Home Sweet Home

We made it home safely.  Now that we're unpacked and the 8 loads of laundry are finished, our trip to Israel almost seemed like a dream.  We really went?  We saw? We travelled?   Hard to believe and now back to reality!

The kids are amazing travelers and loved the plane ride.  Adam and Andrew spent most of the time staring out of the window (when they weren't asleep).  The cherry on top was the fun ride home in the car that was arranged for us. And luckily, we avoided carmageddon and made it in home in time to wish Papa a Happy Birthday.

Heading Home

We're heading home.  We did manage to squeeze in a final visit to the beach in Netanya.  Frolicking in the warm Mediterranean water with Gabe and the kids truly felt like VACATION. That part of it was short  but very sweet.

Now that we are all checked in and will be boarding in the next hour or so, I am glad to take the opportunity to put down these last thoughts,.  There is so much floating in my head, but alas I only have a few short moments. Saying goodbye to Israel and all of our loved ones has been difficult.   Pepe cried, Meme cried, Andrew cried and I cried - Adam almost cried and for him to say as much is really huge.....  I knew saying goodbye would be hard and we haven't been looking forward to these last few hours, however we are so grateful for the time we have been together and the time spent in Israel getting to know her as the home of our ancestors then and our current extended family now.  I know the kids will carry the memory of this trip forever.  And I hope that we will visit again soon - 4 years between trips is too long.

I can't thank Mome and Leah, Yoram, Meme and Pepe and everyone else enough for their hospitality and above all their love and concern over our well being.

Last minute R + R.... 

Digging their way home?

The boys checking us in. 

Meme and I at Ben Gurion airport..... before the tears.

Reflections

Emotional.  That was today.  It started with well wishes, lots of cuddles, cards and presents from my adorable boys - Gabe, Andy and Adam all woke me up with Happy Birthdays.  Even though my birthday came 10 hours earlier, there was still no greater joy than having the dear and near express their love in this way.  I can't believe that today marked the 1st anniversary of my 40th B-Day Bash.  This time last year I was surrounded with friends and family and we were dancing and singing and passing the night away in great company.  Today, I celebrate on the other side of the world.  I have spent many a birthday in Israel, and they are always special.

Reflective.  That was also today.  I decided to go to the cemetery.  My kids thought it odd.  Andrew asked if it would make me sad.  I explained to him that while cemeteries can be sad places, to me today, it is a place where we can think about who we are and where we come from.  I told him that my paternal grandparents were buried in the particular cemetery we were visiting and that a part of them flowed to Papa, then to me and now on to him and Adam.  By visiting them, we pay them not only respect, but we get to learn about our lineage and about those who helped create us.  It is sad that they are no longer on this earth and it is sad that I never got to meet them, but it doesn't mean that they are not part of me, or Andrew or Adam.  It was a tough conversation to have with a 10 and 7 year old and I hesitated taking them there, but ultimately the decision was theirs to go. Adam said he felt weird being there, but that he didn't quite know why..... 

I also paid respects to my dad's sisters Julie and Raymond. The emotions ran strong and articulating them is just a bit too difficult.

From there, we went to visit Big Meme and Pepe.  Big Meme made a most delicious lunch and for the first time on this trip, Gabe ate like a pig (his words not mine).  Andrew and Adam made themselves quite at home - as soon as they walked in they raced to the backyard and then spent the afternoon fighting over the "recliner." Pepe had a real treat for us!  He found his Bar Mitzvah invitation!  It is written with Hebrew letters, but is actually transliterated Moroccan/Arabic. The Jews in Morocco learned to speak Arabic but were not always literate in the language; they were educated in French schools, and so their literacy stemmed from French and then whatever Hebrew they were taught in after school Hebrew school. 

Pepe also pulled out a copy of his and Meme's wedding invitation from February 1945.  It was a random copy and many noted were scribbled on i, but the essence was there an it was written in French!

