We are Home!
Many Thanks to Erin Sir for sharing her thoughtful post-Israel trip Reflections...
We are Thrilled to Share that Rabbi Rony Keller Will be Leading another CBI Family Trip to Israel in June 2016!!!
Stay Tuned for Dates and Information...
Reflecting on our recent excursion to Israel
Prepared By: Erin Sir
January 4, 2015 - 14 Tevet, 5775
Flying home from Israel on New Year's Day, 2015, we were finally able to say: "Next year in Jerusalem!" The previous 10 days spent in Israel on the CBI Family Trip were, for lack of a better word, amazing. Guided by a magnificent historian and overall delightful person, Sharon Wagner-Zauder, as well as Rabbi Kahn's great passion and knowledge of the land, our journey began. We were in very good hands!
This was a non-stop, well-coordinated, educational excursion that has left us tethered to Israel in ways we were not expecting. It was a trip filled with both raw emotion and an overwhelming sense of belonging, as well as comradeship within our exceptional group of CBI members, now new friends. Starting in Tel Aviv, the Mediterranean Sea greeted us with sunshine and pride. One of our first destinations was Independence Hall where we relived Ben Gurion's declaration of Israel's independence in May of 1948.
I will not detail each stop of our entire trip as you would have a 100 page narrative. So here is a brief synopsis. Rest-assured, it was all exhilarating! When our bus entered the city limits of Jerusalem with "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav" ("Jerusalem of Gold") playing over the speakers, our eyes were wide open and our anticipation soaring. As a group, we strolled the streets of the Old City, prayed at the Western Wall, toured the Western Wall Tunnels, celebrated a Bat Mitzvah, had dinner along the western shores of the Sea of Galilee in Tiberius (really - how many people can say that?) We meandered the winding and spiritual hills of Safed, ate Shwarma sandwiches and humus, met our soldiers on the border of Lebanon and watched our children plant trees, establishing their own roots in our Holy Land. We took a jeep tour of the Golan Heights, visited Mount Bental overlooking the Valley of Tears... We wept at Yad Vashem and experienced Theodor Herzl's dream. We floated in the Dead Sea and hiked the ancient hills of Masada, reveling in our history while gazing over the vast land of our ancestors. We participated in an archeological dig in Beit Guvrin, being reminded of the First Temple period. And all of this was only a PART of what we experienced in those 10 remarkable days. The images gained from the considerable amount of territory covered are etched in our minds evermore, waiting for us to expand upon them on our next journey to Israel.
It is important to mention that we felt safe and comfortable the entire time. As a matter of fact, the number of tours and birthright groups that we encountered "everywhere" was surprising. Wherever we went, there were busses full of tourists beholding the land of Israel. As mentioned, it would be easy for me to expand upon the details within our trek, touching the emotions and those parts of the passage that affected and awed us the most; there were truly so many of them. But let me instead quote the sentiments of my 11 year old daughter as we settled into our long, contemplative journey home; "I already miss Israel. When can we go back?" We hope it will be soon. And if you have never been or have been away too long, we encourage a visit. This experience has had a profound impact on our family. If you would like more detail, we welcome your call.
The Sir Family,
Greg, Erin and Laney
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