One Month Down

I decided to go to the Conservative synagogue for services on both Friday night and Saturday morning. I was pleased to find that I know quite a number of the melodies, so I chimed in with the rest of the congregation. On Saturday morning the early tunes were different than I am used to, but for the main part of the service the melodies were very similar or exactly like ones that I know. I was given the honor of an aliyah (blessings before and after a portion of the Torah is read).

After services the cantor asked me if I was a cantor. The question surprised me a bit, but I must admit that it also pleased me. I guess that some of what I have been learning and practicing is starting to seep into my singing outside of class and practice.

I was asked late Friday to join a neighbor for Shabbat lunch, and went there at about 1:30 in the afternoon. These are people that I have never met before! I find that people here want to make sure that nobody spends Shabbat alone, and openly welcome total strangers into their homes to share a meal. What an absolutely wonderful thing that is! These people were originally from France, and we had a very pleasant afternoon. I stayed for about 2 hours before heading back to the apartment for my “Shabbat nap”.

Today will be dedicated to cantorial practice. My lesson was moved from Monday to Sunday for this week due to Tisha b’Av, and the Ulpan will be closed on Tuesday for the same reason.

I have now been here for 1 month. At times it seems longer and at others I can hardly believe it has been that long already. When I first got here people started talking about how most people lose weight when they come to Jerusalem. I really thought nothing of it until I discovered that pants, which were tight on me when I got here, just about fall off and that I have to pull my belt in a couple more notches than when I first got here. I guess that is from all the walking. I don’t know why, but for some reason this place just makes me want to walk wherever I can.

There is a feeling of peace here. That even extends to a feeling of total ease when walking down the streets at 12:30 or 1:00 (or later) in the morning. I am told by people that live here permanently that “that’s just the way it is here”. Whenever I go out I see people walking everywhere.

Walking when trying to avoid someone walking towards you can be a little tricky. There are a large number if people from Brittan here so in trying to avoid each other they naturally move to the left. I, being from the US, naturally move to the right. You can see where that just doesn’t work. It does create opportunities to meet people, though.