Temple Ner Ami's Trip To Israel: May 17-28, 2007
Our Travel Log
Shabbat – May 18, 2007
Dear Friends,
Well, most of us are here in Tel Aviv, and many of us even
have our luggage. Let me explain.
We arrived bright and early yesterday (Thursday) at LAX, 8 of us ready to
begin our adventure. Then we had an
equiptment problem on the aircraft which, they told us, would result in a 7 or 8
hour delay. This would, of course
force us to miss our connection to Tel Aviv in Atlanta.
Oy Vey!
At this point your loyal rabbi shifted into his old New
Yorker aggressive mode and found an empty check in desk away from the crowd.
Working with a very kind agent, he found seats for us on a flight one
hour later – the catch is that he only could place 6 of us on that flight.
So those six left and many hours later arrived tired but happy and
without luggage, of course. Two
selected by the Delta Airlines computer (Thank goodness I didn’t have to
decide who will go and who will stay), namely Stan Kohls and Stuart Kingsley
were stuck behind and should arrive a mere 24 hours later (I hope with their
luggage).
Anyway, we are here, had a wonderful time with luggage lost
and found, had a nice reception and a nice dinner (see photos) and are catching
up on sleep to prepare for the day and days ahead.
I’ll keep you informed,
Shabbat Shalom,
5-19-07
Shabbat Shalom,
Today the touring began.
We started with a tour of the Ayalon Institute.
This was a secret bullet factory hidden beneath a kibbutz laundry and
bakery during the years preceding the War of Independence.
For three years, millions of bullets were manufactured without the
British or anyone even in the kibbutz knowing.
Workers were sworn to secrecy, the noise hidden by the sounds of the
laundry, artificial sun lamps making sure the factory workers looked as tanned
as anyone else, etc. See the photo
for a glimpse of the factory.
Then it was on to Latrun which is an exhibit of hundreds of
tanks and a memorial to all those in the Tank Corps that fell in battle.
Again, see the photo of us posing on top of the tank.
Then we visited “Little Israel,” a spot with all the
major sites in the country in miniature. As
you can see in this photo, we have umbrellas for the sun with the temperature
over 100 degrees.
Still no luggage!
Well it certainly makes selecting clothes and packing simpler!
Stay well and stay tuned!
The secret ammunition assembly line two flights below the kibbutz.
The Ner Ami Tank Corps at Latrun
At Little Israel in the blazing sun.
5-20 Sunday
Dear Friends,
Today was a full day of touring and education.
We began with our new guide, David Roth, whom travelers on our 2005 trip
will remember as a virtual encyclopedia of facts, insights and information.
Our first stop was the Independence Hall where we learned about the
founding of Tel Aviv just 98 years ago and the changes that took it from a
virtual collection of sand dunes to one of the world’s great cities. We then say the actual location where, on May 14, 1948, the
State of Israel was born (see photo). The
whole ceremony took only about 30 minutes because Shabbat was coming and so were
the Egyptian and Lebanese armies.
After a walking tour of the first city built outside of Old
Jaffa, we got back on the bus (check out our customized signage) for a short
trip to the Palmach Museum. This
was a very unique experience. We
viewed the history of the Palmach (on of Israel’s first fighting
forces) through the eyes of several of its young heroes.
We went from room to room as they trained, sang, fell in love, fought and
died. It was incredibly moving.
Also was the incredible poem that stressed that these young lives were
the “silver platter” on which the Jewish people were handed our own state.
Back on the bus for a longer ride to Tzipori.
This was an early Jewish settlement in the Galilee noted for it’s
astounding mosaics. In Jewish
history, it is famous for the fact that the Mishna was written here in the year
200 CE. The photo shows your rabbi
teaching Mishna in the very location of its writing.
We are now in a beautiful kibbutz guest house with
wonderful accommodations and even better food.
After dinner, many of us joined an Israeli sing a long.
This is a tough job, but somebody has to do.
Rabbi Mike
Independence Hall
Sonny and Mike show the latest in tourist headgear outside Independence Hall.
Teaching Mishna in Tzpori
Ok, Ok, everybody back on the bus!!!
