We just had (a few days ago) our first Shabbat in Jerusalem. For those of you who have never been in Jerusalem for Shabbat, Shabbat starts earlier than sundown – not just with all the stores closing, but also with the flowers being sold on the corner of streets and the mad rush at all the stores and bakeries starting when they open early morning and the plethora of prepared food and baked goods available throughout the city.
We had a lovely first Shabbat, including a fabulous preshabbar Sheva brachot for our friends Rozi and Adam (who were the couple just married in turkey) and lovely Shabbat meals and a serious game of settlers of katan for Naomi and Alexandra (while I napped – some things never changes), and great Shul experience.
We’re excited to become active in a local community called Zion that is working to create/recreate land of Israel religious traditions, looking both back to liturgical discoveries from the Cairo genius to better understand what prayer used to be like in the land of Israel and looking outward today and including contemporary Israeli poetry and song into the services. The community is headed by Rabbi Tamar Elad Applebaum who is a very talented, visionary leader working hard to bring together Jews of all backgrounds and religious practices and all residents of Israel (citizen and asylum seeker, Jews, Christians and Muslims). There was lots of powerful words of inspiration in advance of the election on ways to foster love and care for all. It was the community’s last week in the community center where they’ve been meeting the past six years and they will be in a new space in a school starting this week. Last week’s parsha was ki tezei – beginning with the phrase “when you leave” and this coming week is ki tavo- beginning with the phrase “when you enter”. The rabbi found a way to link the community’s move to where we are in the torah portion cycle about moving and entering space. Love the way the tanakh comes alive and is a living experience here in Israel.