Photos from Israel

I had a few posts lined up and ready to go, but then I became consumed over the weekend with reading, watching and deciphering the events in Israel. The terrorist attack on Saturday morning; the capture and torture of Israeli citizens as well as tourists; the peace/music festival where 260 young people were slaughtered; the unfolding war, as well as the response from U.S. media; and the activist groups here in the U.S. that seem to be celebrating.

Everything I had written about seemed a bit irrelevant and unimportant. So I thought I’d just share some pictures of my trip to Israel from just three months ago, which includes photos of friends and family in the country, who are all safe as of this writing.

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Despite being Jewish, I’d never felt a particular connection to Israel. Then I met my now husband in my 40s. He was born there and lived there for much of his childhood and then again, in his twenties, when he attended graduate school and did his military service. Here he is back then:

Then in June of this year, I traveled to Israel with my immediate and extended family — my husband’s siblings, their spouses, their children, my mother-in-law. As I’ve written here before (here and here), it was not a vacation, it was an education.

I had the chance to make some new friends. Like Efrat Fenigson and Etana Hecht. Efrat is writing and recording her impressions from on the ground in Israel. Etana writes here.

I also had a nice long chat with my father’s friend and former colleague — they are both doctors, practiced together in Philadelphia. My dad is retired and his friend now practices in Jerusalem and has lived there for the past two+ decades.

Efrat, Etana, my dad's friend and colleague

We spent time with an old friend of my husband’s. They served in the army together and hadn’t seen each other in more than 20 years. He was out of the country this past weekend.

We saw family and friends who are like family.

We enjoyed beaches, hikes, visited museums, ruins and archeological sites; we went on a graffiti/mural tour; we went to Old City of Jerusalem to visit the holiest sites in the world.

And we all spent time together.

I’m very grateful I saw it and experienced it with my family.

I’ve got nothing else to add.

I’ll get back to sharing my random musings on life this week.