Chanukah Sameach!!

It's hard to believe, but it's already the second to last night of Chanukah! Time really flies! It's been a really really great Chanukah, and even though I'm on break, technically, I've been so busy! Here's a bunch of us in front of the communal menorah, which we light for the whole building.
























I had four performances this week (yay!). The first one was last Thursday. The Israeli program had a party and there's a girl I know, Moran, who suggested that I play with another girl, who played guitar. It was really an amazing experience. I was the only American there, so my Hebrew skills were put to test! Good thing there were also some people who spoke English.
Then, on Sunday, Neve had their Chanukah Chagiga, where each class put on a play. One of my roommates, Shoshana, wrote our play, which was a spoof of "Little Shop of Horrors." We have a plant for our classroom (Stanley), so we adapted the play to be about him. It was a ton of fun. My other roommate was one of the emcees for the show, and in her level's skit. Both my roommates are hysterical.

Then, Tuesday, there was a concert with the orchestra I've been playing with. We played an arrangement of Mao Tzur, then some Kabelevsky, Peter and the Wolf, In the Hall of the Mountain King, an original work for choir and orchestra, Vivaldi, an arrangment of Al HaNisim, two pieces by a guy named Leroy Anderson (I think - I have no idea who he is). It was great!!! I got to play bass clarinet (see). Who ever thought that over three years after I completed my degree I would be performing in an all-women orchestra in Jerusalem?


























Finally, there was a huge fundraiser last night to support kallahs (brides) from Neve (since most of us don't have so much cash to front on a wedding). There were hundreds, maybe even over a thousand, people who attended. Shosh and a girl named Naomi sang a song (There's a light in the window), another girl from our floor, Batya, danced to it, and I played piano. It was great! My other roommate (Emily) sang a gorgeous solo with the girls from Maalot (a different program). She also won a giant picture of R'Moshe Feinstein in the raffle! Now it's in our room! so cool! Here's us after the show (with the Rabbi).



















Now I'm just recuperating from the events, and trying to prepare for classes, which start again on Sunday. I can't believe Chanukah is almost over. I can't believe I've been here for six months. It's amazing here!!!!!

I knew this would happen!

I had a sneaking suspicion that once the ball got rolling, so to speak, on classes, my ability/desire to continue to update would wane. Well, I was right! To compound the matter, my camera is not functioning so well (that means not at all), and so I don't even have pictures to post. However, I can tell you what the pictures would be of: the classroom in which I essentially live!

Learning is really, really amazing. We learn a lot inside (this means only in Hebrew), and it's so exciting to be able to read Rashi without translation (with a dictionary, of course!). My vocabulary keeps growing, and it's very, very exciting. Also, hashgafically (philosophically) the classes are phenomenal. It helps that St. Louis provided such solid footing so that when I came here I could grow from a nice holding point.

I've been developing kesherim (connections) with Rabbeim (and Rebbetzins) - mainly Rabbi Chalkowski (he's my Rav!), Rebbetzin Bulman, Rebbetzin Levitan and Rabbi Keleman. Between them, I'm taken care of! They are all so insightful. There are times wehn I go in to Rabbi Chalkowski to ask a question and he answers questions I didn't even realize I had! Also, my Eim Bayis (House Mother) is also very special, and always available for advice, or to borrow stain remover, or give me leftover kugel. I love it!!

My hebrew birthday was recently (6 Kislev), and my roommate treated me to a trip to the Kosel. It was really incredible. It's hard to understand where I was only a year ago. It's very, very exciting.

So, in short, I love love Israel and Neve and all my friends and all my classes and I really have no complaints, Baruch Hashem!!