Day 1: Tuesday, March 24, 2009

I’m back in Israel. This time I’m on a UJC MetroWest Men’s Business Professionals Mission. I arrived late Sunday afternoon but the Mission started today. I had a day and a half of “down time” and now we’re underway. Even though much of what I do in Israel seems routine, I still find each trip to be interesting and rewarding. Here are just some of what has been happening since I arrived:

• Amir Shacham of the MetroWest Jerusalem office picked me up at the airport and brought me to Neve Eliyahu in Rishon Lezion. We visited the Feinberg Center where the local matnas (think JCC) operates a child development center for disadvantaged kids including many with various developmental issues. The Center opened recently and programming is increasing. Several after-school programs are already in progress and the first class for severely disabled kids was to start Monday. Led by the Feinberg family MetroWest has been instrumental in getting this center up and running.
  
  
• I had dinner (two nights) with Inbal Bistry. Inbal was one of our Rishonim (pre-army teens who come from Israel and work in our community). Four years ago she lived in our home for several months and we have stayed in contact ever since. She left the army about six months ago, traveled in the Far East (like many Israelis when there service is done) is now working to save up enough money to continue her education. I try to see her whenever I visit and have developed a friendship with her family.
  
  
• Visited the Eretz Israel Museum…an eclectic museum containing coin collections, stamp collections, glass collections, ceramics collections, archeological digs, etc. It really is a place you can spend a few hours. I still haven’t figured out the building dedicated to construction using concrete. I did enjoy a special exhibit of photos taken of members of the Ultra-orthodox community.
  
  
• Visited Kibbutz Erez…for those of you who have read about my trips before visiting Erez is nothing new. All I can report is that it rained (I haven’t experienced that in Erez before), that the Kibbutz director, Yahel, and his wife are expecting a baby, that more safe-rooms have been constructed to protect residents from Kassam missiles and that no rockets have hit the kibbutz since December. Well that’s not quite true. A couple of hours after we left the first Kassam in months landed in the kibbutz.
  
  
• Had a Bedouin style dinner in a tent outside of Mitzpah Ramon, not far from the Ramon Crater. It was quite a feast and was served in a tent.
  
  

We have a small but good group for this mission. With the first day drawing to a close it looks like the newbies and the old-timers are bonding. I’m looking forward to tomorrow…a day of adventure in the Ramon Crater with female members of the IDF. More to follow…

Gary Aidekman

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Bedouin hospitality near Machtesh Ramon.

Bedouin dinner.

On the Gaza border at Kibbutz Erez.