Pictures

Ok people, more pictures that I borrowed from the rest of the Birthrighters.


Robby and me helping to "pimp out" Brian.


Our guard/medic on Birthright, Michel. I nicknamed him "Toy Soldier" because he's about 80 pounds and the gun he carries is from the 60's. It's old and looks plastic.


The Old City in Jerusalem, where we are currently staying.


Everyone on the bus gets really sleepy or they go to sleep because they are too scared of watching the eminate death that is sure to come everytime the bus drives near a cliff or through a busy intersection.


Look, my new pet. I couldn't get an elephant so I decided a smelly, dirty camel would be a lovely replacement.


The flags in "No Man's Land" - halfway between Jordan and Israel at the border.


This cool army dude hanging out with his truck.


Our digging in the dirt adventure or Robby's, "Ohhhh, caves!" expedition.

So, Robby and I are currently staying in Old City Jerusalem at a free hostel. This place is called Heritage House and caters to young Jewish Women. There is also a male version up the street. The hostel is like a small gnome house. Very homey and friendly. Everyone sleeps in one huge room in the attic on bunk beds. It's really nice except that there is this crazy French Lady who stole Robby's bed and my blanket because she didn't understand that if there are sheets and backpacks on a bed it is clearly taken. Needless to say we had to move to a different bunk. The next day I came back and wanted to go to bed only to discover a ton of bags and clothes on my bed that weren't mine. The Crazy French Lady woke up to ask if I was sleeping there [my bed]. Hum, it had three of my bags on it. This lady is either really really daft or she is doing it on purpose thinking that if she does all this maybe I will move to another bed so that she can have two. Not a chance. If she does one more stupid thing I'm going to have words with her. Other than that there are really cool people here. One is Yanina who is going to probably be traveling with Robby and I to Jordan. ALexandra wants to go to Egypt with us and we've been hanging out with Brittany. Ok, we came on Friday night and meet Chuck and Nina, our second cousins from our dad's side for the first time. They were very nice and live in Jerusalem. They been living here for 27 years. We had lunch with them and then headed to the Heritage house to get settled in. The hostel has a shabbat program that allowed us and anyone who wanted to go down to the wailing wall and meet with a rabbi that organizes you into a group that goes to a family's house for dinner. Robby and I kept getting moved around a lot and eventually got settled in a group, but we had to wait for someone to take us to the families house because we didn't know our way around the city. It turned out that we knew the rabbi that lead us to the house. He was one of the guys that did the Shabbot experience (a program that tells you about shabbat) on Birthright. Anyhow, he lead us really far outside the Old City to this apartment where the people had no idea that we were coming to dinner. So, we stood there looking like idiots until the rabbi that we knew said we were coming to his house. So we went to his house and had one of the best home cooked meals ever. Very good. Since the Heritage House has a curfew of 1 am on Shabbot we raced back to the hostel and ended up being late, which freaked us out because we were told that if we didn't come at 1 am they wouldn't let us back in and we would be spending the night on the steps. But we begged and they let us back in. Yeah! The next day on Sabbat we went to another family for lunch. It was very nice as well and great, free food. So, Sunday we were on our own and I was sort of dragged along with Robby and Brittany to Neve, a religious school that they were both interested in going to. We went to three classes where I desperately tried to stay awake or tired not to argue with what the teachers were talking about. They both decided that Neve is not the place for them (Thank God). Today Robby, Brittany, and I went on a tour of the city with Chuck. Chuck is taking a tour guide class for fun, which was great for us because he knew a lot about the city and answered all our questions. We drove around sightseeing and then went to the Jewish Market for lunch. Afterwards Chuck dropped us off at the Botanical Gardens, which is seriously lacking some care because all the plants looked dead or dying. But it was a nice place to walk around. So we walked and walked and walked a little more. We were going to take the bus back to the Old City, but some lady on the street said it was only a 20 minute walk and so we walked. It was uphill and hotter and humid. Why didn't we take the bus? Now, I'm exhausted and going to take a nap. Talk to you guys later. Someone leave me a joke!

Tel Aviv

Ok, so I now have a few more photos to put up. Everyone on the Birthright trip decided to share all their photos by posting them on a webpage that we can all access. I downloaded a few that have me in them. I'll put up more later. Be happy there are even pictures.


Our Israeli tour guide, Chen.


The first day we got to Israel we went to Safed, an artist town. This is most of the group hanging out on the steps while Chen talks to us, or rather lulled us to sleep.


We the group went to the dead sea they covered themselves in the gunk and smiled. I took pictures. See if you can find Robby.


