The long awaited trip to Israel! Our mom Sharon Wahba A”H passed away on 5 Iyar / April 29, 2020 and was buried in Israel. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, no one was allowed to travel with her for the burial. Covid restrictions prevented us from visiting for quite some time. Finally, in May of 2022, we made it to Israel for the 2nd Yahrtzeit. We were joined by my dad, all of my siblings with their spouses and kids, my grandparents, and several aunts and uncles.
How we traveled – for this trip we had 4 suitcases and 1 carry on. We also had a car seat and Minu stroller that came with us on the plane. Imagine the sight – Sam pushed 2 suitcases, Rita pushed 2 suitcases, Allen pushed the carry on and Joseph pushed Shelly. It was quite the scene! We also drove ourselves to the airport and parked in the offsite lot.
For the first half of the trip we stayed in the Ritz Carlton in Herzliya before heading to the David Citadel in Jerusalem.
Day 1
Since we were doing quite a bit of traveling and we were traveling with 3 little kids, we hired a driver for the day. The first stop was Har Hamenuchot, where we got to see Mommy for the first time. Daddy and the boys cleaned the stone and we said our prayers before heading out. Daddy and Judah stayed in Jerusalem and the Francos headed back to Tel Aviv. We stopped at the Tel Aviv Shuk HaCarmel where we tasted some Burikas (North African fried potatoes and eggs which were delicious) and other street food, and got some goodies for Yom Haatzmaut. We stopped for a quick picture overlooking the sea in Yaffo before heading to Apollonia National Park.
Apollonia National Park has beautiful coastline views and shows us what a Crusader city was like. There was an old fortress, well, moat and furnace. The path was paved and each site had signs with easy to understand explanations. We spent about 1.5 hours here before heading back to Herzliya for Shabbat, where we enjoyed a delicious dinner and relaxing time by the pool and beach.
Day 2
We spent Shabbat relaxing by the hotel pool at the Ritz-Carlton Herzliya and by the beach.
Day 3
We had a full day scheduled with our tour guide, Sara, and driver Dani. We started off the day in Caesarea, about 1 hour from Herzliya, where we learned about Herod’s rule and saw remains from that era. It was very interesting to see the Greek/Roman style theater, the swimming pool and remains of the palace.
We then headed to Ramat Hanadiv, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Mataim and took a brief glimpse into the Rothschild Gardens. Afterwards we spent time at Chavat Hanadiv, where we fed and pet animals. The kids got to ride toy trucks and do a dig. The farm had a hydroponic cucumber, strawberry and herb garden. Even though it was a shemita year, picking these fruits and vegetables was halachically OK since they don’t grow in the ground. Pretty cool! And delicious!! Afterwards we went on a short bike ride through the neighborhood.
We ended the day at Ein Tzur, a small spring with some ancient archaeology near it.
Day 4
Monday was all about Mommy. Our family (my father and his children) dedicated a Torah to an army base in the south, Mishmar HaNegev. When we arrived at the base, we spoke with members of the unit who explaining that this particular base was responsible for transporting supplies across the entire army. We then had a festive dancing ceremony to bring the new Torah to the shul, where it will be used for the future. We ended the morning with a lunch at the base with the soldiers and family members. It was also Joseph’s 5th birthday and he got to celebrate it here. It was a beautiful and memorable morning.
In recent years, I’ve become a fan of modern art. Last year, Viviane and I saw Yayoi Kusama’s exhibit at the New York Botanical Gardens. When I realized that she had an exhibit in Tel Aviv that would run while we were visiting, I was psyched to go see it. My dreams were dashed when I realized that tickets had been sold out for weeks. At the morning Sefer Torah dedication, I happen to ask my dad’s cousin, who is involved with Israel’s department of culture, if she had any connections to get us entry to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art to see the exhibit. Miraculously she was able to get our entire group VIP Access to the exhibit after hours, where we got to see some incredible works of art. It was a highlight of the trip for me. We ended the night at dinner with Judah’s college friends at Nini Hachi.
Day 5
This was our second day touring with the guide and unfortunately, there were a few mishaps. Normally, I am super organized and on top of researching every activity that we are doing. However, since we hired a guide, I (incorrectly) assumed that they would take care of the minutiae so we could enjoy the day carefree. While we ended up having a great day, there were several bumps along the road. We originally planned to go to Akko, but changed our plans the day before when we realized that most things would be closed or super busy because it was also the end of Ramadan. We planned to go to Eliyahu’s kever, but that too was closed. We eventually started the day at the Bahai Gardens in Haifa, only to find out that that was closed to the public that day as well. This was a bummer because I was really looking forward to seeing the gorgeous florals.
