Bootcamp, Exams, Military Exercises, and much more, IDF style

Family and Friends,
I hope that all of you are well and enjoying a return to school and work. I wish you a very happy, healthy, and productive Shana Tova (New Year)!
My apologizes on the delay of another installment, but as you'll read, I've been quite busy.

A few reminders/updates:
- Many new pictures and past updates on my blog nadavweinberg.blogspot.com. I have added pictures from "bootcamp," a tour of Kibbutz Yiftach, and more.
- Please note a slight change in my address. Also, shipping in Israel, please use Hebrew, otherwise use English (I don't think the USPS is up on their Hebrew):

Nadav Weinberg
Kibbutz Yiftach
Garin Tzabar 2008
D.N. Marom Galel
Israel 13840

I ended my last entry by saying that I was on my way to Gadna, Israel's mini pre-IDF bootcamp for High Schoolers. The intent of Gadna, is as simple as previously stated, a week-long course that has participants assimilate the army by waking up at 6 am, marching, being yelled at, given orders to do in unrealistic time periods, eating out of cans, and being introduced to the standard issue M-16. I was expecting a much more rigorous week that pushed our bodies physically with runs and calisthenics, but most of the time we were told to run 10 meters at a time, and then yelled at for 2 minutes on how we did it incorrectly. Another 10 meter run and one person would not be in perfect attention form and we would get yelled at again. Repeat this over and over, and over the course of 5 days and you begin to laugh at the shear ridiculous nature of Gadna. When we were not being yelled at, we were picking up trash around the base and learning about the M-16.

There are two stories that I remember with great detail. The first day we were told to fill our individual canteens, called a meymiah, paint our faces, and one lucky person (it is always the largest kid in each group; I'll let you guess who that one was...me) got to carry a 5 gallon Jerrycan on his back. After an extensive march, we went over a few other aspects of a neshek (gun) as well as crawling tactics. This was followed by fake grenade throwing and diving around like idiots while hiding in the shetach (field). The light at the end of the tunnel was lunch: a splendid feast of tuna fish, olives, peppers (all canned) and bread. The only course missing was Luf, the Kosher IDF Spam, which I'll take a pass on for as long as possible. The catch to eating our food was two-fold: we were 19 men and were given the equivalent rations of 12 girls, and the four inch can opener we were given (yes, that is singular), was broken. To say that mayhem ensued is an understatement. I have a vivid image in my mind that mirrors our primitive ancestors of 19 men screaming and ripping bread from each other while smashing cans with blunt rocks. With blood pouring from fingers, the sweet victory of opening a can of red peppers was relished for only seconds before a swarm of 5 men overtook the can, pouring its contents directly into their mouths. The goal was to allocate the resources as equally as possible, taking care of each member, a task we failed miserably at. No worries, we'll have 2+ years to figure that one out.
The second story occurred that same night as we went on another march at night and told that we would have a game of capture the flag. We were given 2 minutes to disguise ourselves while the soldiers scattered around the hill, and placed our flag, a glowstick, on the top tree. Still carrying the Jerrycan, I crawled up the hill before being tagged out halfway up (quite impossible to crawl with 5 gallons of water splashing around on your back). I took off the Jerrycan for the second attempt and got within 10 feet of the glowstick before someone in front of me moved and we were spotted. The next day we were marching past the same hill and looking at it, we were delighted to see that we had been crawling in tons of cow manure in every direction.

The two major points that I draw from Gadna are that the IDF takes a very meticulous approach to teaching every soldier to respect the power and danger of weapons and at times, taking orders from an 18 year old girl are harder than I thought. Regardless, our mefakedit (commander) was the best at the base and treated us with great respect.

On a side note, going back to the M-16, each group was required to carry 2 M-16s and we had several classes explaining in detail what each part of the weapon is, does, and how to respect the nature of the weapon. At the end of the week we got to shoot 11 rounds under strict supervision. Although it was only for a short time, I came away with a great fear and respect for the M-16. While so many 18 year olds around me were ecstatic with getting to shoot an assault rifle, I took a minute to consider the sheer force and danger that the weapon has and the realization that at the pull of the trigger I can end someone's life. For so many 18 year olds it is clear that they are living their Halo dream, I only hope that they also respect the weapon, because they are the future of the world's most ethical military.

