A Gilbert and Sullivan Rosh Hashanah

Even though I know that Gayden Wren holds the rights to "A Gilbert and Sullivan Christmas Carol," I figure that creating "A Gilbert and Sullivan Rosh Hashanah" doesn't constitute copyright infringement. Besides, I can't think of a better way to describe my Rosh Hashanah in Jerusalem.

I can't begin to say enough about the hospitality of the members of the Jerusalem Gilbert and Sullivan Society. I had more invitations to holiday meals than I knew what to do with, which was great because I was a little sad that this was the first time in my life that I wasn't able to be with my family for any of the High Holidays.

I spent the first night with Michael, who recently made aliyah from France to marry an Israeli woman named Leah. Dinner was at Leah's parents' house, where Leah's father conducted a Rosh Hashanah "seder" replete with symbolic foods and more commentary than my father's average Passover seder -- and believe me, that's a lot of commentary! :) We also studied the handful of times where the Torah alludes to Rosh Hashanah, and learned that it is never mentioned specifically by name.

Although I had never before heard of a seder for Rosh Hashanah, I later learned that many of my friends were exposed to this custom at their own holiday meals elsewhere in Jerusalem. Apparently, it's a pretty common tradition. The symbolic foods are meant to serve as "omens" for the new year, and include dates, pomegranates, gourd (aka pumpkin), peas (in Hebrew they're called "Rubiya," which sounds like "Yirbu," the Hebrew word for "increase" -- I got laughed at for referring to them as string beans!), leek, beets, the head of a fish (that was just for display -- we didn't actually eat that!) , and, of course, apples and honey. The foods were all baked into creative dishes, as described in one of the links I included above, and were served in a circle around each of our plates -- kind of like a Passover seder plate! The most exciting were the leek patties, which tasted just like Grandma Ray's!

Incidentally, the only foods that made it into my American Hebrew School textbooks included the apples and honey, the fish head, and and the pomegranate, which is somewhat ironic because I think that a lesson on how the rest of these symbolic foods relate to Rosh Hashanah might have actually helped me to pay attention in class! Jews from different parts of the world use different variations on these foods, and the fact that our table consisted of people from Israel, France, and the United States made for some interesting discussions.

While I was fascinated by the customs I was being introduced to, my hosts were extremely curious about my background as an opera singer/hazzanit (female cantor). They had never met anyone pursuing either path, so I spent much of dinner explaining the difference between lyric, coloratura, and dramatic sopranos and why my voice is not suited to singing Madama Butterfly. It was clear that they weren't completely comfortable with the concept of female cantors, although I think they were satisfied by my explanation of why I'm pursing this path. Plus there's also the fact that Leah's father proclaimed his affinity for the Barbara Streisand version of Avinu Malkeinu, as heard below:

The next day, some of my fellow cantorial students and I joined up with Leah to walk over to the Istambuli Synagogue, one of the complex of four Sephardi synagogues clustered round the Ben Zakkai Synagogue in the Old City. Michael was leading portions of the Rosh Hashanah services there, and I was excited not only to hear Michael but also to learn the Sephardic melodies and to revel in the thought of beginning the new year in the middle of Jerusalem's Old City, a place enmeshed with so much Jewish history. I found the first part of the service, called Shacharit, to be somewhat monotonous and mind-numbing. Fortunately things perked up during the Torah service. The Sephardic Torahs were absolutely stunning, and the melodies that Michael included in the Torah service and the Shofar service that followed were quite beautiful. I think that I would have enjoyed the Shacharit service more if Michael had led that as well, since his voice would have added color to the monotonous melodies. Oh, and apparently Ashkenazi and Sephardic communities have slight variations in the way that they blow the shofar!

