eco-bio-ezo Jews

I found myself with a bunch of goats and jewish activists during the weekend - somehow -  in the  woods of Connecticut, two hours from New York, at the Isabella Freedman Retreat Center (IF)

Even though I am in genera open to spirituality - whatever this word should mean - I tend to have some  second thoughts about this eco-bio-ezo culture - like all urban fighters - and I did not understand so much how Jewry comes into the picture. I don't say that I understood it all, but it is much more clear now that I came here. Who would not have fun in such a wonderful environment, in the middle of a forest, by a lake, where you are waken by birds singing, and you are fed by only bio food. The most compelling  was though the credibility - and seriousness - its done here: the soap, the toilet flushing, the wooden floor in the jurt, the cheese made out of the goat milk and the most efficient (German) heater system - all work according to the latest rules of ecological sustainability. Everything is simple and natural - at the same time everything is comfortable. and beautiful. All this put in the Jewish context - synagogue on the lake side, kosher food, Jewish texts, books- all provide an interesting plus - an additional point of access, point of connection - for Jews, or thos who feel connected to it. Naturally there are things that are too much / and not enough - the spiritual kabalath shabath was a bit below my expectations, but in the end of the day it was nice, too. 

On the first day I spent hours in the bookstore - I tried to understand, decipher where I am by  looking at the books, cds. It is amazing how wide the culture of spiritually alternative Jewry is in America - (renewal, spiritual, yoga, kabbalah, reconstuctioniss, LGBT, organic jewish cooking book,  Jewish meditation, etc.) and also a lot of stuff about Jewish social justice. The connection of the two is not evident - for me - the conference where I am is also trying to explain this connection with more or less success.
The shop had its effect, I spent all my money on cds, e.g. I bought the two cds of Rav Raz that I was looking for in Jerusalem, because someone told me he saw it, but I did not find it. I guess, I needed to come until Connecticut to get it...

The IF is by the way a selfsustaining organic place, with several programs during the year -  drumming, editation, music workshop, yohga, organic farming, sukot, pesach, etc. You can be recharged here - for longer or shorter time or just simply rent out the facilities for a conference. Kosher kitchen, synagogues(in one fo the a torah ark from reused materials)
or an synagoge with windows looking at the lake. The center was made in 1893 by the Jewish working gorls society. The agency was established to offer Jewish working women, primarily immigrants in the New York garment industry, an affordable vacation. The agency paid for the vacation and reimbursed campers for lost wages. In the 1940s Camp Lehman began offering co-ed summer vacations to young adults, including ex-GIs and students who could not otherwise afford a vacation. In 1956, the agency moved to its current home in Falls Village, CT, and began serving a new segment of the Jewish community, senior adults. In the early 1990s the agency began to open its doors year-round, and it became the primary retreat center for the Jewish communities of New York and New England. Each year, over 30 Jewish organizations, spanning the denominational spectrum, hold retreats at Isabella Freedman. In 1994, in partnership with Surprise Lake Camp, we developed the Teva Learning Center an innovative experiential learning program for Jewish elementary school students that integrates ecology, Jewish spirituality, and environmental activism. In the spring of 2003, Isabella Freedman developed a new program called ADAMAH: The Jewish Environmental Fellowship. ADAMAH is a leadership training program for Jewish young adults that teaches the vital connection between Judaism and environmental stewardship.

IF is a CSA,harvest is weekly, and the food is delivered to the members in the area.

Kashrut and sustainability is not always easy to reconcile.  The pickles that are made here, are put in glasses, which cannot be returned for re-use because of kashrut. All of the food that we consume here is grown here. The transportation of the food that is brought in or out are done by  trucks that run on vegetable oil.  The vegetable oil is collected from the resturants nearby.

I know this from Shamu, one of the key people running the place, who speaks Hungarian, btw. and is the cousin of  Marom's partner in Hungary, the owner of  Kőleves ...

This is funny, because we have been working together with Kőleves on our project Bánkitó, a similar project ideology - experience  - a lake + Jews + social justice + ecology /sustainability

This here is less civilised, it is not a village, but a camp, and not only for 4 days, but for the whole year . It is funny that the jewish yoga - renewal - social justice embodies a holistic philosphy of all is one - two points of the world - ánk and Falls Village can be connected through so many points.

