TEEN MISSION page 3 others copy... Q Op OOOO im creo 0..\gf. the language. Even though she of Temple Kol Ami didn't have to can't speak perfect Hebrew, she look hard to sense the buzz of understands it. high energy that filled the other- "Because I've always wise empty international stayed with relatives, I've terminal. An nie never really met other (Is- "They (the teens) sense Lefk owitz this is something different raeli) teens. Now I can have a chance to meet with peo- trave I s light. than just a group going off ple my own age," she said. on an Israel excursion," Airport drop-off for the 4 1/2- said Rabbi Roman, about to take week Miracle Mission for Teens his 24th trip to Israel. 'They have began at 8 a.m. Sunday. Anxious an appreciation and know there participants lugged duffel bags is a different purpose and expe- and backpacks out of their par- rience involved in this mission." ents' cars and into the airport. Patiently waiting for their de- Most stopped only briefly to hug parture were Jared Safran, a stu- family members, who were not dent at Roeper, and Reid allowed inside the terminal. As Wainess, who goes to Country the teens checked in, parents Day. While Jared said he is real- pressed their faces against the ly looking forward to reuniting airport glass, watching until their with his heritage and rafting kids could no longer be seen. down the Jordan River, Reid said Inside, Rabbi Norman Roman he couldn't wait for the whole ex- Diamonds by the yard! One of a kind, one at a time. Stuff To Do ...fames designs JAMES Teen Mission arrives with a full schedule from the time the plane touched down. DESIGNS PINE JEWELRY Co w JULIE EDGAR STAFF WRITER ▪ CUSTOM DESIGNS IN PLATINUM • GOLD • SILVER III MAJOR DIAMONDS • PRECIOUS GEMS ▪ REPAIRS AND RESTORATIONS ON JEWELRY • WATCHES Co GM ?MO PM0 ?LITHIUM w t- o cc w cn UJ OLD ORCHARD MALL S.E. CORNER OF ORCHARD LAKE ROAD & MAPLE ROAD 1-- 14 810-626-4484 I el Aviv — They flew 11 hours and then poured out of Ben-Gurion Airport into the hot Israeli sun. Six huge buses waited for the 238 teens and 54 Israeli and American staffers. Spirits were high, although few slept on the plane. Some had already slipped into their trip T-shirts, which read: "3,000 years that rocked the world ... one summer that will rock your life." "I'm just awestruck," said Daniel Krochmal, 15, of Farm- ington Hills. "I can't believe I'm finally here. I hope to get a bet- ter understanding of the coun- try — my heritage, my religion, Zion." David Geiringer, 15, of South- field, said he felt "a joy in being in the native land." And Alyssa Hillman, 16, of Farmington Hills, remarked, "It's hot, and I'm excited." Matthew Cohn, 17, of Hunt- ington Woods, was among the teens who have previously been in Israel. He and his parents, Deborah and Robert, traveled with last year's Miracle Mission. But that didn't temper his en- thusiasm. "This time, we get to see the country more and relax a little. I'm hoping to get to know the country better," he said. Once the teens boarded their buses, designated by the syna- gogue to which they belong — Temple Israel, Shaarey Zedek and Adat Shalom — plus three mixed groups from other shuls, B'nai B'rith Youth Organization and other organizations, they got a few pointers. "Morgie" (Sharon Morgen- stern), a transplanted New Yorker who leads tours of Israel, told the Temple Israel group to drink as much water as possible perience. Both wanted to learn more about their Jewish identi- ty and return with an expanded Hebrew vocabulary. Fifteen-year-old Leslie Lofman also wants to learn about the his- tory of the Jewish people. But rid- ing a camel, shopping in Tel Aviv and meeting Israeli teens are also high on her priority list. She expects to return from her first trip to Israel with a new out- look. "I'd like to come back and con- vince more people to go there," she said. Every member of Stephe Goutman's family who has gone to Israel has taken the same pic- ture. And now it's his turn. Just outside Jerusalem, Stephen's grandparents have a Jewish National Fund forest — the Leib Family Forest — and everyone who has been there pos- es for a picture pointing at th trees. Waiting for the teens in Israel were six air-conditioned buses. Traveling with them are their rabbis, youth-group directors and post-college-age staff. All are re- sponsible for ensuring the safety of the teens and seeing that their Israel experience makes a posi- tive impact. "I hope I can pass on my love and passion for Israel," said Stacey Hoffer, a Teen Mission staff member who spent a year living in the Jewish state. "We will be successful if we can help these teens connect to Israel and its people, ultimately strength and to wear a hat as long as the sun is shining. At Latrun, the first stop on the way to Jerusalem, the teens got a tour of what is now a memorial site for the Israeli Tank Corps. Latrun, at the foothills leading up to the great - city, was captured by the Israelis in the Six-Day War of 1967, but only after they had suffered great casualties in four previous attempts to take the strategic site. On a hill, Morgie grabbed two volunteers, including Aaron Gotlib, 16, of West Bloomfield. She placed them in a configura- tion to demonstrate how impor- tant Latrun is in both the geographic and military scheme of Israeli history. Following the demonstration, the teens made their way down to the rows of tanks, a few of which were no more than retro- fitted cars. Of course, they climbed up and posed for pho- tographs. One group grabbed an Israeli soldier, who obliged them by posing for a group portrait. The next stop at the beginning of their Israeli adventure was lunch and swimming at Kibbutz Shoresh.