September 13, 2002
Israel | Hebrew Union College |
Travel | Family |
Fun | Thoughts |
Recent Photos | Home
First of all, thank you for all the kind notes and wishes for a sweet new year. Beginnings are such a good part of life -- that chance for renewal and growth. Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the 10 days in between certainly count as one such beginning. They say that "On Rosh Hashanah it is written (what your year ahead will hold) and on Yom Kippur it is sealed." Meaning that the ten days in between provide the opportunity to make changes and set positive goals -- a chance to become your best you before the "Book of Life" is sealed. I like this concept/opportunity so much, in fact, that when the actual holidays have come and gone I try to apply it to every day of the year. I wake up with a mini-Rosh Hashanah and go to sleep with a mini-Yom Kippur, giving me all the time in between to make positive changes. And that's what I love most about beginnings -- they're ready for the making at any time.
Amidst the philosophizing, Mark and I had some great experiences this week. The whole HUC group went on a day trip to "Neot Kedumim" -- a natural landscape reserve in between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Our tour guide was a wealth of knowledge and the reserve was just beautiful. Mark even volunteered to try out being a shepherd (it's much harder than it looks! :). We ended the tour with a fabulous lunch -- each dish with an interpretive sign next to it related to its connection to the reserve. It was the first time I had date honey... deeeelicious. :) We don't have our photos downloaded yet, but I'll attach one from this trip next week.
I also began working on another video project, this time for an anniversary party here in Jerusalem later this month. And I continue to learn HTML with my girlfriends every week. Hopefully it won't be long before all this learning materializes into an actual web site. Definitely after our trip to Turkey (we return in early October).
September 11 was remembered in many ways -- on personal and communal levels. The students organized a meaningful prayer service in the morning and the school, along with the Interreligious Council of Jerusalem, held an event on campus later in the afternoon. There were representatives, ambassadors, dignitaries, rabbis, priests, sheiks, muftis -- you name it -- from several religions and countries. There were speeches and prayers and poems and music. The highlight was the 4th grade choir from an Arab and Jewish bilingual school (striving to be a model for coexistence). The song was written by the students and they sang it with such spirit, it really touched me. Later, we did a lot of watching (CNN) and reading and remembering and wondering and questioning. I'll never be able to understand such hatred. My energy is better spent in other ways, though, than to try and understand something so evil.
I wish you all a wonderful weekend and a week of goodness.
Love,
Rachel Ann
