Jerusalem of Gold. Once you visit, it is in your blood. Part of who I am and what drove me to become a cantor and someone who works exclusively in the Jewish community, is the fact that I lived in Israel for 11 years.
This came about while I was still in high school. My father, and grandfather, in particular, were Zionists, or so they thought. At that time, being a Zionist meant that all Jews should live in Israel. So, they sent me to Israel during the summer of 1969 to be with Israeli students my same age and to experience Israeli life in an agricultural high school near Haifa, Kfar Galim.
And what experiences those were! Israel was a new country. Everyone was so friendly and wanted to get to know us American students. Every weekend we were invited home to another one of the Israelis’ houses for the weekend. I was enchanted!
After those experiences, I wanted to go back to Israel for college, and possibly make Aliyah. My father balked. He never really thought that would happen – that I would love Israel so much as to make Aliyah. Although attending four years of college in Israel was ruled out, my father did agree to allow me to participate in the Junior Year Abroad program which was part of the UC system. So, in 1974, my Junior year, I went to study in Israel. I arrived right after the Yom Kippur War. And yes, I stayed, making Aliyah in 1975, when I became an Israeli student with new immigrant status and a scholarship from the government.
During my first three years there, I lived in Jerusalem while finishing my degree in Music and Theater at Hebrew University. Since I didn’t have a car, buses or walking were my only modes of transportation. I became very familiar with all of the little paths and shortcuts that would pass between the houses and streets. Jerusalem was then, and still is, special. It is the belly button of the world – that’s where G-d cut the cord! And we felt, then and now, standing by HaKotel – the Western Wall – that every prayer pushed in between the stones will go straight up to heaven.
The air seems different, clean and fresh, almost sparkly, partly because Jerusalem sits 2,575 feet high. The houses and buildings are all built out of Jerusalem stone, a special limestone quarried there, and it shines like gold at the end of the day. That is where Jerusalem got its moniker, Jerusalem of Gold!
If you are wondering about the marvel that is Israel and how this country can get into your blood, join us on our next adventure. We are planning to bring another group from the Jewish Federation in 2022, sometime in late May and early June. If you are interested, please contact me at jsofer@jewish sgpv.org.
In spite of the bombings, the Israelis go on, almost, but not completely oblivious to what just happened a few months ago. The cities are thriving, bubbling, restaurants filled to the brim every single evening. Unfortunately, as a result of the Pandemic, some stores and restaurants closed, just like in the States. Now, you can even taste the relief from the paralysis of the pandemic in the air.
Israel is an incredibly exciting place to be. There is the old: more antiquities than you can see in your lifetime. And there is the new. Not only are there beautiful new buildings that have incredibly progressive architecture, but day to day inventions that we don’t even realize were invented in Israel – like the USB stick, or drip irrigation, or Waze – that make life easier.
If you are wondering about the marvel that is Israel and how this country can get into your blood, join us on our next adventure. We are planning to bring another group from the Federation in 2022, sometime in late May and early June. If you are interested, please contact me at jsofer@jewish sgpv.org.
I returned to the United States to live in 1985, but have returned to Israel many times since, at least once each year. Israel changes every time I come back. Higher buildings, more traffic, and all kinds of different people from all over the world. Many more languages abound and are written on the street signs depending on which town or village you are visiting. When I left Israel in 1985, the three languages you would find on signs were Hebrew, Arabic, and English. Now there are areas where the languages are also written in Russian, Aramaic, and even Circassian.
Last year, because of Covid 19, I was not able to visit Israel. Luckily, I was able to go last month. It seems that all of Israel has made a concerted effort to upgrade everything during the pandemic! Jerusalem, as well as Tel Aviv, have always been a wonderful melding of old and new structures. The architecture reflects the rich history of the cities as well as the progressive nature of the country.
There are building cranes everywhere and buildings are being redone, taller and more modern, in every corner of Tel Aviv and other towns. New buildings and neighborhoods have sprouted up in the last two years. There is a new complex that includes museums, theaters, and the courthouse. And you can still see the older buildings in the background.
The streets of Tel Aviv, and most towns, were originally built for one or two lanes without taking into consideration the need for parking since most people didn’t have cars at that time. If anyone did have a car, chances are it was small, even smaller than most cars we see in the States. But everyone managed.
It seems that during the pandemic when everyone was home because they couldn’t travel – Israelis love to travel abroad – they used their money to buy second cars. And bigger cars – I’ve never seen so many SUVs here before! Of course, as a result, the streets have become more and more clogged. Just like Los Angeles! Currently, Israelis are working as fast as possible to create more transportation corridors, particularly in the very crowded urban areas.
Although the Israelis don’t talk about it much, there are many signs of the rocket attacks that happened in May. And they have stories to tell if you ask. So you will also find reconstruction of another kind, the rebuilding of homes that were hit by rockets.
In spite of the rockets, the Israelis go on, almost, but not completely oblivious to what just happened a few months ago. The cities are thriving, bubbling, restaurants filled to the brim every single evening. Unfortunately, as a result of COVID, some stores and restaurants closed, just like in the States. Now, you can even taste the relief from the paralysis of the pandemic in the air.
Israel is an incredibly exciting place to be. There is the old: more antiquities than you can see in your lifetime. And there is the new. Not only are there beautiful new buildings that have incredibly progressive architecture, but day to day inventions that we don’t even realize were invented in Israel – like the USB stick, or drip irrigation, or Waze – that make life easier.
Cantor Judy Sofer is the Jewish Federation’s Cultural Arts Program Coordinator and is
a contributing writer to Jlife Magazine.
