We're in the Army Now....

We woke up early and planned to leave by 7:30. Quickly showering and getting everything into our bags we said our goodbyes, until next weekend. Hannoch drove us to the airport and we listened to music composed and sung by his son Shaul. We got there on time and entered the arrivals hall. There was a large group of volunteers, maybe 70 or 80. A former volunteer, Pam was organizing and collecting our medical forms. Some folks were dressed in Purim costumes and the feeling was happiness with great anticipation. Another volunteer named Sharon came to visit and she and I modeled our very old VFI tee shirts. Mine is from 1984!

We are assigned to a base in the north between Haifa and Tiberias. There are 14 volunteers in our group and all in the same age range. We drive over an hour and finally reach the hilly base. We get off the bus, retrieve our luggage and schlep it into a three story dorm.

The men are assigned rooms on the second floor and the six women trudge to the third floor. We are four in my room which has two bunk beds and two cots. We each have a metal locker which stands about three feet tall. There is a large bathroom at the end of the hall with showers, toilets and eight sinks. Everything is pretty dingy and stained, but I will have to grin and bear it.

At this point we are collected by our madrichot, leaders, who take us to lunch. Mya and Anna are two interesting young women and we are very impressed by them.

We go up steps to another landing and then up again to the building where we will work and have lunch. Beginning to think we will be in much better physical shape when we leave. Lunch is the big meal of the day and meat with vegetarian choices. Today it is meatballs, a veggie kugel thingie, rice and vegetables in some kind of yellow sauce. On the tables is tahini sauce and chopped cucumbers and tomatoes. Also plates with cut up oranges and apples. Later we found out there was vegetable soup. Some kind of flavored water finished off the meal. We were all hungry, so we ate and felt better.

The workrooms and lunchroom are on the third floor of the building. We explore the working stations where soldiers are working on communication materials. Here they repair helmets with earphones, antenna systems and more. We walked around to each area and will be assigned tomorrow to a particular job. 

Last stop was another building where we were issued uniforms. Each of us went in and got a shirt, pants, belt, heavy jacket and sleeping bag.

All are army green and could use some ironing. Finally done we drag all our goodies back to the dorm and have some time to rest. Our six women congregated in my room and took lots of pictures. Four of us in my room and two across the hall. Our madrichot are on our floor also.

At 6:15 we met and walked to a larger dining hall down the hill for dinner. Breakfast and dinner are light, dairy meals and not very satisfying. Choices tonight were French toast, if you can call it that with no butter or syrup. Next were hard boiled eggs, pasta which looked baked with no sauce, and chopped salad. There was no salad dressing so I put a gob of cottage cheese on top. Dessert was flavored yogurt and I chose chocolate which was okay. I made a cup of tea and felt somewhat satisfied.

At night we have an activity or meeting so we trudged back up the hill. On the way we saw a tiny base synagogue which was just beautiful inside. All marble and wood it is very impressive.

Our meeting was lots of fun as we played a game to introduce ourselves. This is a great group of people and I will write about them as the program progresses.

Finally worn out and ready for bed. We are back in our room, showered and tucked in our beds.

Laila Tov!

Sunny Side of the Street

Spending our first Shabbat in Israel. We got up late again and felt well rested. I got to meet Shulamit's mother who had been working outside planting flowers in from of the house. After a great, hot shower we set off for Tel Aviv. We had lunch reservations at a small restaurant in the old central area. All around us were beautiful apartment buildings many of which have been refurbished. Most have balconies with flower pots and it was delightful to walk around here.

The restaurant is known for good food and service and we were very pleased. Shulamit and Hannoch recommended the yam pancakes for an appetizer and we shared a plate. They were tiny, lightly fried, potato latkes made from yams (duh) and served with a white sauce and fresh cucumbers. Really yummy!

They brought us English menus and I decided on a vegetable plate that was couscous with chick peas and others veggies with a vegetable soup poured over. Jeff had a pasta dish and we both declared our dishes delicious. Afterwards we all shared a heavenly piece of cheesecake and a chocolate torte. It is fun to experience the city as the locals do.

