Maura travels to the Desert on her own; Reyna arrives! Visit to Jaffe

we send Maura off by late morning.  She is going to visit 4 kibbutzim in the desert- about an hour north of Eilat- about 3 1/2 hours from Tel Aviv.  She has her route down, and her computer packed, her appointments made and accommodations arranged. 

Randall and I have a bit of a rest- and then get ready for Reyna to arrive.  She is due in late afternoon. Our cousins, Shiri and Corinne (with her son Ran) are going to pick her up- and surprise her.  Reyna thinks we are coming for her.  what a treat.

Randall and I take our bikes and ride up the tayelet to the "nemal"- the port.  It is Wednesday afternoon; the streets are filled with people- but, we can still ride fairly smoothly on the bike route- and then through the route along side the cafes, and all the people riding bikes, walking and running; walking dogs, pushing strollers. 

 what a lovely afternoon.  we stop and take a break.  Paddle boarders and surfers are out on the water.

When Reyna arrives- we are delighted- she had a wonderful visit with the cousins and a promise to see them soon.  We go out on the street for dinner and find a great little spot. 

Reyna is exhausted- sleeps for a few hours and then goes out during the night to catch up with old friends.  Cafes and bars are open all night- and many people are out and about all night.  She rests for a few more hours and then - wakes up to greet the day with us.

The next morning is Christmas Day, and after a hearty breakfast, Reyna, Randall and I ride bikes down the tayelet- to the south- to Jaffe.  (Yafo)  we park the bikes and walk through the old city. 

Here the day is a relatively normal one- everyone is out and about.  The old city of Jaffe is a favorite of mine.  There are shuks in the area, too- one is called Shuk Pishpishim. (literally means "fleas")  But, in recent years, the area has become more upscale. 

Jaffe is a restored old city; once completely Arab, it is now partially Arab and Jewish.  The village is more of an artists colony. 

Looking north to Tel Aviv on the tayelet.

Looking South toward Jaffe.

On the tayelet- a sculpture-  Woman in the Wind

In the City: wandering through narrow streets with artists studios in the nooks and crannies.

We met Liat Avar who makes beautiful clothes from fabrics she orders from Italy.  she is so creative.

Later, Reyna takes us to Shuk Pishpishim- and we travel through these narrow streets.

Every shop looks interesting- and of course, dogs adorn the streets and furniture!  here are a couple of sleeping dogs.

Reyna takes us to Puah- a favorite restaurant. we have to wait, but, it is sure worthwhile.

Simple salads, a baked whole fish; an eggplant lasagna made with quinoa, tomatoes potatoes and eggplant.  I asked to see the kitchen to find out how it is made, but, they were too busy to let me come back there.  I will try to repeat it.

Connie and Walter; Levinsky, Neve Tzedek

No sooner do we get home from our trip to the north, we are getting ready to visit with our close friends- Connie and Walter.  Connie is my oldest friend from high school days in Detroit. She and Walter live in Seattle where she is a graphic artist for Starbucks and Walter teaches music.  Both are also musicians.  They have joined a group touring from Temple De Hirsch Sinai and the Rabbi Danny Wiener with whom they are very close and play routinely in the temple music group.  Their first couple of days are in Tel Aviv- and we will meet up with them for dinner.  We expect to see them again when they go to Masada and the Dead Sea- we will join them at the Sea.  We plan to float together there. 

In the meantime, they are touring outside the city for the morning.  We are relaxing.  We head over to the antique show at Dizengoff Center and drink fruit smoothies. 

The smoothie stations are ubiquitous in Tel Aviv- literally on every street.  And- the fruit is fresh; juiced and blended in front of you. 

 

 





And then it is time to meet up with Connie and Walter.  We wander with them to our favorite market at Levinksy.  We take them to buy nuts and dried fruit, stop in a the bakery where Connie buys a piece of halvah (which comes in 10 different flavors), and then wander through the small streets toward Neve Tzedek.  There we chance upon restaurant Nana- a recommendation from Corinne.  We go in and are delighted.  This is a long time restaurant in the area and our dinner was delicious.





 

 

 

Connie and Walter are heading to the desert for a couple of days. Then they go on to Jerusalem; we will meet up with them at the Dead Sea and float- wishing out the year and wishing in the new.  A great joy to be with them here in Israel.  These days are so full. 



