Kehillah Kedoshah

In the past few months, Cantor Clissold and members of our temple youth group have introduced several new songs. During Shir Chadash, our monthly musical service led by the Cantor and teen musicians, we heard Dan K. lead the song "Kehillah Kedoshah." This song was written and originally performed by Dan Nichols, one of the top songwriter/singers in Reform circles today.

Camp Harlam has been hosting Dan Nichols for the past two days. Tonight, I had the chance to join Carmel (youngest campers) and Arava (7th graders) for an intimate Dan Nichols concert in the "New Beit" auditorium/gymnastics arena. I recognized his second song immediately:

Another great thing about camp: exposure to so much music, so many songs, so many new melodies for worship. I'll need to email the cantor and songleaders from this session to remember them all!

The Meetings Will Continue Until Morale Improves...

In one of my first jobs after college, my boss had one of those office novelty desk plates that said, "The beatings will continue until morale improves." It was a joke that contained the kernel of truth: morale was not good in our office.

Here at Camp Harlam, the morale is very high. It's so high, in fact, that instead of beatings we have meetings. Sure, we have the usual morning faculty meeting and daily gatherings with our assigned camp unit. But we also have a steady stream of visitors who want to meet with us - "machers" from the movement, URJ department heads and others from Union HQ and "the field" (Rabbi Mike Mullen of the URJ Youth Division will be here tomorrow, Rabbi Rex Perlmeter, our new regional director is here today, Abbye Eisenthal, our regional youth director and her equivalent from the PA region have come through), Jewish recording artists come for artist in residence gigs (Dan Nichols is here now), etc... We have "meetings" with all of them to share best practices from their experience and ours. We seek synergy in our efforts and push each other to keep climbing to new heights.

I didn't stay in that first job too long. The endless beatings and data crunching weren't the biggest problem. It was the lack of morale and my realization that nobody wanted to meet with us because they'd rather beat back low morale than meet it (and potentially catch it). It's nice to have so many meetings. I assume they'll continue as morale only improves.

Meet Rabbi Frank, Meet the Camp

Yesterday we had an afternoon meeting with all faculty members and Rabbi Frank DeWoskin, Camp Director. It was unlike most Jewish professional meetings. We meet on the porch of Rabbi DeWoskin’s bunk in our shorts and flip-flops, snacked on Choco-Tacos and cold water while kids played on the field in front of us. Rabbi DeWoskin meets like this with each set of faculty at least once. As an employee of the URJ, he speaks to us about the state of the URJ camping program and answered questions about youth programs and Union stuff in general. As congregational rabbis, cantors, and educators, we give Frank direct feedback on how Jewish camping fits into our visions and programs at home, what we see at camp that “works,” and what could use some improvement. It is a great collegial exchange that produces constructive, forward moving ideas for all of us. I knew Frank as a student (he was two years ahead of me at HUC-JIR in Cincinnati) and I am very proud to see his success and be part of the vital role he plays in educating our children.

We reviewed the latest research about the impact of Jewish camping on the Jewish identity and practices of young people (see the book, “How Goodly are Thy Tents,” or the study, "Limud by the Lake," and the work of the Jewish Foundation for Camping). We talked about the financial and structural state of the camps (Kutz Camp in New York faces challenges, Camp Kalsman in Washington State is booming, Harlam is right on target). We also talked about the financial needs of our campers' families and the importance of scholarships like the JFC’s Campership program and the Jewish Federation of Washington’s Camp Scholarship program. This is our challenge: while camp is one of the most effective means for instilling strong, lasting, positive Jewish identity, it is also one of the most expensive. Camp Harlam has just hired an associate director who will take charge of future fundraising efforts, but the task is Herculean. Camp could use $3 million for facility improvements right now (bunk refurbishing, facility expansion and updating, regular wear and tear replacement)… not to mention scholarships. We talked a lot about Jewish identity, parenting, teaching, and creating a vitalized Jewish world. The bottom line is that Camp Harlam is in great shape and the Union’s camp programs are becoming more and more of a lynch pin in our vision for youth programming and education. I can not urge you strongly enough to come see this camp and send your kids here. The camp’s literature asks: what kind of Jewish children do we want to have? The camp’s program builds those children.

Later, I’ll post one of the great lessons from the meeting: it grew from the field before our eyes as we spoke. But now, we have a dinner out of camp with Rabbi DeWoskin and some other staff members to continue yesterday's conversation and thank the faculty as we approach the end of our tenure. New photos are posted on the album (click here or at right).