On the way home we stopped to meet Hannoch's son Shaul. He is in the army and working this weekend so we just had time to say hello. He is a wonderful and talented young man. I have seen videos of him on Facebook playing the piano, harmonica, guitar and singing, but much better in person. We had a lovely chat and hope to see him again next weekend.

Now we are testing and will soon put on our costumes for the Purim celebration. Hannoch has arranged for the four of us to be dressed alike. We will be Iranian nuclear scientists.

Chag Purim

Tonight is Purim! The whole country is excited about this holiday. People have been walking around in costumes since we arrived and not just kids. Surprisingly there are no Queen Esther's or Haman's. The costumes are more like Halloween and everyone wears a smile too.

Hannoch has arranged for the four of us to be Iranian nuclear scientists. He has borrowed white hooded technical suits from work and also face masks and booties. There were decals on our fronts and backs with the Iranian flag and nuclear radiation symbol. We drove to the synagogue giggling and marched into the party in single file. People were laughing and congratulating us on great costumes.

The party was held in a community room and it was packed by three generations of revelers. We were introduced to several members who were originally from the US. There was an English couple with great masks so we had plenty of people to talk with and mingle.

There was hamentashen, pastries and  hard and soft drinks. Many of the children were dressed as superheroes or princesses. The adults had on crazy wigs and several cowboy themes. The American born lay rabbi read the "whole Megillah" while we listened for Haman's name and spun our greggers to drown out that sound. One preteen brought her saxophone to play instead of a gregger. She played little tunes each time.

Afterwards there was a not so great magician. He ended by making balloon animals for the kids.

We went home tired and happy, packed, and went straight to bed with smiles on our faces.

Shabbat Shalom

It is Friday, we have had a good night's sleep and ready to start exploring Israel. We are staying with friends Shulamit and Hannoch in Kadima, and have a lovely room with a comfy bed. Hannoch was a camp counselor at the Trenton JCC back in 1981. We have stayed in touch all these years and it is so great to be here visiting with him and his family.

We slept a little late and then took off for adventures in Tel Aviv. The ride is about a half hour and we are in the old commercial section of the city called Florentine. This is not an area we have seen on previous trips. There are coffee shops, many small shops and great food stands as well as original Bauhaus era homes. Many of the homes and buildings are becoming refurbished and young people are moving here.

Our mission is to buy towels and pillows for use on the army base as we did not want to bring them from home. Along the way we window shop and eat. The streets are narrow with cars parked bumper to bumper.  First stop was a visit to the coffee shop which Shulamit's daughter Nathalie runs with her fiancé Tal.

It is a tiny place that opens to the large promenade in front if it with many large ficus trees.

We sat outside and sipped tea, coffee and orange juice. Jeff and I had excellent cookies while Shulamit and Hannoch had good looking sandwiches filled with vegetables and other goodies. We started to see children and some adults in costumes.

Tomorrow is Purim and schools had parties today to celebrate. We even saw a dog dressed up. So many stores had costumes displays with long lines waiting to buy wigs, hats, masks and more.

We walked along and stopped when we found a towel store and then Shulamit and I bought some face cream.

When we reached to food area we topped at an appetizing open air stand where there was a large variety of olives, pickles and peppers.

They also had cheeses and quiches and everything looked marvelous. Shulamit found a corner store where she got Malawi (sp?) which is a sweet that looks like a light pudding flavored with Rose Water with nuts on top. I tasted and liked it. We passed many shops with incredible displays of spices and nuts. Everything was in open displays so you could smell wonderful aromas as you walked by.

Jeff was getting hungry and Shulamit promised him there was great schwarma nearby. The place was a counter where you purchased your meal and we sat outside at a tiny table. Jeff had the lamb
schwarma on pita with some French fries layered in. He was so happy and declared it the best he had ever eaten.

