2nd Shabbat in Jerusalem

I can't believe we are coming on to our 3rd Shabbat in Israel. The first one, one day after arrival is a blur but last week was different. It was more like a real Jerusalem Shabbat for those that live in the observant bubble. For anyone reading this blog and does not understand how observant Jews spend the Shabbat let me tell you a little at least from my perspective as a non-observant Jew.

In Israel all public activities cease before Shabbat which means "no buses, no trains." Yes taxis whose prices suddenly go up and Palestinian buses that run between Jerusalem and several PA cities. Very few restaurants are open. So in other words, the public spaces stop. Think about it this way. In the bible the children of Israel are instructed to "keep the Shabbat." So to keep it one stops working and not doing a long list of other things.

So a major focus is where are you going to eat on Friday night and lunch on Saturday. Shabbat dinner and shabbat lunch. In the middle of the week Gail Diamond, administrative director of the Yeshiva, sent out an email asking all students either if they needed a place for Shabbat dinner or could host. I asked for a place and Ellyn and I ended up having dinner with a Yeshiva faculty person that we did not know. And then on Thursday a faculty person whom I just met asked if we had a place to do for Shabbat and invited us for lunch on Saturday.

The two experiences could not have been different. Both were wonderful but the families were from two ends of the age spectrum. On Friday night the hosts were closer to our age (younger since everyone is younger) with grown children out of the house. It was a calm meal, excellent food all homemade, with other guests from the work place. Peta, the faculty, also works with an international organization that promotes interfaith discussion so at the meal were Israelis but also a colleague from Germany. Following the meal during dessert we discussed the torah reading of the week after Peta gave a brief overview (maybe for those of us who needed a remedial lesson). It was pretty amazing. After dinner we walked home.

Saturday moring we went to the oldest Reform temple in Jerusalem Keillat Har El where it turned out a boy from Denver was bat mitzvah. Pretty cool.

Shabbat lunch with Esther Israel and her family of  young children was warm and active. The food here too was excellent and homemade and the atmosphere was less controlled. The dessert was lemon-mint popsicles. What could be better...-)

Saturday ended for Ellyn and me in the Old City at this wonderful restaurant by the Damascus Gate or as the Israelis call it Shechem Gate (why do they do that?). We loved the food and the owner. The restaurant is in front of the Austrian Hospice--Bastia Restaurant for those in the area who want to stop by.

Somewhere in that busy day I did have my shabbos nap.