Long Time No Blog

So I owe all of you an apology for not posting as frequently as I had promised I would. Things have been great and I have been keeping busy. I am going to try and give you the most detailed and accurate summary of what I have been doing over the past few weeks sine getting back to Israel after Pesach. This blog will be pretty long and it will include some more pictures, this time men will be in them as well. Hope you enjoy and try to stay with me.

Yom Hashoa-Holocaust Memorial Day
Yom Hashoa, Holocaust Memorial Day, is a typical day in Israeli society. It is a normal work day and its main ceremony takes place at night of Yom Hashoa. Yom Hashoa commemorates all of those who passed away in the time of the Holocaust and the and survivors of the Holocaust. It is much happier of a day then Yom HaZikaron which is celebrated a week later. The reason for this is because Yom Hashoa commemorates those who have already died and that no one else is going to be dying in the near future with the exception of the last survivors who are quickly dying out. Yom HaZikaron is much more difficult because for as long as Israel is in existence, people will continue to die and will be memorialized forever.
The eve of Yom Hashoa begins with a siren that last for two minutes. The siren can be heard all of the country of Israel and this is when most of the Tekes/ceremonies will begin. We as Nativ had our own Tekes. We gathered together and did a very traditional Tekes that we all could relate to. We had discussions about the Holocaust and we were supposed to bring with us a personal memory, story, picture that reminded us of the Holocaust. Many Nativers had been to Poland whether on the March of the Living, Poland/Israel Pilgrimage or the Nativ trip to Poland, so the discussions were rich with personal stories. We concluded our Tekes with the Yizkor service to memorialize all those who perished in the Holocaust and for those who don’t have anyone to remember them. We closed with Mourners Kaddish and Hatikvah and called it a night.
The day of Yom Hashoa, as I mentioned, is a normal day for Israelis. We all had work in the mornings and at night we all gathered together again for a continuation of the memorial day and got on a bus and headed to Kibbutz Yad Mordechai in Ashkelon. The Kibbutz was named after Mordechai Anielewicz who died fighting the Nazis while being the commander of the Jewish Fighting Organization in the Warsaw Ghetto. We all gathered with the rest of Nativ to take part in the biggest Tekes in Israel to end Yom Hashoa. We heard from the Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, and several other major officials in the Israeli Government, and heard several famous singers including Shlomo Gronich sing an amazing rendition of Eli Atah. It was a very nice Tekes and I was able to follow most of what they were saying during it. That ended the commemoration of Yom Hashoa and we headed back to Yerucham for the evening.

Yom HaZikaron-Israel’s Memorial Day
Yom HaZikaron is probably one of the saddest days I have experienced in a very long time. It is a national holiday for all Israelis and for anyone who knows someone who has been killed in the IDF all the way from pre 1948 to today. We as Nativ once again gathered all together for our very own Tekes. This Tekes also began with a siren but this time it was one minute long. I am not sure why the difference in times but it was significantly shorter then Yom Hashoa. We had different discussion groups that focused on different aspects of Yom HaZikaron from major tragedies in Israeli military history, famous soldiers, American Israeli soldiers to famous battles in Israeli history. It was once again a very powerful Tekes and I am sure that most everyone got a tremendous amount out of it. We ended the evening once again with Mourners Kaddish and Hatikvah and then offered an optional showing of the famous movie Operation Yonatan which is the story of Yonatan Netanyahu and the Raid on Entebbe.
The following morning we all got up very early and prayed and got on the bus and headed straight to Jerusalem to the main ceremony at Har Herzl. When we arrived the bus dropped us off about a seven minute walk from the cemetery because it was so packed. We all got off the bus and headed quickly to the cemetery before the ceremony began. At 11 am on the dot a siren went off and this is when the entire country no matter where you are shuts down and stops. If you are driving you stop in the street or highway and pay tribute to the brave heroes of the Israel Defense Force. A bunch of the Nativers, including myself, tried to get our way to the grave of a former USYer, Michael Levin. I was successful enough to be next to his grave for the siren and for the majority of the Tekes. It was quite a sight to see. His grave was probably one of the most crowded graves in the entire cemetery. His story is well known around the world and is now one of the most frequently visited graves and also the last stop on the officers training course for the IDF. After the ceremony we headed back to Beit Nativ for lunch and a program. We were lucky enough to have Michael’s parents come and speak to us for about 45 minutes and answer questions and share heartfelt words about their son and a hero to many. After they finished speaking to us we had a short break and then came back to watch a movie about a terrorist attack that took place in the 90’s at Beit Leid which was a popular meeting spot for soldiers on Sunday mornings in Netanya. That was really the end of Yom HaZikaron and we were free until the afternoon of the following day.

