What I Saw in Israel That Never Makes the Headlines
I just returned from a week in Israel. This was my 14th visit to Israel since 1978, not including the year I lived in Israel while a student at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1984-1985. This was not a "regular trip," filled with visits to our sacred sites like the Western Wall and other places of ancient or historical significance, or simply touring the breadth and beauty of our Jewish homeland. We traveled to attend the wedding of our nephew and to participate in all the festivities and celebrations. It was a time to relax, spend time with family, and simply enjoy being in Israel. This was my first visit to Israel since January of 2024, when I participated in a special Rabbinic mission in the aftermath of the horrible events of October 7th. When I returned from that important but difficult trip, I wrote to the congregation that, to my great surprise, despite all that Israel had endured in the three months before we arrived, life went on. Even with the difficult fight...