The conference where I am is called SIACH  which means dialogue but also meditation, it is also the root of the word messiah. The participants are Jewish organizations' leaders, acitivists, who are running some kind of social justice project.  MOstly americans, but a lot of organizations from Israel, also, and some from the UK.  Yesterday, e.g. the director of AJWS, Ruth Messinger talked, who is the American star of Jewish social justice.  The american organizer of the conference is Hazon - that among others organizes biker- demonstrations, and are committed to social justice.An other linking point with Bánkitó - where we also incorporated the biker-subculture. Until now the most heated debate of the conference was about Israel - and about the relation of the Jewish social justice scene to Israel. People talk about "mccarthianism" - apparently there cannot be a helthy dialogue about Israel in America within the Jewish community, because the criticism of Israel is not accepted. This is mostly true in organizations / institutions athat are engaged in Jewish continuity, education, etc. ,as the donors of these organizations are rather right-center regarding Israel. The more liberal left wing Jewish donors usually support rather art, culture, hospital, universities, etc. Other than this there were a lot of interesting individuals, organizations here, and it was an intensive relaxing, and inspiring experience, even if there was not as much discussions about social justice issues really, as I expected - but it is to be continued.

Nachlaot - an other Jewish quarter

Nachlaot to me is a  bit like Budapest' Jewish quarter, even if there are no traces of such rich cultural life here. However, there are many similarities. It is here that you can catch the genius loci - that must have been characteristic to all of Jerusalem in the old times. The old street structure is preserved, narrow spaces, tiny squares, trees and bushes, stones of many hundred years, spectacular doors - and cats.Also, here you can find a sense of community, young people who live in alternative ways.

Some old houses are deserted, and there are poorer and richer parts next to each pther. Most of it is renovated though, and because of its central location, and its historical and architectural character - real estate prices are quite high here.



Nachlaot - means estates or privately owned lands in Hebrew. It is a small island located opposite the Jerusalem market (Machane Hayehuda). Over the borders of Nachlaot it is rather dirty, noisy, and busy traffic, reflects modern architecture - but entering the small streets here you suddenly feel like walking in a fairy-tale world, you hear stories, see birds, smell images.

The two busy roads are its boders - Bezalel and Agripas just stress the outstanding charm of this area. Agripas became quite impossible since they relocated the buses here from Jaffo - to give space to the new tram. (The tram is already running! - but noone can use it yet - so its like a ghost of the future - I heard of several versions when it will be open for the public - it seems like the latest November)

Just like in Cracow's, Berlin's, New York's or Budapest's old (Jewish)quarters, Nachlaot attracts students, artists and forever-youngs - who have here an additional hippi-religious feature. Thus, some of its street art also reflects its relation to Judaism.

Nachlaot style

Whoever is strolling here will find tiny old synagogues among the romantic buildings and hidden squares shaded by orange trees. For instance here is the community of the hasid-like, hippi-like, music-oriented rabbi (Rav) Raz, one of the coolest communities of Jerusalem. It is located on the corner of Aryeh and Mishkanot streets. You enter at a blue gate, then climb up on steep stairs. Kabalath shabbath is an absolute must here, sacharit is more fun for guys - as it is not egalitarian. The mechitsah is in the middle, the stands in front of it, right in the middle to the men and women side in the front - just like the torah ark, which is located on the center (in the front). Rav Raz is a great spiritual leader who is using his siddur partially to give the basic rythm - so while singing and moving heavily, he is smashing the book with such a force on the actual page that some pages are already quite devastated and it is hard to say where is the border between the material existence of those words on paper - and the actual meaning / concept of them.

Coming here I finally understood what is kavanah. If you go, expect a lot of singing - and a relative long service - kabalath shabath minimum 1,5 hours (sacharit 3-3,5 hours) - but time flies, and it gives you a chance to actually read the prayers while understanding and experiencing them. Spontaneous dancing, crying, laughing is frequent - and it worth to come right after candle lighting, because it gets crowded very quickly.

Not too much, but Nachlaot also has a bit of usual hip urban staff- there is a second hand clothing store and two pubs - e.g. the Slow Moshe around Nisim Bachar street.
I also have found a small community center here, called Haohel @ Nisim Bachar 25. You can get a very cool design map of Nachlaot here that marks the synagogues, shops, galleries -  even the gnizah! Haohel also organizes own events - Torah learning for men and women, open air kabalath shabath,  community centered leadership training, and much more!

The nearest dish mikveh to my house was also in Nachlaot, if you live in the center and you need one - here you go. The yellow paper warns the people toyveling not to throw the paper everywhere. Dishes can only be dipped once the papers removed - which is sometimes the most challenging part of this weird custom...

