Hitting the ground running --July 16, 17,18, 19

I arrived in Tel Aviv at 2:30 PM and was met by a friend of a friend who took me to Jerusalem. We found the apartment at 61 Ussishkin St. where I will be staying as of this Friday. We parked the car and walked around the neighborhood. There is a tiny grocery store that seems to have much of what I will need. Then we walked towards Agron St and the Fuchsberg Center. It is about 15 minutes away and very hilly.
I met Esther who runs the office at the Yeshivah and also met Rabbi Goldfarb, the director.
Wednesday and Thursday nights, I am staying with friends Yossie and Sylvie Pinhasi in Ramot. They have a beautiful apartment high on a hill where a cool breeze makes it very comfortable.
With all our walking about I did not get to the Pinhasi’s until 6:00. Yossie invited me to attend a lecture and concert so despite the jet lag, I went along. On our way there, after parking a few blocks away, we passed what must be an old newspaper and magazine stand with the front boarded up. The side door was open and hanging on the door were great hanks of multi-colored shoelaces. Sitting at the door was an ancient fellow who turned out to be a shoemaker. From inside the tiny, crowded, brightly lighted shop could be heard a radio with what I thought was news in Hebrew. This stopped Yossie who went up to talk to the cobbler. As it turns out, it was the Voice of Israel that broadcasts news in Farsi directed towards Iran. Iranians often call the station to talk vent their dissatisfaction with their government.
The event was at a beautiful new cultural center on King George St. called Bet Avichai (www.bac.org.il). This place hosts lectures, art exhibits, and a reading room. The event I attended was about hazzanut. The large theater-style auditorium was filled with cantorial music lovers of all ages. The lecture, and the entire program, were in Hebrew so I did not quite understand everything but I could figure out what they were talking about. There was a professor lecturing and about half a dozen cantors sang –some better than others. But all were very interesting. Most engaging were a pair that did Sephardic music. They did selections of tefillah from Morocco, Turkey, and Syria accompanying themselves on an oude.
Afterwards, Yossie took me on a private tour of the Jewish Agency. He was the engineer who designed the lighting systems that illuminate the exterior as well as the large meeting spaces inside. I am very impressed with his work. The building is very impressive and filled with pictures of Israeli notables. At one time, this building housed the major government office and was the site of many meeting at the formation of the state of Israel.
At 11 o’clock we got back to the Pinhasi’s apartment when I finally got a shower and a great night’s sleep.
I spent Thursday relaxing at the Pinhasi’s while they were at work. Thursday night I attended a wine tasting outside the Israel Museum which is closed for renovation. There were hundreds of different Israeli wines and cheeses to taste and buy. There was also a food booth serving very generous portions. I went with Sylvie as Yossie took his mother to a concert. To get home, we took the bus through downtown Jerusalem. Even that was fun.
Friday was moving day . After picking up some groceries in the tiniest of stores, Yossie took me to Ussishkin St. This upstairs apartment is very nice with everything I could need, even a mirpeset. Interestingly, the water heater is on a timer. You have to start it before you take a shower and set it to turn off after no more than 120 minutes.
Friday night was mincha, kaballat Shabbat, maariv, and a dinner at the Fuchsberg. Services were beautifully led by young men and women. The 200 or so participants sang with spirited harmony to produce a near magical experience. After dinner we sang zemirot and benched. I sat with the Astors who were kind enough to walk me half way back home to make sure I did not miss my street.
Shabbos, I had a rare experience. I went back to Ramot and shul with Yossie. He attends the Beth Aaron synagogue where the Yerushalmi nusach is used. They started at 8 AM and said absolutely every word of the davening aloud. Pesukei d’zimrah were done by members of the congregation sitting around the wall of the round sanctuary. Just before Shochein Ad, a tag team of two cantors took over still saying every word out loud. The singing was enchanting. The Kohanim duchan at both shacharit and mussaf. During the duchaning, sons stood before their fathers and received a blessing much like Friday night. After the child received his blessing, he kissed his father’s hand. There was an auction for aliyoth, all of them including carrying the Torah and the rimonim. Yossie bought me an aliyah and reminded me to bench gomel for my trip which I did. I also bought some mi’sheberachs for my parents, wife, and children. The ba’alei keriah did a flawless job.
At the end of the service, before aleynu, they did the barchu again. Also, they do not stand for kaddish excepet the mourniners who stand for the mourners kaddish.
After shul, we went to visit a member who Yossie noticed was not in shul. We spent about an hour and a half in his back yard talking and enjoying some fruit. Then we went back home for a Shabbat lunch with the Pinhasis, and their children and grandchildren.