Pushing onward to the goal!

Never before in my life has the saying "Home is where the heart is" meant so much to me. With this post I hope to answer the questions people have raised in the comments section of my blog and also give a brief insight into how I feel at this point in my journey. I hope I remember what questions were asked. The one most of you have been asking is in regards to the atmosphere around here with the war going on. The honest truth is that I can hardly tell that anything is happening. I hear bits and pieces about peoples opinion on what is going on, but aside from that life is going on as normal. One could ask the question how do you define normal? It is definately not normal in terms of American life. The security here is unbelievably tight. For the most part whenever you enter a mall, or resteraunt, or shop, or any public area, you have to go through a metal detector or security guard. It is definately a different world over here. To give one opinion on the war that I heard, I will relate a story told by the manager of the hostel I am staying at. He told me about the war in 1967, how he was a boy and enjoyed watching the bombs flying overhead and collecting the shells. It was like 4th of july. Then he told of when he was 17 and lived on a kibbutz, and during that war (don't remember which one it was) he had to run the telephones at the office and get the calls telling of the older boys who had died. Through all of that he said he has never been for war, except in this case. He said it is a necessity, that this is the first time in his whole life that he has ever been for war. All that aside, to address the question of food, it is great! I love Falafel. It is definately expensive to eat out at resteraunts but there are so many of them and they are all really good. There is a market called Machaneh Yehuda market where you can get things really cheap. I am definately going to do the majority of my shopping there. I hope that answers most of the questions and if there is anymore pressing inquiries, just make a comment and I would love to get to it. Now, as to how I feel, I must be honest and say that I am a little dejected. I had all these high hopes about the Land and for the most part, all of them have been crushed. It is a good feeling to actually know first hand what it is like here, but that knowledge is a little overwhelming for me. In America, the night life is hidden for the most part, which is not the case here. Right out my front door are bars, clubs, and people looking to party. Being that I am by myself over here, I am very anxious to meet people and make friends. The problem is that the people I meet smoke dope and really like to drink and party. This is definately not my scene. So my hope is to get in contact with more believers in my area and I really hope that on campus I will find a good group of people. As the saying goes, bad company corrupts good morals. I have no intention of falling in with this crowd, but I can definately feel it beating me down. Last Erev Shabbat I went to Rabbi Mochli's, which was a good experience. For any who aren't familiar with the name, Mr. Mochli and his family take in people from all over to share their Erev Shabbat meal with them. It was particularly crowded this time because there was a lot of people from the north who came down to get away from the war. All together though it was fantastic. The best part however was walking home in the middle of the street. The town really does shut down on Sabbath. All that to say, the highlight of my day is looking at my blog to see all the comments from my family and friends. The encouragement that you all give me is a blessing that I will never forget and it is the hope of returning to all of you that keeps me going. There is so much more on my mind but I will save it for another post. I know you all lead busy lives, so I really appreciate the time you take out to connect with me on my blog. Here are a few more pictures that I have taken over the past couple days.

With much love in Yeshua,
Jesse

P.S. I met a man from France who just arrived in Israel about two days ago. I had the pleasure of meeting him on the day he arrived. The significant thing about this man is that he walked to Jerusalem from France! He said it was about 7,500 kilometers. I can't even imagine. I was just so thankful that I was able to be here when he achieved his goal.

This is a view from Masada, looking out to the dead sea.















On the right is me with a stack of money from all around the world. It belongs a guy that I met who has been travelling for 8 months.

The Lowest point on earth!

