I was visiting Israel to officiate at the wedding of a dear friend at the Inbal (Laromme) Hotel near Liberty Park in Jerusalem.

Anxious to be on time, we took a taxi to the hotel from another section in Jerusalem where we were staying.

The taxi driver turned out to be a rough Sabra. Venting off against religious Jews, his angry accusations made us very uncomfortable, and we wondered how much longer we had to endure his tirade. Unfortunately, the usual 15 minute trip turned out to be longer than expected, as we ran into a traffic jam, and the car slowed to a crawl.

Something big was happening ahead. From far we could see a noisy commotion with crowds in the street. Was it a terrorist attack, G-d forbid?

No, thank G-d. Inching closer we saw that it was a Torah dedication ceremony, the marchers under the canopy were proudly carrying the Torah, blocking traffic in all directions.

The taxi driver now turned red with anger. This proved his point! "Here you see, the religious Jews are stopping progress. They’re getting in everyone’s way!" He screamed.

We slowly came closer. As we were just several feet from the Torah itself, the taxi driver threw open his door, turns around and yells at me, "Rabbi from America! Why are you just sitting here? Shouldn’t we kiss the Torah? Here, come out with me!"

He pulled me out of the car and pushed me through the singing and chanting throng. He kissed the Torah mantle with love, ran back to the taxi, and we proceeded on our way.

Only in Israel.