University

Today is the first day of classes for Israeli university students. Suddenly the campus is packed! Navigating through the crowds is a little daunting, but it’s exciting to see so many people around.

Most Israeli undergraduates are considerably older than their American counterparts. After high school, Israeli males are required to serve in the military for three years, and females are required to serve for two. Many Israeli students take an additional year or more to travel or work, so most undergraduates are in their mid-twenties. Even though approximately 1,500 students live in the dorms, a large majority of students live at home, or in their own apartments, and commute to campus.

The University of Haifa student body consists of an unusually high percentage of Arab Christians and Muslims, Druze, and recent Jewish immigrants from Ethiopia, Russia, Argentina, and other places. In fact, my guess is that sabras (native Israelis) are a minority of the student body.

So far I have not observed any anti-American sentiment among Israeli students. Most are excited to meet Americans and have gone out of their way to be welcoming. I am shocked at how fluently most of the Israeli students speak English. Many have spent time in the states or have American relatives, but even some who have no American connection have managed to pick up an American accent from watching television and movies.

Rambam medical center

Yesterday morning I met with my advisor and the head of the Psychiatry Department at Rambam medical center. Getting to Rambam was quite a challenge. Even though the hospital is all of 5 or 10 miles away from where I live, the buses take forever and a taxi would cost at least ten times as much as the bus. I left the University an hour early and took a bus part of the way and a taxi part of the way, but even so I barely made it on time.

Once I got to the hospital campus I went on a meandering search for the Psychiatric center, which turned out to be a well-hidden, one story building at the periphery of the campus. I walked by several inpatients lounging outside and by a spotted cat basking in the sun. Upon closer inspection however I discovered that the cat was dead.

The meeting went well, and it was decided that I would begin conducting a literature review for a journal article about the relation between physical injury and the development of posttraumatic stress disorder. I think the project sounds quite interesting, and I’m glad to have a well-focused assignment to work on. I think my biggest challenged will be finding sufficient internet access. For such a high-tech country, I'm surprised at how limited internet access is for students. Internet access is not provided free in the dorm rooms, and although there are computer labs on campus, their hours are limited. There are two wireless areas, but even those are only open during the day, and not on the weekend. I'm trying to pay for internet access in my room, but the set-up, apparently, is a slow process.

Tel-Aviv

I spent the last two days in Tel-Aviv at a Fulbright orientation. Tel-Aviv is a very modern city, and in some respects it’s like any city anywhere. But the promenade along the beach is remarkable, as is some of the architecture.

Two days ago a suicide bomber killed five civilians when he exploded in a marketplace in Hadera, a city located midway between Haifa and Tel-Aviv. A representative from the American embassy in Israel informed us of the attack during a security briefing at the Fulbright orientation. This was the first suicide attack that has occurred since I arrived in Israel. I felt very sad for the victims and their families, and I thought of the numerous times I have shopped in similar markets in Haifa and Jerusalem. Of course I am scared of suicide attacks, but I don't allow such brutality to affect the way I live my life here. In many ways I feel safer in Israel than I do in America. I think the suicide bombers greatly underestimate the strength of Israeli society. Israel is a vibrant, prosperous country, and Israelis have not succumbed to fear; if anything, they seem to live more fully in the face of adversity.

CATS

The stray cat situation on campus is out of control. Of course I feel sorry for the strays (even if they do leave unsightly deposits of feathers and fur balls around campus), but their presence inside our living/kitchen area is impinging on my culinary freedom. Yesterday morning I was graced with companionship of an unusually aggressive orange tabby whom a suitemates has befriended with spaghetti remnants. This cat would not leave me alone, but my timid attempts to chase it outside were thoroughly unsuccessful. I decided to try to ignore it…but as I was eating breakfast the cat attacked me in an attempt to grab part of my banana (since when do cats even like fruit?). I narrowly escaped to my bedroom. Hard to believe I used to want to be a vet!

cultural differences

This morning as I walked from the dorms to the gym, I discover that the academic buildings were packed with students taking university entrance exams. Many of the female Arab students were entirely cloaked, except for their faces. Suddenly I felt extremely self-conscious in my gym attire. At Williams I wouldn’t think twice about walking across campus in gym clothes, but no females wear shorts in public here.

