The CCAR Conference Continues...2/26-27/09

Thursday was "Tel Aviv Day" at the CCAR conference. Following breakfast, half of the conference participants boarded busses and headed for Tel Aviv, while the other half remained in Jerusalem for the morning. We would all later meet up for lunch in Tel Aviv. Our programs were similar. We broke into smaller groups and were "hosted" by people in the community. Our host was a member of a synagogue in one of the communities near Tel Aviv. She took our group of 6 (including Daphne) on a short walking tour of south Tel Aviv (not too far from where we stayed last week). We ended up at a cafe, where we chatted with our host about life in Israel and her involvement in her Progressive synagogue community. It was a nice experience. And the weather was beautiful, so it was great to be outdoors.

For lunch we all convened at Mishkenot Ruth Daniel, the new center for Progressive/Reform Judaism located in near Jaffa in the south-west of Tel Aviv. We were greeted my Tel Aviv's Mayor, Ron Huldai, and Rabbi Meir Azari of Beit Daniel spoke to us about his community and the importance of the new center in which we were meeting.

After lunch, we split into groups where we toured Tel Aviv (on foot) based on the theme of the excursion. Shara, Daphne and I went on the Arab/Jewish Unity Walk, where we walked from the Mishkenot Ruth Daniel center into Jaffa, which was once the main port to Jerusalem, and has been more or less an Arab city (now incorporated into Tel Aviv). We were led by two guides, one Jewish and the other Arab, who shared with us the history of these neighboring cities (now one) through both Arab and Jewish lenses.

The tour concluded at Jaffa port in Nalaga'at Center, which is best known for its deaf-blind theater company. This was one of the most unique experiences of the entire trip. We had about 30-45 minutes to unwind following a long day (so far) of touring in their coffee shop, which was serviced by mostly deaf servers. Then we were invited into the auditorium, where several individuals addressed us, including director and producer, Tzafir Kochonavski, who created the wildly famous Israeli television program, Bemerchak Negia - A Touch Away. We were shown about a 12 minute clip of this riveting program, and then we were left thirsting for more! (Apparently the concept has been sold to HBO who will be producing an "American" version of the program.) The show is about a Russian family that moves to the highly Orthodox B'nai B'rak neighborhood and the subsequent "forbidden relationship" that evolves between the young Russian man and the religious girl who lives next door.

Then we were treated to a performance by the Deaf-Blind Theatre Company of "Not By Bread Alone." If the TV clip was excellent, the theater production was spectacular. Each of the actors is blind, and most are deaf as well. A few of the actors spoke and narrated for others through the various vignettes. A drum beat helped to signal the actors when their next groups of movements and/or speaking roles were to occur. Throughout the production, cast members actually kneaded dough and baked loaves of bread, which were shared with the audience at the end of the performance. It is so difficult to describe this experience, yet it is something that I would recommend for everyone to witness at some point. Truly unique. Truly amazing.

By the end of this experience it was after 8 pm. We had the option of remaining in Tel Aviv for dinner or returning to Jerusalem. We chose to return to Jerusalem in order to attempt to get back to our hotel and get Daphne down at a "reasonable" hour. Upon arriving in Jerusalem, we went to dinner and then back to our hotel. Daphne was still wired, so we got her ready for bed and tried to get her to relax and sleep. Shara continued this effort while I went downstairs for the evening reception sponsored by one of the many "Jewish" travel agencies. I schmoozed a bit with some of my colleagues, had a few drinks and some snacks, and then returned to my room for bed after a very long day...

Friday - Yom Shishi - essentially our last "shopping day" in Israel. We woke up, ate breakfast, and hit the Midrachov where we did some last minute shopping for gifts and other "necessities." We met up with my old friend, Sammy Ghatan, at his shop on Ben Yehuda Street, where he sold us some jewelry and some other gifts for friends and family. I have known Sammy for about 13 years now, since before I began leading NFTY groups to Israel. He runs a wonderful Judaica store with his siblings, and he is a mensch to boot. We finished up our shopping at a few other stores, and then returned to our hotel for lunch. We didn't spend too much time out due to the inclement weather: cold, lots of heavy rain, and even some spots of hail. After our late lunch, we returned to our room to prepare for Shabbat.

