L'Chaim - November, 2018: Take Israel OFF Your Bucket List!

By the time you read this, I will have returned from our latest synagogue trip to Israel, so I’d like to tell you about it… the only problem is, I wrote this article back in early October. So I can’t yet tell you much (right now) about how the trip went, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say it was amazing. If you were on the trip with me, and you’re thinking of one day/memory/experience that was your favorite, believe it or not, that was my favorite too! Wow, what are the odds, huh? Weird…

This latest odyssey was my THIRD trip with Ohev Shalom. I feel so, so blessed to have led three separate Israel-experiences, and to have created a sense of community and shared memories with three different groups of wonderful people. I especially want to thank Alan Schapire, Karen Stesis, and Louis Stesis for doing nearly ALL the planning for this trip. It truly, truly would not have happened without them. THANK YOU!!!

I also want to highlight the theme of our itinerary, “Into the Desert.” We began our tour in Tel Aviv, then went south into the Negev and Arava deserts, across the border into Petra in Jordan (which is considered one of the Ancient Wonders of The World), back north to Masada, then finishing up in Jerusalem. My goal was very simple: To convey to both the participants AND to the whole congregation that Israel is more than just a bucket-list destination. If you’ve never been; I’d LOVE for your first time to be with Ohev Shalom! But if you’ve been once, or even several times, I STILL hope you’ll consider going again. It really shouldn’t just be a bucket-list kind of destination…

Israel is so central to us as Jews; historically, culturally, theologically, and emotionally. Do we also struggle with its current government and the oppressive practices of the orthodox rabbinate? Many of us do. If you were at Ohev during the High Holidays (or read my sermon online), you know already that I, personally, very much grapple with these issues. But I implore you to separate the State of Israel from the Land of Israel, and even from the People of Israel. If/when we disagree with politics here in the US, we certainly don’t want the world to judge us by our government; so why should we behave that way towards Israel?

I have been to Israel many, many times. And I don’t ever plan to stop going. Even as the politics get more divisive, my certainty about that point will not waver. That is, in large part, why I craft itineraries with a special focus. To remind us all that Israel has many dimensions, facets, complexities, and layers. We’ve done a family trip, a food tour, and now a desert excursion. I also want to do a tour with the theme, “The Ten Places You’ve Never Been To, but Which Every Tour Guide Wishes You’d See.” I also wonder if there is enough interest for a trip centered on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where we visit both sides of the Green Line? I’ve also discussed the possibility of joint trips with my colleagues in our local Interfaith Council. So yeah, I haven’t run out of ideas just yet…

I truly feel blessed to have done this three times, and I hope that many more visits to Israel await us. Please check out our pictures from the trip, our daily blog, and ask participants how it went. And then… start thinking about what you’re doing in another three years (or six or nine or…), and let’s start planning!

Nesiah Ha-bah Birushalayim - Next Trip [see you] in Jerusalem!

Rabbi Gerber