Friday, June 28, Tel Aviv: The First Hebrew City

Today was another great day!  I am so impressed that so far, both days of travel began with everyone getting on the bus on time!  This is rare when traveling with a group the size of ours.  I hope this trend can continue.  There are certain things we need to remember when traveling in Israel in late June/early July.  First is you have to wear tons of sunscreen, a big-ugly-Israel hat, and you must drink lots of water.  More water than you even think you need.  I am trying to not be an annoying dad to Hayley constantly reminding her of these things and let her enjoy Israel with her friends, but I find myself reminding her often…  In fact, I think I am reminding all our travelers often.  I apologize!

Today, we began with an activity I was really excited about, because it is one I have never done before.  Today we followed the story of Israel’s pre-State elite fighting force, the Palmach.  We visited Beit Palmach, a state-of-the-art multimedia experience that allows a glimpse into the lives of these heroes. 

This was an absolutely incredible experience.  Because of the size of our traveling party, we needed to split up into two groups.  There were many photos on the walls that showed these fighters.  What Hayley and I noticed immediately was the fact that they were young kids, some as young as 16 years of age, who were a part of this important organization.  While the first group began the tour, the second group that Hayley and I were a part of met Zvi, a veteran of the Palmach. 

Zvi, with the help of Uri who translated his words, shared with us his story and how he fought to win Israel’s independence.  He shared that in his unit boys and girls were fighting together.  How cool for Hayley to see such strong women, not much older than her, that played a huge role in the independence of this land we both love so much.  He also shared that many in his unit were holocaust survivors.  This was incredible to think that just a few years before many of these young men and women were surviving the horrors that came at the hands of the Nazis and now they were on the front lines in this battle to keep the dream of Israel alive.  We learned that Zvi was fighting on the Lebanese front in the north when he was shot in the arm.  In his 90’s you could still see how his eyes lit up when he spoke of his experiences.  He was eager to show us his battalion book that had many photos of those who fought with him and even Zvi himself. 

He shared that they used a special canon that didn’t cause much damage but made a HUGE noise and that noise was reason for the enemy to run afraid.  The bravery of these fighters was truly an inspiration.  We also learned that the veterans of the Palmach actually raised all the monies needed to create this extraordinary place.  We were not allowed to take any photos inside Beit Palmach, and I was grateful to be able to experience this with Hayley, who is just beginning to think of what kinds of things she can contribute to our world.

Following this experience, we visited the Shalom Tower, Israel’s first skyscraper, which was built upon the foundation of the first Hebrew Academy, Gimnasiya Herzliya.  

This tower was the tallest building in the Middle East when it was built.  We explored the development from Jaffa to Tel Aviv through the famous Nachum Gutman mural, and Uri and our travelers interpreted the art and discovered new meaning to the beautiful images inside this huge mural. 

Following this we walked the newly opened Independence Trail, where we learned of the journey that began with the founding of Tel Aviv in 1909 and ended with the establishment of Israel in 1948.  Uri went through this explanation, bringing the event to life for all of us as we learned of the more than 2000 year old dream of a Jewish state, a declaration by Herzl at the First Zionist Conference in 1897 that between 5 and 50 years there would indeed be a Jewish state, and, 50 years after the UN creating the Partition Plan that would have divided Israel into two states: an Arab State, a Jewish state and International territory that included Jerusalem. 

We learned that the Arab community rejected this plan, which led to that famous day, May 14, 1948, when David Ben-Gurion declared an independent State of Israel, which of course led to a brutal war for Israel’s survival.  All of this teaching took place in front of Independence Hall, which is currently closed for renovation.  How powerful to hear this history in front of the building where the declaration was made.

For me, the important message is that Israel was not created as a consolation for the Holocaust.  Rather it was the result of more than 2000 years of yearning for a Jewish homeland.   

We then made our way to the Nahalat Binyamin pedestrian mall and walked its bi-weekly crafts fair and eateries.  We had free time to grab a bite to eat, shop in the pedestrian mall and visit the nearby Carmel open air market.  What a cool place! 

We boarded the bus to ride back to our hotel for everyone to enjoy some free time before sharing Shabbat overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.  Our Shabbat experience began with the lighting of the Shabbat candles.  Uri had discussed with us earlier in the day the notion of light and its importance within Judaism, specifically in Tel Aviv as the modern Israeli city.  We spoke of the lights of Shabbat as our reminder that we need to add our light to this world, and our goal is to take the light of Israel home with us and share it with our community and beyond.

We then made our way out onto the boardwalk on the waterfront behind our hotel and had a totally Tel Aviv Shabbat service.  There was a bar not too far off with music playing.  People would come by and join us for a song or two, one lady took out her cell phone and began recording us during our service.  A few animals came by (we see tons of cats and dogs in Tel Aviv).  There was a communal pool behind us that had swimmers swimming.  All of this went on as we created our Shabbat moment as the sun set on the Mediterranean behind us.  As we turned and faced east for the Bar’chu I got so excited thinking of the fact that in a week we will be laying our hands on the Western Wall, the very place we all turn to when we pray during services.  I know that they will never pray the same way again after experiencing this, and I cannot wait to share that experience with them.  As our service was ending, the sun was setting creating a most beautiful picture moment.  What a Shabbat experience!

We then went to our private room at the hotel for an AMAZING dinner provided to us by the hotel.  

No one left that table hungry.  It was amazing that the elevator could hold us all on our way back to our rooms!

Another amazing, beautiful and meaningful day in our home in the east.  There is no place like Israel.  If you haven’t experienced this for yourself, you need to consider coming with TAE in June, 2021 for our next trip.  It truly is the trip of a lifetime.  I cannot wait for tomorrow!