Monday; Kibbutz Sasa; Miriam Ziev; a life experience.

We opted to let Maura go to kibbutz Daphna on her own on Monday morning and after a spectacular Israeli breakfast buffet (truly endless and delicious) she left for her visit, tour and interviews.

Maura will need to write about Daphna- she did show us a lovely pair of boots she bought - she saw them being made in their factory.

Randall and I partook of the spa at Hagoshrim and had massages.  what can I say- I don't think my neck felt so good in ages.  Completely relaxed, packed and pictures taken of the common grounds of the hotel, we headed south and west to kibbutz Sasa.
There is a lovely grounds in front of the main building with a sculpture garden:

This sculpture is called Menopause.

 This one is called Pet:

 This sculpture needs no name:

Maura's plan was to meet with a director of the gardens at Sasa- Miriam Ziev; Sassa has numerous ventures, the most economically successful is a plant that builds armored vehicles; many of which were sold to the U.S. Army for use in Afghanistan and Iraq- saving many soldiers' lives.  the name of the company is Plassan and there is a plant in Grand Rapids Michigan!

Sasa is ecologically conscious, recycling and reusing much of their garbage.  First, we needed  a snack.  we found a place to park and spread out a picnic- jokingly remembering a little picnic the girls and I had outside of Munising some years ago at a high security prison.  Randall needed to stop there to visit an inmate.  our little spread on truck tailgate in the prison parking lot raised the ire of the prison guards who required us to pack up and wait in the lobby.  this little picnic was nothing like that, but, the impression of the quick spread was a funny reminder. 

here, we were closely watched by a couple of local dogs who were hoping for a handout. 

 

After our snack, we walked up to what looked like an administrative building and went in.  We asked in our broken language fashion for Miriam Ziev's office and were told that she doesn't have an office- she works everywhere.  But, the woman called Miriam and soon she met us at the building.  If this were a college campus, the building would be the student union or the commons.  This building is beautiful. It was designed around an old Arab building and some of the original walls remain.  director in the building made us coffees and brought out cookies and we sat and talked with Miriam for more than an hour.  Maura conducted her interview and we learned a great deal about Sasa, Plassan, and, of course, how she works on the environment in the community. 

 

 

This is the first day we have had a downpour- and the rain was constant and strong.  Eventually, Miriam asked if we would like to drive and see some of the areas she spoke about, view the community, the surrounding area, and we were pleased. we walked to our car and Miriam gave us a tour.

She showed us the beautiful residences in the kibbutz.

She explained that the fields with orchards covered in white guaze are apple trees.  Sasa grows pink ladies and granny smith apples. 

Sasa has a sophisticated recycling system in the kibbutz. 

They have a plant in another location and are working on growing algae to make omega 3 vitamins.  They are also working on an algae plant in Texas. 

Sasa was started in 1949, founded by a group of Americans.  There are few members- not more than 200.  Membership at Sasa is exclusive.  many rules guide how one can become a member.  They would not want a couple of 60 year olds- we can't contribute to the community like a younger person! 


There is a YouTube film about Sasa, the history of the area, the museum at Sasa and a short program  about Sasa's work at Plassan:









Miriam's parents moved in 1966 from England to live at Sasa; both were physicians.  As the community physicians, they were not Kibbutz members.  Her father, was originally Austrian.  His parents were killed in the war, but sent him (Tommy Spencer) and his brother on the kinder transport to live in England when he was 11.  At first, the family expected to all be together. Correspondence continued for a time, and then, eventually, lessened and stopped. The boys never saw their parents again. Her grandmother was gassed at Auschwitz; his father survived, but was quite ill and died shortly after the war.  Miriam's mother was from South Africa, having immigrated from Russia. 

In England, the boys were living in a kind of camp with other kinder transport children.  There they learned music, art, and had routine studies.  He met an artist from Scotland.  Her father was a great painter.  His art hung throughout her home, she has a book published about Tommy Spencer, with images of his paintings.

Her parents built their home.  It is unlike other kibbutz homes. There is a central fireplace, beautiful floors,  and a large piano that her parents brought from England. the central room is large message enough for chamber music concerts. Everyone plays an instrument so that they can make music together.  She had 3 other siblings and she herself has 4 children.  On the anniversary of her father's death, the family gets together and has a music day.  A celebration. 

