Orthodox Briss 09'

Hey guys, as many of you may have read from the previous blog post I have a new baby nephew. :) My cousin, Alissa, gave birth to a healthy baby boy less than two weeks ago and the briss, held in a synagogue in the religious city of Bnei Brak, was this past Monday. For those you not familiar with Orthodox Jewish practices (like me until coming to Israel) here is the one key that I would say guides this particular lifestyle: you dress and act modestly.

Though different sects of Orthodox Jews believe in slightly different interpretations of "modestly," it generally means the men wear black suits, shoes, full-brim hats, and kippas and women (always) wear skirts that go below the knee (most often to ankle) and stockings so as not to show leg skin (too hot for TV), tops that cover the elbows and chest, and head covering so as not to expose the hair.

In addition, men and women who are not married or directly related cannot touch each other. This also extends to married couples in public where embracing, hugging, kissing, and generally showing affection are considered inappropriate acts.

Orthodox couples are typically introduced through a matchmaker (like my cousin), they "date" for a few weeks to a month, which consists of supervised meetings where they get to know each other. Once they are satisfied with dating, they get married and pretty much as many babies as possible. The rule is generally to be fruitful and multiply up until you can no longer afford to do so.

I won't get into the aspects of the life as it related to the Torah and synagogue because so much can be written regarding the complexities of Shabbat and their relationship to Judaism that it's just not worth my time, buuuut I will explain the briss ceremony, which I had never been through and found interesting enough to write this post on.

Sorry about lack of pictures, but I didn't bring my camera. Next time I see my cousin I'll make sure to get the baby's picture and post it here.

I arrived at the synagogue with my aunt and uncle around 10:45 AM. The briss was supposed to held at 11 AM, but my cousin and her husband were running late, only arriving at 11:20 AM from Jerusalem. According to a certain rule (not sure if it's religious) the baby cannot be fed an hour before the circumcision and my cousin hadn't slept because the baby was demanding to sleep during the day and cry and eat at night. Soon after, the baby was prepped by being placed on a big pillow. Then, all of the men went to the front of the synagogue (women are not allowed in the front) and my cousin-in-law put on a Tallit, a prayer shawl, and read a bunch of prayers. There appeared to be a lot of call-and-response, as oftentimes something would be head by a Rabbi-like figure and all of the other men would repeat it or say something else in unison. [Really interesting fact: Yiddish is still alive and well because after the ceremony almost all of the Orthodox men were speaking Yiddish, rather than Hebrew, to each other.] After several minutes of prayer the baby was circumcised and quickly pacified. The whole process was rather quick lasting only 10-20 minutes. Afterwards, there were cookies available in the synagogue.

There were two circumcisions on the agenda for the day and after the second one we went downstairs to the reception area. Men and women sat on separate parts of the hall, separated by a removable wall, and had a great lunch that was punctuated by long bouts of singing and toasts on behalf of the fathers. I was not over on the women's side, but most of the kids were there running mad from what I heard.

Interesting to note: Though I was dressed nicely for the event and of course wore a kippa, I stood out like a sore thumb, and never felt that I got a dirty look for being secular.

Overall, a very interesting experience. I want to thank Zaev and Alissa for inviting me to the briss and I want to congratulate them on welcoming not quite two-week-old Zelman Moishe Epstein to the family.

Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day)

I'm really glad I get to catch two independence days this year. This year Israeli Independence fell on April 29 (Wednesday) and like many Israelis we went out to a party the night before and made a BBQ at Hayarkon Park, a long stretch of green space in North Tel Aviv. My flat mate, Jack, invited a bunch of us to his boss' rooftop party on April 28. The apartment is near Kikar Rabin (Rabin Square--named after Israel's assassinated Prime Minister) in Tel Aviv's downtown with a great view of the city. The party had hundreds of people (very crowded) and a live band playing covers of American and Israeli songs.

Me and Jack at the rooftop party.


Me and Sam at the rooftop party.


The aforementioned rooftop party.

The next day Benji (my Swiss buddy) and I organized a BBQ at the park. Much like the States' everyone in Israel either goes to the beach or the park to grill kebabs, veggies, hotdogs, burgers, etc. The weather was phenomenal (typical Israel) and we got a big group of friends together.

Grillin' buddies.


More grillin'.

Friends pic 09'.

Big news from the family--my cousin just had a baby boy and the briss is on Monday. Congratulations to her and her husband, I'll hopefully be seeing them tomorrow to congratulate them in person.