By the time the final portion of the service (Musaf) rolled around, I looked at my watch and realized that it was already 12:15. Since I was hosting people for lunch, I needed to run home and get things ready. It turned out that the service continued for at least another hour, which meant that my guests didn't get to my place until about 2:00! I was a little disappointed to miss the Sephardic Musaf melodies, especially since I was told that they were gorgeous. But my lunch went really well -- I made a green salad with cranberries, goat cheese, and sweet potatoes, a pasta salad, poached salmon, and apple crisp. I was told that my cooking was actually pretty good -- I just hope they weren't just saying that! :)

The second night brought more Gilbert and Sullivan company, as I was hosted by Aviella and her family, who made aliyah from South Africa about 13 years ago. Aviella is about my age and has two younger brothers who are about the same ages as Andrew and Scott. I thought I was going to feel right at home, but when the dinner turned into a wonderfully raucous Gilbert and Sullivan sing-along, her brothers didn't shush everyone the way that Andrew and Scott would -- in fact, they were the loudest singers of all! Being an opera singer certainly wasn't a foreign concept at this table, since Aviella is currently pursuing a singing career in Israel -- she's fabulous! The evening was full of delicious food, fun company, and more new customs: we all ate a piece of an unusual fruit (in this case, a starfruit), and said a Shehecheyanu over it because it was the first time we were eating that fruit this year. (The Shehecheyanu is a blessing said when something is being done for the first time.)

And just in case you were wondering, there are in fact two days of Rosh Hashanah in Israel. Most other holidays are celebrated for one day in Israel and two days in the diaspora, with the thought that two days of holiday will ensure that all Jews will be able to celebrate alongside Israel. But Rosh Hashanah is observed for two days in Israel, because it is seen as being too important to reserve for only 24 hours.

On the second day, I attended services at Kedem, which is a peer-led minyan of 20s/30s that is almost identical to Hadar back home in New York City. In fact, the congregation's packet of piyyutim (acrostic poems that are traditional during the High Holidays) was actually credited for Hadar! It wasn't quite the authentic Israeli Rosh Hashanah experience that I had hoped for (I recognized over half the congregants as being from the Conservative Yeshiva), but it was nice to pray alongside an egalitarian community with no mechitza! Oh, and another interesting tidbit about Rosh Hashanah here in Israel: None of the services I went to featured a sermon!

Russ was supposed to join me for second day Rosh Hashanah lunch at the home of the director of Yeomen of the Guard (the one who used to work at Temple Israel!), but he went back to the Sephardic shul in the Old City and couldn't leave because he would have disbanded the minyan (10 people are required to make a Jewish prayer service, and in Orthodox congregations it has to be 10 men....sigh). So I headed to Rob's and Sharon's alone, where I was met by more good food and interesting people, including a couple of post-high school students studying in Jerusalem on USY's Nativ program, some Israelis, a professor at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philly (who knows Alix, the former PR director at the Y), and a neuroscientist, which made me think of my own neuroscientist friend, Dr. Jodi Gilman! :)

And of course I can't forget the post-Rosh Hashanah bash that we had at our place for some of Leslie's HUC friends, which featured tons of food, fun, and grape throwing. We opened up lots of wine and lots of windows, and blasted some of the random Israeli music I've collected on my ipod over the years. It was sababa! (That's your Hebrew word for the day: sababa = awesome.)

But it wasn't a Chag Sameach for everyone: Family and supporters of Gilad Schalit held a Rosh Hashanah dinner and vigil outside of Prime Minister Olmert's house to protest the government's failure to secure the 22 year-old captive soldier's release from Hamas. Gilad's family last saw their son in June 2006, making this their third new year without him. His father says that the family won't celebrate another Rosh Hashanah -- or any other holiday -- until he returns.

Overall, it was wonderful getting a glimpse into the ways in which other families celebrate the Jewish holidays. But although my Jerusalem Rosh Hashanah was exciting, enriching, and educational, the highlight for me was making a single phone call that enabled me to speak to my entire extended family in New York, just as they were sitting down to their holiday dinner. It made me very excited for my parents' upcoming visit during Sukkot.

Shana Tovah and Shabbat Shalom! :)