Wherever I'm Going -- 218's Final Blog Post
Apologies for the delay in sharing this final blog post. Our check in time at Ben Gurion Airport took far longer than anticipated on Saturday night and we arrived in the States on Sunday to the blizzard which is familiar to all of you in one way or another. With perserverance and a bit of luck, we managed to return all of our travelers to some destination with people who care about them. It took the staff longest to get home, but even we have returned to the places where we belong.
Our last Shabbat together was beautiful and bittersweet, filled with goodbyes and thank yous and reflections on our time together. In a funny way, Israel was the backdrop and the friendships made in our 10 days were the most referenced thing to be left behind.
And yet, with the gift of the internet and Facebook, this group will have far less trouble staying in touch. True, we won't wake early in the morning to shared words of prayer and an eye-popping breakfast buffet and we won't traverse a tiny country in a bus filled with song and laughter. But those memories will always be with us.
A few words of thanks.
First, to Sharna Marcus and her team at Shorashim, for building an incredible itinerary, crafting a flawless logistics machine and for doing everything possible to make this special trip as perfect as could be.
Next, to Rich Moline, Director of Youth and Young Adult Services of The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, for the vision to create this program five years ago and for being an ardent supporter and advocate for this work in the Conservative Movement. KOACH, the co-sponsor of this trip, functions under his direction. Indeed, thanks to United Synagogue overall, for keeping this trip a priority in a time of shrinking budgets and concerns about the bottom line.
To the private donors who, knowing that our costs for this trip far exceed the allocation from Taglit-Birthright Israel, came forward and gave generously, committed to the belief that every Jewish young person is entitled to the gift of Birthright Israel, with no limitations.
To Rose Sharon, group coordinator, for hours spent on the phone with participants, potential participants, parents, physicians, therapists, life care coordinators and others, in the interest of ensuring that the trip was the right fit for each participant and that the trip would be magical for everyone. Rose's cheerful disposition and understanding of Asperger's Syndrome and other special needs concerns made every day flow smoothly and enabled our participants to feel confident and secure in an unfamiliar environment.
To Neitsan Shamo, tour guide extraordinaire, who brought not only expansive knowledge of the country she loves, but a deep sense of caring for each and every participant and an understanding for what each one needed.
To Gadir, our driver. Many drivers simply drive. They tell participants to clean up, to sit down, to quiet down. Gadir knew our participants by name, knew details about their lives, cared for them like they were his own. Driving for a Taglit-Birthright Israel group is a demanding and exhausting commitment. When we said goodbye at the airport, Gadir said he would happily drive this group for another month, in a heartbeat.
To Max Geidman, our guard. If there had been a need to protect us from more than traffic, Max would have done so effectively and without hesitation. But in the absence of security concerns, he was one of the guys, sharing his bit of Israel with those who sat or walked with him, using his iPhone to fact check and share music. To each and every one, he was a friend.
To our staff, Bruce Sharon, Lora Slutsky, Andrew Gibbs and Arik Samuels, (and briefly, Elie Aizner) who tirelessly tended to every need, searching for lost items, bringing smiles to unhappy faces, packing, shlepping, celebrating, cheering and surrounding our travelers with love and warmth and kindness.
To our Israelis, Ziv Ronel, Maayan Ziv and Idan Vaitzner, who opened their hearts and brought Israel inside the bus, sharing their love for music, food, culture, movies, dance and anything else you might imagine. They were an indescribable gift to us.
To you, the families and supporters of the travelers on Bus 218, who entrusted to us those whom you love. We know that it was hard to let them go; we hope you already see how much it meant to them and how very much they gained from the experience.
And finally, to Bus 218, numbers one through 21, who filled each day with joy and laughter, who went outside their comfort zones to fulfill their dreams, who were on time, cooperative, smiling, thoughtful and insightful. You made it all worthwhile.
Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav, a Hasidic thinker of the 19th century once said, "Wherever I am going, I am going to Israel." Though our time together has come to an end, we can always go back -- and in our hearts, we can always go back together.
Rabbi Elyse Winick
Associate Director for KOACH
Department of Youth and Young Adult Services
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
