“Happy New Year” Israel Style

This year I had the privilege of spending the high holidays in Israel. Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

Pastilla, mmmmmmm!!

Rosh Hashana in Tel Aviv: Gabriel, a friend from Montreal, invited Laura and I to do the prayers and eat dinner at his brother’s apartment. His brother’s wife cooked the most incredible meal, including a dish called pastilla. It is this semi-sweet chicken pie, and O.M.G. it was to die for. By far one of the best plates I have eaten in a very long time! The next day we had tickets to go see David Guetta. I can’t even describe my excitement, but if you know my love for his music then you can only imagine how happy I was that day. The concert was held outside in a park in Tel Aviv. It was FULL. People were dancing everywhere, screaming, jumping around and some were just simply crazy. So yes, this New Year couldn’t have started any better. Incredible food, genuine people, good music and of course.. the beach! “Shana Tova!”  -Happy New Year!

Selichot at the Kotel: Between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur I decided that I wanted to go to the Kotel to ask for forgiveness. There was an organised bus specifically for this that took us from Ashdod to Jerusalem and back home again. I went with a few people from the group. I have never seen so many people at the wall. You had to push your way through crowds and crowds just to get into the praying area, and then you had to literally fight your way in order to touch the wall. It was very impressive to see how many people came to the wall at this time of the year. Before I left that night, I made sure that I made it up to the wall in order to put a few notes in. Even that seemed impossible to find a vacant spot in the wall, the notes were overflowing onto the ground.

Yom Kippur in Ashdod: My aunt from France was in Israel at this time. She hosted me for Yom Kippur. I ate dinner with my aunt and uncle and spent the entire Yom Kippur with them. What I loved about this day was that all of Israel shuts down for the duration of the holiday. There is not a single car on the road, no stores are open and everything just seems so peaceful. This is because almost everyone is observing the holiest day of the year. The synagogues are packed, so good luck trying to find a seat! The streets are flooded with people. Everyone wears all white and walks in the streets. The kids all come out with their bicycles and scooters and have the time of their lives. Since there are no cars, it’s a free for all! They go nuts! This Yom Kippur was definitely one of the most religious experiences of my life.

I definitely look forward to spending some more holidays in Israel, like Hanukah!

Oh, p.s.!! Gabriel, here is the video of the Tel Aviv beach and the sounds of Matkot! I know you want to come back ;)