In just one week, so much can happen. Where to start? On Tuesday I went to Hezekiah's tunnel and Warren's Shaft. These are both right outside the old city, in the city of David. The shaft was quite an adventure but the best thing was Hezekiah's tunnel. This was by far the best thing I have done yet. It is a tunnel that was dug 2'700 years ago by king Hezekiah to get water to the city, when the Assyrians were going to attack the city. The trek is about 40 minutes long in a pitch black tunnel with water going up to your knees. Half way through the tunnel my sandal broke and I had to do the rest of it barefoot, which was quite difficult. After emerging victorious, me and the two guys I was with (I met them at my hostel) decided to head to the Western Wall. When we got there they had a huge gathering, well over 5'000 people. I am still not sure what it was all about, but I think it was for the new month. It truely left me awestruck. On the next day, I took a bus down to Masada and visited the desert fortress. I met a couple people on the bus and ended up being invited to stay in Mexico City, so that was interesting. Masada itself was remarkable. The most memorable part for me was the synagogue that the zealots had built during their stay in the fortress. It is still used for Bar Mitzvah's and other special ceremonies. After we did a tour of Masada, I hiked down the

snake path, much to the chagrin of the tour guide. It was a blast. After Masada we went to the Dead Sea and it was awesome. You hear so much about floating in it, but once you actually get in, then you know. You really can't sink. It is indescribable. I also did the mud treatment where you put all the mud on you, let it dry, and then wash it all off with sulfur water. The sulfur water tasted and smelled so bad it was almost not worth it. Afterward though, my skin felt great. Today I just relaxed and prepared for Shabbat. I went to the Machaneh Yehuda market and got some Chalah and cantalope and a few other things. Tomorrow I will try to find a good place for Erev Shabbat and a good place for Shabbat. I love you all and miss you very much.

Love,
Jesse

P.S. I am just going to post a couple pictures without text because they are fun to look at!

Contact has been made!

Well, today I took a journey a little bit outside of the main city and visited two recently acquired friends (acquired sounds so bad doesn't it?) I met Rose Derenzo and Astrid. Rose went to Beit Hallel until she moved to Moses Lake and Astrid is from Holland, both of which are currently in the Sarell program (I know for a fact I spelled that wrong, so please correct it in a comment). Rose gave me a tour of the facilities and introduced me to the staff and some of the residents. It was truely a blessing. We talked for a while and I was fortunate enough to each lunch with Rose and Astrid. It was my first free meal in Jerusalem! After we parted ways, I caught the bus back to Jaffa Rd. and went back to my hostel. A few minutes later I left to walk to Mt. Zion to meet with David Dolan who was supposed to speak at the Mt. Zion hotel. This was all to no avail, as I never did find him. I could have had the times or the place mixed up. I would say it was a nice walk, and the scenery was truely breath taking, but it was a long and arduous walk. Of course, all the walks are long and arduous. I forget what it feels like to be depending upon my feet. All that to say, it was a great day. Thursday I am signed up for a tour to Masada and the Dead Sea. That should be interesting.

Until next time,

Jesse

Egged 99

Dream

When I grow up and get to be twenty, I'll travel and see this world of plenty, In a bird with an engine, I will sit myself down.Take off and fly into space, far above the ground. I'll fly and cruise and soar up high, Above a world so lovely into the sky. And so delighted by all the world's charms, Into the heavens I will take off and not have a bother, the cloud is my sister, the wind is my brother.

Abramek Koplowicz Murdered in Aushwitz at the age of 14.

