I'm home again after the usual 24+ hours travel, and I think it's safe to write again, now that my brain is working. As always, on returning from anytime overseas, I find that all that has happened has this dream-like quality to it; I feel as if I never really went away at all. Writing about stuff helps to fix it into time I guess, and makes it seem real.
So Israel is as awesome as ever, and the people are generally as crazy as ever, especially in Jerusalem, and I had a great time as ever, and I ate too much, as ever. In 3+ weeks I attended, in no particular order, an engagement, a Brit Milah, a wedding, an Opsheiren and a bar mitzvah; ate out at least once a day, and, on one memorable day, 3 times; met a long-lost relative; visited elderly relatives; hung out with 2 married kids trying to have D&M discussions about stuff; visited various institutions who either wanted to show us what our donations had achieved or would achieve, because they want more money to achieve even more; and spoke to about 20 other people representing 20 other organizations who wanted to meet us/show us their worthy efforts and how our donations would help them do even more worthy things. In other words, a typical visit to Israel. Is this a holiday? Yes. A vacation? In the sense of the word 'vacate', ie, time to do nothing? Nope.
Anyway, in this blur of activity a few things stick out.
Yad Vashem is amazing. Take a tour, whoever you are.
There are a lot of beggars in Jerusalem. Some wear tatters and shake a cup at you, some busk in the streets and some - most - wear suits and make appointments.
There are a lot of crazy people in Jerusalem. It either attracts crazy people or makes people crazy, probably both.
Snow in Jerusalem is remarkable (but as with all urban snow, awful when it turns into dirty slush).
Taxi drivers are all philosophers and experts on politics.
There is no such thing as an Israeli without a political opinion.
For a largely tourist-based economy, the quality of service everywhere is terrible. Even in the fanciest hotels, the cluelessness of even the concierges makes me wonder what the hell they teach them in hospitality school. Coffee shops and restaurants 'kal vechomer'. I think that the Israelis can learn one or two things from the Arabs, and hospitality would have to be one. If there is ever a great Arab tradition, that's it. My mother used to tell me that her father (born and raised in Tzefat) told her that when you were in the home of an Arab, he would treat you like a king. Never mind that once you left his tent, he might kill you, or you were a sworn enemy; in his home, you would be honoured. That's what they need to teach in hospitality school! (Not the killing bit, the honouring bit.)
Jerusalem is for everyone. Even in the days of the Beit HaMikdash the goyim (literally, the 'nations') were welcome to make sacrifices to HaShem and worship. And today, it is unbelievable who comes and tours. I guess they are all monotheists, pilgrims, whatever.
Groups of Africans in matching bright fabrics printed with the face of Jesus. (If you are going to print the face of Jesus on your clothes, you would think that whoever sewed the clothes would make sure that Jesus wouldn't be on the butt, but it seems in Nigeria etc they don't worry about that. Strange placements of the face of Jesus are pretty funny.)
A group of ecstatic Chinese dancing a hora with 2 soldiers, and singing 'Shabbat Shalom' last Friday night at the Kotel. I asked one young man where they were from: Beijing, Shenzan, other mainland China places. Then he put his hands over his heart, closed his eyes for a second, beamed a huge smile, and said 'Jerusalem...I love!'
Many years ago I was on Ben Yehuda St when a parade went by; Japanese pilgrims, the women all dressed up in kimono, playing piano accordions and drums and singing 'Shalom Aleichem', on their way to the Kotel to pray and dance. (Actually, and I'm not making this up, they were singing 'Heivenu sharom areichem'.) It was surreal. But stuff like that happens every day there.
Jerusalem...I love!
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