"L.A.!" Big Apple: Lauren's Adventures in New York City

Folk Singers and Fun

2009-10-25T04:01:00.002+02:00

Hi Everyone,

Time to add another NYC experience on my list. Went with a date to 92/Tribeca Y and saw a very awesome singer, Vashti Bunyan. She is from Scotland, and has created a following of people ever since her entrance into the music scene in the 1960's.

She has a beautiful voice -very clear and soulful. Concert was great! Too bad the date didnt work out.... NEXT PLEASE!

School is hard! And today it poured. So I didnt do much today except for go to the gym and practice. About 3 weeks to go until my practica. Too late to explain what that is right now... but I promise to include lots of information about it in my blog that week.

On another note, my mentor and cantor, Rabbi Alison Wissot was in town this week! It was so wonderful to get to see her and catch up.

I saw a great movie the other night. I should take the time to mention that the movie theater I go to is about 2 blocks from my house- it literally takes 5 minutes to get there! Sigh. The movie is called Damned United, and followed British Football Manager and his partner Peter Taylor as they bring the lowest number 2 division football team to the top of the first division. It also documents his obsession with the Manager of Leeds football team, and his destruction and reconstruction of his career.

OK... that is it for now! See you all soon.

Love,

Lauren :)

Adventure #1

2009-10-12T04:07:00.002+02:00

Hello Everyone.

It has been 1 month and a half since I have last written in my blog. OK. Well at least it is not three. I am getting better people!

I decided the best way to do that was, to have at least one NY adventure everyweek and then blog about it. So that way, you get to see NYC though my eyes. Any pictures I take however, will be uploaded to my new mobile me gallery: gallery.me.com/laurenfurman note: no www comes before that! also note... I have no time during the week to do the pictures, so it will have to wait until next weekend.

Todays adventure was really awesome! I saw my cousin Mike and his husband Bill and their two year old adorable son Matthew. They are in NYC on vacation, and today we went and saw an amazing Bubble Show! Matthew was so mesmerized he fell asleep :) But it was very neat- the woman who did it has a guinness book of records for fitting 26 people in a bubble!

Then we had lunch and walked around, went up to the Upper West Side and visited my favorite spot in NYC- Riverside Park. Right on the water. Just like California. Ahhhhh.

Then it was to Union Square and back uptown to go up top of the Rockefeller Center! That was amazing- I got lots of great pics. Someday, you too will see them.

So that was my wonderful adventure today. It was so much fun to hang out with Mike Bill and Matthew and see the city. And get to play Tour Guide!

Off to sleep... stay tuned for another adventure next week!

Fairway...no, its not golf.

2009-08-18T02:13:00.003+03:00

Hi Everyone...

I promise I will do a better job of keeping up my blog this year! Well.... at least I will do it more often than last year... I cant promise weekly or daily- but we will see!!!

I am one day in to my second week in NYC. Here is the scoop on where I am living:

I am at( ready folks...copy down! send me care packages!)

317 West 71st Street Apt. #4

New York, NY 10023

for those of you who are not from NYC- that is the Upper West Side, or West Side- either one.

So this week I have unpacked, made three zillion trips to Bed Bath and Beyond, one v. fruitful trip to Guitar Center- yay for portable pianos! And now... today I have experienced Fairway Market. Yup thats right, I managed to go a whole week here without groceries... I know... but so many more things were pressing.... that and I am living with 2 roomates- so we needed to clear a little bit of space in the refrigerator. Good thing I am a small person. And it doesnt take a lot to feed me.

So Fairway is this kind of Gourmet Market- but guess what it reminds me of? The Shuk ladies and gentlemen! No, there are no shouts in Arabic quaisi Hebrew but there are now shouts in some sort of language I do not understand... I think Puerto Rican? I am becoming very worldy and cultured. There are wonderful things at this market- a whole gourmet olive oil and balsamic vinegar section, homemade breads and wait for it.... a whole floor of organic products!!!!! After 2.5 hours I managed to find everything I needed.... hmmm this is beginning to sound familiar... and guess what? I have my own little makolet on the corner... except it is called a Souprette and I think it is more Italian than Jewish or Israeli, and they sell canned soup which was impossible to find in Israel.

Anyway- I have my own NYC version of a Shuk cart, and just like last year- it even has one bum wheel! So I have named it Faith in honor of the cart that served my roomie and I so well last year.

So now, I have food in the house, full closets, a piano, bed linens, an ihome( thanks E and S for the g.c!) and am waiting for a lovely desk and all of the wonderful things that I shipped from Israel and Los Angeles.

I miss everyone so much- it was so wonderful to be home this summer. L.A is where my heart is- though I am back on the East Coast, and you are all in my heart everyday.

Love,

Lauren

Placement Purim Pesach Packing! (packing???)

2009-03-04T15:26:00.003+02:00

Well Hello Everyone!

How are you all? I know it has been a very long time since I have blogged- but I hope you have been coming to read all about my time here in Israel.

Right now it is a lovely afternoon in Jerusalem. It has been raining for what seems like forever( really just the last couple of weeks) and now the sun is shining and the sky is a beautiful deep blue. Whenever I see a blue such as this, I think of this coming week's Torah Portion, Ki Tisa. This portion happens to be one of my favorite. In this parsha, Moses is back on Har Sinai again, after smashing the first set of tablets( think: Aaron and the Golden Calf.) What is beautiful about this portion, is here we find the 13 attributes of God which we chant on Yom Kippur, and also during this parsha, Moses expresses his desire to see God.

Moses, great leader that he is, is still human, and expresses his need to see God in some sort of physical form. What does God do? He comes down and passes over Moses in a cloud. They cannot be face to face, for God's 'awe'someness is so great, that it would overcome Moses. In fact, as a result of God's passing over Moses, Moses comes down the mountain and his face is radiant, glowing so much it must be covered with a veil.

