September 28-29-30
Rosh HaShanah
What better way to spend the Jewish New Year than with special friends in Israel. I was picked up at my hotel on Wednesday morning and driven to Pardes Hana-Karkur, a lovely community with a “small-town” feel located between Tel Aviv and Haifa. The modern highways in Israel make traveling easy and comfortable and road signs are in Hebrew, Arabic, and English. Towns are scattered about on either side of the road; Arab areas are easily recognizable because of the distinguishing minarets next to each mosque. It is from the minaret that there is a call to prayer five times a day; in olden times, this was done by a person... now, there is a recording that is timed to go on automatically. Arab towns that are a part of Israel, receiving the same benefits as any Jewish city, blend in the landscape; those under the control of the Palestinian Authority are bordered by fences topped with barbed wire; this is necessary for the security of Israel and has stopped the attacks on cars so common in the past.
About seven in the evening the family arrived and fourteen of us (a small part of a very large family) sat down at a Rosh HaShanah table recognizable by the apples, honey, bowls of pomegranate seeds, and round Challah that are all symbolic of the holiday. There was a seemingly endless selection of wonderful food (common to festive Jewish celebrations!) and the eating, laughing, and “rapid” Hebrew conversation flowed. Well, the conversation flowed around me as most of it was too fast for me to understand, but I loved being surrounded by the sounds and was able to identify “bits and pieces.”
After breakfast on Thursday we drove to some charming artist towns in the area, walking in and out of galleries and passing by small local synagogues where the familiar holiday prayers could be heard. Whether one is “religiously observant” or not, Rosh HaShanah is a time to be with family and friends and look forward to a new year of peace.
I have been in Ramat Gan (a suburb of and adjacent to Tel Aviv) since Thursday evening. I was told that Tel Aviv is a “city that never sleeps” and that is an apt description of this vibrant and energetic place so full of vitality and life. Yesterday morning we walked to the sea through a marvelous park many miles long. Cyclists, joggers, walkers, the old and the very young were out in abundance. Along the path are outdoor work-out areas and adults and kids alike were exercising; one doesn't need to belong to a health club to stay fit in Tel Aviv!
The boardwalk was “mobbed” with people...lots and lots of kids, lots of laughter, lots of conversation. As I ate breakfast facing the Mediterranean and looking at the passers-by, I was reminded how almost everyone I saw, men and women alike, had or would be serving in the military in defense of their country. Military service is compulsive here and, except for the ultra-religious, all serve in different capacities wherever the need is, although there is an opportunity at the outset for a young man or woman to state a preference as to the type of work he or she would want to do.
Back home we relaxed in the afternoon and, later, drove to Jaffa to walk along the sea and eat a fish dinner. This has been a special Rosh HaShanah for me...unforgettable for sure!
No comments:
Post a Comment