Being in Germany, the homeland of my grandmother, I was extremely excited by the idea of connecting with my Jewish roots. Having spent so much time studying the holocaust, imagining life during World War II, and attempting to fathom a world so very far away… it was wonderful to be in Germany and create a positive Jewish memory for myself.
The New Synagogue in Berlin has an incredible history. More prominently known for its in-house museum and office spaces, there is a small sanctuary offering Reform services on a regular weekly basis. I was excited to have the opportunity to “Attend a Shabbat outside my hometown” (and thus cross #40 off the Life To Do List), but I took it a step further- this service was out of the country and not in English!
My favorite memory from the experience was when we turned to a page where we said a very important Jewish prayer called the “Veahavta” (pronouced vay-ah-HOFF-tah). This is a very standard prayer that many young children memorize long before they fully speak the Hebrew language or know what the words mean. Well in the German language, as you probably know, the letter “W” is pronounced as we would pronounce a “V.” So instead of the prayer being written in transliteration as I’d grown up reading it (Veahavta), it was instead written with W’s! and was spelled Weahawta!
Fortunately for me, there was a visiting Rabbi from New York leading services. I could understand his hebrew and he was accompanied by an incredibly talented female cantor. At the conclusion of services, he wished everyone “Shabbat Shalom” (a peaceful sabbath) and I responded with the same he immediately knew I was American. He asked me where I was from and turns out he grew up near my current home in Los Angeles. Even when I am across the globe, the world feels small!
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