Reflections

Blog Written by Michael Patterson on March 25th.

Epilog (Five, Four, Three, Two, One)

To try to summarize and write a comprehensive wrap-up of our journey is too difficult and would produce returns that diminish with each sentence. We all (as we were warned) left Israel with more questions than answers; emotions and ties to a land and heritage given new, vigorous life. During the flight home I mentally wrote and re-wrote this closing chapter numerous times; each draft with a different key idea to convey. And perhaps that is the point: these journeys with our Rabbi are not meant to tell us a story. These ventures expose us to raw materials: history, prayers, sites, people and ideas that reinforce and then contradict. We are each provoked to write and re-write our own stories many times over.
Each time we read a story of Labor v. Likud politics, recite the shehecheyanu, hear of a raid on a Gaza tunnel, learn about a child diagnosed with cancer, study the history of the (ephemeral) Roman Empire, read a news flash from the security fence (or the Lebanese border, or the Golan Heights, or the West Bank/Sumaria & Judea, or the Gaza Strip) or hear the first measures of the Lion King, we will have ideas and viewpoints that are vastly different from those we had before March 15th of 2009.

But, for those that want a summary:
Five millennia;
Four Quarters of the Old City (Muslim, Christian, Armenian and Jewish);
Three Religions;
Two national interests; and,
One G-d.
And, oh yes: “Can I get a group picture?!”

- Michael Patterson

Tuesday, March 24th

Last day in Jerusalem - Sam and Rosalie Nagler

The last day of the trip included a lecture by Professor Hazan of the Political Science Department at Hebrew University. Professor Hazan spoke about Israeli Politics and its complexities. He explained the importance of a party over an individual. In Israel, you vote for a party only, rather an individual candidate. He felt Netanyahu would be successful in forming a government.

We then visited Zichron Menachem, "in memory of Menachem", the Israeli Association to Support Children with Caner. This past winter, the Religious School worked with the organization, Soaring Words, to create blankets and pillows with inspiring messages for these children. Our group visited this hospital to learn about the organization and to donate these gifts. We learned that Zichron Menachem is a community building faculty with music rooms, game rooms, a garden, and much more in order to encourage both physical, emotional and social healing for these children.

We then visited the Ayalon Institute for a tour if a clandestine munitions factory used during the British Mandate. The site was originally a Kibbutz learning center that turned into a secret ammunition factory under the British Mandate. The pioneers created an underground factory in only 21 days under a bakery and laundry room to cover the sounds of the project. Workers spent hours underground daily to create the bullets that were later used to overcome the British Mandate. These people who did this work contributed greatly to the establishment of Israel in the 1948 war of independance.

We ended the day and the trip with a wrap up discussion and reflection of the trip. The wrap up seminar was a discussion of each person's reactions to the tour. It was very emotional. It was clear that after 10 days together, our group become a true community, sharing in many simchas - bnai mitzvah, birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and many firsts! Following this discussion, we went to Kimmel for a wonderful farewell dinner.

Masada and the Dead Sea

Steve, Judy, Jonah and Jesse Eick -

Sunday, March 22nd

Posted by Brett, Sherri, Justin and Aaron Miller




Just hanging out at the King David Hotel

Shabbat in Jerusalem

The sixth day blog written by Anne Easterling and Leonard Freifelder.

It's March 21, 2009 and the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue group is in Jerusalem. So, why is this day different from all of the other days of this trip? Why? ... because it's Shabbos in Jerusalem!!

And, for the first day since we've arrived in Israel, the group really doesn't have anything (much) on our schedule. This morning, the Rabbi did give a speech at a nearby Shabbat service. Mike, our guide, did give a tour of the old city in the afternoon. So, what did we do? We caught up on our sleep (because Anne was sick).

What's Shabbos like in Jerusalem? It's very quiet, because basically everything is closed, at least until later in the day. It's kind of like a Saturday afternoon in Manhattan in July, when everyone is in the Hamptons or somewhere other than New York City. There's more space to walk around, there's fewer cars of the street, everyone is calmer than they are on the other days of the week.

Before Anne and I left on the trip, Ammi warned us to sleep before we left and his admonition was true. The pace, up until today, was very frenetic. And, even going to bed by 10 pm, you didn't seem to be rested when you got up to get going the next morning. So, today's break from the schedule was welcomed, at least by the two of us.

