Cardin School Updates

This first update is by Rabbi Alter.

Our journey managed to begin ten minutes ahead of schedule even as the last parents who had said goodbye in front of the school boarded the bus to say goodbye again, and then again. We made good time heading north on 95 and busied ourselves eating the bagels and cream cheese individually prepared by Ms. Linde, gulping water to Mr. Geva's instruction that full hydration diminishes jet lag, and to the sweet smell and fresh taste of heaps of clementines. I recited T'fillat Haderekh (The Travelers Prayer) and the group answered Amen. We showed "The Right Stuff" on DVD and mostly Aaron Olszewski watched. The kids sang Godknowswhat and listened to their Ipods. Mrs. Prince plunked herself down in the middle of the bus and hung out with the students. We read, we slept.

While riding to JFK I read a three page memo from David Weis, father of senior Mike, detailing wonderful points of connection between the Jewish community of Baltimore and points on our itinerary, as well as poignant personal and historical recollections. I was deeply moved by what David wrote as I understood that in sending Mike on our trip, he is bequeathing a rich and layered personal Jewish heritage to his son and to all of the students going with him. Each of the parents whose child is on this trip is similarly giving over something great.

As we made our way through the far reaches of Brooklyn toward Queens we imparted to the students whatever advice we could about how not to get arrested by the TSA agents while checking luggage. As we approached JFK airport Rabbi Alter offered a d'var Torah about Hanukkah: While the Maccabees never intended to create something new, by restoring the Temple they nonetheless launched a holiday that we still celebrate. As such, Hanukkah is a story of going back to the source in Judaism to produce something new. We hope that our journey will function in the same way for our students.

Through Mr. Geva's expert intervention the care packages we brought for the soldiers were accepted by El Al security (including a former student of mine!) as were the teddy bears for Israeli children whose lives and families were ruptured by terror. Still, checking luggage took a long time and thus began a period of sitting and waiting. Our wait was made a bit more sweet by a group of Hasidim wandering the terminal and handing out sufganiyot - the fried jelly doughnuts that are a diet disaster but a Hanukkah must.

Having finally checked all our luggage, we headed over to the synagogue in our terminal, passing Muslims, Catholics, and Protestants in prayer in their respective chapels. Your correspondent was most disappointed to find the synagogue locked - on Hanukkah no less! It seems that one rabbi is in charge and the synagogue is open only when he is around. Perhaps he was off eating latkes. We "lit" the electric candles of the Menorah outside the synagogue by unscrewing the bulbs, singing the blessings, and screwing the bulbs back in. And then it was time for a quick circuit in the terminal and a final security check on our way to the gate.

Many of the passengers on our flight seemed to regard the boarding passes as merely suggesting a place to sit as large numbers of passengers traded seats. Your faithful correspondent was bounced from his seat by one of our own students who wished to sit next to her boyfriend. Things got interesting when several flight attendants and a manager became involved in ejecting woman from a seat other than her own to which she had helped herself. And then there was a maintenance delay, and finally we pulled away from the gate at 9:10. It wasn't until after 10:00 pm that we were airborne. So much for our ten minutes ahead of schedule out of Baltimore!

As I write this first entry in our journal I can say that our flight is long. It's still going on and it's still long. And boring. And cramped. But the flight attendants are friendly and the food is good. You shouldn't count on such (excruciating) detail for future updates - when will I again have ten hours in which to write? …

Many hours later…

We eventually arrived in Tel Aviv and retrieved our luggage. We were met in Ben Gurion Airport's reception area by the Nesiya staff who were holding hand painted signs of B'ruchim HaBa'im - Welcome to Israel, Halikha Ba'Aretz. I took special pleasure in the students' mix of pride and anxiety as they immediately found need to press their school Hebrew into service when buying a snack or finding the restroom. We didn't actually have to buy snacks, however, as Elinor Naor's grandmother and other relatives met us at the reception area with two full trays of freshly baked sufganiyot. The Nesiya staff helpfully informed us of the caloric content in a single bite of these treats…Those who had ordered cell phones received them and we loaded and boarded the bus.

About three hours more travel lay ahead of us as our itinerary begins in the Negev desert in the southern region of the country. Under a dark but starry sky and along an increasingly sparse landscape we made excellent time that included a pit stop and, finally, our arrival at the Har HaNegev Field School. We immediately entered the Chadar Okhel - the dining hall where Hanukkah Menorahs were already prepared for us. We sang a joyous round of the blessings and Hanukkah songs and then rushed the buffet dinner that included an array of vegetable salads, shnitzel (yum!), French fries, and vegetable soup. The kitchen staff of the Field School stayed hours later than planned to accommodate our late landing in Tel Aviv.

With our bellies full and our eyes closing from fatigue, we assembled in the activities room at the Field School, formally met our Nesiya staff, and got our instructions for the coming days. It was clear that our packing instructions at home were successful because the students were prepared to divide their things up into three: their main luggage for everything they do not need for the Noded - the hiking and camping experience, their medium bag for everything they do need for the Noded, and their daypack for their water, journal, and sweatshirt. The former will be locked up at the Field School and the latter two will come with us to the campsite. The first of these is to stay at the site under guard and the second is to go on our backs as we hike. The students needed no encouragement to head off to their rooms, toasty warm from heaters set before our arrival, for a shower and BED at 11 pm. Alarm clocks are set for 7 am.

Wednesday will include a morning of orientation to the themes of the program, a drive to Harei Eilat where the Noded will actually take place and where we will be joined by our peers from Ashkelon, with whom we'll spend a few hours out in the wilderness. We'll head back to the campsite for an evening of fun and celebration planned by the Ashkelon group, along with what is billed as the best food of the whole month. On Wednesday and Thursday nights we'll be sleeping in our sleeping bags in tents under the stars. The activities begun on Wednesday will continue on Thursday - and include a fuller day of hiking - and on Friday, all using the range of educational approaches, Jewish content, and group-building activities that are among Nesiya's strengths.

Friday, though, will be a shorter day of hiking and programming as we will be returning to the Field School in time to wash up (!), rest, and ready ourselves for Shabbat alongside the stunning Ramon Crater and in the synagogues of the little town of Mitzpeh Ramon - Ramon Overlook.

I look forward to having the students prepare the next round of updates for you following our wilderness experience so you can learn about our progress through their eyes instead of mine. Until then, Happy Hanukkah and Shalom!!