Last day

The last day in Israel. The last day before re entering the exile. The last day in the birthplace of my soul. Words are not sufficient to describe my experience. From the Kotel to Independence Hall. From Masada to floating in the Dead Sea. From Yad Vashem to the underground armory. From meeting locals to bonding with my KKBE family. I have been enlightened and strengthened. This last day, I walked on the beach remembering, reminiscing, soaking in EVERYTHING. And I pray for the Peace of Israel. I think about last night singing on the beach, hearing the laughter of children, I realize that is why Hashem created the World...to hear the laughter of children. May Israel be filled with the laughter of children?

Jennifer

Tel Aviv and Yaffo

A view of Tel Aviv

Sailing 

Just a few of the desserts at our opulent Shabbat dinner. 

Puppets at the market. 

 

 

 

 

 

Yummy

Last night our bus driver dropped us of at a beautiful dock in Tel Aviv. Me and my mom had a wonderful dinner of pizza and pasta. On our way back to our huge hotel we saw this gelato place. We went inside and there was a wide selection of the most beautiful gelato we have seen yet! We couldn't resist getting some! I got cookies and cream and my mom got tiramisu. We sat on the rocks out side of the shop looking at the Mediterranean Sea. It was the most wonderful and tastiest food and experience I have had in Israel.

 

Traveling with Mom

Mom and I had decided to go on this trip to Israel so long ago, its amazing we are here. Learning from her doctor a few days earlier that a knee replacement would be a good idea (soon), we went into this trip with a bit of apprehension. But we had no idea it would be so much harder for mom, physically, until the day we got to Masada. Beautiful and totally worth the effort, we conquered the whole tour. Rocks, sand, steps and all. We figured that surely we had gotten through what had to be the toughest challenge behind us and were ready the next day to take on Jerusalem! Needless to say, we were a bit naive in our thinking. We walked from 8:30 am(except for lunch) until 6:30 pm. And there were hills and uneven walkways and stairs, stairs, stairs. Hundreds of them. Steep ones, flat ones, winding ones... and most were thousands of years old. But taking in all the beauty and awe of this miraculous city, in between breaths, it was yet a miracle in itself she made it. We had a plan B in place, that the guide would get her safely in a taxi after lunchtime and head back to the hotel to rest. But she didn't. The woman was amazing. She was slow. A bit unstable at times, but she forged on. And she got to pray at the wall. The Wall... Wow. I can say I had two totally different experiences there in a short time.

The Wall was much shorter in length than we expected. From afar, surprisingly it really is hard to get the real feel for it. The large paved space between the divide and the other buildings across from the Wall is scattered with tourists, children and religious groups. We see people, far away, lined up facing the wall and praying silently.We enter the walkway that gently slopes down into the courtyard. As we got closer, and then behind people to wait ( around 3-5 deep), I suddenly felt a completely different energy. It is very hard to put it into words. My mother was next to me and I watched as we stood, silently both of us feeling the heavy air, now thick with prayer. Lips moving silently . A rhythmic hum. I had four prayers all folded tightly, very small, now clutched in my hand. Mom taps me and hands me hers, as we still can't get quite get passed the line up. I reach over a woman's shoulder and tuck it into a crevice. I said my prayers silently in my head as I placed my four, one at a time anywhere i could find. I guided mom and I backwards, in respect as not to show our back to the wall. That was a fun challenge, you know, with mom. Then we sat down in chairs that were scattered around the floor within the area and chatted and looked on. As we started back up to where the group was to meet, I realized I never took out my late father's kerchief at the wall. The whole reason that I had brought it.

So I went back, by myself. Again, a totally different experience without Mom as I wasn't focused on watching over her. So here I was, alone, surrounded by so many women of all different Jewish faiths. Young women with there silk head covers, bowing and praying from their tiny sedors, older Hasidic women, women from France, Russia, etc. Some quietly crying and some moving their mouths very fast and steady in prayer. Some holding their hands against the wall with their heads down and eyes closed. And, suddenly, there was a parting. There was no one in between me and the wall. I held Dad's kerchief to it and I said aloud one prayer I had placed in the crack earlier, "Thank you, Dad." And I slowly backed my way out and felt a rush of pure emotion. I had no idea. 

