Many years ago a Conservative rabbi told my husband about his first trip to California, probably in the late 1950s. He and a friend were looking for a place to eat and they found a “kosher style” deli. They debated whether this meant it was kosher or not. I think today we all know that kosher style is exactly not kosher.

Yet consider what calling it “kosher style” means. It links that deli to the long tradition of kosher food. It suggests that you will find familiar foods, a welcoming place, and something like home when you eat there.

I think Israel as a country is “kosher style.” Life here runs according to the Jewish calendar. During this high holiday season, you will constantly hear people, regardless of their religious preferences, wish each other שנה טובה (happy new year) or even  צום קל (easy fast). More than that, you will hear them say that they will handle tasks אחרי החגים (after the holidays). That’s not all: the entire school year works around the religious holidays, university semesters start after the fall holidays, and of course these are all legal holidays. The office work week runs from Sunday to Thursday, with........

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