It seems almost every week that we have another meeting with someone from the IDF, but we recently had our two most important meetings, Sav Rishon and Yaionot Shirutz. Sav Rishon is literally translated as "first calling" where to-be-soldiers take a series of tests that include an extensive hour and a half interview, a physical exam, and a psychometric exam. The interview was conducted exclusively in Hebrew and was an at-ease dialogue about my family, background, and reasons for making Aliyah and joining the IDF. The trickiest part was when I was given two sentences and asked to read them and define random words in each sentence while explaining the meaning of the sentence in whole. The best analogy I can surmise is the following: imagine that you have just come to America with a basic understanding of English, and are given two lines of Shakespeare to read. Most of us struggle to understand Shakespeare despite reading several of his works (I know I'm one of them), but try reading a paragraph without being fluent in English and you'll be firmly in my shoes. Similarly, most of the words I was given are very high Hebrew that very few Israeli's use or know. This was followed by my interviewer reading me two sentences very quickly and repeating them while I was told to write out each sentence to check my writing and spelling abilities.
The physical exam is similar to any physical you take for work or a sport's team. My blood was tested for a variety of diseases, as well as blood pressure, eye, height and weight, and a myriad of other exams. I'm happy to say that despite my very poor eyes (-4.75 in each eye), I still scored a perfect 97 which allows me to do just about any unit in the military. The psychometric exam was conducted on a computer and was a 25 minute exam testing one's visual and spacial reasoning. We were given two different exams similar to SAT word analogies (apple:carrot fruit:???) except with 2- and 3-dimensional objects. Everyone looks like a fool sitting at a computer and twisting his hands around in the air imagining what a certain object looks like rotated 90 degrees to the left, introverted, and adding a square in the middle.

Yaionot Shirutz is the "placement interview" day where we were given a 20 page questionnaire to fill out that includes every question you could ever imagine and a 40 question section with open ended sentences that you have to finish in under 20 minutes. The IDF loves the kinds of questions that force you to respond with your first instinct, it shows your true colors without having time to think. During the questionnaire we had two different interviews: the first was with a woman who asked us straightforward questions on why we came, what we want to do in the IDF, and why, and the second with a man who wanted the same information but said simply, "tell me about yourself." Again, all interviews were done in Hebrew, and the two played good cop, bad cop with the woman being very friendly and the man scouring over my answers and nodding in a slightly disapproving manner. However at the end of my interview when he asked where I wanted to go, I kept insisting Nachal (which happened to be his unit as well) and after giving my reasons, he nodded and said, "well, looks like that's where you'll go then." Although I don't have it in writing, it's looking pretty positive on me going to Nachal!

The last big activity that I have been a part of was watching a massive military exercise in the southern tip of Israel by Eilat. Led by Shirion, the tank unit, we were able to see an exercise on a makeshift terrorist village that included Merkava tanks shooting from all directions, engineers looking for mines, snipes taking out select targets, and ground troops sprinting to different spots while neutralizing terrorist targets (all with live fire). All in all it was quite the feat to watch, but frightening at the same time. Until you have stood 50 yards from a Merkava 4 tank shooting at full range, you can never really understand the brutal force of these killing machines. Again I find myself learning to respect all of these weapons in many different ways. It is quite the scary thought to think that I will be one of those soldiers in less than a month! (You can see a few pictures on the blog, but I was only able to take a couple of pictures before the IDF forced us to turn our cameras off for security purposes).

All in all not too much else is new. Days tend to blend together with a cycle of Hebrew Ulpan, running/swimming, tutoring, and group activities. I had my first breakthrough in Hebrew where things are starting to come together. Still far from fluent, I have gained the ability to speak on most subjects with some ease and words are starting to come to my tongue quicker and quicker. It's exciting, but I am all too cognizant of how much further I still have to go!

From the land of Milk and Honey, I wish you a sweet and successful New Year!
Love and VDBL,

Nadav Weinberg

Finally Home: Kibbutz Yiftach!

Family and friends,
I hope that you are all having a great end to the summer. I have been in contact with many of you and appreciate your thoughts and prayers while I'm over here. Please continue to correspond, it is great to hear from all of you.

As I said at the end of my last entry, several members of my Garin planned a trip to Eilat, Israel's "resort." Famous for its diving and snorkeling, Eilat is located at the southern most tip of Israel along the Red Sea. Following a 5 hour bus ride from Tel Aviv, we were greeted by 110 degree heat; it's dry, so you actually don't sweat as it evaporates right away, very dangerous. As we were only there for 5 days and snorkeling courses are at least 5 days, we opted to sit seaside, snorkel, ATV in the desert, and go out to the bars at night. Although a nice vacation, Eilat would have been much more fun in the winter and if I was 15-17 years old (the vast majority of the people fit that age range). This was the first vacation I've taken where I preferred to not leave the comfort of my air conditioned room and when we did leave the room, we looked for the closest store with A/C. Waiting for the bus back to Tel Aviv, there was a bomb scare at the bus station (it happens all the time as people get on a bus and forget a piece of luggage behind. We were all told to evacuate the perimeter and watched from a distance as the bomb squad pulled out their robot and actually shot the bag. Meanwhile my shoes were melting into the concrete in the 115 degree heat.

