Shabbat

The inevitable post... my rant on Jewish life in Copenhagen so far.
Family friends from Los Angeles are here this weekend, and I've been spending all my time with them. My neighborhood happens to be partly Arab, which is fine, until I'm accompanied by one friend wearing a kippah. This made me feel incredibly vulnerable and uncomfortable, as I felt we stuck out. I'm not used to being noticably Jewish, and was not so interested in experiencing Anti-Semitism.

As today is Shabbat, I went to the Great Synogague. Stevie and I were intensely interrogated by security guards before we were even allowed inside. The sanctuary was beautiful, and it was comforting to hear Hebrew in a foreign country, though my siddur was in Danish as well as Hebrew. On the other hand, it is an Orthodox minyan, so I as a woman am relegated to the balcony. I have been in an Orthodox minyan with a mechitza (separation). I don't like it, but I will tolerate it now and then. I HATED the balcony. I was an observer, instead of on the floor participating with the men. The community was welcoming, though the service long. However, I too distracted by the fact that I was far away up high to actually pray.

Sunday, I am off to Paris!