The Breakers. Day 1. They Said It Would Be Easy.
It’ll be easy, they said. It’s only two and a half hours, they said. There’s nothing to worry about, they said.
They were wrong.
And to be clear, “they” refers only to my husband.
We left the house around 10am, made it to the airport quick, found no line at check-in, no line at bag drop, no line at security (with pre-check) and no line at the bagel place. It was smooth sailing. The flight was scheduled to depart at 12pm, and by 12pm we were on the plane with the doors closed.
Then it began. First the pilot came on to say that due to weather we were being re-routed and it was going to take some time to reprogram the flight path and load extra fuel. Then they came on to say we were being rerouted again, and while we had enough fuel, it would be a little while longer before they reprogrammed the flight path (again).
By the time we took off it was 1:30pm, a full 90 minutes late. By then, Madeleine was pretty much done.
Let’s just say the flight was long. Hallie did great, watching Peppa Pig the entire time. She did keep asking for food every ten seconds, and Tzvi just kept feeding her. Madeleine fell asleep during take off, which gave us ho. e, but then she woke up about ten minutes later. She didn’t really cry, which was good, but she was pretty restless and wouldn’t sit in her seat. She also wouldn’t go to Tzvi, because apparently she’s entered a total mommy phase. It was pretty rough. Had we taken off on time i think the flight would’ve been okay, but the delay really killed us.
It took a while to get off the plane. We were seated in the second to last row, because that was all that was left when we booked this trip six days ago. I think this was the most last minute trip we’ve ever booked. Very unlike us. Anyway, by the time we got to baggage claim all of the bags had come out and ours were just sitting there. Oh, and it was pouring rain outside.
The Uber was about fifteen minutes and then we arrived at the Breakers. The approach is really beautiful, and then you enter the hotel. Luxury cars lined up as you pull in, the bellman swiftly take your luggage (that ends up in the room before you even get there), and you head to check in, not to mention that this place is basically a palace - the halls are massive and the ceilings are all so ornate and beautiful. We got our room, the girls got coloring books, and we headed upstairs, but not before an Israeli family asked some questions nearby. Our room is beautiful and spacious.
Once we were in the room it was basically a race to the finish, the finish being our dinner reservation. We had to get everyone showered and dressed in about 1.5 hours. We bathed Madeleine, then Tzvi showered, then Hallie bathed, and then Tzvi took Madeleine for a walk in the stroller to try and get her to finally nap. She did, and Hallie watched more Peppa Pig while I rushed to get ready.
Dinner tonight was at Flaggler Steakhouse on the second floor of the golf course club house. While the experience of being with my family was rated one star, the actual dinner was five stars. Hallie and I showed up to find Tzvi sitting alone sipping a cocktail while Madeleine was asleep in the stroller. Nice that he gets to enjoy himself. I ordered a delicious drink with gin and lavender (which thankfully did not taste like soap). To start I had a Kale Salad and Tzvi had an iceberg salad with blue cheese dressing. There was also fantastic warm bread. For the main I had blackened Tuna that came with mashed potatoes and asparagus. It was amazing, the tuna actually had that “steak” feel. It was this really thick piece, but they cooked it for me because I don’t like raw fish. Tzvi had chilean sea bass with a corn and chile sauce, which he loved. The girls had pizza and corn and fries. Madeleine woke up about 20 minutes after we sat down and was a mess. She calmed down eventually and kept walking around the restaurant, dragging bags from the stroller and my purse, unpacking and packing blankets. Meanwhile, Hallie watched more Peppa Pig. For dessert, the girls got brownie ice cream sundaes with M and Ms and chocolate sauce. Tzvi and I shared a massive chocolate cake and a key lime pie. Both were so good. The whole meal was so good. It was such a nice place and had a real “American steakhouse” feel. Tzvi kept telling me that no matter how crazy the girls were, this was still better than being home. I’m going to need to adjust to that notion.
After dinner we took the shuttle back to the hotel (its a few blocks, but still hotel property) and headed upstairs, but not before asking an Israeli couple in the lobby (they’re everywhere!) to take our photo.