This afternoon, Anne felt better and we had a quick drink on the terrace of the King David hotel overlooking the Old City. The view was lovely and although it was sunny and bright, it was a little cold. We then took a walk to the Old City of Jerusalem. The old city, although mostly closed, because it was still Shabbos, is much like you might imagine.

It's a warren of tiny streets with slippery cobblestones and doorways leading who knows where. Occasionally, there's a Roman arch or column, an apparent archeological dig. Then, of course, there's a shwarma stand or a Coca Cola sign or a modern jewelry store (all closed while we were walking around). We walked through the Arab market, which was open, full of little shops similar to what we've seen in other locations on this trip.

Then, this evening, we got our first invitation to move to Israel. While we were walking to go to dinner, someone behind us started calling out "Cleveland, Cleveland." The couple thought that we were from Cleveland because of the logo on the back of my denim jacket.

They were an American couple who had moved to Jerusalem a few years ago. It seems that they do marketing to several U.S. baseball teams via a call center that they've set up here. Anyway, after telling us how hard it was to make a living in Israel if you don't speak Hebrew fluently, they suggested that we should consider making Aliyah.

What a sales pitch!!

Friday in Jerusalem

The weather in Jerusalem today began with some gray clouds - our first gray day of the trip.  

Following breakfast we boarded the bus again for a trip to the Yad Vashem, the jewish national Memorial to the six million Jewish victim of the Holocaust (Shoah).  We traveled the entire museum with our guide, Mike, and went throug the Avenue of the Righteous, the new Historical Museum, and the Children's Museum.

Following this emotional experience, we visited the life that is Israel - went to the Jerusalem marketplace and walked through the many shops selling fresh cheese, meats, fruits, vegetables, spices, candy, chocolate, rugaleh, challah and other breads, falafel and much more!  There was lots of craziness on the eve of Shabbat - many people screaming and bargaining for the best price and rushing to get home in time to make the meals before Shabbat arrived!

At 4:30 we boarded the bus again to head to Kabbalat Shabbat services at Congregation Mevasseret Zion lef by Rabbi Maya Leibovitz.  Many of our participants had the opportunity to share Shabbat dinner hosted by Israeli families.

Addition of  The Gershon Family
Most days pass, favorably or not, and add a little something to the memory banks our brains keep neatly stored for our re-use. Few days trigger complex questioning and internal existential internal discussions that we have with ourselves. Today, however, was not just a day for memory but, for those us traveling with Ami Hirsch to Israel, one of those difficult existential internal discussion days. Breakfast passed as usual, sumptuous and more caloric than any of needs, and then was followed by a prompt departure for Yad Vashem. There we found why, if anyone needed to know, there has to be an Israel. We understand that we Jews are a minority in the world and one that, since the writing of the Gospels, has not received favorable reviews. We can, and do, live with other peoples but, with the notable exception of the United States, we do so with the knowledge of a precarious history of pogroms, the inquisition, discrimination, expulsions leading ultimately to the holocaust so effectively documented and memorialized at Yad Vashem. Israel is the escape hatch that makes life in the diaspora ever so much more tranquil. It is the sabra, the tough prickly element that shows the world that progroms, inquisitions, discrimination, expulsions and holocausts are much more difficult to pull off now than they used to be. The symbiosis of America and Israel gives us now the strength that we lacked in 1933.

Yad Vashem is a collective experience but we, the Gershon family would like to share with you a little of the personal experience of our family. Dr. Bill Angen, Anne’s father was a physician with the United States Army. He was operating in the vicinity of Munich when a call came to go immediately to a suburb that no one had known of previously called Dachau. As a doctor, he carried a good Leica camera and had rolls of very good Kodachrome film. He arrived in Dachau within hours of the first Americans to do so and began shooting, not his gun (although with the SS operating throughout, he slept that night with it under his head) but with his camera. He also captured some film from the Nazis. We thought we might add to the experience of Yad Vashem, by sharing a few of Bill’s pictures and some of Michael Gershon’s, taken years later of the liberation (the only term possible) of the Dachau Concentration Camp.

The Nazis thought a lot of themselves and were addicted to parades, even in war. The arrow points to the commandant of the guards of Dachau

This is a picture of Bill and his buddies who were coming to end the Nazi reverie. They were still in France at this time. They look happy and cocky. The happiness was not to last.

This is what Bill remembered forever of his entrance into Dachau. The Nazis had a well developed, if macabre, sense of irony. It was only death and not work that made one free in Dachau. Work was the prelude, death the only end the Nazis had in mind for their victims.



Inside the wire the victims looked at the American as the deus ex machina of Greek drama, but this was not a drama; it was reality. Even the weather was good.



