5/21/14
Aside from a slight delay in our departure from Philly, our
travel from Tel Aviv to Atlanta went incredibly smoothly. It was hard to say
goodbye to Israel, and especially to our new friends—our amazing guides, Yishai
and Eran, our medics, Chen and Amit, and our bus drivers, Moti and Moody, but
we are all ready to see our families once again (except for David A. who stayed
in Tel Aviv for a few extra days with family friends).
Our last day in Israel was iconic. We started with our
annual tree planting ceremony at Neot Kedumim. Before planting our trees we
were encouraged to take a moment to think about who our tree would be dedicated
to. After planting, we had a chance to share. We heard about inspirational
grandparents, and great grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and others—some
dead and some living. All alive in our hearts.
Shuk HaCarmel, Tel Aviv’s central marketplace, and Nachalot
Binyamin, it’s adjacent artist’s market, were the perfect site for our last pizur meal and shopping spree. As
promised, Shuk HaCarmel had everything we’d seen in previous markets and more.
If you’re having trouble getting your child to open and up and share about the
Israel trip—pizur meals and shopping
adventures are a great place to start as these are universally enjoyable and
often the times when fun stories and memories take place.
Blessedly, we had late checkout from our hotel, allowing us
to officially wash the dirt and grime of both Neot Kedumim and Tel Aviv off
before commencing our epic travel back to the States. After packing and
showering we walked to a well- known and delicious restaurant in Tel Aviv’s
Yemenite Quarter: “Maganda.” By the time we got to Maganda they’d already laid
out an incredible spread including every kind of Middle Eastern dip, falafel,
tabouleh and more. We decided that the kids should be allowed to enjoy the
fresh squeezed juice and enjoyed watching them dive into the platters of
chicken and beef that followed. It was also fun watching them visit with the
few locals who were interspersed among our group.
Tel Aviv’s Yemenite Quarter is a really special place.
Nearly every inch of every wall is covered with some kind of mural or graffiti
(or both). As we walked to the bus we passed a wall that was covered in
multicolored hearts. Stenciled on the wall were the words, “It's not perfect,
but it’s all yours.”
I can’t think of a better message to the The Davis Academy
graduating class of 2014 than this. All of us, at one time or another, has
strived for perfection and fallen short. I think that’s because, as human
beings, we aren’t meant to be “perfect.” I think we’re meant to be “human.” Our
imperfection stems from and is a reflection of our humanity, and our humanity
is informed by the imperfection we encounter in ourselves, in one another, and
in our world. Instead of striving for perfection, maybe we should be striving for
ownership—for the recognition that, no matter what, at the end of the day, “it's all (y)ours.” With ownership comes the recognition that we are powerful,
that we can make a difference, that we can leave a legacy—albeit an imperfect
and human one.
For the last two weeks The Davis Academy class of 2014 has
been “all ours.” We’ve laughed, cried, prayed, argued, sung, whispered, danced
and climbed. I don’t think we could ask for any greater imperfection than this.
Once again, Israel has proven herself to be a great teacher, and all of the
kids have proven themselves to be great students. We asked them to bring
passion, curiosity, a big appetite, and deep questions—the stuff of humanity.
And they did. As for what they’re bringing back home—that’s the surprise that
we all get to look forward to in the upcoming days, weeks, and years.
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