Monday 5-21
This morning we were up early for breakfast (at this point,
none of us can remember ever being hungry) and our first stop which was at the
ancient city of Dan. At this
location today is a beautiful nature preserve where we trekked down some of the
trails among the headwaters of the Jordan River among lush vegetation (see the
group photo). We then went to an
archeological site where I had the privilege of digging as a student some 9
years ago. It was this site at Tel
Dan where a very important inscription was found.
The inscription contained the only post-biblical reference to King David,
proving for most scholars that David was in fact an historical character.
We then traveled up to the Golan Heights where our own King
David (the tour guide that is) taught about what life was like under the
constant shelling of the Syrians until Israel captured the Heights in 1967.
We also heard a funny story – it seems that an Israeli spy, Eli Cohen,
was able to become a senior advisor to the Syrian government in the 1960s posing
as a wealthy Syrian businessman. When
on a tour of the Golan fortifications, he suggested that he would be happy to
pay for trees to be put up at the bunkers to provide the poor Syrian soldiers
with some shade for the hot summer sun just as the Israelis had down below.
The trees were planted and, in 1967 when war broke out, the Israeli
aircraft were able to easily locate and target the Syrian installations – they
were the only spots amid the scrub brush that had trees!
From there we went on to an Israeli Defense Forces tank
base. We got to see the tanks up
close and even saw the inside of a Merkevah II tank [we were not allowed to
photograph the inside but see the photo of us looking in].
Our guide, Yaron, was a tank commander who saw considerable action in the
Lebanon War last summer. Our group
photo here shows your rabbi in the latest in IDF kippot.
After the tour, we ate with the soldiers in their mess hall.
Then we traveled back in time some 1500 years to the
ancient Talmudic village of Katzrin. A
highlight of this stop was visiting the ancient synagogue (see photo) and
studying some Talmud in the place of its birth.
Our final stop of the day was in the historical town of
Sfat where the Kabbalah was developed and where the song Lecha Dodi was written
and where some of the most beautiful Judaica can be found.
Here I bought the “whole Megillah” for the Temple.
I mean this literally, I purchased a beautiful Scroll of Esther for our
use next Purim. Stop by my office
to see it sometime after I return.
Well, now we rest and dress for dinner.
Tomorrow, on to Jerusalem!
Take care and be well,
Rabbi Mike
At the headwaters of the Jordan River at the Tel Dan Nature Preserve
Learning about the importance of the Golan Heights at a former Syrian bunker overlooking Jewish kibbutzim.
So that’s what the inside of a Merkevah tank looks like!
The Ner Ami Tank Corps
Your fearless (?) rabbi is ready for action (I want you should know that I was wounded taking this photo – it seems my ears and head were a bit too big for the helmet and I bled real blood [with an actual scratch in my ear] on the Golan for synagogue and country – they declined to issue me a Purple Heart for my bravery).
The 1500 year old Synagogue at Katzrin
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Dear Friends – the day we have waited for has arrived.
We ascended to and I am writing to you from the holiest city in the
world, Jerusalem. But let’s back
up a few hours.
We began today, after another sumptuous breakfast, with a
tour of our host kibbutz, Kfar Blum. It
is a beautiful spot with wonderful guest facilities and we heard about how the
kibbutz movement in Israel is slowly becoming capitalist with private ownership
and conventional salaries.
Then it was on to the south. The first stop was in Tiberias with a bit of a bus tour and a
stop at the Tomb of Maimonedes, a most significant legal codifier, commentator
and physician who had an enormous impact on the development of Judaism.
Then it was on to Beit Shean, a city that dates back some
5000 years and which was important in the time of the Bible and in Roman times.
This is truly an incredible site with the excavations of the Roman ruins
in excellent conditions. See the
photos for a sense of the place.
From there we headed into the West Bank.
Yes, Israelis and tour buses travel up and down the Jordan valley
because, at least for the moment, all is quiet on the Western Front.
Just for fun, I’ve included a photo of an Israeli patrol that we drove
behind for some miles.
