Yom Kippur in Jerusalem

I sometimes get the feeling that Otzma tries to fabricate religious experiences for us. Clearly, Yom Kippur in Jerusalem is not like Yom Kippur anywhere else in Israel. Still, it was rather incredible. There were almost no moving cars on the road, traffic lights were off, every store was closed, the city was dead. Except for all the people walking to and from shul, or the kids whizzing by on their bicycles.

As far as I know, everyone on Otzma fasted. This was not imposed upon us, ut if you did not bring your own food, it would have been rather difficult to find any. At the pre-fast meal in the youth hostel, I chatted briefly with the Arab kitchen staff. They were in the middle of Ramadan. It's a bit different, but they do this every day for a month. Wow.

Erev Yom Kippur, for Kol Nidre, Ben, Fievel (our madrich) and I went to a small Italian Sephardic shul. It was very nice, on the second floor of a museum, which was a bit strange. Also, not only were the melodies different, but even the WORDS to Kol Nidre were different. So that was a bit disappointing. Still, it was a worthwhile experience. We saw 3 people fall asleep in the service, and we heard the rabbi list a bunch of Italian names. After the service, Ben and I met up with some other Otzmanikim and went to the Kotel, which was cool. Tried to think about my sins and all.

The next day I slept through morning services, missing them for the first time in my life. I spent the day suffering through the fast, chatting and walking around and then laying out in a park. Ben, Jen H and I went to the King David hotel for Ne-ilah services, and then afterword snuck in to their buffet break-fast. This was awesome: elaborate breads and cheeses, lox and fruits and cakes, freshly squeezed orange juice and delicious Yoplait yogourt. This was vastly superior to the dreck Otzma would serve later, so this was a wise decision.

That evening, went to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf with Ben, Michelle and Ben's friend Dan. Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is an LA chain that for some reason exists in Israel. They were playing LA news on the television, and the chasiers all spoke to us in English immediately. It didn't feel like Israel. Then again, a lot of Yom Kippur didn't really feel like Israel, or not the Israel I was used to. Usually, the only religious people I encounter here are North Americans, or maybe Brits. I'm generalizing of course, but you get the idea. Still, the Yom Kippur experience wasn't a North American experience either. I still don't really know what to make of it.