Not your typical Monday

5/13/19

            We covered a lot of ground today, literally and figuratively. So with no further ado…

            A peaceful morning bus ride brought us to the memorial site of the worst military accident in Israel’s history. In 1997, two helicopters carrying IDF soldiers to Lebanon crashed into one another when their captains lost contact while circling in a holding pattern on a snowy February evening. Among the 73 casualties was Nir Schribman. Nir was 20 when he died. But before that, he was a happy, kind, and caring young man who, coincidentally, had been a student of Morah Orna’s when she was a teacher in Dallas, Texas.

            When we arrived at the memorial site we were greeted by Nir’s parents, Ruth and Amnon. Standing in a shady grove, surrounded by a fig tree that was split in two by one of the helicopters but still bears fruit we heard about that day in 1997 and how the Schribman’s lives were forever changed. Ruth explained that the memorial site is a microcosm for all of Israel. The young men and women memorialized there were religious and secular, Ashkenazi and Sephardi, wealthy and of modest means, from the north and the south, immigrants and natives. At the center of the memorial is a reflecting pool with the names of the dead, surrounded by 73 massive and unhewn stones. There are names and only names. No ranks, no ages, no adjectives. Our kids honored the Schribmans, who drove more than 3 hours to meet us, by listening, by asking questions, and by reciting the Mourner’s Kaddish.

            Our custom during Middle School Tefilah on Thursdays is that we always try to follow the Mourner’s Kaddish with something sweet. The Schribmans were delighted to hear that we were headed to Kfar Blum to raft down the Jordan River and wished us a wonderful adventure.

            As we floated down the river, with varying degrees of accuracy and efficiency, we had fun splashing one another as well as splashing (and being splashed) by a unit of IDF soldiers on an excursion. The Jordan may not be as mighty as our ancestors once thought, but it is and always will be one of the most iconic rivers in all of human history.

            After drying off and enjoying a delicious pizza lunch (with plenty of gluten free options!), we drove up into the Golan Heights. Along the way we saw a bunch of IDF military bases, as well as small Jewish settlements and Druze villages. We discussed the strategic importance of the Golan Heights and how it came to be a part of Israel.

            The view from Mt. Bental is striking. On one side is Israel, on the other side is Syria. The still snowy peaks of Mt. Herman stand in the distance. In addition to further exploring the importance of the Golan Heights we discussed the Syrian Civil War and asked ourselves what it means for Israel to border an enemy country that is undergoing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. We learned that Israel secretly provides important humanitarian assistance to Syrian civilians, including life saving medical treatment. To ensure that those treated in Israel aren’t persecuted when they return to Syria, Israeli doctors often make their bandages and other signs of medical treatment look more primitive than the actually are.

            The road from the Golan to the Kineret provides beautiful views of the Galilee region. Running a few minutes behind, we rushed out to our “cruise ship” called “Noah.” From there we set out on a gentle cruise complete with a flag raising ceremony, hora, and plenty of Israeli hip- hop songs. The kids danced and enjoyed themselves. When Senora Evelyn asked one of our boys why he wasn’t dancing he had an answer at the ready: “I’ve got a bad hip.” FYI, we can confirm this isn’t exactly the case.

            While some were more eager to tear up the dance floor than others, all were happy to have some free time shopping in downtown Tiberius. Not exactly, Lenox Square, Tiberius offers some of the lower end wares that our kids tend to find enticing. We were happy to run into Rabbi G. from the JCC and his group. A good time was had by all and everyone was extremely responsible and appreciative.

            When our kids look back on today, they’ll understand that one way of approaching life is with the philosophy that life is 1% what happens to you and 99% how you respond. When Nir Schribman was killed his father was overseas on business. The significant diversity of the 73 bereaved families presented real and potentially insurmountable challenges when it came time to design a memorial site. The Golan Heights is one of the most contested places on earth. More than 500,000 people, half of them civilians, have been killed in Syria. Even the Jordan River, while basically peaceful, is full of rocks and thorny shrubs, and other challenges. The list goes on. There are mountains and molehills, peaks and valleys. Sometimes the path is smooth and sometimes it’s rough. Sometimes the 1% feels like 100%. It can be crushing, especially in the moment. We know this, and it’s precisely this that makes us say “L’chayim” (to life) with the fullness of our being.

 The Ancient Rabbis made a list of 10 trials that befell Abraham. He wasn’t the first and he certainly wasn’t the last to encounter life’s many and varied circumstances. Each of us will have hardships, each of us will encounter adversity, each of us will be tested at some point or another. My prayer for all of us, and for our kids especially, is that when those moments come, that we recognize them, honor them, respond to them, and emerge from them with the faith of Abraham, the wisdom of Sarah, and the audacity of Jacob. And also that sweetness follows.