tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-104467182011-12-14T21:49:18.796-05:00Follow the journey of a rabbinical student-athlete from rabbinical school in Philadelphia to International athletic competition in Israel.Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.comBlogger281100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1125626836706715282005-09-01T22:03:00.000-04:002005-09-01T22:13:45.583-04:00

It's September 1st and I'm finally back in Philadelphia after short trips to New Jersey, Vermont and Boston. Since I've had so much fun blogging for Maccabiah these past few months, I've decided that I'll continue to post my thoughts for the world to read. To keep up with new ideas and adventures as I enter my second year of rabbinical school check out my new blog at http://

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1124296662953936072005-08-17T12:12:00.000-04:002005-09-01T21:10:00.580-04:00

My sheirut comes to pick me up and whisk me away to Ben Gurion in just a half hour, so this will be my last posting from Jerusalem. Before I share my last thoughts about this experience, I want to quickly share a little bit about yesterday.Beit FurikYesterday I played hookie from school and went to volunteer with Rabbis For Human Rights, rebuilding homes demolished by the Israeli Army in the

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1123847349565929112005-08-12T07:26:00.000-04:002005-09-01T21:18:41.410-04:00

I started writing this post before Shabbat, but couldn't finish in time to post before needing to head out to shul. So while trying to grapple with what it means to mourn as a collective this Tisha B'Av, I'm posting some of my pre-Shabbas thoughts, and then bellow, a short reflection on Eicha...As Tisha B'Av approaches, the disengagement also approaches and with it Israel's normally heightened

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1123675724412414722005-08-10T07:49:00.000-04:002005-09-01T21:14:59.516-04:00

Okay, so I'm not actually going to write a contemporary midrash for you here, but an interesting conversation in my Nach class on 2 Samuel raised the opportunity for a really interesting contemporary drash. In Chapter 12 of 2 Samuel the prophet Nathan presents us with a parable meant to elucidate to King David just how egregious his actions were in taking(raping?) Uriah's wife Batsheva. The

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1123427935116473372005-08-07T10:19:00.000-04:002005-09-26T22:28:19.610-04:00

In a country of so much unrest I often wonder how it is possible that Shabbat is able to bring Jerusalem such peace. Walking in Jerusalem on Shabbat you get the sense that the breathing of the entire city slows, so much so that the worry and fear of the week, particularly in the wake of a violent week, almost melts away at moments, giving way to an inexplicable and perhaps illogical feeling of

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1123178588325975842005-08-04T13:19:00.000-04:002005-08-04T14:03:08.333-04:00

Five weeks into my Israel trip, it’s time to write the obligatory posting about Jerusalem and Jewish geography. So…here we go:I think that Brandeis should have a house in Jerusalem, just like New York. I really do. I think it is quite possible that after Waltham and New York, Jerusalem is home (or temporarily home) to more Brandeis alumni, students, and faculty than any other city on Earth. At

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1122834890633932952005-07-31T14:11:00.000-04:002005-08-04T13:18:15.066-04:00

Today was Opening Circle at Pardes (how great is it that Pardes has Opening Circle, just like at RRC:), though for me, a half-time student, no actual learning took place, it was a good chance to get aquainted with Pardes, register for classes, and meet all the folks who will be learning there with me (every time I write or speak about engaging in Torah study I debate, consciously, whether to use

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1122749206208460842005-07-30T14:21:00.000-04:002005-07-30T14:46:46.223-04:00

Welcome to a new week everybody. I've been spending the better part of my waking minutes today (I say minutes because really after davvening and lunch there was more sleep-time than awake-time) trying to figure out how I would quantify all of the mixed emotions I have about Shabbat here in Jerusalem. During Maccabiah, at the start of our first Shabbat, I felt a small twinge of regret that our

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1122567340762643832005-07-28T12:06:00.001-04:002005-07-28T12:15:40.763-04:00

Though I had lofty plans to visit both the Arab Shuk and Church of the Holy Sepulchre, today turned into just a chill day here in Jerusalem. I started the day at one of Emek Refaim's many coffee shops so that I could get a few hours of studying Modern Hebrew in before meeting Michelle Stern for lunch(woo hoo for seeing RRC classmates in Israel). After meeting Michelle the rest of the day

