Hatikvah - A Blog About Life in Rabbinical School

Matt and Jen's blog about their adventures while Matt is in rabbinical school. Hatikvah, the name of the Israeli national anthem, means "the hope." This blog reflects their many hopes and adventures about their experiences during this process.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Moving Day Postponed

We just heard back from the lady who owns the apartment we will be renting. We have signed a lease already to be in the apartment on July 15, but, per her schedule, we had the possibility of moving in to the apartment earlier, potentially on July 1. Since we arrive in Israel (if our visa is approved) on June 26, we were hoping for the July 1 entry date.

After weeks of waiting to see what her schedule would be, it turns out that it will definitely not be July 1. Plus, though she will still honor July 15, she would like to push out entry date back to August 1.

So, Matt and I had a long conversation this morning, trying to decide what we should do. We would like to get another apartment from June 26 to the August 1 date, but we just aren't sure when we will feel comfortable signing a lease for that. Especially since we're not sure of the status of our student visa.

Will there be an apartment available for a good price, walking distance to the CY, and open during the dates we want? We've decided to keep a lookout on Flathunting for now...and see what happens.

You Didn't Need to Report That!

In our frantic attempt to determine our odds as to whether the great student visa lottery will work in our favor, I called a few people today to find out what might happen and what should plan B be. The first person I talked to was an Israeli who is in Southern California, working as an immigration attorney specializing in Israelis who want to come to the United States. She said that we'd definitely have the opportunity to appeal if our student visas were rejected. She also told me that we need not have reported our American jobs to the consulate.

My second call was to the San Francisco offices of the Jewish Agency for Israel. The long-term programs director there told me that we should've applied for a residence visa and that we need not have reported our American jobs to the consulate. But, she was optimistic that we might actually get approved for our student visas because the Conservative Yeshiva is a well-respected institution. I'm holding my breath and looking out the window every 1.2 seconds for the FedEx truck!

The Israeli "Look"

After 2,000 years in the Diaspora, it seems strange that Israelis can have a special "look" after only 58 years as a state. For instance, the Israeli couple at the consulate "looked" Israeli. I asked Matt what it was that made them look distinctive. Was it their clothes, hairstyle, mannerisms, something else? Matt said it was the sunglass that they wear on top of their kippah (yarmulka). I'm sure my friend David would say that Israeli's seem to constantly smoke and use their cell phones.

But, really, it's something else. It's almost like skin tone, hair style, clothing, demeanor, hand movements, and more. I just can't describe it exactly. Of course, I'm only describing Israeli's I've met in the U.S. Will Israelis in Israel all have this same "look"?

More Than Lo and Ken

Okay, we are officially screwed. I realized this when we were sitting at the Israeli consulate. First of all, Matt told you about the security, but he neglected to tell you that we waited our turn in the smallest waiting room I've ever seen. There were maybe 8 chairs in a semi-circle, one door (the only way in or out of the room), and a reception window (like you'd see at the dentist's office). The window was where all the business was done. When it was your turn (it was on the honor system as to who arrived first), you would walk up to the window and talk to the diplomat through a speaker-phone. When she asked for your paperwork, you placed it in the small tray that slid back and forth under the window.

So, basically, everyone could hear everyone's business because it was a small room and you had nothing else to do while waiting your turn. And, well, I am just plain nosey.

Bored and curious, I watched everyone carefully to try to determine why each one was visiting the consulate that day. For three of them, I still have no idea. However, I had more luck with the only other couple that was waiting with us. They were Israeli and were attempting to renew their daughter's passport (their daughter was not in attendance). Things didn't seem to go well for them, but I couldn't understand what exactly transpired because they were speaking Hebrew. This was when I started to worry.

Everyone else waiting at the consulate spoke fluent Hebrew. It was basically an hour and a half time span where all we heard was Hebrew. I have been completely lax in my studying (shame on me!) and only really know how to read Hebrew with no comprehension. Oh yeah, and I also know "lo" (no) and "ken" (yes). I still don't even know how to ask where the bathrooms are located!

Update: Matt, realizing my fear about the bathroom situation, just ordered us Hebrew phrase books to take along with us. Apparently, asking about bathrooms is a common worry for visitors, because the phrase book has that information in its front sleeve. So, just fyi, "Where's a public toilet?" correlates to "Eifo ha sherutim tsiburi'im?" Whew! Well, I at least don't have to worry about that one anymore. Now...how do I ask, "I'm lost, how do I get home?"

