Mah nishtana ...

I have had a lot of pesach's and each and every one of them is as magical as the previous. Tonight's was a first as far as the location and it was as memorable as the rest. I used to tingle with anticipation when young before going to Libbie and Ben's (my Mother's parents) for the first night then Henry and Min's (Min was a sister of Libbie) for the second. I was so fond of pesach when little, and loved singing all the songs ... Key Lo Noyeh, Echad Me Yodeah, and the climactic Chad Gohd Ya. My father had some unique tunes and we LOVED speeding up the closer we got to echad (echad aloheynu shebeshemyim oov'e'aretz to be exact).

So I get a call from Goldie this afternoon and she suggests I come to Blue Drops for 5:30. She tells me the family will be by at 6. A vehicle pulls up in front about 6:10, after Goldie has called her Dad a few times to find out if he is actually coming. I am not sure what the plan is as we pile into the vehicle. We head up Gambia to Kezanches, following the same route as we do when going to work. At Arat Kilo we do a 270 around the traffic circle, heading towards familiar territory called piassa. It is then that I discover we are going to the synagogue. We wind our way through sites I have seen before in piassa. At an intersection I must have seen dozens of times, Goldie's Father points out a light greenish/blue building with a few lights emanating through windows and exclaims that is the destination.

We arrive amidst some security, and greet everyone with chag sameach's all around. There are about a dozen men and Goldie. We pile into a small sanctuary, very nicely appointed with a lovely aron hakodesh. It is nicely done with gold lettering on a deep blue or purple background. The service is led by one of the congregants and lasts about 30 minutes. There is another boisterous round of chag sameach's and we navigate the steep staircase back to the parking lot. The synagogue was delightful, and very small. I am told there are less than 50 practicing Jews "left in Addis".

So we're off, and I am not exactly sure what is next ... we wind our way through familiar streets, ending up at Gambia and Kezanches at which point it is obvious we are going back to Blue Drops. There is a nicely laid out set of tables and Goldie's brother's wife and family arrive.

I sit beside an 8 year old who is abuzz with trivia about capital cities of countries and some states in the US. This little guy is quite charming and wants me to sing O Canada for him. I told him one is not allowed to sing this national anthem on pesach. Some of Tuchou's finger foods arrive and there is a definite spicy theme to the dishes that arrived. We then order off the menu and the discussions at the table are heated and enjoyable.

Goldie's Dad is intrigued by my impressions about how so much of the Canadian Jewry has its roots in Estonia and Latvia. He then launches into some history of how in the 15th century the African Jews deliberately recruited young women from what is now Yemen to procreate with their men. Up until that point, the Ethiopian Jews tended to mate with first cousins. All of a sudden, the party seemed to break up. I sat and chatted with Goldie and Tuchou for a bit then come back to TDS. On a scale of 1-10, that experience was a 14.

I do miss being with family tonight and know my lovely Sweet Thing is sedering with Hal and Susan, Ben and Lesley, Pat Lahey and at least one other person. I could smell her brisket over the weekend all the way from Africa. Why is this night different from all other nights ... re-read the following few paragraphs to find out why :).