(DAY 11) Afula and the Emunah Children's Center

We started off this morning with a trip to Safed (pronounced Tzfat).  This is the highest city in Israel, a small village really, an artists enclave, located on a mountaintop with many a winding path.

An artist at work in his shoppe



Walking down the main road full of shops

 We visited an old synagogue in town, that houses many old scrolls and books...

Visiting the old synagogue

Inside with the center reading table

Old books and scrolls

check out the lights!

Yosi opened up the Torah scroll for us to see!

The Rabbi looks like he's ready for his sermon

Some music from Yosi.  He promised he would send us a CD of tunes ...

Just a gathering of 7th graders on a field trip

We stopped at a Talis Shoppe specializing in hand woven wool Talit... i.e. very expensive.


The Talis maker's shoppe
All from hand woven wool !



The expert shows us how it is done, and explained the process...

Next we staopped off at this Candle Shoppe - very unique candles that are really works of art...


The Candle Shoppe -- Don't miss this...



Yes these are made of wax

Chess anyone?

Or how about this super-dee-duper Havdallah Candle

From Safed we travelled to Afula to visit the Emunah Children's center.  Prior to our trip we held a fundraiser called Heels for Hope. Congregants of B'nai Torah, families of our Talmud Torah, and friends and families of our Israeli Travelers participated in raising money for the Children's Center.  Today we will present our donation to the center and take a tour of their facilities.

Greetings from Emunah!

We had lunch at the dining hall with some of the children...

Hey -- Guess who met us at the Children's center ??  Remember Yael, our Israeli Emissary from last year?  Thanks to email contact from Margery - She visited with us on on tour of the Children's center!  Hi Yael!

Schlomo telling us about what the Center provides for the children here

Next we toured a residence dormatory for teenage children.

The playground area

Rabbi Colin and Yael

Next we visited the art room and saw
some very artistic works by the children

Back to the dining hall, we had a performance !



Music and dancing



The girls performed too.

Then we all decorated some hearts to be displayed on a large "poster" ...

Debbie presenting Schlomo with our Heels for Hope donation

A group photo in front of the new poster we made

Next door to the Afula Children's center is a synagogue.  Anita's family has deep ties to this synagogue, many were founders of the synagogue, and we found numerous plaques with the Batt name on them.

She talked to us about how meaningful this visit was, since on prior visits she has not been able to get in to see the inside.  She also told us about one of her relatives who came to Afula, and was a runner of refugees during and after WWII.  She was bestowed one of the highest honors by her native country.  Wow!

Check out the plaques here with the Batt name in Hebrew

The outside of the synagogue in Afula

After our visit to the Children's center, we travelled to Caesarea, on the coast of the Mediterranean.  This is north of Tel Aviv, and was one of Roman King Herrod's most crowing achievements.  The port he built here was one of the largest ports in history.  Some of the ruins can still be seen...

In front of the Moat



Can you imagine the moat filled with water?



Doris and Bari

Margery and Susan

Yosi playing this small guitar like instrument
It has a BIG sound.
Janice is moved to Dance...

Hey ! Hey !
What a beautiful weather day today.

Some parting comments from Yosi
in a small archway above a cistern

The sun is setting on a great trip -
One last group shot in front of the aquaduct along the coast

Sun disappearing in the west
from the bus window

We ate dinner at a Moroccan restaurant near Jaffa - coming full circle to where we began the trip. 

After dinner dancing

Arriving home on Wednesday morning
Bye!!

Heading home from the parking lot

Alone, with our thoughts of our wonderful experience in Israel