charles Feinberg gave a d’var Torah on the importance of commemorating the three weeks of mourning, which we are in now, and eulogized the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem among other Jewish tragedies.

But far from tragic, this Shabbat service was upbeat with plenty of songs (and harmonies) and people wishing their friends a "Shabbat Shalom." I’ve always been a fan of these services geared towards the “young professional” age group that might feel alienated from the traditional older crowds. We certainly bring something to the table—Rabbi Feinberg even said that Friday nights hadn’t been this spirited around the synagogue for a long time! YP@AI’s next “Shir Delight” is set to take place on August 14.

Comedy for a Cause

By:Deena Feinstein

On Saturday, June 13th, young professionals showed that we will stand up for great causes despite the tough economic times. 325 people demonstrated their support at Comedy for a Cause, raising much-needed funds for The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. Orny Adams and Dan Naturman joked the night away, covering just about every subject from the general lack of knowledge about the Third Amendment, the evolution of women’s voting rights, dating, text messaging, and mezuzot being used as doorbells. I’m pretty sure Orny’s favorite part of his performance was being able to talk about sex on the bimah! The fun times continued at the afterparty at Muse Lounge, where we danced with Orny until we closed down the club.

On a personal note, helping with the preparation for the event as a member of the Comedy for a Cause Committee was a great pleasure. I loved strategizing ways to engage our peers, getting to know other committee members better, and giving back to my community in both a fiscal and social way. I even got to hearken back to my college days by flyering for the event at a busy morning metro spot to catch people during their commute.

Comedy for a Cause was a terrific experience for me and an awesome night for all– hilarious humor with great friends while supporting excellent organizations!

Moscow Connection: Photos

Moscow Connections: What Happens In Moscow, Stays in Moscow- At Least Initially

By: Avital Ingber and Irwin Raij

It’s hard to believe our mission is over. For seven days we explored Moscow and learned about the City, experienced the Jewish community and had the opportunity to interact and make new friends with members of Moscow’s e-club.

Upon arrival, we recall the general excitement and anxiousness of the mission participants. We were all tired from flying, but each and every one of the participants couldn’t wait to begin. We boarded our mini-bus for our transfer from the airport to the synagogue and World War II Memorial and along the way established our mission’s ground rules. Most were pretty standard things like please be on time, carry your passports at all times, establishing a buddy system so we wouldn’t leave anyone behind…you get the idea. However, one of the ground rules was “What happens in Moscow, stays in Moscow.” Yes, it was a blatant attempt at humor as we were just beginning our adventure, but we all enthusiastically embraced the rule knowing that we had arrived in what some joke is the wild, wild east. Being that one of us is a lawyer and the other works for Federation, we look back and wish we would have further clarified and limited the rule to just personal behavior because not to share our incredible experiences seems the opposite of our real goal. So we may be a little more detailed in this final mission blog, but we promise to protect the names of the innocent and yes the guilty.

And so the trip began. The cameras were buzzing as we drove through Moscow’s infamous traffic to our first destination. On the way, we went over the itinerary for what seemed to be the 80th time since leaving DC just 12 hours earlier. We were burning off some nervous energy while simultaneously checking to make sure we didn’t forget anything. The mission took more than a year to plan beginning with securing a grant from the Moscow Connections Committee to painstakingly developing an itinerary that we hoped would appropriately balance touring the City, interacting and learning about the Jewish community (past, present and future) and getting a taste of the famous Moscow nightlife. With all of the preparation and planning we hoped the impact of the mission would be real and significant for every participant.

Personally, I (Irwin) was caught off-guard at our initial stop. As we toured the synagogue and its Holocaust memorial Eva Davis called me over to look at a picture of someone that looked almost identical to me. It was eerie to see the same hair, eyes, and face and it rapidly took me from being an excited participant to examining my own past and setting the tone for my entire trip. The funny and yet unsettling part is that this happened on more than one occasion. The families of many participants are originally from this region and for years have read, studied and heard stories of relatives that fled Soviet anti-Semitism to survive. Standing in Moscow brought the stories to life and deepened our appreciation for how fortunate we are.

On numerous occasions we were reminded and in many instances taught about the challenges for Jews in the Former Soviet Union (FSU) but almost immediately afterward we would see hope, determination and the potential for an incredible future. It was a constant study in contrasts.

