Jerusalem - Old City Tour

Today we spent our day in the Old City. We boarded the bus and drove along the City Walls to reach our destination - The Ancient City of David. As we drive along the Old City Walls - one thinks - how did they lift the huge stones to build the massive walls? Building, destruction and renovation from thousands of years ago - the time of King David, through the time of the Romans, Ottomans - all until today. Even now, the Municipality and other organizations are restoring the ancient wall. JNF Canada in Toronto is undertaking a project to restore the area around the Jaffa Gate. Not only view is amazing, but also the people walking about - children going to school, mother's with their children in buggies going someplace, people going to work on the new light rail, men in black hats and coats coming and going to pray, Christian priests and nuns in brown and black robes and habits, Arabs men and women, in their traditional dress walking through the Damascus Gate to shop and also all the tour buses and tourists - everywhere!

Once inside the City of David, Neil takes us to the rooftop of one of the buildings for a view of Jerusalem and what a view - the day is clear and you can see forever! We are looking at the present buildings, but listening to him tell us about the history of what we see - from the time of King David. The area of the City of David has been an active digging site for many years - with archeologists from all over the world discovery and rediscovery facts, uncovering Jerusalem's ancient water channels, finding pottery, coins and jewelry - even today this is going on.

Next, we enter the theater to view the amazing 3D movie about the site - the 3D makes it really come alive. Then we begin our walking tour with our City of David guides. Instead for Former’s Guide Book, the guidebook is the Bible!  Each step, each view has some reference to the Bible. We walk up and down steps – view walls, rocks and learn about Jerusalem from the First Temple Period.  Finally, we reach the bottom of the hillside and enter the ‘dry’ water tunnel.  Truly a worthwhile experience – how did they do this in those days? 

Our bus picks us up to take us to the Zion Gate to enter the Jewish Quarter – yes, time for lunch!  Our meeting place after lunch is area in front of the Hurva Synagogue – Neil gives us a little history, as we will be touring the synagogue at the end of the week.  We continued walking through the Jewish Quarter, down the many steps to the Kotel, the Davidson Center and the Southern Wall Excavations. As we get to the Women’s section of the Kotel we are told that we can’t enter.  How can that be?  A new rule?  Where will the women pray?  Oy, now what did they do? Finally, we find someone who explains that they are performing construction work in the area and they have divided the men’s section and women can pray in that area.  For many of us, this is first time in the men’s section – imagine that?   We reach the Davidson Center  – very modern building built among the ancient rocks.  The guide, who was terrific, takes us to a theater where he shows the virtual model of the area during the 2^nd Temple Period.  Then, Neil takes us around the Southern Wall excavations where we can see the destruction from the time of the Romans.  Now, it is getting cold and we are bundled up – time to return to the hotel to reflect on our day.  Ah…but we have a speaker tonight – Barbara Goldstein from Hadassah who talks about Hadassah’s work and the new hospital wing, and what we can do as Ambassadors when we return to the USA.  That was our day!

Enjoy the pictures!

Canadian Group

Judith, Anita, Linda and Sara

J

Upstate New York Group - Cynthia, Joel and Laurie

Milton, Gloria, Lorelei, Ayala, Marylynn

Dick, Anita, Sue, Joan, Bernie, Sig and Diane

City of David

City of David  - guide

City of David

City of David   - about to descend!

City of David

City of David

Lunch time in Jewish Queater

Walking through Southern Wall area

Southern Wall  - ancient steps to Temple

BRRR!

Barbara Goldstein and Joan Hulkower

Friday in Jerusalem



Rosh Chodesh at Wall

Ah Friday - a day to prepare for the weekend and a CAARI day off to do our own thing. Well, this Friday was an exception. During the past week, we realized that we would be in Jerusalem for Rosh Chodesh. Several of the people were on CAARI when we had Anat Hoffman, from the group, Women of the Wall, speak to CAARI. We felt we wanted to join the women for Rosh Chodesh prayer. 16 women and 5 men decided to wake up early and depart the hotel and 6:15 to walk to the Wall for the service. Off we went, climbing hills, steps, going down valleys and up again until we came to the Western Wall. We were warmly greeted in by the "Women" and the service began. It is hard to describe the feeling - hearing all those women's voices in unison and being at the Wall was all very moving. Of course, there were police around, but the prays continued and the dancing began. From there we started our walk back to the hotel where our morning speaker, Amotz Asa El spoke to us on Israel's Current Situation, beginning with the impact of the Arab spring. Amotz's incite and frankness gave us insite into the situation and was much appreciated. 

The rest of the afternoon we shopped, schmoozed, lunched, walked the city, the market, the shopping malls and rested. Tonight is Shabbat Dinner - some of us will attend services at local synagogues.

