Aaaahhh-----Israel

---

Shalom from Haifa, Ashdod, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, ISRAEL

As our ship approached the beautiful harbour of Haifa, the thoughts of my very first visit to Israel came rushing back… 45 years ago, the same harbour….. I was on a student summer study program with Rabbi Eugene and Anita Weiner. Flash forward to 2009, and in a few hours, we would be seeing Anita, who now lives in Haifa…..Talk about a complete circle !


We were greeted at the dock by the wonderful sight of Harvey’s son Lawrence, who had driven in from Tel Aviv to meet us. Lots of hugs and kisses and then off for our first day together.

Catching up. with all of us talking at once, we decided that since it was such a perfect day weather- wise and we had a little time before we were to be at Anita’s for brunch, that we would just visit with each other as well as take in some of the Haifa sights---the famous and beautiful Baha'i Gardens, plus a little stroll exploring the Templar houses of the German Colony.

Anita is a wonderful hostess and prepared a delicious brunch for us which was served on her gorgeous terrace with breathtaking views. One can see down to the Harbour (we spotted our ship) and the vista offers views as far away as Lebanon. She and Yehuda, her partner, were attentive hosts. We were delighted to see them again, the last get-together being at the wedding of Lawrence and Hadas in Aug 2007.
Our visit was much too short, but very sweet. We looked at old photos from the '60's in Hamilton and laughed and cried. We've remained close over the years, and try to manage to see each other as often as possible.
The morning was a wonderful welcome to this amazing land of Israel. Thankyou Anita and Yehuda.

We bid adieu and headed off to the mystical city of Sefad. It was here that the famous Rabbi Caro established laws of Jewish conduct in the 18oo's . We watched a video at the tourist office to learn a little of the history of the area. At one time this was a centre of Jewish learning , spiritualism and culture, with many synagogues and an active population.
Over the years, it became an artist's colony. We strolled the quaint areas and visited some of the galleries, and spoke with some of the shopkeepers and the residents. There is also a large Hasidic contingent here.

Lawrence, our excellent private guide and driver, (guess we'll have to tip him ) , took us back to the ship on a scenic route, as we passed the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinnereth) driving through the mountainous terrain.

Monday was a treat, as Hadas, Lawrence’s wife, was able to take the day off work to spend with us.
Our first stop was Sderot. Along the way, prior to entering the city, (which has been bombarded over the past 7 years with 9000 Kassam Rockets ....and still counting), we stopped at a lookout area. Below was a reservoir holding water brought in from Jerusalem, constructed by JNF. From this vantage point, we were able to view Gaza and the surrounding area.
Serendipitously, at the lookout, we met a charming young man, Ariel Kotler of the Jewish National Fund who was accompanying another couple from the U.S. on a tour of the area.
He invited us to join them at the incredible indoor playground which was built by JNF for the children of Sderot in order for these traumatized kids to have a safe place to play.

It was shockingly enlightening to realize that every bus shelter in Sderot is also a bomb shelter, and that after the siren goes, one has exactly 15 SECONDS to get oneself inside a bomb shelter….that’s right, just fifteen seconds !
To us it seems impossible that people can live like this, yet there are over 21,000 Jews who still live here. Why do they stay? Many have no other place to go, and no job opportunities elsewhere, and so they survive…..somehow, as bombs continue to literally drop on their heads. But others just refuse to be forced into leaving and courageously stand firm.

Let me describe the Indoor Playground. What a facility! Two years ago, an old factory building was converted into an amazing space…The outside is painted bright blue, like a JNF pishka…and in fact is nicknamed the biggest Blue Box in the world. Within the 20,000 square feet of space are 5 huge play areas with anything you could think of, --- containing large screen PlayStation games, a basketball /volleyball court, rock climbing walls, soft play jumping playgrounds, kindergarten dress-up and play areas, and a room for computers , plus 2 “Birthday Party “ rooms (which are also bomb proof). In addition there are two more bomb shelter areas, one is a video room by day and a disco by night , and the other a high energy padded soccer room.

We have never seen anything like this…..and listen to one remarkable concept: every single activity is geared to making sure that when a siren goes off, every kid playing in the main area can get to the shelter areas within a mere 10 seconds ! That means, as an example, that the rock climbing wall can only be a certain height….anything over 18 feet requires a harness, which would take too long to remove !! It was an amazingly well planned facility. There are food areas and changing facilities. Kids attend locally after school and we were told that students from other cities also visit on weekends and on school trips. (Can you imagine North American parents letting their kids go to a place where enemy rockets are dropped ?)
Originally the space was gratis, but the citizens did not want “charity”, so there is a nominal daily charge, but of course no child is turned away if they can’t afford it. Most importantly of all, psychologists are on site to speak with the kids and the families to help them cope with the suffering and stress of living here.
JNF allocated five million to the construction and spends about $250,000 yearly to maintain it.

Heading back to Tel Aviv, driving through many citrus orchards, passing near Ashkelon , Be’er Sheva, and Ben Gurion University, our minds were still on the brave inhabitants of Sderot.

Since we have previously spent time in Israel, and have toured a fair amount, Lawrence, our creative guide, suggested other places for us to see. We had not been to Independence Hall in the middle of Tel Aviv, so off we went to visit the place where David Ben Gurion first declared Israel as an Independent State in May, 1948. It must have been quite an experience to stand in DIzendoff Square on that historic moment.
Afterwards, we drove down the beautiful Rothschild Boulevard to a great little place for a late lunch.

Then we went to see Lawrence and Dasi’s charming apartment…..neat as a pin and adorable, it’s in a fabulous area similar to Toronto’s Spadina Village, with close-by neighbourhood shops, restaurants and amenities. We went for a walk through this charming district, just as the sun was beginning to set.

On Tuesday, we all went to Jerusalem for the day. First, we visited the Kotel, (wailing wall) where there happened to be a New Torah Dedication ceremony. We lunched at the dairy restaurant “Roladin” (Delicious, but, Ruthie and Philip, they didn’t have the famous Toronto U.B. pea soup).

We leisurely strolled through the 0ld City, the Cardo (the old Jewish quarter and the market souk) and drank in the special ambience that is Jerusalem….really, like no other city in the world. There is an indescribable and palpable sensibility that makes us welcome and very joyous…something about this place ….it’s not just spiritual, it’s also magical.

As an added treat, on our way back to Ashdod, we drove to Ein Kerem (literally translated as Centre of the Vineyards)
A charming village with old historical churches, lovely rolling scenery and quaint shops, it was a wonderful conclusion to our three beautiful days in Israel.

All too soon it was time to return to our ship, and we very reluctantly, and a little tearfully, said “Le hitra ot” to Lawrence and Dasi, and promised to be together again soon. Thankyou , L & H, for making this trip to Israel so memorable. We loved every minute of the time we spent together.

As our ship sailed away we were drenched in the warmth, spirit and vitality that is this ancient/modern land of Israel.

SO, Erev Tov to you, dear reader….we’ll report again after our upcoming week in Egypt….and Toda Rabah for reading about our journey.

Hoping you are all well and sending you our love.
Xoxo
Harvey and Lindsay

Please let us know if you are receiving the email notices for the blogs…..and if you want, don’t forget to scroll down to see the additional pictures at the end of each entry.

---

Photos

View from Anita's terrace
You can see the ship

Comments

[Ruthie]

So...now I'M UP TO DATE.....I always felt comfortable going from left to right, so why not read from the last entry to the first. It's all great! I just came back from 4 days in New York......I saw Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig/ Catherine Zeta Jones and Angela Lansbury/ enjoyed the spiritual experience of the BJ shul (B'nai Jeshuran on the Upper West side) and walked EVERY neighbourhood, as well as Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty......when the concierge heard where I was planning to walk, she thought I was out of my mind.....I think she'd think the same about you, Lindsay!!!! But keep on walking!!! and doing all of your other great stuff, too! Good to see everyone looking so well. xoxo Ruthie