WEDNESDAY CONFERENCE
On Wednesday morning, Ruth Calderon came to give our morning speech. She is a member of the Knesset, among other things. She holds a PhD in Torah study (I think) and is famous largely for this speech she gave when she entered the Knesset (which is Israeli Parliament, FYI)...
She gave a really great talk. She used a Talmud portion (I think it was Talmud... the sources weren't listed clearly, I think this is the sort of thing that is obvious to Israelis but maybe not to others, and also Israelis obviously have different names for sections and books than we do in English, so even when they do cite I don't always immediately know what they're talking about.)
Anyway we did a kind of Talmud study as a group of 150 with lots of audience participation and she used the portion to talk about our obligation as leaders and members of the fringes of society. At one point she looked at us and said "I know you guys are all the cool kids, the well dressed popular kids, but it's important to step back from that sometimes..."
You know it was a pretty good looking, charming group over all, but none of us were the popular kids in high school. We should make a "Jews, it gets better" video.
Okay now I actually really want to do that.
Anyway, then she took questions from the audience, most of which were political. I suspect I disagree with her on a lot of her foreign policy stances, but I liked a lot of her domestic policy initiatives. One she spoke about was civil marriage (YES!) and it seems like it might actually have a chance of passing this time since the coalition has no ultra orthodox members AND the coalition was formed for the first time without a clause demanding the maintenance of religious status quo. This made me really happy.
Though I still appreciated my roommate getting up and asking why they're accepting civil unions when all Jews deserve to get married as their beliefs fit. I appreciate this, because it's true. One step at a time, I guess
Overall I was encouraged by her speech and I feel more optimistic about the Knesset than I did before.
Next we had master classes with experts. My class was media training, on how to court the press and important interview skills. I loved it. Daphne, the teacher, worked for CNN, ABC, among others (She interviewed Kasparov about his match vs Deep Blue!!!!! I nearly fainted.) and she now runs a business specifically training people to deal with the press. She really impressed me. I learned a lot from her, too much to write here, but one of my favorites was her advice on how to deal with personal questions.
Earlier an Israeli radio station had interviewed me. They asked about my writing, but then they asked if I was married and if I wanted a Jewish husband. I asked Daphne what she would have had me do. Is responding unprofessional? Is not responding snooty and alienating?
She said you can respond to personal question if you want... and if you don't want to, sass your way out of it. Her off the cuff suggestion for my situation was to say "I don't even answer when my mother asks me that!" With a big smile.
I better sharpen my sass.
After lunch we had focus groups with leaders of various Jewish organizations. I attended the one with the VP of marketing of Birthright, who wanted to hear our ideas on how to get more people to go on the trip. As I was speaking to him, I realized that's kind of EXACTLY WHAT I DO AT EF. Exactly. Not even kind of exactly. Just exactly. It was great to have an outlet for my enthusiasm and I hope I was helpful.
MUSEUM OUTING
That night we were broken up into many groups, and it was very specific. Each group was based on a common thematic interest of its members. My group was commonly interested in narrative and story telling. In addition to conference members, Jewish leaders from the area joined in. Our group, for example, had the HEAD OF HILLEL, among others. Talking to him a little was the highlight for me. He looked so much like my Dad. We had to tell the story of an object that represents us in some way. He said his frequent flyer account, because it shows all the places he's been in the world to help build up Jewish communities. I said Daddy Bob's necklace, because it represents Judaism in my life moving from obscurity to understanding and closeness.
Then we had a "specially curated tour" of items in the Israeli Museum, including items not on display. My group didn't really do this though, we looked at slides of photographs, I think there might have been some miscommunication.
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| With Frida Kahlo and her bad leg. |
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| Moroccan Jewish wedding headdress. |
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| This made me really sad. It's for a baby, and then there are the star badges. |
One of the most poignant and most hurtful moments of the conference happened at the museum for me.
I had to go to the bathroom so I went looking for it on my own. On my way I saw this image of a Passover Seder on the wall...