Then up, up, up from well below sea level to the physical
and spiritual heights of Jerusalem. Like
pilgrims for hundreds of years, we entered the holy city before the pilgrimage
holiday of Shavuot. We chanted the
traditional, Sheheckianu blessing, a Kiddush over some sweet wine and enjoyed
the overlook to the city (oh, yes, we also posed for a group picture).
While we were at this beautiful site, we remembered our beloved Shirley
Sussman as we spread her ashes among the trees and recited Kaddish for her
there. May Shirley soul, spirit and
now body be always linked to Jerusalem, a city she loved and visited with Temple
Ner Ami two years ago.
At the moment we are resting up for dinner.
After dinner, it’s off to the Great Synagogue of Jerusalem for Shavuot
services. Then, some of us will
wind up at Hebrew Union College for some traditional late night study
(11:45PM-2:30AM) and then off to the Western Wall for an early morning (5:30AM)
service. We begin tomorrow at 11AM
so we can sleep late. Some fun,
huh?
Chag Samayach (Happy Holiday) Everyone!
Rabbi Mike
Learning about the history of Beit Shean
I sure hope you’re not tired of our group photos!
Cruising the West Bank under the watchful eyes of Israeli soldiers.
Yerushalayim Shel Zachav – Jerusalem of Gold
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
As I’m writing, it’s only about 7PM but it has been a
very, very long day. Late last
night and early this morning, Chanah (Charlotte) Kreitzer and I attended two
fascinating lectures at Hebrew Union College.
One was by a Muslim professor who spoke about Moses and the giving of the
Torah from the perspective of the Koran and the other was about the roles of
Miriam and Ruth alongside the better known Moses and Aaron. This took us to about 2:30AM.
Back at the room at about 3AM, I got about 90 minutes of
sleep and then was down in the lobby to see if anyone would take me up on my
invitation to join services at the Western Wall at 5:30AM.
To my shock, disbelief, amazement and consternation……….
No one did!!!!! So I trekked
off to the Kotel (about a 25 minute walk).
At one point I wanted to check my directions (sense of direction is not
one of my strongest suits) so I asked two young Orthodox women who were headed
in the same direction “Efshar l’holech l’ha-kotel po?”
(I was very proud to ask in Hebrew so eloquently)
Without hesitating they replied in English “Just follow us!”
I guess I have to work on my Israeli accent a bit.
A few minutes later, I arrived at the view site above the
Kotel plaza. The photo below (long
shot and close up) shows the incredible site of the plaza packed with thousands
of people praying the Shavuot morning service.
The men are in white because they are wearing tallits, the women not.
I did not attend the service at this main, traditional area however.
I went further south on the Western Wall (to the far right as you face
the wall) to the Robinson’s Arch area where an egalitarian service was being
held. At this service of Reform and Conservative Jews, men and
woman could pray together and I could even sneak a few photos showing the
gathering. I also took a sunrise
shot of the Southern wall nearby. Following
this service, I went back over to the Kotel since, at this point, many had left
and I could make my way to the wall itself for private personal prayer.
Back to the hotel for about 2 hours of sleep and it was time to get back
on the bus.
Our first stop today was at David’s Tower in the Old City
of Jerusalem. The Tower today
contains a marvelous museum of the 5000 year history of the City of Jerusalem.
The incredible thing about this place is that it is a museum inside of a
building that is itself a museum; being a Crusader fortress some 700 years old.
From there we made our way through the Arab Shuk (market)
to a falafel/shwarma restaurant for a quick lunch and then it was on to the
Military Cemetery. We saw some
sights here that I have never seen including a memorial to those who fell in
defending the Old City of Jerusalem (which nevertheless fell to the Jordanians
on the very day that I was born in May of ’48).
As you can see, the memorial is constructed to look like the bunkers that
people hid in during these days. One
story is especially notable; a young man, Nissim Gini, died during this time.
His job was to be a runner of information between the encircled Old City
and the Jewish forces in the New City. He
had a special ability to fit through cracks in the walls and barriers that were
in the way. He died for his country
as an Israeli soldier at the age of 10 years.
From there we saw tombs of many notables including Teddie Kolek, the long
time mayor of Jerusalem who died just recently.
Pictured is our group at the tomb of Yitzchak and Lea Rabin.
