Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on December 21, 2013 by Jessica Baverman
From my blog:
Can’t believe it, but December is almost over! We just survived a big snow storm here in Jerusalem last week. You might have heard about it – Jerusalem shut down for a week, and we were stuck inside for a while. It did give Emet and I lots of time to work on the wedding planning, but I have to admit that we got cabin fever.
View out my window during the snow storm!
Our power went out Friday morning which was very sad, but it was a blessing that it happened Friday morning because we were prepared for Shabbat by keeping a burner on the stove on and lit candles for the bathroom and the main room. Luckily, the power came back on around 5pm on Friday, and we had heat and light for the rest of Shabbat. On Shabbat, we attempted to walk to the Tayelet, but the streets were not in good condition and my socks got wet inside my shoes. It was not fun. So we came back and decided to stay indoors the rest of the time. Schools were canceled Sunday through Wednesday, and Pardes was on a weird schedule the whole week until Thursday, when the streets were finally clear.
Getting back into our regular schedule has been a blessing but also really difficult. We have three more weeks of classes until January vacation, when I’m looking forward to doing more exploring in Jerusalem and Israel.
Though it’s December and Christmas is next week, the only indication of it here was when I went to the Tel Aviv bus station the other day and saw a Christmas market! It’s so pleasant without all the Christmas songs that I don’t enjoy, though I know Emet and I both miss being home for the holidays.
