Alexandra Benjamin - Israel Tour Guide and Educator

14/10/2015

Jerusalem graffiti. The top says 'it's all okay', the bottom says 'Jerusalem Stone'.

13/10/2015

5 changes I have made to my behaviour in recent days
1. I no longer text or play candy crush as I walk. I want to stay alert and aware of my surroundings.
2. When I wait at a bus stop I stand behind the shelter, not under it.
3. When I walk down the sidewalk I try and walk on the side of the oncoming traffic - the better to see cars coming towards me.
4. When I leave my home in the morning I make sure I haven't left anything embarrassing out - just in case I don't come back and someone else has to enter my apartment.
5. I don't wear high-heels. Just in case I need to run.

5 changes I refuse to make to my behaviour.
1. I won't stop going out. I will go to work, go to the gym, go to the shuk, go to restaurants. This is my life and my city and I won't have it stolen from me.
2. I won't look at every Arab like s/he is a terrorist. I won't allow myself to get sucked into racist fear-mongering.
3. I won't lose perspective. I will remember that terrorism is about inciting terror out of proportion to the danger. This is still the city where I can (and do) walk safely though my neighbourhood alone in the middle of the night.
4. I won't panic. Even when I hear several sirens in a row, or when I see security forces blocking off the street. (not every 'suspicious object' is a bomb.)
5. I won't stop being grateful for the amazing miracle that is Israel and for the incredible things that make our society one I am so proud of.

30/06/2015

On July 18 the Church of the Multiplication in Tabgha on the Kinneret was burned down - apparently by Jewish extremists. Please consider donating to this initiative to repair the church led by prominent Israeli Rabbis and the Speaker of the Knesset. Make the statement "Not in My Name" and take back the State of Israel from the extremists.
https://www.mimoona.co.il/Projects/2748&ChangeLang=English

Rebuilding Friendship Center for Interfaith Encounter, burned down at Tabgha Church. We declare: Judaism rejects hatred and destruction.

03/04/2015

I hope you are all well and looking forward to Pesach in the various places you find yourself. Seder is now a few hours away and I wanted to send you a few thoughts to take into seder with you.

Each year we say dayanu - it would have been enough, but this seems like a very disingenuous statement. Would it really have been enough to have been taken to Mt. Sinai, but not have received the Torah? Or to have been freed to the desert but not have our needs met there? What would have been the point?

In my own life I have often encountered moments when I beg or pray 'please let this one thing work out', 'let me get this job, or pass this exam, or catch this bus or whatever. That is all I ask. But it never is all, and it never is really enough. We always want more. That is human nature.

Dayanu is really about cultivating an attitude for gratitude. Naming and acknowledging every stage of our redemption and being grateful for it. Psychological studies show that people who keep gratitude journals or regular express their gratitude are happier. Being grateful for our blessing, quite literally, becomes its own reward. It is often easier to focus on the things we lack. but sometimes we forget to focus on our blessings. So in the spirit of the seder here are a few things for which I am thankful.
If I had only grown up with a love of Israel from my parents home but not have had the zechut (merit) to actually move here....dayeinu
If I had the zechut to live in Israel but not built a life here filled with wonderful friends and community..dayeinu
If I had built a life here filled with wonderful friends and community but not found a career that brings meaning and purpose to my life ..Dayeinu.
If I had found a career that brings meaning and purpose to my life but not merited to teach and learn from so many wonderful students...Dayeinu.
The root of Yehudi is thanks - to be a Jew is to be thankful. And so I invite you, in your own sederim to add to the Dayeinu. What additional blessings are you grateful for?

Chag Pesach Sameach, wherever you are celebrating Seder and L'shana Haba B'Yerushalyim.

Alexandra

16/03/2015

Lots of questions about this election and what the various parties stand for. This is the best summary in English I have seen. Breaks down by party and by issue.
http://kololeh.com/parties-platforms/

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10/03/2015

Teaching on Ramah's TRY program has been one of the most professionally rewarding experiences I have ever had. The program is phenomenal and seeing its effect on the participants is a true privilege. If you know a high-schooler who might benefit from a semester in Israel tell them about these information evenings.

