Feb. 7 -IDF Museum by Marcia Bercov

Shalom,

Today, after the morning community service, our group went to visit the IDF Collection House, actually the Museum of History of the IDF, Israel Defense Forces. It started as a depot for collection of tanks and weapons, and now comprises several buildings, for example, one with glass cases of rifles, and another building with walls of photographs of Ministers of Defense and Chiefs of Staff, along with a large number of gifts given by other governments. The museum also has cars used by former Prime Ministers.
That evening, a special guest, Kurt Hoyer, came to speak to our group. He works as a communications officer at the American Embassy in Tel Aviv. Finally I learned what people do inside those big buildings! It's a lot...

Keeping in touch,

Ron and Marcia

Visit to Ancient Ports - Caesarea and Dor by Marcia

Shalom,

We boarded a bus for a day tour to Caesarea, a city built by Herod. We learned that this eastern coast of the Mediterranean was lacking in natural ports, so Herod built the port as well, an incredible feat of engineering especially considering the technology of the times. The city served as an administrative capital for Rome for many years.
Then we visited Dor Beach and Museum, located in an area rich with artifacts from sunken ships.
Our guide, Kurt Raveh, expert in Underwater Archaeology, had previously come to Tel Aviv to talk about this fascinating subject, and now our group had the opportunity to see firsthand what he told us about. He explained how shifting sands protected sunken ships and their contents by providing an airtight seal. Divers discovered clay pots, ancient glass and other items buried with the ships. One wall of the museum held anchors, from the earliest primitive chisled stone with a hole through the top, to those used 100 or more years ago, showing the change in shape and materials.
Afterward some of our group walked along a beach covered with shells and climbed a hill to Tel Dor, where ancient cities have yet to be dug. By this time, the sunny, warm days earlier during the week had given way to winter storms with rain and very strong winds, making the climb a real challenge. The sea, whipped by the winds, made huge waves which crashed onto the shore. Our brave climbing party walked against the wind down the hill and felt very happy to get back to the warm bus! We did stop for dinner at the wonderful Port Cafe with view of the crashing sea.
All for now. Sending best wishes from Israel.
Shabbat Shalom.
Marcia and Ron

"Off the Beaten Track" Tours & Community Service

Hi,

Off to work we go - breakfast and a taxi ride to community service. Most of us are tutoring English in schools and others are working in the rehab center. Each of us has different, but rewarding experiences. Marcia Bercov describes here experience:

"It started early this morning with a walk to Balfour School to meet with students there and help them with their English studies. During a typical morning, three small groups of students, Grades 4 to 6, join us in the library for some informal conversation along with reading and study from their workbooks. I am always amazed at the students, their English skills and their own personal stories. Some have parents who come from English speaking countries, and are very comfortable with the language. The students come from a variety of countries, such as South Africa, France, and Argentina. They have so many and varied talents. Many swim or play sports like soccer or tennis. Some do gymnastics or dance, some sing in a choir, and others play musical instruments including violin, saxophone, clarinet and piano. Many have travelled abroad, or have family or friends in the U.S. or Canada. I always like to take an atlas to show the students where Edmonton is, and tell them a little about our city. But what they like best of all is seeing pictures of winter, like people skating in Hawrelak Park or the one of a large snowman complete with carrot nose, scarf and black stovepipe hat. He was found just around the corner from our house early in January. The children are always full of surprises, and today one asked me the English words for the following, which she demonstrated very well - sneeze, cough, hiccup, yawn and burp!"

Our afternoons are spent touring "off the beaten" track historical sites and small museums. We really relish these unusual places. They are full of wonderful art, history and stories describing life of the pioneers and early settlers who built the country.

This past week, we visited HaAretz Museum ...which in addition to special exhibitions on 100 years of Tel Aviv ...have a wonderful gift shop...always time to shop or at least - a look! A visit to Ashkelon National Park, along the lovely coastline - south of Tel Aviv, took us to excavations from the days of the Phoenicians, Romans, Persians and other layers of civilizations. The Park is quite large and on the sunny day that we were there - was filled with hundreds of children enjoying a school outing! Their voices were like music to our ears!

