Following my wild week in the wilderness, I spent the next few days in elegant company, wearing suits and cocktail dresses in wedding halls, fancy hotels and the homes of dignataries!
What a week I had - a time when I feel once again that I am so unbelievably blessed - a time that makes me want to turn to the little guardian angel on my shoulder and hug him until he nearly bursts. Life is incredibly, and I feel almost guilty at the continuous stream of good fortune that is spilling forth into mine.
On Saturday and Sunday, I attended a conference sponsored by Tel Aviv University on Faith and International Development. There were about 100-150 attendees from non profit organizations in Israel and abroad. It was an amazing opportunity and experience to be able to talk with the heads of so many organizations that I admire. IT gave me enormous hope and excitement that so many faith based organization are working to improve the lives of people far beyond their immediate community circles. In a year, when (god willing!) I have my degree, it seems there will be many amazing options for me...
At the conclusion of that conference, I has the bus drop my off at the President's House in Jerusalem for Conference Two! This conference, of the Jewish Funders Network was aboslutely impressive, even from the vantage point of a mere volunteer. In one room were gathered a powerhouse of Jewish philanthropists seeking ideas and opportunities to set the direction of the Jewush people on the coming years. The creators of Birthright, of Table to Table, and many other international organizations were together, networking, creating ideas, sharing best practices, admitting and examining failures. President Perez spoke in a near-perfect English, without notes, and was inspiring and wise. I hesitate to say more out of respect for the attendees, but it was increible, interesting, exciting.... They conference truly impressed me as more than a shmoozing of celebrity and a sharing of fancy clothes and delicious food. That was all there, but the purpose behind the conference held a premium and the attendees fought for standing room in the many workshops and lectures that were offered. Everyone wore their nametags and chatted diligently with people who had stickers marking common interests. (For example, a blue sticker might indicate an interest in health care and a purple in Zionism...)
Along with a woman I study with, I handed out translation headphones and helped direct people around the hotel. After two days, some of the attendees even knew who we were and why we were there!
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Thursday we had a guest lecturer come and speak about the relationship between altruistic behavior and genetics. It was fascinating and a bit refreshing to be debating about science, about nature vs. nurture instead of about our more typical arguments related to the nonprofit world.
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THE ISRAELI WEDDING
Following class, I made my way through the Thursday evening weekend rush at the Central Jerusalem Station and hopped a bus to Tel Aviv. From Ori's house, we drove north to Kadima (near my former digs in Hod HaSharon!) and went to my first Israeli wedding!
Orthodox or Secular, Jewish or Muslim, weddings in Israel are known to be must-see events. AS in any culture, I suppose, they are filled with traditions and customs typical only to the local population. Many of them seem "oh so Jewish" and shed light on the underlying values of the society. Others are just humurmous, unusual or exciting for the foreign spectator.
Thursday was the wedding of longtime friend of Ori's so I knew some of the guests there from his hometome crew of friends.
AS we entered the enormous and lavishly decorated complex, we parked in a lot filled with hundreds of cars (Think of a mall parking lot!)
Custom 1: The wedding present
In Israel, there are no gift registries, no engagement presents, no hours of hemming and hawing over gift options. You give money, and to do otherwise can be seen as bad taste. You give according to the estimated price of your attendance at the event, plus more if you are close. At the entrance to the party, there was a table of envelopes. Each guest seals their check in an envelope, scribbles a quick message on the outside and shoves it into one of the safes stationed nearby. Then, the frenzy begins.
Custom 2: The cocktail frenzy
The cocktail hour was lavish. There were HUNDREDS of people, (really HUNDREDS!) and we bagan drinking and eating furiously before the end of the shmoozing period. It was outdoors, and the catering hall had beautiful flowers and (I think) a fountain in the middle.) In spite of his longtime acquaintance with the groom, Ori knew a very small percentage of the guests.
Custom 3: The Ceremony
An announcement was made over a loudspeaker that the ceremony was about to begin. The food stations closed down and even the bartenders got a break. The DJ pumped up the music and we all gathered around the huppah that (I am sorry) really reminded me of the set of a music video. The event was, by no exaggeration, a production. There were sexy violinists dressed in tight, chinzy dressed who accompanied the blasting, eleectronic music. The huppas was two long sheets of white cloth lit by an ensemble of lighting that must have been conjured up by a lighting designer and engineer.
We gathered nearby the "stage" but did not sit. The crowd's roar lowered slightly to a din and a few people turned their heads to watch the bride waltz down the aisle. A beautiful woman, who works at a gym, the dress was oh-so-Israeli too. Its design was clearly intended to accentuate the hips, just like every pair of jeans I've tried to buy in this country!
The chasedic Rabbi looked anachronistic on stage with his black suit and tall black hat. He mumbled some prayers to a smattering of Amens, but as the ceremony continues, most of the audience (i mean guests) were busy chatting, smoking cigarettes or gazing watching the scene with an air of nonchalence. Two good friends of the groom were chosen to set off fire crackers on Confetti after the groom broke the glass, and with that, the party began. the music pumped up and we all filtered inside accompanied by techno, jazzy violinisits and a light show that led us to the dance floor.
THE PARTY:
We were seated at an enormous table beside the dance floor. (Of note - I was truly impressed that we all had placecards! It must be an incredible task to try and write hundreds of place cards and table arrangements for this size of an event!) The flowers, lighting and centerpieces were spectacular. There were salads, wine and bread on the table, and throughout the night food arrived and was cleared mostly without time to eat it (or even notice its presence on our table.) We danced, drank, chatted a bit and generally enjoyed the party. By about 1am, it was clearing out, and we headed home tired. It was certainly impressive and a good time, but different from the sort of wedding I imagine for myself, and certainly a far cry from what I expect these next few weeks at the weddings of two of my closest friends.
On Wednesday, we are going to another wedding here in Israel. My research will be more conclusive with a bigger sample size!
