...and I don't eat tomatoes: T marks the spot

I asked my friends what I should name this blog post, and Ari Rosenblum said “T marks the spot.” Ari calls me T-Marc, so at first I didn’t get it— I thought he was saying “T-Marcs the spot,” which didn’t make a lot of sense. In fact, he was actually being very clever and making a pun on “X marks the spot.” I was very impressed and decided it was definitely worthy of being the title of this post.

Now onto the exciting news (clearly about celiac disease): last night I returned from spending Sukkot with Ariel Segal (from Toronto) and Elena Pentelnik (Cincinnati) at the home of Elana’s family friends. The exciting part about this Sukkot was not just being in a comfortable house with no classes or schedule to follow (but that was nice too). The family we stayed with, the Weiners, have a daughter with celiac disease! For the first time since I’ve been in Israel, I was with people who not only understood all of my dietary restrictions (better than I do, in fact), but who were able to tell me what stores to shop at and what I can and can’t eat. And besides all this, I was able to eat four meals (and many snacks) without worrying that there was some gluten in the food that I didn’t know about. One thing I learned (which explained why my stomach was hurting last week) is that in Israel it’s not safe to eat nuts or dried fruit. The workers who package these foods put four on their hands so the products won’t stick to them, but this tiny amount of flour isn’t mentioned on the packaging since it’s not an ingredient. So when I ate dried cranberries and almonds last week to break my fast on Yom Kippur, that probably wasn’t the best idea.

Last week we went to the shuk and were all encouraged to buy a lulav and etrog for Sukkot. I was apprehensive—I had already bought two machzorim, one for Rosh Hashanah and one for Yom Kippur—and I wouldn’t have minded sharing a lulav and etrog with someone else. It wasn’t until we arrived at a huge tent filled with people buying and selling lulavs and etrogs that I appreciated the opportunity we had here. At home we always have what seem to be a perfect lulav and etrog. We order them from school and they arrive with the lulav already assembled and the etrog always smelling as strong and as fragrant as I remember from the previous Sukkot. When I finally entered the tent here in Jerusalem (the girls initially weren’t allowed to because our elbows weren’t covered... but our director, Yossi Garr, got us all in) it was apparent that I wasn’t just going to give someone some money and be presented with a perfectly assembled lulav and an aromatic etrog. First I found out the price. They started at 50 shekels and for 60 you could get a better one and 70 even better (and if you’ve seen the movie Ushpizin, you know how expensive these can get—or just ask my mom because she loves that movie). I decided I would spend 60 shekels, and for much less than I’m sure my family paid, I got my lulav and etrog. But the transaction wasn’t over when I paid. I still had to pick out the etrog, making sure there were no blemishes on it (I saw one man sit for at least twenty minutes examining every millimeter of the etrog he was considering), choose three branches of Hadas (myrtle), making sure the leaves were growing in groups of three, and choose the actual lulav, making sure it wasn’t too flimsy. Thankfully, the aravah (willow) was just given to me and wrapped in plastic, but the whole process still took me a good thirty minutes at the least. I’ll be bringing my lulav and etrog with me on Desert Survival (we’re leaving on Sunday for a three day hike in the Negev called Desert Survival) and I’m really looking forward to using it. As nice as it is to have a beautiful lulav and citrus-y smelling etrog, it will be nice to know that I picked mine out by myself and spent time choosing what I wanted. And I'm hoping that with time, my etrog will only get more fragrant.

Examining my etrog

A few nights ago, I played basketball with some Nativ guys. The first time they decided to play at night I thought they were a little crazy and opted to stay in and do my work. This time though, we had no school the next day, and I wanted to play a little more before the Nativ basketball league starts (if it ever does). We ended up playing from 9:30 until around 11:30 (most people actually went back before that, but I stuck it out with a couple other guys). The courts were packed, but we ended up playing with some Mexicans, an Argentinean (all 18-22 years old), and an Israeli man who was probably in his 40s but was without question the fastest and most talented player on the court. (Not to mention really dramatic and a ball hog, but I won’t get into that.) It was really nice to play outside at night when it was cooler, and now that I have my jersey and ankle brace (THANK YOU family and Jenna Silverman) I can’t wait to play again. Now I just need my basketball shoes! (I brought my cleats instead of my basketball shoes… bad choice, Tali)

For Shabbat I’m staying on base and relaxing before we go on Desert Survival. It will be nice to be here without the entire group (a lot of people went to Tel Aviv since it’s the first free weekend) and to have a low key weekend. I even have the whole room to myself tonight since both my roommates are away! And I guess now would be a good time to post the pictures I promised last time. Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach!

Love, Tali