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...
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