5/19/16
Welcome
to another installment of The Davis Academy 2016 Israel Trip Blog! If you’re
not looking for The Davis Academy 2016 Israel Trip Blog then you’re in the
wrong place! If you’re in the wrong place then I feel bad for you, because
everything about what’s happening over here in Israel is right on.
A
few years ago we began visiting a place called Yad L’Kashish during the
Jerusalem portion of our trip. We visit there because of the unique,
inspirational, and holy work that Yad L’Kashish does. More than 30 years ago a
former school teacher noticed that there were many elderly men and women in her
neighborhood who seemed completely bored and lonely. She also noticed, with her
teacher’s sensitivity, that many school children had text books that were in
need of repair. She founded Yad L’Kashish (“Lifeline for the Elderly”) when she
invited several of those elderly people to take up the vocation of bookbinding.
It was a win-win scenario.
From
there Yad L’Kashish has grown and flourished. Hundreds of elderly men and women
work there each day. Their daily work keeps them sharp, keeps them active, and
most importantly helps them age with dignity. In exchange for their labor they
receive a variety of benefits ranging from meals to bus passes and more. Each
day, these men and women, many of them Holocaust survivors, create beautiful
artwork of all kinds. Handmade greeting cards, journals, tallitot, jewelry, and
more fill their gift shop with irresistible items for purchase. The best part
is that every purchase goes directly into sustaining this non-profit.
Last
year we began a tradition of using the tzedekah funds we collect in exchange
for returning lost property to the kids as the seed money for the graduating
class to purchase something for The Davis Academy’s youngest learners. We also
started a tradition of making the selection of the object an honor to be
bestowed on students who have exhibited exceptional menschlichkeit. This year
Sarah M. and Gabriella K. were asked to lead the class gift process. Sarah M.
stood out among the group when she was quickly able to explain the Rambam’s
“Ladder of Tzedekah”—the Medieval Jewish philosophical framework that informs
Yad L’Kashish. Gabriella was selected after she graciously used her Russian
language skills to build bridges of understanding between our kids and the
workers at Yad L’Kashish, many of whom only speak Russian. With input from
their classmates they selected a lovely wall hanging depicting the 7 species of
the Land of Israel. It will be presented at Shabbat on 5/27. While everyone loved
Yad L’Kashish it was truly heartwarming to see Zoe B. and Mya A. each getting
“left behind” because they were so deeply immersed in conversation with the
people there.
After
Yad L’Kashish we returned to Mt. Zion. There we visited King David’s Tomb.
While visiting that site we encountered the large Muslim group from India. It
was very moving to see them remove their shoes before entering the area with
the tomb and also to see them kissing the tomb (note to self, do not kiss the
tomb).
What
makes King David’s Tomb special is the fact that it is a site that is holy to
all three monotheistic faiths. Moreover, as many of you know, the room directly
about the Tomb is where Christians believe The Last Supper took place. This
room also served for a time as a mosque. Not only does this convergence suggest
that Shalom is possible among people with different beliefs, it demonstrates
undeniably, that we have much more that unites us than separates us. I believe
that we will eventually, albeit gradually, recognize our common humanity. I
believe that, in spite of all the signs to the contrary, that we are actually
making progress even now and headed in the right direction. I believe that the signs
of violence and hatred that are so familiar to all of us are a reflection of
peoples fear, desperation, misplaced anger, and inability to envision how much
better the world will be when we tolerate and celebrate one another,
when we see ourselves and our loved ones in the faces of strangers as I
described a few days ago. If you can’t connect with hope and human potential in
Jerusalem then you can’t connect with it anywhere. Jerusalem is and must
continue to become the city of peace, the ir shalom that is
imbedded in its very name.
Today
marked The Davis Academy’s first ever visit to the Dormission Church on Mt.
Zion. At this site, Roman Catholics believe that Jesus carried his mother,
Mary, up to heaven where she rests and watches over the world for all eternity.
The church is stunningly beautiful and today that beauty was enhanced by
thunderous music coming being played on the massive pipe organ. At Dormission
Church, Yishay explained something very important—the meaning of Pentecost. Celebrated
last Sunday, Pentecost commemorates the day that the disciples of Jesus
experienced a miraculous revelation that allowed them to speak many new and
different languages. This ability allowed them to do the work of
evangelizing—bringing people into the Christian faith. Again, Roman Catholics
believe that this miracle took place at the Dormission Church. We’ll return to
the idea of speaking new and different languages later.
Eventually
we made our way into the Jewish Quarter where the kids spoke a very familiar
language—lunch and shopping. These moments of semi-autonomy and spiritual
capitalism are important ones for our trip. When you see pictures from later in
the day you’ll notice that many boys are wearing Israeli Flags as capes. They bought
them during their time in the Jewish Quarter, along with many other gifts. I’ll
never forget seeing Adam R. wrapped in his Israeli Flag praying at the Kotel.
Our
return to the Kotel was both more celebratory and emotional than our first visit.
While standing on the boys’ side I suddenly heard the words to “Kol Yisrael”
rising from the girls’ side. It’s hard to describe the feeling of hearing a
song that I wrote suddenly rising from such a profoundly symbolic place and
resounding with the beautiful voices of the beautiful souls that you all know
so well. To say that I never imagined that I would experience something like
that is an understatement. It’s not the first time, but it will be forever
humbling. Meanwhile, on the boys’ side, the Chabadniks from yesterday’s post
got hold of them and inspired them to sing and dance songs with a very strong
Messianic theme. This happens every year and, if you really dig deep, it’s a
complicated and potentially problematic phenomenon. But to be honest, the boys
don’t dig that deep. They think it’s somewhere between cool, funky, and
hysterical. Inevitably a dance-off occurs between our boys and the Chabad guys.
