Two very different meals

Not much to do here on Shabbat: the buses don't run in Jerusalem, no stores are open (most are not) and not much else going on. Lots of synagogues open, though. In Boston, we used to say, "if you're in Boston, you'll see a Dunkin' Donuts on every corner." Here, there are shuls of every size -- one-room, multi-story, massive, small --on every corner, practically. Behind our apartment building, there are two orthodox synagogues, side by side! Anyway, what a lot of people do on shabbat is...eat!

We were invited to a shabbat lunch after synagogue by a friend of Aaron's from Ulpan. Aaron's friend, Baruch, is a modern orthodox rabbi in Florida, spending two years here with his wife and kids. They invited us for lunch, which he said would start at about 12noon, and end around 3pm. We didn't believe him. But it did! It was actually quite lovely -- they have 5 kids and lots and lots of space in their apartment for our kids to play. I would have to say it's the first time I can remember spending Shabbas with orthodox Jews in about 15 years. I was so nervous about accidentally "working" in their house -- could I rinse off the dishes? Clear places? I felt like I was in a parallel, not too different from mine, universe. The funny thing that I did not expect is: I really liked them A LOT! I even made plans with Baruch's wife to get together. I think that, aside from how we practice our Judaism, we may have a lot in common in the way we think about the world.

Later, after we were stuffed to the gils, we met other friends at a park in Jerusalem (the one with the alligator) for a picnic/early dinner they arranged. Five families joined us, and aside from the Askanases, one parent from each family is a first-year student at Hebrew Union College, the reform Judaism rabbinical school. I was was more at home with the referm Jews, as that is how I was raised, and the laid-back picnic in the park was a perfect way to end this hot-hot-hot day.

I was commenting to Aaron recently that in Jerusalem, it's hard to be "in the middle" in how one practices Judaism. It's very, very easy to fall in with the orthodox community, and easy to call oneself a "secular" Jew. The City, in its nature, almost pulls you to one extreme or the other. But to be in the middle -- there doesn't seem to be too many of us.

We're figuring it out. Meanwhile, we sure ate well!