Yes, indeed, things feel gloriously, wonderfully free and open here. After last year, when we were all at home (and only at home) during Pesach (and every other holiday, actually, since last Purim), this year felt like a whole new world: while there are still restrictions on the number of people that can be indoors together/at shul, there was no lockdown (as the fear-mongers were spreading panic about online) and few-if-any restrictions otherwise. 90% of people age 50+ are vaccinated or immune (87% and 3% respectively) and of those hospitalized with Covid, almost 75% are unvaccinated (from the Covid-19 Whatsapp group. PM me if you want the link). Here's an interesting article from the NYT about what Easter was like here, in case you'd like the view of a different Quarter of the Old City.
Our delightful street minyan that met right outside our house (instant women's section: open the office window! It was amazing) met for the last time on Shabbos and although it's great that people can go back to daven at their regular shuls now, I'm still sad that I can't just open the window and join in. Now I'll have to find real shoes and walk up 8 flights of stairs, etc etc
I hope that everyone reading in the US who has not been able to get vaccinated will have the opportunity soon. Here, it's been so long that everyone has had the opportunity to get vaccinated that they have closed the trailer parked outside our health fund office designed solely to give Covid vaccines in, and hung a little sign on the door telling people to make an appointment at the regular nurse's clinic. A friend told me about a friend of hers who went for a vaccine yesterday and the secretary chided her with, "FINALLY! What took you so long?!"
Our Pesach fun included watching Percy's brother overnight and then, just to increase the lunacy, watching another neighborhood Maltese puppy. As first one and then the other left, our small living room suddenly felt much larger (like in the old story: I guess all we had to do was take away the cow, the goat, the sheep and two other dogs and it feels almost-spacious in here!):
The stores are sloooowly being restocked after Passover
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| horseradish, anyone? Because that's about all that's here: a top shelf full of chrein! |
Penina and Ilana went back to school two days ago after Pesach break ended and so far so good. Given the numbers of infections, I kind of can't imagine that schools will be closed again, but I'm an optimist and Ilana and her classmates are still too young to get vaccinated, so I guess we'll see.....
In other family news, Percy the Puppy turned 1, Ilana is turning 15 tomorrow and my nephew Benjamin and his wife Natalie welcomed a baby boy yesterday!