Witnessing Jews, young and old, singing Israeli songs, praying in synagogue, building a Jewish museum at a Jewish Day School, taking care of home-bound elderly and generally caring for each other was moving. After so many years without a community, it’s remarkable that there is now a sense of responsibility to build a vibrant Jewish life in Moscow. This responsibility is being built in various ways: children in Jewish schools teaching their families the traditions they were prohibited from learning earlier in life, community programs for youth and elderly supported by our Federation through JAFI and JDC, Chabad’s outreach programs, Hillel’s efforts with students and the e-club’s efforts with young professionals just to name a few.

The e-club merits additional thoughts since it seems to mirror what we call Next Gen and this people-to-people connection was one of the most amazing parts of the trip. A week ago we were strangers, but today our mission has built lasting relationships that will hopefully allow our sister city relationship between Moscow and DC to flourish. In truth, the e-club members accepted and treated us as family, one big Jewish family. It’s amazing that across the world, we are connected as Jews because of our Jewish peoplehood and sense of responsibility to take care of one another. The hospitality the e-Club members provided us was remarkable. The e-club helped plan our itinerary, scheduled meetings, showed us around the city and opened up their hearts and minds to share their lives with us. Our interactions with them were not just limited to day time activities. They hosted a Shabbat dinner, took us around town, helped us explore the nightlife, taught us how to drink vodka (at every opportunity) and probably unknowingly created a mosaic in each of our minds of the Jewish community. Our new family members will be joining us in DC this fall and it won’t be easy to live up to the standards they have established, but we are up for the challenge!

There was not a person on the trip who had not heard from Misha (our Federation’s CEO) and others of the nightmare of 70 years of Soviet oppression of its Jews. And perhaps because each of us carried this knowledge in our baggage it was incredible to see people celebrating their Judaism freely in Moscow. In contrast, the level of poverty at which some people live is astonishing. We had the privilege on Thursday evening to go to the famous Moscow circus. But it wasn’t just an ordinary tourist trip to the circus. We took six children with us from underprivileged families who are benefiting from the social services of Chesed Hama. Before the circus, we went to visit these children and their families in their respective homes. When we came into the home, the children were shy and withdrawn. They wouldn't smile or speak. While the children shied away, we had an opportunity to get to know a little about their families and the challenges they face while we sat in rooms that were the size of efficiencies in the US, but in Moscow slept 3 or 4 people. One family was in such need that the youngest child had to attend a school that housed and fed him during the week in order for the family to have enough money to pay bills. Each family described a deep sense of gratitude for the support they receive from us and The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Fast forward a few hours to the circus, and you would never know that you were with the same children. They were smiling and having a great time! It was a complete transformation and amazing to watch the difference we could make in their lives for just a few hours that evening.

There was one incident at the circus that really made us think and reflect. Through our common language for thousands of years, Hebrew, I (Avital) was able to connect with Veronika, a 13-year-old girl who attends Etz Chayim, a Jewish Day School in Moscow. It was incredible to watch Veronika come out of her shell and become comfortable with us. About halfway through the circus, there was a scene where clowns and monkeys were dressed as Chasidim and pretended to be at a Jewish wedding of two monkeys. Veronika turned to me and asked in Hebrew, “Lama heym yehudim?” – Why are they Jews? I gave her a general answer and explained that some people might think it was funny. The scene went on and our entire group became more and more uncomfortable. We couldn’t decide if it was really a joke and something we should join the crowd in laughter or if we were being too sensitive as Americans? But then it hit, Veronika turned to me and asked if I knew what anti-Semitism was? We had spent four days watching Jews, young and old, express themselves freely. And this one question from a 13-year-old girl put it all together. Just one generation ago this kind of circus humor would not have been questioned as anything other than humor. In actuality, at least one of the Jewish Muscovites attending the circus with us found the scene funny. But today there was a group of young people, joined from DC and Moscow, in attendance and able to challenge what they were seeing freely and with impunity. We may never be able to eradicate anti-Semitism from this world but if we educate our young Jews and give them the beauty of their identity we will persevere as we have for generation after generation.

It’s hard to process this week full of emotions and moving experiences. But everything was put into perspective upon our return when we heard the news of the shooting at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. We are lucky to have been born in the United States but it is nothing more than luck. It could have been any one of us whose family didn’t leave and today was rebuilding the Jewish community of Moscow. But just because we are fortunate to live in the US, does not mean we can ignore the hatred and violence that exists throughout the World, even in our own backyard. We have to continue to stick together as a Jewish people throughout the World and combat the intolerance that continues to exist. We must continue to stand up for our Jewish people and as Avital is named for Avital Sharanksy she continues on the tradition of the name and standing up as a proud Jewish woman for our Jewish people. We are more proud than ever to call ourselves Jews and to be a part of the amazing work that The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington is doing around the globe!