Yom Ha’Atzmaut-Israel’s Independence Day
Yom Ha’Atzmaut started the evening that Yom HaZikaron ended. I went to shul at Shira Chadasha with a bunch of Nativers for a very interesting service that had song, poetry, memorials, and prayer all to end Yom HaZikaron and then had an extremely festive Maariv service to begin the 62nd birthday of the State of Israel. I had a good idea what to expect this year for Yom Ha’atzmaut because I was in Israel two years ago for the 60th birthday of Israel. But this year I was going to actually be in Jerusalem for both days which was super exciting. Lets just say it was a very long evening but a fun evening. After shul I walked with a bunch of people back to Beit Nativ so they could change and they we all headed out on the town for an amazing night. I went to Ben Yehudah Street, the Shuk, Kikar Saphra(City Hall Square), Kikar Chatulim(a popular American hangout), Emek Refaim and other places for live music, fireworks, dancing and just an all around good time. It was a great night and a night I will remember forever. I finally came back to Beit Nativ around 3:30 am and hung out with some of my friends from high school that were staying at Beit Nativ. I finally got to bed around 4:30 and was up at about 9:30 so I could pray and then meet a friend for coffee.
Yom Ha’Atzmaut is very similar to the 4th of July in the states because everyone does Mangals also known as BBQ’s. It reminded me of going to tailgate at a Kansas City Chiefs Football game or driving down St. Line Road in Kansas City and smelling Gates. The smoke filled the air with the amazing smell of meat and other foods. We as Nativ gathered in the park across from Beit Nativ for the Annual Nativ Mangal. It lasted for about 4 hours. We all stuffed our faces on chicken breast, hamburgers, kabobs, steak and other amazing meats and salads. We finally finished the Mangal and Kibbutz and Yerucham parted ways and headed home to end an amazing Holiday week full of smiles and tears. It was a very nice holiday that I cant wait to celebrate again in the years to come.

Well it has been a fun packed few weeks and I have enjoyed them very much. I of course have been working at school and working MADA shifts as often as I can. I haven’t had so many calls that are worth telling you about but I will share a somewhat funny story. I was working a shift and we got a call to one of the health clinics in Yerucham and it was a 60ish year old man who was not quite passed out on the entrance way of the health clinic, but he was pretty unresponsive. He was a Bedouin man and was very fragrant and was attracting the flies toward his body. We get him onto the bed and into the ambulance. The driver asks me to prep the IV so we can get him some fluids because he honestly looked like a prisoner in a concentration camp with such frail bones. I prep the line and the medic puts the IV in his arm after his tries rejecting it the first time. The driver then begins to drive and I am in the back taking vitals by myself. The patient is still pretty unresponsive and is sleeping for most of the ride to the hospital. About 5 minutes before we get to the hospital, his IV starts to run out and he starts waking up and is very confused to where he is. I start yelling at him and telling him who we are and where we are going but of course he doesn’t speak Hebrew. Another man came with us in the ambulance who spoke Arabic and translated for me. As we pull up to the hospital and get him out he starts fighting with us. We get him out of the ambulance and start wheeling him into the hospital and he starts moving and the bed ends up falling forward and was 180° in the air. We pick up the bed and get it all settled again and now he starts hitting and kicking. I have to restrain him by myself with my body over him and we start wheeling him in. The security guard calls for police and the meet us in the waiting area for him to get a bed. He then pushes me off of him and starts kicking me in the stomach and hitting me in the arms, pretty strong for a guy who looks so horrible. He ends up yelling at me in Arabic and I yell back in English and this went on for a minute or so until we got him into the bed and let the nurses and doctors deal with him. Lets just say, he was very kind in his thanks for the work I did. I guess its all in a days work.

