Page 60 - issue
P. 60
VIEW OF THE HOTEL GROUNDS AND VOLCANO FROM OUR ROOM came to a large house, which was rented
IN THE ARENAL MANOA HOTEL by the Jewish community for the rabbi
and his wife. The long table was set for a
Next we visited La Paz waterfall, a door from latching. We inserted my large number of guests. Most of them
private park developed by a man from companion’s magnetic card in the slot were from various countries in the
Florida. He had brought in all kinds if at the room’s entrance, which causes region, like Mexico, Panama, and
native animals and plants. We saw a the lights to go on. By leaving it there, Columbia. The conversation was in
wildcat and a tiger, as well as colorful- the bathroom light would hopeful stay Hebrew or Spanish. Next to me sat a
beaked toucans, reptiles, and butterflies on for the duration of Shabbat. Then man from Panama. He had become reli-
we could hold in our hands. It was we went to Roberto, the hotel’s mainte- gious, in part, through the efforts of the
worthwhile. nance man, and asked him to keep the chief rabbi of Panama, Rabbi Levy. My
hall lights on the entire time. He said he ears perked up. I knew his son Jacob, I
I decided to skip the coffee planta- couldn’t do that, but he could make the told the startled man. “He was in my
tion, even though I drink two or three lights go off after two hours instead of ninth-grade class in Baltimore, a very
cups a day, because I wanted extra time after three minutes so that they were sweet, wonderful boy who died from can-
to prepare for Shabbos. likely to already be on when we entered. cer before we finished the year.” Small
So we were not completely off the hook, world. I was coughing and felt very tired.
◆◆◆ but were getting there. I wanted desperately to go back to the
hotel but felt embarrassed to leave.
What’s shomer-Shabbos-friendly We walked to the shul and entered
about the Rincon Hotel was that the the main sanctuary, which we had not The next day, I was feeling even
staff knew that Orthodox Jews don’t seen during our weekday visit. I was worse. The shul was freezing, only exac-
turn on lights on the Sabbath. They had dumbstruck. It looked like a concert erbating the problem. The baal koreh
a Jewish woman on their staff who hall. There were objects suspended was Pesach Greenberg, an alumnus of
looked after the Jewish tourists. But she from the ceiling to facilitate acoustics. TA, who graduated in 1971. I vaguely
didn’t seem to know much about Jewish There were 1,200 seats in this very large remembered him. He had married a
law, and in any case, everyone assumed and beautiful shul. But there were only woman from Costa Rica and reluctantly
that you could ask a non-Jew to turn on about 100 people here. The davening moved here. It was amazing to hear the
lights for you. Not true! All the door was lackluster, and every so often, a cell Torah being read with a Baltimore
locks were electronic, opened only by phone would go off. Pathetic. accent in San Jose, Costa Rica!
magnetic cards. Then we discovered
another problem: the lights in the hall- After davening, we walked with the The shul provided a kiddush consist-
way would turn on when people walked rabbi to his house. We were accompa- ing of salads and cholent. This was to
past the sensors. nied by two security men followed by a be our meal. By the time the cholent
security car. You’d think this was the bowl got to me, it was cleaned out of
I went to the receptionist and asked president and the secret service. We meat. Sitting at the table was a quiet,
for some scotch tape. I taped one mag- unassuming man. I thought he was a
netic card to the lintel, preventing the vacuum salesman. The next day, feeling
even worse with incessant coughing, I
made an appointment to see a doctor
recommended by the rabbi. His office
was located in a shining ultra-modern
private hospital (CIMA – Centro
Internacional de Medecina). This was
on a Sunday, mind you! The doctor
finally appeared, and lo and behold, it
was the “vacuum salesman”! The won-
derful doctor told me I had a virus, gave
me some medicines, and refused to take
a penny from me. He told me that he
has a son who is baal teshuva learning
in the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem and that
he hoped to see him at the end of April.
Now that’s a mensch! And I believe it is
a manifestation of how a tight-knit com-
munity works.
