Thursday Thirteen #2

What Being a New Immigrant (and Jewish) in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh has Taught Me

Here is my first Thursday Thirteen from Pittsburgh. I hope it will be a new beginning!

Eating in a rainy succa, shaking my son's newspaper-made lulav, finding the way along broken sidewalks to spend our first Succot are all part of my unexpected adventures. But really they mean something more than just finding my way in an unknown territory. Every bit of experience is part of a whole.

1. The importance of hesed - 'giving'. As a new immigrant (American) living in Pittsburgh I am learning the importance of community. Often I feel alone, but when your community gives to you, you can feel the spiritual and emotional comfort knowing you're not alone.

2. The feeling of togetherness - Beyond the Jewish symbolism, my own personal succa is a Diasporatic recipe for overcoming the unexpected.

3. Honoring my parents. I may choose to feel resentment, but on Hol Hamoed, I choose to feel an inner sense of peace and gratitude for the secret inner love and support even if they didn't know how to show it and even if I am miles away from home.

4. A Jewish home. Even if we don't have a suca, we are able to light the candles, feel the love and find a connection in our prayers, our rituals, our love as family.

5. Lighting the candles. Being in a diaspora after living many years in Israel, I sometimes feel I am in the dark, but my heart has not hardened into something non-earthy and Jewishy.

6. Taking it One Day (or step)at a Time. Each day brings new and unfamiliar experiences. No matter how bad my day is, I will always have a family to go to for Friday dinner, I will always have somebody to talk to, I won't ever be alone. Feeling alone is one thing, being alone is another.

7. The importance of Offline Groups. I joined my first children and adult non-fiction writing group in Pittsburgh earlier this week. I gave feedback to two writers whose work I have never heard, and the feeling was good.

8. The importance of thinking good thoughts. Need I say more?

9. To do the same things I would do back home. I may be miles away from home, but this doesn't mean I can't do the same spiritual, emotional , social activities. They'll just be different. (Oh, that reminds me - I need to call my spiritual teacher)

10. I am slowly finding my niche as a woman. There is a Jewish community in Squirrel Hill, and then there's the Jewish women's community. I realized this when I joined the [Israeli] women's group in Pittsburgh last week. Before I'm a mom, I'm a woman. Actually, I'm a girl/daughter, adolescent, young adult, wife, mommy - all in that order. Welcome to the cycle of life.

11. The importance of blogging. I am steadily climbing to the blogging world - though I'm far from it. I still have reservations in my heart when talking to people. Deep down, I'm a fiercely private person and feel much safer when writing. I've angled with the beast of emotion. Frankly, there are many safe bloggers that I would one day like to meet, but for now, it's just a matter of feeling comfortable with the 'blogging voice' which is so very different.

12. Finding a spot of nature. I can feel really connected to my spiritual, intellectual and emotional nature when I'm surrounded by a nice plot of land. Hopefully, when my ankle god willing heals, I'll make my way to one of those nice trails out on Frick park. But for now, I just need to find my way.

Happy TT! May it be as glorious as you make it to be!