Goodbyes - Shabbat in Jerusalem

Shabbat, July 30th in Jerusalem

Our last day began with much needed sleep. After breakfast we decided to venture into the Arab Shuk. Eva joined us for our shopping adventure. Wheeling and dealing was the name of the game. Bruce and Eva were in their element. Our visit to the Shuk was going great until I was confronted by a young shop owner who when I said, “I am not interested in looking at his shop” he verbally attacked me. Saying that “ all Americans hate Arabs and that is why I avoided his shop”. I became quite upset but quickly realized anything I had to say was falling on deaf ears. It was perplexing to think that if I hated all Arabs why would I be shopping in the Shuk. I touched him as we were talking and he flinched in disgust. Eva calmed me down and we moved on.

After what was to be a 45-minute shopping experience that lasted 3 ½ hours, we returned to the hotel only to remember that we forgot about Bruce’s massage. Oops! Money saved, money lost!

Jill and Bruce cooled off in the pool while I packed.

Our trip was sadly coming to an end. Later I met with a small group and David to walk to the 1st neighborhood built outside the Old City walls, Yemin Moshe, named after philanthropist, Sir Moses Montfiore. On the site stands the Moses Montefiore Windmill built to provide cheap flour for poor Jews. The homes are lovely but something or should I say someone was missing. The residents! They are vacation homes.

Dan Utley and his wife Rachael led our Havdalah service. The service ended and the majority of the group loaded the bus for the airport. Hugs, kisses and goodbyes! A few families stayed behind. The Leibovich’s were off to Eliat and Petra. The Krantz’s were visiting relatives. Our family and the Fineberg’s had flights the next day. So what did Jill and I do? We went shopping, this time my kind of shopping, meeting the artists and buying their art. The streets of Jerusalem were still buzzing as we headed back to the hotel at midnight!!! I finished packing and as I drifted off to sleep my mind was filled with thoughts of Israel & the new friendships we all made.

Before this trip I felt no personal connection with Israel even though my mother’s & father’s families were true Zionists in Europe during the 1930’s. Until you visit Israel everything is just a story. Now I have a better understanding of the complexity of life there. I am left with mixed emotions that will be with me for the rest of my life. We hope that in our lifetime peace will come to Israel.

Love,

Ruth, Bruce & Jill Klotzman

Yad Va-Shem and Machane Yehuda Market

Day 10 (as observed by Herm and Eve Leibovich)



Today we went to the Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, Israel’s central memorial to the victim’s of the Holocaust. The younger children went with Sruli to the Children’s Memorial. Before going into the historical Museum, we walked along the Avenue of the Righteous Gentiles, honoring Christians who risked their lives to help Jews. The exhibits in the Museum were especially moving because they included actual movie footage, photography, videos of interviews with survivors, and diaries of victims and survivors. We went from room to room, recalling the historical events leading up to Hitler’s rise to power, and how the Nazis, step by step, increasingly persecuted the Jews, until the final solution of the death camps. We were moved to tears several times during the visit. Outside, we all gathered together and Rabbi Caruso led us in the Kaddish prayer for the six million Jews who were murdered.

[Editor's Note: By happenstance, the group ran into Jennifer Gertman, Cantor Sager's daughter, at Yad Va-Shem. Rabbi Gertman (Jennifer was ordained this past May) was leading a group of teenagers through Israel What a treat!]



After such a down feeling of the Yad Vashem, we went to the open-air Machane Yehuda market, where bustling crowds were eating, shopping and hurrying to get ready for Shabbat. We had lunch there on our own and enjoyed seeing the vibrancy of life in Israel, which was a strong demonstration that “Am Yisrael Chai,” The Nation of Israel Lives.

In the early evening, we went to Shabbat services at Kehilat Kol HaNeshamah, one of the few Reform Synagogues in Israel. In Reform Synagogues, services are in the vernacular, the native language. In the U.S., we pray mostly in English, but in Israel, the native language is Hebrew, so all of the Service was in Hebrew. The synagogue was packed and they did a lot of singing.

[Editor's Note: We were fortunate enough to meet up with Fairmount Temple's own Edith Paller, who recently made aliyah to Israel. It was wonderful to pray with her, and top share dinner with her back at the hotel].

After services, we walked back to the hotel and had a delicious Shabbat dinner.
This trip to Israel was so special for us because we experienced it with our son, daughter-in-law and our three beautiful grandchildren.