This all is of course only the surface and there are  many other small surprises in Nachlaot - this part of the city with its unique atmosphere -
a number one destination for strollers and discoverers, romantics!

Mimuna

I have been soooo excited about spending Pesach in Jerusalem since the beginning of the year already.  This time last year, when we were singing Hashana haba beYerushalaim - after too many cups of red wine - it did not even cross my mind that this will be a self-fulfilling oracle - I mean I did not think that this utopistic symbolic act will actually happen this year.

Seder nite - and I knew this already before - did not feel  not like at home. After all, Pesach is the holiday of the diaspora - and the idea is to remember one's home - one's origin - which is - ironically - in Budapest, if I look at it from Jerusalem. And of cours, in 'Pest it is the same chevre, the same old jokes, ironic-funny-sederplatting - last year already with an orange - all that just to lead up to an orgy with guitars, matzohs, singing, - until you can't  tell the difference between Purim and Pesach....

So I ended up in Yamin Moshe, opposite the Yafo gate, real close to the wind mill., a t a friends family . The place is outrageously beautiful with its narrow streets and passages - so it was already uplifiting. The Seder itself was very accurate, we oops - we did it again - said, dipped, asked, hid, sprinkled, drank - and al that funky shit - and by half past mindight we were already done. We played a funny game which involved -singing and standing up during "Echad mi yodea"....

The following days of Pesach went by without big excitements,  except for tha Jerusalem became so crowded that became challenging to do anything  in public space. I was happy to be invited for the meals to friends and family  - as our kitchen turned into a space ship - covered with alufolia. with no cooking option . My roomate has even taken the couch apart, because she felt the chometz inside. In the end I was truly surprised when I found a pair of shoes under the couch the existence of which were unknown for me before. ...and yes,  we found a piece of challah under the couch, also! By the eve of hag seni I was more than fed up with matzah, though. I would not have expected that the highlight of this holiday will be not the Seder in the end, but the chometz-orgy in end of Pesach.

A friend of ours, an absolut secular Israeli -took us to a mimouna, a moroccan mufleta-party. The host was the owner of the bar "Avram" , whose apartment had an  ca. 100 sqm garden.

Quite a huge crowd of people came together for the big feast. There was a  moroccan music band, even - Nino, the master of oud played and sang, and the crowd danced in the colorful dresses  

Of course we ate mufleta, that looks like  crépe, but has a more raw taste, and is served with butter, honey and marmelade  - or whatever those sticky jellies are...

there were crazy sweets available there -anyways- e.g. tomato-marmelade! and of course some alcohol ... At some point even the police came. This was unexpected, as the average age was 40  - but party is party - even if you are not 18 any more...

Well, this was the end of the week of affliction - with a grande dolce vita! Everyone should mimunah once!

NU!

I saw Matisyahu on the street the other day!!

Ok, it was not Matisyahu, but looked like him. It was actually his 1:1 size image in front of a small shop. In the tiny room there were ca. 8-10 kind of T-shirts hanging and two personnel selling them. They were very nice and helpful, immediately explaining where I am exactly. This is not just a regular shop - they claimed. By buying a shirt I can support different causes!

Nu is merchandising initiative for NGOs and causes. You can buy a fairly good quality  and hip looking T-shirt on a fair price. Depending on which cause you would like to support, you can chose from a great variety:
Leket Israel providing food for the needy; children - from different places including Palestina - who need heart operation and receive medical aid in Israel,  Haiti, Gilad Shalit, or victims of the fire in Carmel., etc. If I remember correctly ca. 20 % of the T-shirts actually price is going directly to the charity.


There are other shirts that do not stand for actual charities, but are rather general causes you can support. Such is e.g. the Idan Reichel project, or the Head of Ben Gurion put together from the lines of the Declaration of Independence, or Hana Szenes' story. I guess these go 100 % to the NU project and you can support the idea of a democratic Israel  - or heroic (Hungarian) Jewish women - by wearing those items.

In the inside of the T-shirts, "close to the heart" -as they say -  you can find the story of the cause and organization you are supporting. Cute idea - its a bit too much for me, but why not?

I really liked this initiative - the volunteer in the shop, who was so enthusiastic and told all of the stories, and the shirts look pretty cool, too.Of course I needed to get one of these - you can guess which one!

You can find all of the shirts and stories on the official NU website, where you can also order shirts and create your own T-shirt!

Nu, yalla!