Sorry to start off with something so heavy, but this poem hit me hard today. I decided to venture out and walk to the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem, and once there I found egged bus 99. A double decker bus which tours the city of Jerusalem for two hours for only 45 shekels. You can get off at any point during the tour and pick the bus up two hours later at the same place, which is what I did today. My stop: Yad Vashem, Israel's holocaust memorial. I was able to tag along with a tour (yes I even asked their permission) and I learned a lot of very valueable information. The tour itself winds down in a logical pattern of rooms, in chronological order of events. After about the first three stations, I found myself very angry, because it was describing how Nazi Germany came to be. Then I found out that I had taken too long reading everything in the first three and I was being rushed on, for they were closing in twenty minutes. Luckily I found that poem Dream, which hit me like a ton of bricks when I read it. I thought of Ryan, who is twenty years old, travelling much like this young boy longed to do (I know Ryan, I am only four months older, but twenty fits the poem better than twenty-one). I only hope that Ryan and I might honor our family and friends back home by how we live our lives in regards to travelling, something many longed to do, and never got the chance. Well, onto lighter matter. A nice piece of irony, I got on the bus today and went to turn on my camera, when low and behold (I've never actually written that phrase out, is it lo or low? oh well) my batteries were dead. So to sum my day up, I saw pretty much all of Jerusalem in a nutshell and got some awesome views on top of Mt. Scopus and various other places, but you don't get to see them! I highly recommend that anyone coming to Israel do this tour. I was a little braver today as far as walking is concerned. On my way back from the bus station I got lost and ended up taking the longest possible route to get to my hostel, but the journey was fun. In Israel, as many know, there are certain places that are less than welcome to visitors. The other day, while walking back from the old city, I found myself lost and walking straight into Mea She'arim. Although I find it a little more inviting than stories have portrayed, it's still a place I don't want to just wander into. Well, I hope you don't get bored by all the text, there will be plenty of pictures in the months to come.

Shalom!

Jerusalem: The City of Gold

At last, I made it to Israel. Here's a brief rundown of what has happened so far. On the flight from Newark to Poland, I am pretty sure I was the only one who spoke English. After that I got grilled by security in Poland, and after many questions and having them take everything out of my bags, I was allowed to get on the plane. Once in Tel Aviv, I took a taxi to Hotel Maxim which is right on the beach, but they were full. I then proceeded to walk down the road a bit and found a best western hotel, and got a room for the night. It was quite expensive, but it was nice to get my stuff off my back. That night I took a walk around town, and I felt a little overwhelmed because everything was Hebrew, and I didn't understand a lick of it. Of course, I had extreme jet lag and so hardly slept. This morning, I went to a post office, and got a couple phone cards. I found the bus that takes me to central bus station in Tel Aviv. With plans in motion, I decided to take a break and swim in the Meditteranean (hope I spelled that right!). It was an awesome feeling, swimming in a place where so much has happened historically. I check out of the room at 12:oopm and went to the central bus station. There I caught a bus to Jerusalem. It was wierd sitting next to all the IDF soldiers, with their guns just laying about. Anyways, when I got to Jerusalem, I caught a taxi to Ben Yehuda street. I found a hostel right at the end of the street where it connects with Jaffa Rd. It is called Jerusalem Hostel, and I got a room for three nights. It seems to be the best place as far as money is concerned. With a place to put my stuff again, I set out for the old city. It was a short walk from where I am. You hear so much about it, but it still took my breath away. I went on a tour inside the tower of david and then lounged in the courtyard of a hotel called Christ's church. I didn't really do much in the old city, my main goal was just to find it and get a little taste. Tomorrow I will go down to the Western Wall for erev shabbat. For now, I will go down Ben Yehuda street and visit the shops. Please keep me in prayer. By the way, if you look at my profile, I can't seem to change the astrology stuff, so pay no mind to it please.

And so it begins...

It's a curious thing, the feeling you get just a day before going on a long journey. I feel an almost unbareable anxiety within my chest just thinking about all the things I will see and experience. Yet along with the anxiety comes a strange feeling, the longing to come home. You might ask "how can you long to come home when you haven't left?" Everything is changing, and I long for the comfort I had just the day, or week before. Now everything is packed, all the rooms are bare and the feeling of home has left. Along with the empty house, my mind is no longer set to go to work, day after day. I don't have to write any more papers, and the continuity of the "system" has ceased to exist. Joy and sorrow co-exist to create a bittersweet time in my life. I can't wait to find myself staring at Jerusalem, completely awestruck. But I must say, I miss my family so much already. Saying all the goodbyes was hard, but I had so much fun, the blessing outshined the goodbyes. All that to say, it is going to be a life changing experience for me, and I can't wait to share it with you all.