5/18/14
First and foremost, happy birthday to Sienna G. We
celebrated her birthday in style as today happens to be Lag B’Omer (the 33rd
day of the Omer). Sienna’s personal celebration joined forces with the entire
country which views Lag B’Omer as a day for celebration and a break from the
more reflective and in some ways restrictive period of the Omer. Tonight we
visited the Ayalon Institute—a place where members of the Israeli resistance
forces secretly produced munitions that not only aided their fight at the
British during the British Mandate Period, but also during the War for
Independence. After touring the underground factory and learning about the
incredible sacrifices that individuals made while serving there, we had a
falafel dinner and traditional Lag B’Omer bonfire. There we wished Sienna a
happy birthday and enjoyed a special treat— personalized Coca Cola bottles with
each of our Hebrew names. Jenna H. and her mom worked very hard to pull of this
surprise and everyone was very happy to have their first and only soda of the
trip!
The day’s other main activity was a visit to the Nili School
in Zichron Yaakov. Over the course of their 8th grade year Davis and
Nili students have been getting to know one another via email, class projects,
video conferences and YouTube videos. Our fabulous Hebrew teachers have
coordinated the entire effort. Today we finally met our Nili counterparts face
to face both at their school and then at the oldest synagogue in Zichron
Yaakov. Among the many highlights were singing “Kol Yisrael” together as well
as exchanging gifts—your child will come home with a NIli School T-shirt that
is signed by their Nili buddy. The Nili kids were very sad to see us go, and
the 7th grade students there made their teachers promise that they
would have a chance to meet next year’s group of Davis kids. Our kids enjoyed the experience, and some of
them felt like true celebrities as random NIli kids asked to take pictures with
them, shake their hands, or even get a hug. While the visit was a bit chaotic
at times, the spirit and the sense of Klal Yisrael (Jewish peoplehood) made it
all worthwhile. Pizur lunch in Zichron
Yaakov is like stepping into a small European hillside town for a few hours.
Cafes and art vendors line the pedestrian street, a cool breeze blows, and the
kids at leisurely at sit down restaurants. Here's a video of the kids singing "Kol Yisrael." It's not the most rocking version of the song because we sang it right at the beginning before the kids were really comfortable with one another, but it shows you the Nili School's community and facilities and provides a glimpse of many of the kids...
Now most of the kids are in their rooms watching a very
exciting basketball game—Maccabi Tel Aviv versus Real Madrid in what appears to
tbe the final or the semi final of the European Basketball league. As many of
our kids have expressed disappointment with the NBA lately, maybe they’ll adopt
Maccabi Tel Aviv as their new team!
Was today one of those days that alters the course of human
history? Probaly not, but it was a day that forced our kids out of their
comfort zone, helped them make connections with kids who are both totally
similar and completely different from them, and also gave them a chance to
observe how Israelis celebrate Lag B’Omer. There’s a good chance that today was
the best day of the trip for at least some of the kids—particularly those that
felt a strong connection to the “buddies” at the Nili school. Overall it was a
good transition from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, and we are ready to make the most of
out our last two days here in Israel.
Currently Maccabi Tel Aviv is trailing by two points with 10
minutes left in the 4th quarter. If they win then Tel Aviv is going
to erupt with joy. But don’t worry, we’ll be tucked in and well on our way to
sleep by then!
Rabbi Micah
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