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.