Shoudn't have procrastinated

It's 1:30 in the morning, and the only reason I'm up is I'm waiting for my laundry to finish. I have to wake up in six hours to back to my Army base for one more week of volunteering. It's cool stuff....... I guess. The work is extremely boring. There's not many soldiers on base, it's mostly citizens of Israel. I spent the week taking trash and separating it in to Plastic, cardboard, rubber and metal for recycling. It's cool hanging out with my Marva people and anticipate the actual training. We get wicked uniforms too; soon enough I'll post some videos and pictures Benny took. On Friday my mom comes to visit me!!!!!!! I couldn't be more stoked. I have a ten day brake with her to just hang out and visit family. My cousins Ilana and Josh are also visiting and arriving mere hours after my mom does. It's hard to contain my excitement, but I'm doing a pretty good job thusfar. Last thursday night was a huge party that lasted pretty late in to the night. Friday I hung out at the hostel, went to the mall with Mike, Jeremy (they visited because Mike's brother was in Jerusalem, and to see us) and Benny, and later that night I went to the apartments again to hang out with Samo and Josh. Samo is in Jerusalem for the week taking classes for his Israel Experience called Mada, which is basically emergency hospital work, a very popular option. It was two of Josh's roommates birthdays on Saturday, Iggy and Michael, so we celebrated at midnight. Josh and I stayed up, watched Green Street Hooligans, and then half the blazer game before falling asleep. I have to go get the laundry, I'll update soon though
Jakey

Right now im at the Hostel, and I plan on going out to Ben Yehuda street in a few moments to meet up with Mike and Jeremy. I arrived here around 7:20 for a meeting regarding Marva and Sar-El. I left from the David Citadel Hotel, where I hung out with Mike, his mother and sister, Jeremy, Benny and Tanya for the day. We sat by the pool, walked around Jerusalem and pretty much chilled out all day. Linda and Melissa were leaving as we left, so we bid them farewell as they took a taxi to the airport. I'm so glad I got to meet them. I have such a strong interest in my friends lives at home and their families; being with Momma and Sister Levy helped me get a clearer insight to why Mike's the guy he is.
Thursday night I went to an Idan Raichel concert, where I felt like I saw every single person from year course. All the scouts came, and I ran in to a good friend I went to camp with 4 years ago named Ben Perlstein. We randomly ran in to eachother and made plans to meet up on Friday. The concert was a lot of fun as well; I didn't understand the songs, but there was a ton of energy and was a blast. I stayed up all night because there was a really important Blazer game on, so Josh and I stayed up to watch ( it started at 5:30 in the morning). Pretty wack because the Blazers lost, but that's the life a fan. Friday the new Jerusalem section had to go to the Western Wall, and I talked to Ben about meeting there, so I hitched a ride with them. I met Ben, but didn't get much time to talk to him because he was immediately swarmed by about 159 kids, some from year course, others from different programs. We came in contact with a man named Jeffrey Seidel, who does a shabbat hospitality service where he sets you up with a family for a nice shabbat dinner. We ended up with family as well as about 30 others, about 13 soldiers, in an apartment in the heart of the old city. The apartment the top of the complex, overlooking the Dome of the Rock. It was truly incredible. However, the dinner was somewhat unsettling. The host of the dinner insisted on meeting everyone at the table by having them stand up and giving them a series of questions, which came off as an interrogation. He asked such questions as " Can you imagine what you would be like if you weren't Jewish", and " How do you feel eating with a group of soldiers", and it was apparent that many people were extremely nervous to stand up and speak in front of everyone. I didn't get as interrogated as the rest, but I was ok nonetheless. The whole night became a discussion about the Army and trashing gap year programs. I guess you could say it was a good dinner, because the food was free and delicious, but it wasn't what I had in mind. It was great to see Ben though. His hostel is right next to David Citadel, so we walked and talked back. He hasn't changed much; he's still a very articulate, intelligent, funny down-to-earth dude. We weren't the best of friends in camp, but I always had an immense amount of respect for him. He spoke of his aspirations, working with international relations and dealing with stronger education systems. He believes each individual can make change, something I'm a big advocate for. I think in a decade or so he'll be a glowing example of that.

