Haifa is my city

Aviva, Jess, and Lauren enjoy delicious falafel in the Wadi


Gillian and I pose in front of a beautiful view of the city


the Bahai Gardens, the city, and the ocean


Today was the first day of class!

In the morning, we took a Hebrew placement exam which included:

• an essay on whether we are for or against military service in Israel
• multiple choice grammar
• fill in the blank grammar
• readings
• speaking
• lots more difficult grammar

I like using those bullets. The end of the test was really difficult, but I'll find out tonight where I placed. My first Hebrew class is tomorrow morning, and I'll have it every morning from Monday-Thursday for two hours. The International School doesn't have class on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, which is a big change from the Ulpan, where we only had one day off a week (Shabbat). But I'm taking two linguistics classes in the University's English department, which meet on Sunday. They don't start for another week, because regular University students start a bit later than the International School.

Today I had my Introduction to Rabbinic Literature class, where we'll be focusing on the Talmud. It seems like a great class--the teacher is very dynamic and interesting, and it's so cool to be reading these old texts that I know are an important foundation of Judaism as we know it. Even though today was only the first day of class, we really dove into the material. We started by studying a Midrash on Cain and Abel. The teacher gives us a translation of the material since not everybody knows Hebrew, but he also provides us with the original text, which is really neat. We looked at the Shema, and then read the opening portion of the Mishna that asks when we are supposed to say the Shema at night. We looked at one of Rashi's commentaries that was actually a copy of the actual manuscript that Rashi wrote! A lot of what we're doing reminds me of the work we used to do in Reuben Gittleman, when I went to a Jewish day school in elementary school. I'm remembering how much I loved discussing the Torah and its commentaries, even back then.

I went food shopping last night, and stocked up my kitchen a bit. It's funny, because there are SO many stray cats around the dorms, and every time I start to cook, they come to the door and meow really loudly! I know better than to feed them, but they are so adorable and pathetic at the same time. If you're not careful, they'll also hang around the door when you're coming in and out of the apartment, and they can dart in if you're not quick enough! I've already had a few stubborn cats in my living room until I managed to kick them out again.

Haifa is a city built on a hill, and since the University is at the very top of the mountain, there are gorgeous views from here. You can see the entire city and the ocean. It's really beautiful here, and I'm starting to feel more and more like Haifa is my city. When I first got to Israel, I really wanted to be in Jerusalem, which is a great city, but I'm learning how wonderful Haifa can be, too. There is a really nice park right across the street from the University dorms, and last night we had a big bonfire and a bbq.

One more thing: I've got a new address. I'd love some mail! Send it to:

Mariel Boyarsky
c/o International School
Haifa University
Haifa 31905
ISRAEL