Exploring Haifa

I’ve spent the last two days trekking all around the city of Haifa in an attempt to get a more thorough lay of the land. I’m exhausted, but I’m happy to report that I have a much better understanding of the geography of the city and the public transportation system.

Yesterday I went to the shuk (marketplace) before it closed for Shabbat. The shuk was a seriously intense experience. There were endless vendors selling all kinds of produce and other items, and customers flooded the stalls as Shabbat neared and prices fell. I bought loads of fruit, but I’ve eaten a lot of it. That’s the problem with grocery shopping – it feels like an endless process because you buy the food, then you eat it, and then you have to go shopping all over again.

Jerusalem

I have spent the last five days in Jerusalem for Rosh Hashanah break. Even though I haven’t been to Jerusalem in six years, the city feels very familiar to me. I spent the first night with a friend from Williams. The subsequent three nights I spent at the home of my mom’s second cousin, who is in Jerusalem for the year studying to be a rabbi. She and her husband were incredibly kind to me, and I really enjoyed staying with them. I also got to meet another one of my mom’s second cousins and her daughter, who moved from New York to Jerusalem nearly a decade ago. My mother’s cousins are the only family I have in Israel.

On Erev Rosh Hashanah I went to services and dinner at Hebrew Union College (HUC)with other university-age students and rabbinical students. The panoramic windows afforded a breathtaking view of the city of Jerusalem.

On the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah, HUC students led us on a tour through the Old City of Jerusalem on the way to Hezekiah’s water tunnel, where we held a brief Taschlich service (Taschlich is a symbolic ceremony where Jews throw small pieces of bread into a flowing body of water to represent the casting-away of last year’s sins). As those of us from HUC walked through the Dung Gate on our way to the tunnel, we inadvertently joined a parade of joyous yeshiva students and a variety of others Jews heading towards the same place. Walking down the hill from the gate to the tunnel was a surreal experience. Behind us stood the golden Dome of the Rock mosque, and below us lay the excavated remains of the First Temple. Ironically, this year the first day of Rosh Hashanah coincided with the first day of Ramadan.

As we paraded down the hill, armed soldiers patrolled beside us and above us, and small groups of Arab bystanders watched from the side of the road as we walked by, less than an arm’s reach away. Some of the bystanders stared at us quietly, but several of the young men and boys shouted and taunted us as we passed. I wish I had thought to wish them a “Ramadan karim”, or happy Ramadan. I would like to have more opportunities to interact positively with Israeli Arabs, but opportunities for dialogue, especially in English, appear to be scarce.

As much as I love Jerusalem, I also find that being there feels strangely unsettling. Jerusalem is supposed to be the capital of the Jewish homeland, yet as I walk the streets of the Old City I feel almost like an outsider. I am not Orthodox, I am not Israeli, and I am not sure I am welcome by many of the Jewish residents, much less the Arab residents. Even at the Kotel (the Western Wall) I feel more like a spectator than a participant. I am surrounded by observant Jews, yet I find that I am more ambivalent about my Jewish identity in Jerusalem than in many other places.

click on the link below to view my photos of Jerusalem (you will need to log in. username: deborahhemel@yahoo.com, password: deborahhemel).

http://www.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=30260584/t_=34757088

Clubbing

Last night a large group of us went to a night club called Horva in downtown Haifa. The club scene here is pretty wild. Things don’t really get going until after midnight. I was unimpressed by the clothing trends – some of the girls left far too little to the imagination, and most of the guys donned tight muscle t-shirts. I found the whole scene rather sketchy and hedonistic. And trance/techno music is totally not my thing. A lot of people seemed to be having a great time though.

The taxi ride back to campus was an experience I hope never to repeat. The driver was very old, drunk, or probably both. I happened to be the only passenger sober enough to be concerned about his inability to stay in one lane. I seem to be a magnet for bad cab drivers in this country!