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Melton Israel Seminar participants from Greeley, Colorado gathered on September 11th to share their photos, memories and stories from the June 2011 Seminar, led by Melton Israel Seminar director Haim Aronovitz. They were also joined on the Seminar by Rabbi Sara Gilbert of Beth Israel Congregation, a 100-year-old synagogue in Greeley, and her husband Michael Gilbert, along with two Denverites, Thelma & Marty Hutt. The group met in Colorado -- both in Greeley and in Denver -- several times during the months prior to the Seminar to learn and get to know each other before embarking on the trip in June. All the participants commented on how wonderful and friendly the larger group was. "People came from all over North America! The group was so congenial, that by the second day no one was a stranger," says Bonnie Rohn. Tracey Adams, recovering from a recent surgery, noted that "although Israel isn't particularly handicapped-friendly, everyone in our group was, and they helped me along the way." Equally impressive was the educational quality of the Seminar. Says Michael Gilbert, "the way Haim tied together the information taught in our different locations and the way the pieces fell together was one of the most moving things about the trip." Says Jerry Metz, "this was not an 'on the bus, off the bus' trip. We spent quality time in each location, and we stopped in spots that others didn't visit - the parking lots were not crowded with other tour buses." Criss Clinton observed "Not having been in Israel before, I enjoyed all of it, and the way different pieces of information were tied together. Before I went, I wondered how anyone could survive in the desert heat, and then we learned about water - the cisterns, the tunnels, the agriculture - and I began to see why water is so critical to survival and such a source of contention between Israel and her neighbors." The June Seminar group stayed at Beit Meiersdorf, the Hebrew University faculty club, for much of its time on the Seminar, and they enthused about the roomy accommodations, the delicious food, the excellence of the staff and the incredible views of the old city of Jerusalem from both the dining room and the guest rooms. Summing up the group's observations, Michael Gilbert noted "I expected our comments to be all about the history, but most of us have spoken about the people - the shopkeepers, the speakers, Haim, each other - really, Israel is all about the people." > More News at
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