Erev/Kabbalat Shabbat was another special experience. The conference participants were split up and sent to various Progressive/Reform synagogues all over the country. Some of my colleagues travelled as far north as Haifa to attend Shabbat services and be hosted for dinner. I had requested that my family stay local since we'd be travelling with a 4 year old and didn't want to be out too late. My request was granted. At 4:30 we boarded a bus and took a short drive over to Kehilat Kol HaNishama - a well known and very popular Progressive synagogue in Jerusalem, best known for its melodic service where every prayer is sung by the entire congregation (with the exception of the short d'var Torah and some announcements which are spoken.) The melodies are rhythmic and soothing creating a very spiritual experience overall. (Now if I can only implement some of these melodies and mimic the flow of the service back at TBE...!)

Following services we were introduced to our host, who drove us back to his home (which happens to be walking distance from Kibbutz Ramat Rachel) to meet his family and partake in a wonderful Shabbat dinner. Our hosts were Daniel and Suzanne Chin and their 15 year old daughter, Tamar. We were also joined by another rabbinic colleague from the conference. The dinner was delicious, and the conversation was delightful. Daniel and Suzanne were originally from London, England, and they made Aliyah together when they were a young couple through the influence of the Jewish youth movement in which they were involved. They have been in Israel for over 20 years now and are raising their three children here (all born in Israel - the other two did not join us because they were away for the weekend on youth movement/camp weekends). At the end of a wonderful evening, Daniel drove us back to our hotel, where we prepared ourselves for bed and began to organize our belongings and initiate "project pack the luggage for the long journey home."

Tomorrow will be our final day here in Jerusalem and Israel. Because I will not be able to blog again until after I return home, I can tell you that we expect to join the conference for t'fillah tomorrow morning, during which time we will be addressed by the outgoing CCAR President and the new CCAR board will be installed. Immediately following services, there will be a quick kiddush, and then the Rabbinical Alumni Association of HUC-JIR will host a luncheon. We will be addressed by our Rosh Yeshiva, the President of the College, Rabbi David Ellenson, who was one of my professors, and one of the most brilliant men I know (and also a mensch!). At some point we hope to visit Kibbutz Ramat Rachel to say "Shalom" to the Romano family. We will have to complete our packing. Dinner with some friends should be in the mix. And then, at 8:45 pm, we will begin our journey back to Ben Gurion Airport for our long journey home...

L'hitraot! See you soon...

More Jerusalem & the CCAR Conference Begins

Tuesday was our last free day before the conference began in the evening. We decided to sleep in again, though not too late as to miss breakfast. We sat on the enclosed balcony, with a spectacular view overlooking the Old City. Serena and Dan joined us at our table, as we looked around and continued to recognize more and more familiar faces. After we had eaten to our hearts' (and tummies') content, we hopped in the car and drove to Ein Kerem, the neighborhood which is home to Hadassah Hospital. There we entered the synagogue to view the famous Chagall Windows, depicting the Twelve Tribes of Israel. For a small fee we listened to a recording which described each of the windows in great detail.

After a quick trip to the gift shop, we split into two groups. Shara and Dan made their way over to Yad Vashem, Israel's memorial to the Holocaust. Serena joined Daphne and me for an afternoon at the Biblical Zoo. While Shara endured a highly emotional experience touring the museum, sculpture gardens, and various memorials at Yad Vashem, Daphne and I enjoyed being outdoors on a beautiful afternoon visiting the animals and spending some more time with our friend, Serena. Daphne enjoyed all the different species of monkeys and apes, as well as the felines. The elephants and the giraffes were also fairly impressive.

From the zoo we had to rush back to return the rental car, and then we walked a short block back to the hotel, where we met up with Shara, Dan and a number of other colleagues who were arriving by the dozens. We made our way upstairs in order to wash up and change for the conference's opening dinner.

We convened in the lobby of our hotel, meeting up with several more colleagues and their spouses. Then we walked next door to Merkaz Shimshon, the convention hall on the campus of the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion (behind/part of Beit Shmuel) for the opening reception of the CCAR conference. Over 300 Reform rabbis, and many spouses, and some children squeezed into a tight room for some light appetizers and drinks. It was here that I met up with Rabbi Stephen Einstein, "my rabbi" who I grew up with, along with many of my classmates, former mentors and friends. It was fun to schmooze, though they had some live music that was very loud, and the hall they had us in was very crowded.

