The night began with an sweet shabbat experience. Although us OTZMAnikim came from diverse geographic and religious backgrounds, we seemed to all know the same tunes and prayers. In fact, walking around Kibbutz Almog, our home for shabbat, I overheard people from around the world (from Spain to Israel to Russia) all reciting the familiar verses.
After dinner, fellow OTZMAnik Gwen and I decided to embark on a shabbat adventure. Kibbutz Almog is located on highway 90 next to yam hamelach (the dead sea), so naturally we decided to attempt a walk to its shores, despite the Kibbutz' location in the West Bank.
Not surprisingly, thirty seconds into our adventure, we came across two female soldiers playing an intense game of cards at the gate of the Kibbutz.
They immediately made room for us at their table and the conversation flowed. The girl that was more comfortable with English inssisted that we speak Hebrew to her. I was happy to oblige. They were both religious, and therefore avoided using electronics or technology unless absolutely necessary for their army duty. A man from the kibbutz drove by in a truck with a kettle of hot water and freshly picked mint leaves in tow. The fairer skinned girl went to make the tea. Soon after, we heard a crash of pots and pans as the darker skinned girl jokingly jeered, "'shkenazi" (implying that Jews from Eastern Europe couldn't cook as well as Jews from Spain and Morocco like herself). I am always pleased when I get the punchline of even the simplest jokes when they are in Hebrew.
That's when things got interesting. A group of military police came up to the gate and explained to us that they were "border defense." They were less inclined to speak Hebrew. I became really confused when they kept on repeating, and supposedly searching for, a sakin (a knife). Lucky for me, they simply needed the knife to cute up mangos to be shared by everyone. I found out that the four "border defense" men came by for nothing more than companionship with their co-soldiers in the region on night-shift.
I got in a little debate about the upcoming b'chirot (election) with the eldest male soldier. He looked to be at least 45 years old. When I asked him his age, he said "ani yeled ben esrim v'acaht v'cheitzi" (I am a 21 and a half year old boy.) Once again, I was overly pleased at my ability to understand the joke and I couldn't stop laughing for several minutes. It was a hilarious way to end the night.
Here are a few pictures of two hikes we took in the Negev Desert near Ein Gedi (spring of the baby goats). I think each one is worth a thousand words. Feel free to email or call me with any questions. My contact information is below them.
Climbing toward the light on the steepest ladder-less part of the hike. |
An ibex at the start of the hike |
One of the many springs from Israel water shelf that make this an oasis in the desert |
Millions of years of erosion combined with huge tectonic shifts to create this awe inspiring landscape |
Email: Hendel.Marc@gmail.com
Phone: 052-604-2357 (NOTE: I am paying for all of my friends, family and fans to call me in Israel for free!!! Simply email me for the calling card number and the simple way to dial)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mdhendel
Letters:
OTZMA
POB 7400
91073 Jerusalem
ISRAEL
Packages (please email me beforehand):
OTZMA
King George 48
3rd Floor, Room 386
Jerusalem, Israel