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1122463573898075792005-07-27T07:10:00.000-04:002005-07-27T07:26:13.903-04:00

Before my arrival here this summer I knew that Israel would be a sea of orange and blue. Sadly for Orangemen fans everywhere the Jewish people have not become enmass ragging Syracuse fans, but instead have chosen the orange and blue as their prefered method of showing support for the disengagement from Gaza (blue), or opposition to the disengagement (orange). At first I was proud of the display

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1122456479237991732005-07-27T05:25:00.000-04:002005-07-27T05:27:59.246-04:00

After 3 very chill days staying with Mel and Esther (Mel’s HUC-Ed classmate) I’ve finally moved into my own apartment. There are definitely some great advantages to this new living arrangement. First, after 3 full weeks of living out of my suitcase while sharing a tiny hotel room, I finally have my own room. It seems that my room belongs most of the time to one of the children in the family

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1122043072070189652005-07-22T10:12:00.000-04:002005-07-22T10:37:52.086-04:00

After 3 spectacular weeks the Maccabiah has finally come to a close. As expected we won the bronze medal on wednesday against Mexico (I definitely played my best match of the tournament, as I finally began to adjust to Nir and Ian's middle-middle defense). The men also took the bronze in an amazing 5 game match against Brazil (winning the last game 14-16, after trailing 12-14). After the gold

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1121788072691107372005-07-19T11:47:00.000-04:002005-07-19T11:47:52.703-04:00

USA Men's Volleyball Originally uploaded by isabeldk. After a second hard fought match against Brazil on sunday, we narrowly missed going to the gold medal game and will have to settle for playing Mexico for the bronze. Sunday's game was another close one, this time we lost in the 5th by a score of 13-15. Tied with Brazil for number of matches and games won, the tie was broken by points

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1121518642220181372005-07-16T08:42:00.000-04:002005-07-16T08:57:22.230-04:00

With free time and internet access being such rare gifts here during the Games, I bring you an uncharacteristic Shabbat posting.Yesterday we played Mexico in our second round of competition. In a desperate attempt to give our coaches, fans, and men's team heart attacks we nearly lost the first game, but pulled it out 26-24, and took the match in 3 games. This match also marked my return as

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1121282765723934842005-07-13T14:59:00.000-04:002005-07-13T15:26:05.730-04:00

It's been a while since I've last posted, and I apologize to all those trying to follow my Maccabi journey. The last few days it has been difficult to get internet access, but I'll try to recap quickly. Before I do though a quick side note. I sprained my ankle, I'm okay to play and have been for the past few days, but I got an allergic reaction to the tape they were using to support the ankle

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1120507844694945802005-07-04T16:08:00.000-04:002005-07-04T16:10:44.700-04:00

Fireworks, a barbecue, dancing and music – it’s the 4th of July, and so we celebrated. Particularly on this holiday all of my conflicting emotions about our country come to a head. Among 600 athletes dressed in blue and white with USA emblazoned on their shirts, it’s hard not to feel patriotic and proud of the country that has provided us the opportunity to become the kind of athletes and kind

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1120421343697884142005-07-03T16:09:00.000-04:002005-07-03T16:10:16.246-04:00

Open Womens Volleyball at JFK Originally uploaded by isabeldk. I’ve never seen anything quite like the sight of the 500 Maccabi USA athletes piled into JFK’s International terminal. When I first arrived I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t be able to find the volleyball team amid the sea of blue and red Jewish athletes, but looking closely I realized the softball players look like softball

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1120345274716183522005-07-02T18:54:00.000-04:002005-07-02T19:01:14.720-04:00

So today is the day. In just a few hours I will be off to JFK airport to meet my new teammates and head off to Tel Aviv. As a review - we'll be spending our first few days training as a team and touring Israel, then July 11 are Opening Ceremonies (featuring, among others, Sarit Hadad and Sheva), followed by almost 2 weeks of competitions, and the closing ceremonies in Jerusalem. Ideally I'll

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1119494592931674062005-06-22T22:09:00.000-04:002005-06-23T14:04:24.346-04:00

Freshly cut grass, cool evening breezes, skies in bright hues of pink and purple dotted with silvery slate blue clouds. The sounds of whistles tweeting, players screaming, and volleyballs and bodies slamming into the earth. Summer tastes like sweat mixed with the sky's endless infinity and the purity of the green grass. There is nothing better than playing volleyball outside in the summer.

