Israel Impressions

I had been to Israel just once, in 1990, for just three days. My husband and I did a quick gulp of as much history as possible and vowed to come back for more—but didn’t.

This trip fulfilled my wish and added so much depth and meaning. The first time I was a tourist. This time—as Rabbi Goldstein said at the start of the trip—we were pilgrims. And that made an enormous difference. It gave me the opportunity to view this profoundly spiritual place through the lens of another faith. I saw, I learned, and—most importantly—I felt.  Rabbi Goldstein had made ours a true pilgrimage by planning readings, prayers, and short ceremonies to mark important places and events. I didn’t understand the Hebrew, but the meaning was always clear. 

 

Spiritual high points were many. We entered Jerusalem at dusk as the lights were winking on; stopping at an overlook as long-ago pilgrims did for a prayer and a blessing. On Friday evening we welcomed “the bride of the Sabbath” (What a lovely phrase!) at the Kottel, or Western Wall. Rabbi Goldstein led our service on an overlook where we could see a sea of worshippers below, many dressed in ultra-Orthodox black; others in their Sabbath best or in Army uniforms, all praying together. On Sabbath it seems as if the city holds its breath for a day. This pause in daily life is something we seldom honor in America, which is too bad. The crowning experience, for me, was—of course—hearing my grandson Aaron read his Torah portion on the summit of Mount Masada, along with three other young people in the congregation. At that moment my grandchild truly seemed to be a young man. All the young people did wonderfully well, despite searing heat and flyovers from the Israeli air force. It was a joyful ceremony with proud parents, flashing cameras, and a shower of candy at the end.

 

Other high points for me were learning more about the modern state of Israel. We saw the mine fields on the Golan Heights, visited an Army training installation, and walked quietly through Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial and museum in Jerusalem, a profoundly moving experience, as was the Palmach (Israeli strike force) Museum in Tel Aviv, where a multi-media presentation brought to life the struggles to establish the modern state of Israel..

 

Historical high points: Walking through a huge tunnel along the western wall where archaeologists had peeled back some of the many layers to reveal ancient buildings on the site, and walking through an incredibly beautiful canyon to enter—through a deep narrow clef in the rock--the rose red city of Petra in Jordan, where ancient buildings are carved into the rock walls.

 

Of course, the trip also had lots of just-for-fun high points: kayaking on the Jordan; snorkeling in the visually rich waters of the Red Sea; strolling, snacking, and shopping in the bazaars and old quarters of the cities; swimming in the warm waves of the Mediterranean; digging for pottery shards at a working archeological site (Aaron found some; I didn’t); eating  lots of great Middle Eastern food; and getting to know some of the warm, wonderful members of Temple Beth Shalom. It was a great trip, and a great group of travelers--and I was so happy to be part of it.   Patricia Robbins