We got the girls in bed - Madeleine went straight into the crib but Hallie hid under the covers - you guessed it - watching more Peppa Pig. The whole process took too long, but eventually Hallie went to sleep and now we’re sitting on the bathroom floor.
I love traveling with kids.
Israel. July 24, 2021. Day 7. A Very Arousing Kabalat Shabbat.
Wow, I can’t believe it’s day 7. Two more days and I go home.
Anyway, Friday night was nice. We walked to the Kotel, but on the way stopped at a park right outside the Old City to hear a Kabalat Shabbat concert. It was cute. From there we walked to the Kotel. We had about 45 minutes to spend there. Some of the group went off to the Robinsons Arch area to have an egalitarian davening. When they got there there were around 60 yeshiva kids taking over the entire space, so Moshe (our mission chair) had the security guard move them so they could have some space. Words were exchanged. They kept yelling about Kol Isha etc. but then Moshe yelled back at them that they are ignorant etc. Pretty sure he said something to the effect of “if this woman’s voice turns you on, you have bigger problems to deal with.”
Anyway, we walked back to the hotel and had a nice dinner. Josh, the executive Director of the Education Department joined the trip so he was there. We were also joined by some other higher ups at KKL. After dinner we had a group discussion and then just hung around a little. I slept like a rock, except they knocked on the door to clean the room at 830. I should have put on the Do Not disturb sign, but who comes to clean at 830?! I asked them to come back later, and they thought that meant 10. I sent them away again. Zohar finally knocked on my door around 10:40, so I made the end of breakfast.
Around 12:30 I left to walk to Abby and Mordy, good family friends that we visit each time we’re here. The walk was about a half hour, and it wasn’t too too hot if I stayed in the shade. We didn’t start lunch until 2 (sound familiar?). Ronnie and Avri were home so it was nice to see them. After lunch, Ronnie, Abby and I walked to my parents apartment that I’ve never seen. It’s a nice three bedroom with very high ceilings. Maybe one day we’ll be able to stay there.
Abby and Ronnie walked me back, and then I napped a little. We had to meet as a group at 8:20 for Havdalah and then we boarded the bus to Givat Hatachmoshet (ammunition hill). We were guided by Alon Wald, who has helped revamp the site. His father died there. It was a great tour, but too long. We didn’t get back to the hotel until close to 12. So, here I am, at 12:22, writing this but I have to get up tomorrow for a 6am PCR test. Yay. Also, I didn’t eat dinner so im just snacking away. Should feel good tomorrow.
Israel. July 23, 2021. Day 6. Good Thing I Bought Those Water Shoes.
Well, after a solid 4 hours of sleep, it was time to get up!
I’ve been getting wake up calls every day, which have been really annoying. Apparently the tour group actually scheduled them for everyone. At this point, its not even worth stopping because they won’t do it on Shabbat and then the other days we have to be up even earlier. Anyway, I got dressed and headed to breakfast. I could barely eat (for real this time) because I was full from earlier. I tried to find an Aroma, but there isn’t any within walking distance that would have me back in time.
Our first stop of the day was Yad Vashem. I really wasn’t looking forward to it because it felt unnecessary, but I think this visit was really one of the best. We had a fantastic tour guide who specializes in Holocaust art. She started off with a presentation of some art and then took us through the museum. I learned new things, relearned some things, and was just so impressed with her. I found out she actually grew up in Lawrence before moving to Texas, and then moved to Israel. She said she went to Beth El, so I told her I got married there and showed her some pictures.
From there we drove to the City of David, the hottest place in Jerusalem. I swear, the hottest memories are from that place. They prepared a lunch from Holy Bagel. You know how sometimes you think Toddy’s doesn’t put enough tuna? Well, Holy Bagel puts no tuna. It was like a tablespoon of tuna for the entire bagel. Also, we were outside.
