by Dan Schechter, Chicago
December 2002

I will try to share, three weeks after the Israel Winter Seminar, a few recollections that seem to have made a particular impact without consulting notes or the abundance of text materials provided to us.

The sense that with all their anxieties, Israelis are able to carry on their lives under constantly trying circumstances.

That, no matter how it is lived, Shabbat is observed to whatever degree, by an entire nation. I recall the dual experience of praying for "Mother Jerusalem" in Jerusalem, and the next Shabbat at home, praying for the Israel Defense Forces, as well as now praying for the armed forces of my country.

The encounters in the darkened cemetery with the work and words of the earliest socialist poets, philosophers and others who are all truly heroes and heroines of Palestine.

The interview session with Moshe in his apartment, a man who had walked to Israel from Persia, and who initially addressed me as his "father" but hugged me as his "brother" when we left.

The sense of history, modern and ancient, wherever we went: in caves, in planting of trees, in walking the streets of Jerusalem and Safed, among so many others.

The kindness of Professor Magidor, the president of the Hebrew University, in taking time not only to tell us of the University's history and share with us his vision for the future, but also in listening to each of us tell of our connections with Israel.

I could go on, but I won't. Suffice to say, this experience shared with so many caring people – on the trip and with whom we visited, will be remembered as eleven of the most wonderful days of my life.

We are greatly indebted to Haim Aronovitz, Yonatan Mirvis, Tamar Katz and the others who made the experience possible. For us that certainly includes Judy Kupchan, director of the Center for Jewish Teacher Education in Chicago.