We landed early this morning and after a relatively easy flight and travel and arrived from Zurich at 3:45.  ARZA/DAAT Travel took good care of us so that we were able to check into our room early and sleep before indulging in the incredible Israeli hotel Breakfast which Nathan has been looking forward to breakfast since we last were last here in 2015!  We then went on a guided walking tour of the Neve Tzedek neighborhood, founded in 1888, before Tel Aviv was built and is now known for its narrow winding streets and is home to some of Israel’s finest theaters, dance companies, and art houses. We finished the tour at the Tel Aviv old train station and park and  Gabi and I said good-bye to the rest of the Bellows and their grandparents and headed for the Hotel. Gabi is doing well and is looking forward to being pain-free after she has microdiscectomy surgery soon after we return home.   She is a great sport and is going to do as much of  the tour as she can. she knows that while here in Israel she is free to go to her fav coffee shop, Aroma and do homework or go back to the hotel to rest.

We are quite fortunate that the kids consider Israel as one of their homes: Lucy is trying to speak only Hebrew and is making a vlog (video blog) and Nathan is soaking everything up and offering us a great deal back!

I am re-experiencing, through the kids, what it first felt like to be in Israel, to touch ground on this land.  As one kid said to me this morning, “Everyone looks like me here.”  Whether literally true or not—she expressed a feeling that I first had decades ago when coming to Israel at 16 years old. There is a comfort level here for them, a sense of belonging, of fitting in, they feel they have a place in this world and as much as I want to talk about Reform Judaism in Israel and pluralism (and I will)…. I know what she means.  There will be plenty of time to experience the reality of what it means to be a Reform Jew in Israel and to talk about  the politics here and the deep levels of discrimination experienced by many.  But For now, on this 4^th day of Hanukkah, it is so awesome to witness the miracle of our People, this Land, and my children who feel a connection to this land and the ancestors.

Our Congregation Beth Am Tour officially begins tomorrow!  Shavua Tov and Happy Hanukkah!

Happy Hanukkah on Dizengoff street:sunset view from hotel room: Nathan and his first Sufganiah in Israel: