Thursday in Tel Aviv

Today was an extraordinary day. We left on buses by designated groups to spend the day in Tel Aviv. If Jerusalem can be described as the ancient city of the Jewish people, then Tel Aviv can be aptly described as the modern city of people who just happen as well, to be Jews.
It is a modern, as diverse, and as cutting edge as any international city...yet made up of a strong Jewish majority.

Our day began there by being further divided into smaller groups of six, each of whom spent the morning with our professional counterparts who serve the Reform movement in Israel. My group met with the program director and the organizational consultant to the congregation at Kibbutz Gezer (one of the stops on our 2005 Temple trip). Over lattes on the beach (I know...and I'm sorry I have to tell you about the beach !!!) we spent two hours discussing God, pluralism, and the tensions Israelis feel between a revulsion towards organized religion (i.e. orthodoxy) and the strong desire to find something of its essence to offer their children.

We then walked along the harbor/port to the BRAND NEW AND UNBELIEVABLY STUNNING headquarters of the Reform Movement in Tel Aviv. The congregation in that building had 40,000 visitors in its first year of operation ! Again, in small groups, we learned of the efforts being made to offer a Reform Jewish curriculum in the city's school system. We are making incredible progress in Tel Aviv because, unlike Jerusalem, the city's more secular vision has allowed for the advancement of Reform Judaism.

Our day concluded with a very compelling play performed by actors who were either blind, deaf, or both. And here one remembers that...despite the constant threat of war...and the constant depiction of Israelis as a nation of warriors...that the arts are flourishing, including those which not only highlight the plight of the disabled, but create a forum for their artistic expression as well.

One other note:There is much discussion on the buses about the economic impact on individual congregants, on congregations, and on the Movement as a whole. Many congregations are trying to figure out how to curtail expenses ...on the one hand, while continuing to offer the services that bring comfort and stability during trying times...on the other.

Tomorrow we prepare for shabbat in Jerusalem...and beyond. More tomorrow.
Looking forward to the wheels touching down in Nashville Sunday night.