Looking back

Many of us have made our way back home now. Some are still traveling, and hopefully their journey back to Nashville will soon be complete. After climbing Masada and floating in the Dead Sea, our last several days in Israel were even more meaningful. Friday before Shabbat we went to Yad Vashem, the newly re-done Holocaust Museum. It is quite powerful and overwhelming. The architecture places the museum in a triangle shaped building, perhaps like an arrow shooting toward Jerusalem, perhaps like half a Star of David, incomplete as we will remain having lost so many. But the building opens up in bright light, overlooking the New Jerusalem, and we learn over and over, "Remember the Past, Live the Present, and Trust in the Future."
After remembering the past, we definitely tasted the present as we made our way to Mahane Yehuda (the Shuk, or market). Friday before Shabbat begins is a crazy time in Jerusalem, with people rushing to get what they need for Shabbat, for dinner with their families and friends. We, of course, bought some yummy rugelach at Marzipan, and enjoyed the sights smells and tastes of the Shuk. Many of these pictures tell that story!
Friday night, our two congregations came together as some of us went to Shira Chadasha, an egalitarian lay-led Orthodox shul for services. A woman led the Kabbalat Shabbat service, and a man led the evening prayers. We sat separately, but side-by-side, and hundreds of voices joined together beautifully in joyful song. I have no words to express how that elevated me, as I hope it did the others who came with us. It was a great way to complete the circle of our two communities coming together. We joined the rest of the group for Shabbat dinner and shared a meaningful memory we each had from the trip - many of us mentioned the visit to the ancient synagogue in Katzrin where Rabbi Saul and I led mincha (afternoon) prayers together. Another great symbol of how lucky we are to have the Nashville community we do!
Shabbat morning, some of us went to HUC-JIR, the Reform Rabbinic School, for services. There Rachel (Albert Mark's girlfriend) chanted Torah beautifully and our own Dr. Fred Goldner had an aliyah to the Torah. After lunch, we took a walking tour of Yemin Moshe, the first development outside the city walls in Jerusalem, and learned through the poetry of Israel's own Yehudah Amichai (z"l). Then we packed up and had our final dinner together. Just before we ate, Frank May shared with us some of the paintings he had made throughout the trip. He'd wake at 5 or so in the morning and find an inspiring spot to capture on canvas. It was wonderful to see our trip through his eyes and that medium. And then we said L'hitraot to Israel, and to our new friends Sharon and Moshe- not goodbye, but we will see you soon. That is for sure.