Last week was Rosh Hashanah and my overall impression was that in Israel it isn’t that different from the way we celebrate it in the U.S. Yom Kippur ended tonight and it was very interesting to see just how different it is from the U.S. First, I heard that all of Israel shuts down during Yom Kippur and that was very true. After a big dinner on Friday night, I went to shul with Tal’s father Moshe and his son Lehav. If you were trying to compare shuls between Israel and the U.S. than this would be considered a reform or conservative shul because none of the members are orthodox. The Synagogue was still separated so women could not be in the same room as the men. It was also a small Synagogue so everybody was crammed in next to each other. Everybody wears white to shul but nobody get’s dressed up. Most people were wearing jeans or khakis and either a white t-shirt or dress shirt half unbuttoned. I’m not sure why American Synagogue’s got so formal and Israel is so casual but I must say I like the dress code better in Israel. The first 45 minutes of the service was the Rabbi auctioning off portions of the Torah for people to pay to read. Where in the U.S. you have to pay a yearly membership fee, in Israel they make money by selling Torah portions. The Kol Nidre service lasted 3 and half hours, all in Hebrew, Moshe tried to explain to me what was going on but I just sat there and turned the page whenever Lehav did. For anybody who thought I was going to come back to the States a new religious man, I can assure you with certainty that’s not happening. Last night’s Synagogue trip was an enjoyable experience but it will hold me over until the next Jewish holiday season.
After services we went to the Mall area, the mall is in the center of Nez Zionna and about 1/3 of the residents (Population 35,000) were hanging out at the mall and all the surrounding streets. It reminded me of a huge outdoor festival, except of course without food, drinks and music. It was an interesting sight to see. Not a single car on the road, streets were packed with kids, families and old people just talking and hanging out. I think the most interesting part about Yom Kippur here is that in the U.S. if you choose to celebrate and fast on Yom Kippur great, but nothing around you changes if you do or don’t. In Israel, it’s the opposite, not only do you almost have too but people here are excited to and it’s just a way of life. There was not a single thing open, even every TV station is blacked out and shows nothing for 25 hours. I went back to Moshe’s to break fast and helped him set up the Sukkah for Sukkot next week.
Last Thursday, we took a trip to the Jezreel valley. It’s in the northern part of Israel, where we learned about the early Kibbutzim that were started. We learned how the people worked the lands and how Israel used the Kibbutz as not only an early way to settle the lands but also to expand the Jewish control over the land so when Israel finally became a state they could lay claim to the land and expand Israel’s territory. I find the history of the state of Israel very interesting, so I really enjoyed learning everything. We were supposed to go on a hike in the afternoon but it was so hot that we went to some type of natural pool to go swimming instead, which I must say was a much better idea. Check me out dressed up as an early Zionist pioneer and pretending to work. I would have struggled since everybody who came before the state of Israel and shortly after its existence was both a farmer and a soldier.
After services we went to the Mall area, the mall is in the center of Nez Zionna and about 1/3 of the residents (Population 35,000) were hanging out at the mall and all the surrounding streets. It reminded me of a huge outdoor festival, except of course without food, drinks and music. It was an interesting sight to see. Not a single car on the road, streets were packed with kids, families and old people just talking and hanging out. I think the most interesting part about Yom Kippur here is that in the U.S. if you choose to celebrate and fast on Yom Kippur great, but nothing around you changes if you do or don’t. In Israel, it’s the opposite, not only do you almost have too but people here are excited to and it’s just a way of life. There was not a single thing open, even every TV station is blacked out and shows nothing for 25 hours. I went back to Moshe’s to break fast and helped him set up the Sukkah for Sukkot next week.
Last Thursday, we took a trip to the Jezreel valley. It’s in the northern part of Israel, where we learned about the early Kibbutzim that were started. We learned how the people worked the lands and how Israel used the Kibbutz as not only an early way to settle the lands but also to expand the Jewish control over the land so when Israel finally became a state they could lay claim to the land and expand Israel’s territory. I find the history of the state of Israel very interesting, so I really enjoyed learning everything. We were supposed to go on a hike in the afternoon but it was so hot that we went to some type of natural pool to go swimming instead, which I must say was a much better idea. Check me out dressed up as an early Zionist pioneer and pretending to work. I would have struggled since everybody who came before the state of Israel and shortly after its existence was both a farmer and a soldier.
No comments:
Post a Comment