Why am I thinking about this torah portion? Why is it one of my favorite? Becuase walking around Jerusalem today, looking into the depth of the sky, I noticed that really, God is passing over us all of the time. In the bright sunshine, in the blue sky- even in the grey, dull, and dreary weather, God is moving all around us- in all of that nature. I think about the attributes that we chant, rachum vchanun, erech apayim vrav chessed... etc. Mercy, Compassion, Great Loving Kindness- these are all a part of what God is, and also what we can hope to embody as we inhabit this earth. If we seek to embody these 13 attributes mentioned in this parsha, we can have a greater understanding, and care of the beauty of the world- it's nature, it's creatures, and it's people and thus, a greater ability to reach the sacred, to reach God.

Ok, that is my little drash for now! Yes, I am having a wonderfully enriching, challenging, time here. I have been pushed farther than I thought possible, and have seen myself grow to reach those new levels. I have made some wonderful friends, and am so excited to share my experiences here with all of you.

These next few months are going to be quite busy- Purim is next week, Placement is now, and well, then it is Pesach and Packing and I cant believe it but by the end of May I will be home, and so so excited to see all of you- my wonderful and dear friends and family. Your love and support keeps me going!

Singing- ok I typed "singing" instead of signing off for now,

Love,

Lauren :)

All is Well on the Western Front

2008-12-30T07:42:00.002+02:00

Hello All,

In the midst of all the media regarding the operation in Gaza, I just want to take the time to let you all know that I am safe. On saturday, IDF forces launched a massive air strike on Gaza- on specific Hamas sites. Yes the death toll by the end of that day totalled over 300 people, but - and I say this happily- they were mostly Hamas officials.

The reason for this operation is the end of the cease fire between Gaza and Israel. Upon it's end Hamas began launching numerous rockets first into Sderot and now into Ashdod and Ashkelon.

The severity and number of these rockets raining on these cities prompted Israel's response.

Though these cities are timewise, not far from us- we are relatively safe. Jerusalem is much closer to the West Bank- which incidently- though it condemned Israel's attack, also pleaded with Hamas to end their launching of rockets. Gaza and the cities which are involved are to the East and the South.

We are all a little tense here- it is not easy to be thinking about things like this especially in the middle of finals, but we have recieved briefings from our wonderful Year in Israel coordinator Nancy, and our prof. Paul Liptz- both of whom have lived here 40 years. They have expressly told us that life here is going on as normal.

Our hearts are going out to those innocent civillians who were killed on both sides. And we are hoping as a class to find away to show our support for IDF and the innocent people affected by these conflicts.

So for now, all is well here in Jerusalem. I am just getting ready to go to school- for the second to last day before our reading days and finals. I am missing everyone so much and wishing you all a very happy healthy new year!

Love,

Lauren

Pics of the last few months

2008-12-26T12:21:00.011+02:00

These are some Pics from Berlin, and a couple from Qumran and Masada- enjoy!

The Roomie and I

Victory! Obama wins! A celebration in Ben Gurion Airport at 6am

The Holocaust Memorial with the Reichstag(German Parliement) in the background

The Brandenburg Tor

Obama in Germany!!!!!!!

Good times with my friend Jason at the HofBrauhaus

Where I stayed in Berlin-in a lovely wood.

This is Masada, where the Romans destroyed a small Jewish community.

Another Pic of Qumran

This is Qumran, where the Essenes left the Dead Sea Scrolls

Chanukah in J'lem

2008-12-26T12:11:00.002+02:00

Hello Chaverim, ( that means friends)

I hope this entry finds everyone well in this holiday season. At the moment I am relaxing with coffee on a friday morning. ( Something that doesnt happen often here!)

This week has been terrific. Last friday night, I lead Kabbalat Shabbat services for my class, and those from HUC LA/NY school of communal service. What made the evening most special, was that I lead with my wonderful roomie/and friend, Jaclyn, who will be such a blessing as a rabbi

(who sings with such a beautiful soul and voice!)

Though most of this week has been studying and (for me) preparing for my fourth( or fifth?) time singing on the bimah( this sat- tommorrow!) I did get a little hanukah celebration in with a lovely gathering that Jaclyn and I hosted. Pics will follow I promise! It was wonderful this week to be able to light the candles with the many friends that I have made here this year.

These next two weeks will be quite busy with paper writing and final exam studying. Oh yes.... and NEW YEAR'S! Following the 8 finals, and two papers that I have will be two weeks of blissful break in which I will relax and enjoy myself here in Israel and get ready for

Placement ( jan/feb.) Purim ( March) Pesach( April) and... Packing! ( May) It is so funny how quickly time is flying. Though I knew there is much more time( and work) that I have here.

I must return to my wonderful world of studying and singing! But I miss everyone of you so much and I am wishing each of you a wonderful and beautiful, healthy New Year.

All my love,

Lauren :)

The Dishes, The Water, The Electricity...Oh My!

2008-12-04T23:09:00.003+02:00

Ok- just a quick one for now.....

I so have to blog about this!

Today, the first thing that happened when I got home, was that a bunch of engineers and lawyers walked through my house. Yes. Through my housep- including some very very chassidic guy. so they come in with my landlord, and then they leave. Now- if you want an explanation as to why they are there you will need to email me. Lets just say.... it's a BALAGAN!

So no sooner than they leave, I decide let me do the dishes before I go and have dinner with a friend( who will be an amazing Rabbi!)

I am doing the dishes... and I notice... lots and lots of water at my feet. Oh No! How did it get there? Well... I open the cupboard and guess what... the pipe has disconnected. Oh yea.

