Thursday, June 16, 2011
June 8, Wednesday
The Nahalal tour.
Nahalal was where my maternal family settled in Israel. Each time we visit we get closer to the real history of how it came to be that my father's uncle, Yakov, and others from Eastern Europe left their homes in search of a country where they could be free and own land. And how slowly, other family members came to Palestine and the United States.
Before visiting Nahalal, however, we went to the cemetery of Nahalal where Yakov and Chana, Yishavam, Drora, and many other Webman family members are buried. Also Moshe Dayan and the Israeli astronaut who was killed in the Challenger disaster.
The story of creating Nahalal is very interesting. Yakov Webman was supposed to work in a mill with his family in Poland. But he refused and was determined to study. His family realized that he was serious about following his own mind so they all helped him find the schools in which to study. During this period he met many Zionists, including Ben Gurion. He became convinced that he should live in Israel and work the land.
The land of Nahalal belonged to an Arab who had many sons. The sons were not caring to their father and were only waiting for him to die so they could inherit his land. But the man did not like this attitude and sold the land to the Jews. While living in tents, these Zonists figured out how to drain the swampy land by digging trenches by hand and laying pipes to follow the natural typography of the land. None of them knew how to farm, but everyone was determined to be successful in agriculture. To these people, it meant stability and owning a piece of the future. The group of people who worked the land decided that they wanted to create a Moshav, a cooperative, not a Kibbutz. So they hired an architect to draw up a plan. It became a circle with many spokes. All the community buildings were in the center: the scools, clinic, etc. Outside the circle were all the farms of equal dimension and acreage. Nahalal was established in 1921. The dairy farm is still in operation today, along with some of the original members of my family from 1921.
We were served a delicious vegetarian lunch and then proceeded to visit the "family farm". Hadassah, the oldest of Yakov's siblings, was too frail to see us, but she promised to relate stories of my father as a young boy in nearby Jedda. We visited Uri who was married to my father's aunt and ran the dairy farm. He was so excited to see us, but he, too, has become frail since we saw him last. So now it is even more important for our family to communicate and stay together.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Nahalal was where my maternal family settled in Israel. Each time we visit we get closer to the real history of how it came to be that my father's uncle, Yakov, and others from Eastern Europe left their homes in search of a country where they could be free and own land. And how slowly, other family members came to Palestine and the United States.
Before visiting Nahalal, however, we went to the cemetery of Nahalal where Yakov and Chana, Yishavam, Drora, and many other Webman family members are buried. Also Moshe Dayan and the Israeli astronaut who was killed in the Challenger disaster.
The story of creating Nahalal is very interesting. Yakov Webman was supposed to work in a mill with his family in Poland. But he refused and was determined to study. His family realized that he was serious about following his own mind so they all helped him find the schools in which to study. During this period he met many Zionists, including Ben Gurion. He became convinced that he should live in Israel and work the land.
The land of Nahalal belonged to an Arab who had many sons. The sons were not caring to their father and were only waiting for him to die so they could inherit his land. But the man did not like this attitude and sold the land to the Jews. While living in tents, these Zonists figured out how to drain the swampy land by digging trenches by hand and laying pipes to follow the natural typography of the land. None of them knew how to farm, but everyone was determined to be successful in agriculture. To these people, it meant stability and owning a piece of the future. The group of people who worked the land decided that they wanted to create a Moshav, a cooperative, not a Kibbutz. So they hired an architect to draw up a plan. It became a circle with many spokes. All the community buildings were in the center: the scools, clinic, etc. Outside the circle were all the farms of equal dimension and acreage. Nahalal was established in 1921. The dairy farm is still in operation today, along with some of the original members of my family from 1921.
We were served a delicious vegetarian lunch and then proceeded to visit the "family farm". Hadassah, the oldest of Yakov's siblings, was too frail to see us, but she promised to relate stories of my father as a young boy in nearby Jedda. We visited Uri who was married to my father's aunt and ran the dairy farm. He was so excited to see us, but he, too, has become frail since we saw him last. So now it is even more important for our family to communicate and stay together.
