Back at Yeshiva & Family has made Aliyah!

I am back at Yeshivat Petach Tikva after Ben Hazmanim. Working at Derech Hateva over the summer was great and I recommend it both as a camp for 13-18 year olds and as a place of employment. I'll post more about it later. Meanwhile...

MY FAMILY HAS MADE ALIYAH!!

which is very exciting. I met them at the airport. I woke up at 3am to ride my bike to the airport and came back in a taxi with them to Yerushalim. We dropped off the luggage and went to the kotel and did some basic shopping. I took us through the Arab Shuq to get some electronics. Shlomia got to see her friends on MTA and we picked up a the green Melamed Aramaic-Hebrew-English dictionary (the happy dictionary, called so because it is green[?]). on the way back we went through the new shopping area just outside שער יפו which is really nice, we picked up some naot shoes and desperately needed toiletries.
After that Shlomia and I went to pick up my Shoresh sandals which were in for repairs at Orcha. The popular myth that the sandals are only under guarantee while the green dot is still there isn't 100% true. The warranty is good for two whole years or (not and) while the green dot is completely whole. After collapsing at home for a few hours we took a sherut to Rambash רמב"ש Ramat Beit Shemesh. Somewhere in all of this my Tefillin went missing. Luckily they have my email on them. No point putting a telephone number or even worse address on them, because those change to often. Now I just have to hope the person who finds it read the parsha and saw the positive and negative commandment of Hashavat Aveidah (returning of a lost object)

In New York for Pesach

I am in New York for Pesach and until my Nesfesh B'Nefesh flight.

I am going to the New Voices conference which so far has been interesting. Looking forward to blogging about it and actually, you know, writing something. But that will happen, when I am actually thinking straight and its not 5am Israel time after a jetlag inducing flight.


Just a thought that you wouldn't expect from an oleh:
You know how some people talk of loving everything about Israel and how even the hoy dirt of Israel is beloved unto them. Well for me New York is the same in a way. I love the sounds and smells of New York and on the MTA Subway even the dirt covering the walls in the grimy stations remind me of my love of this city.

And a Did you know?:
The longest subway ride with a transfer is the 2 train from 241st Street in the Bronx, with a transfer at Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau to the Far Rockaway-bound A train (more than 38 miles). - The MTA

I almost did that today. I took the AirTrain from JFK Terminal 4 to Howard Beach station of the A train and from there eventually ended up at 231st st of the 1 train. Not as long, but still one end of the line to another

Couldn't Find Wireless in Palestinian Area A

I was in Bethlehem on Thursday and Friday. I thought I was going to blog from there. I couldn't find wireless. I was too tired to use the computer of the family I stayed with. I am working on a post about it on my laptop with pictures. Should be up soon

I went with this group
http://encounterprograms.org

I am in Raanana now, and rushing off to minha. So I will write more later to you readers