Shana Tova! (Israel update!)

Sam and I are going to Barcelona and Paris for Sukkot break, and I'm currently in the airport waiting to board my flight, so here's an update before I leave!

Rosh Hashanah was fun, I went to HUC for the evening service with Sam (mine) and Sam (her friend). Services were pretty standard, not too different from services back home, although there were some differences: a student choir (not too different), different melodies here and there (sometimes the same melody with variations, sometimes different melodies), a piano instead of an organ, and some other minor things--but overall, quite similar. Sam had a bit of a rough time because she can't read Hebrew yet (her ulpan, Hebrew class, hasn't really started). Other than that it was a nice service, a great warm up, basically, for the High Holiday season. After services, about 25 people came back to Jeff, Nicole, and my apartment for a potluck dinner, which was delicious, and it was great to be super social.

Everyone at our apartment for Rosh Hashanah Dinner

Discussions at dinner

Sam and I on Rosh Hashanah!

For Rosh Hashanah first day we went to Kol Haneshama, a Reform congregation in Jerusalem. It was a pretty nice service, although even progressive services here are still a little more traditional than a lot in the US--there was no choir and no instrumental accompaniment, for example. And of course everything was in Hebrew, even the sermon (although he quoted Frederick Douglas in English for it), so Sam had another tough morning, though it was better because she was prepared for it. This also had similar melodies and was enjoyable, although I'm glad that Yom Kippur is at HUC where half will be in English, including the sermon.

I didn't too too much more for Rosh Hashanah after the morning service. That evening there was a student-organized potluck at HUC. I chose not to go to services on second day Rosh Hashanah, partially because as a Reform Jew I didn't find meaning in it, and also because Sam would probably have been quite bored (and honestly, I might have been too, especially if it was an Orthodox service). However, I did "lead" a tashlich service (and by lead, I mean there were six people, and I just said a one-minute introduction, then we separated and prayed/cast as individuals).

The grave of H.N. Bialik,
a famous Israeli poet.

On another note, classes are all messed up and sporadic because of the holidays: we only had two days of classes last week (and one was trip to Tel Aviv), we had two classes at the start of this week, and I had one today before break started. The Tel Aviv trip was fun, we went to learn about "The First Hebrew City," as people used to call Tel Aviv. We learned about its origins, about how it formed a crossroads between Europe and the Middle East, and also about its tension between capitalism and socialism. We went to a cemetery with famous Tel Aviv/Israel pioneers, we participated in "cafe intellectualism," and we of course learned what the beach meant for Tel Aviv--and then we had an hour and a half to relax on the beach. It was a tough day of learning! The rest of classes are going well, with Bible probably being one of the most interesting, since we are analyzing it verse by verse. We've had classes for almost a month, and we just finished Genesis 2! It's wonderful, and I'm learning a lot of cool theories/theologies. Rabbinic literature is also pretty interesting, as well as this session of "rabbinic mini courses," taught by Rabbi Michael Marmur on "Why I Am a Reform Jew." This class really makes me think.

Basketball at Shabbat Sha-sport

On Saturday, we had "Shabbat Sha-sport," where we played basketball and ultimate frisbee. It was a ton of fun...until I sprained my ankle. But once I'm healed, I'll be right back!

The past two days were Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur evening was a nice service, held in the ballroom of Beit Shmuel, the youth hostel connected to HUC. The ballroom overlooks the Old City, and it's probably one of the most beautiful places to hold services in the world. There was a cellist there, and he of course participated in Kol Nidrei, which made my night. After services we walked to Emek Refaim, a street in Jerusalem, where there were hundreds of people also walking. It's very interesting--there are no cars driving on any of the streets on Yom Kippur, so people just fill the streets on foot. Some HUC students spelled "HUC" in the middle of the road, and Emek Refaim was filled with countless people just enjoying the fact that they can be outside, on the street, with no worries. (We did see a few vehicles, but I was able to count: only three scooters, an ambulance, two police cars, and one car being driven by Arabs, who obviously aren't participating in the holiday). We then came back to my apartment, which has been recently named "The Ritz," since a lot of people are always sleeping on our couch or spare beds--and that night we had three guests! Ted slept there because, well, he's like a fourth roommate, and Rachel slept there because she recently had surgery and wants to walk only 7 minutes rather than 30 to get to school. And, of course, Sam was there with me.

The main street near my apartment...
totally deserted on Yom Kippur.

The ballroom at Beit Shmuel, where we had Yom Kippur services.
Notice the Old City in the background.

Yesterday, Wednesday, morning began like any other morning--except with no food, of course, because of the fast. Services were pretty good, I actually stayed awake and engaged the whole time (well, at least awake). HUC arranged the services a little different than I'm used to: we had morning services, like normal, but then immediately continued with the afternoon service. The afternoon service was led by HUC students in a "camp"-like atmosphere, which was a nice compliment to the Classical Reform style of the majority of the high holidays. The afternoon service paused halfway through, before the Torah service, and then there was a two hour break, followed by discussion groups. We then continued with the Torah service, where I chanted the third aliyah (section). I actually did pretty well, which might be because I learned the portion a week in advance--rather than two days, like I normally do. I guess I should do that more often...

View of the Old City from services.

This Yom Kippur I actually fasted the full 25 hours, which is something I've never done before. I also actually felt some sort of spiritual connection this time, at least in a different way than I normally do. While one of the main reasons we fast is a sort of self-affliction purpose, another is that by ignoring our body and physical needs, we can focus mainly on our soul and spiritual needs. While I can't say that I felt my soul or anything, I definitely felt something more because of my hunger, which was interesting. It was also, fortunately, an easy fast this year.

We broke the fast at around 6:20 last night, and afterward I went home, did homework, and packed, which I continued today after classes. And now I'm eagerly awaiting our trip! While unfortunately I will be missing Sukkot in Israel (we come back for Simchat Torah), I'm hoping to find a Sukkah in Spain or France. Also, I have a bunch of response papers, journal entries, and essays due in the upcoming weeks, so hopefully I'll post one of those as a blog entry soon. Other than that, I hope everyone has a great new year and a Hag Sameach (Happy Holiday)!

-Eric