MOHO Philly

friday evening I ended up in the Moishe House in Philadelphia. People arrived after 7 and at 1.30 a.m. party was still going on. They finished all of the alcohol broght by the guests (wine) and the Moishe bar was opened, as well, as I heard. What a great idea! We never had that in Hungary -  just a small corner...

Four people live here Cody, super nice - and his dog, Chica; Lawrence, a teacher who is currently very much into girls - so yesterday Cody was correcting papers of his pupils....while he was going out in the night - + two Rebeccas - Karp, Moishe house co-founder, works at AJC, and Becca, very nice host, open and friendly- who works in the National Museum of American Jewish History.

Becca cooked pasta with tomato sauce Friday evening, but the menu was basically put together from the food that people brought to the party - at least half of the guests brought something to eat! On such occasions food is vegetarian, and served in plastic utensils - keeping laws of kashrut. The residents co-ordinate with the guests about what kind and how much food there is going to be brought to the event.

There was no Kabalath shabath davening, but there was a big "Pimp my food"-round - when everyone who brought some food could tell about what they brought, how they made it and who they are by the way.

This is the photo wall at the entrance. I have always been wanting one in Budapest, but never got the chance to do it. Its great!!

Moishe House Philly composts food and gets their vegetables through CSA. - Community Supported Agriculture. 

Guests have brought not only food but wine, too. We had Challah here already, from the challach-yoga session from Thursday.It is good to see that here challa is torn, too - and not cut by a knife - I think that is corny. A difference is though that kiddush wine is not passed around / and there were no small cups for wine.

People wash also, and the bracha is printed on a paper with exact instructions and explanations of how to ritually ash your hands according to Jewish tradition. I had a look at it, and realized that I did not know that we can hold our hands upwards - every day something new.

The Philliy MOHO team is very active, too. It was good to hear that they are co-operating with other Jewish young adult organizations here, and there is a meeting once a month where they coordinate their events. They say they reach out to ca. 100-200young adults monthly. People - guests were quite similar to Budapest Moushe House guests - Judaism s more evident here, though, people more involved in jewish stuff, have more background.And there is no Sirály - where people would go after Friday evening dinner. Kiddush was recited by Brian, ex-Moishe House Philly resident (by heart)

A funny custom here is that empty jars are used as glasses- I like it! A local minhag!

They made just one photo about the event and have asked people before if anyone has anything against it - let it be religious concerns or just general photo-phobia. This is interesting because the MOHO Philly residents are otherwise rather non-observant, actually. Was funny when one of them was seriously thinking about turning the music on at 11 p.m. ... in the end he did not do so. So in spite of the residents non-observant life style, they are kosher, eg.g - earlier just vegetarian and not meat and dairy. Of course here it is much more easier to get kosher food than in Hungary, but I still think it is impressive! There are ca. 100 thousand Jews in Philly- Food brought by the guests is served with plastic utensil - and thus there is no problem with cleaning up or kashrut really.

There is a Moishe House Fame of Hall, as well - funny! a photo with Will Smith hugging Cody. we can also see eX-Moishe resident Brian there, too who still has a key to the apartment! This is so nice, I wish I had one too :)! He actually live just two streets down, so he did not move too far to stay connected! Brian teaches math, and he is now trying to set up a record: he wants to visit to the most of the Moishe Houses - ever. I think he is at 8 right now. He will surely visit Budapest in the summer, too, but he will def. not go to Belorus, as the VISA is 400 USD - insane!

Every small detail is worked out here - leaving the house there is a sign where residents wanna make sure if you left your email in case you want to stay connected.

S, its a very cool house, and ist so interesting that it is similar to the Budapest house in so many ways. Of course Budapest is still the closest to my heart - but this was an awesome experience. Thank you, Philly, for having me over shabbath! Special thanks to Cody and Becca who were so caring and attentive!! 

Biking Brooklyn

Finally I had a breakthrough. I got over my "jet-lag" and finally I did not wake up at 4 a.m., and did not suddenly fall asleepin the middle of the sentence before midnight. This breaktrhough had obviously to do with the half a day bike tour in Brooklyn.
Long live those with B - best things in life are B -  Brooklyn Budapest Berlin Bike Barcelona B'reshit Beto Basil - a pro pros Basil! Basil, the sat from Faulty Tower, you know? But also - Basil is the name of the intercultural, kosher dairy restuarant that is here nearby where I live. Pizza is phenomenal - try the one with antichoves! What makes this place special though is not only the good food, but the chasid-ic-carebbean fusion! These two ethnic groups are not mixing too much in general. This restaurant is an interesting attempt to make an orth. kosher place that may have guests who wear tank tops and miniskirts - but it is also a place for people wearing balck kipah. Basil has opened about a year ago in is a must - gastronomically and cross-culturally!

