Day 1 -- Welcome Home
A little weary and travelled out, our group enthusiastically departed our late-arriving flight at Ben Gurion and began to celebrate. First, every suitcase appeared (the first miracle of our trip!). Next, as we exited the terminal, we were greeted by the Israelis who will share these next ten days with us, Maayan, Idan and Ziv. The three of them welcomed us into the arrival terminal with balloons and songs and there were smiles on every face -- even those waiting for their own guests to arrive. Each has their own unique gifts and personalities and has already made themselves very much at home with the group. We met our tour guide Neitsan and our guard Max and now our family is complete!
After exchanging money, collecting the cellphones which many had ordered and receiving a bottle of water and two different types of Israeli candy (Mkupelet, a twisty chocolate bar and Pesek Zman, chocolate covered cream filled wafer cookies)we were ready for our short journey to the hotel.
Neve Ilan is a beautiful resort hotel in the hills of Jerusalem, on the road to Tel Aviv. We went directly to dinner and our hungry travelers were awed by the abundance of the food before us. Soups, salads, breads and hot food were all in ample supply and everyone returned for seconds and thirds of this very healthy fare.
Following dinner we gathered together in our meeting room to set some rules and guidelines for both safety and security and the smooth running of the program. Our travelers are eager to learn all they can and balked at the notion that they might not behave as model citizens (of course we know they will, we just wanted to make clear what wasn't acceptable). Ziv taught us Misparei Barzel, or Iron Numbers. Each participant will have a Hebrew number by which they'll be known for the duration. This will both help us keep track of all of them and increase their Hebrew vocabulary!
Finally, we dragged our luggage to our rooms, settled in and took showers, and fell into bed for what should be a deep night's sleep. Some will take to the time change more slowly and be up at the crack of dawn, but ultimately, we'll all settle in.
Tomorrow will find us in the Old City of Jerusalem, visiting the Western Wall and walking in the footsteps of our ancestors. We'll begin with a sweeping view of the city from the Hass Promenade and be formally welcomed (home) to the city of gold. Know that we are taking plenty of pictures and if we can find the cable that links to the computer, we'll share them sooner rather than later. Trust that they appear to be well and happy and adjusting nicely. Even when there is a stumbling block, they are prepared to take it in stride.
Because Shabbat begins so early, there may not be time for an update tomorrow. At the latest, you'll have one on motzaei Shabbat, Saturday night.
In case we don't reach you before then, we wish you the sweetest Shabbat, with Jerusalem's starlight dancing in your dreams.
Rabbi Elyse Winick
