| Some of our life here is similar to what it has been on other visits. I am studying Talmud and Halakha at the Conservative Yeshiva. As in previous years, Avi and I have an apartment which we got through Airbnb, and it is in Baka, close to other places we have stayed recently. But a number of things are different. First, and most obviously, there is a war going on, and though it does not affect daily life here very much, you do see posters and demonstrations, mostly calling for the government to do whatever is necessary to obtain the release of the hostages still held in Gaza. Also, unlike in the past, this year Avi is volunteering as a pathologist at Hadassah Ein Kerem three days a week. Another difference is that right now Avi’s son Dan and his wife Morgan are here visiting us. We rented a two-bedroom apartment with the idea that lots of people would come visit us. But because of the war, it seems unlikely that we will have any other visitors. Yet another difference is that the Conservative Yeshiva, an institution which i am very fond of, and where I have learned a great deal, has few students this year. Let me just say that it is wonderful to come here and learn just for the sake of learning. Many people do, but many more would enjoy and profit from a stay at the yeshiva, whether for a week, a month, or a year. Consider it! Because so many young people are on active duty in Gaza, and also because Arab and foreign agricultural workers are not available, there is a great need for volunteers here. Today I got on a bus with thirty or forty other people, largely of my age and background, and traveled down to the fields of Kibbutz Be’eri to pick mandarins. It was a great experience, and I am attaching a few pictures; More than ever, I wish you all peace from Jerusalem. |
| Created on 25 January 2024, updated on 25 January 2024 by Samuel Ethan Fox |