The Bar Mitzvah - Part II

I am sitting on the airplane on the way back from Istanbul to Boston, and thought I might catch up on the blog. However, when I turned on the iPad to write, I found myself reading the last entries that I drafted on the iPad in August 2014. It seems crazy that it was 8 months ago that I wrote those entries. I had written about Dad's recent death and how much it hurt to grieve. I had also written that I had learned from Mom's death 6 1/2 years ago, that grieving was a process and that I wouldn't always feel as terrible as I did in those first few days and weeks.

Looking back over the time since Dad died, I know again that I was right: Every day *isn't* as terrible as the first few days and weeks. I still miss Dad incredibly and think about him daily, but there are also times when something happens and I can hear Dad laughing or I can picture him at the kitchen table doing the crossword puzzle or watching TV with my boys. At the WK's Bar Mitzvah, I could almost imagine Dad's being there beaming at the WK and getting choked up with tears when the WK finished his Haftarah. But, of course, I could only "almost imagine" him there because I feel his absence constantly. Funny, I just realized that in my post from a couple of days ago, I wrote that I *could* feel Mom and Dad's presence at the Bar Mitzvah; yet I also feel their absence. I guess that's how it is. 

This seems like a good time to go back to writing in the blog about our visit in Israel. I believe I had left off after Shabbat dinner Friday night. Saturday morning we all woke up and prepared to go to synagogue for the WK's Bar Mitzvah with the Shir Hadash community and our friends and family. Pentheus, the boys, and I left the dira around 8:25 to walk to the synagogue. We had a lot of things to carry - more candy to throw at the WK, the WK's tallis and bag, 4.4 pounds of gummy candies to serve at the kiddush, my high-heeled shoes that I didn't want to wear when we walked uphill to the synagogue, and some other things. We arrived just as services were starting, and Pentheus, the WK, and the CK went to sit in the men's section, which for Shabbat was at the front of the room, with the mechitzah behind them, and the women's section behind the mechitzah. (Certainly not the way I would have wanted it, but this was the set up for Shabbat services at Shir Hadash.) I made sure to sit in the front row of the women's section, so that I had the clearest line of sight to the bima, and saved a few seats for the guests who had come from out of town (country!) for the event.

 

The service was good, and the WK read both sections from the Torah and the entire Haftarah magnificently. The WK actually read more on Shabbat than he had read on Thursday morning, and it was great! Rabbi Pear spoke for a little bit before the second part of the service about how wonderful it was that the WK had asked to celebrate with the Shir Hadash community, and how great it was to have our family and friends there.

Following the service, Pentheus and I hosted a luncheon for our guests and the Pear family. It was really a lot of fun. The hard work and stress about details were over; the only things left to do were to eat some good food and spend time with the people we love most. We had a "kids' table" for my boys, my friend Jessie's boys (Remember Jessie? She was one of my roommates my first time in Israel in 1985 and moved to Israel almost 20 years ago. We spent a lot of time together when we were in Israel in 2012 and again in August when the WK and I were in Israel. Earlier this year, Jessie had left her position as Executive Director of B'tselem, and she is now doing a fellowship at Hebrew University on human rights.), and the Pear children; the kids ate pretty quickly and then the boys left the luncheon to run around the synagogue and play games. I so much enjoyed being able to talk to people and not worrying about what was next. Rabbi Pear used his "weakness/privilege" (his words, not mine) as a rabbi to speak for a few minutes about his thoughts on the parsha (portion of the Torah) and how he believes it related to the WK and our family. His words about our family were very kind. He spoke about how we recognize and appreciate the little things that make us happy (like gummy candies) as well as the big moments (like Sam's Bar Mitzvah), and what a great thing it is to be able to do that, especially in our world where there are many negative and broken things. Rabbi Pear even plugged this blog, which works for me!

After lunch, we said goodbye to the Pear family and most of our friends who were there to celebrate with us. Although it was difficult to leave my parents' friends who had come in from Lexington, KY, I will see them in a few weeks at the unveiling of the gravestone for my father where Dad and Mom are buried. We were unbelievably touched that they were with us for the WK's Bar Mitzvah.

We walked back to the dira after leaving the synagogue, and my sister and bro-in-law moved from our dira to the hotel in Jerusalem where they stayed for a few more days before returning to the States. The boys then decided they wanted to go to the park again to play soccer. When we had the dira to ourselves, Pentheus and I napped. (I am a good napper if you haven't figured that out yet.) We were totally out for several hours because the next thing I heard was someone saying, "The door's unlocked. Should we go in?" and then someone else saying, "Do you think they are home? Where are they?" My two girlfriends who had come to Israel for the Bar Mitzvah had come to the dira to hang with us. (We had totally invited them and expected them - we had just figured we would be awake before they came!) We spent the next several hours with them, and when the boys came home, we all had dinner together. There were lots of leftovers, and we had a good meal. I said goodbye to my friends around 10:00, and it was difficult because I am not sure when I will next see them. I know it was fabulous to be with them and we had a wonderful time together.

