Visiting the Hadassah sites in Israel

Throughout the four month sabbatical here, I've been visiting different Hadassah sites. The Israel Visits Office of Hadassah has been extremely supportive and helpful! Thank you Marilyn and Mirjam!

First visit was with Stacy Margolin to Ein Kerem on May 8th.

We started in the Heritage Center and our personal tour guide, Ariella, gave us a tour of many departments and facilities. Our first stop was the Hadassah offices where we met with Barbara Sofer (who I had seen at Shira Chadasha synagogue) and BG (Barbara Goldstein). It was wonderful to chat with them. Walking throughout the campus, we saw the emergency room, trauma center, the healing garden area, the Bloomberg Mother and Child Center, so many fundraising plaques throughout, the Keepers video display where we found Stacy's name, and of course the Chagall windows in one of the synagogues on campus. There are lots of pictures in the Heritage Center and along the walls and corridors of the campus so we felt surrounded by the history of Hadassah. And the stories behind the Chagall windows are truly hard to believe. When the Hadassah women approached Marc Chagall, he interrupted them in the middle of their speech to say "What took you so long? I have been waiting for the opportunity to give back to my people." After the windows were damaged in one of the wars, Chagall remade them for free. There is also other art throughout the chapel including a very interesting bimah cover made by an Israeli artist.

Second visit was to Meir Shfeya, hosted by Lauren Stern Kedem who taught there for many years and now serves as an ambassador between the Village and Hadassah visitors.

Lauren

Lauren graciously spent the whole day with me, showing me the entire campus. I saw the agricultural area, the entrance to the winery, the cows and many other animals, as well as classrooms, offices, the teacher's lounge which was completely donated to the school by Jim Smith, the living areas for students, and got to eat lunch in the cafeteria. I enjoyed a very interesting movie about the history of the Meir Shfeya Village. There is also a new leadership center; I peeked into the windows to see the meeting rooms and gathering spaces. It's beautiful! It was inspiring to see the campus and learn so much about the success stories of students in the Youth Village.

Teacher's Lounge

Teacher's Lounge Plaque

Leadership Center

Front Porch of the Leadership Center

Third visit was back to Ein Kerem to see some Education related sites specifically. My first stop was the Heritage Center to meet Ariella, and I saw the video that Stacy and I had not seen the time before. My first stop after that, I visited the Linda Joy Pollin Cardiovascular Wellness Center for Women, the school inside the Mother and Child Center, the Nursing School, and the Medical School. Ariella was my tour guide once again!

Dr. Zwas, me, and Betsy

It was a great honor to meet with the director of the Pollin center and cardiologist, Dr. Donna Zfat-Zwas. She is very impressive. I really loved hearing all about everything they are doing for individual patients, as well as how they are educating the entire community. Dr. Zwas insists on examining actual data in a very research based manner. I also spent some time with Betsy Mehlman who is the director of resource development and fundraising for the Pollin Center. She is very enthusiastic and provided me with so much information. 

Me and Asaysha

Next, I went to visit the school inside the Bloomberg Mother and Child Center. Asaysha showed me some of the amazing materials that they have developed to help young patients understand what is happening to them, and often prepare them for procedures though graphics, models, puppets, and of course, books. I got to look at many materials and Asaysha answered all of my questions. We got to observe some patients participating in an art activity around a table with their caregivers. It was lovely to see. 

On this campus, there are many schools. With Ariella, I got to walk through the Medical School, seeing the library and some classrooms, and the Henrietta Szold Hadassah - Hebrew University School of Nursing, seeing some mini museum displays and state of the art classrooms. The School of Nursing was founded in 1918 and moved to Ein Kerem in 1961. Notably, students can earn a Bachelor's of Science of Nursing (BSN) and/or a Master's in clinical nursing.  The school is known for its collaborative research projects that take place through the Muriel Berman Center of Nursing Research that opened in 2006. There are at least two other schools that I did not see: The School of Public Health and the Dental School. There were many historical displays that I got to see and learn from. Also, it turned out that I got off one bus stop too early with the students and had to walk through the Medical School in order to get to the main building. That was a bit of an adventure. I ate my lunch in the garden on the campus with students, patients, and employees of the hospital of all kinds walking by. Just lovely!

