By Rabbi David Wilfond, Director of Education
It was only 3 days ago that we left the Poland, but it feels like a life time ago because we have done so much since arriving in Israel. On Monday, the buses drove to the hotel to check-in and slept after the overnight flight. After lunch, the buses drove about 20 minutes to the famous look out point of Old Jaffa for an “Opening Ceremony”. The height of Old Jaffa offers a breath-taking view of the blue Mediterranean Sea and overlooks the beautiful sea side city of modern Tel Aviv.
Jaffa is one of the oldest cities on the planet, founded in 7,500 BCE. It was already ancient in the Bible times of King David (1,000 BCE) and King Solomon (950 BCE). The famous Bible story about “Jonah and the Whale” begins with Jonah getting on boat at Jaffa. When Solomon builds the First Temple, the Bible tells us he brought “Cedars from Lebanon” to the Port of Jaffa and then had them carried up to Jerusalem. Jaffa is Israel’s oldest port. It is the “Gate Way” to the Land of Milk and Honey from Biblical times until today. Almost every wave of immigration, Pilgrims and Tourist came through Jaffa. Even today, Israel’s main port of entry the “Ben Gurion Airport” is barely more than a stone’s throw from this Ancient Sea Port.
The teens walked to the top of the hill of Old Jaffa and then sat in the shade of the Palm trees and Cypress trees as they enjoyed their “Welcome to Israel Ceremony.” The guides asked them “What is the difference between being a Pilgrim and a Tourist?” Our answer: “A Tourist travels through the land; a Pilgrim lets the land travel through you.” A goal of NFTY in Israel is to encourage our participants to open up their hearts and minds to fully experience the richness, the diversity, the complexities, the possibilities and the beauty of the Land of Israel.” To let the “Land enter their hearts.” We want our participants to engage with the Jewish story, to travel through Jewish time and then to feel committed to shaping and leading the Jewish Future inspired by the best of Reform Jewish Values. At Old Jaffa, the participants opened their journey with inspiring words by the educational leaders, and by song and dance. Being able to watch the sun begin to set into the sea from the heights of Jaffa is a memory for a lifetime and an amazing way to begin our Israel adventure.
Yesterday, the participants began the “Negev Desert Adventure” portion of the NFTY in Israel trip. Like the Children of Israel that wondered through the desert for 40 years, the teens spend 4 days discovering through the raw beauty of the desert. During these four days of hikes the participants are often surprised to discover that the desert is teeming with life. There are tons of insects, birds, flowers and desert trees to be seen once one learns where to look. The teens got to take a break from hiking on Tuesday to snorkel at Eilat’s Coral Beach. This is a highlight of the desert experience.
Tonight, before going to sleep, the participants will have a chance to behold an awesome array of stars and celestial lights, since there is no light pollution the sky is both extra dark and at the same time extra filled with the lights of thousands and thousands of stars. Like the Blessing for Abraham that your “Children should be bright like the stars in the sky,” our participants are like those bright desert stars and are the fulfillment of “Abraham’s Blessing.”
Since arriving in Israel 3 days ago we have done so much. Poland now feels like a memory. The Israeli desert brought us even more closely together as a group. It will be a joy to able to spend our very first Shabbat together in Jerusalem.
Since today is July 4th, so it seems appropriate to share a bit about the meaning of July 4th for Israelis. July 4th is powerful date for Jews. On July 4, 1946 a year after the end of WWII, 42 Jewish survivors of the Holocaust were brutally murdered in Kielce, Poland by their Polish neighbors because they, the Jews, had dared to come back to live again in their homes in Poland. In 1946 Jewish life was cheap and one could murder Jews freely without protest, as tragically occurred to the Jews in Kielce. Exactly 30 years later to the day, 102 Jewish hostages of a combined German and Palestinian Terrorist Cell were in danger of being murdered in Entebbe. It was on this day in 1976 that Israel sent a commando mission to Entebbe, Uganda to rescue over 100 Jews being held hostage by terrorist hijackers. One of the big differences between 1946 and 1976 was the existence of the State of Israel and the IDF. Israel does not exist just to protect Israelis. Israel sees as its mission to protect Jews anywhere they are in danger. This is why Israel has done so much over the years to rescue Ethiopian Jews and Russian Jews. In 1976, over a hundred Jews were in mortal danger in Uganda, so what did Israel do? They sent their soldiers in the dark of night on daring rescue mission 2,500 miles away and brought the hostages back to safety in Israel. In 1976, Jews around the world felt safer than Jews just thirty years before in Poland. The difference is that in 1976, the State of Israel had already come into existence. Israel looks out for the safety of Jews where ever they live. This is a powerful message of Jewish responsibility that has become a big part of July 4th memories in Israel.
