Well, my plane landed on schedule and I made it to Netanya
last Friday in plenty of time for Shabbat, even though I missed my train. My
bad, really. I did not realize that 1) the track I was on was the correct one
and went up to the information area only to get the information that no-body
knew anything; 2) I did not read the signs to figure out that (like in the Montreal
Metro) the trains are called by the last stop and I needed to get on the
Binyamina train, since there is only one train that ends in Netanya every 4
hours; 3) by the time I figured it out, I found that I had been on the right
platform only to watch my train leave. At least there is a Binyamina train
every half hour, so it was not too close to Shabbat. Barbara and I did
something very Israeli; we picked up falafel for lunch from an amazing place
right near the train station. That is actually a unique feature of Israel. Some
of the best places to eat are in train stations or attached to gas stations.
The best shawarma on route 4 is attached to a gas station near Ariel’s house,
for example, and Jerusalem’s train station has amazing restaurants. And now you
know where to go when you are hungry….
Shabbat with Ariel, Gila and Elisha was great, with Elisha
not minding the extra attention one bit (in fact he kind of liked it!). The
weather was lovely, and we all got some much needed rest. Thanks to Barbara and
Gila the meals were terrific. An interesting sidebar: our synagogue here, the
Young Israel of North Netanya is hiring a new Rabbi. The candidate the search
committee felt was the best fit spent last Shabbat in the shul and spoke and
met the congregants. The Rabbi came across very well; He is young (early
thirties) yet experienced, a polished English speaker who grew up in Israel,
then in Denver CO, then back to Israel and worked recently in England. The selection process was interesting to say
the least; the search committee interviewed several candidates but presented
only one to the community. That led to a bit of discussion, I am sure. In addition,
while the name of the synagogue in the You
ng Israel, the average age is well
over 60 if not older; one acquaintance in Toronto calls it the “Grumpy Old Men
Shul”. It is made up primarily of retired British citizens from London and
Manchester, with a smattering of Americans, Canadians and Israelis. Sometimes
you wonder if you have not actually been transported to London. In fact, I am
not sure grumpy is the right descriptor; more like “Prim and Proper”” in a distinctly
British way. But on Simchat Torah, there was plenty of good whiskey and people
were anything but grumpy!
As you heard here exclusively last post, this trip was primarily
for Barbara attending the Israeli Science and Technology in Rehabilitation meeting
which took place Monday through Wednesday. Barbara gave two presentations and
we stayed at a lovely Art Deco Hotel, Herod’s in Tel Aviv. Three mornings of
great Israeli hotel breakfast! (PS, if you don’t know what that really means,
ask, I will be happy to give details and watch you drool). The conference was
really good, but there were some quirky things, primarily that the locale was
in a suburb of Tel Aviv (Rishon LeTziyon) which was 20-25 minutes from the
hotels, and there was only one shuttle per day going and coming back.
Considering the shuttle left the hotels areas at the crack of dawn but the
meetings did not start till 9, this left a lot of participants shaking their
heads. However, since we had a rental car anyway, we were able to shuttle
ourselves and some of Barbara’s colleagues around pretty well at more
reasonable times. Monday evening, we had dinner with Debbie and Chaim Feldman
at a pretty upscale place called Meatos. As we were finishing, a large group of
Montrealers on a fundraising mission, including Rabbi Poupko, walked into the
restaurant. I guess the Feldman’s (who suggested the place) have good taste!
While Barbara was at the conference, I was also working. I
had meetings in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv with scientists that I know, about a
project we are developing on understanding how food allergy begins in early
life. I also had meetings about making more connections between the Montreal Children’s
Hospital and Israeli medical schools and research institutes. Lots of
interesting and fruitful discussions took place. In the evenings, we visited
with Elisha (and his parents) picking him up from day care and playing in the
park (yes, Canadians, we were in the Park in February). He is now sleeping in a
toddler bed and will be two at the end of the month! He is as also easy to
spot, with a great head of red hair and a huge smile.
Thursday and Friday were more laid back. Yesterday we picked
up Elisha at daycare at noon and went to have lunch with Abba (Ariel) which
means a trip to Tel Aviv which is super exciting. We went back to Netanya to do all the things
two year olds like; wander up and down steps, play with the fountain, be
chased, and get rides on backs and shoulders. Ariel joined up last night for a
take out sushi dinner. Friday was more outdoor time, with walks along the boardwalk,
to the city square and finally to the beach. It is very bright and sunny, and
18-20C, which is just fine to walk in the sand and splash in the surf! We
brought home a very tired Elisha just in time for a nap so the rest of us can
prepare for Shabbat.
Wishing you the most amazing Shabbat and a warm and restful
weekend (with an accent on warm!)
Mazel Tov to the Broncos!
Mazel tov to Gail on the birth of a new grandson, third
child for Dassy and Ashi
Happy Birthday to Lenny!
Happy 2nd Birthday to Elisha!
Happy Birthday to Gila!
We wish a Refuah Shlema to Zysle bat Bella, Naama bat
Devorah, and Noam Shmuel Chaim ben Yehudit