Shabbat: A taste of the world to come

An ancient talmudic tradition says: "Shabbat may-ein olam ha-bah (Shabbat is a taste of the world to come). Three things characterize Shabbat at Camp Harlam: Song (Shira), Spirit (Ruach), and Sweetness (Metukah).

The Torah's description of creation says that before everything, "ruach elohim merachefet al pnai hamayim - Divine spirit hovered over the surface of the waters." When Moses passed the leadership mantle to Joshua, the Torah says that the "ruach (spirit)" passed to Joshua. Throughout our tradition, there is a sense that Shabbat taps into that primordial spirit and renews the spirit within us. The spirit of Shabbat at camp is sometimes contemplative and sometimes raucous but always strong and meaningful. The song session at Friday night dinner best exemplified the energetic and exciting spirit that (literally) screams, "Am Yisrael Chai - The Jewish People are ALIVE with pride, love, joy, and community!" This video says it all:

I am so proud to have four MRT campers here to share this experience, proud that MRT supports them with scholarships and my presence here, and proud of my colleagues and all the college aged staffers who work tirelessly to build a strong Jewish future. Am Yisrael Chai!

Rabbi Roos with tonight's havdallah song leaders for the Galil group (Rabbi Doug Sagal of Westfield, NJ is just behind us with helmet and bike). You can see more photos of camp in my camp photo album.

Camp is Two Thumbs Up!

These MRT students (if you know them, you know which ones they are) are having a great summer! No lie... Rachel says, "Camp is awesome! I'm having the best time!" Sara says, "Two Thumbs Up!" Both girls report they are sleeping well (they slept right through a thunderstorm last night), eating well, making great friends (just look at 'em here), and "so excited" they came to Camp Harlam. I told you that you should consider sending your kids here, but don't take it from me. You can see it on their faces.

Big Blue is Green and Jewish

When you think of camp, you probably think: green - grassy ball fields, pine groves, open space, nature. Our camps have always been green in that sense of the word. But in the more contemporary sense of "green," i.e. related to environmental impact and sustainability, our camps are just getting on track.

The URJ camps are at the forefront of our movement's efforts to be green. The Union has entered a partnership with FUSE (Faiths United for Sustainable Energy) to make our camps more green. Here at Camp Harlam that effort is most clearly represented by "Kachol Gadol" (Big Blue). He is a giant blue recycling bin that sits right outside the dining hall - smack in the middle of camp, next to the main doors. Everybody must pass Big Blue in order to eat. One hand, it was not such a big deal to put Blue in place. On the other hand, it is a significant culture shift and only a beginning. Recycling has not fully taken hold at camp (one still sees some cans, paper, and plastic bottles in trash bins and on the ground) and there's more to greening camp than recycling cans. Ultimately, Kachol Gadol is only a bin. The recyclables do not walk to him on their own.

We have a similar situation at MRT. We've had two unsuccessful attempts in the past five years to launch an active "green team." We dabble in recycling. Sure, we have some bins for paper and bottles & cans but more often than not, we put that stuff in the trash, use too much of it, and don't pay attention to our consumption or environmental impact. I have often arrived at the temple on a Tuesday morning, after the building has been "closed" since Friday night, to find air conditioning had been set and left at 65 in one of our big rooms (sanctuary, social hall, school wing, or library). That's a lot of energy and cold air for a giant, empty room for three days. We post regular announcements about fragrances and perfumes that may irritate some congregants, but we don't do anything about using products and chemicals that may overly irritate the environment.

I am more cynical than most of my colleagues about the "green" movement (see my earlier post "Righteousness Run Amok"). I am, however, certain that we can and should do more to reduce our environmental impact at MRT. I have led several camp study sessions on mitzvot related to the environment. Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) is a mitzvah. Shomray Adamah (guarding the earth) is a core Jewish value. Bal Taschit (stopping unnecessary destruction of natural resources) is commanded in the Torah. If 500 kids and 200 staff people at Harlam can do it, so can we. I'd like to introduce you to Big Blue, he has a lot to teach us about being Green and Jewish.

On one side, Big Blue ain't pretty...... But from here, he's beautiful

This is how they shall camp...

