Shabbat in Jerusalem

Before I write about my trip this past Friday to (SPOILER ALERT) Akko and the rest of the weekend, I'll tell you about my trip to Jerusalem the weekend before...

I started out by going into Tel Aviv, where I met Ben, a friend from Tufts, who has been in Israel for a few weeks this summer. Ben has recently become a vegan so, naturally, I met him at a vegan restaurant in Tel Aviv where he was casually interviewing one of the Hebrew Israelites who own the restaurant. At first glance, it was a little hard to tell it was him because 90% of his trademark blond locks were covered up with an enormous white knit kippa. It was striking because you usually expect to see a fedora or ironic baseball cap with cargo shorts and a plaid, slim-fitting, button-down shirt.

The kippa that Ben was wearing made me think he
might have been dancing with these guys too much

We caught up on the walk over to the bus station and during the bus ride. I was afraid we were talking too loudly, but I guess that is expected because no one shushed us. After we got off the bus we headed our separate ways: he back to his program and me to my cousin's house.

The drive from Jerusalem's Central Station was a little bit nerve-wracking. Some of it was due to the nature of my cousin, Divsha's, driving. Most of it was due to the ridiculously confusing streets and my aunt's constant reminders to her: "don't drive so close to the right...slow down in this area, people might be pulling out!" Above all, it made me appreciate that I never had to learn how to drive with my mom in the car. The few times that she was there with me, I could sense her clenching the door and the armrest out of anxiety. I don't think it was completely a reflection on my driving skills because she still does it a little bit when she is in my brother's passenger seat.

Of course I had a lot of time to spend with my my aunt, my uncle, and all of the cousins who didn't spend the whole of shabbat in their rooms. We had a great time, but the more notable things happened with the people who I didn't expect to see.

At Saturday morning services, a bunch of high school students on Ramah Seminar visited the synagogue for their last shabbat in Israel. I distinctly recognized two of them but could not figure out exactly who they were. During the luncheon I went up to them and introduced myself. The two didn't even give me their own names rather, they just referred to themselves as 'Slapin's younger brother' and 'Ari's younger sister.'

Don't be fooled by its high ceilings and festive
atmosphere, Tel Aviv's New Central Station is
one of Israel's most confusing destinations, and
considering Jerusalem's roads, that is saying a lot. 

The second incident occurred after my bus had arrived in Tel Aviv after shabbat. I wasted a half an hour trying to navigate to the right gate in Tel Aviv's notoriously baffling New Central Station. After I found out that the last bus back to the University had already left I resigned to take a cab. It was even more difficult to find the exit than it was to find the right bus terminal, but I mazed my way through the station and stepped out into the not-so-fresh aired sidewalk lined with taxis.

I was about to approach a taxi when I hear someone call "SAM!" I turn around and hear it again.  A third time I hear it is a girl's voice, but this time she says "SAM MELLITS! Are you going to the University?" I found it curious that the first name belonged to me, but the last name belonged to a good friend of mine from home. Close enough, I thought and I waved off the taxi I had approached to find this mysterious hollerer. As I approached, I recognized her and could place her as someone from elementary school, but I couldn't quite recall her name. We split a cab and caught up during the ride. A few minutes into the drive back to the University I remembered her first name but it wasn't until I was brushing my teeth in my apartment that her last name came to me. Despite my frustration and weariness from the journey from Jerusalem, I checked on Facebook to confirm that I was right about her name before I went to sleep.

From left to right: Sam Mellits, Sam Sittenfield (aka: me)