Shabbat Dinner With the Family

I have some family who live about 20 minutes north of here in a small town called Bnei Tzion and they invited me over for Shabbat dinner. I arrived a little after 6:30 and met the extended family. Bilah is my father's cousin. Her husband, Benny, was there as well as his sister (Danielle?) and her husband, Haim. Bilah and Benny have three kids, and two of them--Chen and Eyal--were there with their wives and two kids apiece (Eyal's family actually lives in the house with Bilah and Benny). It made for a very welcoming and very full dinner table.

Before dinner we sat down and had some tea with fresh herbs from the garden--mint, sage, and an herb they kept calling 'luisa' which (when my sinuses cleared following the cold I had been developing) I discovered was what I would call lemon verbena. They offered us cakes, which at first made me think that I may have misunderstood the dinner invitation and were only having dessert. However, soon the table was being set by various family members while Benny, the chef, put the final touches on the meal. We had no idea the culinary delights that awaited us!

First there were Shabbat prayers including passing around challah, dipped in course salt, and wine. I wore the yarmulke, but I passed on the wine so as to not spread my cold. The meal itself began with a course of fish called Princess of the Nile. It was absolutely delicious...light and flaky and swimming in a delightfully savory sauce. Then we had soup, and vegetables and potatoes and salad and paprika chicken, and just when I thought I couldn't eat another bite Benny brought out an enormous bowl of fruit salad, a very refreshing end to the meal. The amount of food Benny prepared for this meal was staggering. Even with 14 people eating, there was enough left over to feed us all again. If we all would have let him, he would have done it, too!

After dinner Benny showed me his artwork, both throughout the house and in the gallery he has downstairs (he maintains a more complete gallery and workshop at Bilah's mother's house). He is a prolific painter, but also makes beautiful metal sculpture--he made the metal bannisters and tables and bathroom vanity in their house. They really were amazing. I have to say that one of the most remarkable pieces of artwork he showed me was a model of Noah's ark that he made with one of his grandsons for a school project. It was a multilevel affair with a retracting ladder, windows, and rooms for people, animals, and supplies. The handiwork was so intricate and detailed, it really blew me away. It could have been in a museum.

The best thing about the dinner, however, was the people. They were so warm and friendly to me. They speak English really well, but sometimes it was cute when they'd say a whole sentence and then look to someone else for that one last word. I can only hope to someday be a tenth that proficient in Hebrew, so it was really nice that we can communicate with them. They also had a knack for humor, keeping most of the room in stitches. The funniest line of the evening was when I asked Eyal about the possibility of him being called up in the army. He said he has some health problems and so he serves in a "disabled" unit. So, he said while he pantomimed wheeling himself in a wheelchair, "if they call me up, it must be very bad for Israel."

I left with bags full of lemons, cumquats, and herbs for tea from their garden....way too generous, but greatly appreciated. I almost forgot to mention the kitties. Their cats were really funny! I'm not entirely certain how many total cats they had, but I interacted mostly with Shmuelech and Fishka, tall skinny tabby siblings (grey and orange, respectively) who tolerate just about everything and are very cute and cuddly. Shmuelech even tried to come home with me by jumping in the car as I was leaving.

I'll be visiting them again soon and will post pics...