Monday, August 27, 2012

Israel's Prime Minister Welcomes Efrat First Graders to School

The new school year began in my hometown this year with two special guests on hand to welcome First Graders - Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Education Minister Gideon Saar.
It's not every day that the leader of your country shows up a block from your house. It was a very big deal!
Of all the schools from Metulla to Eilat and everything in between, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Minister Saar picked Efrat's Aseh Chayil School for several positive reasons.
* Aseh Chayil is a past recipient of the Israel Prize for Excellence in Education.
* It has a Tanach (Bible) Room where children learn about the Bible experientially.
* Aseh Chayil's Button Museum has collected 1.5 million buttons from people all over the world in memory of the 1.5 million Jewish children murdered in the Holocaust.
* The school also has a therapy petting zoo that has helped many children.

Waiting for Bibi
Guests were asked to arrive at the Efrat Community Center at 9:45 AM, and wait for the Prime Minister's arrival at about 10:30 AM. Security was so tight around Efrat, the town was closed up like a can of tuna fish. Police, guards and who-knows-what kind of uniformed guys were everywhere. Their common denominator was the serious look on their faces.
The Community Center basketball court filled up with students, parents, grandparents and recognizable community figures.
It was a great place to touch base with the folks you hadn't seen all summer. And it was a nice change to see most of folks all dressed up, as they should have been, for the Prime Minister.
While roads throughout Efrat were closed to all traffic, the Prime Minister arrived by helicopter at the Efrat concert grounds, now to be known as the Efrat concert grounds/helicopter landing field. [We hope one day it will be the Efrat Swimming Pool Complex.]
Just when the room reached the intolerable- ility level of stuffiness, the Prime Minister arrived, escorting on to the basketball court a little blonde first grader.

All the Right Things
He blessed the many more than 100 first graders, who sat as quietly as possible in their clean white first-day-of-school T-shirts. He told them that their learning adventure was about to begin in everything from math and reading to Tanach (Bible Studies) and Moreshet Yisrael (the heritage of Israel), because "everything is interconnected."
With an education, the Prime Minister said, "the sky's the limit."

Yes, the Prime Minister said all the right things here in Efrat. "Efrat will always be an integral part of the State of Israel... We are building Efrat with energy and responsibility."
Everything upbeat was referenced from this year's programs for free nursery school to school-book lending. The Prime Minister didn't mention any current events that are troubling the State of Israel today - most prominently, the fate of the village of Migron in the Binyamin Region. And no one brought it up. 

Thanks for Everything
When Efrat's Mayor Oded Revivi spoke, he thanked the Prime Minister for the computers for the Aseh Chayil School, the six new preschool classrooms, and the four new day care center classrooms from the government. He thanked the PM for the 40 housing units promised on the Dagan Hill, the 217 promised on the Zayit, and the 140 housing units promised on the Tamar. He stopped short of asking the Prime Minister to okay future building on the Eitam Hill, which is the hilltop that has always been reserved for our future generation. Over the past few years, Efratians have been struggling to keep hold of its eighth hill, even as the Separation Wall inches nearer to Gush Etzion.

Blessing the Children
Minister Saar, Mayor Revivi, Prime Minister Netanyahu and assorted older students and parents took hold of the corners of tallitot (prayer shawls) and covered all the first graders. A parent of the school recited an ancient prayer, "May the angel who redeems me from all evil bless the lads, and may my name be declared upon them - and the names of my forefathers Abraham and Isaac - and may they proliferate abundantly like fish within the land." (Genesis 48:16)
It was a moving and teary-eyed moment, made more so when I realized that the tallit that the Prime Minister was holding had belonged to Captain Hagai Lev, o'h, an officer from Efrat who had lost his life in Gaza, uncovering smuggling tunnels in Rafiah. The beautiful tallit is often used as the wedding canopy at Efrat weddings. This was the first time I had seen it used as a canopy to escort little children into the world of learning.
[I have since been informed that Hagai's tallit is used every year in the Welcome to Kita Alef Ceremony. And at this year's ceremony, two of Hagai's nieces entered first grade in Aseh Chayil. They stood under their uncle's tallit, while all the children were blessed.]
The wait for the Prime Minister had been long and tiring, but the event was short and sweet. And for a brief time, everyone was united in their good feelings - feelings of optimism in the future, hope in the eyes of six year olds, and of course, dreams of peace for the next generation.
Good luck to first graders in Efrat and wherever you are. We're expecting to hear great things from you. We know you won't disappoint us.

Photos by Sharon Katz, except the tallit photo, which was taken by the renowned photojournalist Gershon Ellinson.

Grape Harvest Hurry


The Gush Etzion Winery makes delicious and well-respected wine. Its grapes are extra-special because of the altitude and climate of its vineyards in Gush Etzion.The vineyards that descend down the slope from Efrat, at 900 meters, produce the magnificent grapes that produce Cabernet Franc wines.