The remainder of the afternoon was spent running a few errands and packing up and of course we headed to a quick and casual dinner together.  Sorry Karen, I know you wanted to party but it will have to wait til L.A.! We always have birthday dinners with family and of course Gabe the kids and I always plan something.  This year instead of being with parents and siblings (and I so wished they were with us), I got to spend by birthday dinner with Meme, Yoram, Mome and Leah.  At the end of the evening, Meme gave me a ring and necklace - two pieces of jewelry that are hers and she wants me to have.  It was touching and we both cried.  I love that she gave me something of hers.....

We are packed up and ready to go.  Tomorrow is the last day and while we would love to stay longer, we now that we must now return.  After all, I do miss my bed and pillows. 

Pepe's Bar Mitzvah Invitation

Meme and Pepe's Wedding Invitation

T -2

Karen, Me and Vivi

We have two days left in Israel and are making the most of them.  Today, we pursued some much needed R + R and headed to the aqueduct beach in Caesarea.  The beach was mostly deserted with the exception of a few jelly fish!  We were joined by the Shemesh's along with Vivi Edri, and two of her boys Dunn and Yarden.  Dunn is Adam's classmate and they were thrilled to see each other.  Vivi is super sweet and kind and we were very glad to meet up with them. Spending time with friends so far from home is a treat like no other.  After all, we're in ISRAEL!

Andrew, Gabe and Adam,
Along with Kobe and Dunn

The kids spent a good amount of time in the water exploring the break water, rocks, fish and what little reef there is.  They dug in the sand, played games and really had a great time enjoying each other's company in an open environment and with unscheduled activities.

By mid-afternoon we parted with Vivi and family, as they had other plans for the remainder of their day.  So we wished them good travels for their stay through August.  Karen and family along with our family went to visit the antiquities in the Caesarea harbor and to have a later afternoon lunch.  Caesarea is one of my favorite places in the world. I love the contradiction of the ancient and the modern, the ability to return to a place marked by history (world history as well as my own personal history), the beauty of the beach, and being able to sit seaside, while enjoying a fabulous meal, enjoying stunning views, with my family (and friends) by my side. The kids explored the old city once more (even if this was their 2nd or 3rd time there during this trip) and had fun telling their friends about what there was to see.

Perly, Gabe and Eduardo. 

So much time was spent enjoying Caesarea that we didn't have enough of it left to go back to Mome and Leah's to shower before parting to Kiryat Yam north of Haifa to visit with Gabe's cousin Perly and family.  So as sandy and sun-kissed as we were, we dusted ourselves off and headed north - the showers needed to wait!  The empanadas and coffee were delightful and having an opportunity for the kids to see how Gabe enjoyed seeing his cousin (her husband Eduardo was Gabe's camp counsleor as well), was priceless.

We hope that in the last few weeks we have shown Andy and Adam the reaches of our family and have connected them to Israel as Jews and Zionists.  Our family tree is branched out in many directions and that Andy and Adam hold an important place on our branch.  We hope that their view of the world has broadened and know that at this age, their memories will carry forward with them.  Earlier today they asked if they could come back to Israel every summer. (Not the first time I have heard this in the last few weeks).  When I asked them what their favorite part has been so far (I ask almost everyday), Andrew replied ALL OF IT!  Let's see what they say tomorrow!

Adam and Dunn

Andrew and Papi exploring

Lounging in the 80+ degree water.....

"Medusa" and Gabe

Adam exploring away! 

Karen and I in the old city of Caesarea amid some ruins that are slightly older than we are!

Our family!

Karen and I with the kids in the old city.

Andy loves Mama....

Us in a cave....

Kobe and Andrew

Ramat Gan (Again) and Ashkelon

Our driving continued today... this time down south.  The kids enjoyed the Ramat Gan Safari so much the first time that they insisted on returning with Papi.  So we headed back to Ramat Gan. Summer vacation is now in full force in Israel and not only was the Safari a bit more crowded; it was also a lot hotter.  We drove through the safari twice and Adam loved seeing all his favorite wild cats.  Both boys enjoyed showing Gabe around and sharing with him all the special things they saw a few weeks ago.  Even through all the signs clearly stated to not feed the animals and to keep the car windows closed, we assumed those rules were meant for others. By throwing a few pretzels out the car window, we had a few very up close visitors (one even licked the window clean for us).  The highlight of the Safari was also a camel ride.... after all if not in Israel, then where?