◆◆◆
By the time we returned to the hotel,
52 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
IN THE ARENAL MANOA HOTEL by the Jewish community for the rabbi
and his wife. The long table was set for a
Next we visited La Paz waterfall, a door from latching. We inserted my large number of guests. Most of them
private park developed by a man from companion’s magnetic card in the slot were from various countries in the
Florida. He had brought in all kinds if at the room’s entrance, which causes region, like Mexico, Panama, and
native animals and plants. We saw a the lights to go on. By leaving it there, Columbia. The conversation was in
wildcat and a tiger, as well as colorful- the bathroom light would hopeful stay Hebrew or Spanish. Next to me sat a
beaked toucans, reptiles, and butterflies on for the duration of Shabbat. Then man from Panama. He had become reli-
we could hold in our hands. It was we went to Roberto, the hotel’s mainte- gious, in part, through the efforts of the
worthwhile. nance man, and asked him to keep the chief rabbi of Panama, Rabbi Levy. My
hall lights on the entire time. He said he ears perked up. I knew his son Jacob, I
I decided to skip the coffee planta- couldn’t do that, but he could make the told the startled man. “He was in my
tion, even though I drink two or three lights go off after two hours instead of ninth-grade class in Baltimore, a very
cups a day, because I wanted extra time after three minutes so that they were sweet, wonderful boy who died from can-
to prepare for Shabbos. likely to already be on when we entered. cer before we finished the year.” Small
So we were not completely off the hook, world. I was coughing and felt very tired.
◆◆◆ but were getting there. I wanted desperately to go back to the
hotel but felt embarrassed to leave.
What’s shomer-Shabbos-friendly We walked to the shul and entered
about the Rincon Hotel was that the the main sanctuary, which we had not The next day, I was feeling even
staff knew that Orthodox Jews don’t seen during our weekday visit. I was worse. The shul was freezing, only exac-
turn on lights on the Sabbath. They had dumbstruck. It looked like a concert erbating the problem. The baal koreh
a Jewish woman on their staff who hall. There were objects suspended was Pesach Greenberg, an alumnus of
looked after the Jewish tourists. But she from the ceiling to facilitate acoustics. TA, who graduated in 1971. I vaguely
didn’t seem to know much about Jewish There were 1,200 seats in this very large remembered him. He had married a
law, and in any case, everyone assumed and beautiful shul. But there were only woman from Costa Rica and reluctantly
that you could ask a non-Jew to turn on about 100 people here. The davening moved here. It was amazing to hear the
lights for you. Not true! All the door was lackluster, and every so often, a cell Torah being read with a Baltimore
locks were electronic, opened only by phone would go off. Pathetic. accent in San Jose, Costa Rica!
magnetic cards. Then we discovered
another problem: the lights in the hall- After davening, we walked with the The shul provided a kiddush consist-
way would turn on when people walked rabbi to his house. We were accompa- ing of salads and cholent. This was to
past the sensors. nied by two security men followed by a be our meal. By the time the cholent
security car. You’d think this was the bowl got to me, it was cleaned out of
I went to the receptionist and asked president and the secret service. We meat. Sitting at the table was a quiet,
for some scotch tape. I taped one mag- unassuming man. I thought he was a
netic card to the lintel, preventing the vacuum salesman. The next day, feeling
even worse with incessant coughing, I
made an appointment to see a doctor
recommended by the rabbi. His office
was located in a shining ultra-modern
private hospital (CIMA – Centro
Internacional de Medecina). This was
on a Sunday, mind you! The doctor
finally appeared, and lo and behold, it
was the “vacuum salesman”! The won-
derful doctor told me I had a virus, gave
me some medicines, and refused to take
a penny from me. He told me that he
has a son who is baal teshuva learning
in the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem and that
he hoped to see him at the end of April.
Now that’s a mensch! And I believe it is
a manifestation of how a tight-knit com-
munity works.
◆◆◆
By the time we returned to the hotel,
52 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
