CHANGE E-MAIL TO rcassel4@gmail.com.

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Notes from the Kibbutz

A few leftover thoughts from our Kibbutz near the Golan
Heights.
We stayed in these wonderful individual cottages, each
with an outdoor deck overlooking the whole Hula valley.
The grounds were filled with peacocks, whom each evening
at dusk, would climb on the rooftops and call each other
to come watch the sunset. They would stand in absolute
silence as if participating in some sort of prayer or
ritual to hail the end of another day. It was quite a
sight to behold, and made us stop whatever we were doing
to watch along with them. The flip side of this peacock
coin was the insidious sound they made at the dawn of the
new day. They may have been beautifully silent at dusk,
but their early morning honks and squawks became nature's
unwelcome alarm.

The surrounding landscape seemed to come alive with sights
and sounds as the moon worked its way through the
star-filled night sky. Annie and I shared four minutes of
magic as a crescent moon lilted over Mt. Hermon in the
distance. It was so close, we could almost reach out and
grab it in our hands. We watched in a tranquil trance, as
this large orange glow was swallowed by the mountain.
Have you even taken a few moments out of your life to
actually watch the moon set? Better yet, and earlier in
the evening, make it a point to watch the moon rise.
I promise, you will never be the same.

The visuals that night were hard to beat, but I would be
remiss if I didn't mention the aural highlights as well.
In the distance, we heard the howling and yipping of what
I assumed must have been coyotes. At times, they sounded
as if they were within mere feet of the deck, but other
times they would call to each other from across the
valleys and ridges. Were they alerting the others to an
impending feast? Were Annie and I to be their prize?
Coyotes certainly would not have anything to do with
humans, but the sound was different enough to cause me to
guess that these vociferous creatures may be something
else. Retiring to the safety of the cabin just seemed the
right thing to do. The following morning, I learned our
noisy nocturnes were jackals!
Karla and Annie Ross

Israel Poem

It all started Sunday morning with two long flights,

A perfect time to resolve any ongoing fights.

Flying through Israel we had the perfect bird's eye view,

But of what we could see we barely knew!

Then upon landing we all gathered and said the shehechiyanu,

It was such a touching moment- watery eyes did ensue.

Shortly after we were all in for a surprise...

a mountainous dinner- humus, salad, falafel, chicken and fries!

The next morning we visited Independence Hall,

By listening to the guide we realized nothing short of amazing did befall.

Later, armed with buckets and shovels, we dug through the sand,

And uncovered pottery at the Beit Guvrin Caves of an ancient land.

Soon we arrived at the renowned Bedouin tents,

Stories, camel rides and food- all very interesting events!

Then at 3:30 we were up and awake,

The Roman Ramps up to Masada we did take.

And as soon as the little yellow circle appeared in the sky,

Each person was so mesmerized- you could hear even the slightest sigh!

And after climbing down the snake path with shaky legs,

we all floated in the Dead Sea like kegs.

The next day the B'nai Mitzvahs did take place,

An incredible moment, as Jerusalem we did face.

The next morning we mourned for the heros of the holocaust at Yad Vashem,

Knowing that many of us would not exist without them.

That night we shared Shabbat with families in Modi'in,

The immediate bonds could be clearly seen.

On Saturday we enjoyed Shabbat for what it was meant to be-

Sleeping in and relaxing- we bathed in our glee.

The next day we were awed by Seeds of Peace,

A program that hopes to reconcile feuds in the Middle East.

Later we went up to Rabbi Goor's house for dessert and singing,

Which I'm sure to his neighbors was extremely entertaining!

The next day was packed to the limit,

between a winery, rafting, and a jeep tour, there wasn't a spare minute!

Soon we visited Haifa and Caesarea on the coast,

But it was the ice cream at the end that excited us most.

Then later to a munitions factory called the Ayalon Institute,

The methods and cover-ups used told us the people were quite astute.

