Shana Tova!

Happy New Year!
I started this Jewish year off by moving into a new apartment, in a new part of town, with new kinds of people. I now live in the very hip, artsy & cheaper area of Tel Aviv, on a street called Shenkin (for those of you that know the area), with two Israeli guys. I've been spending a lot of time setting up my room, which was a living space before, or wondering when my busy roommates were going to have time to help me do things like drill shelves into the wall. The recent holidays, combined with Shabbat closures, have not helped. Once my winter outerwear and dresses have a place to be hung, I will be finished and will post pictures.
I moved in the day of Erev Rosh Hashana (New Year's eve), made sure my bed was set up and just spent the evening relaxing in my new place. The next evening, I celebrated the new year by going to a dinner hosted by three of the girls in my program. There was even homemade apple pie! Yum!
10 days later, the country observed Yom Kippur, the day of Atonement. I cannot express what a special experience it is here in Israel, especially in Tel Aviv. Not only is every single restaurant, store and kiosk closed, meaning that everyone is able to be at home with their families, absolutely no Jewish person drives (except for police and ambulances). In Tel Aviv, where there is a non-existent Arab population, the roads are completely empty at sundown...until people finish eating their last meal for the day. Then the road are packed again, but this time with people on bikes, skateboards, rollerblades, scooters, strollers & feet. School-age kids are rarely in groups smaller than five and are often see at large intersections, happily yelling at each other as they try to set up bike races. Whole families walk or bike with their dogs or young children and there is a lightness in the air that is generally not associated with the holiday. It would be interesting to see what it was like in Yaffo, the Arab populated city immediately to the south.
I walked the 45 minutes north to my old apartment to spend the holiday with Ali and her friend Alana, who came in from J'lem. The next day, we slept in, which is very key when you're fasting, and then Alana and I went to services for about an hour at a nearby synagogue. It was very traditional; the men and women sat separately, with a lace curtain barrier, people brought their own prayerbooks and there was no rabbi, just a cantor who would varied between praying audibly and inaudibly. He was there, it seemed, to just guide the congregation as they prayed on their own. Every once in a while, the congregation would join in or participate in a call and answer routine. Out of the 40ish women, there were only about a handful younger than 40. Honestly, I did more observing than praying, but I'm sure G-d was happy I was there nonetheless. When we got back, the three of us decided to take a walk to the highway, 25 minutes away. It was absolutely unbelievable. Imagine I35 or any other multilane highway completely deserted, outside of the occasional group of biking kids or dog & owner. We just had to walk on it! As we were on the entrance ramp, we saw a sign in Hebrew that said it was forbidden to walk or bike on the highway! After a few more hours of resting or reading, Alana and I went back to the synagogue for the final service and to hear the shofar. It was amazing how crowded it was & how many parents were there with their small children. We sat outside of the room where we could still hear and again I found myself doing more observing than praying. Watching all the kids loudly running around and playing brought me to the conclusion that I think Israelis spend more time training their dogs than their own kids.
The shofar was just one short blow and a little disappointing, but it did signal the end of Yom Kippur and the ability to eat again! Whether you are Jewish or not, I hope this new year proves to be happy and sweet for you.