I'm not going to recap everything since Mishkan is now an established synagogue with traditions and some of the wild experimentation of the earlier years is settling down, which means that a lot of things were basically the same as they were in previous years. It was held at the Copernicus Center out west, we took Laila to the morning baby/toddler service on Rosh Hashanah, went into what they call the "Museum of Awe" where there were a bunch of activities--Laila spent most of the time running around and didn't get to do that much before they closed it, since they needed to set up the room for the lunch that was happening after Rosh Hashanah services were over--then went into main services. Laila listened when there was singing and wiggled a lot when there was talking, and we stayed through the beginning of the Torah service while they were carrying the Torot around. Once they put them down on the bimah and prepared to read, I knew that was it and we took Laila home.

For Yom Kippur, I took Laila out of school--I want the school to get used to the idea that she won't be there for Jewish holidays--but I did all the events myself. There's an entire day, the parents don't eat or drink, it's a lot. Next year I think we'll go to the morning service and maybe some of the main service, and then I'll come back by myself for Neilah. It's always totally packed for Shaḥarit and then gradually whittles down throughout the day until by Neilah the auditorium is more than half empty. It's worth it to hear El Nora Alilah sung at the end of the day as the sun is going down.

This year was a bit more lonely, though. In past years I've often had people to chat with during the break at mid-day, or see other people I knew. I did not see a single other person I knew during the entire service, nor at the discussion I attended about Jonah during the break, nor when I went to the nearby park to walk like I usually do. I saw people I recognize by sight, of course, it wasn't a totally strange experience, but until Break Fast in the evening I'm not sure I said a word to someone. The rabbi did mention that that's some people's custom, that they try to never speak at all during the day so the only thing that passes through their lips are prayers. That's effectively what I ended up doing, though I had a nice conversation with with the people I say with at the table at Break Fast.

Next up is Sukkot, the best holiday if you have a yard and the worst holiday if you do not (as I do not). The weather report says we'll actually get some fall weather, so I'm looking forward to that. 🍂