My Religious Rosh Hashanah

This year, for Rosh Hashanah, I was invited by my Uncle Dexter's aunt and uncle to stay with them in Ra'anana for the holiday. After I accepted, they informed me that they are modern orthodox (uh oh, I already said yes!). So, I went to the mall and bought some orthodox appropriate clothing for my 4 day trip. This means skirts that cover the knees and tops that cover the shoulders. Their clothing styles are no different than anyone else's except for the lengths of shirts and skirts.
A few hours before Rosh Hashanah, they picked me up and drove me to Ra'anana, which is about 25 min northeast of Tel Aviv. And so began my 'religious experience' and 4 day Jewish education session. When I got to Ra'anana, we drove around and I got the tour: Ra'anana is a beautiful modern orthodox community, and you wouldn't know it was orthodox on a normal day. They have totally normal lives, full of TV, internet, texts, and gossip, except when they observe holidays and Shabbat.
Once we got to the house, which was a beautiful old house with lots of far eastern art deco, we had some time to relax before the big Rosh Hashanah dinner. This was my last chance to use my phone and the internet for 4 days! Throughout Rosh Hashanah and Shabbat, the entire city did not drive cars, use electronics, or turn on/ plug in any devices. This means the lights, oven, and air conditioning were on a timer and went on and off as set. If you mess up, oh well, hello darkness.
On Wednesday evening (my first day), the men went to schul before dinner, but the women stayed to prepare the meal. After schul, the whole family gathered for a wonderful Rosh Hashanah meal. I met my host family's children and grandchildren (who are only a little younger than me). I got to talk to the 18 year old and 20 year old about their jobs in the army and their lives in Ra'anana. I spent a lot of time with them over the 4 days, and they speak English very well, as does the entire family. Before we ate each meal, we said kiddish, washed our hands, said motze, and finally dug in. The food was amazing! Lots of meat, potatoes, and vegetables and homemade challah. Besides dipping apples in honey, we dipped the challah in honey- delish. During the meal, the whole family joined in several songs, each started by whoever felt like it. After the meal, we said birkat hamazon and sat outside for a bit. Before I knew it, it was midnight! The meals continued like this the whole time I was there, which made up for the long hours of services to come.
Thursday morning, we went to services for 5 hours! The entire service was in Hebrew, and there was no single leader. Different congregants lead the parts of the service from the center of the men's section (the women sit above in the balcony). After services, we had another delicious meal and then relaxed for a bit. Soon enough, it was time to pick up the men from schul and have another family dinner. Needless to say, by Friday I was absolutely stuffed.
On Friday afternoon, we relaxed and prepared for Shabbat. I got a lot of reading done over the holidays, which was a nice change. Friday night we lit the candles and followed the usual meal routine. We ate outside in the garden with about 30 people, all of whom have been close friends their entire lives. For the parents, this means over 30 years of friendship, and for my peers, about 20 years. They were all very welcoming and the girls my age talked to me in English. Turns out, they both worked at Ramaa camps in the States! Oh camp. The boys played some basketball after Shabbat dinner (I didn't want to embarrass anyone so I didn't join).
Saturday morning we went to Shabbat services and then my host grandfather gave a kiddish for the English speakers of the schul. Finally, the sun set on Saturday and I was able to check my phone! I survived my 4 days in the modern orthodox community!
Overall, it was a great experience, and I met a lot of wonderful people that welcomed me into the family. The food was great, and it was worth the long hours of services to get to know the family and learn about life in Israel in a modern orthodox community.