I’ll let you guess who wins.
Though
exhausted, we concluded our time in the Old City with a visit to the Davidson
Center. An important archaeological site, the Davidson Center is also home to
Robinson’s Arch. That’s the place where many people y’all know have their
bar/bat mitzvah because men and women can stand alongside one another and pray without judgment or intrusions. While
there, Ms. Kendrick, Mr. O’Dell, Mrs. Ferrar, and I shared a bit about our
experience at the Kotel a few years ago. Lauren C., Adam W., Austin M., and Adam P., all had siblings with us that year. Without going into all
the details, that year we found ourselves at the Kotel along with several
thousand other Jews who had strong differences of opinion about whether women
should be allowed to wear tallitot and chant Torah at the Kotel. The reason that the
Chabad guys can be problematic, when you really get down to it, is because
sometimes some of them unapologetically, unrelentingly and condescendingly
impose their definition of what it means to be not only a good and authentic
Jew, but even what it means to simply be a Jew, on others, including our highly
impressionable kids. Last year I faced the very difficult situation of caring
for some of our boys who were denied the experience of wrapping Tefilin at the
Kotel because there mothers weren’t Jewish which meant that, according to the
Chabadniks, the boys weren’t either. Think about how that would've felt in
place of the feeling you had when you saw your sons yesterday... Coming back to
"Kol Yisrael," this year a small part of me that heard the lyrics as a
gentle and loving protest song against Judaism that divides rather unites, that
pushes away rather than truly embraces. I heard it as an assertion of authentic
Judaism, as an affirmation that the voices of our children, boys and girls, and
even my own voice count as much as any other voices when it comes to determining
what lies in store for the Jewish people.
As
for dinner at the mall, I didn’t hear any complaints!
If someone had told
me yesterday that today’s guiding image would’ve been inspired by the meaning
and intention of Pentecost, I would’ve been intrigued to say the least. But
something about the idea of human beings miraculously discovering the ability
to speak new and different languages and then proclaiming their truths to the
world really resonates with me. It’s a powerful way to think about what it
means to explore our potential as people and to own our emerging identities.
It’s a powerful way to express what it means to grow and evolve and journey
through life. It’s particularly resonant when I look at our kids and see them
struggling to find the words, yearning to express themselves, and trying on
different voices, dialects, and idioms here on this trip. This afternoon I
overheard Ansley, Madi, and a few other girls chatting about how much they
missed Morah Lahav and singing songs that she taught them. It reminded me that
these kids are still trying on the many different languages of Judaism. I was
honored when Lindy shared with me that she felt, today, that she prayed for the
first time with true and powerful intention. I was moved when Evan B. shared
that he is interested in possibly studying psychology one day because he wants
to be able to help teenagers and when Sarah Sch. shared how much it
means to her to be in Jerusalem. Before words can be uttered there must be thought
and feeling. Words are one of the imperfect vessels that we use to convey our deepest
truths to the world around us. The depth and breadth of thought and feeling
that is churning in these kids is forcing them to find new languages to express
themselves. It's a sloppy, fascinating, sacred, and astounding thing to witness
and its an honor to serve as a sounding board.
It turns out that two weeks in Israel
isn’t exactly an immersion in the Hebrew language (what’s called an Ulpan),
it’s an immersion in the languages of humanity and the individual soul. When the kids get back next
week and eventually start sharing their stories and experiences, listen carefully for new thoughts, feelings, ideas, words, and languages coming from them with all the beautiful imperfections of an unfolding miracle.
Reading your blog each day brings tears to my eyes. Anyone who knows me would say it doesn't take much to make me cry, which is true, but these are tears of pride and gratitude. I feel so lucky that our children get to experience Israel together. I have loved reading the blog posts, sharing the pictures with family and friends and with my fourth grade class. Somehow, this act of sharing even feels holy and spiritual; connected to all of you, your daily travels and to the history and future of our people. Thank you Rabbi Micah! I can't wait to see what's in store for tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteAs always, thank you for not only capturing the day's events, but making us really think about what our children are experiencing.
ReplyDeleteIt’s funny you mentioned last year’s incident with the Tefilin. That’s exactly what I thought of yesterday when I saw the photos of the boys praying. The good news is that Elliott says that event didn’t ruin any part of his trip last year. The better news is that he was there with you, Rabbi Micah. He got to see that you had his back and then sit and chat with you afterwards and get your words of wisdom. I think Elliott’s takeaway was that his spiritual journey, while it might not be exactly the same as his friends', is just as important as anyone else's.
Thanks again to all of the chaperones for the photos and updates. We appreciate each and every one. You'd be amazed how many times we parents can refresh our Twitter feed.
I too, think we are very lucky and am very appreciative that all of the chaperones are sharing, caring and having an amazing experience along side our kids. I cannot wait to hear their stories and even better is seeing the excitement in their faces. Truly a blessing to be there with you Rabbi Micah and all thier friends. Jerusalem seems like the holiest place on earth and no matter what you believe or don't- your heart is filled with hope and being there is powerful. I know Davis class of 2016 is forever grateful and so am I.
ReplyDeleteI too, think we are very lucky and am very appreciative that all of the chaperones are sharing, caring and having an amazing experience along side our kids. I cannot wait to hear their stories and even better is seeing the excitement in their faces. Truly a blessing to be there with you Rabbi Micah and all thier friends. Jerusalem seems like the holiest place on earth and no matter what you believe or don't- your heart is filled with hope and being there is powerful. I know Davis class of 2016 is forever grateful and so am I.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite stories from that trip 3 years ago! Hannah tells us of how Morah Segal took some girls as close as they could get to the wall on that momentus Rosh Chodesh. What a moving experience it was.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for taking the time to share your thoughts and reactions!
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