July 14, 2008
Happy Bastille Day! This is our concluding day in Jerusalem and Israel. As usual I feel like I want to remain but work calls. There are some who are tired and ready to return but others who would enjoy even more time here.
This morning we drove out to Hadassah Hospital in Ein Kerem to see the Chagall Windows. The complex keeps growing and they have opened a mall and a hotel right on the grounds of the hospital. In fact for us to enter we had to walk through two floors of the mall, cross a pedestrian bridge from the mall to the hospital and then arrive at the main entrance. We waited in the lobby for another group to exit and then entered the synagogue where the windows are to be found. In stead of a live docent they now use a voice recording as you view and learn about the windows. They are truly a special site. On the way out a bit more shopping at the gift shop and then we returned to the bus. On the way out Jan and I ran into a rabbi friend from Newton Massachusetts accompanying a NFTY trip.
Yakov was then able for us to go straight to the Supreme Court rather than waiting until 1:30. Due to extensive security we were told to leave everything in the bus except for cameras. The building is an architectural masterpiece combining ancient and preset, straight lines and circles and reflecting the biblical concepts of justice in many ways. The building combines a simplicity with a magnificence that is reflected wherever one gazes.
Our last official stop of the day and the tour was Machane Yehudah, the outdoor market in Jerusalem. We highly recommended chocolate ruggeleh from Marzipan. The colors of the fruits and vegetables dazzle the eyes and present a feast for the eyes. Jan tasted about 4 or 5 types of halva before making her decision. Some of us met the bus to return to the hotel while others made their way on foot back through the city one more time.
In less than an hour we will be having our closing dinner and then on to the airport. A great time was had by all. See you soon in Rochester! Shalom, l’hitra’ot.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Digging in Israel
July 13, 2008
With only two days left our itinerary began to lighten up. This morning a few people desired to stay behind and rest. The Wertheimer’s went on their own to Hadassah Hospital for a personal tour around the entire complex. Our day began at Beit Guvrin or Moresha for an archaeological exploration. In this area a huge number of human made caves have been discovered. They represent the remains of an Edomite community of Hellenistic times, approximately 150 years before the Common Era. When the entire community was about to be destroyed, the inhabitants collapsed their homes into the caves they had dug under their houses (functioning as cellars, personal olive oil presses, etc.) to make them unusable to the enemy. For years Israelis have been excavating these caves. The organization, Archeological Seminars, have guided thousands of volunteers to dig out the caves. Artifacts, mostly from the 2nd century BCE, are plentiful and continue to tell the story of this ancient community.
We were met at the site by a thoroughly delightful young woman, Miranda, who not only was an archaeologist herself but our guide and did so in a captivating manner. She was funny and cheerful with tremendous enthusiasm. The caves are large lit up rooms with good ladders and stairways to enable easy access. We were given a short overview and then began digging with small picks and spades. We put our artifact finds in a “find bucket” and the rest of the dirt and rocks into other buckets to be taken above and sifted to see if any other smaller items were there. I think everyone in the group found something, and usually pieces of pottery. Some of our best finds were a piece of iron and an ostraca, i.e. a piece of pottery with writing on it. We were having so much fun digging they almost had to drag us back above to do the second stage of sifting. More pottery, pieces of bone shells and carbon remains were found. The highlight was a large tooth that our resident dentist Steve Korn said was a bottom molar, either animal or possibly human. Our visit to Moresha ended at the pottery shed where we were shown photos and artifacts of greatest significance to the site. The most prized artifact was the oldest extant marriage ketuba. We all left with our own samples of shards not considered significant to the site.
Next stop was the Tank Corps Memorial and Museum at Latrun. There we watched a movie (what a unique experience) of the significance of the site to families who have lost a soldier in the tank corps. The old Taggert Fort / Police Station is now a museum with exhibits ranging from short biographies of Jewish soldiers in World War II to a Yatzheit room – the face and rank of every deceased tank corps soldier is displayed on the anniversary of his/her death. We spent some time outside viewing the myriad of tanks on display, both Israeli and those captured by Israel. The latest cutting edge Israeli tank is the Merkava (“chariot”).
After a light lunch at the site, we returned to Jerusalem to “chill out” until our 5:00 p.m. presentation. Our presenter from IRAC (Israeli Religious Action Center) was Rachel Canar, an American who made Aliyah 2 years ago, specifically to work for this organization. Rachel offered a broad outline of the center’s involvements. Their cases focus mainly on the rights of the Reform movement and reform rabbis in Israel, as well as advocacy for the poor and underserved, and the “agunot” (chained women) in Israel. An informative 1 ½ hours for all.
Dinner on our own. Laila tov!
With only two days left our itinerary began to lighten up. This morning a few people desired to stay behind and rest. The Wertheimer’s went on their own to Hadassah Hospital for a personal tour around the entire complex. Our day began at Beit Guvrin or Moresha for an archaeological exploration. In this area a huge number of human made caves have been discovered. They represent the remains of an Edomite community of Hellenistic times, approximately 150 years before the Common Era. When the entire community was about to be destroyed, the inhabitants collapsed their homes into the caves they had dug under their houses (functioning as cellars, personal olive oil presses, etc.) to make them unusable to the enemy. For years Israelis have been excavating these caves. The organization, Archeological Seminars, have guided thousands of volunteers to dig out the caves. Artifacts, mostly from the 2nd century BCE, are plentiful and continue to tell the story of this ancient community.
We were met at the site by a thoroughly delightful young woman, Miranda, who not only was an archaeologist herself but our guide and did so in a captivating manner. She was funny and cheerful with tremendous enthusiasm. The caves are large lit up rooms with good ladders and stairways to enable easy access. We were given a short overview and then began digging with small picks and spades. We put our artifact finds in a “find bucket” and the rest of the dirt and rocks into other buckets to be taken above and sifted to see if any other smaller items were there. I think everyone in the group found something, and usually pieces of pottery. Some of our best finds were a piece of iron and an ostraca, i.e. a piece of pottery with writing on it. We were having so much fun digging they almost had to drag us back above to do the second stage of sifting. More pottery, pieces of bone shells and carbon remains were found. The highlight was a large tooth that our resident dentist Steve Korn said was a bottom molar, either animal or possibly human. Our visit to Moresha ended at the pottery shed where we were shown photos and artifacts of greatest significance to the site. The most prized artifact was the oldest extant marriage ketuba. We all left with our own samples of shards not considered significant to the site.
Next stop was the Tank Corps Memorial and Museum at Latrun. There we watched a movie (what a unique experience) of the significance of the site to families who have lost a soldier in the tank corps. The old Taggert Fort / Police Station is now a museum with exhibits ranging from short biographies of Jewish soldiers in World War II to a Yatzheit room – the face and rank of every deceased tank corps soldier is displayed on the anniversary of his/her death. We spent some time outside viewing the myriad of tanks on display, both Israeli and those captured by Israel. The latest cutting edge Israeli tank is the Merkava (“chariot”).
After a light lunch at the site, we returned to Jerusalem to “chill out” until our 5:00 p.m. presentation. Our presenter from IRAC (Israeli Religious Action Center) was Rachel Canar, an American who made Aliyah 2 years ago, specifically to work for this organization. Rachel offered a broad outline of the center’s involvements. Their cases focus mainly on the rights of the Reform movement and reform rabbis in Israel, as well as advocacy for the poor and underserved, and the “agunot” (chained women) in Israel. An informative 1 ½ hours for all.
Dinner on our own. Laila tov!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Shabbat in Jerusalem
July 12, 2008
Shabbat is a day of rest and leisure. This might not have been the case for our group. Some opted to sleep late, stay at the hotel and sit at the pool. Others visited the Italian Synagogue, the Great Synagogue and the Synagogue of the Masorti (Conservative) movement. Still other went out exploring on their own. At 12:30 a bunch of us gathered in the lobby and headed to the Old City. After a short stop at the Jaffa Gate for money changing, drink purchases and facilities we headed straight down David St (or the Street of the Chain), turned left on Christian Quarter Rd went to the end and turned right on Al Khanka St to visit the shop of our dear friend of 38 years George Kahvedjian. George’s father Elia survived the Armenian Genocide and made his way to Israel (then Palestine) as an orphan. He apprenticed as a photographer and became one himself. That has been the family business for decades. A few years ago in the mid 90’s George discovered not only his father’s negatives as early as the late 20’s but also some older ones that Elia had collected, some even made of glass. George started selling prints and compiled a book of his father’s photos with the help of his son Eli. The group then split up on their separate ways. Some bought photos, others shopped elsewhere in the shuk (market), some went to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and some went to our favorite hummus shop, Abu Shukri which is a tiny hole in the wall place but has some of the best hummus and falafel in Israel. Once again the local economy had a boost.
It is so nice to see so many people in the Old City, both tour groups, Israelis and of course Palestinians filling the streets. Being Shabbat you also see many Hasidim and others making their ways to and from the Wall. Some of us met near the Jaffa Gate to return to the hotel while others continued their Old city exploration and shopping.
Again we had a free evening. Jan, Ben and I went to our friend George’s home with Alan’s brother Bob who had come for the day from his kibbutz. We had a wonderful banquet with George, his wife Hasmiq and two of their children and three grandchildren. We were sorry to leave when we had to return to the hotel for a 10:30 havdalah.
About 2/3 of the group gathered to bid farewell to a delightful Jerusalem Shabbat. Sarah, Josh and Helen assisted me for the ceremony. Afterwards we shared some reflections on our wonderful experiences. Many of the people spoke of the interpersonal experiences both within the group and with those they have met as a very significant part of this trip. We went to bed knowing that we only had 2 more days before heading home.