And I have been so Thankful. This trip was more than a gift. Not just to go to Israel with Mom, but that she is who she is. In every way, she encompasses the essential things I want to be. Being in this beautiful land, so full of passion, so rich in history, so many scars, so much courage, it's only appropriate now that i step back and really take in all these things that make her who she is. To listen to her and what she has to say. To love and respect how she sees the world. 

With Israel, it's one thing to know that I, as a Jew, belong to a country and a homeland other than Charleston that welcomes me as it's birthright, just as I do with my own loving Mother. But in order to fulfill the duty and honor in having these things, to appreciate what I have, while I have it, I must ask questions. I must pay attention. I must observe and learn and seek out the things that make this country and my culture the miraculous living breathing pedagogical master that it is. So I take the time to now ask Mom the questions I regretfully failed to ask my father. What about my grandfather and grandmother and the ones before them? What was her favorite part of school? In a nutshell, who is she? To me, this is important. This is my connection to my past. And we all need this connection at some point in our lives. One generation down to the next and the next. At times, I find the flow of information mesmerizing, like the rhythm of the Tallit maker in Tzfat on the loom, string by string creating his beautiful tapestry. Every string is essential for the next to exist. We are essential to each other. 

I listen to my mother's insight after visiting the Herzel museum, learning how important his mission was. How what he did for Jews around the world effect us all so personally, and my eyes are open. And I am grateful. 

Joanna

Bet Sh'arim

 

Bet Sh'arim
 

Full

Our itinerary has been full. Each day we have seen and done a lot. When we are able to pause for lunch, or dinner, or simply an afternoon break in a cafe, there is wine. Israeli wine. And it has been very good. At dinner one evening, several of us shared a very nice bottle of Merlot Barkan Reserve. The rieslings I have tried from Barkan and Golan Heights were just a little sweet with the typical hints of grapefruit and citrus you would expect. Very refreshing on a hot Israeli afternoon or evening. How lovely it is, after walking the same paths that Jews have walked for thousands of years, to enjoy the fruits of the vines of this amazing country.

Teri New

 

In the Golan

The KKBE group went on a trip to the Golan Heights first thing in the morning on 6/12/2013. The first visit of the day was to a memorial dedicated to the Israeli soldiers who fought in a battle against the Syrians after being attacked. After that we visited an Israeli military fort located on the top of an inactive volcano. It was all very interesting and I learned a great deal. Our tour guide was very informative.

David F. 

 

 

 

Valley of Cheers

Today we were in the Golan Heights. We are staying at Kibbutz Nof Ginnosair. Very nice. We were @ the Sea of Galilee (which is really just a big lake) & getting all the history & significance of the area. We crossed the border btn Israel & what used to be Syria before the Yom Kippur War & saw the Jordan River. We saw fox holes, trenches & bunkers left from the past wars. We saw The Valley of Tears, which is so named because of the loss of lives during the Yom Kippur War. We won these wars, but how many more will we have to fight?  We saw Kiriat Shamona.  We also saw where the Syrians are fighting now & the UN camp & 2 Austrian UN soldiers. We saw snow-covered Mt. Hermon & went to Kibbutz El Ron to a winery which was really fun. We saw the bottles getting filled, corked, labeled, packed & then a robot loaded the boxes on to a huge pallet. Then, of course, we had a wonderful wine tasting session  & wine shopping session.  The guide told us that because of the successful winery he now calls The Valley of Tears the Valley of Cheers! Tonight we took an Ancient Boat ride across the Galilee Sea & had a lovely dinner @ Kibbutz Ein Gev over-looking the Galilee  with Tiberius in the background. Beautiful!  It was so peaceful here and I only wish that all of the people of this land could remain at peace and live together for all time. IT MUST HAPPEN.

Lilah tov. Janet & Carl 

 

Caesarea

Caesarea Caesarea - oh quite the respite after the intense heat of the Dead Sea, Masada, and Jerusalem! The turquoise waters splashing against the rocks took my breath away. Lucky we didn't go here first, as I might not want to leave. 

