Semester 1/10: check

My first of ten semesters at HUC has come to a close, and I have an opportunity to give a brief update here before Donna and I leave for Paris, Zurich and Lucerne tomorrow morning.

This morning at services the Murstein synagogue was overflowing with so many Hanukkah visitors, Birthright groups and congregational tours that a second service was held in the Mo'adon (student lounge) to accommodate everybody. I chanted the Haftarah portion for the second Shabbat in Hanukkah, which is rarely heard because Hanukkah rarely contains two Shabbatot! It went well, especially considering it was the first time I had chanted a Haftarah since I became bar mitzvah twelve years ago.

Over the last several weeks, I've written a few papers, taken several exams, and seen much. The other evening while a group of us were walking through Meah Shearim, the most ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem, our poor guide was severely chastised by a black-hatted resident, who was very angry that we were violating the sanctity of their streets. Translated from the Hebrew, the man accused him of being an "evil one" and that we should "return to Germany" speedily and without delay. We did as he asked and paused to collect ourselves in the shadow of the Ethiopian church. In the course of our ensuing discussion, someone remarked upon the irony that a group of Jews should find sanctuary in a churchyard from the wrath of a fellow Jew. Perhaps, they continued, we as Reform Jews do indeed have more in common with Christians than with the ultra-Orthodox.

I don't know what I think about that sentiment. It's true that the 20 of us walked brazenly through Meah Shearim despite the sign that implores us not to, but we were not just some group of tourists. We wanted to see the Hanukkah lights ablaze in the doorways, and hopefully learn something about the way of life within them. The ultra-Orthodox in Israel are called haredim, in that they "tremble" before G-d, but that night I think we were trembling far more than they were.

I'm actually still trembling, but for a different reason: it's cold outside! The weather has definitely turned toward winter, complete with a chilly rain and cloudy skies today. We hope to see some snow in Switzerland, if not in Paris, and to show it off in photos to be posted right here. Stay tuned...