Shalom,
Sorry for not writing this long, I have been on vacations!
As I said I traveled to Jerusalem for Jom Kippur. After I woke up very early and made my first meal in the kitchen alone, it was quiet comfortable in kitchen when they aren't 7 people who wants to cook, I took the bus, which was surprisingly punctual. During the way I slept, so I didn't see much of the landscape. I arrived at the bus central station and tried to took the bus to the friend of my family, we know from my hometown Mainz. I am writing, that I tried, because I waited 1 1/2 for bus which finally let me in. The others just had been full or just didn't wanted to stop. Because of the fact, that this friend, her name is Ulrike, do not exactly live in Jerusalem, she lives in a little town called Gilo, half an hour away from Jerusalem by bus, I made a whole tour through Jerusalem.
I must say I expected a different first impression. I knew, that my imagination of a highly religious town, where there are just old buildings, synagogues, churches, mosques, everybody is wearing long closes and generally there is an extremely intensive religious feeling 'in the air', was never a realistic version of Jerusalem in the secular word we are living in. So I was really surprised by all the 'short-and-kippot-wearing-smoking-people', by the building works for skyscrapers and also by the size of Israel. It is very big. Of course it is and I knew it is that big, but I think the stereotypes in my head leaded me to think, that Jerusalem is like a little very religious town.
Once I finished my unintentional tour, I arrived at Ulrikes and Hannahs (her 25 year old daughter) apartment. We talked much about me, my voluntary, about Israel and the political situation. I realized, that I have no idea, what is politically going on here. After that I downloaded few news applications and newsletter. To my surprise Ulrike has an very old but very good piano. That made me very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very
very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very
very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very happy. You can imagine , what I have done the whole day.
Ulrike was preparing the meal for the evening, our last meal for the next 25 hours.
Right, I wanted the really fast this time. Not as in my home town, where I drank water and watched films, no I wanted to really fast. No no food, no drinks, no music, no electronic.
I think for those, who do not know I have to explain a little bit what Jom Kippur is about:
Jom Kippur is the highest holy day in Judaism. You can translate it known as the "day of atonement". At this day orthodox and liberal jews, even not religious people are going to the synagogue for beging for forgiveness, for forgiving others, for atonement, repentance, for thinking about live and for making a break in the year to look, what they reached, what they wanted to reach, what failed and what succeeded. Besides very intensive praying, you fast for 25 hours.
( Want to know more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur ... Yeah I know It is just wikipedia)
So we ate our "last meal" which is always noodle salat at Ulrike and we went to the synagogue. As I said for Roshashana, it is very different to what I know from Mainz.
First of all I have to mention the construction of the synagogue. In the Judaism there are several directions. Sephardic jews are jews from Africa and askenazi jews, like me, are jews from middle ,east and north Europe. The synagogue was divided in three parts. For every group of jews, Ashkenazi, Sephardic and ultraorthodox.
Why was it different to what I know. Well everybody there speaks Hebrew, not Russian or German like in our community. The separation between woman and men is strict, and really everybody knows what we are praying and sings very loud and fully hearted. Some people helped me out and what I really enjoyed was the part where you "beat away your sins". At this moment you knock on your chest, right about your heart, once for every sin. When they are 200 loud, religious people doing this at the same time, the feeling or community, cohesion and believing is very big. I did not know the words, but I knocked as everybody and were just happy to be here. Other people were wondering why I keep smiling the whole time.
We went back and talked into the night. The next day we slept very long, because you do not want to stay awake long, if you have to fast everything. I read a whole book, made my homework's, walked through the town and thought about my live, my voluntary, my future, my family, my grandfather, my friends, everything. It has been a long time I really just stopped for a day and thought about everything.
It was really liberating.
On Jom Kippur you are not allowed to drive cars. So the streets had been empty and the children were taking their bicycles and had been riding on the highway. It is a beautiful picture seeing all the children and adults meeting on the streets. Sadly I was not allowed to take photos because of fasting, but you can imagine ;).
In the evening we went to the synagogue again. Again it was really impressive and after that the fasting was finally finished. We went home and the first thing Ulrike and Hanna did was drinking water. Well I played piano..., then I took water and we ate. When you "break" fasting after 25 hours I thought, I would eat something in second I was allowed to, but no. We took our time and waited until everybody was ready and the meal was served. I got known to Ulrikes friend who comes from the same city as my grandfather and speaks French, so again I hade to talk in English, German and French. It was a good evening and a good end for Jom Kippur.
The next day I wanted to visit Ulrike at her work place, the Yad Vashem (holocaust museum), but about that I will tell you in the next blog.
For conclusion I have to say, that it is not very difficult to fast 25 hours if you really want to do this. Respect to the other volunteers who fasted for themselves.
It is really a liberating feeling just to stop for one day and I highly recommend it to you. Just stop for one day, turn everything off and ask yourself:
Who you are? Whom to forgive? Whom to ask for forgiveness? What succeeded in your life? What failed? What do you want to reach and what happened unexpected? What to appreciate? Who are your friends, your truly friends? Why are their your friends? Whom to say thank you? Realize your Family and be thankful for everything.
I know this paragraph was extremely corny and exaggerated, but it is not wrong.
Just stand still for a moment and look where you are.
Lehitraot,
SK
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