Summer 2010 Temple Trip Now Being Planned

The 2008 trip was so memorable, some of us are considering attending the next trip already being planned for Summer 2010! If you are interested in that trip, contact Hedy (HSilber@fairmounttemple.org) to be officially added to the informational e-mail list.

If you have any questions about the 2008 trip, appropriateness for children, and the like, feel free to contact Bruce Newburger (Bruce@DynamicsUS.com) or Rick Leibovich (Leiboman@ameritech.net). We were both on the 2008 trip.

Tracing Israel Independence

I am not sure that we realized the fight involved in Israel becoming a state. Before and after the 1948 declaration, a covert and overt war raged between various Jewish forces and the British colonial government (sound familiar?) and various Arab interests. We learned about the fight for independence at Independence Hall and the Palmach Museum, dedicated to an elite fighting force.

Independence Hall, site of David Ben Gurion's declaration.

Serena and Ethan Newburger find buys at Nachalat Binyamin craft fair.

The Tel Aviv beach scene.

The Newburger family at sunset (Shabbat) overlooking the Mediterranean.

Making our Way to Tel Aviv

Our Thursday included a few nice stops on the way to Tel Aviv.

We took a dip in the natural spring pools at Sachneh National Park...did Rabbi Caruso add this stop to our itinerary?

The Wexberg/Rothschild family above a waterfall.

The scene at the Sachneh pools.

Next we visited The Jaffa Institute, a social service agency in Jaffa/Tel Aviv serving poorer school children and their families. We helped with a mitzvah project and also visited one of their after school facilities and met some lively children!

Our group at The Jaffa Institute.

Rabbi Caruso and others help to back food boxes for the needy.

On our way to Tel Aviv, we took a few moments of reflection on an Old Jaffa hillside overlooking the Tel Aviv beach...let's get there already!

The view of Tel Aviv from Old Jaffa.

The Bonder family finds falafel at Jacky's on Ben Yehuda Street.

Visiting the Heights

A brief summary of our Wednesday activity:

We spent the morning in the Old City of Tzfat. (There are many old cities in the Holy Land!) Tzfat is built on a hill (cliff) with many winding alleys and archways made of stone.

The Old City of Tzfat has many shops and historic synagogues.

The women pose in front of Falafel Queen.

We took a nature hike in Tel Dan, one of the headwaters of the Jordan River. This was similar to a hike in one of our Metroparks, but also very beautiful, oh, and surrounded by ruins from the Caananite period, the biblical period as worship center of the Dan tribe, and also from the Byzantine period. Pretty cool!

Our tour guide David Solomon at Tel Dan

Israel is not all desert!

Next we drove to one of the peaks of the Golan Heights called Mt. Bental, which overlooks Syrian territory on one side and Israel's Galilee valley on the other. One visit gives you an idea of how important this area is for Israel's security. It is mostly home to military bases and one city, with a mall and food court...like home!

Military memorial on Mt. Bental.

Our touring day ended with a visit to the Golan Heights Winery, which was educational and fun. What happened after that is a little fuzzy...

Ellen Halfon and Rick Leibovich oversee barrel aging.

Wine tasting with winery guide Shalom in the Golan Heights.

Our last two nights will be spent in Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean coast. Hard to believe our trip is almost over. Start shopping!

Visiting Old Ruins, Preventing Future Ruins

Our first stop on Tuesday was to the ancient Roman ruins of Beit Shean, excavated between 1986 and 1996. The town featured a large semicircle theater and streets lined with columns. After Roman control, the town served many other masters, but was abandoned after a large earthquake in the year 749 AD.

Adam Bonder reverses the effects of a large earthquake on the ruins of Beit Shean.

Next we embarked on a family rafting trip down the “mighty” upper Jordan River, which was very similar to canoeing down the Mohican or similar river…more relaxing than adventurous.

