Saturday: Weather Report--Chamsin

Every Israeli can tell you that a chamsin is a dusty desert wind. I assumed until this weekend that chamsin was exclusively a summer phenomenon. Not so. The chamsin meant that we were unable to see all the way to the Mediterranean Sea as we descended to Modi'in on Friday. It also meant that from the back side of HUC, we were not able to see past the Old City all the way to Mount Scopus and the Mount of Olives at the far end of the city. For people with respiratory problems, the dust of a chamsin can be especially irritating. For us, thankfully, it was just another Israel experience. This photo was taken from the Jaffa gate of the Old City facing south into the Gehinom valley.

Saturday: Services at Hebrew Union College

For the first time on our trip, Shabbat services were at an outside synagogue that was walking distance from the hotel. That meant that services could be optional and people could arrive when they wanted to. I'm too tactful to say publicly who arrived on time, who arrived in the middle of the service, who arrived ten minutes before the end, and who arrived ten minutes before the end and still believed she deserved Bat Mitzvah credit.

Suffice to say that we prayed at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Jerusalem campus. The land was alloted to the Reform movement in 1964, when the eastern edge of the property faced onto No-Man's Land and a view of the old city risked encountering a Jordanian sniper's bullet. In 1967, of course, the entire situation changed, and now HUC-JIR has some of the best real estate in Jerusalem. The campus was expanded in the mid-1980's and again in the late 1990's, so that it is now a thriving center of Reform Judaism in Israel.

All this is a long way of saying that many Reform groups stop at HUC-JIR for services. On Saturday, there were at least 5 American rabbis in attendance, who were welcomed by Rabbi Naamah Kelman. The service itself was very familiar to us. Though all the prayers were in Hebrew, we used Gates of Prayer, and all the commentaries and the sermon were in English.

The singing, led by Cantor Tamar Havilio, was beautiful, and meant a lot to me. The cantor, once known as Heather Feffer, was my classmate in the year in Israel program almost 15 years ago. She said I haven't changed a bit. The gray hairs of congregational life mean that isn't entirely true, but the sentiment is sweet nonetheless.

Friday: Services in Modi'in

Modi'in is not the obvious choice for a group staying in Jerusalem to pray, but I'm so glad we ended up there. First of all, it is the home of our guide, Muki. He speaks fondly of Modi'in and its status as "City of the Future."

Before services, we got a quick drive-through of the town. Then we met in a nursery school classroom (it's funny how they look the same no matter what country you're in) to learn about the history of the Reform congregation, Yozma, and how we can support it if we choose. We were told that this would be an unusual service, not just because we were visiting, but because this service would honor the first-graders and their parents.

It was a great service, not just because we were able to follow the prayers, but because after being at Yad VaShem in the morning, it was so reassuring to see so many Jewish children, living in Israel and beginning their Jewish educations. Sure they made a lot of noise during the service, but no one seemed to mind. When it was their turn to sing, they sang with all their hearts and gave hope to us that the Jewish people has a strong future.

After services, we were divided into smaller groups for home hospitality. On the bus ride home, everyone spoke about how friendly their hosts were, and how wonderful the experience was.

Friday: Machane Yehudah and Nachlaot

From the sadness and solemnity of Yad VaShem we learned about one of Jerusalem's oldest neighborhoods by means of a scavenger hunt. Before the hunt began, we were given free time in Machane Yehudah, Jerusalem's main open-air Jewish market. After wandering for only a minute or two, it is clear that there is nothing edible that you cannot buy in Machane Yehudah: fresh and dried fruits, baked goods, fish, meat, beans and spices are all in abundance in this feast for the senses. My purchases included dried figs, dried dates, roasted pistachios and a falafel.

The scavenger hunt focused on the adjoining neighborhood of Nachlaot, one of the first neighborhoods established outside the Old City walls. Our group was divided into three teams, with each team taking a different route but required to answer the same questions. We had to count how many stars of David were worked into the architecture, we had to answer a question on kashrut and on Jewish numerology, and we had to find a particular window based on a black and white photograph. My team consisted of Alli, Donna, and Elinor, and I thought we were destined for victory. But, alas, it was one of those Goliath moments, I guess, as CJ's team were the ultimate winners.

