Jewish Slater

Merry Radiation Christmas

2008-12-25T16:19:00.002+02:00

Spending the holidays next to my first fire of the year in my (newish) home. Hope you're near some warmth too, whether it be near burning wood or warm significant other.

Our New Baby

2008-12-07T14:23:00.006+02:00

He's a bundle of goodness. So he may be my roommate's dog, but I love him like he's my own. His name is Chupchik (a punctuation mark in Hebrew to produce a foreign sound in the Hebrew alphabet) and he was adopted earlier this summer from a family who used to praise him on his "barking at Arabs" ability. Needless to say, we think he has a better home now.

Here he is with Taki, his sugar-daddy. Like father like son-of-a-bitch. I think this photo is ADORABLE. You decide.

I believe he's got a bit of Italian Greyhound with a tinge of something else. What are your thoughts?

Michigan

2008-10-07T17:30:00.000+02:00

I know. It's been a while. Things have happened and things have been quite the same.

Before I delve back into the blogging world, I'd like to share with you a little film I conjured up while visiting my friend Kyle's family on Lake Michigan. The time there was magical and I've gained a new family. Thank you to the Mills family for embracing me as one of your own. Oh...and thanks to Sally Mills for pushing me to blog more.

Michigan from Stephen Slater on Vimeo.

Happy Anniversary to Me

2008-10-06T01:49:00.004+02:00

One year ago today I moved to Israel. I can't believe it's been so long - seemingly so short. Usually I live in a city for a year, the honeymoon ends, and I'm quickly thinking of the next place to be. For the first time in my life I'm not having those thoughts. Puts a smile on my face.

It's beginning to look a lot like New York City

2008-01-31T14:10:00.000+02:00

So it's been snowing here for two days straight. I've been stuck at home watching movies and trying to stay warm.

Don't I live in the Middle East?

(thanks Shai and Ben for the photos!)

T-Giving and X-Mas

2008-01-16T23:11:00.000+02:00

Okay. So it’s been a while since the last posting. I’m sorry. The owners of the free internet we were stealing finally caught on – or moved. We’re not quite sure, but thank goodness there was no confrontaion.

So a lot of holidays have past for you silly, non-Israelis. And, like any good ex-Pat, I celebrated them here, too.

Thanksgiving was held at my friend Taki’s flat. It was spur-of-the-moment so preparations were rushed. I also cooked/prepared most of the meal to great success, if I do say so myself. (Thanks Ina Garten!) Parmesan mashed taters, roasted eggplant, a fresh, herb salad with mustard vinaigrette. It was all Top Chef up in that joint. Except for the canned cranberries. Tom Calicio would have considered that a total failure…that is, if he didn’t know that I HEATED THEM UP! That’s right. Warm cranberry sauce. Delicious. Thoughts?

Can't you just smell the goodness?

For Christ’s Birthday, Taki and I decided to go to the American Colony Hotel in East Jerusalem for a bit of Christmas flare. We ate lovely and had horrible pictures taken in front of the Christmas tree:

We tried many times to get a good one. This is it. Don’t complain. Just accept.

Anywho, as any good American would celebrate, we went to The Church of the Redeemer in the Old City after our delicious meal. It was filled to the brim with people. I also heard a very popular song in Jerusalem during the service: Go Tell it on the Mountain. It was like I was in Georgia, at home with my family (which is par for the course…usually) and wrapped in a warm caftan usually worn by older women. But hey, that’s the spirit of the holiday, right? Thinking these warm, female thoughts, we decided to go see a drag show to cap-off the evening. Again. Nothing says Christmas like female-impersonators. Right mom?

I took a trip to Bethlehem with Taki and Kyle for the celebration of the Greek Christmas at the church where “Christ was born.” It was an amazing experience. The church is surprisingly modest yet full of character. It soon became crowded with lots of different people from around the globe. I heard a few languages I barely even recognized. The church didn’t really seem to have any service what-so-ever, yet you heard chanting and prayer throughout. It was not a time for anyone who might be claustiphobic. Taki mentioned that he didn’t need to stand on his own two feet, he just simply let his body go and the weight of the people next to him kept him afloat. It was wild. We left after many hours of waiting around for something. It didn’t come. The Palestinian President was there but was nowhere to be found.

