Home Sweet Home

Isaac and the kids

Adi and the whole group

Spencer's birthday

The bullet factory was amazing...it was incredible to see how smart the Israeli's were in hiding where this factory was. The kids and adults both loved it. After we rode back to Tel Aviv and said good bye to Isaac-we were all sad to see him go and we think he had a good time with us as well. He was a perfect fit for us and was a 'jolly' guy, always telling jokes and providing us with mounds of history and information.  We walked around Shenken Street and the shouk in Tel Aviv. Michael remembered this pizza place he had been to and it was unbelievable. The boys were all troopers as the girls walked in and out of every store. At the shouk we bought some quick souvenirs, but the bargaining annoyed all of us.  We stopped at a place to grab some ice teas, hot chocolates and cappuccinos at a restaurant under this huge tree.    For dinner we walked the opposite way in Tel Aviv and found a nice place called 'Mike's Place'. Even though it was 7pm we were hoping to catch a 1pm football game.  They had big screen tv's and we ordered wings, nachos, and burgers... a fitting meal for our last night. We recapped what our favorite site or memory was and we decided that we could not include the Bnai Mitzvah. Some of the answers were Zevat, the Western Wall, Dead Sea, Ceasarea, and the Big Itzchik:) We ordered a cake for Spencer as it was his birthday on Jan. 3rd and sang to him.  He was surprised.  The Carus family left at 8:30 and we went back to pack. The Bernstein and Mach families left at 7:30 am on Monday. Al had his best night of sleep last night.  As we said good bye to Adi, he said that in his 16 years this is the most unforgettable group he has ever had. We think this was a compliment, he seemed so genuine and we all teared up. We are 'facebook friend requesting' him and exchanged emails with both.  They truly made our trip incredible.
We are all home safely...It is Tuesday morning and all of our clocks are a bit off, but we did pretty well with the sleep. I'm sure the tired will hit us all later!  This was a trip of a lifetime...I think everyone got a lot out of it on many different levels. Obviously the adults loved the history and stories and the older kids as well. Spencer and Aidan were definitely able to repeat what we did each day and maybe didn't understand the history, but knew each site we visitied.  Again, the kids were great- they all got along and we feel very fortunate to have had this experience with such great friends.
Israelis are proud of their home and for very good reason.  It is rich with history and culture beyond any place that we have been to.  We come home with a greater understanding our our religion and heritage and a place that ties us to being Jewish.
Shalom!