Following a few welcome speeches from the convention chair people, we were directed upstairs to Blaustein Hall for dinner. Blaustein Hall's claim to fame is a spectacular stone's throw view of the Old City. We were invited to a table by some of our friends, including Dan, Serena, Rabbi Todd Chizner (Temple Judea of Manhasset) and his wife Lauren (SAJES) - all former classmates of mine, and a few other old friends. In between courses, there was a lot of shuffling from table to table in order to greet friends and make plans to catch up later. The evening was capped by a visit and greeting from the Mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat.

Wednesday morning began with a short trip to the neighborhood of Talpiyot. My cell phone seemingly died the night before, and I had to run out to the nearest service station to get it fixed. I was at the shop just after it opened at 8 am, and I was surprisingly back at the hotel in time to attend the CCAR business meeting which began at 9:15 am. For those of you who know Israel, you will understand when I say that this was pretty miraculous. One of the orders of business was to pass a resolution calling upon the government of Israel to recognize Rabbi Miri Gold, a Reform Rabbi (who happens to be a woman) here in Israel, and to cease discrimination against non-Orthodox Jews. In Israel, Orthodox rabbis receive government salaries and funding. Currently, non-Orthodox rabbis do not receive the same treatment. If you would like to lend your name in support of this cause, I strongly encourage you to follow the link and sign the petition in support of Jewish pluralism in Israel: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/arza-miri-gold/.

At the conclusion of the business meeting, which included the election of a new slate of officers, we split up into our "Tikkun Olam Excursion" groups. I signed up to be a part of the group dealing with the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel, where we participated in a dialogue at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer (next to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher) with Lutheran Bishop Younan and Archbishop Aris Shirvanian of the Armenian Patriarchate, and then we bussed over to the Ministry of Religion where we met with a Muslim Judge (similar to family court.) Shara and Daphne joined me for this extremely interesting and informative afternoon where we learned quite a bit about how Christian and Muslim Arabs view their Jewish counterparts and their take on the path to peace. (Perhaps the most surprising part of the day was how well Daphne behaved!)

We returned to the hotel and went back up to our room for an hour to rest. Then we met up with Dan and a few other colleagues and walked to the center of town for dinner. Of all places, we wound up at a Japanese Sushi restaurant. After a long dinner, we went back to Ben Yehuda Street and shopped for another hour before returning to our hotel for a good night's rest. Tomorrow we will spend a full day in Tel Aviv with the conference...

The Old City of Jerusalem

We woke up in our fifth beds that we have slept in this trip – which will also serve as our last beds that we sleep in before we return to our own beds in New York next week. The David Citadel is a beautiful hotel located right next door to the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion on King David Street, and it is directly across from Jaffa Gate of the Old City. The views are spectacular from many of the rooms, the restaurant, and even the pool. We got a great view of the construction going on of the new mall which actually leads into Jaffa Gate, though we have no direct view of the Old City itself. Having been out late the night before, we were in no hurry to get up, though we did not want to miss breakfast which ended at 10:30 am. At about 10:10, we strolled down to the hotel’s restaurant to enjoy the wonderful breakfast that they serve (and will serve each morning we are here!) When we walked in, I immediately recognized another one of my classmates, Serena Fujita, sitting down to eat, and she quickly motioned for us to join her. We caught up for a bit before deciding to spend the day together in the Old City. We began with a short walk from the hotel to Jaffa Gate. Turning right past the Tower of David and its museum, we entered the Armenian Quarter, and then turned left down a street that would lead us into the Jewish Quarter. We made our way down hill through the winding streets, stopped briefly for a snack, and then continued down to the Kotel (Western Wall) Plaza. I had reserved us spots in the Western Wall Tunnel Tour, so we spent a little over an hour walking underground along the full extent of the Western Wall, into the Arab Quarter. Though I had participated in this tour in the past, I was particularly impressed with the breadth of knowledge that our guide possessed, as well as all of the new digging that had been done since my last visit. When we reached the spot in the wall that was the closest point to where the Holy of Holies (the room in the Temple that held the Ark of the Covenant), I took the envelope which held all the blessings of our religious school students, and I shoved it into a good sized crevice in the wall.

For those who require a little more explanation, the Western Wall was not a part of the Temple itself. The Western Wall is a retaining wall that was used to expand the top of the mountain, making a huge platform in between each of the four retaining walls, on which the Temple was built. Now, 0n the spot where the Temple once stood, is the Dome of the Rock, a Muslim holy site believed to be the spot where Mohammed ascended to heaven. The "rock" itself is the peak of Mount Moriah, the same mountain where Abraham was "put to the test" to "sacrifice" his son Isaac (Akeidat Yitzchak), as well as the spot, some believe, where Noah's Ark came to rest following the flood.

