Jurish, Za'tara (Tapuah)

We left Rosh Ha’ayin with Nadim, Hadas and Shosh at 14:15.  Sarah awaited us in Jurish.  She came the day before and was a guest of S.  She was invited for lunch and so were we but couldn’t come this week because of the short notice.  Sarah brought presents, candy, fruit and pickled peppers…

Nadim drove this time via Yatma, Qabalan and Talpit.  We enjoyed the lovely, pastoral landscape, the quiet and the caressing sun.  Only the sight of the settlements soured our spirits during the pleasant ride.

Four soldiers and a jeep stood at Za'tara (Tapuah junction), facing Ramallah.  Police by the roadside searched a Palestinian vehicle.  On our way back, at the Ariel junction, a police car was parked and a policeman issued traffic tickets.

We reached Jurish at 15:00.  S. awaited us, the others arrived ten minutes later.  We started with a discussion in English that continued last week’s activity.  We read a short text about the US elections, in particular about Hillary Clinton.  I asked the girls to talk about notable women in Islam.  They mentioned Aisha, Muhammad’s wife, and Queen Rania.  We also spoke about the position of women in the family.  We weren’t surprised that in most families the father is dominant, but there was also a humorous aspect to the discussion:  the girls said mischievously that the women nevertheless do what they want, on condition that the men think they’re the ones who decided… 

Hadas taught them an old English ballad sung by Simon and Garfunkle:  “Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.”  We read the song, paying attention to its contents and vocabulary.  We listened to it a few times and, with Hadas’ help, learned to sing it.  We still have a long way to go and much to improve as far as our singing is concerned…

The yoga class proceeded very seriously and rigorously, as usual, and was conducted gracefully and cooperatively.

We met with a number of village women who’d come to discuss the possibility of a trip to Haifa and a visit to the Baha’i Temple.  There would be fifty-two participants.  We promised to find out.  They also were interested in joining the beach days this summer.

We returned home after a pleasant and satisfying day.