If You Will It, It Is Not a Dream

Day 9 (as observed by the Katz family)





My family and I woke to the noises of the bustling street just below our room and were happily greeted by the morning Jerusalem sun peeking through our window shades. We try to get up and get dressed to no avail, but were happily pleased when we went down to breakfast to find that we were not the only family to sleep in and take an extra half hour to get ready. So one could say that our day started off a little late. We then quickly loaded the bus and hightailed it out of there to the Jewish National Fund Forest to plant trees. On our hike down the path David was telling us that in the 60 some years since the first tree was planted, the forest now boasted a whopping 244 million trees, making Israel that much greener. Planting the trees was probably one of the most rewarding experiences on this trip. Everyone was really able to dig their hands into the very land of Israel and plant a piece of themselves that will be with the country for years to come; so everyone will have left a piece of themselves behind.

Since our whole day started off a half hour late we had to quickly get back on the bus and head to our next destination, leaving behind our baby trees to enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery. We drove another 20 minutes down the winding roads and made our way to the Herzl Museum. The museum was a fun and interactive experience that really brought the essence of Herzl to life. Although the actors in the movie were somewhat comical, the character of Herzl came across loud and clear. He was a man who persevered and went above and beyond the limits of any one man to help find a home in Israel for all his ridiculed people living in Europe. It was sad to know that he would not live to see the day that Israel would announce its independence; yet also comforting to know that at least he wouldn’t have to learn that instead of talking to leaders of countries to get the land, that instead it took killing 6 million Jews to finally send the message across to be able to get a homeland in Israel. But I would like to believe that Herzl would be proud of what has become of Israel, the land he sought after for his entire life. After a quick trip up to see the grave site, we were whisked off to the tunnels of the Western Wall

Though I would like to say that the highlight of the trip was either going to the Western Wall to pray or seeing the old city, the highlight for some namely the boys was being able to track down Amare Stotlmyer of the New York Nicks and get a picture with him. It’s not every day you see a famous basketball player in Israel, especially one who is there to learn Hebrew due to the fact that his mother just realized she was Jewish. Go figure. Anyways after a sandwich lunch we made our way down into the tunnels of the Western Wall. It was heartwarming to know that there was a part of the wall that both men and women could pray at together instead of being separated, as if the tunnels were the only place where the laws of equality really shined through. It was also interesting to learn about the history of the wall and the Great Temple. It was humbling to know that a wall could hold so much power over a vast group of people. At the end of the tunnel tour we made our way through the back streets of Jerusalem to get to our bus. But on the way there, in one of the alleyways, we came across some momentous and important holy christian sites like the Fountain of Bethesda where Jesus was said to have healed the blind, and the place where the Virgin Mary was born.

After finally making it to the bus and one hour later we found ourselves sitting in a circle listening to the stories of the Ethiopian Jews who made the aliyah from their native Ethiopian Villages to the city of Jerusalem. It was humbling to hear of their struggles to reach their holy city, the place they had been dreaming about for years, and the hardships they had to face; like the one woman who got married at 13 and had her first baby at 17 three weeks into the trip to Sudan and how she only got 30 minutes before they had to keep on walking. After listening to the stories and asking our questions, we went upstairs to where the kids were singing and dancing, and started handing out all the presents. It was invigorating to watch the children’s faces light up with each new gift they were handed, and it was a rewarding experience overall. Then we all went out to watch them play soccer, where we cheered on Matt in the goal, and Nate, Aiden, Daniel, Ben, Claude, and Lev as they tried to score while they played alongside the other Ethiopian children.

Then it was time to say our goodbyes as we boarded the bus to dinner, and then somehow cart ourselves off to bed, with the words of Herzl still fresh in our minds. “If you will it, it is not a dream”.

Mitch, Yitah, Sydney, and Evan

Jerusalem's Old City

Day 8 (As reported by David, Carolyn, and Steve)

Dateline Jerusalem. 28-7-10 (as our guide David said, the whole world does their calendar as day/month/year except for those Americans!). We decided to be "slow moving" Americans today. After our exciting action packed 18 hour day yesterday, the entire group was late for breakfast. The huge buffet at the hotel had everyone going up for seconds--just the thing to get us going for our first full day in Jerusalem.















