family mission to Israel

by Sara Smoler I photos by Debbie Hill

Left: Zachary Smoler, 13, of West Bloomfield reads from his Torah portion during the b'nal mitzvah at the Shlmson Center In Jerusalem as his parents, Bruce and Gall Smoler, look on.

Right: Rebecca Pad, 18, of West Bloomfield and Blake Shulman, 14, of Charlevoix dance with an Ethiopian child at the PACT program in Netanya.

moment: Lo lemember

First-time visit to Israel brings unforgettable memories.

Olivia Brodsky, 15, of West Bloomfield, Bradley Rostker, 12, of

Farmington Hills, Aaron Schwartz, 12, of Roswell, and Ariella

Yedwab, 17, of Commerce Township wear black mud at the

Dead Sea.

hey say it is those little moments that touch
you. Upon my first visit to Israel with the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's
family mission Dec. 25-Jan. 4, I found many special
moments.
It meant a lot to be here with my congregation,
friends, community and family. My family and I ex-
perienced Israel together for the first time. One of
the most special moments was the b'nai mitzvah cel-
ebration on New Year's Day in Jerusalem.
After an emotional morning spent touring near
and at the Western Wall, we then headed to the
Shimson Center for a special service. The harmony
of the songs and the spectacular view of the city of
Jerusalem and the Western Wall gave me a strong
sense of connection to the Holy Land.
I became emotional as I watched my younger
brother, Zachary, read a few sentences from his To-
rah portion. Twenty-one other b'nai mitzvah par-

ticipants from all of the Reform synagogues in West
Bloomfield read from their portions, too. This had
definitely been one of the coolest moments on the
trip for my family and me.
Israel is a place, despite its hardships, that gives
people a sense of belonging. It is a wonderful feeling
to be here, with so many people who are all the same
in one special way — Jewish. To see that come togeth-
er, especially through the b'nai mitzvah service with
the whole Torah un-rolled, was such a special rarity.
Another touching moment was when we met Aviv
Raguan, a reserve Israel Defense Forces soldier we
have been sponsoring for my brother's bar mitzvah
project. He was just released from the IDF and now
goes to Tel Aviv University, but was called up to fight
in northern Gaza while we were there.
We met Aviv and his wife in Tel Aviv. They were
darling, and it was so special and interesting for me
to gain insight into their lives. Aviv worked in a gue-
rilla warfare unit called EGO4 and was raised on a
kibbutz just 15 minutes away from the Gaza Strip.
Although he and his wife live on a kibbutz near

Ben Young, 17, Wade Henney, 18, and Ben Emerling, 17, all of

West Bloomfield, play drums at an event at Kibbutz Ylfat.

Haifa, they regularly visit his family. He told us his
family now spends most of their days in shelters, but
are able to keep him posted on their safety through
text messages.
I cannot imagine living my life the way the citi-
zens near Gaza do. It is such a shock to see people
living lives in daily fear, even in the year 2009. For
me, it was a huge wake-up call to become more in
tune to what is happening in Gaza, and I will because
of my connection to Aviv.
In Israel, even though I was just a mere hour away
from the fighting, I do not think I'd ever felt safer. Se-
curity guards were with us at every place we visited,
and I felt safer in Israel than I normally do at home
walking around with my friends.
This trip was amazing, and I
cannot wait to return here in the
future.

light Chanukah candles In the David InterContinentlal Hotel

Sara Smoler, 16, of West Bloomfield is a
Junior at Bloomfield Hills Andover High

upon arrival in Tel Aviv.

School.

Sam, 14, Sophie, 12, and Jim Sklar, all of West Bloomfield,

JN

teen2teen January • 2009 B3