Friday morning to Havdalah

No one wants to admit it... even though we can tell, based on our laundry situation, that the trip is nearing the end. Friday the weather was, as usual, absolutely perfect. Shirt sleeves only, even in Jerusalem. We went to 3 places: a kibbutz, a dig, and an Arab village. At the kibbutz we participated in a program called Table to Table. This Israeli organization -- to which we donated our Mitzvah Day tzedakah collections -- seeks to feed hungry people in Israel, primarily by collecting the gleanings from the fields. The food is harvested by volunteers and then sent to soup kitchens and homeless shelters all over the country.

We went out, all 80+, to harvest kohlrabi. No, I had no idea what it was either. Here it is:


Wikipedia defines it as Kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea Gongylodes Group) is a low, stout cultivar of the cabbage that will grow almost anywhere. It has been selected for its swollen, nearly spherical, Sputnik-like shape. The name comes from the German Kohl ("cabbage") plus Rübe ~ Rabi ("turnip"), because the swollen stem resembles the latter. Kohlrabi has been created by artificial selection for lateral meristem growth; its origin in nature is the same as that of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts: They are all bred from, and are the same species as, the wild cabbage plant (Brassica oleracea).

Ok, so big deal on the vegetable. But we picked them for an hour. We won't win the Nobel Peace prize. But we did make a difference. And it felt really good to be doing something for Israel besides buying tchachkes. Even here for TBA it's about social justice, too.

From the fields (not the farm, O customs man), we motored on to Beit Guvrin, an archaeological dig so huge that the only way to fund it (it receives very little government support), is to shlep in tourists from all over the world and Israelis as well, to actually dig for stuff and then buy some t-shirts. Most of us find little shards of stuff, but one of our kids actually found a whole small bowl! It was so exciting that we wanted to all keep digging -- kind of like in Vegas or Foxwoods when the guy next to you gets the jackpot you figure, just one more shot.

But alas, it was time to go. The sweetest discovery for me was literally bumping into our guide from 2 years ago, Ya'ara! She is cute as ever, and has cut her hair very short. She sends love to all of the Israel crew of '05.

We then headed back to Jerusalem just in time to eat -- again. But what a treat! Lunch was at an old established village on the road to Jerusalem called Abu Ghosh. There we sat at long tables and, once again, we were treated to fabulous Middle Eastern salads and chips (french fries, habibi!), felafel, and so many items that we ate but could never define.

The fact is, Israeli food is finally great. Anyone who journeyed here 25 years ago + found pretty tasteless stuff. So much of the best fruits and veggies were exported and the beef was 2nd class Argentine import, full of fat and gristle. It is so far from that now. Thanks God.

Friday night came and we all stumbled to dinner sleepy but filled with such good feelings about the day and all that we accomplished. A week had gone by, and we were sad that the time is ticking down, but we do feel satisfied and all so connected. We had a short, beautiful Kabbalat Shabbat that drew us even closer -- and with 83 people, that isn't easy. But it happened, and the buoyant shabbat spirit lifted us to dinner and then to sweet dreams.

Shabbat in Israel? With glorious shirt sleeve weather? In Jerusalem? Lo yuman: unbelievable. Saturday after breakfast some of us walked to shul: some to Hebrew Union College (where English is spoken during the service), and others to Kol Haneshamah, a very cool Israeli Reform shul. I was with the KH group. We were honored tyo be given an aliyah. I sent up four of our kids: Hallie, Emily, Abby, and David. They recited the blessings beautifully and without any confusion. And I and their parents were so very proud.

Everybody hung out for awhile then gathered for lunch and a guest speaker, Rachel Canar. Rachel, a former TBA youth advisor in 1997-8, spoke about making aliyah and working for the Israeli Religious Action Center. She spoke about racism in Israel as well as the hegemony of the ultra-Orthodox to the detriment of the nascent Israeli Reform movement. She fired up lots of us, so be prepared to hear more on the subject.

Sunset arrived and with it, havdalah. We gathered on my porch. Yes, as a tour leader, one gets percs. In this case at the Inbal, it's a great suite with an extraordinary huge porch. And even though it was chilly, we welcomed the new week outdoors, praying, hugging, drinking Yarden cabernet and planning our final day with all 80+ of us.