Sam-I-Am Violin on the streets, fundamentalist Judaism, planting organic vegetables, and the like.

Gallery: By The Great Sea

ISRAEL | Thursday, 24 Jan 2008 | Photo Gallery

Fire of the Torah: An Epilogue

ISRAEL | Monday, 21 Jan 2008 | Views [1089] | Comments [2]

My last official day at the yeshiva came and went, without being convinced to stay indefinitely. It was a more or less typical day: 840am. breakfast of puffed rice cereal, with milk poured from a bag, and my classmates musing about the proper blessing ... Read more >

Tags: Culture

Gallery: The Prophet Musa

ISRAEL | Friday, 18 Jan 2008 | Photo Gallery

Waist Deep In The Kleepah

ISRAEL | Sunday, 13 Jan 2008 | Views [1000] | Comments [2]

Friday night, and I had two more thank-you-for-this-ridiculous-peek-into-the-inner-recesses-of-Orthodox-Judaism moments. The first, imagine Fenway Park, packed with streimel-laden payas-swinging Chasidic men, all looking down onto the infield, where ... Read more >

Tags: Culture

Gallery: Road Trippin'

ISRAEL | Wednesday, 9 Jan 2008 | Photo Gallery

Jesus Saves! And Esposito Scores On The Rebound

ISRAEL | Wednesday, 9 Jan 2008 | Views [4610] | Comments [7]

Spaceman Shmuel, Intrepid Explorer of Orthodox Judaism. Actually its really hard to learn in a yeshiva without committing to the Orthodoxy. I'm finding this out the hard way. My level of emotional stress has been way high these past few days, I have ... Read more >

Tags: fundamentalism, golan heights, israel, landscapes, religion

Gone to Give'at Moshe

ISRAEL | Tuesday, 1 Jan 2008 | Views [1338] | Comments [1]

I'm standing there sheepishly with Yehoshua, munching on a pear, as the men finish their davening (prayer). Finally the procession starts, the men all fall in line behind the groom and rabbis guiding him, around the mechitzah (gender fence) to the bride.... Read more >

Tags: culture, israel, religion, weddings

Gallery: Tribal Custom

ISRAEL | Tuesday, 1 Jan 2008 | Photo Gallery

The Dust Settles

ISRAEL | Friday, 28 Dec 2007 | Views [1132] | Comments [2]

I tried to play Ms. Pacman while I was waiting for airplane boarding, but the machine wouldn't accept my quarters, until I realized that I had been repeatedly inserting the Chinese yuan that Matthiah gave me when he visited. Thats about ... Read more >

Tags: israel, language, religion, transportation

Gallery: Ir Ha'Atikah

ISRAEL | Friday, 28 Dec 2007 | Photo Gallery

Got the scrawny legs but I move just like Lou Brock

USA | Sunday, 23 Dec 2007 | Views [1259] | Comments [4]

I'm drinking green tea to calm me before the storm and settle my stomach after eating kosher chinese for dinner. I leave tomorrow morning for Israel. There's been so much to do and so many people to say goodbye to; I think that it won't hit me, what ... Read more >

Tags: home, planning, travel philosophy