At Piccolino Restaurant in Jerusalem. I am so grateful to Yael and Kfir for making this trip so amazing, to Yaffa and Menachem for making sure everything went smoothly, and to everyone who came to Israel with us, for making this trip so memorable! Shalom v’lehitra’ot - I hope to see you soon!!

During our free afternoon I strolled over to my old neighborhood. Such wonderful memories.

The first photo is my old apartment building. The second is the view from the park right outside the building (notice the Knesset in the background). The third is my favorite place of all - the entrance to Shauna’s building (across the street).

This morning we visited progressive synagogue Kehillat Dror, which resides in the Tali school of Jerusalem. The Tali school system (three schools in all) combine outstanding academics with Reform Jewish education. Most of the students are not from Reform families, which makes the work of the schools critical if the Reform movement wants to get more traction in Israel. Under the leadership of Rabbi Ezra Ende, the Free Synagogue is doing extraordinary work to strengthen Jewish pluralism in Jerusalem, the center of the Jewish world. Quite simply, the visit was inspiring.

Right after the light show. Just beautiful.

Great food, great view, great company.

Today we went into the desert, and we made it through the heat! I wish I had good pictures of everyone at the Dead Sea, but will have to rely on my fellow travelers to post theirs. Enjoy looking at these from your air conditioned rooms!

The video shows how Tehina is made. The stones come from Syria.