Puzza

So here in Zion we don't just have 1 day of Purim - not even 2 days of Purim - but I had 4 days of Purim.

It all started on Friday when I went with a bunch of my friends to an absorption center called Beit Alfa in a town called Beit Shean. It houses only Ethiopian migrants where they stay while they learn Hebrew until they can move on to being guards for banks and cafes.

So there we were, 10 white kids in a sea of Africans. It was wonderful. Kabbalat shabbat was beautiful - everybody wore long white flowing robes with embroidery along the edges. There was a lot of clapping in the service. Interestingly, since most of the migrants can't read Hebrew the community has a habit of having the chazzan say one word of the shema and then the whole community repeats it after him. As for the amida, the chazzan says the whole thing out loud (there's no quiet prayer time) with the community saying amen after each bracha. You really get the meaning of communal prayer in Beit Alfa.

Anyways, then we had dinner and put on a play for the kids about the story of Purim. The kids are crazy friendly. As a non-kid-friendly person I was easily won over by their cornrows and pink palms.

The next day was a standard shabbat morning. We then had lunch and went for a walk to the local Japanese gardens in the kibbutz next door. Very strange seeing a bunch of Sabra Israelis and newly arrived Ethiopians lounging around appreciating bonsai.

That afternoon we put on another play about the Purim story - this time for the adults with an Amharic translation (in these communities the kids speak Hebrew but the parents frequently don't). I played a very graceful but tragic Queen Vashti. She stuck it to the man and died a martyr's death.

On motzash we read the megillah to the community. For many of them it was their first Purim ever. We then drove back to Jerusalem. We arrived very late. I then did a uni assignment and wallowed in self pity.

But I then arose to a beautiful day on Sunday. I dressed up as the monopoly man and went to my Rabbi's seuda where it was themed 'games.' Adorably the Rabbi and his wife were dressed up as the ghosts of pacman. The Rabbi was drunk and as a person who is generally a bit abrasive but amusing - he was all out harsh and hilarious. And I quote: "you are a fool" and "you are excommunicated - I can do that - because I'm a Rabbi."

After a hurried rush through traffic back to Jlem I heard the megillah at my local geriatric hospital (no, but seriously, I love old people.) Then it was out to the shuk party. Wonderful DJing and great costumes (meaning funny/smart and no jobs=sex ie: sexy policeman, sexy pilot, sexy santa).

The next day we had a lovely and late megillah reading in Nachlaot, then on to seuda (mmmm Guinness cake and marscapone hamentaschen) and Mishloach Manot delivering. Also its much easier to give matanot l'evionim in Israel than in Oz. But that's not actually a good thing.

Then there rest of the afternoon was spent in the sun dancing in the spontaneous street parties with local bands and DJs. Notable events include having to pause everybody in the vicinity's dancing while I said "woah woah woah' and publicly shamed an Israeli groper/dancer. Also having to flee from slightly too persistent male Israeli dancers with my housemate. As she puts it we were 'draped' = dance+raped. But all in all - it was a super awesome festival.

When the celebrations died down that night I saw a clockwork orange for the first time. Now that shit is wack.

And that is all.