еврейский народ живет навсегда – The Jewish People Lives Forever

Moscow Connections: Thursday

Written by Phyllis Liebman

Today was a productive day. The day officially began at 730 am and ended around 10:15 pm when we were returned to the hotel to change for dinner. We were given autonomy by our fearless leaders to do what we wanted after that – well deserved. To summarize, we first went to the Lipmann School, one of 7 Jewish Day Schools in Moscow. The school receives funding from both JAFI and JDC to run various programs. It was great seeing the kids from the Lipmann School who had recently visited DC. Similar to our meeting with them in DC, we were divided into small groups of Muscovites and DC-ites to learn about one another. We started with the basic questions, what’s your name and what to do you do, or in case of the students, what are your hobbies and worked up to discussions on the Holocaust and Jewish life in our prospective countries. It was interesting to note that the 10th graders we spoke to were not aware that the previous generation in Russia had not been taught about the Holocaust in school. We were curious about their knowledge of Soviet Russia and were told they would be studying Russian history next year. A couple of students then led us on a tour of the Jewish Historical Museum in the downstairs part of the school. The space was divided into many smaller rooms. The first one we entered celebrated Jewish marriages. There were black and white photos on the wall of numerous wedding couples on their wedding day. And, a couple of pictures were of some students parents. Another room housed artwork made by the students representing the Jewish calendar. The pictures they made of the Jewish Holidays were hung as lanyards throughout the small area. Other rooms depicted what life was like for the Jews living in shtetls and during the pogroms. Several additional rooms were devoted to the Holocaust. The most memorable was the full length broken mirror on the right wall and the black and white mural of the concentration camp on the opposing wall with the cobblestone flooring beneath us and the student’s remarks: We stand before the broken mirror and can see our reflection with the image of the concentration camp behind us. Any one of us could have been there. Black and white photos hung in another area showing what life was like for the Jews right before the Holocaust and opposite them were photos of the Holocaust. Another interesting area was the room exhibiting the four “definitions” of a Jew. The first was the Russian passport. Jewish people were identified as Jews in their passport. The government didn’t recognize their nationality as Russians, but as Jews. The second was the definition according to the Germans during the Holocaust, the third was Israel’s recognition of who is defined as a Jew, and the last was Halachic law.

Following the tour, we heard a little bit about the JDC-JAFI Integration Program for Children with Special Needs at the Lipmann School and had the opportunity to meet some of the children. We played a game with them called Kippah, Torah, Menorah. We all stood in a circle with one person in the middle. That person closed his eyes and spun around, when he stopped and pointed he had to say one of three things – Kippah, Torah or Menorah. If he said Kippah, the two people on either side of the person who was picked had to take their hands and cover that person’s head like a Kippah. For Torah, the two people on either side of the person picked had to spin around like a torah scroll and for Menorah, the two people on either side had to bend their arms to form the shape of a menorah. In any case, the person from the middle would then take the person’s place that he had picked and that person would then spin around and pick someone else. It was a lot of fun playing with the kids. They really seemed to enjoy it.

After our visit to the Lipman School we continued on to one of the five JDC-funded Hesed programs that provide social services to low income families with children with special needs and to low income elderly people in need. For those of us who do not know Hebrew, we learned that Hesed means kindness. The agency we visited is called Hesed Chama, (Chama they explained means “help to many”). Hesed Chama was created to serve the Jewish Community in Moscow in three ways: Supporting children and families at risk, Supporting the elderly in need and to help and support the Jewish Community, working with all of the different Jewish organizations. The Center houses the welfare center and the daycare center. We learned that this agency currently has 600 elderly clients. 62% live alone and have no family. 23% are couples, 8% are single with a child living far away and 8% are couples with a child who lives far away. Hesed Chama provides these people with various services. Some need help bathing or cleaning their apartment, others need someone to cook for them, or to help them manage their bills. Many are sick and need help during their recuperation. The agency loans medical equipment and provides food and medicine. They have 140 home care workers who are paid 97 rubles an hour (about $3). For some services there are waiting lists because there are so many more people who need help then the agency has money to support.

We broke into three groups later in the day and visited three different clients. Anna, the woman my group visited was 84 years old and had been an Ears, Nose and Throat doctor for over 50 years. She recently became ill and has clearly benefited by Hesed Chama’s services. With tears in her eyes, she named various people at the agency who have helped her and was very emotional as she thought about them. In her case, she lives alone and is bed ridden. A nurse visits her daily to help her. She was very grateful for our visit and it felt good knowing we were able to brighten up her day. As we left, the social worker told us that our visit would make Anna happy for several weeks as her memories are really all that she has left.

