Friday

February 5, 2010

22 Shevat 5770

Time to leave Kibbutz haGoshrim.  I forgot to mention in yesterday’s itinerary a very important stop along the way.  The women especially had a great time picking out shoes at the Naot factory.  My wife swears an oath that the shoes from this kibbutz factory are the most comfortable that she has ever worn.  Given how many pairs that were purchased by the other members of our tour, I think that they might agree…  Looking northward from the dining room window, it is quite evident that the low clouds have lifted to reveal a wonderful sight, a clear view of snow on Mount…

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Wednesday

February 3, 2010

19 Shevat  5770

Lynn and I rejoined the group after a long evening in the emergency room in a hospital in Tel Aviv.  By the time that we had joined them they had already had their history lesson of the region and why this area is so vital to Israel’s existence, not just strategically since it sits along both the Lebanese and Syrian borders, as well as Jordan, but  more so for its agricultural reasons after our pioneers built it up from swamp land as well as it being the source of water in the region that feeds all the way down to the Dead Sea. …

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Thursday

February 4, 2010

20 Shevat  5770

As predicted, weather conditions at Misgav Am and at Metullah prevented us from going further north from our kibbutz, due to snow on the road.  According to Itzie, the driver, he doesn’t mind dancing on the road, but not with a full bus!  We also were informed that the natural grottos at Rosh Hanikra, the only place where the border is open to Lebanon, was closed due to high winds.  Our guide had heard of Rosh Hanikra closing when the seas were rough, but he had to check it out with us, and that is what we did.  What a glorious sight to…

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Tuesday Morning February 2, 2010 18 Shevat 5770 Today we leave Jerusalem for our new home in the far northern region of Israel, Kibbutz Hagoshrim, with its picturesque view of Mount Hermon. Mike warned us that the fine weather that we were enjoying in Jerusalem is not expected t o be with us in the Galilee. However, we will do our best to see as much as we can as long as the rains and the low lying clouds will allow. When we left Jerusalem, we headed straight into the morning commuting traffic to Tel Aviv. We arrived at our first destination, however, earlier than expected due to Itzie’s driving…

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Sunday Evening

January 31, 2010

16 Shevat 5770

“Tu b’Shevat heegee’a, chag ha’ilanot…” These are the opening words to a song that celebrates Jewish Arbor Day, which was officially yesterday.  It is customary in the Jewish tradition to go into the fields and to plant, as well as to eat many different types of fruits in celebration of the many blessings that trees offer us.  Since it was Shabbat on the 15^th, the planting would have to wait.   As for the fruits, Lynn and I visited a friend in Jerusalem on Shabbat afternoon who treated us to candied etrog, which is only available in the stores in limited quantities at…

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Thursday Evening,

January 28, 2010

13 Shevat 5770

“Shalom Yerushalayim…” is one of many songs that have been written over the ages that try to describe the significance of this place to the Jewish people and their experience with God and nature.  It is on the Temple Mount that Abraham nearly sacrificed Isaac.  It is in this same place that the Holy of Holies once stood.  It is here that our ancestors once gathered to celebrate the three pilgrimage festivals.  Today, it is the seat of Israel’s government, the place where Israel buries her fallen soldiers, and the place where we remember the victims of the Holocaust and the stories…

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Wednesday Evening,

January 27, 2010

11 Shevat 5770

We are waiting to board our flight to Israel, leaving from Atlanta, Georgia.  The President of the United States is currently giving his State of the Union address which is viewable at one of the other terminals.  I have just finished reading an article written by Rabbi Daniel Gordis who made aliyah with his family a number of years ago, and reports on Israeli culture on a blog every month or so.  At the end of November he wrote an article entitled “A Requiem for Peoplehood.”  He reports a comment that was made to him following a presentation that he gave at…

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