Sukkot in Israel

This time of the year is the holiday season. In a matter of weeks there is Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simchat Torah. Sukkot is a 7 day holiday with the first day being like Shabbat when work is forbidden. In Biblical times, Sukkot was one of the 3 pilgrimage holidays in which Jews would make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. The word Sukkot means booths or tabernacles. One of the mitzvot of the holiday is to build a Sukkah which is a type of structure that many families make in their yards,balconies, or roofs. The roof of the Sukkah is usually covered with palm leaves. Another part of the holiday is to say a blessing over the Four Species. The Four Species are the etrog(a type of citrus), and the Lulav which is made up of palm fronds, leaves of the myrtle, and leaves of the willow. It is a mitzvah to wave the etrog and the Lulav on everyday of the holiday.One of the mitzvot of the holiday besides building the Sukkah is to eat and sleep in the Sukkah. Many restaurants will have Sukkahs on the street so that they may cater to some of their clientele who might be religious. On the roof of our apartment, there is a Sukkah type structure so a few friends and I had a meal under it for the first night of the holiday. It was interesting in that the weather was fairly cloudy and there was a slight drizzle and there was thunder and lighting. This was the first time I have been in Israel and experienced a cloudy day and thunder and lightning. I have been on vacation for the holiday so I have been exploring Tel Aviv, going to the beach, hanging out with friends, and studying Hebrew. I have been making a lot of progress with my Hebrew which is good. I hung out with a childhood friend Becca which was fun. I also went with some of the program members to an American Bar called  Mike's Place for Taco Tuesdays which was very fun. I then went to neighboring Bat Yam for a street festival. The festival had many different acts such as short plays in the street, to dance routines, to a Klezmer Band playing in the street. I went out in Jaffa and checked out the Old City, the photography exhibit at the Jaffa Port, and the Flea Market. I found many stores selling hookahs so I know for a fact I will be back to buy one for cheap hopefully. I then went to Jerusalem for a day to visit a cousin of mine. We went out to lunch at a very good seafood restaurant called Dolphin Yam. I then went to the Old City and the Kotel(Western Wall). This trip to the Old City was not what I was looking for. The overload of tourists made the experience very strange. Seeing all of the tour buses and tourists made me feel as if I was just a part of their vacation. I knew that for the tourists it is interesting to experience the Kotel and the Old City, but for me being at the Kotel is more than just part of some vacation to Jerusalem and Israel. It is a holy place for me and the rest of the Jewish population. I guess that the special feeling I usually have when I was at the Kotel was not present. Today was a great day for me because I finally have my volunteering schedule set in stone. I am volunteering at 4 places. I am volunteering at a soup kitchen called Lasova, and three after school programs. Talking about them will have to wait for another post. I have seen that back home in Boston the weather is turning more and more like Fall, here though its beautiful and 80 degrees almost everyday. Sorry for bragging but it does not feel like October here. More to come from Tel Aviv for sure. Lehitraot!