A Princess, a Feast, and a Tisch

Certain things put me in that Shabbat feeling. A late afternoon shower, the selection of a happy dress, hair and make-up, and I’m ready to praise the Lord. Something like that, at least. On this particular Friday, I couldn’t have felt farther from home. I had spent my whole summer in the perfect Shabbat environment at Ramah Nyack, with a community of 250 spirited friends who made each blisteringly hot Kabbalat Shabbat sound like some choir of angels blessing me. This metaphor might be extreme, but seriously, the summer Shabbat weekends were most excellent.

Following a final camp Shabbat with a week in Berlin had me worn down, but I am always so excited to experience services in a new synagogue. Orianenburger Strasse’s Neue Synagogue was built for 3500 people originally. That chapel was destroyed in the war, and the congregation now uses a small room with wooden benches on the third floor. The stairs in heels were killer, and I arrived at the top parched. Water fountains are not a thing in Germany, so I sipped from a bathroom sink knowing I’d need my voice for what would be a meaningful evening service.

Both the rabbi and cantor were women. Who would’ve said 70 years ago that this would be possible to find in Berlin? The rabbi was a large, jolly woman and the cantor, a slight lady with a fire-red bunch of curls and the voice of a Disney Princess (choose your favorite). The service was a balance of Cinderella’s show and a beautiful harmony of about 40 people from around the world, who somehow know many of the same tunes and most of the same words. It was confusing to mix what sounded like high holiday melodies with Carlebach classics, but I was totally into it. I probably had the most meaningful prayer experience I’ve had all summer, which is pretty crazy considering I just called Ramah Nyack perfect.

After services, our group headed downstairs for a dinner. We thought many community members would be there, but apparently the email RSVP hadn’t worked so we only had three additional guests. Our buffet included every stereotypical non-meat Jewish food. Lox, whitefish, soy schnitzel nuggets, babaganoush, egg salad, Israeli salad and pita were among the highlights of this interesting shmorgasbord. I think I was slightly bummed out, having anticipated meat, but the meal didn’t even matter because the company was so excellent. I sat with four fabulous girls from the trip and we told hilarious stories about our prom dates, our best friends, and our most embarrassing moments.

Something inspired me to want to sing the very long Birkat Hamazon, grace after meals – maybe the fact that I was so grateful to someone or something somewhere that had enabled all of the wonders I had experienced this week. I wouldn’t necessarily put the soy nuggets in the category of wonders, but everything plays a part, even those three crispy not-really-warm chunks.

When we got back to the hotel, a few of us arranged for a pajama party/tisch, where we laughed and shared L’Chaim toasts to all of the wonderful thoughts and experiences we've been sharing. L’Chaim, to life, has a special heightened meaning as a Jew in Berlin, and we’re definitely making our time here count.