Arizona day 2

August 13

Today we went to Conservative Congregation Har Zion in Scottsdale for Shabbat services. We arrived after services had begun, to find that this morning was a Bat Mitzvah ceremony. The girl's name is Ciera. Her relatives on her mother's side came from the Philippines to attend this "simcha" (happy event). The rabbi was on vacation so the Hazzan (Cantor) officiated. He made a special point to greet her relatives in Tagalog, the language of the Philippines. He gave a moving sermon, too. He has a wonderful sense of humor that came out in the way he gave the sermon and in the way he conducted the prayers. He called all the little children up at the end of services for the kiddish ("afterall, it's called a 'kid'-ish, not an 'adult'-ish, right?", he said.) Ciera did a fine job. It was interesting to see the composition of this congregation. We are aware that there are members from many backgrounds in all the congregations we have prayed with in the US so far, who have come to strongly identify themselves as Jews. This congregation was no different. During the Torah service, when the prayer for recovery of the sick was said, this congregation stood silently without mentioning names. I prayed silently for my sister and mother again, as I always do, and have done so consistently everywhere in the world we've been so far for Shabbat services.

We ate at the synagogue with the bat mitzvah guests. Afterwards at David and Susan's we took a nap. The heat of Phoenix was getting to us. This afternoon our "dance-card" was full, so we took some time to rest (collapse, actually). My cousin Anne couldn't fit us in because her washing machine died and she urgently needed to shop for another one today; otherwise, we would have used this naptime for a visit with her, as well.

My nonagenarian cousins Dorothy and Pearle, who are sisters, invited us to eat supper with them. They live in an assisted-living facility that is really impressive. These ladies are 92 and 94, respectively. Their memories are crystal clear. The meal we were served from selections on a menu in the dining hall of this facility was delicious and the portion sizes were sensible for the first time in a while. We went upstairs for a short visit with these ladies, before we were scheduled to visit Susie, the sister of David, my best friend in Beer-Sheva. Susie had arranged this visit with us earlier, but, by this evening, a family obligation took priority and she wasn't available. This wasn't a bad thing, though, because it gave us a chance to extend our visit with my gracious cousins late into the night. There was so much of my family background to learn from them. The stories they told were of relatives of theirs three generations older than they; and, in turn, they are three generations older than I. Six generations in one evening! Razelle and I came away from this visit feeling so very satisfied with how we had spent the evening – and with whom. I learned that one of my ancestors was a contemporary of Paul I of Russia, and that this relative had been knighted by Paul I. This makes me a descendent of an honorary of the Russian court. Google Paul I and you will be amazed by how far back these ladies' memories go!

It was shortly after midnight when we got back to David and Susan's. We went straight to bed. It was a very fulfilling day, spent with people instead of visiting "attractions." This is why I came to Phoenix. We were pleased with how it all had turned out.