Negev Day - Feb. 7 by Rosalie Whitehill

Shalom,
Monday started another exciting, interesting and wonderful week. After visiting Rishon LeZion Museum, a charming museum in the first Zionist community in Israel where our guide showed us the first school, pharmacy and so many little shops from the pioneer days. We saw an excellent film about the town and how they found water! After, we headed south to Beersheva, where we visited several sites connected to the JNF project of reclamation of the land around a dried up river bed, Nahal Beersheva - really amazing to see what has been done so far and how it has improved the community. Then we went to the Or Communities Center, where we learned about all the great work the people are doing to build and resettle in the Negev. The Center is not quite finished but it was quite impressive. Then we went to an established Or community...Givat Bar!! Then we visited the site of a new community, Carmit, that hopes to attract Anglos and will include a golf course....nothing really there yet....and I hope to see it again in a year.
Dinner was at Kibbutz Kramim, where we had a most interesting talk about the Kibbutz from Debbie Rulnick....a native Israeli of American parents.

Can't believe that this is my last week.

Rosalie

Better Place - Israel's Electric Car Company

Great tour of this facility.Will explain later. Enjoy the pictures!

Week wrap up - Feb. 4

Shalom,
It is hard to believe that another week has passed. Time is marching on and so are we. It has been another busy week - community service, touring and speakers. We wrote earlier about our visit to Jerusalem. To see more about CAARI - enter this link for an article on the KKL - JNF (Israel) website!
http://www.kkl.org.il/kkl/english/main_subject/latestupdates/kkl-jnf%20news%20%20-%202011/kkl-jnf%20news%20-%20february%202011/caari%20senior%20citizens%20volunteer%20group%20.x

The new CAARI participants are enjoying their community service and fitting right in. Rosalie Whitehill is teaching at Balfour with 3 others - this group walks to their school as it is about 5 blocks from the hotel. Others take taxis to the schools and the rehab centers. At noon they return and share their experiences.

Wednesday afternoon we had a tour focusing on the Jewish soldiers and heros who joined the British Army - fought in WWI and WWII. We visited the Jewish Brigade Museum, where Rachel, our guide, spoke so passionately about the history, the Brigade and the people who served. It was so interesting to learn about the dedication and contribution of these soldiers - men and women. From there we went on to the kibbutz where Hanna Senesh lived. We learned about her life through the guide and a video. On to dinner at the Port Cafe in Caesarea - lovely aftenoon and evening.

CAARI takes us to the most interesting places - you have to see this new museum in Holon. It is located just outside Tel Aviv and is just amazing. The exhibits may not suit everyone's taste, but certainly fascinating and the design of the building, by Ron Arad, is truly outstanding.

Today is Friday - a day for ourselves. Tonight is Shabbat dinner and our Oneg.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom and a lovely weekend.

CAARI 2011

Rained out Forest Day - Visit to Jerusalem for the Day

This post is written by Rosalie Whitehill - New York

Today, Tuesday, was supposed to be our forest day.....but since it was scheduled to rain, our coordinators changed plans and we went to Jerusalem for most of the day....There we went to the headquarters of the JNF and it was interesting to note that they have books of contributors from 1901.....the beginning of JNF.....and they also had a display of the blue and white boxes...that we used to take around as kids.....asking for pennies and nickels to help buy trees in Palestine......before there was an Israel. It took many of us back to our childhoods....After that we had a very beautiful little ceremony where a grove of trees was presented to a Anice and Arnold Stark, a couple from Canada for all they do for JNF....Guess what.....I cried.

Then we went to the old city....where they have a new Jaffa Gate Plaza which goes over the road....and from which you can get the new Mamilla Mall....very, very upscale and pricey.
This city just keeps making improvements and there was building going on inside the Jaffa Gate as well....We had lunch in a charming beautifully renovated house run by a women who has spearheaded a movement for Arab woman, Nora, to assert their rights....and where they are involved in crafts so that they can become more independent. also very impressive..then a walk to get a magnificent view of the city from atop a convent.
In the late afternoon, our speaker was a counsellor from the Canadian Embassy......who was so very intelligent, articulate and well-qualified for her position....that she made the Canadians very proud, while many Americans....like me......wish we had people in our state dept. or embassies who could speak so well and cared so much about Israel. (they might care about Israel, but I have never heard so much support from a non-Jew with so much compassion and understanding)

So that brings me to the end of another GREAT day with my CAARI friends. Every year the program is better than the year before....and we are so busy.....no time for bridge. I AM LOVING IT!!!!

Wishing you all well,
Rosalie

New Arrivals - CAARI tours Negev

Shalom,
The CAARI beat goes on! Sadly, we said l'hitriot (goodbye) to some of our CAARI friends who joined us for the first three weeks. Happily we greeted 13 new participants who joined the group. Our first day together was a touring day in the Negev. We visited Kibbutz Negba and met Meir who described the early days of the kibbutz and their efforts to turn back the Egyptians in the War of Independence. The impressive sculpture by Natan Rappaport overlooks the kibbutz's military cemetery. We also got to see some of the weapons that were used in the war. From there we traveled to Kibbutz Yad Mordechai which also fought against the Egyptian Army but tragically lost the fight after 6 days. We can only admire the soldiers who fought in these battles. After a little lunch we headed south, stopping the JNF Canadian reserviors at Nir Am where Neil described our view with Gaza in the distance. We continued driving south, stopping at a lookout and hillside to view Gaza and the Israeli communities along the border. This certainly gave us a new perspective of the area. Our final stop was the fabulous JNF-USA indoor playground in Sderot! Wow! We were there 2 years ago - it wasn't quite finished and now - a wonderful, safe place for the children to play!

CAARI 2011

Our days- Wednesday and Thursday - 26- 27 Jan.

Ah, what a few days we have had. The weather has been superb! Our community service work continues every morning. During lunch at the hotel we talk about our morning experiences ... what the kids did ..what happened in rehab.. we all have something to say. Usually Susan comes in to say...time to go and we begin our afternoon touring adventures. On Wednesday we had a special treat. None of us really knew what to expect, except that we were going to Beit Guvrin. What was that? On the bus and off we went. The same for Thursday - we were going to Israel Aircraft Industries - would that be boring? Here is Rosalie's Whitehill's description of these 2 days!

"Wednesday was another marvelous day with the students....singing songs, chatting and laughing.....and they are so happy, their smiles and cheery thank you are priceless.

In the afternoon, we went by bus to Bet Guvrin....close to Jerusalem again....where we had an archeologist guide take us through some caves on Tel Maresha....we saw some caves that had what appeared to be pigeon cubbies cut into them, and then some bell shaped caves that were absolutely beautiful.....huge and colorful striations....and after that we went to the Valley of Ella, where the battle of David and Goliath took place....and our guide read from the bible as we were standing there. In the evening we had a speaker from the IDF - he is in public relations - now that is a challenging position!

Yesterday, Thursday, after school, we visited the Israel Aircraft Industry plant near the airport......saw many different models of drones that are developed by Israel for the rest of the world......also saw Gulfstream business jets that are built here before being sent to U.S. for glamorous finishing touches. Israeli technology and expertise in developing new products is awe-inspiring. "

Friday was a FREE day and the group enjoyed a variety of activities, some went to the symphony, others a museum, others shopped at the crafts market - it was a lovely day to enjoy the sunshine and warm temperatures. A group went to a neighborhood synagogue for a wonderful Shabbat service - what a way to welcome Shabbat. Dinner back at the hotel followed by the Oneg Shabbat.
Shabbat Shalom to all.
CAARI 2011