14 | APRIL 6 • 2023 

guide, Zalman Spivak, who was determined 
to transmit as much information as possible 
about the founding of this city by the sea 
since April 11, 1909, the date 66 Jewish fami-
lies gathered on a desolate sand dune to par-
cel out the land by lottery using seashells. 
The highlight of the tour was the mural by 
Nahum Guttman depicting the early history 
of Tel Aviv in the foyer of the Shalom Tower, 
what was the site of the first high school 
known as Gymnasia Herzliya. The mural 
tells the history of Tel Aviv in four colorful 
mosaic panels. From its founding on a barren 
sand dune to one of the high-tech capitals of 
the world, the story of Tel Aviv is a fascinat-
ing one.
A planned stroll through the Carmel 
Market was derailed by the rain and instead 
the bus took us to the Sarona Market, an indoor food market 
with endless choices. After lunch, our bus set out for the JAFI 
Bet Brodetsky Young Adult Absorption Center, where we met 
two young olim who had recently arrived in Israel, one from 
Ukraine and one from Iran. I admired their bravery and deter-
mination in setting out to build new lives in Israel.
It was a busy day and, still feeling the effects of jet lag, Mike 
and I had dinner in the hotel and turned in early.

DAY 3: AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL ADVENTURE
The day began at ANU — the Renewed Museum of the Jewish 
People, where we enjoyed a VIP tour in small groups. Zalman 
was a fountain of information and took us through the story of 

the Jewish people through generations up to the 
present time. During our two hours, he covered 
a lot, but probably only about 20 percent of the 
exhibits that were available. You would need a 
whole day to experience everything there, but 
we got ample flavor of all the museum had to 
offer.
After the museum, we were off on an archae-
ological adventure (the track Mike and I chose 
to follow — other tracks included entrepre-
neurship and the great outdoors). First stop was 
Kibbutz Hannaton in our Partnership2Gether 
region in the Central Galilee (which, come to 
find out, is a term made up by us in Detroit. 
Ask an Israeli about the “Central Galilee” and 
they’ll look at you blankly.)
The kibbutz is in the Jezreel Valley, home to 
fertile farmland, rolling hills and valleys, and 
some of the prettiest views I’ve ever seen. After lunch, we got 
to see the Roman-era mikvah found during highway construc-
tion, which was relocated to the kibbutz, near the community’s 
existing mikvah (which we also got to see).
Seeing the mikvah, around 1,500 years old, was an amazing 
experience. 
We left Kibbutz Hannaton for Tsippori, once the capital of 
the Galilee, the seat of the Sanhedrin and the place where the 
Mishnah was completed. We viewed its magnificent mosaics, 
including “the Mona Lisa of the Galilee,” part of a Roman villa 
containing a mosaic floor describing scenes from the life of 
Dionysus, god of wine in Greek mythology. We also saw the 

continued on page 16

continued from page 13

OUR COMMUNITY
ON THE COVER

The good folks of Bus No. 3 in Tel Aviv

Zalman Spivak, guide 
extraordinaire.

JOHN HARDWICK/FEDERATION

JOHN HARDWICK/FEDERATION

YEVGENIYA GAZMAN
JOHN HARDWICK/FEDERATION