Shabbat is a day of rest and leisure. This might not have been the case for our group. Some opted to sleep late, stay at the hotel and sit at the pool. Others visited the Italian Synagogue, the Great Synagogue and the Synagogue of the Masorti (Conservative) movement. Still other went out exploring on their own. At 12:30 a bunch of us gathered in the lobby and headed to the Old City. After a short stop at the Jaffa Gate for money changing, drink purchases and facilities we headed straight down David St (or the Street of the Chain), turned left on Christian Quarter Rd went to the end and turned right on Al Khanka St to visit the shop of our dear friend of 38 years George Kahvedjian. George’s father Elia survived the Armenian Genocide and made his way to Israel (then Palestine) as an orphan. He apprenticed as a photographer and became one himself. That has been the family business for decades. A few years ago in the mid 90’s George discovered not only his father’s negatives as early as the late 20’s but also some older ones that Elia had collected, some even made of glass. George started selling prints and compiled a book of his father’s photos with the help of his son Eli. The group then split up on their separate ways. Some bought photos, others shopped elsewhere in the shuk (market), some went to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and some went to our favorite hummus shop, Abu Shukri which is a tiny hole in the wall place but has some of the best hummus and falafel in Israel. Once again the local economy had a boost.
It is so nice to see so many people in the Old City, both tour groups, Israelis and of course Palestinians filling the streets. Being Shabbat you also see many Hasidim and others making their ways to and from the Wall. Some of us met near the Jaffa Gate to return to the hotel while others continued their Old city exploration and shopping.
Again we had a free evening. Jan, Ben and I went to our friend George’s home with Alan’s brother Bob who had come for the day from his kibbutz. We had a wonderful banquet with George, his wife Hasmiq and two of their children and three grandchildren. We were sorry to leave when we had to return to the hotel for a 10:30 havdalah.
About 2/3 of the group gathered to bid farewell to a delightful Jerusalem Shabbat. Sarah, Josh and Helen assisted me for the ceremony. Afterwards we shared some reflections on our wonderful experiences. Many of the people spoke of the interpersonal experiences both within the group and with those they have met as a very significant part of this trip. We went to bed knowing that we only had 2 more days before heading home.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Erev Shabbat
July 11, 2008
Our first stop this morning was to Mount Herzl. This is the site of the new Herzl Museum, the gravesites of some of Israel’s leaders, including Yitzhak Rabin, Golda Meir and others and connects to the military cemetery. Because the Herzl Museum is fairly small the group had to be broken up in half. Yakov took part of the group to the cemetery first and I took the other half to the museum. The museum uses the premise of trying to teach a young Israeli actor of the importance of Herzl and prepare him to play the part by learning of his life. In one room we even sit in chairs along side white plastic figures as part of a Zionist Congress. In the conclusion there is an uplifting montage of scenes of Israel today demonstrating the fulfillment of the dream, where Israel has progressed beyond Herzl’s wildest imagination and where the state has not yet solved some very important problems. Part of the beauty of this section was that it did not whitewash the picture of Israel but presented a balanced picture with statements about the need to deal justly with the minority population and live in peace with the Palestinians. This museum helps enhance the importance of Herzl which even here is not fully recognized by large numbers of Israelis.
Because of time constraints we quickly walked through the cemetery first seeing Herzl’s grave where his remains were brought in 1949, 45 years after his death. This is the site of the national ceremony for Yom HaZikaron; Israel’s Memorial Day for her fallen defenders. From there we walked past the graves of Yitzhak and Leah Rabin. Their stones were unlike those of all the other leaders. We only had time to glance over at the military cemetery, where so many of the young men and women had died at ages between 18 and 23.
Yad Vashem, the national museum and study center for the history and memory of the victims of the Holocaust. Words cannot do this place justice. We started in the Avenue of the Righteous among the Nations who risked their own lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. The new main exhibition Hall designed by Moshe Safdie was jammed with many visitors from all over the world. After going through that exhibit for 2 hours it was difficult to fully digest what we had just seen. We spent some time in the Hall of Remembrance, after which I read a couple of prayerful passages. Finally we visited the Children’s memorial dedicated to the memory of 1.5 million children who were murdered. Yakov asked us to try and remember only one name and recall that name each Shabbat. Tears filled many of our eyes and we concluded with a Kaddish and Memorial prayer (El Malei Rachamim).
After some time to rest and dress for Shabbat we headed for Modi’in. We arrived at the City hall where we were greeted by Hana Sirkis-Katz, our friend and the Jewish Agency professional who coordinates the Partnership 2000 program. She took us around the city for an hour and a half. Even since Jan and I were here in March there have been changes such as the opening of the new Azrieli Mall and the downtown train station. After the short tour we went to Kehillat YOZMA the Reform congregation which has recently opened a building that was the first non-Orthodox synagogue to receive government funding for its establishment. Besides our group there was a group from a San Diego synagogue of about 70 people. For Jan and I this is a place where we have numerous friends and even family (my cousins Natan and Segal Elsberg). The service was led by Rabbi Nir Barkan. It was a joyous mixture of a few familiar tunes and many others written or adapted by the other rabbi’s (Kineret Shiryon) husband, Bari. From there we were paired with our host families for Shabbat dinner. When we returned to the bus the atmosphere was charged with so much positive energy. Many in our group voiced that this was the best experience of the trip (I think I’ve heard that a few times before). New friendships were established in only a couple of hours. Our thanks goes to Hana for arranging this wonderful evening. Back to Jerusalem and a welcomed night’s sleep.
Our first stop this morning was to Mount Herzl. This is the site of the new Herzl Museum, the gravesites of some of Israel’s leaders, including Yitzhak Rabin, Golda Meir and others and connects to the military cemetery. Because the Herzl Museum is fairly small the group had to be broken up in half. Yakov took part of the group to the cemetery first and I took the other half to the museum. The museum uses the premise of trying to teach a young Israeli actor of the importance of Herzl and prepare him to play the part by learning of his life. In one room we even sit in chairs along side white plastic figures as part of a Zionist Congress. In the conclusion there is an uplifting montage of scenes of Israel today demonstrating the fulfillment of the dream, where Israel has progressed beyond Herzl’s wildest imagination and where the state has not yet solved some very important problems. Part of the beauty of this section was that it did not whitewash the picture of Israel but presented a balanced picture with statements about the need to deal justly with the minority population and live in peace with the Palestinians. This museum helps enhance the importance of Herzl which even here is not fully recognized by large numbers of Israelis.
Because of time constraints we quickly walked through the cemetery first seeing Herzl’s grave where his remains were brought in 1949, 45 years after his death. This is the site of the national ceremony for Yom HaZikaron; Israel’s Memorial Day for her fallen defenders. From there we walked past the graves of Yitzhak and Leah Rabin. Their stones were unlike those of all the other leaders. We only had time to glance over at the military cemetery, where so many of the young men and women had died at ages between 18 and 23.
Yad Vashem, the national museum and study center for the history and memory of the victims of the Holocaust. Words cannot do this place justice. We started in the Avenue of the Righteous among the Nations who risked their own lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. The new main exhibition Hall designed by Moshe Safdie was jammed with many visitors from all over the world. After going through that exhibit for 2 hours it was difficult to fully digest what we had just seen. We spent some time in the Hall of Remembrance, after which I read a couple of prayerful passages. Finally we visited the Children’s memorial dedicated to the memory of 1.5 million children who were murdered. Yakov asked us to try and remember only one name and recall that name each Shabbat. Tears filled many of our eyes and we concluded with a Kaddish and Memorial prayer (El Malei Rachamim).
After some time to rest and dress for Shabbat we headed for Modi’in. We arrived at the City hall where we were greeted by Hana Sirkis-Katz, our friend and the Jewish Agency professional who coordinates the Partnership 2000 program. She took us around the city for an hour and a half. Even since Jan and I were here in March there have been changes such as the opening of the new Azrieli Mall and the downtown train station. After the short tour we went to Kehillat YOZMA the Reform congregation which has recently opened a building that was the first non-Orthodox synagogue to receive government funding for its establishment. Besides our group there was a group from a San Diego synagogue of about 70 people. For Jan and I this is a place where we have numerous friends and even family (my cousins Natan and Segal Elsberg). The service was led by Rabbi Nir Barkan. It was a joyous mixture of a few familiar tunes and many others written or adapted by the other rabbi’s (Kineret Shiryon) husband, Bari. From there we were paired with our host families for Shabbat dinner. When we returned to the bus the atmosphere was charged with so much positive energy. Many in our group voiced that this was the best experience of the trip (I think I’ve heard that a few times before). New friendships were established in only a couple of hours. Our thanks goes to Hana for arranging this wonderful evening. Back to Jerusalem and a welcomed night’s sleep.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Masada and the Dead Sea
July 10, 2008
Yaakov was kind to us this morning. Since it would be hot at whatever time we reach Masada, setting off earlier would be of no benefit. So, at 8:00am the bus took off for the Dead Sea and Masada. We enjoyed the desert scenery with Bedouins, camels, date palm groves and rock formations, painting yet a new picture on our journey.