After my friends left, we cleared the table from dinner and cleaned up a bit. We packed most of our things in our suitcases to prepare for going to Tel Aviv on Sunday morning. Our friend from whom we had rented the dira (he's a member of Shir Hadash) had given us the name of a taxi driver to call to take us to Tel Aviv. I called him, but he was already driving someone to the Dead Sea on Sunday morning. He told us to call him on Sunday when we were ready to leave and that he would find a friend of his to drive us. Sunday morning we finished packing, took care of some things in the dira, and called the driver. Sure enough, 10 minutes later there was a taxi in front of the dira ready to take us to Tel Aviv. I don't know that we ever found out his name, but the drive was uneventful. We arrived at the Tel Aviv dira we had rented around 1:30.

The Old City and Shabbat Dinner (Plus Lots of Hebrew Words to Learn)

We slept in a little bit on Friday morning, while Pentheus went to synagogue for morning services. (The WK had the day off!) When Pentheus returned around 9:15 or so, he and I went to Palmach Street, home of Café Duvshaneet (my favorite, although my friend the manager Uriel was not there this week at all because he had some surgery), Grill Plus prepared foods, Angel Bakery, Co-op Shop grocery store and a few other stores. After we put together the menu we wanted to serve at Shabbat dinner that night, we started our purchasing at Co-op Shop . From there we went to Café Duvshaneet in hopes of buying the "upside down chocolate babka" that the boys, Pentheus, and apparently everyone else (except for me) love but they were already sold out for the day. Instead we bought some other desserts - a pie tapuach aitz v'duvdevanim (apple and cherry pie) and oogat choco (chocolate cake). Then we were off to Grill Plus to buy lots of (mainly) meat dishes for the evening - oaf paprika, goulash, oaf perot, kishuim yarok eem shum shum, orez eem hummus, marak katom, and kruv malei (paprika chicken, goulash, chicken with fruit, green beans with sesame, rice with chickpeas, orange soup, and stuffed cabbage.) While there were only 12 of us at dinner, we sure ordered and ate a lot of food!! We then stopped at Angel Bakery to buy challah. Our final stop? Back to Café Duvshaneet for natool eem chalav (decaf with milk) for me and a natool eem harbei sucar (decaf with lots of sugar) for Pentheus.

After walking back home with bags of food, our family (the 4 of us, minus my sister and bro-in-law) took a taxi to the Old City. While we would have preferred to walk or take a bus, it was already past 11 am, and we wanted to get to the Old City already before we had to return to the dira to prepare for Shabbat and our dinner guests. I love the Old City. There's something holy about it, and I don't mean to be facile. It's seems impossible to me not to be moved by it. We walked around for a bit and saw some of the archaeological stuff and wandered through the Cardo, an upscale shopping area that used to be the marketplace in Roman times.

(My Mom z"l loved the Cardo, especially a jewelry store named Mira. I have great memories of Mom when I am in the Cardo. I remember our wandering together through the Cardo together with my Dad and brother in May 1995. My Dad z"l made us go back to one store again and again, so that he could "visit" a print of religious Ethiopian men carrying the Torah. After having visited it at least 4-5 times, my Mom finally ordered my Dad to buy it already. My brother and I had to hold the print across our laps for many hours in the car as we drove all around Israel after we left Jerusalem. At Mira, I picked out my 28th birthday present - a beautiful gold and silver ring with a garnet stone.)

And, of course, the highlight of this visit to the Old City was going to the Kotel, the Western Wall of the original Temple. I am always in awe when I see the Kotel after we go through security and start the walk down the ramp to the entrance. I had brought a pad of paper and a pen specifically so that I could write notes to put in the Wall.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placing_notes_in_the_Western_Wall)  I wrote my notes and folded them into the smallest pieces that I could, and put the notes in the Wall. I put my right hand on the stones and said the Mourner's kaddish,(http://www.shiva.com/learning-center/prayers/kaddish/). I was very emotional, as I always am at the Wall. I keep telling the boys that I can't come to Jerusalem and not go to the Kotel at least once.

We took a taxi back to the dira and did a little bit of straightening. The boys went back out to the park (that soccer ball we bought on Yom CK was used a lot on this trip), while Pentheus and I napped. Pentheus only slept for about 45 minutes but I was out for almost 2 hours! When I woke up, we cleaned the apartment for our guests, started heating up all the food, and set the table for dinner. We had a great Shabbat dinner that night. As I mentioned, there were only 12 of us, and we all fit, albeit snuggly, around the table. We talked about all sorts of things from politics to religion to our experiences in Israel. We did a lot of laughing, too, and it was wonderful to be with friends! What was amazing to me was that the evening was exactly like a Shabbat dinner would be in Cambridge - the same traditions, same laughter, and even same foods! At around 9:45 pm, we kicked everyone out so that we could clean up, get some sleep, and prepare for the WK's Bar Mitzvah - Part 2!

