Mitachat La'Shamayim

This Shabbat was exactly what Shabbat should be... RELAXING! On Friday, my hero Uncle Eddie came to my apartment with a suitcase from Mom AND my guitar! I almost didn't want to go eat lunch because I was too busy looking through all the great new clothes, ziploc baggies (you'd be surprised how important things like ziploc baggies are here), and Skyline chili seasoning! And then, of course, I had to play my guitar for a few minutes :) After exploring the greatness that was the suitcase, I met Uncle Eddie for a tour of my apartment, a walk through the German Colony, and lunch on Emek Refaim, the main street in the German Colony. We went to Kabbalat Shabbat services at Moreshet Yisrael, the synagogue located at the Conservative Movement's Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center, situated literally across the street from my apartment! We had a very taim (tasty) Shabbat dinner at the Sheraton, complete with several kinds of frum (religious) Jews wearing a large assortment of black hats and coats in various fabrics and lengths. We of course did some excellent people watching and analysis of the hats and coats as we enjoyed our dinner! I also enjoyed a second dessert with some friends after my first metukah (literally sweet, but used to mean dessert on our menu) with Uncle Eddie. We went with a bunch of my classmates to HUC for Shabbat Shacharit (morning services), during which the fabulous Dean Rabbi Michael Marmur gave an awesome D'var Torah (sermon) on Tu B'Av, Israel's more-or-less Valentine's Day equivalent (Tu B'Av actually means the 15th of the month of Av, and serves to lift our spirits after Tisha B'Av- see my last entry for more info). After services, Uncle Eddie and I took a tour of HUC's complex, the new Mamilla Mall, and walked around the outside of the Old City. I then "cooked" (boiled some pasta and made tuna sandwiches) Shabbat lunch for us before we went our separate ways for the obligatory Shabbat nap...

After my first Shabbat nap (yes first, more on this in a minute), I met a bunch of my classmates for a Shabbat cookout in the Liberty Bell Park! A bunch of the guys brought little grills down to the park and grilled burgers, chicken hot dogs, peppers, zucchini, onions, and corn on the cob (yay!)! We had a GREAT time relaxing in the park, playing Frisbee, eating, and just enjoying sunset in Jerusalem. After the cookout, Lisa and I picked up some ice cream, watched a little Sex and the City, and both took nap #2 in preparation for...

DAVID BROZA LIVE AT MASADA SUNRISE CONCERT!!!

David Broza is perhaps Israeli's most famous and important singer-songwriter, with several multi-platinum albums and some of the most well-known Hebrew pop standards. His most famous tunes include Yihye Tov (It will be good- and yes, covered by the MeshugaNotes) and Mitachat La'Shamayim (Under the Skies). Eleven of us met at 1am at HUC to meet the mini-bus we rented to take us to the concert. Fifteen minutes later, no mini-bus... so we had a Sydney's Israeli boyfriend call the driver for us. He insisted that he would be there in hamesh dakot (five minutes)... but fifteen minutes later, still no driver. When we called again, we found out that he had been pulled over, but again, insisted that he would be there soon. Sydney then remarked that it would be funny if he ended up in jail and couldn't take us to the concert... which was pretty ironic, since the next time her boyfriend called the driver, we found out he was in fact going to jail for driving with an expired license, and therefore couldn't take us to the concert. The bus company sent us a new mini-bus and driver, but by the time they woke this guy up at 2am, it was almost 2:45 before he picked us up (we're now leaving about an hour and half later than we wanted to go). We set off for Masada after the driver received directions in Hebrew from Sydney's boyfriend as well as us AND our Hebrew speaking intern. However, he still managed to take us the wrong way to Masada... which meant that once we got to the wrong side of the mountain, we then had to drive an HOUR around the mountain to get to the concert site. To top all of this off, the driver was CRAZY and drove like a maniac, causing everyone (ie: Lisa) to get really bus-sick. By the time we got to the concert, we had missed the first hour, BUT... the concert was absolutely completely and totally AMAZING!!! I have never seen a live guitar player as talented as David Broza, and he was accompanied by an up-and-coming band called Mayumana that featured beat boxers, innovative drummers, a violinist, singers, and more. The concert ended with my two favorite David Broza songs, Mitachat La'Shamayim and Yihye Tov (I'll post some translations below). Our ride back was just as crazy and bumpy, but a few of us (including me) went to school today, despite our lack of sleep.

In other extremely exciting news... SEAN IS COMING TO ISRAEL TOMORROW!!!

Yihye Tov... It will be good!!
Meredith










The beginning (or the beginning for us!) of the concert, around 4:45am!





















The sunrise, the concert, and Mt. Masada



















David Broza (center w/guitar) with the group Mayumana



















Joel and me enjoying the sunrise




















Sydney, Jim, Lisa, and Ari dancing to Mitachat La'Shamayim







Yihye Tov

As I look out through the window
And my thoughts are turning back
To the spring that left in sorrow
Who knows when it's coming back
The jester played the wise king
And the prophet turned to clown
I've forgotten where I'm going
Thank G-d I'm still around

It will be good (alternate translation: things will get better), It will be good
Sometimes I feel broken
But tonight, oh tonight, with you I remain

I look out my window... maybe a new day will come!

Mitachat La'Shamayim

We came here, under the sky
Two, like a pair of eyes.
We have time, under the sky.
Meanwhile, we are still here.

You and I, the bed is wide for love.
Night and day, the smile apologizes for his laziness.
We two are one. One is full and round-- full and big.

Come! We will give. I will allow you to give to me to give to you.
And despite the distance, despite the pain, despite the sorrow,
I love, love, love you. Yes!