I started calling/emailing the contacts Aliza got through the listserv. People seem very nice and one person said to me that the community cares about each individual because every individual makes a difference; also that families are large enough here that a person added to the shabbat meal on Wednesday won’t make a big difference.

I’m still nervous, though. I think I’ll be nervous until I’m in the situation…. until I find that I have friends and feel sure that they aren’t transient. Part of what I really would be happy to have is an intellectual community… I’ve managed to form that with Rachel (and Aaron, when he isn’t too aesthetic-minded, to use Soloveitchik’s terminology) despite our religious and philosophical differences. But that’s been rare, and very special, in my life. Because so much of that discussion has been driven by religion, and I tend to think of Judaism as an intellectual religion (not solely so, but very much so nonetheless), my hope is that I can find more of that here. Also because I’m very aware how positive- and important- an influence my time with Rachel has been on my life- and I want more of that, too.

(for the rest of today’s post from earlier, keep scrolling down to “Bagels and Pye”)