And then I call my landlords and no sooner than they have said ok we are comming down then..... WE LOSE THE ELECTRICITY!!!!! needless to say it was a fun filled hour of the plumber coming and then discovering how to get the electricity back. In the end everything was just fine.... but boy- who knew?!!!!!

Here's to living in Israel!

Love and hugs and kisses,

Lauren :)

Belin among other things

2008-11-27T13:39:00.002+02:00

Hi Everyone!

I know it has been awhile since I have written. I am sorry! It has been quite a busy month, and it looks like December will be as well...

First and foremost, Happy Thanksgiving!!!!! I am so grateful to have you all back home- and grateful for this year abroad.

Lets see, where to start- In this month of November I have been to Qumran, Masada, Haifa, Tsfat, and.....BERLIN!

I went to Berlin with my friend and roomie, Jaclyn Fromer, and friends Jason Levine and Jordan Helfman. Jordan, our wonderful psuedo Brit, worked with groups Tamar and Tent, and they put together a conference for Young Jewish Professionals to come together in Berlin- we met people from all over Europe- including the Former Soviet Union.

It was amazing- having never been to Europe before, it expanded and deepend my world. It is so beautiful there, it is both hard and yet very easy to imagine the horrors that happend there.

Our hotel was in a wood. Yes! A wood- or a forest but I think wood sounds more romantic. Yes I will put pictures up- but one thing at a time! We were on the Campus of some sort of Evangelist protestant monestary- they have rehabilitaion centers, and restaurants and senior citizen facilities, and our hotel on campus. It is quite stunning- all brick buildings.

Let me mention that in Berlin the buildings are great masterpieces- they are like walls- and you can definitely feel it. Everyone there however, is quite warm and friendly. We found it wonderful that we could walk on the street and fit in quite well there! Plus the starbucks and the malls and stores like H&M made it pretty homey.

Everything is clean in Berlin- we rode the subway and buses- very efficient- there are signs that tell you down to the minute when the next subway or bus can be expected and everything is spotless inside. Except for..well I have a funny story about that! On our way to the Olympiadstadium, we had a bit of an accident running to catch our stop... that would be the fact that I had my wonderful prized Toffee Nut Latte in my hot little hands, and my wonderful friend Jason ran out the subway door- knocking my poor latte to the floor! Sigh. It is ok. All is forgiven.

I made a lot of great connections with people at the conference- people mainly from London, but also from Berlin as well. We talked about global judaism and such. It was very eye opening to hear about the Jewish communities in Berlin and Europe. In L.A we have established communities, large and small. In Europe, and esp. Berlin, they are very small, and often encompassing quite diverse age groups. So programming etc can be difficult.

I could go on and on but I have to mention one thing we saw in Berlin. The Topography of Terror. We all know what horrific events occured in this city. What I found there was a city that accepted what had happend, and wanted to memorialize it while moving on.

This simple photo exhibit, which took place in a bombed SS building basement( the remnants of the building) was the most moving holocaust experience I have ever had. The weather was wet and rainy, and grey. Right next door was construction going on for a brand-new building/memorial for the holocaust. Berlin calls this "an open wound in Berlin". The photos documented the SS rise and fall, the SS men, the Resistence fighters, and the rebuilding of Berlin. I think perhaps most moving was the rebuilding of Berlin- to see people recognize such terror, and to make Berlin a welcoming place- to make something positive out of it is amazing. The city has a lot of growing to do still, but it is a warm place that is filled with culture, and life. Not to mention good food....

Ok. So I returned from Berlin, and then was asked to do a Kabbalat Shabbat service for my class and for Rabbi David Ellenson- the president of the school who would be there that friday. I literaly had 4 days to put together and prepare! I worked with my friend Ari Lorge, a first year rabbinic student and fabulous guitar player/song leader. Also leading with us was new friend and fourth year Rabbinic student Scott Segal- he is an amazing tof player. Needless to say- we had a lot of fun!!!! It was amazing- we all sang and prayed together as a Kahal- and it was so inspiring that my class wants to have more of these kinds of tfillah experiences!

Currently I am working on a weekday shacharit service, a concert, a masterclass, another kabbalat shabbat service and, well... more. But enough of that!

My time is up for blogging today- stay tuned for my next installment- where hopefully you can see some of the beautiful pics I took of my adventures abroad!

I miss you all so much and think about everyone of you often. Feel free to email/phone etc- I love hearing from you!!

All my love,

Lauren :)

Chagim Gdolim!

2008-10-19T23:40:00.002+02:00

Ok. Yes. I know it has been a loooooooooooooooong time since I have blogged. So here is another one for you! Alot as been going on since my last entry. The High Holy Days are comming to an end and school is in full swing. Well- except for now since I am on break!

School is aweseome and very very intense. I cant count the number of classes I have- but will list them for you so you can see what I do every week:

Hebrew( a lot of times we have double periods of hebrew) Biblical Grammar, Tfillah Workshop, Liturgy, Bible History, Israeli Folk and Pop, Music History, Torah Cantillation, Bible, Cantorial Workshop, Israel Seminar, Second Temple History, Coaching, Voice Lessons, and Music Theory. Oh- and Community Service. And for the past three months HHD choir. And possible Hallel choir also.

I am pretty much in school from 8:30 -6, one day we are done at 4:30. So it is pretty busy! The Rabbis have it very easy though- they dont have nearly as much as we do that is for sure!

