Dateline Jerusalem – I am home! Okay, it has been a week since my arrival, but I finally am adjusting to being back in Israel. California is 10 hours behind Israel. Although I am not fighting jet lag since I was on Israeli time during my entire trip to the States, I seem to be sleeping at weird hours now that I am home. I do not seem to know when it is day or night anymore.
The flight was about 15 hours, with some turbulence because we took the polar route, Los Angeles to Tel Aviv. We kept being told to return to our seats and fasten our seatbelts. Walking around, standing or exercising was not a viable alternative. Although there seemed to be enough leg room between the rows of seats, lack of movement led to stiffness. Needless to say, by the time I deplaned my bad knee was worse. The pain was different than I ever experienced before. By the next day I could barely walk. My knee was swollen. A week later the pain has not abated. Thank G-d a Doppler test confirmed that I did not have a suspected blood clot.
What a pleasure it has been to have friends say “Welcome home, welcome back!” If only I could have my entire family here in Israel, my life would be perfect. I guess I will have to wait another 10 years before my granddaughter reaches the eligible age for a Birthright trip to Israel so that she can fall in love with this country as I did 34 years ago when I first touched Israeli ground. It only took me another 28 years before I made the final leap to settle here permanently.
Birthright is a program for young adults 18-26 who have at least one parent of Jewish heritage. It usually is a 10-day trip, free flight and most expenses paid for these young people to get to know Israel, its history, culture and people. Called Taglit, which means discovery, the program is to encourage the discovery of the participants' personal Jewish identity via exposure to various Israeli religious, cultural and historical sites and events. The guided tours include trips to the major cities like Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and jaunts to interesting places throughout the country, like the Dead Sea (the lowest place on earth) where it is impossible not to float in its highly concentrated salt water or paint oneself in its mineral salts and mud. In Jerusalem there are trips to the Kotel (aka Western Wall or Wailing Wall), the only remnant of the retaining wall of the Holy Temple and therefore the holiest place in the world for Jews. Of course a trek through the hidden tunnels under and alongside the Wall is most memorable.
Remembering Masada
Then there is the trip to the top of a rock plateau of the ancient fortification Masada, known for its famous siege where 960 men, women and children fought against 15,000 Roman Empire troops. They ended up committing mass suicide rather than be taken captive and subjected to rape, slavery and/or torture. Masada is accessed by a narrow snake path that twists around the mountain or by a cable car for the less adventurous. What would a trip to Israel be without riding a camel or visiting a Bedouin camp, meeting with Israeli government dignitaries, or having a one-on-one encounter with members of the IDF, the Israel Defense Forces? Can you imagine these experiences and more for free?
Israel is a small country, but there is so much to see. I have lived here for six years and have yet to experience or view most of its famous sites. If only there had been a Birthright program when I was a young girl. I guess I will have to live vicariously through my grandchildren or wait for friends and relatives to visit Israel and take me along.
L'hitraot. Shachar