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June 5/6 - Sunday/Monday
Up early to catch a 1:30 ElAl flight to Israel. It's only an hour drive to the airport, 2 1/2 hr wait, then about 10 1/2 hrs. of flying time. Excellent and uneventful flight. Even security was easy, although they did pat Peter down and the scan him, probably because of his two new knees. He kind of liked it, though. We arrived at 7:00 am after an uneventful trip. The taxi driver argued with us about the price to Tel Aviv - highway travel vs secondary roads was an additional fee - and was screaming on the telephone with several people during the entire trip to the city. On the way to the hotel, I become obsessed by my Mobal world phone that was supposed to work in Israel. It's wasn't working. We arrive at the hotel and surprise! The room was ready! It's now 9:00 am and I've resigned myself to pay to use the hotel phone to call my sister, who has already been here a few days and I call customer service. We agreed to meet at her hotel for a second breakfast and coffee when customer service returns my call. "Dial any combination of these numbers," the woman says. She's not really sure why I can't dial out. I finally figure it out and can now enjoy my day.
So off we go to see my sister, Carol and her son, Spencer, and cousin Neal. We walked the several blocks to Carol's hotel and enjoy a second or third breakfast (I've lost count by now) with them. Our cousin Neal, has been living in Tel Aviv for about 1 1/2 yrs. and is anxious to take us sightseeing. Tel aviv is an active city and apparently know as "the city that never sleeps." Peter chose to stay behind to rest and swim in the Mediterranean Sea, which was much cleaner than our last visit and a beautiful blue/green color.
Carol, Spencer, Neal and I took a bus close to Old Jaffa and then walked on the promenade along the water the rest of the way.
Checking out the old and the new which is evident everywhere you go.
Finally found the jewelry store where my friend Judy bought the most beautiful earrings in 1993. Funny how I knew exactly where to go? Bought my earrings and all is well. (this isn't the store, but it was around the corner).
We explored the Old Jaffa; saw the hanging tree and the Tell and then made our way (through the industrial section, the garment district(?), ribbons and bows district, to a little section called Newe Zedek. Carol knew about this neighborhood from her friend's daughter who lives nearby in a Yeminite neighborhood. Here I finally begged for a nice cold beer and a chance to sit and get out of the heat. We found a small restaurant, of which there were several, clothing boutiques and other small shops. All very charming and a little like SoHo used to be. We decided to take a taxi back to our respective hotels. After paying the appropriate amount including tip, I was not given the correct change - why do I feel that I have to keep a sharp eye on the money?
The day is far from over ... Neal made reservations at a seafood restaurant, "The Old Man and the Sea" in an obscure part of Jaffa. This taxi dropped us off more than a block away because the restaurant was on a one way street and we would have been going the wrong way. Ah, Tel Aviv cabbies. Peter thought he was in heaven when the waiter brought out about 20 small plates of delicious food; hot and spicy, sweet and savory and as much as you wanted with lots of pita bread. Then came dinner. Peter and I ordered St. Peter's fish. Yummy. They served a whole fish with all the bones. You sort of scrape the fish off the bones on one side, flip it over and do the same on the other side. It's really delicious.
Back to the hotel for a well deserved good night sleep. Have only been up for 33+ hours, but loved every minute. Tomorrow off to Tiberias to see the family.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
So off we go to see my sister, Carol and her son, Spencer, and cousin Neal. We walked the several blocks to Carol's hotel and enjoy a second or third breakfast (I've lost count by now) with them. Our cousin Neal, has been living in Tel Aviv for about 1 1/2 yrs. and is anxious to take us sightseeing. Tel aviv is an active city and apparently know as "the city that never sleeps." Peter chose to stay behind to rest and swim in the Mediterranean Sea, which was much cleaner than our last visit and a beautiful blue/green color.
Carol, Spencer, Neal and I took a bus close to Old Jaffa and then walked on the promenade along the water the rest of the way.
Checking out the old and the new which is evident everywhere you go.
Finally found the jewelry store where my friend Judy bought the most beautiful earrings in 1993. Funny how I knew exactly where to go? Bought my earrings and all is well. (this isn't the store, but it was around the corner).
We explored the Old Jaffa; saw the hanging tree and the Tell and then made our way (through the industrial section, the garment district(?), ribbons and bows district, to a little section called Newe Zedek. Carol knew about this neighborhood from her friend's daughter who lives nearby in a Yeminite neighborhood. Here I finally begged for a nice cold beer and a chance to sit and get out of the heat. We found a small restaurant, of which there were several, clothing boutiques and other small shops. All very charming and a little like SoHo used to be. We decided to take a taxi back to our respective hotels. After paying the appropriate amount including tip, I was not given the correct change - why do I feel that I have to keep a sharp eye on the money?