So tomorrow I start Sar-El ( volunteering for the army). I'm excited and nervous, because this officialy means I'm seperated from everyone else, and won't see Jeremy and Mike until at least thursday ( not that long, but still stinks). Mike's brother is coming to Israel tomorrow, and we're hoping we'll be able to do a Dead Sea trip this weekend. The sad part is I won't be able to keep in touch with people back home either. My days will start at 6 in the morning and end at 9pm (8pm-11am back home), so there's no time to call or IChat. With that being said, blogging will be reserved for Saturday's only. To those who read this blog: my mom, Linda Levy and Seno Bril, I'm sorry. Thanks for reading though! Wish me luck
Lots of Love
Jakey G

After the last heartwarming comment from Ohad, I had an obligation to blog. Wednesday we packed and cleaned our apartment out which was boring. Half of our apartment was gone, with Jeremy on Kuma and Samo and Scotty on Olami. We got to the Hostel around 7, just in time to eat dinner, and basically did nothing for all of Thursday. Friday we headed off to Eilat, the southern most city in Israel, known for it's year round sunny weather. Unfortunately, my luck ran dry with the weather. We got a few showers, and very little sunshine except for Monday, which was cut short because our bus left at 5. Others who were disappointed with the weather decided to stay another day ( I went with about 15 others), and they were rewarded with a gorgeous tuesday. Nonetheless, it was good to have a break and clear my head. The combination of people leaving, moving out, and Tim's death, I had a lot running through my mind.
Our bus broke down on the way back to Jerusalem, which didn't make me happy considering I was already wary of the 4 hour bus ride. I got back to Jerusalem around 11 and took a bus to the apartments to stay with Josh, who's now living in my old apartment ( which is where I'm currently typing this as well). Yesterday was amazing though. Mike had left Eilat early on Sunday to meet up with his mom and sister, and we had organized a dinner at Ohad's house. Jeremy and I took a bus to Bat Yam at 3:30 and helped Ohad move his computer and TV from his old apartment to his new one. The Levy family came over, we had a little meet and greet and a photo session, and then we drove over to Ohad's house in Hertzilyah ( sorry for the spelling Ohad). The dinner was phenomenal, just as the last one there was. Ohad has the sweetest parents, which comes as little surprise. I loved Mikes family! They had some great stories to tell; they'll be staying in Jerusalem over the weekend, so hopefully they have more to share.
Today was the day everyone left. Everyone was kicked out the hostel and shipped out to their new locations. It was sad, but there's a concert tomorrow night that many of my friends are attending. Also, Moshe Teitz is playing in a battle of the bands concert on Saturday, so once again I'll get to see some friendly faces. I talked to Mike and Jeremy twice after they got to their new Youth Village and they say they love it already. I couldn't be happier for them. Tomorrow I'll meet up with them in Tel-Aviv, and potentially Mike's family as well.
Until Next Time
Jakey

Today was a sad day. I've been feeling ill the past couple of days, so I woke up fairly groggy this morning. I checked my inbox to find an email from Kevin, who I've been keeping in close contact with. He told me a man named Tim Moran, who I've known for years through the YMCA, passed away due to a heart attack. He has two kids, Dylan and Izzy, who I've watched grow up over the years. He was warm, friendly, and a wonderful father. It's hard to shake this feeling I have; I really want to talk to Susan but it's hard with the time difference. I wish I could be with everyone at the Y.
About a half hour ago, two of my roommates, Jordan Samo and Scott Sterling, left to go to South Africa for a special program called Olami. Jeremy also left to go to Poland on a trip called Kuma. Tomorrow is the last day at the apartments, and we have to be out by 6 pm, and half of our apartment is already gone. When Samo and Scott left, it was a huge wake up. Samo is one of my favorite people there is; he reminds me of my friends back home. I would describe Scott in word as outrageous (probably because that's the word he'd use). Combined they made a helluva tandem and amazing roommates. I can't imagine having not lived with them. When they left, Gil and I shared a sorrowful walk to the 24, reminiscing on how much fun we had in the past three months. Today was a sad day.

This past week has been uneventful. Everybody in the hostel has been winding down and ready to live; all the apartment people have been partying and don't want to leave. Last week on monday it was my sister's birthday, which really made me miss her. I wanted to be with her, and I only spoke with her for a brief moment. I stuck around over the weekend because it was our last one here. I hung out with the apartment, watched movies and sat around. There was a end of the section party last night, but I was sick so I only hung around for a little bit. Everyone for Kuma left Sunday night, so the Hostel has been quieter. This weekend I'm traveling to Eilat, Israel's southermost city, which is known for it's beaches and always being sunny.

