19. The Temple
الكنيس
‘Hurry up, girls, or the service will finish before we arrive,’ Lilia told Sam(a) and Ghozala as she walked, a few paces ahead of them.
‘What’s the rush?’ Ghozala said.
‘What’s the point of going if we end up having to turn right back?’ Lilia replied.
‘Where are Wassim and your father?’ Sam(a) asked.
‘They’re at the temple already, with grandfather,’ Lilia said.
‘Hawa doesn’t come to temple?’ Sam(a) asked.
‘She stays home to make dinner,’ Lilia said.
‘What are we eating?’ Sam(a) asked.
Lilia smiled. ‘Of course, fish kofta, silly girl,’ she said. ‘You’re in for a treat; it’s her best dish.’
In New York, Sam(a) and Wassim ate the same Shabbat dinner almost every week: white fish kofta, breaded and browned, simmered in tomato sauce with cumin. A staple of the
