We wish our family and friends a very healthy,
happy and prosperous new Year.

,

ommunity

ALAN & LINDA KRISTALL, BRIAN KRISTALL
JENNIFER & ROB COHON

Veream
NIew yeartaAPC9ur
Frivalb wat,Famit,8.

Our Summer
Vacation in Israel

,
HILLARD & JOANNE FEALK
GARY, SHARRY, MATTHEW & JENNIFER
JOEL, STACI & BRANDON

Israeli resiliency abounds, from the Kotel to the cafes.

Vertlicun akaii
Nlew y aurtsAPC9w
Fritd6 cuatFctiviet.

'DOROTHY & LARRY GUTTENBERG

ec-ACC Ccct,

akvd

MARVIN & JUDITH DUBIN & FAMILY

a-y the cowt t nE3 yea u

be filled with

and kapriness

and pv-osrev.

0141A

17-amity an

,

GLADYS AND LARRY ROCKIND
Special to the Jewish News

s we 'sat in the Newark, N.J.,
airport waiting area for our
flight to Israel, we watched
the setting sun highlight the
New York City skyline, now devoid of
the famous twin towers. This was our
summer vacation and we had chosen to
spend it in Israel.
Unlike our previous visits to Israel,
this trip was a big unknown due to the
constant barrage of negative news ema-
nating from and about Israel. We felt we
could not sit by idly and watch; we had
to be there.
We love
Israel!
So as the
plane lifted
off, we tried
to relax, to
fall asleep,
but we were
giddy with
excitement.
When we
landed in
Israel at 4
p.m. erev
Tisha b'Av,
it was
Larry and Gladys Rockind at a cafe on
important
Sheinken Street in Tel Aviv.
to us that
we get our
luggage,
rent our car and get to Jerusalem in time
to grab dinner before sunset and the
beginning of the fast.
Of course, for those of you who have
ever traveled to Israel, it didn't go quite
as smoothly as we planned and a quick
falafel was all we could manage. But
who cared — it was wonderful. We were
back!

We had read about the march that is
traditionally held on erev Tisha b'Av
around the Old City walls and wanted
to participate. We found tens of thou-
sands of people — young, old, families,
infants in strollers, trumpeters, people
carrying signs and flags, policemen and
soldiers — all getting ready to march
together. So march we did.
It was absolutely thrilling to march
with so many Jews around the Old City
walls, lit up like Walt Disney World on
New Year's Eve. Security was everywhere,
but it was still a bit scary. How could
they know who was in the crowd, on the
roof, across the street? Still, the Israelis
were marching! And so we went along.
The march culminated behind the
Jewish Quarter where we heard impas-
sioned speeches by Mayor Ehud Olmert
and others. As a unit, we walked to the
Kotel (Western Wall), where we saw the
entire plaza completely filled with peo-
ple, many lying on the ground deep in
prayer, many camped out for the night.
It was an unbelievable sight.
Heading back to the Dan Panorama
Hotel immersed in nighttime darkness,
we quickly felt part of the Israel we
knew and loved and were anxious to
continue our visit.

Kosher Burgers

Although the hotel was very quiet on
Tisha b'Av, it quickly filled up for the
Shabbat weekend to overflowing. We re-
explored Jerusalem, and discovered that
while the lack of tourists and the current
economic situation in Israel had created
some empty storefronts, most of the city
was very much intact and there were
more than enough cafes and restaurants
for us to choose from.
The ability to eat at a kosher Burger
King, sit in a cafe with a cappuccino or

Gladys Rockind is chairman of the mathematics department of Oakland -
Community College Auburn Hills Campus. Larry Rockind is an architect, whose
local work includes the design ofAdat Shalom Synagogue, the Dorfman Chapel, and
the Beth Shalom additions and renovations. He is immediate past president of
Michigan Region/United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, a past president of
Congregation Bnai Moshe and a current board member ofAdat Shalom Synagogue.
The Rockinds live in West Bloomfield and have been studying Hebrew for the past 19
years.

9/ 6

2002

78

SALLY & NATHAN SAGINAW