On a recent Friday, the Cabernet Franc grapes had reached their peak and had to be picked immediately. While grapes are usually picked a little later in the season, the hot weather caused them to be ready earlier than expected.
Because the field was so large, and Fridays (Erev Shabbat) are so short, the Winery needed extra help picking as many perfectly-timed grapes as possible.
I posted a call on our local email list for volunteers to join in this unique experience of participating in a grape harvest.

Not Like "I Love Lucy"

Everyone asked the same thing. Will it be like "I Love Lucy"?
[In one of the most famous episodes of "I Love Lucy", Lucy stumbles into a vat of grapes, and after pressing them with her feet in a kind of Mexican Hat Dance, she gets into an unforgettable wrestling match with a "donna".]
"No," I responded, "We won't stomp the grapes. We'll just pick them."
Hhhh was usually the response. I didn't know if that was good or bad.

Whether they were hoping to stomp grapes or not, several families joined together in the vineyard - pails ready - to pick the little purple clusters. 
Grape Harvesting
Grape harvesting is very surprising. There are those grapes that you see dangling right from the bottom of the vine, and then there are clusters all the way in the back, and those hiding under the giant grape leaves.
First I clipped off the easy-to-find grape clusters. Then I went after the more hidden ones. And lastly, I did a once over for anything I missed before. When our pails were full, we poured our grapes into larger wagons. When they were filled, the wagons were hooked up together and pulled to the near-by winery by a tractor.
Families with kids of all ages worked together. The children were horrified to know that the grapes are not rinsed to take off the white powdering coating. That coating is a kind of natural yeast that is important in making the wine. They were just getting used to the thought of the white powder when I told them that grapes are not pitted before the wine process. Too many revelations in one day.
Plain Picking
Still, it was a great feeling knowing that the grapes we were picking would one day be wine.
I'd like to say that we sang grape picking songs, which resounded through the valley. But the truth is that we just picked and plucked. We called out to one another from one line of vines to the next. We compared notes on how many grapes we had picked, and how fast our pails were filling. And we talked through the leaves about the Olympics in London, sight-seeing in Paris and excursions to Italy.
There we were back to "Lucy" again, and her Italian experience stomping grapes.
Well, we didn't stomp, but we did have fun. And the kids will never forget the morning they "helped save the grape harvest." Okay, we didn't exactly save the grape harvest, but that's the way the kids will remember it, so...why not.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Solomon's Pools - Again!

When the fantastic website, Israel’s History – A Picture a Day – featured a Library of Congress photo of Solomon’s Pools the other day, many of the site’s visitors were excited, including me!
The three Olympic-sized Solomon’s Pools are not only an important part of Israel’s ancient history, created by the Hasmonean Kings to bring water from Hebron to the Temple Mount, they are also an important part of our modern history. Residents of Efrat, Gush Etzion and Jerusalem traveled there (five minutes from our towns) to tour the site and even picnicked there on Israel’s Independence Day, for many years since 1967.After I blogged about the photograph and my own connection to Solomon's Pools, A Picture a Day’s publisher Lenny Ben David graciously sent me some more photos of the site.I have not been able to stop thinking about Solomon’s Pools since, and I began searching the internet to see if I could find modern-day photos of the site – to find out what has happened to it and if the Palestinian Authority has renovated the ancient landmark.
It might sound hokey, but I wanted to know that Solomon's Pools were "alright and cared for."Well, to my astonishment, I came upon an article, dated just this morning from WAFA - The Palestinian News & Info Service. The Agency wrote that Arabs are concerned that “Jewish settlers are planning to take over the historic Solomon Pools located in al-Khader, a town south of Bethlehem, through performing religious rituals there, according to an activist.”
It continued, “70 settlers arrived at Solomon Pools under army protection and performed religious rituals there.”
What a coincidence?! But there is really no such thing as chance. Rather, let's say, "What timing!!"
Wednesday’s Elder of Ziyon blog reported that the Palestine Times wrote that “a large group of usurpers, under the protection of Israeli soldiers, stormed the Solomon’s Pools…. performed the ritual and religious hymns and rituals in the water, which is the fourth time in a row this has occurred.”I am so thrilled that Solomon's Pools has not been forgotten. I am excited that Gush Etzion residents have been allowed to visit there, whether or not they really stepped inside the pools, as one would a mikveh (ritual bath).That’s incredible.If there is peace in our area, there shouldn’t be any problem about visiting Solomon’s Pools, especially if a tourist complex has been/or is being built right next door.
One more thing excited me about the Palestine Times article. It included a photo of a beautiful pool, filled with blue water. If Solomon's Pools really look like that today, I will be very happy.

