Sukkahs, Sukkahs ... Everywhere!

Although Sukkot has come and gone, we wanted to write a bit about our holiday experience that finished up last weekend. First off, this is probably the first time we have really tried to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot as it seems to be one of the "forgotten" holidays among the majority of secular Jews in the U.S. In general, the holiday involves spending time in sukkahs or "booths" to commemorate the days the Israelites spent in the wilderness after fleeing Egypt. It is considered a mitzvah to build a sukkah and then to eat, sleep and really just hang out in it all during the 7/8 days (depending on if the holiday is celebrated here or in the diaspora). I have to say that we both really enjoyed the whole holiday - from buying and building our first very own sukkah, to celebrating with friends and family in our sukkah both during the holiday and during chol hamoade (the days during sukkot in between the beginning and ending "holiday" days), and also walking around to see (and to eat in!) the variety of sukkahs all over Jerusalem.

Here are a couple shots of our sukkah that Max put together -- they sell "sukkah kits" here with the proper type of ceiling and walls so that you can build a "kosher" sukkah fairly easily! I think Max really enjoyed putting his engineering education to work - our sukkah was flawless :)

It was also quite unique to walk around various parts of Jerusalem and see all of the sukkahs. People squeezed them onto balconies and built them in backyards, driveways and parking lots. Can you find the 3 sukkahs built in this one apartment building?

One night during the holiday, we even went to a "Hookah in the Sukkah" party where the sukkah was located on the roof! See the pic below with Max from the party.

In addition to many people building personal sukkahs near their homes, many of the restaurants also put up sukkahs outside so that people can eat at their restaurant and still celebrate sukkot. On Emek Refaim, which is the main drag filled with restaurants that runs through the southern part of Jerusalem, the sidewalks were lined with sukkahs! It was pretty incredible how the whole city sort of transformed for the holiday - and Sukkot being at the end of this holiday season, it really was the icing on the cake :)

Sukkot was also a time for tourists to visit Jerusalem - there were so many people in all parts of the city - and lucky for us, my parents decided to join-in the fun! We will put up another post about our adventures with them, but here are a couple of shots of the big Jerusalem City Sukkah - quite impressive - that we visited with them at the start of their trip:
We concluded the holiday by celebrating Simchat Torah - the day we rejoice in the completion of the reading of the Torah - which involves lots of dancing and singing. We took my parents to Yakar, a nearby synagogue to experience the dancing. At this shul, the women take-over the whole inside of the building while the men dance in the streets - both groups singing around the Torah. I have to say that it was a bit too much for me, although fun enough just to watch everyone else. We returned home for a wonderful Shabbat meal with my parents and some new friends - it was great to have everyone together - and I have to say, that for someone who in the past has been labeled as the kid in my family who can't cook, we made a pretty great dinner of grilled salmon, butternut squash soup, fried rice and green beans!

As quickly as the entire city had built up all of the sukkahs, the sukkahs came down ... and if you weren't here a few days ago, you would never believe that all the sidewalks, balconies, and parking lots were once converted to house thousands of little booths ... amazing to think what it might have looked like in the desert 3000 years ago!

Trip to the North

To kick off our vacation last week, we joined a group of about 30 Pardes students on a trip up the the Northern parts of Israel for 3 days. The trip was organized through MASA (a nonprofit organization here in Israel) to provide us an opportunity to volunteer in areas of the country that were affected by the war this summer. We spent a portion of each day cleaning out bomb shelters in Kirat Shemona, a city at the very north of the country - in between Haifa and the Galilee - where many of the ketushya rockets hit. Unfortunately, we were a bit frustated as most of the shelters were actually not that dirty and we felt that we could have provided more help if we had had the opportunity to do other types of work. In addition, we weren't really equipped with great cleaning supplies, so there was little for us to really do. Nonetheless, we swept, mopped and whipped down beds.

I can say that even spending a couple of hours in these shelters was an experience - they are a bit scary and it was difficult for me to imagine entire families staying there for a long period of time. The shelters we visisted were located admist neighborhoods, some of them connected directly to apartment complexes. During the war, we were not clear if the people in Kirat Shemona had enough warning that they could stay in their homes until a siren warned them to get to the shelters or if they were practically living in the shelters for the majority of the war since the Ketusha rockets were coming over the hills almost every day. From our trip-guide and others we spoke to, it sounds like maybe there were people in both categories. The shelters were located below ground with only one air-vent/fan for circulation, metal fold-up cots that were stacked up in groups of three, and that was about it although a couple had tvs just sitting on the floor. They were a bit dark even with all the lights on and they were just sort of icky. It's is hard for me to understand how people choose to live in these cities knowing the risks of war, and I really can't imagine staying in one of these shelters for more than a day or so, let alone for weeks. In one of the shelters, we even found pictures drawn by some kids that were dated during the war. It reminded me instantly of the children's artwork that was found in the concentration camps, and although these shelters are being used for an entirely different purpose, it was a little errie to see these pictures left by children who had endured the war.