The last weekend before my move to Kibbutz Yiftach, I went to Jerusalem to meet with good family friends, the Cook's, before Shabbat dinner with John Medved and his family. The Cook's are one of the sweetest families you will find in Israel, and I had the pleasure of meeting their daughter Lia and Mrs. Cook's mother, in town for a granddaughter's Bat Mitzvah. After spending the day with the Cook's, I met John Medved, his family, and good friends in the Germany Colony of Jerusalem for services and one of the best meals I have had in Israel. It was my first time in an Orthodox synagogue (the women sit in the back) but it was a wonderful service and enjoyed davening on Tisha Ba-av (commemoration of the destruction of the Jewish Temples). The Medved family is from the US and made Aliyah in the late 80's, so it was a pleasure to be with American-Israeli's who enjoy a 6-course exquisite meal and a fine single-malt whiskey for dessert: a page out of my playbook. Mrs. Medved made sure I helped serving dessert and cleaning afterwards, a sign from Mr. Medved that I am invited back. The Medved sons and daughter are very mature and well versed in the Torah and Tanach; stories and explanations of the weekly Torah reading were topics of discussion by the siblings. Hoping to meet with the Medved's in the near future and getting to talk a little business with Mr. Medved who is a successful business man in Israel with a history in Venture Capital and is currently CEO of Vringo.

Rabbi Weiss (one of my Rabbi's from Bnai Jeshurun Congregation, my synagogue in Cleveland) led a tour of Israel with about 30 synagogue members and Clevelanders. I had the opportunity of meeting up with the group at the Palmach Museum (Palmach was one of the first fighting forces of Israel in the 1940's) and spoke about my decision to move to Israel, join the IDF, and my experiences over the past two months. It was a rewarding experience to share my philosophies and ideologies in patriotism and duty. I have previously mentioned how soldiers are treated specially in Israel and I had my first direct experience. While speaking to the Cleveland group, I was explaining my decision to join the IDF and the man working the snack shop gave me a free ice coffee and said, "this is for you, soldier." Although I have not received my uniform and am not officially a soldier, it was a small moment that made me realize that this is actually happening. It been so easy to talk about this over the past few years, rough to say good bye, and even living here it hasn't seemed real. At that moment I realized I was integrated and accepted in Israel, and even more, appreciated.

Of the family I have in Israel, I have become closest with the Samban family (my father's mother's family). Samulito and Cha'i are the parents with three daughters: Rivka, Michal, and Ruti. Rivka is married to Chemi and have 4 daughters. The oldest, Noga, just had her wedding, and the second oldest, Roni, is getting married in a few weeks, and the third daughter, Gili, is engaged. Last week, I went down to the Northern Negev for Noga's wedding with Michal and Ruti and their children. It was a beautiful and cozy wedding with about 150 people. Noga's husband is an aspiring musician and his band performed at the wedding. Check the blog post for pictures and videos of the wedding: nadavweinberg.blogspot.com. Apparently a very famous musician is a friend of Noga's husband and performed a few songs at the wedding; don't know who he is, but his music was amazing and everyone rushed to the dance floor immediately. As if I haven't learned by now, I brought a tie with me to the wedding. Everyone laughed at me, and when I saw that even the groom wasn't wearing a tie, I opted against it. First of three weddings, I'll be prepared for the next two.

The same day of the wedding was the official opening ceremony for Garin Tzabar. All 160 or so of us attended and were supported by thousands of family members and previous Garin members from years past. Again you can see the pictures on the blog. There were several speakers, ranging from high ranking generals to past shaliachs (Israelis who live in different cities around the world to help strengthen the bond between the Jewish communities and Israel). One of the speakers was the Director of the Ministry of the Interior (he looks like a South American dictator), who was surrounded by two personal Mossad agents, and gave a heart warming speech where he elucidated his pride for our decision and its importance to the State of Israel. If my previous coffee-soldier moment wasn't enough of a wake up, I sat in my seat almost dumbfounded as it dawned on me that my decision was officially coming to fruition. I was proud to have both Michal and Ruti there to support me.