Resting up tonight for a big day tomorrow. Take care, be well and appreciate the sacrifices of so many that we might have a homeland.
The Kotel (Western Wall) plaza at about 5:20AM on Shavuot morning. See the detail below.
The sea of white in the background are men, the darker colors, women. The Dome of the Rock is on the top of the Temple Mount.
A sneak peak at sunrise of the Southern Wall Steps where we will celebrate Shabbat on Friday.
The bunker like memorial to those who gave their live fighting for the Old City.
Nisim Gini who gave his life for his not yet month old country at the age of 10.
At the grave of Yitzchak and Lea Rabin.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
This was another long and amazing day.
We were up early to make sure we were dressed modestly (for the church)
and had our passports (for security at the Knesset).
Our first stop was the Israeli Knesset, the legislative branch of the
Israeli government. At this
beautiful building we had a guided tour of the main meeting hall, the wonderful
Chagall tapestries and mosaics, the Israeli Declaration of Independence.
We had a very cute and somewhat nervous young and beautiful Israeli woman
from Argentina as our guide. When
she was introduced to me as “The Rabbi,” I could see that she was somewhat
puzzled. A few questions made it
clear that she would expect a rabbi to have a black coat, black hat, peyes and a
beard. After the tour, we learned
that this had been her very first tour. On
a hunch I asked her if she had ever been hugged by a rabbi.
She laughed and said no and gave me a hug!
Shlomo then jumped up and asked if she had ever been hugged by someone
with a patch, but alas this gambit failed.
I do hope you all appreciate the sacrifices and hard work I do for the
sake of international understanding of our Reform movement.
The photos below show the Knesset through a sculpture and a shot of our
group posing at the Menorah, the symbol of the State of Israel, given to the
State by the Queen of England.
Then it was on to Yad VaShem, the Holocaust Memorial.
We visited the rows of trees planted in honor of the Righteous Gentiles
such as Alexander Shindler and Raul Wallenberg two of the most famous of those
who risked and sometimes gave their lives to save Jews, and the powerful
children’s memorial built in memory of the 1.5 million children murdered
during the Holocaust. But most powerful is the new (about 2 year old) museum
itself. The photo shows the layout
– a long corridor, triangular in cross section, that forces you to walk back
and forth through seeming countless rooms detailing the years of the Shoah from
the rise of Nazi Germany to the liberation of the camps and the creation of the
State of Israel. There are videos
documenting the destruction and endless interviews with survivors detailing
their unbelievable stories. Most
powerful is the exit. You leave all
this misery behind you to view a beautiful overlook of the hills of Jerusalem
– truly the promised land that was never reached by most of European Jewry.
After our formal visit, we held an impromptu service and recited Kaddish
for the 6 million.
We were met at Yad VaShem by Daniel Rossing, who was a
former government official in charge of relations with the Christian
communities. He told us story after
story of his amazing career before taking us on a tour of the Christian Quarter
and of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the site traditionally held to be the
location of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial.
The church was packed with Christian Pilgrims at worship.
That ended the official day’s business for all but your
intrepid rabbi and reporter. Here I
will tell you the amazing story of the attempt to bring Torah to Israel (well,
at least a Torah) to Israel just before the holiday of Shavuot
(especially appropriate since this holiday commemorates the giving and receiving
of the Torah by the People Israel). You
see, our tour planner, Carole Kracer asked if I wouldn’t mind bringing a holy
Torah Scroll to Israel where it could be picked up by a member of a group going
to Siberia to allow the adult B’nei Mitzvah of a number of Russians.
Sure, said I, happy to do this mitzvah.
But here’s where the fun began. As
you may recall, we had a bit of plane trouble which resulted in the delay of the
delivery of our luggage in Tel Aviv. I
had checked two bags; my suitcase and the Torah, the later being cased in a
larger cardboard box. 48 hours
later when the baggage finally arrived, the airline company said that the box
was being held by customs in Israel. Endless
cell phone conversations over the next few days yielded the following facts:
Israeli customs would not let the Torah through customs until we (I?)
paid the import tax of 15% on the $25,000 value of the Torah.
Put away your calculators – it comes to $3,750.
