11/24 | An Israeli Thanksgiving

Tonight, I had the opportunity to attend a Hebrew University Thanksgiving party hosted by the Office of Student Activities and sponsored by Hillel and the Jewish Federations of North America. Contrary to what I had expected, this party turned out to be an absolute blowout. Not only were there gifts, flowers, and an assortment of food for everyone, there was an open bar, too! It was a really interesting take on Thanksgiving, but certainly nothing like how it is in the United States.

As we entered the ballroom of kibbutz Ramat Rachel, there were greeters on stilts handing out roses to everyone. This led into a cocktail hour with an assortment of hors d'oeuvres ranging from tacos to little cups of soup. When this part of the evening ended, everyone made their way to tables around a huge dance floor. At every seat were ceramic chamsas to take home and programs detailing the night's activities. After a few short speeches, the first course was served and, perhaps more importantly, the main bar opened up for the night. Shortly after, there was a fire twirling show and a mini-concert put on by singer Din Din Aviv of the Idan Raichel Project. At one point, Aviv started singing Hava Nagila and almost every single Rothberg student participated in a giant hora! This was proceeded by the main course--turkey and brisket--and an evening of dancing.

Tonight was a night to remember. The party was so much fun and it truly made everyone forget about their holiday homesickness. As I said, it was nothing like an American Thanksgiving, but it was certainly one that I won't ever forget!

Thanksgiving dinner was sponsored by the Jewish Federations of North American and Hillel.

Greeters on stilts handed out roses to everyone.

Sandy, Fara, and Esther before the evening's events began.

Rachel and I at our table.

The dance floor.

The first course: ravioli, salad, and a meat boureka.

The fire twirlers.  Yes, the smoke alarm did go off at one point.

Din Din Aviv of the Idan Raichel Project gave us all a private concert.

The main course: turkey and brisket!

A surprise appearance by Professor Weiner.  Sapir, another student in my Business Ethics class, is to the right.

Fara, Esther, and I on the dance floor.

Esther and Rachel dancing.

The dance floor starting to fill up with people.

At midnight, Esther turned 21.  Happy birthday, Esther!

After the party, I got to video chat with my family back home. This marked a truly great end to an absolutely incredible Thanksgiving. There really is a lot to be thankful for this year!

My grandma Betty and my sister Julia in front of my dad and my two cousins, Scott and Jason.

My cousin Jason, my sister Julia, my mom, Jason's wife Emily, and my aunt Miriam.