Jewish Herald-Voice (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 83, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 4, 1991 Page: 3 of 28
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July 4, 1991
Page THREE
MINDY CHARSKTS LETTER FROM ISRAEL
I
Dear family and friends,
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Letter from Greg Litt:
in our experiences.
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^Before my visit,
the Ethiopians
were mere
figures in my
mind. Now, they
are very real and
represent both
faith and
hope to me."
MINDY
CHARSKI:
Pilgrims inspired by visit to village
where young Ethiopians live, study
Sincerely,
Mindy
Love,
Michelle
Hi! The trip gets more exciting as the days go by. Last week, we vis-
ited a youth village where Ethiopians between 16 and 5 years old live
and study while their parents either live in absorption centers around
Israel or remain in Africa. All of the kids were so friendly and generous
- one girl even gave me a silver bracelet of hers. As we walked through
their bedrooms filled with both Judaica symbols and pictures of their ,
understanding. My prayers are
also with you, and everyone etoe
at home. I miss you all.
when asked if she was scared to come to Israel without her parents,
said she was nervous but remembered that her parents had told her
that though they couldn't go at that time, it is important for her,to go
. to Israel because it is her homeland.
mind.
Standing on the peak, you get a
good view of Eilat. Israel is right
below you. But if you look a short
distance across the water, you
also see the countries of Jordan,
$
y
7
Last week, Mindy Charski, who
recently served as the JH-V's teen
editor, wrote about her visit to the
lewish state. Other Pilgrims'
letters follow:
in Jerusalem.
We spent the next two days in
the Negev desert. What an expe-
rience! The first night we rode
camels, followed by an actual
Bedouin dinner. The next morning
we rode in jeeps through the
heart of the Negev.
We are presently in Eilat. This
city seems so removed from the
rest of Israel. Its beautiful
beaches and tourist attractions
make it seem like a whole differ-
ent country. We went on a boat
ride and came within a few mil.es
of the Egypti4Th and Jordanian
borders - it was incredible!
It's so hard to imagine that such
a small country is packed with so
many amazing sights! See you
soon!
and not falling behind on a hike.
Lastly, I've learned to appreciate
"roughing it". Live life to the full-
est and carpe diem ["seize the
day"]. Returning to Texas forme
’won't mean American food and
my bed. It will mean white water
rafting, camping weekends, and
much more. Life* is too short to
waste one single moment.
Miss ya,
Becca
I
I
amazes me most to the fact that
Israel has so many different faces.
Each city is so different from one
another.
We started off in Jerusalem, a
beautiful city whose holiness
reaches ad religions. Every sight
Dear Mom and Dad,
Today we hiked to the top of a
mountain just outside the city of
Eilat. The climb was just,like any
other - rocks, sand and sun. What
I saw at the top, though, is some-
thing that I cannot get out of my
. . ■ - ’ • - • . :i : "
Letter from Kyan Bormaster:
To my family and
friends back home,
"The ordinary" is the letter
home telling everyone that you're
fine, and that you're having a
wonderful time, and that you've
see this, and done that, and so-n-
so likes so-n-so and - well, I think
you get my point. The best way
that I can think of to make my
feelings and experiences dear is
to break away from "the ordi-
nary". The following is a poem
that I have written especially for
you back home, so enjoy!
Home? or HOME
We climbed aboard the airplane
- not sure what we would see. The
destination was our homeland -
but was it home in which I would
bet? We traveled many hours, for
over a day to exact. Yet still I was
so uncertain - but able to stay in-
tact. We landed and we gathered
in a place called Yisrael - was it
Letter from Rebecca Leightman:
Dear Mom & Dad,
Pilgrimage has been great so '
far. We've done so much in only
the first two weeks. Earlier this
week we climbed Masada just in
time to see the sun rise. Next we
plunged into the very salty Dead
Sea .and covered our bodies with
the enriching mud. Then we rode
camels for three hours through'
the desert; the ride terminated at
a Bedouin camp for the night. The
ALLEY
THEATRE
228-8421
Letter from Michelle Katz:
Dear Mom and Dad,
Hi! It's your daughter from Is-
rael. I'm writing to tell you I'm .
