B’nei Mitzvah in the Machtesh Katan

The backdrop for the day we had all been waiting for was indeed set by God’s paintbrush, as Rabbi Hart spoke of our beautiful children becoming B’nei Mitzvah, literally, in the footsteps of our Matriarchs and Patriarchs. The scene did nothing less than take our breath away.

Flanked by parents, and sometime grandparents, the sons and daughters of the commandments adorn tallitot, passed our own baby Torah L’Dor V’dor style, chanted, commented, and wowed us with their knowledge and commitment to taking the first step on their path to lifelong Jewish learning.

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A Unique B’nei Mitzvah Celebration

It could not have been more of a surprise as we departed the B’nei Mitzvah site in our Jeep chariots. We drove deep into the rugged crater through endless wadi’s and could not beleive the beauty that the desert bestowed upon us. It seemed “other worldly” with this knowledgeable geologists for a tour guide.

What then appeared, seemed like it could only be a mirage.  Tables covered in white linen with red wine sparkling from the crystal glasses and the smells of a succulent feast was upon us. The Beduoins served us hot tea while preparing the pita on their ancient stove. The sounds of music echoed off the endless walls of the crater while the colorful carpets and pillows awaited our tired bodies. The crowd became spontaneous as the musicians turned us into our own entertainment. With drummers druming and didjeridu duing, the sun quickly set into mountains as the joy and laughter began to subside with the darkness.

Just another day in the desert!

Joni, Andrew and Jacob

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Our Family Photo

Our B’nei Mitzvah Family Picture

Our adventure has come to and end, but you can read all about it by browsing through the blog or use the tools on the left side of the page to “Find Something” or “Choose Something” to go directly to a blog post.

A memory to be forever cherished

Our group of 89 travelers has now returned home to Long Grove and Mendy and I now have the opportunity to do some further travel and visit family here in Israel before our return to Temple Chai. Overlooking the skyline of Tel Aviv and shortly to make one final visit to the holy city of Jerusalem, I reflect with a remarkable sense of awe upon the past twelve days and the transformative power of this experience. During the course of our travels, there were several opportunities to share memories and moments that touched hearts and spirits, many of which have been shared in this blog. As my thoughts turn to our final dinner together in Tel Aviv this past Wednesday night as the group prepared to make its way the airport, I was particularly touched by the remarkable sense of community that we had developed. From ages ten to eighty-two, after ten days of travel Temple Chai members and their extended family had formed a close and caring bond of friendship and love, inspired and deeply touched by each of our daily experiences. After our travels in both 2009 and now 2011, over 150 souls from our community have been transformed by the magical power of Israel…a gift they will carry in their hearts forever.

We invite you to join us in December of 2013 as we continue to build our life-long connections to the land and people of Israel.

Rabbi and Mendy

Beautiful Caesarea

Today was the last day of our incredible journey and we traveled to Caesarea, a city overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Herod the Great dedicated this area to Caesar over 2000 years ago. Like many other sites on our journey, Caesarea had been claimed by various groups. Conflict is a theme in so many areas and we learned about confrontations here. Christians and Muslims and Crusaders and Jewish groups had been involved at various times.

Rabbi Akiva, a great authority on Jewish tradition and the teachings of Torah, was murdered here.

We sat in the restored Roman Theater which is still used today for concerts. In the past it was used for theatre as well as chariot races.

Additionally, the aqueducts were extraordinary.

As we drove away, we were very impressed by the quality of the houses along our route. The homes were very contemporary.

Last, this is the only area in Israel with a golf course!

Susan and Dick

Safed: Center of Jewish Mysticism

How B’shert  that I’ve been assigned Safed (pronounced Tzfat) for my blog entry; it’s the ancient center of Jewish mysticism and spirituality.  I’d just finished a series of Kabbalah classes a few days before our trip to Israel and was very excited to compare what I’ve learned with the place where it all began in the 16^th century, supposedly as a revelation from G-d.  Rabbi Yitzhak Luria has been remembered as the founder of Lurianic Kabbalah.  As our visit began, I found out from Rabbi Hart that this same person is recognized as a member in Mendy’s family tree!  More B’shert stuff, though in the study of Kabbalah, there are no coincidences but instead all is really part of G-d’s plan.

