OK, I give in...(written pre-departure)

OK, I give in. I was against this blogging thing from the start, but it does seem like the best way to disseminate information quickly and easily without worrying that I didn't copy someone on the email.


Every time I go to Israel, I keep a journal. More accurately, every time I go to Israel, I start a journal. Maybe this time will be different. This is my seventh trip to Israel, and it's the first time I haven't traveled as part of a tour program. Whether it was Pilgrimage (either time), professional conferences, part of Hornstein, a JUF mission, or whatever, I've always gone to Israel with my logistics completely planned by others. This time is different.


I am fortunate and grateful to have received a Legacy Heritage Communal Fellowship to study at the Conservative Yeshiva for a three-week summer session. I am constantly amazed by all that my students have the opportunity to learn, and for three brief weeks, I will get a little taste of that world.I'll be taking classes on Talmud, Midrash, Heschel, and how to read Torah. I cannot wait. Of course, I'll also get to live in an apartment, shop for my own food, and plan my own time. Many friends will already be in Israel or will arrive soon after me.


My adventure begins in about half an hour, when I board a flight to Frankfurt, Germany. Twelve years after completing my four years of Deutsch under the tutelage of Frau Roller, I will be in Germany for three brief hours before I connect to a flight to Tel Aviv. Will I dredge up any German during my time in Frankfurt? Somehow I think "Wir sind hier, und hier ist Deutsch," and "Wollen wir ins Kino gehen? Tut mir leid, ich kann nicht" might not be the most useful of phrases.

I hope that this online journal will give you at least small nuggets of what I'm gleaning from this experience. This time will be different.

We'll talk soon...
Caroline