Day One – Jewish Home Family Elders’ Mission to Israel

Dear friends,

After a long day and night of travel, we arrived at Ben Gurion airport at around 7:00 this morning.  Although we had good intentions, none of us–staff or residents–managed to sleep on the plane.  But we got our second (our third) wind and had an incredible, busy day.

We began with a visit to Neot Kedumin, where we had breakfast and each of us planted an oak tree in the Jewish National Forest.  Our guide, Yaacov, told us that we were all now “rooted in Israel.”

From there we headed to Ammunition Hill and learned the story of the 1967 War. Then on to Mt. Scopus where we had an extraordinary view of Jerusalem and we said our “Shehechianu” prayer. Lunch was delicious falafel which we ate at outdoor tables, soaking in the view.

We finished our day at the Western Wall, which was an emotional experience for all of us.  We brought all of the notes that had been placed in our Western Wall replicas and carefully placed them in the wall.  We stood together, we prayed and many shed a tear.

Wrapping up our day we checked into our hotel and finished the evening with a delicious dinner. I asked the residents about their impressions of the day and heard many glowing reports.  My favorite comment came from Alan Horowitz, who lives at the Jewish Home at Rockleigh.  Alan said to me “No one could have gone through the day we did without it enhancing their pride in their Judaism.  We are here because of so many who went before us and so many who gave up their lives. Regardless of how religious someone is, you felt a ‘oneness’ that was a great emotional experience.”

All the best,

Carol