We walked back to the car and found most of the shops had closed early for Shabbat. So we drove to
Jaffa still looking for pillows. We found an Arab store that was open and purchased two fluffy pillows for a good price. Along the way we got to see the downtown area with the clock tower and a quick glimpse of the Mediterranean. Many old buildings here are being regentrified and young people are moving in.

Finally we head back north to Kadima. Before getting home we stopped at a produce stand where Hannoch hopped out to get a few items and the best fresh squeezed orange juice and white grapefruit juice (mitz escholiot) for Jeff.

We just awoke from a nice nap and ready for Shabbat dinner. Hannoch has made a pot of vegetable soup and it smells delicious. After the bracha and motzi we enjoyed the soup, herring, hummus and other salads and quickly got ready for the evening activity.

After dinner we drive again to Tel Aviv to see a show titled Kazablan. It is at the Cameri (chamber) Center which is much like Lincoln Center with several theaters in one building and the opera house and Tel Aviv Museum of Art all on one magnificent plaza. The play is a musical which has been playing over a year. It is a full Broadway style production with great songs and dance numbers. Of course, it is in Hebrew so we did not understand most of it, but got the gist. They do have super titles over the stage and on the sides, but tonight it was in Russian which didn't help us much. Shulamit and Hannoch prepare us with a synopsis of the story and whispered in our ears during the show to help with important themes. It was like West Side Story with Askenazi and Moroccan Jews in the early days of Israel.

Afterwards we drove down Rothschild Boulevard which is a trendy area with beautiful apartment buildings, bars and restaurants. There is a wide promenade down the middle which was full of young adults strolling in their Purim costumes. We drove north and stopped at a roadside cart for snacks and got home about 2:00 am. We haven't been up this late in a long time.

Oh Happy Day

Another adventure. Sometimes things don't go as planned, but turn out alright. The weather was perfect at home with blue skies and sunshine. But, there were storm systems moving through the Midwest and into the New York area. We got up, finished packing and drove Sirius to Maranatha Farms where he will spend his vacation while we are away.

Our pals Jan and Harvey drove us to the Savannah airport arriving at 4:00 pm. All was good as we checked in and sat patiently at the gate. We boarded the plane right on schedule and began to get more psyched for our trip. Then it began! The captain came on the speaker and said he had some news. The weather was bad in New York and we were told to wait for instructions on when we could take off. So we sat for about a half hour and then he delivered the news that we would be delayed about an hour and a half. Now I am getting nervous.

We all got off the plane and went to have dinner. Then we were called back and quickly got on the plane and took off for JFK. That was great, but unfortunately we arrived a few minutes too late to catch our connecting flight to Tel Aviv. I was so disappointed and figured we would have to stay overnight in New York and maybe see Brian. But, a turn of fate. The Delta Help Desk was extremely helpful and booked us on the El Al flight leaving at 11:50.

We ran to the El Al gate and waited for them to open. More bad news. They told us we would need a return ticket on El Al and that began a series of phone calls. Finally El Al decided we could return home with Delta and they issued us seats. I had said I would be happy to sit on the wing as long as we could go tonight. Well we are in the last row in the middle two seats of the middle section. We just took off and we are on our way. Hooray!

Well we are a friendly bunch sitting close together and eating our dinners off tiny trays. Adam, who is sitting next to Jeff is American born and made Aliyah with his family a few years ago. We had a nice conversation. Next to me is an older Israeli gentleman who does not seem to speak English. He wore a white shirt, tie, suspenders and black dress pants with tzit tzit and a short, trimmed beard. We also saw a couple at the gate who were wearing volunteer tee shirts and may be in our group. Have not had a chance to talk with them since we were busy getting ourselves onto the flight.