The Reuben Rubin Museum which was once the home of Rubin - is a real gem (located in center of Tel Aviv). A special exhibit of Israeli artists was featured watermelons as the theme. Our guide gave us a new perspective on the interpretation of the artists' works.

Another day, we traveled a few miles - still in Tel Aviv - to Mikva Yisrael - Israel's first agriculture school.

Enjoy our tour as you view the pictures.

We welcome your comments. Just click on comments at the bottom of the page and type in your remark!

Shabbat Shalom to all of you.

CAARI 2010

TuB'Shevat..The Holiday of the Trees by Gloria Kaufman

TuB'Shevat

The holiday of the trees...celebrated as only it can be...in Eretz Yisrael!!

I want the memory of this TuB'Shevat to stay with me for a long time, so I'm not so sure whether I wish to completely wash out the soil from my finger tips - just yet!

Our energetic CAARI group was taken to the rocky hills of Modiin, somewhere between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in the early morning of January 29 (Friday). These hills were designated for forest development by the JNF-KKL. We were decked out in our uniforms of tee shirts, sweatshirts and hats adorned with the symbol of JNF-KKL.

After proudly planting our own little saplings, we were given plastic containers that held dozens of saplings of pine and cedar. Those would be restocked for us throughout the day. Young teen volunteers joined us and were assigned the job of distributing these 'future trees' to all who would come. AND COME THEY DID!

People arrived by the thousands...to celebrate the holiday of the trees and to connect with this land and with nature. Cars, vans, buses were bumper to bumper...hundreds and hundreds of families ...children of all ages...fathers carrying their little ones...many expectant mothers holding the hands of sons and daughters...grandparents...cameras...picnic gear! It was a constant flow of happy and proud people.

"Chag Sameach" and "Kol ha Kavod" could be heard throughout the warm, sunny spring day.

Upwards and outwards, into the uneven rocky earth they all went..carrying their saplings of 'brosh' and 'oren'...to find the little flags that designated locations for planting.

It was truly a sight to behold, it was a TuB'Shevat celebration seen only in Israel! We, of the CAARI "family", were privileged to have taken part in this glorious day...a day where we were "hands on" toward creating a future forest for the land and people of our beloved Israel!

Hag Sameach,

Gloria Kaufman

CAARI CelebratesTuB'Shevat by Marcia Bercov

Hello and greetings from Tel Aviv.
We arrived here on Thursday evening to a very warm welcome by our CAARI family, that is Canadian and American Active Retirees in Israel, a group of retired people from both the U.S. and Canada. Tour Coordinator Susan Horwitz and Tour Guide Neil Eisenstadt greeting us with hugs and gifts, while friends gave us a "welcome back" bouquet of beautiful flowers.
For the past few years we have joined CAARI in Israel for a very unique experience, combining community service in Tel Aviv with touring, other volunteer activities, lectures, and learning more about this amazing country.
Happily, the beginning of our stay this year coincided with the holiday of Tu B'Shevat, and thanks to an on time arrival by Air Canada, we managed to join the evening celebration only a few minutes after it began at the City Hotel in Tel Aviv. Tu B'Shevat, the New Year of the Trees is an annual holiday, a time for people of all ages to plant trees and celebrate the bounty of fruits of the earth. Our group joins together for a Tu B'Shevat Seder, during which we read about the meaning of the holiday, recite blessings, and drink wine, starting with white symbolizing the first flowers with their white blossoms, and gradually changing to red, as the colours of the flowers change with the season. Each table had a plate of dried fruits, figs, apricots, dates, raisins for everyone to share.
Of course there was music too, traditional and spirited songs played and sung by Gidi, a fine musician and friend of CAARI. Before long people started singing too, and after the readings, the dancing began. Almost everyone joined in, making a very lively and happy celebration.
The next morning, energized by a good night's sleep and delicious Israel breakfast, we left at 7:45 a.m. for another celebration of Tu B'Shevat, this one in the forest near Modiin, part way between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem where JNF, Jewish National Fund organized a day of tree planting, and supplied some 15,000 seedlings. Here all over rocky hillsides, little white flags decorated the area. Each one marked a pre-dug hole, the right size for a tree seedling. First, members of our group each took a seedling, found a suitable place with a flag, and planted a tree, pressing the moist earth around it, and reciting a blessing over the tree. Then we took the flag as a reminder of our special commemoration of the holiday. After that, we went to work! On this holiday, Israelis come from far and near to plant trees. Our job was to actually give out the seedlings, mainly pine and cedar, to the people as they came by, and to direct them to the location for planting.
What a joy to see so many, especially young families with small children, who eagerly took a tree to plant.
Groups of school children came as well, and everyone climbed up the hillside to find a spot. Afterward we saw them leave holding their precious flags. We have ours as a memory of this special day.
In a few years this area will be covered with a forest which will form part of a green belt around Modiin.
More next time. Meanwhile, be well, and for those in Canada, stay warm!
Best wishes and shalom,
Marcia and Ron

