today is christmas and i wish all of you celebrating a wonderful holiday! in my family, we have a variety of non-traditional traditions surrounding christmas including ladies' spa day on christmas eve, a hike in muir woods and a trip to the zoo the following morning, chinese food on clement street and taking in a movie to round out christmas day. being jewish, i've never experienced the rush of excitement waiting to open presents under the tree, or advent calendars, or the beauty of midnight mass. this year, despite the fact that i live in the french capital of christmas (check it out, for real), i decided to leave my adoptive country and head to one of my homes to find different aspects of christmas: family, community and love.
my trip to israel was rather spontaneous - i only booked my flights about three weeks ago - and came out of many conversations with friends who were also going to be in the country at the same time. so, all the signs pointed towards ben gurion airport and, after a little validation, plans fell into place. i guess if i had to point to one theme of my week here so far it would be "it just felt right." this past week, i have felt something i haven't felt in a long, long time -- i was within a kehilla kedosha, a holy community. i believe that i've discussed moments of awe on this blog before; however, the ways in which this week has unfolded are beyond my comprehension and continue to tint my time in this holy space with my chosen and biological family with sparks of the divine.
there's something about israel that is difficult to articulate if you haven't experienced it firsthand. perhaps it's the idea that there are no boundaries - strangers come up to you and just begin conversations as if you're old friends. it may be the random people on vespas yelling shabbat shalom on friday afternoon, the feeling of meeting people and instantly finding a connection, or running into friends from all over the world in a country that is smaller than new jersey. it is perhaps the delightful mixture of kitsch and artisanal jewelry found at the shuk hacarmel. or the call to prayer from the local mosque along with the sound of the shofar celebrating a bar mitzvah at the kotel in jerusalem. maybe it's simply the fact that watching the sunset on the beaches of tel aviv is so beautiful that one can't help but feel like the world is theirs. it's a different world - one that is at once so complex and unpredictable and also so pure and touching.
in the past week, i've been hopping all over this country and been fortunate enough to be able to partake in the christmas spirit: israeli style. from my oldest friend whom i have known for twenty years, to new friends i've met this week and everyone in between, sharing joy, celebrating lifecycles, embracing change with open arms, and building memories together is the fiber of this life that we create and spend together, which has made me infinitely happy.
i wish you all the very best this holiday season and cannot wait to see what 2014 brings for us all. i look forward to hearing your updates and seeing you in this new (gregorian) year and know that i am sending you all my love from wherever i am in this crazy world.
b'ahava v'shalom - with love and peace,
doria
winter solstice sunset, tel aviv
western wall; dome of the rock
tel aviv street art
sisters together in israel for the first time since 1995
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