A long drive up mountains took us to a kibbutz on the northern border with Lebanon for a lesson from the kibbutz’s security director. He then took us to their outer orchards overlooking the actual borderline, where we stopped a military envoy for a long discussion about their mission and the need for heightened security, considering the war with Lebanon in 2006. Most soldiers are fairly young, since military service is required after high school. (Men serve 3 years and women serve 2 years.) Our conversation was watched by UN observers across the border. Rabbi Caruso read a prayer for the soldiers and literally stood in solidarity with them.

Rabbi Caruso meets IDF troops at the Lebanon border.

United Nations observers keep an eye on our border meeting from the Lebanon border.

Our day ended visiting a Kabbalistic artist studio in the mystical city of Tzfat.

It's Getting Hot In Here: Climbing Masada, Exploring the Desert

Please forgive us…it has been two days since we last blogged. We have been through the desert and Jordan River valley, with brief one-night stops at hotels.

We had no trouble with the 4 am wakeup call on Monday morning to board the bus for the ride down winding roads to the desert floor, below sea level. It was hot, but not too hot, as we started the climb to Masada, taking the easier Roman ramp path, following the crowd to the top. In about 20 minutes we reached the top and joined in brief prayer, then toured the somewhat restored ruins of Roman structures that served as a defensive outpost in the Jewish resistance to Roman rule in the year 70 AD. We took the cable car ride down for breakfast and gift shopping.

The climb up Masada draws a crowd.

Dan and Joanne Bonder climbing Masada.

A brief prayer on Masada.

Restored ruins on top of Masada.

By now, we were hot as can be, so hiked up the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve to a lush waterfall to cool off.

Ein Gedi waterfall (above) is enjoyed by Ethan Newburger (below).

Our last stop in the desert was a dip in the Dead Sea. The sea is shrinking due to interrupted water flow, light rainfall and evaporation, so we had a long walk to the shore. And yes, we floated! This stop also included a chance to rub Dead Sea mud all over ourselves, apparently for some cosmetic benefit.

Aden Wexberg applies Dead Sea mud to his mother, Anita Rothschild.

Serena Newburger floats in the Dead Sea.

We then took a long ride north through the Jordan River valley to the sister city of Cleveland called Beit Shean. We learned about a Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland project called Partnership 2000 that links residents in both communities, followed by dinner in private homes.

The Newburger family enjoyed an interesting visit to a kibbutz family.

Big Day, Big Dig...Can You Dig It?

On Sunday, we visited with Anat Hoffman, Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC). Ms. Hoffman explained that there is no Hebrew word for "pluralism", which speaks to Israel's parochial views on religious and civil matters. There is no separation between "church" and state here, and religious matters are governed by Orthodox officials. The IRAC works to advocate for non-Orthodox Jews in Israel, as well as for gays and lesbians.

Our next and last stop in Jerusalem was the Theodore Herzl Museum, which is a multimedia experience that puts visitors in Herzl's place in late 1800s Vienna, where we felt the anti-Semitism he did. We then traced his steps in establishing the World Zionist Congress that led to the State of Israel 50 years later.

We file in among World Zionist Congress participants.

We left Jerusalem behind, on winding roads down mountain passes, and saw the millions of trees planted by JNF over many years. Still, the central and southern parts of Israel are stony and arid. Next was the "big dig," and hands-on opportunity to explore underground rooms holding many artifacts from the ancient city of Maresha, from the Hellenistic (Hanukah) era 2,200 years ago. Like a good day fishing, we quickly came up on broken vessels and hards of pottery, followed by a tunneling adventure.

Serena Newburger digs for ancient artifacts.

Ellen Halfon (above) and husband Rick Leibovich (below) climb through underground tunnels in the Maresha archaeological dig.

We discovered that Sally the Camel has one hump, when we alighted these biblical vehicles at Kfar Ha-Nokdim in the Judean Desert. Later, we learned about the Bedouin lifestyle, and feasted on a delicious communal meal sans silverware!

Steve Wexberg and Anita Rothschild ride a camel.

Dinner, Bedouin style.

Off to bed, as we will wake up at 4:00am, when we make our way to a sunrise climb up Masada.