5/11/13
Shavua tov! I’m writing to you from
Bus 2.0 (last year it was a really big deal to have wireless on the bus, this
year it feels passé)! We just concluded a beautiful Havdallah service in the
rose garden adjacent to the Kinesset (Israel’s Government Headquarters). We
stood arm and arm in a circle and the traditional blessings that conclude Shabbat.
Coach Spaulding, Mrs. Ferrar, Mr. O’Dell, and Morah Orna shared personal
insights from our trip thus far. We all wished one another Shavua Tov (may you
have a good week) and are now headed to the David Citadel for an amazing light
show.
We awoke this morning at the
luxurious hour of 7:15 and made our way down to breakfast at 8am. The kids are
continuing to be phenomenal eaters—the best I’ve ever seen on an Israel trip.
The waiters tremble at our coming as they know they’ll need a bit more of everything—which
ends up being quite a bit given the diverse amalgamation of consumables that
comprise a typical Israeli meal. From breakfast we headed to congregation
Moreshet Avraham for Shabbat services.
We arrived at Moreshet Avraham as
they were getting ready to read the Torah. It’s a congregation affiliated with
the Conservative movement and one we haven’t visited in past years. Like others
who have seen our group approaching from a far they were initially somewhat
nervous. But they quickly welcomed us. By the end of the service they had
invited us to stay for Kiddush and thanked us for enriching their worship. In
addition to being active participants our kids fulfilled a number of honors
including aliyot and the lifting/ dressing of the Torah. The sermon was
delivered entirely in Hebrew but many of our kids got the main message. It was
about the history of the Israeli flag.
During the Kiddush we learned that
there was a famous archaeologist named Gabi Barkai (sp?) in attendance—a
regular at the shul. Barkai is
responsible for overseeing the team that discovered a truly unique artifact-- the
oldest known biblical text. The kids listened as he shared his experiences and
were excited to learn that the text he discovered is the tradition “Priestly
Blessing” that we recite each Friday at Davis. We decided to create a
mini-scavenger hunt at the Israel Museum to see who could find the artifact in
the vast exhibits there.
At the Israel Museum we took the
traditional “ahava” picture (see twitter) and also visited the Dead Sea
Scrolls. I was pleased that a number of kids got so immersed in the Dead Sea
Scrolls exhibit that they inadvertently missed the check in time. Rest assured
that I chastised them for being so Jewishly engaged!
We got some much needed rest at the
hotel before heading out to dinner and Havdallah.
Here are a few quick observations:
the kids are doing great, old friendships are deepening and new friendships are
emerging. Every single kid has demonstrated in some way or another that they
understand how lucky they are to have been given this gift. Not only have they
been given an opportunity for international travel, which inherently expands
horizons and open eyes but they’ve been given the opportunity to travel with
their peers and their teachers. Not only have they’ve been given the
opportunity to travel with peers and teachers, but to travel to Israel—the homeland
we’ve studied, celebrated, and dreamed of visiting for all these years. For most
people travel is exotic. While there’s
much about Israel that is definitely exotic, there’s as much or more that is (both
superficially and deeply) comforting and familiar. Those who have been know
what I’m talking about. Those who haven’t been will know soon enough because
your kids will definitely be scheming to find their way back here, and maybe
they’ll take you with them!
Tomorrow is a challenging day—Yad Vashem
and Har Hertzl (Israel’s Holocaust Museum and Military Cemetery). We’ll tell
you all about it. In the meantime, gotta run off to the David Citadel light
show—cutting edge technology in a 2,000 year old building. Par for the course.
