August 3rd-4th--Shabbat in Jerusalem

What a busy whirlwind of a weekend that truly embraced the circle of life. Unfortunately, Yehuda's cousin, Sarita, passes away in the middle of the night on Thursday night so the funeral was Friday at noon in Hertziliya. Yehuda was so glad that he went to the hospital to see her last week.
While Yehuda was at the funeral, I had a lazy morning with the boys and then we walked to Emek Refaim for milkshakes. What fun!
We came home and relaxed a bit more and then got ready for Shabbat. This Shabbat we had cousin Beth's son, Joseph's bar mitzvah and it was a really fantastic weekend.
We began with Kabbalat Shabbat at the Old Ashkenazi Shul in Yemin Moshe. The shul was really beautiful and was established well over 100 years ago. Although we have walked up the steps of Yemin Moshe before, we has never actually wandered the streets and alleyways. It is truly a spectacular neighborhood, although completely inaccessible to cars and groceries. We ate dinner at the Inbal Hotel on the 9th floor balcony. The views of the Old City walls under the full moon were beyond breathtaking. There was a cool breeze and amazing ambiance. The night could not have been more perfect. The walk home was refreshing and the boys were great.
In the morning we walked back to the same shul in Yemin Moshe (about a 40 minute walk each way), followed by a delicious dairy kiddush of lasagna, quiches and kugels...unique and yummy! The bar mitzvah boy did a wonderful job.
Next, after stopping at a park and relaxing by the fountain, we continued on to the King David Restaurant (across the street from the King David Hotel) for a delicious lunch. Then we walked back home for a two hour nap and then walked back to Yemin Moshe to the Sephardic Synagogue, which was beautiful, for mincha and Seuda shlishit. Once again the views from the porch where we ate were amazing and the weather and the company even better. The boys got to meet new cousins who quickly became friends. After havdalah we walked back home. We just can't get enough of the incredible Jerusalem air. We also can't believe how many times the boys walked that 40 minute walk back and forth today. What troopers!
After Shabbat we met Aaron an Yael and the kids in the Old City in the Rova. We bought all of the kids ice cream and enjoyed the Old City. We sat on the pavilion in front of the Hurva Synagogue and were joined there by a tour group of boys from the States. One guy had a guitar and began singing. The group got larger and larger until they formed a huge circle in the Rova. They sang songs from Acheinu to One Day by Matisyahu. I could have literally stayed there and listened all night. It was really beautiful and special, but the kids were exhausted and it was almost midnight so we walked back up and out through Mamilla to hail a cab and head to bed. Benjamin fell sound asleep on Yehuda's shoulders! What a great weekend!