It was clear at breakfast today that, for the majority of our kids, the prospect of spending the first part of our day digging for 2,000 year old artifacts in a cave in the middle of Israel evoked something between uncertainty and dread. But as per usual, our time at Beit Guvrin, a United Nations World Heritage Site, left us all wanting more. There's something absolutely intoxicating about grabbing a pickaxe and sifting through the subterranean storehouses of people who abandoned their homes due to "geopolitics" back in the time of the Maccabees. It's a thrill unlike any other to be the first person to touch a piece of pottery, perhaps even a perfectly formed drinking vessel, or jug handle, or oil lamp, for the first time in several millennia.
How quickly we went from being unwilling to sit in the dirt to shoveling it with an Indiana Jones like zeal once the first "find" had been unearthed!
It's also undeniable that the digging takes on a profoundly more spiritual and personal dimension because we're digging in Israel rather than say, Patagonia (no offense Patagonia). As their iconic t-shirt says, "We dig Israel." Seriously: where else can you excavate a cave and then have a shwarma picnic lovingly laid out by Yossi and his team of schleppers?
Also worth mentioning is the fact that, at Beit Guvrin, you really feel the appreciation of the archaeologists who work there. The task that they've set for themselves (in true Israeli fashion), of fully excavating the thousands and thousands of caves that comprise this ancient city, is nothing short of monumental. It is a task that they could not and will not complete on their own, a task of many lifetimes. The end results of which they will not see. So yeah, they're happy for some able bodied 8th graders and their rugged and vigorous chaperones!
From Beit Guvrin we headed to Har Herzl, Israel's military cemetery. There we saw how Israel honors the memory of fallen soldiers, victims of terror, and heads of state. We visited the resting places of figures that the kids have learned about over the years: Hannah Senesh, Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin, and of course, Theodor Herzl. Along the way, the point was made that each of these individuals, and the thousands of others buried there, all answered the call of history, and in so doing, helped create the Israel that we cherish today, warts and all. Amazingly, what's true of iconic heroes like Hannah Senesh and Yitzchak Rabin is true for each and every one of us. Life summons each of us to find the courage to respond to circumstances great and small, with thoughtfulness, courage, and determination. While our contributions may not be the stuff of history books or end up shaping world affairs, our choices, our actions, our contributions to this world absolutely matter. Our lives all have an impact. And whether we know it or not, to live a full and purposeful life is nothing short of heroic.
Mt. Herzl and Beit Guvrin show us the incredible depths to which human beings will go when we feel summoned, inspired, and motivated by the challenges that life sets before us. Both sites remind us that it's possible to live not only for oneself, but for a cause that is larger than our own self-interest. Both sites remind us that to be human is to make sacrifices, to dirty our hands, to do the work that needs to be done. Both sites remind us that we may never know the full impact of our life, the full quality of our living. Both sites remind us that we are part of a story that is truly more epic in scope than any of us can fathom. Looking at these truths is inspiring, but also overwhelming. It's overwhelming to realize that there's so much that can be done with this one precious and sacred life. Which is why we all felt the need for some good old "retail therapy" to close out our day.
Yesterday's failed launch of a Ben Yehuda Street outing had the unintended effect of heightening excitement for this evening's excursion. So we freshened up and set out for an evening of food and fun. Ben Yehuda Street didn't disappoint. As promised, within minutes of our visit the "Davis Academy Special Discount" signs were everywhere. One shopkeeper deployed an even more personalized strategy saying that, "Anyone who says they are a friend of Jake will receive a special gift with their purchase." Little did he know that Jake has many friends! Gifts for family and friends were purchased, including (and particularly touchingly) gifts for older sibs who didn't get to go to Israel due to Covid. I'll conclude this post with two things that came up during our time at Ben Yehuda Street.
Thing 1: Moshiko. There's a falafel and shwara joint on Ben Yehuda Street called Moshiko. The food is undeniably good, but is it better than any other comparable falafel/ shwarma stand? I ask this because Moshiko has taken on a legendary status among Davis Academy students. It's not an exaggeration to say that our 8th graders are just as excited to visit Moshiko as they are the Kotel. It's endearing but it's also fascinating. It's a powerful reminder of the maxim, "What we love others will love, and we will show them how."
Thing 2: As our kids were gathering at the meeting point they were pretty pumped up. An elderly lady approached me and said she wanted to tell me something. She told me that she wanted our kids to make sure to know that they were always welcome in Israel. That Israel belongs not only to Israelis, but to all of us. Of course she said it more eloquently than that. In fact, she said it so eloquently that I gathered the kids and asked her to tell them directly. What I didn't know when I set that plan in motion is that this woman was a child who survived the Holocaust and lost her entire family at Auschwitz. She shared that at the beginning of her speaking to the kids. I was able to grab my phone and film the rest of her brief remarks. You can find those remarks in a 34 second video that I posted in the Google Album. I don't know if the power of that moment, with all its pain and joy and fear and hope and resolve and optimism will come through or not, but I hope it does. For me that moment was such a powerful reminder that it's really and truly not just the Herzl, the Meir, the Rabin, that leaves their mark on this world. It's every single one of us that has the courage to live each day and the wisdom to embrace the fullness of our shared humanity. And no matter how deeply we immerse ourselves in good old fashioned retail therapy, this humbling and inspiring truth will be forever be there patiently and urgently waiting to greet us whenever we are ready to greet it in return.
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