Friday: Yad VaShem

The word "yad," we learned, can have two meanings. The first is "hand" as in Yad L'Kashish (a hand to the aged). The second is monument as in Yad VaShem, the name of Israel's Holocaust memorial museum.

It's impossible to describe the array of emotions we felt in the museum--shock, anger, sadness, even hope--but the museum gave important details on a story we all know partially but no one knows completely.

Pictures are not allowed in Yad Vashem, but this is a photo of the lobby area on the right (with the tall windows) and the footbridge to the museum on the left (with the triangular facade).

Friday: Yad L'Kashish

With the hours counting down until Shabbat, we made the only pre-scheduled shopping stop on our itinerary. Yad L'Kashish (Lifeline to the Elderly) is a tzedakah organization that gives retirees a social outlet and a warm meal, while at the same time earning them some extra money for the crafts they make. We didn't have time to see the workshop, but we did descend en masse on the gift shop, buying Judaica and other items of all kinds.

Thursday: Happy Birthday George W

While Americans celebrated George Washington's birthday on Monday, his actual birthday was on Thursday. While the Father of Our Country gave us so much, he also gave us the opportunity to have this trip, since most NJ school districts are closed for the week of Washington's birthday. In my own little homage to the first president, I walked around the corner from our hotel and took a picture of this street sign. Clearly, I'm not the only one who appreciates the original George W.

Thursday: The Old City of Jerusalem

One could easily spend a week in the Old City of Jerusalem and still only scratch the surface of the history that it holds. We began our visit--typically--with a stop for eating and shopping.

Once we were ready to hear Muki's description of the Old City, we began at what seemed to be just a pile of rocks until we knew just what these rocks represented. It was a ruin from the First Temple period, when the Kingdom of Israel was divided into two (Israel in the north and Judah in the south). In 722 BCE the Assyrians invaded from the north and destroyed the 10 northern tribes of Israel, hence the saying today "Ten Lost Tribes." The Assyrians continued southward toward Jerusalem, the capital of Judah, but were never able to breach the city wall. The wall that we looked at was that wall. That pile of rocks, then, represented the difference between 10 lost tribes and 12 lost tribes, or between the reduction of the Jewish people and our complete destruction. When the story is told like that, one can have new awe for a 2800-year-old wall.

Our next stop were the Herodian mansions, where it seems the High Priest of the Second Temple period lived. We learned about the ritual and political position of the High Priest and the priesthood. But we also learned that even the High Priest's neighborhood was not immune from idolatry. In a cistern that the High Priest most likely would have drawn water from, archaeologists found a pagan fertility goddess. Even in ancient days, the Jews had to find the right balance between Judaism and the outside world.

Finally we made our way to the Western Wall. We had been there the night before, but only to go in the tunnels. This time we had the opportunity to pray and to put notes in the wall. In the Western Wall plaza, there were about 150 soldiers on a tour coordinated by the army. The juxtaposition between old and new, between holy and military, was impressive.

Thursday: Our Archaeologcial Dig

On Thursday morning, we departed Jeruselem to head for Beit Guvrin, an active archaeological dig that enlists the help of tourists to help uncover artifacts from a people who lived at the same time as the Maccabees, over 2100 years ago. Along the way we saw the valley in which the famous battle between David and Goliath took place.

The geology of Beit Guvrin is fascinating. The ground has a 3-foot deep crust, beneath which there are dozens of feet of very soft chalk. The people who lived here long ago had houses on ground level and then dug caves in the chalk for storage, oil pressing, and water retention.

One of the reasons that tourists are allowed to work here with only a few minutes of training is that this site has objects from only one period, so there is no concern about objects being confused.

We were a small group on this day. All four of our return customers decided to do some exploring on their own. Allie had a lunch date with cousin Shoshana, and so only 8 of us made the trip to Beit Guvrin. It was certainly worth it. The caves that have been completely excavated and are now open to the public are amazing. After seeing six or seven of them, we went to work. The first stage was to loosen dirt on the floor of a cave, look for artifacts (including pottery, bones, and shells) to put in the "finds" bucket, put all the dirt in a different bucket. It was great to see CJ and Tamara collaborating so well together. And they were really successful, finding several pieces of pottery with "profile" (a rim, a base, or a handle).