Over break I have gotten to do a lot of relaxing and studying for the most part, but also some pretty intereasting things as well. A couple of things to note would be a wonderful concert of Yiddish music I heard- (in a very Haredi/Chassidic part of Jerusalem no less!) and also something called Voices from Behind the Curtain. It was a performance of monolgues (think Vagina Monologues) put on by a professional women's theater of orthodox women. It was very engaging and moving, and dealt with many issues orthodox women- young, teenage, old deal with today. Issues such as abuse, cancer, body image, etc. I feel that these issues are somehow heightend in their world, they are mostly swept under the carpet, there is no outlet for the woman who left the husband she married at 18 after two dates becuase he abused her who cannot marry someone else becuase he wont give her a get. Another monologue dealt with a young girl lost in the world- unhappy with her life and the restrictions imposed upon her by her religious upbringing. Yet another one dealt with fear of ever feeling beautiful again as her hair fell out from chemo.

The performance took place in what looked like a hanging garden of sorts, in the old city. This performance was something so unique to Jerusalem, and opened up what is typically a closed world.

Of course it was wonderful to also have some time to relax, and I have spent much of the week hanging out with some of the friends I have made here. Yes I will include pictures soon.

In three weeks or so I will have another adventure, as I am off to Berlin for a Lech Lecha conference. I will be going to Berlin for a long weekend of networking with other young Jewish professionals, learning about Jewish Berlin, and commemorating Kristallnacht. This is my first time in Europe so I am soooooooo excited! I will be traveling with my awesome roomie Jacklyn, and a couple of guys from the program.

Ok..... it is now midnight, and believe it or not, I actually have to get up and study tommorrow!

I am missing you all so much. Life not the same with out my students, my family, and my Judea family. Though I have a feeling I am building a pretty good one here also, it is not like home!

Of course.... I also really really miss......Starbucks.

Who knew?

Love and lots of hugs and kisses,

Lauren :)

Break (חופש ) and School is starting!

2008-09-05T18:23:00.002+03:00

Shalom y'all,

So sorry I have not written for quite awhile! Its been busy! We have now finished our Summer Semester, and I have passed Ulpan ( as I am still here and not back in the states) and this sunday we will be starting our fall semester!

But I get ahead of myself. These past ten days we have been on Hofesh- or Break. It was lovely. My friend Sarah Krevsky, a fellow cantorial student, and I went up north to Haifa for a few days and then to Tsfat. Haifa was very very humid, and hot! ( Cham m'od) on Friday we went to visit the sister synagogue of Sarah's synagogue in Boston.

The Rabbi could not have been more welcoming! He showed us the synagogue, which is the largest progressive congregation in the North. They are very involved with Social Action- recently they rescued a young woman and her daughter from Darfur. She is working at the synagogue, and her daughter is in preschool there. I met her. I cant imagine what she must have experienced, - she is younger than I, about 24. They also have a man from ethiopia working there- he has been there 10 years and now has a family.

It was wonderful! We led services with him, and Sarah and I did B'yado as a duet after silent prayer. She played guitar also. ( incidentally I am learning guitar!!!)

Then we had a lovely dinner with the congregation, and the Rabbi's in-laws, wife and children. I cannot wait to go back there- I felt so at home, almost like being back at Judea! ( but not quite) I really remembered why I am here!

The second day we were at the beach and had a faboulous dinner in the german colony on Ben Gurion street- the restaurant was called Douzan's and I think it was Lebanese food. To die for. The next day we went to a few museums. We took the Carmelit- the only subway in Israel up the mountain and went to the Mane Katz museum, and also to this Japanese museum where we saw a kite exhibit, and a photography exhibit.

Then it was on to the B'hai gardens- they were beautiful. ( pics to come) and it was certainly the fasted tour down 700 stairs that I have ever had!!! They truly get you in and out, but it was so worth it. For those of you who dont know what B'hai is... look it up on the internet. I dont think I could explain it!

That night we had dinner on Ben Gurion Street again, this time at Fatoosh- which was not as good as Douzan's but still very tasty. More persian food.

The next day we said goodbye to Haifa and took a sheirut to Tsfat. Tsfat is the birthplace of Kabbalah. It was great to be back there- we looked at art and jewlery, and I bought a beautiful necklace of silver and tourmouline that has Jacob's blessing to Joseph on it. We stayed in a wonderful hotel called the Ruth Rimon- where you could see a view of the mountains and the valley below. We ate dinner watching the sunset.

The next morning we took a very very long 3 hour bus ride back to Jerusalem- tired but it was a wonderful vacation.

This week I have spent the rest of my time getting ready and organized for school ( almost there -just some details to work out) and now it is shabbat!

I promise pics will come, as well as an update to how this week goes! I miss you guys- remember you can call me on skype, or send me letters to the address in the Contact Info Blog.

Love,

Lauren :)

Contact Info

2008-08-16T16:23:00.002+03:00

Hi Guys,

Miss you lots! Ok... so no luck with the MagicJack- guess it is not so magick here- couldnt work with an israeli phone, then the american wouldnt charge... so I broke down and bought a skype number- dont worry was cheap- I found out that for 3bucks a month I can make unlmited skype calls... also that meant I got 50 percent off of a skype number.

So here is my contact info again for your reading and informational pleasure. My pleasure would be that you call and email me!

Lauren Furman

c/o Hebrew Union College

13 King David Street

Jerusalem 94101

Israel

phone: cell: 052-677-4122

skype phone: 1-661-349-9158

email: laurenfurman@gmail.com

for those of you who have tried my american cell- it has been cancelled. also please do not leave any messages for me on magickjack as it doesnt like me.

Love you,

Lauren :)

Shabbat, T'sha B'av, Mishpacha and Tramp....