As there was tons of trash located all around the shelters, we did feel good that we could help clean-up, although we're pretty sure the liter had nothing to do with the war and rather that these communities just don't take care of their trash. It was also quite an experience even to walk around Kirat Shemona and witness some of the damage from the war. In the hills on the north side of Kirat Shemona, practically on the border with Lebanon, many trees were burned from the rockets. We also visited a home that had been destroyed by a rocket, which was pretty devistating. Unfortunately, we couldn't help to clean up this home since the family was still waiting for insurance claim money and aid from the government and our understanding was that the house needed to be left in its destroyed state in order to claim the damages.

In addition to volunteering, the trip was planned with activities to support the economies of the northern cities of Israel that have lacked tourists since the war. We went kayaking on the Jorden River, visited a Talmudic park (see picture of re-built synagogue from time of Romans/2nd Temple Period), shopped at the Naot factory and hiked in/around the Golan. We spent the 2 nights at a Kibbutz, which really reminded me of my traveling experiences 9 years ago - especially since there was a Young Judea group staying there as well - oh the memories!

Anyway, for us, the best part of the trip was getting to know more people and actually making friends :) We were a bit worried that a 2 week vacation after only being in school for a month would be a bit lonely, since we havne't known people in Israel for very long, but the three days up North was a great experience to solidfy friendships!

Upon returning to Jerusalem, we celebrated our friend Marni's 28th Birthday - here I am with Annie & Francine at the party:

We are continuing to enjoy the rest of our vacation - we enjoyed celebrating the holiday of sukkot, we went to Natanya to lay on the beach, and now we are enjoying time in Jerusalem with my parents! We'll plan to write more about these experiences soon - miss you all!

Angels in the Streets

Yom Kippur in Jerusalem was quite an experience - actually one of my favorites so far as it was truly something that could not be repeated really anywhere else in the world. After running around a bit to prepare for the holiday on Sunday morning and scrounging through leftovers before the fast began around 4:45pm, Max and I left our apartment to attend Kol Nidre services at Yedidya, a modern orthodox synagogue near Pardes. We were immediately aware of all of the others who were also trying to make their way to services to begin the holiday. It really was neat to see tons of others leaving their homes and heading to the various shuls/minyans around the city. It is a custom here for everyone to wear white on Yom Kippur. In the U.S., it is common for the rabbis and/or chazens to wear white robes and for many to use all while tallitot (prayer shals), but here everyone adopts this custom, which relates to the idea of purifying yourself on Yom Kippur as you are being atoned for your sins.

Anyway, we luckily found open seats in both the men's and women's sections at Yedidya and enjoyed a very nice Kol Nidre service. Just as a side note, we had discussed in our Halacha (Jewish law) class the week prior how the Kol Nidre service has been given a heightened status (especially in the U.S., but also for secular Jews in Jerusalem) and is considered among many to be the "most important service of the year." In reality, this service focuses on one element - the annulment of vows - so basically, by participating in the service one is able to annul all vows between themselves and God that they may have made (purposely or absentmindedly) in the last year. It is not really intended to be a profound or amazing service (although the prayers are sung quite beautifully) relative to the prayers of s'lichot (forgiveness) or the Musaf and Neila services of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. And yet, many have claimed this start of Yom Kippur to be the day that all Jews, no matter how religious or observant, should be in synagogue. Anyway, I think this helps to explain why so many Jews are quite disillusioned from the holidays - they are taught that Kol Nidre is so "important" and yet they have such a hard time connecting to the service (as it is a bit obscure and only a small component of the whole high holiday season). Anyway, just something to think about ... even so, we enjoyed the evening and luckily ran into many "Pardesniks" there as well.

