Shabbat at Ramat Rachel

July 30-31, 2010

Shabbat at Ramat rachel...so incredible.. so special...

Our day on Friday started off at he pool. Slowly but surely all of our guests arrived and met us outside. I heard that the waterslide was awesome, although I did not experience it personally. It was pretty amazing to see the kids connect to their Israeli cousins who they met only once, for a shabbat, almost 4 years ago. Leora and Ateret were really fantastic together and there were no language barriers. Benjamin and Neta played beautifully in the kiddie pool.

Before shabbat Sarah took beautiful pictures outside...we can't wait to see them. Dinner was delicious (even though we were not all together in the dining room) and we all collapsed into bed.

Shabbat morning, after 3 boys proceeded to spill chocolate milk all over 3 brand new white shirts, we davened and ate and early Israeli lunch. This time we had a private lunch in an outdoor tent. It was beautiful. We listened to divrei torah from Yehuda, Aharon, and Josh and then hung out with all of our good friends in our "Tapuach" hospitality room. Our walking tour of the kibbutz was fun and seudah shlishit was yet another delicious meal. The kids enjoyed the freedom of running through the hotel independently. By the time Havdalah time came we could not believe that it was over. A year of planning...gone in the blink of an eye...

Luckily we are left with beautiful and special memories memories :)

Thank you to all of our friends and family who joined us from near and far. We love you very much.

Mazal tov Leora. We love you!

The Jerusalem Zoo and Achuzat Sarah

July 29, 2010

Another busy day on Leora Kohn's Bat Mitzvah trip...

The Cohen's finally arrived and we all met at the zoo this morning. We didn't actually see many animals because we were all busy shmoozing and catching up. We mostly hung out on the playground, in the petting zoo and climbing on the mosaic animals.

After returning to the apartment to shower and change, we headed out to Benei Brak to Achuzat Sarah for the culmination of Leora's chessed project. It really was quite amazing to learn about Achuzat Sarah and to actually see how the children their are so well taken care of. The children are there because, for whatever reason, their parents are unable to take care of them. There may have been financial constraints, physical abuse, or neglect. You can tell from interacting with the children that it is truly a happy place.

We began our evening watching a beautiful video about Achuzat Sarah (it can be seen on their website), Then when the men went to daven mincha, the women were joined by all of the bat mitzvah girls to make challah. It was meaningful and beautiful. Leora and I made the bracha together.

Next we went on a tour of the home and saw where the children actually live. Then we ate a delicious dinner with the children and had dancing together. Yehuda Cohen, the assistant director (who grew up in Achuzat Sarah) gave Leora a beautiful bracha and presented her with a gift.

I developed a special connection wih a little girl named Mazora who told me her heartbreaking story of abuse and why she is in the home. It was a very meaningful experience.

Hebron, Ma'arat Ha'Machpelah and Kever Rachel

July 28, 2010

Today we switched gears and had a different kind of day. We boarded a bus to Hebron and went on a tour of the city. Its hard to believe the dedication and devotion that the Jews of Hebron have towards living there. They are surrounded by Arabs who hate them and struggle for safety and security on a daily basis.

We visited the Hebron Museum and learned about the history of the Jewish inhabitants of Hebron. We visited the Avraham Avinu shul and learned the story of how Avraham Avinu made a minyan there on Yom Kippur Eve. Then we stopped and ate pizza right outside of Ma'arat Ha'Machpelah. After davening mincha, we re-boarded the bus and proceeded on to Kever Rachel.

Yehuda and I both have not been to Kever Rachel in close to 20 years and we shocked to see that it has been turned into a fortress. It is all sealed up like Fort Knox. Pretty crazy... Exhausted and kvechy, we arrived home after a VERY full day.

After a stop at the Mitudella ice cream shop to eat ice cream while swinging...pretty cool...Leora and Elinoa packed up all of the bags for Achuzat Sarah tomorrow night.

After the boys were asleep, we went to delicious El Gauchos with Stacy, Seth and Jason. Yum!!!!

Dig for a Day, Soreq Caves, Stacy's Birthday

July 27, 2010

Another awesome day in Israel... We started our day as archaeologists in Beit Guvrin National Park. At Beit Guvrin they have discovered over 5000 caves dating back over 2,000 years. Today we dug in the caves from the Greek Hellenistic Period (aka the time of the Maccabees).

They took us to a place that is closed to the public, where only archeologists are allowed. We dug in two caves and had to climb through some pretty narrow entrance ways to descend. You should have seen my dad trying to get down...but he made it! The kids had a blast and everyone found lots of hings. We found broken pieces of pottery, bones and various other cool things. Someone on our dig even found a completely intact oil jug just like they searched for in the Chanukah story. Our guide said that it NEVER happens that they find whole pieces, but this oil jug was perfect. How cool!

After sifting through all of the dirt and finding all sorts of interesting things, we climbed through some unexcavated caves. The tunnels were dark and tiny and we had a blast! My parents, and Stacy and Jason decided to take the easier tour and see the excavated caves. What wimps :) It was really an incredible, authentic experience, where once again history and Torah came alive for the children.

After a delicious pizza lunch in Beit Shemesh, we proceeded to the Soreq Caves to see the gorgeous stalactites and stalagmites.

We took the scenic road back to Jerusalem, bathed and fed the kids (including Collin who is having a sleepover), and anxiously awaited Elinoa's arrival. Yehuda and I went out to Luciana's on Emek Refaim with Stacy, Seth and Jason for Stacy's birthday. What fun, but what a hot exhausting day!