Hey there everyone reading this. Sorry it's been a while since I posted last. I wanted to wait to make it a substantial post so as not to bore you. I know, being in Israel for five months can't possibly be boring, but reading an entire blog post describing the food and souvenir stands I walk past would get repetitive and tiresome. So here is a post that covers all of what I did last week as well as what I did yesterday and today.
I will start with last Sunday, June 1st. Bronwyn and I (Melissa went to work with Shay) met Alison and Kamil at the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv. The museum is built on Tel Kasilah, one of several ancient tels on the Yarkon River that date back to the Bronze Age. The section of the ancient site that has been excavated and is still visible dates to the Philistines. We were given a tour of the ruins by the head archaeological inspector of Tel Aviv. After our tour we had time to explore the rest of the museum on our own. The layout of the museum is unlike others in that the different exhibits are each housed in their own building spread out over the entire grounds. I went into the coin, glass, ceramics, copper, and modern art buildings. The coin exhibit displayed methods of payment since before coins were minted right up to modern shekels. The glass building explained the history of glass-making using finds from the country. The ceramics building showed pottery vessels and other ceramic objects. The copper building focused on the methods of copper mining used in ancient times, showcasing finds from the mines of Timna in southern Israel. The modern art building, which was the least interesting to me but still worth looking through, displayed the use of art to showcase culture through advertisements. Exploring the museum was interesting and time consuming, a day well-spent.
Monday we went with Shelley to Rehovot to visit a glass conservator and see his studio. He was trained in stained-glass conservation in Belgium but makes his living creating new pieces by commission. Currently he is working with the companies at the French Hospital and the W Hotel in Jaffa (that we visited the week before) to restore and conserve the stained-glass windows of the church there. He showed us how he works and explained to us the different methods that go into conserving stained-glass from the 1800s. After the windows are removed, the glass panes are removed from their lead frames, and the lead is discarded. Then the glass is cleaned.If any pieces are broken they are glued back together using a special reversible glue. Then the panes are slowly put back together using new lead (called re-leading). A putty is inserted into the lead to fill the holes and keep the glass from moving before the lead is soldered shut. The church has more than twenty windows, only half of which have survived. Part of the job includes recreating the missing windows. When the entire project will be completed in a couple of years, the windows will be placed back in their spots in the walls. They are put back last so that they will not be in danger from any other work that would be done, like painting. Seeing the stained-glass and learning how the windows from the French Hospital was really interesting, especially since we had been to the church and seen the site ourselves.
The rest of the week (Tuesday through Friday) we were free to do what we wished. I spent the majority of the time either relaxing on the beach or walking through the streets and the flea market. Since I'm not sure what free time I will have the rest of my time here, I used those days also to buy a few gifts and souvenirs. On Friday I went to my family in Bet Shemesh for Shabbat.
Yesterday (Sunday) I met Ornit and Alison in Afula and we went to Bet She'an to start the next section of my practicum, working with the conservation team at the National Park. We first went to the apartment where I will be staying. I have one room with a bathroom, and an attached kitchen, with the laundry room attached to the kitchen. The room is big, the bed is nice, and I also have an extra bed and a couch. If anyone wants to come and visit, I have a great place for you to stay! After I got settled in the apartment we met with Ilan, the boss, and decided on what I would be working on. After our meeting with Ilan I returned to the apartment, relaxed, and then went on a walk to better acquaint myself with this part of the city.
Today I began my work. The work was very similar to what we did in Akko and the ancient synagogue at Meron, so I was able to jump right in. I filled in holes in between stones with lime mortar We worked from about 7:30am until 1pm, with coffee and lunch breaks. After we finished for the day they dropped me back at the apartment, and I relaxed.
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