The second stage was to bring our buckets of dirt out of the caves, and then to shake it out on a sifter. It's amazing to see how much we could find in the sunlight that we missed in the cave. During the sifting, one group even found a shiny coin. Too bad it was a 10 agorot piece (circa 2004 CE) planted by Muki to see if we were paying attention.

At the end of our time at Beit Guvrin, we saw some of the more impressive things found there and had the chance to take souveniers from the discard pile. Then it was back to meet the rest of the group in the Old City.

Meet Frances

Like many American Jews, Frances has been to several countries to learn about the history and culture of other people. Now the time has come for her to visit Israel, and it was important she share it with her whole family. She asked her mother-in-law, Diane, more in passing than anything else if she wanted to join the rest of the family, and to her pleasant surprise, she said yes. Fran listens more than she talks, not surprising for a psychiatrist, and I think that in doing so she is seeing Israel through six sets of eyes, one for each member of her family.

Wednesday: The UJA-Federation Event at the Israel Museum

Later that evening, the 350-member delegation of the UJA-Federation of Northern New Jersey invited us to join them at their reception at the Israel Museum. We began with a tour of the Jewish history and ritual section of the permanent exhibit. There I ran into several people I know, including State Assemblyman Gordon Johnson and his colleague, Englewood City Councilwoman Charlotte Bennett Schoen.

From the tour, we were led into a tent built for the occasion and heard the customary words of welcome and support. The emcee specifically welcomed Temple Emeth. We then had a yummy dinner, and though there was no dance floor, many of the participants began dancing between the tables. It was a great way to celebrate being in Jerusalem

Wednesday: The Western Wall Tunnels

One thing that we learned relatively quickly in Israel is that names are not always accurate. We were in Tel Aviv, but it is really Tel Aviv-Jaffa. We went to the desert earlier in the trip, but we actually went to three distinct but contiguous deserts: the Negev, the Arava, and the Judean desert. So when we say we went to the Western Wall, it's important to say exactly what we mean.

Many people associate the Western Wall with the area designated for prayer, where people often put notes in the cracks of the huge stones. That is the Western Wall, but it is not the entire Western Wall. Much of that same retaining wall of the plateau for the Second Temple is now underground, obscured by the homes and businesses of the Muslim Quarter of the Old City. But we had a chance to see the whole thing.

Muki led us on a tour of the Western Wall tunnel, describing the structures that would have been adjacent to it, like stores, foot bridges and aqueducts. To see the enormity of one 400-ton stone is to appreciate just how amazing it was to build this wall with 2000-year old technology and yet still maintain such precise building standards.

Wednesday: Our Arrival in Jerusalem

Finally, five days after we landed in Israel, we reached Jerusalem, the capital of the Jewish people. We stopped on Mount Scopus, home of the Hebrew University for a magnificent view of the city. Muki told a story about how Jews see Jerusalem both with their eyes and with their hearts. I told a story about how the Hebrew University just behind us was founded in the 1920's by Rabbi Judah Magnes, who was born in Oakland, California (just like another famous and beloved rabbi).

Together we read a Psalm of ascent to Jerusalem and said the Shehechianu. As we prepared to leave, we had our first meeting with the Jersey to Jerusalem group from our Federation who had just arrived in Jerusalem from the north.

Wednesday: The Dead Sea

No trip to the Dead Sea area is complete without some time to float in the Dead Sea. I regret that I have no pictures of this, as I took a nap in the warm sun. (On the other hand, I think many in our group have pictures of me napping.) While it is a great tourist attraction, the Dead Sea is also very important to Israel's economy because of the minerals that are extracted from it. But there is a problem--the level of the Dead Sea is dropping, and without major intervention, it could dry up in 400 years. Muki told us some of the options, including a canal from either the Mediterranean or the Red Sea. But there are no easy answers, and few are likely to look for the difficult answers until there is peace in the region.

Wednesday: Masada

Virtually everyone has heard of Masada, though not everyone knows what happened there. This first picture was taken atop Masada facing southeast toward the Dead Sea.

Muki told a three-part story atop the ancient fortress, interweaving characters and ideas that give this place its identity.

The first story was about King Herod the Great who built the fortress and its palaces. Archaeology, however, cannot confirm that Herod ever visited the completed fortress. The second story was about the Jewish Zealots who made their last stand against the Romans in 73 CE. According to Josephus Flavius, a historian who was not present at the standoff, the Zealots chose death over slavery to the Romans. The third story was about Yigael Yadin, the father of modern archaeology and the techniques he used in the excavation of Massada in the 1960's. The second picture is of a 2000-year-old "Jewish" mosaic, one which used no iconogcraphy, that was unearthed and preserved at Masada.