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1118022638665020262005-06-05T21:50:00.000-04:002005-06-05T21:50:38.666-04:00

Spring 2005 Swedish Fish Originally uploaded by isabeldk. This week has been a bit hectic, things winding down with work at the JRF, studying for finals, and enjoying the graduation festivities. For a nice little break this week the Swedish Fish (aka my Philly Sport and Social volleyball team) had a little banquet get together for all of the Swedish Fish teams (the fish fielded teams on

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1116546168605650432005-05-19T19:19:00.000-04:002005-05-19T19:42:48.620-04:00

I can't believe that I haven't posted in over a month, and I could make lots of excuses about it (like studying for finals, applying for jobs, finishing projects at JRF, and volleyball playoffs...), but I won't. For a quick update - my Maccabiah fundraising is now complete -our Yachad commitments were due at the end of April, and by that time I'd raised nearly 2/3s of the entire sum I needed to

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1112993318855207862005-04-08T16:20:00.000-04:002005-04-08T16:48:38.860-04:00

An exciting week in Maccabiah preparations. On tuesday I had the chance to see Josh Segal and Jen Bobruff (Abelson) while they were in Philly for the JCCA Conference. It was great to catch up, especially with Jen, who reminded me that our life working for the JCC Maccabi Games was more than a bit stressful and frustrating, but also created, for both the athlete participants and the staff, a

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1111165859283111212005-03-18T11:59:00.000-05:002005-03-18T12:10:59.283-05:00

The past two weeks have been filled with exciting Maccabiah preparations. Last week I met with Barbara Lissy - the former Executive Director of Maccabi USA who is now working for the RRC. Not only did she give me great insight into what to expect in Israel, she also gave me some great Maccabiah memorabilia, including great vintage Games pins to trade during the Games. Speaking with Barbara

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1110087326348276052005-03-06T00:05:00.000-05:002005-03-06T00:35:26.350-05:00

Less than 4 months until I leave for Israel and things are kicking into high gear. I'm in the gym five days a week at about 6:30am which definitely has its positives and negatives, but the biggest plus is that it leaves me time in the day to do other things, and recuperate a bit before volleyball in the evenings. Speaking of which, Thursday night I subbed in on another one of the fabulous

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1109278787136933432005-02-24T15:46:00.000-05:002005-02-24T15:59:47.136-05:00

I realize I haven't posted in a while, but things have been rather busy. This passed weekend I was in San Jose with Marni, Shannon and Jenna - it's quite amazing that you can spend 5 months apart and pick up right where you left off. Of particular note for this blog - when I was on my way to San Jose (yes I know the way...) I had a stop over in L.A and on my flight to San Jose I was seated two

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1107833022828774382005-02-07T22:04:00.000-05:002005-02-10T19:39:21.966-05:00

After a rather trying day at school, all was made well again on the volleyball court tonight in KOP (king of prussia, PA). I played on the Monday night "Swedish Fish" team because Beth couldn't make it out, and the night was great. We played down a player (5 on 6), and lost our first two games by just a couple of points- but the energy was really there. Every play, every ball, we hustled.

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1107658370728689132005-02-05T21:39:00.000-05:002005-02-05T21:52:50.726-05:00

This week marked my first week in preparations for the 2005 Maccabiah. Exciting events included 2 nights of volleyball and 1 trip to the doctor's office for the requisit physical. Tuesday night was the first regular season game for my women's league team in West Chester. We lost all 5 games (we played all 5, even though you only need 3 to win the match). Despite that, it felt like a really

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10446718.post-1106868267834054632005-01-27T18:20:00.000-05:002005-01-27T18:29:22.293-05:00

Today, well really yesterday, I learned that I will be headed to Israel this summer to play volleyball for MaccabiUSA! I attribute a great deal of what I've learned about leadership, and my relationship to Judaism to the time and effort I've put into playing volleyball and working with my teammates, so you can imagine that having all of this come together is enormously exciting. For those of

Isabel de Koninckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15310650558614422392noreply@blogger.com0