A week ago 23 Omaha leaders, mostly Western Galilee virgins weren't prepared for the three days and nights they would experience. The friendships, site visits and the beautiful Mediterranean Sea where all more than they expected.
Our visit began with a visit to the Sachnut where we were greeted by a tall, striking 20 something Ethiopian born woman who spends her days translating Armehareit for new Ethiopian immigrants. She began with her story. We could all picture this 10-year-old child, traveling with her family, walking at night, sleeping during the day; happy with any food they found and the relief they felt when they finally arrived in the Sudan. She would live in a refugee camp under questionable circumstances until they were rescued by the Jewish Agency and began their journey to religious freedom in Israel. Her youth made her transition to their new life easy unlike the older generation that struggles with the language, tremendous change in culture and thoughts of transferring their old agricultural life into a modern working one.
We visited a beautiful building walk up a ramp and are greeted by many smiling faces, some blind, some in wheelchairs and many hunched over walking with crutches. The unusual thing about this visit is that all of the residents are learning to be self-sufficient and are 19-24 years old. The kids where unbelievable, they take care of one another, and most surprising to us-spend their days doing community service. One had spent a good part of a year interviewing seniors about how they met their spouse and what there married lives had been like. All prepare a notebook about their experiences. We listen to a young blind man who plays the drums for us. We learn he is amazingly talented and even jumps out of airplanes. We where blown away by the fact that many are thinking about their futures and about entrepreneurial projects. They are making and selling t-shirts, and stock in their business. Our dollars pay for this incredible place. During the Second Lebanon War these young adults had no safe room to go to and we all feel and understand the fear that they experienced. Our amazing Omaha community helped pay for the new safe room which they so proudly showed us.
We divide up into groups of three and four and go to amazing dinners fit for a king or a queen! We are all treated like honored guests and have a wonderful evening. We where scheduled to be back at the hotel by 10:00, but few return at that hour. One-group returns at midnight! We all enjoy the wonderful people we've met and all know we will see these people again!
We visit the dedicated people of Garin Ometz. These 50 religious families have relocated to Acco to improve the lives of the Jewish residents and to make Acco more Jewish. We spend an hour helping them prepare packages for Shabbat. They prepare over 300 packages for the needy every Shabbat! We sort potatoes and pomellas into bags for each family. Many of us have a difficult time-many potatoes are rotten and slimy-the stench is awful, but feel better afterwards knowing we have helped even in a small way. Rabbi Gross has a long and treasured relationship with this group of people and we see how much they mean to one another.
We visit the Arab village of Sheich Danun. Omaha has a long-standing relationship with this village and we have built the only playground the residents enjoy. We speak with Ahmad the wonderful man who runs the community center. He talks about the relationship between Israeli Arabs and Jews. We all wish there was a simple solution. Around 8 children sing and play the violins for us. Two are his daughters-they are beautiful and happy. We are entertained by 8 teens that dance for us. Afterwards they attempt to teach us how to Depka (Arabic line dance). The teens are beautiful, graceful and surprising to some of us boys and girls hold hands and dance together.
We have dinner with the Israeli leadership group at Yehiam castle. The castle is spectacular. We learn that there are three Crusader castle's in the Western Galilee and that when the crusader's where traveling to Jerusalem they needed a safe place to stay with their horses every evening and would ride from castle to castle. The leadership group is terrific. We soon find out we have many things in common-our communities are similar and we have some of the some concerns and challenges. The food is perfect. Afterwards one of the Omaha leaders tells me that the evening was so amazing and she had been reluctant to come. She had met someone that she hoped to entertain in Omaha and couldn't wait to see again. The flautist that where in Omaha in January come to have dinner with us. They tell us that they really enjoyed their time and that it was life changing for them!
We all leave the Western Galilee grateful for the time we where able to spend with our partners and look forward to seeing them again soon.
Stacey Rockman, Omaha NE