CATCHING UP ON THE YOM TOVIM

For a range of reasons, I wasn't able to update the blog for most of September, but here is a summary:

Rosh Hashanah. Made too much food - but it was good, George and Lina (and Talulah) came for second night dinner. Sharron was meant to come, but couldn't. Went to the beit knesset (synagogue) around the corner, which was very Sephardi with lots of secular Tel Avivians. It was good but interesting. Overall, it was only an 'OK' Rosh Hashanah.

Natalie (Krasnostein) arrived just before Yom Kippur...so great to see her! Nat and I now have a bit of a tradition of keeping each other company on YK, which is special. This year was just the same. The synagogue experience was good, although David didn't enjoy it so much...he thinks the Ashkenazim do Neila better. But I liked it.

We also witnessed the famous Tel Aviv Yom Kippur. Everything shuts down and there are no cars on the road - rumour has it that secular Israelis take up stone throwing at cars on YK - and as the evening progresses, all the local children come out on their bikes and ride around on the still streets, while all the adults enjoy the luxury of being able to wander up and down the middle of the streets. Very interesting experience, perhaps not very Yom Kippur, but interesting nonetheless.

Then we had Sukkot. We had the cutest sukkah on our balcony next to the kitchen. It was just big enough for David, Reuben and myself and it was so lovely sitting out in the sukkah in the glorious autumn weather. Like the rest of the Jewish world, we struggled with all the chagim, but we were fortunate to be only having to keep one day. Poor Rubes was struggling big time with having to keep two days.

The chagim ended and then it was Shabbat and then we had to get on a plane to fly to the US. It was all a bit much, really. In the meantime, we have left our flat in Natalie's capable and caring hands...