5/19/12
Shavua tov! Here’s an overview of our 2nd and
final Shabbat in Israel…
After resting up for a couple of hours we met in the lobby
and headed to the beautiful Bat Yam beach across the street from our hotel. On
the beach we made a big circle and sang many of our favorite Shabbat songs.
Along the way we collected a small gathering of curious observers… Apparently a
musical Kabbalat Shabbat on the Bat Yam waterfront isn’t a weekly occurrence!
In their eyes I’m sure we were quite a spectacle, singing and dancing, praying
and laughing. The energy was infectious and at one point Mr. Barry jumped into
the middle of the circle to offer a free-style rap. Our Shabbat singing ended
just as the sun was setting. After a brief detour at a local playground (do you
know that your kids LOVE playgrounds???) we were seated in the most traditional
of Israeli restaurants for dinner: El Gaucho.
At El Gaucho we feasted on delicious bread, salad, beef, and
chicken. As always there were additional options for our vegetarians. Fresh
watermelon came for dessert. We started our meal, as indicated in the last
blog, by singing the Shabbat blessings. The manager of the restaurant was so
moved by our prayers that he felt the need to put a napkin “kippah” on his
head. In truth, he was truly moved, and said as much to the chaperones. This
simple moment is yet another example of an unexpected aspect of this trip:
Not only does Israel impact and change our kids, but our
kids actually impact and change Israel.
For this restaurant manager, the folks on the beach, or the
passers by who joined us for Havdallah tonight, our kids offer a different
perspective on Judaism. Your kids, yes!, your kids, demonstrate that it is not
only possible, but wonderful, to be
Jewishly engaged. In Israel there is a very strong division between the
“religious” and the “secular.” It is one of the deepest rifts in Israeli
society. Our kids demonstrate that religion can be a source of joy,
inspiration, intellectual and spiritual growth, as well as community.
Amazingly, many Israelis don’t understand this, because the expressions of
Judaism that they most often encounter feel very foreign and alienating to
them.
Then we went to sleep.
Breakfast: As indicated, our hotel is very nice. This “very” extends to breakfast. We ate breakfast
against the backdrop of an indoor/outdoor infinity pool. There were more
pastries than you’d find in most bakeries, fresh fruit, and a variety of hot
dishes. This was the first time in the trip that the chaperones were actually
served coffee rather than having to fetch it for ourselves (no great hardship
by the way). The kids were clearly intrigued by the breakfast and did a good
job making a dent in the pastry supply. From breakfast we headed to the Reform
synagogue, Beit Daniel, for our 2nd synagogue experience.
Surely
you’ve heard of “The Wedding Crashers.” At Beit Daniel we had the unique
opportunity to be “Bar Mitzvah Crashers.” The Bar Mitzvah boy: Gavi, was very
poised. He seemed genuinely happy to have 70 Americans slightly older than him
(and better dressed) at his bar mitzvah. He definitely impressed his friends.
During the service we had the unique honor of being invited to recite the first
aliyah (Torah blessing). Mr. O’Dell’s and Mr. Barry’s groups accepted the honor
on behalf of our group. Later in the service we were invited to lead the Aleinu
prayer, which we did with great confidence and power.
After
services we visited Rabin Square to witness the final moments of the life of
Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. His tragic assassination was discussed in a
previous post, but to visit the actual site brings additional insight into this
darkest of moments in Israeli history.
From Rabin
Square we made our way to the port city of Jaffa. By then we were all very
hungry so we had a traditional Israeli/Arab snack: the bagele. Jaffa is a small town built on a hill. It has been and always
will be a port city. As such, there’s a certain mystery and sense of journey
that accompanies the place. The kids definitely experienced this as we wandered
up and down the twisting, slanted, narrow alleyways. When we reached the top,
some of us encountered a Christian-Eritrean wedding. Imagine a beautiful bride
and groom, and wedding party looking very sharp. Lots of dancing and singing
too! It was a unique treat and a reminder that Israeli society is anything but
homogenous and monochromatic. For lunch most of the kids went to the Abulafia
restaurant for traditional Arab shwarma and falafel. Our time in Jaffa was a
good reminder that there is so much more to Israel than we see on the
news—Israel is a diverse country where many different types of people flourish
and feel a sense of profound connection.
From Jaffa
we went to one of Tel Aviv’s beautiful beaches. Having dreamt of this moment
the kids jumped right into the ocean and/or relaxing. Given that there was a
strong current Mr. Barry set strict parameters around the depth that kids were
permitted into the water. From the lifeguard tower commands were called out in
three languages; Arabic, Hebrew, and English. I’m pretty sure our kids
responded most quickly to the Arabic ones! Some of the kids also had the chance
to play Israel’s most famous beach game: Paddle Tennis (I can’t remember what
it’s called in Hebrew). No Israeli beach is complete without the sound of the
rubber ball bouncing back and forth between the wooden paddles.
We came
back to the hotel, rested, and went to a nice dinner. At dinner we all sat at
the same table. I’ll leave it to your imagination to think of
what that looks like! Since we were joined by Betty and Paulina (two of our ORT
students), the total number of our group was 72. 72 happens to be the number of
members of the Great Sanhedrin, the rabbinical court that ruled during ancient
times. While our table was certainly light on the halakhic disputes, there’s no doubt that the future leaders of the
Jewish community are about to receive their Davis diplomas (a sensitive topic
amongst the kids). After dinner we had our final spiritual check-in followed by
a beautiful Havdallah at the park with the playground mentioned above. Morah
Orna, Mr. Barry, and Ms. Kendrick spoke beautifully. In speaking about the
meaning of the Havdallah candle, which has three braided wicks, Ms. Kendrick
shared that this group of students is what changed her life and made her want
to join our Davis family. She shared that while they are leaving Davis, their
bond will never be broken. Ms. Kendrick is keeping the candle.
While Ms. Kendrick was speaking of her own experience, her
words resonated with many of us. There is a bond that we all share that makes
us burn more strongly and brightly when we are together. To the extent that The
Davis Academy has played a central role in helping to forge this bond, which I
believe it has, then the work that we are doing together, as parents, teachers,
children, and as a school community—that work is avodat kodesh, sacred work.
Tomorrow we do science, War of Independence, archaeology,
and our closing circle.
Shavua Tov!
