Autumn has always held a special charm for me - the changing leaves, brisk breezes and warm drinks! It induces a rather festive feeling that excites the senses and makes one feel like a child again. Here in Israel it is slightly different being that there is no real feel to the change is season, but there is a difference in the air. And the fruits of the harvest are very much part of the celebration - though it will take some getting used to, substituting pomegranates for pumpkins!

Last year in my Hebrew class I learned songs for the holidays, and just yesterday as I was shopping for groceries I heard them being played throughout the store. I noticed that I was actually singing along to them and that my pace was much livelier and my shopping much happier. It was then that I realized that this year I really feet part of the holidays in a very keen way.

We are entering

 A holiday with cheese as the main ingredient is right up my alley! Last night my Israeli family and I gathered at my husband's mother's home for a festive dinner....everything we ate involved cheese in some way!  Of course cheese is always improved with a nice glass of red wine - and there was plenty of that.

As we ate and enjoyed my mother-in-law reminded me of another aspect of the celebration - Ruth. She told me, "You know, this is your holiday." She explained how it is a celebration of Ruth the Moabite who married Obed. Obed then fathered Jesse and Jesse fathered the great and honored King David.

 King Solomon dedicated the Holy Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem with a prayer and a precedent that has been followed by Israeli leadership since they reunited Jerusalem in 1967 and took responsibility for the Holy places - the foreigner is welcomed.

"When a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for your name's sake...when he comes and prays toward this house, hear in heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name." (I Kings 8:41-4)

It doesn't matter if it is the media, history teachers, tour guides, religious leaders or the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, they all like to refer to the fact that Jerusalem contains holy sites for the three great monotheistic religions of the world. Just not all of those mentioned above are so quick to add that there has only been freedom of worship for every religious group when Jerusalem has been in the hands of the Jews. It isn't a

During the holiday of Lag BaOmer in Israel every open space is filled with enormous bonfires, boisterous kids, sizzling food, and energetic conversation and laughter. My apartment, or flat as they call it here, is right on the border of civilization and acres of sprawling farmland. I enjoy having the option of going out of my parking lot and choosing either coffee to the left or fresh orange pickings from the orchards to the right.

Last night it seemed that all of Ra'anana decided to camp to the right of my flat. I never cease to be amazed at how holidays seems to pop-up around every corner of the calendar here in Israel. I still don't really understand Lag BaOmer, but it is rather impressive to see massive camp fires throughout densely populated areas. When I say "massive camp-fires" I don't think you can really appreciate it without seeing it. (photos below)

Tags: kasey barr israel lag baomer israeli culture holidays family bar