Usually a group visiting Masada in the summertime can expect 100+ degree temperatures, but we were lucky. It was about 80 with an occasional breeze.

Wednesday: How Are We All Related, Anyway?

In our hotel in Eilat, we noticed a group of Nigerian Christian tourists, but no one had the chance to say hi to them until we both stopped at the same rest stop at the same time, about two hours north of Eilat. Ilene asked me to take a photo of her and some of the Nigerians, so they immediately wanted to know how we were related.

"Is he your husband?" they asked. "No, no." Then came the doozie... "Is he your son?" Ilene didn't know quite how to respond to that in the moment, but I think her long-term response was to buy a year's supply of Dead Sea face cream. They had never heard of a rabbi, but we explained that I was like the priest for the group, and they all nodded. After a few more photographs, we parted ways, but for the rest of the day, we helped Ilene cope with her sudden identity crisis.

Tuesday: Our Free Day

It seemed perfect on such a rigorous trip to pick a day in the middle with no structured activities. And so it was on Tuesday.

Ilene and Vicky climbed a mountain in the afternoon with Muki. Muki had said that he wanted to climb the mountain and he was glad to have the company. The climb was difficult, something Vicky couldn't have done on our last trip, and a truly transformational experience for her. Ilene read a Psalm of the day, and Muki--appropriately enough for a mountain climb--sang a Psalm of ascent. For Vicky it was a perfect example of how Jewish time and Jewish space intersect in the Land of Israel.

Our family of six chose to swim with the dolphins. I did a little shopping in the midday with Ilene and then caught up on my sleep later. By far the most impressive day trip was the one Elinor, Judith and Donna selected: a trip to Petra in Jordan.

Petra is a wonderfully preserved Nabatean city nestled in the red mountains of Jordan. Since I didn't go (I visited in 1995, shortly after direct travel from Israel to Jordan became possible), I can't give many details, but the Petra three reported that it was not to be missed!

Monday: The Stars at Night

One other amazing aspect about our bedouin experience had nothing to do with the hospitality. The stars in the middle of the desert on a clear night are simply brilliant in a way that they can never be at home. Orion's belt, sword and sheild were all shining brightly, and for the first hour of nightfall, there was a wonderful crescent moon with moonglow and Venus hanging in the sky right next to it. Breathtaking.

The stars don't photograph well, but here's the desert sunset from our bedouin location.

Monday: Bedouin Hospitality

At about 5:00 we arrived at a site that offers Bedouin hospitality to groups like ours. The Bedouin camp. First we looked from our high perch down into the Aravah valley below and across to the mountains of Jordan. CJ made a joke that we might have to be ready for an attack across the valley from Jordan. It occured to me that he was born a year after Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994, so while someone my age knows how long and hard it was to forge a peace treaty, someone CJ's age may not even know about it.

CJ looked over my shoulder and reminded me that it was a learning moment for him and to say how awsome he is!

Our Bedouin host, Amir, gave us an introduction to Bedouin music; to the ideas, limits, and culture of hospitality; and to the many things you need to know about camels if you are going to live the life of the Bedouin. We then sat down to a yummy dinner of chicken and rice. There were other kids CJ and Tamara's age, so they had a great time hanging out outside the tent while the grownups finished dinner inside.

Monday: We Are not the First Ones in the Desert

Our final stop before dinner was at a 6000-year-old shrine. It was pre-Israelite, so our ancestors didn't worship there, but it gave us a sense that people have been worshipping God in the desert for many centuries. Muki split us up into chevruta (study pairs) and together we read from I Kings 19 about the prophet Elijah's flight to the desert after his victorious competition with the worshippers of Baal. Elijah thinks he can escape God in the desert, but in fact his relationship with God is strengthened when an angel brings him food and water and encourages him to return to the service of God.

Our discussion in this setting brought the Bible to a different level. I especially appreciated Tamara's (my chevrutah partner) interpretation of what the Bible means when it says God was in the still small voice.