Just had a great weekend in Jerusalem too. Did some serious Old City touring including the "scary" Muslim quarter that was not scary at all. (Don't believe the locals-I wouldn't get lost there at night, but it wasn't a problem during the day. Saw some really cool spots--the first Church ever (maybe) and Jesus' trail from judgement to burial (maybe) and Jesus' jail cell (maybe)...also snuck up onto the wall of the Old City at night and walked around (really cool). All the maybes are b/c none of the events are proven beyond a reasonable doubt, but you better believe that the people who have faith are really into it. That stuff is coming up.

Exodus

Wow. It's still pretty crazy to me that I am in Israel. I'm sorry that I have not been more active on the blog, but things have been moving pretty quickly. I have been updating my twitter almost daily to keep you guys in-the-know between my posts and there should be several more up here before I get back to the States. Speaking of the old U.S. of A., I just bought my plane ticket home. I should be getting in June 23rd in the early evening, just ahead of Independence Day, after four solid months abroad. Feeling that I have a somewhat limited timetable here I have been frantically trying to do as much as possible. All of that recent traveling (to Akko, Jerusalem, and Haifa) and going out (in Tel Aviv) has left my laundry unwashed, my fridge empty, and my blog unwritten in in two weeks [those things got done today]. Things are getting busier at work, as well, as we get pushed for an important grant deadline May 31 for our MedTales project. As if that wasn't enough I am also planning my life post-Israel. Graduate school, GREs, going abroad again (hopefully) are all on the agenda.

This is the final Egypt post, but I have many more cool trips to share with you. Barring laziness, busy-ness, and bad internet-i-ness (sp?) I will keep cranking out posts until I'm back in the America.

Now, onto the post:

On our first day in Luxor our handler picked us up from the train station, dropped us off at the hostel, and agreed to pick us up at a designated time in the afternoon for our first tour. Having spent the morning sleeping, we were famished and decided to eat an hour or so before our tour time. When we realized we would be late for the tour we asked the restaurant manager to make a phone call to our handler. After the manager assured us that he would make the call we sat down to lunch. What we didn't know was that he never ended up making the phone call and Muhammed (our handler) waited on us for half an hour (very pissed even after apologies). Fast forward two days--Muhammed picks us up to take us to our overnight train back to Cairo and says, "You don't have the tickets?!" We felt thoroughly flustered and slightly pissed knowing that he was supposed to have gotten the money to purchase our tickets. After more confusion and something about a flight being arranged for us from Luxor to Cairo he revealed that he was messing with us--to get back at us for our first day lateness. Justin wasn't happy, Sam though it was comedic genius (wanting to give a big tip for the joke), and I was somewhere in between.

Our train ride was, obviously, uncomfortable and tiring, and upon arrival to our hostel we found that we did not have a room. We walked to the Canadian hostel which had been reserved for us instead and crashed for an hour. This was supposed to be our day in authentic Cairo. We were going to visit the Arab Suq (bazzar) and a bunch of mosques, but this was our last day in Egypt and we were exhausted. Somehow mustering the strength to move we got into a cab and got to the Suq. The area of the market was large and we wandered in and out of the crooked, winding streets. Like often happens, we met an Egyptian who showed us to an authentic (only Egyptians) hookah cafe and then to a spice shop where we spent somewhere around an hour bargaining with the shop keeper (it's a cultural thing). [Trip Advice: Don't leave the spices you just negotiated an hour for in the cab on the way back to the hostel] We also went into a 500-year-old mosque, which in a country where every mosque is a historical treasure, is not such a big deal.

Justin and Sam and the middle of the Suq.

Me, somewhere where I don't know where I am.

An honest [not sarcastic] picture with our Egyptian Suq "guide"--an interesting fellow.

Some historic mosque--big whoop, whatever.

The next morning we began what seemed like an endless journey. It began before 5 AM to catch the 6 AM bus to Taba (Egypt's border town). Sleeping soundly, we were woken up because our bus had broken down and our replacement was less than adequate (seeing as how it was missing half the seats--seen below). I won't even get into the ripoff lunch and snacks we got (probably four times the actual price). At the lunch place we switched onto another bus and a few hours later we were back in Taba! Our enthusiasm for leaving a dirty, polluted, and challenging country to a "Western" one quickly waned as the Israelis held the line on the border for about an hour (took two hours to get through) for what amounted to something like a bunch of change in a backup and a laptop battery (details are fuzzy). This would have been fine had the hundred Egyptian tourists been searched as thoroughly, but seeing as how the line stalled at three Americans and an Israeli family of four you have to wonder about the efficacy of the Israeli border control.