The plan was to go to the water tunnel, but there were people who didn’t want to do it. There was so much confusion over who was and wasn’t doing it and who was going where, but we finally managed. The people who didn’t do it thought they’d have a chance to just go off by themselves but no, no, no. They had to walk with us up to the entrance and then wait for us at the exit. I’ve never done the water tunnel before, and it was pretty cool, but really long. Good thing I had my specially purchased water shoes. And after we were out of the water tunnel, we walked through another tunnel that took us out at Robinson’s Arch, so that was cool. Except that tunnel was SO long and tiny. I love when you go places in Israel that are tourists sites, but would be hard hat zones in America.
People were so anxious to get to Machane Yehuda. Finally, we found the bus, after about 10 people got lost, and headed to the shuk. I was so efficient I even surprised myself. I got marzipan rugelach, dried fruit from Rosemary, a bageleh, candy and chocolate, spices, and dried fruit. I walked into the spice store and asked “are you Oshrat” and her response was “Peas love and carrots?” Yep. Then I got an ice coffee from Roladin and called it a day.
I took a cab back to the hotel which was tough because no one wanted to drive, and now we have an hour or so to get ready for shabbat!
Shabbat Shalom!
Israel. July 22, 2021. Day 5. The Day Was Long; Some People Peed in the Bushes.
Well, last night was something. For some reason the air conditioning was set to go off every 45 minutes or so. I didn’t change anything, but I couldn’t figure out how to fix it. So basically, from like 12:30 on I was up every hour turning the air conditioning back on. Finally, at 5:20 that was it, and I was up. I did get in a ten-minute Yoga though, so that was good.
We had breakfast and boarded the bus. I almost boarded a bus with French people, which probably would have worked out better for me in the end.
Our first stop was Tzfat. We visited a Kabbalistic artist named David Friedman. He gave an interesting lecture on his art and then people bought stuff. I bought a magnet with a painting of the number 8 on it. He explained that the number is shmona in Hebrew, the same letters as neshama, the soul, and the neshama is infinite, just like the number 8 when you turn it sideways. I’ve always gravitated toward the number 8, so I figured why not get the magnet. He sold coloring books of his art which was cool, and people bought some actual art.
From there we walked around the old city of Tzfat, saw some ruins that were a few hundred years old, and had some time for shopping. I bought a few things. I think the shop owners were just so grateful to have shoppers. We ended with a mini concert in Rav Yosef Caro synagogue. It was cute.
ancient mikveh in Tzfat
From there we traveled to lunch on the outskirts of Akko. I actually slept on the bus a little, which is rare. Lunch was standard Israeli fare, but with fantastic French fries that I inhaled. Then we drove 5 minutes to a kibbutz. I didn’t really listen. Finally, it was time for the long trip to Jerusalem.
fuel
We drove for about 2 hours, had a rest stop, and then drove another half hour and stopped at the JNF 9/11 memorial. This is the only memorial outside of the United States that lists the names of every person that died on 9/11. We had a ceremony there which was very nice.
Then the problems started.
We started driving out of the memorial, which is located in a park just outside Jerusalem, but had to stop when we got to a police jeep that had drove into a ditch from making too sharp of a right turn. The jeep was tilted and two people were stuck. They couldn’t move because if the weight shifted they could have turned over the jeep down the hill. We had to wait for firetrucks to come and sat there for almost 2 hours. It was pretty bad, and we were pretty late. A few women peed in the bushes.
We finally got to the Prima Kings, our Jerusalem hotel. This was supposed to be a free night, but it was already after 9 by the time we arrived. I decided to skip the group dinner at the hotel and venture out, so I walked from the hotel to Ben Yehuda. I stopped at Ann for kippahs, and then made my way to Mamilla. I bought Tzvi some vermouth on the way, because you can only buy it kosher in Israel. At Mamilla I tried to get a salad at Roladin, but they wouldn’t make me what I wanted. Café Rimon said they were too busy to do takeout, so I went to Arccaffee and got a salad to go. Then I walked back to the hotel.
