The Sabbath

My dear Friends

Lovely to talk to you again. Today in my childhood I would have celebrated the Sabbath-a day in the Jewish calendar of complete rest. We were taken as children to the synagogue, where we prayed and sang and as a child , very small ,my father would tuck in me in to his box, where only the men were, to be beside him in the liturgy which I loved.

My father was asked to participate a lot and sing the portion of the prophets which followed the reading of the Law or Torah.

After the lovely service, we went home and a nice lunch-usually chicken soup, and rested for the rest of the day. My mother and I were rather unusual. in that we listened to the radio in different rooms and compared notes.

It is a day for listening to the voice of the Creator in a special way and to be together as a family, so round the table for afternoon tea we had friends and visitors.

The Regent Hotel

My dear Friends

I would like to share with you a little haven I have in this busy city of Cambridge. It is a small family hotel, right in the centre and is run by an Italian family from the South of Italy. They are very welcoming and friendly and there is always a very warm reception. I often go there to chill out, have some breakfast and maybe talk to the residents.

There is also a little computer that i can use if I need to check the internet.

Recently the place has been refurbished and there are lovely green chairs, with new blue wallpaper.The owner, Mrs P likes to come and have a chat with me.

Over Easter, which we celebrated joyfully here  in Cambridge, I popped in while I was near to the Church. One of the pluses about the hotel is that is near to the Church of Our lady and the English Martyrs.

This was my home Parish when I first became a Catholic. It was only ten years ago that I moved over to the other side of town and now I go to the Parish of St Laurence.
I have many friends, old and new and some of them go to Church with me.

Hoping you had a joyful and blessed Easter, wherever you were.

We are now into eastertide, a very joyful five weeks, leading up to the wonderful Feast of Pentecost, which corresponds to the Feast of Shavuot in the Jewish religion.

All the very best
Shalom as ever
Gila

 

Visit to the Synagogue

My dear Friends

Yesterday, on the Jewish Sabbath,or Shabbat as it is called, I had a beautiful experience. I had been invited to BethShalom Reform Synagogue, where I was going to pick up two prayer books I had ordered from one of their members.

Beth Shalom Synagogue is not new to me  as I had been a member of the congregation between 1986 and 1988. I took some of their services and it was during this period that I learned to chant in Hebrew from the Torah scroll-my teacher was the late Louis Berkman, formerly cantor of Belsize Synagogue in London. This was indeed a great privilege.

Yesterday's service was on the eve of the Festival of Purim, commemorating the time when Queen Esther saved the Jews from their enemies in Persia and it is a delightful feast for adults and children alike. Yesterday's actual reading from the Torah was rather complex, being from the Book of Leviticus and its injunctions on sacrifices-I was particularly interested in the Peace offerings, which were strictly laid down.

As I was standing and singing and gazing at the beautiful Torah scrolls, a thought struck me. As this community do not yet have their own building, the 'mobile' Ark containing the scrolls resembled that of the ark of the covenant which was carried round in the desert. How appropriate for me, during Lent, to be there, amongst my Jewish people! For I have always envisaged Len as my own journey through the desert with the Israelites, as in days of old.

The cantor sang well and I heard many new tunes that i had not heard on a previous visit. I resolved to come again before too long.

Happy and joyful journey through the desert!
Shalom from Gila.

Towards Lent

My very dear Friends

It is hard to believe that we are approaching Lent once again. It seems that it was only yesterday that we celebrated Advent, Christmas and the New Year. and with snow on the ground still in so many places (not in Cambridge however) that we have just had the first official day of Spring.

Spring-that is the real meaning of Lent and many of the religious poets commemorated and celebrated it in beautiful poetry. Like George Herbert, for example, one of my favourite 17th century poets. He wrote a wonderful poem called 'Easter Wings' which I first came across the night after I was baptized into the Catholic Church at Easter 1989.

This is why Lent and Easter 2014 have such a special meaning for me, as it is my 25th anniversary of being a Catholic. It has been a momentous 25 years, with many ups and downs, twists and turns along the way. but I have never regretted it and have been told  that my Orthodox Jewish upbringing was my best formation for my new life.I have tried my best to bring everything that was meaningful  from the Jewish religion into the last 25 years and have attempted to build bridges between Jews and Christians through music, encounter and Friendship as best I could.

It has been my privilege to have been given the grace to found, with the help of a friend, an organization dedicated to that aim, The Little Sisters of JOY and this has been, and will continue to be, the focus of everything I do.My life as a Catholic Christian gives me the structure and above all, the sacramental life, to follow in the steps of Jesus and to do his work.

