Day Eleven - At Least It Wasn't "Al Ha-Panim"... (Rabbi Gerber)

Saturday, October 20th:
Our final day in Israel as a group was spent in Jerusalem. A brave band of eleven set out to visit the Great Synagogue of Jerusalem early in the morning, and we were rewarded by a spectacular service led by their chief cantor and incredible men's choir. There was even a castrata-type singer who wowed us all! After services, we split up into walkers and cabbers, and yet somehow both groups - separately - decided to detour at the famous King David Hotel! 
Back at the Mount Zion hotel, we enjoyed lunch together and then a lovely tekes, a formal conclusion ceremony to our time together. We went around the circle and everyone shared a powerful moment or takeaway from the trip. Some felt it was the perfect way to draw our trip to a close, others (who shall remain... Alan Schapire) felt I talked too long. Sigh...

 Anyone with an ounce of remaining energy was invited for a walking tour with Eric, to see some of the streets and views immediately around our hotel. Among other things, the building RIGHT next to ours once housed a secret mission, critical to Israel's success in recapturing Jerusalem. 
The Mount Zion hotel is located across a valley from the Old City. When the latter was still under Jordanian rule, a small Jewish outpost was located just outside the Old City walls, and was cut off from the rest of Israel. Every night, for several years, a cable was suspended across the valley, allowing supplies to travel safely under the cover of darkness. When the sunrise approached, the slack was let out, and the cable would fall into the valley, totally hidden from view! To commemorate this amazing ingenuity, a cable still hangs between the mountains, with a rusty old cable car dangling near the hotel building. An incredible story indeed!
We then shared a final dinner together (Chinese - who knew the Israelis could prepare anything besides meat, chummus, eggplant, techina, and chicken???), and said our goodbyes. Some remained in Israel for a few more hours, others for a few additional days; but we all left with a wonderful feeling of connection, community, and warmth.  
And so, we come to the end of another fabulous Ohev Shalom congregational trip to Israel. I feel so blessed to have done this THREE times now. This latest group really jelled in a fabulous way, took great care of one another, integrated new people, overcame two hospital visits, many skinned knees, bruises, and bumps (and somehow managed to never step in "it" at Petra, despite the myriad horses that galloped up and down the road!). We were blessed with incredible weather and phenomenal timing - missing both a flood that shut down Eilat and rocket fire at the Gaza border. What else can I say? It was a marvelous journey and a truly bonding experience.
As I conclude our blog-record of the 2018 Ohev Shalom Israel Trip, I do not like to say "goodbye," because I firmly believe Israel is a place we should return to again and again. Instead, let's use the Hebrew parting word, "L'hitraot," which means "We'll see each other again (soon)." 

 And finally, some inside jokes: It really was an "Achla" experience, and definitely NOT Al Ha-Panim! We survived the cilantro, coconut, and horrible "muhn," and returned home with all 38 accounted for. Don't forget your number, folks!! Least of all, "Shlomo" or Mr. "T'SHA ESREI!!" See you all at the reunion!!

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