David Klein Gallery
ISRAEL continued from page 27
presents
In Jerusalem, we met American
us poring over a map of Israel, making
families with young children. We
a "wish" list of places we should visit
talked. We joked. We shared the same
— keeping in mind we were hiking
stories of our experiences prior to
two young children, our son, 8, and
coming: family pressure and well-
daughter, 11. He recommended a
intentioned friend's comments. Yet,
travel agent in New York and we
here we were living the words of the '
began the search for airfares. A friend
Haggadah: "Next Year in Jerusalem."
recommended a "guide" for us.
It's true. Not only were we safe, but
With excitement, we told the chil-
dren of our plans. We were
shocked by our daughter's
reaction, "Isn't there a war
there?"
Then it hit us: the Cable
News Network (CNN) fear
syndrome.
How could we possibly
go to Israel now? We found
ourselves logging onto the
Jerusalem Post and Israel
National News Web sites to
read the daily news. The
response from our friends
and colleagues was omi-
nous. "You're not taking
your kids, are you?" That
question, that look — they
made us question our
responsibility as parents to
safeguard our children. Yes,
we had many sleepless
nights. We spoke to our
Allen Olender with Max, 8, and Teddie, 11, on the
Israeli guide, who effectively plaza of the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
reassured us. Still, we won-
dered.
we, too, had to watch CNN evenings
Oh, yes, we took out "travel insur-
to learn that "violence had erupted in
ance." Surely, if there were a major
Israel." The truth is that CNN's "vio-
outbreak of violence, if we panicked at
lence" was no more threatening to us
the last minute, we could back out.
in Jerusalem than was the violence in
Cincinnati a threat to us as residents
The Right Decision
of West Bloomfield. As we watched
By the time the week before departure
CNN's coverage of the violence in
arrived, finally, we had become comfort-
Cincinnati, we joked aloud, "Was it
able that going was the right thing to do
safe to come to the USA?"
— for ourselves and our children. We
As Amy's mother told her con-
believed those who traveled before us
cerned gra'ndmother over 20 years
many times, "Once you are there, you
ago as Amy prepared for her first
will feel as safe as you do here. It's not
trip, "If you wait for the perfect
what you see on CNN."
time to go to Israel, you will never
So on March 29, we steppea onto a
go." One lesson our children learned
British Airways jumbo jet on our way to
well: "Don't believe everything you
what would be the "trip of a lifetime"
see on CNN."
for our children and for ourselves.
So call us. Certainly we'll tell you
Two weeks of crawling through the
how we worried, and how we looked
caves of the Maccabees, climbing the
at our children and wondered. And
waterfalls where David camped, float-
we'll tell you that, if we could, we
ing in the Dead Sea, jeeping up the
would still be in Jerusalem, still on
magnificent hills of the Golan Heights
the hills of the Golan this very
and praying at the Kotel, the Western
minute. We'll tell you how Israel
Wall of the Temple Mount our forefa-
needs us now, and how we need
thers built. Then there was the pla-
Israel now.
toon of machine-gun-toting young
By the way, you can bet we will be
soldiers we met touring Yad Vashem,
there, in Israel, for our daughter's bat
Israel's memorial to the 6 million. We
mitzvah next summer — if we can
felt lumps in our throat. If only there
wait that long to go back!
had been an Israel then.
❑
ICONIC
IMAGES
New Paintings by Dana Bell
May 5 — May 26, 2001
Opening Reception to meet the artist
Saturday, May 5, 2001
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
See Dana Bell's Iconic Images at
dkgallery.com
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