Story

The Journey Begins… At The End
November 21, 2014 

I begin this journal backwards, starting today… the day after I got home. Why? Because our schedule was so grueling, that any time I sat down to write, my hands were too tired to do anything other than scribble… my mind was too exhausted to think clearly and recall specifics… my brain was on a mental overload. It still is.

I am emotionally overwhelmed, wishing I was still in Israel. Tears and deep feelings are so close to the surface. I am so very happy to see my family and dog, sleep in my own bed, but I am yearning to be back in a most beautiful and powerful land.
I am vowing to let go of regrets, but one still clings… how I was able to go so long without visiting the land that we all yearn to see… that we talk about every year at our Seders… that so many of our relatives fought to see.

At every Seder we say “Next Year In Jerusalem.” It is a wish, a desire, something to cherish and yearn for… but this year… this month, I got to say not only “This YEAR in Jerusalem… but This WEEK, this DAY in Jerusalem.” What a gift, a joy.

And so to any kids out there, go to Israel as soon as you can. Return as often as you can. There is something so magical and potent there… so stunning and soul satisfying. Things will become clear and just make so much more sense to you. This is my wish for my daughter, who goes in two summers… for her friends and for anyone who has never been. Do not wait… do not delay… do not be afraid. Go to Israel.

We Are Israel. We Are One.

Thank you to Stephanie for the push and the help. Thank you to Julianna. Thank you to my loving family and friends. I will be pushing you to go. Thank you to the JWRP, AISH, the amazing rabbis and scholars on our trip, to our hosts and guides and those who protected us… to Lori and Charlie and all of those who gave their time to guide us and speak to us and enlighten us.
This was a trip of duality, like life itself. There was joy and sadness… highs and lows… darkness and light. We are glad to be home, yet sad to have left. We think about all we have to do here… and all we need to do to get back to Israel.

Follow me on this journey, my friends… but most importantly, schedule one of your own. Stop putting it off… stop fearing what you see and hear on the news. Be smart, be safe, but do not hesitate.

This is a land that will change you for the better… this is a trip that will make you understand. For those who have never been, you simply cannot understand. I do not say that condescendingly, for it took me four decades to get here… I say it sincerely, honestly, truthfully.  Read my words… live through them… but find this on your own… discover yourself in Israel.
This is a journey of love, of brotherhood, of spirituality… this is a journey to Israel.

Tomorrow In Israel… Travel Day To The Holy Land
November 23, 2014

When I saw The Sixth Sense, I figured it out about halfway through… and it actually made the movie more interesting to me, as I was able to see what he was doing and the genus behind it. Hopefully you can think of this blog that way. No, not genius, but that it is being written after the fact, where many of the answers or perhaps some clearer understandings are already known.

I will do my best to write as I was, in that moment… Some of it will be exactly that, as I have notes and scraps of paper I was writing as it was happening (ala Almost Famous) that I need to go through and compile.

TRAVEL DAY (11/9/14)
I am not a good flyer. With a back as sore and tight as mine gets, sitting for extended periods of time is never fun. And for 15 hours? AAGGHH! I was dreading the flight, but knew the Promised Land was waiting for me on the other side.

We arrived at the International Terminal to be greeted by many gorgeous Israeli women at El Al, asking a ton of questions… Seemingly odd, but all designed with a specific intent. Once through that we were able to pay the $99 upgrade for bulkhead seats… best hundred bucks EVER.

We raced to the Duty Free, per our orders from the guys, to buy booze. This would prove to be a smart thing in the end, but the wait for the Bourbon to show up at the gate almost lost us all the overhead space. Once the liquor was in hand, the journey would begin…

There seemed to be three schools of thought on my travelling to Israel. The first was fear and genuine concern for my safety. Why are you going to Israel? It’s so dangerous. Be careful. While I never had any fear for my personal well being, I was concerned that certain sites might be closed or off limits to us. Even though there are definite issues there right now, we were never denied access anywhere.

The second was how amazing the trip was going to be… that it would exceed my expectations. While the first thoughts did not deter me, this second one caused me a bit of hesitation. It’s like seeing a movie AFTER all the hype… it never seems to live up to the super star billing. I knew this was going to be an important journey… a chance to refresh and reflect and reset… a Do Over, if you will. I tried to downplay it for myself, wanting it to be about the discovery and living in the moment. In the end, this would be a trip of a lifetime and deliver things I would never have even pictured or thought about. Words fail, but magical, remarkable, moving, breathtaking, inspiring will have to do… The trip was above and beyond any expectation.

The third school of thought was usually the result of who organized the trip… JWRP (Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project) and AISH. People kept saying AISH, oy… I was going to have religion shoved down my throat… given to me in an enema… that I was going to come back Orthodox.

Was there religion on this trip and a lot of it? I suppose… but I willingly embraced it… It was exciting for me to see and be a part of… it gave me a sense of purpose and an understanding I have not always had.  I wanted to learn more about it.

When we learned that we would be at the back of the plane, in the second cabin, we were told that it would be a lot longer to get through customs… AND that the back is where all the men come to davin. That intimidated me, and yes, I did judge it a bit… and it made me think it would be harder to sleep, etc. I do not know a lot of the prayers, and while I was a Bar Mitzvah, the learning mostly stopped back then.

When a group of the guys from our trip approached me and asked me to help make a minyan, I hesitated, but knew participating was important. They were great… talking me through each prayer, explaining it, and making me feel truly welcome. Thanks Sal and Az for that.

After we were done, I popped the half of Ambien I had planned and plotted out… Seven to eight hours of sleep would be great. And the timing gave me two hours to come out of it on the back end.

15… 20… 30 minutes… nothing. I tool the second half… NOTHING.

I quickly realized there would be no sleeping on this flight. Nor would there be much sleeping on this trip at all.

by Marc Goldsmith 

At every Seder we say “Next Year In Jerusalem.” It is a wish, a desire, something to cherish and yearn for… but this year… this month, I got to say not only “This YEAR in Jerusalem… but This WEEK, this DAY in Jerusalem.” What a gift, a joy. 

And so to any kids out there, go to Israel as soon as you can. Return as often as you can. There is something so magical and potent there… so stunning and soul satisfying. Things will become clear and just make so much more sense to you. This is my wish for my daughter, who goes in two summers… for her friends and for anyone who has never been. Do not wait… do not delay… do not be afraid. Go to Israel. 

We Are Israel. We Are One.