Costa Rica-- Wherever You Go...

     5/15/2024

        As I type these words our busses are navigating the morning traffic in San Jose, home to half of Costa Rica’s 5 million residents. Though the views from the hotel are breathtaking, our time here is limited because we know even greater beauty awaits. 

Our first night in CR was a success. The kids got lots of rest and ate a very hearty breakfast. I believe “demolished” is the most appropriate verb to describe what they did to the pastry display. 

Stating the obvious: yesterday was a long day. The kids were great. I attribute their positive attitude and go with the flow energy to the fact that they really want to make the most of this experience. They know that we aren’t in Israel, but they also know that there have been several graduating classes over the last couple of years that weren’t able to travel at all. It’s clear that they have expectations for this trip, as they should. But the expectations seem to be mostly self-directed. They expect of themselves: to have fun, to be grateful, to show up, to be kind and courteous, to try new things, to experience CR with all of their senses, to make memories, to come back home with stories, to begin to get closure on their Davis journey and solidify their bonds. CR will be an awesome setting for them to do this work. 

Yesterday’s main event was certainly our visit to Costa Rica’s Jewish Center. As with many Jewish Centers around the world, the facility keeps a low profile and also has strict security. From the outside it wasn’t much to look at, and was a bit foreboding. But once we entered, I know we all felt an instant sense of home. Immediately visible was a large display highlighting the hostages in Gaza. It was powerful to recite the blessing that we recite at school each day, calling for the release of the hostages. In the main courtyard there was a beautiful setup for a Bar Mitzvah that was schedule to take place the following day. All around the facility were the traditional donor plaques as well as many verses and teachings from Jewish tradition. All of the people that we met welcomed us warmly, asked us questions, and so on. 

Though we were exhausted, our group was remarkably attentive as we toured the small museum on the premises with a local volunteer, Michael. He explained that the purpose of the museum was to educate non-Jewish Costa Ricans about Judaism and also the unique story of Costa Rica’s Jewish community. It was inspiring to learn how Jews reached Costa Rica in different waves, including before and after the Holocaust. Many of Costa Rica’s Jews came from the same small village in Poland. Our guide explained that his great grandparents came on the same ship as the great grandparents of his closest friends. Talk about tight knit. 

After the museum, joyful chaos ensued as 25-30 Jewish 7th-9th graders from CR came and joined us for some bonding and activities. It took a minute for the ice to break, but it definitely broke. I don’t think any couples formed, but it was touch and go for a minute! 

The irony of arriving in CR and heading to their equivalent of a JCC isn’t lost on us. We came to this exotic country and found ourselves in very familiar environs. At the same time, how awesome is that. On the one hand, it’s cliche: wherever you go there’s always someone Jewish. On the other hand, we’re a small people (roughly 16 million). In many ways we’re more of a family than we are a nation. As I looked at “our” kids and “their” kids last night, all I could think was… we’re family. This is a moment in the life of the Jewish people when we need to embrace this familial aspect. Not only would it have been a shame to not visit the CR Jewish community, it would have been a travesty. Today we embark into the vastness of CR, but we know that if we need something, anything, we have family in San Jose who will be there for us, no questions asked.