We had a full day in Jerusalem on Friday. We woke up early and
participated in a fabulous archaeology project that was absolutely
amazing. Sponsored by the City of David and private
donors, we went to a temporary site (literally a tent) -- in which
archaeologists and volunteers are working to "sift" through rubble from
the Old City of Jerusalem that was unfortunately bulldozed in 1999. The
rubble, taken mostly from the Temple Mount area
has yielded amazing finds that date back from the Roman times until the
present. The site has been in operation for the past 7 years, and only
1/3 of the rubble has been sifted. They have had many volunteers
over the years, who, like us, find incredible
pieces that will help reconstruct the Temple Mount area through the
generations. This was no "rigged" activity. In fact, our group found a
few wonderful remains -- pottery shards, part of one of the painted
tiles from the Dome of the Rock, marble imported
from Egypt or Italy, and more. All of this work and some of the best
minds in archeology...all under one simple, temporary tent in the hills
of Jerusalem.
From there we spent a few hours at Yad Vashem -- Israel's Holocaust
museum. But it is far more than a museum; it is a living memorial to
those who lived and died under the Nazi regime -- and also those who
saved Jews at great risk to their own lives.
It was a gratifying experience to go through this amazing place with
our students -- many of whom had traveled together two years ago to the
US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. I was really proud of our
students who really took in a great deal of
difficult information from our guide, synthesized it, and came out of
the museum with questions and comments of a sophisticated nature. I
think one of the most moving moments of the entire trip was at Yad
Vashem, where Ilana Pavlotsky stood with all of us
under an enormous photograph of Babi Yar and told the story of her
family and her mom's friend who somehow crawled out from amongst the
dead bodies...and survived.
From Yad Vashem we headed for the Old City of Jerusalem. What a
contrast of mood and color and texture....that is the story of the
Jewish experience and indeed the message of Jerusalem. One goes from
one type of intensity to another. Following the intensely
sad and painful experience of Yad Vashem, we went to the equally
intense Old City where life is carefully balanced for all who live there
and the least interruption in the status quo disrupts the entire place.
We walked the winding streets of the Old City,
observing the different people from all over the
world and of every religion and culture who, like us, seek to understand
the meaning and mystique of this singular place on earth.
As the sun
sunk in the horizon, one did not need a calendar
or a watch to know that Shabbat was imminent. There was a rush of
people in the Jewish Quarter getting ready, the smell of Shabbat dinner
in the air, and the clatter of dishes and pots and pans as we strolled
through the neighborhoods. Our walk ended in
dramatic fashion as we found ourselves overlooking the Kotel (the
Western Wall) as it was filling with men, women and children ready to
welcome the Sabbath - each in his or her own way. Our students puts
notes in the Wall, said the Shema together and quietly
made keen observations as they took it all into their minds and hearts.
It is always an overwhelming experience to be there: at once welcoming
and forbidding. As liberal Jews, especially, there is a sense of
belonging and alienation that is immediately felt
among the many Orthodox varieties of people who just seem more
comfortable there. We reminded the students that this place, the Kotel,
belongs equally to us all even if we do not always feel a sense of
ownership when we are there. History, after all, has
not differentiated between Jews and the manner and fashion in which
they and we practiced over the years. I, personally, have discovered
the best way to "be" at the Kotel is to feel and not think too much.
And, then, to dream about the next visit to Israel.
We walked back to the hotel and enjoyed Shabbat blessings, dinner
together and a night of some leisure time together.
On Shabbat morning, we took a walk to a very different part of the
Old City -- to the Arab Market (known as the Shuk). As quiet as the
Jewish Quarter is on Shabbat, that is how busy and filled with color the
Arab Market is! We experienced the Market
in traditional fashion: we gave the students one area in the Christian
Quarter to explore, observe, bargain, and shop. The smell of middle
eastern spices and the sight of multi-colored clothing and foods and
merchandise is indescribable. I waited in one
of the small intersections in the Arab Market and observed Christians
from all over the world rushing in one direction to the Church of the
Holy Sepulchre, Moslems were heading to Mosques for prayer in another
direction, and Jews of all varieties were going
with Siddurim in hand to and from the Jewish Quarter.
We traveled by bus to a sweeping overlook of Jerusalem, and took
some pictures together as we said goodbye to this amazing and complex
city. We then traveled to the ancient city of Jaffa - Tel Aviv's
great-great-grandparent! Jaffa is a magnificent port
city that has been in continuous existence for some 7000 years. We had
a wonderful Yeminite lunch outside overlooking the Mediterranean, and
even though rain threatened, the sun ultimately emerged for us as we
strolled through the ancient city that served
as the major port city of Israel for many years. We boarded the bus
and then began walking the boardwalk that connects Jaffa and Tel Aviv --
moving from ancient to modern and cosmopolitan within a few minutes.
It was obviously Purim -- people throughout
Tel Aviv were dressed in costume and there was truly fun and laughs all
around us. We were reunited with all 3 of our Puzzle Israel leaders --
Nir, Guy and Nikki -- for our final hours in Tel Aviv before heading to
the airport for our midnight flight. We
walked and walked through the streets of Tel Aviv, all the way to the
newly renovated Dizengoff Center where the Agam fountain serves as a
centerpiece of the entire modern city. We walked passed cafes and shops
and homes and condos and got a sense of why
young people living in Israel - and outside of it - rush to Tel Aviv to
visit and live. In Tel Aviv, the pace is fast, the economy seems to be
booming, the young outnumber the old, and the tourists enjoy the
beaches, clubs and night-life.
We were tired when we boarded the bus to travel from Tel Aviv to
nearby Ben Gurion Airport. The experience of the ten days we traveled
together caused the usual Tel Aviv airport hassles to vanish into
insignificance. Our flights were on time despite
weather predictions to the contrary...and most of us got at least a few
hours of much needed rest on the plane.
The pictures and words only tell a fraction of the story that was
our experience over the course of our journey together. I, personally,
am enriched and energized by the quality of our travels and the
extraordinary interest, wisdom and passion of this
group of students from Temple Beth Avodah. As parents of teenagers, we
often wonder if indeed we are succeeding; if we are doing a "good job,"
and if the hard work of raising kids in the 21st century will
ultimately yield the kind of adults we hope to nurture
and then, just a few years later, offer to the world. I can tell you
without hesitation that each and every one of your children is a gem in
his or her own way. I am grateful to have returned to Boston safely and
happily -- with our teens who are well on
their way to adulthood that will bring them -- and us -- gratification
and satisfaction. I thank their parents for entrusting them to us; for thinking
out of the box and allowing us to travel a great distance with them; for
giving them the gift of Israel as high school
students. I assure you that in doing so, these parents have enriched them for
today, and helped secure their future -- and ours -- for many years to
come.