As I got back, around 11:30, Zohar texted asking if I wanted to go to Machane Yehuda, because it was “important to see the nightlife.” Well, I’ve only got one real free night in Jerusalem, so off I went. We ended up at Hatch bar where we got beers and wings, and then at Marzipan for dessert.
Now it’s almost 2:00 am, and I have to get up at 6:30. Wonderful.
Israel. July 21, 2021. Day 4. Hot as Hell.
Today was hot. So, so hot.
Anyway, I got up at 630 because I set my alarm, but also because someone scheduled a wakeup call to my room. I did not schedule this wakeup call. Can you imagine if I didn’t need to get up? I would have been so angry.
Anyway, I got up and headed to breakfast. It was a full buffet, but I was still full from the night before, so I only had a pastry, some babka, some chocolate spread, fruit, cereal, and chocolate milk. You know, a light start. At 7:45 we boarded the bus and headed to the Golan. Our first stop was at an overlook where a retired Lt. Col. spoke to us about the region and the strategic thinking involved in military operations up north. The biggest takeaway is that peace is extremely far away because there’s no one to actually make peace with. Hezbollah has infiltrated the Lebanese government, so there are two entities there, and with Syria you’re dealing with the rebels and the government. And then there’s Iran. So good luck.
From there we drove to Har Ben Tal, where I have been several times. It seems like they upgraded the coffee shop there, Kofi Annan. There’s got to be some kind of intellectual property issue there. Also, they sold Rainforest Caffe coffee. This place is a lawsuit waiting to happen. Anyway, the group was allowed to walk around by themselves, so we did. The bathroom cost 2 shekel, and it was 2 shekels well spent. I got an iced latte which was great.
From there we drove to Emek Habacha, the Valley of Tears, a site of a major battle of the Yom Kippur war. I’ve been there many times, but this time we heard from Avigdor Kahalani, an Israeli war hero. He was really great, but we were frying out there.
Our next stop was lunch at a restaurant in Katzrin, the capital city of the Golan. It was standard meat and chicken with salads. Very good, but I’m getting a little tired of lavish meat buffets. From there we went to the Katzrin Talmudic village where I think we almost died of heatstroke. It’s an old village with structures from a few thousand years ago. Cool to see, not so cool to see in the heat. We did get to taste some whiskey they make though, so that was fun. At some point I went to the bathroom to get some air, and never rejoined the group. It was too hot. Oh well.
a shul in the Katzrin village
a rich person’s house in the Katzrin village
After that we went to Hula Lake Park where we took golf carts and drove around the valley. This is part of a huge migration trail for birds and other animals. Beautiful views, not so many animals, still hot. From Hula we could see Ramat Trump (Trump Heights) on the mountain.
I know it looks like a little village from the photo, but Trump says the settlement is the largest settlement in the Golan Heights. Period.
At some point during the day someone complained that they would have worn their sun shirt had they known they would be in the sun all day. I said nothing, but we literally went over the entire day’s itinerary last night and told them it was going to be our hottest day with the most outdoor time. Our tour operator says that when people get into groups, they revert back to childhood and cannot function as humans. I’m finding that’s true.
Our final stop of the day was at Baba Yona Farm where the group was split up and everyone worked on a part of dinner. There was also old-school Israeli dancing. It was very cute. Now were back at the hotel. I figured out that the hand-held shower works significantly better than the “rain shower,” but my air conditioning leaves much to be desired. Tomorrow we head to Jerusalem!
Israel. July 20, 2021. Day 3. And now the real work begins.
Here we are. Day 1 of the JNF Educators tour. It was quite an interesting day.
I had to get up at 6:20am in order to be downstairs by 6:45. I had a few bites of waffle for breakfast (who was even hungry) and we boarded the bus. Officially on the job. Time to start the real important work… you know, giving out name tags.
