Little Minyans Everywhere

So we moved!  And one of the greatest unsung features of our building is a very regular minyan.

This is temporary, due to corona. Building minyans are nothing new in Israel, but usually they're "lobby minyans" held only for "quickie" davening, like maariv after Shabbos, not on a regular basis, with a Torah, for longer davening. And definitely not Shabbos morning, when everybody tends to go off in their own direction.

Until now.
And one of the joys of life in a Jewish country, I've decided, is waking up Shabbos morning surrounded by prayer.
Not just mumbling, but all-out singing, with gusto.

(This picture has been making the rounds of social media... best guesses seem to suggest it's somewhere in England.  It’s definitely not Israel, so I guess this phenomenon has spread out a little.)

Last Shabbos, our last in our old apartment, I went out for a walk with the kids after we lit candles (with masks on!).  We passed at least a dozen little minyanim, so we started

Naomi, on moving and ballet

The little kids are already excitedly talking about what to pack – I have promised them they can each bring a backpack with their “best” friends and babies so they will be able to play with them right away.  Ted also promised Gavriel Zev that he can bring his inflatable Spongebob bed, so he’s happy.

Today, on our way from one dance class to another, Naomi said, “I hope they have adult ballet classes in Israel.  Because then, when I get there, I can keep taking ballet.”

I pointed out that she will, iy”h, be something between 7 and “adult” for a long, long time… and therefore, probably still eligible for kids’ classes, even at the advanced age of 8. 

But I think I also said they probably do have adult ballet classes.  I hope it’s true!