I hope all is well with everyone and I will try to post more frequently now until the end of Nativ.

Kol Tuv to all.

David


Michael,Shira,Jacob,David,Becky


David and Becky


Becky,Shira,David


Becky,Ally,David,Joe,Sarah,Asaf,Jordana,Razie,Aaron,Michael


David and a Holy Brother


David


Laura,Anna,Becky,David


Nativ Yerucham


Shira,David,LeeAnn,Sarah,Becky,Ally


David,Elkana,Judah


Shosh,David,Cori

Picture Post

Here are some pictures from the Shabbat the I spent on the Kibbutz a few weeks ago. I had to wait
for some friends to upload them to Facebook so I can in turn put them up on the blog....

New post to follow after Shabbat!!!

Shabbat Shalom

David


Becky and David


Sarah and David


Shira and David


Ilana and David


Ally, David and Sarah


Shira, LeeAnn and David


Laura, David and Shira


Shira, LeeAnn and David

Pesach Prep Week

This week has been dedicated to the prep work needed for Pesach, which starts next week. Most of the schools are already off on Pesach break as are the Gans(pre-schools).So this week, instead of us volunteering at our usual volunteer places we got to do other work in the community to help get ready for Pesach. Some people got to go to Lake Yerucham and help clean it up before a large festival that takes place there every year at the end of Pesach. I had the opportunity of going to the Shul and cleaning it for Pesach. I was also lucky enough to work a MADA shift every day this week and even work a few doubles. I helped clean the MADA station and get the garden outside of the station looking pretty before Pesach. I also got to wash the ambulances and cleaned them on the inside. We are also starting to clean our apartment for Pesach and sell our Chametz and finalize our individual plans for Pesach.

I really don't have a lot to report from this week. It was a relaxing week more of less and you can certainly smell Pesach in the air.

This week for Shabbat, I am spending it in Yerucham and going to my host family for both meals as well as going to shul. I hope the minor down pour of rain we had this morning subsides and we have a pretty Shabbat in Yerucham.

Send your prayers for Sarah bat Basha and Channah bat Pesha Chana.

Shabbat Shalom,

David

Kiubbutz Ein Tzurim and MADA DImona

I am about to go and work a MADA shift, but I wanted to just check in and write a short post about the past couple days. I went to Kibbutz Ein Tzurim over Shabbat. The Kibbutz is the home of the other half of Nativ for the second semester. It is a very nice Kibbutz and the people are very friendly. However, it is not for me. I am not a Kibbutznick at all and I am very happy that I am living in Yerucham and have the opportunity to volunteer and have an active role in the community. Nevertheless, I am glad that I had the chance to visit the Kibbutz and see what it was like.

I headed back to Yerucham after Shabbat and worked an easy graveyard shift for MADA. When I got there on Saturday night, they told me that they were in need of an extra set of hands on Sunday from 9am to 5pm working in Dimona with one of the Yerucham drivers. They volunteered me and I accepted the invitation. So on Sunday morning after I finished the first shift, I went home and prayed and ate something and then met the driver who I was going to be working with, Tzachi, and we hitchhiked to Dimona. We got to the Dimona station, which is much bigger then Yeruchams, and we just relaxed and got settled. Tzachi let me do a complete check of the ambulances supplies and then we gave the rig a bath. We didn't actually get a call til about 10:30. The first call was a woman who was having heart pains and had elevated blood pressure. We got her to the hospital and all settled and we headed back to Dimona.

Our next and last call was a car accident around 2:30ish. A mid 70 year old man was driving and most likely had a minor heart attack and crashed into a barrier on the side of the rode. Tzachi and I were the first ones on the scene. I was excited for the real action but yet nervous at the same time. We got our of the ambulance and ran to the scene. We evaluated the man and determined that he wasn't going to be able to get out of the car by himself. I ran to grab a neck brace and the backboard. Tzachi braced his neck and I set up for the back boarding. We got him onto the backboard with some help of the police. After that we lifted him onto the bed and rushed him into our ambulance. We gave him oxygen but he said he didn't want any. We immediately called for a backup ambulance that has more equipment and more staff as well as drugs. The other ambulance came and we transported him from ours to the other.