Yom Bar Mitzvah - Chelek 1 (Bar Mitzvah Day - Part 1)

On Wednesday night, it rained very hard. I mean, it poured like I don't know that I have seen in Israel. It rained all night, with thunder and lighting. We woke up many times from the sound and the bursts of light, and each time I worried that the day would be more difficult because of the rain. My hair would look crappy, even if I blew it dry and used hair spray; I would have to walk to synagogue in my old tennis shoes and carry my new open-toed navy pumps; pictures would be terrible because of the dark clouds in the sky. We were awake before the alarm went off, and Pentheus went to turn on the water heater. (This is very common in Israel; during the day, the sun heats the water using solar energy, and you turn on the water heater when there is little or no sun, like first thing in the morning when it is raining.) At any rate, when Pentheus went to turn on the water heater, a fuse blew and we had no electricity. Pentheus and my brother-in-law tried fiddling with the fuses but there was no way we could have hot water if we wanted electricity. So Pentheus showered in the cold water and I washed my hair with cold water in the sink. Then, when I drank my natool for the morning, we found out the hard way that the milk was spoiled. (While I had only taken one sip, I was so tired and cold that I couldn't figure out why my natool tasted so terrible until my bro-in-law mentioned that he thought there was something wrong with the milk…) Add that to my concerns about the day. However, we decided right then that we would concentrate on the joy of the day -- it didn't matter what else happened, as long as the WK had his Bar Mitzvah. And he did!

As we arrived at the synagogue, the rain stopped and the sun started to peek out. According to the photographer, it was perfect weather for taking pictures, and we took advantage of the beautiful courtyard next to Shir Hadash. The photographer, Andrea Brownstein (Photoli Photography) took a bunch of pictures of the Bar Mitzvah boy, our family, and all sorts of combinations thereof. The videographer (Daniel Sass of Sass Video) shot footage as the guests arrived, and between Andrea and Daniel, they definitely captured the day! (We saw a preview of the pictures but can't wait to see the rest and the video!)

We set up the room for the Bar Mitzvah service, which included some logistics. We had to figure out where the mechitzah (the divider between men and women during the prayers) would go. I had to make sure that I could see everything from the women's side, and we wanted there to be enough seats for everyone. Before the service started, my sister presented the WK with a gorgeous needlepoint tallis (prayer shawl) and case. My sister told the WK the story behind the tallis: that my Mom z"l had started the needlepoint work for the WK's Bar Mitzvah many years ago, but passed away before she could finish it. Mom started working on the WK's tallis 7 or 8 years before his Bar Mitzvah. In her last few days of life, Mom asked her good friend to complete the tallis and bag, and her friend agreed. My sister told the WK how happy and proud his Nana would have been to be there when the WK read from the Torah (although Mom would not have liked the mechitzah!). My sister also told the WK how happy and proud his Zayde (Pentheus's father, who died in April 2014) and his Papa (my father who died in June 2014) would have been. Although we missed them terribly, we felt their presence on Thursday.

After the tallis was presented, it was now the WK's turn to show his stuff. The service was lovely, and the WK read Torah beautifully. Pentheus was up at the bima (dais) the entire time the WK read, and it was moving to see them together. (If I can figure out how, I will add the picture to this post!)

Thursday was also Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Memorial Day) and we paused in the service for the 2 minute siren that sounds everywhere in Israel at 10 am on this day. Although some people were concerned about the Bar Mitzvah being on Yom Hashoah, we found it appropriate somehow - mourning the 6 million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust while celebrating in Israel a milestone that proclaimed the continuity of the Jewish people. When the WK finished reading from the Torah and we returned the Torah to the Ark, we threw candy at the WK to shower him with sweet blessings and to note the sweetness in learning.

Following the service, we walked to Katamon Hayeshana Café, about which I have written several times. Once everyone had arrived, I did the motzi (blessing over the bread) to start the meal. The food was excellent! There were quiches, pasta with different sauces, many salads, and more. Not surprisingly, the only things on the WK's plate were toast, rolls, and foccacia! (If the WK is anything, he's consistent!) Before desserts were brought out, the WK gave his dvar Torah (words of Torah) during which the WK presented his ideas and thoughts on the Torah he had read earlier in the day. (For those of you who are curious, yes, "Divrei Wek" (the name of this blog) is a play on words - instead of words of Torah, the blog is words of Wek).

After the brunch, the boys wanted to go to the park to play soccer, and we gladly let them go out for a few hours. Pentheus and I napped! Following a few hours of sleep, Pentheus and I divided up the remaining tasks for the day. Pentheus took our laundry to be done, and my sister and bro-in-law helped me bring some things to the post office, so that I could ship them back to Cambridge (and not have to shlep them around for the rest of the trip). My sister and I wandered around for a while and did some shopping and poking around until dinner.

The celebration continued that evening at Roza, one of our favorite meat restaurants in Jerusalem. When we lived here in 2012, we went to Roza all the time, and the WK wanted to go back. No complaints from us! There were 21 of us at Roza and we had a wonderful time with lots of good food! We didn't get back to the dira until after 10:30, at which point we all went to sleep. It had been a great day!

From Sausage Kebab to Erev Yom Hashoah

I remembered this morning that I forgot to write about the main component of Yom CK that didn't go as planned. Late Tuesday afternoon, two of my long-time girlfriends (we grew up together but now live far away from each other) flew into Israel for their first time here. We made plans to meet them for dinner at Café Yan, the CK's favorite sushi place in Jerusalem (BTW, it's kind of scary to me that a 9-year old has a favorite sushi place in Jerusalem...) Café Yan is a  kosher sushi place right under the Jerusalem Theatre (and coincidentally down the street from where the Bar Mitzvah was). We arrived there first and realized that Café Yan was no longer there. I suggested we check the tafreet (menu) at the new restaurant to see if we wanted to eat there instead. It took me much longer than it should have to see that the restaurant was not going to work for us - it served both meat and milk products (which isn't kosher because meat and milk are not supposed to be mixed) and the specialty was pork sausage kebab. Definitely not going to work for us. Instead, we wandered around the corner and ate at Sapori, an Italian restaurant that used to be Little Italy restaurant for those of you who may be familiar with the area. (It's two doors down from Olive and Fish and across from the King Solomon Hotel.)

Sapori was great, and we all enjoyed what we ate. It was also so great to spend time with my two girlfriends. More than that, I loved that my friends got to spend time with the WK and CK. One of them had visited us in Cambridge last month (and also in March 2014), so she already knew my boys well, but the other had only seen the CK when he was 5 months old and the WK in 2008 at my Mom's funeral. We have been so touched that they came to Israel for the WK's Bar Mitzvah and were so thrilled to spend so much time with them. (We left Jerusalem this morning 19 April to come to Tel Aviv, and I am already missing them!)

So back to last Wednesday. My sister and brother-in-law had arrived Tuesday night to stay with us in the dire, and we spent much of Wednesday with them. We all went to kikar tzion (Zion Square, the downtown, outdoor pedestrian shopping/restaurant area) to pick up some gifts and wander around. From there we went to Machene Yehuda, an old-fashioned outdoor market with hundreds of stalls selling everything from dead fish to gummies to clothes to spices to the most unusual vegetables and fruits. (http://www.inisrael.com/news/?p=984)  The CK was very excited because his aunt gave him her camera "to document the day." This led to a rak b'yisrael (only in Israel) story: an elderly man came up to my sister in the market and started speaking very quickly to her in Hebrew. He then came over to me and started with "At m'deberet ivrit" (Do you speak Hebrew?) When I indicated that I did, the man went off on me, babbling about how my sister shouldn't let the young boy play with the camera, that it's not a toy, that maybe he'll drop it or lose it or break it, and why would she let him use it. I somehow don't see that happening in Market Basket in Somerville!

As you may know, in Judaism, the new day begins at sundown the previous evening, so, for instance, for Shabbat, we light the candles before sundown on Friday night, and Shabbat ends at 42 minutes past sundown on Saturday evening. Last Thursday, the day of the WK's Bar Mitzvah, was Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), which means that Yoni Hashoah began at sundown Wednesday evening. Yom Hashoah is a national Israeli holiday, and almost every store, restaurant, makolet (convenient store) closes at least for the evening of the holiday when it starts, if not for the whole day following as well. If you remember from reading above, the CK still hadn't had sushi as part of Yom CK, and we knew if he didn't have it on Wednesday night, it would be hard for him to have it in Jerusalem because of Bar Mitzvah events and Shabbat.. So the four of us headed down to the Emek (Emek Refaim is the name of the main street in the German Colony neighborhood of Jerusalem. We went to Sushi Rechavia, which the boys loved, but we had to eat early because the restaurant closed at 6:30 pm for Yom Hashoah. We headed hone and tried to get a good night's sleep before the Bar Mitzvah on Thursday morning.

Saturday night, 18 April, Shavua Tov

A couple of hours ago, Pentheus, the WK, the CK, and two of my close friends for almost 35 years, and I did the havdalah service that officially ends Shabbat (the Sabbath) and starts the new week. And, it has been quite a week. I haven't posted for 5 days, and I am sure I won't be able to catch up completely tonight, but I do want to write about what's been happening here.

It has been a week filled with some of the highest highs and, to be honest, some of the lowest lows. We've been here to celebrate the WK's becoming a Bar Mitzvah, the rite of passage for the WK into being a man in the Jewish religion. (To quote a good friend of mine whose Bar Mitzvah was three years ago, "Today I am a man. Tomorrow I go back to the 7th grade.") This week was the accumulation of many hours of practicing and learning Torah by the WK and arranging and organizing by Pentheus and me. The WK read from the Torah on Thursday morning with a small group of 35-40 family and friends, and then read some more Torah and Haftara this morning (Saturday) with the entire Shir Hadash community.

In Spring 2013, when the WK first asked Pentheus and me if he could have his Bar Mitzvah in Jerusalem at Shir Hadash, the synagogue we joined when we lived in Jerusalem for 5 months in 2012, we were thrilled he wanted to do it. Pentheus and I had talked about how great it would be but weren't sure if/how we should mention is to the WK. Luckily, the WK scooped us and we didn't have to decide!

As you can imagine, there was a lot of planning that went into the two services during which the WK read Torah, and the accompanying events (mainly a lot of eating!) for our family and friends with whom we were honored to share this simcha (happy event). Those of you who know me well know that I am a planner - I don't like to wait until the last minute to do things. I like to make lots of "to do" lists (and check things off those lists) and plan things in a meticulous, organized way. Not possible when dealing with Israel and Israelis. Seriously, NOT possible. Whenever we tried to formalize anything, everyone we contacted in Jerusalem kept saying, "Ahl t'dagi. Aha t'dagi." (Don't worry, don't worry.) Sure, we had contacted some of the vendors we wanted to use for the celebration (see previous blog post http://divreiwek.blogspot.co.il/2014/08/shabbat-and-amazing-riba-jam.html)  - for example, I had spoken to Sharon at the Café where we held the brunch on Thursday, and we had emailed a couple of times, but all we had determined was that the brunch would be on Thursday, April 16 and that the WK wanted to make sure Katamon Hayeshana Café had the food the WK liked. Ahni d'ahgtee, ahni memash d'aahgti. (I worried, I really worried.) It wasn't until Tuesday morning when we met with Sharon that we discussed menu items. Sharon appropriately suggested that we serve more than toast and jam because "Anasheem oolai rotzeem yotair me rak lechem l'echol" ("people might want more to eat than just bread.") It wasn't until that morning that the cost of the brunch came up - we didn't have a contract to sign, there was no deposit to reserve the café, etc. Kacha zeh b'aretz (That's how it is in Israel.)

So Tuesday morning, Pentheus and I met with Sharon at the Café. Following that meeting, we went to Rabbi Pear's house to speak with him and finalize details about the service. Rabbi Pear is one of the reasons we liked Shir Hadash so much. The WK was a key participant in the meeting; both we and Rabbi Pear strongly believed that this is the WK's Bar Mitzvah, and the WK gets as much input as anyone. While we were leaving Rabbi Pear's, my cell phone rang - it was the caterer for the luncheon following the service on Shabbat. For the first time, we talked about what we might serve as the menu and the cost of the meal. Again, there had been no discussion about payment, a deposit to reserve the staff, or a contract. In fact, because on Shabbat business is not supposed to be conducted, we haven't paid yet for today's event! I had asked the caterer about this on Tuesday, and he suggested I just call him on Sunday (tomorrow) or Monday, and I could pay over the phone using a credit card. Five minutes later, the photographer called to finalize details for Thursday morning, and I had already spoken to the videographer earlier the previous day. It felt great to have so many of the details nailed down. It helped calm me down considerably.

The rest of Tuesday was "Yom CK" (the day of the CK). It has been hard for the CK for the past several months because at times it has seemed to be all about the WK - getting excited about the Bar Mitzvah in Jerusalem and all that it entailed - not just the WK studying with his Bar Mitzvah tutor or the vendors for the events, but everything, including booking plane tickets for us to go to Israel, finding and securing an apartment where we are staying in Jerusalem, invitations, planning the services, etc. Plus, the demands of our daily lives of work and school and everything else that keeps us busy in Cambridge. We know that the CK got shafted a bit in terms of attention from us and the focus wasn't much on the CK. Accordingly, Pentheus had the fabulous idea that while we were in Israel, there would be a Yom CK - a day to do what the CK wanted to do, eat where the CK wanted to eat. Unfortunately, some of the Yom CK events had to be modified for reasons beyond our control. For instance, the CK had wanted to play miniature golf, but the mini golf where we went many times in 2012 is now permanently closed. The CK was a good sport about it, and our family went bowling instead! But, we did do lots of things the CK wanted, like take the public bus to the place where the mini golf had been, and buy several pounds of gummy candies to ship to Cambridge and to serve at the Bar Mitzvah today, and buy a soccer ball so that the WK and the CK could play at the park and go out to dinner and get to order fresh squeezed hot apple cider and to play on my phone for several hours. Tuesday night, one of my sisters and brother-in-law joined us at our dira in Jerusalem. They had been to Amsterdam for 3-4 days and then flown to Israel and been in Tel Aviv. It was great to have them with us.

(Yikes, it's almost midnight now, and I have to stop to get some sleep. I have only covered one day in this blog entry. There is definitely more to share. Stay tuned.)

Back in the 'hood (13 April 2015)

Ahalan and shalom from the Katamom in Jerusalem! Pentheus, the WK, the CK, and I arrived in Israel last night after an uneventful trip from Boston. As you may remember, the last time I wrote, the WK and I were in Israel for some chofesh (vacation) but also to check out and start planning for the WK's Bar Mitzvah. That was late August, and suddenly we're already at mid-April - how the hell did that happen so fast!?!

We have rented an apartment in Katamon (the same neighborhood where we lived in 2012) for a week, and it's great to be back in the 'hood. The CK and I walked around for a while this morning, and it was fun watching him remember places and stories from our time here. The CK is now 9 (almost 10, he would have me inform you), and some of his memories are a bit foggy. It was hilarious how he remembered every makolet (convenient store) where he had bought an artik (frozen popsicle), and the CK swears that the chatool (cat) we saw this morning is the very same one from 2 1/2 years ago!

We landed around 8:15 last night and only had to wait a little while to get through Passport Control and customs. After we landed, I was totally overcome with emotions - good, bad, sad, excited, (plus really tired) and started to sob. I had pulled myself together by the time we had to talk to the man who asked us questions as he checked our passports. When he asked why we were in Israel, it was very exciting to say, "For my son's Bar Mitzvah." Of course, the guard wished the WK "mazel tov" and let us through.

We didn't get to sleep until after midnight or so (and I think that Pentheus was awake until 3 am) and woke up at 5:30 am, 90 minutes before the alarm was set to go off. Pentheus and the WK went to synagogue early, so that they could see what the room looks like for services. (Shir Hadash, our synagogue here, is renting new space than when we were here in 2012. Shir Hadash is now renting from another synagogue, Ohel Nechama, right next door to the Jerusalem Theatre.) The CK and I walked to Café Duvshaneet, my old favorite, for some natool and a cinnamon roll. My friend, the manager, wasn't there yet, so I didn't get to see him.

The CK and I then joined Pentheus and the WK at synagogue. The way the room was set up, the men had 4/5ths of the space, and there was barely room for the other 2 women and me in the "women's section" behind the mechitzah (separator). When we have the WK's service on Thursday morning, we will definitely be rearranging the room - that's one of the reasons we wanted to make sure we saw the space today.

After t'fillot (services), we walked to Katamon Hayeshana, the restaurant where we will eat after the Bar Mitzvah. The WK loves this place for its toast and jam - sounds silly, I know, but the boy is definitely onto something - it is so delicious!! The WK and I ordered Crispy Simi (the name for the toast, jam, and cheese breakfast plate), while the CK had Belgian waffle, and Pentheus had shakshuka (http://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2010/07/summer-2010-travel-blog-shakshuka/), which he enjoyed a lot!

We went back to the dira for a bit. I rested while the boys did some unpacking, reading, and watching TV. Around 1:15, we took a cab downtown to do a bunch of errands and to walk around. We had stopped at the flower shop near Katamon Hayeshana after breakfast and ordered some flower arrangements for the room where the Bar Mitzvah will be. It was kind of funny how clueless we were about what to order, how much to spend, etc. The guy at the shop was very helpful, and we put together what (we hope!) will be some pretty arrangements. We were trying to figure out when/how to pick the arrangements up before Thursday morning. The store doesn't open until 9 and we need to be there before 8:30. The guy told us not to worry, and showed us where he has his cell number taped to the front window of the shop, so that people can call him whenever they want. While we were talking with the man about the flower order and we had told him we were here a couple of years ago and that our son wanted to come back for his Bar Mitzvah, he asked why we hadn't thought about making aliya? We're here only 15 hours, and we already got the question! (He thinks we should move to Israel, though wanted to let us know it's kashe (hard).

While we were downtown, we bought some kippot (yarmulkes) for men and k'suee rosh nashim (head coverings for women) in case our friends and family don't have them for the Bar Mitzvah service. Plus we picked up some gifts for my nieces, a necklace for the CK, plus some other gifts. We went into a bunch of women's hat stores, and I had a great time. I love hats! We had a late lunch of shwarma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawarma) pita bread and the CK had steak on a baguette.

After some napping and downtime at the dira after the shopping, we headed out to Emek Refaim, onethe main streets of shops and restaurants in this area. One of our standby restaurants is no longer there, which bummed out the WK, who was looking for pasta for dinner. (I think it's funny that the WK was upset - he doesn't like anything, and I mean anything, on his pasta, so in theory, it's pretty much the same wherever we go.)  We ate dinner at a different Italian place, and it was okay. Pentheus and the WK went back to the dira while the CK got some ice-cream (second time today!) and I went to Aroma for some natool. (I took a couple of pictures, but haven't figured out how to include them in the post yet.) Aroma is kind of the Starbucks of Israel - primarily a coffee house with some food and sweets, and a bunch of small tables for sitting and shmoozing. Aroma is known for giving mini chocolate bars with every coffee order, so the boys like going there with me. Anyway, while the CK and I were waiting for my natool to be ready, there was a table of 3-4 men who were being kind of loud. Suddenly, a man from another table started screaming in Hebrew, "Ahl titzahk; ze café tzeeboree" (Don't yell; this is a public café!") I mean, he screamed it very loudly. After I translated what he said, the CK said to me, "that's kind of ironic."

Now we're back at the dira and hopefully we'll all get a good night's sleep. We're definitely cranky, and we've got an exciting week ahead! More soon. Laila tov (good night)!

The Kotel, Tel Aviv, Ra'anana, and Leaving Israel

This will likely be the last post for Divrei Wek until April, when the WK has his Bar-Mitzvah in Jerusalem. Overall, this has been a good trip for us. It was harder than I thought it would be at times, especially because I have been missing Dad, and know how excited he would have been as we prepare for the WK's Bar-Mitzvah. But it was also hard being away from Pentheus and the CK. I'm not sure I can explain it, but when I travel, I usually rely on Pentheus to take care of things like directions while I focus on destinations. I was outside of my comfort zone a little being the "only grown up" for 10+ days. I had to be okay with wandering around a bit lost while we tried to find a certain store or street. However, it was great to spend so much time with the WK, and I'm so happy we had a good time together. Apparently, I must have shared how I was feeling with the WK because every once in a while he would say, "I know, Ima. You're glad that we're here together. You don't have to tell me all the time!" I feel like I need to finish blogging about the trip itself and stop carrying on about my feelings. So here goes.

Sunday morning, Shmulik picked up the WK and me, and drove us to the Old City, so that we could go to the Western Wall, the Kotel. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Wall and https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Western_Wall.html)  The WK and I had talked about going to the Kotel last Thursday when we went back downtown to go to Machaneh Yehudah and pick up some more gifts. Later Thursday night when we were with Jessie's family for sushi, suddenly the WK declared, "Ima, we forgot to go to the Kotel!! I agree with the WK; you can't be in Jerusalem without visiting the Kotel. The WK put on his new watermelon kippah ( skullcap, yarmulke http://www.myjewishlearning.com/practices/Ritual/Prayer/Ritual_Garb/Kippah.shtml) took his siddur (prayer book), and parted ways with me as he went to the Men's section, and I went to the Women's. I walked up to the Kotel, inserted my handwritten note amongst the many, many notes filling up every nook and opening in the huge wall, and offered my silent prayer. I stood on a plastic chair to look over the barrier into the Men's section, and I watched the WK pray, bowing at the appropriate moments. I got chills watching him; the Kotel is always an emotional experience.