Shabbat Shalom to all,
CAARI 2012
pictures by Marcia Bercov



"My Thoughts" By Paula Silver, (Toronto)

When asked, I often say that when I visit Israel, each step uncovers another century.  For example, today we began in the twenty-first century, listening to the story of the heroic firefighters in the Birya Forest combating the fires of the 2006 Lebanese War and the ensuing reforestation by the JNF and dedicated volunteers.  Our next stop was the twentieth century story of Josef Trumpeldor and the seven hehitzim who died in the defense of their settlement of Tel Hai.  Their sacrifice inspired the heroism of those who defend the land to this very day.  The day finished at Tel Dan with a hike through the history from twentieth century (CE), illegal Jewish immigration, back to the tenth century (BCE) evidence of the northern kingdom's biblical transgressions.  Every CAARI day reveals more of the State and every revelation binds me more deeply to the Land.  My personal connection includes my dad's stories as a helutz in teh 1920's and my maternal uncle's family history spanning ten generations.  Yet, I have never felt as close to the land as these last few weeks in CAARI:teaching eager children, listening to dynamic speakers and touring unique sites.  Each day and every step draws me to my own story, to the depths of my feelings forging on ever stronger bond to Israel and to the Land.
Paula Silver (Feb. 22, 2012)
"Me, too" said Lou Silver

Pictures of Paula and Lou with CAARI! 

Our Day in the Golan

Greetings from Tiberias!
What could be more lovely than the sun coming up over the Kinneret? Today we spent the day in the Golan. Our drive was so picturesque - driving up, up and up with views of the green lush valley, the blue Lake Kinneret, flowering trees and colorful wild flowers along the roadside. Our first stop was at a moshav with Shimon, the shofar maker. He told us how he became a shofar maker and the 'fine' art of shofar making beginning with how he gets the horn and the different types of shofars. Now, he could blow a shofar! Both Susan and Neil did a pretty good job, but they didn't quite have Shimon's technique. A few of us bought shofars and we will all remember this special visit. From there we visited a small Golan artist community. In the afternoon, we stopped at the ancient restored village of Korazin before the special tour of JNF's Agmon Hula.   This is the area where millions birds, including the cranes  stop  to 'refuel' on their way to Russia, Europe and Scandinavia for their summer stay!   All of us boarded a wagon for a drive through the fields to get a close view of the cranes - not just a view, but you could also hear them! it was quite the site especially with the backdrop of the snow-capped Mt. Hermon.  Dinner was at the charming Dborvin Farm followed by a overview of the "Northern Situation" the IDF Liaison. What a day!
Enjoy all the pictures!
CAARI 2012 .

The Galilee - Day 2

Ah...glorious sun and blue, blue skies! What a way to begin the day in the Galilee! We left our hotel around 8 this morning and drove up and up and up! The view of the Kinneret was amazing and the green fields and trees against the bright blue sky was like a painting. Our first stop was the JNF Canadian Park, the Blue Canyon, in Sfat. CAARI visited here two years ago when they first began construction. It isn't quite completed, but oh so lovely with lots of walking paths up and down the hills in the forest. Oh...and we saw ibex, horses and ostrich - which are all part of the park. All the Canadians were quite proud of the project and some attended the dinner in Toronto held for the honorees. From the park we went into the city Sfat to the Meiri Cheese Factory - a cheese factory that has been in the family for 6 generations. We were treated to a wonderful explanation of the family history and cheese production by Yariv and his father. And...of course, a taste of the delicious Sfat cheese - some of us even bought some. Next, to one of the synagogues and then some shopping. Our last visit of the day was to Korazim, a community from the time of the Mishnah - ask Susan about this!
Tonight there is a Galilee Experience sponsored by the hotel and some are going to the light show down at the waterfront. We are all enjoying....fabulous!
Our Regards to all,
CAARI 2012

Having trouble posting pictures.

Going North

Today, CAARI said goodbye to our City Hotel Staff and began our journey north. Our first challenge of the day was to load the bus with all the luggage - amazing it all fit! The weather has changed again and the sun began 'peeping' through with some blue sky! Temperatures were quite chilly, but we were happy to see the sun. We arrived at Beit She'an for our tour - one of our favorite archeology sites. Next, lunch in a nearby mall and on to Gan Garu - an Australian Park with native foilage and animals. See the pictures of us feeding the kangeroos and birds.

Tonight we are in Tiberias overlooking the Kinneret.
CAARI 21012

for Bernie

Dear Bernie,
As Tamara told you, I am not the principal of Baal Shem Tov School andy more. I retired. And, I am busy not with consulting the principals of schools, where they have problems and difficulties as in our school.
I miss the pupils a lot.
Tamara told me that your group has come to our school. It's a pity that I can't meet you in the morning in our school and I can't see you smiling to me and I can't see the happiness of our kids when they see you in the morning and I can't get a hug from you as a Dad's hug.
But, it's our life.
I want to tell you thank you for all the years that you were in the our school. Thank you for all the days, hours, seconds that you give to our pupils and thank you for helping our pupils in learning English, for the love that you gave them and sometimes there are kids that don't get it at home and your helped them to fell that somebody loves them and needs them.
you and your group of CAARI volunteers are in my heart.
You are so nice and a wonderful person. When I am writing you these words, I imagein your eyes and your smile when you are listening to me and tears are in my eyes.
It is so nice that I had the privilege to get acquainted with you and with other people from CAARI.
I wish you to be healthy and continue to volunteer. Take care of yourself. I hope that you enjoyed visiting Israel - our small and beautiful country.

With love,
Sincerely yours,
Mira (former principal of Baal Shem Tov School)