After that Tzachi and I headed back to the station about 2 minutes away. We weren't even back in the station for 15 minutes before we get another call. Tzachi and I sprint out the door and race out of the station. We got called back to the original scene. Our patient's that was stable when we left was crashing and they had started CPR. Tzachi and I once again sprint as fast as we can to the other ambulance. Tzachi goes inside to assist the other 2 medics and volunteer that were already in there. I stayed out side and waited til I was called. I didn't expect to be called into the ambulance to work but they called me in about five minutes later. I went in and they told me to start compressions. I grabbed a hold of the cardio-pump and started doing compressions as fast and strong as I could per the instructions of the head medic. I did compressions for about 7 minutes without stopping and my arms and back were killing me since I was leaning over the patient with unstable balance. I then switched to pushing the AMBU bag(the bag that is attached to the tube in the throat to help the patient breath). AFter squeezing every 5 seconds for about 10 minutes, I then switched and went back to doing compressions. The patient had to be shocked about 4 times and the finally got a very weak pulse and heart beat after about 45 minutes of CPR. The head medic and driver of the other ambulance decided they would make a run for it to the hospital in Beer Sheva, about a 25 minute drive away. Tzachi and I quickly got out of their ambulance and headed back to ours and headed back to the station. That was all we could do, it was now up to the other medics and the hospital to do the rest. Tzachi and I returned back to the station to rest and fill out the paper work. We ended our shift around 5 and got a ride back to Yerucham and Tzachi took me home. While we were heading back to my apartment Tzachi got a call from the medics from Dimona that our patient had passed away at the hospital.

It was a first of many things for me. It was the first time that I was in an emergency situation and had to act quickly but smartly. I had to be able to follow orders that were give very quickly and my actions had to be instant and precise. I was happy that I got to take part in such a difficult task and that I was involved in it all. It is scary work to be a medic and work under the pressure of the patient, the family screaming outside the ambulance, and the overall surroundings of the situation. I feel accomplished and feel that my training payed off. It is sad to know that he didn't end up making it and the reality check of that is the worst part. I felt like I was in an episode of ER or Chicago Hope and the doctors do all the can to say a patient, but in the end the opposite result takes place.

It is hard work, but someone has to do it...

David

Soo Hottt....

This week in Yerucham it has been unbelievably hot for the beginning of March. I just can't get over it. The weather at night is so beautiful and pleasant but during the day you are drenching yourself in sweat. Oh well...

This week was a good and typical week as far as Yerucham is concerned. I worked everyday teaching English at school. On Monday afternoon I went to work two shifts at MADA. I worked from 3pm to 11pm with no calls and then at 11:15pm we got a call for a transport of a 30 year old woman who was pregnant who was suffering from bleeding so we took her to the hospital. We made it back to the station around 1:15am and I was in bed by around 1:30am to be later woken up at 4:30 for a transport of a man who had so called "chest pains." The two other medics I was working with and I all thought it was a bogus case but we took him none the less. We returned around 6am to the station and I really didn't go back to sleep.

Tuesday morning was Yom Nativ and we spent the majority of the morning cleaning up the Shul that we all go to and started making head way on a beautiful new garden. It needs a lot of work but it should be quite the garden when finished. We spent the rest of the morning and beginning half of the afternoon doing other activities and finally finished Yom Nativ around 3ish. For the rest of the afternoon I just hung around the apartment and hung out with some people. I went to bed at 9pm that night cause I had been up since 4:30am.

