Following our successful mission to Ukraine and Russia last year, Cantor Schwartz led us to Israel this past May.

A few of us started a few days early, visiting Eilat and the famous Jordanian city of Petra, meeting the rest later in Tel Aviv. The full group spent its first two nights in Tel Aviv. Our bus and our wonderful driver and guide were all arranged by ARZA World Travel.

Near Tel Aviv we first visited Neot Kdumim, a reserve dedicated to Biblical flora and fauna. Cantor’s talents are diverse; besides singing, he can now operate an ancient Egyptian water wheel and a 2000 year old olive crusher. Later we toured Tel Aviv’s oldest area, learning about the city’s creation. We also visited the site of Rabin’s assassination and began to understand the painful issues connected to that horrible event. Our first dinner was a feast at a traditional Yemeni restaurant.

The next morning we visited Independence Hall, where Israel’s independence was declared. Other
highlights of Tel Aviv were: a Haganah secret underground munitions factory; Beth Hatefutsoth (Museum of the Diaspora); and Jaffa, the old Arab seaport from which Tel Aviv sprang.

We then rode north to Caesarea to see its Herodian and Crusader ruins. Continuing north, we stopped at Atlit to tour a detention camp for Jews caught violating British immigration limits. Next
we did a bus tour of Haifa, and a walking tour of the Crusader city in Akko. From Akko we drove into the northern Galilee to Kibbutz Kfar Blum, where we spent the next two nights.

Our two days in the Galilee were packed seeing the beauty and learning the history of that area. Highlights included: the Tel Dan Nature Reserve, where we saw springs that give rise to the Jordan River and the biblical settlement of Dan; a jeep tour of the Golan Heights (through still active minefields planted by the Syrians, and ending at Syrian fortifications overlooking our Kibbutz guest house); a cable car ride to the crest of the Naftali Mountains, next to the western Israel/Lebanon border (as we rode up, we noticed huge swaths of the mountainside below us had been burned—the only remaining evidence we saw of the thousands of Katyusha rocket attacks launched against Israel by Hezbollah); and rafting or kayaking on the Jordan River.

The next day we headed to Jerusalem, spending the day touring: Sefat (lots of Kaballah history and art shoppingyes we had time to do lots of shoppingeverywhere), the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), excavations at Beit Shean, and the Jordan River Valley. That evening we entered Jerusalem, most of us for the first time, stopping on Mount Scopus to recite the “schehechiyanu” blessing.

We spent our last five days in, or taking day trips from, Jerusalem. Highlights included: the “Kotel” (“Wailing Wall”); new excavations revealing the extent of the Temple complex and the original city
of King David; Yad Vashem, Israel’s newly renovated holocaust memorial museum; the Dead Sea (swimming and mud baths); Masada, and Ein Gedi. We attended Shabbat services at the Reform
congregation in Mevasseret Tsion, and continued to learn about the difficult issues facing Israeli Reform Jews in our visit with Anat Hoffman, Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center.

It was an extraordinary trip and we all had an incredible time together. We were constantly learning, laughing and being amazed by the whole experience.

Cantor, we can’t thank you enough!!!