A Day at the Consulate

Matt says in his posts that he'll leave all the details about our day at the Israeli consulate to me, but then he told you most of the important stories anyway..lol. Of course, he forgot to tell you about the time when I was right and he was wrong.

To apply for the student visa, we downloaded the application form from the Internet several days in advance of our journey to the consulate in San Francisco. When we filled it out ahead of time, we found that it was a very confusing form, with unusual uses of terms.

In one place of the application, it asks for the "particulars of dependants included in the application" and offers blank boxes for both spouse and children. Matt assumed this meant we would need to fill out just one application for the two of us, since this section seemed to insinuate that a whole family could be included on one visa application. I insisted that the wording was just misleading and that we would really still need two applications filled out. I was right.

Luckily, the lady at the consulate had an extra copy of the application for me to fill out. Unfortunately though, we had to get out of line to fill it out and then wait for a turn again. It didn't take long to wait, maybe ten minutes or so, but it was enough time for me to remind Matt (several times) that I had been right and he had been wrong. :)

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Visa Problems

I realized that I posted the post below but had never written about our visa saga. I'll let Jen elaborate more on the topic but suffice it to say, we might have a problem getting our student visa.

We did not consider that our online work for an American company would possibly get in the way of being approved for a student visa but it looks like that could indeed happen. The diplomat who accepted our passport and paperwork at the consulate on Wednesday in San Francisco asked us each two interesting questions, "How will you support yourself in Israel?" and "What do you do now?" The honest answer to both questions was our online work. Unfortunately, our official didn't like that answer to question number one. She said, "I don't think you can work on a student visa." And, indeed, thinking about it, she might just be correct, even though we work for an American company as independent contractors.

Thus, we are totally freaked out about being rejected for our student visas. Plus, it's disconcerting not having our passports for three (or less, hopefully? please!?) weeks!

Answering Two Questions...

I keep meaning to post the answer to these two questions that I keep getting - 1) What are you doing with the animals? and 2) Will you travel abroad while in Israel?

1) Our animals consist of two cats and two dogs (one Border Collie, Jake and one Shetland Sheepdog, Tim). The two cats and Tim will remain living with Jen's parents and Jake will be going over to my Mom's and brother's house, where my 15 year-old brother (who is a high school football player and on the track team) will run Jake until they are both exhausted.

2) I would really, really like to go to Cyprus, Egypt (especially Cairo), Jordan (especially Petra), and Turkey (especially Istanbul) while we're in Israel. This, of course is in addition to our week in London, should we receive our student visa on time or at all.

Regarding the student visa - we haven't heard a thing but I'm thinking about calling an Israeli immigration attorney who works in Los Angeles to find out if we're going to get through this OK or not. Our timing is way too close. If there's any delay, no London. We have a small buffer because summer classes don't start until July 2. So, we have the June 19 to July 2 buffer. We'd just have to change the tickets and cancel the London hotel.

Note to Monica S. - You know me, I can't calm down! Imagine me pacing in double time. :)

Baruch Dayan HaEmet

"Baruch Dayan HaEmet" ("Blessed is the True Judge") is the phrase recited when one hears of a death and I unfortunately had to say it twice in the past week. While we were in New Jersey, I was informed by phone my good friend and Red Cross colleague Mike Goth was killed in a car accident in California's Central Valley. I went to the funeral yesterday in Ventura.

I was already exhausted from my travels to New Jersey and San Francisco during the week but absolutely had to go to honor the memory of such an amazing and wonderful man. It was a true sign of Mike's influence and goodness to see so many Red Crossers there from not just around the state, but from around the country.

During the services at the funeral home, a good friend and former key volunteer from my time at Ventura told me that her husband had passed away on Thursday night. Despite her tragedy, she still came to Mike's funeral. She asked me to think of her next Friday, the date of her husband's funeral, and I told her that I would and I would even be in synagogue that day for the first day of Shavuot.

While it was a sad event, it was nice to see many of my long-time friends and colleagues before I leave the country.

Today Jen and I stood for the Mourner's Kaddish at Shabbat services for Mike and John as it was my fist minyan since hearing about either of the deaths, both of which impacted me greatly. After services, I slept the remainder of the afternoon away.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Questioned And Thus Intimidated

Jen and I went to San Francisco today to the Israeli Consulate to apply for our student visas. We were met at the door by a stern-looking Israeli guard who was momentarily surprised by our English but then proceeded to efficiently and effectively interrogate us to confirm our purpose for being there. We were asked for our passports, asked about the type of work we did, how we'd heard about the Yeshiva (i.e. "From our rabbi." "Which rabbi?" etc.) I was very nervous during the questioning. My sister told of her experience getting on El Al - you're answering honestly but their questions make you nervous and so you start sweating and you get even more nervous. After his questions, our bags were thoroughly inspected and we each walked through a metal detector. I was glad we'd passed but I felt very safe inside, protected by Israel's finest.