Hope you had a Happy Holiday, y’all.

And yes.... I did say Holiday.

Weird Sighting #३

2007-12-02T18:26:00.000+02:00

I recently met a cousin of Barry Manilow while at a gig in Ashdod, Israel. His name is Itzak and he has wonderful things to say about him.

What's crazy about it all is that he looks exactly like this gentleman:

"It's Israel!"

2007-11-26T15:34:00.000+02:00

This is a common phrase heard throughout Israel to "explain the unexplained or absurd."

I was throwing my hands up in the air, shouting "It's Israel!" during a recent performance I had with the Herzliya Chamber Orchestra. They called me to sub in on a performance they were having last week. I said, "Sure." How little I knew.

During the final piece, Handel's Royal FIREWORKS (emphasis on FIREWORKS), the conductor/music director thought it fitting to have a full fireworks display on stage...INDOORS. Needless to say, the video you are about to see was filmed by fellow horn player and video-editor extraordinaire Kyle Hoyt. Enjoy, y'all.

***UPDATE!***
Here's the original version of the aforementioned gig. It's just as good.

You can get yourself cleaned, you can have a good meal, you can do whatever you feel ...

2007-11-18T14:21:00.002+02:00

I took a few shots of the YMCA here in Jerusalem. It's absolutely gorgeous. I think all YMCAs should look like this.

(with special guest appearance of friend Angie Lin)

This is supposedly the place where the Village People wrote their (in)famous tune and heterosexual anthem Y.M.C.A.

How to learn Russian*

2007-11-16T17:01:00.000+02:00

Here's a few easy steps for you to be on your way to the Russian language!

Step 1: Carpool a ride with all Russian musicians, no other language spoken; listen to conversation during the 3 hour ride to and fro.

Step 2: Repeat Step 1 six times a week for two weeks.

Step 3: Pretend to smoke a cigarette (those of you who are smokers, please feel free to light up); converse in said Russian with smoke billowing out of your mouth, seems to help.

Step 4: Wear this hat.

Step 5: Speak!

*this post is in no way intended to be a racist quip on all Russians out there - this is how I learned a language.

Weird Sighting #2

2007-11-09T14:04:00.000+02:00

(actually should read AMAZING Sighting #2)

Baka, Jerusalem - Seeing a woman carrying an armchair on top of her head. Sans hands.

Not-So-Alive Sea

2007-11-04T18:45:00.000+02:00

Okay kids. I went to the Dead Sea today. Mind-blowing experience. We arrived at this gorgeous beach about 45 minutes outside of Jerusalem:

I can't believe it's a lake, but that's what they tell me. Whatever.

Anywho, one of the first things to do is take a dip. The water is wildly salty, slimy, oily and warm. It's a strange feeling, yet instantly relaxing. In fact, it's so relaxing that...

...you cannot not float. It forces you to become flotsam.

No, this is not some horribly racist Halloween costume, this is the famous mud of the Dead Sea. It does wonders on the skin.

And supposedly Mitsu's ass. Those crazy Japanese:

Jenny was a bit afraid of the camera:

I didn't get it:

(BTW: I have no idea who the guy to my right is. I checked to see if he was actually dead, but he wasn't. Wouldn't that have been ironic!)

Other than the mud and the salt, one can play shesh besh on the shore:

For all you silly, uniformed Amerikans, that's a lot like backgammon. Huh. Amerikans are soooo silly.

Wait.

All in all, I'm thoroughly scrubbed and moisturized, and feeling like I just stepped out of a salon. Life is tov. (that's good in Hebrew) I'm learning fast - can't you tell? I'm currently taking reservations here in Jerusalem. They're filling up...slow. So you have plenty of time. Everyone: MAKE THE JOURNEY OUT HERE! I'm feeling spoiled experiencing this all on my own. Right Shai?:

Yeah! That's right!

Weird Sighting #1

2007-10-31T15:28:00.000+02:00

Abu-Tor, Jerusalem - While walking to work, witnessing three men trying to stuff a live goat into the trunk of a taxi, failing, and deciding to carry the goat instead.

An Abu-TOUR

2007-10-28T16:56:00.001+02:00

For some strange reason, the biggest question I get is, "What does the inside of your place look like?" Well, here's the daily routine of coming home. Enjoy.