Riding Dirty.

Upon crossing the border we got a bus ride (one hour in vacation traffic--Eilat is a hotspot during Passover) to the bus station. When the bus arrived, people who had bought tickets in advance got on first and sat in their assigned seats. The bus driver then proceeded to oversell the remaining tickets on the bus and we ended up sitting/standing in the aisle for about four hours of the bus ride. All said, the trip took an estimated 20 hours from the 6 AM bus to the 1 AM cab ride back to Ra'anana. I never though I'd miss my bed [cot] at the absorption center as much as I did.

Luxor - quick and dirty

Luxor, Egypt contains about 30% of the world's antiquities.

Let me repeat that: Luxor contains about 1/3 of the ancient items ever discovered. It is considered an incredibly important historic site surrounded by monuments to Egypt's past greatness. The city is a 10-hour train ride south of Cairo also on the Nile River.

But, Wait! Before you buy your first class (seats in a traincar) tickets remember these fun facts:

1. Egyptians will talk loudly, play music on on their cellphones, and watch TV from a portable set. This problem can be solved with a well-charged iPod loudly playing soothing music.

2. The lights don't go out. Yes, for some reason, the bright lights in the car are not dimmed or turned off at any point throughout the night. To remedy, bring some sort of eye covering, you will need it.

3. In the middle of the night you will wake up freezing cold because the A/C is cranked to make the train car feel like a meat locker. Wear long sleeve shirts, pants, and bring a blanket.

4. Your train ticket will look like a baby scribbled on the third carbon copy you got at Kinko's:

This would be tough to counterfeit....

4. Most importantly, make sure you get off at the right spot. You won't be sleeping well, so this shouldn't be a problem when you roll into you final destination, but remember people barely speak English so get clarification from someone who looks like they know what they are doing.

Keeping these points in mind should make your train trip through Egypt pleasant and relaxing. If that doesn't sound like fun then suck it up and pay extra for a sleeping cabin.


Most famous among the sites at Luxor are the Karnak temple and Luxor temple located on the east bank of the river and the Valley of the Kings and Queen Hatsheput's temple on the west bank.

[Note that these sites are the must-visit locations in Luxor if you only have two days, but given more time Luxor has many more amazing sites to offer]

Luxor, probably because of it's size, is far less hectic than Cairo (and a bit less polluted). Crossing the street is less dangerous and the streets are not nearly as packed with cars from the 1950s spewing out smoke, like Cairo. We stayed at the Bob Marley hostel [Best Buy!]; the cheapest and most hospitable hostel that we stayed in on our trip [4 USD per night per person]. Every Friday they treat everyone staying at the hostel to a free dinner with an amazing amount of food- fresh salads, rice, bread- basically a delicious all-you-can-eat buffet. I urge you to attend this free dinner if you end up here.

View from the Bob Marley hostel rooftop.

On the train we also met two sisters from Britain who we invited on our private tours. We booked two days of private tours with an English-speaking guide and private car for about $40/person. Though we probably got ripped off in Egyptian terms, spending $20 a day touring is a damn good bargain for what we saw and for the quality of our two respective tour guides.

Here again, I must apologize for my lack of Egypt knowledge. I tried listening as attentively as possible, but with scores of Kings and monuments everything kinda morphed together.

Karnak is a complex that was constructed over many years by many different kings - each adding a new site of worship or hall resulting in a tremendous and vast historic site. Most incredible is probably the hypostle hall. With 134 columns, 122 being 10m high and 12 being 21m high it is a well-preserved and awe-inspiring site.

Hanging out in the Hypostle Hall in Karnak.


These guys were for symbolic protection. The complex has scores of them.


These guys were goofing off.


Luxor Temple Obelisk....kinda tall.


Ancient Christians painting over the hieroglyphics.

Hall in Luxor Temple.

The next days' highlight was probably the Valley of the Kings. When Pharaohs found that their large and available tombs were being robbed they secretly planned the valley in the mountains. The site was so secret that even those that worked on the tombs were blindfolded on the way there. Currently the valley contains 63 tombs with the latest being found in 2008. The site is currently being excavated and tourists are not allowed inside, but we did see the outside which is still really cool. Photos were not allowed inside, but the paintings on the walls and the hieroglyphics are incredibly well-preserved and colorful (and they are literally thousands of years old...amazing).

