Shabbat in Jerusalem

Friday in Israel has a different feel even though it is a work day for many. There is a busy flow on the streets in many of the stores. Many people have the day off as they enjoy the new Israeli weekend; Friday and Saturday. In one part of town called the German Colony, due to early settlement by the order of Templars, there is an open air crafts and goods market. It is fun not only to browse but to talk to some of the artists. It is often a good place to pick up a gift if one is invited to Shabbat dinner.
One can't help but notice the beautiful bouquets of flowers sold on many street corners which are then used to beautify homes. There are now also more modern wine stores throughout the country which allow one to find better quality that is being produced in the new Israeli wine culture. Friday is the day when many of these shops offer tastings. Today on Emek Rephalim St I tasted one French Cahors (Malbec) and two Recanati reserve wines. The lunch places are crowded as many people eat lunch out and later will have their Shabbat dinner at home.
After a mid afternoon period of heavy traffic that too begins to diminish as the sun starts its descent in the sky. The side walks too become more sparsely populated. I took a 40 minute walk from my hotel to Congregation Kol HaNeshama one of the Reform congregations in Jerusalem. As I approached the entrance a taxi pulled up with 4 rabbis from the States who were here on their region's P2K mission. I knew two of them and sat with them in a service led by the synagogue's youth group which is part of Telem Noar, the equivalent of NFTY in Israel. They had three guitar players and two drummers. In attendance were a number of visiting groups including students from Brigham Young University as well as a congregation from Long Island. It was good to see a few rabbis from back home as well a number of people who reside in Jerusalem and belong to this congregation. After the service I was invited to a Shabbat dinner at the home of old friends. It is not unusual for people to invite a person or two extra to their home and there is never a shortage of food. It is a lovely custom when at services people check to see if others need Shabbat dinner invitations.
On Shabbat morning I walked over to HUC. They no longer have services every Saturday as a cost cutting issue. However, this Shabbat they did have totally student run services. The cantorial student had a great voice and there were two lovely divrei Torah. One spoke of our need not only to intend to do something but to actually make the effort and do it. The second professed that it is perfectly appropriate for rabbis to use tradition to discuss political issues. After the service at the kiddush the dean of the school Rabbi Naamah Kelman asked visiting rabbis and professionals to introduce themselves and tell why we were in Israel. People were quite interested that I was able to teach in public schools in Modi'in.
Afterwards I walked to a friends apartment to join them to go to a Shabbat lunch. Rabbi Stan and Resa Davids have been friends ever since I was in rabbinical school and worked at the Kutz Camp. Stan is the past president of ARZA and Resa who has been active in WRJ (Women of Reform Judaaism) has been instrumental in organizing many of the Israeli congregations to be part of WRJ. We actually went out to a special place, the American Colony Hotel in East Jerusalem. This is one of the grandest hotels in all of Jerusalem and was a British institution during the times of the British Mandate.. During the intifada times both Palestinians and news reporters used this as a base. More important, to say the least the food was wonderful.
As I walked back to the center of town and Ben Yehuda Street after Shabbat was over it was wonderful to see the crowds back on the street. For the previous 24 hours these streets were nearly empty but Saturday night they were alive and teeming with people and activity. The change from Friday's early activity to the peacefulness of Shabbat and then back to a lot of the activity cannot be missed. It truly was a Shabbat Shalom.