2008-08-09T23:24:00.003+03:00

Hi All,

Hope you are having a lovely weekend. I have had a very very busy week. I joined a writing class- which is four group lessons over the next three weeks( the woman is very very pregnant!) so that has taken up some time, and of course there is the ever present Shiurei Bayit( homework)

So this weekend I finally got to see some family which was really wonderful. I met my cousin Devorah- who besides sharing my hebrew name, also lives on my street a few doors down! We took the bus- actually 2 buses( was v.fun) to Efrat where her grandparents- my great and and uncle, live.

Efrat is a beautiful suburb about 20 min driving time outside Yerushalayim. It is very quiet, and peaceful- with all types of housing- from apartments to big houses. One of the unique things about this community that one would not find in the States is that there are synagogues and walkways built into the whole community. There are about 5 different neighborhoods in the community- with about 1800 families total and 29( yes 29!!!!) synagogues.

Just to give you guys an example-I worked at a synagogue with about 1500 families for just the one- so ...there you go!

Anyway- the views are amazing, and there are schools, ganim( parks) and eitzim( trees) and flowers all over the place.

So we arrived and then met Adeline and Frank and their other granddaughter Naama, and had some of her delicious homemade cookies before it was time to go to shul for shabbat. It is a beautiful shul- very very modern looking. The women of course, sit upstairs becuase it is a modern orthodox shul but... it was nice. Shabbat dinner was lovely- we ate and sang songs and went to sleep. The next day we had a leisurely morning and then had lunch at Naomi's house- she lives not far from Frank and Adeline.

Naomi is their daughter and my Mom's first cousin. So we are second cousins. Was great- met her kids and had yummy yummy food. Their daughter Shlomtzi asked me lots of questions about my career path.

Then we had shabbat nap and a great walk all through 2 of the neighborhoods of Efrat. (seriously.... I like it there more than Jerusalem I think- I am a peaceful quite kind of person!) One of the neat things was we could walk in the street and not worry about any cars!!!! B/C it is Shabbat no one drives.

This Shabbat was a special shabbat becuase Erev Tsha Bav falls just after shabbat ends. Tsha Bav mourns the destruction of the 2nd temple, which occured on the 9th (tsha) of Av( Bav)

So we went to shul and davened maariv and then eicha- it was really beautiful and a great experience.

So then Devorah and I left and went to the bus stop/tramperia. And we tramped. Quite the experience! Email me to know more! We arrived in Jerusalem and caught a bus to our neighborhood.

OK.... so I am really tired now... will write more later!

Love,

Lauren

Ani Gara B'Rechov Ramban, Rehavia, Yerushalayim

2008-08-04T23:23:00.003+03:00

So if you didnt understand the hebrew it means.... I Live on Ramban street in Rehavia Jerusalem.

If you didnt guess...here they are...the apt pics!

1. My Bedroom

2. My Living Room

3. My Kitchen

4. My patio( great for having all 42 of our classmates over for motzei shabbat)

5. Me- becuase I really like this pic and dont want you all to forget what I look like :)

So now you know where I live! You should all come and visit.

Love and kisses,

Lauren :)

Southwestern Wall Services

2008-08-04T22:35:00.004+03:00

So here are more pics..... These are taken at the Southwestern Wall- the part of the wall where people actually walked- 2000 years ago as they entered into the Temple.

One of our interns, Dan Medwin- his mom is a Rabbi who happend to be leading a trip to Israel- and we were so privleged to be invited to join her for her service at the southwestern wall.

I cannot tell you how amazing it is to be praying at a site where so many people yearn to pray at every day. At Passover we say next year in Yerushalayim- when we pray in synagogues we look toward the ark, and when we pray at the wall in jerusalem- well- we turn and face it- the place where so many people imagine everyday when they pray. Pretty cool.

So here they are- hope you enjoy.

Brutal but Beautiful Pics!

2008-08-02T23:39:00.006+03:00

Ok... so here are the pics! this is my friend and I, her name is Jessie and she is a fellow Cantorial student.

This is the view outside of Ella Winery- our first stop on our wine tiyul- it is beautiful!!!!!

This is the amazing spice shop we stopped at- it is called Tavlin and it is also a delicious restaurant. When you enter you are hit with this amazing combination of smells- they truly have any kind of spice or tea

(including something called viagra tea) you could imagine.

The view we had as we ate lunch. It was delicous. I got eggplant focaccia- what arrived was soft yummy bread with tahina sauce, and eggplant, lettuce and tomatoes. YUM!

Ramat Rachel. Our second stop on the brutal tiyul. Here we were hungrily scarfing down our food. By this point I was exhausted and very very hot.

Again Ramat Rachel, though a different view- we were all pretty listless here though!

"The gardens" Ok. So here is where I was so lethargic and overheated that all I could think about was not falling in one of the ditches. I survived!!!

Another view of wine country in Israel.

More wine country in Israel.

Here are two pictures. The first is a tunnel that we went down. Yes- we went down it and yes- it was scary! But a welcome break from the heat! Also the gold topped building that looks like it is from Aladdin is actually Mary Magdalenes churh( or some kind of Mary- I dont remember!)

This is me after the horrible horrible hike. I dont need to say anymore!

Ir David. The stone is from 8th/9th century- and is probably a fortification wall. Just down the way are stones from the persian/byzantine/roman era- truly a mixture of ancient and modern here.

This is David Ilan- one of our awesome professors. He is an archeologist and he kind of reminds me of Indiana Jones!

Hoped you enjoyed the adventures!

Our Tiyulim: Brutal and Beautiful

2008-08-01T23:01:00.003+03:00

Hi Everyone,

Wow... I am blogging tonight. Know why? It is Shabbat and everything is closed. Haha. Actually that is not the reason-but it does happen that I had a few minutes tonight, so I thought I would talk about my Tiyulim on this past thurs and friday.