From there we headed further south through Ashdod for lunch.  Andrew, Gabe and I enjoyed a most delicious shwarma lunch; Adam had to have McDonalds.... Oh well, you can take a boy out of the valley but you can't really take the valley out of the boy.   Odd thing though, his nuggets came in a McFalafel box.  I wonder how those would sell at the Mickey Dees in Woodland Hills?



Our next stop was Ashkelon, almost on the Gaza boarder, to visit one of Gabe's school friends (and his ex-girlfriend!) Gigi and her family.  We spent time together at the beach with her and her boys Daniel and Ron. There is an infestation of jelly fish all along the shore in Israel and while the kids didn't frolick in the surf (one jelly fish sting a summer is plenty for us Starkmans), they did spend time shoveling the jelly fish from the sand. They did a great job cleaning up the Ashkelon beach!

Zebra

Antelope

Camel

Monkeys and Elephants....

Gabe and a Jelly Fish

Gabe and our boys, along with Gigi and her boys! 

Kibbutz Hasolelim

Humous Chef

We spent the majority of today at Kibbutz Hasolelim.  The kids enjoyed the kibbutz swimming pool and Gabe got to spend a good amount of time catching up with his uncle David (his mom's brother).  For lunch, we headed to a famous humous place in Nazareth.  Apparently, many of the better restaurants make their own humous and each is famous for a specific kind.  This particular place has its own humous kitchen, with vats of garbanzos in various stages of processing.  The humous chef also prepares the "foul" -  a type of fava bean that is also served with the humous.  By far, it was the best humous we have tasted in Israel.  

This must obviously be a problem??

Adam, Andrew, Gabe, Ari, Nicole and Perly. 

From the kibbutz, we headed approximately 30 km west to meet Gabe's cousin on his dad's side, Perly and her kids, at a beachside cafe in Kiryat Yam, a northern suburb of Haifa.  We enjoyed drinks and snacks while the kids frolicked on the shore.  The boardwalk was packed with people exercising or out for an afternoon stroll on a breezy Saturday afternoon.  Our short visit was followed by our return to Mome and Leah's house, where we went to work organizing our next few days in Israel and doing laundry.  I also packed the first suitcase for our return trip home.  It is hard to believe that by this time next week, we will be back in West Hills, enjoying the lazy days of summer in our own suburb.

P.S.  A few extra Jerusalem pics to share below.....

Inside one of the tunnels beneath the Western Wall.

The old city as seen on the Western side.

Gabe and Perly.

Banias and the Golan Heights

We headed out of the kibbutz early this morning (or at least by our standards) and drove through the Golan Heights to the natural waterfalls and springs of the Hermon mountain range called the Banias.  The trail had recently been upgraded with bridges and rails that made the hike rather easy (the last time I hiked the trail 25+ years ago, I remember it being more strenuous - I also remember being allowed to swim in the pool in the bottom of  the falls, but that is  now fenced off). The falls were gorgeous.  At the end of the hike, we headed to the kiosk in the parking lot for some artic (popsicles) and cold drinks.  Andrew's favorite part of the adventure was not the beautiful falls, but rather the vending machine at the kiosk:  it dispensed super hot freshly made CHIPS (french fries!)!.

From the falls, we drove to the beginning of the Banias springs.   The short trail and hike took us to  the temple of the greek god Pan.  It was also the site of the beginning of pagan religions of the time. Gabe  trusted his digestive system to the water sprouting from the fresh spring. This kids dipped their feet in the pool and found  the water to be freezing! 

Our tour of the Golan led us through Kiryat Shemona (with Syria in the distance), to Rosh Pina for lunch, by the Jordan River, around the back side of the Kinneret (the sea of Galilee), through Nazereth and back to the kibbutz, where we took a nice dip in the pool after a hike filled hot day.

Now we head toward shabbat and dinner with Jackie and Fernando. Shabbat Shalom!

Jackie, Adam, Gabe, Andrew, and Fernando with the falls behind them.

Andrew retrieving chips from the vending machine.

Andrew at the springs.

My boys and I at the falls.

The falls themselves.

Adam with the Golan behind him!

Us with the Kinneret behind us.

On the banks of the Jordan River.