Last shabbes in Israel
On Friday I was so dead I didn't light the candles, husband did before going to shul while I was in bed.
He went to Yeshurun, a shul we had wanted to check for a long time as it is Yekke. Big disappointment, almost all people "like us", especially women, were older or tourists. The young crowd doesn't at all have an European gefil, most are dati style. It's all a closed world, not inviting, although less closed than the shul we shlepped to in the morning.
The Italian shul. Gorgeous shul and prayers, alternating Italki of different areas especially Rome, Ashkenazi Italian and Sefardi Italian (I loved hearing the Birkat Cohanim as husband sings it!), but if they don't recognize you, you'll be at best ignored, and worst get bad looks, as I did, and as husband did... until some recognized him and then they were sooooo nice. Whatever. The older people are very European but very modern (think covering hair for shul.... or not), and the newest generation, and especially their spouses, are sometimes charedi style but very often very leumi (hilltop clothing and mentality). Some are so rich they bring their Filipina maid to shul to watch the kids!
There was a bar mitsva of a distant cousin of husband, they let Mati sit next to him during his speech in the shul yard, and it was very nice to see a low key, normal bar mitsva, European style.
We then shlept again to eat at his cousins, and I got to hear a nice Italian dvar Torah and eat nice shabbes Italian food (antipasti, pasta, etc, the traditional stuff). I got to meet an adorable girl, an Italian Ashkenazi from a not so distant city than my husband's. One of the cousins spent the meal complaining about how her now Chabad son is telling her to not bother coming to the grandchildren's wedding without a wig or won't touch wine she has handled - despite her being shomer shabbes!
Husband's cousin got married in his 50's. Now he can finally be fully a rav, and they are hoping strongly to have a child, amen! They spent their honeymoon in Italy so she would discover her husband's culture.
It was weird that they were all singing zemiros and I was the only one not knowing them.
Husband was happy to get to speak Italian. Fun fact: all the people at shul said Mati should be learning Italian instead of Hebrew, including those with dati style kipas and clothing. It was crazy, although I had been told to expect it.
On the way to the cousins, I saw a man in kippa driving. Husband's cousin said he was conservative ("there is everything in Jlem, BH" he said). It was fun that in Israel conservative wear a kippa while in Europe most modern Orthodox don't!
Unfortunately on the way home husband and I were both struck by a migraine that no med could cure and we collapsed on the bed, barely waking up with the phone, much after the end of shabbes!
He went to Yeshurun, a shul we had wanted to check for a long time as it is Yekke. Big disappointment, almost all people "like us", especially women, were older or tourists. The young crowd doesn't at all have an European gefil, most are dati style. It's all a closed world, not inviting, although less closed than the shul we shlepped to in the morning.
The Italian shul. Gorgeous shul and prayers, alternating Italki of different areas especially Rome, Ashkenazi Italian and Sefardi Italian (I loved hearing the Birkat Cohanim as husband sings it!), but if they don't recognize you, you'll be at best ignored, and worst get bad looks, as I did, and as husband did... until some recognized him and then they were sooooo nice. Whatever. The older people are very European but very modern (think covering hair for shul.... or not), and the newest generation, and especially their spouses, are sometimes charedi style but very often very leumi (hilltop clothing and mentality). Some are so rich they bring their Filipina maid to shul to watch the kids!
There was a bar mitsva of a distant cousin of husband, they let Mati sit next to him during his speech in the shul yard, and it was very nice to see a low key, normal bar mitsva, European style.
We then shlept again to eat at his cousins, and I got to hear a nice Italian dvar Torah and eat nice shabbes Italian food (antipasti, pasta, etc, the traditional stuff). I got to meet an adorable girl, an Italian Ashkenazi from a not so distant city than my husband's. One of the cousins spent the meal complaining about how her now Chabad son is telling her to not bother coming to the grandchildren's wedding without a wig or won't touch wine she has handled - despite her being shomer shabbes!
Husband's cousin got married in his 50's. Now he can finally be fully a rav, and they are hoping strongly to have a child, amen! They spent their honeymoon in Italy so she would discover her husband's culture.
It was weird that they were all singing zemiros and I was the only one not knowing them.
Husband was happy to get to speak Italian. Fun fact: all the people at shul said Mati should be learning Italian instead of Hebrew, including those with dati style kipas and clothing. It was crazy, although I had been told to expect it.
On the way to the cousins, I saw a man in kippa driving. Husband's cousin said he was conservative ("there is everything in Jlem, BH" he said). It was fun that in Israel conservative wear a kippa while in Europe most modern Orthodox don't!
Unfortunately on the way home husband and I were both struck by a migraine that no med could cure and we collapsed on the bed, barely waking up with the phone, much after the end of shabbes!