So yes, it was my birthday. For interest's sake, I've now celebrated my birthday in 5 countries; South Africa, Australia, Belgium, England, and now Israel. Yay for me.
I had a great day, complete with cocktails, dancing and cake - yes it was KLP (Kosher le Pesach). Which brings me to my point. Oh the joys of having a birthday smack bang in the middle of Pesach (Passover). It is something to be lamented, topped only by having your birthday and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement - a day where Jews will fast for 25 hours. No food, no water, nada) fall on the same day. This is a less regular occurrence though, so I wish those Yom Kippur birthday people would stop whinging. My birthday is during Pesach about once every four years, thanks to the festival lasting a whole week, meaning the odds are increased. My poor sister's birthday is in Pesach about three times in five years. That's pretty unlucky.
You'd think that Pesach in Israel would be more holy, right? Wrong. Apart from some establishments being closed for the duration of the holiday, and supermarkets/convenience stores covering their chometz (non-KLP stuff) shelves, you wouldn't really even know it's Pesach. Restaurants are still busy, bars still sell beer and whiskey, and...people still eat bread!
What the? Did I miss something here? Israel, the Holy Land, the land to which our ancestors came to because it was promised to them, is distinctly less holy when it comes to keeping Pesach. My theory as to why this is, is because Jews living in the Diaspora are not in Israel (duh Lauren), they feel they have to practise their religion more devoutly than their HL-dwelling counterparts. And the Israelis, purely because they live in Israel, feel they have to do less "Jew-wise" because they're already fulfilling the mitzvah (blessing) of living in Israel. Perplexing, isn't it?
One of the major benefits of being in Israel for Pesach is the fact you only have to do one seder (ritual meal where the story of Exodus is retold). Nobody needs to eat that much food two nights in a row. And, unless you're religious, your seder is substantially shorter than what us Diasporans are used to. I'll drink four cups of wine to that!
The first day of chag (festival) is comparable to Christmas Day. Everything is closed (except AM PM which is like 7Eleven). Even the famous Shuk Ha'Carmel (Carmel Market) is closed and Meital and I were walking back from the beach when I noticed this. This major junction in Tel Aviv, which is normally bustling and packed with people, was almost completely void of people. It was like a ghost town and was very eerie. Melbournians, I guess you could compare it to the Flinders/Swanston intersection not having anyone there, no one outside the station, no one in Fed Square...it's odd, trust me.
Only a few more days left of Pesach before it's done and dusted for another year. How time flies. It was pretty cool doing the seder when I've only just been to Egypt. Look at that, I relived the Exodus ;)
Final thought for this blog...
It goes without saying that a seder in Israel with an Israeli family will be conducted in Hebrew. I am still learning and while I'm progressing, I'm still a novice when it comes to the language. So I could follow the proceedings thanks to having done this twice a year, every year, since I was born, but I was still a bit lost. Until they started singing the songs that accompany the story. I could sing every song, as most had the same tune that we use in Australia, which left me with the biggest smile on my face. While we were singing and clapping, I was thinking to myself, "this is what binds us". So while my smile was partly due to me enjoying the festive nature of the seder, it was also because I was loving the fact that no matter where you come from, no matter how you've been brought up, no matter what your background, be it Ashkenazi ( Eastern European) or Sephardi (Spanish/Middle Eastern), a Jew is a Jew. And we all celebrate these chagim (festivals) around the world, on the same day, with the same rituals. And that's a beautiful thing.
http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3867776,00.html
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