Saying kaddish has not really been any less stressful for me since we arrived in Israel. While yes, there are more places in Jerusalem to daven than anywhere else in the world, being at the right place at the right time remains a task. Take yesterday as an example. Shachris was “easy” . I went to the regular morning minyan in the beis medrash in the Great Synagogue. An 8 am minyan and a shorter walk from where we are staying than going into the Old City, I was surprised by how popular and large the minyan was. The minyan is a standard Ashkenaz minyan so I did not have to learn a new nussach – something I am never sure of here.

Mincha however was a different story. Given our evening schedule with the kids I had to find a mincha minyan between 6 and 7 pm. I remembered that there is a small shul – minyan factory – on Yoel Solomon Street, right near our apartment. I ran there only to come at the end of a minyan. I waited for the next minyan to gather only to find myself, after twenty minutes or so with no minyan forming. Since time was running out I ran to another minyan factory in Geuela where after waiting for a minyan to finish was able to get a minyan. Then I ran to meet Marilyn and the kids for dinner.

We took the kids to the Migdal Dovid sound and light show after dinner. It was really quite fantastic. Then I walked to the Kotel to find a maariv minyan. I got a Sephardic minyan and then walked back to Mamila to meet everyone.

According to my fitbit I am have been walking 10 miles a day. While not all of that is for minyan I am sure getting schar halacha (reward for walking) thanks to having to say kaddish.