The northern end of the Western Wall is in the Arab Quarter of the Old City. From there we were led back towards the main plaza of the Western Wall. We broke off just before arriving there and made our way back to the Jewish Quarter where we walked through the Cardo, once a major Roman "promenade" that bisected the city of Jerusalem. This was once the main marketplace, and to this day there are still many shops that line both sides of the street. From the Cardo we made our way into the Christian Quarter and visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is a large basilica separated into many chapels, one which contains the site believed to be where Jesus was crucified, and another area that Christians believed to be where his body was laid to rest prior to his resurrection. It's a very interesting place to visit, and even more interesting to study its history and the current Christian religious politics concerning who controls which parts of the church itself.

We began to make our way back towards Jaffa Gate, stopping into a few shops along the way (many of the streets within the Old City are lined with shops like the Cardo), before we exited the city and made our way back to the hotel through the new upscale outdoor mall. We freshened up for a bit, and then we made our way out to dinner at an old favorite, Spaghettim, which I'm sure you can guess their specialty by the name of the restaurant. After dinner we walked up to the Midrachov - Ben Yehuda Street - where we got some snacks and did some more shopping. Over the many years that I used to lead teen groups through Israel, I've managed to make and keep some relationships with some of the Israeli merchants. I popped into one of my favorites on Ben Yehuda Street and proceeded to purchase several items for the synagogue, including mezuzot for the doors in our building that are lacking, some new challah covers for use on Shabbat and holidays, and a beautiful sterling silver etrog box for use on Sukkot.

While on Ben Yehuda Street, we bumped into Rabbi Randy Sheinberg, a colleague from New Hyde Park, and her husband and daughter, and later Dan found us and joined us for the remainder of the evening. By this time it was getting late so we started back for the hotel. We made it halfway down Ben Yehuda Street when we passed by a group of Israeli girls playing guitar and singing some songs. Well, it's unlike Daphne to ignore outdoor music, so of course, she began to dance. The girls immediately took to Daphne, called her over, put the guitar in her hands, and got her to sing for them and with them. (Unfortunately, this was the one time we left the camera in our room!) The girls were very sweet, and Daphne had a wonderful time...but now it was time for bed! We said "laila tov" and "todah rabbah" and made our way back to the hotel and eventually to bed.

Into the Desert

Sunday morning...our final morning on Kibbutz Ramat Rachel. We packed up the car, said "L'hitraot" to the Romano family (we expect to see them again before we depart for home), and drove to M'tzudat David - the David Citadel Hotel, where we will be staying for the remainder of our time here in Israel. We exchanged our luggage (dropped it off at the hotel and checked in early - our room would be ready for us later in the day) for Dan, who would be joining us again for the day.

The four of us drove east out of Jerusalem to make the descent towards the Dead Sea, whose shores are the lowest point on the surface of the Earth not under water (1,420 feet BELOW sea level). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea) Our first stop at the far north end of the Dead Sea was the archeological site at Qumran, which is where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in the last century, and where the Essene sect lived during the Second Temple period. We spent about an hour walking through the ruins of this city before we continued our drive south to Masada, the Herodian fortress best known as the site where the Zealots held off the Roman army and chose to die by their own swords rather than be killed or forced into slavery.

We arrived at Masada in time for lunch, and then after a quick film which gave a nice history of the mountain fortress, we took the cable car ride up the mountain (rather than try to hike up the steep Snake Path with a four year old) and began our exploration. For Shara, this was the most impressive place that she has ever seen (liking it even better than Caesarea, which up until this point had been her favorite). We walked through nearly every nook and cranny of the mountain top fortress, from the lowest point of the Northern Palace, to the southern cistern and the echo lookout to the south (one of Daphne's favorite places on Masada). Daphne found a small stage opposite the area with the mikvah, and decided that she was going to perform for anyone around by singing some songs. (The video footage will be up on Facebook sometime soon....)