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day in Israel

We left the Ron Beach hotel yesterday and made our way to the Golan Heights Winery. It was a bit on the early side, but that didn't stop us. We got a tour of the 'plant' by a man named Shalom and we learned about the wine produced in Israel which is all Kosher. The best part of the tour was, of course, the wine tasting. It was only about 11 am, but they gave all of us glasses and 3 different wines to taste. The kids were all excited and we began the tasting...Isaac was with us (important to know for the next part.) Jon took his first sip of the wine and tried to compliment Shalom (who looked like he was about 90 years old) by telling him the wine was excellent- Metzuyan. Instead, he raised his glass and said Mezuyan.  Shalom said, ahh metzuyan, but Isaac got red in the face whispered something to Jon and began cracking up.
Apparently, Jon called Shalom a stupid, *** , idiot.  We weren't sure to believe Isaac, but he repeated the story to Adi and it was confirmed that Jon completely insulted Shalom at the winery. We laughed so hard and forbid Jon to speak any more hebrew the rest of the trip. Clearly, that was our word of the day. Next, we stopped in Mitzpah Hosha'aya in Kfar Kedem.  This was something I compared to a Waterloo Village. The owner, Menachem Goldberg, spoke to us about how it was to live here a long time ago. We dressed up like shepards to get into character. We then made olive oil by picking the olives off of the trees, using an old fashioned olive press and then picked wheat, crushed it and simulated making the dough for the bread. We cooked the pita like bread on a fire and ate it with the olive oil. Then we had a light snack in a bedouin tent and last took a donkey ride through this village. It was a lot of fun for all, but especially the kids.  Next, we went to Nazareth and saw the Basillica in which Jesus spent much of his childhood. It was a spectacular sight with beautiful mosaics and many tourists. We came home to wash up and got ready to go to Shabbat dinner at Udi and Galit's house ( Michael's friend).  Remember we are 14 people, they have 3 small children and her parents were there.  Galit and her mother Shoshi (who does not speak any English and is originally from Morocco) cooked a meal that I have never seen before in my life. Yossi, her dad, led us in the prayers before the meal and we all toasted with wine that we brought from the winery. The dishes just kept coming out...fish, rice, chicken, moroccon meatballs, more fish, green salad, israeli salad, eggplant, peppers, more chicken and more fish and couscous that was prepared by Udi's mom. It was an absolute feast and Al outdid himself. After dinner the younger kids played soccer in the house, a board game, and Wii even though only one of their children speaks English. They communicated by playing universal games and were so adorable. We showed them our photographs on the computer and then ate dessert and hot water with mint leaves. Al went into a 'food coma' and we made our way home bloated and stuffed. Udi wanted us to come out after with them to a Sylvester party- which is a party on New Year's Eve.  Obviously we did not go,but grabbed some champagne at the hotel. When we went down to get a drink there were several young men and women that were singing hebrew songs and clearly drank too much. We came to find out that they had just been married and were celebrating. They grabbed Cory and Al in a small dance and we clapped and laugh until the manager came and told them they were too loud.
Happy New Year!
Today, we went to Caesarea, a city built by Herod right on the ports. It was an unbelievable ruin with an ampitheater, a hippodrome, bathhouses, a pool( in the sea) and many interesting facts. We continued to learn that Herod was selfish and a bit frugal, but an entrepreneur and a businessman.  We stopped quickly at the aqueducts here and learned how the water was transported. Isaac told us that maybe one day in the future these will work again. We stopped for lunch in the city of Zaharon Yaakov, because it is shabbat and much of the stores in Tel Aviv don't open till after sundown. This town is open because it is run by Secular Israelis, so it is a busy day for locals and tourists. We ate at an Italian restaurant that made everyone happy. Some even had McDonalds for lunch...it was a very cute town and fun to walk around. We are going to the Big Itzchik again for dinner because it was so good the other day.
The Carus family leaves tomorrow night and we leave on Monday morning.  Not sure I will blog again. Tomorrow we are going to the Bullet Factory and walking around Tel Aviv. The weather has been great, the kids have been unbelievable, and our families are so compatible.  We are making memories that will last a lifetime.

Road Trip --Again

Word of the day... JOY( still having trouble translating the hebrew word).
Today we started at our hotel in Tiberias by the Sea of Galilee  and made our way to the Golan Heights.
We stopped along the way in the old city of Safed or Zevat. It is a Kabbalah community and one of the 4 holiest communities in Israel. We went into one of the synagogues there and most of the people are ultra orthordox, do not work and are supported by relatives outside of the community and by the government.

Sunset on the bus ride home

 Jon in his hat in Safed

Mt. Hermon

It is filled with streets and alleys and has a huge artists quarter which was beautiful. We went to to one artist, Leon Azoulay, who specializes in mircrocalligraphy.  We each bought a piece of artwork for our homes. He has shops in NYC and does beautiful work. We stopped at a roadside 'cafe' on the way to Golan Heights and were so happy to eat our salads, paninis, and sandwiches.  When we got to the top of the Golan Heights, we could see Mount Hermon which was straight across from us and is covered with snow. The temperature on the top of the Golan Heights was in the high 30's and we were bundled up. Jon had to buy a hat at a second hand store as he left his jacket at the Dan Panorama with the rest of our luggage that they are holding. At the top we were on the border of Syria, Jordan and Lebanon and had the amazing view of these places and learned about their tumultuous relationship.  We went into an inactive bunker here and learned how the soldiers lived when in battle. The bus ride is always interesting though we haven't had to actually stop the bus for a bathroom break. The flatulence is beyond words, but everyone usually takes credit and admits their damage. Shirts cover the nose and then a big exaggeration about how rancid the smell is.  Adi and Isaac are in on all of our schtick and continue to laugh our way through Israel.
Cats run freely in Israel. They are all over the place- it is a little weird.
We ate at Pagoda tonight- a Chinese restaurant back in Tiberias.
As I write this, I can look out our balcony at the Sea of Galilee, which is really a lake, and hear the waves crashing.  Life is good:)