Thurs: Our Bible History Tiyul to Ir David and Ramat Rachel. This was a continuation of our lecture the previous night( yes from 7-9 we learned all about the formation of Jerusalem circa the 8th/9th centuries-wont get too specific here... plus need to review my notes tommorrow)

We have amazing teachers. Among them Joel Duman and David Ilan.

The day began at 8:15 am in the am where we all met at HUC and then walked( yes walking was a BIIIIG feature of the day) to Ir David. It was a pretty awesome tour- we walked through an archeological site that dates back to aprox from 8th century all the way to persian/roman/bysantine time.

We learned how Jerusalem was built, and about the benefits of where it was situated. We saw and learned about the housing structure and water system worked- and went in a couple of ancient looking tunnels.

Unfortunately the thing I rememeber most is the very very brutal hike we had up to the bus in 100 degree heat. From there we continued to another archeological site at Ramat Rachel. I am sure it was very intereasted but by that time we were all lethargic and extremely hot- so needless to say... I dont remember a single thing they said! I was just trying not to fall in the big ditches we were sitting around. But I did get some nice pictures.

Today was great. We went up to Ein Gedi and tasted wine. It was pretty good- not like Napa but I am really looking forward to exploring it more. The first winery we visited was a "Premium Kosher" vineyard- Ella. They were pretty good. We had a small tour and explanation of their winery- the way it worked is either you paid for the tour or bought a bottle of wine--- so for 5 shekeles more than the tour cost, I bought a bottle of their Sauvignon Blanc that we tasted. It was quite good- though not as fruity as other Sauvignons I have had. It was very fresh and mineraly- very very light with a slight effervesence.

The second winery we went to was Mony- a small boutique winery...didnt much like the reds but they had a great muscat which I bought. I am not that much into sweet dessert wine, but I have deduced that I like Muscat and Ice Wine. They are sweet but not overpowering- just lots of flavor. Very cheap wine. Neat winery but there wasnt anything much there- except for the gorgeous view.

The third winery we went to was a winery called flam. Unfortunately it was closed. Closed! But we did go to this awesome restauraunt/spice store called Tavilina. The food was amazing( and inexpensive) and the spices were incredible. Somehow my cooking gene( I knew it was there somewhere!!! See Mom? ) kicked in when I arrived and so tandoori and house chicken blend are added to the communal spice collection.

Then..... it was home for an hr- thankfully the bus took Ramban back so I got to get off on my street- and we met at HUC for a service at the South Western wall entrance in the old city. Dan Medwin's ( one of our interns) mom who is a Rabbi led the service. This was wonderful- I dont know how many times I can actually be able to pray facing the wall. In synagogue we turn towards the ark to pray barchu/tfillah and here well.... I am in Yerushalayim! So where do we pray? At the temple on the very same steps that two thousand years ago people used to enter the Temple. Pretty awesome.

Oh yes- and also today I discovered I have a cousin who is a neighbor of mine. Yup! Not only is she my age and does she seem super nice, but she lives a few houses down from me! Sweet. My entrance into the Israeli world. My hebrew better be awesome next year.

Miss you and love you,

Lauren :)

Tel Aviv Pictures

2008-08-01T22:43:00.005+03:00

Ok, as promised, though a week late- here are some pics from Tel Aviv:

Here we are at the beach. It was very crowded so I couldnt get a pic without people in it. I think that is one of my classmates playing frisbee.

Some friends we lunched with at this CUTE place on this "ritzy" street in Tel Aviv. The food was actually good and inexpensive. Front to back: Jaclyn( the roomie) Sarah, Lisa, Leslie, Ari, and Adam( Jaclyn's b.f)

A really beautiful sunset on the mediterranean- we were here watching a wonderful Kabbalat Shabbat- it was awesome to be welcoming Shabbat while watching the sun go down.

The rest of the sunset.

Evan and Tamar singing Hashkiveinu together.

Day in Tel Aviv

2008-07-25T23:30:00.002+03:00

Hello! Ok, so I have not figured out how to work this program so the descriptions of the pictures are actually next to the pictures...... will come to me I am sure!

Today we spent the day in Tel Aviv. It was fabulous! I will have pics up soon, but I am tired, and want to go to sleep now. It has been a long( but fun) day. I just have to blog some wonderful moments.

We left around noon for Tel Aviv. We passed through some amazing scenery. We went from the white stones of Jerusalem, into a land of lush greenery. (Yes greenery!) We passed through some fruit orchards, and overlooked a valley of lush green trees set against white grey rock.

Finally out of the wilderness we came into the city of Tel Aviv! Where we walked around and lunched at a very cute and delicious cafe. We traipsed the other direction and after about 15 min we came to the beach! It was beautiful- soft grainy powdery sand, and glistening water, all set against a backdrop of a blue sky in one direction, and sky scrapers in the other.

The ocean here surprised me. Why? It was warm!!!! I never go in the water. Why? Becuase it is frrrreeeeezzzzing in the pacific! At least in malibu on the west coast. Ok not freezing. BUT - the mediterranean is so warm! It was fantastic and I am so going back.

The beach however, was not the best part of the trip- though it was close. We went over to the port to a Kabbalat Shabbat service with a non progressive progressive( dont ask but just basically in american terms reform) synagogue. It was pretty much on this huge landing right against the ocean. As we prayed together we watched the waves crash against the breakers, and the sun set in the sky. It was incredible. While watching the sun, I could see its rays extend toward the earth and the waters. The ocean looked like it literally could go on forever.

