Wrapping up the Semester with a great Tiyul

Shalom family and friends. This year is really flying by. We are already a week away from final exams (which means I have to get moving on the papers I have procrastinated doing) and the start of our long and much needed winter break (We can't wait to see you Mom, Dad, Uncle Mark and Aunt Teresa!!!). In light of the amount of work we all have ahead of us, we were able to get away from the books and library for a few days last week on a class trip to the Northern cities of Caesaria, Tzippori, Tsfat and Haifa.

Our journey followed the footsteps of the Sanhedrin and major Jewish thinkers and innovators (who were expelled from Jerusalem) of the period of the destruction of the Second Temple (70 CE). Our historical Jewish texts (Talmud, Midrash, Zohar, etc) served as our map which guided us in our explorations.

The first stop was in the beautiful coastal city of Caesaria. The city was heavily influenced by Roman culture (as you can see in the pictures below) which until the Bar Kochba revolt in 132 CE, was 50% Jewish. With the revolt, many of the leading Jewish thinkers and Sages were executed and the Jews were expelled from Israel, which took us to our next destination, Tzippori. The Sages who were able to escape from the hands of the Romans (Especially Rabbi Judah HaNasi, the redactor of the Mishna) fled to the city of Tzippori in the Gallilee Valley. The old city of Tzippori has been beautifully preserved and is still an active archaeological site. Amongst the many features of Tzippori, the most fascinating sights were the mosaics found on the floors of homes, public spaces, and the ancient synagogue. A highlight, and of course an honor, for me was leading my classmates and professors in a mincha (afternoon) service in the ancient synagogue over looking the beautiful Galliee Valley. We stayed the night in Tiberias (the burial city of many of the Talmudic Sages), had a great "meat-filled" dinner (compliments of HUC), and rested up for our spiritual ascent to the city of Tsfat.

The beauty and uniqueness of this mystical city is captured in the photos below. We began our spiritual journey in an art gallery of an American artist (who made Aliya 13 years ago) discussing the deep meaning of his Kabbalistic art and his personal journey to the spiritual life he leads today in Tsfat. We added one of his pieces to our art collection. We then weaved our way through the ancient city visiting the many historical synagogues and art galleries. The day concluded with our final destination city, Haifa. It has been 11 years since I have seen the city I frequented often while living on a Kibbutz just 30 minutes south of Haifa. I could not believe the development and growth of the city, I barely recognized it. After settling into the hotel we made our way down to the beach with some of our closest HUC friends. Following a pleasant evening walk along shore and a delicious dinner, Erin and I cabbed it to my Aunt and Uncles home, whom I haven't seen in over 11 years. It was such a pleasure spending time with them again, sharing stories of the past, catching up on our lives, seeing old pictures (especially of my grandparents, of blessed memory, who I know are so proud of me and the path I have chosen), and seeing new pictures of my many cousins who have all grown up beautifully and are living wonderful lives here in Israel. We hope to make it up to Haifa for a Shabbat with the entire family!

Our time in Haifa was short and sweet. On the way back to Jerusalem we stopped at the Leo Baeck High School which is a stronghold for Reform Judaism in Israel and visited a beautiful Reform synagogue, Or Chadash. With only a taste of Haifa, Erin and I certainly plan of making our way back soon.

We hope that you have enjoyed sharing in our excitement with us and especially all of the great pictures we have posted below. As always, we miss you all very much and look forward to your comments, emails, and seeing you all again soon.

Love to everyone,
Erin & Matt