By Ellen Kabot
On November 4, 2012, 21 seniors (some as old as 97) from the Wilf Campus gathered to embark on an amazing, late-in-life journey to Israel. Thirteen of us had never been to Israel before. After a long but comfortable flight on El Al, we arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. Now it became real; we were walking on the earth of the Holy Land.
Our wonderful guide Yakov and bus driver Ahmed met us and took us to our first destination, Caesarea, a spectacular city build by Herod the Great. In Herod’s time, 37 to 4 B.C.E., Caesarea rivaled the grandest ports of the Mediterranean, with a mixed population of Greeks, Syrians, Romans, Egyptians, and Jews. It served as headquarters of the Romans when they ruled this ancient land.
Caesaria is now a spectacularly excavated ancient site and national park. We visited the Roman Theater, which seats 5000 people and is still in use today. We saw Roman and Greek statues and marveled at how huge the site is. We also enjoyed a stunning view of the Mediterranean on a sunny, warm day.
Back on our air-conditioned bus, we traveled to Yemin Orde, to eat and learn about the marvelous program at this youth village. Youngsters who are at risk due to finances, lack of family structure or poor educational background, or who are new immigrants to Israel, are welcomed here. They not only study academic subjects but also learn about the culture of Israel and the Jewish religion. The community becomes their new family and home. Close ties are kept with their families of origin, but the youngsters always have a family at Yemin Orde.
Our second and third days in Israel were spent exploring the Upper and Lower Galilee regions of Northern Israel. We saw Tel Dan, one of the main sources of the Jordan River, a very moving experience for the Christian staff members as well as the Jews. Then we visited the border with Lebanon, where some of us took pictures with the brave young Israeli soldiers who guard it. We also viewed the border with Syria, which is particularly intimidating in light of the ongoing civil war there.
Markers ominously indicate the presence of land mines. We gazed on the Golan Heights, commanding mountains won by Israel in the Six Day War. We passed military installations and took pictures on top of tanks.
The Galilee region is very beautiful and fertile. It seems that wherever Israelis settle they plant trees, vineyards, olive groves, or orchards of many kinds of fruit trees. What was once brown and barren has been made green by the people of Israel. We were all very moved by this fruitful magnificence.
While in this area, we also learned something about kibbutzim. Once very spartan collective farms, they are now very different. In fact, we stayed at the beautiful Pastoral Hotel on Kibbutz Kfar Blum. All the fruits and vegetables we ate at the sumptious meals were grown at the kibbutz, but the hotel business now constitutes another source of income. Other kibbutzim have different industries such as the high tech industry which even our seniors take part in; we all have our cell phones.
On a stop at the Golan Heights Winery, which is very new and modern, we got to sample three kinds of wine. We loved that. We also saw a presentation on the history of the Golan, including the Six Day War which brought this important region back to Israel.
Next up was the Agamon HaHula, a bird sanctuary in the Hula Valley in Northern Israel. We got to see it at the best time of the year, when huge flocks of birds from as far away as Finland pass through on their migratory path to Africa. There were many kinds of birds one cannot find in the USA. It was very beautiful, and we had a wonderful time with our very informative young Israeli guide.
One of the most spectacular events was our sail on the aquamarine Sea of Galilee. We went on an old wooden boat on a beautiful, sunny day. I will never forget the moment when the captain of the ship announced that the results of the US election were in and that President Obama had won. We all stood as he raised the American flag and we sang the Star Spangled Banner. He then raised the Israeli flag and we sang Hatikvah, the Israeli national anthem. It was very moving and we all had tears in our eyes. Jacob Weinglass, a Holocaust survivor on our trip, told us he used to live near the sea and recounted his experiences coming from Poland to Russia to escape the Nazis, and then working in a Russian labor camp, finally making his way to Israel, where he learned to make a living as a plumber.
Finally, it was time to make our way to Jerusalem. I thought to myself that every year at the Passover Seder, Jews around the world – myself included – voice the prayer: "Next year in Jerusalem." That prayer was now about to be answered. As we drew closer, our staff physician, Dr. Anolik, played the beautiful and haunting “Yerushalayim Shel Zahav” (Jerusalem of Gold) on his harmonica.
Yakov took us up to Mt. Scopus for our first view of the city, and to say the traditional Shehecheyanu prayer, which thanks God for granting us life to reach a momentous day. We saw some of the Old City, including the iconic Dome of the Rock, the beautiful hills, and the many white buildings that climb up and down the slopes of this ancient and holy place. Everywhere, in the parks and around monuments, there were flowers. A stranger took my picture and as I thanked him, he asked if this was my first time in Israel and I said yes. I wept when he replied: "Welcome home."
