Rabbi's Sabbatical  (see below for a slideshow of photographs)

July 5, 2004

We left Chicago at 10 AM on Monday and arrived at Ben Gurion at almost 10 AM on Tuesday. But we were only on the plane about 13 hours. Where did we lose a night? Thank God the plane was packed. Our tour guide Natan says tourism is up 80% this year. Great news. Of course this means longer lines.

July 7, 2004

Began the day at Armon HaNatziv at a place called HaTayelet. Looked at the city northward. We could see the magnificence of the entire city, ancient and modern. We also saw the much talked about fence snaking its way through the city. Sadly it is an eyesore. Sadly it is necessary. While it is a long way from being complete, where it has been completed it has kept the terrorists in check. This has benefited Palestinian communities though they loath to admit it. For where the terrorists can't enter from the Israeli army does not bother them. This has allowed the newly quiet Palestinian areas a respite and an opportunity to develop. The other thing we noticed these first few days driving to Jerusalem and looking out at the city is that there is almost no clear divisions between Israelis and Palestinians. Other than the major six Palestinians cities in which 80% of the Palestinian population lives, everyone is interspersed.

We continued at Givat HaTachmoshet, Ammunition Hill, where we learned of the heroism of the soldiers who fought and fell in the battle for Jerusalem in the 67 War. We role played the battle, throwing stones instead of bullets so that the kids could understand the dangers and challenges of this battle. It also gave Hillel and Ilan an opportunity to participate in our trip.

In the late afternoon, we went to the Old City. We walked along the walls and talked about the development of the city in the medieval period. It was terrific to see how the city developed within the walls and to look out from the city and see how it developed outside. We then went to the Kotel. Tremendous security to get in. One’s first visit to the wall is always a remarkable experience, emotionally, aesthetically, spiritually (mine was 30 years ago). Afterwards it becomes another ancient Jewish place. Yet even now I could reflect on the changes in my life since that first visit. The first time I came as a child with parents, later I lived in the city as a student but a single person. The last time I came before the wall Lizzie and I had just gotten married. Today I came back to the wall with a complete family. How blessed my life has been. I asked God to watch over my family and protect them so that my children should return here in time with their families. Am Yisrael Hai.

July 8, 2004

Began the day by getting out of bed at 6 AM just as the sun was rising. I went out to the terrace of the hotel which overlooks the old city, on the other side of the Valley of Hinnom. This is Gai Hinnom in Hebrew, the origin of the Biblical term for the netherworld – Gehinnom or Gehenna. I davvened Shacharit in the cool delightful breeze listening to only the sound of birds and the occasional car as it snaked its way around the Old City. It was good to enjoy the breeze, for by 9:00 AM it was almost 100 degrees.

After a few morning errands we traveled again to the Old City. We traveled along the Western Wall underground to see the explorations that have uncovered evidence of the true magnificence of Herod’s Temple, the Second Temple not built by him but renovated and made truly wondrous by this hated tyrant. It is quite possible that Herod’s renovations made the Temple the most daunting architectural model and most awesome structure in the entire ancient world. One of the stones Herod used to fortify the Temple must have been 30-40 feet long and archeologists still do not know how ancient engineers moved it. The Temple was 17 stories tall. Its dimensions were immense. The outer court was about 5 football fields long. Anyone who has ever been to the Western Wall has only seen a fraction of the entire wall. Archeology has now revealed the extent of this outer retaining wall, for the Western Wall is not part of the Temple itself. The sanctity of the Western Wall derived not because it was the only part of the Temple structure left, but because its walls came closest to the Temple itself.

Later we stopped by an exhibit at the Temple Institute, dedicated to creating and developing the utensils and clothes needed by Priests to carry out their functions in the Temple, as they expect the Temple to be rebuilt speedily in our days. I asked our guide a reasonable question - who gave you the authority to start rebuilding, I mean, what if I wanted to start, who says your utensils are the correct ones?. She was slightly taken aback but answered that according to Maimonides, whose halachic descriptions of the utensils' measurements this group follows scrupulously, anyone can build the utensils at any time. They believe their work will become the standard. She also admitted that no one knows exactly how the utensils looked at the time of the second Temple and their artisans have used creative license once the legal measurements were met. Individuality and creativity still have a place in the holy work of the most conservative of pietists! 

July 14, 2004

Eilat is Israel’s Riviera:  It has a beautiful shoreline, sun all year round and an international collection of tourists.  It also has a
fascinating collection of beachcombers and beach front kiosks selling every kind of hazerai and beach fashion imaginable.  The hotel
personnel were made up of course of Israelis with names like Ofir and Meirav but also Anna, Luis, Sebastian.  One is tempted to assume these are temporary workers looking for work in the sun and tourist culture, but they all speak Hebrew fluently!  It was not clear whether this was one more sign of Israel’s ingathering of the exiles or the strength of the Israel’s modern economy that non Jews come and make Israel their home because their prospects are better here.

Our first day in Eilat we drove out ( I drove and survived) to the Underwater Sea Museum.  Because Eilat has one of the most beautiful and protected coral reefs in the world diving and snorkeling is a popular activity here.  It also allows for one of the most wonderful undersea museums I have ever seen.  It is not exactly an aquarium, more like a game preserve for the sea world.  You see the fish in their natural habitats, not in cages.  There is an observatory built about 500 yards into the Red Sea and watch the sea creatures.  There are glass bottom boats and submarines to take people out to sea the fish.

The views were breathtaking.  The colors of the fish were vibrant, And you see them living in their habitats not forced into artificial
habitats like in aquariums.

From the top of the observatory you are granted a beautiful view of the Red Sea whose hues of blue are like nothing I have ever seen.   Jordan and Egypt’s Sinai are within view.

