I knew I would appreciate and love being with my sister, nephew, and brother-in-law, seeing the beautiful sights, and having tasty food and coffee. Our trip had one important gift that didn't fully reveal itself until later.
When we got home (it seems like both yesterday and a zillion weeks ago), I realized that my children had never seen a really grand synagogue until they visited the one in Budapest. When I pointed out the ark to Maya, she said "that's the ark? Really?" Our temple building is only a few years old. The building is simple, and although it is lovely, there are no elaborate stained glass windows, no painted vaulted ceilings. When we went upstairs to visit the synagogue's museum, I was thrilled to see their collection of ritual objects- ornate Torah adornments, beautiful spice boxes (used in the havdalah service), seder plates, kiddush cups, and candle sticks.
I'm so glad they had the opportunity to see the richness of Jewish tradition. The Orthodox synagogue my grandfather attended was a grand, majestic place; it had never occurred to me that my children only knew of our modest synagogue, and that they had no idea that synagogues might look different than the one we attend.
I'm not sure that my children would list this as a gift of their trip, but it was for me. Extra special thanks to my sister for planning our trip to Budapest and making sure that we got to visit the synagogue :)
When we got home (it seems like both yesterday and a zillion weeks ago), I realized that my children had never seen a really grand synagogue until they visited the one in Budapest. When I pointed out the ark to Maya, she said "that's the ark? Really?" Our temple building is only a few years old. The building is simple, and although it is lovely, there are no elaborate stained glass windows, no painted vaulted ceilings. When we went upstairs to visit the synagogue's museum, I was thrilled to see their collection of ritual objects- ornate Torah adornments, beautiful spice boxes (used in the havdalah service), seder plates, kiddush cups, and candle sticks.
I'm so glad they had the opportunity to see the richness of Jewish tradition. The Orthodox synagogue my grandfather attended was a grand, majestic place; it had never occurred to me that my children only knew of our modest synagogue, and that they had no idea that synagogues might look different than the one we attend.
I'm not sure that my children would list this as a gift of their trip, but it was for me. Extra special thanks to my sister for planning our trip to Budapest and making sure that we got to visit the synagogue :)
2 comments:
Welcome home, and I am glad you enjoyed the trip (no trip is totally enjoyable!!). I liked all your pictures, so thanks for sharing.
Oh, I think your children will appreciate that gift in the future. What a wonderful trip.
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