Why is Sunday important?

2007-10-28T15:02:00.001+02:00

My weekend:

Friday - It all started out innocently enough, with me waking up at the un-HisName-ly hour of 6:00AM to play a round of tennis. I was thoroughly beaten by my new friend Sashca who plays bassoon in the orchestra. He and my friend Shai like to start tennis at 7:00AM. Why? I don't get this whole waking up early.

Anywho, after sleeping for a couple of hours in the afternoon, I went to my first Shabbos dinner. Although it wasn't the most traditional of Shabbats - lesbian rabbi at the Jerusalem Open House GLBT Center, use of electricity, women shaking men's hands - it was still an incredible experience. I thought not to take pictures considering it is custom, so I don't have any. Big surprise, eh? The service was completely in Hebrew, but my friend and concertmaster of the JSO Jenny helped translate. Hearing Biblical Hebrew sung is wildly gorgeous. You must have this experience. The entire evening, complete with full dinner, was outstanding.

Later that evening I threw a very un-Shabbat-like housewarming party. It fulfilled my social being. The only picture I got out of it was this one:

That's Mitusnori on the left, Jenny in the middle and Taki on the right. I know, I know. I suck for not taking pictures. But look!...

Saturday - After sleeping for 12 hours I woke up and went straight to the Jerusalem Theatre to catch a bus that was taking the entire orchestra to our concert in Tel Aviv. On the bus I brought along my camera...FINALLY:

Okay, that's my friend Shai on the left and Jennny on the right. They weren't into taking pictures.

Here's a picture of Kyle (see first post):

Who's the man?!

The bus ride was scenic but my camera sucks:

This is the best shot I got. We went through a few villages on the way to Tel Aviv, which shows you a real Israel, complete with checkpoints. You don't see this often within the city limits.

We arrived at the hall and played a Broadway concert to thousands. Or a thousand. I can't remember. Anywho, this is where we played:

Kyle is like the master of pointing! Sign him up to an agency, cause he got game!

We got home around midnight, and we was tired. Just look at us on our walk home:

Sunday - Morning hit us like a ton of bricks, but we walked to rehearsal and had a quick and easy one. Afterwards, Ben, Kyle and myself took a cab to get Tax I.D. numbers. I barely know what the heck these are but we got them after Kyle used his brilliant Hebrew powers. The numbers are for gigs and stuff. Boring.

We had lunch at the tax place and it was delicious. The restaurant was typical of a working-class establishment for lunch. This is a dish that I'm kinda in love with called Kube:

Too bad it gives me a case of the screaming mimis. I think it's worth it in the end. The soup is flavourful and sour, with dumplings filled with meat. Every order comes with pita, hummos and salat: a mix of raw onion, pickles and sometimes peppers:

Delicious.

Our bus ride home was a bit confusing:

Okay, I lied. I had them pose.

Star-Spangled Banner sucks

2007-10-23T23:45:00.000+02:00

I just heard the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra tonight, and they were fantastic. A pleasant surprise was seeing Zubin Mehta up there on stage.

They began the programme with Jan Freidlin's Poem of the Contrasts, which kind of rocked my world. It was a world premiere, and I think I just witnessed some history. Watch out.

They went on to play Bartok's Concerto No. 2 for violin and orchestra, a piece I fell in love with at the same time I was listening to Technotronic. Yeah, I'm gettin' old(ish). Anywho, the soloist was phenomenal: Leonidas Kavakos.

Finally, they ended with Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony. Get your mind out of the gutter. Good stuff.

What impressed me most was not the classical, modern and new works I was accustomed to, but the Israeli National Anthem - Hatikva - they played at the start. It's GORGEOUS. It makes me think that America's National Anthem was just an afterthought, a song someone scrounged up at the last minute.

Hatikva is moving, spiritual (much like this great land) and digs deep. It's my new theme song.

Movin' on up, to the Eastern boarder

2007-10-19T23:45:00.000+02:00

My new home.

This is the "villa" I live in:

Yes. The whole place is ours!

I live on a quaint little street called Oved:

I'm amazed daily how beautiful this part of town is. I never thought living on a quiet street would be pleasant, but this neighbourhood has changed my mind.

