Congregational Trip to Israel with Rabbi Mitchell Berkowitz & Rebecca Ravski

The First Couple Days (June 19-20)

We arrived in Israel early in the morning on Monday, June 20^th, and immediately made our way to Jerusalem. We ascended Mount Scopus to look out upon Jerusalem, sharing a very early l’chayyim to begin our journey together. Our tour guide, David, pointed out some of the city’s most important sites, framing for us what we would come to see over the next few days. We were all jet-lagged and a bit exhausted, but excited for this trip to begin.

We traveled to Machane Yehuda, the shuk, for a delicious tasting tour: coffee, falafel, grape leaves, and much more. Satiated, we made our way to our hotel where we checked in, relaxed for a few hours, and then shared a delicious dinner together. We started getting to know one another, asking questions and listening intently. We knew that there was going to be much to learn and experience together over the course of these ten days.

On our second day, we explored the Old City. First, we walked through the area known as Robinson’s Arch, home to the “egalitarian Kotel” and archaeological sites. We learned about the various ways ancient Israelites would ascend to the Temple, and how those places have changed over the past two thousand years. We visited the Kotel, offering our prayers and enjoying a few moments of (somewhat) private prayer. But the major lesson of the day was that what is visible on the surface is only one small part of the story. As we descended into the Western Wall Tunnels, we learned that most of the Kotel is actually hidden—stretching many stories below what is today the ground level, and a great distance to the north, now hidden behind structures of the Old City built hundreds of years ago. You will have a chance to read more about this in my forthcoming Scroll article.

Desert, Dedications, and Dig (June 21-23)

On our third day in Israel we left Jerusalem to explore the Judean desert. An early morning bus ride brought us to Masada, where we comfortably ascended via the cable car. Our guide, David, told us the story as it was recounted by Josephus, who apparently heard about the martyrs from a woman who hid with her children during the tragic episode. We walked through the reconstructed buildings, including the storerooms and a bathhouse (Herod enjoyed the perks of being king!). From Masada we went to the Dead Sea, and enjoyed an afternoon at a beautiful hotel along the sea. On the way back to Jerusalem we stopped at Ein Gedi, an incredible oasis in the midst of the desert with waterfalls, pools, and an impressive array of flora and fauna. And finally, dinner was enjoyed at “Abraham’s Tent,” complete with camel rides, making our own pita, and sitting on the floor for dinner.

On our fourth day, we were joined at breakfast by Rabbi Arnie Bender, the rabbi at our “sister congregation,” Ya’ar Ramot. Arnie told us about how he came to live here in Israel, his journey to becoming a rabbi, and he gave us an update about the community. We hope to collaborate with Ya’ar Ramot on a program next year. The group then visited Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust museum. It was, of course, an emotionally exhausting morning, but an important opportunity to learn more about the Shoah and memorialize the millions of innocent victims. (Rebecca took the kids to a much more age appropriate venue for them—the Biblical Zoo!). From there we went to Har Herzl, Israel’s national cemetery for its leaders and military personnel, where we learned about Herzl in a museum that reminded me a bit of Disney’s Carousel of Progress (except we had to turn in our seats, instead of the room moving!). The evening was ours to explore Jerusalem, so we went to the Tachana Rishona, the First Train Station, where we enjoyed dinner, Hebrew Book Week, and a carousel ride.

Friday was a shorter day in order to accommodate our preparations for Shabbat. We began with a walk through an impressive stalactite cave, the Avshalom Stalactite Cave, which was stumbled upon accidentally during a routine blast in a quarry. The stalactites are formed over time when water slowly permeates the ground and drips slowly from the ceiling of a cave. After a picnic lunch we put on our archaeological hats and descended into a cave in Beit Guvrin to participate in a real archaeological dig. The site is home to a network of caves where ancient Israelites lived during the Hasmonean period. We dug, shlepped, and sifted our finds: pottery shards, building nails, animal bones, and much more! We returned to Jerusalem for Shabbat and visited briefly with our former shlicha, Netta and her daughter, Eliana! A very exciting reunion!

Shabbat in Jerusalem (June 24)

There really is something special about Shabbat in Jerusalem. There is a panicked rush in the hours leading up to sunset, and suddenly everything begins to settle down. Fewer cars are on the streets, public buses are nowhere to be found (yet tour buses still abound), and the sidewalks are now filled with people prepared to welcome Shabbat. We walked just across the street to the Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center, where we joined Rabba Nava B. Meiersdorf and Nava Tehilla for a beautiful Kabbalat Shabbat filled with song and spirit. Shabbat dinner was back at our hotel, and we all enjoyed an early evening to catch up from a week of touring.

On Shabbat morning, many of us returned to Fuchsberg. Their Shabbat services are very similar to our ow—a full kriyah, beautiful davening, and learning between the aliyot. But since the second day of Shavuot was on Shabbat in the Diaspora, we are one week behind the reading in Israel, where last Shabbat was Parshat Chukat, and everyone at B’nai Israel read Korach! Shabbat lunch and an afternoon of relaxation followed at the hotel. In the late afternoon, our guide, David, gave us a tour of Yemin Moshe, a neighborhood just outside the walls of Jerusalem recognized by its windmill and named in honor of Moses Montefiore. We returned to the hotel for a snack, and said farewell to Shabbat with Havdalah all together on the hotel’s terrace.

Going North (June 25)

On Sunday morning we departed from the hotel early in the morning and began our journey towards the north of Israel. Our first stop was the ancient Roman ruins of Beit She’an, with its impressive cardo, theatre, baths, and mosaics. Then we continued the journey north, visiting the Kinneret Cemetery where Naomi Shemer and other prominent Israelis have been laid to rest. We listened to her music beside her grave, overlooking the calm waters of the Sea of Galilee. Then we enjoyed a boat ride on the Kinneret itself, with the Golan Heights on one side and the Galilee region on the other. After disembarking from the boat, we checked into our rooms at the kibbutz of Nof Ginosar, on the Kinneret. And that night for dinner we were joined by our former shlicha, Tamar! It was another beautiful reunion and an opportunity to hear about all that Tamar has been doing in the years since she was with us at B’nai Israel—working at a winery, studying drama therapy, and making a life for herself in the north of Israel. She sends her love to everyone back at B’nai.