Thanksgiving was very different for us this year. Usually we run around to two dinners on Thursday trying to spend time with all the family in a short visit. This year we were 6,000 miles away, but still managed to fit in two Thanksgiving dinners and a Chanukah party!
Thursday evening we headed to Tel Aviv for a Thanksgiving dinner sponsored by Fulbright at a very nice hotel. We weren't sure what to expect, but the food was quite good. More Mediterranean than traditional New England, but it was nice. My one major complaint was that there were no mashed potatoes! Almost all of the new Fulbright cohort was there as well as all but one of last year's crowd. We had a great time and it was nice to get another chance to talk to the new folks.
 |
| The Chanukiah and Thanksgiving buffet |
While waiting for our train back to Haifa, we were able to Skype into the Goldstein-Conner Thanksgiving/Chanukah/birthday party. Not the same as being there, but we did get to see just about everyone however, we are still trying to figure out who was actually coherent and remembered speaking to us (it seemed like quite the party!). We got home after 1:00am - certainly a memorable day.
Friday afternoon we joined many other Anglos in Haifa (English speakers group in Haifa) for a potluck Thanksgiving/Chanukah party. The party was held at the Japanese Art Museum in Haifa (a place we've been meaning to go for months). The museum was closed to the public, but we were allowed access to the exhibits for the first couple hours so we wandered around until it was time for dinner. The food was great! Two big turkeys and lots of side dishes. The only thing missing was... Mashed potatoes! Again! After dinner, we lit the Chanukiah and the event organizer passed out Chanukah presents for trivia questions.
From there, we headed straight to Afula for a Shabbat Chanukah dinner at with Ehud and Bat-Sheva's families. Even though we were convinced we couldn't eat any more, we managed to stuff the corners with homemade latkes, applesauce, kugel, soup, salad, sufganiyot, and fruit.
 |
| Colliding cultures Japanese museum, Thanksgiving, and Chanukah |
 |
| After dinner Chanukah gifts |
From there, we headed straight to Afula for a Shabbat Chanukah dinner at with Ehud and Bat-Sheva's families. Even though we were convinced we couldn't eat any more, we managed to stuff the corners with homemade latkes, applesauce, kugel, soup, salad, sufganiyot, and fruit.
 |
| Lighting the Chanukiah with Bat-sheva and Ehud |
Definitely a departure from our usual Thanksgiving festivities, but certainly a fun and very memorable one! We are thankful for all our friends and family on both sides of the Atlantic.
We didn't need much to eat on Saturday after all the celebrating, but we did agree on what to have for dinner... Mashed potatoes!
No comments:
Post a Comment