A Calm Jerusalem

Last weekend, we hosted Kai’s friend from school, who came from Russia to study in Israel without her family. She isn’t Jewish, and had no prior connection to Israel, but the school offered her a significant scholarship, and she wanted an opportunity to leave Russia. It was her first weekend staying with a “host family” …

Sorrow and Joy

For many years, I have felt a tightening in my chest when singing the song that quotes the Talmud stating “מִשֶּׁנִּכְנַס אֲדָר מַרְבִּין בְּשִׂמְחָה” translated as “When Adar enters, joy increases” (Taanit 29a). It feels like a forced command to be happy, yet I can’t hold back the surge of sadness when the new month …

Pressure on Fear

I felt scared last night. The escalating violence in Jerusalem last week was upsetting, but seemed entirely separate from my existence here in Zichron. My friends who live there told me they were wary about going to certain parts of Jerusalem, and that they anticipated a “rough few days ahead”. When the rockets started falling, …

Sukkot in Israel

Hello everyone! It’s Kayla the guest blogger again! I told everyone that I would be writing my next blog post about Sukkot in Israel, so here we go! Sukkot in Israel. I spent a whole month, maybe three weeks, leading up to the holiday saying how I really wanted to go to Jerusalem for sukkot, …