1. You will overpack, but it is ok cause so will 45 other people!

2. As for picking a tour company, they are all good . I went with The Israel experience Ltd, which was awesome! my only suggestion is find a company near you, i.e. based out of where you live it will make it is easier to stay in touch with those from your bus.

3. Befriend the soldiers, they are the best way to see the real Israel, plus they are a huge asset if you ever go back. Nachi who I met on my trip meet me at the airport when I went back.

4. Drink if you want but don’t overdo it, what good is a trip if you don’t remember it, and being facedown in a toilet looks the same everywhere!

5. Prepare to want to go back, instantly in most cases.

6. Do what you can to pay it forward, help someone else go, answer questions, write a blog about it..

This always reminds me of the “stray humans,” some people collect stray animals, my mom has always had a knack for welcoming in stray humans. I think back to one Thanksgiving when we had the store cashier, the recently divorced guy from down street, the cat lady from across the street who was really more a dog lady. It was an interesting supper to say the least! But if you didn’t have anywhere to go, it was a safe bet you were invited to our house.

And as tonight is shabbat it makes me wonder beyond feeding anyone, as my cooking is more of a punishment, what have I done to make people feel welcomed and show hospitality. And while not everyone feels comfortable welcoming complete stranger into their home, I bet you know someone you could know better, if not it time to stop being a hermit and leave your house!  That bell ringer, while he is thankful for the change in that red bucket, as learned last year working at coffee house, HE REALLY WANTS HOT COCOA! Hospitality is not about you, though I am pretty sure it will make you feel awesome. But I don’t advocate being overly welcoming to hitch hikers, or people with guns!

1.Even if it is supported by the 1%, yes it is
super bad that they are giving their money away? So they are bad for being rich but even worse for giving it away? Makes perfect sense!

 2. The trip is for young Jews, and while there areexceptions for the most part WE ALREADY SUPPORT ISRAEL!

 3. Maybe you arejust angry cause you got waitlisted, because every year more and more people want to go!

4. And instead of camping out in a park, for no clearpurpose, Birthright encourages people to see Israel firsthand. Yes you may not visit settlements or  the West Bank,but  you see the temple mount, where wearen’t allowed to go and get escorted by soldiers going through East Jerusalem.

5. By attacking anything and everything the movement youare trying so hard to make valid is becoming less and less legitimate. AttackingIsrael is nothing new, but by attacking Birthright you are in turn attackingthousands of young Jews who have been on the trip which isn’t cool. Cause I assure you I am part of that 99%and when you start attacking your own ..your cause has died.

Here is the article if you want to read it for yourself

http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/young-u-s-jews-aim-occupy-movement-at-birthright-israel-1.394871

I was reading the newspaper this morning, when I saw an article about a protest at a very local university, refer to the rurual Jews post if you need to, but I was upset to see that is was against a Jewish professor who posted an article to his facebook page. An article that he didn’t write. In fact it is from the Washington post, Haaretz, or the Jersualem Post or even Zionism today, though I don’t know if that last one even exsists.

In fact he is the exact link that was posted on his personal facebook page. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/red-cross-more-than-100-dead-in-nigeria-attacks/2011/11/06/gIQAYlHjsM_video.html?tid=sm_btn_fb

So what is the big deal? Apperently it so happened that Sunday was also a Muslim holiday, so that means it was attack against all muslim students who attend the university? I think not. Maybe I am the only one bad at keeping track of holidays but off the top of your head when is Purim? Or Serbian Christmas?

While I don’t like it that a Jewish man, kidnapped, murdered and dismembered a young Jewish child this summer, it happened. There are good people and bad people in all walks of life. It too is a sad fact that Muslims in Africa attacked and murdered Christians. A fact! So why the anger? Truth is always hard to face, and the one who brings it to light recieves the rath of the anger.

Jews in this area are a minority, even compared to the Muslim population in the area, and Professor Eisenstein makes no attempt to hide or conceal the fact he is a Jew. Kippah and all. It isn’t his tenure that protect him but rather the first amendment.  I hate to pull the “Jew-card,” but if a Muslim professor or even an athiest professor had posted this same link there would be no protest no fuss, at most a nasty comment or two.

We have come a far way but anti-semitism is alive and well, even here in Nowhere, Indiana. Even if you don’t agree with what has been posted or reposted on someones facebook, you don’t have to right to attack the person, especially when there is a button that says unfriend.