I've been to Athens, Rome, and the Roman ruins along the Spanish coast, but none had the whole enchilada in such a small microcosm. The theater, , hippodrome, and amphitheater all together right on the water! Looking at the hippodrome I could imagine Kirk Douglas and Charleton Heston racing and fighting on their chariots!

And the food was great as well. Large pizza, one liter of soda, tea and a 1/2 liter of gelato for only 106 nis!

Andy H. 

 
 

At the Sea

Eli and Hannah wading in the Kinneret at Nof Ginosar. 
 

Bar Mitzvah

 Hello everyone, it's Brett. I had my Bar-Mitzvah yesterday at the Robinson's Arch. It was the arch that led pilgrims to the Temple Mount. The blue sky and the sight of the western wall made it a wonderful experience. Cousin Lisa from Tel-Aviv came, as well as some friends from the tour. My prayers and Torah reading went well despite the curious tourists around me. The event was joyous and wonderful. 

להיתראת!

Brett

Making Israel beautiful

Dig a hole.  Put a seed or a little tree inside. Once you have planted it, use your shoe and get the dirt all around it. That's it. It helps makes Israel beautiful, because once there weren't any trees at all, and now there are little baby ones all over the place (even if it looks like they're weeds from far away).  

- Eli Sherman (age 5)

 

 

 

 

Freedom Riders

Some of us took the opportunity to meet and talk with Anat Hoffman. She is the head of the Israel Religious Action Center (similar to our Religious Action Center in Washington DC.) she spoke of the issues important to the center - those involving Jews and Non-Jews. 

Our group participated in the Freedom Ride. Public transportation does not discriminate and a court case determined that bus drivers must implement that policy. The history of very orthodox sections of Jerusalem has been that either through intimidation or social pressure, the women must sit at the back of the bus. 

We were in the first rows accompanied by staffers from IRAC on bus line 56 leaving Ramat Schlomo. Some men didn't get on the bus, or left prematurely after seeing us. One woman remarked that she never liked sitting on the back of the bus. Although there were several empty seats next to the women, the men chose to stand all the way. 

It was an honor to have met Anat, a heroine, and to do our small part in changing the reality of Jewish women in Jerusalem. At one time there were over 250 segregated bus lines; now, just 50. 

Please check out the Israel Religious Action Center website and join the battle. 

Linda Bergman

What can one say?

What can one say to adequately describe one of the most meaningful and spiritual moments of a lifetime. For Sally and me to truly articulate our feelings is close to being impossible. We both read the book given to us by the Rabbi about the feeling of being pilgrim; of having a sense of belonging to this land. The Shabbat service so artfully created by the Rabbi and executed by her and Robin, made us truly feel that we were being touched by the hand of God. 

Sally and Allan Davis

 

WoW

This morning started at 5:50 am with a 3 block walk to a parking lot with 15 or so buses to take the Women of the Wall to the wall.  When we got there I saw 30 or 40 armed military and police combined.  My first thought was "Wow, isn't this overkill?", I soon learned it definitely wasn't.  When a soldier got on the bus with Robin, Tamar and me it was my first indication that this really might be a threatening situation.  The police and army got us there under heavy armed guard and moved us quickly to the wall through an unexpected route through an archeological site.  When we got there we saw thousands of Orthodox (mostly men) ready to shout down any attempt of the women to pray.

For me I found it very hard to get to a strong feeling of worship.  All the noise and guns and outside influences made it very hard to get to a spiritual place.  When Robin took her Tallit and wrapped it around the three of us it summed up for me why we were there.  I did however feel the warmth and power of this small but mighty group of amazing women that are fighting to help claim Judaism for all Jews. 

Wendy

I decided to participate in this morning's demonstration from more of an historic point of view.  We can all agree that it's ok to agree to disagree and that it should be done peacefully, and that is how I feel about the overall situation.  I wanted to be present at an historic event.  It was unclear what to expect, although when my friends and I arrived at the meeting point to take a bus to the wall, I was pretty surprised to see so many police officers, police vans, police cars and a police motorcyclist.  The reality of the tension of the situation became quite clear when an Israeli soldier boarded our van and took a seat - machine gun and all.

