13th of May 2008 /

Israel perfect fit for Portland’s Sara Jones

By Polina Olsen

The Vishnitzer and Belzer Hasidim in her Jerusalem neighborhood dress like princes or nobility from past generations. The non-Hasidic prefer suits and hats. And, 20-year-old Portlander Sara Jones finds life in Kiryas Mattersdorf like wearing clothes that fit.

She explains: “It’s a neighborhood of people who base their life on Torah.”

Jones came to Israel to study Torah intensively after graduating Northwest Yeshiva High in Seattle three years ago. Now whether she’s walking down the street or celebrating Shabbat, the relationships and values of this close community bring Torah study to life.

This year, Jones boards with a family in the Mattersdorf neighborhood. Located slightly outside the walled city, Mattersdorf’s large population makes each street seem like a community.

“Moving up the hill one meets Belzer and Tsanzer Hassidim; descending the hill, one encounters the descendants of the great Lithuanian yeshivos,” Jones wrote in a letter to parent’s Diane Blitzer and Milton Jones of Southwest Portland.

The small, simple apartment where Jones lives is much like others in the neighborhood; stone tile floors, stacked ovens for meat and dairy, and a balcony with room to build a sukkah. Walls are lined with Torah books.

“People put up pictures of their families and Leaders of the Generation,” she explains, referring to “Torah authorities who are beloved by everyone.”

Weekdays begin with prayers, then a bus to Neve Yerushalayim College where Jones takes classes and tutors. She helps students with topics like medieval commentaries on the Torah or Hassidic text.

“Seminary-girls are a real phenom—they are everywhere,” Jones writes. “Ponytails swinging and cell phones ringing, … making a commotion when they run into old friends on street corners.”

On her long walk home, Jones passes sidewalk produce stalls, Mom and Pop groceries, and mothers watching children in the park. Jones helps the family with cooking and other chores. Evenings are often spent drawing or making collages.

When Jones’s neighborhood closes the streets for Shabbos, children pour out of their homes with jump ropes and jacks. After services at the Hassidic Shul, the family sits down with at least 10 guests to feast on chicken or meat and homemade challah. As they go around the table, children explain what they learned at school. All singing and discussion is about Torah.

“We talk about how to apply it to our life, our values and how we relate to people,” Jones says.

The next morning, services start at shul around 7:30 a.m. The family eats cholent made from potatoes, meat and barley for lunch. In the afternoon people learn or go for walks. Families and friends are outside with strollers and children.

Jones hopes to stay in Israel, marry and raise a family. And, she prefers her community’s matchmaking customs to those generally found in Portland.

“In secular America, young people are left to themselves,” she says, noting that her community introduces potential partners. “One person’s mentor will speak with the mentor of the other person and make sure they’re compatible. Then, they’ll date and see if they like each other. It may take a long time for them to decide. Then, if they want to marry, they’ll marry.”

“Israel feels more people- centric than many other places,” Jones reflects.

Families have open house Shabbos for those by themselves or with no place to go. The Jerusalem phone book lists 85 pages of community or family supported exchange shops where donated items are lent or given away free.

Jones sites a recent bar mitzvah as another example. One by one neighbors came out with truffles, cakes, confections. When someone has a simcha, everyone is part of it, she explains—just as neighbors are never alone during hard times.