I rarely get homesick. Whether living in Miami or living in
Israel for 5 months (which I did in high school), I’ve always been able to stay
in pretty high spirits. It’s not that I don’t miss my family and friends – I
definitely do. But knowing that there is so much in store for me here keeps me
excited and knowing that my friends are always a Facetime or iMessage away is
comforting (I promise this post wasn’t sponsored by Apple).
That being said, there’s always something about the holidays
that sparks a little homesickness within me.
Being away for the Jewish holidays is no exception. Knowing that Rosh
Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot were all rapidly approaching, I started to
miss my crazy and loud dinners with family and was nervous about what
celebrating the holidays in Israel had in store for me.
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| Fanta reading "Happy Holidays" |
I don’t really know why I concern myself with worries about
the future here because time and time again Israel has pleasantly surprised me.
When we sat with our host teacher and host principal for our very first
meeting, they let us know that we would be joining the school staff at the end
of September for slichot in
Jerusalem. Slichot, or penitential prayers, are said leading up to Rosh
Hashanah in order to start the New Year fresh.
This year, I’d get the opportunity to do this at the Kotel/Western Wall.
We met on Sunday, September 21 at our school, where a
charter bus took a group of 30 or so teachers and myself to Jerusalem. The
drive took a little over an hour. Like I’ve mentioned before- all the teachers
are so welcoming and have really made us feel as though we are family. Our tour guide for the evening joined us on
the bus and gave the group a little background on the idea of slichot and what the evening had in
store for us. All of this was done in Hebrew though, so I just sort of sat
there and smiled. But it seemed as though he was being very thorough and
informative. Two thumbs up for him.
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| Jerusalem at Night |
When we arrived in Jerusalem, an instant sense of serenity
besieged my body. That sounds corny, I know. I mean it though. The city of
Jerusalem is so beautiful and the juxtaposition of old architecture with new
culture is nothing short of breathtaking. We were given a bit of a tour around
the old city and a little crash course on the history of Ashkenazi versus
Sephardi ways of preparing for Rosh Hashanah. We even got to sit in a Sephardic
synagogue in the Old City and hear a few prayers. Again, the tour was all done
in Hebrew so there was lots of smiling and nodding on my behalf.
Though I loved touring the Old City, I anxiously anticipated
our visit to the Kotel. At about 11:30 PM (or 23:30 if we’re feeling Israeli)
we made our way to the Western Wall. Now, I’ve visited the Kotel countless
times, but on this night one thing became very clear to me. There is nothing
quite like the Kotel at midnight on a day leading up to the high holidays. It
was filled with people from all different ages and walks of life. I heard an
array of different languages. There was no concept of personal space
considering the billions of people there (rough estimate). And I loved every
minute of it. It was a beautiful end to our evening in Jerusalem and something
I will never forget. We headed back to little ol’ PTK at around 1:30 AM and got
to take a short power nap before our next day of work.
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| An Incredibly Beautiful Moment Outside the Kotel |
Erev Rosh Hashanah followed the Wednesday after our
Jerusalem trip. As afore mentioned, my host teacher, Rosi, invited both my
flatmate (another fellow at my school) and me to her home for dinner. Though I
didn’t really know what to expect, I felt comfortable going to Rosi’s home
because she has been so hospitable and kind thus far. She has even jokingly
referred to my flatmate and me as her “children.” Rosi sent two of her sons to
pick us up so we wouldn’t have to walk. The moment we arrived at her home I
knew it was going to be an incredible evening.
A beautiful, appropriately decorated table for 20 or so
people was set in her backyard. Rosi gave us a grand tour of her home and also
let us know that if we ever wanted to stop by after school we were more than
welcome to. It’s safe to say that Rosi is a saint. After meeting some family
members and friends, we all sat for Rosh Hashanah Seder. It became very evident
that this large Sephardic family was just as fun and loud as my very own - I
felt right at home! Jokes and good
laughs were exchanged during the Seder, as well as multiple glasses of Tuborg -
because what’s a Jewish holiday without copious amounts of alcohol?
As we were about to
sit for dinner, Rosi asked us if all of our flatmates had somewhere to be. “Actually,” my flatmate Josh responded, “one
of our roommates preferred to stay home this evening and not go anywhere.”
This answer displeased Rosi. A lot.
“What do you mean?! You have to go get him now! Call him and
tell him one of my sons will come and pick him up.”
If you’re Persian, you’re extremely familiar with the idea
of tarof. Kind of just saying
something/offering something to get credit and not really expecting whoever is
on the receiving end to take you up on your offer.
There was no tarof
in Rosi’s offer. She was genuinely upset that my roommate had chosen to spend
the holiday alone.
So Josh, Rosi’s son, and I got in a car and picked up our
missing flatmate. Mid-dinner.
It was such a beautifully touching gesture. Tears welled up
in my eyes because I was so overwhelmed with happiness and extremely moved by
Rosi’s actions. When we returned to dinner, with our new addition, Rosi made
sure to bring our flatmate different foods from the Seder that he missed as she
went through and explained each of their significance.
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| Fresh Dates, Challah, and Pomegranate Seeds Hold Significance in Seder |
It was an incredibly beautiful evening. We drank, we ate, we
laughed, and we learned from one another. Though I didn’t get to spend it with
my family at home, I truly got to experience the next best thing. L’Shana Tova
to those who celebrate, and may this year have only the best in store for you
all.
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| Rosi's Moroccan Fish |
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| Safe to Say I Gained a Few Pounds Over Dinner |
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| With the one and only Rosi |