.

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/puc-students-protest-professor-s-comments-facebook-page/article_3eb1947b-27e3-5702-b2e3-b8149ca90f50.html

So on twitter the past couple of weeks a couple of people I
follow have been examining Hebrew names, for those of you who don’t know we
have a first name, a middle name, a last name and sometimes a Hebrew name, excessive I know. It can be that your
first or middle name is also your Hebrew name…it is a bit confusing but I have
a point here.

Zahara is my Hebrew name, Lauren my legal name. But what
does that mean? Is it simply some sort of quarter life crisis …no. When I moved
to Israel partly because their chronic mispronunciation
of Lauren, I went solely by Zahara, or Zaza for short. Here is where the
important part of the story is, as Zahara I feel creative, curious and more the
person I want to be. As Lauren I feel older, cautious and worrisome. I don’t have multiple personalities, even
though I am sure this sounds a bit crazy! I swear this isn’t like All About
Eve!

But why is the idea of actually or legally changing our name
so scary to us? Will we forget who we
are? Jacob became Israel, married women take their husbands last night,
sometimes hyphenating it, cause hyphens
are sexy. As a way to shed the past or create a new future. Changing names
is not only for mobsters hiding out in suburbia. So Hebrew name, middle name,
name from a book or tv, who are you? Who would you be with a different name? Who
do you want to be? I might always be Lauren on paper, but I will always be Zahara
in my heart, or until 2012 when my
passport expires and who knows I might make it legal..

So when I found out that my much loved rabbi is retiring, and was asked what I would like to see the new rabbi, my reply was young and single, can’t blame a girl for trying!

So for you who don’t know what it is like to be a rare endangered rural Jew..

We have holidays parties, where we are the only one celebrating or who knows we are celebrating.

We have to buy matza off the internet cause the people in the store offer saltines when you try to explain what matza is… and a menorah is like a Jewish candleabra..a candelabra is…OH FORGET IT!

People ask if I celebrate thanksgiving…um last I checked that is an American holiday..

And shocking as this is…we sometimes vote for the red candidate!

Round two, a much longer trip but again epic fail, living on kibbutz is like living in one big household sure I had “chores” or a job as they called it, but i didn’t have to do my own laundry or cook my meals…so where is this real life Israel? I mean having bills to paydrfgfv and arguing with the cell phone company over my bills..an argument which i am sure I would lose because NO ONE argues like Israelis..

I read that roughly half of the people who make aliyah return to thier home country within 5 year, but don’t quote me on that. So whats the deal? Do us Americans who speak of Israel passionatly, is it out of love or lust of the idea of the promised land? Maybe both. There is a fine line between love and lust, perhaps the only way to find out is to jump in with both feet, but for most of us, myself included, we will run around the pool wearing our arm floaties!

Like many I felt that this set a dangerous precedent and risks Israels future sucurity. And what of the familys who love ones has been killed by these prisoners who were supposed to be serving life sentences….

But in a country where everyone serves..I thought about other young soliders, two came to mind instantly.. Young Americans like myself, who stayed in Israel when I returned home. One, a beautiful blond ,who loves to laugh and could befriend anyone. The other, a free spirit to her core, willing to try anything and brave enough to move to Israel all on her own. Their lives would be worth the trade.

Point being I don’t know what the future will bring, I need to polish my crystal ball, and while my symapthy goes to those who lost love ones in violent acts committed by these prisoners, the life of the living is more important than justice for the dead. Maybe we should never have to choose between the two, but we did and now we should stand by our desicion with full confidence. Besides if that guy in california is correct the world is ending tonight and none of it is going to matter.

Apperantly I am not the only one with concerns, thousands and thousands of Israelis turned out to protest the high cost of living. Good for them! But short of Cuban style manidated housing swaps I don’t know how it is going to be fixed..dang private property rears its ugly head again. Marx is someqwhere saying I told ya so..

So here are the options I see

1. Roommates, lots of roommates.  Sure that walk in closet is a bedroom!

2. Move to the Neghev, cause as far as I saw it was pretty dang empty. And having a water source is overated!

3. Countinue carrying signs and screaming in the streets, it does usually work eventually. Just figure out what your exit strategy is.