Brutally hot day (wear sunblock, drink water, enjoy Valley of Kings)






One of the tombs in the valley.

Following the valley we went to Queen Hatsheput's Temple, more famous for the type of construction (very unique to Egypt) than it's ability to inspire awe (it is still totally awesome).

It's built into a mountain, that's badass.


Here's the mountain.


Me in Hatsheput's temple.

Our last stop was Ramses III war temple which he made as a monument to his success in war. During his dynasty Egypt was under siege from land and sea. Aside from his additions to the Karnak and Luxor temples he order construction of a war temple to show his success in battle. Unlike anything we saw in Egypt the groove for the hieroglyphics were several inches deep, supposedly so that no one could come after him and wipe away his accomplishments. Alexander the Great (after taking over Egypt) also added a piece to this temple depicting himself, like previous Egyptian kings, as a God in an effort to win over Egyptians.

Welcome to the War Temple.

Ramses built a sweet war temple.


Observe how deep the grooves are.


Well-preserved and exposed to the elements.

Luxor was also where Sam and I came down with a rather terrible stomach ailment. I'll spare you the details, but I would suggest that you bring something along that might help you with your digestion.

The following night we took the train back to beautiful Cairo, hung out for a day and headed home...that story next time.

Egyptcast 09'!!

So...Sam and I made a 3-part podcast about traveling in Egypt. It's filled with fun and informative tips on recommendations and warnings!

You can listen (and download) the podcasts from this blog:

Part 1: Listen to this episode
Download this episode (right click and save)

Part 2: Listen to this episode
Download this episode (right click and save)

Part 3: Listen to this episode
Download this episode (right click and save)

The podcast is also now in the iTunes music store. To find it, just follow this link or open the music store and search "gogoisrael." If you use another application to download podcasts, here's our feed:

http://gogoisrael.podbean.com/feed

We'd like to know if you think we should more of these. Take the poll on the right, please. And don't forget to check out the post below on the White Desert in Egypt.

The White Desert

"It's like snow fell on Dr. Seuss."

-Aliza

Rather than describing it in my own words, I think the above statement captures the essence of the White Desert. The landscape is stark, varied, and extraordinarily beautiful. The limestone formations mushroom out of the sand like relics from millions of year ago. Like much of Egypt, photographs do not do this area much justice.

The White Desert, though an unexpected part of our trip itinerary, turned out to be the best (and only) natural (not manmade) experience of our trip. After two stressful days in dirty Cairo the desert was exactly what we needed to to relax. About a five-hour bus ride Southwest of Cairo we were dropped off in an oasis town called Bahariya. From Bahariya we were taken by 4x4 through beautiful sites and vast landscapes until finally arriving at our destination, deep in the White Desert, at sunset. Unfortuantely, our Bedouin guide couldn't tell us much about the geologic events that created such amazing sites, but I did learn two important things:

1. the white structures in the desert are limestone
2. millions of years ago the Desert was actually an ocean (there are fossilized shells in the stone).

Bye dirty Cairo!


Only rest stop between Cairo and Bahariya.


The crew.

Included in the price ($100/person) was the roundtrip bus ticket, tour through the desert, lunch, dinner, and campout. We were also fortunate to ride with a French couple- Marie and Owen who had spent an extra day in the desert to visit the hot springs. Our guide Muhammed, arranged our trip- preparing our delicious dinner and setting up our camp site.

First we drove through the Black Desert (black b/c of previous volcanic activity) and then made our way to our campsite, stopping occasionally to take pictures.

Note: Off-roading in a 4x4 in the Egyptian desert is awesome!

Me and a mountain in the Black Desert.


More Black Desert.


And more.


Man on ridge ($80,000).

Welcome to the White Desert.


Opposite view from previous picture.


Three Amigos.

And their shadows.


Sam in Desert.


Justin in Desert.

One of the most incredible sights was watching the Moon rise in the east and the Sun set in the West at the same time. We were lucky that the moon was full because at night it was so bright that we could still see our shadows. At night we lay out in the desert with an amazing view of the stars, only slightly obscured by the light from the Moon. In most of the desert, it was so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop. The silence was a welcome respite from the endless noise of Cairo, a city that really never sleeps.

Sunset and Sunrise:


What came first? The chicken or the egg?

Dinner: soooo good.

Hanging out after sunset.


Justin woke up in time to catch the sunrise.

I'm up. I'm up. Oh, God, it's 6:15 AM.

This post took forever, it looks like internet might be out for good in my room. Hope someone is reading these....