Friday, March 29, 2024 -
Print Edition

Revisiting

I am just coming off of a three-week trip. The first part was in Israel, the second part mostly in Manhattan but also in other neighborhoods in the New York area and in New Jersey.

Normally when traveling I enjoy seeing some new places or revisiting beloved old ones. As it turned out, this trip was all about people.

People, parties, reunions and some fantastic food to bind it all together.

Israel, of course, is always also about some good food, with the abundance of delicious kosher eateries and especially the amazing Israeli street food, such as falafel — perfectly crispy spicy fritters wrapped in a soft and warm fluffy round pita pocket — and the chumusiyot (humus places). The humus is so warm and creamy with fava beans at its center, and the texture and flavor are almost totally unlike what is called humus here in the US.

There were so many friends to catch up with, but so little time. I definitely will need to get back again soon. After making a life in two separate cities, one of them being Jerusalem, you meet a lot of people.

In contrast to the open spaces of Denver suburbia, Jerusalem and New York City could not be more different.

There are the overcrowded gatherings in Jerusalem’s tiny apartments, with the tug of people  practically sitting on carpets or on top of one another. Stacks of chairs are borrowed and empty niches are filled — tiny apartments transformed by people, laughter, food, the joy of a reunion. These are some Jerusalem  moments to cherish.

Manhattan, as well, finds people finding room in small spaces, gathering and seeing friends. It is not about the space per se or about seating people neatly at a table, but about the transforming of tiny spaces by people who are sharing a breakfast, a conversation, a memory.

You can cram a lot of people and a lot of love in some of these tiny apartments.

The rest of this article is available in the IJN’s print edition only. Contact Carol to order your copy at (303) 861-2234 or email [email protected].



Tehilla Goldberg

IJN columnist | View from Central Park


Leave a Reply