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Your Stories From Abroad

IsraelIsrael

My Dying, Impotent, And Brutally Honest Taxi Driver

“TWO MONTHS!!! SIX FEET UNDER!!! YOU HEAR ME, I'M DEAD IN TWO MONTHS, DEAD!!!” As I bolted from the taxi, I thought to myself, “Who the hell is this ... read more

 

IsraelIsrael

A Surefire Way To Fail A Checkpoint Interrogation

“We should lie and say we’re all Jewish,” declared Wesam. “Then they’ll let us in.” After a moment’s thought, he faltered. “I don’t know,” he said ... read more

 

IsraelIsrael

How I Came To Call Israel Home

I know to nod at the security guard cradling the automatic rifle. He is standing in the spot where most airports would have a hostess of some kind, but perhaps ... read more

 

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Tips

Food

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Cold coffee vs. iced coffee: learn the difference

In Israel, coffee houses are everywhere. And during the hot days and evenings nothing beats an ice blended coffee or iced coffee. But in Israel, you have to be very ... read more

by Jonathan Amerikaner

24 Jun 2009
Food

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Stuff yourself at lunch

In Israel, it is more common to eat the largest meal of the day at lunch instead of at dinner. When I spent three months eating at a naval boarding ... read more

by Emily Estes

26 Aug 2009
Etiquette

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Don't split the bananas

“What are you doing? Who said you could touch the bananas? I’m right here! Tell me! Tell me!” In Israel produce is cheap, but none of it goes to ... read more

by Jonathan Amerikaner

01 Oct 2009

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Blog Posts

IsraelIsrael

Testing

Testing to make sure that this is working. read more

Aimee Gonzalez

IsraelIsrael

American Football...in Israel?

We are taking over the world...100 yards at a time     Videography and Editing by Jonathan Amerikaner   Wander in Wonder read more

Jonathan Amerikaner

IsraelIsrael

What's goin' on in here...

I realize I may touch a few nerves with this next post. After living in Israel for nearly five months it’s hard to ignore the tense realities on the ground.  Here is my take on one of the most hotly debated issues. Settlement Freeze. Last week the government of Prime ... read more

Jonathan Amerikaner

IsraelIsrael

You get more than you give

Shalom You've heard it before, and I will say it again. Volunteering is one of the best ways to experience a country while traveling. But don't take my word for it. Watch and listen to a group of middle aged and seniors from the US, France, South Africa, and Australia ... read more

Jonathan Amerikaner

IsraelIsrael

Around Israel

Some shots from around Israel Scroll down to check them out...                                 Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.     Tour group on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.     Local ... read more

Jonathan Amerikaner

IsraelIsrael

How to crash a Jewish Wedding

How to crash a Jewish Wedding Crashers’ checklist: 1.    Pants, long skirt, or wooden barrel (w/suspenders) to cover the lower body. Fabric is recommended! 2.    Dress shirt or other elegant torso covering. Nothing too fancy so you don’t look better than the bride or groom. 3.    Head covering for the ... read more

Jonathan Amerikaner

IsraelIsrael

Torah Hora

Shalom This past weekend Jews celebrated the end of Sukkot and Simchat Torah. Simchat Torah is a joyous celebration marking the time when the Torah, Jewish Bible and Old Testament, is completed and started again.  All the Torahs are taken from the Ark and carried around the pulpit seven times. ... read more

Jonathan Amerikaner

IsraelIsrael

Sukkot So Good

Shalom Sukkot is the week long holiday that remembers the time when the Jews were freed from slavery in Egypt and wandered the desert for forty years before entering the land of Israel. According to Jewish texts "clouds of glory" hovered above the Jewish nation sheltering them from the harsh ... read more

Jonathan Amerikaner

IsraelIsrael

Nothing can surprise me...or so I thought...

Shalom Just when I thought Israel couldn’t surprise, I found myself in a state of quiet shock.  I stood in the middle of one of the most dangerous intersections in Israel. On most days and nights it’s filled with buses, taxis, cars, and trucks of all sizes speedily hurrying to ... read more

Jonathan Amerikaner

IsraelIsrael

Echoes across a people

Shalom Last week I attended Selichot (or Slichot) ceremonies at the Kotel (Western or Wailing Wall) Judaism's holiest site.  The prayers, which occurs just after midnight in the days leading to Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is just one of many ways ... read more

Jonathan Amerikaner

IsraelIsrael

Gecko Incident

Last Thursday, I had stayed up until midnight doing homework. When I finally finished, I turned off the light and went to bed and stared at the ceiling. As I stared, and my eyes gradually adjusted, it became apparent that there was a dark splotch on the white ceiling. I ... read more

Rosanna Shoup

IsraelIsrael

Shabbas!