Ever since Sinai, the Jewish people have been campers. We may have lost that rugged, outdoorsy feeling over the generations, but the Torah is very clear about our camping. The Book of Numbers explicitly instructs how, where, and when the camp was to be set. Exodus tells of the time we built our first sanctuary as a tent in the wilderness with the camp surrounding it. Balaam, sent to curse Israel, instead pronounces a blessing: "Mah Tovu Ohalecha, Yaakov! Your tents are so good, Jacob!" What a good bunch of campers you are!

I arrived at the URJ's Camp Harlam yesterday to begin my two weeks of service as a camp faculty member. I have been assigned to work with the Galil unit (not to be confused with Israel's crack army unit of similar name), whose campers are going into eighth grade. I am living in "The Ritz" - an appropriately euphemistic name for the faculty barracks.

I came to camp for three reasons: First, Jewish overnight camps are among the most successful programs for instilling a strong, lasting, positive Jewish identify in our kids. Unfortunately, MRT had not sent many campers here for a while (we had a few stalwarts - Sarah, Kelsey!) and I want to boost our enrollment and see more MRT families take advantage of this amazing resource. Thanks to generous scholarships from the Foundation for Jewish Camping and MRT, two of our students received signficant incentive grants to help pay for camp. We have four campers here this session! Second, I learn a great deal during my two weeks at camp. I live and work with ten other cantors, rabbis, and educators on faculty along with those who work full time for the camps and the Union. I am able to learn best practices from others, experiment with different curricula and programs, and see the state of the art in Reform Jewish education and youth work from a national sample. It is one of the most impactful experiences I can have this year. Third, my own children are here at camp and this is a great way to experience it together. I went to Camp Bauercrest, a Jewish overnight camp, for 12 years and look forward to my kids having the lifelong friends, growth experiences, and pure fun that I enjoyed there every summer! Be sure to consider camp for you kids and ask me about it when I get home!

Have a great summer... I know we will!

MRT's campers: Sarah (left on her bunk), Rachel with her family, and (right) the lice check line (a camp must)!

Reflections on a first time visit to Israel

Semmes wrote the following about her recent trip to Israel. She was one of the 20 who joined us for the temple's group trip.

"There are hundreds of experiences that resonate from my Israel experience. The archaeological sites surpassed my expectations, as did the heat; witnessing the radical differences between the areas clearly Arab-controlled (an angry aura) and Israeli (a constructive/productive aura); the Golan Heights' reality: bunkers, expended shell casings and land mines...brought modern history into focus.

I was somewhat nervous about traveling to Israel but when there I felt no more fear than in NYC. Israeli botanicals were the biggest surprise; they are tropical, but similar to all other floras in the tropics. It was a pleasure to be free from the American chatter about the upcoming election, and to be immersed in a new culture.

I recommend you travel to Israel. Use a guide or go on a temple trip as they facilitate everything!"

Re-visit the "Who you gonna call?" post below to see some newly loaded photos of the sofer and his miracle work.

Ehud Goldwasser (left) and Eldad Regev (right) were returned to Israel today (around 10 AM Israel time) after two years in Hezbollah's captivity. Both men were dead although nobody but their captors knew that for sure until today. Israel has confirmed their identities. Think of them and their families today and work for the release of Gilad Shalit, still held by Hamas.

Who you gonna call?

I had the pleasure of spending this morning with Rabbi Gedaliah Druin, a sofer, while he checked and repaired some of our temple’s Torah scrolls and led a study session with about 20 adults. I learned some new and important insights from him: The Torah is not a book, we do not read it, and a scribe does not write. The Rabbi explained that the service for publicly reading the Torah is called “kriyat ha-Torah” which literally means “the CALLING of the Torah.” We use the Torah for calling – calling God, our ancestors, and our deepest held values. Accordingly, the Torah is an instrument or a tool – like a phone. Rabbi Druin reminded us: Don't forget to make a call when you next take out the Torah. Then, as if on cue, his son called from Florida on his cell phone (Rabbi Druin held it up and asked us all to yell “Shalom” – that would let his son know that he was okay).

Before he fixed the small Torah scroll for us – one letter in the Joseph story needed to be repaired – Rabbi Druin wanted to make sure we knew that he was not going to write. In fact, he doesn’t write Torahs. He explained through some stories. First, Moses spent forty days atop Mount Sinai learning to form letters. It was the creation of the first alphabet and God taught it to Moses so he could create a Torah. Second, when the Jews returned from the Babylonian exile, they were led by…. a scribe named Ezra! Finally, Rabbi Druin reminded us that Genesis says God created the universe through words. We weren’t about to simply fix a letter. We would create a universe (like Genesis), lead Jewish redemption (like Ezra), and stand atop Sinai to commune with God (like Moses)… all that in a few minutes in our temple social hall!