The caravan to the wall was intense.  As we got closer to the entrance where we would get out of the vans, there were more and more Orthodox Jews, police and soldiers standing on each side of the road.  When we all finally disembarked, I began to really feel anxious that something bad could actually happen.  While the security was definitely comforting, it was so hard to gauge what we would encounter.  While standing on the sidewalk all the women began to sing, and suddenly I felt like whatever happens, it's ok - I'm with my sisters.

We were directed to walk on a path that kept us shielded from the rest of the crowds, until we finally reached a fenced in area put together just for us.  As we came into the open, the men began to yell - all together in one big voice as if to drown us out.  Some Orthodox women came to our partition and started yelling at us and praying very loudly, it seemed as an attempt to distract us.

I felt like I was absolutely in the right place at the right time.  Together, we went through an entire service, including a Torah service.  The prayers were comforting - some very familiar, some not so much.  We sang together, most everyone with bright smiles, some women jumping up and down to the beat - in happy excitement.  I felt connected to each of these amazing, strong women.  We were doing what we wanted to do; go to the wall and pray - wearing tallit if we chose, t'fillin if we chose, holding hands, sharing a tallit among sisters.  We were protected by Israelis. It was joyful and good.  At one point, I looked up to a bridge that was overhead.  There was a line of men, maybe seven in all, and they were watching us.  One of the men saw me looking at him, he had a big smile on his face and gave us a thumbs up.

The voice in my head was saying to my grandparents, who perished in Auschwitz, here I am!  

Tamar BenArdout

I went with Gil Shuler early this morning to the Western Wall, to show support for my wife and other female friends from KKBE who were attending a "Women of the Wall" gathering. We found ourselves caught within the ranks of the Jewish men who were protesting the gathering. These Jewish men (primarily Chassidic) were howling, ranting and bearing insulting signs about the "Women of the Wall", simply because the women wanted to pray together singing with some wearing a kippah or a tallit. I was appalled by their behavior toward the women and I had to ask myself,"Is this how they would treat their mother, sister or wife?" It certainly isn't an example of G'milut Chassadim. One of their signs stated that the Women of the Wall are "trying to create a new religion". There are many flavors of Judaism. We don't insult them for their flavor, why must they insult us for ours. I was so proud of our KKBE women as I watched them stand their ground. I also give many thanks to the incredible Israeli soldiers (male and female) and Jerusalem Police force who stood by to protect our "Women of the Wall". 

David Frederick

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSwUO4GjkRY

Robin

 

If you can, then you should

The idea of taking the cable car to the top of Masada just did not appeal to me.  I love to hike, love the outdoors and I just felt like if we are physically capable of climbing it on foot, then that's what we SHOULD do.

Of course, my 12 year old daughter Cady was less than thrilled about the idea.  "You want to climb a mountain.  In the desert.  Really mom?"  (Cue the eye roll and loud sigh)   But with my encouragement (force), she agreed (conceded) to come along.   

Yes it was dangerously hot-  but we were coated in a thick layer of sunscreen and had plenty of bottled water. We were ready and I was intent on us having a memorable mother-daughter experience.  

We were joined by two other adventurous spirits- Greg and Hannah Forman.

The girls started off with a lively discussion.  "So they killed themselves rather than become slaves??????"  

Then the heat kicked in and the climb got as steep as anything we have ever climbed before.  No more lively discussions.  Lots of frustrations and doubts from Cady about why I was making her do this, could she make it to the top, did she even want to go to the top....

At that point I was wondering myself if I had done the right thing by making her climb with me.  Was this going to be one of those parenting decisions that sounded a lot better in my head?

We reached the plateau of Masada and were oh so happy to sit on the cool rocks in the shade.  We caught our breath, drank more water and then Cady said to me, "I am so glad we did that.  I am really proud of myself!"

Been there, done that, and we bought the t-shirt!

Mary Ross McQuage

 

 
 

Transitioning

The gang of 50 has been "in country" for three full days now. 

Throughout my life I have always enjoyed all of our nice stories that we tell and re-tell for hundreds and even thousands of years. These stories have ethical and moral teachings in the way we should lead out lives. 

Being a cost analyst/audit most of my life I liked the stories but was somewhat skeptical of all be truisms. 

