Upward "Mobile"-ity

Sparky and I decided to take an adventure this past weekend and to meet up in between New Orleans and Montgomery. After looking at a map we figured that Mobile, Al was the best destination, located right on the border of Alabama and Mississippi and sitting on Mobile Bay, which opens into the Gulf of Mexico. Our choice turned out to be a great one and, somewhat to my surprise, Mobile is a tourist friendly city with quite a bit of activity going on.

Saturday morning (which also happened to be the fifteenth anniversary of my Bar Mitzvah!) we checked out the local synagogue, where we were greeted with warm hospitality and a standing invitation to come back anytime. Though a lot of similarities exist between synagogues in the northeast and synagogues down south in terms of the liturgical components of the service, the two congregations I’ve visited down here differ from what I’m used to back home. Part of the reason for this difference stems from the fact that the congregations here are relatively small and don’t have a lot of young people, so when an unfamiliar young couple walks into the room, the congregation pounces on them with open arms. Our warm reception was also a product of traditional southern hospitality. At the synagogue in New Orleans, for example, Sparky received a bunch of business and calling cards from women who were only too happy to offer her a drive over to the synagogue or a place for dinner when she was in town.

Another reason for the difference between synagogues here and those up north, is that down south, Jewish communities find themselves in the extreme minority; so much so that a common question to ask here when meeting someone is “what church do you belong to?” (I haven’t yet figured out my answer to this question). With such a dominant Christian culture, synagogues represent the only way to celebrate one’s Jewish heritage, or even to acknowledge it.

One similarity between synagogues in the south and north may has a touch of irony associated with it. Regular church attendance is expected here, and as a result, churches provide a large part of communities’ social fabric. People that go to synagogue are seeking the social outlet they don’t have by not belonging to a church. While synagogues up north are also centers of social activity, most have become that way because the communities are so substantial, not necessarily because they find a need to compete with church culture.

The last difference I noticed about synagogue this past weekend compared to the one I go to at home, was that grits were served for lunch! It wasn’t quite like having challah and herring, but the grits were still pretty tasty.

On a related note, I’ve been keeping track of the number of grit dishes I’ve eaten since coming down to Alabama, and the total count thus far is two orders of regular grits and one order of cheese grits. Definitely a little disappointed with my grit consumption. I also have a sizeable bag of raw grits waiting to be cooked sitting on my desk, courtesy of my fellow intern. Next up on my menu is fried grits….

Getting back to my weekend – after services, Sparky and I enjoyed the rest of what Mobile and its environs had to offer. The city’s history is extraordinarily colorful and the architecture is also amazing, except for the fact that there are way too many fast food places located downtown. Mobile was French Louisiana’s first capital and featured this country's first Mardi Gras, but eventually lost its prestige when the capital moved to New Orleans. France ultimately ceded Mobile to Great Britain, who turned it back into a major port and economic center, thereby making it a prime strategic target of other colonial countries, most notably Spain who overtook the city during the Revolutionary War. Finally, in 1813 the United States defeated the Spanish and gained control of the city. Today, remnants of the original French fort protecting the gateway to the city from Mobile Bay still exist, and all different styles of houses and buildings line the downtown area (many of them are unoccupied). Saturday night Sparky and I went out for a night on the town and found out that the bars and restaurants are crowded with a healthy contingent of yuppies and university/high school students.

On Sunday, Sparky and I hit Gulf Shores, which is the small stretch of coastline that Alabama claims along the Gulf of Mexico (right next to the Florida panhandle beaches). White sands, warm water, a hot sun and great company – perfect for a relaxing day on the beach!

That pretty much sums up my weekend. Work this week is of course interesting as always, made all the more so by the fact that we’re running a World Cup office pool. As of yesterday I was tied for second place along with all the other interns, but that might change if the US doesn’t win a game already!