As mentioned, Hesed Chama also provides services to families in need. The family my group visited consisted of a mother with three children ages 19, 13 and 6. We did not meet the 19 year old but spent some time with the others. Both children were very shy. The mother had been divorced twice and was diagnosed with depression. They lived in a 2 room apartment that was unbelievably small. The foyer was so tight we could barely get into the apartment. We were led into the kitchen for our meeting. The space was probably no more than 8’x10’ and served as a cooking area, laundry area, dining area and relaxation area – the appliances and furniture took up the entire space so that it was difficult to get from one end of the room to the other. In the bedroom were three beds pushed together on one side of the room, a piano opposite the beds and two desks along the window wall opposite the door. Again, there was only room for one person to walk through the room at a time. The mother explained that the services she receives are for Jewish Culture – the family attends educational and entertainment activities once a month through the Family Room project.

We ended our day at the circus with some of the children.

As you can tell from reading the earlier blogs our days our filled with programming, leaving little free time to blog. I therefore plan to write a more substantive blog next week to better describe the astounding appreciation of al recipients of Federation funding.

Moscow Connections: Day 3

Day Three – By Joel

On day three of our trip, we got down to the real mission at hand: meeting locals to better understand what it is like to be a Russian Jew and learning how JAFI was using fun summer camp programming to help teach Jewish traditions to youngsters (and indirectly their parents.) Add in a great meeting with the Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy and dining at a local “club” for artists and this completes another 15 hour day of wall to wall events.

The day started early when we split into four smaller groups to visit with local Russian Jews at their various offices: a law firm, an IT firm, a University, and the JDC office.

I visited AMD (Intel’s largest competitor) and we met with the Director of Sales for Russia and Eastern Europe - Alexander. Sasha (as Alex likes to be called) met us at or hotel and drove us to his office. Along the way, we found out he had a wife and four year old son (the baby seat was a dead giveaway.) After checking through building security, Sasha gave us a tour of his offices- pretty much like any office in any typical US company… though since AMD is based out of Austin, Texas, this makes sense. [I wondered if they flew in the Austin decorator, or if AMD has a “New Office Setup Guide” (a) install computer network (b) install office cubicles and conference rooms (don’t forget the Polycom phones) and (c) add friend receptionist. ] One other similarity with US offices is that this office was practically empty…. picture ~50 cubicles for every 3 employees … layoffs due to the economic downturn were quite apparent.

After the brief tour, we talked with Sasha over coffee in one the of the conference rooms. Over the course of the next few hours, we learned of Sasha’s advancement through his PHD in Math, MBA studies, jumping ship from Intel to work for AMD, what it’s like to be Director of Sales for AMD, and what’s it like to be Jewish through all of this. This brief description leaves out a ton of details and nuances that were exchanged and provided a detailed window it Sasha’s life and experiences. I’ll try to share a few:

Anti-Semitism: there really isn’t anti-Semitism with Putan- it’s all about power, politics and money; there isn’t anti-Semitism among Sasha’s peers; though it’s different when you are in a grocery store- if the check-out clerk sees your baby’s “nationality” papers and it says “Jew” and then you get a nasty look. It’s for subtle (or not so subtle) reasons like this Sasha and his wife had a (slight) disagreement over whether to list their son as “Jewish” on his birth records. (In Russia, you can choose your own “nationality” or what Americans may consider “ethnicity”.)

Being Jewish: Sasha considers himself a “secular” Jew (ie. not Orthodox) He goes to Synagogue on the High Holidays, is checking out Jewish nursery school for his son, etc. But upon further discussion, being Jewish for Sasha is about “connections” or networking- it is how he met is how wife at Hillel, it is also about advancing his career by networking with other Jews. (Along these lines, you have to put this into perspective- Moscow didn’t have a middle class until 10-12 years ago… the networking is probably very similar to how our parents/grand-parents grew up in DC or other cites in the USA 35-40 years ago when Jews weren’t allowed in certain country clubs or not “shown” property in certain neighborhoods- While Moscow Jews do not face this discrimination, the middle class is still young enough to be “cliquish”.)

