Why do you still do it?
Aren't you too old?How many trips have you led?
Isn't it hard t leave your family?
How many times have you gone to Israel?
Don't you get bored of seeing the same stuff again and again?
Valid.All of the above are valid questions. I mean, I'm fuckin' old. I'd be lying if I denied that at the end of a week of wading through streams, climbing mountains, and touring that I didn't feel some pain in both of my knees climbing stairs. I'd be lying if I didn't ask myself some of the above questions every December when I have to decide if I'm going to lead another summer trip to Israel.
But it's worth it.
And yes, I'm going to try and answer the above questions to show why, at 47 years old, it is way worth it.
I'll be honest. The participants and the staff, at this point, could almost be my children. They are almost half my age. I'm sure they look at me like I'm some relic - especially when I tell them that I've led 16 trips and this past trip was my 18th to Israel.
It never gets old. It is amazing how every hike I have done a dozen times and every sight I see a dozen times seems new and different when reflected in the eyes of a new group of people. To see their amazement, to feel their appreciation, and to answer their questions is really a pleasure. To share my love of the land and the Israeli people is something I cherish, and when I see that love reflected back to me by the American and Israeli participants, it is worth it in spades.
I don't think I'll ever tire of standing on the Golan overlooking the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) or watching the sun rise over the Jordanian mountains from Masada. I don't think I'll ever tire of looking across the border at Syria from the Golan and recalling the heroic stories of the men that conquered that land so the northern border communities of Israel can live in peace. I don't think I'll ever tire of the fullness of my heart the first time I ride the bus and climb the Judean mountains to reach Jerusalem, or tire of sitting on the rooftops in the Old City beholding the holiness of 3 religions - the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Dome of the Rock, and the Kotel (Western Wall). And I know I'll never grow tired of watching the waves of the Mediterranean Sea and walking the streets of Tel-Aviv.
And I know I'll never get tired of the feeling of pride I have that there is a Jewish homeland for my people - and sharing my love for it with new Israeli and American participants. And of course, I will never get tired of my 'rabbinic' role of ceremonially leading Shabbat services and offering to Bar/Bat Mitzvah participants that never had a chance to have one or to have a Hebrew name. This summer, I Bar/Bat Mitzvah'd 7 participants and gave names to a handful of others.
As if those reasons were not enough, I will share 2 specific things from this past trip that make it all worth it. First of all, we had an American participant on this trip that only found out she was Jewish a year and a half ago at age 25. When she found out that she was Jewish and she was eligible to go on Birthright (Taglit), she took the chance to learn about her unknown heritage. She learned that she had an aunt and cousin in Israel and she stayed an extra day to spend time with them. How powerful was the experience? This is what she wrote:
"[My aunt] is 97 years young! She turns 98 on July 20 which also happens to be my birthday (I had her age messed up before). We spent all day crying, laughing, and talking. She is an incredible storyteller with perfect recall of names, dates, places, and specific details. Born in 1920, I learned about everything she had to overcome from anti-semitism to WW2 to hunger, to her father being imprisoned in a Soviet camp for years, to the death of her brother and his life (my great grandfather), to how she came to Israel and so much more. Her father was the youngest of 17 children, but happened to move away from the town they lived in which was contested between Poland and Russia. The land was officially Poland during the war. All 16 remaining children and their children perished in the holocaust. In certain moments of emotion with the pain of talking about these things, she would pause and say “it would take a lifetime to explain everything but I will try” and try she did.
I'm so thankful for the Birthright experience that helped me understand her and connected me to the much larger family she shared with me. Apparently I have a boatload of cousins both in America and in Israel and Russia so more to come on that 😂. Miss everyone!"
In a nutshell, I am so thankful and honored to have been a part of facilitating the experience for her. Well worth it to help her discover her birthright.
And finally, it is worth it because leading the trips allows me to extend my own and spend time with my own Israeli family - not of blood, but family from experience. I am so thankful that 31 years after meeting Didi Remez, I was gifted with another 3 nights to spend with him, his beautiful wife Lilach and their 2 wonderful children who I love like my own. I am so thankful that I was able to spend an evening out with my amazing friend Udi, who I've known and loved for 20 years, and his amazingly wonderful girlfriend Tali. I am so thankful that I was able to spend yet another afternoon with my longtime brother Rick Teplitz. And I am so thankful to reconnect with my friend and participant from 2 years ago, Moshe Alexander, who made Aliyah 2 years ago. And I am thankful for my Israeli Shorashim family - like Tomer, who I didn't get to see this time, but I know I will see in years to come.
Though it's hard to leave my family, and it's hard to trek up mountains, and it's hard to amaze participants half my age with my swift journey up Masada, it is all worth it.
And after another summer, I am so blessed to once again have shared all of this with a new group of 49 participants and 2 staff members who are now part of my Shorashim family. Sometimes I wonder if I'm too old to connect with participants half my age...but from their reactions and comments at the end of the trip, I know that I still can and do. Thank you Bus #933 for once again showing me that our love for Israel and its people is important, and I am still relevant.
And thank you Michael Waitz and Michal Tamim and the rest of the Shorashim staff, and to my wife and family as well, for allowing me to still do this at age 47.
I am truly blessed.
