The first portion of our day was spent in Zichron Ya'akov. More specifically, at the Nili School. As far as I know, The Davis Academy is the only group that regularly includes a annual visit to the Nili School as a key stop on the itinerary.
Like most deep and enduring things in life, our connection with Nili emerged out of personal ties between some of our teachers and some of their teachers. From there it blossomed into an annual "encounter." The day that our 8th graders visit Nili is one of the most anticipated days for the Nili students. And we've never concluded our time with Nili with anything other than petitions from both sides to extend the visit just a few more hours (or days).
On the one hand, the magic of the Nili visit is predictable and familiar-- they're meeting face to face with kids their age that they've corresponded with and gotten to know. On the other hand, it is sacred, profound, and deeply moving. One can't help but wonder if the ease with which they embrace one another has something to do with the fact that we're all part of one big Jewish extended family? During their time together the kids completed a series of activities, ate lunch in a local park, and had some free time in the town center. Much contact info was exchanged and there were smiles all around.
From Zichron we travelled a short distance to Caesarea. Did I mention it was another picture perfect day? Exploring Caesarea and getting more familiar with Ancient Roman culture is infinitely more enjoyable when there's a cool sea breeze at your back. While Ancient Rome had its charms and certainly had its share of distinctive cultural practices, I think we're all glad to be alive today rather than during those days. Having said that, the kids enjoyed sitting on 2,000 communal Roman toilets-- not a daily occurrence.
Before heading back to Tel Aviv we had a brief but very special visit with Omer Noy. Some may recall that Omer was our shinshin when the kids were in 4th grade. He remembered them very well. And many of them remembered him too. Omer was eager to meet us and update us on his life journey over the last five years. He did so wearing his IDF uniform that clearly marked him as a commander in the IDF and an aspiring captain. At the young age of 23, Omer is responsible for 80 IDF soldiers in his platoon. Pretty incredible. While he has certainly matured, he's still the same youthful presence we all knew during his time at Davis. Evidence: the pull up competition he had with some of our kids. It was close, but he may have been edged out. Who knew our kids could crank out 15 IDF approved pull ups on demand?
Beach time in Tel Aviv is happy time. Our hotel is just a block or two away from the beach, making it a very comfortable journey to the Mediterranean shore. Due to a municipal strike there were no lifeguards today, so the kids could only go in to their knees. We didn't hear a single complaint. They sure do love the beach!
After dinner we headed back out to Golda via an evening stroll along the promenade overlooking the sea. Having had such a pleasant time there last night we decided to relocate our "hotel visitations" there and bring the rest of the kids with us. It was another beautiful evening of connecting, reconnecting, and intentionally nurturing relationships that are strong enough to withstand the fact that they are all half a world apart from one another most of the time.
I chose to call this post detours and destinations because we had a few of each today. As we know, sometimes the detours are where life really happens. For most American Jewish communities, Zichron Yaakov is a bit of a detour. And the Nili School is 100% a detour. For us it was a destination. Caesarea is a destination for many, but for us it honestly felt a bit like a detour-- it was great, but it wasn't the highlight of the day by any stretch. Meeting Omer in a small town outside Caesarea literally on a grassy knoll next to a traffic circle-- detour. But a beautiful detour that allowed us to connect with our past and also put a name and a face to the IDF, to make it personal. The beach-- a much anticipated destination that feels like a detour in the best of ways. And time with family and special guests-- that doesn't really fit the detour or destination category, but it sure is special.
May we all merit to experience days like today, full of beautiful detours and destinations, bookended by the power of relationships, and all in the context of true community. There's so much more that could be said about today, but sometimes blogs just can't capture it all!
No comments:
Post a Comment