At Masada we entered the recently opened visitor center. Yet again, the center featured the ever present short film to set the scene and put Masada into historical context. The backdrop included the 1981 Hollywood movie about Masada starring Peter Strauss as Eliezer ben Yair and Peter O’Toole as Flavius Severus, neither of whom we saw on our visit. We passed over the great rock while in the cable car and had our first look at the magnificent desert panoramas. To say the least, it was hot on top, but with a nice breeze and dry – tolerable. Yaakov explained the story of the Zealots and their continuation of the rebellion against Rome as well as Herod’s construction of his summer palace on Masada. Next to the synagogue Yaakov asked Ben to read Eliezer’s final speech as recorded by Josephus. I posed the question of the ethical dilemma Masada poses for us: Jews who commit suicide defy the fundamental Jewish principle of preserving life. We also read a passage from Avot d’Rabi Natan which speaks of the transformation from Temple ritual (after the Destruction) to acts of loving kindness (hesed) to bring about atonement. The powerful image of this isolated palace/fortress in the desert on a flat rock looking out over the Dead Sea and back to the mountains of the Judean Desert won’t easily be forgotten.
We descended on the cable car and headed to the area of Qumram, the caves discovered by an Arab shepherd in 1952, in which were hidden scrolls (The Dead Sea Scrolls) for almost 2,000 years. It is also the location of one of the communities of Essenes, a sect in the time of the Temple’s last days. These communities isolated themselves from the corrupt society of the city and concentrated on issues of purity and holiness. We ate at the cafeteria in the visitor center and shopped in ubiquitous souvenir store, containing Ahava skin care products, special to the Dead Sea area. Next we viewed yet another film, this one connecting the Essenes with a possible encounter with John the Baptist. Because of this connection, Qumran is visited by many non Jewish tourist groups. We walked around the excavations of the Essene living quarters and also saw the actual cave of the scrolls.
Our next stop was a beach at the north end of the Dead Sea, to offer that unique experience of being in the Dead Sea (a sea of salt) and applying the healing mud to their bodies. Although I truly recommend this as an experience not to be missed, I personally have immersed four times in the past and chose to sit this one in the shade. Jan went down to the sea, camera in hand to testify the immersion of most of the rest of the group. This beach was truly a “catch” – offering on the beach an outdoor snack bar, fresh showers, lots of chairs, chaises, and umbrellas. The mud was free for the taking once one enters the water. It certainly looked like every one who went in, sat down , laid out, floated, and/or caked him/herself with mud had a grand time. Only the photos will tell for sure. A surprise – a filming was taking place – a documentary about falafel. The subject lay on the water with a large falafel sandwich in hand, right next to our group. Marcia chatted animatedly with the star and cameramen and time will tell if she will show up in the saga of the falafel. An hour and a half later, all were ready for the reverse process of showering off the mud and salt, with bodies feeling soft, supple, and refreshed (yes, refreshed).
Before returning to Jerusalem, we made a quick stop to a gas station at which was parked the “tourist’s camel” and owner. At least a half dozen of the team jumped off the bus and took a ride around the station, for the thrill of the bumps and the camera. A short while later, we arrived back at the Dan Panorama, tired and sated.
Dinner was “on our own.” Jan and Alan and Ben joined the Mehlenbacher’s and Sussman’s, our wonderful friends from Florida on the trip, for a stroll down Emek Refaim Street looking for the perfect restaurant. We ended up at Olive’s. In the restaurant, Alan ran into David Ellenson, President of Hebrew Union College, who, in turn, was dining with an old colleague of Jan’s. Jerusalem is truly the meeting place for the world Jewish community. Laila Tov (good night)!
Yaakov was kind to us this morning. Since it would be hot at whatever time we reach Masada, setting off earlier would be of no benefit. So, at 8:00am the bus took off for the Dead Sea and Masada. We enjoyed the desert scenery with Bedouins, camels, date palm groves and rock formations, painting yet a new picture on our journey.
At Masada we entered the recently opened visitor center. Yet again, the center featured the ever present short film to set the scene and put Masada into historical context. The backdrop included the 1981 Hollywood movie about Masada starring Peter Strauss as Eliezer ben Yair and Peter O’Toole as Flavius Severus, neither of whom we saw on our visit. We passed over the great rock while in the cable car and had our first look at the magnificent desert panoramas. To say the least, it was hot on top, but with a nice breeze and dry – tolerable. Yaakov explained the story of the Zealots and their continuation of the rebellion against Rome as well as Herod’s construction of his summer palace on Masada. Next to the synagogue Yaakov asked Ben to read Eliezer’s final speech as recorded by Josephus. I posed the question of the ethical dilemma Masada poses for us: Jews who commit suicide defy the fundamental Jewish principle of preserving life. We also read a passage from Avot d’Rabi Natan which speaks of the transformation from Temple ritual (after the Destruction) to acts of loving kindness (hesed) to bring about atonement. The powerful image of this isolated palace/fortress in the desert on a flat rock looking out over the Dead Sea and back to the mountains of the Judean Desert won’t easily be forgotten.
We descended on the cable car and headed to the area of Qumram, the caves discovered by an Arab shepherd in 1952, in which were hidden scrolls (The Dead Sea Scrolls) for almost 2,000 years. It is also the location of one of the communities of Essenes, a sect in the time of the Temple’s last days. These communities isolated themselves from the corrupt society of the city and concentrated on issues of purity and holiness. We ate at the cafeteria in the visitor center and shopped in ubiquitous souvenir store, containing Ahava skin care products, special to the Dead Sea area. Next we viewed yet another film, this one connecting the Essenes with a possible encounter with John the Baptist. Because of this connection, Qumran is visited by many non Jewish tourist groups. We walked around the excavations of the Essene living quarters and also saw the actual cave of the scrolls.
Our next stop was a beach at the north end of the Dead Sea, to offer that unique experience of being in the Dead Sea (a sea of salt) and applying the healing mud to their bodies. Although I truly recommend this as an experience not to be missed, I personally have immersed four times in the past and chose to sit this one in the shade. Jan went down to the sea, camera in hand to testify the immersion of most of the rest of the group. This beach was truly a “catch” – offering on the beach an outdoor snack bar, fresh showers, lots of chairs, chaises, and umbrellas. The mud was free for the taking once one enters the water. It certainly looked like every one who went in, sat down , laid out, floated, and/or caked him/herself with mud had a grand time. Only the photos will tell for sure. A surprise – a filming was taking place – a documentary about falafel. The subject lay on the water with a large falafel sandwich in hand, right next to our group. Marcia chatted animatedly with the star and cameramen and time will tell if she will show up in the saga of the falafel. An hour and a half later, all were ready for the reverse process of showering off the mud and salt, with bodies feeling soft, supple, and refreshed (yes, refreshed).
Before returning to Jerusalem, we made a quick stop to a gas station at which was parked the “tourist’s camel” and owner. At least a half dozen of the team jumped off the bus and took a ride around the station, for the thrill of the bumps and the camera. A short while later, we arrived back at the Dan Panorama, tired and sated.
Dinner was “on our own.” Jan and Alan and Ben joined the Mehlenbacher’s and Sussman’s, our wonderful friends from Florida on the trip, for a stroll down Emek Refaim Street looking for the perfect restaurant. We ended up at Olive’s. In the restaurant, Alan ran into David Ellenson, President of Hebrew Union College, who, in turn, was dining with an old colleague of Jan’s. Jerusalem is truly the meeting place for the world Jewish community. Laila Tov (good night)!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Yerushalayim Shel Zahav
July 9, 2008
We have taken much from this fabulous trip and today was time to give back to Israel. Our morning began with a visit to Yad Sarah, a social service agency started by the present mayor of Jerusalem, Uri Lupliansky, and named after his beloved mother who died in the Holocaust. This agency is supported mostly by volunteers and donations with no governmental funds except through occasional small grants. Yad Sarah has centers in over 90 locations all over the country with its main headquarters in a lovely building on Herzl Blvd, on the way up to Mount Herzl. It provides rehabilitative services, including the lending of crutches, walkers, wheel chairs, oxygen apparati, etc. It has programs for seniors, provides human contacts for shut-ins through a phone call center and visiting volunteers, transportation vans for shopping and appointments, meals on wheels, as well as programs for special needs children and their parents.
At Yad Sarah, we were greeted by public relations staff, Daniel Sheer, originally from the Bronx and Riverdale, and a childhood friend of Rabbi Kilimnick’s daughter-in-law, Susie. Daniel described the agency and we viewed a short film on the institution, which won the Israel Prize a number of years ago, the highest honor in the country. After touring a few of the services, including an exhibition area showing items which make a home more accessible (kitchen, bedroom and bathroom assistive devices and enhancements) and a senior center where seniors were doing Israeli folk dancing, we began our own volunteer work. We cleaned recently lent and returned wheelchairs so they will be ready (cleaned and refurbished, if necessary) for the next borrowers. We donned blue work smocks and used steel wool and a cleaning spray. It was our chance to do the mitzvah of helping others.
Yad Sarah models another amazing aspect. It is a meeting ground for all the divisions in Israel and brings every user and volunteer away from politics into the world of tikkun olam. On the wall of the meeting room where we first heard Yad Sarah’s story were the words “Olam Hesed Yibaneh,” “A world of loving kindness will be built.”