Meet Elinor

Elinor is a long-time member of the congregation. She sits on the board and chairs the Paul S. Lazar Caring Community Committee. If you have attended Rosh Hashanah services at Temple Emeth in the last few years, you have heard Elinor speak from the bimah talking about the work of her committee. Elinor has one of the most profound lines in the promotional video we made on the last trip. She says she just can't imagine making this without her rabbi and members of her congregation. Well she didn't want to miss this opportunity, so even though this is the longest flight she has taken without her husband, here she is.

Monday: Our Relationship to the Desert

The image of the desert that predominates among us city-dwellers is bare sand dunes that drift as the wind blows. Actually, more than 90 percent of the world's deserts are hard and rocky, including the Negev, but Muki took us to a place where perception met reality. While we were there we took a few minutes to basque on top of the sand and then Muki asked each of us to isolate ourselves from the group for about 10 minutes to appreciate how desert adds to the sense of solitude. Vicky called the sand dunes "amazing" because they brought us to a different state of consciousness and because we could "hear" the silence of the desert.

Meet Howard

I have long admired Howard's patience. Even though he is a busy cardiologist, he is the person the Temple office turns to when we have a question about our email or computer network. His patience is a valuable resource as he (along with his wife, Frances) keeps an eye on his mother, Diane, and his three children Alli, Tamara and CJ. Howard was brought into a separate room by the passport control authorities at Ben-Gurion Airport for questioning. I doubt he was there more than a minute or two before he convinced the authorities that they must be looking for another man with the same name. Of course, by the time he was relaeased, his kids were saying he had been "detained." As in so many other situations, Howard emerged with a smile.

Monday: Desert Jeep Exploration

We stopped briefly in a grocery store to secure provisions for lunch, and then headed to the visitor center of the Ramon Crater, where we boarded two jeeps for off-roading through the crater. Our jeep guide, Adam, explained that this is one of only seven similarly formed craters in the world, the other six being also in Israel or in the northern Sinai Peninsula. And in fact geologists around the world have taken to using the Hebrew word--machtesh--to describe this phenomenon, rather than crater.

From the floor of the crater, we could see the different layers of sedimentary rock and the vivid colors they reveal. We could also see how, on those very rare days when it does rain, the water flows and accumulates. There was no rain in the forcast this day, but when there is, visitors have to be very careful about flash floods. Sometimes the Negev will receive three years' worth of rain in one day.

We could also see past mining sites, all of which have been shut down since the Machtesh Ramon had been designated as a nature preserve.

Monday: Camel Caravan

We awoke in our inn at Mitzpe Ramon and drove a half hour into the desert to a camel farm where we--what else?-- took a group ride on a camel caravan. There was a fair amount of screaming, from the humans upon boarding and alighting from the camels, and from one cantankerous dromedary who decided to vent his frustration by breying for most of the half-hour ride. CJ did such a good immitation of the camel sounds, that for a while I thought the camel might have been imitating him.

Each of the camels held two passengers, but they are trained to stand as soon as they feel weight on their backs. The key, then, is for both passengers to land in the saddle at exactly the same time. Poor timing could have worse results. Thankfully our timing was good and the camels were cooperative.

The caravan gave us some spectacular views of the desert, including looking north to Sde Boker and west to the site of a small 2000-year-old cistern that we had briefly explored the day before. We returned to the camel farm with all of our limbs intact, though a few sore tushies were to be expected. It was on to our next desert adventure.

Meet Judith

Judith, another return customer, is on her fifth trip to Israel. There are two amazing things about Judith. One is the fact that she is such an active Temple member. She is involved in choir, adult ed, ritual committee, and is also a B'nai Mitzvah tutor. The other is that she seems to retain everything she has learned and can supplement the other guiding to the people sitting near her on the bus. Judith has brought so much life to Temple Emeth activities, and this trip is no different.

Sunday: The Negev Desert and Ben-Gurion's Grave

After a stop for lunch, we went to Sde Boker, site of the kibbutz that David Ben-Gurion joined in retirement in an effort to encourage young pioneers to settle the desert. Ben-Gurion saw the future of Israel as being rooted in settlement in the desert. He hoped that there would be cities, industry and mining in the desert. Few share that vision today, seeing instead the fragile ecosystem that must be preserved.