Our first stop was the Ashkenazi HaAri Synagogue, a perfect setting to learn about the origins of tikkun olam from the Kabbalists’ point of view, as well as its amazing story of survival from damaging earthquakes and during the War of Independence.  This, in combination with the myriad of artisans whose shops line the streets and who create original Judaica of all sorts, including jewelry, paintings, sculpture, and religious items such as micro calligraphy pieces depicting portions of the Torah — all create a place of beauty and holiness at the same time. It is truly magical and transforming.

One last thought to share from Kabbalah wisdom, as found in the ZOHAR, the collected commentaries on the Torah and the central writing of the Kabbalah teachings.  Though very difficult to decipher meaning from the original Aramaic text, one can find many practical aspects that effectively can be applied to daily living.  Here’s one such idea:  how might your life be different if in a stressful moment or a difficult conversation you made the conscious choice to reflect on the situation instead of reacting to it?  This concept sounds deceptively simple, but in the heat of the moment is certainly not easy to do.  But in making the effort, our sages tell us, we are in no small measure helping to repair the world (tikkun olam), by repairing ourselves one thought at a time. Try it on and see if it works for you! Shalom

Irene and Michael

On The Road To Galilee

It was a beautiful sunny morning at Hotel Isrotel Dead Sea. Many people that didn’t go to the Dead Sea pool last night in the hotel, went to the beach to float in the Dead Sea & they were freezing. We were given a choice for breakfast in the VIP Lounge, but only three couples went there, where we were waited on.

We checked out and took our buses for a 4-hour ride to an army base, first stopping at an Ahava Outlet for gifts. We were happy to stop. as we hadn’t had time to shop much before.

We stopped at Haon to eat pizza & then hurried to the IDF artillery base. We met with the soliders in the Golan Heights. They explained to us that they were always either in war or training for war. Then we went to the artillery camp, saw how the misiles are fired, and gave our Chanukahs gifts to the soldiers.

Next, we stopped at the former Syrian outport & looked down upon all the areas of the Golan Heights.

We had dinner at Maagan Holiday Village, lit our Chanukah candles afterword, and reminisced about the trip & how it made us feel.

We spent the night at Maagan Holiday Village in the Sea of Galilee.

Martin & Eileen

IDF Base – Golan Heights

 

We stopped by the Israeli Defense Forces base in the Golan Heights, where we had a unique opportunity to meet soldiers and see some of the equipment that they use.  When we stepped off the bus onto the base, we were amazed at the significant drop in temperature compared to the Dead Sea area just a few hours earlier.  It felt like being back home!

 

After a few representatives from the IDF provided explanations to our group about some of their operations, we had the chance to meet the soldiers and take photographs with them.  All of them were incredibly friendly, and surprisingly spoke very good English.  We all brought hats and uniforms of Chicago sports teams to let the soldiers know we were thinking of them and that they had a second place they could be welcomed anytime.  One soldier was so excited to receive a Blackhawks hat that he put it on right away and started wearing it on the base!

 

We noticed on the way out that there were thank yous on both sides.  While our group obviously thanked them for their service and being wonderful representatives of the state of Israel, the soldiers also thanked us for coming and getting a greater sense of the mission of the IDF.  Overall, the cold weather was a small price to pay for such a unique opportunity to meet these Israeli heroes.

 

A.J., Jenna and Josh

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/idfnadesk

 

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Golan Heights

The Golan Heights is the region between NE Israel and SW Syria and NE of the Sea of Galiliee.

It was fortified in 1948 by Syria and Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six Day War. In June of 1967 the Israeli cabinet voted to return the Golan to Syria in exchange for a peace agreement. This was dismissed by the Arab world in September 1967. In the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Israel agreed to return 5% of the territory to Syrian control. Israel constructed settlements in the remainder of the territory and formally annexed it in 1981.

Sheryl

Floating In The Dead Sea

Here are Lou and Lee, not Jason and Ross

 

“The sea was angry that day my friends. Like an old man trying to send back soup at a deli.” -George Costanza

 

At the summer camp we attended growing up, we had a tradition called power dipping where we would wake up in the morning and sprint into the lake getting our whole bodies wet before exiting. Well on this crisp Tuesday morning there wasn’t any sprinting to the Dead Sea, but there was plenty of screaming for those first timers as well as those of us not expecting the 60 degree water awaiting us. Bright and early, the members of the “Temple Chai Polar Bear Club” who were brave enough to battle the rough conditions of clear skies, calm wind and an empty beach marched down to start our day off with a float in the Dead Sea. It was a perfect way to start off the day and yet another “only in Israel” moment for everyone involved.

Jason and Ross