In that vein, Rabbi Druin then explained that the ink he used was not, in fact, ink. It was liquid darkness. Just like in the creation story, we needed to combine darkness and light. The liquid darkness would be applied to the parchment, which is made of animal skin. Animal skin in Hebrew is called “OR” which is also the word for “light.” As Rabbi Druin explained, “the white part of the Torah is the soul and the black part is the body. When I make the Torah I have to put these together with such care. We can transform these things into something great.” The whole idea of Torah is to create reality and to change reality. He then made a simple blessing before putting body to soul. His only intention was that it would work.

He made a tiny stroke, an upside down Yod that transformed a Dalet back into a Hay so the word “Hinei” again emerged where “Dinah” had sat for the past few years. It was just a letter – actually only a piece of a letter. But the power of it was so much greater. Rabbi Druin explained: letters are called “OTIOT” in Hebrew. That word appears in a crucial description of the Exodus: God brought us out of Egypt with “MOFTIM” (Great Wonders) and “OTIOT” (“letters”?!). Could it really be possible? Did God really take us out of Egypt with letters? It must mean something else… something like “miracles.” Whether you believe in the Exodus story or not, the language is powerful. OTIOT are OTIOT. God took us out Egypt using them and Rabbi Druin produced one in the social hall today.

It was a heck of a morning and I wanted to share with everyone. You can bet I made a lot of calls.





(Thanks to Rich Sachs for the photos - click them for a close up)

The Take Away: It's about the relationships

We are home and tired but energized. It was a great trip that can hardly be captured in words. Thanks for tagging along with us via this blog and online photo albums.

Our last day was a beautiful Shabbat in Jerusalem. We had nothing planned so the group took it all in: HUC (the Reform movement seminary), the Old City, and a last chance to play Marco Polo and pool tag together. We boarded Shlomo's bus one last time and drove to the Arab village of Abu Ghosh, reknowned for its cuisine and its long history of peaceful integration into Israeli society. The meal was perfect for the occasion - again with the bar mitzvah comparisons!

As the sun began to set, we gathered in the restaurant courtyard for Havdallah - the ceremony marking the end of Shabbat and the separation between holy and regular time. There's no better way to conclude an experience like ours. The service marks the end of Shabbat and the call to return to your "normal" life. This time it also marks our separation from Jerusalem and Israel. We each felt, however, that the greatest change was within ourselves. Roni says that with all the thousands of people he has guided through Jerusalem, he has never seen a person remain unchanged by their contact with Jerusalem. We are no exception. We blessed that change with wine, fire, and the scent of fresh basil pulled from the courtyard. I asked everyone to share what is their biggest "take away" from the trip. Everyone agreed that the comraderie and the relationships we made on this trip were its greatest blessings. We sang of Eliyahu Ha-Navi and extinguished the flame. The change is complete.

Thanks, Roni and Shlomo. Thanks to the group. Thanks to Ayelet, IGT and all those behind the scenes who made this trip possible. Thanks to God and thanks to all Israel.

Shabbat Shalom! Happy Fourth of July!

Tonight is Shabbat. We spent the day at the Dead Sea and Masada, but Shabbat was back in Jerusalem. Actually, we went just outside Jerusalem to Mevasseret Zion for Shabbat services at Rabbi Maya Leibovich's congregation. We stayed for dinner with the congregants afterwards. We were taken to their homes in small groups for home hospitality. The congregation is amazing, the services beautiful, and the hospitality was most gracious and wonderful. Our friends have a beautiful new building and they are growing and succeeding thanks to our support. Rabbi Maya sends her regards and Shabbat shalom greetings to all of you!

I took the computer on the bus with me today and finally wrote many of the blog postings that have lapsed these past days. Be sure to go back to July 1st to read the posting that inserted along the postings that follow under this one (all dated today). I'll will put up pictures as soon as I have the chance. Some great shots from Dead Sea floating and Alex's naming ceremony will be up, hopefully, by tomorrow.

Shabbat services tomorrow morning at HUC and a tour of the campus. Sadly, we must depart this special place tomorrow night. We leave richer for the experience and happy to rejoin you. Each of us on this trip will definitely say at the Passover seder, "Next Year in Jerusalem" and really mean it! I hope you'll part of that next trip to Israel. See you soon.