Nonetheless, because of his love for the desert, Ben-Gurion and his wife Paula are buried at Sde Boker. We visited their graves, but much more impressive was the view of a desert canyon that lies to the south and east of the grave site.

Sunday: The Air Force Museum

By the time we were finished a Rabin Square, our bus had a new starter, and most of the luggage had been loaded from the substitute bus onto our bus. We left the hustle and bustle of Tel Aviv on a Sunday morning and headed toward the desert. Our first stop...the Israeli Air Force Museum outside of Beer Sheva.

The museum, adjacent to the training base for IAF pilots, has an indoor display and an outdoor display. The indoor display talks about the training, the equipment, the values and the history of the IAF. The outdoor section has a few planes that we could sit in, and dozens more that represent the history of Israel's military aviation hardware. We could see the progression in the technology and the relationship with the various foreign countries that have aviation industries, primarily France and the United States.

Our visit concluded by boarding the Boeing 707 that was used on the raid on Entebbe in July of 1976. On board (we at last had the chance to sit in first class) we watched a video about how the air force works and the values it seeks to promote. I found it fascinating that it has the highest ratio of enemy planes shot down to Israeli planes shot down in military aviation history.

Meet Diane

Since the trip was conceived, I wanted this to be an intergenerational trip, but the addition of Diane makes this a multigenerational trip. Diane, better known to us as Grammy is Allison, CJ and Tamara's grandmother. She is 83 years young and is having a great time. Not only does she get to spend nine straight days with her family, but she gets to see Israel for the first time. She commented to me that Israel is much more beautiful than she expected and she is so glad to be here. We're glad to have you too!

Sunday: Yitzhak Rabin Square

By the time we left Independence Hall, a substitute bus was waiting for us with our luggage on it. It took us to Yitzhak Rabin Square. Before we entered the square, our guide Muki let us in on a little secret: while he keeps strictly to the schedule when someone wants to make a shopping detour, he suddenly becomes more flexible when someone suggests a coffee break. That's exactly what happened, and the group descended upon the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf shop around the corner from the square. The staff was not equipped for such a big group, and what should have taken 10 minutes took about 30. Nonetheless, with coffee in hand we went to Yitzhak Rabin Square where, on November 4, 1995, Prime Minister Rabin was assassinated by a Jewish extremist, Yigal Amir.

The area has several different tributes. There is a timeline of Rabin's life, a copy of the speech he gave just before he was shot (though we couldn't read it because of construcion in the area). Photographs of the grief that followed, including memorial candles that were lit across the country and the bloodstained copy of "Song of Peace" that had been in his breast pocket when he was shot, align the opposite wall. There are markings in the pavement where Rabin, his security detail and the murderer stood at the moment the shots were fired. And most moving of all is the relief sculpture built into the ground that represents an earthquake in Israeli society.

Muki and I were both there the night of the assassination, and we each shared our experience of the evening and the grief that followed.

Meet Donna

Why on earth would anyone who didn't belong to Temple Emeth want to come on our Israel trip? In Donna's case, it's because Vicky's enthusiasm was contagious. Donna, a member of the congregation where Vicky used to be the executive director, has remained a close friend, even since Vicky started a new job last year. It hasn't taken Donna very long to fit in. Crack a few jokes, ask some questions the guide could never answer, and have fun--that's all it takes. I, of course, am on my best behavior around Donna because I want only good things to get back to her rabbi, a respected member of the New Jersey rabbinic community.

Meet Vicky

Vicky considered our first trip such a transformative experience that she was the first person to sign up for this trip almost a year ago. Vicky is passionate about Judaism. She has worked as outreach director for our regional office of the Reform movement, and has served as executive director of two prominent Reform synagogues. She is also the chair of the Israel/ARZA committee of Temple Emeth. To call her enthusiastic about this trip would be an understatement, and I believe her excitement is contagious.

Sunday: What can go wrong...and right

Though the whole group was checked out and ready to load the bus on time, the bus wasn't there. We soon learned that the bus didn't start, and with the help of Muki and the Jerusalem office, we were able to improvise our transportation for the morning.

Another Reform synagogue group, North Country Synagogue from Glen Cove, Long Island, gave us a ride to our first stop, Independence Hall. The building is most famous for being the place where David Ben-Gurion declared Israel's independence on May 14, 1948 at 4:00 p.m. But we learned much more, including the fact that it had once been the home of Meir Dizengoff, the first mayor of Tel Aviv, and that he later had it converted to the Tel Aviv art museum, which it was on May 14.