More phone calls – it seems like I will have to do something because I
was the one who checked the luggage. More
phone calls. At last a solution!
I can sign a special power of attorney (POA) form granting the Israeli
Joint Distribution Committee my authority to pay the fee and get the Torah
“freed” in time to make the trip next Sunday.
Great! So now I get picked
up to go the Notary Public to sign the POW.
Half way there my host checks to see that I have brought my passport.
“No, you didn’t tell me to do this,”
says I. Back through rush
hour Jerusalem traffic to the hotel then back to the lawyer’s office (only
getting lost once). At the
lawyer’s office another problem. The
document has been typed with blanks for my name and Passport number.
Not acceptable. On to the
internet to redownload the document. At
last the signing. In Israel, even a
minor notarized document is a big deal – check out the photo!
Tomorrow, the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, the Western Wall and the Temple Mount excavations, Shabbat and more.
The gang at the Menorah just outside of the Knesset building
The Yad VaShem museum.
Exiting the museum to a overlook of the hills of the Promised Land – very powerful and very moving.
The site of the Crucifixion
This hole in the floor under the main altar is supposed to be the spot where the cross stood. You can reach into it and feel the stone that is understood to be the top of Golgotha (Calvary).
My very, very official Power of Attorney literally signed, sealed and delivered. I feel so special!
Friday, May 25, 2007
Dear Friends,
What an amazing day we had today. The first stop was at the Western Wall in the Old City.
We had a bit of time before the rest of our touring to pray and
contemplate the history of this amazing spot where Jews have come for almost two
thousand years to connect with God. It
was the spot where I carefully placed all the notes that you entrusted to my
care. The proof is in the photo
below. They were delivered, Special
Delivery, by my own hand.
While I was at the wall, I couldn’t resist calling Sonia to give her a
chance to add a few prayers (albeit by cell phone) as well.
I hope that it was OK that these prayers came from the Men’s side of
the Wall Plaza.
From there it was on to the Western Wall tunnels where we
could see some of the original foundational structure of the Temple.
Note in the photo Chanah (Charlotte) in the foreground and Genice in the
back. They are standing at the ends
of the largest stone discovered at the Wall.
The guide called it Bubba and it weighs about a million pounds.
No one knows how it was moved to the site.
After visiting the Tunnels we went to a center which had incredible
computer simulations showing what the Temple was like some two thousand years
ago and what it would have been like to be a pilgrim at that time.
We had a few hours to rest up and dress for Shabbat and
then we returned to the Southern Wall steps.
These are the steps that were used in Temple times for entry and leaving
the Temple itself. These were the
steps that were used by Hillel, Akiba, Jesus and others. We had the entire area to ourselves for a Shabbat service in
the late afternoon as the sun was setting and casting amazing shadows and
images. As a bonus Israel (Sonny)
Feingold celebrated his first Bar Mitzvah at that time!
What a privilege to be able to worship at this incredibly holy site.
After this it was back to the hotel for another amazing
dinner. We had fun teasing Sonny
and Clarice about the great Bar Mitzvah Party they hosted for us.
Now I’m resting up for our Shabbat in Jerusalem experience.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Mike Lotker
Your rabbi hand delivers your mail.
Proof of delivery
Davening at the Kotel in the cellular age.
The “Bubba Stone” Do you see Genice with her hand up in the back and Chanah in the foreground. That’s how long the stone is. It’s also about 10 feel tall and 12 feet deep. 500 tons in weight!
The Southern Wall Steps where we celebrated Shabbat.
Israel (Sonny) Feingold. Jerusalem’s newest Bar Mitzvah Boy.
The Gang at the Southern Wall.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
I know that Shabbat is supposed to be a day of rest but
many of us did not exactly rest today. Officially
there was nothing scheduled for the day but we had a few unofficial events as
options.
First were services at my alma mater, Hebrew Union College.
The delight for me was seeing some old friends and teachers; the delight
for us all was that some of the prayers and all of the sermon were in English.
Sorry, no photos from this event.
Then in the early afternoon, we were off to the Israeli
Museum. In addition to its
fantastic collections of art and archeology, the Museum is famous for being host
to the Shrine of the Book, the location for housing the Dead Sea Scrolls, the
ancient texts written some 2000 years ago.
