i read somewhere that today, the 17th of tammuz in the hebrew calendar, is “a historic day of calamity.” i guess that sums it up pretty much. one of the big events that we commemorate today by fasting is the breaching of the exterior wall of jerusalem by the romans in 70 ce. in three weeks, we fast again to commemorate one of the most significant events in jewish history: destruction of the second temple. also in three weeks exactly: i leave israel.
so. today was a fast day. it went as smoothly as any fast can… i slept in, read some torah and vonnegut, watched an education with the ladies and took a nap. before i knew it, i was eating a sweet potato at 8.17 pm.
i had a tasty last-meal-before-fast last night: nir and i went out to sushi @ sushi rechavia and then had a fatty frozen yogurt. and i mean old- school fatty, like i haven’t had this kind of frozen yogurt since i was twelve. vanilla and lemonish “large” yogurt (nir said it was acceptable to get a large since we were sharing) with two toppings of my choice (carmel sauce and mini brand- x m&m’s) and two toppings of nir’s choice (coconut and chopped candied pecans). craaaazy sweet and crazy good, i hadn’t felt so indulgent in a long, long time. it was fun :)
tonight’s break fast dinner (no, not breakfast dinner) was also memorable— a meal @ the village green, my favorite veggie restaurant in jlem, with the boys and jaki. and she brought guarana, a brazilian soda that reminded me of a sweet ginger ale. nom nom!
afterward, ari, yehuda and i chilled @ the comedy club . sadie was working tonight so we kept her company. (incidentally, this is the same comedy club in which the poetry slam occured.. and i just realized i had not posted about this. more on it soon). it was open mike night, which i loved— cheap drinks and hit or miss entertainment. you never know whach’you’re gonna get! the boys didn’t love it as much as i did and they left after a beer or two. yosef dovid stopped by later with a friend of his who critiqued each performer as they left the stage under his breath. i guess he felt like he could do it because he’s a “professional” muscian. or whatever.
the night ended slowly… sadie returned home late and here i am, typing away.
the last few weeks on the horizon bring out the most contentious parts of me— me who wants to stay, to not awaken from this sur/real/ity, and me who wants to see family i haven’t seen since september.
perhaps my time in isralight will offer clarity to it all.
——
in other news, sadie organized and hosted another poetry slam on sunday. following suit with the last one, it was a success! a big turn out with well- spoken poets and lotsa supporters in the audience. so. much. fun. :) it was very enjoyable, i wish i could be here for the next one… but alas, it’s not meant to be. hopefully, it’ll continue as a tradition and still be around when i return. whenever that is.
