Idan Raichel

On Sunday night I went with a group of about 40 students, some in my Overseas Students Program, some in MAPMES (MAsters Program in Middle Eastern Studies) and some in the Columbia Medical Program, to Jerusalem. All of us shared one thing: we are apart of the MASA scholarship program which sponsors Jewish students to come study in Israel. After a welcoming of some of Israeli cabinet members, one being Natan Sharansky (!), we had a concert featuring Idan Raichel and the various artists in his project.

"The Idan Raichel Project burst onto Israel’s music scene in 2002, changing the face of Israeli popular music and offering a message of love and tolerance that resonated strongly in a region of the world where headlines are too often dominated by conflict. With an enchanting blend of African, Latin American, Caribbean and Middle Eastern sounds coupled with sophisticated production techniques and a spectacular live show, the Idan Raichel Project has become one of the most unexpected success stories in Israeli music history... "

It was an outstanding performance, and I am so beyond glad I decided to go in the end...

For more information on Idan Raichel, please click here.

nadine's post -- Keith Haring

My friend, Nadine, wrote a great entry on her blog today. It's about Keith Haring, and reading her post made me remember my facination with Keith Haring--one that I keep hidden, for some reason, until something brings it out of it's box. Her post did that today. I love him, always have, and enjoy his story, messages, at art.
I am linking her blog to this post in hopes that you all will check it out.

Shalom, Cheers, and Peace
Staci

Spotlight: Mystical Lit

Out of the four courses I am taking here at Ben-Gurion University (not including Hebrew), I cannot decide which one is my favorite because I like them all equally and differently. So, I decided to write a spotlight on each of them, starting with Mystical Literature.

I signed up for this class because the syllabus looked interesting to me: using text from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam to experience mysticism. Thus far I have had four lectures and have been studying the Judaism aspect, and love every minute of this subject both inside and outside of the classroom.
We have read the Torah, the Zohar, articles, summaries. We have studied Freud and compared his theory of dreams to that of Jacob; we have discussed journeys and Abraham, and we have discussed God's warrior-like qualities in the Torah in comparison to "everyday beliefs."

With only an hour and a half of this class once a week, I don't ever want it to end! My professor, June Leavitt, is a brilliant woman who brings the material of ancient days alive, and I cannot express how much I appreciate this class.

Yam L'Yam (Sea to Sea)

There was no way I could resist posting all of these pics...
Over our Sukkot break, my friends and I hiked across Northern Israel: four days and four nights from the Mediterranean Sea to the Sea of Galilee. It seemed fitting, with the Sukkot being the festival of harvesting, being outside in observance of this week-long holiday. With lots of uphill and downhill trails, rough sleeping conditions, wild horses, scenic views that can blow your mind, and "bonding time," this was a trip I will never forget. It was intense both physically and mentally, but it was the most spiritually fulfilling thing I have done since I have been here. I would not trade part of it away for anything, and I thank everyone who made it so awesome!

Pictures provided by my lovely friends, Rebecca (Rivka) and Dori...thanks guys

Shalom, Cheers, and Peace
Staci