I forgot to mention yesterday that Israel is in the middle of a heat wave. It feels like summer but looks like the fall. The temperatures are in the high 80's and could hit 90's which is unusual for this time of year. What a change from the cold NY weather I left behind. But it really looks like fall here. The main drag of the area where I am staying is Emek Refaim St. I took my hosts out for dinner at a very good restaurant, Moshava 54. All the eateries were busy, not packed but the street was almost empty of all people. During the summer the sidewalks on both sides are packed and the stores are opened very late.
I hooked up with Simcha, our friend from Mexico who made aliya 9 months ago, and her boyfriend Ori. I know her MJCC family will be happy to learn that she is seeing seriously a nice Jewish boy. I spent half the day with them. We went to the Israel Museum. After being closed for a long time the Israel Museum just reopened after extensive renovations and improvements. We took two guided tours, one the Judaica section and the Synagogue section. 4 whole abandoned synagogues were moved to the Museum, one from Italy, one from Germany, one from India, and one from Brazil. The building styles reflected the country each shul was in. We saw a movie about the evolution of Israeli artists during the past 100 years. That was very interesting.
In the museum I bumped into old friends from Spfld, MA. I looked at them for a while until it dawned on me that it was the Pavas. Danny's daughter got married yesterday and they were in for the wedding. The ingathering of the exiles happens all the time here all the time and you never know who you are going to bump into.
I visited with Rabbi Ed Romm who works for United Synagogue here in Israel. I have an idea for an unusual trip to Israel that I will share with you once I put more thought into it. Rabbi Romm was excited about the idea and offered to help out by connecting us to United Synagogue and the Conservative Yeshiva. I tried to visit Cantor Avi Zablocki, but he must have heard that I was in the country so he and his wife Rivka are taking a short vacation in Malta. His daughter Adina, if you remember her, filled me in on all the details when she opened up their door. Same thing with my friends the Renders. I asked my hosts why didn't they leave the country like the rest of my friends and Peretz told me he had no choice for he drew the short straw.
Tomorrow my bike is put together. We have orientation, take a short ride, and then leave bright and early Wedns morning. Eilat or bust!
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