Luckily for all of us, there will be an exhibit of the Scrolls in San
Diego in the fall and the Temple is organizing a bus trip on Sunday, October 21st
(more about this in other e-mails and in the Megillah).
Also new to the Museum is the wonderful large scale model of the City of
Jerusalem in the time of Herod’s Temple.
At 5:30PM, we had an entirely unplanned and wonderful
experience. In talking with my
friends at the College, they strongly recommended that I take the group for a
late Shabbat tour called “Walking the Psalms” with Rabbi David Wilfond, the
College’s Director of Outreach and Admissions.
Rabbi Wilfond took us on an amazing journey reading some of our most
beloved Psalms in the place that they refer to such as ascending Mount Zion,
looking at the Walls, entering the gates of the city, etc.
We went up to Mount Zion itself and visited what our tradition holds to
be the tomb of King David, who selected Jerusalem to be the capital of his city.
The relaxed walking tour ended near the walls of the Temple Mount where
we celebrated Havdallah.
Along the way, we passed through Gey Ben Hinnom, the Valley
of the Sons of Hinnom. In ancient
times, this was the location of human child sacrifice – it became to be
understood as “hell” in Jewish tradition with the name Gehenna.
Many of you will recall that over the last few weeks, I invited you to
write down things that you would like to see removed from your life.
I promised to take these things (or at least your notes about these
things) and send them straight to hell. Below
see the photos of them “burning in hell.”
Well, I’m back in my room now. It’s almost 11PM and we have to be up early tomorrow for
the visits to Masada and the Dead Sea. I
hope I’ll have time to send you the write up for the last day along with some
photos. If not, I’ll get them out
when I’m back in LA.
Shavuah Tov (I wish you a good week),
Rabbi Mike Lotker
Walking toward the Shrine of the Book (under the white structure) at the Israeli Museum
Psalm 48:13-14 “Walk about Zion, and go round about her; count the towers thereof. Mark ye well her ramparts, traverse her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following.”
Burning the things that you don’t want in your lives in Gehenna
They were completely burned.
Walking at the base of the wall of the Old City before our ascent to Mount Zion.
The setting sun lights up the Dome of the Rock as we make our way down to celebrate Havdallah.
How we solved the problem of Rabbi Wilfond’s forgetting the cups for the Havdallah wine. Just another tough part of my job!
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Our last day in Israel.
But what is even sadder it was our last Israeli breakfast this morning!
Anyway, at 8AM it was off to Masada and the Dead Sea.
We drove down the Jordan Valley, again through the West Bank, passing the
Qumran Caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found until we got to Masada.
Masada was one of King Herod’s fortresses which was taken over by the
Jewish Rebels in the rebellion against Rome in the year 70CE.
The rebels held out for 10 months until the Romans were able to breach
the fortress only to find that virtually all of the Jews had committed suicide
rather than accept Roman slavery.
From Masada we traveled to the briny Dead Sea where some of
us got the opportunity of experiencing the incredible buoyancy of the Sea (due
to its very high salt level). This
is in fact the lowest point on Earth with an “altitude” of some 1000 feet below
sea level.
Check out the photos below to see what we’ve experienced
today. I’d love to write more but
I am packing and getting ready for our final dinner and the 24 hour trip back.
My bonus is that I’ll be traveling back on my birthday so this day will
be 34 hours long for me with the time zone changes.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this travel log. As far as I can tell our group has had an amazing time – a wonderful experience of good food, good fun, learning, prayer, singing and experiencing Israel with all of our spirit and senses. We didn’t see a lick of trouble or danger and are looking forward to sharing our experiences with you all. I hope to speak about our trip next Friday night and to set up a time and date to show more of the photos and videos and, with my fellow travelers, share this incredible experience with you. More than this, I hope that I’ve inspired you to become interested in joining me on a future trip to our home away from home, the Land of Israel.
See you soon,
Rabbi Mike Lotker
The cave where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.
Exploring the many rooms of Masada
At the top of Masada
Floating in the Dead Sea
So long – next week in Camarillo!!!!!