Well good day and a happy December. We are now in the last month of 2003, and I have been here in Israel for almost three months. WOW! I cannot I have been here this long and so far all is well! Thank you Hashem! Well the last two weeks have been quite interesting, at least to myself! First we have now had rain for the last three days. And today it has not really stopped raining from when I got up this morning. For those who do not realize rain is a valuable commodity here and every centimeter here counts. SO as I went out today I put my rain pants on and my boots and enjoyed a sloshy walk around Jerusalem.

Last week I decided to spend the entire week in Otniel at the school there to gauge how my Hebrew is going and to learn. I went out for the Sabbath and had a great time. Somehow I ended up getting very sick and laid in bed all Sunday until the early evening when I finally mustered up some strength to get up. The dean set me up with someone to learn and the Hebrew was off! I have to say that I probably spoke Hebrew 50% of the time. That is a pretty good percentage in my eyes.. I also learned a lot about people. These people in Otniel have such good hearts and opened themselves to me, helping me and greeting me. Tuesday night I got to do Shmirah which is guard duty. A year or so ago on a Friday night three Arabs snuck past the fence cut it and came in through the school kitchen where three students were setting up the Friday night dinner. Before the students were murdered one, quickly thinking, locked the door to the dining room perhaps savi[my e-mail mysteriously cuts this paragraph short. I will recover this piece soon. -zg]

Next I would like to give props up to Donny Nussbaum. I am honored you included me in the Lomo files. Really miss the Thu night shiur!

Today my rabbi from Milwaukee, R Twerski is in Israel and I got to visit with him and catch up with him. I felt very honored as I now how precious his time is. Well that's about it. it has been very peaceful here, thank G-D and all is well. I would like to add that the picture that I sent you pointing the gun was taken by the owner of the gun and he took the bullets out of the barrels and there were no cartridges in either weapon. It was purely a shock thing I wanted to send you all. Well tomorrow morning will be an exciting day at the Machaneh Yehudah, market, to go shopping before the Sabbath. Enjoy the pic, taken from a roof in the old city. Its still raining..........