Congregation Shearith Israel

Congregation Shearith Israel is by far my favourite synagogue. It’s a space of peace surrounded by… Texas. They have two different rooms to hold services in, a ballroom for Kiddush and other events, and a few rooms for the kids to go off and learn about their people and their religion in a more relaxed atmosphere.
It’s well air-​conditioned, and everything about it is beautiful. The Rabbi, towards the end of the service, held his kids in his arms (after they ran down the middle of the aisle to him), to read the announcements. He helped my cousin through the last year and a half with his studies and preparing him for his Bar Mitzvah. He delivered a wonderful message about individualism and studying the Torah during the days before Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Have you ever heard Hebrew? I believe it to be one of the most beautifully romantic languages out there… besides the «ch» sound, which sounds kind of like something is stuck in your throat. But the imagery of the characters are ancient and amazing. During the prayers I would run my hand across each character; from Alef to Zayin, carefully sounding out each letter, and trying to remember what dot/​slash/​etc signified which vowel sound. The walls carried these prayers throughout the entire temple, filling each person with a new sense of hope for the rest of Shabbot and the upcoming week.
And whoever made that kugel for Kiddush should be locked away in a kitchen, forced to cook it ²⁴⁄₇ for the masses who have been subjected to terrible kugel.
It’s just like my family to tell me I’m too skinny and make me eat at least a pound of kugel on my own. At least, that’s what I’m telling people when they ask why I’ve gained so much weight.