June 18 Wrap it up

 Today I asked each of my family these 4 questions. 

1. What was your favorite experience on this trip?

Brandon: Golan with cousins, Rosh Hanikra Caves, sleeping in Be’erutyiem, and swimming in the Mediterranean Sea: it is so clear

Colin: Soccer on Moshav Manof and the Jerusalem Shuk food tour.

Glenn: The Bar Mitzvah

Jill: Time spent with family, the joy of experiencing the boys B’nei Mitzvah at the wall surrounded by family and friends  it was very emotional and special. Witnessing peoples passion, singing Hallelujah while in the room of the Last Supper  Swimming in the Mediterranean Sea  

2. What was your favorite place that we visited?

Brandon: The beach, caves, Golan, and running down Masada 

Colin: Tel Aviv because there is always something to do  the Arab villages because they have no rules. 

Glenn:

Jill: Time spent sleeping and exploring the desert, Rosh Hanikra Caves, Jerusalem will always have my heart! 

3. What is a lesson you learned?

Brandon: Israel is expensive. Tunnel tour- Israelis began building the Kotel, Romans tore it down, the Muslims finished building it.

Colin: Be pushy to get what you want.

Glenn:

Jill: I learned history but more importantly I learned how most Israelis and Arabs coexist peacefully. Arab villages are modern just like our cities are. I also learned about the importance of the Old City from the standpoint of Christianity. I appreciated having another view. 

4. What will stick with you from Israel?

Brandon: The history and beauty

Colin: Food and soccer friends on the moshav. 

Glenn:

Jill: The feeling of belonging in Israel will always stick with me  

5. What are your final thoughts?

Brandon: The Iced Coffee is amazing. The Bar Mitzvah 

Colin: Thumbs up, it was fun and a cool experience. I got to meet cousins. 

Glenn:

Jill: The trip was magnificent, from family, friends and food to the sights we saw and feelings we have. 

June 17 Tel Aviv

 After a wonderful week of visiting with friends and family and touring Israel we spent today relaxing and spending time with Alex, Mark and his family, and Dean. 

It is wonderful spending time in Israel with my dad, brother and Anne. The boys had a great time with their uncle and cousin. This trip refreshed their relationship. They were filled with laughter and smiles the whole time they were together. 

While the boys enjoyed their last few hours with Todd and Anne, Glenn and I met Alex for lunch. I always appreciate the time we have together even though we are an ocean apart. 

Later Glenn visited with his cousin Dean. Prior to this trip they hadn’t seen each other in at least 20 years. They picked up where they left off. 

After saying goodbye to Todd and Anne, Mark, Oznat, and Noi came for dinner and a few more moments together. They really went out of their way to see us. I’ll miss them dearly when we are back home. 

Tomorrow we will have our final day in Tel Aviv. We hope to go for a final swim in the Med. then begin our journey home. 

June 16 Camels and a crater

 We woke up to the most beautiful sunrise over the Negev desert only a short mile away from the Egyptian border. Mark promised Be’eruytaim to be a very special place and he was right. After time in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem it was incredibly peaceful to be in the middle of nowhere left with only nature and your thoughts. There were 2 other groups there that we got to know. A dad and his twin boys and a group of men who were friends and family. This added to the atmosphere. 

After a delicious breakfast and many many cups of tea we set out on our camel caravan. We walked to a mountain (hill) where we saw markings from tribes who wandered the desert 2000 years ago. We looked less than a mile and saw border patrol as well as the fence separating Israel from Egypt. In the distance were wild donkeys. 

After our camel rides and Bedouin hospitality we traveled to the Ramon Crater, Mitzpe Ramon. It is here that we took a heel ride. The crater is a geological crater, meaning it was not caused by an impact, but rather by erosion. Israel is located on the rift of 2 tectonic plates. At one time the land was underwater. Except for a small island in the center of this crater, as time passed and the plate separated the soft soil below the surface collapsed. Leaving a massive dent in the earth. The crater reveals layers of earth from all periods in history back to Triassic period (pre-dinosaurs). A group of archeologists found bones of a whale/lizard type of animal from the Jurassic period.  We went on a fossil hunt and easily found fossils in the rocks we were standing in. In the distance we saw large black mounds, they were from extinct volcanoes. This geological wonder was incredible! 

June 14 Jerusalem Shuk Food Tour and Tunnel Tour

 There is a saying that you eat your way through Israel. That is exactly what we did this morning. Nadav, our tour guide walked us through Machan Yehuda teaching us about different foods and the history of the people who own the shops. We tasted Kurdish Grape Leaves, Georgian Khachapuri which is a cheese dish, similar to pizza, Syrian lamb pita and beef pita (similar to hamburgers), laffa but in Jerusalem it has a different name which means life of the oven, then we had açaí smoothie and shots of various health juices. Our tour continues with cheeses, spices, beer, candy (just a bonus for the kids), chocolates, and finally ending with unique ice cream. I tasted Matcha, chai masala, and wasabi!

After a brief rest our day resumed with another incredible experience. We went on the tunnel tours of the Western Wall. The Kotel is only a small piece of what remains of the western wall. Most of the wall is underground. As we descended further and further we walked beneath the old city, along the remaining wall. At one point the wall was underground, made of the bedrock, etched to look like the wall above. The next time we come, even more will be excavated. 

On our way back we noticed a huge commotion the Kotel Plaza. We were lucky to see the swearing in of the new Police. We stopped to watch in awe of this event. (Pics above)

Finally Glenn brought us to a secret rooftop above a hostel where we had the perfect vantage point of the whole city. 

June 13 The B’nei Mitzvah!

Words cannot describe the depth of feelings from this day. I don’t think I can write an accurate picture of the day. The emotions Glenn and I felt were deeply rooted. Was it the pride of hearing the boys chant prayers? The excitement over how well they did. The connection to seeing the wall behind us. The joy of seeing friends from Atlanta, family we see often and the family we have new connections with or those we seldom see standing with us, here for us… for Brandon and Colin. I can’t forget the love we felt from friends and family at home who couldn’t be with us. 

We began with a procession from the gate to the ceremony. We had drummers and a saxophone to set the stage for the day. As Uncle Toddee, Uncle Gavin, Jackson and Micah held the posts of the Chuppah Brandon, Colin, Glenn, and I walked together under one “roof”. The procession began with the sounding of the shofar as we saw the Kotel in the distance. We stopped to dance and sing along the way. Then continued walking under the chuppah with more songs and clapping. It was the epitome of joy. We heard the shofar a couple more times before descending to the location of the ceremony. 

The boys did the most amazing job. They were well prepared. Their voices perfectly chanted each prayer, Torah portion, and D’var Torah. Glenn and I were beaming of pride. Moira, Gavin, Mel, Grandpa Larry and Uncle Toddee were immersed in the pride of hearing their boys step forward in a long line of tradition. 

After they each completed their Torah portions we sang and danced. At the conclusion of the ceremony we looked at the wall and sang Hatikvah. With our hands on our hearts and tears in our eyes the gravity of the moment touched our hearts. 

We shared a meal with everyone but that was only a blip from the day. 

After everyone went home and we rested we went shopping where the boys bought a Star of David to wear to commemorate the day, now men in the eyes of Judaism. 

June 12 old City Tour

 We were wandering Jews, wandering through the Old City of Jerusalem. I have been to The Old City before and I’ve never experienced it as I did today. We spent 5 hours exploring the 4 quarters of Jerusalem. We saw the holiest sites for each of the 3 religions. Our tour guide Nadav explained how Judaism and Christianity’s history is intertwined. 

Being Jewish, I’ve only studied our religion. I had a basic understanding of Christianity. After this tour I understood their religion better. I understood the history of Jesus and what kind of following he had prior to his death. We saw the place of the “last supper”. It was at the sight of The Last Supper that a tour group from Africa are singing Hallelujah. They were fully immersed in the emotions they were feeling. People were crying, singing and laying on the ground praying. I was overcome with emotions simply as a bystander to their energy. The feeling was electric. I had to take several deep breaths to center myself after that powerful experience. 

We went as close to the Temple Mount as possible then off to another section of the Western wall that is lesser known about. We went to the Church of Sepulchers where we saw the sight of Jesus’ tomb. I was very interested in the history we learned about Christianity and Jesus. 

While the men went to their side Anne and I went to the women's side. This trip was her first experience with Judaism. 

After 5 hours we finished the tour filled with information to process and tired feet. Golda, our favorite ice cream shop hit the spot.