I am blessed with a huge variety of friends from every religion and culture whose love and support nourishes me and empowers me.

And you!
A blessed and joyful Lent
Shalom from Gila 

Patron Saint of thunderstorms

My dear Friends

I had intended to write this little piece last Monday on the Feast of Saint Scholastica. Who is this Saint, you my well ask? She is not as obscure as you might think.

Her brother was Saint Benedict, who was one of the Founders of the monastic life. She was very fond of her brother and one day went to visit him in the monastery. She was really enjoying his company but after a while he said he had to leave her to go back to his monastic cell (the word used for someone's private room.) Sister Scholastica prayed very hard and soon afterwards there was a massive thunderstorm, followed by torrential rain, much as there is over many parts of the country at the moment.

Saint Benedict had no choice but to go on talking to his dear sister for a night and a day and that is why she is chosen by the Church to take this role. Let us hope that in some mysterious way she will use her gifts to help appease the terrible storms that beset us now and that the Master of the elements will hear our plea.

I was privilege in Cambridge to know a nun called Sister Scholastica. She was a teacher all her life and, being retired and reaching the age of 75, she said to God that she was bored. Apparently there was a divine reply and she was told to learn Hebrew-which is where i came in. Scholastica was a wonderful scholar on her own, but she would invite me to the convent every Wednesday at 5pm, we would have a session on Hebrew until 6pm, when there would be Mass and a nice supper with the other Sisters after wards. Then my dear friend would take my arm and we would go for a short walk in the garden.

Her prayers were very powerful and she died in November 1995, in the same week that I was in israel and Yitzchak Rabin was shot down at a Peace rally.

I miss her still but for sure she is watching over me.

Shabbat shalom, peaceful Sabbath
Gila  

Gathering at the Regent Hotel

My dear Friends

Just to report that my little gathering at the Regent hotel here in the heart of Cambridge went really well. Eleven people gathered to celebrate 15 years of The Little Sisters of Joy, now a Foundation of Prayer, Peace and Reconciliation, which takes many forms;  Concerts of Peace and Reconciliation in various lovely halls, usually in and around the university of Cambridge, the occasional lectures and much more besides. In any one day I can meet up to half a dozen new and very diverse people.

Getting back to last Saturday, the eleven people came from different Christian traditions,which was fitting especially on that day as it was the beginning of The Week of prayer for Christian Unity.Traditions represented were Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Russian Orthodox and even American Orthodox!

Our newly refurbished surroundings added to the JOY of being together and chatting over some food and drink. I gave a brief overview as to what happened in the Project in the past year and what is planned for the year to come, including singing with my guitar at a service in Grantchester Parish Church. where 3 Anglican Parishes will come together for their annual celebration-a great privilege for me!

A holiday beckons and I can now tell you that i have planned a short holiday in the 'wild and wooly West' of Ireland. (That is how someone described it to me when i said I was going quite a way beyond Galway city.) My final destination is to an Abbey in Connemara, but I am flying to a shrine in County Mayo first, to give thanks for my 25 years in the Catholic Church.

My flight is booked for the second half on May and i will prepare to put my little pussycat in his holiday home in a village near Cambridge, where he is well cared for while I am away.

Until the next time!

Shalom from Gila

Music at Queens

My dear Friends

Life has been quite hectic since we kicked off into the New year. My main project as you know this year is the publication of my second little memoir, Where the Woods the Water.

I was feeling a bit frazzled, having just come from the University library and the Graduate Centre and was passing Queens College in Silver Street. I popped in and over the mathematical bridge and into the court with the huge walnut tree. This is where tihe Chapel is and as I entered I heard the sound of the organ playing.

I could see a young man perched below the huge pipes, playing with great gusto. I sat down down in the middle of this really beautiful space and listened. After he had stopped playing the first piece, I clapped and shouted what a joy it was to hear such wonderful music. I think he was pleased to have me there, as he told me he was practising for an organ recital at 1.15 today. I explained I would be unable to go as i was holding a gathering of Friends in the Regent Hotel, but that i would love to listen to more.

Qutie a selection of music followed; Bach, some French music-quite delicious-some loud and soem quiet. This short interlude in my life really soothed my soul.

There is a variety of organists playing in this lunchtime series and I hope to go to something in the future.

Have a great weekend, a report about my meeting will the next blog entry
Shalom from Gila