Sunday

Going to Yad VaShem is always a demanding experience. That it's emotionally demanding is obvious. This starkly imposing building is not a museum so much as it is a mitzvah: the fulfillment of the sacred obligation of remembering. We walked through in our family units. For me and for Liza, to be there with our daughters was deeply meaningful and sad. Standing together, all 4 of us listening to the same video tapes of survivors telling their harrowing stories, looking at the exhibits and the maps and the pictures proved to be a powerfully important component of the whole experience of being at Yad Vashem. So many of the accounts of Holocaust survivors specifically dealt with family members being taken away and killed or just never seen again. That it was sad is self evident. The affirming part was that we were here in Israel, that we live on with strength and dignity. More than ever I am convinced that Yad Vashem has it together.

All that being said, Yad Vashem was so crowded that it detracted from the overall experience of being there. People were respectful -- no inappropriate behaviors intruded. It was just literally hard just to see things, just to move. I hope they figure out how to control the crowds.

After Yad Vashem our group split into 2 buses. Group one went to see the beautiful Chagall Windows at Hadassah Hospital. Group 2 went off to Machaneh Yehudah, the Jewish outdoor market where you can buy spices, fruits, vegetables, pots and pans, and... etrog healing elixirs.

I had heard a great piece on NPR about a guy in Mqachaneh Yehudah whose sole product is etrogs and derivatives thereof. He claims that etrogs hold enormous curative powers. It can smooth wrinkles, freshen one's mood, improve one's eyesight, clear sinuses and headaches, etc. When we finally found him (after eating remarkable felafel, buying spices, halvah, figs, and fresh pomegranate juice), he decided to pick the big Jewish guy in the group: Rich B. As a 6' 5" Jew, Rich gets lots of attention in the Holy Land, let me tell you. We watched as the Etrog Man squirted various potions in his mouth, dabbed his hand with etrog cream, and sprayed his face with etrog mist. Skeptics and believers alike took great pleasure watching Rich get treated to a whole healing experience including wind chimes and etrog extract.

After finally getting back to the hotel it was time to clean up and pack up and then -- but of course! -- go eat some more. Our 'last supper' was at a classic Middle Eastern restaurant, featuring endless salads (humus, tehina, cole slaw, red cabbage, and God knows what the other dishes were called) and grilled kebabs, chicken, beef, etc. It was there that we officially said goodbye to our guides, Laura and Chen. What a contrast between these 2 remarkable, talented people.


Chen is a former member of Israel's most elite commando squad. A hard core Zionist leaning right, he suffused his raps with his love of the land itself. Sometimes he would ooze over into the politics of the land, and that wasn't always appreciated by everyone. But he was, undeniably, a mensch. He had a sparkle in his eye always and cared that we experience the best Israel had to offer.

Laura, American borne, just happens to be the sister of a temple member. That she was available for our group happened as a total fluke in that a tour she had already booked at the same time cancelled the day before i called her. And let me say how lucky we were to have her as a guide. She is ridiculously smart, insightful, and keyed into American Jewish interests. Combined with her capacious knowledge of all things and places Israel, she has a beautiful smile and a great sense of humor.

We lucked out: 2 guides who had never worked together before got along famously (even as their politics utterly diverged). One, a commando who knew how to get things done in all situations, and a mother of 6 who knew how to nurture and cajole: always with poise. We were led and pushed and pulled with exquisite care. I know I speak for all of us when I say how much more we know about Israel because of them. To Chen and Laura, todah rabbah.