Miriam grew up in the children's quarters.  In the early days of kibbutzim, the children slept in a children's dormitory.  The children and parents spent time together, but, then for sleeping, children slept in the dormitory.  The kibbutz couple's typical housing was only 70 meters, with a very tiny kitchen, (most people eat at the center dining hall). When Miriam and her husband began having their children, they worked with the other young families to put an end to this old rule- this was back in the 80s when the children's dorms were eliminated in kibbutzim across the country.  While most kibbutzim still maintained other social rules, this rule was considered outmoded.  Parents wanted to be with their children.  This required that housing be adjusted to accommodate the larger families.


Most of my life, I have felt that I have had the good fortune to know and love and work with people who are - magical- multi-faceted, to whom I feel endeared -almost from the outset of my interaction with them.  Whether you call it a "chemistry" or a life experience, meeting Miriam was one of those experiences.  The three of us felt that we were enjoying and experiencing a person with whom we felt so good.  She was so kind to invite us to her home; to spend her entire afternoon with us; to share some of her stories with us. 

She explained that her son, Adam, learned to make gelato after his time in the army in Italy.  He brought the skill back to Israel and opened a gelato store in the nearby Arab town called Tarschecha called Bouza- this is the Arab word for ice cream. Adam is a member of the kibbutz- he owns 75% and a friend of his who lives in Tarschecha  (and owns a French restaurant named Aloumah) owns 25%.  Adam's revenues from the ice cream store come back to the kibbutz.  He and his friend are planning more Bouza stores and have already opened at least one more.  It is an integrated effort between the communities.  And a successful one. 

One of the aspects we notice, and have seen before, is that even with all the horrifying news among the groups- many people want and act for peace and in peaceful ways together.  This is not the first time we hear of mutual and integrated cooperative ventures.  Life here is very complicated.

Miriam recommended that we go to dinner at Aloumah and then to have gelato at Bouza.  It is time to go- the rain will follow us all the way back down to Tel Aviv; it is dark here by 5:30. 

Off we go, reluctantly, we feel infused with her light. we leave, barely able to talk and unable to stop talking, we are all so charmed.

we wend our way through the hills and find Aloumah for a fabulous dinner; as a special touch, Adam comes into the restaurant and we meet him briefly.  We go to Bouza for dessert, and have wonderful gelato.  Tired, but, buoyant, we drive home. 



The archives building for Sasa. 

Photos in Tarschecha:  many Israelis live in this village:  Druze and Christian Arabs.

 

The restaurant Aloumah:

 Bouza the ice cream store in Tarschecha

 In addition to scooped ice cream, they make special little ice cream.

hiking and nature and desert, oh my!

MTL:
Last night I slept with a lizard in the room. It wasn't intentional. In fact, when I came back from using wifi to talk to my family and friends, I noticed the lizard on the wall of my small one-room accommodation and managed to stifle a scream... (it was almost midnight). He was bright yellow and about seven inches long. When I moved towards him with the hopes to capture him in a glass mug and return him to the desert outside my door, he darted beneath my bed, lost for the rest of the night. I was surprised I could sleep in his presence but I wrapped myself in blankets and decided I was too tired to fight the gnawing feeling that he might possibly slither up onto my bed during the night. In other words- I let it go.

I arrived at Kibbutz Lotan yesterday during the afternoon. Its about 80 degrees everyday here with a bright, hot, shining sun and no clouds. Its nestled in the middle of the desert and all around me the kibbutz is surrounded by mountains of dust and rocks for miles and miles. Its quite beautiful and pictures can't seem to do it justice.

Lotan is part of my thesis adventure because it hails itself as an "eco tourism" site. Most of the buildings are made out of recycled materials and all around are little oases for birds. Dr. Michael Livni also lives here. He is a renowned researcher in the field of kibbutz and Jewish studies and he has written prolifically about kibbutzim and environmentalism. I have used much of his work as an antithesis for my thesis during preliminary research and literature reviews. When I arrived and found out he was a member of kibbutz Lotan I was more than a little excited. Hopefully I'll be able to meet him while I'm here!!

 (Oil saved from the kitchen used to coat the mud architecture and create biofuel.)

 (A communal kitchen in the "mud village" neighborhood of Lotan.)

 (Lotan's renowned recycling center- the first in all of Israel.)

(A beautiful garden area where kibbutz members have built a playground for children out of recycled materials. Much like Kibbutz Be'eri but cleaner and more permanent.)

