OUR COMMUNITY

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16 | APRIL 6 • 2023 

ON THE COVER

synagogue, which dated to the end of the Byzantine 
period and whose mosaic floor was divided into four 
parts: the sacrifice of Isaac, the signs of the Zodiac, a 
description of the Tabernacle in the desert and the Ark 
of the Covenant in the Jerusalem Temple. 
While I was listening to Zalman explain the mean-
ing of the art depicted in the mosaic, my mind’s eye 
was back in the 1400s, imagining the thousands of 
feet belonging to the generations who had come here 
to pray. I could almost hear their footsteps. Spiritual 
moment No. 2.
The evening ended with a community dinner put on 
by our Partnership2Gether partners in Israel at Kibbutz 
Sarid, complete with food and entertainment, including 
an Israeli dance troupe. It was a magical evening.

DAY 4: NORTHERN ISRAEL
We left our hotel in Nazareth the next morning to 
explore Israel’s north. We met with Col. Ilan Lavi near 
the border with Lebanon. During his talk, he pointed to 
the houses across the border that held weapons aimed at 
Israel, according to the IDF. When someone asked why 
Israel doesn’t display more “power” and simply destroy 
the enemy, Lavi said he needs “to look in the mirror 
at night and know that I have done everything I can 
to protect innocent lives ‘over there.’” He added, “In a 
place where people do not act civilized, we must strive 
to be human.” Lavi introduced his son, who was about 
to begin his service as well. The colonel did express con-
cerns about “maintaining Israel’s democracy” in light of 
the judicial reform controversy consuming the nation.
After the sobering security assessment, all the mis-
sion-goers headed to Moshav Yesud HaMa’ala, where we 
had lunch and enjoyed an ATV ride up the mountain in 

Cantor Neil Michaels 
leads Kabbalat Shabbat 
services on the 
Hermelin Steps in 
Jerusalem.

YEVGENIYA GAZMAN

