Marisa’s abroad in Madrid, Spain, until Dec. 19.

As many of you probably know, today is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Almost all of my friends here in Madrid are Jewish, and we were feeling a bit homesick last night as the holiday began while we were away from home in a decidedly un-Jewish country. Let’s be honest: there is one Jewish bakery in the entire city, as far as we could tell. So our plan to pick up a little challah, apples and honey after school to celebrate was beginning to sound a bit pitiful. But one of my friends knew someone in Madrid who invited us to his synagogue for services last night. So we all dressed up in our High Holidays finest and made our way over to what ended up being a highly memorable and truly special experience.

When we walked up to the synagogue, it was surrounded by police. People at the door requested to see our passports and asked us questions to make sure we were really Jewish. Coming from a relatively small (and very sheltered) town, this seemed abnormal to me, but many of my friends said heavy security was pretty much the norm at their synagogues back home as well. Once we got in the door, the women selling tickets were super friendly and told us about a post-Yom Kippur party for young people (which, as it turns out, is apparently pretty legit according to some girls we spoke to later), as well as weekly Shabbat dinners and socials that we plan on attending in order to meet some Spanish Jewish youth. We walked upstairs to the women’s section (it’s an Orthodox and Sephardic synagogue so men and women sit separately) and the services began.

Or at least we think they did – it was hard to tell with all the women chattering and running around greeting their friends and wishing everyone a happy new year. The schmoozing went on for nearly the entire service, while the men forming a sea of kippot below seemed to be much more focused on prayer, or at least less talkative. We spoke to some women behind us who told us that the synagogue is Orthodox but that many of them are not actually very religious. There are only three or four synagogues in the entire city, and the others are very small, so this one appeared to be sort of a catch-all for a variety of Jews.

As more and more people trickled in and the synagogue filled up, I suddenly felt a strong sense of pride and community. There are very few Jews in Spain. Most were kicked out or forced to convert in 1492, and almost none ever returned, even centuries later. In more modern history, Jews were particularly unwelcome under Franco’s regime. Plus, how many Jews would really feel at home in a country known for putting ham on everything? The woman behind us said that she normally wears a necklace with her name written in Hebrew, and people always ask her what it is. She said that people don’t really know much about Judaism here. I had already sort of experienced that, when we told my señora we were going to synagogue and she said she’d never heard of Rosh Hashanah. So it was really special to see so many Jews coming out of the woodworks and reuniting in the gorgeous synagogue, greeting each other excitedly and praying together. Whispers and chattering in Spanish mixed with the chanted Hebrew coming from below, and even though I had no idea what was going on half the time and it was unlike any service I had ever been to, I felt very connected to my faith and to my community.

The Israeli ambassador to Spain gave a speech, which was particularly interesting to me. He spoke in Spanish with an Israeli accent, making him particularly difficult to understand. But I did catch about half of it, even with all of the side conversations going on around me. He spoke about collective memories: people all around the world remember where they were on 9/11, on the day Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated, and on good days as well, such as the opening of the Beijing Olympics. He also spoke about how a new year brings new challenges, and how this was especially true for Israel with its new government. He noted that the upcoming U.S. elections will be world-changing, and that many other changes are taking place around the globe, such as Russia’s rising power. Focusing again on Israel, he spoke about his hope that the negotiations with Syria are a sign of peaceful and productive diplomacy to come. He also cited the importance of maintaining Israel’s status in the world, amid so many hostile countries. Lastly, he wished us all a peaceful and happy new year.

Once the service let out, the women we had been speaking to invited us to their home for dinner, which we had to refuse despite their insistence because there were so many of us. I guess when you mix Spanish and Jewish hospitality, that’s what you get (the same goes for Spanish and Jewish chattiness, as we experienced as well). A Chabad rabbi found us outside, and we went to his house instead for apples with honey, challah, and dinner. While I’m not really that into the Chabad style of forcing prayers we don’t normally do on all who are present, it was very nice to sit down to a proper Rosh Hashanah dinner with friends, rather than searching the entire city for a little challah to eat in between classes. Plus, the rabbi lent Ally a shofar to blow for all of us today after she was successfully able to make sounds come out of it (deceptively difficult, for anyone who hasn’t tried it). So she’s been carrying a shofar around in her bag all day, which is probably the most hilarious thing ever, and we are videotaping her blowing it to commemorate the mitzvah.

It certainly wasn’t my normal Rosh Hashanah, and I definitely still miss my family on the holiday, but overall my experience here was extremely special. It was an unforgettable night, made more meaningful by the fact that I wasn’t expecting to feel connected to my Jewish faith this High Holiday season at all. Shana tova to all the Jews that read this! I hope you all have a sweet new year and had an equally meaningful holiday experience at Northwestern this year.

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