L’hitraot to CAARI 2008 in song!

The CAARI Song
CAARI has some very talented people who have written songs describing our experience. One of them is Noami Halpern, a long time CAARI participant, wrote these verses toasting CAARI's 25th anniversary!


It is sung to the tune of Od’ Lo Ahavti Dai by Noami Shemer



So let us stand together
Let’s raise our glasses high!
We have something to celebrate
The number “twenty five”
For CAARI has a birthday
We’ve lived to see the day
So say “Shehahianu”
We’re 25 to-day!

The time for us to say “good-bye”
is drawing very near.
We’ve been through many ups and downs
To get from there to here.
We’ve climbed some hills and valleys
We’ve seen some wondrous sights
We’ve had some sunny mornings
We’ve had some rainy nights.

We’ll say “good-bye”, give a hug
And wish each other cheer
Stay strong and well and happy
So you’ll be back next year,
Tell all you friends about your
Adventures in this, land
About the wondrous things you’ve done
So they will understand.

Chorus:
Ay Ay Ay C-A-A-R-I
Susan is our leader
On whom we can rely.

Ay Ay Ay C-A-A-R-I
Let’s all join hands in friendship,
Hold them up high.

To all the CAARI participants,
Thank you for your dedication and commitment to Israel. Your participation in CAARI is heart warming and greatly appreciated by all those who have been touched by you. Hope to see you next year – with CAARI in Israel!
Warmest Regards,
Susan and Neil

CAARI Celebrates 25!

Our special celebration was held at the lovely Beit Shalom House - once the private residence of Mr. Shalom Horowitz, an affluent attorney who built this house in the 1930’s. CAARI began the evening with a tour of this elegant house and it’s impressive art collection of Israel’s finest artists from the 1930’s and 1940’s. Dinner was “elegantly prepared” by Itzak Feingold, caretaker of the house. The food was a real treat after so many days of hotel dinners. Shuli Natan, the famous Israeli singer best known for singing “Jerusalem of Gold” in 1967, entertained CAARI. We all enjoyed her lovely voice and stories about the songs she sang giving us a history of Israel in songs - with a few in Yiddish! “It was a night to remember and a wonderful way to conclude CAARI 2008 – good food, good friends and wonderful music in our beloved Land of Israel. Who could ask for more!” Happy 25 CAARI and a salute to Israel at 60! Shalom to all!

Last Touring days of CAARI - Jerusalem

Sunday, 2 March
CAARI 2008 is coming to a close, but we are still on the go! We began our tour at one of Israel’s most impressive buildings – the Supreme Court. The building, designed by two outstanding architects under the direction of the Rothschild Family, combines design elements such as lines, curves and light with old and new - using Jerusalem stone to interpret old and new, justice and truth, and a passage from the Psalms….“He will lead me in the circles of justice”. One has a special feeling as you walk along the corridors, visiting courtrooms and viewing Israel’s justice system at work.
Our next visit was another place of we can all be proud of – Hadassah Hospital – Ein Kerem. There are several Hadassah members on the trip and Hadassah also sits on JNF – USA’s board. So many new facilities to treat all people! And…..of course, the Chagall Windows are not to be missed.
Our visit to Yad Vashem included a visit to the Museum. There are no words to describe the feelings as one enters this building. We began our tour with a special presentation by the Director of Shoah Victims’ Names Recovery Project. Several of the CAARI participants are victims and seemed eager to assist in this project.

4 March

We are packed and ready for our flights back to the USA and Canada. The sun is shining here with temperatures in the high 60’s. Finally, the weather is warming up. We began our final touring day with a visit to Ammunition Hill. It was here that our young soldiers courageously fought the battle for Jerusalem in 1967. This place is a battlefield and a memorial to those brave soldiers. We are quite proud to see that JNF from the USA, Canada and Australia are part of this important site. Said Joe Fried, “I didn’t know that JNF was anything but trees. It is so impressive to tour the country and see the many projects that involve JNF.”

Architecture Achievements - Plus!

Architecture Achievements - by Susan Horwitz
Israel is full of architecture achievements and one of the most outstanding – that is not usually seen on tours – is the Italian Synagogue, located on Hillel Street. If you passed the building you would say – 'oh interesting'. You must go inside! It is a hidden jewel. As you enter the synagogue you are in awe with the ornately decorated gold leave ark and the exquisite craftsmanship of Italian artists. This synagogue, built in 1701, was transported from Conegliano, a small village located near Venice, Italy to Jerusalem by a group of Italian residents. Our guide described the history and details of this beautiful interior. “Amazing and breathtaking” is how CAARI participants described their impressions. The tour continued through a small museum with a variety of religious items crafted in Italy, some from the 16th century. What workmanship!
Our next stop was another of King Herod’s gems – what a builder! During our CAARI tour we have seen several of King Herod’s colossal building projects - the Second Temple, Masada, Caesarea and the Herodian, located just outside Jerusalem. Not only did he build a palace, but also he built the mountain on which the palace was constructed. It is really hard to imagine how they did this so many centuries ago. One of the most interesting aspects of our visit was that this is still a current archeological dig. Ehud Netzer, an archeologist from Hebrew University, and his team have recently discovered (and are uncovering) the tomb of King Herod! It is just amazing to see them working on this! We can say that CAARI was there! From Herodian to a visit to Efrat and the Etizion Winery. This is a small winery located in the Judean Hills, but a big winner for their for their Cabernet Fran Wine of 2005 - in the “Golden Medallion” in the Teravino Wine Contest. A toast to their achievement!