After services, we had heard that it was really cool to walk around the city ... honestly, I wasn't sure what would be so different on this night as oppose to walking around on Shabbat, which is nice since there are less cars and you often run into people heading to various homes for Shabbat dinner, etc. ... but this was another experience entirely! We quickly learned that it is illegal to drive in Jerusalem on Yom Kippur, and as such, it is magnificent to walk the streets at night. Everyone is out (as no one has anywhere to go - no eating, no drinking, no parties) - so everyone just congregates in the streets. We walked up Emek Refaim, the main popular drag in this part of Jerusalem, and all the streets around it were filled with tons of people, all dressed in white. All stores, restaurants, EVERYTHING is closed ... and yet, the city is filled with such an inspiring energy. It really brought a whole new meaning to the holiday. We quickly found a large group of Pardesniks and enjoyed seeing everyone. We had some friends who decided to walk all the way to the old city, but we opted to take a slow walk home and enjoyed seeing families in every street - playing games, riding bikes and scooters - all the way to our apartment.

We attended services at Yedidya for the morning and early afternoon. I enjoyed them mostly, although once we reached the repetition of the Musaf Amidah, which I had already heard during the earlier Shacharit service, I started losing interest - it is hard to sit still for 4 plus hours with no food in your stomach :) Anyway, we walked all of the way home, took a quick nap, and then I decided to head to Shirah Hadashah, another synagogue/service a bit more on the modern of traditional, for the Mincah and Neila services. As Max opted to read and do stuff at home, I have to say it was quite an experience just walking by myself from my apartment to Shirah Hadashah. It was so peaceful in the streets, just quiet and tranquil - I almost enjoyed the walking and time to reflect more than the the community praying. Luckily, I ran into my friend Shirah as I was walking into Shirah Hadasha and she helped me to find a seat (since we hadn't paid to reserve one). Overall, I enjoyed the singing atmosphere of the service - hard to believe the leaders can have so much kavanah (~devotion/spirit in praying) after fasting for 24 plus hours.

Anyway, the blast of the shofar, which signifies the end of the holiday, was quite a relief - exciting to be starting the year 5757 in Jerusalem! We conclude the Yom Kippur service by singing "L'shana Haba'a B'Yerushalim" - "Next Year in Jerusalem" - which is a common idea in Judaism. Usually, when we sing this verse, I think literally, that we are all supposed to hope to be in the land of Israel, and that next year, maybe we will be. Well, this year, WE ARE HERE! And yet, everyone still sings the verse just the same. Probably partly out of hope that again next year, we will all be physically standing in the land of Israel. But being here and singing these words forced to me to think about the other reason I have learned why we say this - to hope that by next year, the Messiah will come and that ALL Jews will be together in Jerusalem. I'm still not sure how I really relate to this concept, but mostly I hope that this won't be the last time I experience life in Israel. And although we know that we will likely not be here next year for the holidays, that we keep the hope that Israel will be here and that others can come to experience the holidays as we have this year.

After inhaling a quick nosh (snack) at the community center where the service was being held - it's always such an experience to survive the fast and get to eat again - I headed with Shirah to meet Max and others at a break-fast at our friend Marni's apartment. Yummy food and lots of new friends - a great way to start the new year.

One last note per the title of this entry - I read in the Machzor, which the prayer book we use on Yom Kippur, that we are likened to angels on Yom Kippur as we are in a state of purity, free from all sin for which we have repented. Surely, this one day of the year, the streets of Jerusalem are filled with many wondering Jews, dressed all in white, looking for direction and hope as they head into the next year - maybe the mystical idea of angels isn't so far off.

'Tis the Season

We had a wonderful Rosh Hashana last weekend - enjoyed 4 great meals at various friends'/faculty members' homes and tried out services at two different places. On Friday night and Saturday day, we went to Kedem - a fairly small minyan, which was similar to a conservative egalitarian service in the US. The service was held in a community center about a 15 minute walk from our apartment. We saw many fellow Pardes students there, and it seemed that the majority of community members were American. It was a nice, more intimate and familiar service, although not as "singy" as we would have liked as we really enjoy all of the High Holiday melodies. But they welcomed us to attend without tickets, which was really nice since most of the services here are booked full for the holidays.