Sunday, May 21, 2006

It Arrived, But We're 2882 Miles Away

Jen called her mom last night to find out that a parcel from Jerusalem had arrived! While on the phone, Jen's mom opened the envelope to find our admission letter, finally! Yay! However, we're in New Jersey right now and won't be home until about 2 a.m. on Tuesday. Thus, we're planning the great trip to San Francisco on Wednesday. We'll let you know how that goes!

As for now, we're headed off to lunch for Kosher Chinese food! We haven't had Kosher Chinese (without making it ourselves) since we lived in Southern California. Thank goodness for the Kosher restaurants of New Jersey!!! This is a wonderful Jewish state! :)

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Off to Jersey

Tonight we're headed out of town, to my cousin Jeremy's engagement party in New Jersey. We're going not only because we love Jeremy, but because we won't be able to attend his wedding in December, which will be on the West Coast and taking place while we're in Israel. Since this engagement party is a big shin-dig, we thought it would be a great opportunity to represent :)

We return to Sacramento on Monday night, hopefully by then our letter will have arrived! If so, we go to San Francisco on Tuesday. If not, I think it's time for Plan B, which involves arriving in Israel without our visa, getting a tourist visa (good for three months) and then spending time wading through the bureaucracy to get our student visa while we're there.

Weighing Suitcases

This has seemed like a logistical problem to me from the first time I heard it. We can only take up to 70 lb suitcases (and not a single pound more) with us. But how are we to know how heavy our filled suitcases are, especially to the exact pound?

Obviously, I considered getting out a floor scale and setting our suitcases on top of them. But those things often change their weight 5 lbs each way all the time. Just stand on it once, then twice and you may have lost or gained weight in that 30 seconds!

Yesterday, to my astonishment, when we were at RadioShack looking for an outlet converter, we found this cool tool. It has a hand-grip on one side and a hook on the other; in the middle is a circular dial that shows the weight. It is specifically made to weigh your luggage.

To use it, you just hold the grip handle, slide the hook under the handle of your bag, and lift. Then it tells you exactly how much it weighs. Matt, of course, went around weighing everything in the house as soon as the tool came out of its package. Some things are heavier than we expected (like our pile of make-up, pens, and other miscellaneous supplies) and some are lighter than expected (like the computer).

This is going to be a super helpful tool!

Tourist Visa?

Matt has just got to stop checking the mailbox every 15 minutes from the time he gets up in the morning! The mail doesn't even arrive until 4 p.m. He's driving me crazy! And still no letter.

Stressed out about it, Matt broke down and emailed CY to tell them about our situation and asked them to priority a new letter. They answered, stating that it takes 14 days (rather than the 4-7 we had heard before) for a letter to get from Israel to the U.S. Uh oh...that will put us very, very close to that three week window the consulate says it takes to get a student visa in hand.

So, the CY representative recommended that if we don't get the letter by early next week, then we should just get a tourist visa and to try to get a student visa while we are already in Israel. Apparently, to get a tourist visa, you just show up in Israel and they give it to you as you get off the plane. That sounds a bit precarious to me. What if they don't let us have one? What if they realize that our return plane ticket is for 10 months away and the tourist visa only covers 3 months?

Maybe I should go check the mailbox again...

Rumor Has It....

I just realized that everything I know about living in Israel is via a rumor. And I find that very scary! I have read a few books about traveling in Israel or about the experience of someone who has made aliyah, but none of these sources has the gritty details that I so desperately want to know.

I want to know if I will be able to buy English-language books in Israel or do I need to bring/mail all the books I might potentially read for a full year (that would be a lot!)? I want to know how to pay bills for such things as the phone and how to get a cell phone. Does the postman delivers packages to the door or will we have to pick them up at the post office (we plan on sending ourselves several large packages and how can we shlep them to our apartment with no car?). Will I be able to sign up for a library card? I want to know if I will be able to buy ink cartridges for my printer in Israel or do I need to bring a year's worth with me? Are there good places to buy new shoes if mine get worn out from all the walking? What kind of restaurants might I expect? Will I be going a full year without Chinese food (I can do it, I think... gosh that will be tough!)?