These are our group leaders: Chen, Tali and David. Chen was actually our tour guide and Robby ended up pissing him off about day two and he hated me ever since because he couldn't tell which one of us was Robby. Seriously, do Robby and I look that much alike?


I forgot to say that we rode camels in the last blog, but here is proof. I look terrible. I didn't even know this picture was being taken and camels are very temperamental animals. Robby's camel decided to not move and the camel I was on liked to try and bite my legs.


Now a short update. Basically Robby and I have been testing our strength by walking Tel Aviv and avoiding the buses. The first day that we were on our own we got so lost we ended up taking taxi's - which can get expensive. So, we figured out one bus that we could take, hence we started taking the bus. Gradually, as in today, we walked everywhere and used no taxi or bus. Now you're all probably wondering why this is important information, well it is hotter than hell out here and the minute you walk outside your energy is zapped. You feel lethargic and thirty. You'd like nothing better then to go find a quiet, shady place to lay down. So, the fact that we made it walking around town for 8 hours in those conditions is quite an achievement for us. It's the little things people.
Ok, we have basically ended up at the farmers market street everyday. No matter where we start out, we end up at the market. It isn't necessarily a bad thing, but there is so many neat things to buy it is like temping faith. We've been fairly good and only bought yummy candy and pita.
Two days ago we went to old town Jaffa or Yaffo depending on the pronunciation. It is a small city outside of Tel Aviv that use to be the main city until the 66 families built Tel Aviv in the desert only a few 100 yards away. Anyhow, most of Jaffa looks like run down buildings from Europe. Incredible photography. You'll have to see the pictures when I get back. There is a flea market with ever random thing in the world, from broken baby doll heads to one shoe to dead batteries. I think if my brother went there, he'd be the only one to find anything of value. I saw this poor woman sitting in the middle of a pile of junk and I really wanted a picture, but the minute I moved my camera in her direction she freaked out and started to yell at me in Hebrew. Me, along with half the flea market, had too tell her that I wasn't going to take a picture. A little crazy. Jaffa is also know for it's artists communities. The artist sell their stuff in small shops that they tend to live above. It is street after street of small shopping alcoves. Very pretty.
Today we went to the Tel Aviv Art museum, which is very nice, but it only has two small floors. A woman artists did a piece on people that are microscopic and moving very slowly over various objects such as: wood, books, Petri dishes, etc. If you don't look closely you'd think it was words on a page or lines on a wall. Very unique.
That's about all. We've been trying to take it easy for a bit. If anyone has an suggestions of places that they've been around here that they think would be interesting for me to check out, let me know. I have another week and a half in Israel. Also, any places that I should heck out in Jordan, Egypt or Greece would be appreciated as well. Thanks. All write again soon.

