Haifa hosts two reform synagogues: there's the one we go to and the one we don't. Orthodox synagogues are supported by the Israeli tax dollar, but reform and conservative synagogues have to make their own way. The reform synagogue, Or-Hadash, is supported almost entirely upon American donations, and there are several olim who are members, though not necessarily from the US.
The synagogue does not have heat. Since energy is very costly in Israel -- and by Russian, Colorado, Canadian, and Arctic standards, Haifa never gets cold -- a heating system would be an expensive non-necessity. During services, I sit and freeze and wonder if they could collect some of this cold and use it to cool the building in the summer. Other than that, it is a beautiful building and a tribute to American dollars.
Unlike many reform shuls in the US, the people there are very friendly. Many of them, including the rabbi, are olim from all over the globe: Chili, Brazil, Argentina, Norway and the USA. The shul even has congregants who were born and bred in Israel. One such lady named, Katrina (not her real name), is a former ballerina and current teaches ballet. She is very outgoing and speaks English quite well. She might be the synagogue's yenta as she claims to have successfully matched a single female from England with another friend of hers.
Katrina has been nothing but kind, however, she does have a bias against the English language. Bias toward one's own native tongue is natural; however, Katrina is quick to point out that English doesn't have a words for many things she wants to say. I found her statement rather surprising since all anyone has to do is pick up a English/Hebrew dictionary and see that the English side is about three times the size as the Hebrew side.
For an example, Katrina told us English does not have a word to say before eating. She gave us the term one usedsin Hebrew before eating, and said, " In English all one can say is eat." I offered the word, enjoy, and she looked at me funny. Later, we found the Hebrew word you say before eating translates into enjoy.
Later Katrina brought up another word that English doesn't have. I can't remember the word, but it means: A mother who has lost her son. It's a tragic sort of word, and I listened without defending the English language. Afterwards, of course, I thought of some questions I could have asked her:
Why is there a word for a mother who lost her son?
Why not a word for a mother who lost her daughter?
Is losing a son more tragic than losing a daughter?
How about a father who has a lost a child -- does not a father grieve over such a loss?
My thinking is that Katrina doesn't know enough of the English language to effectively express what she can naturally say in Hebrew.
David and I have found the Hebrew language is very vague and limiting. One word is used for a variety of things. For instance, b'-vah-ka-shaw means please. Before we arrived in Israel, David was saying, "you're not going to be hearing that word very much Israel" -- but we hear it all the time. B'vah-ka-shaw means much more than please. It is used as: you're welcome, my pleasure, or take it. The term is also a polite way to say: hurry up, come on, and get the hell out of my way.
The Hebrew word pronounced "comma," means how much/how many and it also means some/a few. Olay means cost and also means immigrant -- what are the implications of that especially considering Israel is a nation of immigrants. The "l-" which can sound like "leh" or "lay" means to, per, for, etc. Of course, the to-be verbs are implied.
English: I am hungry
Hebrew: I hungry
English: Are you hungry?
Hebrew: You hungry?
Some claim Hebrew is a divine language. First, if Hebrew is a divine language, it shouldn't be used in mundane conversation but set aside for holy purposes only. Second, how could something that sounds like baby-talk be divine?
David brought up the idea that peace in the Middle East may be a concept that the people here will never understand. Look at the word Shalom. It means peace, and it means hello and goodbye. The idea being: I greet you in peace, Leave in peace. However, if peace is taken in the context of hello/goodbye then what does peace actually mean? It is my understanding the Arabic word salaam, also means peace and is used as hello and goodbye. Does peace mean something different to people who speak Hebrew and Arabic than to people who speak English, German, French -- simply because of the way the word is used?
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