We spent about an hour there, concluding our visit by hearing Ben-Gurion's voice as it was recorded on that day, the presiding rabbi leading Shehechianu, and, of course, the singing of Hatikva. Several in the room were in tears reenacting this momentus day in the life of the Jewish people.

Saturday: Havdallah on the Beach

After a rest time following the visit to Jaffa, we gathered at 6:00 p.m. and went together to a corner of the promenade overlooking the beach and celebrated Havdallah, the ceremony that concludes Shabbat. The multi-wicked candle shone brightly in the outdoors, and there was something special about doing this on the beach.

Following Havdallah, most of the group walked north for about 10 minutes and had dinner at Mike's place, a "bar and grill" that caters to Americans. The mood was upbeat, to say the least. When dinner was over, some of us called it a night and others went for more activity on Dizengoff Street, the main shopping drag in Tel Aviv.

Saturday: Old Jaffa

Though few people use it, the official name of the city is Tel Aviv-Jaffa. We saw the Tel Aviv half on Friday, so it was now time to see the Jaffa half. Jaffa was the place where the prophet Jonah got on his ship to escape the service of God. The town erected a fountain in the shape of a whale to commemorate the story. Jaffa, like most ancient cities still in existence, has a complicated and varied history. What stood out to me, though, was the fact that this city is holy to Christians, but not to Muslims or Jews. And at every period of history, Jaffa retained its importance because of its port. We got really lucky with the weather, as you can see from the photos. It was sunny and near 60 degrees. What was the temperature in New Jersey?

Meet CJ

CJ is the first one to ask a question of any guide that dares to stand in front of our group and attempt to teach us something. He talks a mile a minute, so I understand about half of what he says at any given time. For me, I suppose, talking to CJ and talking to an Israeli in Hebrew have about the same comprehension rate. CJ learned recently that I am a fan of the NBC sitcom “Scrubs.” But my fondness for the show pales in comparison to his ability to quote lines and scenes from the show. At least that’s what I think he’s doing. I sat next to CJ at dinner last night. Our interactions consisted mainly of talking about Scrubs, his teaching me about the dangerous chemical reaction when you put Mentos candies in Coca-Cola, and his trying to pick my pocket.

Saturday: Services at Beit Daniel

It seems we couldn’t have picked a busier day to visit Beit Daniel, Israel’s largest Reform congregation. This Shabbat had two special qualities. It was Shabbat Shekalim, when the half-shekel tax was recalled with a special Maftir and Haftarah reading, and it was also Shabbat Mevarchim, when we say a blessing for the beginning of a new month. In this case it was the month of Adar, which starts on Sunday and Monday. Not only that, but there was a Bar Mitzvah and an Auf Ruf (blessing for a bride and groom). All through this long service, though, the rabbi and cantor led the prayers in a way that was accessible and welcoming to two separate groups of strangers: us, the American tourists; and all of the secular Israelis who, in witnessing these s’machot, were attending a Reform service for the first time. We even got the first aliyah together as a group.

There were several cultural differences between these services and ours at Temple Emeth. To me the most notable was the fact that the rabbi endured, and at one point even encouraged, applause for the honorees on the bimah. Our German roots at Temple Emeth run too deep to condone such behavior in our sanctuary.

Meet IdaJean

IdaJean has been a member of Temple Emeth only for a few months, but it is already hard to find an activity she isn’t involved in. She is in the adult B’nai Mitzvah class, sings in the choir, and frequently attends services (occupying a seat in the coveted back row). Evidently, IdaJean (PLEASE don’t call her “Ida”), who left her husband and daughter at home to come on this trip, is the family photographer, so she is in very few photos. This, then, is a rare photographic sighting.

Friday: Our Own Little Music Service

Figuring correctly that we would be pretty exhausted from such a long flight followed by an equally long day of touring, I planned for an informal service for our group in the hotel. We used the Temple’s music service siddur, not because it was the third Friday of the month (which it was), but because the books were easy to pack in my luggage. There was great spirit to the service, but my favorite part was when we took the advice of Rabbi Golan from last month’s meeting and said our blessings for being in the land of Israel. Indeed, the group understood the true privilege it was to be here together.