Our first legit stop was the Nesher Park Suspension Bridges, which was a short hike and walk over a scenic park area. We then searched high and low for some food and hit a falafel stand, which was a 1 man show and took a long time to order for everyone. However, it was the most delicious falafel of the trip.
The afternoon was much better. We spent time at Kibbutz Kfar Masaryk, where we learned about how the kibbutz began and what life was like there. We painted our own ceramic plates. Although we could have spent more time exploring the kibbutz, we needed to leave in order to reach Rosh Hanikra before it closed.
Rosh Hanikra is a beautiful geologic formation on the border between Israel and Lebanon. We took the cable car down and walked through the caves to see the amazing grottos. The views were stunning and the water was clear and beautiful.
On the way back to the hotel we took a detour to visit the kever of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, where we prayed Mincha and had some spirituality infused in us. It was erev Yom Hazikaron and we made sure to stop on the highway in order to hear the siren at 8 PM. However, we were surprised that we were one of the few cars to stop, which is unlike the videos that we see in America!
Day 6
Wednesday was Yom Hazikaron in Israel, a day of remembrance for all of those who were killed for the state of Israel – soldiers and victims of terror. The day is very solemn; restaurants and businesses are shut down. It is a national day of mourning; everyone knows someone who died for the country. A few years ago, my dad and Judah learned a masechet of Gemara in memory of a soldier, Daniel Pomerantz, who died in Operation Protective Edge in 2014. Over the years, our families have become acquaintances and have stayed in contact. When we knew that we would be in Israel for Yom Hazikaron, my dad was determined to spend the morning at the memorial for Daniel A”H and the others who died from his town. We gathered by the town shul for the outdoor ceremony, which was attended by hundred of people. Once again we stood silent while the siren rang out. We listened to speeches about those who were killed and felt the pain of those who lost their relatives and friends. After the ceremony we headed to Varda Pomerantz’s house where they celebrated her son’s life. It was a very moving experience and one that I will always remember.
As somber and sad Yom Hazikaron is, the mood immediately shifts at sunset as Yom Ha’atzmaut is ushered in, a day where the celebrate the establishment of the State of Israel. Of course, we celebrated at the Kotel, which had all kinds of ceremonies, prayers and customs to honor the day. On the men’s side, Allen and Joseph got to hold the Israeli flag and be in the center of the dancing. After the special prayers and blowing of the shofar, Sam, Allen, my dad and Judah headed to ben Yehuda street to continue the celebrations!
Day 7
After a festive evening at the Kotel, we woke up early the next morning to continue celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut. I insisted on rushing to the Kotel in the morning, after Sam had already prayed Netz, to get a family picture. Luckily, we were successful. Afterwards, we headed to the Museum of Underground Prisoners, where we learned about life in a Jewish prison under the British occupation. It was something I had not learned much about before. After a quick lunch, we headed to Gan Sacher, where many Israelis were BBQing to celebrate the day. The park has crazy slides and jungle gyms and the kids had a great time playing. We then stopped at the Israel Museum; I really wanted to see the Aleppo Codex and other manuscripts that are held there. We didn’t get to enjoy this too much because of cranky children. The day ended with a siyyum dinner in memory of Sharon Wahba A”H whose Yahrtzeit began that night.
Day 8
Today was 5 Iyar, the 2nd Yahrtzeit of my mother. The men began the day with Netz at the Kotel. The family then went to Har HaMenuchot to visit Mommy. We said some special prayers. She must have known we were there because it rained the entire time we visited. Literally pouring buckets of rain!! Most things are closed or close early on Fridays in Israel in order to prepare for Shabbat. After saying goodbye to Mommy we went to Mahane Yehuda Shuk where we tasted the most delicious chocolate kanafe, candy, fried fish and other yummy treats! We spent some time by the pool before Friday night dinner for the extended family who joined us in Israel.
Day 9
Our last day 🙁 It’s always a sad feeling to leave Israel. We spent the day relaxing by the pool and squeezed in one more visit to the Kotel. Once we passed through security, the kids were finally able to get their kosher McDonald’s sandwiches. Unfortunately, Joseph’s fell on the floor and he was very upset about it for the next hour. Note to readers – children get very cranky with little sleep. Be prepared. Thankfully the flight home was relatively uneventful.