Following the cable car ride down the mountain, a trip through the gift shop, and a potty break, we continued our drive south to Ein Bokek, which is the major resort site along the Dead Sea Coast. We parked and walked up to the water. Since it was a bit chilly and none of us brought our suits, I encouraged Shara to take off her shoes and socks, roll up her pants, and walk a few paces into the water. Though she didn't get the full floating effect, she still had a portion of the experience. Daphne, on the other hand, wanted no part of the water. We visited one of the gift shops and purchased some "obligatory" Dead Sea products before we got back in the car and headed towards our final destination before heading home...

Beer Sheva is another city mentioned in the Bible. Abraham and Sarah actually made their home there for some time. Now it is home to a major University - Ben Gurion University of the Negev - as well as my 86 year old cousin, Shoshana (mother of Michal, and grandmother of Oren, Shaked, Rotem and Amir, among others). We met Shoshana at Beit Yona (House of the Dove), a senior residence facility for active seniors. She hosted us in the dining room and then we spent some time visiting with her up in her apartment. It was a treat to see Shoshana, as I had not seen her in nearly 10 years.

After our visit with Shoshana, we made our way into the Old City of Beer Sheva where we met up with my friend, Dani, at his home. Dani and I met while playing for the same team in the Israeli men's softball league while I was a student in Jerusalem. Dani still plays softball, but now he is also employed by Ben Gurion University as a media photographer. When we arrived, he showed us his beautiful home, which also serves as a gallery to display and sell his photographs. Then we walked several blocks to a classic style Israeli restaurant which serves meat and hummus! By the time we finished dinner, walked back to Dani's place to pick up our car, and head back to Jerusalem, it was quite late. But we had enjoyed a wonderful day - probably our fullest yet this trip.

Shabbat in Jerusalem

Torrential downpours...that pretty much sums up Shabbat in Jerusalem. It was bittersweet: sweet in the sense that Israel really needs the rain right now, and bitter because it's not a whole lot of fun to do things in the rain!

We took this Shabbat as a true day of rest. It was a bit strange for me to not attend Shabbat services at all this week. My intentions were to take Shara and Daphne to a (liberal) synagogue here in Jerusalem, but a mixture of the weather and us being thoroughly exhausted after a solid week of travel, we needed the rest. We slept in fairly late, had a relaxed breakfast with my kibbutz family, and then we eventually got out to see some more of the city.

One of my closest friends, (who also happened to be a rabbinic school classmate of mine - we met here in Jerusalem during our first year of study at HUC) Rabbi Dan Treiser had arrived in the country the night before. We swung by his hotel (which will also be our hotel tomorrow evening) to pick him up so that he could join us for our "Shabbat adventure."

Our first stop was the Israel Museum. Unfortunately, the museum has been undergoing a complete renovation, so the only exhibits available were the Second Temple Jerusalem Model (which used to be housed at the old Holyland Hotel, and was one of my favorite tourist sites to guide), the Shrine of the Book (home of the Dead Sea Scrolls), the sculpture garden (which we saw very little of due to the inclimate weather), and some temporary exhibits housed in the Children's Building. We made the most of our experience, and we even ran into a few more colleagues from southern California at the Dead Sea Scroll exhibit.

Then we hopped in the car for a driving tour of East Jerusalem and the Mountain of Olives, which is home to several churches and an enormous amount of Jewish graves (more traditional Jews believe that this is the best place to be buried because they will be the closest they can possibly be to Jerusalem and the Temple when the Messiah comes). After snapping a few photos, we drove Dan back to his hotel and returned to the kibbutz, where we spent the rest of the evening. We enjoyed dinner with the Romano family - all of the kids dropped in at one point or another - and we spent the evening relaxing and schmoozing. Cornel and I stayed up late chatting over a bottle of wine or two...it was really nice just hang out on my kibbutz and be in the presence of family. (A common theme is developing here...)

Tel Aviv, Family, and back to Jerusalem...

