Staying in Touch: Akko + Rosh Hanikra

Us in the Akko Port

We went North today, driving through Haifa and then stopping in the old port city of Acre/Akko. The Shemesh's joined us for the transverse across country ( 1 1/2 hour drive time!) and the kids had a great time exploring together. It is such an amazing thing to be able to be in Israel with friends. Karen and her family are awesome to be with and I am grateful for their friendship and company. The old city of Akko was all contradictions - ancient vs. modern and at the same time a haven of peaceful co-existence among the various faiths.

From there we headed further North to Rosh Hanikra, on the boarder with Lebanon. Rosh Hanikra is home to a beautiful sea scape: white bolders and grottos carved away by the tide. We took the gondola down and the kids went through the grottos twice. They were intrigued by the darkness and then the openness that shed light and water. We also learned about the importance of Rosh Hanikra as a main stop on the Cairo - Haifa - Beirut - Tripoli rail way that was originally planned to run through Turkey and then on to Europe but which was never completed due to World War II.

Gabe and I outside the grotto.

We drove back to Mome and Leah's hot and tired. From there, I alone went on to Tati's 30 day/shloshim remembrance event held at a local synagogue. So many of my cousins and their kids were in attendance - many who I haven't seen in many, many years. I took a few pictures and really wanted to take more, but felt that doing so was a bit awkward and dis-respectful. In any case, Tata Rachel put together a lovely evening in Tati's honor and my cousins did a great job in helping out. I was glad to see many of them but really disliked the circumstance under which is occurred. It was just so obvious how many lives Tati touched and how many people loved her. I hope that she is in a better place and continues to watch over all of us. We miss her deeply.