The Land of Milk and Honey

Well I’m back in Israel. I know it might sound strange to be abroad again, especially since I just started a new job, but this isn’t an ordinary trip. Several months ago my eldest niece, Madelyn, was bat mitzvahed and this year our synagogue decided to organize a trip to Israel for those celebrating this milestone. Naturally, as an uncle with a zeal for traveling, familiarity with the country, and no job I offered my services as chaperon. Thankfully my new employer understood this prior commitment and generously agreed to my taking 10 days off so soon after starting work. So here I am.

We left on Thursday night and, after an uneventful – and surprisingly on time – flight, arrived at Ben Gurion airport Friday afternoon. It is always such a thrill when the plane touches down here, not the least because it seems to be one of the few times when people still clap upon landing, but with the new terminal there is something missing. No longer do you deplane down a staircase and onto the tarmac so gone are the scenes of people kneeling to kiss Eretz Israel – it just isn’t the same to kiss the carpet of a jetway. That said, the airport authority has installed the biggest mezuzah I’ve ever seen at the entrance to the arrival hall and passport control area. So that’s something I suppose.

With our arrival formalities done we boarded our bus for a quick trip to Haifa. For all but one of the kids, this was there first time setting foot in Israel so on the way north we stopped along the beach near the site where so many Jews fleeing Europe in the 1930s and 1940s were detained by the British, who controlled the entire region at the time. Despite a bit of jet lag it was a moving moment to stand within sight of such a place and say the shehecheyanu, a traditional Jewish prayer that is said to celebrate special occasions such as this.

Today we joined with several Israeli peers, some of whom our congregation's kids are staying overnight with this evening, to tour several sites around here. One of the most interesting was the area burned by the recent forest fire in the mountains surrounding Haifa. Seeing the charred earth and trees, especially in such close proximity to towns and the prison (the one to which 40 guards were headed to help evacuated when their bus was caught in the fast moving wall of fire and killed) that were nearly engulfed in the inferno, was a stark reminder of just how precarious much of our man-made world truly is. From there we went to a nearby Druze village for a lunch feast of traditional salads, appetizers, and fire roasted chicken. Except for a brisk wind that wreaked havoc on napkins, cups, and anything else not sufficiently weighted down, it was a picturesque and extremely tasty meal.

Tomorrow we're off to Tel Aviv, then the Upper Galilee and Golan Heights before the final days in Jerusalem with a day trip to Masada and the Dead Sea. It goes without saying that as exciting as it is being in Haifa and meeting their Israeli peers, all the kids are eagerly looking forward to these days the most -- as am I to be honest.

[Yes I'm taking many pictures but due to a spotty internet connection I will likely wait until I return Stateside to upload any.]