On Friday, Yom Shishi, we enjoyed a fairly relaxed day in Tel Aviv. We slept in to the point where we almost missed breakfast. After breakfast, we packed up our luggage and hit the town. Our hotel was located a couple of blocks from the Shuk HaCarmel, the main "classic" outdoor market in Tel Aviv. After walking a few blocks through the baligan of people haggling over fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, spices, nuts, candy, and all sorts of household and other items, we turned off and headed towards Nachalat Binyamin, a promenade, where local artists set up booths to sell their goods. Shara found a mezuzah that she liked, and Daphne found some cute ceramic figurines. From there we walked up Allenby Street, stopping into a few shops, and then headed past the Tel Aviv Great Synagogue and over to the Shalom Tower to check out the giant mosaic in the lobby illustrating the evolution of the city of Tel Aviv. We then walked to Rothschild Street and entered Heichal Atzmaut - Independence Hall, the site where David Ben Gurion declared the founding of the modern State of Israel just hours prior to the end of the British Mandate. This was the former home of Meir Dizengoff, who was instrumental in the founding of the modern city of Tel Aviv. We were fortunate to have walked into the building at the same time that several groups were moving into the main hall, so we were able to tag along and get the entire story from the guide on premises. One of the groups was a synagogue group from Temple Sinai of Roslyn, led by their rabbi, Michael White. (Rabbi White and I worked together years ago when I was a student at UCLA teaching at a local synagogue where he served as an associate rabbi.)

Following our experience at Independence Hall, we enjoyed a late lunch at a local restaurant, and then returned to the Founders Monument and fountain in the middle of the street across from Independence Hall. We took a leisurely stroll back to the hotel where we picked up our car and made our way out of the city. (We will return on Thursday as a part of the CCAR conference.) On the way, we picked up my cousin, Amir, who is studying for his Masters in Chemistry at Tel Aviv University, and made our way to his aunt's house (Oren's mother) on Moshav Haniel, a few miles east of Netanya.

The last time I was at Michal and her husband, Tzvika's house was in the summer of 1999 - the last time that I led a NFTY tour. At that time, I joined them in celebrating their middle son, Shaked's Bar Mitzvah (a secular celebration.) Ten years later, I meet up again with Shaked who is now 24 and finished with his army service. His younger brother, Rotem, who was 9 then, is now 18 and one month away from beginning his service in the I.D.F. (Israel Defense Force) Shara, Daphne and I enjoyed a wonderful (secular) Shabbat dinner and evening with Michal & Tzvika, Shaked, Rotem, and Amir. It was so nice to visit with them in their home, catch up on lost time, and simply to be with family. I feel so fortunate to have family, both blood relative and adopted, in Israel. Though I always feel at home in Israel, being with them enhances that feeling so much more.

Following a long visit with my cousins, Shara, Daphne and I finally made our way back to Jerusalem and back to Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, where my family was waiting for us. They were still celebrating Alex's birthday (his actual birthday was last Sunday, the day we arrived in Israel.) So we were served more dessert upon arrival. We finally got Daphne down to sleep, Shara went soon after, and I stayed up and schmoozed with Cornel until it was time for me to crash as well.

In the North, Part II

When we woke up this morning, the skies a were a bit overcast, but we still had a clear view of snow capped Mount Hermon, the highest peak in the Golan Heights. We enjoyed another fine Israeli breakfast, complete with fresh vegetables, cheeses, yogurts, and breads and pastries, before we packed up the car for our journey south.

I forgot to mention last night: on our way out to dinner, I stopped into the lobby and saw a large banner welcoming a group from Temple Beth El in Westchester. Sitting in the lobby was their rabbi, Josh Davidson, who I know from HUC. They say you always bump into someone you know in Israel, unplanned, so that counts as one!

We drove south towards the Kinneret, with the Golan Heights to our left and Lebanon to our right. Then we turned southwest in the direction of Nazareth. Just north of Nazareth is an archeological site showcasing the remains of Tzipori, a city that dates back over 2000 years. It has several claims to fame: For Jews it was once the home of King Herod. Later, it was one of the towns in which members of the Sanhedrin, the rabbinic court, lived, and the Sanhedrin actually convened in Tzipori for many years. Judah HaNassi, who was the leader of the Sanhedrin during that time, codified the Mishna here. There is a synagogue here with an elaborate mosaic floor. There are homes that have been uncovered that include mikva-ot, Jewish ritual baths. For Christians, this is said to have been the birthplace of Mary. The Crusaders set up a fortress here during the Byzantine period. For lovers of history and art, this was once a thriving Roman city. One of the hundreds of mosaics that have been preserved in this city depicts the face of a woman who is known as the “Mona Lisa of the Middle East.” It’s a fascinating place to walk through and feel the history come to life.

From Tzipori we stopped for lunch en route to Tel Aviv. We drove through the Carmel Mountains, which are home to Haifa in the north, and then down the coast. It was a pleasant and relaxing drive. When we arrived to Tel Aviv we had some errands to run, and then we checked into our hotel, the Dan Panorama, on the south end of the city, just north of Jaffa. We unpacked, freshened up, and rested for about an hour before going out to meet two of my Israeli cousins for dinner.

