Tifereth Israel Synagogue

June 26, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Letter from Israel:
TIS Tour - Tel Aviv

Dear Friends:

Although my home in San Diego has lovely views they do not compare to looking out the window and seeing the beaches of Tel Aviv kissing the Mediterranean Ocean! Breathing the fresh sea air was a wonderful way to begin our second full day in Israel.

Our group of 29 travelers arrived late Wednesday afternoon. We had just enough time to freshen up before walking to Maganda, one of my favorite restaurants. Maganda is owned by a Yemenite Jew whose great-grandfather many years ago opened a small kiosk in the same neighborhood to serve the needs of early immigrants. As in many traditional Mizrachi (Middle Eastern) restaurants, the feast began with never ending plates of salads followed by Moroccan "cigars" (meat stuffed tubular pastries), felafel, kabob, grilled pieces of chicken on skewers, watermelon, baklava, and mint tea. No one left hungry.

On Thursday we visited the "Ayalon Institute." Anticipating the upcoming war of Independence, the leaders of the Haganah (the precursor to today's Israel Defense Force) had sufficient weapons but little ammunition. They secretly imported vintage bullet manufacturing equipment from Poland and built an underground munitions factory on a kibbutz right under the nose of the British. They disguised the opening to the underground factory by placing it under a huge commercial washing machine that slid aside to reveal the entrance.

Manufacturing ammunition was extremely dangerous work. Not only was the process inherently dangerous but so was the potential for discovery by the British. Nevertheless, in the three years before the 1948 War of Independence this small factory managed to turn out two and one half million bullets.

Switching gears and going back centuries, we continued to Tel Maresha at Beit Guvrin. A tel is a hill that was constructed by new civilizations building on top of older ones. Tel Maresha is an active archeological site in which amateurs are invited to participate. We climbed down to hollowed out caves which were used as storage shelters by the inhabitants above. We dug into the soft dirt to expose pottery shards, animal bones, and other remains.

These "finds," which go back to the time of the Maccabees, will later be cleaned, recorded, and catalogued by professional archeologists who are attempting to learn more above the history and culture of Tel Maresha's former inhabitants.

Today (Friday) we woke up early to visit the Palmach Museum, Kikar Rabin, to say a prayer for the fallen prime minister, and the home of Yossi Lugasi, a unique self trained mosaic artist.  We ended our formal day of touring at Nachalat Binyamin, Tel Aviv's famous outdoor arts and crafts market. On Fridays the area known as Nachalat Binyamin is sealed off to vehicular traffic and turned into a giant market place.

Hundreds of vendors line the street and sell everything from jewelry to pottery to stained glass.  Religious and nonreligious themes are equally represented and the street is filled with people buying their last minute gifts before Shabbat arrives.

This evening we will have our own version of "Pray at the Beach" as we walk across the street to hold informal Kabbalat Shabbat services on the shore of the Mediterranean. We will join for kiddush, motzi, and a festive Shabbat meal before entering a much needed day of rest.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

To receive Rabbi Rosenthal's weekly Parasha by email click here, enter your email address and subscribe to "News from Rabbi Rosenthal."