meshiksa hasidic roots

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Tzfat

I took the bus to go there. I didn't check what I have to visit once there.

On my way to Tzfat (Safed). In the background, the lake of Tiberias,
February 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Hasidic, modern city of Tzfat in the background, February 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Tzfat is one of the holiest cities in Israel.
When I arrived, I wanted to cry because of the disappointment of the architecture of the city. The modern Tzfat close to the Central Bus Station was disappointing.

I chose to rent a room in a religious family. The host wore a wig on her photo. They eat kosher and they keep Shabbos.

A way of walking to feel the holiness, Tzfat, February 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Breslev style, thick peyos, Tzfat, February 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Cutie Breslev boy, Tzfat, February 2015, ©emmarubinstein

The barber of peyots, Tzfat, February 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Electrical peyots, Tzfat, February 2015, ©emmarubinstein

She came to me in the street and helped me with my suitcase which broke and all my stuffs rolled in the stairs. Shame on me!
She was fine with the incident. ;-)
They live in a house of two floors. I was not living with them, but on the second floor. Nobody else was renting the other room, I had the apartment for myself.
In the kitchen, there was one sink, and the cutlery was dirty as hell. I couldn't touch them. No dish wash liquid left.
Usually I don't cook, I am too lazy for that after long days wandering in the cities.
But Tzfat is different and walking in the streets that first afternoon bored me.
I was in a bad mood probably.

Old city, Tzfat, February 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Before the sundown, I saw a street sign indicating that the Sephardi and Ashkenazi quarter were that way, thus I planned to visit them the day after, on Friday.

No tourist information, so I took photos of google map to find my way.

My room has a big terrace that you can see the lake of Tiberias.
I saw many religious persons and I was happy to meet them in numbers like in Yerushalayim.

But i couldn't feel the holiness so far.
I didn't meet yet the husband of my host and I was intrigued how he looked like. :-)

She is not neat. She smelled bad. Her teeth are broken or punk. I wondered what happened to this woman, and a little more after she showed me photos of her young. :-(

Davening in the old city with his tefilin, Tzfat, February 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Very old fig tree, Tzfat, February 2015, ©emmarubinstein

On Friday, I was walking in the streets to enjoy the best I can before Shabbos.
And once again I met very nice people.
I came inside a store, two men were there. They offered me a coffee, and I replied in English that coffee is not my cup of tea.
It happened that one of them was French: born in Tzfat but he moved a long time ago in Paris, in the area where I used to live, in the Lubaba area. I think that he was in his fifties.
He told me to go to the Ari's shuls, and finally he acted as a personal touristic guide. I followed him in the tiny streets. He showed me many things, and gave me a history class about Tzfat. And a holy lemon.

Old shul, Tzfat, February 2015, ©emmarubinstein

We went back to the store of his friend. I bought a necklace, and he gave me two gifts: one magnet, and one drawing of a candle, because my face was a light for him. ;-)
They said that Tzfat is a safe city, everyone knows everyone.
I said goodbye and ended my stroll in the old city before getting back to the main street.
My host called me to know at what time I will be back to warm the water up for the last shower before Shabbos. She was very caring.

The Beatles back from the mikveh before Shabbos, Tzfat, February 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Meshuga dance with the Breslev boys, Tzfat, February 2015, ©emmarubinstein

There were a group of Breslev boys, with a truck, who were dancing. Then Chabad boys came to join them to dance all together.
The battery of my phone was almost down, and I tried to find where I could charge it.
I was back to a cafe where i had a tea in the morning, nobody was there. They started to close probably.
At the opposite of me, there was a young man, a Lubaba, I thought, who was starring at me. I thought that he was looking at me, spying if I had the bad idea to steal something in the cafe.
I crossed the street and asked him if there was a plug that i can use.
He asked the guys who were there, eating pizza.
I left, he followed me, saying hi. Hi back!
Then he went back to me asking me where I was from, and if I wanted to spend Shabbos with him. ;-)
Tzfat is safe, I thought that it might be a habits to ask people in the streets for spending Shabbos with them.
I declined the offer, my host invited me for a traditional Shabbos in her place.
But I offered him to meet after the Havdalah for a drink.
He texted me, and asked me again for sharing his Shabbos.

And a weird question: was I out of blood? ;-)

For Shabbos, I went to the shul with my host and his son.
She found a Sidduch, English Hebrew. She showed me all the pages during all the service. I enjoyed it a lot.
My host is a sort of matchmaker. She wants to find me a husband absolutely.
She said that she has a French friend of 60 years old, living in Tzfat who wants to get married. I might be interested. ;-)
That's hard to have an opinion about someone that you haven't met yet.
She wanted to organize a meeting. Oh la la! ;-)

I became wild at that moment.

Before Shabbos, Tzfat, February 2015, ©emmarubinstein

On our way back from the shul, I imagined how her husband looked like. He has probably peyos because her son has them.
But I forgot the shtreimel. When she opened the door, the husband looked at me with a big smile. And wow! He had a beautiful face, totally holy and majestic with his black grab.
How many years did I expect to have a dinner with a family from a strict sect? Let's forget the number.
The other surprise was that the 60 French man was there too.
How embarrassing it was, but I handled it like another experience in my exploration of that country.
During all the meal, I felt the looks of the Breslev couple when the French man and I were talking in our mother's tongue. Oh man!
The French man made an announcement: the Messiah will arrive this year between Pesach and Rosh Hashanah. I mentioned the WWIII. That might be something big like that.
Since 20 years, he decided not to travel abroad anymore, only in Israel. He has been disappointed by Israeli politicians. At each election, he writes on the ballot paper "Messiah Ben David". His vote is going to him. ;-)
Not my kind of men, and I felt that i will have to argue a lot with him for slices of freedom. ;-)
Then we went for a walk. I actually enjoyed talking to the husband. He has such a beautiful face and hands. He seemed very sensual. And he probably felt it. I looked at him so many times.
He even talked with me in the streets.

Food errands before Shabbos, Tzfat, February 2015, ©emmarubinstein

He studies Torah and she works.

Their house is such a mess. Many books, and pictures of rabbis...He is a BT, and the only ones amongst his siblings. He is from a South American country. That's where you understand that their focus is totally intellectual and religious.He read the weekly parashat and commented it.

A brother or a friend taking photos of the Purim costume he wants,
Tzfat, February 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Back from the stroll, we bumped into young Jewish men.

One of them talked about the shtreimel and hugged the husband. He put his shtreimel on his head and danced a little.
The husband went first in the house.

My host talked to me and asked me how I found the French man and if I wanted to meet him again before leaving Tzfat on Sunday. Fortunately, she knew about the meeting I will have with the Lubaba the day after, that meant that I won't have time to meet him again. ;-)

I woke up late on Saturday and enjoyed the sun on the terrace. The clock that they have seems to work but it was always the same time.
There are bells from the shul that you can hear from the terrace but once inside, you loose the time.
I knocked at the door at my host, I thought, around 1pm.
Nobody replied, they might be asleep.
I went for the stroll and visit the citadel.
And what happened once again to me?
Tzfat is safe, remember? ;-)
A young man walking in the garden of the citadel was an exhibitionist. I didn't expect that for my first Shabbos like that. He was twice on my path doing the same stuff, I ran away asap.

I was back to the apartment, and my host came. She was worried that something happened to me, or that I was disappointed by them. She couldn't eat, said her husband. I shared the Chulent he cooked. Then, i had a nap.
She called me for the Havdalah, and he shared a page of the Torah with me.
I didn't ask for taking photos after the end of Shabbos. I think those moments are very personal.
He said something very interesting. He talked to his wife about my 'love' for the Hasidim, and he thinks that I should get married a Hasidic. ;-)

Breslev style: white sweat pants, before Shabbos, Tzfat, February 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Breslev style: grey sweat pants, tablet and cigarette, before Shabbos,
Tzfat, February 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Late at night, I met the Lubaba. He told me that he was a Breslev and a BT too. He came to the religion after the army. He hid his peyos all the time.

He was very energic, meshuga, and very straightforward in the car. He asked me once again for the blood stuff, and told me what were his intentions for the night.But, there was a big but.

I have to go to the mikveh first. If not, he won't touch me.I was laughing because I didn't tell him if my intentions were the same as his.I was not scared because he has never been vulgar.

We went to his place and he insisted a lot about the mikveh. I just took a shower i told him many times. To go to the mikveh didn't enchant me.

That was my turn for asking questions about his sexual life.He admitted that he didn't use condoms with the girls he had after his divorce. That was very interesting how the purity of the soul makes your body pure in the mikveh according to him. To dive in the mikveh is supposed to cure the sexual diseases? :-)

I have never been in a mikveh before, so I accepted the offer as a new experience finally.

He had the key of a mikveh where I will be alone, and he will be the rabbi.

I didn't want to get my hair wet. That was fine for him, but once, I was in the mikveh, he said that I have to do it, and I did it three times. I had vampire eyes after that. ;-)

Chabad boys, Tzfat, February 2015, ©emmarubinstein

On Sunday, my host knocked at my door. I fell asleep late.
She wanted me to share a cup of tea with me before I pack my stuffs.
She already asked me many personal questions, but she was curious about my "date". I didn't elaborate. She wanted to know if I will meet him again. I don't know. We are friends on FB because he wants to see Paris on my wall.
Then she said something: "I feel that we have a strong connection like you are my sister. Do you feel the same?" Oh la la! That was so embarrassing! I replied: "I don't know. Maybe we have people in common in our family."
She didn't want me to leave. She helped me with my suitcase, and asked me twice if I understood the statistics that she was studying. I couldn't help her with maths.
I missed the bus finally.
We are friends on FB. She actually wants to be friend. That's very nice. She asked me if I have photos on my profile. Do you think that she will try to find me a Hasidic husband? ;-)

Leaving Tzfat, February 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Haifa

I took the train and I have a great conversation with a Bulgarian survivor of the WWII.
She speaks Bulgarian, Ladino, Romanish, English and Hebrew.
She explained how were the war times in her country. The Bulgarian government protected lots of Jews.