    

Next came Mt. Scopus, again with Ariella as my guide, where I saw the museum featuring Henrietta Szold's desk and office, the hospice center, a youth center, a cancer center, the labor and delivery center, and another heart health center. In the labor and delivery area, we spent a little while talking with an olah from Toledo who has been working there for many years. There was an outdoor healing garden with some painted rocks that the patients had created. There were also patients and their families having a picnic with music out in this garden. So life-affirming!

The Seal which was the 
only thing that survived
from the original hospital

Henrietta's Office

Healing Garden

Finally, I enjoyed a visit to Hadassah Neurim as arranged by Shiri who is the Communications and Public Relations Director. It was quite a long journey to get there, taking a bus to the train station, taking the train to Netanya, and then taking a taxi to the campus. Because it was one of the protest movement's days of disruption, there was quite a bit more traffic throughout the day and the taxi driver and I had to be extra patient. And I had to pay the taxi driver a bit more than normal. Once I arrived at the Youth Village, I received the royal treatment! I had the honor of meeting with the CEO of the entire school, Ami Magen, the Operations Manager, Liat Aharon, and Shiri who had worked with me to arrange the visit. They put a lot of effort into my visit which was very intricate and complicated and took me to many different areas of the Village in a golf cart. I saw the agricultural and animal rehabilitation program where I spoke with teachers and participants, the dog rehabilitation program where I met a volunteer program leaders, the media and film areas where I heard about the high tech work the students are completing, the robotics and makers facilities where I heard the well known in Hadassah stories of the robotics teams that have competed internationally, classrooms including ones with plants on shelves on the walls, living spaces for students some of which were recently remodeled and others that need remodeling soon, and the surfing program which is spectacular. There were many great stories at all of the stops along the way, and I learned so much about all the special things that happen at Hadassah Neurim.

Me and Liat

Dog Rehab Volunteer

Robotics

Robotics Chill Zone

Dog Rehab Volunteer

Animal Celebrity

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Wood cuts

Wood cuts

I am so proud to be a part of the amazing organization called Hadassah, The Women's Zionist Organization of America. We do good work, and we make a difference.

I got to play Mah Jongg!!

Note: this is my last post from Israel. Later this week, I will post from Oakland about the many wonderful Hadassah visits I had this spring and summer.

Throughout our first two months of life here in Jerusalem, I asked every English speaking person I met about Mah Jongg. I brought my card, and I wanted to find a game to play in. No luck. Until...

Mark was in his Ulpan class (kitah bet at the Baka Community Center), and they were talking about their hobbies. Well, one of his classmates Amy (who happens to be the cousin of our friend and congregant Bryna Ross), mentioned that she plays Mah Jongg. Mark talked to her about it and asked if I could join. She said yes! They have a big WhatsApp group of about 14 people but only 5-8 play together at any one time. I got added to their group, and they were playing at 5:45 pm on Shabbat afternoons and usually Wednesday evenings at 7 pm during the week. Sometimes they switched to Tuesdays (like this week because of Tisha B'Av). I met such lovely people in the Mah Jongg group. They were very warm and welcoming. I've played maybe 6 or 7 times overall. So much fun!

I didn't have the 2023 card yet when I left for our trip, so I asked Stacy to send me a photo, and I used my tablet as my card. Luckily on Shabbat I could borrow an extra card from other players as I wouldn't want to make the Shabbat observant people uncomfortable by using my tablet. 

If you don't play Mah Jongg, you can probably skip this paragraph. The "Jerusalem" version of the NMJL game is a little different. For example, the dealer does not roll any dice to break the wall. They just start dealing. And when I say dealing, I mean that East passes out all the tiles. This table rule was not troubling to me at all. It doesn't really change the game. However, the element I didn't like but had to play along with was the changes to the optional pass. Instead of passing across 0, 1, 2, or 3 tiles with the person that wishes for the least deciding, this group used a type of "mush." Whatever optional tiles we didn't want got put in front of us, and we went around taking any of the tiles on the table, matching the number that we put out. This does change the game, but only a little. I still didn't enjoy this part, and if I could, I always took whatever was right across from me to simulate what would happen in a regular optional pass.

I am very grateful to Mark and Amy for making the connection and was very happy to have gotten to play Mah Jongg here in Israel.

The Congregational Trip Joined Us Here in Israel in June!

With the congregation, I got to see many of the more touristy sites that I had been saving for this time during our stay. Here is a chronicle of the TBA congregational trip to Israel 2023.

