Old City, New Experiences

Excitedly, I report having arrived in Jerusalem, Israel to begin what promises to be a most fruitful year of study and exploration as well as the first chapter of my Hebrew Union College journey.  On these pages, I aim to reflect on the adventure and share as best I can with friends and family the world over.  Feel free to comment here or direct questions, suggestions, and exclamations of praise to my email.

photo cred: Dan Geigerman

When one thinks about the ancient city of Jerusalem, especially
the historic and culturally precious Old City, the first images that come to mind obviously include pyrotechnics, neon lights, booming bass lines, and a general party atmosphere.  Perhaps not, but upon my arrival in Israel's capital city following a smooth enough international flight and a marginally harrowing sherut ride from the airport, the sight of projected light displays greeted me in the Old City.  It is not my belief that the proprietors are planning a revision of the city's image, but rather that the inception of my Israel adventures coincided with the beginning of the Festival of Light in Jerusalem.  I had the chance to explore some of the routes independently and then to return the next evening with some of my new classmates to delve further.  We found that the exhibits were enjoyable, but my intrigue was magnified by their context; smoke machines in the Cardo and strobe shadows alighting upon the golden stone buildings made for an anachronistic gallery.  One of my favorite exhibits involved a live projection of dynamic sand art.  The curation of the Festival was also notable for what it wasn't - namely the fact that the routes did not disturb any of the four religious Quarters of the Old City.

I look forward to whatever new and unexpected turns may be coming in the near future.  Until then, I will be starting my Hebrew language studies tomorrow. L'hitraot!