Last night after checking into my room at Lotan I drove over to Yahel- about a twenty minute drive on highway 90 through the desert. Yahel was interesting. I had a different vibe there from any other kibbutz I had visited. The meeting felt rushed and the CEO even said to me, "there are too many researchers like you who come to me. Three or four a year..." Despite his unwillingness to share, I got some interesting information. When I came back later to eat dinner at Lotan, I sat with kibbutz members who are my age. They told me there exists a tension and competition between Lotan and Yahel. Apparently the kids used to go to the same regional school but that stopped years ago. Originally, legend has it that Yahel didn't want Lotan to exist because it drew tourism from the region away from their kibbutz. But I am still trying to get to the bottom of the tension. Different people have told me different things, some citing differences in opinion over money and religion. I think perhaps the people just have different personalities and ideas; it certainly seemed that way to me.

In any case, I feel quite welcome at Lotan and I am grateful that this is the place I am using as a base to sleep at for a few days while I tour around other kibbutzim. Lotan is liberal and open. They have set up several meetings for me and all the kids (my age) who volunteer or live here have been quite kind. They are curious about my project and I am curious about their lives. This connection with the local people during the last two weeks has been a phenomenal experience I won't ever forget. I think it will add color to my thesis and I know it has already added color to my life.

I interviewed Rabbi Leah (pronounced like Princess Leah from Star Wars) Benami late last night in the kibbutz office while the perfect stars shone brightly from the window. She told me about her thoughts towards the connection between Judaism and environmentalism on Lotan and she also explained some of the recent changes Lotan has undergone financially. She was blunt but kind and had a no-nonsense quality about her. I like that Lotan is liberal and accepting but yet associates themselves with the reform Jewish movement. They have a kosher kitchen, they observe shabbat and they have prayers on the weekends. They don't claim to be secular yet they are uniquely liberal.

I feel like I'm camping. There's something so different about the desert communities than the ones I visited in the North. At Lotan in particular there is absolutely no privacy. The room I'm staying in is connected to another room and they have a shared porch outside. When I was brought to my room all the curtains were open and she left the door open. Right outside my door is a whole community of people using walking paths and chattering and playing music. It reminds me oddly enough of Interlochen summer camp. Not only because of the way it looks but by the community atmosphere. And the fact that at some point during the day you can always hear some music coming from somewhere. Everyone is friendly and says hi and speaks English! They're not afraid of English speakers. Lotan was founded by Americans about thirty years ago.

My day at Ketura was different but equally as charming. Ketura houses the Arava Institute for ecological studies and has a small tourism place where guests can stay in a bed and breakfast. They are partially privatized but not fully. People still add their salaries from their various jobs into the bigger pot and get a budget based on the size of their family each month.

Here I spent the first part of my visit doing an "open day" tour where people come to learn about the kibbutz community and the Arava Institute.  I was able to ask a lot of general questions to the woman who I've been communicating with named Laura Shulton. She gave me the basics of what was going on at Ketura. I then ate lunch with a bunch of local Israelis who had just finished the army. I had a long and interesting talk with an Israeli named Eidan who is deciding what he wants to do after the army.

(This is Ketura's outdoor gathering area. There are benches and shade from the sun amongst a few trees, forced to grow by human hands in the unrelenting desert heat.)

What Eidan couldn't wrap his head around was my life. First he didn't understand my project. He was confused about how I could be doing fieldwork in Israel without a professor here. He asked, "how do you know you're doing it right?" I told him I've been working on it for a year and I've designed it so I know exactly what I had to do when I arrived. He said, "so you're just confident?" Well, I suppose that's one way to put it. He then sat for thirty minutes grilling me on how I could know I want to go to law school so soon and how I could go from studying kibbutz ecology straight to law. To him those things seemed so different. He kept saying, "the only people who I know that know exactly what they want to do after university are musicians or artists. Most everyone else floats around and travels and decides." Israeli's are so funny. They have a different way of looking at life I think. He questioned all the "why's" of my schooling and explained to me how different things are in Israel. We had a wonderful cultural exchange and I was surprised at how friendly and open he was. He told me about how he tutors children and how his army tour is in education. He said during the war last summer his job didn't change much. He moved to an area closer to Gaza and took care of children. He said the IDF was told to comfort the families and assure them... to tell them everything was going to be alright. That was heavy to hear. I can only imagine how scary that was for them and for him, having to deliver promises that could very well be empty... It could've gone either way last summer. 

On a happier note, something I've noticed about the Israelis my age is that they take communication seriously. At meals no one has their phone in front of them. They leave their phones on the tables and engage in conversation with everyone around them. This happened at dinner at Lotan and lunch at Ketura. The people who I talk to, men and women, are genuinely interested in having an intellectual conversation and they don't talk about sports or electronics or pop culture. They don't pull out their phones at all during a meal. Its so refreshing. I feel so accepted here- like I'm not weird for not watching TV. There's something so real about my interactions with people. 

After lunch and my conversation with Eidan, I went hiking with Ketura's agricultural expert, Yoram. I had no idea what to expect. Part of me assumed we would just walk around the kibbutz, another part of me was sure it might be something more. But I had no idea what was in store for me. When I caught up with Yoram he was wearing hiking boots and a backpack. He told me to fill my water bottle. We then walked outside the gates of Ketura and over towards the Egyptian boarder. We started to walk along and the gravel and the rocks were getting larger and more sharp. I kind of assumed we would stop at the foothills of the nearest mountain. So you can imagine my surprise when Yoram began to ascend the mountain... This was almost a 90 degree angle. In the U.S. mountains like these would be considered double black diamonds if they were covered in snow and ski-able. Alas, they are covered in rocks. Sharp rocks and dusty dirt. And we began to climb. I had no idea how high he would go but halfway through he turned to me and said, "are you afraid of heights?" I let out a breathless laugh, said no, and continued following him until we were at the top of a peak. I was afraid I could tumble down at any moment. If I had lost my footing just once I would go tumbling down fifty feet, probably with several broken bones. THANK GOD that didn't happen. Instead I watched many rocks slip to their demise as they tumbled down and down to the base where we had started climbing just minutes before.

When I finally got to the top where he was, I was shaking. Crawling on hands and knees I found a spot to sit next to him and looked down. The view took my breath away! It was stunning. We could see all of Ketura and the surrounding growing fields. From up there Yoram explained what everything was to me from an aerial view: how they watered their fields and what kind of desalinization process they use. It was an unbelievable experience that I can hardly put into words. I NEVER would have ascended the mountain if Yoram hadn't led the way. While I felt unsafe at the top, I also felt a keen sense of accomplishment and pleasure. The sun was beating down hot on my shoulders and I had made it!

(views from the top of the mountains) 

 (I really like how the dogs and cats interact on kibbutzim. They all run free together and every once in awhile you can notice some tension. Here a dog at Ketura circles around a stray cat with no intention of harming him)

(This is Yoram's compost machine. He's really proud of it even though it frustrates him because it doesn't always function correctly. This machine was a gift from the municipal council. Ketura is the first kibbutz to test it out)

When I returned to Lotan for the afternoon and evening I set myself up in a quiet corner of the kibbutz with my computer and the sun. I thought, here I will have an afternoon to myself to gather my research thoughts and perhaps blog a little. I hadn't been sitting there for a half an hour when a guy my age I met yesterday at dinner, Asaf, came up to me and offered to give me a tour of the local hangout spots on Lotan. Of course I took him up on his offer and eagerly took pictures and wrote notes as he explained to me what it was like to work as a volunteer in the ecology sector of the kibbutz. He is doing a year of service before joining the army.

 (A wall built from recycled materials, sand, clay and mud. This is a "truth window"showing people the old bottles that line the inside the wall before mud is plastered over the top.)

(Asaf showing me a room made out of mud with a fully mud wall and a mud door. The roof is made entirely of solar panels.)

Soon it began to grow dark. We stopped in the "mud neighborhood" where all the homes are built of mud, and sat down. Asaf made tea and two other girls who live there came outside and sat and talked with us. It was chilly but friendly and fun. We hung out until it got really dark and the stars were so clear we could see the milky way. I felt so comfortable amongst these friendly people and so blessed to have met them. I kept looking up at the stars and thinking how I never knew any of these people existed out here in the middle of the desert all the way around the world from me in my small bubble. And how when I got home we would still be looking up at the same stars. 

(Two areas in the mud village: the first is a home the second is a porch-like enclosure people hang out in.)

 (Lotan's motto, a verse from the Torah they have painted on a mud wall near the eco kaf in English and Hebrew).