The night before the official start of the trip, several staff and a few congregants got to eat together on Ben Yehuda Street. We had Mark's favorite schwarma place and everyone found it delicious whether they had schwarma, falafel, or another sandwich. From the staff we had Joe and his girlfriend Kim, Ann and her husband John, Rachel and her child Jayden, Virginia, Josh, and Amanda. Kelsi came without her two sons that were on the trip with her; they stayed at the hotel. It was so wonderful to welcome them all here to Jerusalem!

Day One began at the Ibis hotel where the staff stayed for one night. Unfortunately, we were a little late for everything. A little late to meet the bus, then the bus took a little while to arrive, then the people meeting us at the airport also ran a bit late. Some of our staff's luggage was lost, and though we checked on it while we were at the airport, it had not yet been found. 

Finally, we got moving and drove to Cesarea where our guide, Jonty Blackman, gave us his first walking tour of the historical site. We saw the big theatre and the hippodrome. Jonty's stories were interesting and educational.

Our next stop was the Druze village where we learned about the Druze religion and saw the Druze flag. We were treated to a delicious luncheon there as well. I especially enjoyed the cinnamon tasting items. 

We then went to the Tulip Winery. We learned about the village and the work that the winery provides for adults with disabilities. I didn't partake in the wine tasting but had fun talking with a few of the trip participants: Treya and David, Sam and Sue, and Frances and Rick, while they drank the wine. 

Last stop on the first day was the lovely hotel at the religious Kibbutz Lavi. We had a yummy buffet dinner there and enjoyed the spaciousness of the very large rooms. At the dinner I sat with Reuven and Marcie, Sue and Sam, Maya and Jonathan, Marlene and Keith, Susan, Ann and John, and Treya and David. It was lovely.

Second day in the North: We started in Tsfat. We saw some sites, a beautiful synagogue, heard some more of Jonty's stories, and attended a glass blowing demonstration which was incredibly interesting and beautiful. Sheva Bracha is a painter and glass artist. We spent time in her studio and saw some amazingly beautiful art. During the lunch break, Mark went to the the mikveh, and I had lunch with Kelsi, Ari, and Asher at a vegan cafe called Elements. The Gutkin family and Rachel and Jayden were also there. Before we got there, I purchased a spinach and cheese pastry that was delicious. At the cafe, I got a chai "ice cream" which was also delicious. The owners of the cafe had lived in Berkeley and we talked about how the East Bay was doing. To make conversation, he asked me "what do you do?" which led to a discussion of middle school math and education in general. 

Our second stop after our morning and lunch in Tsfat was Tel Dan where we took a hike and spent time at a water hole there. Also at the water hole were some brand new IDF soldiers who were doing some team building. We saw one doing push ups at the edge of the water to dunk his head. One of them came to talk with us about what they were doing there but we were not allowed to take their pictures for security reasons.

The next stop was an amazing group cooking session at another kibbutz. We made shakshukas, breads, salads, and it was all so fun and yummy. They played music while we worked and made us do some Israeli dancing before we started. When we got back to Kibbutz Lavi, there was a lecture from one of the members of the kibbutz who explained what life is like on the kibbutz. Only a handful of us attended but I was really glad I did. 

On Day 3, we started with a bumpy jeep ride around the Golan Heights. I was in the jeep with the Gutkin family and Joe and Kim. At the end of the ride, we heard stories of the Golan and were served some delicious watermelon. It tasted so good because we were so hot and thirsty. We stopped at an overlook that I had been to before on the previous congregational trip in 2011. We got to hear stories while looking out at Lebanon and Syria. There were bunkers there. Some were closed but one was available for us to walk through. It was small and rounded. I didn't remember that from last time. On our way out, we bought some honey and cherries from a roadside seller. 

Our next stop was lunch at a big rest stop with quite a few restaurant choices. Then we proceeded to Sde Eliyahu, another religious kibbutz. Our guide was a woman from South Africa who has lived on the kibbutz for 23 years and turned out to be a long ago friend of Jonty's. We got to see where the preschool children play in "junkyards" and some huge Banyan trees that were planted for fast shade but became too invasive so most of them have been removed. We met a gardner on the kibbutz who is from Chicago; he's been there 33 years. To conclude, we saw the BioBee film and met some containers of bees, wasps, mites, and one other type of bug that I cannot remember. These are organic, all natural ways to control the bad bugs by introducing these good bugs. 