Above my head, on the bed where i slept in my friend's place,
"If you face lights up, it's a sign you are alive", Haifa, Februray 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Eating his transportation card, Haifa, Februray 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Bahai Gardens: mother and son, Haifa, Februray 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Haifa has a huge Russian community. And most of the time, people thought that I was one of them. Such a surprise when I replied to them that I didn't speak Russian very well.
The first thing that I did to them is to show them my tushes not deliberately. I fell in the bus like an old sock on the floor in the bus. They helped me.
I was on my way to meet my friend from high school, and I was laughing to imagine if that happened in the classroom.
My friend didn't change. Her family is adorable.
She is religious: modest but she doesn't wear a wig. She covers her hair when she is going to shul services.
That was not easy for her to be with a Baal Teshuva. There were lots of arguments between them.
She accepted things.
Her children are in a religious school. The youngest one doesn't like school.
Her husband wears a kippah when we were eating.
We celebrated Tu BiShvat all together.
We met sometimes during the day, but most of the time, I lived my life.

Food errands for Tu BiShvat, Haifa, Februray 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Food errands for Tu BiShvat: the choice, Haifa, Februray 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Food errands for Tu BiShvat, Haifa, Februray 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Food errands for Tu BiShvat, happy, Haifa, Februray 2015, ©emmarubinstein

Dragon fruit for Tu BiShvat, Haifa, Februray 2015, ©emmarubinstein

I went to visit the cave of Eliyahu. I took the cable car and followed a path which seemed to lead to the cave.
A Russian couple explained me in their language to follow a group of young persons.
When I arrived close to the cave, I bumped into a couple of Scandinavians.
They have already been in the cave in the past, and they came with me.

A lady stopped me at the entry, and asked me if I was a Jew. "Yes, i am a BT." "Welcome home!", she replied, and we blessed all the food she gave me.
Then, the wine, and I was surprised by the taste. She wanted to know if I liked it. "It tastes like Coke." Oy vey! I couldn't drink that, it was like if I cheated. She gave me the wine.

The Scandinavian woman has probably Jewish blood coming from her great grand-mother. She wants to make DNA test.
I asked the lady if she could bless her, or doing something else for her. They talked.
Then, we went out.

In the summer, there is a cafe, but that day, there was no cafe. That room was full of people. I didn't actually pay attention about their origins. I thought that they might be Sephardi or Arabs.
The couple talked with a man that they knew. He belonged to the family who were not Sephardi or Arabs but Jewish Indians. They invited us to join them for their lunch.
Oh man! A funny man asked me so many questions by yelling at a woman and a young girl because of his non knowledge of English. A real investigation on me. That was funny and so full of kindness that we had to stay.
I dislike Indian food, but I had a good Indian star that day, because what I tasted was pretty good. Not easy to know all the ingredients which came with the rice and the sugar, they didn't know the English names.
And it was the starter. The Scandinavian woman cried because of their kindness.
Her husband and her were there for vacation and volunteer work in a hospice.
I had to change my daily plans. They wanted us to eat a huge sandwich with cream cheese, pickles, omelet, etc... I declined the offer. But the couple ate, and the lady kept the half sandwich for later.
I asked if I could take photos.
They made Aliya a long time ago, they live in the suburbs of Tel Aviv and they were in Haifa for the day.
That was an awesome moment: davening, blessing, eating, and drinking.

What I didn't find humanly during the 4 last years, I am finding it here all the time around me. That's so obvious to behave and act like that, but I feel surprised all the time.
That reconciled me with the human nature.
Then Tzfat for another post, tomorrow. ;-)

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

The kibbutz

I can't think straight, i thought that i would be able to do it before this journey, but not.
Thus i am a sort of sponge: i take and scan everything and everyone on my path and, once back in Paris, i will put everything on the table.

The only thing that i felt is that i belong to a very huge family.
The clichés that i heard before: they are racists and rude. Not worse than what i have met before in USA and in France.

I spent 4 days in the kibbutz, visiting another one too, very close to Gaza, to have a picnic amongst wild red anemones.
Peace and love and lot of laugh with my friends from my childhood.

Today, i lived an amazing experience when i was visiting the cave of the prophet Eliyahu.
That will be for a next post, let me digest all these things.
Tomorrow, i am going to Tsfat to touch stones full of history and spirituality…

On my way to the central bus station of Yerushalayim,
that man was walking and davening with his tefilin,
January 2015, ©emmarubinstein