Every year, students at HUC-JIR in Jerusalem take on a t'rumah (offering/gift/contribution) project in the local community. I have been lucky enough to work with one of my classmates, Rachel, at Beit Eden and Kibbutz Gezer this year for my t'rumah project.
Our once-a-month weekends start on Friday when I pick up a rental car and drive out to Ramle, a city in between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv with a rich history including a history of shared-existence between Jews, and Muslim and Christian Arabs. We meet up with Rachel and her boyfriend Geoff at an incredible, family owned and third-generation operated hummus restaurant called, "Samir's," with THE BEST hummus in the world. (I can say that now that we've tried hummus everywhere in Israel) Walking into Samir's at this point is like walking into a dining room in my own home. We set our own table, we serve ourselves drinks, Jalil (Samir's son) just brings out what we want, without even asking. It really is a family business, and we have become family much more than just customers.
After our delicious lunch, we head over to Beit Eden, a live-in facility for children with severe disabilities (I acknowledge that I'm sure I'm not using the correct term). Rachel and I join Uri (who was Becky's teacher when she spent a semester here!) and Yuval, two volunteers who come into Beit Eden every week, and help lead Shabbat with the kids. As we and the kids have become more comfortable with each other, Rachel and I started playing games with the kids, such as "hamelech amar" (Israeli version of "Simon Says"), and "I Spy." Of course, the kids know almost zero English, but they are extremely helpful and patient with us as we struggle to communicate with them.
The kids honestly love having guests and light up any time someone new comes into the room. Indeed, the first time we came to Beit Eden, I wasn't sure we would be able to start our program because we were bombarded with hugs. It was moments like those that make Beit Eden such a remarkable and memorable place.
Here's a video of part of a normal visit.
After some singing and dancing, we say goodbye and make our way to Kibbutz Gezer. We usually spend the afternoon relaxing, noshing, chatting, and drinking Starbucks coffee (a REAL treat!) with Rabbi Miri and her husband, David, two of the sweetest, most welcoming people we have ever had the fortune of meeting. We help them prepare for Shabbat, again, as if we are family (last time, I even mopped the floors).
Around 6 PM, we walk over to the Kibbutz's synagogue - a small room that can squeeze around 50 people. Rachel and I lead the music for the Shabbat service. The community sits along three walls, but what makes this community really unique and special is that they don't let the music leader sit or stand at the front. We sit near the front, but we face one of the three sides. While that has presented a challenge in terms of how to adapt our song leading style, from the community's perspective, it means that the community leads itself in song, instead of being sung to. It is a beautiful environment that allows the leader to lead and participate at the same time, since there is a constant feeling of being supported by the community.
After services, we return to David & Miri's where an abundant Shabbos spread is always waiting for us. David's father, who lives next-door, leads kiddush, the blessing over wine, and we all join together in eating the wonderful festive meal. After eating ourselves silly with the filling appetizers (including another serving of Samir's hummus), then their's the main course, followed by David's homemade-from-scratch ice cream. Words can't describe how amazing this ice cream tastes. He uses high-quality ingredients, and you can taste the difference. As he says, "my ice cream would be too expensive to sell in stores." It's true. And it would also sell out in 5 minutes. We usually chat until the late hours of the night, at which point we usually stay over and hang out with the family until Saturday evening when we drive back to Jerusalem.
It's weird to think that yesterday was the last Friday doing these activities this year. I, no doubt, will be back to Kibbutz Gezer and, hopefully, Beit Eden, but it will never be the same as this year. David and Miri have been our home-away-from-home once a month. We have been able to have incredible conversations about Israel and I have learned so much from them, most memorably, David was the one who taught me about "regel achat - one leg/idea" which I taught in my d'var Torah and had inscribed on my Hadaya ring. Being with David and Miri, Kibbutz Gezer, and Beit Eden has been a real highlight of this year and provided us with an experience that we will never forget.
Our once-a-month weekends start on Friday when I pick up a rental car and drive out to Ramle, a city in between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv with a rich history including a history of shared-existence between Jews, and Muslim and Christian Arabs. We meet up with Rachel and her boyfriend Geoff at an incredible, family owned and third-generation operated hummus restaurant called, "Samir's," with THE BEST hummus in the world. (I can say that now that we've tried hummus everywhere in Israel) Walking into Samir's at this point is like walking into a dining room in my own home. We set our own table, we serve ourselves drinks, Jalil (Samir's son) just brings out what we want, without even asking. It really is a family business, and we have become family much more than just customers.
After our delicious lunch, we head over to Beit Eden, a live-in facility for children with severe disabilities (I acknowledge that I'm sure I'm not using the correct term). Rachel and I join Uri (who was Becky's teacher when she spent a semester here!) and Yuval, two volunteers who come into Beit Eden every week, and help lead Shabbat with the kids. As we and the kids have become more comfortable with each other, Rachel and I started playing games with the kids, such as "hamelech amar" (Israeli version of "Simon Says"), and "I Spy." Of course, the kids know almost zero English, but they are extremely helpful and patient with us as we struggle to communicate with them.
The kids honestly love having guests and light up any time someone new comes into the room. Indeed, the first time we came to Beit Eden, I wasn't sure we would be able to start our program because we were bombarded with hugs. It was moments like those that make Beit Eden such a remarkable and memorable place.
Here's a video of part of a normal visit.
After some singing and dancing, we say goodbye and make our way to Kibbutz Gezer. We usually spend the afternoon relaxing, noshing, chatting, and drinking Starbucks coffee (a REAL treat!) with Rabbi Miri and her husband, David, two of the sweetest, most welcoming people we have ever had the fortune of meeting. We help them prepare for Shabbat, again, as if we are family (last time, I even mopped the floors).
Around 6 PM, we walk over to the Kibbutz's synagogue - a small room that can squeeze around 50 people. Rachel and I lead the music for the Shabbat service. The community sits along three walls, but what makes this community really unique and special is that they don't let the music leader sit or stand at the front. We sit near the front, but we face one of the three sides. While that has presented a challenge in terms of how to adapt our song leading style, from the community's perspective, it means that the community leads itself in song, instead of being sung to. It is a beautiful environment that allows the leader to lead and participate at the same time, since there is a constant feeling of being supported by the community.
After services, we return to David & Miri's where an abundant Shabbos spread is always waiting for us. David's father, who lives next-door, leads kiddush, the blessing over wine, and we all join together in eating the wonderful festive meal. After eating ourselves silly with the filling appetizers (including another serving of Samir's hummus), then their's the main course, followed by David's homemade-from-scratch ice cream. Words can't describe how amazing this ice cream tastes. He uses high-quality ingredients, and you can taste the difference. As he says, "my ice cream would be too expensive to sell in stores." It's true. And it would also sell out in 5 minutes. We usually chat until the late hours of the night, at which point we usually stay over and hang out with the family until Saturday evening when we drive back to Jerusalem.
It's weird to think that yesterday was the last Friday doing these activities this year. I, no doubt, will be back to Kibbutz Gezer and, hopefully, Beit Eden, but it will never be the same as this year. David and Miri have been our home-away-from-home once a month. We have been able to have incredible conversations about Israel and I have learned so much from them, most memorably, David was the one who taught me about "regel achat - one leg/idea" which I taught in my d'var Torah and had inscribed on my Hadaya ring. Being with David and Miri, Kibbutz Gezer, and Beit Eden has been a real highlight of this year and provided us with an experience that we will never forget.
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