Go to the Zoo see the Jew

On a rather impromptu afternoon excursion a couple of the rather adventurous type ventured to the far side of Jerusalem to visit the Biblical Zoo. Only a 40min bus ride took us to an entire afternoon full of fun. The zoo was not that large but it encapsulated a plethora of cool animals that I have not seen in I don’t know how many years, and even included some I have never seen before. These were all very interesting but what grasped my attention was a very special exhibit being shown at the lovely old Biblical Zoo, Orthodox dating.

Let me tell you this is a HOT spot for religious couple venturing into the world of lust and prearranged love. Remember now only public areas can be used for dates, if you want any of that special alone time one must tie the knot. This was an extremely interesting exhibit to see, but it really made me think how is it possible to build a trusting and loving relationship when two people are confined to these strict guidelines?

Thankfully I was in luck; the Biblical Zoo was having another, even more exciting exhibit on real Orthodox families. Upon first sight my eyes were opened to the many benefits of this choice in lifestyle. What kind of benefits? How about the kind of benefits that yields a family with more combined members than all the lions, cheetahs, and elephants in the entire zoo.

I was able to be entertained with the sight of 12 little brothers and sister terrorizing Lemur Land and believe me when I say it proved to be very captivating. I was lucky really to get such a wonderful and revealing look into the benefits of love within the Orthodox community. Mind you I would have loved to photograph the exhibits for all of you to see, but I thought it might be awkward if I was caught photographing the children, so you will all have to enjoy the animals instead. I promise they are even kind of cute.


P.S. I say this all in the most light-hearted of manners.
Until Later,
Zachary

The Shook/Shuk/ however you spell it, it spells AWSOME

This maybe the best supermarket/megastore in the entire world. You can buy the freshest, best tasking fruits, veggies, baked goods, candies, fish, meats, spices, nuts, seeds and So Much More. (we are talking everything you could ever dream of, even home goods/utilities) You can haggle for the price of your goods and on Friday before they have to shut down for Shabbat they are by far the cheapest. Yom Shi'Shi' or Friday in English is crazy, it is so packed you can barely navigate the already packed open air market. Vendors are singing and yelling trying to get you to buy from them over their arch nemesis, the vendor directly across from them selling the same thing. You can get your groceries for the week, if you play your cards right/with an Israeli, for under 40 shekels, which is basically 10 dollars. It is a beautiful place not in appearance but in culture alone. A must see when visiting Israel. And you must remember the golden rule, anything behind a case is probably more sanitary and you do not buy from them. The shook is a dirty, raw place with a ton of energy...plus you can wash all your stuff when you get home.

The Light Rail!!!...exciting...sort of.

So, all throughout Jerusalem and Israel they are constructing a brand new Light Rail which will hopefully deal the the overwhelming congestion that has been slowly taking over the roads.

Buses and Cars flood the streets and all drive like maniacs. For anyone who has been here knows exactly what I am talking about.

Despite the necessity for the Light Rail, the sheer size and central location of the project has caused a lot more congestion and is simply nothing nice to look at. See for yourself!

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem!

So, these are a selection from my university atop the beautiful Mt. Scopus. Above from bottom to top you can see:

1. the entrance to my dormitory 

2. the Amphitheater 

3, 4, 5. All views from outside the university temple 

No need to be jealous. More to come. 

heart zac

Tel-Aviv

This was my view from my hotel in Tel-Aviv, a really nice place called Hotel Metropolitan. I walked down to the beaches and was able to put my feet in the water. My first time in the Mediterranean! but certainly not my last. Tel-Aviv is much different than Jerusalem, a much younger city and it shows, ranging from the people and their styles to the far less

religious nature. Regardless it is beautiful and a fun city with a great atmosphere. I can't wait to go back and sample more 

Who Knew?

Thug Life

The First of Many

This is my first entry on "Journey to the Promised Land" and is brought to you courtesy of the lovely Lizzie Rosensohn. Without her I would not currently be floating in cyberspace documenting every step of my journey. So 1000 thanks to her and her brilliant idea to start my own blog. In turn my goal is to provide enough content to keep all who are interested constantly distracted from what they might actually need to accomplish (Mainly Liz). On that note, I currently have 2 more days at home and will be sure to enjoy them thouroughly before I depart.

yours truely,
Zachary