For years my husband, Jimmy, wanted to travel to Israel. He has relatives near Haifa and had not seen them for over 50 years. To be honest, Israel had not been at the top of my list for vacations. However, after the temple announced the trip with a wonderful itinerary plus some of our friends were going, we signed up.

The trip was one of a lifetime!!! It was one of the best decisions we have made. The itinerary was amazing. We were very active, up and out of the hotel usually by 9AM and, at times, back in the evening. When one is in Israel, you want to make the most of it and see as much as possible. The tour guide, Geoff Winston @ Keshet Educational Journey, is very knowledgeable and has a great personality. Jeff and Rabbi Spike both provided such interesting information about the country and the sites we were visiting.  A Youth Counselor was on the trip with educational programming specifically for the children. We traveled to many cities and historical places. We honestly cannot choose a favorite event. We were fascinated by the history of Israel. Some things we knew, some we had forgotten and many new facts were learned.

At Masada we heard the story of the Jewish zealots who were defending themselves from the Romans. At Mt. Bental, were told the heroic stories from the Yom Kippur War.  We met with Israeli soldiers at the Israeli Lebanese border. They were such brave men who are honored to serve in the military beginning at 18 years old. We heard about the dramatic account of Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion and his brave decision to declare the state despite incredible resistance against it. And once the State of Israel was declared, the struggle of the Jews to preserve its existence.

We should all be very proud of Israel. The economy is thriving today.  Many of the world’s largest companies have established R&D centers in Israel including Intel, IBM, Cisco, HP and Microsoft to mention a few.  Most of Windows NT and XP operating systems were developed by Microsoft-Israel. We toured the Taglit Innovation Center.  Israel’s economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbor’s combined and it leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce.

It was incredible to see what the country has done in terms of agriculture. Many innovative techniques were developed in Israel, including irrigation, solar power, and cleaning the seas from petroleum pollution. They have turned much of the desert land into beautiful, lush areas. There is continued development in the cities and in the countryside, and construction of high-rise apartments/condos to house the growth in population. Construction/cranes are everywhere. The medical industry is huge, with many innovative procedures having been developed in the country.

To close, I must mention the group of people on the tour. They were fantastic! There were 27 people, including 9 children. We all interacted so well together and had a blast. Having the kids on the trip was wonderful. They were so much fun to be with. We got to attend the B’nai Mitzvah of two of the children, a beautiful ceremony which we were able to share with the families at the Hebrew Union College. We liked them so much that we even adopted one of them. We now have four sons!! We made friends on the trip. For lunch and dinner, we ate one meal a day as a group, and for the other one, we typically met up with various people and went out. We found a lot of great things together. I even rode a camel with Rabbi Spike!!

When the temple announces its next trip,
I would highly recommend you consider taking it.

My family and I recently returned from the Summer 2019 Temple Emanu-El Israel Tour. The Tour was an incredible experience for our entire family. Whenever I tell anyone about the trip, the most common question is “What was your favorite experience?” I never know how to answer because I don’t have just one.

The other day I went walking while listening to music, just as I did while on the boardwalk in Tel Aviv. While I was out and about in Dunwoody, I was taken back to the beautiful beaches of Tel Aviv and all the people playing volleyball, walking and talking with their families, and the times our tour group spent together. In that moment, I realized that the best part of my trip to Israel was the Connections I made. The Connections to history, the Connections to spirituality, and the Connections to people.

I have always been a student of history. I read and studied history in school and throughout my adult life. I raised my children to read and understand the importance of history in our world and their everyday lives. While I knew the written history of Israel, I did not have a real connection to it until I stood on the Golan Heights with members of the IDF, walked the streets of Jerusalem, and danced by the wall on Shabbat or floated in the Dead Sea with Rabbi Spike.

I have never considered myself a very religious person, but have always felt a spiritual connection to the world around me. I did not truly understand my spiritual connection until a few of us went on a hike to watch the sunrise near Masada. Before this hike, I had a fear of heights and stayed away from places without railings. On the way down, we had to climb across a ledge that was at least 50 feet above the rocks below, holding onto a thin metal pipe. Based on everything I’d seen and done the week before, I suddenly felt no fear and reached out to grab both the pipe and the rock handholds that were there. The rest of the wa,y I chose the rocks over the metal hand and footholds.  From those moments on, I felt spiritually connected in a way I never felt before.

Perhaps most significantly, while in Israel, I connected more deeply with people. I was able to connect with my family through the time we spent together as we traveled across Israel and shared experiences. I watched in awe as Israelis spent Shabbat together on the Beach without iPhones or any other types of electronics. To see so many friends and families sharing so much time and joy reminded me of the value of stopping to just be in the moment and connect. Perhaps most surprising was how well everyone on the Tour connected. We were 27 people ages 7 to 76 and we all were able to get along well and find a way to communicate at every meal and event. In fact, we still spend time together now.

I leave you with this thought.
If you are thinking of going to Israel with the Temple.
GO