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.