I'm going out to dinner now with Gil and Mike, and afterwards Gil and I are going to the Western wall to say a prayer for Tim's family.
Until next time

Tuesday night was spent at the apartments with the crew of boys: Me, Jeremy, Eli, Avi, Benny, Joe, Gil, Samo, and of course the birthday boy. We hung out, opened gifts, Mike talked to some family members, and everyone had a great time. Being together with the boys is always a great time. The next night we came to the hostel because Shalem is on lockdown and can't leave the hostel for a variety of minor reasons.
Thursday night was Valentine's party at Ocean Club. It was one of the better times at a club I've had recently, probably because of the general excitement about the night being the last club party we're having together in Jerusalem, coupled along with day 3 of Mike's bday. I woke up early the next morning to catch a bus to Ashquelon where my cousin Aviv picked me up to go to their Kibbutz. Their Kibbutz, Nir Oz in the south, was recently hit by a Qassam rocket that landed three meters from a resident but didn't explode. I found this terrifying, but after talking to Aviv and his friends, I remembered the Israeli way of viewing such incidents, preferring to not live and fear combined with wishful thinking. The Kibbutz was beautiful though, as were the kiddos. Friday we rested, layed in the sun with the kids, and grabbed a few beers at the Pub on the Kibbutz. Saturday there was a picnic, and afterwards we drove to a few kibbutzim and picked carrots and potatoes. I caught a ride with Aviv's good friend Ami to Tel Aviv, where Mike and a dozen or so friends were hanging out on the beach. We grabbed dinner at restaurant, watched what was apparently a big rugby match, and then caught a sheirut back to Jerusalem around 10:30. I had a few classes today, had a great workout, and got to skype with shannon and charlie. I skyped with Charlie for two hours! It rocked! I miss them both like crazy. It was Charlies bday on Friday, and I called him from the Kibbutz but I kept it brief because i didn't want to take up minutes, so I was glad I finally got to talk face to face (somewhat). I'm really hoping he decides to stick around Eugene next year.
I'm exhausted. I probably should have waited to write a legitimate blog tomorrow, but I'd procrastinated enough. I'll elaborate more soon.
Luv
Jakey

Election Day

We don't have class today because it's Israeli elections for the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.

The weekend was a lot of fun, besides the rappeling. The cliff was about 80 feet high, and was really nothing special. After that we went to a bedouin tent and met up with a trippy guide who called himself Avraham and said he was from 3000 years ago. We were fed like Kings, made smores by fire and played card games at night, just the sports track. We never made it to the Dead Sea, and instead we went a nice, leisure hike. We got back to our apartment around 1:30. Jeremy went to have Shabbat with Moshe, Mike went to the Hostel, and I stayed at the apartments to clean it up because it was an absolute mess. Saturday night we played in our Yeshiva basketball league, which was ironically versus Mikes Yeshiva team. We lost 37-42, mostly in part because Mikes team had a ex-semi pro baller who had 27 points. He's a giant. I didn't do too much, but I wasn't really trying to. It was funny because Avi and Bonnie came to watch the game because the three of us were playing, and none of us did anything. Jeremy had a very poor game, and Mike and I didn't do a whole lot. Mike played well, but he didn't do a lot because he didn't have to.
Sunday was a regular old day. I went to the gym and played basketball. Yesterday we had class and night went to a really important Israeli soccer match, #4Beiter Jerusalem versus #3 Hapoel Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv killed them 4-0, and the crowd was going wild ( it was in Tel-Aviv). The fans there are nuts. A lot of people got kicked out during the game, and after the game there was some crazy fights.

