Harold Katzman of Bloomfield Hills, Sandy Shepherd of West Bloomfield,
Blake Shulman, 14, of Charlevoix and Rebecca Pad, 18, of West Bloomfield
dance with an Ethiopian child at the PACT program in Netanya.
tory:' Molly said.
Rebecca loved the entire mission and
seeing the places she had, until now,
only learned about at Hillel Day School
in Farmington Hills.
"In addition to visiting all of the
sights, being with so many different
people and experiencing Israel with an
extended family made it the best expe-
rience ever," she said. "Furthermore,
being at Federation's PACT program
(Parents and Teachers Together) made
me so proud of our Detroit commu-
nity and all the good we are doing to
help the Ethiopian Jewish community
become stronger."
PACT is an innovative and compre-
hensive citywide early childhood initia-
tive designed to prepare Ethiopian-
Israeli children for first-grade entry
into the formal school system. PACT
also works with parents, caregivers
and professional educators in a multi-
faceted approach to assure that the
children's environment is as supportive
and nurturing as possible.
The remainder of our travels took
us to the Old City; the Davidson Center
and the Kotel, Yad Vashem Holocaust
Museum, the Biblical Zoo, the Tower of
David Museum, Masada and the Dead
Sea. Then we settled in for Shabbat in
Jerusalem and our last 24 hours in the
Land of Milk and Honey.
Mission A Success
Hannan and Lisa Lis, mission co-chairs,
were pleased with how all the months
and weeks of planning came together
so perfectly.
Hannan, who celebrated his 50th
birthday on New Year's Eve, said, "It was
very moving for us as co-chairs to see
the reaction of first-timers as well as
those who hadn't been in a long time.
Israel is a country where it feels so
natural to be Jewish and where you can
see firsthand the stories you have heard
for years come to life.
"The Israelis were so excited to
have a group our size visiting from
Michigan, and they made us feel that
way throughout. Our mission was a
happy group of families that interacted
well together and really enjoyed being
in Israel together"
Scott Kaufman, mission director,
managed the 10-day trip with great
care and skill. He was there before you
could even ask for him, spending quali-
ty time with each of the buses through-
out the trip. He was especially moved
by the b'nai mitzvah ceremonies, with
the Old City of Jerusalem as a backdrop.
"The joy on their faces was inde-
scribable as they marked this most
joyous time in their lives': he said. "It
was such a peaceful and holy moment,
especially in light of what was going on
in the country:"
To sum it all up, which is practically
impossible, Israel is one exquisite,
flourishing and exciting "touch-and-
feel" museum, where every stone and
every grain of sand tells its own amaz-
ing story. I
t is a land where you cannot help
but be moved physically, emotionally
and spiritually. It a place where you
truly feel like you are amid your own
extended family, and you can feel the
resilience of her people.
Israel makes it so easy to understand
and fulfill the mitzvah of V'shinantam
l'vanechah teaching the children
about our history, our traditions, our
customs, and what it truly means to be
a proud Jew in the modern world. ❑
—
Rabbi Joseph Krakoff of Congregation
Shaarey Zedek of Oakland County was on
the mission with his wife, Susan, their chil-
dren, Atara, 11, Micah, 9, and Elan, 6, and
nearly 100 congregants.
`From the day I moved to Regen
Street of West Bloomfield, it has
felt Like home. The staff is kind
and they are experts at what they
do." - Resident Bea Paul
Visitors welcome!
Call or stop by today.
REGENT r STREET
c'eg., OF WEST tiLOOMFIELD(X )
AS S I STE P
Bloomfield, MI 48323
Located next to Comerica Bank
Created to care for our family, devoted to serving yours.
January 8 . 2009
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