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My
Melton Israel Experience
By Harriet Goettel, Overland Park
As
my senses awoke one day not too long ago, I found myself sitting
alone in the Judean Desert. First light revealed barren hills
behind me and in front of me, and my hands explored the carpet
of small rocks and dry grass on which I sat, cross-legged.
The air was dense with insects seeking out my arms, legs,
and face. I swatted them away and waited for sunrise. I thought
about my ancestors living, wandering, and hiding in the deserts
of Eretz Yisrael and wondered if I was living their
predawn experience. As the landforms in front of me further
defined themselves, I remembered a description of calendar
time being communicated by torch from hilltop to hilltop.
And I talked to God. The horizon grew pink, and in the time
it took to draw in a breath, the sun seared a wedge between
one hilltop and the sky. Shehekiyonu, I prayed for
the umpteenth time that week. Thank you for giving me this
life-changing experience.
After
the sun had cleared the tops of the slopes, I rejoined Rabbi
Amy Wallk Katz and my eleven Melton classmates from Kansas
City, Melton couples from Florida, New Jersey, and Indiana,
Marvin from Oregon, and our teacher, Haim Aronovitz, in one
of the shaded group meeting areas at Qumran. We enjoyed yogurt,
boiled eggs, fruit and croissants, and shared our desert sunrise
experiences. We read and reacted to desert-set texts from
the Tanach, from modern Israeli poets and writers, and from
Saint Exupery's Little Prince. After this conversation over
breakfast, we would explore the archaeological discoveries
of the Essene community of Qumran. We would listen to the
sound of a stone hitting something other than desert floor
and see the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered
when a shepherd boy seeking a wayward goat tossed into one
of those caves just such a stone. We would read and discuss
more primary text material describing daily life among the
monastic community of the Seekers of Light. Then, still pondering
the Essenes' question of how a Jew should behave, we would
climb back aboard our bus and turn towards Masada…
I've
just described only the first part of one of eleven days I
lived as a Melton Israel seminar participant. Weeks after
we said goodbye to each other and headed back to our homes,
I'm still groping for adequate words to clearly describe this
extraordinary experience. My memories reengage every one of
my senses…savoring figs and apricots in the northerly breeze
cooling Herod's mountaintop palace…observing a haredi Rebbe's
tisch and the Friday night Jerusalem club scene during
a single midnight walking tour…listening with unexpected pride
to the voice of Ben Gurion proclaiming the state of Israel;
hours later staring with unimaginable sadness at the site
where this young nation lost its innocence with Rabin's was
murder…encountering the great poet laureate of Jewish nationalism,
Chaim Nachman Bialik, and Israel's Nobel prize winner, S.
Y. Agnon, in their homes; examining their words while inhaling
the leather and paper smells of their own libraries…letting
the Jordan and the Kinneret and even the Dead Sea remind me
how critical water is to this land… carefully considering
the opinions of Israeli citizens across the country with very
different political agendas,, …talking with young Israeli
soldiers about their dedication to the protection of their
country--in case I, an American--ever need to "come home".
Eating, reading, talking, walking, catching a few precious
hours of sleep and starting all over again. I have barely
described half of all I experienced during this exquisitely
planned and taught seminar.
The
Melton Israel seminar is developed by the same educators who
are responsible for the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School
curriculum. It reflects the same historical accuracy as well
as the values of breadth and inclusiveness that we have learned
to expect from our mini-course modules. The Melton Israel
trip is one of the richest experiences I have ever had. Becoming
a participant may be one of the most unique adult Jewish education
opportunities you can give yourself.
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