Well, it has been almost 2 weeks since I last posted. Not much has gone on since that time.
My cantorial lessons finally started up again last week. We are going to finish with Shabbat during the next 2 weeks and will then start working on the High Holy Day services. I hope to have this done in time to lead services this year and am looking forward to starting on it.
In the event that I will NOT be ready I may switch to learning all of the other holidays plus Torah and Haftorah, which we have not started yet. It still amazes me the sheer volume of material and techniques that need to be learned and mastered.
On the “secular” side of things, “life goes on”. It has been cold and rainy for the last couple weeks so I have not been taking as many walks as I generally do. (When it is relatively nice out I walk a couple miles a day.)
Once again we have run out of gas and therefore have no hot water or heat in the apartment. I have an electric heater in my room so can stay warm there, but the rest of the apartment is quite cool. Getting things done here (like getting refills on the gas) takes a long time. Unlike at home, you generally cannot call up and get delivery the same day.
In many respects Israel is a 3rd world country, particularly when it comes to business. Stores here will generally not take returns, and if an item is marked down on the shelf you sometimes have to argue with the cashier to get the reduced price. (One can never assume that the price on the shelf is what will ring up at the register.)
Everyone here has been watching the events in Egypt quite closely as the outcome could have anywhere from no impact to disastrous impact on the “stability” of the region and on Israel’s security. The general consensus so far is that, while the leader has changed, the regime has not so there will be little impact short term. This is contingent, of course, on the unrest now developing in other Arab countries. This is a “wait and see” situation, and I will likely post some of the prevailing thought in Israel about this as things unfold.