MASADA WILL NOT FALL AGAIN

Masada is an amazing archeological site, an epic story, and a rallying point around which the country was built. In the early years of the state (and even before) the Jewish inhabitants of the land needed Masada as inspiration and foundation. As the Romans occupied Jerusalem, a group of Jews (often called “the Zealots”) fled here and held out for several years. After the destruction of the temple, the Romans laid siege to Masada and eventually breached the walls. They broke through at night but did not enter and take the hill because in ancient days they did not conduct military operations in darkness. The Jews had that one night to decide what to do. The rest is legendary. Roni told about his father serving in the wars of 48 and 56 – they had a slogan (a commitment) that they will not take me alive. Each man made sure to keep one bullet for himself. Roni went into service in the first Lebanon War and did the same thing as his father. But under fire he faced the reality of that bullet – and he felt how strongly he just wanted to survive and stay alive. He then tells us about Memorial Day on Masada when the sirens go off – he was with a group and had just finished telling the story about those who died for Israel and what they believed when the siren sounded. He immediately thinks of his brother and all the others who died. And he cries - he is NOT a guy who cries easily. At that moment, we heard the thud-thump of a helicopter, looking up to see the IDF attack chopper Roni says, “Masada will not fall again because of this.”

Maybe even more powerful than the helicopters was the naming ceremony for Alex Shapiro on top of Masada. We blessed Alex with the name Rachel bat Leah, a name of beauty, strength, and heritage. Lynn’s words at the close of the ceremony say it all: “When I brought Alex to the American embassy in Moscow 11 years ago, I didn’t think it could ever get any better. When I brought her to Newark for her naturalization as a US citizen, I didn’t think it could get any better. But standing here now, with thanks to all of you, I know it can not possibly get any better than this.” With Gunnar Wainright (just yesterday our bar mitzvah!), Ernie, Perry holding a tallit over her head like a chuppah, Alex re-stated her commitment to Torah and the Jewish people. To participate in such ceremony atop this plateau is to become part of the promise that Masada will not fall gain... because of this too.

Eitz Hayyim – A Tree of Life (from Wednesday)

At Yad Vashem there is a grove of carob trees. Each one is planted in honor or memory of a righteous gentile. These are people, like Oscar Schindler, Raoul Wallenberg, and hundreds of others, who risked their lives to save Jews and others during the Shoah. They were just normal people, not superheroes, but they showed us what righteousness truly means. Yad Vashem planted carob trees for them because after a long time they produce a sweet fruit, because there is a tradition that says the trees only grow on top of ruins, and because the Hebrew word for carob is “haruv” which is a cognate of the word “hurban” (destruction).

We came to Yad Vashem after a morning in the old city. We toured the western wall tunnels and got to the spot closest to the ancient holy of holies. This is the spot that has drawn our people from all over the world since the days of Abraham. Our tradition says “ki mitzion tetzei torah” from out Zion will come Torah, our “tree of life.” Exiting the tunnels to the kotel plaza we could feel the spirit of Judaism. Roni showed us a famous picture of the paratroopers who took the Old City in 1967 and rushed to this spot – the first Jews to take control of the holy site in almost 2000 years. They stood in awe and respect for the place and moment. They came back 40 years later (last year) to revisit. The place has power, but it’s the life force from the people that you feel here so strongly: normal people doing extraordinary things in this place. It channels this force and enhances its strength.

It is a tree of life to those who hold fast to it.

It's like a bar mitzvah, part 2

Today's we celebrated Gunnar's Bar Mitzvah just under Robinson's arch at the corner of the Western and Southern walls of the Temple Mount.

Check out the pictures. They speak for themselves!

Ha-kol B'seder (everything's okay)

Everyone on the tour is fine. We heard about the attack in Jerusalem shortly after it happened. We were in the Old City at the time. It's such a land and experience of contrasts. Look at the pictures I just put on album #4 from the Kotel (western wall) and you will see what we were doing around the time the attack took place.

Today was a busy day. We drove through the Dung Gate to the Kotel and went straight into the under "ground" tunnels (they're actually just under the construction of the streets). This allowed us close access to the unexposed sections of the Kotel and the closest point to the Holy of Holies. We then went to the Kotel itself and, for the men, put on tefillin and said Shema. We offered words of wisdom to Gunnar and put tefillin on him (see the photos). From there we went to the Davidson Center/Robinson's arch. It was so hot that most of the kids bailed out and played cards with Elizabeth in the covered portion of the exhibit. Then into the Jewish Quarter for lunch and a hour of power shopping - Arab market, Jewish Cardo - as a group we acquired a lot (if you'll pardon the expression), but some were accused of being "not nice" for browsing in one Arab stall but buying in another. Lynn explained to the slighted merchants that this is what we call "shopping." Ahh, market place diplomacy! After the shopping, we boarded the bus for Yad Vashem - the Holocaust Museum and Memorial complex.