On to the Old City of Jerusalem. We entered through the Dung gate and passed the security leading to the plaza by the Western Wall, the Kotel. We had an 11:00 appointment to go through the wall tunnels, and given the popularity of this site, it was absolutely essential for us to be on time. Some opted to sit out the tour through the tunnels in favor of the open air. The rest entered an anteroom to view a model of the Temple Mount in Herod’s time. Herod enlarged Mount Moriah in order to enlarge the second temple walls and courtyards with engineering genius that defies his time, the beginning of the Common Era. From there we made our way along the Western Wall underground underneath the Muslim Quarter marveling at the 700 ton stones set in place by Herod’s workers without cement. Among the arches holding up the ancient bridge to the mount, and other significant finds, the highlight was the area pinpointed as being closest to the Holy of Holies in the Holy Temple, the holiest place on earth for the Jews, according to biblical text. There today, women pray for the safety of the Israel Defense Force and notes are stuffed into the walls (as well as in the cracks of the outside portion of the Wall). Many of the group were surprised to learn that this Wall, so sacred today to Jews, was the retaining wall of the Mount, and not of the Temple itself. The tunnels loomed wide and narrow until exiting in the Muslim Quarter.
The group met in the Cardo (literally, “heart”, the reconstructed Roman main shopping street for shopping and eating in the area. Jan and I, along with the Finnefrock’s went to visit our dear friend George whose store contains thousands of photos taken by his father Eli, a survivor of the Armenian genocide. We ate hummus in a nearby Arab restaurant, Lina’s, when suddenly a group of HUC students entered led by our son Noam's dear friend Dan Medwin. Dan and his wife Lydia, both rabbinic students, were spending the summer in Jerusalem helping this year’s new class of HUC students adapt to their new program and environment. We went down the street to a second restaurant, Abu Shukri’s where Lydia had another group of students, making a hummus comparison test.
We then returned to the Cardo and met the group. Yaakov suggested the Yad Ben Tzvi’s exhibition on Jerusalem during the First Temple period, a time of Kings David and Solomon as well as the prophets. From there we went to the Davidson center to learn about life during the Second Temple period and see some of the Southern wall excavations. We were again entertained and taught through compute generated recreations of the Temple and its surroundings through history. Viewing the excavations after the media presentations helped us to understand what we were looking at.
Our final stop of the day was the Wall itself. Those who wanted entered the men’s and women’s sections and either offered their own prayers or observed the surroundings. Some realized that this section of the retaining wall should have no more sacredness than any other part, but history and tradition has given this one section its special status in Jewish life.
Back to the hotel for swimming, showering and relaxing until we each made our ways to our evening destinations. On the recommendation of our IGT (local Israeli tour company) representative, Alona, we ate at Zuni’s overlooking Yoel Solomon Street. All in all another lovely day.
We have taken much from this fabulous trip and today was time to give back to Israel. Our morning began with a visit to Yad Sarah, a social service agency started by the present mayor of Jerusalem, Uri Lupliansky, and named after his beloved mother who died in the Holocaust. This agency is supported mostly by volunteers and donations with no governmental funds except through occasional small grants. Yad Sarah has centers in over 90 locations all over the country with its main headquarters in a lovely building on Herzl Blvd, on the way up to Mount Herzl. It provides rehabilitative services, including the lending of crutches, walkers, wheel chairs, oxygen apparati, etc. It has programs for seniors, provides human contacts for shut-ins through a phone call center and visiting volunteers, transportation vans for shopping and appointments, meals on wheels, as well as programs for special needs children and their parents.
At Yad Sarah, we were greeted by public relations staff, Daniel Sheer, originally from the Bronx and Riverdale, and a childhood friend of Rabbi Kilimnick’s daughter-in-law, Susie. Daniel described the agency and we viewed a short film on the institution, which won the Israel Prize a number of years ago, the highest honor in the country. After touring a few of the services, including an exhibition area showing items which make a home more accessible (kitchen, bedroom and bathroom assistive devices and enhancements) and a senior center where seniors were doing Israeli folk dancing, we began our own volunteer work. We cleaned recently lent and returned wheelchairs so they will be ready (cleaned and refurbished, if necessary) for the next borrowers. We donned blue work smocks and used steel wool and a cleaning spray. It was our chance to do the mitzvah of helping others.
Yad Sarah models another amazing aspect. It is a meeting ground for all the divisions in Israel and brings every user and volunteer away from politics into the world of tikkun olam. On the wall of the meeting room where we first heard Yad Sarah’s story were the words “Olam Hesed Yibaneh,” “A world of loving kindness will be built.”
On to the Old City of Jerusalem. We entered through the Dung gate and passed the security leading to the plaza by the Western Wall, the Kotel. We had an 11:00 appointment to go through the wall tunnels, and given the popularity of this site, it was absolutely essential for us to be on time. Some opted to sit out the tour through the tunnels in favor of the open air. The rest entered an anteroom to view a model of the Temple Mount in Herod’s time. Herod enlarged Mount Moriah in order to enlarge the second temple walls and courtyards with engineering genius that defies his time, the beginning of the Common Era. From there we made our way along the Western Wall underground underneath the Muslim Quarter marveling at the 700 ton stones set in place by Herod’s workers without cement. Among the arches holding up the ancient bridge to the mount, and other significant finds, the highlight was the area pinpointed as being closest to the Holy of Holies in the Holy Temple, the holiest place on earth for the Jews, according to biblical text. There today, women pray for the safety of the Israel Defense Force and notes are stuffed into the walls (as well as in the cracks of the outside portion of the Wall). Many of the group were surprised to learn that this Wall, so sacred today to Jews, was the retaining wall of the Mount, and not of the Temple itself. The tunnels loomed wide and narrow until exiting in the Muslim Quarter.
The group met in the Cardo (literally, “heart”, the reconstructed Roman main shopping street for shopping and eating in the area. Jan and I, along with the Finnefrock’s went to visit our dear friend George whose store contains thousands of photos taken by his father Eli, a survivor of the Armenian genocide. We ate hummus in a nearby Arab restaurant, Lina’s, when suddenly a group of HUC students entered led by our son Noam's dear friend Dan Medwin. Dan and his wife Lydia, both rabbinic students, were spending the summer in Jerusalem helping this year’s new class of HUC students adapt to their new program and environment. We went down the street to a second restaurant, Abu Shukri’s where Lydia had another group of students, making a hummus comparison test.
We then returned to the Cardo and met the group. Yaakov suggested the Yad Ben Tzvi’s exhibition on Jerusalem during the First Temple period, a time of Kings David and Solomon as well as the prophets. From there we went to the Davidson center to learn about life during the Second Temple period and see some of the Southern wall excavations. We were again entertained and taught through compute generated recreations of the Temple and its surroundings through history. Viewing the excavations after the media presentations helped us to understand what we were looking at.
Our final stop of the day was the Wall itself. Those who wanted entered the men’s and women’s sections and either offered their own prayers or observed the surroundings. Some realized that this section of the retaining wall should have no more sacredness than any other part, but history and tradition has given this one section its special status in Jewish life.
Back to the hotel for swimming, showering and relaxing until we each made our ways to our evening destinations. On the recommendation of our IGT (local Israeli tour company) representative, Alona, we ate at Zuni’s overlooking Yoel Solomon Street. All in all another lovely day.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Wine, Sandals, Heat and Jerusalem
July 8, 2008
Our departure from Kfar Blum had a bit of drama. Just before getting on the bus we heard that one of the suitcases had been attacked by a swarm of ants. After shaking and swatting the suitcase, all were ready for the day’s journey which would end up in Jerusalem.
For those who may not be know, staying at a kibbutz like Kfar Blum is not like staying on some agricultural farm. It was rather like being at a first class hotel, run by a kibbutz in a non-urban setting. In fact in the end the Kfar Blum experience will end up being most people’s favorite accommodations.
Our first destination was right outside Kfar Blum at kibbutz Naot Mordecai. This is where Naot sandals are produced, with a factory outlet store. Many of our group are now shod in new sandals. From the outlet we drove to the Dalton winery. First we received a tour from a delightful wine maker. She is the expert in developing the wine, but because she is not Shabbat observant she can not handle the product as it is being made, in order for it to be kosher. The mashgiach (ritual supervisor and insurer of kashrut) came along on the tour and was nice and at times helpful. I suspect he might also have been there to make sure no one touched the product. Most Dalton wines are not pasteurized (i.e. mevushal) so they can not be opened or poured by non-Jews to keep their kosher status. Only the lowest level Dalton wine, called Canaan, when exported to the US, is mevushal - a table wine to be drunk ASAP. We proceeded to the tasting room for a flight of three different wines. The 2006 (or 07) Reserve Chardonnay with wild yeast was first. It was quite smooth, not oaky, and pleased many in the group. Next we tasted a red Canaan table wine followed by a special 2005 Reserve Syrah that recently received a 90+ rating from Wine Spectator. It had a lovely finish and was quite good. You could certainly tell the difference between the two reds. The store on premises offered other tastings and a lot of us fell in love with a dark chocolate liquor. There was also fine olive oil and a few other locally made cosmetic products purchased in quantity.
On the bus once more and off to Beit Alpha – the intact remains of an ancient synagogue mosaic floor discovered in Kibbutz Hephsibah, the first Shomer HaTzair kibbutz in that lower Galilee region. Since the last time Jan and I had been here they have added video and special lighting techniques to relate the meaning of the symbols, and why such symbols as the zodiac, Helios the sun god, women’s faces for the four seasons, plus images of the story of Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac were used in a synagogue.
