Israel 2016 - Arad Day 1

The purpose of my most recent trip to Israel was to participate in a mission of artists from the Metrowest Jewish Federation area in a bridge program to network with and work on collaborative creative projects with the artists in Arad, Israel - a partner community with the Metrowest Federation. 

Arad is a city in the northern Negev, a few miles south of the artificial border of Judea. It's on a mountain between Beersheba and Masada/the Dead Sea. Because of it's elevation, the nights are comfortably cool in late June, but the daytime temperatures hover near 100˚F for about twelve hours a day. Except for its proximity to Masada/the Dead Sea and the stark Negev landscape, the city itself has little to offer visitors. Towards the western end of the city is an industrial area with cinderblock and sheet metal units that had fallen into disuse, but has been rehabilitated as a community of low cost artist studios and workspaces. It was with those artists with whom we networked.

The first full day we spent in Arad was Shabbat, a traditional family day in Israel as well as a rest day for many people. The time I spent with my host Israeli family turned out to be the highlight of my time in Arad. The kids were amazing.

But my favorite family member of them all was Tai (guess which one she is):

We took a walk into the Negev to get a feel for the environment - we began the walk at 9am and the temperature had already reached 95˚F. The Mitzpe Moav memorial which overlooks the Dead Sea was erected to commemorate an Israeli Air Force jet that had crashed in the location. You can get an idea of the stark landscape in the background.

My friend Hen (pronounced with a hard 'H' as if you're clearing your throat) invited me out onto one arm of the memorial that extended over a steep drop into a wadi. You can see the faint line of the Jordanian mountains in the background.

Pidyon Haben - Redeeming The Firstborn Son

Last week I was invited to attend a religious ritual,  Pidyon Haben, that I had never experienced before. Rather than repeat all of its details, you can read about it here. It's an opportunity for family and friends to gather and celebrate the addition of another soul to the worldwide family of Jews. The conditions are stringent, so it's a not-often performed ceremony. The baby must be a first-born son, natural childbirth, with no previous miscarriages, and neither parent's ancestry from the tribe of Kohane or Levi. The baby is presented on a silver platter surrounded by gold jewelry to celebrate the special sanctity of the ritual, and the baby is also surrounded by little packages containing a bit of garlic and sugar - the Jewish sages taught that partaking of a Pidyon Haben meal has the power of fasting for 84 days, and the garlic and sugar carry that same power.

The baby being decorated with gold jewelry:

The mother and baby:

The baby in all his glory:

Two rabbis observe the ceremony:

The maternal grandfather:

The paternal grandfather carrying the baby:

The father carrying the baby to be presented to the Kohane:

The father offering to buy the baby back from the Kohane for five shekels:

Saying a blessing over the baby:

The Kohane making the ritual priestly blessing:

Israel 2016 - Tel Aviv Carmel Market, part 2

The Carmel market was filled with interesting faces. The Israeli population is a wonderful mixture of cultures and ethnicities - North African, Middle Eastern (Yemen, Syria, Iran, Iraq, etc.), West and East European, American - and they all can be found in the Tel Aviv suk.

Making pastries:

A vendor inviting me in to browse amongst his wares:

A couple out for a stroll:

Delivering sides of beef to a meat vendor:

A bedouin woman making a roll-up filled with cheese and parsley:

Israel 2016 - Tel Aviv Carmel Market, part 1

My purpose in traveling to Israel this year was to be with five other artists from the Metrowest Jewish Federation of NJ to work and collaborate with artists living in Arad, a city in the northern Negev near Beersheva. We had wonderful social interaction with the resident artists, had opportunities to present our work to them, and for them to present their work to us. We participated in flamenco, yoga, and laugh workshops with them. Did volunteer work along with them to support a late-night Arad-to-Masada run event. And participated in an arts festival for the residents of Arad. But alas, there was very little actual creative/interactive work between the two groups of artists. More on that as I move through the rest of my visit to Israel. 

I went to Tel Aviv from Jerusalem to meet up with the group with which I would be traveling to Arad, and had a few hours to spend with the locals. The Carmel Market is  a long covered street of all kinds of stalls and booths selling food, spices, t-shirts, shoes, and just about anything else that is marketable. It's kind of the Tel Aviv version of Jerusalem's Machane Yehudah. 

Israel 2016 - Jerusalem, Boys at the Kotel

Bar Mitzvah day isn't a solemn occasion. Boys are boys no matter where in the world they are.

Israel 2016 - Jerusalem, Day 4 Kotel Bar Mitzvah 2

They approach the Kotel plaza as boys and they leave as young men who have participated in a ritual of thousands of years - pledged to carry forward the flame of Torah and the traditions of the Jewish people.

Israel 2016 - Jerusalem, Day 4 Kotel Bar Mitzvah 1

There were dozens of bar mitzvahs happening that day. Here's group 1: