Happy new year! What? Too early for you? Not if you're Jewish. Tonight is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, and the beginning of the High Holy Days. From what I understand, now until Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), there are ten days of repentance. Our Jewish friends are encouraged to take some time to be introspective, forgiving, and to think about the last year. One Jewish writer talks about the Holy Days at her blog.
So this week is a short work week here as well, though not for Labor Day. Then, in two weeks we'll have Sukkot (a harvest festival, aka the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles). The first and last day are non-work days. Sukkot is the holiday where they build temporary dwellings (sukkahs) outside or on a balcony. You may have seen the movie Ushpizin. In Ushpizin, they are celebrating Sukkot. If you haven't seen the movie, you should! Sukkot is actually exciting for us this year because we have our own visitors coming. We are very excited to have Shawn's sister and mom come just after the holiday starts.
We are also about to wrap up the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. A month of fasting during daylight hours. My muslim friend who also gave birth this year said its a little crazy for them during the fast. Many of them have slightly different schedules during the holiday (though she, as a nursing mom, is not fasting) and then the last fews days of the holiday are busy and the last day of the fast is quite a feast (every year it lands on different days and this year it lands on Sept. 10 and 11th).
Well, happy holidays to my Muslim and Jewish friends.
Showing posts with label Judaism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Judaism. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Women covering the head, shoulders, knees and...toes?
With Jews, Muslims and Christians all in one crazy city, when we first came here I used to wonder, "should I be wearing a head covering?" But there is no law (as there might be in a Muslim city/country) saying what I have to wear, and what I do wear may actually speak volumes on what I believe.
For the woman wearing a hijab, obviously Muslim. I am no expert, but a nice head covering but showing the neck (and wearing sleeves past her elbows and a skirt), is probably a kind of orthodox Jew. Another orthodox covering is a wig. I have become pretty good at recognizing these wigs by the similar hair cut (neck to just touching shoulder length, slightly layered at the face, probably no bangs, and usually a dark brown color - this is the style right now). These orthodox women shave their heads and the wigs are their head coverings (and are probably wearing long sleeves, dark skirts, and maybe stockings to cover their ankles). For Jewish women, covering their head is something they do when they get married.
A kippah for Jewish women seems to be a whole different story. I've only seen one woman wear a kippah. She's an unmarried student here at the university (from the States), and I think she is either Reformed Jewish or Conservative Jewish (keep in mind that the words "Reformed" and "Conservative" have very different meanings in Judaism). Here in Israel she gets asked often if she's a boy. I've also heard that some feminist Jews encourage female Jews to wear kippahs.
But what about me? When I cover my head its with a hat to keep out the sun (which usually identifies me as a tourist!), otherwise an uncovered woman here will probably be seen as a secular Jew, an unmarried religious Jew if dressing very modestly, or a Christian. It also depends on where I am at the moment. In the West Bank its pretty easy to see who is a Christian woman as the hijab is very popular for Muslims right now.
I do try make sure I am respectful and modestly dressed according to specific areas of the city. In the old city, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Western Wall (Kotel), and the Temple Mount all have dress requirements and I can satisfy them all by covering my shoulders and wearing a skirt that covers the knees. Although I tend to cover the elbows and wear a skirt that goes down to the ankles if I am visiting these sites. In East Jerusalem and Arab neighborhoods I make sure I cover my shoulders, and if I ever go to Mea Shearim (I haven't been inside this neighborhood except on a bus), I'll be wearing long sleeves, a long skirt, and covering my collar bone because of their specific dress code.
By the way, different religious folks may have requirements for the feet, but I've yet to hear of anyone being offended of my showing off of the toes.
For the woman wearing a hijab, obviously Muslim. I am no expert, but a nice head covering but showing the neck (and wearing sleeves past her elbows and a skirt), is probably a kind of orthodox Jew. Another orthodox covering is a wig. I have become pretty good at recognizing these wigs by the similar hair cut (neck to just touching shoulder length, slightly layered at the face, probably no bangs, and usually a dark brown color - this is the style right now). These orthodox women shave their heads and the wigs are their head coverings (and are probably wearing long sleeves, dark skirts, and maybe stockings to cover their ankles). For Jewish women, covering their head is something they do when they get married.
A kippah for Jewish women seems to be a whole different story. I've only seen one woman wear a kippah. She's an unmarried student here at the university (from the States), and I think she is either Reformed Jewish or Conservative Jewish (keep in mind that the words "Reformed" and "Conservative" have very different meanings in Judaism). Here in Israel she gets asked often if she's a boy. I've also heard that some feminist Jews encourage female Jews to wear kippahs.
But what about me? When I cover my head its with a hat to keep out the sun (which usually identifies me as a tourist!), otherwise an uncovered woman here will probably be seen as a secular Jew, an unmarried religious Jew if dressing very modestly, or a Christian. It also depends on where I am at the moment. In the West Bank its pretty easy to see who is a Christian woman as the hijab is very popular for Muslims right now.
I do try make sure I am respectful and modestly dressed according to specific areas of the city. In the old city, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Western Wall (Kotel), and the Temple Mount all have dress requirements and I can satisfy them all by covering my shoulders and wearing a skirt that covers the knees. Although I tend to cover the elbows and wear a skirt that goes down to the ankles if I am visiting these sites. In East Jerusalem and Arab neighborhoods I make sure I cover my shoulders, and if I ever go to Mea Shearim (I haven't been inside this neighborhood except on a bus), I'll be wearing long sleeves, a long skirt, and covering my collar bone because of their specific dress code.
By the way, different religious folks may have requirements for the feet, but I've yet to hear of anyone being offended of my showing off of the toes.
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| Nails and pedi by sister-in-law Crystal |
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Pesach
Note: I am going to be dropping a few Hebrew and Jewish terms in this post, but I'll try to make sure there is an explanatory link with each unfamiliar (highlighted) term.
Our lovely Passover break has ended. We've really enjoyed Shawn having the time off from school. On Monday the 29th, Pesach (Passover) preparations were in full swing in Jerusalem with a burning smell outside. I thought that it smelled like garbage burning and sure enough, I read later that its customary to burn any remaining Chametz (leaven) before Pasach starts in the evening. The Jewish grocery store had blocked off all cereal, oats, pasta, bread, and anything with grains or made with corn syrup. Apparently, soda needs to be changed for Pesach and its not just High Fructose Corn Syrup that's the problem (see this post with many interesting comments). The Ashkenazi (Jews from Western and Central Europe) have different standards when it comes to what actually is Chametz, compared to other Jews (like the Sephardi who don't have a problem with corn during Pesach). Our host for the Seder dinner on Monday night said Chametz is anything that when wet begins to ferment, and while technically Matza could do that as well, its the only bread-like food they are supposed to eat for the whole Pesach. For some Ashkenazi, dry beans and rice are not supposed to be eaten either. As you can imagine, preparation for Pesach includes a thorough spring cleaning, especially in the kitchen, and many, like our host family, have a whole separate set of dishes and cooking pots and pans just for Pesach.
Usually when someone is invited to an Israeli's home for a dinner (like a Shabbat dinner), guests bring a small gift for the host (flowers, candy, wine). But because of the complications and differences with Chametz, our host asked us not to bring any gifts to the dinner in case we mistakenly brought Chametz. I was a little nervous about the evening at first, but it was a fun experience. Our evening with the host family started at about 7pm with joining them at their Synagogue just down the street from their home. The service was entirely in Hebrew and included many songs and prayers and reciting of the Hallel (Psalm 113-118). Our host family was Orthodox so the men and women sat separately in the Synagogue (however, they were not Ultra-Orthodox or Charedi so their dress was modern). The host mother found a Siddur (Jewish prayer book) in English for me so I could follow along with the service, but I was lost the most of the time! Shawn did much better of course. After the service, which lasted about an hour, we came back to their home for the Seder.
When we signed up through the university to have a Seder dinner with a Jewish family, we didn't know we would be so lucky to have a Midrash (Jewish teachings/allegory on the bible) teacher and Professor for a host! He is currently taking a year off from teaching at the university to write a book. I had told our host ahead of time that we were unfamiliar with Synagogues and Seders, so he was prepared for us and explained the whole night wonderfully. From the lighting of the candles at the beginning of evening (this is done by the mother every Shabbat and holiday) to the four cups of wine and order of the meal. While his teenage and college age children were fairly bored with his lectures ("oh, Abba" the youngest would say if he went too long), Shawn and I were thrilled to hear all about it. Everyone grabbed a Haggadah (Seder book) and followed along with our host with the order of the meal - hand washing, symbolic foods as appetizers, Matza, blessings, soup, main dish, prayers, and songs. (Be sure to read the Wikipedia article on the Passover Seder if you're interested in more detail. We've been borrowing the "Penguin Dictionary of Judaism" and it also has really helpful entries on Passover Seder, and Chametz.) The night ended at about 1:15am and we called a taxi to take us home. Apparently, its normal for Seder dinners to run well into the early morning. Fascinating night!
The first and last day of Pesach were days of rest (very much like two extra Shabbats) so the whole week was pretty quiet on the French Hill. We were wondering, what do the burger joints, pizza places, and bagel shops do for Pesach with all the restrictions? Well, at least on the French Hill, they take a vacation. And why not, right? The staff probably want to be with their family for holiday anyway, and its one of the highest holy days of the Jewish calendar so many folks take the whole week to visit family like we might do as Christians with Christmas time.
Next up - - Good Friday and Easter
Our lovely Passover break has ended. We've really enjoyed Shawn having the time off from school. On Monday the 29th, Pesach (Passover) preparations were in full swing in Jerusalem with a burning smell outside. I thought that it smelled like garbage burning and sure enough, I read later that its customary to burn any remaining Chametz (leaven) before Pasach starts in the evening. The Jewish grocery store had blocked off all cereal, oats, pasta, bread, and anything with grains or made with corn syrup. Apparently, soda needs to be changed for Pesach and its not just High Fructose Corn Syrup that's the problem (see this post with many interesting comments). The Ashkenazi (Jews from Western and Central Europe) have different standards when it comes to what actually is Chametz, compared to other Jews (like the Sephardi who don't have a problem with corn during Pesach). Our host for the Seder dinner on Monday night said Chametz is anything that when wet begins to ferment, and while technically Matza could do that as well, its the only bread-like food they are supposed to eat for the whole Pesach. For some Ashkenazi, dry beans and rice are not supposed to be eaten either. As you can imagine, preparation for Pesach includes a thorough spring cleaning, especially in the kitchen, and many, like our host family, have a whole separate set of dishes and cooking pots and pans just for Pesach.
Usually when someone is invited to an Israeli's home for a dinner (like a Shabbat dinner), guests bring a small gift for the host (flowers, candy, wine). But because of the complications and differences with Chametz, our host asked us not to bring any gifts to the dinner in case we mistakenly brought Chametz. I was a little nervous about the evening at first, but it was a fun experience. Our evening with the host family started at about 7pm with joining them at their Synagogue just down the street from their home. The service was entirely in Hebrew and included many songs and prayers and reciting of the Hallel (Psalm 113-118). Our host family was Orthodox so the men and women sat separately in the Synagogue (however, they were not Ultra-Orthodox or Charedi so their dress was modern). The host mother found a Siddur (Jewish prayer book) in English for me so I could follow along with the service, but I was lost the most of the time! Shawn did much better of course. After the service, which lasted about an hour, we came back to their home for the Seder.
When we signed up through the university to have a Seder dinner with a Jewish family, we didn't know we would be so lucky to have a Midrash (Jewish teachings/allegory on the bible) teacher and Professor for a host! He is currently taking a year off from teaching at the university to write a book. I had told our host ahead of time that we were unfamiliar with Synagogues and Seders, so he was prepared for us and explained the whole night wonderfully. From the lighting of the candles at the beginning of evening (this is done by the mother every Shabbat and holiday) to the four cups of wine and order of the meal. While his teenage and college age children were fairly bored with his lectures ("oh, Abba" the youngest would say if he went too long), Shawn and I were thrilled to hear all about it. Everyone grabbed a Haggadah (Seder book) and followed along with our host with the order of the meal - hand washing, symbolic foods as appetizers, Matza, blessings, soup, main dish, prayers, and songs. (Be sure to read the Wikipedia article on the Passover Seder if you're interested in more detail. We've been borrowing the "Penguin Dictionary of Judaism" and it also has really helpful entries on Passover Seder, and Chametz.) The night ended at about 1:15am and we called a taxi to take us home. Apparently, its normal for Seder dinners to run well into the early morning. Fascinating night!
The first and last day of Pesach were days of rest (very much like two extra Shabbats) so the whole week was pretty quiet on the French Hill. We were wondering, what do the burger joints, pizza places, and bagel shops do for Pesach with all the restrictions? Well, at least on the French Hill, they take a vacation. And why not, right? The staff probably want to be with their family for holiday anyway, and its one of the highest holy days of the Jewish calendar so many folks take the whole week to visit family like we might do as Christians with Christmas time.
Next up - - Good Friday and Easter
Friday, February 26, 2010
Purim - Party weekend
This Sunday and Monday Shawn has off from school for Purim. Its time for a Jewish holiday (though not one of the high holy days) where the goal is to get so drunk that you can't tell the difference between Haman and Mordecai. Ha ha! No, really. Both the religious and secular Jews see this as a great opportunity to tip the bottle in celebration. LeChi'im! (to life!) The above statement about getting drunk is actually an adaptation of a discussion found in the Rabbinical writings. The particular Rabbi who made this statement was probably speaking hyperbole, but the clear injunction is to imbibe a great deal of alcohol in the feasting.Although for the kids its probably exciting because when the story of Esther is read (the Magilla), every time Haman is mentioned the whole crowd boos or uses their noise makers to make a racket. The costumes are fun too. Actually they have a lot of activities for kids, but all I hear about is the parties advertised around the university.
What I find the most interesting is that Jerusalem celebrates on Monday, while other cities celebrate on Sunday. Why? For the answer I am going to have to send you to Wikipedia. Its complicated, isn't it?
A good blog post about Purim is this one. So Tel Aviv!
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