Oren (25) and Amir (24) are first cousins. Their mothers are twins, and are first cousins to my mother, who is also a twin. Their grandfather was the son of my maternal grandfather's oldest sister. (This would make these boys my second cousins once removed.) I originally met Oren (and his two younger brothers) and Amir (and his younger sister) during my first visit to Israel. I stayed with each of their families for a number of days while traveling throughout the country. I would continue my relationship with their families and try to see them on each subsequent visit. The last time I saw either of them (or their families) was nine or ten years ago. So it was a little strange to see these boys now as young men. We had a delightful time catching up with one another. It was special for me to introduce them to Shara and Daphne. And now that we’ve reconnected via Facebook recently, I imagine that it won’t be another ten years before we catch up again!

After a long dinner in town, we returned to the hotel and got ready for bed. Right now, Shara is singing songs with Daphne in bed while I type this. I hope to be asleep soon as all of this traveling and excitement are finally catching up to me…

Tomorrow should be another exciting day in Tel Aviv. We were originally going to head back to Jerusalem for Shabbat, but instead we will hang around Tel Aviv during the day and join my cousins (Oren’s parents and brothers, and Amir as well) for erev Shabbat before returning to Jerusalem for the night and the rest of Shabbat.

Journeying North – the First 2 Days

On Tuesday morning we packed the car and began our journey north of Jerusalem. The first hitch in the plan arrived before we even got on the road. We had to swing by Ben Gurion Airport to exchange our rental car because the car we were given in Jerusalem was smaller than it was supposed to be (though the guy in the garage swore that it was the right car), it was filthy dirty both inside and out, it reeked of cigarette smoke, and the oil light came on in the morning. None are good on their own – together: a recipe for disaster! The Jerusalem Hertz locations had no cars to exchange, so we were directed to the airport where they had a fleet of cars. The airport office corrected all of the errors of the Jerusalem office, exchanging our nasty jalopy for a larger, cleaner, and “healthier” vehicle. (Lesson: rent the car from the airport in Israel! And the Hertz people in Jerusalem, not so nice and not so honest!)

So, about two hours lost on our trip, we were already down one item on our itinerary for the day. We continued to drive north to Caesarea. We began with a delicious lunch at a fish restaurant overlooking the ancient harbor before we walked our way through the ruined port city with a tremendous history, including being one of “King” Herod’s master building projects (others include Masada, the Herodian, and the expanded Temple Mount and “upgrades” to the Second Temple in Jerusalem.) Shara was very impressed by the magnitude and scope of the entire city and its ruins left over after so many years. She also marveled over the force of the water beating against the shore and some of the walls still standing along the harbor, leaving no question why so much of this city no longer stands. Daphne loved running along the length of the hippodrome and climbing through some of the small archways. I enjoyed seeing this place through the eyes of loved ones, having visited Caesarea several times before.

From Caesarea we began our long drive east, passing through Afula and Beit She’an (which was supposed to be one of our stops today) in the Jezreel Valley, and then north to the Kinneret, otherwise known as the Sea of Galilee. We arrived at our kibbutz guest house, Ma’agan, (http://www.inisrael.com/maagan/index.html) on the southern tip of the Sea, and checked into our room. We quickly freshened up and then drove north along the west coast of the Kinneret to Tiberius, where we dined at another first class seafood restaurant on the water, Decks. (For those of you familiar with Pagoda, the Asian restaurant on the north coastal end of Tiberius, Decks is owned by the same person – in fact, we were able to order from both restaurants’ menus!) Tired from our long day, we made our way back to our resting place, cleaned up, and went to sleep.

Besides the rental car experience, my main lesson for the day was not to be so ambitious with travel plans when including young children. Daphne is a slow eater, a slow mover (even though I did a lot of carrying), and needs to go to the bathroom quite a bit. Though she is a great sleeper in the car! Thinking of her and her needs and limitations, I had to rethink the plans for the next day….

