Shabbat, Shalom!  I was way too jetlagged to post to the Dog Journal on Sunday, the day I arrived home after nearly two magical weeks in Israel.

So much to write about – the amazing food, the amazing people, the amazing complexities of everyday life in the Middle East.

But with all that, I’m struck especially by the way Israeli Jews seem to find time to observe Shabbat (Friday sundown to Saturday sundown) as a special time of celebration and rest.

Observations run the gamut – from the more religiously oriented in Jerusalem to the more secular Shabbats of Tel Aviv, where public spaces fill with balloon-sellers, bubble blowers, and families out for walks.

“This would be hard with the work schedules in America,” I told our guide Frances, a New Zealander who raised her family in Jerusalem and relishes being in a place where the culture supports her religious traditions.

“It’s do-able,” she said.  “We only work six days a week, and the stores are open late.”

So around this little country, even in past-faced Tel Aviv, many busy couples, who work on Sunday, run their errands after work to enjoy this breather on Saturday.

Worth it?  They would say yes.  As relaxing as a cup of mint tea.