Next stop - Beit She’an, the remains of a truly magnificent Roman city. We arrived and went directly to the snack bar for a light lunch. Most ate falafel or schnitzel (the Israeli version of chicken fingers). Since the temperature was around 100 degrees (although I felt it was only in the mid 90’s) we all filled our water bottles, some poured water on their hats and a some remained in the shade. Walking through this excavation renders a feeling of life in the center of this city known as Scythopolis. The large bathhouse, the main street, the theatre and the entire scope of the city is a sight to behold. A few brave souls climbed the large hill at the far end of the finds to the top where the ancient altar had been. In the heat this was an amazing feat. After visiting the ancient toilets (with a few people sitting on them but not actually using them) we returned to the bus, stopped at an ATM and set off for Jerusalem.
We drove down the Jordan valley and turned toward Jerusalem just past Jericho, bypassing the city. We made a rest stop at an area where, for sure, the temperature was well over 100. One of our younger travelers got on the local camel without anyone knowing and took a short ride. On the way up to Jerusalem we passed sea level, since near Jericho we were below sea level. We also saw Bedouin settlements and the growing city of Ma’ale Adumim, beyond the Green Line. We entered the City of Gold and made our way to an overlook by the Hebrew University on Mount Scopus, said shehechiyanu, and blessed the wine and a delicious large challah. Of course there was the usual picture taking and then we made our way to the Dan Panorama Hotel.
Rest time at the hotel, before finding different Jerusalem restaurants for an evening of getting familiar with this city.
Our departure from Kfar Blum had a bit of drama. Just before getting on the bus we heard that one of the suitcases had been attacked by a swarm of ants. After shaking and swatting the suitcase, all were ready for the day’s journey which would end up in Jerusalem.
For those who may not be know, staying at a kibbutz like Kfar Blum is not like staying on some agricultural farm. It was rather like being at a first class hotel, run by a kibbutz in a non-urban setting. In fact in the end the Kfar Blum experience will end up being most people’s favorite accommodations.
Our first destination was right outside Kfar Blum at kibbutz Naot Mordecai. This is where Naot sandals are produced, with a factory outlet store. Many of our group are now shod in new sandals. From the outlet we drove to the Dalton winery. First we received a tour from a delightful wine maker. She is the expert in developing the wine, but because she is not Shabbat observant she can not handle the product as it is being made, in order for it to be kosher. The mashgiach (ritual supervisor and insurer of kashrut) came along on the tour and was nice and at times helpful. I suspect he might also have been there to make sure no one touched the product. Most Dalton wines are not pasteurized (i.e. mevushal) so they can not be opened or poured by non-Jews to keep their kosher status. Only the lowest level Dalton wine, called Canaan, when exported to the US, is mevushal - a table wine to be drunk ASAP. We proceeded to the tasting room for a flight of three different wines. The 2006 (or 07) Reserve Chardonnay with wild yeast was first. It was quite smooth, not oaky, and pleased many in the group. Next we tasted a red Canaan table wine followed by a special 2005 Reserve Syrah that recently received a 90+ rating from Wine Spectator. It had a lovely finish and was quite good. You could certainly tell the difference between the two reds. The store on premises offered other tastings and a lot of us fell in love with a dark chocolate liquor. There was also fine olive oil and a few other locally made cosmetic products purchased in quantity.
On the bus once more and off to Beit Alpha – the intact remains of an ancient synagogue mosaic floor discovered in Kibbutz Hephsibah, the first Shomer HaTzair kibbutz in that lower Galilee region. Since the last time Jan and I had been here they have added video and special lighting techniques to relate the meaning of the symbols, and why such symbols as the zodiac, Helios the sun god, women’s faces for the four seasons, plus images of the story of Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac were used in a synagogue.
Next stop - Beit She’an, the remains of a truly magnificent Roman city. We arrived and went directly to the snack bar for a light lunch. Most ate falafel or schnitzel (the Israeli version of chicken fingers). Since the temperature was around 100 degrees (although I felt it was only in the mid 90’s) we all filled our water bottles, some poured water on their hats and a some remained in the shade. Walking through this excavation renders a feeling of life in the center of this city known as Scythopolis. The large bathhouse, the main street, the theatre and the entire scope of the city is a sight to behold. A few brave souls climbed the large hill at the far end of the finds to the top where the ancient altar had been. In the heat this was an amazing feat. After visiting the ancient toilets (with a few people sitting on them but not actually using them) we returned to the bus, stopped at an ATM and set off for Jerusalem.
We drove down the Jordan valley and turned toward Jerusalem just past Jericho, bypassing the city. We made a rest stop at an area where, for sure, the temperature was well over 100. One of our younger travelers got on the local camel without anyone knowing and took a short ride. On the way up to Jerusalem we passed sea level, since near Jericho we were below sea level. We also saw Bedouin settlements and the growing city of Ma’ale Adumim, beyond the Green Line. We entered the City of Gold and made our way to an overlook by the Hebrew University on Mount Scopus, said shehechiyanu, and blessed the wine and a delicious large challah. Of course there was the usual picture taking and then we made our way to the Dan Panorama Hotel.
Rest time at the hotel, before finding different Jerusalem restaurants for an evening of getting familiar with this city.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Golan and Tzfat
July 7, 2008
Boker tov (Good morning)! We began day 5 in Golan Heights and Hula Valley below with the Banias as our first destination. Banias is one of the 3 springs that come together to form the source of the Jordan river. The other two are the Dan and The Khatzbani. On our way, we learned (and observed from the bus) that a significant portion of the hills of the Golan Heights are home to the Druze, a split off from Islam. Druze people inhabit the north of Israel and the south of Lebanon. They live as loyal citizens in Israel and serve in the Israeli army. At Banias, we observed the ruins of a Roman temple to Pan (the god who accompanied and protected humans in nature and in battle). Who knew that when Pan was called upon to rout the enemy, Pan put the enemy into a “panic” – an etymology unknown to this blogger hitherto.
Water was scarce here given the lack of rains this year and we did not even get our feet wet. We also learned that the ancient columns were constructed of plaster, and not marble (on a tight budget even then). The temple had fallen in, but niches in the wall and ruins strewn upon the ground filled in the story, along with Yakov’s commentary.
From Banias, we traveled via the Druze town of Mas’ada to Har Bental, site of Israeli bunker from the Yom Kippur War in October, 1973. Passing the omnipresent bathroom icons and cold drink kiosk, we walked up an incline to the edge of the mountain to a large bunker, reputed to hold up to 140 soldiers at a time. Yakov shared his personal story serving in the Yom Kippur war, infusing life into the empty bunker. At the time, he was called up to this area as an individual to help in a most heroic and humanitarian effort – to find, assist and rescue Israeli soldiers caught in bunkers in areas already overrun by Syrians. If the Syrians had found the wounded and isolated soldiers first, the result would be unimaginable torture for them. Later, Yakov moved to a more southern post in the north to be with his company. We entered the bunker to view the communications room, sleeping room, and outlook. To think that prior to our capturing the Golan Heights in the June, 1967 Six Day War, Syrians had a close, expansive view of the many kibbutzim and Israeli settlements in the Hula Valley below.
Next stop – jeeps! We divided up into 6 open jeeps (quite dated, but certainly dependable), run by individuals working for Ayelet Hashachar, kibbutz in the valley below. The one-hour ride took us along the lower slopes of the southern Golan Heights overlooking the kibbutzim of Ayelet Hashachar and Gadot. The latter was utterly shelled in the 60’s, reflected in a touching poem read by Rabbi in the bus, a dialogue between a mother and child. The ride was a tad bumpy, and the breeze was thankful. We did stop to view close up a Syrian bunker, the main command post of the Syrian bunkers, the razed houses that the Syrian officers took from their own people as headquarters terrifyingly close to the kibbutzim fields, and a natural grove of stream and trees further in the valley (favorite spot of Noam, one of the jeep drivers). Before exiting onto the main road, we drove on a 2-month old pebbled road that was built and dedicated to a kibbutz member who had died of cancer and who had loved to be in this area. Israelis (perhaps we can say this about all Jews) are passionate about building memorials to preserve memory of history, family, and the land.
We stopped at Tzomet Makhanayim, the Makhanayim Junction, a small shopping center, for lunch and/or glida (ice cream – gelato). After putting on our long skirts, pants, sleeved shirts, we headed for Tzfat on the mountain west of the valley, making sure we were modestly attired for the 3 synagogues of (1) the kabblalists Ha’ari, Rabbi Isaac Luria (2) Rabbi Isaac Abuhav who was expelled from Spain, and (3) Rabbi Joseph Karo the compiler of the Shulchan Arukh, the code of Jewish law . Since the Ari synagogue was not yet open for the afternoon, we headed to the Tzfat candle factory for “shopping.” At the Abuhav synagogue, where the Aron Hakodesh was brought from Spain, the caretaker told us about the special Chair of Elijah there where barren women and single women sit, in order to fulfil their dreams. Coincidentally, our youngest single female had been sitting in this chair during Yakov’s talk – we wish her well!
The group was then “let free” to shop, drink coffee, and wander around for the next 2 hours, until our departure time at 5:00 p.m. Guess what? The economy of Tsfat had a good day with our purchases of new artwork, tallitot (plural of “tallit”), jewelry and other items. The narrow alley ways, filled with shops, were a delightful conclusion to a day of natural beauty, history, and mystical synagogues.
Upon returning to Kfar Blum most of the group enjoyed the pool. Rabbi and Jan were picked up by a friend originally from the Modi’in P2K education bridge. Meira Shem Tov and her family moved north to a former kibbutz now changing into a different style of small community called Maayan Baruch. They built a lovely home with two tzimmers, i.e. small cottages that they use as a bed and breakfast. Meira took us to see Metulla, a village of 200 families, on the northernmost point of Israel right at the border with Lebanon and to the Tel Hai monument to Joseph Trumpeldor and the other eight defenders of their settlement, killed by Arabs in 1920. Trumpeldor’s last words were, “It is good to die for our own country,” a powerful commitment to building the future homeland of Israel.