While I was in Jerusalem, I had dinner with reform cantorial and rabbinical students from HUC. At one point I heard the conversation at the end of the table turn to a story about someone’s GPS taking them on a dangerous route on the way back from Tel Aviv one ... read more

Rosanna Shoup

IsraelIsrael

Bowing toward the Torah

  This weekend I celebrated Rosh Hashanah in Jerusalem with my friend Staci. She is pre-college freshman at Brandeis and destined for rabbinical school at Hebrew Union College which has various locations across the U.S. but all of them require one year of study in Jerusalem. Before the holidays, she ... read more

Rosanna Shoup

IsraelIsrael

Note on Religion

I chose to come to Israel because I knew it to be a magnificent place of intersection (and indeed violent collision) for the three most prominent religions on Earth. The land is so saturated with historical and religious significance in its past, present, and future that it has become something ... read more

Rosanna Shoup

IsraelIsrael

Adjusting

  I've always considered myself an adaptable person. Schedules and plans are never set in stone with me and I really enjoy spontaneity, and even the occasional mistakes. While I was attempting to prepare for study abroad, by studying the culture, history, and the language, I always knew that I ... read more

Rosanna Shoup

IsraelIsrael

Take your birthday for a ride

  Illustrative Photo Shalom. Everyone should celebrate their birthday abroad. A birthday in a new country, surrounded by a different culture, and embraced by new friends gives one the chance to stand back from their life and finally see how far one has come. Two years ago I was depressed, ... read more

Jonathan Amerikaner

IsraelIsrael

Where I first learned to wander

Shalom. While wandering around the ancient Israeli city of Tzfat this week, I remember how the city affected me on my first travels. It was here in Tzfat where I truly began to wander and wonder.  Now, as then, I navigate my way through meandering stone alleys, and ask myself ... read more

Jonathan Amerikaner

IsraelIsrael

An ABC in Jerusalem

It was the most beautiful and poignant place in the world for me. Jerusalem, the Holy City, surrounded with innumerable graves, many unmarked, its history saturated with death, warfare and magnificence. God, or fate, whichever one you may believe in, played a joke on humankind when it was named Jerusalem, ... read more

Ilana Alazzeh

IsraelIsrael

On Faith

Centuries of bloodshed because of this--a tiny sliver of ugly, parched earth in a petty corner of the planet that, if a little more flat, could easily pass for the rolling plains of north Texas. At the crossroads of organized religion, one cannot help but squirm at the legacy of ... read more

Adam Lichtenheld

IsraelIsrael

Israel: How Much Violence Is Too Much?

So you want to study in Israel, and you've managed to convince your parents and your academic adviser to support you. But now you're afraid that in light of the resurge of violence in Israel, your university might cancel your program. All the worse because the Israel abroad program may have ... read more

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Getting Around

The rules of taxi cab fares

Jonathan Amerikaner

01 Oct 2009

Israel

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In Jerusalem there are a few tips to negotiating taxi fares: 1) Taxis have meters that often end up being less than a poorly negotiated price. 2) Speaking in English, and looking like a tourist, will raise the initial offer at least 25%. 3) Ask locals for the cost to a destination. You don’t want to offer (or accept) a price substantially higher than the norm, nor offer a price substantially lower. 4) Be aware of planned traffic delays or major events. Sometimes you have to pay a premium when the going gets rough. 5) Your greatest negotiating tactic is the fact that another cab will never be far away. Walk away or… 6) Just walk. It’s healthier, cheaper, and the best way to experience the sights and sounds.

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Etiquette

Don't split the bananas

Jonathan Amerikaner

01 Oct 2009

Israel

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Jonathan Amerikaner

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“What are you doing? Who said you could touch the bananas? I’m right here! Tell me! Tell me!” In Israel produce is cheap, but none of it goes to waste. One day, at the Machane Yehuda Market, or Shuk, in Jerusalem, I split a bunch of bananas in half and got an earful after I accidentally peeled open one of the bananas. With a few words, and a ton of attitude, the grocer made sure I would never do it again. It's normal for customers to inspect the food, and even get a choice taste, but when it comes to dividing up the booty, that’s when the grocer steps in. So on your next trip to the Shuk, if you want five bananas instead of twelve, all you have to do is ask. Otherwise you may have to split.

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Food

Does that mean you don't serve cheeseburgers!?

Jonathan Amerikaner

27 Oct 2009

Israel

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Jonathan Amerikaner

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A quick review of Kosher requirements in Israel: It is not permitted to mix meat (beef and poultry) with milk because of a commandment not to eat "a kid in his mother's milk." Other prohibitions include shellfish and other scavenging animals, certain types of fish, insects, specific herbivores, and all carnivores. Kosher also sets out guidelines on food preparation including slaughtering animals in the least painful way, sanitation, and cooking. For example flour must be sifted thoroughly to remove any bugs. Prepared foods and restaurants wishing to receive a Kosher certificate are continuously inspected. But don't worry, you can still find cheeseburgers.

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