Sponsoring first Kiddush.

I just wanted to share a milestone.

I am sponsoring my first Kiddush soon, and will be honoring it in memory of my grandfather and uncle. My grandfather passed several months before I was born, and my uncle just passed a few weeks ago. Both of them, along with my mother, grandmother, and a multitude of other family members (i.e. aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, etc.) are Sephardic Jews that escaped the Middle East about fifty-ish years ago, for obvious reasons. I didn’t grow up particularly observant, and it’s only in the wake of my divorce that I’ve felt a desire to connect more with my Judaism. One of the more chilling aspects about my own journey is that my initial mediation date for my divorce was on October 6th. The next day, well……… we all know what happened. I have family in Israel, and I will never forget waking up to their frantic communications that day.

I’m thankful to have found a wonderful shul close to the new city I live in. So many of the members there have wrapped their arms around me as though I’m their own child, have invited me into their homes, and have wiped tears off my face. I’m so, so, so humbled, honored, and thankful to be able to support my new Jewish community/home.