Each day we are here Yani, our expert guide, is showing and explaining all the as I say "supporting rationale" for many of these "nice" stories as we endure at Masada, and explore all the walls and tunnels around the great walls that protected the 1st and 2nd Temples. 

So if all this "stuff" is actually true, rather than more story than truth, then maybe my previous thoughts that "I hope there is a G-d," is transitioning to "we'll maybe there really is a G-d"!

Looking forward to the next six days!

Andy H. 

Floaters vs. Sinkers

Being at the Dead Sea is like my Bubbe's Matzah Ball soup. I thought I'd be a sinker, but it turns out I'm a fluffy floater. 

Karen Hertzfeld

 
 
 

Living on Jewish Time

After spending the morning at the Israel Museum, and then grabbing yummy bites to eat among the small restaurants in a (mostly Orthodox) neighborhood - delicious hummus, pita, stuffed grape leaves, savory pastries, ice cream - we headed to the hustle and bustle of Machane Yehuda, the signature Israeli market.  Crowded on a "normal" day, it's an absolute sea of people on Friday afternoon as everyone does their final shopping before Shabbat.  The main pedestrian thoroughfare and many branching alleyways are a sensory overload with the sights and smells of mound after mound of fruits, vegetables, cheeses, rugelach, spices... Vendors call out their wares from all directions: "Golani!" shouts one ("These cherries are from the Golan!"); "Try, try!" says another of his special nut and spice concoctions (and, yum, we were glad we did).

But even the energy of this intensely energetic place began to wind down as we made our way back to the bus around 4:00 in the afternoon.  And as we drove back to the hotel, store fronts were closed and gated, traffic thinned out, people all but disappeared.  For now Shabbat preparations are underway - and not just for Friday night, but for the full period of Shabbat.  The rests we now take in our hotel rooms are happening throughout the city.  Meals are being prepared, children washed and dressed.  The bus driver wished us Shabbat Shalom as we arrived back at the hotel room and we wished the same to him.

Shabbat is such a gift, but in the States it can take tremendous WORK to carve out time for rest!  Here everything is calibrated for the deep breath of Friday night and Saturday.  And as sunset inches closer and closer, I'm breathing deeper already.

Ahhhhh.....

Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem.

-- Rabbi SMA

---------------

Rabbi Stephanie M. Alexander

Shabbat Shalom

For a slow day, we moved around quite a bit. The Dead Sea scrolls at the Shrine of the Book, Herod's life and death at the Israel Museum- as well as works of art of many kinds. Of course there was shopping at Mahane Jehuda market and...finally, beautiful Shabbat services at the Hebrew Union College campus, overlooking the old city of Jerusalem.  What a picturesque ending to the day, and a perfect beginning of Shabbat!

 

 
 
 

Ahava

All you need is love. 

 

Grateful

Grateful we are finally here. 

Joanna Katz

 

 

Technical difficulties

We are working very hard to resolve some technical difficulties that are making it difficult to post. 

No worries though. We are sure that with some sleep, we'll figure it put. 

Robin Shuler 

This is the day

So much anticipation. Did I pack everything? Will my shoes be comfortable enough? Will they let me through security with my tiny scissors? And none of this will matter when we step off the plane. Tomorrow. So technically, this is the day before...

Robin Shuler

 

 

A trip and a leap

Our upcoming pilgrimage to Israel is a tremendous voyage, to be sure, but it's not the only journey we anticipate with excitement ... and a measure of trepidation, as well.  With written contributions from all 50 of our participants, and a smattering of pictures (we've apparently got some avid photographers amongst us), as we embark for Israel we will also venture into the world of blogging for the first time at KKBE!

So stay tuned and take the journey with us ... to Israel and the digital age.

- SMA

One step closer

Having just celebrated Israel's Birthday, Yom Ha'atzma'ut, we held an informational meeting for the 50 souls who will be making this pilgrimage in June.  The decorations you see are for the birthday party, not the meeting.

The itinerary looks well suited for the variety of traveller.  I'm not exactly sure of the age range, but I think it's 4 to 92, with everything in between. The "special skills" we possess are just as varied.  If the group needs to find chocolate, eat chocolate, wake up in the morning, haggle with a merchant, work with an embassy, or find it's way home....we're set.