Day 1: Friday March 22, 2024

Shalom friends,

It's Sunday morning and I am finally getting a free minute to talk about our first day in Israel. We met in the hotel lobby (Dan Tel Aviv) at 4pm on Friday - brief introductions all around. Nine of us from the Village Temple and about 20 from Stephen Wise Free Synagogue. Rabbi Ami Hirsch introduced the week. We are here to:

Bear Witness and testimony to what he described as an event of great historic consequence

To learn and absorb

To come closer to our emotions

and to volunteer.

Our itinerary will include political, military, foreign affairs speakers as well as people who represent civil society - people who were there and families of hostages. We will be visiting sites. This is going to be one challenging week!

Kabbalat Shabbat was at Beit Daniel, the largest reform synagogue in Tel Aviv, maybe in all of Israel, founded over 30 years ago, and the true forefront of progressive Judaism in Israel. A spirited service with some familiar tunes and ALL stanzas of Lecha Dodi. In many ways it had the familiar warmth of the Village Temple.

Back on the bus to an exceptional dinner in a three story walk up off a non-inviting, seemingly uninhabited back alley. The food courses were non-stop. This hideaway was called Studio DanLev. 

Back to the hotel for a jet lag sleep.

 Sari Scheer