The end of Birthright

Hi Everyone. So Birthright is official over. It ended yesterday in a lot of tears and hugs. Almost everyone had to go back to the US. Some, like us (Robby and me), are staying for a bit, but not as long as us. I think I left off when we were still in Tiberas. We had 8 Israeli soldiers join the group. Birthright wants the Israeli's to mix with us so that we can find out how it is to be an Israeli youth growing up in Israel and so the soldiers can ask how life is in America. We had a lot of discussions on joining the army and politics. An Israel soldier named, Natol, ended up boarding with us for 5 days. She was very nice, but quiet. Anyhow, from Tiberas we went to Jerusalem, which is an amazing city. Although we only got to spend a very short time wandering the Jewish Quarter of Old City, I felt it was beautiful and very powerful. The buildings look like something from a small town in Italy. Very close together with arches and hidden staircases. People walked along the roofs to and through the alley ways. Robby and I plan to go back there in the next couple of days to take our time and see everything. Next was the Yad Veshim - the Holocaust Musuem which was very well put together, but we were on a guided tour that was running late and so there was no time to stop and truly look at the pictures and read the quote. The tour guide was helpful in telling stories, but I could have spent the whole day there and not have seen everything. The cool thing though was that we got to hear a live account of the Holocaust from the best friend of Anne Frank. Her name was Hannah and she shed some light on what happened to Anne after the Nazis found her in the attic. She said that she talked to her three times (they were separated by a wall) and that Anne thought she was the one survivor of her family left because her sister was days from Death and Anne had no idea that her father had been rescued from his concentration camp a month before. It was a very sad story and I hope nothing like the Holocaust ever happens again. Since I'm on the depressing stuff, I'll continue by saying we visited three cemeteries - the Soldier's one in the Jerusalem, one outside Tiberas, and then one somewhere else. I think Birthright was trying to tell us that Israel is proud state that so many people died to make. Birthright liked to stress the points of being Jewish and a Zionist. We had to go to a 8000 person gala because we were part of the 100,000 birthrighters that visit Israel. It was basically a huge propaganda festival where we all clapped for the philanthropist that support Birthright and then they attempted to spread the gospel that we should stay in Israel and marry Israeli's or Jew and breed little Jewish culture. I understand that Israel is a small country and that Jews are a minority, but when things get very self-centered they tend to urk me. Robby, me, and the 2 Russians we made friends with on the trip went walking around the army base that the gala was on instead of listening and played on all the tanks that they had. It was essentially a tank museum. I never knew that there were more than 5 different kinds of tanks, but there are about 40 different kinds. Robby and the Russians pretended they were being run over and the shot at by the canon.
Um, let’s see, we went to Tel Aviv and got to walk around the bazaar of sorts. The funny thing was, in Tiberas, which is the Miami of Israel and safer than a little due hickey town in the nowhere land, we weren't allowed to walk around the streets without a guard, but in Tel Aviv, a major city and prone to bombers, we were free to roam around by ourselves. I understand that Birthright wanted to keep us safe, but I think they needed to rethink when and when we can't walk unaccompanied by a guard.
Okay, we went to the Dead Sea and I actually went in the water. I figured that it is the one and only time that I will probably ever be here and I should try it out. The water is about 90 degrees and very oily. Kind of gross. Once you sit in teh water you instantly float and it's incredibly hard to stand vertical again. That was the cool thing, but kind of a pain when you're trying to get back to shore. It also burns any little cut you have, so the fact that we went there after a huge hike down Masada - an old Jewish and Roman settlement on the top of a huge rocky cliff, did wonders for a relaxing swim. Robby and about 85% of the kids in our group covered themselves in the Dead Sea mud and run around hugging us no muddy people. Supposively the mud is really good for your skin and all the boys were saying how smooth they felt afterwards. The last few days were pretty much spent shopping and going to the beach. A bit boring for Robby and I, but you got to go where the group goes. Now, I'm at Amy's house. Amy is Gayle's - my friend from Webster- sister. She is one of the sweetest people I've met and pretty much we showed up here late last night and she said what's mine is yours. Very nice. She also has an incredible cute doggy that is still a puppy and likes to chew everything. All our gear is on top of a table because Po Po can't reach that high yet. That is about all. Hope everyone is having fun back home. Let me know what's going on, how life is, am I missing anything cool?

A paparazzi photographer took some pictures of the group one day and here are a few. Sorry they suck. When I figure out how to upload Robby's pix I will.


Me and my dumb camera.


Yeah, I'm a nerd.


Our giant body builder picking up one of the soldiers in the first day that we met them. She was like "who the hell is this guy?"


Us, the Russians and Tamar, our roommate for the first half of the trip.


Me being a paparazzi back to the photographer.


Robby at the meet and greet of the soldiers.