Our first stop was the Alexander Muss High School in Israel (AMHSI). When we got there they had a bagel spread, which was nice. We started out with an ice breaker and then Orit Rome, the CFO of AMHSI, gave an introduction about the school. We got a tour, some time to sit in classrooms, and then heard from a few select kids. One of them was a boy from Florida who said that he came to AMHSI because he didn’t believe in God and wanted to find his connection to Judaism. He said he found it when he learned about the sheva Mitzvot Bnai Noach (the seven laws of Noah) and found the values within the laws align with his own values. We left the school, but not without taking a group picture, and headed to our next stop, Shuni.
“The area originally known as Shuni was a flourishing settlement in Roman times, as archeological finds from the period show.” That’s about as much as I know. There was huge delicious meat lunch. Also, they have aluminum covers on soda cans so the top doesn’t get dirty. Major highlight of the day.
We walked around a little and then planted some trees, because, you know, JNF. From there we drove to Lotem. “LOTEM is the leading organization in Israel offering accessible hikes and educational nature activities around the country to children and adults with special needs.” We spoke with a visually impaired woman and then walked around the area to see the accessible activities and pathways. They also made the participants wear masks over their eyes for the “experience.”
From there we drove to our Hotel, Kibbutz Nof Ginosaur. The room is fine, probably the same size as the Tal Hotel, but the air conditioning isn’t great. Neither is the shower. Anyway, we had dinner, which was really fantastic. It was like being at a cruise buffet, but everything was kosher. After dinner, the participants had another session, but I met with Robyn, our future au pair! She is from a Kibbutz about a half hour away and drove to meet me. She got to see all the drama going on with the rooms and roommates, so I’m sure that was enjoyable. There’s one woman who doesn’t want to room with someone who is coughing (which I totally get). We’re pretty sure it’s not COVID because she’s been tested twice, but she needs to get herself checked out. Someone else was told the trip would be different from what it is, so she’s upset and that’s fun to deal with too. Anyway, we are excited for Robyn to come in October.
After programming ended, I went night swimming in the Kineret with Zohar and Moshe. It was extremely rocky, but pretty nice. It got cool by the end, which I’m sure I’ll miss tomorrow because it’s going to be hot as hell.
Good day.
Israel. July 19, 2021. Day 2. Lovely Day.
What a lovely day.
I slept through and woke up around 7:12. Even in a different time zone my body wakes me up early. I stayed in bed for a while, watched some of The OC (I should say I re-watched it for the 5th time) and then facetimed with Tzvi as he was going to sleep. I got my clearance from the Ministry of Health around 9:30, which is very good. I guess when you (read: JNF) pays $250 for your serology test, you get results back fast. I headed downstairs and got excited for my first Israeli breakfast of the trip. The breakfast was really nice. There were pastries, jam, cheeses and yogurts (which I didn’t touch), vegetables (which I also didn’t touch), breads, crackers, eggs, shakshuka, waffles, and other things I forgot. The letdown was the coffee, as it always is when you only drink decaf in Israel. I made a nice table for myself and sat down. I saw a few people that looked like educators, so I tried to avoid them. It was not a time for socialization. Only when I was totally done with my spread did I finally get up and introduce myself.
After breakfast I went back upstairs and did a little work. Everyone has to fill out a final form where they upload their releases from the Ministry. It’s actually going pretty smoothly. I finally left the room and decided to walk on the Port (really a boardwalk). There were shops and restaurants to see and I probably walked ¾ of the way. On the way back I made sure to find an Aroma and get an Iced Aroma. The one in NY just can’t compare (if it even exists anymore). It was so hot, so I walked back to the room to cool off and do some more work.
I was pretty full so I didn’t need lunch and decided to go to the beach! Our hotel is a block from the beach and provides guests with towels, a bag, and a voucher for a chair and an umbrella (otherwise you pay when you get there). It’s a great system, you just go to the beach, give in your ticket and a guy sets you up. The water was so warm and you could go really far out.
At one point the guy who sets up the beach chairs came up to me and asked me to hold his stuff while he went to take a shower. I think it was his phone, a cigarette and his wallet, so you know, nothing major. I love this country.