Wednesday was a normal day of English teaching and that night I went to my host family with Ilana and we were invited to the daughters Bat Mitzvah which is next week. They Bat Mitzvah is going to be at the top of Masada. I am not sure if either of us will be able to go, but it was a great idea for a Bat Mitzvah and a very thoughtful thought to invite us. Thursday I taught in the morning and then did the grocery shopping for dinner that night of Baked Ziti and the shopping for Shabbat afternoon where I will be hosting 10 people. Baked Ziti turned out really well and the apartment loved it. And as I am typing this I am waiting for my chicken to be down so I can turn the pan to the opposite side. Our stove isn't the best in the world and it will take me a few makes to figure out how it works. I am excited to host Shabbat lunch and just to have people over since we just redid the living room with brand new couches that were donated to us. Shabbat should be great. Last night I worked from 11pm to 7am at MADA and got one call around 11:30ish. It was a transport from Mizpe Ramon to Beer Sheva of a 18 year old Russian immigrant who also had bleeding during her 3 and 1/2 month of pregnancy. She and her "male" counterpart didn't really speak so much Hebrew so I tried to talk to them in English and it worked for a bit but after a few things I was trying to ask them they just stopped answering. Luckily when we got to the hospital, a woman who was cleaning spoke Russian and she was able to help. We got back to the station around 1ish and then I was in bed til 7am this morning.

So this week was pretty good minus the heat. I am really looking forward to Shabbat. Shul then dinner at my host family. Shul in the morning and then lunch at my place. It should be a nice and relaxing Shabbat.

Shabbat Shalom to all and Refuah Shelema to Sarah bat Basha.

David

Another Week in Yerucham, Purim, and Leadership!!!

I am starting to get back into the swing of blogging again and I am going to be doing it much more often then I did during the first semester, or at least I hope to. This past week has been full of amazing times. Sunday through Thursday were normal days of school teaching English and two MADA shifts from 3pm to 11pm. I was an hour and a half short of going to a huge car explosion out side of Yerucham on Monday afternoon. Five people were killed after their car exploded due to a semi truck swerving because of distraction. It was a horrible site to see on the news, but it is life and things like this happen. I got maybe 4 or 5 calls between both shifts and my Hebrew is getting much better because of the amount of time I am working for MADA. I am looking forward to more shifts in the upcoming weeks and months.

On Thursday after I finished school, I headed home quickly to pack up my stuff and help clean the apartment. We were all heading back near Jerusalem and eventually to Jerusalem for Leadership Week. After loading the bus on Thursday afternoon we drove to the Tel Aviv area for a MASA(organization through which Nativ is an affiliate) cultural arts program featuring a drumming company. It was a great start to an evening despite the rain and the bus driver getting lost. I felt like I was back at home having to ride in the front of the bus and give directions to the bus driver. After the drumming performance we met up with a bunch of the different year programs in Israel for a concert featuring Subliminal, a popular Israeli Rapper. It was a good concert, but it was fairly short. After an hourish bus ride to Ma'aleh Hachamisha, a resort and spa right outside of Jerusalem. We got settled into our rooms and we all crashed pretty quickly because it was a long day and we had an early morning ahead of us.

Friday morning we all went to the Land of Israel Museum in Tel Aviv as well as the Palmach Museum also in Tel Aviv. I had never been to either of the museums before, but I really enjoyed both of them especially the Palmach museum because it is a completely interactive and virtual museum that takes you through the pre establishment of the State of Israel and a underground military force. After the museums we headed back to our resort to get ready for Shabbat. We all davened together on Friday night and then had an incredible dinner at the hotel and then we broke up into different sessions. Jules was into and I got to go to his session on Amalek which tied into the Parasha for the weekend dealing with Amalek and remembering and whipping them out of our memory. After the session we had a Nativ tisch with singing and food and then sleepy time. Shababt morning and the day were pretty relaxing with services, lunch, a session with Yossi about American Jewry and then sleepy time. We also had a light snack before the festivities began.

Saturday night began Purim and we all dressed up. I didn't really put a lot into the costume because I don't normally dress up. I wore these Aladin looking pants and socks with monkeys on them. Nothing to special. We all read the Megillah together which was very nice and then we had a nice dinner followed by a dance and karaoke party to end the night. Purim morning, Sunday morning, we prayed and read the Megillah again and then had a pretty relaxing morning. We went to Bat Yam, about 15ish minutes from Tel Aviv near the water, for our Purim Seudah. It was a nice meal and a good ending note to a great Purim.