While in Jerusalem, we stayed at the beautiful new five-star Inbal Hotel. It was designed to blend with the architecture of the city and resembled a fortress. It was truly amazing. We had sumptuous meals there. The first night, as we made our way to dinner, we observed a very religious wedding being held in the huge courtyard. It was very traditional, of course. We saw the bride walk around the groom seven times. She was heavily veiled and wore a gorgeous wedding gown.
On Shabbat, many of us attended services in a nearby synogogue. Some Christian staff members went on a tour of the Old City’s Christian Quarter, and were very moved by the holy sites so important to Christians.
Sunday was one of our most incredible days. We left Jersusalem and went south to the Negev through the Judean Hills. We passed Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, and we could see caves in the ancient mountains. Our first stop was at Ein Gedi, a real oasis in the desert. We saw waterfalls and spectacular hills and crevises. There were native animals called ibexes, little goats so tame they seemed to pose for us.
We then proceeded to King Herod’s mountaintop fortress of Masada, which Jews traditionally visit at least once in their lifetime because it is the site of one of the most heroic and tragic stories in Jewish history. During a Jewish revolt against the Romans in 66 C.E., a band of Jewish zealots took over the fortress and held off attacking Roman garrisons for years.Finally, when the Romans were about to overrun Masada, more than 900 Jews chose to take their own lives rather than become slaves of Rome. Today, Israeli soldiers come to Masada to take a solemn vow that “Masada will not fall again.”
After Masada, it was on to the Dead Sea, where many of us bathed in the waters. It was a strange and wonderful feeling – like floating on Jello. Like the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea is beautiful and a great attraction for people from all over the world to bathe in its healing waters. Tired and thirsty from the salty waters, we boarded our trusty bus filled with the wonder of all we had seen and done that day.
We also visited Yad Vashem, which was an extremely moving experience for everyone, but especially for two of the participants who are Holocaust survivors. Jacob Weinglass had been there many years earlier, when the now extensive museum was just a small wooden house. Jacob was extremely moved when he saw pictures of Leud, a town in Poland where he had lived.
Bill Leibner, a volunteer historian and the cousin of a staff member’s friend, spoke privately to Jacob and they shared the many thoughts and stories. Mr. Leibner indicated that Yad Vashem is always seeking additional documents or artifacts from the Holocaust for inclusion in its collection. If anyone has such items that they are willing to contribute, Toby Ehrlich, Marketing Director at the Wilf campus, can facilitate.
Inge Markowicz was also brought to tears recalling her many experiences and how her family was on the last boat out to Cuba. With the assistance of Rabbi Kinzbrunner, both Inge and Jacob were able to register their names and their relatives’ names as an important part of Holocaust history. After this, we went to see the model of Jerusalem at the Israel Museum, and enjoyed a beautiful lunch and some shopping.
In Jerusalem, we visited the Ammunition Hill Memorial and Museum, the site of a bloody battle in the 1967 war. The museum is dedicated to the reunification of Jerusalem, an event Jews all over the world followed nervously and eagerly. Jerusalem, our ancient capital, evokes strong feelings in us as our holiest city. We were given a visual presentation of the capture of the city by the brave Israeli troops. We were very moved.
Then we traveled to the Latrun Fort, the home of the Israeli Defense Armored Tank Corps, who were, no doubt, part of the forces lined up at Gaza just last week. We saw brave young men and women who are those who are in the tanks which defend Israel.
We paid a final visit to the Wailing Wall. Diane Mautner, one of our residents said that the Wall moved her the most as it was a place Jews from all over the world come to pray and to leave little notes of prayer in the wall. As the last surviving remnant of the outer wall of the ancient Temple, it is the holiest site in the holiest city.
For me, what moved me the most, as I traveled from the borders of the beautiful Northern parts of Israel to the Dead Sea in the Negev, through the strict security of Ben Gurion Airport, is the children of the children of the survivors of the Holocaust. The beautiful young people who serve in the military, who work on El Al, who raise the vegetables and fruits, who are after all, the future of Israel. They are brave, they are strong, they are bilingual. They learn and teach at Yemin Orde; they help the elderly, the immigrants, and the needy.
As we were leaving, we heard of the first missiles being sent from Gaza and as we passed through all the security at the airport, all those young Israelis helping us to get home and away from danger but because they are so used to rockets and missiles, it did not give them pause. I will never forget all that we saw in Israel and we all pray for the lifeblood of Israel, the people.
The Oscar and Ella Wilf Campus for Senior Living includes: The Martin and Edith Stein Assisted Living Residence, The Martin and Edith Stein Hospice, The Lena and David T. Wilentz Senior Residence, Wilf at Home, Wilf Transport, and The Foundation. For more information contact us at 888-311-5231, or email us at [email protected]. You can also visit us at www.wilfcampus.org or join us on www.facebook.com/wilfcampus.