Also important to mention here was that our Director of our Cantorial Program, Tamar Havilio led services. Out of nowhere I saw some very important people I know. Rabbi Don Goor and Cantor Evan Kent! Most of you know who these people are. If you dont then email me. It was wonderful to be able to see them in this beautiful place and to hear Evan sing with Tamar. There was a band there as well of tof, piano, and a string and wind instrument( couldnt see what)

One awe inspiring moment was when we sang Its a wonderful world, in hebrew! I was so struck by the juxtapositions of singing an American Classic, here in Tel Aviv, in Hebrew.

As we completed the service, we watched as the sun sank lower and lower, glowing pink, finally fading beneath the ocean. A line of dark blue stretched along the horizon against the light blue of the closer sea; though still light where we were, we could see the darkness come on from so far away.

We returned home, sandy, but, in my case definitely content!

Miss you!!! Love you!!!

Lauren :)

Pictures!

2008-07-25T22:28:00.004+03:00

Rabbi Moshe Silbershein on our first Tiyul( trip) in Jerusalem. He is terrific! We spent the morning and evening walking to different spots of the city and studying text.

We walked into an old building, and heard singing comming from nowhere! It turns out that there is a sephardic synagogue here that was established in 1948. This is the tiny door from which behind all of the rousing singing was comming.

As the night came on, we found a spot underneath some trees, right in front of this abbey in the Old City. Of course, in the middle of our text study the bells decided to chime! It was 20:00 (8pm). Yes, they rang about 20 times!

We walked some very harrowing stairs to the wall. While hanging on for dear life to an old metal railing I managed to take this shot of Jersalem.

I love this city at night becuase everything glows!

It is truly amazing.

Crazy Jerusalem

2008-07-23T21:33:00.002+03:00

Shalom Guys,

Eventually as I settle in I will attempt to be more routine about my blogs- I will also I promise I promise put pictures up so that you can see where I live.

For now.... I am too busy. It is too bad that I am because I will be busier soon- but maybe it is just that I am too tired to sit and load pics for the moment. All in good time.

We had our first week of Ulpan beginning Yom Rishon( sunday). Kitah Bet is very much fun, however, I am going to put myself in Kitah Aleph so that I can get a nice solid grounding instead of the mad craziness in which I learned Hebrew for school. I thank my wonderful wonderful teacher Rav Cookie Olshein for teaching me so much so that I tested all the way into Bet!

Monday we had our first choir rehearsal- it was fun! We are singing one of my favorite pieces from Judea Repertoire: Uvchein Tein Kavod. I was very reminiscent of this song because it was one of the first solos I sang in the choir there. It is beautiful. It begins with a single melodic line, which grows into parts, and then leads into a sort of recitativo, or chazzanut from the Cantor. Very slowly the tempo picks up and you feel as though you are in the middle of a tisch or klezmer concert- it goes to a fever pitch, and then stops again- and the melodic line you hear in the begin returns, although this time with a greater texture in the choir. It ends with a resounding high A from the soloist. Sigh.

Tues was our first music theory class. So far we have now had two extra classes. I should explain my schedule:

Sun-Wed Ulpan 8:30-1:30

Mon Choir 1:45-3:45

Tues Music Theory 2-4:30

and lessons, meetings, tiyulim, Bible Lectures....

Tues began as a great day, however in the middle of class we were alerted by sms text to a Pigua. Pigua is the Hebrew word for terrorist attack. I AM SAFE! Pretty much what happened was a copy cat bulldozer attack. It was definitely an intense time- a real realization of how close these things are to home. This attack happened about a mile from where I live- which in Jerusalem is like nothing. ( we walk miles everyday to and from school and houses) One of our classmates saw the whole thing happen.

An event like this puts things into perspective. We realize we are not in an HUC bubble where life in Israel does not affect us. We realize that crazy people are right outside our doors. We can also realize however, that things like this happen in America all of the time. There, however, people don't discriminate between Israeli and Palestinian, but between White and Black, Hispanic and Korean. So while an event like this is certainly devastating for all who were involved- it does not make me want to come home. In fact, it makes me really proud to be living here in a country that is forming and growing and changing, with strong people who are creating it. A few hours after the event occured, people were back on the corner of Keren Hayesod and David Ha Melech. They were drinking coffee and eating in the restaurants that a few hours before had been the site of a terrible act. A few hours after the event, I was in my friends apt. on that corner, having ice cream. Not because Israelis, or any of us are insensitive to what occurred, but we did not let it prevent us from living our lives.

Anyway- today was an incredibly long day. Do look for my next installment because I will be sure to discuss our tiyul which takes place tomorrow. We will be walking through Bible History. Dara, a rabbinical student, Faryn a fellow cantorial student, and I will be leading the first service lead by our class in the morning on the tayelet- a place which I have not been to yet, but am so excited to see and explore.

That's all for now. I miss everyone lots and I love you !

xoxo,

Lauren :)

Motzei Shabbat Party

2008-07-19T23:53:00.003+03:00

So I had the brilliant idea to make my mother's delicious chili this weekend. Somehow it was decided that we would host all 42 of us at our place for some chili, and havdallah.

It was such a blast! Nearly everyone was there, and was able to fit on in our beautiful outside patio( albeit still under construction, and probably will be for the next million years)

Everybody brought something to share, and of course Adam(Roomie Jaclyn's b.f) and I made the chili. It was delicious and tasted just like home to me. To everyone else, it was delicious.

The sun faded, dusk arrived, and three stars appeared in the sky. It was time for havdallah- my most favorite time of the week. Havdallah is really a bittersweet time, because it means we have to say goodbye to Shabbat. It is really though a beautiful time of separating ourselves from the past week, and saying hello to a beautiful new one. This one we look forward to embarking upon our Rabbinical, Cantorial, and Educational beginnings in our Ulpanim which we begin tommorrow.