doing fine and to share with you
the incredible experience I'm
i
(
f
Their devotion to their religion and to Israel inspires me. The fact
that they have waited, like all Jews of the world, to have a Jewish state
for thousands of years brings even a greater impact on me. They kept
their traditions in Africa, and many Pilgrims couldn't get over the fact
that the boys prayed three times a day and wore talliot and kippot. Af-
ter talking with them via my little Hebrew and their little English, we
understood that many of the kids aspire to be doctors after their army
duty. Before my visit, the Ethiopians were mere figures in my mind.
Now, they are very real and represent both.faith and hope to me.
We see so many wonderful things every day; I wish you could share
MORE LETTERS WRITTEN BY TEENAGE
PARTICIPANTS IN ISRAEL PILGRIMAGE
7 The K
Boys
(Next Door
.* by Tom Griffin A
..delightfully funny..;
-Houston Chronide
“..hilarious...".
.An. a.. M.—A
-nousion tost
...... ■ • ‘ . . . •/P "
Several participants in the Bureau ouf my eyes while cruising in a
of jewish Education's 1991 Israel jeep. I've learned to appreciate
Pilgrimage have written letters the buddy system, making sure a
about their experiences in Israel. friend is drinking enough water
9
country. really so important? I guessed
So my question was, how can • only time would tell. Next we paid
people who live in the same place - a visit to a hill-top lookout point
and have the same needs have so where we got to meet each other
hard a time getting along together? yet not all of us were joined. We
In a few weeks, we will be back then started to our hotel and
in Jerusalem. In my final trip to the roommates we became - yet was
Western Wall, I have just one wish this strange place really home? -
left to make - one slip of paper to t didn’t seem the same. The
slip in the cracks. It is the hope weeks went by and we toured the*
that all of the peoples along the land our ancestors once had won.
Gulf of Eilat and everywhere else And with each and every day we
in the world will realize that we spent the more it seemed like fun.
are all basically the same and . ,
shouldn't fight. It is a prayer for (ContinuedonPageTwenty-Five)
d-u-uhc-n.ehhi n-d
has some historical significance. • Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Yes, all
Shabbat in Jerusalem is so in- four countries without ever turn-
credible. The whole day is dedi- ing your head.
cated to its preparation. The (.
Western Wall is packed with Ai 1100 ked!out 11 these lands,
worshippers right before sunset, many thoughts van. through my
one wouldnever believe a war head.How difficult it must beto
happened here just a few months maintain security for 4 county
agobythe serenity one feels that borders so many possiblead-
07 ‘ versaries. How amazing it is that
there aren't constant skirmishes
in such a tight area. But the ques-
tion that gnawed at me most was
on a somewhat different note.
Each of the countries has
mountains made of the same
stone. The sand doesn't change
across the border. The color of
one country's water is the same
blue as each of the others'. The
sun shines over all of the countries
at the same time.
And it's not only nature. The
people look the same, they eat
the same foods, they do the same
jobs. Without a map, you would
never know that it isn't one big
food was great and sleeping Un- having in Israel. In the two weeks
der the stars was incredible. The I've been here, I've come to un-
sun was our alarm dock the next derstandwhythtolandtosoval-
morning, sending us off on a day- uable to so many people and why
long jeep tour of the Negev. That the Israelis are so steadfast to
night we slept in the middle of their homeland.
nowhere, but the stars were still •I feel safer walking around the
shining brightly. streets of Jerusalem than I do in
Basically we roughed it for three my own neighborhood. That may
days, yet I teamed more than how seem ironic from the way America
to successfully keep mosquitoes portrays Israel as a bellicose na-
out of my steeping bag and dust tion. Overall, the one thing that
V • e • V V • V 4 V • 6 4
favorite rock stars, I realized what a long journey they made from their
native land. I was so moved by the reply of one Ethiopian girl who,
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Samuels, Jeanne F. Jewish Herald-Voice (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 83, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 4, 1991, newspaper, July 4, 1991; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1582998/m1/3/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .