Tel Aviv

Friday morning we make the short ride to Tel Aviv, where we hit the shopping district during the rush to buy before stores close for the Sabbath. The excitement for me was knowing that Ben and Joel Strauss live in Tal Aviv. Joel was flying out of the country but Ben was there to meet me across from Independence Hall.

I have also seen Ross Baron , who is on the open FutSol team

Tel Aviv was a respite between the arduous physical tests of Jerusalem and the Dead Sea days.
We spend an hour in the shopping district which is compromised of many small businesses-incredibly beautiful hand made items,carved from local wood. My favorites are the small stores where the ar conditioning cools you off from the 32 degree heat.

The trip to Independence Hall is energizing and makes you appreciate the vision of Herzl and Ben Guirion even more. After some more hot walking back to our house it is off to the Mediterranean Beach, where I relaxed on  a bench talking to a Maccabi veteran while the young ones went into the water and many wound up with Jelly Fish bites.

After a quick stop home it was back to the Kfar for Shabbat dinner and services with Rabbi Dan. After a service with similarities to home we broke off into small discussion groups. We were paired with the junior soccer team so once again my two junior girls existed with 22 other boys but they seemed to handle the situation well.

Tomorrow is the Sabbath but it will still be a busy day.

The magic of Jerusalem

Nothing comes easy in Jerusalem. Resources are strained, tempers get short and it's crowded everywhere but no city in the world can match the religious history, encompassing Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

We stop at Haas Promenade where we get a great view of Old Jerusalem with all of its iconic religious sites.

Next we go to the Western Wall.

While the video below is not very well edited-it will save in perpetuity one of the great moments of my life-praying at the Western Wall and leaving my note

From there it is on to the City of David and the underground excavations which were built hundreds of years ago. It is one of the most treacherous adventures I have ever experienced. We begin by walking through dark passageways in a foot of water . Wearing pool shoes helps but without Devra Pulley's flashlight I would have walking in complete darkness. Somehow we mae it through the up nd down single file walkways. When we finally saw real light at the end of the tunnel we were greeted with the news that we had to walk through dry, dirty it areas,but the walking was even more treacherous. The camaraderie I gained with my walking mates all from the hockey team is something I will never forget.

It was onto to dinner at a restaurant in the Arab Israel neighborhood named Abu Gosh I sat with new people including Juliett Schiff's father Bernie Schiff and we shared many great basketball stories. It is these newly created relationships that further enhance the experience.And I see Ross Baron,a futsal goalie from nearby Scotch Plains as we are leaving.