In the afternoon, we visited old family friends, Lionel and Margot Kestenbaum, which was lovely. Margot put out a yummy array of child and adult friendly snacks and it was really good to catch up. Two doors down on Alfasi St. from Lionel and Margot is the apartment we lived in two summers ago (just a coincidence!). We became friends with the owners, with whom we swapped homes that summer. Dan and Merav and their daughter, Rachel also fed us well and we felt as if we could have talked all night. Rachel and the girls made cookies.
Then this week, the Bostonians (Newtonians) showed up. Dena and her girls came by for a visit and lunch on the beach. Then they dropped of Ronit for a 2-day playdate with Raizi. Ronit was here for Shabbat and then went to school with Raizi on Sunday. On Shabbat, we also went to the beach with Claire Caine and Anna, who were visiting Claire's family close by. I think my girls enjoyed having English-speaking friends around. Raizi and Ronit sure were giggly.
Monday, Raizi and I, Dena and Ronit and Claire and Anna all went to Caesarea, the amazing seaside archeological site first built as a palace and port city by King Herod, and then conquered and destroyed and rebuilt over the millenia by the Byzantines, Mamluks and Crusaders. Check out Raizi's blog for a good description.
That's Anna and Raizi at the top of the amphitheater steps. Here's Raizi washing her hair in the Roman bath:
And of course we had to have a snack.
Yesterday, Andy and I rented bikes in a small town called Alonei Abba. We biked to another town called Beit Lechem HaGlalit. The ride was gorgeous, what with all the blooming and sprouting all over. Also, the towns were interesting, having been founded by German Templars. Thus, there are the kind of buildings you see in the German Colonies of Jerusalem and Haifa, but not usually in country towns.
Between the two towns we stopped at THE MOST AMAZING spice place I have ever seen. In the middle of nowhere, reachable on dirt roads, was Derech HaTavlinim (Spice Way). There were all the spices you can imagine, and then mixes of spices -- 20 for rice, another 20 for fish, then chicken, meat, etc. Then there were teas and tea infusions, mixes of dried fruit, granolas. It was incredible.
I am sure there is no place like this in the States. Even if there were, it couldn't be so beautiful, with all the bulk spices piled high in the open, given the health laws. In fact, I bent down to smell something and a teeny bit got on the tip of my nose. That just wouldn't go over at home.
Speaking of Bike Rides, Here is an important letter from Andy:
Friends:
Please sponsor me! The 5-day bike ride I'm riding in here in Israel is coming up soon, March 6-10, to raise funds for the Israeli Reform movement and support the important work they do to build pluralistic Judaism with liberal values in Israel. Will you sponsor me so I can meet my goal?
Here's the story about the ride: We will cover about 160 miles over five days, biking from the town of Modi'in (between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv) all the way to Masada. Our group will make visits on the route to some Israeli Reform congregations, bringing a message of friendship and support that I think will be especially meaningful. I am especially looking forward to spending this time while I'm on sabbatical in Israel experiencing the beauty of Eretz Yisrael up close, by bike, in the beautiful month of March, when the weather will already be warm, and many flowers will still be in bloom. Plus, I am also looking forward to the major physical challenge that this ride will present me.
I'd like to ask you to sponsor me on this ride. Funds that I raise will help the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism (IMPJ) run its excellent Reform Jewish summer camps for Israeli children, build its Mechina progressive Jewish values program for high school graduates who are seeking an extra year of study and activism before entering the army, help the Jerusalem campus of HUC-JIR which trains Israeli rabbis, and offer support to the growing number of Israeli Reform congregations around the country, who are always engaged in their own struggles because they get no support from the State, unlike Orthodox synagogues. During these first 6-7 weeks of mine in Haifa, I have already met a number of exceptional Israeli Reform leaders who are pursuing their vision for a meaningful, pluralistic and modern Judaism that will thrive within Israel. I love the tag line of the IMPJ: "There is more than one way to be a Jew." This message very much needs to be heard in Israel.
To add your donation to sponsor me, just click to this link, http://riding4reform.org/Eng/2011/Pages/PaymentInstructions.asp#Sponsorship%20Donations , scroll down to the middle of the page, and look for the words "credit card donations". Where you see the words "Sponsored Rider / General Donation," write my name ("Andrew Vogel") in the box, and click "make a donation"; then you can enter either your credit card information, or PayPal information, whichever you prefer. I am told that your donation is 100% tax deductible. Whatever you can donate is helpful. I am grateful for your sponsorship!
To learn more about the IMPJ, or about the bike ride, click here: http://www.riding4reform.org/Eng/2011/Index.asp.
Thank you for your support!
Andy Vogel, rabbi
on sabbatical in Israel through June 2011
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