That's just a few of my questions. Every day, I discover some new question about life in Israel that I just take for granted in the U.S. So, I have been asking some people who have been to Israel if they know any of these answers. I even talked to a co-judge at History Day who lived in Israel for a year. She had some solid advice on traveling around. I just wish she could remember the name of the restaurant in Jerusalem where she said you could get some fabulous bread with herbs on top - a mix between brushetta and pizza. Sounded yummy! Other friends have told us that it will be easy to rent a car. Another person told us that milk is sold in cans rather than fresh in a carton. And just recently, I heard that there's an IKEA there, for all our miscellaneous household needs :)

It's really going to be amazing to see how different living in Israel will be.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Bummed Out

Still no letter, which means we have to wait until next week, when we get back from Jersey, to go to the consulate. That'll be just under four weeks. The representative of the yeshiva we've been talking to says not to worry - when she moved to Israel to make Aliyah (literally, "going up," means to move there permanently and become a citizen), she didn't receive her visa until a half-hour before getting on the plane. I can't figure out how that worked...

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Still No Letter

As of today, we still have one more piece to receive in the visa puzzle - our original acceptance letter has yet to arrive.

We cleared out our schedules today (Tuesday) and tomorrow (Wednesday) to take a trip to San Francisco the moment the letter arrives (although the consulate is only open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.). I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the letter to be in today's mail, otherwise we have to wait until next Tuesday to go because we're headed to New Jersey for the weekend for my cousin Jeremy's engagement party (since we will unfortunately not be able to attend the wedding while we are away :(

I cancelled our cellular phone service today, effective June 7. We'll be 12 days without a cell phone. I have been attached to my cell 24/7 for the past six years due to my work as a staff member or volunteer with the American Red Cross. It will definitely be strange to be without it!

This morning we also went shopping for future presents for my nephew, who is just under four months old. Jen's wrapping presents for him for his first birthday and Hanukkah, both of which we'll miss in person but he's getting lots of fun stuff from Toys R Us.

Friday, May 12, 2006

No Time to Read

For the past few years, I've attempted to read 52 books each year. In 2005 and 2004, I only read 54 and 53 respectively. 2002 and 2003 were better with 78 and 65 each. However, while the beginning of 2006 was great (28 books so far), I have only finished one book this month. We're simply so busy with the logistics, talking, and planning regarding a trip of this magnitude that I just haven't been reading as much as I usually do.

Plus, I've been studying my Hebrew as much as possible to be ready because I'm leading the first part of the morning shul (synagogue) services on June 3, which is not only my birthday, it's also the second day of Shavuot, and is Shabbat, all rolled into one. This will be the first time I've led any part of a service since my Bar Mitzvah, and I'm not too impressed with my performance back then.

Shabbat Shalom!

Thursday, May 11, 2006

No Letter, No Visa

The Israeli Consulate in San Francisco requires a plethora of documents prior to issuing a student visa. These documents include - 1) proof that one can afford staying in Israel for the year and can return home, 2) proof of a round-trip ticket, 3) a current passport, 4) two passport photos, 5) the visa application, 6) proof of a down payment for studies, and 7) original proof of acceptance into said educational institution.

Unfortunately, we have yet to receive the last two items. It takes about a week for air mail to arrive from Israel so hopefully by next Monday we'll receive our acceptance letters in the mail. We mailed our deposits the same day we received email notification of acceptance so hopefully, they'll get our check soon as well and be able to email us confirmation.

However, the only day we have available next week for a trip to San Francisco is Tuesday so we really, really hope that everything arrives by Monday! Ugh!

If we have to wait until the following week to go to San Francisco, it's a mere four weeks from when we travel and the Consulate's website recommends allowing "approximately three weeks" for processing. Stress!

We ordered duffel bags with rollers as additional bags to take on the planes with us; those arrived today so we'll start practice packing very soon!

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Phone Home

I'm already thinking about the expense of phone calls home and I haven't even left yet! I remember hearing of friends who complained about international calls costing something like $12 per minute which causes my head to spin and huge dollar signs to appear and disappear in front of me whenever I think about it. :(

Lucky for me, my brother is a whiz! He's already figuring out ways for my family to use voice over IP (VOIP) programs , such as Teamspeak, to talk to each other. VOIP programs are awesome! I've used Teamspeak and Ventrilo to speak to other players in World of Warcraft (a computer game), who live in New York and Australia.

Now, this same technology might help me talk to my family thousands of miles away. The sound quality is great and a large number of people can all be on the same line at once. This will be a great way to update my entire family at once. Gone are the days of passing the phone from one person to another.