Dachau had a kennel club, but these dogs were not man’s best friend. They were part of the Nazi machine.


This was prize for which the Nazis intended their victims to work.



This is a picture of Bill. His expression tells it all. Behind him, in the care are the should-have-been patients for whom he arrived to late.


Here is Bill’s pass. This was a crime scene and was recognized as such. It had to carefully protected.



Many of Bill’s pictures are too gruesome to show; however, you can see what happened when the Nazis ran out of coal. The furnaces stopped but not the killing. Only the American Army stopped that.



People died without their clothing but the Nazis saved even that.



If you go to Dachau today, you can see the plaque (Killroy was here). Actually, it was Bill’s division, the 42nd Rainbow Division of the American Seventh Army Medical Corps.



This is Dachau after the United States Army cleaned out the Nazis.



This is Dachau now. You might think it is a Disney version. Dachau for the kids. The wire, however, is still ugly and meaningful.


This is Michael, years of the liberation, looking at what his father in law accomplished. Dachau is much cleaner.



This is how the residents of the quiet little suburb of Munich want you to remember their town. Come visits and enjoy a holiday in Dachau.


Think of this, the Germans say, do not think thoughts of Yad Vashem. They have never lost their love of irony (“Arbeit Macht Frei”)




This is another view of Dachau today. American Jewish irony intended.



After Yad Vashem we all experienced Machaneh Yehuda. People preparing for Sabbath peace. G_d rested and so do we. It is wonderful that we are here in our country (we are Americans, yet Israel is our country), while the Nazis are no longer in theirs. It was an end of a day when Logan Gershon could look for the perfect strawberry…and so it should be.

Triple Bnai Mitzvah in the Golan Heights

Thursday, March 19th:

8:30 am - we woke up, had a quick breakfast, and traveled through the Golan Heights to a mountain overlooking the ancient city of Gamla to have a Thursday morning service and Torah reading and also to celebrate Matthew Cohen, Emma and Ian Patterson's Bnai Mitzvah.

Following the service, we went around the Kinneret, Sea of Gallilee , winding our way down the land of Israel and up the hills to Jerusalem.

When we finally arrived in Jerusalem, we made a quick stop at our hotel, the King David, and continued the Bnai Mitzvah celebration at an authentic Moroccan Restaurant, Darna, in Jerusalem.  The owner came to welcome us and explained that EVERYTHING came from Morocco - the tiles on the floor, the walls, the plants, pillows, and pottery.  He then made sure to welcome and bless our three bnai mitzvah.

Here are some personal reflections from our three bnai mitzvah:

Emma Patterson - I didn't know what to expect when we first got off our tour bus, since we were no longer doing it in the ancient sanctuary on Gamla. While Ian, Matthew, and I prepared the Torah, Mike, our guide, taught everyone a little bit about the ancient city and sanctuary that we were overlooking. The view was spectacular and the weather was just right! I was quite nervous beforehand, but the Torah reading and prayers turned out great. 

In my D'var Torah I spoke about my views regarding the mitzvot we perform in our daily lives and the mitzvot the Jews performed while constructing the tabernacle, as my parsha Vayakhel Pekude described. I spoke about how when people think of the word "mitzvah" they don't immediately think about having fun. Instead what comes to mind is that the person must do work to help the less fortunate. I also described how traveling to Israel is a responsibility and obligation of every Jew, and when you do so you perform a mitzvah. The last point that I made in my D'var Torah was that while the Jews were constructing the tabernacle two thousand years ago, they were still performing two mitzvot. One was that they came together as a community to build it, which brought the Jews closer, and that when they were told to donate their efforts and valuables for the tent, they donated more than was necessary. 

Overall, the B'nai Mitzvah exceeded my expectations and it was greatly appreciated that the many friends and family were able to make it to help celebrate with our families. 