The following day, I met up with the rest of my Garin at our Kibbutz, Yiftach, following a short 4 hour bus ride from Tel Aviv. I was greeted warmly by staff on the Kibbutz who insisted that I eat immediately. I unpacked all of my suitcases; a great feeling knowing that I will not have to repack and move somewhere in the next two years! The following days were filled with poolside games, relaxation, eating, basketball, running, and group activities. We have recently started an Ulpan and I am taking every opportunity to speak and think in Hebrew. It continues to be a frustrating process but as the Israeli's say, "לאט,לאט", "slowly, slowly." There is a Garin from 2007 at Yiftach and they have all been extremely helpful with army stories, recommendations, and tips for the Kibbutz. The best part for me is meeting them and hearing stories about how for some, their Hebrew was worse than mine, but after diligent work, they all speak fluently now.

Kibbutz life is great. I am taking an Ulpan in the morning, swimming and relaxing by the pool in the afternoon, studying, and participating in group activities. My bed almost fits me (I actually have metal bars at each end), and my room was 90 degrees. Ilan, my best friend here and roommate, bought two fans, and after opening the door, opening the one window, and maximizing the cross-breeze potential of the room, we have been able to hit a consistent 86 degrees in the room! We've been leaving the door open at night because it is simply too hot otherwise, so we have both been woken up by flies. On a less sarcastic and more positive note (I actually love it here, don't get me wrong), the food is amazing and healthy; we help with the cooking, but we have an "Eema and Abba" (mother and father) who do most of the cooking. My dream of having a dog has partially come true as there are several kibbutz dogs who roam the campus and stop by my room every night.

I am leaving tomorrow for Gadna, a pre-army 5-day exercise that gives us an idea of what it's like to wake up at 5 AM and run, crawl, and carry a gun. Although it is meant for high schoolers, this is a special experience for those of us in Garin Tzabar. Can't wait to get yelled at and have no idea what my commander is telling me!

I finally have a permanent address. In English:

Nadav Weinberg
Kibbutz Yiftach
D.N. Marom Galel
Israel 13840

In Hebrew (preferred):

נדב ויינברג
קיבוץ יפתח
ד.נ. מרום גליל
ישראל 13840

I wish those of you returning to school a successful year, and to everyone my warmest regards from my sub-6' bed.
Love and VDBL,

Nadav Weinberg

Double check your IDF Slang!

Family and friends,
I hope that you and your families are having a relaxing and enjoyable summer.

I'd like to call your attention to the Cleveland Jewish News which as added my blog to its website at: http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/news/blog/israel/blogs/weinberg/
Not sure if there will be any differences between what is listed there and what you will receive, but it is exciting nonetheless. Currently, there are technical difficulties in viewing the blog, but I've been assured that it is being addressed.

Now on to the highlights of my past month in Israel:

Around the time of the last entry I was in Tel Aviv for "Lila Lavan" which translates to "White Night." Much like Kaboom in San Francisco or Bumbershoots in Seattle, it's a citywide festival where thousands upon thousands of people come out for live music, concerts, and drinks. The meaning behind Lila Lavan is that the city never sleeps, it's alive all night and the beach becomes a stage for some of Israel's top singers.
The following night I went out with my roommate, Matthew, from the Ulpan, and taking a cab into the city I had my first extensive conversation in Hebrew with our driver. For the entire 10 minute ride, I spoke to him in Hebrew about making Aliyah and joining the IDF. He asked me where I wanted to go in the IDF and when I replied Nachal, his face lit up like a kid in a candy store and he started screaming about how he was in Nachal and telling me stories about how "Nachal is family" and "all the Nachal soldiers look out for each other." He explained that as a mechanic, he was required to work on the machinery when everyone returned from the field, usually around dinner, and as a result he usually missed the dinner rush. He told me that while his mechanic friends in other units such as Golani and Givati would miss all the food, the Nachal cooks and soldiers always rationed out his dinner ahead of time and set it aside so he would never miss dinner. That was truly a special night: it made me believe that all the hard work I've been putting into Hebrew is coming to fruition and that my decision to join Nachal is a smart one.

