Yerushalyim

I've been suffering from severe case of blog-guilt for the last few days. I understand this is a common complaint among bloggers, induced by the pressure of finding the content for and writing regular posts. I know this entry is well-overdue.

I have been back in Jerusalem for about 10 days now and it's been non-stop: moving into my apartment, starting my studies at Pardes, seeing various visitors from London, sightseeing, partying and a bout of tonsillitis thrown in for good measure (which I am just recovering from).

It has been a real pleasure ‘living’ in Jerusalem. I am so excited to have the key to an apartment here and it’s a great feeling to own a few hundred square feet in this city – even if it is only temporary. I am also enjoying grocery shopping in a supermarket where everything is kosher. I tell you it makes things a lot quicker when you don’t need to read the list of ingredients on every packet you pick up – and it’s a real novelty to have the pick of the cheese counter.

The location of my flat couldn’t be better. In the mornings I have a 15 minute walk in the sunshine to where my course is, past lots of cute shops and coffee places. This is what everyone’s commute should be like, right?

Pardes. It turns out, there is so much learn about everything, and each day I am reminded that I know even less. There are about 100 students on the July summer programme: 93 are from North America, there is one other Brit, three Australians, one Argentinean and a German, all between the ages of about 21 – 75 years old and from a whole range of backgrounds. I think this is what really makes Pardes special compared to some other seminaries and yeshivot. The teaching is brilliant and I have chosen a mixture of classes: Beginners Talmud (Masechet Brachot, Chapter 4 - the one on Amidah, if you’re interested); A class on four of Maimonides’ 13 principles; and ‘Why bad things happen to good people?’.

Classes are from 8.45am – 5.00pm, Sunday to Thursday lunchtime, so the days are long and weeks are full. But I am keen not just to do “Pardes” while I am here. My evenings, nights and early hours have been spent seeing other bits of Jerusalem. Various friends’ trips to Israel have meant that as well as catching up on all the gossip in the last two editions of the JC, I have had an excuse to try out some of the really good restaurants in town.

Famous sculpture in the Israel Museum sculpture garden: Ahava (Love), by Robert Indiana

I am going to a couple of films at the Jerusalem film festival this week and have planned some interesting day trips which hopefully I can tell you about in the next updates.

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I couldn’t write this post without mentioning Alan Senitt z'l who I have been thinking about so much since Sunday. I am sure you will have all heard by now, the devastating and shocking news about his attack in Washington D.C. Before the summer we were both working in Westminster and were in touch before starting our respective trips abroad. I knew Alan through UJS and was always in total admiration about is ability to appear calm and smiling all the time. He definitely found his calling and was a total natural at what he did. There will definitely be a void in the Anglo-Jewish community without him, but it is undoubtedly so much richer for what he contributed to it. I will really miss him.