We ended that visit with a memorial service in the "Valley of the Lost Communities" - in front of the memorial stones for Czechslovakia. The Torah scroll in our temple lobby is a surviving artifact from the community of Breznice, Czechslovakia. We read the names of the Jews from Breznice who died in the Shoah and memorialized them along with all our brothers and sisters who died at the hands of Nazis. May their souls be bound up in the bond of eternal life. We carry their memory with us throughout the land and into our own lives. Through us, they will never be lost. Yad Vashem was packed with platoons of Israeli soldiers (we saw hundreds) who visit as part of their training and service. It was a powerful symbol of the promise, "Never Again." Though they are complete strangers, it's hard not to feel proud of them.

Tonight we are going to dinner on the midrachov (pedestrian and shopping area on Ben Yehuda Street). It's the first time we'll get to a "food court" that not's in a mall. The old courtyards and winding alleys have been converted in to shops, cafes, and restaurants.

Tomorrow, the group will go to the temple mount with Roni while Gunnar, Brook, and I prepare for his service. The bar mitzvah will be at 10:30 AM tomorrow back at Robinson's Arch (near the Kotel). Then we'll go the Israel museum, Knesset (from the outside), and David's Tower museum.

Keep checking in and checking the photos. My internet connection is not the best here, but I'll post whatever and whenever I can. I will also backfill photos from Jerusalem as I upload photos from other people's cameras (I'm not the best photographer).

Giants in the land

We checked out of Kibbutz HaGoshrin hotel and hit the road southbound. Our travels today followed the Jordan River from its source in the North to Jericho, which sits on the north shore of the Dead Sea. From there we turned off the highway to make the ascent to Jerusalem. We encountered giants everyone we went. The Torah actually says that a race of giants lived in the land before Joshua brought the Israelites here. The spies who had been sent to scout the land identified these giants and believed they could not be defeated. These giants were called "Anak" or "Anakites." And it turns out that giants are still here today. Ordering lunch at a foodcourt McDonald's this afternoon, I ordered the "supersize" fries. I followed the menu and accompanying pictures: katan (small), ragil (regular), gadol, (large), and.... could it be?!.... yes, supersize is called "anak" in modern Hebrew. The spies feared these Anakites would devour them. I assure you that the opposite took place today.

From lunch we went to Bet Shean, a giant Roman era archaeological site. Huge Corinthian columns proudly stand along the ancient thoroughfare. It is not hard to envision a great city in its heyday of 50,000 occupants. But Nature was the true superpower here. A massive earthquake brought this city to the ground. Half the city’s columns lie where they fell – still exactly parallel – from the day a huge shock wave literally pulled the ground from under them.

Next stop Tiberias. Here we encountered some of the Jewish people’s greatest giants. The grave of the Rambam, the site of the Talmudic era Sanhedrin (those who read “As a Driven Leaf” may remember this as an important setting in the story). We were most moved by the Kinneret Cemetery. The great halutzim – pioneers – built the first kibbutz, Degania, here. They are buried here and Israelis come to honor their recent history here. This cemetery is the Israeli equivalent of the old cemeteries on the Freedom Trail in Boston, burial site of Paul Revere, Sam Adams, and their generation.

Finally, Shlomo the driver pressed his bus up the new road from Jericho to the heights of Mt. Scopus. We passed through the ¼ mile tunnel through and into the golden light of Jerusalem’s skyline. We discovered that powerful, living giants had been with us all along, right on the coach. Emotion unexpectedly overwhelmed many on the bus. You could hear the collective gasp and see the giant emotion in tear filled eyes. We stopped to take it all in. We embraced Jerusalem, its heritage, and its ability to link us with every soul who ever connected with the Jewish people. We read Psalm 122, “We were pilgrims standing inside your gates… I became happy when they said to me, ‘Let us go up to the house of Adonai’.” We blessed and ate a giant, sweet challah and wine then thanked God with Shehechiyanu. The tears were real and unexpected. The land still holds giants.