Haifa, Behai Gardens and Akko

Today we left the Dan Panorama and lucky for the Carus and Mach families they only charged them 600 dollars too much!  We made our way north to the the old city of Haifa and walked through the market and the Baha'i Gardens.  We ate lunch in the Old City though some were sick of hummus and falafel, so we found a pizza place and ate on the go.  We saw Mount Carmel and the destroyed trees from the recent fires that took place. Our driver told us that they were started by children playing with matches.  On one of our trips Isaac spoke to us about the JNF and the tree planting that takes place in Israel. 9 out of every 10 trees planted comes from tree plantings from the JNF. It will take a long time to replenish the trees burned in Mount Carmel.  We drove to Akko and the Sea of Galilee and explored the tunnels and the sea and even came to the gate that was the border of Israel and Lebanon.  We made our way to our new home the Ron Beach Hotel and ate dinner with Isaac and Adi at the hotel restaurant.  After dinner we sat outside and talked and laughed with Adi and Isaac trading stories about Israel, America, jokes and culture.  We learned even more during this time about Israeli way of life and were laughing so loud that the manager told us we had to be quiet that we were disturbing the guests.  Todays word of the day was KEF which means FUN!

Masada, Ahava, Dead Sea, and Camels...Oh My!

Yesterday we started the long trek to Masada.  We picked up Isaac on our way in Jerusalem while Adi drove the mini bus, which he owns. Getting a particular seat on the bus is always an interesting event!! Adi is 60 years old has 3 sons and 7 grandchildren but looks much younger. He has been driving for tours for 16 years and is not only an excellent driver, but great at recommending restaurants. Isaac is 42 and has 3 children under the age of 15. He is very knowledgable and does an amazing job with our whole group.   We took the cable car up to the top of Masada as the hike up would have taken over 2 hours and there was still a lot of walking and information to learn about. Isaac told us all about Herod, his castle and the way in which he lived.  We sat in the temple at Masada and  were amazed by the views and the beauty of this spectacular site. We ate in the cafeteria at Masada...what else... israeli salad, falafel, french fries, though we were able to find Gatorade for the kids!!  Next,  we went to the Ahava factory and learned a  little about the corporation and were able to buy some products.  The Dead Sea was our next stop and it was incredible though a bit rocky. A few cuts, 1 lost flip flop, and shower caps for Alexa and Jill who have Keratin treatment and we all floated in the Dead Sea.  The temperature was about 74 degrees outside and it was perfect weather for the sea. We went to the sulfur hot tubs and then all showered the salt off.  Our last stop was a quick camel ride on the side of the road by a Bedouin 15 year old boy. Hysterical and great photo opportunities!  On the way home we dropped off Isaac and stopped at Abu Gosh with Adi and Michael's friend Mati stopped by to join us.  Again, the little plates of salad, baba ganoush, hummus, beets, eggplant were served and then a smorgasboard of chicken and lamb kabobs, lamb chops, and trout.  We were exhausted when we got home, showered again to get more salt off from the Dead Sea and passed out. Well, all except Al- who has slept a total of about 7 hours on the entire trip but is drinking 3 double espressos each morning at breakfast.  All of the kids have been truly amazing and we are having the time of our life and feel so fortunate to be here with such great friends. Word of the day... NIFLAH...AWESOME!

Bat Mitzvah and More!