The day is far from over ... Neal made reservations at a seafood restaurant, "The Old Man and the Sea" in an obscure part of Jaffa. This taxi dropped us off more than a block away because the restaurant was on a one way street and we would have been going the wrong way. Ah, Tel Aviv cabbies. Peter thought he was in heaven when the waiter brought out about 20 small plates of delicious food; hot and spicy, sweet and savory and as much as you wanted with lots of pita bread. Then came dinner. Peter and I ordered St. Peter's fish. Yummy. They served a whole fish with all the bones. You sort of scrape the fish off the bones on one side, flip it over and do the same on the other side. It's really delicious.
Back to the hotel for a well deserved good night sleep. Have only been up for 33+ hours, but loved every minute. Tomorrow off to Tiberias to see the family.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Why am I going.
My visits to see my family in Israel are always exciting. Our children did not come and that makes me a bit sad. There's something about the younger generation connecting that makes these visits so special. I have found that each person who comes to Israel has his or her own feelings about the country, but I have another level of connection and pride. My family was part of the "new" settlement of Israel. Before 1921, my father's uncle Yakov Webman, came to Israel from Poland to help establish an agrarian community. No one knew how to farm and the land was unforgiving. But they were determined to work the land and create a home. They had a dream to create a moshav - a community with a central area for community activities and around this central area farmland, the same amount allotted to each family. Each family lives on his own, unlike a kibbitz. The name of the community was called Nahalal and is still there today, along with my family. My relatives live in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and basically all over Israel. They are young and old and many. So I begin in TelAviv and will try to keep up with this whirlwind trip.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
June 7, Tuesday
After sleeping very well last night we had a lovely breakfast with cousins Neil and Malka. Caught up on who was on the trip, who had cars and who was going to continue to travel after the reunion.
Cousin Efrat (the "E" in IDEA - Ilana, Dina, Efrat association - three cousins who organized everything for the next five days) arranged for a small van to transport my sister Carol, her son Spencer, our newly discovered cousins Kenny and Arleen (from Dallas and first timers to a family reunion) and Peter and me to Tiberias. No time to sightsee in Tel Aviv - the beginning of a strict schedule from IDEA! Need to get to the Ohalo Manor Resort, on Lake Kinneret, the Sea of Galilee, near Tiberias on time.
Arrived with time to spare. Got to have snacks - fresh dates, cookies, lemonade, and a chance to unpack and unwind and explore the grounds.
At our last reunion five years ago, we stayed at the fancy Sheraton Hotel, one of the hotels my father's cousin Yair built. It was quite nice and right in the middle of town where there were many diversions, especially for the 20-35 yr olds. The older generation would go out to the the bar after dinner and meet the younger generation just starting out for the evening when we were going to bed.
Accommodations were a little different this time. All rooms were exactly the same - sparse, but adequate. There were some complaints, however: toilets interesting to flush (maybe being below sea level was part of the problem), moldy bathrooms, air conditioning not working, tiny towels, not much soap from a wall dispenser, and isolated from town. But since we knew we were going to be on a small cabin cruiser after the reunion, these accommodations were just fine for us. We also found out there was no pool and no swimming in the Kinneret from the resort. And where was the wifi? How can we travel without being plugged in. Meals tended to be repetitious, but they were in the fancy hotel, too - how quickly we forget
Coffee is interesting. For a country where the people love coffee, it is a mystery in Israel. For some reason, Israelis never caught on to the really good coffee and coffee machines. If it's not cappuccino, Turkish coffee or espresso, it's instant Nescafe! Now everyone wants the fancy Italian coffee machines - but regular American coffee is not there.
Our room is at the farthest part of the building away from us.
Did poke around and found the Kinneret cemetery. Some very interesting tombstones.
Found out that this cemetery was from the first settlement in Kinneret - the town is still across the street.
Nice view of the Sea of Galilee. Across the Kinneret are the Golan Heights to the North, Israeli settlements including an old Kibbutz, Ein Gev, in the middle, and Jordan towards the bottom and the Jordan River, a few kilometers beyond the shoreline at the southern end.
Laura and Carol checking it all out.
Tonight we are offered a dairy meal because it is Shavout, a holiday celebrating agriculture. Little did I know about this holiday before, and now I'm celebrating with some of my more secular cousins in a country where everyone celebrates this holiday, among many more.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Cousin Efrat (the "E" in IDEA - Ilana, Dina, Efrat association - three cousins who organized everything for the next five days) arranged for a small van to transport my sister Carol, her son Spencer, our newly discovered cousins Kenny and Arleen (from Dallas and first timers to a family reunion) and Peter and me to Tiberias. No time to sightsee in Tel Aviv - the beginning of a strict schedule from IDEA! Need to get to the Ohalo Manor Resort, on Lake Kinneret, the Sea of Galilee, near Tiberias on time.