From the Kotel, Shmulik drove us to the Dan Panorama in Tel Aviv. Along the way, Shmulik and I had a lot of interesting discussions, one of which I recounted in my Conversations post. We talked more about the matzav (situation) in Israel and about our families. Shmulik offered to help in any way to prepare for the WK's Bar-Mitzvah, and it was very sweet. The WK and I were glad to spend some time talking with Shmulik.

We arrived at the Dan Panorama to a long check-in line. When we went to our room, the WK and I were both exhausted but wanted to do something. We ended up watching a little TV and then heading out to get some lunch. Although the Dan Panorama hotel is beautiful, the beach area next to it is fairly rocky and there is no access to the sand or the water. The WK and I bought lunch from some place on the strip (I had a pita with humus, and the WK had a hot pretzel and some gummy candy. I know, not the healthiest lunch, but we're on vacation!), and sat on the rocks while we ate and watched the water. It was actually pretty relaxing. As much as I am *not* a water person (ask anyone in my family about the "George Story"), I love being near the sand and water.

We changed in to our bathing suits after lunch, and headed for the pool at the hotel. The pool was huge, and quite crowded, but we found a chair in the sun. I went in the water (the WK was shocked, but it felt great!) with the WK and then read the Jerusalem Post while the WK stayed in the water. After showering and changing into clean clothes, the WK and I walked North along the beach tayelet (boardwalk, I guess) until we reached Yotvata B'Ir, one of my favorite restaurants in Tel Aviv. (When we were in Israel in 2012, I think we ate at Yotvata B'Ir for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every time we came to Tel Aviv!) Dinner was great. One of the reasons I love the restaurant is because of its location - across the street from a beautiful beach of sand and the Mediterranean Sea.

The service at the Dan Panorama wasn't so fabulous. I had requested a blow dryer from Guest Services and it never arrived. Around 9 pm on Sunday night, we ordered a brownie and some natool from Room Service.After almost an hour and another phone call, the food was delivered but it wasn't exactly what we had ordered. We stayed up watching some TV for a bit and then settled in for a good night's sleep. Unfortunately, the good night's sleep was interrupted by an azaka early the next morning. We and a lot of hotel guests and employees from our floor moved into the merchav mugan ("protected space") for the duration of the siren and ten minutes more. (Ten minutes is the standard time to wait for an "all clear".) Monday was also my birthday, so I especially appreciated the early morning present. (We found out the following day that the azaka was a false alarm, but it sure felt real enough at the time.)

The buffet breakfast at the hotel on Monday morning was pretty expansive with a million options including typical Israeli fare like shakshuka, yogurt and cheeses, fresh fruit and Mediterranean specialties, as well as lots of different breads, pastries and cereals. I was disappointed because the only natool available was instant that I had to pour from the package into hot water. Regardless,the WK and I had a nice breakfast.

We knew we had friends (husband, wife, and 3 kids) from Toronto who were visiting Israel for 3 weeks, and we were trying to make plans to get together on Monday. We decided that late morning we would meet at the Tel Aviv Port to walk around and grab lunch. The Port is in an industrial area (kind of like Tile Mile in Watertown, MA) with all sorts of wholesale design shops, and it took the WK and me almost 35 minutes to find the restaurant after the cab dropped us off. We, apparently, had it easy because our friends took almost an hour and a half to find parking and to meet us at the restaurant. By the time we met up, it was after 1 pm, and the restaurant wasn't that appropriate for the kids. Everyone was cranky and frustrated, and I knew that the WK and I were supposed to meet another friend, Rachel, who made aliyah from Boston 7 or 8 years ago, mid-afternoon. No one knew what to do so I made the executive decision that we were going back to the beach area to dine at Yotvata B'Ir again. It's a great place for kids and adults (like me). I called Rachel and asked her to meet the WK and me at the same restaurant. The family had parking problems again, and Rachel arrived before our friends from Toronto!

After a nice lunch with everyone, the WK went to the beach with our friends while Rachel and I walked a little bit and got some cold drinks from a nearby cafe. (I was so happy the cafe had iced natool!) Rachel and I chatted for about an hour and it was great! I had seen her 2 or 3 times when we were in Israel in 2012, and we have kept up with each other. I felt badly that our plans with Rachel had been messed up so many times that day; it wasn't really fair of me to change everything at the last minute. Rachel was super about it though - Rachel said she figures that if I made the effort to see her in Tel Aviv, then she'll do what she needs to do to see me.