July 15, 2004

We decided to take an adventure on Wednesday.  At least for Lizzie, Tali and Moshe.  We went to the Dolphin Reef where they work and train with dolphins.  Dolphins live in the Red Sea but the dolphins at this particular reef were not indigenous to the Red Sea, I guess these dolphins are easier to train.  They are trained to trust humans so that humans can learn to swim with them.  The Dolphin Reef is located along the beautiful Eilat reef and one can walk into the shallow water and see the beautiful exotic fish of the Red Sea swimming around.  But Tali, Moshe and Lizzie did something more daring.  They took a lesson offered by the instructors at the Dolphin Reef on how to snorkel and then went swimming with dolphins in their enclosed beach area.  Besides the fish and the coral, the dolphins swim right up to the swimmers.  A dolphin brushed against  Moshe and dolphins swam right under Lizzie and Tali. They were exhilarated by their efforts.  Ilan, Hillel and myself played on the beach and ran or swam after the beautiful fish swimming around the shore.

The heat was tremendous on these days.  It was estimated to be about 111 Fahrenheit.  We were wiped out by the end of our experience and retired to the hotel.  Swimming again in the afternoon followed by dinner at the hotel.  In the end we ate dinner at the hotel every night.  Not adventuresome, you say?  O contraire! The hotel had an all you can eat buffet each night.  And each night the menu is awesome, for those who like to explore the world of culinary delights. I felt like I was at King’s buffet in South Bend but it was better. It was a beautiful example of harmony of cultures – you had Israeli standards like humus, and marinated eggplant, dwelling with roast beef and grilled chicken, Moroccan cigars (meat filled wraps) other Arab vegetables, European chicken soup, Chinese mixed vegetables, Kafta kubab and even American hot dogs.  Why can’t the people of the world get along as beautifully as these foods?

July 16, 2004

Friday we  began our trek up through the Arava, the desert that borders Jordan, to visit our friends, Cecil Rimer and Sara Cohen who live on Kibbutz Ketura for Shabbat.  The Kibbutz is one of the few left in Israel that adheres to original Kibbutz ideology.  That is, all income is shared in a common pool and distributed to members according to their needs.  Even for those kibbutznikim who work off the kibbutz their incomes are included in the community budget.  The kibbutz makes money in various businesses, ranging from education, to milk, date and even algae production.  Kibbutz Ketura was begun by Young Judea members and supported financially by Hadassah, so many of the members are Anglos. We were guests of the kibbutz and were fortunate to be able to stay in the home of one of the kibbutznikim who had gone back to the states to visit family.

The house was quite small by American standards just two bedrooms, a kitchen,  a living room and a small office room.  This served a family of 6.  But they did not really need much personal space because on this Kibbutz so much is communal, people spend little time at home other than sleeping.  Cecil mentioned that while there is little personal income, funds are available for all sorts of activities.  For example any member who wants to go out and enjoy culture – movies, opera, plays, just applies to the secretariat and they get the money.

There are about 135 members on the kibbutz and 400 people altogether including children and others who live and work on kibbutz.  Although it is not a religious kibbutz, a large number of the members on this kibbutz are religious in the mode of typical Conservative Jews.  So we went to shul on Friday night and Shabbat morning.  Shul was egalitarian.

Cecil runs the Arava Institute, an environmental studies program that students can study at for bachelor degree credit through Tel Aviv University and a Master’s degree program.  It is devoted to environmental studies not just desert environment.  The unique aspect to this program is its combination of Israeli, North American and Arab students.  This year there are 4 Jordanians more than at any other university in Israel.  Cecil says he has learned much from the Arab students.

The kids had a hard time at first on kibbutz – they hated the food, the apartment was too small for their liking especially after Eilat.  But they did love the pool which was Olympic style and deep enough to dive into.  I think by the end they truly enjoyed the visit, but they were glad it was only a visit.  Very admirable those who make these kind of life choices.  It was interesting when I asked how do people get along since they are few in number and no where else to go socially. Sara said that though she got along with almost everybody she only had a few friends on the kibbutz.  One must be very self differentiated to make it in this environment.  I admire such people.

Late July 17, 2004 (looking at life through the children)

Shabbat Shalom from the very hot Negev desert. The kibbutz we are staying at has a DSL line.  My WIFI access has been very spotty and I could not get it to work in Eilat.  Having problems sending photographs but am working on it.  This update is from the children:

Moshe: The first day we ended up in Lod airport and went to get our luggage and went to see our guide.  We went to get our rental car.  Then we went to a place where Abba studied (Hebrew University) and we looked out from Mt. Scopus and saw all of Jerusalem.  And then we went to a supermarket and in the afternoon we went to a time elevator about Jerusalem history, it was really fun.  It was a movie and at the beginning of the movie they pretend you are in an earthquake.  The chairs move around as if you were in a roller coaster.

Ilan: The second day we were here in Jerusalem, we walked on the walls of the old city of Jerusalem.  Then we went to the Kotel (The western wall) and we davvened at the wall.  We also wrote stuff on pieces of paper and stuck them in the wall.  We walked in this library thingy and it was filled with siddurs and people davvening.

Moshe:  On Thursday which is the third day in Jerusalem we went back to the old city to go underground to see the tunnels under the Western Wall. 

Ilan: And we saw King Herod’s wrecked palace.

Moshe: Friday we went on our own.  We went to Mahane Yehudah, which is an open air market where they sell all kinds of foods and other stuff.  We bought me a kipa there.  We swam in the hotel pool in the afternoon.

Ilan: On Shabbat we went to a shul.  I met someone who I liked there. 

Moshe: It was an Orthodox shul, the men and women sat separate but the women read from the Torah.

Ilan:  And Tali met her counselor in training from Camp Ramah last summer at the synagogue

Ilan:  The time elevator was most fun this week.  And I also liked the museum where they are building the utensils for the next Temple.

