Getting Reacquainted

Day #7

Jewish Geography: Definition - 1) A game Jews play when standing in line, shmoozing (see definition elsewhere) at cocktail parties and other food-related gatherings to identify common relationships and possible family connections. 2) Walking in the land of Israel (Jewish geography), especially Jerusalem, and meeting old acquaintances from previous stages in life.

This morning was especially sweet when a woman approached my father, Neil, and began playing Jewish Geography (see def. #2) with him. Very quickly we discovered this woman was a Hebrew School classmate of mine from more than 20 ago! Our families shared many positive experiences together when we lived in Atlanta, Georgia. She was visiting Israel for the first time with her Israeli husband. The newlyweds are expecting their first child in 6 months - Mazal Tov! Absolutely astonished, speechless, and overwhelmed the four of us began to quickly catch up with a promise for future conversations.

The group was given the opportunity to explore the dynamic menu of religious experiences for Shabbat morning. The majority of us chose to attend Shira Hadasha - a progressive Orthodox community comprised of both Israelis and American-Israelis. The entire service is conducted in Hebrew, including the d’var Torah, but most of the people speak English as we learned during the Kiddush following our prayers. The davvening is sweet and soulful offering an authentic and holy space to experience God and community, despite its unconventional location (in a youth center) and the fact that we were praying outside the walls of Jerusalem. The walk to Shira Hadasha from our hotel was equally joyful and a reminder that the weather attending our trip was simply amazing.

In the afternoon, we were given a warm welcome to the Fuchsberg Center, across the street from our hotel. The Fuchsberg Center is the central address for the United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism in Israel. Rabbi Jim Lebeau, head of the Center, greeted us and explained how the Center has become an essential part of the Nativ program, where first-year college students spend a year studying and exploring the country. We were also introduced to the Conservative Yeshiva, home to college graduates and rabbinical students seeking a comprehensive exposure to learning traditional Jewish texts.

We then took a short walking tour of Jerusalem. We stopped by Ben-Yehuda Street, to see a quiet shopping center hours before it would soon contain thousands (literally!) of Brithright participants. We also walked through the Russian Compound and to the government buildings near the Old City. We made our way over to Yemin Moshe and Montefiore’s windmill. Yemin Moshe is now a quaint artist’s colony, but it was first intended to attract Jews starving in the Old City in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The windmill is somewhat of a landmark, but for us it was especially meaningful as we bid farewell to the Sabbath embraced in a circle singing the prayers of Havdallah with the beautiful symbols of wine, spices (we used fresh Nana-spearmint), and the world’s smallest Havdallah candle, especially designed for single use. The group returned to the hotel and was given a free evening to roam the streets of Jerusalem, enjoy the many delicious restaurants, and to see the crowds of young people filling Ben-Yehuda street for shopping, eating, dancing, and celebration.