5. First Shabbat

Last night was spent at various places throughout Tel Aviv. The night starts late here, which serves as a reminder of the European elements of Israel (we ate at 10:15). Bowling earlier in the day took us to Halon. 

I went on a long, long walk through the city today. From my dorm, I went through a beautiful park with soccer fields, basketball courts, a rock climbing walls, and cool jungle gym (think neo- Discovery Zone), then through what appeared to be a wealthy residential neighborhood with nice shops and parks at every turn. There was a shocking number of basketball/soccer courts and parks in the neighborhoods I walked through. They looked like great places to live, while not being right in the city. In that regard, I was reminded of lovely Pawtucket. I kept my eyes on three monster apartment buildings which, I think, are excellent examples of Bauhaus architecture. For those who might know the new apartment buildings in Providence, they should've looked at Tel Aviv first for inspiration. The tall apartment buildings are bold, marked by sharp lines, and are hardly predictable (and reminded me of "Argos" from SimCity). Once I got to the apartments, I headed toward Rabin Square, where Yitzchak Rabin was murdered in 1995. Unfortunately, the area around where he was killed, is closed off for construction. I couldn't tell if it is to construct a museum of sorts or renovate the building. 

While on the walk, I found a nice "progressive" synagogue, similar to an American reform synagogue. I went back for services tonight with a friend. The sanctuary was really cool, with pieces of metal coming out from the walls and plastered words and images near the front. The service was nice, though I couldn't follow the animated sermon because of the language barrier. I am going to go back tomorrow morning with a few friends I think. After services I went to Chabad for dinner. It was my first experience with the ultra-inclusive and hospitable orthodox group to be found on universities worldwide. The rabbi was a large young man with a larger beard. His kids were everywhere and his young wife was pregnant (predictably). He broke out in song between gulps of wine and bites of bread. The 30 students went around the room introducing ourselves and also saying "what we wish for everyone else." After our wishes for each other, a hearty l'chaim was raised, enjoyed on occasion even by the Rabbi's 2 year old son. The food was nice, as was the atmosphere in the basement of one of the academic buildings. The dining room served as the prayer room, though I missed the services. Apparently, right before the service started, the Rabbi pulled a string to let down a piece of cloth ("Mechitzah") to separate the genders. Many of the kids were surprised, to say the least, at this. The whole experience was definitely worthwhile, though I'm not yet sure if I'll return.