So, Maya, how was Temple? Well... it's sort of hard to discribe all the things it was. 'Weird' doesn't go far enough to describe how I felt.

What none of us knew, was that it was going to be a song service. I'd like to remind everyone that the last time I sang a Hebrew song... I was 13, and it was the Hatikvah - so that doesn't really count. The previous time I'd sung a Hebrew song was, well, I'm not sure. I probably did some singing at the family services when I was eight and nine, but the last time I actually recall opening my mouth, singing, and knowing what I was singing... Um, I think I was five.

FIVE.

I was even younger when I sang Shabbat songs in Jewish school. And yet, prayers and songs I hadn't sung in twenty years were dug out of my early childhood memories, mostly rellegated to my subconscious these days, and I sang them. And I remembered them. And it made me cry.

In reading the translations beside the Hebrew (that I cannot read), I realised that a lot of what is sung, I don't believe. It's not the faith or the absolute belief in God, that I don't believe in, because I certainly do have faith, and I certainly do believe in a higher power, rather the way in which it directs these things. I was pleased to note, however; that where in many writings (even the reformed writings), where it normally would say 'forefathers' leaving the mothers right out of it, this one mentioned Sarah, along with Abraham, etc. Yay, for equal representation.

Following the Shabbat service, which was... nice, we receited Kiddush and drank the wine and broke the bread. There was also a light dinner of hummus and pita and various salads and fruits to eat (yummy, stuff). There were some interesting people there, though, mostly everyone was in the upper age group (it was for 20-30s), or older. Weird. Susan and I were agreed that it was a bit of a Jewish meat market, with these older men accosting us with discussions of politics. I sat with Hillary (like Clinton, she said), the Rabbi's wife for a while. Apparently Rabbi Goldberg and his wife are Brooklyn Jews too ! Anyway, politically and intellectually, she was very good conversation. I had begun to believe that Jews were making a slide toward the right, but it seems that American Jews remain as left-wing as ever. However, I thought it tactful and best, not to bring up Israel, even with her. I'm really on the wrong side of that one, it seems. We were all invited to a pro-Israel rally, but you know? BAD ISRAEL. Israel is good. What Israel is doing is... less good.

Seeing Anne was interesting too. Apparently, despite she and Annabelle having been best friends for most of their lives, Annabelle has become 'too good' for Anne, cutting her out of her life. Sick. Especially since this happened following Anne's spinal injury. Anne was hit by a car while finishing up her dissertation in Paris, and had to come home. Now she walks with a brace and two canes, hunched over because the rods in her back were placed poorly. Anne seems to be dealing with it well, and healing, slowly. She's strong, you know? We never were friends in highschool, but I have an enormous amount of respect for Anne, and after seeing her last night for the first time in a year and a half, my esteem for her has only grown.

I ended up having to bail on my nacho date with Justin, not that he hasn't bailed on me before... regularly. Afterward, Anne went off with her older male groupies to a cafe, and I went with Susan and her friend, Suzy (I kid you not), back to her house to look at some old photos and chat.

It was an interesting evening, and we all agreed that we'd go back, though not necessarily to the one at Holy Blossom, just because the crowd was a little too old for us. Apparently, the one held downtown has a much younger group, which isn't surprising, since most 20-30s Jews have left North Toronto in favour of living downtown. They do eventually move back uptown when they have a family, of course, but uptown is boring for the young professional intellectual. All in all, it was an interesting and kind of fun night.