Shabbat in Jerusalem, etc.

This last Friday I left my settler-enclave for the metropolis that is Jerusalem. The day started out normal enough: 7 AM prayers, followed by 1 hour of MCAT studying, and some fooling around on the computers. A friend (Herschel) and I took the 160 bus from Efrat to "The Jerusalem Mall" to go to a PLACE in Jerusalem that is called "The Week of Books". Well, to be precise, last week WAS the "Week of Books", but, for some reason, Israelis call the big book fair that takes place in the "Old Train Station" [note: "old" train station does not refer to the train station that was used immediately before the "new" one, but to an 150 year-old Turkish relic that may have had some train tracks running through it at some point.]

By the time we got there (a bit after noon), it was already closed. I should note at this point that Friday in Israel is like Saturday in America, in that it is the first day of the weekend---since Israelis who observe Shabbat need Friday to prepare for it, everyone pretty much gets Friday off, but---and this threw me off---Sunday is not the weekend. No love for the Christians, I guess. Anyway, not to be brought down, we walked over to what is called "The German Colony", which is a hip, somewhat bohemian, garden district-like place in Jerusalem. All of the houses are very old, and the main drive, Emek Refa'im (which apparently means "Valley of Ghosts") is full of neat cafes, art galleries, wine shops, book shops, and other various stuff. There is also an old church and lots of beautiful old trees. We found a restaurant called "Coffeeshop" which was recommended by a friend (thanks, Shoshana), and had lunch there.

I am not sure where to start about how amazing the dining experience at Coffeeshop was, but it can be summed up in this: it was a kosher restaurant with decently priced, wonderful food, and the service was GREAT. Now, to all of you who do not frequent establishments of the kosher variety, you have NO CLUE how much of a rarity this is. My head nearly exploded when the waitress was actually curteous and smiled while I struggled to order something called "Smoked Salmon Wrap Sushi" and a cheese-and-spinach bureaka (both of which were absolutely delicious; I have an weak spot for bureakas, actually) with my non-existant Hebrew. Maybe she was charmed by my American accent (read: inability to speak, coupled with an inability to admit that I have no idea what I am saying), or it could have been my dashing good looks: I really have no idea. I will just say that it is probably the best lunch I have had in a long, long time. This, coupled with a hilarious conversation with this kid Hershel, who happens to go to Brandeis, about everything ranging from our mutual recanting of supporting our current President, to how funny it was when a dog came in the restaurant, and all the old Israelis in the place started giving it food. By they way---can you imagine this happening in The States?? If a dog wandered into a restaurant in America, the place would be up in a storm---my G-d! Imagine the health code violations!

Anyway, I better move on if I don't want to be eaten alive by the bugs that are attracted to this computer monitor (and if I want to get any sleep at all). From there, we went to Mea Shearim---the ultra-ultra-ultra-Orthodox enclave in the heart of Jerusalem, where there are signs that announce the requirement that all boys and girls entering the neighborhood are required to wear "modest clothing" (knee-length dresses/pants, elbow length sleeves). We were there to buy some books for Yeshiva. Walking in that neighborhood always reminds me of Pleasantville, in that it is all in Black and White [note: to those who don't know, for some anachronistic reason, ultra-Orthodox Jews dress ONLY in black and white], as well as the fact that it is so backwards. More on that....some other time.

From there, we went to Kikar Tzion/Ben Yehudah Street, which is where all the American tourists/Israeli beggers hang out. After about 15 minutes, there, already annoyed by everything there (worst...tourist trap...ever), we went our seperate ways for Shabbat. I was staying with a friend of my aunt's named Tzvi Volk, an ex-American Foriegn Serviceman living in the gorgeous neighborhood of Ramot Bet (not to be confused with Ramot Aleph, Ramot Gimal, Ramot Dalet, Ramot Hay, and Afes Sesh). I called on a whim, as I have never met these people before, and was a bit wary to bother some family that last saw anyone in my immediate family over 30 years ago on Pesach at my grandparents' seder. But...I thought it might be something of an experience, and it was. The family was way too hospitable, especially for someone they didn't know existed a week ago. The food was amazing the entire weekend. On Friday night, they took me to what (I think) was called the "Shiuf", which is technically this clubhouse for the local Zionist youthgroup, but on Friday night it is literally overflowing with people from all over the huge neighborhood (about 300 people backed into a room the size of maybe two basketball courts, and more flowing outside), and everyone singing the simultaneously hopeful and melancholly tunes of Shabbat. Not that the tunes were new, but when you are singing with 300 strangers...it's an experience that is comparable to nothing else.

I could talk about Saturday dinner, which we ate on the family's balchony, which has an indescribably beautiful view of Jerusalem, and how gorgeous the weather was as well. That....and much else. But I need to get to bed soon, so I will run through the rest of my weekend as quick as possible.

I left their house Saturday night, and met up with my friend back in the center of town. We had some pizza (which, although better than the local kosher pizza in Boston, was still pretty bad.....all those years of Puccini's really spoiled me). And hung out at a bar watching the Italy/America world cup game. And we caught the last bus back to Efrat.

Today was like every other day: woke up early, studied Torah, fell asleep in funny places/positions, played soccer, wrote some emails. (Happy Father's Day, also).

Tomorrow we are going to Haifa to hike on some crazy trail. It will be fun, I hope. And on Wednesday, I am going to Bnai Brak (famous for being one of the largest communities of insanely religious Jews, right after Brooklyn) on Wednesday for an old friends' (Tzvi Hasten) wedding. Yes, he's my age. It's going to be...something. I was thinking of causing a rucus; ideas included dressing up like a girl and hanging out on the "girls' side", dressing up like a very religious Chasidic Jew, or just showing up completely wasted, but I realized that if I come dressed like I usually dress (nice shirt, tie, nice pants), I will stand out enough (I will probably be one of 4 men there not wearing a black hat). Fear not---I will take pictures and post them.

Hope everything is going well over there across the Atlantic.

Michael