Un Billete Por Favor

Yesterday I went to buy tickets for Yom Kippur services at a synagogue a friend recommended to me. The Google Maps directions led me to a small, run-down square, home to a modest synagogue that I nearly walked right by.  It blended into the surrounding buildings and the only indication it was a synagogue were the two Jewish stars on the doors.  When I entered, the man that greeted me asked to see my passport.  I tried speaking to him in Spanish, but once he learned I was from the U.S., he said "Let's speak in English. Your American accent is too strong for me to understand your Spanish." Strike one.

He flipped through every page of it and finally stopped to study my personal information.  "Your last name doesn't sound Jewish," he told me.  Strike two. "It isn't a Jewish name is it?" I was a little caught off guard, but proceeded to explain that the name was not Jewish, per se, but that my mom is Jewish and that's how I was raised.  When I told him I am reform, he scowled and told me it was an Orthodox temple.  Whoops.  He continued to grill me, asking me things like "What is your mother's last name? Where does that name come from?" "What holidays do you observe?" "What are your favorite prayers?" I had to dig deep into my Hebrew school past for some of those answers, but finally I passed the test and was allowed through the vestibule into the synagogue.  Before I was allowed upstairs, however, the man thoroughly searched my bag.  At least I can be sure they don't mess around with intruders.  

Finally I bought my tickets for Friday night and ran out of there. I was a little disappointed that nobody was very welcoming; I had thought they would be happy to see other Jews interested in participating in High Holiday services. I am also a little terrified to go to these Orthodox services on Friday, but I know it will be interesting to experience.  I went to Shabbat services once in Buenos Aires and it was a completely different vibe than services in the states (most people were wearing jeans and sandals).  It was fun though to try to read the transliteration with Spanish lettering, accents and tildes included.  So as scary as an Orthodox service might be, I am excited to have this experience and see what Judaism is like across cultures.