Meet Tamara

Eleven-year-old Tamara is predictable in a few ways. First, she will always want the person with the camera to take two or three pictures of her in the same pose, just to ensure that she can choose which one she likes best. And since Saturday morning, she has been on a quest to earn Bat Mitzvah credit for attending the Shabbat morning service at the Reform synagogue in Tel Aviv. (Perhaps it was a mistake to give her credit for Friday night.) After seeing the high number of stray cats living on the streets of Israel, Tamara is now considering starting an organization to help them.

Friday: Seeing Tel Aviv

From the Ayalon Institute, we went to Tel Aviv, the largest city in Israel, which is also the cultural and economic center of the country. We went to the Azrieli shopping mall and towers. Our visit started with a trip to the 49th floor where we could see Tel Aviv in every direction. This picture faces to the southwest with the old city of Jaffa in the background.

Then we were released for 90 minutes of free time in the mall. I knew that we had a hearty band of shoppers on the trip, but I didn’t know exactly how hearty until they started asking about “anchor stores” and checking out the way the merchandise was displayed in the windows.
I was content at first to just check out the eating options at the food court, but then I remembered my wife’s request: some nice jewelry to compensate her for 10 long days without me. I even found a store that exclusively sells the work of her favorite Israeli designer, Michal Negrin. What did I get for her? I can’t tell you before she sees it herself, but Elinor, Donna and Judith all gave their nod of approval before I completed the purchase.

Meet Allison

Allison is in the unique position of being on her second trip to Israel in about six weeks. In December, she went on a teen trip sponsored by the Jewish Student Union in Bergen County. Now, she is the only kid her age on our trip.

Alli has studied Hebrew, so unlike most American tourists, she understands a lot of what the Israelis around her are saying.

Alli has a rare but entertaining talent: under virtually any circumstances she can get her younger brother and sister to start quarreling with one another, often without realizing that she was the instigator. Good clean fun for long bus rides.

Meet Ilene

I will try to give you a little background on each member of our group. It makes perfect sense to start with Ilene, since she is the chairwoman of the group, who worked with me on choosing the travel agency and creating the itinerary. Ilene, pictured here in front of the harbor in Old Jaffa, was on the last trip. She is the Executive Director at a Conservative synagogue in Bergen County, where she learns about Judaism from a whole different perspective. Her love of Israel and her take-charge attitude have prompted her to declare that the Adult B'nai Mitzvah class, of which she is a member, will now have its ceremony in Tel Aviv. She even solicited and received the permission of the Rabbi of Beit Daniel. Sorry, Ilene, the next Temple trip to Israel will not be until my daughter is old enough to appreciate it.

Friday: Rechovot

They served us breakfast on the plane, but with a full day of touring ahead, and most of us operating on 3 hours of interrupted sleep, I thought it best to stop at a cafe on the way to our first site. I ordered a tomato and mozarella sandwich and a capuccino. (Lucky for me my credit card worked the first time; at that point I didn't have any sheckles.)

From second breakfast, we went to the Ayalon Institute in Rehovot, a town once known for its vast citrus groves, which is now almost completely developed. The Ayalon Institute is not an institute at all, but a training farm for prospective kibbutz leaders where a secret bullet factory operated beneath the laundry for three years, from 1945-48. In this time, 40 workers (all volunteers from the Haganah) worked in a noisy basement doing an important but very dangerous task--making sure that the Jews in Palestine had enough ammunition to defend themselves against both the Arabs and the British.

Our guide told us the elaborate ways they had of maintaining the project's secrecy, as anyone involved in making munitions was subject to imprisonment or execution by the British. These included a secret entrance, down a 25-foot long ladder under the laundry machine (seen here), removing metal filings from one's shoes, clothes and hair daily, and making the commitment not to tell anyone, not even one's spouse.

In the end, these brave young people were able to make 2.25 million bullets which were eventually used in the War of Independence. That they did so without being caught and without having an accident in their cramped workspace is a miracle, just one of many we will learn about on this trip.

Meet the Group

This is how we looked when we arrived at Ben-Gurion International Airport after our 10-hour flight. From left, Howard, CJ, Vicky, Diane, Frances, Tamara, Ilene, IdaJean, Judith, Donna, Allison, and Elinor. Read more about our cast of characters in future posts.