Small world story: We started to talk about how Washington DC is a “small world”… everyone knows everyone and Kevin Bacon’s six-degree theory… I was curious to see how small the world really is, so I asked Sasha to play along with me… how many people would it take to connect him and I? Sound like an absurd question? What are the odds of two strangers half way around the world knowing anyone in common – or even 2-3 people removed in common? ANSWER: 1 person. As it turns out, I take a class (one week a year) with 40 entrepreneurs from around the world and Dmitry (a friend from class) is good friends with Sasha. Who would figure?

Russia on Israel/PLO: Between Israel and Hamas, Russia is for Israel. Between Hamas and Fataha, Russia is for Fataha. Between Israel and Fataha, it not as clear.

Russia on Iran: Russia doesn’t want Iran to have nukes, but wants them as a trading partner. Russia would not tolerate Islamic Extremists- if they started up in Russia, relations with Iran would be closed down- till then, Russia will continue to partner with Iran.

After meeting with Sasha we headed out with Misha for lunch (each group that morning ate amongst themselves) before meeting up at the American embassy. We were fortunate enough (OK- I’m sure the Federation pulled some strings) to get a meeting with the Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy – Eric Rubin. In the course of 90 minutes, Mr. Rubin gave us a crash course on past and present US/Russian relations, the Federal government’s involvement with religious issues, Russian life under Yeltsin vs. Putin and other insights. I’ll try to relate some of the points that I remember:

Eric Rubin (the person): From Washington DC, was posted in Moscow during the 1990’s and again now.

Russia and Jews/ Anti-Semitism: “Let’s put it this way, with regards to being Jewish in Russia today, it’s probably the best that it’s been in the past 1,000 years.”

Putin: He did what was necessary to turn the Russian economy around after Yeltsin. Many Russians are grateful for this, even if it means a little less Democracy.

Putin vs. USA: After 9-11, Russia offered a lot of support to the US government to combat terrorism, offered assistance in Afghanistan, and Iraq in a quid-pro-quo sort of arrangement to be hands-off about the Democratic reform “roll-back” that Putin was implementing. While the US basically took this support when it served them best, and Putin felt the quid-pro-quo was not fulfilled when President Bush came out with his “Pro Democracy” stance… thus, Russia/US relations before the this year’s US elections were extremely poor. On top of that, US views Russia as a 3rd world country and Putin felt this insulting.

Russia and Oil: When oil was $132/barrel, Russia had a chance to reel back in Ukraine. (Remember, Ukraine was lobbying to be a member of NATO- not a good thing in Russia’s eyes.) Now as oil prices have plummeted, Russia can not (as readily) use oil revenue / threats to bring Ukraine back into the fold.

USAID: Extremely successful in teaching entrepreneurship/capitalism in Russia, though current programs being wound down.

Well, I probably forgot 2/3 of our discussion, but it was extremely enlightening.

After the meeting at the US Embassy, we headed out as a group to a JAFI sponsored summer camp. At the camp, we saw how art, drama, and music (classes) were used to teach Jewish traditions, holidays, and Hebrew. Since many of the children’s parents don’t know all of the Jewish traditions, “teaching up” is very important to rebuild the Jewish identity here in Russia.

That officially ended the day at 8pm or so, but our E-club hosts invited us out to Café Potrovich (sort of a restaurant, bar, social club setup for local Moscow artists.) This dinner lasted another 4 hours. At about midnight, I called it a night, but others continued on to a few other clubs till 2-3AM in the morning.

Some of the morning site visits will be detailed by a few other writes in the following pages:

Law office visit - By Malka

Four of us went with e-club member Anna to her law office in the morning and spent some hours with her and two colleagues. We spent a while in the 10 x 10 computer-less box of an office learning about various aspects of Russian legal practice.

The law office we visited was a cooperative association, comprised of several independent lawyers specializing in different fields of law, but sharing some cases and clients without hierarchy. This model is the closest to that existing in Soviet times, but is now one of three regulated by the bar -- the other two being sole practitioner and American-type firm structures.

Unlike the U.S., which operates on a common law structure (where judges interpret statutes and make case law which can become binding as precedent on future judges), and more like European countries, Russia is a civil law country where the written law (and how a judge interprets that law for each respective case) is all that matters. Also unlike the U.S. is the training required for practice. Whereas in the U.S. after high school we go to college, then a graduate law program, then take an exam, then practice; in Russia there is one [combined] 5-year university program and then an exam, which can be taken immediately if the person has 10 years of prior legal experience (e.g. as a paralegal) or else after a sort of apprenticeship with a practicing attorney.

Many women practice law in Russia. Our host had been practicing since around 1984 and we met a woman who had been an attorney with the association for 50-something years. However, while this association was about half and half, Russian firms do struggle with some of the diversity issues American firms face.