Matthew Cohen and Ian Patterson - Happy Chanukah! Mazel-Tov! Hallelujah! We're done! Finished! Finito! After all the long months of hard studying we've completed the all important task of b'nai-mitvah. We stood there, on a mountain in the Golan Heights overlooking mount Gamla where 2000 years ago the Jews fought the Romans for there own survival, and celebrated our b'nai-mitzvah service. The conditions weren't exactly perfect for a b'nai-mitzvah with all the birds chirping, the bugs buzzing and the sky rumbling with foreboding sounds, but the weather and the view were phenomenal so we survived. Standing on the mountain in the open air while chanting torah was a unique and a once in a lifetime experience. The service went reasonably smoothly except for the few moments of awkward silence, and we were both pleasantly surprised by our performances. The night before we were nervous about the upcoming service, but we later learned that the panic was unnecessary. It turned out that both our torah portions and our haf-torah portions were spoken very eloquently and with little visible or audible flaws. My (Matthew's) d'var torah was about the importance of a strong community. I started by giving an overview of Exodus. I then moved on to tell of the tabernacles importance and relationship to community. From there I talked about the necessity of communities in modern day life and the meaning of coming of age After that I recapped the beginning of my speech, and I talked a little about the importance of being in the place we were celebrating the b'nai mitzvah to rap it up… My (Ian's) d'var torah was about how you what is the right thing to do but you don't always do it, it was also about how sometimes you need to be pushed to do something and sometimes you have to push someone else to do something.  My D'var Torah portion was full of humor and I really enjoyed writing it on top of everything.

Day THREE - in the north

The Third Day Blog presented by the Goddards!

RISE & SHINE, Wednesday, DAY 3, our earliest departure at 8:00 am.

Steve and I joined Rabbi Ammi for breakfast. We all gave him a well deserved Mazel Tov when he accidentally dropped.... and broke his coffee cup.

Jeeps were our mode of transportation to the Golan Heights. The dirt road was both bumpy and scenic. The beautiful wild flowers and various birds surrounding the signs ' WARNING LAND MINES' is a contrast  difficult to reconcile.

Golan Heights is bordered by Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the  6-day war of 1967. It becomes evident as you stand and see how close Israel is to each of those countries. Reality sets in when you walk through a Syrian bunker.

Next stop- Tel Dan Nature Reserve located on the largest tributary of the Jordan River. It is one of the most important water sources for the Northern part of Israel. The streams are magnificent. The Rabbi was so proud  saying "These are our streams, they are JEWISH streams!"  We continued our walk through the Reserve

to Ancient Dan -Gates to the city, one of the major archeological

discoveries in Israel; the only archeological proof that King David existed. It's hard to imagine seeing something that dates back 3-4000 years.

Lunch in the town of Kiryat Shmona. A special moment occurred when we stopped to see the playground that members of the June 2007 SWFS tour with the Rabbi  gave to the city.  During the December Congregational trip to Israel, the group stayed at K'far Blum and witnessed the damage of a rocket attack to that area.  Seeing the plaque which reads 'PLAYGROUND IS A GIFT OF THE SWFS JUNE 27,2007" was very emotional. 

Next  stop was  Manara Cliff, overlooking the Upper Gallilee  where both the kids and adults, (who acted like kids) had so much fun ziplining .  Steve Cohen was the first to 'fly'  off the cliff followed by the rest of the gang minus those that were chicken-led by our own Evita Sokol! Going to the top of the mountain by tram we saw one of the great views of the Hula Valley and the Golan Heights.

After dinner and an inspiring day ,            explained to us the ever changing nature of the Kibbutz.

We are all looking forward to tomorrow  for the Bnai Mitzvah of  Matthew Cohen, Emma and Ian Patterson. MAZEL TOV!

The trip far exceeds our expectations.  

(PS - since I oversee the blog, I would like to point out that I might have chickened out on the zip-line but I DID go on the monorail!! -Evita)

Day Two - take two

 Blog: Les and Donna Cohen and Lois and Larry Gould

Our second day in Israel proved to be full of learning, seeing, and enjoying!

We began the morning with a delicious breakfast at the hotel to gear us up for an exciting day.

After breakfast, we met to hear Colonel Retired Miri Eisen, former Prime Minister's advisor on the foreign media with 20 years' experience in military intelligence.  Dynamic and engaging, she kept adults and children captivated.  She described Israel's "complex neighborhood,"  surrounded closely by countries whose relationship has only been a relationship of war. She talked about the social and educational changes that have occured in the last 61 years, describing today's Israel as a Modern, Western, Middle Eastern, Jewish democracy. She discussed how Israel is overcoming the lack of natural resources by maximizing the extraordinary human resources that makes Israel a technology leader of the world. 

Following this incredible talk, we travelled up the coast towards Haifa.  On the way, our guide, Michael Hollander, identified the five modern tribes of Israel: WASP (white, ashkenazi, secular with protekzia), Sephardic (Jews expelled from Muslim Countries), Soviet Union Emigres, scientists and musicians, Israeli Duze and arabs, and the orthodox.  He also talked about how their interactions and frictions continue to shape modern israel.

