CAARI Celebration! Feb. 10 by Rosalie Whitehill

Monday after school, a group of us walked to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.....and were rewarded for the long walk with some excellent exhibits....as well as loving again their permanent collection.  Then  another group set up a room for our special CAARI CELEBRATION......we filled the walls with colored papers on which were printed most of our activities......tutoring, gardening, hospital work, forest activity, museums, touring, dancing, listening to lectures, etc.....and between each activity were smaller papers ......one said eating and another said "sherutim" (bathrooms) as that seems to be what we do most.....we use the sherutim as soon as we get someplace and then again before we leave .........tables were set with flowers and balloons and the room looked quite festive.  We celebrated the conclusion of our Community Service Portion of the CAARI Experience.  Our favorite keyboard/singer joined us for an evening of singing, laughing and dancing.......and my group led the sing-a-long of the parodies we wrote......the evening was a super-success.....and if you watch a video that our coordinator will be posting, .....you will see our guide dancing......an absolute riot.....whether you know him or not...the evening has to be one of our special memories of this trip!!

Feb. 9 by Rosalie Whitehill - Rishon L'Zion & speaker

Shalom,

Hope this finds you all well and warm.....seems I have missed a lot of cold, snowy weather.

Today, the sun is shining again in Tel Aviv although it may be a tad cooler.....lower 60's
Yesterday afternoon was surprisingly wonderful for me.....We went to Rishon LeZion Museum (the first of Zion), the first community settled by Zionists outside of Jaffa in the late 1800's.  I had been twice before, but this time, two new places there awaited me.  We saw the old synagogue which is being used again and it was very impressive.  And they have now opened a room which was rented by the man who wrote the poem, Hatikvah, and learned how it got set to music.....the old, old folk melody which sounds so much like 'the moldau' which is also based on the same melody.  and of course, we went through two houses of the 17 original settlers.....we had great guides which always adds to the pleasure of the trip.
Last night's speaker was Rabbi Gilad Kariv, director of the \Israel movement for Reform Judaism, who was articulate and dynamic in reviewing the problems that the laws here which favor the ultra-orthodox are creating.   
Tomorrow we will be visiting Beit Shemesh which recorded more votes than they have people in the last national elections.....(that is where a large population of Haredi, ultra orthodox have settled)
Got to go......back to the great kids that I am working with.....what a joy......and to add to my happiness, I am receiving great pictures of my family with my new great grandson, Jacob....
So I remain appreciative that I am here......and hope you all stay well and warm.
love,
rosalie

Forest Day and visit to Beit Shemesh