We then visited the Moscow city court where Khadarkovsky was tried. We were able to peek into the clerk's filing system (a room with shelves upon shelves of paper), a criminal courtroom (outfitted with a cage to house the prisoner during trial -- Ilya climbed in), met with a couple judges, and even interrupted a civil trial just about to begin (the attorneys did not appear amused).

We headed back to the law office for some lunch and noticed the best parts of the office: (1) its neighboring location to a karaoke sauna, and (2) the sign posting hours outside the entrance (ok I need a few more minutes to dream about a 9-5 law firm job...).

University Higher School of Economics visit - By Jessica

A member of the E-club (an organization for Jewish young adults), Larissa, brought two members of our group to the Higher School of Economics (HSE), a research university in social and economic sciences, where she is a PhD student. This university was founded in 1992 by Russian economists and leaders in the Russian government, including Alexhander Shokhin (former vice prime minister of the Russian Federation 1991-1994) and Evgeny Yasin (former minister of economy of the Russian Federation 1994-1997).

Although HSE is so young it has quickly become popular among Russian students. The University is ranked in the top 5 for economics studies in Russia. This university is based more on a Western style of education where students are allowed to select their courses in comparison to a Soviet style where all of the courses are pre-selected for students.

In addition to learning the facts about the university we had the opportunity to walk through the small campus. HSE has 2 main clusters of building s that are separated by a 20 minute walk. The main campus is housed in a former military academy that is 4 buildings connected with an inner blacktop courtyard. And the administrative section of campus is another cluster of 4 buildings. This was the first time on the trip that we viewed evidence of the decrepit status of buildings remnant from the Soviet era. The majority of the university is in building space that has been somewhat renovated and updated to modern Russian standards. However, sections of the building are dimly lit, pale blue/green walls, with peeling paint.

While we walked to the University we spoke with Larissa about her educational and religious life in Russia. She informed us that during the Soviet era her only exposure to Judaism was matzah in spring time. Her family bought 1 new box in the spring time for the year. She initially thought all Russians purchased 1 box, until one of her non-Jewish friends commented to her that she hadn’t heard of matzah. Larissa was surprised to learn that this was a custom unique to her family. Following this experience, a friend wished her “shanah tova,” a phrase she had never heard. She decided to begin to look into her Jewish roots. And eventually became involved with the E-Club.

Moscow Connection: Day 2 - Tourism Day, or The Story of Four Power-Naps

Part I Written by Ilya Shapiro

It usually takes me a few days to get over jet lag, which time period inevitably expands during the insomniac sprint of Federation missions—and this time is further extended by generous amounts of vodka. And so the second day of our Moscow trip was chock-full of tourism, meetings, and other activities, all punctuated by glorious bouts of shut-eye relaxation.

The day started at some ungodly hour, when I came down for breakfast at 8:40am (12:40am Washington time), well in time for our 8:45 scheduled departure. I’ve been singularly impressed with the food we’ve had here—and today’s prandials would prove no different. From breakfast, the highlight was definitely thick pieces of crusty black bread with cheese and tomato. Just like mom used to slice!

Though our watches showed that it was 9:10am by the time we departed, the minutes will reflect that we set off at 8:45 mission time, sharp. We soon arrived at the imposing red walls of the Kremlin, built in the fifteenth century to house and protect the royal family. Using the techniques we learned at our pre-trip meeting, we scaled the wall and mounted our attack on the state armory.

Inside the armory, we saw suits of armor—for men and horses—royal carriages (including one that was on skis, to be pulled by 23 horses on snow), crown jewels, and Fabergé eggs. Perhaps most importantly, while the group finished listening to a description of Catherine the Great’s various dresses, I caught my first power-nap of the morning.

Having evaded the guards as we escaped with a bejeweled furry crown and several diamond eggs—with functioning train inside—we hurried to see Czar Bell: a 200-ton never-rung cast-iron bell with a chunk cracked out of it. Just like the Russians: engaging in tit-for-tat power games with the Americans even before there was an America. Well, at least the Liberty Bell symbolized, um, liberty. Next we passed the equally imposing Czar Cannon. It too was never used.

Then we passed through Church Square. Why you need four churches in one place—all with those funky onion domes—was beyond me, but hey, sure impresses the tourists. While most of the group visited the inside of one of them—from a previous trip I remembered them as being much less interesting on the inside, in typical Potemkin style—I caught power-nap number two on the outside steps.