The evening ended with another delicious smorgasbord and even some Israeli dancing.
Boker tov (Good morning)! We began day 5 in Golan Heights and Hula Valley below with the Banias as our first destination. Banias is one of the 3 springs that come together to form the source of the Jordan river. The other two are the Dan and The Khatzbani. On our way, we learned (and observed from the bus) that a significant portion of the hills of the Golan Heights are home to the Druze, a split off from Islam. Druze people inhabit the north of Israel and the south of Lebanon. They live as loyal citizens in Israel and serve in the Israeli army. At Banias, we observed the ruins of a Roman temple to Pan (the god who accompanied and protected humans in nature and in battle). Who knew that when Pan was called upon to rout the enemy, Pan put the enemy into a “panic” – an etymology unknown to this blogger hitherto.
Water was scarce here given the lack of rains this year and we did not even get our feet wet. We also learned that the ancient columns were constructed of plaster, and not marble (on a tight budget even then). The temple had fallen in, but niches in the wall and ruins strewn upon the ground filled in the story, along with Yakov’s commentary.
From Banias, we traveled via the Druze town of Mas’ada to Har Bental, site of Israeli bunker from the Yom Kippur War in October, 1973. Passing the omnipresent bathroom icons and cold drink kiosk, we walked up an incline to the edge of the mountain to a large bunker, reputed to hold up to 140 soldiers at a time. Yakov shared his personal story serving in the Yom Kippur war, infusing life into the empty bunker. At the time, he was called up to this area as an individual to help in a most heroic and humanitarian effort – to find, assist and rescue Israeli soldiers caught in bunkers in areas already overrun by Syrians. If the Syrians had found the wounded and isolated soldiers first, the result would be unimaginable torture for them. Later, Yakov moved to a more southern post in the north to be with his company. We entered the bunker to view the communications room, sleeping room, and outlook. To think that prior to our capturing the Golan Heights in the June, 1967 Six Day War, Syrians had a close, expansive view of the many kibbutzim and Israeli settlements in the Hula Valley below.
Next stop – jeeps! We divided up into 6 open jeeps (quite dated, but certainly dependable), run by individuals working for Ayelet Hashachar, kibbutz in the valley below. The one-hour ride took us along the lower slopes of the southern Golan Heights overlooking the kibbutzim of Ayelet Hashachar and Gadot. The latter was utterly shelled in the 60’s, reflected in a touching poem read by Rabbi in the bus, a dialogue between a mother and child. The ride was a tad bumpy, and the breeze was thankful. We did stop to view close up a Syrian bunker, the main command post of the Syrian bunkers, the razed houses that the Syrian officers took from their own people as headquarters terrifyingly close to the kibbutzim fields, and a natural grove of stream and trees further in the valley (favorite spot of Noam, one of the jeep drivers). Before exiting onto the main road, we drove on a 2-month old pebbled road that was built and dedicated to a kibbutz member who had died of cancer and who had loved to be in this area. Israelis (perhaps we can say this about all Jews) are passionate about building memorials to preserve memory of history, family, and the land.
We stopped at Tzomet Makhanayim, the Makhanayim Junction, a small shopping center, for lunch and/or glida (ice cream – gelato). After putting on our long skirts, pants, sleeved shirts, we headed for Tzfat on the mountain west of the valley, making sure we were modestly attired for the 3 synagogues of (1) the kabblalists Ha’ari, Rabbi Isaac Luria (2) Rabbi Isaac Abuhav who was expelled from Spain, and (3) Rabbi Joseph Karo the compiler of the Shulchan Arukh, the code of Jewish law . Since the Ari synagogue was not yet open for the afternoon, we headed to the Tzfat candle factory for “shopping.” At the Abuhav synagogue, where the Aron Hakodesh was brought from Spain, the caretaker told us about the special Chair of Elijah there where barren women and single women sit, in order to fulfil their dreams. Coincidentally, our youngest single female had been sitting in this chair during Yakov’s talk – we wish her well!
The group was then “let free” to shop, drink coffee, and wander around for the next 2 hours, until our departure time at 5:00 p.m. Guess what? The economy of Tsfat had a good day with our purchases of new artwork, tallitot (plural of “tallit”), jewelry and other items. The narrow alley ways, filled with shops, were a delightful conclusion to a day of natural beauty, history, and mystical synagogues.
Upon returning to Kfar Blum most of the group enjoyed the pool. Rabbi and Jan were picked up by a friend originally from the Modi’in P2K education bridge. Meira Shem Tov and her family moved north to a former kibbutz now changing into a different style of small community called Maayan Baruch. They built a lovely home with two tzimmers, i.e. small cottages that they use as a bed and breakfast. Meira took us to see Metulla, a village of 200 families, on the northernmost point of Israel right at the border with Lebanon and to the Tel Hai monument to Joseph Trumpeldor and the other eight defenders of their settlement, killed by Arabs in 1920. Trumpeldor’s last words were, “It is good to die for our own country,” a powerful commitment to building the future homeland of Israel.
The evening ended with another delicious smorgasbord and even some Israeli dancing.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Shabbat Menucha and A Busy Sunday
July 5-6, 2008 Shabbat Menucha & a Busy Sunday
Most of the group had a chance to sleep in late on Shabbat morning. We met in the lobby at 11am to visit the Ayalon Institute outside of Rechovot (Rochester’s Sister City). It was a about a 40 minute ride to Kibbutz Hill where the Ayalon Institute is located. While Yaakov referred to it as a bullet factory, that doesn’t do it justice. I call it one of the most fascinating stories in working towards the establishment of the State of Israel.
During the British Mandate the Jewish population was prohibited from obtaining arms and ammunition. Secret missions to supply the Jewish defense organizations were not enough if they had no ammunition to use and replenish. On a site that housed a kibbutz training center for groups of people who wanted to create and build their own kibbutzim a clandestine bullet making operation was created and hidden not just from the eyes of the British and other outsiders but even from members of the community. Imagine the difficulties! How do you dig out an area for an underground factory? How do you bring in the machines and materials needed to produce the bullets? How do you cover up what those who worked in this arena were doing without others getting suspicious? How do you keep the British from having any idea of what you are doing? That is the story of the Ayalon Institute and the brave heroes who made the operation a success. Under a bakery and a laundry using trap doors below a large industrial sized washing machine and a 40 ton oven this factory was built and operated until the British left the land.
The group was wowed by the experience and you can ask any one of us the new definition of a giraffe, whose head is in the sky and doesn’t know what is occurring below.
We returned to the hotel and people went on their way to the beach, to Jaffa, to the new Port of Tel Aviv ad the pool to spend the afternoon and evening. Alan’s brother Bob came from his kibbutz to visit and the 4 Katz’s ate at a wonderful Tapas Bar (not a “topless” bar as one person thought he heard)
At 10 pm many of us gathered in a room to make havdalah and have a brief discussion on early reflections of the trip. Ben’s friend Dan Saat from Rochester (now San Francisco) joined us. Ben will be spending the next three days with Dan, his father Moshe and their very large Israeli family.
On Sunday we were up early so we could check out and be on our way before 8:30 to try and avoid the heavy Tel Aviv traffic. Our first stop on this hot morning was Caesarea, a port city built by King Herod and later used by the Crusaders. There is now a fantastic multi media center where we viewed an introductory film, saw and heard from many historical characters including, Herod, Pontius Pilate, Rabbi Akiva and Hannah Senesh, all created in computer generated holograms. The final section of this was computer generated images of the various parts of the city at different times of its history. After a period of wandering around the Crusader fortress and some of the shops we exited a gate to visit the bath house, fabulous mosaics, the hippodrome (can anyone say Ben Hur’s chariot race), the royal palace and the magnificent Roman theatre that was set up for a concert. By the end of our hours there in the sun, even with the lovely sea breeze the heat had tired us out.
We returned to the bus and drove nearby to a small mall for lunch, ranging from falafel, schwarma, salads, ice cream and MacDonalds. The food, cool mall and rest were a welcomed respite. On to Haifa where we stopped at the top of the mount to view the truly magnificent Bahai gardens. In addition the view of the port below is beautiful.
Next we headed to our final site of the day, the city of Acre (Akko). We started by visiting the Turkish bath made famous to Jewish audiences from the prison break scene in the movie Exodus. Instead of telling that story the media show told of the history of the bath itself and a bit about the cruel ruler al Jazeera, who was said to have defeated Napoleon Bonaparte when he tried to conquer the city.
Our final visit was to the Crusader fortress and underground halls of the knights. Many of these excavations were underground just 20 years ago.. Some of us exited through an escape tunnel that ended in a gift shop (what’s new?) whose owner produced a unique style of silver work in the Libyan tradition.
Our bus ride took us from the Mediterranean coast at Akko, across the Galil to the north eastern area and our destination Kibbutz Kfar Blum. The kibbutz hotel is lovely and the rooms and food were considered by some to be even nicer than the Dan Panorama Hotel in Tel Aviv. To our surprise also at the kibbutz were a group of principals from Modi’in including our dear friend Aviva Dvir the principal of our partner school Idanim and Jan’s counterpart in the Partnership education bridge. We were able to introduce one of the principals to the Rosenzweigs and David Yates who will be her guest at next week’s Shabbat dinner. After dinner many of the group enjoyed the fabulous Olympic sized pool which is considered one of the best in Israel.