"A Bit of Israel's Past"

Shalom,

The rains have come, with wind and cooler temperatures - but we are ready for this! We know that Israel desperately needs the rains, so we don't mind - well maybe just a little. On came the ponchos and rain gear - plus a few extra layers of sweaters - and off we went to Rehovot - a little south of Tel Aviv. Some of you may know this city as the site of the Weizman Institute, but it was the citrus capital of Israel, in the early years! We visited the Rehovot's first citrus orchard, Minkov Orchard, from 1904, which has now been preserved by the Society for Preservation of Israel's Heritage Sites (SPIHS) and JNF. Our wonderful guide, Assaf, explained the history of the site as we toured the harvesting and packing rooms and the original external combustion engine that still pumps water from 100 feet below ground. The highlight was picking our own fruit to make citrus juice - nothing as good as fresh squeezed juice with freshly picked fruit.

Our next destination, another SPIHS site, Ayalon Institute located at Kibbutz Hill, just across the valley from the Minkov Orchard. But - don't tell anyone. This was a secret ammunitions factory during the years 1946-1948. It wasn't until 1975 that it became well known that this was the location of the Haganah's clandestine factory. It is located underground with openings that were covered by a 10 ton oven and a large washing machine that camouflaged the noise of manufacturing bullets. We climbed down the steps, and toured the factory which produced over 2,500,000 9mm bullets mostly for Sten guns during its two years of operation.

Hats off to SPIHS and JNF to preserving Israel's history.

Time for lunch - not a outside picnic lunch, but inside! We also visited the newly dedicated Missions House, donated by JNF New York. This will be available for groups for conferences, meetings, etc.

By the time we got back to the hotel - the skies had cleared! Tomorrow morning we have free time after our community service! What will we do???

Warm regards from us.

CAARI 2010

Sunday, January 24 - Peres Peace Center and Jaffa

Shalom,

The weather has turned - yes - we have had rainy days - mostly nights. When it rains here - it really rains. But, that hasn't stopped us - we buddle a little more, put on raincoats and ponchos, extra layers and maybe an umbrella, if it isn't too windy! Just like the postman - CAARI goes on!

Today after Community Service, we visited the newly dedicated Peres Peace Center and learned about the terrific work they are doing. We were most impressed - not only with the building, its location, but the committment to peace activities. Next stop, a place called Nalag'at Center. This unique center includes a theatre of deaf-blind acting ensemble, a 'blackout'restaurant where guests are served in total darkness and a cafe tended by deaf or hearing impaired staff. This center gives opportunities to those who are challenged. Some of us tried to get tickets for the performance - but they are sold out!

Last stop of the day - dinner at Maganda Restaurant - a Yemenite Restaurant in 'little' Tel Aviv.

A little wine, tasty food and great company!

CAARI 2010