One week ends, another one begins: Shabbat, Mitzvahs with USY Group 8, Father-Daughter stuff and dairy meals

A quiet shabbat and some father-daughter bonding time.  It's been a long time since Abby and I have been together without an agenda, and I really enjoy her company.  After being in Haifa and Tel Aviv this week, Abby came to J-lem to spend Shabbat with her Abba.  We had dinner just the two of us, went to Shira Hadasha Friday night and Yedidya Shabbat morning.  We had lunch with Shaiel and Charlie Yitzchak and some of their friends and had a very nice time with 6 small kids (and one about to be delivered) in Baka.  Then a quiet afternoon napping (me) and reading (Abby and me).  After shabbat Abby went dancing in liberty bell park, and I went to a lovely coffee house in Beit Zayit, just outside J-lem called Derekh HaGefen with the "4 Kerbel girls" who stayed with us the winter of 2011 from the Gandel group that visited DC; Dafna is about to move to Rockville as a shlichah and will teach at CESJDS, Orit, Rinat and Etty.  Yossi and Dina also joined us and we had a lovely evening.

the Kerbel Girls

Mitzvah hero Moshe Kott

Sunday morning we stated working with USY group 8 (Eastern Europe) - an outstanding group of teens.  Because they are a large group we divided them in half; half went to the Diplomat Hotel to meet Alice Jonah and the Russian residents, many veterans and survivors of WWII, and half to Mitzvah hero Moshe Kott of Lev Ramot.

Rabbi Jonathan Porath gave an overview of the Soviet Jewry movement of the 70's and 80's and of the FSU aliyah of the 90's.  Then the group with Alice met residents and heard their stories and the group with Moshe packed bags of groceries to be donated to 250 families in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem.  Each bag had 10 items, and then the USYers heard from Moshe how Lev Ramot operates to preserve the dignity and kavod (respect) of the volunteers and recipients. Lev Ramot provides both cooked prepared foods from catering halls and corporate kitchens, as well as groceries to families.  The USYers were excellent Mitzvah food packers.

Later the group at Lev Ramot returned to the Diplomat to meet Alice, who has retired as program director at the diplomat, but continues to volunteer there, and to hear a concert by the choir of the Diplomat, pictured below:

The choir continues to inspire - the USYers were singing and dancing and a great time was had by all.  After a fine youth hostel lunch of fish sticks, Bradley Dov Bear Cohen our Mitzvah hero with the wisdom of the East, the youth of Israel and the spirituality of a Hasidic master did a two hour program with the group.  Dov Bear's personal story or rediscovery, enlightenment, d'veikut (closeness to God and appreciation of life and love of the Mitzvot) was inspiring and motivational.  His new venture providing experiences of self discovery http://www.selfdiscoveryexperience.org/index.html, could truly change the world.

I had a quiet dinner with Arnie at Waffle Bar (after the 2nd try they got my Pizza Crepe, no olives) correct and it was delicious, served with a small salad.  Abby, who was with us most of the day, returned to Tel Aviv, and I'm looking forward to more quality time together this fall.

Tomorrow, we're off to the Israel National Therapeutic Riding Association, and in the afternoon, a presentation by Mitzvah hero Ruth Schlossman of A gift of Comfort, providing therapy sessions and alternative therapies to survivors of terror, civilian and military.  Just something to look forward to.

Ad machar . . .

Group 8 packing donated food

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Mitzvah hero Alice Jonah (center)