After a great visit back to the US, we are settling back in to life in Israel. Arriving during the high holidays meant things were a bit more hectic than usual (the supermarket was out of milk, for example).
Since we were spending Yom Kippur in Haifa, and wanting to stay close to home, I suggested to Jason that we should check out the tiny synagogue just four doors down the street. We could go for Kol Nidre (the evening services) and if he felt comfortable there, he could go for services during the day as well. Like most synagogues in Israel, there were separate sections for men and women. In this tiny little space, the women sit behind the men with a half wall and a see-through curtain. Jason sat near the back of the men's section so we could check in with each other.
I sat down next to a very well dressed old woman, who realized very soon that I was not speaking Hebrew. She switched to English and said she would help me follow along. She introduced herself as Hanna, 91 years old (well almost), she lives in the big building across the street, is deaf her left ear, and speaks 5 languages: Hebrew, Romanian, Yiddish, Russian, and English. She didn't simply point out where we were in the Matzor, she showed me the Hebrew, translated to English, and then gave me an interpretation of her own. It was fascinating! I was so impressed and feeling a bit ashamed of my meager language skills. She insisted that I come visit, with Jason, and wished us Shabbat shalom before heading home early. She wasn't tired, she said, but her helper wanted to go. Please come, she said, 15th floor. Just look for the mezuzah. I will and perhaps I will bring her one of these...
More blog posts to come; we have come catching up to do!
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| Holiday Challah |
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