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