Today we got up and drove to The Davidson Center at the Western Wall. We got a quick tour of Robinson's arch by our new tour guide, Isaac, who made it home from Germany.  We met Rabbi Bender who is originally from Philadelphia and the photographer,Yaakov, also a Philly guy.  The B'nai Mitvah of Emma, Jamie, and Max was beautiful.  It was held right in the Davidson center on the original limestone that was over 2000 years old. There were several bar/bat mitzvahs taking place at the same time. Some were reading torah, others singing and doing the horah, and singing the Shema. It was an unbelievable place to be. We started the service by putting tallit on the B'nai Mitvah and we all took siddurim to read from. The Rabbi led us in prayer and we started singing Oseh Shalom. We waited for the bar mitzvah next to us to finish so that we could use that Torah since it was a Torah reading day. Jamie had the first alliyah, then Emma and Max.  We sang, paraded the torah, and even did a horah. It was magical and very moving. The Rabbi gave a very short D'var Torah where he mentioned a few words about the three B'nai Mitzvah that we had sent to him.  Everyone participated in the ceremony. Aidan and Spencer helped cover the torah and Cory, Alexa, Sydney and Arli all read and sang the prayers that they have learned from services and hebrew school. We each passed the torah from generation to generation as well.  It was a beautiful ceremony that was just perfect.
Next, we went to Yad Va Shem, the Holocaust Museum.  We walked through very quietly trying to take in all of the information of the horror that happened.  It was very educational and definitely moving.
Our last stop was the Herzl museum. We were all pretty beat, but it was an interesting format where you were taken into different rooms and showed a movie that told about Theodore Herzl's life.
We made our way back to Tel Aviv and allowed our driver, Adi, to pick our restaurant. He dropped us off at the a grill where we stuffed our faces. There were over 70 plates on the table as the first course was all small plates of different dishes....Our main plates were chicken, house kabob, and the steak kabob.  If that wasn't enough, we then walked to get ice cream.  On our way home, we stopped by the park on the beach that is like an exercise park. We let the kids run around for a little and came home.
Max asked our guide to give us a word of the day and today's word was Metzuyan which means excellent.  Today was METZUYAN:)

We arrived on Dec. 25th on time and arrived at the Dan Panorama Hotel in Tel Aviv. Since our rooms were not ready and we were exhausted we knew we had to push through the day and try to stay awake. We walked right outside our hotel to the beach and the Mediterranean Sea. We had lunch at a place right on the water called "Yossi's" and ate our first schnitzel, hummus, and Israeli salad of the trip, walked through Old Jaffa and headed back to our hotel for a little nap.  We had dinner with Michael's friend Udi and his family at an Italian place called Bellini-it was Udi's birthday so we all sang happy birthday in hebrew and english.
Our first full day was packed. First of all, our tour guide got stuck in a snowstorm in Germany so we had a 'sub' tourguide today. Our driver, Adi, and the tour guide, Yotom (he told us to say...Yo..Tom) both did a great job of showing us the sites. We started our day in Jerusalem and drove to Mount Olives. Here we were able to go to a lookout point and he showed us all of the quarters of Jerusalem and pointed out the mosques, temples, cemetaries and gave us the history of the city. The highlight was when some of the kids sat on the camel and when the camel stood up unexpectedly!!  Then we went to the Western Wall. We had all prepared our notes and we separated the men and the women and went to the wall to stick our notes in.  It was a moving experience for all of us and we even saw someone from Jeff Lakes Camp that the kids knew.  We had lunch in a Muslim section of Jerusalem and most of the group ate the best falafel they ever had.  After we took a long tour of the City of David and went in a water tunnel where the spaces were very tight. At one point it was so low that Al had to duck and we were uncertain if he would fit. A bit claustophobic in there. We climbed about a million stairs, but Michael had to redo the trek as he left his camera case down in the tunnel.  At the end of the day we split up to do some souvenir shopping and we purchased Emma her tallis at a beautiful shop in the Jewish quarter. She will wear it tomorrow at her Bat Mitzvah at the Davidson Center.  We ended the day with a delicious meal at a restaurant in Tel Aviv right on the water called Manta Ray. We are all exhausted still trying to adjust to the time change. Our tour guide is back and will be with us tomorrow and we are happy not to be in the blizzard in NJ. The weather was absolutely beautiful today.