Rachel and I parted around 4:00, and I went back to the beach to claim the WK back. Everyone was in the water, including the adults, and I was persuaded to go in, too, though I didn't have my bathing suit with me. The water was amazing, just the perfect temp, and it was so much fun riding the waves, even in my jeans and Boston Red Sox shirt. I am so glad I went into the water! It was amazing! We  felt totally gross as we walked back to the Dan Panorama, where we had stored our suitcases for the day. It was wicked hot (low 90's) and humid, and the salt from the water was sticky. We bought perhaps the two most expensive towels in history from some beach shop (90 shekels) but it was worth it! We changed into clean clothes but didn't take showers, and hopped into a cab to see the Sela Family in Ra'anana, a suburb of Tel Aviv.

Pentheus has known Tami and Yaron Sela since 1991 when Pentheus convinced Digital to hire Tami as an engineer in Hudson, MA. Tami and Yaron had come to the States from Israel, so that Tami could work and Yaron could study. Although Tami and Yaron returned to Israel after a few years, Pentheus has stayed close with them, and when I married Pentheus, I became friends with them as well. We've made sure to see them every time we've been in Israel, and they often came to Jerusalem to visit with us in 2012. Tami and Yaron have 4 kids, 3 boys ranging from ages 17 to 12, and 1 little girl, Zohar, age 5. I am crazy about Zohar!!

The WK and I spent two night with the Selas in Ra'anana. On Monday night, for my birthday, they took us to Moshav B'nei Tzion, near Moshav Batsra, (east of the city of Netanya),where there is an amazing restaurant, Daniel and Gouje, for an awesome dinner. The views were beautiful, and the food was great. They even served me dessert with a sparkler as a candle. It was very sweet. The next day and a half, we pretty much hung out with the family. We watched a few movies. I played a lot with Zohar and the WK played way too much Playstation FIFA with Ori, the 12-year old. The WK swam in the pool with Ori, and one evening we went to the mall and did errands.It was fairly low-key while we were there, but it was good just to hang out and talk with friends.

At 6:30 am the first morning we were there (Tuesday morning), another azaka woke us up. It's frightening and hard to realize that the azakot were part of Israeli daily life, even for us in on vacation. We all moved into Yaron's study which is specifically designed to be the merchav mugan. Zohar was crying, and the WK and I were pretty startled as well by the azaka. I hadn't expected another azaka. This time, however, the azaka was not a false alarm. A little bit after the sound of the azaka ended, we heard two "booms"as the Kippat Barzel (Iron Dome. "kippa" is the same word as the head covering) intercepted the missile. From that point, we all went back to bed, as if nothing had happened. It felt very strange. Later that day, a hafskat-aish (cease-fire and truce) was declared, and at that point, Operation Protective Edge ended. Apparently, right before a hafsakat-aish has been announced, there have often been additional rockets, as if Hamas wanted to show that they could still fight and were undeterred in their goals. Somehow that isn't a very comforting thought. The prevailing view of everyone with whom I spoke is that there will be another war in a few more years and that there will not be a real peace. I find that so depressing and bleak.

The WK and I left Ra'anana early Wednesday afternoon and headed to Ben Gurion Airport. Along the way, Tami called to tell me that we had left some things at their house, including some presents and the WK's beach/shower shoes. The cab driver tried to convince me that we had enough time to turn around, go back to Ra'anana, and retrieve the stuff, but I was too nervous about arriving at the airport late. Of course, we ended up having plenty of time at the airport, but that's okay. Tami will send the things via doar (mail).

I was very sad to leave Israel but glad to know that we would be returning in 8 months. (Yikes! A lot to do before then!!) The WK and I had an uneventful flight from Tel Aviv to Frankfurt. We had intentionally booked our return flight so that we had almost a full day layover in Frankfurt. We arrived in Frankfurt around 8:30 pm but by the time we got our luggage and walked a very, very long way to the Hilton Garden in the Frankfurt Airport it was after 9:30. We grabbed a pretty bad and way too expensive dinner in the hotel restaurant, but had a good night's sleep (although not long enough) in their very comfortable beds. (The WK wanted to make sure I put that part in!) The WK and I spent the day in Frankfurt. We had buffet breakfast at the hotel, exchanged a little money, and figured out how to buy train passes for the day. The train ride was around 15 minutes from the airport station to Hauptwache (pronounced "Hopt-swatche"), the heart of downtown shopping district. We (and by "we" I mainly mean the WK) used the German map of the city and found our way to the Jewish Museum. The Jewish Museum was okay. I am not sure if we didn't love it because of the museum itself, or because we were tired and at the end of our 10 day trip, probably a combination of things. I was very glad we went though. I must admit, it felt strange to be in Germany, especially after having been at the Jewish Museum and reading about all of the restrictions and difficulties in being Jewish in Germany, not to mention, of course, the Holocaust. The Jewish Museum had a temporary exhibit about the Jewish Attorney General Fritz Bauer, who prosecuted Nazis for war crimes following World War II.

From the Jewish Museum, the WK and I took a few different trains back to the airport station We picked up our luggage being stored at the Hilton Garden and headed to the airport terminal. After checking our bags and eating some lunch, we found a way to use up the rest of our Euros (fancy liquorice and chocolates, plus a neat gift for the CK) before we boarded the plane to return to Boston. Pentheus and the CK met us at the airport. So good to see them! So that's it for now. I know this blog hasn't been as interesting or as insightful as when we lived in Jerusalem, but I've enjoyed writing it. Hopefully someone has enjoyed reading it!