The same image used in the haggadah my family has always used. It really struck me. I'd never really thought about those images, their history, where they'd come from. But passover is I think the Jewish holiday my family keeps best, and my favorite, and the haggadah is a big part of my memories. It really moved me to see the originals and see it all blown up and learn some history. And it moved me how many other Jewish objects were preserved, that would have been destroyed otherwise. They have entire recreations of synagogues, they have rooms full just of menorah, of Torah caps and coverings. Wedding rings and goblets and headdresses and prayer shawls. Items that were so personal to people and such a part of our cultural memories. And I felt really grateful for the museum.
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| Our Hagaddah! |
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| The explanation |
Then I got back to the group and I heard a lot of objections from people that we were in the "Israel Museum" and yet there were only Jewish objects, and that's wrong, since there were not only Jews in Israel.
This was the first time I really felt agitated and frustrated at the conference. I'd mostly kept it at bay by trying to be in my debate-mode mindset, where I suspend personal emotional response and look just at the logic and rhetoric. But this wasn't possible in this moment because I was kind of weepy from my Haggadah moment and it felt so personal.
These kind of remarks are so frustrating because they're unfounded and point to this intense desire people (Even Jews, which endlessly vexes me) to find some horrible sin in everything Israel or Israelis or Israeli institutions do. The Israel Museum is HUGE. It's so gigantic. It has EVERYTHING. Every culture, art, artifacts, historical stuff, mummies, paintings, modern stuff, you name it. Our group walked through Picasso collections. We saw that there are many objects that have nothing to do with Judaism. The topic of our particular outing was narrative in Jewish art and artifacts, which really shouldn't be seen as a surprise or a misdeed considering it's a Jewish Leadership Conference. But lots of people complained even though the evidence was clearly against them. People really want to see Israel as tyrannical. Of course there are things Israel does wrong, it just feels like people LOOK for them CONSTANTLY and always assume the worst. It hurt me after just thinking to myself how grateful I was for this Jewish collection.
And you know, if the ISRAEL museum doesn't have a great Jewish collection, then were will????
I had another poignant moment when I came across a death registry. It was all in Hebrew, and this time, I could read it. I could read all of the names. Records of people who'd lived hundreds of years ago were accessible to me, their lives kind of resparked when I read it, remembered. Hebrew is really powerful. Last year at this time I'd have not been able to read a single letter.
After, we went out to a VERY fancy multiple course dinner on the museum terrace. Tons, tons, tons of food. Tomatos so fresh even I liked them. Lots of wine. Lots of everything. The location was gorgeous, with a view of the hills and the Knesset.
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| Fancy dinner! Knesset in the distance on the left. |
There were many speeches and a band playing. At one point, someone sang Yerushalayim Shel Zahav, which moved me. I could sing along with all the words, again, such a stark contrast with the last time I was in Israel. It is a very, very beautiful song if you don't know it:
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| As performed at our dinner |
PARTY AND ODD NIGHT
It seems like the day should be over, but not even close. We then went back to the hotel for a huge party. They pulled out all the stops. Free open endless bar, tons of food and deserts and snacks, etc. Also, it was this really interesting "silent disco" (??) party. Basically, everyone is given a pair of huge noise-cancelling headphones set for the frequency of the DJ. If you want to dance, you keep them on your ears, and you hear the blasting music and it's just like you're in a club. If you want to talk, you take them off and it's like you're in a pretty quiet bar with a fog machine and lots of lights. If you want to talk like you're in a loud bar, you leave it on one ear.
It was awesome!! All three "settings" worked. When you're in talk mode, it's especially fun to watch everone dancing and singing along to music you can't hear. Apparantly this is a really common thing in Israel, but I'd never heard of such a thing so it was really cool.
They had hard alcohol so I was basically zonked after 1.5 rum/cokes. I spent the night dancing and hugging people and asking silly questions. You know, typical drunk Ariane behavior. The party ended around 2:30 but some people asked if I wanted to go out to a bar. Still in "yes" mode, I agreed. So off we hike into Jerusalem at 3 am and I'm in 4 inch wedge heals and a dress I'd probably get stoned in if I wandered into the wrong neighborhood.
The bar was really cool. It was tiny and the people were so friendly. There was an "acoustic grunge" session going on which basically consisted of a guitarist, some singers, some hand-percussionists, and some dancers. And my first whiskey shot.
At ~4:00, I decided it was a great idea to go running through a long row of sprinklers in a park singing Matisyahu.
