Our First Shabbat in Jerusalem

On Thursday afternoon we started our Shabbat preparations by walking to Machane Yehuda market. This open air market is the best place to shop for produce, pastries, household goods, and to people watch. Vendors hawk their wares as shoppers collect bags of fresh tomatoes, grapefruit, pitas, and more. We bought fruit and vegetables and some chocolate treats for Shabbat and then enjoyed some delicious falafel while we watched felow shoppers making their purchases. Friday morning and afternoon people are out shopping for their last minute Shabbat preparations. It’s very busy as people are headed to the bakery for fresh-baked challah, the florist, and other shops to get items for Shabbat dinner and lunch and Seudat Shlishit. Everyone - in line, at the checkout, even the security in the supermarket - wishes you Shabbat Shalom.

Once Shabbat comes in it is very quiet in Jerusalem. The buses stop running and there is much less traffic on the streets. In the Old City a siren sounds to let you knowthat Shabbat is about to come in. Friday evening we walked to Kehillat Kol HaNeshama, one of the Reform congregations in Jerusalem and one of my favorite places to go for services. It’s about a 25-minute walk from our apartment. The kids are still getting used to the idea that in Israel people walk everywhere. Services were very full and I ran into several colleagues here with congregational tour groups. On the walk home we wished Shabbat Shalom to others who were walking home and listened to the sound of z’mirot (Shabbat singing) floating down from open windows. For Shabbat morning services I headed over to the Muirstein Synagogue of Hebrew Union College, where I spent my first year of rabbinical training. HUC has a beautiful Jerusalem campus, in a prime location, not far from the Old City. Attached to the campus is the Beit Shmuel hostel and center which overlooks Jaffa gate. Unlike most synagogues in Israel, the d’var Torah and a good portion of the service is conducted in English, since this is the training ground for rabbis, cantors, and educators who will serve in the US and Canada. I was called up for a group aliyah along with all of the alumni of HUC that were present on Shabbat morning. It was a pretty big group since the summer season brings lots of rabbis leading congregational tours. After Kiddush, visitors were invited to take a tour of the campus led by one of the students who have only recently arrived to begin their year-long studies here. Here’s my picture hanging on the wall from my year in Israel.

Jerusalem, First Week

June 25, 2010 It has taken a few days to get onto the time zone here. We’ve planned for some time to get acclimated and adjusted before any of my study programs start and also to spend some family time together. I am getting to see Israel in a whole new way with the kids since we are looking for activities and things they like to do. Our first full day awake here we found a neighborhood playground only a few blocks away. While the playground equipment is pretty similar to what we have back home, one of the slides is a particular favorite - it has a series of rollers that you slide down on. On one of our first evenings here we walked to the Midrachov (Ben Yehuda street area). This central area is very popular with tourists and Israelis alike and is a fun area for shopping, eating and people watching. Kinyon Malcha (The Malcha Mall) was another interesting adventure. This three level mall is very popular and exciting - shopping malls like this didn’t exist in Jerusalem last time I was here. Lots of people from all over Jerusalem come here to shop. It feels much like malls back in the US except that you see lots of men and boys wearing kippot and tzitzit, and all the restaurants in the food court are under kosher rabbinic supervision. On our third day here the kids particularly enjoyed our trip to the Old City. We started our walk with shopping in the souk in the Muslim quarter, and then walking through the Rovah (Jewish Quarter) and to the Kotel (Western Wall). At the Kotel plaza we each wrote prayers to place into the crevices in the Wall. Other highlights of our first week included a wonderful evening out in Jerusalem and dinner with my friend and chevruta (study partner) Rabbi Sandy and her daughter, who are here on a tour.

Israel - Arrival

After a long day and a half of traveling including a 6 hour layover in Toronto, we arrived at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. It’s very exciting to finally be here!! The kids kept saying “I can’t believe we’re in Israel!” Arriving at the airport is very different than the last time I was here 16 years ago. For one thing, you now go into the airport directly on a concourse. 16 years ago when you arrived, you went down a staircase off the airplane and got onto a bus to the terminal. When you get to the end of the concourse today there is a giant mezuzah - as if to say “Bruchim Ha’ba’im”, “Welcome Home!” Getting our luggage and going through passport control was fairly quick and soon we were on our way. On the taxi ride to Jerusalem we looked out the windows at the desert landscape, all of the road signs in Hebrew, and all the sights. We had slept a few hours on the plane, and were planning to stay up the rest of the day in order to acclimate to the time here but despite our best efforts, all of us slept the rest of the day away. By the time we woke up it was evening, and we went out in search of dinner. We found a nice coffee shop a few blocks down (our apartment is in a great location), and after eating, went back to sleep again.