Last night was my last cantorial lesson before going home to visit my family. It was a good lesson in that most of what I have been working on is now done, and I was given the music for the remaining portions of the morning service for Shabbat to work on while at home.

I went to the Kotel (the Western Wall) this morning to thank Hashem for my progress so far and to ask for his continued support in the weeks and months ahead (as well as other, more personal and private prayers).

This time, I brought my camera with and snapped a few pictures to share with you.

The first two pictures are of the approach to the Old City along Jaffa Street and of the Jaffa Gate.




The next pictures are of part of the market area as you enter the “streets” of the Old City. As you can clearly see, the streets are for pedestrian traffic only and are quite narrow.





The next 2 shots are of Jewish Quarter Street.




This next one is of a street in the Jewish Quarter that leads to an observation area for viewing the Kotel.



This is the view from the Kotel observation area.




As you can see in the next two pictures, there is an excavation project going on in the area in front of the Kotel.




Also taken from the observation area, this picture shows the Kotel’s Hanukkiah (the candelabra used to hold the Hanukkah lights; which could be candles, lanterns, gas or electric). Hanukkah is 2 days away so preparations are being made for the holiday.



After walking down to the Kotel I took a few more pictures in that area. The first is a closer shot of the Hanukkiah.



The next 2 pictures are of prayers that have been placed in the wall by visitors. This is a common practice and I know I have posted this before, but these pictures are much better quality than the previous ones so I thought I would post them for you.




The next few pictures were taken from just outside the walls of the Old City as I was walking back to the apartment. The first is a view of the valley from just outside the walls.



In the next 2 pictures of the walls themselves, you can clearly see the slits in the walls for armed defenders (archers).




While walking down the hill just outside the Old City I came across the cemetery where Oskar Schindler’s grave is located. I wandered around inside for a few minutes, but did not find the grave and there was nobody to ask. Perhaps I’ll go back again and take the time to find it. If so, I will post a picture here. (For those who may not know, Oskar Schindler was responsible for saving the lives of many Jews during the Holocaust. The movie “Schindler’s List” is based on his story.)



I know I have posted a picture of this before, but it bears doing so again. The next 2 pictures, also taken from just outside the Old City walls, shows the territory just across the valley from the Old City where the fence erected along the “Green Line” (the armistice line) was erected. (If it looks REALLY close, that is because it IS!)




I took this last picture “just because”. I would expect to find Martin Luther King Street in the USA, but did not expect to see it in Jerusalem.

Shabbat in Jerusalem

This past Shabbat was spent in Jerusalem. (I LOVE saying that!!!) My flat-mate went to Tel Aviv for Shabbat, so I thought I would be alone for Shabbat dinner. I should have known better ----- this IS Israel after all.

I went to services at the main Conservative Shul here. I had been to Friday night services here once before, so was anticipating at least a few familiar melodies. I was not disappointed in that regard. Some of the other melodies they used were variants on some of the new melodies I have learned. I doubt that they are aware it is a variant, but I have the original score so noticed when there were slight changes to the tunes. This is not uncommon, most “congregational” melodies are slightly different from what the original composer and/or arranger wrote.

After services the cantor asked it I would like to go with her to the home of some friends of hers for Shabbat dinner. I agreed, and we started walking and talking along the way. I found that she had, at one time, been an actress and had roles in some Israeli films. She gave up that career to raise her 3 children. She apparently came from a secular background, but obviously has changed that about herself. While she is Israeli-born, she spent a number of years in the San Francisco area. It was during this time that she started learning hazzanut. I will not go into any more detail as I feel it would be inappropriate for this forum without her express permission.

The Shabbat dinner also turned out to be a Thanksgiving dinner (her friends are American) and also a birthday party for 2 people. In addition to Israel there were people there from Boston, Philadelphia and Miami. Dinner was wonderful, and so was the company and conversation.

After dinner I walked back to the apartment, a stroll that took about 20 minutes or so. In the morning I went back to the Conservative shul. I had met a friend there Friday night and thought that they would be there Saturday morning, but unfortunately that was not the case.

During the walk from the dinner back to the apartment I was accompanied part way by the cantor. She indicated that she had not totally gotten over an illness from a couple weeks ago and asked if I would be willing to lead the Shacharit (morning) service for her if needed. I told her that I would be honored to do so if she wished. It turned out that she did have me lead the service and, like last time, I was the recipient of the wonder feelings of warmth and purpose. I changed some of the melodies that I used last time to ones that the congregation knew (I asked about these in advance) to be sure that they could join in. I was later told by some of the congregants that they really appreciated both the hazzanut that I did alone and my using melodies that they could sing along with and that it made them feel more a part of the service. For me, that makes everything worthwhile. From my perspective, the job of a cantor is to create an inclusive and inviting atmosphere so that the, by being a conduit for Hashem, the congregation is encouraged to join in and participate in their own individual and communal spiritual growth.

All-in-all it was a wonderful Shabbat.

Sunday was dedicated to cantorial practice, as always. I have a class on Monday (today) to go over the material I have been given. Since Hanukkah starts on Wednesday evening and I am leaving for the US next week, this will likely be my last class until I return in January. As a result, I anticipate receiving more material tonight to work on while I am gone.

I am starting to get more excited about going home to visit and am anxiously waiting to be able to give my wife a HUGE hug. Only 11 days to go!