¡feliz año nuevo!/ happy new year!

Kreplach, matzo ball soup, gefilte fish, latkes, corned beef, brisket, knishes, and more...whether in Argentina or the US, the aromas and delicious food make me feel right at home. Now add in some empanadas, salads with lots of mayonnaise, and four to six hour meals; ah now we are at a table in Argentina. I spent Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) being invited into people's homes, eating wonderful four (or more) course meals, and bringing in the new year. The community here is diverse and wonderful; it was amazing to see the traditions merging through celebrating Rosh Hashanah and eating way way way too much food! 

Wednesday night I had a true delicious Ashkenazi meal of gefilte fish, kreplach soup, carrot and cabbage salad, potatoes, and chicken. I celebrated with my cousins who live in Buenos Aires, ranging from ages 70 to 15, and they were all very interested in what I was doing here for a year. 

Nati and me

Mario, me, and Amalia

Nico, Mica, Meli, me, and Cami

homemade kreplach soup

When I told them I was working for the JDC, all the younger people had fun stories to tell me about how they have been connected to the organization. Cami (17), told me she competed at Pilpul (a JDC educational Jewish debate program) this past year and her team got second place! Meli (20) and Nico (18) told me they got trained as madrichim with help from the JDC. Their grandparents told me how excited they were that I was working for the JDC. It was great to hear that they all knew about the JDC and that it seems to be well respected within the community. After the kids said the prayers over the candles, wine, bread, and apples, they broke out into Rosh Hashanah tunes...a few that I knew and a bunch that I heard for the first time! The whole meal was welcoming, fun, festive, and I felt right at home. 

Thursday I attended services at a Sephardi Modern Orthodox Shul in the beautiful Japanese Gardens:

 I wish I could have taken pictures of the inside because they had decorated it so beautifully with white coverings, flowers, and more. Everyone inside was beautifully dressed as is Argentinian culture (look good, feel good) and the synagogue was abuzz as people caught up with their friends and family. I came with two friends from London and sat next to a woman who used to practice law and now is an English teacher;

she has been coming to this Rosh Hashanah service for most of her life. When the shofar was blown, the rabbi asked everyone to cover their eyes and reflect on how they could be better in the upcoming year. It was a beautiful moment allowing the shofar to resonate in my body and penetrate my thoughts as I reflected on the past and upcoming year.

I then joined a Rabbi and his family with my friends from London in their beautiful apartment on Libertador Avenue for a traditional rich Syrian Sephardi Rosh Hashanah lunch of dozens of appetizers followed by rice, meat, fresh vegetables, delicious fruits, and more. Their 23 year-old son told me how he is studying accounting and working at their family's hotels. He is one of six children but the other five all live in Israel now. It was wonderful for them to share some of their Sephardi food traditions and beautiful view overlooking Buenos Aires from their balcony.

Thursday night, I joined a JDC friend, Yael, and her family for another wonderful humongous meal.  We started our meal with traditional challah with raisins dipped in honey and then took part in a fun tradition of eating some symbolic foods all that are supposed to ensure a sweet and full new year. We would all put a bit of each food on our fork, say a prayer or phrase for each different food, and then eat it together. We ate:

• Apples and honey for sweetness
• Dates for peace
• Pumpkin for happiness
• Beets for freedom
• Leeks for friendship
• Pomegranate to signify the mitzvahs
• Carrots to hope for "more" in the upcoming year
• "Fish's head" (piece of fish) to remind us to move forward and make progress in the upcoming year

I love this new tradition and hope to incorporate it into my future Rosh Hashanah celebrations!

delicious knishes

Dinner included cebiche (salmon with red onions, mango, and passion fruit...YUM!), latkes, empanadas, matzo ball soup, brisket, knishes, and more. The table was lively as we discussed one of the cousin's upcoming trip to Israel with her youth group, my thoughts about Buenos Aires living so far, and American movies and tv shows we all loved. Also in traditional Jewish fashion, I was sent home with tons of delicious leftovers!

My Rosh Hashanah was full of delicous food, new and old traditions, a mix of Ashkenazi and Sephardi celebrations, and conversations with amazing people. All my meals were with people of varying levels of observance, involvement, and connection to Judaism. But what was common was a sense of community and meaning, we were all coming together to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. As I said in my previous post, I could not be more thankful to be a part of the loving, boisterous, powerful, and devoted global Jewish community.

Shana Tova from Argentina!