Monday we went to Casaria for the day to do leadership and team building activities. We did some fun activities to start and then we went to do low ropes activities. We did an activity where you had to get people over a 20 foot wall and I was spotting someone and they accidentally kicked me in the mouth so I now have war wounds and they look pretty good if I may say so myself. After a good day in Casaria we headed back to our old home of Beit Nativ. We ate dinner there and then headed out for the light show presentation at the Tower of David. It was an absolutely incredible show. It takes the scenes from creation all the way through today and projects them on the walls of the area. It was a first time for most of us and an incredible time it was.

Tuesday and Wednesday are Leadership seminars. We have different programs led by our staff and a few outside guests. They were all pretty solid, but I won't lie, none of them had anything to do with leadership(shhh). Anyways, The weekend is quickly approaching. I am staying in Jerusalem for Shabbat with Jules before he heads back to the states on Sunday morning. We are going to go to shul at Kol Rina(the bomb shelter shul) Friday night and eat at Prima Royal Hotel and then Shabbat morning go to Shira Hadasha and then to David Keren and his family for lunch. It should be a good Shabbat.

Shabbat Shalom in advance and please keep your prayers coming for Sarah bat Basha

David

Now some MADA Pictures

It's Been One Week... And What An Incredible Week!!!

What a great week it has been since moving and settling into Yerucham. It has been full of smiles, giggles, good HOMEMADE food, bonding and relaxing. I am so thrilled about the way that this past week has gone and I can't wait for the rest of the time in Yerucham to be as fun filled as this past week.

I started working on Monday at the religious elementary school in Yerucham, Kol Yakkov. I am working with five other Nativers and we are all teaching English to 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th graders. It is quite harder then I expected. Imagine that you don't speak your native language of English, and you are having people try and help you learn English but you are unable to communicate with them because you speak a different language, its tough. My Hebrew teacher in high school would probably tell you that my Hebrew is near fluent and that I speak and write very well for an American. It is extremely hard for me not to speak Hebrew to the kids to help them understand what it is that they are learning in English class. I know that I have only been teaching English at Kol Yakkov for a week now, but I am not the largest fan of the English Program that they have at the school. I feel that the English program just force feeds the kids the language, but they don't understand what is that they are learning. I can't say that I have been 100% truthful about not knowing Hebrew, like the teachers want us to be, but I also feel that when I do speak in Hebrew to explain things to the kids, it helps them understand what it is that they are learning and they have a better chance of wanted to learn more in the future.

Since I only work from about 8:15 in the morning to about 1:35 in the afternoon, my afternoons and evenings have been free. I have been playing soccer in the park with friends as well as starting to run again which is enjoyable. We have also been doing a lot of bonding with in the apartment and within the boys in the group. We had our first of hopefully many Mens Pasta Nights. That was really fun cause we all got together and cooked and then ate different pastas together. It was a great bonding experience. Also, every night at 9 we have started to say Maariv at Affikim, our base shul. It has been a fun 15 minute activity to end the day. At first it was just us Nativers who went, but now that the people know about it we are starting to get a little more of the people of Yerucham which is great. Yerucham is just an awesome place to be living. On Wednesday night, Ilana and I went to our host family for the evening. You never know what to expect when you go to an Israelis house for dinner that is not Shabbat. We walk in and we sit down at the table and all of a sudden we have dough in our hands making our meal of pita. Fresh pita is so incredible. We ate it with Hummus(which I still don't eat), cream cheese, butter, cottage cheese, eggplant spread and other tasty treats. It was such a good evening. The kids are adorable, the pita was yummy, and it was a break from cooking for myself or the apartment.

Anyways, the week came to an end on Thursday afternoon when I had my USY on Wheels interview for my summer job. The interview went well and I think I did fairly well. I then hopped in the car with Elkana, the assistant director of Nativ, and Aviva who works with USY and we headed to Jerusalem where I met up with a bunch of friends. I am spending Shabbat with my friend Seth at my friend Elan's apartment. We are having dinner with Jules and Yehidis Gutin and then lunch with some friends that I was at the Yeshiva with. It is set to be a nice and relaxing Shabbat. Motzei Shabbat I will head back to Yerucham for another great week of work and then at the end of next week, PURIM!!

Shababt Shalomt to all and a Refuah Shelemah/Speedy Recovery to my Aunt Susan, Sarah bat Basha!!!

David