September 20, 2002
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Another Jewish holiday begins this evening (seems like we have a whole year's worth of holidays in a few weeks, doesn't it? :) - it's the beginning of the 7 day festival of Sukkot, the "Season of our Rejoicing." It's interesting how quickly we go from Yom Kippur, the most solemn day of the year, to Sukkot -- a joyous holiday with historical and agricultural significance. Traditionally, families eat, sleep, and welcome guests in their sukkah (a temporary structure meant to be a reminder of the 40 years of the Jews' wandering in the desert). And because it is a harvest festival and a time of appreciation, it is often likened to Thanksgiving. The festivities will begin with a "grass roots" Shabbat service -- led by Mark and a couple of his classmates -- followed by dinner and good company in the sukkah of Nili's family. It's so wonderful to experience all of these things "Israeli style." It's my first time being here during this time of the year, and certainly not our last.
Looking back into last week brings both a smile and a sigh. Yom Kippur was a very meaningful day -- part of it spent with the HUC community, part at Kol Haneshama (a reform synagogue here), and part in quiet reflection. Then the very next day was our 2nd wedding anniversary. Mark planned a surprise day ... and what a good day it was. Couldn't have been better. And, of course, a week can't go by without a movie. This time it was Signs. N-e-r-v-e r-a-c-k-i-n-g! I was out of my seat more than in it and even Mark jumped a few times. Not only did we enjoy our night out, but we also discovered something very interesting about going to the movies in Israel. Imagine the MOST suspenseful point of a movie. Now imagine that in the middle of that point all the lights come on and everyone gets up and leaves the theater. What's going on!?!?!? It's called a hafsaka - a break. Happens in every movie. OK, so we could handle that concept (plus Tami and Brett, our sister and brother in law, had warned us ahead of time), but did they have to choose that exact moment??? Couldn't they have waited for a scene change or at least until the sentence was finished??? :) All part of the fun and the experience, I suppose.
The latter part of the week brought some bad news, as you know. We're busy keeping track of what is happening in the region and we continue to stick by our set guidelines. We were talking yesterday about how important it is to remain conservative about where we go and what we do -- even, and especially, when things get relatively quiet (as they had been for over 5 weeks). Just hours after the Tel Aviv bomb Israel's military went into action at Arafat's compound. Although I see that this as a continuous pattern, I remain hopeful that something major will change and some sort of "working peace" will take seed here. Naive, perhaps, but I couldn't live here without hope for a better situation.
Thanks for "listening" and, as always, for your kind notes and inquiries about what life is like here. I especially like when you include an update about what's happening with you and yours when you write.
Take good care and have a great weekend.
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach (happy holidays) with love,
Rachel Ann