Harrison and Adam began with a niggun- Lo Yisa Goi. Coincidentally, after that I read a selection from a beautiful poem by Maya Angelou- a poem which orgininally talks about Peace at christmas. ( I left out the christmas parts)

Jaclyn said some wonderful words about Havdallah, and the journeys up till now, and the journeys we will begin tommorrow.

It was a wonderful moment with my new community of future clergy and educators. Then followed by some wonderful ice cream and a lovely walk to and from Ben Yehuda street, which is only 15 minutes away.

Hope you all had a wonderful Shabbat. Will post some pics soon.

Lailah Tov!

Love,

Lauren :)

Orientation

2008-07-18T00:49:00.002+03:00

So this week has been very very intensive- beginning with our tuesday meeting with the Cantorial staff and class. I will say it was very exciting to be sitting with my classmates/teachers/and future colleagues and learning about one another.

To give you guys an idea of how much work we have ahead... this whole entire week, everytime someone mentions the academic schedule-they say this is what the Rabbis do, and the Cantors do so much more that they dont have to do x,y,z!

On another note, I found out that I am in Kitah Bet today. Yup! The class structure is aleph, bet, gimmel and dalet. So yes, somehow I made it in to Bet which is the second level. Which is great becuase it means I know more than I thought, however it is also slightly terrifiying to think I am not starting at the beginning!

I do need to speak about some very serious events which took place here in Israel. At the start of the lebanese war/bombings hizbollah kidnapped three israeli soldiers. Yesterday there was a swap of two of the soldiers for some Lebanese prisoners. While the Lebanese were returned alive and safe to their families, the Israeli soldiers- two of them-were returned in coffins. There is no definite information regarding the third soldier. So please this Shabbat, say Kaddisch for these fallen soldiers and remember them.

Also today, on a very lesser scale, we received our first security sms text from school. Pretty much we receive them if there is something that may be happening that would affect our safety. Happily, we were able to avoid those places less safe and enjoy ourselves at the Israeli Wine Festival held at the Israel museum. For about 17 bucks we got unlimted ( and delicious) wine tasting. We had a terrific time. This says something about Israeli Culture. What is so wonderful is that admist, or even as a result, of all of this politcal, international tension, Israelis go on and live their lives no matter what. Something we should all learn.

Anyway- I am tired so I am off to sleep and ready for a new day tommorrow. It is Shabbat tommorrow night, so Shabbat Shalom! Also I am cooking chilli for motzei shabbat on Saturday- so please wish me luck, as I have discovered some things are very hard to find here!

Lailah Tov HaChaverim Sheli,

Lauren :)

Shabbat and Day of Learning

2008-07-11T23:21:00.000+03:00

Today was an awesome day. We finally got to do some learning with various alumni and Hartman institute students. Hartman institute is a wonderful place where once you become invested or ordained, and you are working in a pulpit - you can fulfill your craving for an academic environment and further your Jewish knowledge.

At 8:30 this morning I and my fellow classmates had a wonderful discussion about ritual and change. Citing sources from mishna and talmud we discussed various platforms on which ritual is debated, created, and changed- and the consequences and benefits that may result. It was meaningful to juxtapose ancient textual debates and laws with the modern situations that will face us in synagogues today- or in 5 yrs when we will finally be official.

The next class was entitled "From Bimah to Bonfire" taught by our interim Cantorial Director in Israel, Tamar Havilio. Through various musical examples and the spacial examples of a Bimah and a Bonfire, we discussed how music can reach different people, and how it may affect people in different ways based on the type, the text, the interpretation and artistry of the musician(s) and the space in which the music is heard.

Tonight, we had our first formal event of our year, with a reception at Rabbi David Ellenson's quarters at HUC. Rabbi Ellenson is the President of HUC. We then had a Kabbalat Shabbat service outside in the garden overlooking the old city. Quite the location! The evening was lovely- very light winds and cool. Nothing like it is in the daytime! ( very very hot!) Slowly the dusk turned into night, and the old city was aglow by the time we came to our final song "Byado" No I did not mean to rhyme that.

After a great dinner (free! yay! free food!) Went home, and I now know EM, em, E7, AM, am, B7

which incidently, if I remember those chords, I will be able to play the above songs on the brand new guitar I bought yesterday!

Ok.... excuse the spelling, and it is now time for me to get my beauty sleep!

Goodnight from Yerushalayim,

Lauren

MagicJack

2008-07-11T23:19:00.000+03:00

Ok. So those of you who have tried to call my magicjack number, you have figured out that it is not working correctly, since I have not called you back!

Hopefully I will be getting an american phone, and then it will work.... for now...stay tuned and stay in touch by email!

Communication

2008-07-09T10:49:00.001+03:00

Here is my contact info- all the ways to stay in touch!

Lauren Furman c/o

Hebrew Union College

13 King David Street

Jerusalem, Israel

94101

magicjack number ( is free!) 1-818-745-2807 ( dial a one before the area code)

laurenfurman@gmail.com

I really look forward to hearing from you!

Love,

Lauren

July 9

2008-07-09T09:58:00.000+03:00

Hi All!

Well I arrived last thursday in Jerusalem after a very long flight- made longer due to the shutdown and 2 hour delay at LAX. But all in all I arrived in 1 piece.

It is definitely a different world here-but it is beautiful. I am situated in a great place. My neighborhood is called Rehavia- and I live on a street that intersects with a big major intersection in town. I am close by to Ben Yehuda street( kind of like an Israeli Third Street Promenade) and the Shouk; to several parks, and the school. Oh yes, and the SuperSol ( though overpriced) is right down the street as well.

It is very very hot here! Mainly because it is so dry outside so we are all drinking lots of water.

So I will sign off for now- classes begin in about a week and a half- we have a very busy schedule of orientations about to start!

B'Shalom,

Lauren