As our family trip is winding down I wanted to share with all of you our best wishes and hopes that you have had an enjoyable and relaxing summer. I want to share my reactions to some of the day-to-day experiences that we have witnessed and observed during our stay this summer.
For Israelis, politics is one=2 0of their favorite hobbies. Everyone has an op inion about the personalities and policies of the various political parties. It seems as if no one here is indifferent or neutral. This makes for fascinating and lively conversations. One particular element of daily life in Israel is the extent to which there is mingling and interaction of Jews and Arab citizens of Israel in places such as malls, parks, and hotels. This does not mean that they sit at the same tables over coffee, or that they find ways to forge friendships and associations. What it does mean, however, is that these two peoples somehow manage to co-exist in various ways. It also means that one does not get the entire story by a mere reading of the headlines.
This summer we also became fans of Israel's version of "American Idol", a TV program called "Kochav Nolad" (A Star Is Born). Our interest in the show was because=2 0of our friendship with the family of one of the contesta nts, Elchai Refuah,17 years old and the son of Deganit and Jan Refuah, owners of "Ora Gifts of Jerusalem," one of our favorite stores off of Ben Yehuda Street. Deganit has visited our community a few times and feels a very close friendship with all of B'nai Aviv. Elchai has a beautiful voice and is a very talented young man. He is also a deeply committed and proud religious Jew, always wearing a Kipah. Elchai continually represents that special spark of enthusiasm for living in this modern world while maintaining the joy of traditional Jewish observance and practice. After auditions of more than 10,000 talented Israeli teenagers, Elchai was on the TV program as one of the top 15 singers in Israel today. Melinda had the opportunity to go with Deganit to one of the live broadcasts and see him perform and receive enough votes to return the following week. Unfortunately Elchai was eliminated as the 11th performer. On the night he was sent home, he expressed his gratitude to the fans, his mother and the rest of his family, and God, for "giving him everything." We were so touched by his obvious pride, and by his success in being a true role model for Israel's current teenagers, clearly showing that one can both be modern as well as traditional and observant. Elchai will soon be entering the Israeli Army, and yet we also believe that he will have a promising singing career.
Another special experience for us this summer was being in Jerusalem for Tisha B'Av, the day we commemorate the destruction of the First and Second Temples. The day is one of mourning and fasting and thinking about the many tragedies throughout Jewish History, but especially about the destruction of the holy city of Jerusalem, some 2000 years ago. It is quite ironic to experience this day in the very city that is described in the texts we read on Tisha B'Av and especially, to see the many construction cranes throughout the city working hard to rebuild this ancient city in our time. I spent Tisha B'Av eve with Glen & Lisa Ladau's Masorati/Conservative synagogue, sitting on the Talyelet Overlook towards the Old City – a most fitting place to read the Book of Lamentations, describing the destruction of Jerusalem.
Throughout our six weeks here we also had the special joy of spending time with a number of B'nai Aviv families. We had a delightful Shabbat with Glen and Lisa Ladau and their beautiful children. We spent an evening with Aron and Rica Leibowich and their children who spent time here as a family. Noah Lubin, one of our B'nai Aviv teenagers, was here with USY Poland/Israel Pilgrimage, and we managed to visit with him and hear about his exciting experiences with USY. Finally, Marc and Annette Gutt are here with their children and we plan on seeing them over the next few days. Clearly, B'nai Aviv has been well-represented here this summer.
This=2 0vacation has also provided us with quality time with our daughter, Elana, who moved here last summer. She is content and fulfilled with her new life as an Israeli. Soon she will enlist in the Israel Defense Forces, even though she is not obligated to do since she is 25 years old and is beyond draft age. After an initial period of basic training, she will enter a special unit, as yet to be named, having been recruited for various positions within the Army. I will share more details about this after the High Holidays. We have also had the joy and pleasure of sharing an apartment with our son and daughter-in-law, Aryeh and Arielle, and their four beautiful children, Bayla, Naftali, Netanel, and Amiel. It has been quite an adventure seeing and experiencing Israel through the childrens' eyes. Our middle daughter and son-in-law, Aviva and Seth, and their three children, Elianna, Tehila, and Liba are now also here and our stays here will overlap for a few days. Our various schedules were coordinated so that we could all be here to celebrate the Bar-Mitzvah of one of our Israeli cousins, which will be our final Shabbat here. At last count we now have 43 Israeli cousins – with our newest cousin, Shira, born 2 weeks ago – and 4 more baby cousins due within the next few months! The Bar Mitzvah will give us all a chance to be together at the same time – which doesn't often happen!
This vacation began with an intense two-week program of study for both Melinda and me. I participated in the Rabbinic Seminar at the Hartman Institute, a program that brings together North American Rabbis who are Conservative, Orthodox, and Reform, spending long hours, usually from 8:30am till 10:00pm, engaged in serious study of Jewish texts, grappling with issues and concepts that are both ancient and contemporary, attempting to draw out of ancient debates and dialogues some insights and precedents for addressing some of the issues we find ourselves confronting in our own day. Melinda was privileged to be one of a handful of Jewish educators from around the world to be invited by Yad Vashem to participate in the Holocaust Educators Seminar. This intense two-week program of engagement in Holocaust studies, gave the participants inside access to Yad Vashem9s vast resources while also affording the opportunity to learn with the leading scholars of Holocaust history, many of whom have created the many exhibits at Yad Vashem. In addition this group of educators, including Melinda, helped to write new units of Holocaust Education which will be included in future Yad Vashem publications. I know that she will share more details about this at a later time.
A final observation on this summer's experience: As I am still within the first year of mourning and saying Kaddish for my father, of blessed memory, I have found myself attending services all over the country in all kinds of communities and synagogues, each with its own unique traditions and practices. There is one synagogue a few blocks from our rental apartment, which has a daily schedule of continuous services from morning till night. You can walk in there any time of day and every ten minutes or so another service will begin. Consequently you can join a minyan at almost any time when you arrive. Another unusual prayer experience for me was the little shul in the Malcha Mall, one of the largest malls in Israel. In this beautiful chapel, services are held at various times of the day and night. The ark was imported from Italy and was made in the 17th century! Part of the beauty of Judaism is the diversity within it. I have davened with Sephardic Jews, Ashkenazic Jews, Ultra-Orthodox Jews, Modern Orthodox Jews, Conservative Jews, and every shade between. Experiencing that diversity has proven to be one of the unplanned joys of our summer in Israel and I know that my Father, who passionately loved Israel, would have been pleased to know this.
It is difficult to use the word "vacation" to describe a trip to Israel. For us, it is more of a re-charging of the batteries, physical , emotional, and spiritual. We feel energized and ready to take on the tasks before us upon our return. Almost immediately we will begin our preparations for the High Holidays and the new school year. May this prove to be a period of renewal and re-strengthening of our individual and collective lives. The harsh economic realities of this past year are still very much with us and they will continue to challenge us individually and collectively. They clearly will have an impact on the day-to-day affairs of our synagogue. I am personally committed to doing everything in my power to helping us achieve a stronger fiscal condition while continuing to pursue the enrichment of our spiritual growth as well.
& nbsp; Shalom from Jerusalem,
Rabbi Sam Kieffer
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