Jordan is for lovers, and adventures in pissing of Haredim by praying

YEAH!!!!!! I GOT A THREE MONTH VISA!!!!!!!

I was legit worried about this but I used my magical Hebrew speaking powers and conviced the lady that I was going to get a student visa but hadn’t had time before I left, so she told me in a very stern voice that it was very important that I get my student visa and then she gave me a three month stamp woooo! I could feel a huge weight lifting off of me after that. It was the perfect end to a wonderful vacation.

Wadi Rum was beautiful and fun. We hiked on Monday and Tuesday and Monday night we slept in the middle of the dessert and saw more stars than I have ever seen in my life. We also saw a bunch of shooting stars it was very cool. We were also serenaded by our Bedouin guide, and his cousin, who played the oud. It was a wonderful evening. Tuesday we hiked the tallest mountain in Jordan (look it up its not as impressive as it sounds) Then we headed to Aqaba to meet Sandra at our hostel. We spent the next 36 hours relaxing in beds, on the beach and by the pool. We did some snorkeling and wandering of Aqaba but mostly we just lay around, which was amazing. Thursday morning Naomi and I headed back to Eilat and I got my golden ticked aka three month visa. We we welcomed back to Jerusalem with cold and rain ☹ but we survived the treck home and made latkes for dinner (yum!)

Friday Morning Miriam, Naomi and I woke up at 6am to go to the Kotel (western wall) for Rosh Chodesh. We were participating in a half prayer service half demonstration with the organization Women of the Wall. It used to be illegal for Women to hold group prayer at the Kotel. There was a court battle and now it is allowed only on Rosh Chodesh, and women are still not allowed to read Torah or wear Tallitot there. This is one of the many things that makes me question the claim the Israel is a democracy. At last months service a woman was arrested for attempting to read Torah and wearing a Tallit. It is simply mind boggling that prayer could be considered illegal just because of the gender of the person who is offering the prayer. It makes me very sad and angry that the “leaders” of my religion have decided that I am not allowed to pray in the same fashion or places as men are. As we were holding our service and singing we were called bastards, Nazis and several other not so nice names. Most of the yelling was in Hebrew, but at one time I heard a man in an American accent telling us that we were “responsible for the death of six million Jews” I’m sorry what?!?! How messed up in the head do you have to be to think that women praying out loud at the Kotel is what caused the Holocaust? The whole experience was sad and on top of everything it was cold and raining the whole time. In one news article a Rabbi said it was Hashem crying because of our deeds. Naomi said if anything it was Hashem crying for the treatment we received while trying to execute the simple act of prayer.

Shabbat was spent going to Kol Haneshama ( a reform synagoge in Jerusalem) for services which is always a nice familiar Shabbat experience, and dinner with some lovely ladies of Pardes. I should be heading back to Bethlehem in a few hours unless I get some indication that a good bye party is happening in Jerusalem this evening. I am excited to be going home, to see my roomates and to sleep in my own bed after so long.

Shavuah Tov and Merry almost Christmas!

No visa for you!

A of all I re read my last blog post and realized the end is rather preachy, so sorry for that and Ill try not to do it again. I should know enough that any one who is reading this is my friend and probably doing many things in their own right to make the world a better place.

So this post is mainly going to be about visas and the Israeli government’s aversion to giving them to people. It started (at least on my radar screen) with the denial of Sarah and Jason’s application to extend their visa to December 30th. They as you know had to leave several weeks ago to the sadness of every one here. Soon after we learned some other friends of ours also had their visa application sent to committee, which is exactly what happened to Sarah and Jason before they were denied. I learned about a week ago they theirs was also denied and they will be leaving very soon. Then one of my roommates went to Germany for a few days to renew her visa when she returned she was told she had to go to the ministry of the interior, and was not even any visa. Most people at least get 2 weeks or a month, but she got nothing and now just has an appointment at the ministry and is doing her best not to freak out. Just a few days ago another friend of mine told me her application to extend her visa was also denied. She is studying at the conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem, but she is not Jewish. This is the reason she was given for not being able to get a student visa. All of these people are either studying or doing good works in the community. None of these people are a security risk to Israel and none of them are looking to live here permanently. The worst story is when my former roommate from when I lived in Birzeit came to visit me. She was denied entry completely. The scary thing is that she told them she was coming to visit me, and they told her that she was being denied because my visa expired on December 14th, which is does. I am not sure that this is the real reason she was denied, but it makes me a bit nervous. They have also changed their rules for check points. There are three check points (Bethlehem, Beit Jallah, and Beit Sahour) where people can go in and out of the west bank. On Thursday I tried to go out through the beit Jallah one with one of my roommates and we were made to get off the bus and told we were no longer allowed to go through that check point, and that we had to go back to Bethlehem and go through that check point. I am not sure what is going on, but it seems to me that the government is trying to make it more and more difficult for internationals to be in the west bank. Which makes sense from their position. They don’t want us here to see, document and publicize all the shitty things they do. All of this is making me very nervous as I am leaving for Jordan tomorrow for my first visa renewal run, and now I am less confident that I will get my three month visa stamp or even be let back in the country. So if you think about it between now and Thursday night send some positive energy my way.

On a lighter note, on Friday morning I went to Tel Aviv for a Human rights demonstration. (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1260447411598&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull) It seemed like there was a sign there for every marginalized group in and out of Israel. The most prevalent were for Palestinians in Israel as well as in The west bank and Gaza. This made me just a little more hopeful than I usually am. It was nice to see Israelis enmass in support for Palestinian rights. I just wish there were more of them, but hopefully some day. The march/rally was very spirited and a really great experience over all. My only problem was that it was in Tel Aviv. This sort of thing is much more needed in Jerusalem. If we could get all these lefty telavivians out of their bubble to protest at sheik Jarah for example I think it would be much more effective than walking the streets of tel aiviv, but I guess you have to take what you can get and hope this will be come something bigger and further reaching.

Okay don’t forget to think of/pray for me that I get back in to the country on Thursday!

Oh and HAPPY CHANUKKAH!!!!!