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.