First Leg of the Trip

Sorry folks for the long delay in writing. I'm sure by now you all thought that I got swallowed by the Red Sea or thrown in an Israeli jail for carrying package on the airport that some other "Birthrighter" handed me, but no, I am very safe - so safe that I can't go for a walk outside my hotel because there are they tour leaders think that a wild cat might attack me. We are constantly protected by an armed guard. I've nicknamed ours the "Toy Soldier" because his gun looks plastic and he is about 5'5" and 100 pounds. But he was in the Israeli army as a tank driver so I'm sure he knows what he is doing.
Anyhow, the long plane ride turned out to only be 10 hours which started at 3pm in NY and ended at 7am in Israel (that's about 12am NY time). Needless to say, I had to go to sleep sometime on the plane in order to arrive in Israel refreshed and ready for a day of sightseeing and hiking. Somehow I ended up being ok and not too tired. Tired came the second day. But, my Birthright group consist of 40 other 22-26 year olds who all don't know a lot about Judism or Israel. Very few speak any sort of Hebrew and the are like Robby and I, Jew through lineage only.
Ok, the first day we visited Safed, a town where a famous Rabbi made the Kabblah, a pray for Passover and something else that I can't remember. The town is suppose to be rich in art and mysticism. It looked very old and run down - great for pictures. We went somewhere else but I can't remember anymore (too much has happened since then). We ended the day at a Hotel in Tiberias, basically the Miami of Israel. There isn't much here except for a boardwalk of sorts and a lot of hills - I feel like I am back in San Francisco. We had to divide ourselves into groups of three for the hotel rooms and so this poor girl named Tomar decided to room with Robby and I. I don't know what she was thinking, but she is a brave soul. Robby and I share the king bed and she got the cot on the floor, so it seems to be working out ok.
The second day we went to a war memorial for the Six Day War that was fought at Golan Heights to stop the nightly bombings and daily shootings of the farmers from the armies of Syria and Jordan. It was a pretty neat sight with metal cut outs of soldiers on the real bunkers. After that we went to watch a short documentary on another Israeli war. It wasn't too good. Luckily we got to go to the Golan Winery and drown our depression from all the war talk with Kosher wine. The winery took us on a tour of their factory and told us how to prperly view, smell, taste, and feel wine. I actually learned some interesting things that I have to try next time I have a glass of wine.
A funny thing that happened at the winery was with our "Toy Soldier". We were tasting the first glass of wine and as I sipped mine and i looked over and noticed that the soldiers glass was empty. He literally drank his half a glass in one shot. I told him is was drinking wine not beer and that you're suppose to sip it. SO the next taste test he sipped the first drop and then downed it. I guess that was an improvement to the first glass.
Ok, third day was the best so far. We got to go river hiking. All 40 of us and then 40 kids from another Birthright group went walking through a small swap like area that made me think I should be carrying an AK-47 and wearing war paint. It was fun to think that I was a soldier, but I think the enemy would have found me very quickly because practically every other step I made I slipped and feel in the water. Most of the water was about 2 feet high. I was pretty drenched throughout the 3 hours we were out there. Occasionally we came to parts that were 6 feet deep and then we had to swim, which wasn't so fun for the guys because when you first entered the water it was a tad freezing. Robby and I were at the front of the line and so we got to witness everyone screaming and whining when they had to swim. It was great.
After hiking and getting our toe nails broken on all the slippery, big rocks, we went kayaking down a small river. IT was very lazy and fun because there were multiple Israeli's on the river as well in their own boats and they were slashing us and talking with us. One of the kids on my group is named Chad and he looks like the Incredible Hulk. He's a bouncer and I think he does the muscle shows. Anyhow, I happened to over hear a few small Israeli kids talking to Chad. Somehow they got Chad to stand up on his raft and do some muscle poses. After that one of the small Israeli kids that weighed no more that 90 pounds imitated Chad. Scrawny guy Vs Big guy. They ask him if his biceps were real and then started to sing "Popeye the Sailor Man". They said that Chad was harmless and started a splashing war. It was awesome.
Since yesterday was Shabbat (Friday night) we had a bunch of Rabbi's and Jewish families staying at the hotel with us. They were there to host lectures on Judaism and for people to ask questions all during Shabbat Saturday. We weren't allowed to do anything - no work because it is a day of rest, but we could talk and learn.
I went to a few of the seminars, one about Anti-Semitism and one about what Judaism Is which taught me a lot. It also showed that Rabbi's are pretty set in their beliefs and when you challenge them with a difference of opinion or a question they don't like, they tend to beat around the bush and confuse you so much that you forget the question you had originally asked and just shut up. But, after the lectures I was able to talk with the Rabbi's and ask whatever I wanted and they tried to answer them the best they could. I even learn the whole Hebrew alphabet, but I can't tell you what anything means, I can only tell you how to say the words. I realized this was pointless until I also realized that I know some words and now I know how to write them. I guess I'm learning the language backwards.
Well, I think this has been a very long installment and i'm getting tired, so I shall say goodbye and hopefully I will be able to go back into town soon and hop on the computer again. Blogger.com tends to be shut down a lot when i t ry and long on, that is mainly why there wasn't a blog up sooner. So, Shalom and I'll see you guys later.


P.S. sorry for no pictures but all mine are taken with real film that people can see when I get back and when I can get on a computer with Robby's camera I'll be able to show you some of the things I've done and places I've been.

Hello Letter

Hi everyone! Welcome to my blog for my awesome trip through the Middle East. Currently I have yet to leave California, but I thought I would get this blog up and running before things get hectic. Although things have started off a little rocky. Robby, my sister, decided that she would wait until the last minute to find her passport and as fate would have it, it is nowhere to be seen. So after a brief "freak out" she managed to get a hold of someone at the Passport office in NY and they are willing to issue her a new passport on Monday. Just in the nick of time. So, we leave for NY tomorrow morning where we will spend 2 1/2 days visiting with friends and family, and then it is off to Israel on June 6th.
First off I would like to thank all of you for wanting to actually read my blog and secondly, hold on because it's going to be an amazing journey. I hope you all enjoy and I will try and update often. Remember to leave lots of comments and when I come back to the states I'll be more than willing to show everyone the pictures I took.


***Warning: my grammar and spelling tend to be horrid when I use email (well, actually it tends to be bad all the time), so just bare with me and all will be fine.


Thanks for reading and wish me luck!!!