After a few hours at the beach I went back, showered, did some more work, and then facetimed when the girls got up. After that I went downstairs to inquire about getting to the closest Breads Bakery (Lehamim). The man told me it was about a 20 minute walk, but then said I shouldn’t walk because its too hot, but rather I should take a hotel bike. So, that’s what I did, and somehow I didn’t get completely lost. I was distracted at the time because we found out a participant didn’t get his tests (and was basically in Israel illegally because they weren’t in quarantine), but I found my way. I also stopped at a Supersol for some water and hair gel. When I returned to the hotel I saw a group of educators congregating downstairs for the hotel Happy Hour. It was very cute. They had some wine and snacks.
I went upstairs and came right back to get a cab to take me to Café Levinsky, which is this place that makes drinks with fermented fruit and syrups. It was basically like a delicious mocktail. Unfortunately there was nothing else around there so I looked for a cab back, except my Uber app wasn’t finding anything and I couldn’t get the Gett app. I wandered around until I found a bank to get cash and then I spent 10 minutes finding a cab that would take me. Fortunately, I found one. Was all the effort worth it for the drink? Maybe. It was very pretty and Adeena Sussman reposted my Instagram story, so you decide.
After that adventure, I walked back to the Port and stopped at CafeCafe to get a salad. I ate it at the hotel and it was delicious. Zohar, my colleague from Florida who is leading the mission, stopped by to say hi. That’s pretty much it for now.
Tomorrow I have to get up at 6:15, so this should be fun.
Israel. July 18, 2021. Day 1. Shalom Aleichem!
Shalom Aleichem!
Well, I made it. Two and a half years since my last trip and here I am. For those who don’t know, I’m in Israel for a JNF educators mission to Israel, bringing Jewish educators from around the US to Israel to see JNF sites, as well as some of the classics. The tour starts Tuesday morning, but I had to arrive by Sunday afternoon in order to be cleared to get out of quarantine in time. Last Thursday I had to get my first PCR, then I had to get another PCR when I arrived, and then a man came to the hotel to do a serology test right after I arrived. Now I just have to stay in my hotel room and wait to hear from the government with my test results. Until then, I’m not allowed to leave the room.
Anyway, Shabbat day was nice and I was pretty much packed and ready to go by the time it ended at around 9:11. I had already scheduled my Uber for 9:25, so I just had to fill out my entry form online and say my goodbyes. I was actually super impressed with how well Hallie handled everything.
Check in at the airport was wonderful. I presented my negative PCR, my entry permit, and my entry statement. The airport was empty. While I was sitting at the gate I recognized a teacher from HAFTR Kindergarten, Morah Etia. Apparently she still teaches at HAFTR and her granddaughter is in Hallie’s Class. Small world.
We boarded and pulled away on time, only to be delayed on the runway for an hour due to a crazy thunderstorm. When we finally did take off I saw streaks of lightning all around us, so that felt safe. There was pretty bad turbulence for the first three/four hours. On the bright side, the plane was maybe 1/3 full. I think every person in my section had their own row. Also, I had paid for extra legroom, so it was a good situation all around. It was my first time on the Dreamliner, and the tinted windows were pretty cool. The rest of the flight was fine, though I think I only slept a total of three hours or so. I kept getting woken up by turbulence. At least it was roomy.
Once we landed everything was pretty smooth. It was so empty. I think I was one of, if not the only, foreign passport on the flight because no one else went that way for passport control. Baggage claim was fine, and then they herd you into the COVID testing area. That took about 5 minutes. I ordered an Uber and was on my way. For tonight and tomorrow I’m at the Tal by the Beach in Tel Aviv. The serology test man came about an hour or so after I checked in. He said I should hopefully be allowed out tomorrow morning.
On line for Covid testing
I broke the fast when the fast ended here, and ordered room service. I had a tuna sandwich which came with tomatoes and cucumbers (which went uneaten), some fruit, and a seltzer. Good stuff. Then I was able to take a bath, which was lovely. I did some facetiming and that’s pretty much it. Hopefully I’m let out tomorrow!