One of the reasons that I am serving in the IDF is to give back to the State of Israel. This is a stance that I hope to live my life by and continue to give back to the State throughout my life. As such, I have begun networking with Venture Capitalists to see what exactly they do, how they do it, and what their perceptions on Israel and working with Israel are. I had my first meeting with Jacob Ner-David, Founder and Managing Partner of Jerusalem Capital, several weeks ago. The story itself is quite entertaining so let's begin there. I was supposed to meet with him the previous week, but since the first bulldozer attack was about 2 hours before my meeting, it was canceled. On the bus to my rescheduled meeting, I met two Hebrew University students who after asking me about myself and why I was here, promptly invited me to Shabbat dinner the next evening (more on that dinner to come). The one hour bus ride took an extra 30 minutes to cross Jerusalem thanks to traffic and after updating the receptionist on my status, was told that Mr. Ner-David had to leave earlier than expected and that I would only have 15 minutes to talk with him. Getting off the bus, I sprinted to his office. Mind you, it's 90 degrees, and I'm wearing a light sweater, dress shirt, and slacks--no iron so I had to hide the wrinkles somehow, a sweater seemed like a great idea at the time. Arriving at his office drenched in sweat, I was greeted by Mr. Ner-David who was wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and sandals. After a short yet fruitful discussion on Venture Capital and his take on the opportunities in helping Israel through financial markets, I headed back to my dorm, happy to get out of my dress clothes. The dress code here is a nice change from last summer's suit and tie in New York's humidity, but I still cannot bring myself to show up in a t-shirt and sandals for a meeting with a Venture Capital firm.
As for the Shabbat dinner, it was a wonderful spread of Israeli and Venezuelan staples. There were about 15 people at dinner, of which 10 were Israeli students, a few of us from the Ulpan, and a few Venezuelan students who are studying at Hebrew University. After dinner we were sitting around talking and I looked out the window and saw a tree on fire. Before you know it, then entire area around the tree caught fire, and it grew to about a quarter-acre. We sat in awe as underbrush caught fire and it continued to grow. After 10 minutes the firemen came and put out the brush fire. I've been looking in the newspaper and online for the cause of the fire but cannot find anything. Nothing like a burning bush on Shabbat though!

I have no intent on making my blog a political commentary; my intent is to provide you with vivid accounts of my experiences in Israel. However, following the recent terrorist attacks and prisoner swap, I do have a few words to echo. For those who do not know, there have been several terrorist attacks since I've been here: two separate bulldozer attacks where terrorists have hijacked bulldozers and run over cars and into buses, and one or two other minor attacks. Most recently, Israel came to terms with Hezbollah to exchange five convicted terrorist--including one man, Samir Kuntar, who was serving 542 years in prison after killing 4 Israelis including a 4-year old girl--for two soldiers, Ehud "Udi" Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. It was hoped that the two Israeli soldiers were alive, and the families of each did not know the status of their sons until they saw the coffins unloaded from the plane. To say the least, this was an extremely emotional period for Israel, and signifies the fundamental difference between the terrorists in the region and Israel. The Israel Defense Force's main goal is to maintain the safety of Israeli citizens and to remain defensive at all costs. The soldiers of the IDF are the 18-22 year old citizens of Israel who are required by law to serve and as such are embraced by every family in Israel. PM Olmert explained why Israel paid such a high cost for two of its dead soldiers, "A stranger will not understand what every Israeli understands very well. The fate of every one of our soldiers is the glue that binds us together as a society and allows us to survive in an area that is surrounded by enemies and terror organizations." The following Shabbat, I had dinner with family friends, the Steinberg's, at the father's parent's house. Situated on top of the tallest "hill" in Jerusalem and on the 10th floor of the building, we were able to see Jordanian lights to our left and the flicker of Tel Aviv to our right. In between the Jewish neighborhoods lay dormant, sanctifying Shabbat, while the Arab neighborhoods shot off fireworks to celebrate the return to freedom of one of the most despised men in the world. To live in Israel with hope is a fragile ideology, we always hope for peace but when one sees the dynamic differences in philosophies between many Arabs and the Israeli's it is all too easy to be filled with pessimism. The President of Israel elucidates my sentiments "...if the heavens asked me to which people I would rather belong, the people in mourning over the deaths of two of its soldiers or the people rejoicing in the return of a craven murderer whose mark of Cain can never be erased, the answer is clear."

On a more positive note, the Jerusalem Film Festival was this past month. I went to a viewing of "Mongul," the life of Ghengis Khan. The Jerusalem Film Festival is a surprisingly large and well respected film festival that lasts about two weeks. The catch to the movie I went to, was that it was in Mongolian with Hebrew subtitles. I surprised myself with some proficiency in understanding the story, but needless to say, most of it was over my head.

It was brought to my attention that I have a distant relative, Drew, on my mother's father's side of the family who began Garin Tzabar two years ago! I was in contact with her before I arrived in Israel and since I've been here, I have had the delight of meeting her twice for dinner in Jerusalem. A very determined and outgoing girl, Drew has been a great resource for not only my program, but the IDF (she is also a member of Nachal, and insists that it's where "all the good boys" go). Regardless, it's a delight--and quite the small world--to have a family member my age from the US in Israel.

