The first minyan in the shul took me by surprise. It was nicely populated, and those who attended were not there merely to “check the box” of having davened, anxiously looking at their watches or phones to get back to the pool or sauna or dining room. Rather, it was an unhurried group of men who genuinely wanted to be there.

That was reinforced the following morning, when I arrived early to shul. I’m not known for arriving early, but when the starting time is 8 a.m., it’s a lot easier. I entered expecting to be the first one in attendance. But there sat a man roughly my age (gosh he looked old!), earbuds in place, teaching the Daf Yomi in Israeli-accented flawless English to someone over the phone. Others had arrived early as well, to take their time with the morning prayers. The mood was distinctly relaxed.

Meet the Maintenance Man

Later that day, Chana and I decided to go to the patio outside our room to read. It was a glorious day, and we attempted to open the umbrella for shade. It seemed to be stuck, so I called the front desk for assistance. A few minutes later, a maintenance man arrived. Sephardim don’t have the same strong tradition of wearing kippot outside of davening and eating. In walked this religious maintenance worker. How did I know he was religious if he had a bare head? Because his tzitzit swung long and proud, complete with a sea-blue strand of techelet!

Far from what I had expected in a place like this, I had found a diamond.

Avishai is an affable 44-year-old father of three, who grew up in Haifa, and now lives just south of the Lebanese border in Nahariya, Israel’s northernmost coastal city. For the last 15 years, he’s traveled to the hotel to work in the dining room. He greeted and seated us at our dinner table the first night. I’m not sure why I noticed his name tag, but I would be glad that I did.

Eli is a handsome, tall 24-year-old single man from Haifa. His full beard is streaked with brown, blond and ginger, all of which does nothing to conceal his broad smile. Eli is a people person, who loves interacting with others. He’s somewhat of a renaissance man — he’s the hotel’s sommelier, and gives wine workshops. Wise beyond his years, he’s a seeker of........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)