5/15/12
Ok, for the purposes of full disclosure, Eilat isn’t Rabbi
Micah’s favorite part of Israel. Growing up on the sunny shores of LA I kind of
feel like a beach is a beach and that there are beaches in Israel that don't require the long bus trip and so on... But this trip isn’t about me! If it was, we'd stop at every used bookstore in Jerusalem searching for Mordecai Kaplan, Leo Baeck, AJ Heschel, and Yehuda Amichai books! This trip is about THE KIDS! And the kids love Eilat. And Eilat, loves the kids. It’s a
perfect synergy, a cosmic balance of nature, kind of like a lunar eclipse coinciding with haley's comet. Actually it's kind of like the synergy of a coral reef. Speaking of which…
We started our day at Eilat’s Coral Reef (well, technically
we started with the omelette station in the hotel dining hall). It’s a
beautiful reef on the banks of the Red Sea. From the shore there are views of
Jordan and even Saudi Arabia. Some of the kids really wanted to go to Saudi
Arabia but we managed to discourage this. As an aside, it’s worth mentioning
that Israel is the only country in the Middle East where men and women have
equal rights and where women enjoy the same human rights that we expect in
America. Enough sermon! This is supposed to be about the coral reef:
After learning how to use the snorkeling gear we broke into
groups and headed out to the edge of the reef via a long walkway. The kids were
surprised that you are supposed to spit into your mask and rub the spit around
before dipping the mask in the salty sea to prevent the mask from fogging up while in the reef.
We jumped into the cool water and said the Shehiyanu blessing before setting off
to explore. I had the pleasure of accompanying three groups (= snorkeling x3).
While each group saw different fish the overall experience of majesty and
beauty, the bursting colors, the power of schools of fish swimming together,
and the sense of connection to nature, were shared by all. Having said that,
the last group got to see an octopus—which is totally awesome. Octopi love
Israel because they aren’t kosher and therefore don’t have to worry about being
doused in lemon juice or boiled in Portuguese stew.
Our time at the beach was enriched by the fact that there
was a very nice group of Israeli 9th graders from a town near
Jerusalem. All those years of Hebrew lessons paid off as our boys and girls
made new friends and checked out their Israeli counterparts. When things like
this happen the chaperones keep a close eye to make sure it stays appropriate,
but we also love to sit back and watch them engage with new people and get to
know some of their Israeli brothers and sisters.
For those who weren’t already craving sushi we then headed
200 or so meters down the road to the
underwater observatory. I’ve been calling it "the aquarium" but I’ve been
corrected. Apparently calling an underwater observatory an aquarium is like
calling “The Batchelor” a reality TV
show (i.e. a misnomer). The underwater
observatory is very large and the premises are full of things to do, buy,
and eat. We had lunch, hung out, and mentally prepared ourselves for our first
shopping mall. Have I mentioned that Eilat is a tax free city?
The mall was fun. There’s a store called Magnolia. They sell
jewelry. Under the watchful eyes of Ms. Kendrick, Mora Evelyn, and Mora Orna
the girls did very well for themselves (and probably for others to). Rabbi
Loren Filson Lapidus might’ve even gotten something from Magnolia. I don’t know
and can’t say for sure. Hadara Lapidus has gotten lots of souvenirs.
We came back to the hotel and demanded that the kids rest.
This hotel does something very smart—the lights and AC don’t work if the doors
are open. Therefore, the doors are all closed and the kids are either: napping,
packing, journaling, or relaxing. We have an early dinner and then off to the
disco cruise. At it will be a late night I’m posting the blog now. Pictures
will be up later this evening and will include the cruise.
Here are a few generic remarks about the cruise for devoted
readers: sunset, red sea, mountains rising from the shore, Mr. Barry’s ipod
mix, everyone dressed up, and dancing the night away. Don’t mess with
perfection!
Tomorrow we put on our hiking shoes to explore some of Israel’s
most majestic spots, all in the Negev desert. We’ll be in touch with an update then.
