Israel Day 10 - Wednesday May 10, 2023

 After breakfast, we left the Farm and Guesthouse at Vered Ha-Galil and began the drive back to Tel Aviv, where we started our adventures more than a week before. The bus was quieter than usual as we were all thinking about the day ahead and ultimately having to say goodbye to Israel and to one another after an incredible week of touring, friendships, and learning.

 

But before we were scheduled to arrive back in Tel Aviv for an afternoon free, we stopped at a large elementary school in the seaside city of Netanya. It was there that we met with the Principal, Racheli Slater-Tzarfati, who was actually our guide on the very first trip that we made to Israel with a group of Grade 8 students from the Rashi School. Racheli was a superb guide, and once she married and had a family, she went back to school to get her degree in Education and then her credentials as a building principal. The Hayim Hefer Primary School in Netanya (Grades 1-6) has tripled in size over the past decade or so, a sign of the growing popularity of Netanya. With 700 students and a large faculty and staff, Racheli told us about the culture of the school with its large immigrant population and students coming into the school each week from countries all over the world. Many students come to the school with no knowledge of Hebrew at all and the families are from incredibly diverse educational, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. After Racheli welcomed us to her school and introduced us to her leadership staff, we took a walk around the building and discovered that it was “English Day” at school – one day every couple of weeks during which time English-speaking, writing, and other fun activities are encouraged. The students were enjoying recess when we arrived, with upbeat music playing in the courtyard and teachers and students interacting joyously. It was terrific to see these children and think about the future State of Israel – a State that brings together so many different people and languages and traditions. After singing and dancing and speaking English with some of the children, we were directed to the Library where a beautiful lunch was waiting for our group to enjoy. While we ate lunch, some of the Grade 5 students came and presented to us their science projects on the organs of the body – in English! It was impressive to see their skill-levels, but more impressive to get a glimpse into how much they care about their studies and their achievements. 

 

We left Netanya and about 45 minutes later arrived in Tel Aviv, ready for some free time to shop, swim, drink coffee, walk around Tel Aviv, and just enjoy the warm and sunny weather. Our bus dropped us off in three places in and around Tel Aviv and we set a meeting place for later that evening so that we could depart for the airport and our flight back to Boston. With our group in several different places for the first time since the trip began, it felt a little strange to be on our own. And then, the unimaginable happened. While our guide, Shimon, had spoken to us about the possibility of rockets being launched from Gaza into Israel that afternoon, it felt impossible to believe that Tel Aviv – a long way from Gaza – could be targeted. As we were scattered through Tel Aviv – at the Gordon Pool, in the lovely neighborhood of Neve Tzedek, in Jaffa, in the heart of the city or at the beach – some of us heard sirens and some of us felt explosions that were close enough to hear but far enough away to be assured that they were not reaching the long distance from Gaza to Tel Aviv. 

 

I have been to Israel many times, but never experienced such a thing before. I was planning to sit in a café, drink an iced coffee and do some work on Wednesday afternoon, but as they say, “We plan and God laughs.” Literally, as I stepped off the bus, a woman working at a natural foods shop on Dizengoff Street tugged on my shoulder to come into her store, go downstairs to the “safe place,” and wait there until the all-clear signs were given for people to move about freely in Tel Aviv once again. It was remarkable. People reaching out to help strangers – old people, young people, people from Tel Aviv, and from different places around the world. The residents and shop owners and restauranteurs graciously made sure that people were heading to safe places around the city. While thankfully, none of the rockets hit Tel Aviv, we learned later that over 300 rockets had been launched into southern and central Israel from Gaza on Wednesday and Thursday. Any rockets that may have landed in residential or business areas had been fortunately intercepted by the Iron Dome, Israel’s miraculous anti-missile system that protects its citizens from these types of attacks. We were grateful that our What’s App group chat kept us in close touch with one another throughout the afternoon. While it was not a pleasant experience, we certainly got a very small taste of what it is like to be Israeli and to live with this situation on a regular basis. We marveled at the ways in which Israelis seek shelter, wait for the urgency to conclude, and then just go back to their lunches, shopping, jobs, school, and lives. It was not a comfortable way to spend the afternoon; we learned that the purpose of seeking shelter is to be out of the way of possible breaking and flying glass and other objects. 

 

Fortunately, we all met back up at our bus stop safely and with stories of our afternoons to share with one another on the ride back to Ben Gurion Airport. The rest of the evening was quiet and we left, excited to see family and friends back home, sad having reached the conclusion of our fabulous adventures, and satisfied that we had learned so much and enjoyed Israel and one another.