In my last entry I detailed some of my experiences with the excitement that is bureaucracy in Israel. Well, as it turns out, I was required to return to Beer Sheva last week to sign three identical pieces of paper. The department refused to fax or email it to me and insisted that I come down to sign the paper in person during their convenient times of 3-5 pm Monday and Wednesday. Taking a 40 minute bus ride to the central bus station in Jerusalem, I then took a 1 hour 45 minute bus to Beer Sheva. When I arrived my cousin's fiance, Ayal, met me to help me with the process. Arriving at the office at 2:40, the security guard informed us that I would need to come back the following day at 8 am to sign the papers. Insisting that I called down and they instructed me to come at 3 pm, the guard repeated his stance. When we showed him the letter that was mailed to me, he suddenly decided to inform us of another office that we could go to. Walking to the second office we took a number and waited for an hour. When we were helped, the woman informed us that"this is really simple," and took out three identical pieces of paper and had me sign the bottom of each. That was it. Another two buses back, and my day trip was a simple 9 hour adventure.

Before I tell the next story, I want to preface it by saying that some of the Hebrew I have learned is slang, of which a fair amount is army slang, which has original connotations that I am unaware of. That being said, we have a test every Thursday in my Ulpan and recently one of the sections was to write two paragraphs in Hebrew on how we feel after being in Jerusalem for one month. I explained that it has been a drastic change for me, leaving most of my culture and comforts in Cleveland. I discussed how hard I have been working to learn Hebrew and that I often get frustrated in my studies. Now the word that I learned for frustrated is "shavuz," which is army slang. When I received my test, I had a large red circle around the word and my teacher had written "slang" above it, with a hearty deduction of my grade. After reviewing the test, I asked one of my good friends why she took off for it. He explained that shavuz is actually a contraction of two words, "zayin" and "shavur." Unbeknown to me, these two words literally translate to, "broken penis." One can only imagine how frustrating that can be, and so the crude slang implies such. Note to self: double check the original meaning of slang before you write them on a test.

The Via Dolorosa is the path that Jesus walked from his conviction to his crucifixion and grave. Every Friday there is a pilgrimage of the 14 steps by four monks who chant in Latin, Italian, English, and Spanish. I had the pleasure of joining the large tour a couple of weeks ago. As you can see from my pictures, there is a marking of each of the 14 steps where Jesus fell for the first time, consoled the lamenting women on Jerusalem, etc. You can read about each of steps here: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-via-dolorosa.htm
It was a very interesting and enlightening experience that only comes with the open mind of other's cultures and religions. The last 5 steps (10-14) are in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where Jesus was hung, cleansed, and then buried. You can see in my pictures that it is a tradition to crawl inside the podium and kiss the place where Jesus was crucified, kiss or touch the slate that he was cleansed on, and then enter the tomb where he was buried.

I mentioned in my last post that I was hoping to go to Turkey, but after the recent terrorist attacks, my friends and I decided it would be smarter to travel to Eilat (Israel's resort city) and spend a few days relaxing. I'm hoping to do some hiking up north around the Golan Heights before I am rushed off to my Kibbutz on the 15th.

That is all for now. I will try to update the blog in smaller segments in the future, but I have no idea what my computer accessibility will be. I reiterate my previous sentiments and ask you to download Skype so we can talk for free online. I have already done so with many friends and family and it is a pleasure. You can download Skype for free here: http://www.skype.com/intl/en/download/skype/windows/

Closing in on two months in Israel, I am confident that this will be a truly life changing experience that I will treasure forever. Regardless it has been difficult to leave so much behind, and when I was in a bar in Tel Aviv a few weeks ago, Plush by Stone Temple Pilots (my fraternity's song) came on, and a rush of emotions swept over me. Know that you are all missed.

I wish you all health, happiness, and safety. And don't forget, when you're frustrated, try not to use the word "shavuz!"

Love and VDBL,

Nadav Weinberg

Lost in Translation: Israel

Family and friends,
I hope that each of you and your families are having a relaxing summer and wish you a happy July 4th.
I realize that this post is long overdue, and apologize for its tardiness, but the past 3 weeks have been quite remarkable.
A few people have asked what my itinerary over the next few months and during my tenure in Israel will be, so here it is:

• June 24-July 31: Jerusalem, Hebrew University Ulpan (Hebrew immersion course)
• August 1-14: ??? Hoping to travel with army friends to Istanbul, Turkey, or Jordan or Egypt. If you've been to any of these countries and have some recommendations, please let me know!
• August 14-early November: Moving to Kibbutz Yiftach in northern Israel, just across from Lebanon; working on the kibbutz and more Ulpan
  
• September: Psychometric and other army examinations; start the countdown of 2 years of army service...
  