So we ate and listened to music and finally fell asleep. I set my watch ahead seven hours and when I woke it was 11:00 am. Sunlight was peeking around the edges of the window shades which were like sentinels holding back the daybreak. Men started walking to the back of the plane in long tallitot and tefillin. All shapes and sizes from young to old and modern to old fashioned. Some had long beards and payiss while others wore sport shirts with tefillin wrapped around their arms. One man stood by his seat wearing a large black hat and Tallis and davened. It is an amazing sight. Some read from prayer books and others moved their mouths from memory in prayers they had repeated every day for all of their lives. Jeff saw one guy scrolling the prayers on his iPhone. So funny to see an observant man all dressed up and in a big black hat wearing his ear buds.

Now it is  3:00 pm Israeli time and we are almost there. I watched the movie Nebraska and glad I did not go to a theatre to see it. Playing games and reading a book on my iPad.

Finally we arrived just after 4:00 pm and lo and behold our luggage is here! The airport is gorgeous with Jerusalem stone walls, glass and lots of large open areas.

 Our friend Shulamit is waiting at the arrivals hall and we quickly load everything into the car and head north to her house. Once there we take nice hot showers and rest while Shulamit makes dinner. I am in heaven with home made hummus, baba ghanoush, avocado, salad, salmon, stuffed cabbage, vegetables and more to eat. Now we are relaxing while Shulamit goes to meet her husband Hannoch and we will see him a little later.

Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree

Spending two days in Charleston while Jeff has doctor appointments at MUSC. We got here Sunday night and had an appointment this morning. Afterwards we drove out to see the Angel Oak. This famous tree is between 300 and 500 years old and truly amazing. It is called an Angel Oak because the limbs droop down and touch the ground before reaching back up and all very much alive and blooming. The tree is so beautiful with large limbs stretching out all around it.

The following is from Wikipedia: The Angel Oak Tree is a Southern live oak (Quercus virginiana) located in Angel Oak Park on Johns Island near Charleston, South Carolina. The Angel Oak Tree is variously estimated to be at least 400 and as much as 1400-1500 years old, stands 66.5 ft (20 m) tall, measures 28 ft (8.5 m) in circumference, and produces shade that covers 17,200 square feet (1,600 m2). From tip to tip Its longest branch distance is 187 ft.^[1] Angel Oak was the 210th tree to be registered with the Live Oak Society.^[2]
The tree stands on land that was part of Abraham Waight's 1717 land grant.^[3]
The oak derives its name from the estate of Justis and Martha Angel, although local folklore told stories of ghosts of former slaves would appear as angels around the tree.^[4][5]
In spite of the popular belief that the Angel Oak is the oldest tree east of the Mississippi River, there are many baldcypress trees throughout the south which are many hundreds of years older.


We rested all afternoon and Sirius and I took a long walk. Yesterday Jeff took him to the dog park where he had a fun time. Now we are watching TV and tomorrow we go back to the hospital and then head home.

Georgia On My Mind

Another day means another adventure. Today we head south to Savannah. We are planning another house tour, but the house I chose is closed today. Boo! So we drive a few blocks and toured the Juliette Gordon Low birthplace. She was called Daisy and she is the founder of the Girl Scouts. The exterior of the house is being renovated, but we toured the inside and saw how a wealthy family with six children lived in the city. The furnishings were nice, but no comparison to what we saw the day before in Charleston. They also had a double lot with gardens and a large piazza on the first floor overlooking the gardens.

Next stop was lunch at the Gryphon Tea Room. This lovely restaurant is run by SCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design. The room and food were wonderful. Housed in an old pharmacy the room has stained glass on some walls and the ceiling. Wood paneled walls and the original apothecary drawers make this so interesting. They have a great menu and lots of interesting choices. I had quiche and Carol had a salad and both were delicious.

Last stop was a tour of Mickve Israel Synagogue. This reform congregation is the third oldest in the US and founded before the Revolutionary War. I have been on the tour before, but always learn something new. The building is beautiful and the stained glass windows are wonderful. Upstairs they have a small museum with interesting items from throughout their history.

Finally we head home, cook dinner and watch TV. We are enjoying the Olympics all week and also catching up on some of our taped shows.