The drive from Jerusalem to Ben-Gurion International Airport takes about 45 minutes. As always, we ran on time. Muki explained how the security would work when we arrived at the airport. The first stage is to stop our bus at the perimiter and ask about the driver, the guide and the passengers. We soon reached the curb outside our terminal, where we claimed our luggage from under the bus and said goodbye to Moshe.
The next stage is to question every member of the group, starting with me. As it turns out, I was the only person who had my bag go through the special x-ray and then had to report for a hand inspection. The reason? I can't know for sure, but it is probably because I told the screener that I had accepted two gifts, a stuffed toy from my Israeli friend, and a book from the head of our travel agency.
Of the rest of the group, Donna faced the most questions because I told them that she was not a member of the congregation. Clearly they were concerned about a "hanger-on" who joined the group in order to have access to the plane. After speaking to her for a few minutes, they could see she was just a tourist like the rest of us, and we were all approved.
Next we had to get our boarding passes. This was where it was time to say goodbye to Muki. Like any airport, we went through the metal detectors and then go through passport control. I got in line behind one member of the UJA group who had apparently lost his passport and had a replacement one issued by the embassy. My line, therefore, went the slowest of all. Finally, after all the checks we entered the shopping paradise known as Duty Free. That is where I got in line for the last time, to reclaim my VAT tax from the gifts that I had bought.
Our flight boarded and departed on time. This time I stayed in my assigned seat. I had an inside seat, so there was really no reason anyone would want to switch with me. We landed about 30 minutes early in Newark. The Newark ground crew wasn't ready for us, so we had to sit on the plane for those 30 minutes until they would open the door.
We didn't really have a chance to say goodbye at Newark Airport, but that's OK. Part of the joy of taking a Temple trip is knowing that you'll see one another at Temple activities.
I suppose this concludes the blog, but the impact that the trip will have on us will continue. The next trip won't be for a few years, but I hope everyone in the Temple Emeth community will consider joining us. Shalom u'l'hitraot!
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