Moshe:  Israel is very different from America.  The people are very different. They look different.  There are so many different kinds of people living in one small area. Their colors, their names, their ethnic groups, their religions.

Ilan: And in America there is only one place of Jews and the rest are Christians.  It looks different here too, there are mountains.  And if you are far away from the rocks they look like they are houses but they really are not.

Moshe and Ilan : Next week we go to Eilat and Masada and Negev. 

~~~~~~~~~

After we went to Ein Gedi we drove to Eilat.  Eilat is a lot like the U.S.  It’s even more of a city than South Bend is.  Today, which is our second day in Eilat, we went to an open aquarium at the Red Sea.  We saw so many types of fish with so many different colors.  I even got to open an oyster and find a pearl!

So that’s basically our trip in Israel so far!
                                                                                    Tali

July 18

After a quick tour of the kibbutz, we drove to Beer Sheva where we had lunch with the Zilbermans and met our guide Natan, who had come down from Jerusalem. Although Jerusalem is the center of the country and Beer Sheva is the capital of the Negev, everything in Israel is so close, it is a relatively short bus ride between the two cities. In fact by the end of the day we had pretty much driven the length of the country - total driving time about the same time it takes to drive from South Bend to Mackinac Island. When one sees Israel on the ground one understands why Israel must be so cautious about security. If the Palestinians and Arab neighbors could be trusted to truly accept Israel as a political reality, one could understand the demands that Israel must share sovereignty over sensitive areas with other nationalities who don't want Israelis ruling over them. But given the reality that Arabs have never accepted Jewish self determination in Israel (even in countries such as Jordan and Egypt which have peace treaties with Israel, the majority of the population and many influential constituencies still oppose such recognition) security will continue to be preeminent for Israeli policy makers and the more territory they have control over the easier it is to maintain security control. Witness the significant decrease of the current terrorist attacks in Israel. It coincided with the de facto return of Israeli sovereignty over Palestinian Authority land.

The Zilbermans had a really nice apartment but they are moving to a bigger house next year. Beer Sheva is a city on the move. It is growing. There was construction everywhere. Many believe that if individuals who live on the West Bank and Gaza leave these areas, Beer Sheva will be one place they will be encouraged to move to.

The drive north was interesting. We watched the changes before our very eyes from dry rocky desert to green lush verdant hills and highways. The North is where most Israelis live and is the most developed part of the country.

On the way north we stopped at the fascinating Ayalon Institute. This was an early kibbutz with a secret – unbeknownst to the majority of the kibbutzniks, under the kibbutz was a bullet making factory. The kibbutz was begun in the days before the state when the British would arrest and even put to death Jews caught with weapons. The Kibbutz had the secret factory built under their bakery and laundry and made over 2 million bullets for the Palmach. It is very possible that without the success of their venture, the Jews would not have defeated the British or the Arabs. Every precaution was taken to protect this secret – to the extent of having a tanning room so that the workers would get a tan to provide cover that they were working in the fields.

To make sure the British would not uncover the factory, the Jews became friendly with them and whenever the British would enter the Kibbutz to check things out the Jews would invite them for beer. The British mentioned to the Jews that they liked their beer cold. So the Jews worked out a deal with them – they could come whenever they wanted but they were to call and give the Jews a warning so they could put the beer on ice. Thus the British always indicated to them when they were coming.

That night we made it up to Zichron Yaakov, one of the first areas of settlement for the Jews. The town is beautiful, it looked like a Bavarian city with lovely houses with red roofs and flowers everywhere.

July 19, 2004

Monday was a terrific day. Historically we found ourselves in the time of the Mishnah.

We began in Bet Shearim an important city for the Jews after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. It became one of the cities where the Sanhedrin sat and where Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, the great great grandson of Hillel and the leader of the Jewish community of his time, lived and composed the Mishnah. The Talmud mentions that he was buried with his wife and in one of the caves a dual plot was found. It is believed that this is where he is buried here. Sarcophagi are still in many of the caves and their inscriptions clearly marked. Greek and Aramaic are found with Hebrew. Menorot as well as pagan symbols are found on the sarcophagi. Once again a sign, as found in many Galileean synagogues from the period, that Jews had no problem borrowing from other cultures and transforming these symbols into decorations.

From Bet Shearim we moved on to Kefar Kedem in the village of Hoshaya. The village has built a replica of a Jewish community of the Mishnaic period. We learned about the importance of this period of Jewish history from Menahem, the Kefar Kedems's creator. Then we dressed in period costumes for a donkey ride. We got back to our base and learned about the making of bread in this period. It made some of the mishnayot that Tali and I had learned in Peah more clear. Then we made our own pita and ate it with our lunch in large tents. Also throughout the area are trees that would have grown at that time and we were encouraged to just pick fruit off the trees and eat it. We ate grapes and figs.

We moved on to Sfat the mystical city. There is so much to see and learn in Sfat but we were pretty tired out at that point and spent most of the time shopping among the many crafts artists who have taken up residence in Sfat. We did visit the Aboav synagogue which was built by Rabbi Aboav and his followers who escaped from Spain. The synagogue is built with symbolic numbers – it goes from one to twelve in significant parts of the synagogue architecture.

We stayed in the Galil, the northern half of Israel, at a beautiful kibbutz guest house, Kibbutz Maagan. This was clearly a family vacation spot. The hotel is right on the Kinneret, known as the Sea of Galilee. There was a large pool but vacationers could also go and swim in the Kinneret. Of course Friedland family members did both. There were also family activities during the day and night, from the kumsitz to “moonwalk” inflatables set up on the kibbutz lawn. There was also a small zoo with an ostrich, donkeys, even monkeys.

We went into Tiberias for dinner. After dinner a Russian was playing accordion and Hillel and Ilan who by this point were way past bed time (it was about 10 PM) got crazy and started dancing at Moshe’s suggestion to the music. Since the accordion player was collecting contributions for his play, Hillel and Ilan kept putting out their hats for contributions. They were too cute and passers-by would laugh as they saw these two nutty kids dancing next to the accordion player. But they got no action.

July 20, 2004

Kind of wasted day. Started late so kids could swim in the Kinneret. Then we drove up north to the very top of Israel, to Kiryat Shemoneh for lunch. We were on our way to go rafting on the Jordan. Natan however went out the entrance of the parking area and went over a barrier that punctured two tires. Spent the next two hours waiting for the tires to get fixed.

But all was not lost. We went to dinner in Tiberias and rented a boat for half hour to drive on Kinneret. On Lake Kinneret one can see the mountain ranges all around including the mountains of Golan and Lebanon. Natan drove and all the kids had a chance to drive the boat for a while. Then we came back to the hotel and went to a kumsitz where everyone was singing good old Israeli songs, the good ones by Naomi Shemer and others and the words were put up on a screen. A fire, the Kinneret lapping at the shore, a finjan cooking water for sweet tea or sweet coffee and songs of Beautiful Israel. What could be better?

July 21, 2004

First thing in the morning we drove up to the Golan. This is the area that Israel claimed after the 1967 war with Syria. Syria sat on the Golan Heights and Israelis in the valley were at their mercy. Israel defeated the Syrians in 1967 and took this very strategic position. We took a jeep ride through a portion of this area. The rolling green hills are eye catching in their beauty and we were told that in the winter when every thing is in bloom the colors are amazing. This is also an area where Jews lived for hundreds of years before the Romans and Arabs destroyed their communities. We visited an ancient Jewish settlement of Kanaf that was rebuilt by the Turks and then inhabited by the Druze. When the Israelis arrived in 1967, the area was desolate and only the poorest of Syrian society lived here in subsistence farming. The Syrians forcibly uprooted them to make battle arrangements to fight Israel. Today the area is a thriving bucolic farming and vacation area. Many Israelis come to hike and enjoy the beautiful nature walks and activities like kayaking and rafting on the Jordan river.

The kids loved the Jeep ride. The ride was like a roller coaster and Asher our guide for the trip let the boys drive. We also drove over a stream and the kids and Lizzie walked through the very warm river water.

In the afternoon Lizzie and the kids stayed at the kibbutz and swam while I went with Natan to Tel Dan in the Dan Nature reserve. I could not pass up the opportunity to see this outstanding nature preserve where years ago I had assisted on the archeological dig in the area.

The Dan Nature reserve is located at the source of the Dan river which flows into the Jordan. It is one of the three sources for the Jordan river in Israeli territory. Water from the snow and ice melt of the Hermon mountain converge and exit an underground stream at this point. The forest is beautiful and many birds and animals live in this protected area. The Archeological remains from this area are very profound. They include the remains of a Jewish Temple built during the reign of the Israelian King Jeroboam to compete with the Solomonic Temple in Jerusalem which was in the Judean state. This may be the closest we will ever be to a Jewish sacrificial site since the Temple in Jerusalem after being rebuilt was destroyed completely. The site also includes a complete uncovering of the city gate and the area where the leaders of these cities would judge cases and lead government.

July 22, 2004

Today we went to the very northernmost part of the country, Rosh HaNikra. It sits on the Lebanon border. When the British ruled Palestine, they attempted to create a railroad that went through the mountains of Rosh HaNikra in an effort to tie Europe and Asia together. They built the railroad but the Palmah, the Jewish military forces in pre-Israel Palestine blew it up because Arab armies were attempting to use the railroad to bring soldiers and equipment into the country.

The geological uniqueness of Rosh HaNikra are the grottoes carved by the sea in the limestone walls of the mountain over millions of years. One can walk into the caves and see the sea rushing in. To get to the grottoes we took the cable car.

We then drove to Acco with its famous Crusader castle. We walked through the castle and the old city which is where the Arab community of the city resides. Acco is one of the cities in Israel where Arabs and Jews get along pretty well.

Then we drove to Haifa for the evening. We did not see much of Haifa, just walked a little to find dinner. I suggested that we ride the Carmelit, the only underground train in Israel and an unusual underground since it goes up and down the Carmel mountain. For some reason it took us about 20 minutes to figure out how to buy the tickets from the automatic teller. I guess not many people ride the Carmelit these days as we were the only ones on it. We rode all the way down and we were waiting to ride the back when the conductor/engineer got on and asked us why we did not get off. We told him that we were visiting Israel and wanted the children to see the famous Carmelit. He asked, "Would your children like to drive it?” We jumped at the chance. All of us squeezed into the driver’s area and he let the kids push the start buttons at each station. Only in Israel. In the states not only would we not get such an offer, but if you did, that would be a sign to get off the train. The kids are becoming experienced drivers. They have now driven a jeep, a boat and a Carmelit.

July 23, 2004

Much of our trip has been focused on seeing the unique geographic features of the Land of Israel and visiting places of older Jewish historical significance. But on Friday on the way back to Jerusalem we stopped at a new museum dedicated to the recent history of Israel. The Atlit prison camp which the British set up to keep Jews from entering Israel during the years after the Holocaust is now a museum dedicated to the courage of these Jewish immigrants who came despite British opposition and the Palmah fighters who arranged a prison break to save Jews from being sent back to Europe or Arab countries. Considering that these Jews had just exited the Death Camps, the psychological terror of entering the deportation camps surrounded by barbed wire just like the Nazi camps, in which men and women were separated as they entered, in which the very first thing the British did was demand that take showers must have been devastating. One story is told that the British, not able to get these Jews to follow what must have been a logical request in their eyes, stripped themselves and took showers with the Jews to calm their fears. Nevertheless the conditions were atrocious in the camps and the British attempted to return the Jews to their countries of origin. In the end most the Jews were able to get permission to stay after months or even years in the camp.

We made our way to Jerusalem and stopped at a once unheard of yet now ubiquitous Israeli institution – a shopping mall. What struck me was the Israeli nature of the stores. It was not a mini American mall transplanted to Israel, but a mall with Israeli furniture, book, art and jewelry stores. But it did have certain American features – McDonalds! Now, McDonalds is pretty common in Israel today but not a Kosher McDonalds. So no double cheeseburgers. But we did get Happy Meals. This ranked very high on the Friedland children list of cool things in Israel. I mean to come to Israel and eat McDonald hamburgers and watch cable TV with the cartoon Network, what could be better?

We spent Shabbat with friends in Jerusalem. My friend Sandy went to Brandeis with me. Her husband Pinhas and his family made aliyah when he was eight years old. Pinhas became a computer high tech expert and today works as a venture capitalist locating high tech Israeli companies worthy of investment for a European fund. They recently built a home in the south west corner of Jerusalem with a breathtaking view of all Jerusalem. Pinhas told me that despite European anti Semitism, which he said was frightening, if a European investor wants to invest in high tech companies there are only two places he can put his money – England or Israel. Remarkable that Israel with all the damage that the terrorist war and the high tech down turn did to its economy is still one of the leaders in cutting edge technology.

OF course there is an unpleasant side to Israel’s emerging first world economy. The wage gap between the rich and poor which used to be negligible has grown. In fact the two worst countries in the world in terms of the gap between the rich and the poor are Israel and the United States. And without getting on a political soap box it is probably not a coincidence that both countries are led by conservative economic policy makers.

I davvened that night at Pinhas' Orthodox shul of which he is president. I liked it, it reminded me of a typical modern orthodox neighborhood shul in Israel. It was also pretty cool that the rabbi of the shul is Rabbi Michael Melchior, who is a member of the Labor party (quite rare for a religious Jew) and also chief rabbi of Norway. His brother in law was sitting next to him in shul - the chief rabbi of Denmark. Had the chief rabbi of Sweden been in a shul it is likely a hockey game would have broken out.

July 25, 2004

We went out to join an archeological dig for a day in Bet Guvrin an amazing archeological dig. First the area uncovered is not actually a Jewish city but more accurately an Edomite city which was composed of underground caves and dwellings. These Edomites did become Jewish in a campaign of forced conversation, the only time in Jewish history we are aware of forced conversion as a policy. This occurred under the reign of Yohanan Hyrcanus, a Hasmonean king and son of one of Judah Maccabee’s brothers. One descendant of these forced converts became famous as King Herod who built the Great Temple in Jerusalem. Later the Romans built a city in this area. It was an important stop on trade routes.

As archeologists for the day we learned what they do and how they do it. The area is rich in artifacts and everyone found at least pottery shards from two thousands years ago. These aren’t fakes, they are real. It is an awesome feeling to dig out of the earth a piece of pottery that someone, perhaps an ancestor used so long ago. We also went deeper underground through some unexcavated cave areas, climbing through holes and tunnels. A bit anxiety provoking for a claustrophobic person like myself, some of the holes I could barely pass through.

I mentioned to Natan that I went to Brandeis with the daughter of the guy who started this whole business. Natan saw Bernie Alpert at the dig and introduced me. It was such a funny coincidence to meet him after hearing Abby his daughter tell me 25 years ago when we were both freshmen at Brandeis about her parents making aliyah and her dad thinking up this idea.

At the end of the dig we got to choose as many pieces of shards as we wanted. We took a lot of pieces and plan to make a hanukkiah out of pottery created at the time of the Maccabees.

July 26, 2004

Sometimes cognitive dissonance can be a wondrous thing. Tonight Tisha B’Av began. Tisha B’Av commemorates the destruction of the first Temple by the Babylonians and the second Temple by the Romans and numerous other tragedies in Jewish history that fell on or around the date of the ninth of the Hebrew month of Av. Of course we being in Jerusalem the destruction of the Temple and the Jewish community of Jerusalem has the greatest resonance. Lizzie and I and the kids went up to the Tayelet {Haas Promenade} where we began our journey and which holds a magnificent view of all Jerusalem to join others in reciting the book of lamentations. This place has become a central location for the recitation of the Lamentations because of its view and it is where the Conservative movements various synagogues and groups come. We joined hundreds of worshipers in an open ad hoc synagogue to recite together these ancient words of woe and humiliation. But here we were reciting words which describe the destruction and desolation of Jerusalem in full view of this beautiful and magnificent reconstructed modern, united city. In the background were the sounds of children playing and laughing, in the midst of Jewish worshipers were Arab families who also make use of the Promenade for gatherings and walks. It was confusing. Was the beauty of this reconstructed city a response to the words? Or were the words a warning from the past of complacency in the present? Although Tisha B’Av is not a favorite holiday of mine I suggest that everyone should spend one Tisha B’Av in their life in Jerusalem looking over the city.

July 27, 2004 Coming Home...

Our last day in Israel was a difficult day due to the fast of Tisha B'Av. None of us really wanted to leave. It has been such a wonderful and exciting 3 weeks. It must have been terrific because the trip was so physically exhausting and yet we did not want it to end. On Tuesday we went into Tel Aviv mid day and saw Adina Barkai and the kids at her parents home.

The plane ride home was very hard. It left at midnight. The plane had very tight seats unlike the plane to Israel. 11 hours of no sleep and then we deplaned in Newark picked up our luggage and went through customs. Had to go through EL Al security again and airport security. Took 2 and ½ hours, at 4 :30 in the morning.

As we were waiting to go through security, a very nice Orthodox Jewish family from the plane was standing with their baby next to us. We got to talking and he asked if we lived in the States or Israel. We told him we live in the States and that we were returning home after our visit. We live in a little city near Chicago called South Bend. "South Bend!" they shouted! "That's where we are going!" Turns out he was Rabbi Al Lerman’s son. The Jewish world is so small.

July 30-31

David Krishef is the rabbi of  Anshei Ahim, the conservative shul in Grand Rapids.  Grand Rapids is a smaller community than South Bend but as a whole the community seems to work more cohesively than ours.  Some of it is due to the fact that the Orthodox community is non-existent other than a struggling Lubavitcher group.  Thus most of the community is pretty similar in terms of Jewish behaviors.  Also the Reform synagogue was led for years by a rabbi who was very warm and generous with  Jews of all stripes including the Lubavitch and David responded in kind. One example of the community’s cohesiveness is their community midrasha learning program.  All the rabbis, Reform, Conservative and even the Lubavitch teach to Jews in the community.  It is run through their Federation.

But in other respects Anshei Ahim mirrors our synagogue very much. Same size, same number of kids in the school, same warm community. Numerous people stopped me to introduce themselves and to talk about their South Bend connections. Even the same number of people in shul on Shabbat (though during the school year we would have many more due to FEAST). Their building is only about 35 years old.  It is beautiful with an impressive library, wonderful classrooms and much artwork.  It seems that it was built with a larger community in mind.

I couldn’t help but think of the article in the Chicago Tribune about the disappearing Midwest Jewish communities.  Their membership has decreased as has the numbers of Jews in all Grand Rapids and there are not enough kids.  In fact there has been discussion about combining the two synagogues’ religious educational programs.

While they don’t have a regular morning minyan they try 2 days a week.  They also have difficulty with Friday night minyan and get a better group on Shabbat morning.  They use the Conservative movement’s Sim Shalom prayer book. On Shabbat morning they begin at 9:30 with about 15-20 people already in shul, they then abbreviate the Pesukei D’zimra.   Not the way we have it abbreviated in our prayer book; they recite the week day Pesukei D’zimra, which is much shorter.

Also great art idea for the Wolfe chapel – a brightly colored quilt of each Hebrew month with symbols representing each month; they then switch the banners each month.

I could not help but think that there must be a way for our synagogue community and theirs, perhaps others in the Midwest to get connected – either programmatically or through regional conferences.  This would be a terrific project to work on.

August 2, 2004      6:50 pm (through Lizzie's eyes)

We have just returned from our trip to Israel and are about to embark on our next stage of our sabbatical to Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

Israel was such a powerful and meaningful trip for Michael, the children and I that I wanted to share a "taste" of our experiences with you.

First, safety.  We felt so safe in Israel.  What we see on TV is NOT what typical Israel's experience in their daily lives if they are living within Israel's "green-line " borders.   Everywhere we went, Israeli Arabs, East Jerusalem Arabs, Bedouins were walking, living, breathing the same air as Israeli's and all existing just fine with one another.  Our hotel in Jerusalem was a ten minute walk from an Arab Village.  Our guide led us through the Arab Shuk (market) three times in Jerusalem.  We always felt safe no matter where we went and what we did.  It was a huge relief and a welcome surprise.  Israel felt safer than the United States.

Secondly,  Israel is the most gorgeous country.  Israel has every type of land to offer all within a seven hour drive from its southernmost border in Eilat to its Northernmost Border in the Golan Heights.  We experienced and did so many things in Israel that most of us would have to fly hours in a plane to experience in the United States or in other parts of the world.  We snorkeled with dolphins in the most beautiful turquoise waters of the Red Sea in Eilat. We walked through water caves in the northernmost part of Israel.  We rode camels in the hot, humid deserts of the Negev.  We floated in the salty waters of the dead sea.  We entered the white caverns and crevices of the "flour" caves of Ein Gedi where it was so pitch black and narrow, we had to rely only on the skill of our guide and trust in each other to make it through one end to the other.   We climbed the hills of Nahal David, right smack in the desert, until we reached the top where a crystal clear WATERFALL was cascading down the side (meanwhile wild goats played nearby and the caves in which King David hid from a jealous King Saul peeked out at us as clear as day from the hills on the other side). We rode in a jeep in the Golan Heights where we saw gazelles, wild quail, lizards basking in the sun and the most gorgeous purple mangoes growing in the groves of Israeli farmers.  And we frolicked in the waters of the Yam Kinneret in the North.  Breathtaking land.  I cannot do justice to its beauty.

As for History and archeological finds, Israel has it all.  You will find architecture dating back to the Ottoman Empire, the Middle Age Crusades and to the B.C.E era.  We went on an archeological dig where we found pottery in abundance dating to B.C.E.  We entered caves of a pagan colony around the time of the Maccabees  where we saw an olive oil factory still intact!  Masada, King Herod's Palace atop a mountain top in the desert and later used as a fortress for Jewish rebels fighting against Roman sovereignty, housed an ancient mikveh and sauna!! Mosques, churches abound.  The land is ancient and its "architecture" as well.

Now on to politics and religion!!!  Throughout our stay I spoke with as many Israeli's as I could about the Motzav (the situation with the Palestinians). Almost all, including the most right wing of our friends agree that the Palestinians need to govern themselves.  The most leftist of the Israeli's that I/we met believe that Jerusalem should be shared and that all settlements dismantled in the territories (a peace plan that was offered by Ehud Barak to Yassir Arafat in 1999 and soundly rejected).  All believe that Gaza should be given back (a plan offered to Egypt in 1981 when Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt and was soundly rejected by Egypt!!))  All agree, both right and left, that Yassir Arafat has lied to his people, embezzled the millions of dollars of foreign aid that has flowed to the Palestinian Authority from the US and other nations and that the plight of the Palestinians should not be as dire as it is now if they had more responsible and ethical leadership.  All very bittersweet for me. Bittersweet in that I was so impressed with the Israeli's that I met in their ability to love and criticize their country simultaneously, impressed that Israeli Society allows for this open dialog and criticism without repercussions and the willingness of Israel's to give up land in order to achieve peace.  That is what I felt most strongly-- that  most Israeli's just want peace.  This was underscored by the signs that we saw at all of Israel's borders in Arabic, Hebrew and English saying "may you go in Peace". What a world we live in that extremists and unresponsive and/or unethical governments can create such dangerous situations for so many innocent people.   History does not change much.

Finally, I leave you with the fact that nowhere in Israel, in our Shabbotot at various communities, did we find the warmth and outpouring of love and affection  that can be found at Sinai.  A very surprising observation as I thought we would experience some spiritual highs at our Shabbats in the holy land!!  But it was not so.  Sinai is a special community in which spiritual belonging  is a priority and caring for one another is a premium...Thank you.   You are very special.

So now I truly do leave you with an image that burns most brightly in my mind and which I captured on film.  We were in the city of Tiberias in the Northern part of the Israeli Border.  The children, Michael and our guide had taken a boat out on the lake and I stayed behind on the shore.  A large group of Arab Youth were waiting on the shore  as well as all the boats were being used and they wanted to ride.  As the boat with my family neared shore all these Arabic men went whooping down the port, enthusiastically helped the boat dock and  then helped my family out of the boat.  No hate, no tension,  just a joy of life and living as human beings.  And that is most of Israel.  Just a joy of life, a joy of the land and a desire to live life as human beings.

Shalom!!  See you in late August.  Love, Lizzie

August 6-7

Santa Monica – Kehilat Maarav, Michael Gotlieb, rabbi

I am not a fan of Southern Cal weather, call me weird, but in Santa Monica, in the summer! It is overcast and cool until noon, then it is warm and sunny and it gets cold at night.  Next fall in South Bend put a palm tree in your front yard and you can save the cash you would have spent visiting LA.  But we did spend a wonderful Shabbat in Santa Monica with Rabbi Michael Gotlieb and his family.  Michael and I graduated rabbinical school together.  He is very warm and has a truly generous neshama.  Lizzie and Moshe said it was the best Shabbat we had celebrated over the summer.

Michael’s congregation is bigger than Sinai.  Not by much though.  It has just about 300 families.  It is growing but slowly.  The rate of growth is impeded by the cost of housing in Santa Monica. Homes the size of 1800 sq ft with a small back yard and no basement routinely sell for over a million dollars.  Young families can’t move in or stay once they start having children.  Enough new people move in or join his shul because of its small and haimish nature to replace those who leave but he finds that he is constantly rebuilding his community.

What is his synagogue like?  Very friendly members who like to participate in services. Their sanctuary holds about 250 - 300 people but it reminds me of our chapel since the chairs are moveable and this Shabbat as they do on most, the chairs were in a circular arrangement with the Torah bima in the middle.  This encouraged participation from members.  Michael gave an introduction to the Torah reading.  He then asked if anyone wanted to comment and they did.  I offered the morning's davar Torah about life in small Midwestern congregations, and once again people offered comments about their own experiences or asked further questions.  While Michael himself told me he feels services are too long and we shouldn't expect Jews today to sit and pray for so long, with all the lay commentary services were about 3 and 1/2 hours long.  Personally I like praying more and getting to lunch before minha.

Because of real estate costs the shul is in an industrial park with little parking.   Still about 80 people were in shul including kids.  25 at the start at 9:30, about 50 at the beginning of the Torah service.

All day schools in LA are connected to synagogues so one must join the synagogue to send the kids to the private school.  Even if you belong to another synagogue without a day school. Even if you are the rabbi of another synagogue!  I don’t know how many of his synagogue kids go to a day school but it is cost prohibitive.  $14000 for
grammar and $22000 for high school.

The cantor serves as the educational director and they have 60 kids in their school.  This was the only thing about the synagogue that made me sad – they meet once a week on a Tuesday, and once a month on a Sunday; some meet once a month on Shabbat, and they have a week or a weekend at Ramah once a year I think.  This is a Conservative synagogue yet these kids are getting the most minimal of Jewish education (if they are not at a day school during the week and I doubt many are due to the costs).  But he says they must compete with all the other synagogue education programs that are once a week and with all the other extra curricular activities kids do.

Finally, just to prove that all Jews actually do know each other: after services a young man came up to me and told me that he thought I knew his father - Marnin Fishbach?  I couldn't believe it was Marnin's son who just that week had moved to Santa Monica (he is working on his Phd at the Rand Corp) with his fiancee.

August 10, 2004

Temple Beth Shalom, Las Vegas, NV  Felipe Goodman, Rabbi

Like Las Vegas itself this shul has to be seen to be believed.  It is a beautiful, well thought out, and glitzy synagogue.  What is most impressive is that when Rabbi Felipe Goodman came 7 years ago this once 1000 family shul had dwindled to 100 families.  Felipe told us that he got people to talk to each other and work together.  There is a
tremendous amount to money in this community – several billionaires in the casino and real estate business, and tons of Jews.  But Felipe says he had to work against the culture of Las Vegas which is all about greed and keeping everything you own.  He had to get them to contribute. Felipe and the community raised 12 million to build this
new building and they have thought of everything.

The synagogue features a yahrtzeit plaque meditation room with benches.  Rabbi Goodman says that most people in Las Vegas do not have their family buried here so the plaques are the closest they have to a family burial plot.  The room was originally built to include a Holocaust remembrance section.  But then with the help of key individuals they built a large commemorative enclosure to the Warsaw ghetto featuring 200 stones from the ghetto.  The enclosed space has an audio tape featuring music and narration about the ghetto and holocaust.  It has won tourism awards in Las Vegas, since it is the only thing of its kind.  He says that it is too much like a Disney display when the narration is on.  He is right.  But since Las Vegas kids have nowhere else to go to learn about the Holocaust it is a very necessary place.

There is a beautiful school wing housing a daily preschool and their religious education program.  Soon it will house the Schecter.  When we were there it was housing
the synagogue day camp for preschoolers and the JCC camp.

The sanctuary is magnificent.  Well lit, beautiful stain glass windows and  a very showy and fake wood aron kodesh.  This is Las Vegas, Rabbi Goodman reminded us.  Using Vegas technology, they have cameras placed all over the sanctuary in these unobtrusive black glass balls.  They are not for security but to film bar mitzvah and weddings.  But they are security conscious. Since Las Vegas is a potential terrorist target and this is the most noticeable Jewish institution, they have security guards on scooter patrol around the building at all times.

Also there is a crying room at the back of the sanctuary with one way glass – it is a room for mothers to go into at the back of the sanctuary that can allow them to breast feed or take care of fidgety children and still watch the service.  Fantastic idea.

They have a mikvah in the synagogue – beautiful marble, with lights dimmer, and candles to boot.  The impetus to build it was the unwillingness of the Orthodox to let the non orthodox use their mikvaot for conversion.  Now both Conservative and all Reform in Las Vegas and synagogues in Reno and as far away as Scottsdale use their mikvah.  Women are required to come to mikvah before the wedding and it is turned into a moving new old ritual with new age hints.  Yet Felipe pointedly told Lizzie that he does not teach or encourage women to use it regularly.  I thought that was a shame.  The space has great potential to encourage women (and men) to take this mitzvah seriously.

But they do have a daily minyan – that is impressive.

And Felipe is a great guy.  Originally from Mexico, he is honest,  warm, friendly and humble.  But he has done great things.  And it is a tough community to work with. It is the fastest growing Jewish community and city in general in the country.  But also the most unaffiliated Jewish community.  While we counted about 20 synagogues,
Felipe says that his is one of the only ones that has an actual building and it is by far the largest of any synagogue in town.  Most Orthodox are storefronts.   There are two kosher restaurants in town. And I believe they learned their trade from the same school where the South Bend  kosher restauranteurs learned theirs.  But they can get
away with slow service and mixed up orders because  there are 80,000 Jews in Las Vegas - more than in St. Louis or Milwaukee.  Maybe more than in Atlanta and Cleveland.  But Rabbi Goodman surmised that on the High Holidays all the Jews in all the synagogues in town would not number more then 8000.  Maybe the numbers would increase if they held services in the Mirage... with Siegfried and Roy.

Since returning from Israel I spent a Shabbat with our northern neighbors in Grand Rapids, Michigan and we spent 2 and a half weeks in the Southern California and Las Vegas areas.  See July 30-31 for some impressions of these visits.

August 13-14 Arcadia, California and August 20-21 Venice, California

Here is some information on the last two synagogues we spent Shabbat:

Arcadia is very close to Pasadena.  The congregation is the same size as Sinai and has also increased in membership numbers similar to SInai after a period of decline.  But the congregation was kind of dormant and not much energy.  I was told that August is a vacation month in Southern California so maybe many regulars were away.  SInai could teach this congregation some things about hospitality, warmth and how to put out a Kiddush.

Our next Shabbat was much nicer.  Friday night dinner we shared at the home of our friends the Gotliebs, he, the rabbi of the Santa Monica shul.  Also at dinner that night were Dennis Praeger, the popular radio host and his family, Rabbi David Woznica of the prominent Reform synagogue, Steven Wise (one of six rabbis on staff) and past director of the 92nd Street YMHA in New York and his family and Joel Mowbray, a young talented columnist who has written on the Middle East.  Joel is not Jewish but has an affinity to and a remarkable understanding of Jewish culture and politics.  And it was very Southern Cal - Shabbat in shorts.  It was a great evening of conversation, though as Lizzie and I were the only Democrats in the room it got very warm not only from the outside temperature.

The next morning I walked to Venice, about a mile and a half from Santa Monica.  The Venice synagogue, Mishkan Tefilo, is in a very old, slightly stale building.  But the davvening was warm and spiritual.  It was long too.  I don't understand how congregations that eliminate so much of the the traditional service end up being at least 30-45 minutes longer then our davvening at Sinai.  Services began at 9:30 AM and finished a little before 1 PM.  What lengthened the service was that despite the fact that this congregation reads only a third of the weekly Torah portion, after each aliyah, the aliyah would be repeated in English by Rabbi Danny Shevitz who sang it with the trope.  Ron Adelsman has done this occasionally when he reads Torah.  To hear the Torah in English with the musical tropes gives a significance to the Torah reading that hearing it without understanding the Hebrew one loses.  Each aliyah was also followed by commentary and discussion. The entire Torah and Haftarah reading  was followed by a Davar Torah.  SInce Rabbi Shevitz is a scholar it was quite interesting but I must admit that after a 30 minute morning walk to the shul with no breakfast, a 3 and 1/2 hour service is tedious even for me.  But the davvening and the participation of the congregation was enthusiastic.  It reminded me of Sinai in that the davvening was led by 4 different individuals.  Music is a crucial element in Mishkan Tefilo's service.  At one point Rabbi Shevitz, who had just returned from Israel was teasing the congregation that their singing was off.  So he stopped the service and broke into a niggun, a wordless melody.    He has a very authentic spirituality about him and the congregation responded in spirited singing of this melody for about 5 minutes and then we continued.  During the Torah service a couple announced their engagement.  At once people began to sing "siman tov, umazel tov" and danced a hora around them.  One of the congregants told me that "ours is a davvening congregation".  They have about 200 families and at least 80 people were in shul.  Even in August.  I am told it is a very artsy community and clearly one interested in Social Action from what I could tell from bulletin boards.  It was a really lovely davvening experience which would have made a greater impact on my neshama had I not been starving.  I kept having to remind myself it was Shabbat not Yom Kippur.

Photos

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