Back to hotel by about 4:30, soaked from head to toe and my shoes will never be the same.
THURSDAY CONFERENCE
This morning's speech was by Joshua Prager. I don't normally like it when people read speeches, but he's writer and his speech was beautiful and meant to be delivered in a particular way. He told the story of how he was in a car accident in Jerusalem when he was 19 that cost him most movement in the left side of his body. Then he told the story of the rest of his life spent mourning/dealing/rehashing/cursing/wondering afterward. I was choking on tears the entire hour. It was too close to home. Are we what is done to us? Why does God allow these things? Is there a God? And the beautiful writing, it reminded me of some of what I try to do in ETHER. And my fascination with the Jewish obsession with memory and the preservation of it. And trauama.
I'll post his ROI talk if it goes up on youtube. For now though, here's a TED talk he did that's kind of similar to what he talked about today...
At this point I was really overwhelmed. I was emotionally overwhelmed, I was physically exhausted, I was dehydrated. We were supposed to do lightening case studies but I went for a walk instead. It was the only part of the conference I skipped, but you gotta take care of yourself.
Lunch was a riot. They made one of the hotel hallways into a shuk, or a kind of marketplace. It was all street food and vegetable carts, and all delicious of course.
Then there was a kind of.. magic/illusion show used to talk about the benefits of being an ROI member.
The piece I'm most excited about is that for the rest of my life I am able to apply for 1-2k worth of funding each year from ROI to work on a project, and it seems like the funding is given most of the time. I could go on writing retreats. I could go to Israel every summer to study Hebrew or Torah. I could collaborate with other artists (luminarium?) Or any other productive endeavor, essentially. You can use the money to attend conferences, to get training, to do anything.
ROI also offers free PR services! And it's clear now that ROI knows everyone, right? You just call them when you want PR for something and they basically make it happen. That is amazing. When I have a pub date for Ether... bam!
I'm really baffled about ROI. It's so amazing. I don't really understand how this happened to me. I didn't realize when I applied that it was THIS big a deal. I mean, it seemed awesome, but I did't really get it. I didn't know that 90% of attendees were there by referral (I was one of the few who applied for permission to apply and then applied, haha), that 120/650 were taken, that people apply year after year after year for the chance to go. I'm so lucky.
And if you're Jewish and awesome and a leader, and want to go, let me know. Now I'm a member and can refer people!!! It's the chance of a lifetime, it really is. I met so many amazing people, and now I have a network for life. It's insane.
Still, by the end I was definitely overstimulated and ready to go. I got some cell phone numbers and basically fled the scene during goodbyes. I don't do well with goodbyes.
MY AWESOME HOSTEL
Several people from the conference invited me to crash with them in Tel Aviv, and for a while that was my plan, but I was feeling pretty done with crowds for a while and craving some alone time. So I decided to stick with my original plan to stay in Jerusalem on my own. I found a cab driver brave enough to take me to my hostel in Davidka square. Apparently most roads were shut down for a city wide drag race (?!?!) but this guy knew a back way.
My hostel is awesome!!!! The rooms are simple, dorm-like. The people are so nice and friendly, all young and wanting to talk. There's a laundry room, computers, a travel agent on-site, free tours (an inexpensive tours), a game room, a bar, and tons more stuff. Housekeeping at this hostel appears to consist of 3 good looking guys knocking politely on everyone's doors and offering shots of arak. I'm on the third of three floors and they take a shot with every guest that wants one so they were already pretty tipsy. And offering free tours. And inviting me to a CD launch on the second floor. I went down and I only stayed for a bit but it was so cool. Tons of people on beanbag chairs and couches gathered around this band that was actually pretty good!
There's not much hot water and it's noisy, which is the downside. But I don't really mind. It's very much like being back in a college dorm except without any bros and with more international students and RAs that give you shots. Unless yours did give you shots to begin with.. mine never did.
I took and evening stroll around the shuk, bought more comfortable sandals, a sandwich and some snacks, and chilled out. I have two days in Jerusalem now to hang out and collect myself before the West Bank excursion.
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| Interesting graffiti in Jerusalem |
As always, please excuse my spelling and mistakes, these are usually written in a rush! No time for yeast!
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