Dinner downtown

Ronit Meissner Naor. We had never met but my mother told me that she was the youngest daughter of Perla and Werner Meissner, the sister of Judith.

"She looks exactly like her mother," was the common response to the mention of Ronit's name.

I learned so much more.

Ronit and sister Judith called us a few hours after we arrived in Jerusalem. Ronit asked if we would be up for dinner, inviting us to her home. My clock was already so wacked out that dinner at 10am our time sounded pretty good.

Waiting in the lobby, Ronit immediately recognized us as we walked toward her. She is petite with reddish-blonde hair. Even though we had never met, she greeted me with the warmth of an older sister.

Ronit drove us through Jerusalem, past downtown and into her neighborhood of Talpiyot. First, we checked out the gorgeous view of the city from an overlook near her apartment. The sunset was breathtaking yet Jerusalem seemed so small. The Old City filled a neat circle of space and the Palestinian territory city of Ramallah was easily seen. As we walked around this overlook a group of young Arab boys walked towards us. I didn't think anything of it until one of them gave me a little jab as he brushed by. Nothing serious....nothing I thought about until later.

Ronit introduced us to her husband Aaron (formerly of Uruguay) and son Ilan. Daughter Liat works nights at a hotel until she begins her army service. Ilan was a sweet young man who understood Spanish and English and could respond in both. I found this language mosaic interesting......Ronit spoke Spanish frequently with her husband...interspersed with Hebrew. She spoke Hebrew with her children and English/Spanish with us.

That evening, Aaron and Ronit took us to a great cafe near downtown. Security guards checked our bags and guarded the entrance. (this ritual would soon become invisible to me as the days went on) We spoke Spanish at the table but Ronit helped us to order in Hebrew. The young waitress looked at us and said something in Spanish....nothing too memorable....but I smiled, never thinking that the Israelis would be interested in learning Spanish.

"Hablas espanol?" I asked.

"Lo. Lo. telenovelas....."

We finished dinner and then arranged Ronit's interview for the following day.

10am. Sharp.