OUR COMMUNITY
continued on page 18
The Motor City Mission to Israel was noth-
ing short of fantastic. Seeing the sites and
meeting the people of Israel was, as adver-
tised, a life-changing experi-
ence.
Beyond experiencing the
culture and land of Israel, the
mission was also an opportu-
nity to for us to connect with
Jewish Detroiters on the tour.
And, the first connection was
made at Metropolitan Airport.
As we waited for our connecting flight to
JFK airport in New York, unexpectedly, we
waited with woman-about-town and pres-
ident of the Jewish Historical Society of
Michigan, Jeannie Weiner. This was a great
beginning as Jeannie gave us first-timers
useful tips about traveling in Israel. Our
paths continued to cross throughout the
mission.
The stories of the people on the mis-
sion were as meaningful as the sights and
sounds of Israel. We landed in Israel and
were immediately met by one of our guides
and whisked-off to the opening meeting,
or rather, party. After a copious amount
of food, and a bit of drink and music, the
evening ended around 11 p.m. I was on
the last bus to the hotel and sat near Judy
(Loewenstein) Roberts and Nancy (Osten)
Fortier. There, I witnessed a pretty neat
event. Across the aisle was Ruthie (Simko)
Moss, their childhood friend. They hadn’t
seen each other in over 50 years!
I must admit, I was a bit fearful that sever-
al of our side trips to visit particular Jewish
NGO programs might be a bit boring. I’m
happy to report that I was completely,
totally wrong. For instance, on our first full
day in Israel, after walking around Tel Aviv,
as a (now, lifelong) member of Bus No. 3,
we went to Jewish Agency for Israel’s Bet
Brodetsky, Young Adult Absorption Center.
It was a moving experience. We heard
from young women from Belarus and the
Ukraine, and a young man from Iran, who
all recently made aliyah. The Center provid-
ed them with lodging, food and intensive
Hebrew lessons in order to give them a
fresh start. In fact, I donated my tzedakah
to the center.
I also had a great conversation with a
new friend in Mark Milberg, another Bus
No. 3’er. It turned out that we both have a
deep interest in Jewish Archives.
Mike Smith
Alene and
Graham Landau
Archivist Chair
Mike’s Memories
APRIL 6 • 2023 | 17
Bus No. 3 at Israel’s Bet Brodetsky, Young Adult Absorption Center
JOHN HARDWICK/FEDERATION
the Golan Heights. The scenery
was beautiful and green; cows
were meandering the countryside.
Then I saw a sign warning of
land mines, a sobering reminder
of why this territory is so stra-
tegically important to Israel and
how, not that long ago, blood was
spilled to secure its possession. At
the top of the mountain, we could
see how close we were to Syria.
Next came a trip to the beau-
tiful city of Safed, the capital
of Jewish mysticism, where we
met with local kabbalist artist,
Metro Detroit native Avraham
Loewenthal, who paints the
sounds of the shofar. He taught
us some of the basic principles of
Kabbalah. Then, on the steps of
an old school in this ancient city,
Cantor Neil Michaels of Temple
Israel, with his guitar and beau-
tiful voice, played an impromptu
concert before it was back to the
bus for the trip to the hotel. I
wish I’d had more time to explore
this beautiful city.
Later that night, we had din-
ner with our Israeli partners
at the hotel. I met an Israeli
couple whose son will be one of
the Shinshinim in Detroit next
summer. We talked about the
everyday struggles of life, the
same in Israel as anywhere else,
affording childcare, wanting the
best education for your children,t
continued on page 19
Riding ATVs in the
Golan Heights
JOHN HARDWICK/FEDERATION