|
PASSPORT TO ISRAEL
This summer, with Kory Bluestein & Robin Ekpunobi, I had the opportunity to again participate in CJP’s Follow Me to Israel Institute. Although too brief (only in Israel for seven days), this time was packed with remarkable experiences & emotions.
It was wonderful to see people from Temple Beth Emunah in Israel. We saw our Israel Pilgrimage USYers (Rebecca Shoom, Jacob Caplain, & Samantha Liberty) at a USY “Happening” in Park Ben Shemen. I saw Jacob Merlin at Congregation Shira Hadasha on Friday evening. Rabbi Edgar Nof also welcomed some of our group for dinner in Haifa at Congregation Or Chadash where we also got to visit with his wife, Deborah, & in-laws, Sibby & Yale Newman. I also enjoyed running into several other people, some of whom I had not seen in many years.
While in Israel, I experienced a wide range of emotions. I was overcome with sadness at the Kotel (Western Wall) about many aspects of the past year (including my health & the loss of my grandmother) but, on Shabbat, I also realized how lucky I was to be standing in Jerusalem & receiving the blessings of the priests in the Great Synagogue.
Above all were the opportunities to learn more about the many summer & long-term Israel experiences available to our teens, to interact with many American & Israeli teenagers, & to visit with many of the more popular teen programs. We saw first-hand the positive impact of the Israel experience on hundreds of American teens. We learned that they each considered this summer the opportunity of a lifetime, how each fell in love with Israel, how the Jewish identity of each teen was solidified by the experience, & how safe they (& we) each felt.
The real Israel is not what you see on CNN. The only way to understand is to be there & you’ll understand within the first few hours. If you have never been to Israel, go. If you have been there, go again & again….and send your children. Instead of “Next year in Jerusalem”, it is my hope that we will each say “This year in Jerusalem” & really mean it.
Lisa & I wish you all a year filled with good health, happiness, and peace. Happy 5768 to everyone
Cantor Alan Kritz
Passport to Israel
Passport to Israel is a savings program
through which families are able to
invest in their children’s future
connection with Israel.
Parents of next year’s third grade
students will be able to enroll their
children in Passport to Israel and
invest $200 per year while their child
is in grades 3-9 towards a trip to
Israel sometime after completing the
10th grade. Parents of seventh grade
students will have the same opportunity
to enroll their children with an investment
of $400 per year in grades 7-9. In
addition to interest earned, the investments
will be matched 50% by CJP. What a
wonderful opportunity to make an Israel
experience for your children more
affordable!
3rd Grade Israel Scavenger Hunt:
To download, just right click on the document and choose "save target as" to save it on your computer
Scavenger Hunt Questions in MS Word
Scavenger Hunt Questions in MS Works
Scavenger Hunt Questions in Wordperfect
Page 2
|
