Less than 26 hours left here in Israel. Time to recap the last week and start packing!

On a light note, let's talk about cats. I mean the four footed kind, which are all over Israel. I am pleased to share with you a grainy photo of a cat I encountered on a walk with Peggy Brill, a former Milwaukeean who has lived in Jerusalem several decades. Peggy is decidedly unimpressed by the cats, which are literally everywhere. 

 One of 38,475,680,203 cats in Jerusalem

 Israeli cats specialize in choral singing. I was fortunate to record a short aria before the always modest felines realized they were being taped and stopped. 

Cats in Jerusalem singing La Traviata - though you can't see it in the dark, their stage is a dumpster.

For a more serious cultural thrill, listen to the following song by Kobi Oz, who we saw in concert. This song was inspired by an audio tape he found of his Tunisian grandfather singing traditional prayers in the style he grew up with. His grandson, Kobi, took the tape and set it to modern music and added a beautiful melody and lyric of his own. This video offers a translation of of the lyrics - it's beautiful in a haunting sort of way.  

Elohay - Kobi Oz & his granfather, Rabbi Nissim Messika - with English translation

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I had the opportunity to visit with Sinai's very own Glusman family (mom Caroline had already returned to the US) who were in Israel visiting with family. They had just returned from a late night sound and light show at David's Citadel and, by all accounts, were having the time of their lives!

 Wednesday night, we went to the Jerusalem Theater for a screening of a new Israeli movie that won its category in Cannes, "Footnote." 

The Jerusalem Theater where, as the sign says, "the festival continues." 

 Son and Father, Uriel and Eliezer Shkolnik, 

from the movie, "Footnote." 

The story examines the relationships in one family, wherein father and son are both faculty at the Hebrew University. The son's career soon eclipses the father's, which has become encapsulated in one "footnote" to a larger work by others.

 It's a fantastic movie, funny and tragic. To read a review of "Footnote", go here. 

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Saturday evening, Rabbi Herber, Rabbi Eric Gurvis - a long-time friend from Boston - headed out for dinner at an outdoor cafe. We started with the latest "hit" drink here in Israel - the "LIMON-NANA." It's lemonade mixed with Nana, the Arabic word for fresh mint. It's delicious, if an unworldly color. 

Eric got the best entree, a middle eastern dish called "Shakshouka," a dish of eggs cooked over a red sauce of onions, tomatoes, peppers and assorted spices. There are as many variations as there are Moroccan/Yeminite/Tunisian/ grandmothers in Israel. Truth be told, when ordering a meal in this part of the world, you can't go wrong with Shakshouka. 

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Sunday morning, we made our way to Ein Kerem, the small village that lies on Jerusalem's western edge. Ein Kerem is important for Jews, as the spot from which the stones for the Temple's altar were hewn. For Christians, it's thought to be the place John the Baptists was born. 

We visited the monastery of Our Lady of Sion (Zion). A group within the Roman Catholic Church, devoted to the worship of Mary (our lady..) it was founded by a Jewish convert to Christianity. Given that we were to spend the balance of the day studying with Christian clergy, it was an interesting place to start the morning. To learn more about the order, their history and current activities, go here.  

 At the beautiful Monastery of the Sisters of our Lady of Sion

 From the Valley of Ein Kerem, one can see Hadassah Hospital. Originally sited on Mt. Scopus overlooking the city from the North, the armistice lines of 1949 left it outside of Jewish control, necessitating a new hospital. It is a world class medical center, currently undergoing a substantial building project. 

   Hadassah - Ein Kerem Hospital, as seen from the valley below

Upon returning to the Hartman Institute we studied a series of texts dealing with how Judaism deals with theological dissension within the ranks. Terrific conversation and a reminder of how much Christians and Jews share in common, we well as how differently we read the Bible. 

Christian and Jewish clergy study together

 at the Hartman Institute.  

Where else but in Jerusalem could you find, in the midst of an upscale shopping mall, a full scale reconstruction of the ark of the covenant from the first Temple. Indiana Jones, eat your heart out!

 With such entertainment being shared, can the Messianic age be far behind? 

 Your's truly serenading the partipants of RLI4, 

the Rabbinic Leadership Initiative of which I am a part. 

Probably not. Life here is not untouched by the global recession. The cost of housing is so extreme that its inspired the erection of tent cities of protestors. 

 Tent cities have been erected around the country 

to protest the increasingly high cost of housing.

And many Israelis have been mourning the events in Oslo Norway. As it was in 9/11, Israelis identify when civilians are targeted in such heinous ways. Predictably, some have accused Israel of perpetrating the violence. Nonsensical, for sure, but people can't seem to not blame Israel for all of the world's ills. 

I look forward to seeing you all on Friday night for Kaballat Shabbat services at 6:00 pm. God willing, it will be nice enough to have services outside!

Rabbi David B. Cohen