Today was my first day of Hebrew school. It was also the first day of hebrew school for the kids who are the normal age for hebrew school. Since I taught myself the Alef Bet over the course of the year, I got to go straight to Intermediate. Lucky me, the teacher picked the prayerbook hebrew book I’d picked out last spring. That is when I still thought it would be possible to teach myself hebrew.
Class went well–especially since I’ve already worked throught the first few chapters on my own. It is a small class of mostly women that all studied beginning hebrew together. Turns out that I also randomly picked the same beginning book they used. I also don’t think I could have stood a year learning the alef bet, so I’m glad I’m starting where I am. Except my pronunciation isn’t so great–the problem with teaching yourself a new language.
On my way up to class, I ran into the organizer of the Blood Drive and agreed to give blood and then I ran into the webmaster/editor of bulletin/all around word guru for the congration and agreed to become the webmaster for the congregation. What? Wait? I’m not even a member yet!
After class, I go downstairs to give blood and word has already spread. The president of the congregation knows, the women of the sisterhood–Leah is taking on the webpage, thank you because now my husband is off the hook. So I go in and meet some people I’ve never seen before. In my world–if you aren’t at services, I don’t know you exist. I am totally unaware of all the other things that go on at the shul. I’m starting to see there is more than just services.
After they find a vein and get the blood started, the room started to go dark from the right to the left. Uh oh, this is what the lady meant when she said lightheaded isn’t it? “Teesa? Someone?” Immediately the four women from Life Source surround me. Feet up, ice pack on my chest, ice pack on my neck. Breathe deep, cough. No really, cough. Turn your head, don’t look at the lights.
I’m saved from fainting (would have been a first) and while I’m still getting back to normal, blood flowing out, feet in the air, ice packs all over, a man walks up and gives me a book. He said it was a welcome gift from the Congregation. It is a Yiddish Dictionary called the Joys of Yiddish. Hooray! Ronnie and I had tried to find this book, but it is out of print and now I randomly have a copy. I’m still not totally sure what the occasion was–becoming webmaster or something. These are people who will only ever know me as a Jew. Kind of cool.
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