Most of the group had a chance to sleep in late on Shabbat morning. We met in the lobby at 11am to visit the Ayalon Institute outside of Rechovot (Rochester’s Sister City). It was a about a 40 minute ride to Kibbutz Hill where the Ayalon Institute is located. While Yaakov referred to it as a bullet factory, that doesn’t do it justice. I call it one of the most fascinating stories in working towards the establishment of the State of Israel.
During the British Mandate the Jewish population was prohibited from obtaining arms and ammunition. Secret missions to supply the Jewish defense organizations were not enough if they had no ammunition to use and replenish. On a site that housed a kibbutz training center for groups of people who wanted to create and build their own kibbutzim a clandestine bullet making operation was created and hidden not just from the eyes of the British and other outsiders but even from members of the community. Imagine the difficulties! How do you dig out an area for an underground factory? How do you bring in the machines and materials needed to produce the bullets? How do you cover up what those who worked in this arena were doing without others getting suspicious? How do you keep the British from having any idea of what you are doing? That is the story of the Ayalon Institute and the brave heroes who made the operation a success. Under a bakery and a laundry using trap doors below a large industrial sized washing machine and a 40 ton oven this factory was built and operated until the British left the land.
The group was wowed by the experience and you can ask any one of us the new definition of a giraffe, whose head is in the sky and doesn’t know what is occurring below.
We returned to the hotel and people went on their way to the beach, to Jaffa, to the new Port of Tel Aviv ad the pool to spend the afternoon and evening. Alan’s brother Bob came from his kibbutz to visit and the 4 Katz’s ate at a wonderful Tapas Bar (not a “topless” bar as one person thought he heard)
At 10 pm many of us gathered in a room to make havdalah and have a brief discussion on early reflections of the trip. Ben’s friend Dan Saat from Rochester (now San Francisco) joined us. Ben will be spending the next three days with Dan, his father Moshe and their very large Israeli family.
On Sunday we were up early so we could check out and be on our way before 8:30 to try and avoid the heavy Tel Aviv traffic. Our first stop on this hot morning was Caesarea, a port city built by King Herod and later used by the Crusaders. There is now a fantastic multi media center where we viewed an introductory film, saw and heard from many historical characters including, Herod, Pontius Pilate, Rabbi Akiva and Hannah Senesh, all created in computer generated holograms. The final section of this was computer generated images of the various parts of the city at different times of its history. After a period of wandering around the Crusader fortress and some of the shops we exited a gate to visit the bath house, fabulous mosaics, the hippodrome (can anyone say Ben Hur’s chariot race), the royal palace and the magnificent Roman theatre that was set up for a concert. By the end of our hours there in the sun, even with the lovely sea breeze the heat had tired us out.
We returned to the bus and drove nearby to a small mall for lunch, ranging from falafel, schwarma, salads, ice cream and MacDonalds. The food, cool mall and rest were a welcomed respite. On to Haifa where we stopped at the top of the mount to view the truly magnificent Bahai gardens. In addition the view of the port below is beautiful.
Next we headed to our final site of the day, the city of Acre (Akko). We started by visiting the Turkish bath made famous to Jewish audiences from the prison break scene in the movie Exodus. Instead of telling that story the media show told of the history of the bath itself and a bit about the cruel ruler al Jazeera, who was said to have defeated Napoleon Bonaparte when he tried to conquer the city.
Our final visit was to the Crusader fortress and underground halls of the knights. Many of these excavations were underground just 20 years ago.. Some of us exited through an escape tunnel that ended in a gift shop (what’s new?) whose owner produced a unique style of silver work in the Libyan tradition.
Our bus ride took us from the Mediterranean coast at Akko, across the Galil to the north eastern area and our destination Kibbutz Kfar Blum. The kibbutz hotel is lovely and the rooms and food were considered by some to be even nicer than the Dan Panorama Hotel in Tel Aviv. To our surprise also at the kibbutz were a group of principals from Modi’in including our dear friend Aviva Dvir the principal of our partner school Idanim and Jan’s counterpart in the Partnership education bridge. We were able to introduce one of the principals to the Rosenzweigs and David Yates who will be her guest at next week’s Shabbat dinner. After dinner many of the group enjoyed the fabulous Olympic sized pool which is considered one of the best in Israel.
Friday, July 4, 2008
First dinner and July 4th
Israel Summer 2008 – June 4, 2008 – Independence Day
Flashing back to last night, we ate our first dinner in Israel at Maganda, located in the Yemenite Quarter not far from our hotel (very short bus ride) where we made our way to long tables on the second floor already laden with dozens of small dishes of middle eastern salads, including humus, baba ganoush, parsley tabbouleh, cabbage salads, carrot salad, etc., and lots of fresh pita. The next set of appetizers were “cigarim” (Moroccan meat stuffed fried wontons shaped like a cigarette) and large, savory falafel. For the main course, there were kababs of meat and chicken, whole roasted tilapia fish, and veggie patties. Sweet watermelon for dessert with ample red wine to wash down each morsel, bottled with a label featuring one of the restaurant owners. Sated, we all walked back towards the hotel, towards the beach to meet Tel Aviv’s famous “White Nights”, an evening of music, bars, and people watching on the beach. As it was before nine and entertainment would come only after 11:00, a walk along the boardwalk and in the sand sufficed for most, while some made it to 11:30 before succumbing to first day jet lag. Weather was divine. A real “wow” for day 1 in the Holyland.
Today started with our Israel breakfast in the Dekel (“palm tree”) room of the hotel with almost a ¼ mile of tables covered with (from left to right): omelette bar, morning cakes and muffins, chocolate covered and pistachio halvah, breads of every imaginable shape and texture, salads of every imaginable ingredient and spice, potato bourekas in philo pastry (this blog writer’s favorite), cheeses of every shape and flavor, chafing dishes of more eggs, meats, and roasted vegetables, more cakes, and even a table of sugar free delicacies, not to mention the fresh fruit juice bar, pancake and waffle bar, and the espresso and cappuccino bar. What would you choose to eat at one sitting?
At 8:15 we are off to our day’s adventures. Yakov, our guide, offers a running commentary on Tel Aviv neighborhoods as we take the ½ ride to the Palmach Museum. Only our photos could do this experience some justice. This relatively new museum provides a one and ½ hour multi-media experience for each participant through the journey of 10 young Palmach recruits (Jewish Israeli “Striking Force” dedicated to fighting for the establishment of the State of Israel from 1941-1948). The experience was meant to be authentic as to cause observers (that would be us) to sway and even feel a bit seasick in the “boat room” and almost lose our equilibrium in the “war room.” The museum is all underground as befitting an underground army. We unanimously agreed that the museum provides a powerful look at this momentous period in the history of modern Israel – a must see.
Next stop - Rabin Square, where Prime Minister, Yitzchak Rabin, was gunned down at a pre-election rally in 1995. The memorial, at the foot of the back steps of the building where Rabin exited the rally, is right now shadowed by major construction, perhaps diminishing the full impact of this trajedy. We did walk around to the other side of the building to stand in the middle of the large square where a large sign in Hebrew announced that “opera” was coming soon, while most of us (hampered by the absence of vowels) thought that Oprah was coming.
From the Palmach museum, we made our way to “Heichal Ha-atzmaut”, Independence Hall, an unassuming building on the residential Rothchild Street, a building which initially was the home of Dizengoff, a founder of Tel Aviv and its first mayor, then an art museum, and now the place where David Ben Gurion declared the modern Jewish state to be known as Israel on Friday afternoon, at 4:00 p.m. on May 14, 1948. We shared our visit with several tour groups, including young adults on a Birthright trip to Israel. Crowded or not, in the moderately-sized, slightly underground room, it’s difficult not to tear up hearing the voice of Ben Gurion as he makes the declaration, the rabbi present leading the “Shehechiyanu” and the Israel Philaharmonic (at the time playing from the upstairs rooms) rendering “Hatikva” for the first time as the country’s national anthem. TO THINK WE WERE AT INDEPENDENCE ALL ON THE DAY OF OUR OWN INDEPENDENCE COMMEMORATION.
In the spirit of Friday afternoon in Israel, the bus dropped off some of the group at the open market with all its pre-Shabbat hustle and bustle, and the rest returned to the hotel for a swim, a siesta, or snack.
At 3:00 p.m. (no time for too much relaxing), we were off to Kibbutz Gezer and Pinat Shorashim. The latter is a constructed biblical garden of sorts on the kibbutz, established by educator par excellence, David Leichman, who is dedicated to educating for a Judaism that comprises respect for, and understanding of all Jews and all things Jewish, and their connection to the land of Israel. After a remarkable tour of the garden and much learning, we joined David’s wife, Rabbi Miri Gold, for Kabbalat Shabbat services in the outdoor sanctuary and a buffet Shabbat dinner in the garden. It was an opportunity for us to sit in small groups and enjoy good conversation and each other’s company.
SHABBAT SHALOM!
