Yeah, so where have you been? I mean, it’s not like you’re living in a foreign country, some 6,000 miles away. YOU should be the one writing a blog, not me. I mean, life here in Israel is totally normal. I’m trying to learn what’s going on in the states, and you’re doing a lousy job of keeping me in the loop.

Hmmm…maybe this reverse-guilt thing doesn’t work so well. Okay, fine, so I’ve been a slacker. According to this website, the last posting I made was September 20th. A full 55 days ago. Yikes. So with humble apologies, and with sincere wishes that you continue to check this site over the next few months, here’s an update on what’s being going on:

First of all, let’s get one thing straight: for all of you who complain about the chagim (holidays) in the states, you ain’t seen nothing until you spend October in Israel. We had a whopping 8 days of work in the month of October. You know how hard it is to put in 100 hours of work in 8 days??? Well, I can tell you: impossible! I came up way short, despite the fact that this, the first week of November, was perhaps one of the busiest weeks I will have in my entire year of working here in Israel.

Before I explain that, I need to back up significantly, as a few things have changed since the last time I wrote almost two months ago. First of all, I have for all intents and purposes stopped my web content job. Technically, I still have a job there, but last month, I only worked one hour for them, and not just because of the aforementioned 8 available work days. I have decided to focus on my development work at HUC, primarily because it was my stated purpose when coming here this year to learn the development trade.

This past week, the Board of Governors (Directors) of HUC, along with the President of the College and the Vice President of Development (a.k.a. my boss), came to Israel, both for the regular board meeting and also to celebrate the ordination of 4 Israeli rabbinic students. This gave me an excellent opportunity to observe how various staff members interact with the Governors, who both serve as the directors of HUC and also as some of the major donors to the institution. It also meant that for the first time since arriving here, I was basically working a full-time schedule. Despite the “long hours” (which were nothing compared to what I used to put in at Hillel and Brandeis-Bardin), I truly enjoyed what I was doing. I learned an immense amount from the week, and I’m looking forward to processing everything with my various mentors, supervisors, and assorted others around here.

Backing up a bit, it strikes me that I should probably mention something about the chagim (holidays) here in Israel, not to mention Julia’s mom’s visit to us during Sukkot. Perhaps the most striking image that will remain with me after we leave Israel was from the night of Yom Kippur. As I walked to services that night, which were held in a beautiful room with a truly stunning view overlooking the walls of the old city, I noticed that the quiet that had descended on Jerusalem was much more intense than any Shabbat had been. Leaving services a few hours later, I noticed that every traffic light in the city had been shut off, and that the only vehicles on the roads were those of emergency services. A group of us decided to walk down to Emek Refaim, a street that on any normal night has cars backed up for blocks looking for a parking space near the dozens of restaurants and bars. On this night, the entire street had been taken over by people. Thousands of people were milling around in the middle of the street, greeting old friends, chatting, people watching, all without a car in sight. It was amazing to recognize that, while for most of the people there the religious aspect of the day was completely irrelevant, there was still a collective marking of the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.

During Sukkot, Julia’s mom Emily came for a visit. This worked out nicely for us, as HUC was closed for all of Sukkot. We spent a few days here in Jerusalem giving Emily a sneak-peak into our lives here, and then we set out through the rest of the country to show her around. In four days, we covered a good deal of distance, from Tel Aviv to Tzfat to the Kinneret to Masada. At the tail end, Emily got to spend a day in classes with Julia, and visit Yad Vashem (the Israeli Holocaust museum) and Har Hertzl (Israel’s answer to Arlington Cemetery) as part of her class trip.

At the end of it, I think Emily not only had a good time, but was fairly impressed with the life we’ve set up here (I’m sure she’ll read this and correct me if I’m wrong!). We really have come a long way from the first few weeks when shopping for a jug of milk was a major ordeal. I think that, while I’m sure we’ll be very happy to return back to the States, Julia and I now finally feel like we can call Jerusalem home for the next few months. I say this while recognizing that winter is nearly upon us and that the cold and rainy months will probably take their toll on our morale. In the meantime, life is good and we’re happy, and what more can I ask for?