(Top two photos - part of the Library of Congress collection; bottom photo from the Yad Vashem collection)

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Memories of Solomon's Pools

I clicked on to the fantastic and fascinating site, A Picture a Day, and saw a familiar photo - Solomon's Pools.
Those pools are right next door to my hometown of Efrat, on the northern side of the Dagan Hill.
Seeing this terrific Library of Congress Photo brought back lovely memories of family times at Solomon's Pools.
When we first moved to Israel, we joined other American ex-patriots who used to celebrate the Fourth of July at Solomon's Pools. We packed a picnic lunch of fried chicken and cole slaw, a blanket to sit on, lots of drinks and baseball gloves and softballs.
We drove two minutes north, out of Efrat's gate, and straight into the parking area of Solomon's Pools. American olim packed the entire area with cars and gymboree, baseball tosses and tag. The celebrations were innocent, gay and filled with laughter.
The giant pools, built during the Hasmonean Era to bring water from Hebron to the Temple Mount, were impressive, even twenty years ago - although they were filled with mucky filth. Just separating Bethlehem and Efrat, Solomon's Pools and a JNF (Jewish National Fund) Forest unfortunately were never renovated and made into the major tourist attraction they should have been.
But we Efratians still enjoyed our July 4 celebrations there. Jewish children - ex-New Yorkers, Clevelanders, Atlantans and the rest - ate their cotton candy and stood around the pools (not too close) wondering how deep they were, and if they really contained "poisoned water" like their mothers claimed.
When Oslo "peace" came, Efratians were no longer allowed to visit Solomon's Pools. We weren't even allowed to drive passed there any more.
But we still know that right on the other side of the Dagan Hill is a piece of Jewish history that ties us to our ancestors more than 2000 years ago. One day we will return to Solomon's Pools, picnic there once again, and this time, clean them and restore them to the majesty they once knew.
Thank you, A Picture A Day, for always making us appreciate our land, our heritage, and our ancient ties here.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Hava Nagila Renewed

When chazan (cantor)-turned rock star Neil Diamond turned to his father Laurence Olivier in the remake of The Jazz Singer, and promised he had not lost his Jewish soul, he provided proof by looking deep into his father's eyes and singing slowly, "Ha-va-na-gi-la, Ha-va-na-gi-la, Ha-va-na-gi-la, V'nis-m-cha."
What??? What on earth did Hava na gila have to do with Judaism?
Written by Avraham Zvi Idelsohn in 1918, it was supposedly meant to celebrate the British victory over the Ottomans. That doesn't sound Jewish to me.
But the truth is that just about every non-Jew, as well as Jews from every walk of life, looked at Hava nagila as a symbol of the Jewish people for almost 100 years.
Every Jewish simcha of secular or assimilated Jews plays Hava nagila as its hora.

The Song

Hava nagila ve-nismeḥa (Let us sing and be happy).
Uru, uru aḥim! (awake, my brothers)
Uru aḥim be-lev sameaḥ (awake, brothers, with a happy heart).
While we know "Mitzva gedola l'hiyot b'simcha"(it is a big mitzva to be happy," Hava nagila always reminded me more of mixed dancing horas, than any kind of Jewish symbol - that is, until last week.
But singers like Harry Belafonte, Connie Francis and even Choirs from Texas to Tokyo perform the song for their Jewish crowds.

Rethinking Hava Nagila

When American JewishWhen chazan (cantor)-turned rock star Neil Diamond turned to his father Laurence Olivier in the remake of The Jazz Singer, and promised he had not lost his Jewish soul, he provided proof by looking deep into his father's eyes and singing slowly, "Ha-va-na-gi-la, Ha-va-na-gi-la, Ha-va-na-gi-la, V'nis-m-cha."
What??? What on earth did Hava na gila have to do with Judaism?
Written by Avraham Zvi Idelsohn in 1918, it was supposedly meant to celebrate the British victory over the Ottomans. That doesn't sound Jewish to me.
But the truth is that just about every non-Jew, as well as Jews from every walk of life, looked at Hava nagila as a symbol of the Jewish people for almost 100 years.
Every Jewish simcha of secular or assimilated Jews plays Hava nagila as its hora.

The Song

Hava nagila ve-nismeḥa (Let us sing and be happy).
Uru, uru aḥim! (awake, my brothers)
Uru aḥim be-lev sameaḥ (awake, brothers, with a happy heart).
While we know "Mitzva gedola l'hiyot b'simcha"(it is a big mitzva to be happy," Hava nagila always reminded me more of mixed dancing horas, than any kind of Jewish symbol - that is, until last week.
Rethinking Hava Nagila
When American Jewish Olympic gymnast, Aly Raisman took the gymnastic floor with a nearly perfect performance to the tune of Hava Nagila, the crowd and viewers worldwide went crazy. Aly Raisman herself chose to dance to Hava Nagila to show off her Jewishness. And then when Aly won a gold medal for her routine during the 2012 London Olympic Games, she said it was even more meaningful to her because it occurred on the 40th anniversary of the Munich Massacre of 11 Jewish Israeli athletes (the athletes to whom the International Olympic Committee would not dedicate one minute of silence..
Since the Neil Diamond episode, I have always looked on Hava Nagila with disdain. But Aly Raisman has helped it regain some status in my eyes.
And if Diaspora Jewry knows very little else besides this song, well ... I'm pleased that Aly Raisman gave the song another turn around the gymnastics floor.