Arrived with time to spare. Got to have snacks - fresh dates, cookies, lemonade, and a chance to unpack and unwind and explore the grounds.
At our last reunion five years ago, we stayed at the fancy Sheraton Hotel, one of the hotels my father's cousin Yair built. It was quite nice and right in the middle of town where there were many diversions, especially for the 20-35 yr olds. The older generation would go out to the the bar after dinner and meet the younger generation just starting out for the evening when we were going to bed.
Accommodations were a little different this time. All rooms were exactly the same - sparse, but adequate. There were some complaints, however: toilets interesting to flush (maybe being below sea level was part of the problem), moldy bathrooms, air conditioning not working, tiny towels, not much soap from a wall dispenser, and isolated from town. But since we knew we were going to be on a small cabin cruiser after the reunion, these accommodations were just fine for us. We also found out there was no pool and no swimming in the Kinneret from the resort. And where was the wifi? How can we travel without being plugged in. Meals tended to be repetitious, but they were in the fancy hotel, too - how quickly we forget
Coffee is interesting. For a country where the people love coffee, it is a mystery in Israel. For some reason, Israelis never caught on to the really good coffee and coffee machines. If it's not cappuccino, Turkish coffee or espresso, it's instant Nescafe! Now everyone wants the fancy Italian coffee machines - but regular American coffee is not there.
Our room is at the farthest part of the building away from us.
Did poke around and found the Kinneret cemetery. Some very interesting tombstones.
Found out that this cemetery was from the first settlement in Kinneret - the town is still across the street.
Nice view of the Sea of Galilee. Across the Kinneret are the Golan Heights to the North, Israeli settlements including an old Kibbutz, Ein Gev, in the middle, and Jordan towards the bottom and the Jordan River, a few kilometers beyond the shoreline at the southern end.
Laura and Carol checking it all out.
Tonight we are offered a dairy meal because it is Shavout, a holiday celebrating agriculture. Little did I know about this holiday before, and now I'm celebrating with some of my more secular cousins in a country where everyone celebrates this holiday, among many more.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Poria Illit,Israel
Saturday, June 4, 2011
ready, set, go ...
I finally tackled the packing issue only to find out that I couldn't fit everything in my suitcase. So out it all came and it was time for serious elimination. After a few tries, I got everything to fit with a few empty corners left. Check out how efficient this looks - especially for a 3 wk trip. I think I actually look like a seasoned traveler.
It occurred to me as I was gathering things, that my father, who really was a seasoned traveler, did the same thing. He would start collecting things for his trip weeks before take off. I think I've been looking at it as punishment instead of part of the joy and excitement of traveling to some distant land and having a wonderful adventure. Now that that's settled, I can indeed leave. But I'm sure once I'm at the airport I'll remember something I left behind.
And now on to the important stuff. We'll only be in Tel Aviv one day and will meet up with my sister and her son and our cousin (from a different side of the family altogether). It will be a whirlwind since we arrive at 7:00 am Israel time (around 12 midnight NY time) after a 10 1/2 hr flight. Who cares about sleeping when you have places to go and people to see.
After the day in Tel Aviv, we'll travel to Tiberias and meet up with the rest of the family. We'll do a bit of traveling, see the "old homestead" from 1921 and generally catch up.
It's all very exciting. Will keep you all posted as the days go on.
After the day in Tel Aviv, we'll travel to Tiberias and meet up with the rest of the family. We'll do a bit of traveling, see the "old homestead" from 1921 and generally catch up.
It's all very exciting. Will keep you all posted as the days go on.
Friday, June 3, 2011
OMG! Here's the packing debacle. Laura vs Peter. Why does P pack so light and always has the necessary items for hot, cold, rain? Laura packs the entire house (meds, 1st aid, snacks, hair dryer, phone, all the electronic gear, etc.) and has to get it all into the same size cheapy Costco 30" rolling duffle. Why can't I be more like Roberta, who packed for three weeks in a carryon bag. She's my idol!
So here I am, writing on my blog instead of slogging through the many layers of stuff and eliminating 3/4 of it.
What's wrong with these pictures? Time is a ticking...
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| Laura's stuff2 |
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| Laura's stuff1 |
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| Laura's stuff2 |
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| Laura's stuff4 |
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| Peter's stuff |
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