25/12/2014

Check out some of the most amazing archaeological finds of 2014.

What did Noah's ark look like? When did man tame fire? Was David's Citadel really found and who fixed that wrestling match 2,000 years ago? All this and so much more in these choice picks from the Haaretz archaeology section in 2014.

20/12/2014

Here is a project some of you might like. Project 929. It is a worldwide community of people reading the whole of the Tenach together - a chapter at a time. (There are 929 chapters). It begins Sunday 21 December and will finish in the summer of 2018 when Israel celebrates its 70th anniversary. Similar to daf yomi the idea is to read a chapter a day Sunday-Thursday and then take the weekend off to review and reflect. The website hosts and online community with people sharing their reflections, additional insights from artists and teachers etc. The site and Facebook group is all in Hebrew but even if your language skills aren't strong enough you can always follow along with your own translation. http://www.929.org.il https://www.facebook.com/929project/timeline

12/11/2014

A poem one of my students wrote for me.

VI.
For Alexandra
She has accented Hebrew,
speckled with the sweet syllables
of British cream. Eyes densely packed
with brown flecks of cinnamon and seasons,
she is warm and unmoving like the Marzipan
Bakeries that dust the city of gold with their sweets.
She’s steady in her sandals, stubborn as Jerusalem stone,
knows this vibrating country and its people as well
as the walls of Jerusalem know their quarters,
drawn time and time again. She moved
here during sparked times. She lived
here during quiet noise. She
has breathed this place.

Read more of the amazing Sararosa's poetry and reflections here http://jewfro-enthusiast.tumblr.com/ (especially you Betsalel - there is one for you there too).

Musings from a bottle of sriracha

04/11/2014

Today is the 19th anniversary of the murder of Yitzhack Rabin. November 4, 1995. I was in Israel then and I remember so much about that night and about the days following it. This was undoubtedly one of the most profound events in my life and my Zionism and remains an incredibly hard thing for me to talk about.

On a personal level it was a time I felt like a part of national events - a part of Israel. It would lead me to my choice to live here. It was also a turning point in shaping my political outlook, though it took many years for this to filter through.

But on a national level my reflections are harsher and recent events in Israel haven't made them any easier. I can't believe it has been 19 years and I am forced to ask - have we learned from this experience? Have we changed? Are we better? I don't have answers to these questions - or at least not good ones, not the ones I want.

After the horrific murder of the three yeshiva boys this summer, my city echoed with cries of 'Revenge' and actual lynchings. I have heard many people say 'Well that wasn't me, just some crazy fringe people' or 'not in my name'. However, I think that is too easy. An answer like this absolves us of responsibility. Just like those who dismissed the actions of Rabin's murderer as the act of madman. This allows us to dismiss the sickness in society rather than trying to heal it. We are all responsible for this. We must all take responsibility for trying to improve our society.

Israel is imperfect. Zionism is an ongoing project. But this crazy national experiment - to create a Jewish democratic State in our ancient homeland is too important for us to give up on, too important to leave to the extremists.

Those are just some of my reflections on this difficult day - and an invitation to debate.

22/09/2014

I love Shimon Peres. He mocks himself and makes some serious points at the same time. Enjoy watching him take a trick out of the Queen's book. My favourite part was the joke about the textile factory. (with subtitles)

12/09/2014

A kickstarter project that you may be interested in funding. (I did) The goal is the production of a book about the Hebrew language.
"Language is a key to identity and culture, and Hebrew is key to Jewish identity and Jewish culture. The difficulty of actually learning the language though leaves most Jews out in the cold. This innovative venture will help you appreciate Hebrew and gain useful knowledge from Hebrew words and concepts, even without fluency or mastery of grammar."
I can't wait for this book to come out.

Yes you can! Click here to help create Hebrew Roots, Jewish Routes