Flashing back to last night, we ate our first dinner in Israel at Maganda, located in the Yemenite Quarter not far from our hotel (very short bus ride) where we made our way to long tables on the second floor already laden with dozens of small dishes of middle eastern salads, including humus, baba ganoush, parsley tabbouleh, cabbage salads, carrot salad, etc., and lots of fresh pita. The next set of appetizers were “cigarim” (Moroccan meat stuffed fried wontons shaped like a cigarette) and large, savory falafel. For the main course, there were kababs of meat and chicken, whole roasted tilapia fish, and veggie patties. Sweet watermelon for dessert with ample red wine to wash down each morsel, bottled with a label featuring one of the restaurant owners. Sated, we all walked back towards the hotel, towards the beach to meet Tel Aviv’s famous “White Nights”, an evening of music, bars, and people watching on the beach. As it was before nine and entertainment would come only after 11:00, a walk along the boardwalk and in the sand sufficed for most, while some made it to 11:30 before succumbing to first day jet lag. Weather was divine. A real “wow” for day 1 in the Holyland.
Today started with our Israel breakfast in the Dekel (“palm tree”) room of the hotel with almost a ¼ mile of tables covered with (from left to right): omelette bar, morning cakes and muffins, chocolate covered and pistachio halvah, breads of every imaginable shape and texture, salads of every imaginable ingredient and spice, potato bourekas in philo pastry (this blog writer’s favorite), cheeses of every shape and flavor, chafing dishes of more eggs, meats, and roasted vegetables, more cakes, and even a table of sugar free delicacies, not to mention the fresh fruit juice bar, pancake and waffle bar, and the espresso and cappuccino bar. What would you choose to eat at one sitting?
At 8:15 we are off to our day’s adventures. Yakov, our guide, offers a running commentary on Tel Aviv neighborhoods as we take the ½ ride to the Palmach Museum. Only our photos could do this experience some justice. This relatively new museum provides a one and ½ hour multi-media experience for each participant through the journey of 10 young Palmach recruits (Jewish Israeli “Striking Force” dedicated to fighting for the establishment of the State of Israel from 1941-1948). The experience was meant to be authentic as to cause observers (that would be us) to sway and even feel a bit seasick in the “boat room” and almost lose our equilibrium in the “war room.” The museum is all underground as befitting an underground army. We unanimously agreed that the museum provides a powerful look at this momentous period in the history of modern Israel – a must see.
Next stop - Rabin Square, where Prime Minister, Yitzchak Rabin, was gunned down at a pre-election rally in 1995. The memorial, at the foot of the back steps of the building where Rabin exited the rally, is right now shadowed by major construction, perhaps diminishing the full impact of this trajedy. We did walk around to the other side of the building to stand in the middle of the large square where a large sign in Hebrew announced that “opera” was coming soon, while most of us (hampered by the absence of vowels) thought that Oprah was coming.
From the Palmach museum, we made our way to “Heichal Ha-atzmaut”, Independence Hall, an unassuming building on the residential Rothchild Street, a building which initially was the home of Dizengoff, a founder of Tel Aviv and its first mayor, then an art museum, and now the place where David Ben Gurion declared the modern Jewish state to be known as Israel on Friday afternoon, at 4:00 p.m. on May 14, 1948. We shared our visit with several tour groups, including young adults on a Birthright trip to Israel. Crowded or not, in the moderately-sized, slightly underground room, it’s difficult not to tear up hearing the voice of Ben Gurion as he makes the declaration, the rabbi present leading the “Shehechiyanu” and the Israel Philaharmonic (at the time playing from the upstairs rooms) rendering “Hatikva” for the first time as the country’s national anthem. TO THINK WE WERE AT INDEPENDENCE ALL ON THE DAY OF OUR OWN INDEPENDENCE COMMEMORATION.
In the spirit of Friday afternoon in Israel, the bus dropped off some of the group at the open market with all its pre-Shabbat hustle and bustle, and the rest returned to the hotel for a swim, a siesta, or snack.
At 3:00 p.m. (no time for too much relaxing), we were off to Kibbutz Gezer and Pinat Shorashim. The latter is a constructed biblical garden of sorts on the kibbutz, established by educator par excellence, David Leichman, who is dedicated to educating for a Judaism that comprises respect for, and understanding of all Jews and all things Jewish, and their connection to the land of Israel. After a remarkable tour of the garden and much learning, we joined David’s wife, Rabbi Miri Gold, for Kabbalat Shabbat services in the outdoor sanctuary and a buffet Shabbat dinner in the garden. It was an opportunity for us to sit in small groups and enjoy good conversation and each other’s company.
SHABBAT SHALOM!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
July2-3
All journeys need to start with a challenge. When we arrived at the airport and some of the group checked in with no problem, Jan and Alan could not be found on the computer. After everyone else was successful in checking in, the lovely Continental agent and three associates still could not find us on the computer. Why? Because although our trip itinerary printed by the tour company said our flight was on the 2nd, in fact on the receipt and in the computer we were not scheduled until the 3rd. They began to see what they could do and also called the agency but there was only one seat on the plane from Rochester to Newark.
I then realized that Ben might also have a problem. Guess what? Ben and Megan Finnefrock were scheduled to have left already on June 24th. The agent had to pull strings to not get a complete loss on that flight. After quite awhile the tour agent found 4 seats on the flight from Newark to Tel Aviv but Jan still had no seat from Rochester to Newark. They finally decided to send her through to the gate on standby. With 20 minutes to go the agent called me over to whisper that one person didn’t show up and they put Jan in that seat although she was the second on the list. So off we went.
One positive outcome was that my assigned seat for the flight to Israel was 5K business/first class. When we got to Newark I got a message from our tour operator to check in again. I did and they gave me a different boarding pass with the same seat. The fight was slightly delayed and when they finally called for the first 10 rows and I handed them my boarding pass, guess what? It was not registering. The agent took it to the counter and finally after ten minutes they came back with my coach seat next to a baby, but at least with leg room at a bulk head. The flight was uneventful except for a couple of food mix-ups. The group was scattered around coach but everyone either bartered a seat switch or went with the flow.
We arrived at Ben Gurion airport and were met by Romano from the tour operator. Everyone found their luggage on the carousel. Hurrah! Liz and Sarah met us as we walked out with a big welcome sign. Our tour guide is Yakov Cook, originally from Argentina. He is truly delightful. He recently returned from a trip to San Francisco.
Our first stop was to old Jaffa. We walked through the restored quarter to a small archaeological sight and the top of the hill that features a lovely sculpture of biblical scenes. We offered a “Shehechiyanu” blessing for arriving in Israel and headed to our hotel, the Dan Panorama on the Tel Aviv beach.
Most of us had our rooms ready for us, but six lucky ones had to wait for a while. “Society comes last” and, in this case, the Larsen’s took the prize.. A bit later two thirds of the group walked with our guide to Shuk HaCarmel, the open market and to Nahalat Binyamin, the Park Avenue of Tel Aviv with its cafes and boutiques. Shuk purchases include food items like olives and halava and a few knick knacks. Some of us ended up at a café for iced coffee (with “glida”, ice cream) and light snacks.
Next we are off to Maganda for our first official “Israeli” dinner. L’hitraot!
All journeys need to start with a challenge. When we arrived at the airport and some of the group checked in with no problem, Jan and Alan could not be found on the computer. After everyone else was successful in checking in, the lovely Continental agent and three associates still could not find us on the computer. Why? Because although our trip itinerary printed by the tour company said our flight was on the 2nd, in fact on the receipt and in the computer we were not scheduled until the 3rd. They began to see what they could do and also called the agency but there was only one seat on the plane from Rochester to Newark.
I then realized that Ben might also have a problem. Guess what? Ben and Megan Finnefrock were scheduled to have left already on June 24th. The agent had to pull strings to not get a complete loss on that flight. After quite awhile the tour agent found 4 seats on the flight from Newark to Tel Aviv but Jan still had no seat from Rochester to Newark. They finally decided to send her through to the gate on standby. With 20 minutes to go the agent called me over to whisper that one person didn’t show up and they put Jan in that seat although she was the second on the list. So off we went.
One positive outcome was that my assigned seat for the flight to Israel was 5K business/first class. When we got to Newark I got a message from our tour operator to check in again. I did and they gave me a different boarding pass with the same seat. The fight was slightly delayed and when they finally called for the first 10 rows and I handed them my boarding pass, guess what? It was not registering. The agent took it to the counter and finally after ten minutes they came back with my coach seat next to a baby, but at least with leg room at a bulk head. The flight was uneventful except for a couple of food mix-ups. The group was scattered around coach but everyone either bartered a seat switch or went with the flow.
We arrived at Ben Gurion airport and were met by Romano from the tour operator. Everyone found their luggage on the carousel. Hurrah! Liz and Sarah met us as we walked out with a big welcome sign. Our tour guide is Yakov Cook, originally from Argentina. He is truly delightful. He recently returned from a trip to San Francisco.
Our first stop was to old Jaffa. We walked through the restored quarter to a small archaeological sight and the top of the hill that features a lovely sculpture of biblical scenes. We offered a “Shehechiyanu” blessing for arriving in Israel and headed to our hotel, the Dan Panorama on the Tel Aviv beach.
Most of us had our rooms ready for us, but six lucky ones had to wait for a while. “Society comes last” and, in this case, the Larsen’s took the prize.. A bit later two thirds of the group walked with our guide to Shuk HaCarmel, the open market and to Nahalat Binyamin, the Park Avenue of Tel Aviv with its cafes and boutiques. Shuk purchases include food items like olives and halava and a few knick knacks. Some of us ended up at a café for iced coffee (with “glida”, ice cream) and light snacks.
Next we are off to Maganda for our first official “Israeli” dinner. L’hitraot!
Friday, June 27, 2008
Before the Journey
On July 2 38 of us, mostly members of Temple Sinai in Rochester, NY will be setting off on our journey to israel. Hopefully we can share some of our wonderful experiences with others.
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