We started off by going to see a 3-D movie about the City of David, the original Jerusalem. Afterwards we entered the 2700 year old water tunnels under the city. They are dark and still have the spring water running in them. One enters the tunnels in water shoes and shorts so that you can Wade through the cold and up to 75 cm (30 inch) deep water. It is very cool literally and figuratively. The kids each carried a light stick to light the way and enjoyed the 1000 meter walk--especially watching their parents having to crouch through the low sections as they scooted right through.




























The group entered the Old City and had lunch on their own. Afterwards our guide took us to the courtyard of his home-a 500 year old place. He was surprised by his four year old son as he spoke--the boy was very cute. We then did the ancient Jewish custom- shopping in the Cardo. Then the main highlight--the Kotel (Western Wall). It was a moving experience for the first timers and for those who have been there before. We all put our notes in the wall in this beautiful and Holy setting.















Afterwards we listened to a talk by Rabbi Stacy Nolish Blank, who grew up attending Fairmount and is now a rabbi at Congregation Darchei Noam in Tel Aviv. She spoke about the Reform movement, and issues in Israel.















In the evening, we heard from Rabbi Richard Kirschen, director of the Anita Saltz International Education Center in Jerusalem. Rabbi Kirschen is an old friend of particpant, Liz Krantz, and a colleague of Rabbi Caruso. He spoke about the challenges and joys of living in the State of Israel.















Another exciting day in Israel!

Your correspondents David, Carolyn and Steve

Masada, Ein Gedi, and the Dead Sea in 112 Degree Heat!

Day 7 - Tuesday July 27, 2010 (as observed by Debbie Singer, and the Breitenbach and Utley families)
























































































We started the day with a 4 am wake up call and a 5:30 am arrival at Masada to trek up to the top. Complete with huffing and puffing, we all arrived at the historical sight in one piece and watched the breathtaking sunrise. After an emotionally moving prayer service, we all stood in a circle and each shared one word to describe what we were feeling at the moment. Some of the words that came to mind were “speechless, historical, beautiful, breathtaking, spiritual…hot and sweaty.” After our time on top of the mountain, we arrived at the Masada guest house and were treated with a well deserved meal that we got to share with many different groups, such as birthright trips and groups from England, USA and Canada.





























After our trip to Masada, we got on the bus to head to Ein Gedi Nature reserve for a short hike and a dip in the natural pools, with the chance to stand under a beautiful waterfall to cool off.























Once we left the Nature reserve, we had a short drive to the Ein Gedi Dead Sea Spa, where the group immediately headed to the restaurant for a tasty lunch with choices like Schnitzel, fried fish, peas, pasta and massive amounts of hummus and pita. Shortly after, the group changed into our swimsuits and covered ourselves in a fancy exfoliate, native to Israel called…mud. We headed out to the dead sea and finally got to experience what we have all been hearing about for years. We waded through the shallow edge that felt like boiling hot water, eventually reaching a more bearable temperature. Carefully trying to avoid getting saltwater in our eyes, we floated on our backs for minutes and got a great ab-workout trying to keep our legs down. This was an experience none of us will ever forget, as it was something so special that can’t be compared to anything else. We spent the next couple of hours splashing around in a pool, and got on the bus to head through the West Bank on our way to Jerusalem.






































After a few hours we emerged from a tunnel to a beautiful view of the city of Jerusalem. We stopped for a few minutes and got out of the bus in front of Hebrew University and did the Shehechiyanu as a group, drinking grape juice while welcoming ourselves to Jerusalem. No longer “next year in Jerusalem,” it’s NOW!














We arrived at the Vaqueiro Restaurant and while eating an extravagant dinner, the Utleys were surprised by their son Dan and his wife Rachel who are celebrating their one month anniversary. We got back on the bus and finally reached our final destination for the day, The Dan Panorama hotel where we were greeted by Marcel, husband of Rachama(former owner of the café at the JCC) a Clevelander who moved his family to Jerusalem to work for the beautiful hotel. The phrase of the day that most applied to us today, was ‘Ani Gamor,’ which means “I’m so tired.” We had a great day filled with lots of adventure and little relaxing, but it was all worth it. It took a lot to get through the 112 degree desert, but we conquered it with few complaints. We’re looking forward to the 7:00 am wakeup call tomorrow, as it will be 3 more hours of sleep than we had today!














Love,
Susan, Matt & Mila Breitenbach
Debbie Singer
Suzanne & Bill Utley