A view of my balcony:

The photo is facing south, and in the distance you can see the neighbourhood where I fist lived when I moved here called Gilo. Here's an unfortunate article about Gilo. Things have changed dramatically, even since 2004.

Off the balcony is a view of the separation wall - the West Bank just on the other side, Jordanian mountains in the distance:

I'm excited about living here for a year, especially this gorgeous home of ours. I leave you with a site that greets me every morning outside my front door. Makes me smile.

Dollars and Scents

2007-10-19T00:51:00.000+02:00

My friend Fletcher asked a great question recently:

WHAT DOES JERUSALEM SMELL LIKE?

It was the first thing I noticed when I got out of my Tel Aviv - Jerusalem cab ride. The scent of this city is intoxicating. The scents are very distinct: an overwhelming smell of jasmine mixed with mint and rosemary. The mix of the three is HEAVENLY.

There's only one issue. A fourth scent. A horrible stench that we're all too familiar of. The Ginkgo tree is alive and well here in Jerusalem, and I, for one, will never understand why these trees are planted in heavy pedestrian areas. Do people not smell what I'm smelling?

Anywho, there are a few cities/towns/areas I've visited that have distinct smells that I can neither describe nor understand. Here are a few:

1) Paris subway. Very noticeable but not as unpleasant as one would think. I find this smell occasionally around the States. Not sure what it is.

2) New York City subway. My friend Al Vigdorchik once described the NYC Metro as, "the place of mysterious liquids." You get the idea.

3) Blue Ridge Mountains. Crisp. Clear. Woodsy.

Anyone have any other scents that describe a city? Please post a comment.

**PICTURES TO COME. I PROMISE. I JUST NEED TO BE A TOURIST FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS FIRST.**

Shalom, y'all

2007-10-15T21:19:00.000+02:00

Okay. So I made it to the Holy Land...and it's amazing. I promised this blog AGES ago, but I've been busy, with the whole moving thing.

I finally found an apartment here, in a little Arab neighbourhood called Abu Tor (read an older article about it here - keep in mind things have changed yet some remains the same). It's a mix of Jews, Arabs and CNN reporters. Quite eclectic yet quiet and peaceful. It's a gorgeous neighbourhood - what you would imagine Jerusalem to look like.

Here's a picture of me:

That's the former tenant to my left. The landlady/daughter told us to leave the picture up "in remembrance". We'll see.

I live with two people. This is Mitsunori:

He's Japanese and plays percussion. He's holding a 4 year-old frozen head of cabbage that the dead lady left. Don't ask, I don't have an answer.

And this is Ben:

He doesn't usually wear aprons like this one, but it was too funny to not capture on film. He's a horn player just like me, and, if you can believe it, we went to grad school together. The music world is just THAT SMALL.

Anywho, I arrived in Jerusalem on Oct.3. It was warm, yet the wind felt oddly cool. I was jetlagged and filled with excitement, which kept me up for a few days. My old friend Kyle Hoyt - whom I went to undergrad with and is also a horn player (remember that SMALL WORLD comment?) - met Ben and me at the Tel Aviv airport with a car waiting. First-class, right? The drive to Jerusalem - about 50 minutes - was scenic. I arrived at the home of Shai, our host, and he welcomed us with food. It's an Israeli thing.

Days were spent walking around town and exploring, practicing for my first rehearsal with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, a few days after my arrival. The city is exciting, full of life. I came in without expectations. I think I'm happy about that. Food has been amazing and the people have been warm and completely inviting.

Our first concert was this past Thursday and it went well. I'm enjoying a full-time position, for the (seemingly)first time in my life, and loving that music is its central focus. Musicians here are filled with emotion and excitement that one doesn't experience often in America. I feel a bit "at home" now. All those comments during college about my "over-emotional" playing are down the toilet. The European one, with the small handle for #1, big handle for #2. Ingenious!:

I've made a quick trip to the Old City and only came up with this measly picture of the Western Wall:

Emotional. I wasn't expecting that, either. But the amount of history and cultural identity here is dumbfounding. The experience thus far was culminated into a true, emotional experience on that wall. I hope there are more to come....

Speaking of more to come, look soon for more on my blog. I plan to update frequently, and I know how you all love to sit and waste time reading a blog. Enjoy.