Today should be interesting.
Religion was fading in the North, and observant Jews were fading a bit faster then Lutherans or any of the others. But the South had had a series of religious revivals and just growing interest in religion - and little drop-off in between the periods of religious fervor.
Conversions to Judaism had continued, growing their numbers. The briefing summary said almost 11% of the adult population of Antarctica elected to pay a "Voluntary Religon Tax" to the United Jewish Council, compared to 47% to a variety of Christian churches and 5% to other faiths. All of these numbers were significantly higher than in the North.
So attending services on her first Saturday since landing seemed appropriate - and potentially interesting.
She set off on her Presidential bicycle - ridiculously gold plated in her honor - with her guide, an assistant rabbi, and two of her assistants (one Jewish, the other curious). The rest of her entourage took the day off to explore or just rest. The rabbi talked all the way there.
Rebecca said "Sinai Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in Antarctica. It was also a church on Sunday and a school on weekdays - housing was scarce back then. This building was shipped from the North for assembly here in 2098. It became a Jewish Community Center in 2184.
We have adapted floors 2, 3 and 4 for housing - mainly the elderly but also for others in need.
It has a Slowpoke reactor for heating - it is still running, but slowly. It has a geodesic dome on top that we uncover a month after First Light, when temperatures begin to warm. She then went on about the yeshiva and the mixed traditions of Judaism in Antarctica.
"We decided it was better to be Jewish, and just survive, in the early days, than argue over every detail. So our congregation has men on one side, women on the other and mixed in the middle. Do you know where you would like to sit ?
Would it offend anyone if I chose to sit in the mixed area ?
No, of course not.
How does a woman rabbi work out in such a congregation ?
We have a women's service just after the beginning of Shabbat. Ten men come and sit in one corner - I carry the Torah then. But in the other services I am the cantor.
She asked how they determined Shabbat on the days when there was either no sunrise or sunset - Friday noon to Saturday noon was the answer.
They arrived and she pointed towards a wooden shed to park the bicycles in. Just then she thought she felt a small temblor as the road seemed to wobble a bit. But as soon as she stopped and put a leg down, it stopped. Oh Well.
The shed had an entrance, but she decided to take the grand entrance. An impressive stone facade (with a steel core for earthquake and tsunami resistance) had been added to the standard prefab building of the 21st Century.
Five stories tall, in a ring around a central courtyard with light streaming in from the geodesic dome over the courtyard. The south facing panels were reflective silver to capture more light.
The central courtyard had both wooden seats and temporary folding seats with some shrubbery. Every balcony was full of people looking down.
She quietly shuddered as she walked over the warmer earth that covered the Slowpoke reactor. The last Slowpoke had been retired in Greenland when she had been a child.
She ended up on the women's side. The service was longer and more elaborate than any she had attended in the North. And the religious fervor was clearly more palpable and alive.
more later
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