Our last day....and a very powerful! Checking out of the hotel we proceeded to Yad Vashem - Israel's Holocaust Museum. On the way to the museum we learned that this morning the German Chancellor would also be visiting the same spot. Besides the huge irony of being at the museum at the same time as the Chancellor of Germany we anticipated huge delays as security and traffic would be tough. Nevertheless we proceeded to the museum and all agreed it was powerful and for some overwhelming.
The highlight of our visit to the museum was a wonderful presentation by Cynthia W who is the daughter of our members Helen and Eli G. Cynthia is part of an exciting initiative at Yad Vashem (hopefully we'll post more on this soon) and it was so wonderful to find yet another Gainesville connection in Israel.
Lunch was at the Yad Vashem cafeteria and then we proceeded to have a bit of shopping time at Ben Yehuda Street before the final banquet in Israel for the group.
At the final dinner the members of the group each had a chance to speak of their experiences and reactions to the trip and to Israel. In many ways this was, for me, the most precious moments of the trip. Not only has Israel touched each and every participant, but the group has developed and coalesced in a very special way. Special friendships were formed by each of us on the trip and even though we all knew each other to some degree before travel (from the group meetings; from shul functions, etc) we gained a deeper appreciation for each other and have bonded in a meaningful way. Kol Hakavod to all of you.
We also learned that tomorrow our own Todd Hasak-Lowy will be appearing on the Israeli version of "Good Morning America" to discuss his short story book which has recently been issued in Hebrew. We can't wait to see the clip, Todd!
The trip home was ... long! But we managed the tight security and customs inspections and all arrived safely. As I write this we are back in Gainesville but dead tired after some 30 hours of travel/being awake. A final essay on the trip will be here shortly. Stay tuned.
The highlight of our visit to the museum was a wonderful presentation by Cynthia W who is the daughter of our members Helen and Eli G. Cynthia is part of an exciting initiative at Yad Vashem (hopefully we'll post more on this soon) and it was so wonderful to find yet another Gainesville connection in Israel.
Lunch was at the Yad Vashem cafeteria and then we proceeded to have a bit of shopping time at Ben Yehuda Street before the final banquet in Israel for the group.
At the final dinner the members of the group each had a chance to speak of their experiences and reactions to the trip and to Israel. In many ways this was, for me, the most precious moments of the trip. Not only has Israel touched each and every participant, but the group has developed and coalesced in a very special way. Special friendships were formed by each of us on the trip and even though we all knew each other to some degree before travel (from the group meetings; from shul functions, etc) we gained a deeper appreciation for each other and have bonded in a meaningful way. Kol Hakavod to all of you.
We also learned that tomorrow our own Todd Hasak-Lowy will be appearing on the Israeli version of "Good Morning America" to discuss his short story book which has recently been issued in Hebrew. We can't wait to see the clip, Todd!
The trip home was ... long! But we managed the tight security and customs inspections and all arrived safely. As I write this we are back in Gainesville but dead tired after some 30 hours of travel/being awake. A final essay on the trip will be here shortly. Stay tuned.
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