Wednesday morning revealed a beautiful view of the Kinneret from the sliding glass door of our room (which almost made up for the deficiencies of the room itself). After admiring the scenery and packing our stuff, we ate a wonderful Israeli breakfast and then drove north. We stopped briefly in Tiberius to visit the tomb of Moses ben Maimon, better known as Maimonides or Rambam, the famous Talmudic commentator (among countless other scholarly writings). Then we continued north along the west coast of the Kinneret, into the Upper Galilee to the mystical city of Tzfat. After driving throughout the city, admiring the narrow stone streets, the modern mixed in with the anciebegan by wandering through the Old Citynt, and lots of blue (a “mystical” color), we parked between the artists’ colony and the Old City (an amazing parking spot find!) We , enjoying the countless shopping opportunities, and visiting some of the synagogues named for some of the sages and mystics that in some cases helped to found them (including Isaac Luria a.k.a. HaAri – the Lion, the famous mystic, AbuHav, scribe of a famous Torah scroll, and Joseph Caro, who is given credit for arranging the Kabbalat Shabbat service, the prayers and blessings that we recite on Friday night before Barchu, including L’cha Dodi).

One of my favorite moments of the day was our visit with one of my favorite Tzfat artists, Moshe Dadon, (http://www.dadon-gallery.com/) who specializes in micro-calligraphy designs and paintings. I hadn’t been in his shop in about nine years, and the moment I walked in the door, he lifted his head, stared intently at me, and said, “I remember you.” I reminded him that I had been a guide for NFTY and Birthright Israel back in the mid to late 90’s, and that I had bought several poster sized prints from him (one of each of the Five Books of Moses/The Torah) during those years. He was delighted to meet Shara and Daphne, and provided Daphne with cookies, a bathroom, and gave her a beautiful charm and necklace as a gift. Shara helped me to pick out another print, though this time I upgraded to canvas, which I cannot wait to display in our home or in my office at the synagogue (Shara gets to choose!) Of course we visited the Tzfat candle factory, where I purchased some special Shabbat and Havdallah candles for the synagogue (and for my family’s private use). Our last stop, after a late lunch, was to the gallery of a young woman, Sheva Chaya, (http://shevachaya.com/) who specializes in blown glass and watercolor. We enjoyed our tour of her artistry and bought a few pieces from her to bring home. (Being back in Tzfat and re-experiencing the wealth of art brings to the surface my disappointment that we could not find success in hosting our “Tsfat Night” several months ago. I hope we can try it again in the near future.)

We left Tzfat and continued north. The best part of this drive is that it is so scenic. From the rolling hills of the Upper Galilee, to the verdant fields within the valleys and foothills, to the tremendous mountains of the Golan Heights up to its peak, Mount Hermon, to the mighty rivers that feed the Jordan and Kinneret, to the heights that separate Israel and Lebanon…it’s like there is a little of everything beautiful up in the Galilee…except for desert, which can also be exquisite. We stopped into the outlet on Kibbutz Naot Mordechai where we purchased…sandals of course! I bought a pair of suede clogs to replace my last pair which has seen better days. (This is the pair that I love that makes Shara laugh every time I wear them. But you know what?! I don’t care because they are one of the most comfortable pair of shoes that I own!)

Following our last of many shopping experiences of the day, we continued onto our next lodging point, Pastoral at Kibbutz K’far Blum. (http://www.kfarblum-hotel.co.il/?Lang=eng) If the night before was substandard, this was paradise. Don’t get me wrong, it’s no Ritz or Waldorf, or even Marriot or Hyatt Regency, but this charming guest house is noted as one of the best of its class in Israel, and having stayed at many of them over the years with HUC, NFTY, and Birthright, I can concur. (You know it’s a “nice-r establishment in Israel when you are provided with conditioner in addition to shampoo, a hair dryer, and there is Wi-Fi IN the rooms, and not just in the lobby.) After a quick schluffy, we drove 10 minutes north, not too far from Daphna and Dan (more kibbutzim, though Dan triples as one of the three springs/rivers that feeds the Jordan, as well as housing a famous archeological site, the ancient city of Laish, excavated by Dr. Avraham Biran, who currently serves as the Director of the Nelson Glueck School of Biblical Archeology at the Jerusalem campus of HUC-JIR.) There we dined at another delicious restaurant called Foccaccia, before heading back to our quarters, cleaning up, and going to sleep. (Or in my case, typing this blog and then going to sleep!)

Tomorrow our plan is to head south and west, hopefully hitting one of the stops we missed on the way up north, and ending in Tel Aviv. There is so much that I want to do and experience with Shara and Daphne, but our time is just too short. I am comforted at the thought that we will be back….