• early November-May (?): Rumors say that basic training for Kravi (fighting) Units is 6 months.
  
• May (?)-2010: Deployment around Israel for the rest of my 1.5 years of army service

Others have asked about my reasons for serving and about my preparation, both mentally and physically, over the past few months. There were a few articles written about me that answer these questions in depth:
http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2008/05/30/news/local/graduate0530.txt
http://observer.case.edu/Archives/Volume_40/Issue_26/Story_2742/
http://www.bnaijeshurun.org/documents/TidingsJuly08a.pdf


With that all said, here's a recap of the past three weeks:
I departed Cleveland at 6 AM on June 11th and arrived in Tel Aviv on the 12th. The first 10 days I traveled in a compact car around the country with my father living out of a suitcase. As you can imagine, tensions rose on occasion (you do the math: living out of a suitcase and a different city each day with your father), but all in all it was a treat to be (re)introduced to family who I have never seen or have not seen since, as everyone likes to demonstrate by pointing to two feet off the ground and reiterating, "you were this tall!"

The first few days were spent at my father's cousin Rivka and Chemi Cohen's house in the northern Negev at Moshav En Habsour. (A moshav is a farm co-op where each family has its own house and land to conduct agriculture on and sell the agriculture products either collectively or independently). I was re-acquainted with the Cohen daughters (Shlomit, 21, Gili, 25, Roni, 28, and Noga, 30). Tensions with Gaza were surfacing again during our sojourn as a Kassam missile was shot from nearby Gaza and landed just a few miles from En Habsour (the moshav is at most 5 miles from Gaza). As Chemi explained to me, residents of the northern Negev are at odds with the Israeli government as Kassam missiles have continued to pour into the country but Olmert has yet to forcibly retaliate. The kicker is that Israel sends in truck loads of supplies ranging from food to phosphorous daily to aid the Palestinians. However, Hamas and other militant groups have used the phosphorous and Israeli aid to build the Kassam missiles that they then shoot right back into Israel. (Kassam missiles have no guidance systems and are shot randomly with pellets to kill as many people as possible). You can watch CNN day and night, but until you see ashy craters and smell the rancid odor of burnt sand, you do not realize the true day to day fear that Israelis live with.

Just down from the missile attack is Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha, where my father's aunt and uncle Samulito and Chi'a Samban live. From there we traveled north to Tel Aviv to meet Rivka's two sisters, Michal and Ruti, along with their children and significant others (children is a loose term, they are all 25-30 years old). What Jerusalem is to religion, Tel Aviv is to everything else: pubs, restaurants, night life, technology, etc. The Mediterranean Sea is unbelievably warm and an afternoon is not complete without sitting at a cafe and sipping on a mojito or two. In Tel Aviv we visited more family members, one of which, Paul Kebar, was a pilot at 18 in the RAF during WWII and was one of Israels first pilots in 1948. Touring Tel Aviv we stopped by the oldest part of the city where my father spent part of his childhood. Much like in the US, the oldest, most worn parts of cities have become prime real estate for renovations and trendy shopping (including $300 Italian shorts).

Our next stop in Jerusalem took us to family friends, the Steinbergs and Ganchrows, whose American backgrounds were a nice change of pace. My father met with colleagues at Hebrew University and Hadassa Hospital to look into collaborating on future research projects, and I spent the day relaxing, happy to be out of the car. Many more family members later, we stopped by my father's parents' graves in Ashdod, a very emotional experience for both my father and me; it was the first time that I had visited in close to 10 years. At some point I am going to rent a cello and visit their graves to play for my grandparents who provided me the opportunity to take lessons for 10 years but never heard me play; it is the least I owe them.