I'm about to meet up with a good friend that I went to camp with years back. Tomorrow is Mike's birthday, so I think we'll celebrate tonight. This weekend is the designated Mike Levy Birthday weekend. There's a year course organized Valentines party on thursday, DJed by our good friend Sammy Dennison. Friday a group of 20 are going to Tel Aviv with Mike to spend the weekend. The problem for me is weeks ago, without looking at the dates, I had planned to spend the weekend with family. With end of the section things coming up, and me being gone on Marva, I'm rarely going to get to see them. I need to figure things out, but worst case scenario I'm with them Friday and Saturday, and Saturday night I spend with Mike. Jeremy, Mike and I have been spending a lot of time with eachother lately, aware of the fact our days are numbered together. Mike and Jeremy were introduced to a new Israel Experience option called Youth Village. It's like volunteering in a little community of high schoolers, some from Darfur and other places in the world. It sounded perfect for them, and the village is right next to Tel Aviv. It's a shame we're getting split up. A part of me wants to do Youth Village with them, but I made a commitment and I'm sticking to it. Still, there's no doubt at the end of the program, the greatest memory I'll have was living with Jeremy and Mike for 6 months, doing nearly everything together.

Jakey G

This past weekend was awesome, aside from the fact that the basketball game on Saturday didn't work out. Only one player from the other team showed up, which left us pretty pissed off. But the lunch earlier that day was amazing! Rachel, her friend Emily and I walked about a block away to eat lunch with Randy, Allen, and their three kids as well as some of their friends. Randy and Allen used to live in Eugene and moved to Jerusalem in 1993, when I was about 4. They had plenty of pictures from Eugene, including some from my parents wedding. Our shabbas dinner consisted of Mexican soup, Artichoke ( who woulda guessed I like Artichoke), Lasagna, Quische, Salmon, and don't get me goin on dessert. What was great about the lunch was their love of song. In between courses, they would break out the song books and sing Hebrew tunes with their beautiful voices. Along with their orthodox traditions, it was really quite an experience. The beginning of the week was pretty lame. We had two days of seminars pertaining to campus activism concerning the Israel vs Palestine issue. While it's an interesting topic, we had heard most of the information presented, and had already viewed literally every video clip they had showed us. There were however two interesting seminars. One was by a man named Gil Troy, who spoke of his view of Zionism. It was a hour and a half long speech, and not once did he mention Palestine. I bought his book for three bucks, so I got my next read ahead of me. He also brought up an interesting quote from Barack Obama. Many Israelis disliked Obama and preferred McCain because supposedly McCain was better for Israel, and many have theories as to Obamas ties with the Arabs and whatnot. Here's the quote from The Atlantic during an interview conducted by Jeffrey Goldberg.

"You know, when I think about the Zionist idea, I think about how my feelings about Israel were shaped as a young man -- as a child, in fact. I had a camp counselor when I was in sixth grade who was Jewish-American but who had spent time in Israel, and during the course of this two-week camp he shared with me the idea of returning to a homeland and what that meant for people who had suffered from the Holocaust, and he talked about the idea of preserving a culture when a people had been uprooted with the view of eventually returning home. There was something so powerful and compelling for me, maybe because I was a kid who never entirely felt like he was rooted. That was part of my upbringing, to be traveling and always having a sense of values and culture but wanting a place. So that is my first memory of thinking about Israel. And then that mixed with a great affinity for the idea of social justice that was embodied in the early Zionist movement and the kibbutz, and the notion that not only do you find a place but you also have this opportunity to start over and to repair the breaches of the past. I found this very appealing...................................................................................................So when I became more politically conscious, my starting point when I think about the Middle East is this enormous emotional attachment and sympathy for Israel, mindful of its history, mindful of the hardship and pain and suffering that the Jewish people have undergone, but also mindful of the incredible opportunity that is presented when people finally return to a land and are able to try to excavate their best traditions and their best selves. And obviously it’s something that has great resonance with the African-American experience. "

Pretty good stuff if ya ask me. The other seminar came from a writer for Honestreporting.com, although he put on a front of being pro-Palestine. He got everybody in a fit of rage, causing some people to cry. In the end it was pretty funny, for me atleast, because I had a feeling he was faking the whole time.

On tuesday we had our first football playoff game, and lost. It was pathetic, similar to last week. Everyone played terrible, and we didn't deserve to win, oh well. In the following weeks I'm looking forward to lifting and playing ball. I haven't lifted seriously in nearly a month now, kind of weird because aside from my weeklong injury, there's really no reason.

I have to pack now for an overnight trip the sportstrack is going on. We're hiking and then rappeling down the mountain. For the night we're staying in Bedouin tents, and in the morning we may go to the Dead Sea.
Until next time,
Jakey G