These programs allow you to talk over the Internet for free. One person has to host a server and then that person can tell others a password that allows them to access the program. My brother is going to host the program, so everyone else just needs to have a pair of headphones with a mic (which cost around $15-$20 at RadioShack). This is going to make communication so easy!

Now I'm just trying to figure out how not to look like a geek while wearing my headphones with mic attached :) Perhaps it's a lost cause?

Three Stories Up


I'm not sure we are doing this all in the correct order -- we applied for CY, signed a lease for an apartment, got accepted to CY, and booked a flight. We were sweatin' bullets those few days between signing a lease and getting accepted! Now you understand why we were checking our email every 15 minutes for that acceptance letter!

We signed the lease so early because we think we found a fantastic place to stay. I have been watching the available housing listings from Flathunting.com daily for the past month. It's interesting, there are many furnished apartments available for daily or weekly rates and then others that are available for very particular dates that range around one to two months, and then others that are rentable for ten to twelve months or even longer.

The apartments are advertised a bit differently than in the U.S. First of all, the rent is not the only cost. Apparently in Israel, there is an added tax on apartments/condos called an Arnona (municipal tax) which I've seen range from an extra $50 to $300. So you have to be careful! It's easy to forget that extra cost. Also, one has to think about whether there is a proper balcony for a sukkah, which might cost you extra. Some apartments come with a kosher kitchen; others do not. Some, though, offer a kosher set of dishes upon request. If not on a low level floor, you should also think about elevators. Many high-rise buildings have shomer elevators that automatically stop on every floor during Shabbat so that you don't have to push any buttons.

The apartment we found is very close to CY, with only about a 10 minute walk (we won't have a car there). It's on the top floor of the building, which happens to be the third floor, and has no elevator. Which means grocery shopping is going to happen frequently and Matt is going to have to cut down on his soda intake unless he wants to shlepp them all upstairs himself!

Our apartment comes fully furnished and has two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The second bedroom has a desk (yay!) and a futon. :) The couch also is has a pull-out sleeper. The apartment has a balcony and a washer (but not a dryer) and was very reasonably priced for the area. Plus, I already really like the owner of the place who will be in her second year of grad school in the U.S. (which is why she is renting out her apartment).

We've signed our lease for July 15 through June 15, but there's still a possibility that the apartment will be available sometime between July 1 and 15; we're still waiting to hear.

So....we are very excited!

Of Airlines and Travel Agents

I just finished purchasing our airline tickets for our trip so our itinerary is totally set.

It has been an impressive ordeal to obtain airline tickets because airlines do not allow tickets to be booked a year in advance - the limit, interestingly enough, is 331 days. Since we will be away for nearly 365 days, we had to find an airline that would be flexible with us.

While we wanted to fly El Al, it was just too expensive. We're taking British Airways and, as an added bonus to ourselves, we're spending a few days in London enroute.

Here's the plan...

Leave Sacramento late Monday night, June 19
Arrive London on Wednesday morning, June 21
Leave London on Monday, June 26 and arrive Tel Aviv the same day

Classes start in Jerusalem on Sunday, July 2 (the school week is Sunday through Thursday).

Next step - our student visas at the Israeli Consulate in San Francisco!

Monday, May 08, 2006

Even the Dentist Knows

I'm still in shock that we finally received word this morning! Even though our acceptance has arrived, I still have the nervous tick to check my mail every 15 minutes to see if the acceptance is there. Though I'm still a bit in shock, I've started planning. Now I can really go out and buy the year's supply of shampoo, deodorant, and make-up that I've been told is expensive or hard-to-come-by in Israel. That's really how I show my excitement -- more planning :)

Matt, on the other hand, shows his excitement by telling everyone he knows or comes into contact with. I mean this literally. I don't think we had even finished reading the acceptance letter before he mass emailed all our friends and family. A few hours later, he was announcing our trip to Israel to everyone in the dentist's office; I could hear the conversation all the way across the building!

Well...back to planning for me. What size suitcases should we bring? We've been told we can bring a maximum of two, we think should only weigh up to 70 pounds. But how do we maneuver two large suitcases plus carryons? I'm making diagrams....

Accepted!

At 6:30 this morning I turned on my computer and received the acceptance letter for Jen and I for the year program at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem. We're incredibly excited to have finally received the official word. We've been on pins and needles for weeks. Despite not receiving word from the CY, we still signed a lease and put down a deposit on a two-bedroom apartment in the Rehavia neighborhood of Jerusalem, a short walk to the CY, the Old City, etc. Here are some photos of the neighborhood. Next step tonight - airline tickets. Then, we have to get our student visas from the consulate in San Francisco.