Walking outside the main gate, we just caught the changing of the guard—goosestepping, wide-brim hats, and all—at the tomb of the unknown soldier, which features a big bronze cape, spear, and helmet. As we walked by Manezh Square—which in the early post-Communist years was turned into a large park and underground mall to head off the political protests that inevitably congregated there—we passed by numerous tourist-trapping Lenin impersonators. And not only goateed three-piece-suited revolutionary vanguards; short mustachioed Stalins and corpulent bushy-eyebrowed Brezhnevs berate visitors, giving visitors the ukaz (command) to spend their hard currency on decadent Western photographs.

Red Square opened up before us, revealing the wide expanse in front of Lenin’s mausoleum. Above the tomb—we didn’t wait the two hours it took to get in to see the illuminated corpse— Soviet leaders and party VIPs would stand and review military parades (and provide fodder for Kremlinologists who studied their standing order for hints of hierarchical changes). Sadly, this is another tradition President Medvedev recently reintroduced, with massive rockets, fighter planes, and tanks making their way across the Square on May 9 (Victory Day).
Curiously, one side of the Red Square is a huge shopping mall called GUM (pronounced “goom”). It’s an ornate building built in the l890s and now contains various fountains, boutiques, and fast food stands.

Coming out the end of GUM, you come across what is probably Russia’s best-known landmark: St. Basil’s, the red cathedral with multi-colored, multi-heighted onion domes. Each of us took about 50 pictures of St. Basil’s—the place is quite striking, and each angle yields a new scene. That done, we got back on the minibus to head to the Choral Synagogue—my perfect opportunity for power-nap number three.

The 106-year-old Choral Synagogue has long been the center of Jewish life in Moscow. We had a wonderful lunch here, including beef barley soup, chicken schnitzel, and berry sorbet. Then the synagogue’s head administrator gave an informative talk about the history of the (orthodox) synagogue and of the Jewish community in Moscow and Russia. This was not a good time for power-nap number four—especially because I was in the first row of pews—but jet lag overcame me yet again. When I later asked a question, the speaker called me out for my drowsiness. The shame apparently doubled as my second wind—first wind, really—so there would be no more sleep for the weary me on this day.

After touring the synagogue, we visited with Michail Chlenov, the Secretary-General of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress. It turns out this organization has nothing to do with U.S. soldiers fathering children in Vietnam, but instead brings together Jewish communal organizations from the Balkans to Australasia. I didn’t know there were Jews in Japan, but I guess somebody had to invent the sushi rolls that have lox and cream cheese.

Next we ferried over to Arbat Street—a long pedestrian street filled with street musicians, caricature artists, outdoor cafés, and souvenir shops, which had been the capital’s central market area for a long time. I bought three stainless steel flasks (with KGB and other Soviet insignia) and two sets of nesting dolls (decorated with Russian and Soviet leaders). Perhaps most importantly, Arbat features Moscow’s first Starbucks—a point of pride for the several locals who mentioned it to me.

Finally we shuttled to the Bronnaya Synagogue, which is the city’s Chabad/Lubavitch center. We spent several hours on the roof of the synagogue—which doubles as a trendy restaurant—and were joined by Hillel officers and members of a young professional Jewish group called e-club. The meal consisted of minced herring—shaped in the form of a fish!—accompanied by tasty tomato-cucumber-parsley salad, then grilled beef and veggies.

Our Russian hosts were dismayed that our menu hadn’t allowed us to sample the wonderful Caucasian dishes the restaurant was famous for, so we ordered some lamb, beef ribs, cutlets, and other grilled meats. Delicious! All washed down by Israeli wine. Na zdarovya! And a fine way to end a day that nourished us mentally, spiritually, and bodily.

Part II

Malka’s Addendum:

We ran back to the hotel for a strict, very strict, no really guys we mean it, 15 minute clothing change break. Thirty minutes later… the brave BGS’ers apologetically and gratefully met our driver out by the van to head into nocturnal Moscow with a few select e-club members. First stop: karaoke.

We walked up a dark obviously exclusive stairway and were about to be turned away entirely when Mischa worked his magic and we were ushered swiftly past a 1000 euro entrance fee live band karaoke private mafia party and up another candlelit stairway to an empty room with multiple tables, just for us. “Local beverages” [redacted to protect the innocent and employed] were ordered and karaoke commenced.

The Americans kicked it off with some CCR, the Russians took their turns (and Malka even sank Tum Balalayka with them!), the whole BGS group displayed remarkable teamsmanship in numerous group songs, an apple was enjoyed in an innovative way, and the first stop was brought to an end.

