Shabbat

Erez

View more photos 

I spent my last Shabbat dinner in Israel with Erez’s entire family. I call it the ‘migraine’ side of the family, because much of the time is spent in total and utter chaos - picture about 12 kids, all under the age of 13, running around for an entire evening while adult relatives sit and talk and hope that their children don’t break a bone. I love it.

The real event bringing everyone together was his niece’s, Shay’s, birthday. Shay, the oldest of the Strasburg cousins, is a sophomore in high school, fluent in Hebrew and very proficient in English and Spanish. Shay and her siblings – as did everyone in Erez’s family – grew extremely close to my sister Laura while she lived in Israel; my time spent around them inevitably includes comparisons to Laura, including “you have the same smile,” or “you’re just as warm as your sister” (the best compliment by far). Occasionally her younger cousins will speak to me in Hebrew, assuming I’m Laura. It’s adorable.

The Strasburgs and Flat Laura

View more photos 

Before slicing into the cake, everyone in the family gathered round the table. Rather than simply sing happy birthday and indulge in the mouth-watering dessert sitting before us, everybody took the cutting knife and made a short (but amazingly sweet) speech to Shay, relating how proud they were of her accomplishments, how much she means to the family, and most importantly, how wonderful a person she has grown to be.

The only thing I could think was, ‘Wow – Americans would be a lot less screwed up if we did this more often.’