Feb 13 - Caesarea in the 'elements'!

Winter has returned to Israel - not the kind of winter that they are experiencing on the Eastern US coast or even Canada - but for us - it is clouds, rain with thunder & lightening, temperatures in the 50's, with high winds!  So, as the postal service used to say "...through rain,, sleet and hail,,' CAARI continues to tour!

Today was just a half day tour of the ancient port of Caesarea.

From the port we drove a short distance to the wonderful Ralli Art Museum, founded by Harry Recanati. The Museum exhibits mainly Latin American and Spanish paintings and sculptures, as well as local archaeological artifacts from Caesarea  . The second museum exhibits 16th to 18th century paintings depicting biblical themes. Definitely worth seeing!
Back to Tel Aviv for a bit of shopping, rest and our traditional Shabbat evening.
Wishing all of you a Shabbat Shalom.

CAARI 2015

February 12 - half tour day in Neve Zedek! by Rosalie

As you can see by our dress - the weather has changed, but we are still able to tour and enjoy the sites of Tel Aviv.  

by Rosalie - "Thursday, after school, we had a marvelous walking tour of the old Railway Station just above Jaffa...on the Jerusalem line.....and then Neve Tzedek, the oldest Jewish area outstide of Jaffa, before Tel Aviv.  I had visited the area numerous times before, but learned so much from our terrific guide (also fine sense of humor).  He pointed out the homes in the Bauhaus style of architecture as well as those he called, eclectic.....more like a mish-mash.  Many places are being renovated, some homes being built behind the original facades, and there are many upscale shops, jewelry stores, restaurants, as well as historic homes in this charming are with narrow streets."

And...even though it was a bit chilly, many of us enjoyed an ice cream cone! 

In the evening we met 4 new people joining the CAARI Program.  

Feb 11 - Community Service & visit to Alexander Muss High Schoo

Excerpts from Rosalie

Last night's speaker and film were top-knotch. - Yael Katzir, who has done documentaries on Women of the Wall, The Yiddish Theater in NY, and The Violins of War......brought with her an advance copy of "Shores of Light" a documentary of hers about displaced persons camps in the heel of Italy's boot, right after WWII.....a story mostly unknown.....which included interviews with many children born in those camps.......in 1945, so many woman got pregnant and had babies.....a bit of an answer to Hitler.....and many are still alive here in Israel....(Israel took in all the people from the dp camps after 1948).......Hopefully, the film will be included in the Boston Jewish Film Festival next year.  The Q and A after the film was also great.....Yael is both insightful and charming.

Wednesday, after school, we visited the Alexander Muss High School, we joined them for lunch. This school,.started by a Florida rabbi, who felt that young people learning about the Bible, should be able to visit sites where events took place.  They provide programs for mostly American high school students ranging from 12 weeks to a semester and also take time to teach what would be taught at that time in each youngster's home school......It was so impressive....We heard from 3 very articulate high school sophomores about how much they loved the program .....and how hiking through the areas about which they had just read made biblical stories so much more meaningful ....and they also enjoy great freedom here....which of course, they love, too!!  We ate our lunch in the school cafeteria, where we noted how each person cleaned their space, and then visited dorm rooms which get inspected periodically so they were pretty clean.  I enjoyed visited that school much more than I had anticipated....

A rainstorm has been here all day, but CAARI must be blessed....we are always indoors when it rains....and it stops when we have to move outdoors.....and today was also the windiest I have known in Tel Aviv.....temps in the mid 50's but as Israel needs the rain....and I know what's doing in Boston, I know how fortunate I am to be here....

Back on the bus and back to our 'home' at the City Hotel.

So, again I wish you warmth and relief from the snowy weather........and please take good care of yourselves....

love you all.......so much!!

rosalie