For the second day, we went to the Great Synagogue (see photo), located about a 45 minute walk from our apartment, closer to the Old City. Our experience there was almost complete the opposite than that of Kedem as there were hundreds of people whom mostly seemed to be Israeli. The sanctuary was pretty incredible - quite grandiose with beautiful stained glass windows and a huge balcony (where the women sit) overlooking the whole main room. The service was orthodox in style and there was both a cantor and a full men's choir - so needlesstosay, a bit different than what we are used to. And unlike at Kedem, the seats were definitely assigned to and paid for by individuals members, and it was a bit challenging locating a vacant one. The women's section was filed with quite religious (frum) women and children who were certainly dressed-up more than at other places. It's a bit hard to describe, but it reminded me of being in Brooklyn for Shabbat except that the facility was probably the most exquisite synagogue we have ever seen. The absolute highlight of being at the Great Synagogue was the shofar blowing. Since the first day of Rosh Hashana fell on Shabbat, we didn't get to hear the shofar until Sunday. And the acoustics were so amazing in the synagogue that the shofar sounded very pure, clear and penetrating. It was great - well worth the trip!

Some highlights of our meals included homemade challah, brisket, corn beef, carrot soup and of course the Zimonim, which are foods eaten that represent specific themes of the Rosh Hashana holiday. In short, the whole tradition of eating these foods is based on playing word games at the Rosh Hashana table ... the Zimonim that are traditionally eaten have names (in Hebrew) that coincide which the themes. In our Halacha (Jewish law) class, our teacher actually asked us to come up with some Zimonim in English. The best one we came up with was "plums" to "plummet away our sins." Some of the more traditional foods eaten are dates, figs, pomegranate, and pumpkin. It was fun to eat all of these random foods throughout the holiday!

Otherwise, we really enjoyed having more familiarity with the Rosh Hashana service and the various customs of the holiday after spending time in our classes discussing these ideas. I know that Max also really enjoyed wearing his new, white Tallit (prayer shawl) for all of the services - the same Tallit that served as the Chuppah for our wedding.

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After Rosh Hashana, we had a shortened week of classes - it was the last week for those students that were only at Pardes for the holiday period, so we had to say goodbye to them. We had a Yom Iyun (day of preparation) on Wednesday night after classes to prepare for Yom Kippur. We stayed at school until almost midnight attending various classes, eating dinner, doing s'lichot (prayers of repentance) and finally watching the Israeli film, Ushpizin, which was quite interesting and appropriate for this time of year. We specifically enjoyed a class taught that night by the dean of Pardes focusing on our individual T'shuva - the process of recognizing what you have done in the past year and addressing how you want to change in the year to come. The idea is that our fates for the next year are written (in pencil :) on Rosh Hashana and then sealed on Yom Kippur. So these 10 days between the two holidays, known as the "10 days of repentance" are really a time to think about these things in detail.

Yom Kippur begins in about 4 hours ... it's a bit odd that the holiday starts so early ... it's because we went off Daylight savings time last night, so we are now only 6 hours ahead of EST. In anticipation of this Day of Atonement, last night after Shabbat, we headed up to one of the most religious communities in Jerusalem - Meashearim. It was quite a site to see everyone dressed in their classic garb - black long jackets for the men and the women covered from head to foot with long sleeves and long skirts. We went to this neighborhood because we heard that there would be people practicing the custom of Kaparot (from the same root as Kippur), which means atonement. This custom involves taking a live chicken by the wings and circling it around your head while you recite a blessing that basically says that you are putting all of your sins onto this chicken and thereby removing them from yourself. After this is done, the chickens are donated to charity. I know this sounds a bit odd, or maybe even cruel or barbaric, but we felt that it was sort of a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And after hearing about this custom for years, we thought it would be neat to participate on the night before Yom Kippur. We were with about 8 other Americans - we split into 2 groups of men and women since the custom is for men to use roosters and women to use hens. And the young religious boys who were manning the chickens completed the act while we read a passage in Hebrew. It was a little smelly and sort of awkward all crowded together as a chicken was going round in circles over our heads, but interesting enough! Overall, I was just happy we didn't have to actually touch the chickens :)

We finished off the night by heading to "downtown" to hang out with friends at a hookah bar, grabbing a few beers and finally stopping by a waffle stand to enjoy a waffle filled with vanilla cream and chocolate - yum! Downtown Jerusalem is always so crazy on Saturday nights - and it's nice that we starting to find friends to hang out with and enjoy the night life :)



So after running around a bit today to do some laundry at a friends (we still haven't received our washing machine although our landlord said it's on its way), buying a Sukkah (more on that soon) and getting to the gym, we are going to eat a big meal in anticipation of the fast.

On Tuesday, we are heading up north to the Galilee to volunteer in war reparation efforts. Then we'll be back Thursday night, just in time to prepare for Sukkot! We are thinking of you all and hoping that your fall seasons are off to a good start.