But back to the Bs and bikes - some memorable moments - the first funny experiences - a guy who was jogging with the baby cart ...then biking in Cobble Hills

Tested like Esther

Bruchim ha baim! = Welcome everyone! This is the online roll of Eszter, the first chapter,of a virtual megillah that is being published on the day of Purim - not by chance!

A pros pros - Hag Purim Sameach!

So why today? Anno, in the 5741^st year after the creation of the world my parents gave me the name: Eszter. (= Esther) This is how I became the female version of Adam Paradise: Eszter Shushan. (For those who haven't read the Book of Esther - the story of Esther happened in the city of Shushan.)

The name "Shushan", my father’s family name, is a decent Hungarian name - as far as I know. It’s not a frequent name, but it does exist, and most probably it has nothing to do with neither the Jews nor the Persians.

Shushan and Shushan – are two words with the same letters and pronunciation, the same form and outline – but both denote something different. This is even more interesting as the story of Esther is full of such and similar deceptions and disguises; forms that look the same from the outside, but really are different essentially. Not to mentione the central theme of Fate (Purim = Lots), i.e. about the question if we receive our names / our fate arbitrarily.

"Each of us has a name" – writes the Hebrew poet, Zelda - 

"(...) Each of us has a name

given by our enemies

and given by our love

Each of us has a name

given by our celebrations

and given by our work

Each of us has a name

given by the seasons

and given by our blindness

Each of us has a name

given by the sea

and given by

our death."

The photo is taken in the center of Jerusalem, and represents the same sentence in the form of street art  -  and of course extended by a question mark – and  the end of the tale of an alien slipping into an other dimension(?)

Jerusalem does not only belong to this chapter, as Shushan Purim can be typically related to the city of J'lem, but also, because I will write much more about the „holy city” on this blog, because I moved there for a couple of months. I am also traveling a lot in the meantime - today Budapest - in two days in New York - sand I hope this blog will be a good way to collect and share experiences.

So Purim – or Lots – my parents knew the story of Queen Esther, but they did not remember the name of the city, thus the stylish name-giving was not a conscious act – even if it might not be a coincidence, either.

I was ca. 10 years old when one of my class mates in school has pointed out to me with a weird smile on his face, that I was included in the Bible. I was not very happy about these news, and getting home immediately demanded an answer from my mum – but she was as surprised as myself. This is how it all has started, and from that day the consciousness has evolved gradually that my name has a unique significance to me, and that on a certain intellectual-sensual level my life resonates with my name, including the ancient story of Esther.

I found four concrete things that are relevant to my life from the book of Esther:

1. commitment to Jewry

2. seducement and philters

3. “inter-marriage”

4. objectified women

A strange, holistic solution to the last one…

I found this super hero in a cheap shop in Jerusalem. Yes, it’s man and woman at the same time, and its name is Super Change!

To number 1. so much that Esther has taken on her Jewish identity in a non-Jewish – sometimes anti-Jewish environment. I did the same. Moreover, Esther has committed to the cause of saving the Jewish people – and even if I do not have such a grant assignment – until now – I became an Amazon of the Hungarian Jewish revival. Marom, Siraly, Moishe House Budapest, Dor Hadash – I was there as a founder in all of them, and I am active until today.

 
To number 2 – please feel free to associate!

Point 3 is the story of my parents – and myself  / Hungarian Jewry - being casted in the Diaspora: this uniquely Jewish name, Esther Shushan is actually not Jewish at all! The original name of Esther was Hadassa, and Shushan denotes either the Persian city or my gentile father’s name.   

To number 4 I can only add that the story of Esther is a quite problematic story. It ends with a senseless massacre, and the price of saving of the Jewish people is to use the body of Esther: she needs to give all of her body and herself eventually to be the property of the king – which is – from the side of Mordechai - woman trafficking.  

there is something missing

from this story:

someone

somewhere

doesn't bother to say

whether Esther

actually liked

King A

(Michelene Wandor, excerpt)

So there will be thoughts about Jerusalem, women, super heroes, cities – and all kinds of crazy stuff here in this roll.

Alright, I gotto go to the Purim party tonite, hear the megillah and dance to Oi Va Voi!

In the meantime here is Daniel’s thoughts on Esther: