DAY 1 - ARRIVAL by Richard Leavitt

Greated at the Tel Aviv Airport by Kirsten Barerre
and our organizer, Orit

Our first day in Israel.  My first day ever in Israel.  When I arrived this morning, it was full of travelers, many black hats w/ pais, many with kippot and more modern attire, more without any signs of Jewishness.  So many beautiful, robust and semitic-looking people, giving a startle to my Ashkenazic sensibilities.  Maybe my eyes are colored; I don't know.  But it's so Jewish here!  And who did I run into?  Moshe Benatar!  On his way back to California, for work and a visit.  And who else, coincidentally, was on the plane?  Michelle Moskowitz, also on a business trip.

After assembling, taking some photos and congratulating ourselves on actually all being in the proper place at the appointed time, we went to Mini-Israel, a large construction over maybe an acre, depicting notable places in Israel.  It was helpful, to get an overview of where things are, what they are, what their meaning is.  It's a tiny country but it is totally new to me.  It's hot but not as hot as the east bay, or Contra Costa is, evidently.  Someone mentioned it was 105 in Dublin over the weekend.  This evening was cooler and so pleasant.

Beth Jacob's Israel Trip Group Photo at the Kotel

Then we went to the Kotel, or Western Wall.  It was just as it has been depicted.  At first, I wasn't especially moved, and just marveled at the incredible engineering with these multi-ton blocks of stone hoisted up, placed and secured with only primitive tools, but not-so-primitive knowledge.  I went up and touched the Wall, smelled the stone, felt its radiated warmth, and felt a mild shiver but not much more.  Then I stepped back and gazed again at what it was, and what it meant, and who had stood there, and who had stood inside the Temple two millennia ago, and then I began to feel overwhelmed and couldn't speak for a while.  It was as though everything I'd ever thought I was thinking at once, and words failed.   

Then on to dinner.  Did I say dinner?  Our guide warned me, "In Israel, the food just keeps coming, so pace yourself."  She was right.  First, many, many plates of salads, hummus, roasted peppers, eggplant, zucchini, sweet potatoes, tabbouleh and others I can't remember.  All with pita.  Then a salad.  Then a chicken salad.  Then a meat dish with chicken livers, chicken, beef kabobs.  Then something else I can't remember. Then sherbet. Then a chocolate mousse. It was an enormous meal and I will pace myself better, so at least I can taste all the dishes and not have to quit because I'm too full.

Our tour guide, Shuley, is an American-Israeli who is quite knowledgeable, has a lovely sense of humor, and balance, and patience.  Rabbi Dardik had toured with her before and specially reserved her for us.  We also have a go-to person, Orit, who is available 24/7 and has made sure everything runs smoothly, which it has.  There have been no glitches, and the group of us is beginning to relax into our experience, getting to know each other and asking interesting questions. 

Rabbi Dardik puts his 4 cents in (always more than anyone's 2 cents, as of course you already know), and his overarching plan for us to experience places in Tanach we've read about, to bridge our modern sensibilities to powerful historical events, which reminds me of the exhortation at Pesach to experience Egyptian slavery and freedom as though we were there, then. Our challenge on this tour is to experience the past in the present and try to understand it.

We have a busy day tomorrow and it will contain our other challenge: to experience the present in the present and be ready to go by 8:50 a.m.

More anon.

Richard 

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