From Yeshurun to Yemin Moshe!

I've had a busy few days, including another enjoyable and meaningful shabbat, but I wanted to take you through a few of the highlights. Friday morning, following Shacharit and breakfast I set out in a cab with my friend Avram to our first time doing weekly volunteering at an amazing organization called Hazon Yeshaya . Founded in 1997, the organization now serves over 200,000 meals per month at 60 locations across Israel. We arrived at the main Jerusalem soup kitchen and were immeadiately put to work cooking, first preparing a salad and then making plates of hot food to serve each client their hot lunch. It was a great feeling to be playing a hands-on role in helpingto fight hunger in israel, and knowing how much our work would be appreciated. As well, it was amazing how much the staff appreciated our help and how friendly everyone was. Next week I'll be sure to bring my camera and document some of the amazing work that goes on there.
After finishing a little before noon, we had the bonus, because of the location, of walking back to Beit Nativ by way of the Shuk and seeing everyone in Jerusalem preparing for shabbat. We came back to base for lunch, and a few short hours later, it was time for candlelighting. For Kabbalat this week, I had the unique and very beautiful experience of davening at Yeshurun for their monthly Cantorial Carlebach tefillot. It was so beautiful and spiritual to hear Hazzan Asher Heinowitz and the Yeshurun choir sing all of my favourite Kabbalat Shabbat tunes, and even have a little dancing after lecha dodi. It was definitely a great way to kick off shabbat. Afterwards, I returned to Beit Nativ to have dinner with my friends, followed by and oneg and a little relaxing before I got to have an early night.
The next morning, after our traditional Fuchsberg Centre shabbat morning snack of chocolate milk and cake I went to daven at the Ashkenazi shul in Yemin moshe, which is a really enjoyable place to daven when I'm too lazy to take my 35 minute hike to Yedidya. YM is a comfortable 15 minute walk from here, and is situated in one of the most beautiful neighbourhoods in the city, with windows overlooking the walls of the old city. The tefillot started at 8:15 an were over at 10:30, with Musaf led by former Torontoinian Rabbi Robert Binder and a sumptuous kiddush as usual! I returned home for a short parashat hashavua discussion and lunch after which I got some nice Shabbat menucha. For Shabbat Mincha, I went back to Yemin Moshe with few friends, where I was even asked to do Hagbah! We then had a light seudah shlishit with a Shiur by Rabbi Yeres, followed by maariv and Havdalah. I was still a bithungary after shabbat, so I took advatage of having a Pizzaria 1 block away (only a bit closer than King Kosher), right across from Ehud Olmert's house!
Today I had some nice Rosh chodesh tefilot at the Conservative Yeshiva, followed by my talmud and halacha classes!
חודש טוב! Chodesh Tov!