I'm about a week behind in my writing - I've been really busy, nearly everyday.
Last Sunday, the 7th was a day for meetings, phone calls and writing, and when I got most of last week's posts written. I picked up my chariot, a light blue Hyundai Getz from Budget, which has turned out great (except that gas is about $8 a gallon, 7.22 NIS a litre). In the evening, Danny Yossi and I went to the anniversary party for Avshalom and Pam Beni's daughter Alyssa and son-in-law Richard Shore, on the beach at Sdot Yam. It was a beautiful event where they celebrated with their Israeli friends and family after getting married last summer in New York.
Monday during the day I took care of some errands to be able to be ready for Tisha B'Av, since restauarants in Jerusalem all close mid afternoon. The afternoon was a very successful series of meetings realted to the JEA Conference I am co-chairing with Scott Littky and Rabbi Paul Freedman in February in Jerusalem. Paul and I met at the Begin Centre, where we are considering holding our final banquet, and then went to Har Herzl to meet with David Breakstone at the new Herzl Education Center. While the building is finished, the technology we were hoping to see is not yet installed, but still the meeting was very productive. It is always moving to be on Mt Herzl we went through the Herzl Museum (about 6 yrs old - I had never been before) and its very nostalgic for me since my first Israel trip in 1975 i was based on the back of Mt Herzl, at the Jerusalem forest Youth Hostel, and I have very fond memories of being there.
Monday night I observed Tisha B'Av as I did last year, with Cong. Moreshet Avraham in Talpiyot at the scenic Haas Tayelet overlooking Jerusalem from the South. It is more or less where Abraham may have first seen Mt. Moriah on his way to sacrificing Issac. It is a beautiful site, and it was a very meaningful place to observe the day.
On Tuesday, Danny and I went (the freedom of having a car!) to Tel Aviv, to meet Avshalom Beni and watch him conduct a session with children attending a day program at the African Refugee Development Center in South Tel Aviv. He brought 5 dogs, Begal D, the great Dane (14 months, 140 pounds and growing), Jezzy, the new collie we helped purchase this spring who has just recovered from a broken hip (scooter accident), Sky and 8 year old boxer, Ilsa, a Miniature boston terrier and Samson, an 11 yr old golden. The kids were at first very tentative ( amazing how kids here only 6 months are already fluent Hebrew speakers) but within an hour were feeding and petting the dogs, and able to describe how you can treat dogs and people with love and they will react more positively. It was great watching Avshalom work and exhausting being Begal D's handler for 2 hours - he is amazing strong, but very sweet and gentle (and quite distractable).
On our way back to J-lem we stopped at Kibbutz Tzuba to see Yoel and Sara Dorkam, who used to run the Yaakov Maimon volunteers and to meet the new head, Meir - a really great guy. They are doing great things to support Ethiopian olim in Mevaseret, and it was great catching up with the Dorkams, and hearing about the work that is now being done.
We broke the fast at Doron's on Rachel Imeinu (I had the meatballs with rice - simple, excellent food) and made it an realtively early evening. Pictures to follow.
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