Before approaching our place of destination in Haifa, we passed MAXIMs, an Israeli/palestinian family restaurant, where a female suicide bomber detonated herself after eating lunch among the arab and israeli families eating peacefully together.  

We then went to the Leo Baeck School, a Reform Jewish school that opens its doors to both Arab, Druze and Jewish students.  It's campus is filled with light and hope for the future. The principal of the school described the philosophy of the school, which is based on Torah (intellectual), Avodah (rituals and worship) and Ruach (spirit, behavior and social relationships).  He went on to explain that the school strives to emphasize Tikkun Olam, working for the improvement of society through personal and community responsibility.  Later on, he spoke of creating a community based on peace, justice and loving your friend as yourself as a way to create a dialogue between God and Man.  We heard from one student named Natan, which is the Hebrew word for "gift."  Our young participants had the opportunity to learn with students in the classroom and in the playground - many exchanged email addresses and phone numbers to continue this relationship!  This school embraces students, family and community and this is reflected in the construction of the campus.  Besides the main campus, which had a library containing steps modeled after "jacob's ladder," the school also has three pools, a memorial hall, three synagogue, gymnasium and ballet facility, and community center which is open to the neighborhood community.  This school demonstrated that it will clearly develop leadership for the nation.  What an inspiring day!  It is hard to express the emotion we felt when observing the community, students, and building.    

Before stopping for a quick lunch, we admired the scenic overlook of the Haifa Bay and the Bajai Gardens and shrines, the overlook of the nineteen level landscaped gardens.  It was such a beautiful and clear day that we could also see Lebanon from this view.    

We then continued North East up the winding roads to Safed, a city known as the capital of mysticism, Kabbalah.  Our busdriver, Yarom, easily navigated through 300 year old alley ways that were clearly NOT designed for our bus.  We wandered through the old city to the Sephardic "Ari synagogue," the rabbi who stressed the importance of welcoming Shabbat and created a six verse poem called "L'cha Dodi," welcoming the sabbath bride.  This poem has been incorporated into the Kabbalat Shabbat service on Friday nights.  This synagogue boasts a very ornate 19th century ark.  The bimah centered in the room has a hole in it caused when a mortar shell exploded outside and a piece of debris narrowly missed a davening prayer and hit the bimah.  The entire town bears scars of many battles throughout its history, which changed Safed to a totally Jewish town.  We wandered through the shops and galleries admiring the artwork housed in 300 year old building.  Many bought candles, artwork, tallitot, jewelry, mezuzot and more!

Finally, we concluded our day by traveling to Kibbutz K'far Blum for a relaxing evening of dinner.

Day 1

We are here at last.  Israel, yes ... we made it ... after all of the planning, all of the packing, and a very long flight. Many of us came a day or two early, and other came with Evita on the Sunday afternoon flight, but we all met in the David InterContinental lobby at 9am on Monday morning.  We then boarded the bus, 41 congregants and friends along with Rabbi Hirsh and Evita and off we went to our first stop.  Mike, returning as our tour guide for the 2nd year (that says something when Ammi invites someone back), took us to the Jaffa Overlook where we had a spectacular view of Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean.  Mike gave us a detailed history of the area including how Tel Aviv was founded by 66 families who held a lottery to purchase plots of land a little over 100 years ago.  Next we visited Independence Hall, site of David Bn Gurion's monumental proclamation of the State of Israel in May 14,1948.  Independence Hall, now a museum, was originally the home of the visionary founder and first mayor of Tel Aviv.  Built on plot 42 (part of the sand dunes that became Tel Aviv), the home was converted to a museum and then used for the Independence celebration.  We watched a film highlighting the events leading up to Independence Day and sat through a passionate recap of the actual ceremony. Following our visit, we boarded the bus and went off to the Carmel Market where we were on our own to indulge in the sights, sounds and smells of the city of Tel Aviv.  We wandered through the shops of Shenkin Stree, Nahalat Binyamin Pedestrian Mall, and through Carmel Market where you could not only buy huge varieties of clothing and housewares, but also some of the largest fruits that we had ever seen.  Afterward, it was back to the hotel for some R & R, and many took advantage of the beach across the street ... most for an afternoon stroll, but also a few brave ones (the under 13 set of course) for a swim.  We capped the day with a great middle-eastern style dinner at Maganda in the Yemenite Quarter of Tel Aviv.  Afterward, we took a 10 minute walk home where everyone said goodnight.