Friday night we ended with a closing Shabbat service overlooking Tel Aviv,

And almost all of us decided that we weren't ready to leave.

Now as our trip draws to a close,

How amazing our time here has been really shows.

And some would say that we're going back home,

But to me that's exactly where we're standing now.  Shalom.

By Mel

A great hike to the Sataf Springs. Ellie and Annie with a
few Israeli soldiers.
When they are not in uniform, it is the law that they
carry their guns.

The afternoon ended with lunch at the mall and a stop at
the Kosher McDonald's. No McFalafel here! Karla Ross

PICTURES 7.1-7.5 08 SET 4

PICTURES 7.1-7.5 08 SET 3

PICTURES 7.1-7.5 08 SET 2

PICTURES 7.1-7.5 08 SET 1

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Our Israel B'nai Mitzvot

Close your eyes and imagine this scenario for just a
minute:
You and your family are standing on a rooftop of the
Mirkaz Shimson, overlooking Old Jerusalem. A perfect haze
airbrushes the city, as your mind wanders to picture your
ancestors 2000 years before you, filling the streets
below. Your community of fellow Jews stands lovingly
beside you, as you your child reads from the Torah.

What could possibly be better than that? Well, add to the
mix 7 other wonderful children sharing the day, a group of
kvelling parents, and top it off with Rabbis Goor and
Moskovitz running the show! Oh, and did I mention a buffet
brunch that would make your mouth water?

It all happened on Thursday July 3rd, here in beautiful
Jerusalem. It's a day none of us will ever forget!

Photo Album

Go Ride a Camel!

Day 3 in Israel began with a visit with the LA-Tel Aviv Teen Partnership.  Our group met with 8 students from various Tel Aviv High Schools who participated in the exchange program with Temple Judea and other Jewish schools back in Los Angeles.  It was a fascinating dialogue - parents were surprised to learn about the freedom and independence Israeli teens have at such young ages - our youth immediately began to lobby hard for the same. 

We then went to Independence Hall where we heard the story of the establishment of the State of Israel.  Following that we travelled south to Beit Guevrin for an archeological dig and then to Kfar Nokdim in the Negev Desert for an incredible bedouin experience with Camel Rides.

In the Holy Land - We Have Landed

We arrived late afternoon on Monday morning after a slightly longer than expected flight due to some bad weather in New York.  Coming into New York from Los Angeles, we circled JFK for about 90 minutes when the pilot announced that we would have to divert to Philadelphia- a cry went up from the plane- reminiscent of when the children of Israel were told in the dessert that shrimp would not be kosher unless eaten in a chinese restaurant.  But this time the Almighty heard the cries of His/Her people and not 20 seconds later the pilot came back on the PA and told us we had been cleared for landing at JFK.

We landed safely connected with those waiting in NY for us - stretched out legs had a nosh and then back up in the air for our 11 hour flight to Tel Aviv.  

What a feeling coming over the suburbs of Tel Aviv as we made our approach to Ben Gurion Airport - the city has grown so much.  We landed, we cheered, we hugged, we said Shecheyanu and made our way through customs to our bags (they all made it with us) and to our buses to meet our guides Mike and Yishai, Dani and Ariel.

A short trip to the hotel - a shower, also deserving of a blessing and then quickly to our Orientation Session with our guides and then off to an incredible dinner at Maganda - an Israeli/Middle Eastern Restaurant in the heat of Tel Aviv's Yemenite neighborhood.  The food was good and plentiful and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and each other's company.

We leave early Tuesday morning for a meeting with our Partnership High School, Independence Hall, the archaeological at Beit Guvrin and then down to the dessert for our Bedouin camping experience and camel rides!

Temple Judea Goes to Israel

Our bags are packed and we are ready to go! The 2008 Temple Judea Family Israel Trip leaves June 29 for two weeks of Israel adventure. Check this blog for daily updates and pictures from our incredible journey of discovery!