Reflections of Ahavas Achim's trip to Israel
By Chaye Kohl
Feb. 15, 2008

By the time we unloaded the buses at Ben-Gurion and headed for check-in at El Al, we were ribbing each other about boarding the plane for our return trip to New Jersey.

We worried about overweight luggage, hoping we might elude the flight attendants. We wondered if we would fit comfortably in the seats. This was the logical result of shopping until we dropped, and imbibing food at Israeli hotel buffet breakfasts and during visits to a variety of eating establishments. In 10 days, we, the participants in the sixth annual Congregation Ahavas Achim Mission to Israel had bonded as a group, sharing spiritual energy at the Kotel (Western Wall); packing Shabbat packages for the needy; riding camels in the Negev; and walking in the drizzling rain in Eilat (yes, it rained when we were in Eilat).

Congregation Ahavas Achim's trip to Israel, organized through Ariel Tours of Brooklyn, left Newark International airport on Jan. 16, and returned at 5:30 a.m. Jan. 28. Lisa Presser, AA's mission liaison, worked tirelessly, beginning back in August, to recruit participants and answer all queries.

Presser, when asked about the size of the Mission provided this group profile: "There were 73 people on the Mission. Twenty-five were kids. Eleven Yeshiva students studying in Israel joined us for part of the time. Rabbi Ronald Schwarzberg [then congregational rabbi, now rabbi emeritus] led a small group (13 participants) back in 2002. In 2003, I first joined and Rabbi S. led 45 people. Thereafter, we have had 55, 65, 87, 65, and then 73 this year."

The group consisted of diverse family groupings. There were children from 8 years old to late teens. There were also some grandparents along for the adventure. Various families anticipated spending time with a child who was enrolled for his/her post-high school year in an Israeli yeshiva. Other teens and parents spent time visiting yeshivot in preparation for choosing an Israeli school to enroll in for the coming year.

The itinerary provided spiritual highs, physical thrills, emotional moments, and historical insights. The first stop after Ben-Gurion, on Jan. 17, was at the Kotel, to pray Shacharit. Both Shabbatot were spent in Jerusalem and many participants used the opportunity to pray at the Kotel on Friday night or Shabbat. The Kings Hotel, our Jerusalem base, is a three-and-a-half star hotel, centrally located, which provided clean rooms and a delicious breakfast buffet, as well as Shabbat meals.

History lessons given during the trip were so palatable -- we were in a "living museum." Walking tours of the Old City of Jerusalem, the Rechavia and Talbieh neighborhoods, as well as a charming afternoon spent at Mazkeret Batya, gave us a glimpse into the lives of previous inhabitants of the land of Israel. Camel riding and a late night visit to Timna, site of Solomon's Pillars, lent an exotic flavor to Biblical history narratives.

Chesed work (good deeds) was done at Yad Eliezer, where AA Mission participants packed cartons of food for the poor. Competition enlivened the assembly line work. The women/girls' group was pitted against the men/boys' group. Who could pass the varied items, pack and seal 50 boxes in less time? Yes! The female-"manned" assembly line was faster!

We also spent a rainy morning inside a tent at the foot of Har Hazetim. We sifted through the rubble, which is being excavated and discarded by the Waqf from the Temple Mount. After an initial training session, we paired up and poured buckets of rubble onto mesh sifter trays. Patient searching yielded shards of pottery, bits of broken glass, mosaic tiles, and fragments of animal bone (residue of Temple Sacrifices?).

Some distinct highlights of the trip:

- Friday night Kabblat Shabbat services at The Great Synagogue -- with the choir!

- Early morning prayers at the Kotel.

- Friday night schmoozes with Rabbi Ronald Schwarzberg. Favorite topic: "The Year in Israel and Flipping Out."

- Divrei Torah (Torah discourses) delivered at each Shabbat meal by AA teens who were studying in Israeli yeshivot for the year.

- Singing Zemirot on Shabbat and Old Chalutzim (pioneers') songs on the bus.

- Snapping photos with Elvis at the Elvis rest stop outside Jerusalem. (The King may be alive and well and living near Jerusalem.)

- Buying Michal Negrin's latest creations.

The AA Mission provided an affordable and pleasurable Israel experience for families. On the last day of the trip, the AA placard in the hotel lobby had check-out instructions and bus boarding directions. Below the directives it said: "Sign up for next year's AA Mission." By departure time six families had signed onto the list.

Chaye Kohl can be reached at chayekohl@aol.com and can be spotted walking-off calories at Donaldson Park.