Then we came back to Jerusalem. We first went to a lookout on Mt. Scopus where Jonty explained what we were seeing and told stories. Ari Bornstein also met us there and told us his lone soldier story of his aliyah and IDF service. After that we took Ari to our hotel for a minute, then to dinner at Pizzaria Flora on Aza Street. He was lucky to get permission to stay out away from his base overnight so he went home to Ranana to sleep instead of returning to base. We went to our apartment to do some laundry, then repacked and returned to the Dan Panorama hotel.

On Friday the bus drove us to the Old City. This was a special treat for me because Mark and I only have walked there! Our first stop was the roof at Orayta Yeshiva which is always beautiful and meaningful. Rabbi Dardik met us there and told us his stories of the temple times. Next stop was the Wall. People got to go to their side and pray for a few minutes. Then we saw the Western Wall tunnels. Mark and I took the Bridge tour of the newer excavations while first timers took the tunnel tour with Jonty. In the Old City, we had lunch and shopping time and Mark and I got me a pair of small gold chamsa earrings. Sadly, yesterday, July 26, I lost one. But I did enjoy wearing them here in Israel while I had them. Lunch was a ReBar smoothie but my chai flavored one was sadly not that good. 

Mark led Kabbalat Shabbat overlooking the Old City next to the Windmill. Noa, Levi, Sylvie, Tate, and Ezra helped lead the singing and prayers. We had a nice buffet dinner at the hotel and then went to Shira Chadasha for Kabbalat Shabbat services. About 8 people joined Mark and me at the service. 

Saturday morning - Shabbat in Jerusalem! Breakfast at the hotel was a wonderful spread. Only Marlene and Keith, Frances, and Susan joined Mark and me at Sod Siach for morning services. There was a cute oneg there in honor of one of the congregants' grandfather's memory and included some beer bread which I didn't care for and sushi which I loved! We chatted with several English speakers at the oneg. Some of the congregants took Jonty's afternoon tour of the Old City, especially visiting the Christian sites. 

At the end of the day, Mark and I hosted havdallah on our balcony. During the singing after the prayers, some people saw a shooting star! Sadly, one of the participants tested positive for Covid so he ended up missing a few days of the trip and only met us at outdoor activities. After havdallah no one wanted to go to Machane Yehuda with Mark so he and I went to the First Station instead. It was much bigger than I remembered from 2011. We ran into Joe and Kim there and saw a huge book festival there as well. We also ran into Yoni Swidler there on his way home from a trip or a friend's house. Mark went to Captain Burger and I got ice cream with caramel, rice krispies, and cashews. Yum!

On Sunday, we traveled to Masada and Ein Gedi and the Dead Sea. It was very hot at all three stops. At the Dead Sea, I only put my feet in the water but lots of participants in the trip did the floating thing. There were only a few tears. The hike at Ein Gedi was very hot and even involved some challenging climbing. The water hole there was a lot smaller than I remembered and Jonty said that a rock slide a few years ago cut it into a quarter of what it used to be. We had some rest time in the hotel before going back out to Ben Yehuda Street and Machane Yehuda for dinner at Basta!

Monday was our last Jerusalem day which started with everyone at Machane Yehuda and a walking tour of Nachlaot. We met a resident who yelled at us for stopping in front of her building and then ended with "enjoy your visit!" So Israeli. During mid day, most of the trip went to Yad Vashem. I was lucky to be able to take four young people to the Biblical Zoo instead. Our bus driver Aharon took good care of us! At the Biblical Zoo, Levi, Ezra, Sylvia, and Asher enjoyed walking around, seeing many animals, and playing on the playground. After all of this, we drove to Tel Aviv and settled into our Tal by the Beach hotel. I was very lucky to get to attend the Batsheva Dance Company performance with Barbara. It was amazing.

During our first day in Tel Aviv, we went to the Anu museum which was so well done. We then spent time in the Carmel Market and in the artists street Nahalat Benjamin. I picked up some very inexpensive jewelry that I haven't lost yet. :-) Finally, we took a graffiti tour through several neighborhoods in Tel Aviv and got to make our own spray painted record albums. Our day ended with a farewell banquet at a yummy restaurant. Our former congregants, Alison Hazen and her daughter Louise performed their circus act for us. They were fantastic. 

We said goodbye to everyone and got a ride back to Jerusalem with JJ Jonah of Israel Maven whose team planned and executed our whole trip for us. It was wonderful, exhausting, fun, and interesting to have this special time with so many wonderful people from home. We really enjoyed ourselves. It was fun to play tourist in the city where we are living for four months.