We walked through Moscow, optimistic at finding a more exciting replacement venue – the rooftop of the Ritz – only to find there had been a private Audi party (how did they get the car up there??) and everything was now closed. We still loitered, taking pictures in front of the red carpeted Audi special event backdrop, passing the cocktail dressed hosts as if we didn’t know any better, spinning in Faberge egg-like swivel chairs, and extending our arms above the plexiglass roof encasement to capture lit up Moscow, finally accepting the darkness when it was already the next calendar day.

We walked back to the hotel, bid adieu (or da zaftra and laila tov) to our new friends, and congregated in the hotel lobby for a night cap and snacks and debrief with our new family. (And this was the night I was going to go to sleep early!)

Moscow Connection: Day 1 - Monday, June 1st

Written by Eva Davis

The Next Gen group arrived in Moscow to very unprofessionally (one had an exposed belly!) dressed health officials that took each passengers temperature to ensure none of us had the swine flu! The day was gorgeous, blue skies and 75 degree weather! After experiencing some “light” traffic and meeting our guide, Alla, we headed to the one and only Holocaust/Jewish museum and attached Shul. It was noted that there are about 300,000 Jews in Moscow and close to a million in Russia, yet only one museum. This was located in a beautiful park, which was a dedication to the 50th anniversary of the Russian defeat of the Nazis. The park seemed huge and was full of Russian men, without shirts on roller blades. The shul was very modern, with marble and ornate Judaica art on the walls. This shul is only used twice a week, once for an orthodox minyan on Monday a.m. and a Reform Friday night service. There is an upstairs section of seats for women, this has never been used. The museum had Judaica pieces; they were old, very old. We were given a thorough review of the regional Jewish history. Please see Wikipedia for details. There was also a floor dedicated to the Holocaust and the story of the Russian army in WWII, with a section for the righteous gentiles. It was interesting to hear the history from the Russian perspective, with 1.4 Million “Russian” Jews (this included Ukraine, Belarus, etc) killed. This hour was sobering, but was lightened when we found Irwin’s great grandfather! I swear this guy who was pictured in one of the photographs looked exactly like Irwin. It was almost freaky how close!

As the day progressed the group decided we would have several photo albums for this trip: 1) The Mullet album (if I had a $ for ever mullet I saw I could quit my day job) 2) Real people wearing the most amazingly tacky outfits (we are convinced all Russia women don’t wear bras) 3) The beautiful sights and architecture and our group, the “real” pictures from the Jewish center we went to what I think is a typical Russian restaurant, interesting décor and delicious food. The décor included live birds (all types) in cages… on the bar, at the entrance, behind my table, etc. There was also a huge stuffed bear that could have been a rug hanging on the wall, etc. The borsht was amazing as was the salmon…. We were all pleasantly surprised.

From lunch we went back to the hotel and checked in, unpacked, and got ready for our first night out in Moscow. We started with a boat tour on the Moscow River, which was gorgeous!!! This gave a great view of a ton of different buildings, monuments, parks, etc. Alla came with us, which was extremely helpful as the loud speaker tour was in Russian. We continued loving the people watching and the very inexpensive drinks! It was still blue skies and sunny which heightened our excitement and when we realized it would be this way long past 10pm we were thrilled!

After an hour or two on the boat we went to dinner with the Jewish Professional club members at a really interesting art institute. The artist who it was named after and I think started it was one of the most famous Russian artists, Zurab Tserteli, he sculpted the famous statue in front of the Kremlin. The restaurant was full of his artwork, very colorful, religious Christian works, etc. The meal with the e-club members was really nice, getting to know them, learn about their lives and the Jewish community. They discussed the challenges they face in outreach and fundraising, their community is much different than what we as American Jews experience. The sense of community and obligation to the Jewish people was not part of their upbringing… anyways this is a longer conversation than I have time to write about! We also had our first Vodka shots (which were quite large) to get the trip really kicked off! We started with the Vodka called Russian Standard which I think is the regular here, kinda like what Absolut is to us.

I don’t know if I can continue the night… Irwin, our Mission chair, said what happens in Moscow stays in Moscow!! Speaking of Vegas, all the casinos here are currently closed due to some government intervention or something, I was disappointed. I did find a few slot machine spots but decided not to even waste the time there. Maybe it’s better that I don’t give too much money away in this economy!

Really we just ended up going to several bars, one that was old school Soviet style that served Vodka that could have made me blind and one that was newer and trendier. I’ll leave the adventures at that and pass this on to the next blog victim….

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