Changing gears, I want to clarify that although my Garin (army group from the US) does not meet until August 14th, I came early to work on my Hebrew and visit family. That was the good news, the bad news was that instead of waiting for my Garin to help me with my paperwork, my father and I had to handle my Teduat Zeheut (ID card), Teduat Zechaut (essentially returning minor paperwork, I was born in Israel), open a bank account, Ministry of Absorption/Immigration, Aliyah forms, scholarship forms, health care registration, army deferral (they wanted me to join right away), and a few other odds and ends to tie up. I won't go into too much detail regarding the absurdity of where we had to go and what we had to do, but my commentary is reserved to the observation that the Israel bureaucracy is in a league of its own. Patience is the cardinal virtue as each and every stop takes a minimum of 2-3 hours and the hours of operations might as well be on a roulette wheel (banks are open until only 1pm Sunday, Tues, Thurs, but reopen again from 4-6 pm on Mon and Wed....I think...). Regardless, without my father's persistent personality and fluency in Hebrew, I would be as the Israeli's say, "achalt oti," "I'm screwed." To this I owe him a nice bottle of merlot. By coincidence--scratch that, good karma--over Shabbat dinner at the Cohen's house, we were discussing my plans and how I was going to get everything done in just two days, when Roni's fiance, Ayal, mentioned that his mother, Becky, works at the Ministry of Absorption/Immigration, and would help me with the army (a meeting that I spent 20 minutes being interviewed and 2 hours waiting, with only 2 other people in the waiting room), Aliyah, and half of my other paperwork. Bless Becky, because without her, we would still be in line. My roommate on Kibbutz Yiftach has said it best, "Wow, I got my bank account today in just 4 hours, that was a breeze!"

I have just about finished all the paperwork and am now at Hebrew University at Mt. Scopus (Har Hatofim) in Jerusalem, located next to Hadassa Hospital where I was born--22 years and I've made a complete circle! I find it ironic that after four years of college without a class before 10 AM, I have class from 8:30-1:15 five days a week, where English is forbidden in the classroom, and 1-2 hours of homework a night. There are few things more humbling than learning a language after graduating from college; the little grammar nuances that I never learned are torture to imprint in my mind. Regardless, the teachers are unbelievable and in just a week and a half, my Hebrew has improved by leaps and bounds. Being immersed in the language is truly the best way to learn--that being said, the first thing I do after class to clear my mind is plug the iPod in and turn on the country music.

I was watching the movie Lost in Translation a few nights ago to compare my experiences with those of Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray's characters who feel out of place in Japan and with Japanese culture. In one of my favorite scenes, Bill Murray, playing a famous actor, is sitting on a set in a tuxedo, making a commercial for a Japanese whiskey. As he is sitting there, the director goes into several passionate speeches that last a few minutes and the translator reiterates to Bill Murray that the director would like him to use more emotion and turn slower towards the camera. Stunned, Bill Murray asks the translator if that is all the director said considering he spoke for several minutes, and she replies, yes. Similarly, I've discovered that learning Hebrew is not only as frustrating, but the way in which one communicates with others is extremely different than English. What can be said in one minute in English can take two minutes in Hebrew, and furthermore, the way in which one simply wants to express his emotions are completely different. What we would say in English often makes no sense in Hebrew, and vice versa. Therefore, when I think of what I want to say in English and then translate it to Hebrew, I often get blank stares in return. The trick is to learn how to express yourself in Hebrew and not translate from English...a trick that will take just a little bit more work.

I have had the opportunity to go out a few times since I've been here. The first was a moshav party for several of the neighboring moshim and kibbutzim. The party was directly next to all of the cows, but after a few beers everyone seemed to zone out the smell. The party was called "Shira ve-beera," translated directly as "singing and beer." I had the pleasure of teaching Israelis a few drinking games (very unpopular in Israel) which seemed to catch on, but once the singing started, everyone was up, singing and dancing. This was followed by another scene from Lost in Translation where Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson are out in Japan at a club with blaring techno music. Everyone is dancing and quite immersed in the music while Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson are taken back, out of their comfort zone. As you have guessed, the "Shira ve-beera" was followed with techno music, a far cry from my comfort zone of country and hip-hop. I guess that's just something that will take time to get used to...maybe.

I would like to end this first dialogue with something that I have noticed about Israeli culture. Israelis are "salt of the earth" people: people who often have very little, but have the biggest hearts. Each and everyone of my family members and friends insisted that I take their contact info and told me a minimum of three times that their home is my home, and anytime I need anything or a place to stay, I am more than welcome in their house. I have built up a Rolodex of who's who in Israel and at no point will I ever be without a loving family member or friend. For someone who has left his family and friends half way around the world, it is very comforting to know how loved I am.


For contacting me, the best way is usually email: nadav.weinberg@gmail.com.
However, I have subscribed to Skype (a free computer-to-computer calling software) where you can have video conferences with the other person. To download Skype, visit:
http://www.skype.com/intl/en/welcomeback/
Add me as a "contact." You can search for me by either Nadav Weinberg or my contact name, nadav.weinberg


With a sunburn on my shoulders and Hebrew on my tongue, wishing you the best,
Love and VDBL,

Nadav Weinberg