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Community Corner - Heather Binder, Adult Jewish Life VP

07/19/2018 12:34:24 PM

Jul19

Community Corner

by Heather Binder

I had always heard people at VBS speak about how important it is to go to Israel and teach our children the value of our country. Last month, my husband David and I decided to take our commitment to Judaism one step further and we, along with 11 members of our family went to Israel for our second son Ben's Bar Mitzvah.

We were in Israel for two weeks touring Jerusalem, the Upper Galilee and Tel Aviv. Every stop we made felt educational and meaningful all at once. Watching my three boys visit places of history they have studied since preschool at VBS made my heart full. Even though I had previously visited Israel in my youth, there was something so precious about giving this gift of memories to my children.

The most meaningful part was of course our son's Bar Mitzvah. It took place on a very beautiful day at Robinson's Arch surrounded by loved ones. Having Rabbi Joshua Hoffman present, halfway around the world with us during this milestone was like bringing a piece of our home with us. To share the moment in our Jewish homeland was extraordinary and a day we won't ever forget.

We traveled extensively in Israel with many highlights.The most emotional experience for me was a visit to Dialogue in the Dark (The Blind Museum). We visited the museum at the suggestion of a dear childhood friend, and I honestly had no idea what to expect. In the first ten seconds I walked into a room that was completely black. Not a glimmer of light anywhere. I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. The only aide I had was a walking stick/cane and a museum guide who had been without sight since birth.  First I worried about my children experiencing this uncomfortable and vulnerable feeling, but once I knew they were safe, the gravity of what we were doing took a hold of me. During the tour, our guide Meir led us through complete darkness as we made our way through designed spaces. For example we visited a noisy pedestrian crossing, a train, a boat ride, the shuk, and a pub.

I noticed my other senses becoming acutely aware of the simulated surroundings. I felt lost and frightened and then I felt a great sadness.

To be honest, I was caught off guard by how this experience affected me. In the middle of the museum I took a moment and thought, there are so many things we take for granted in this world and the gift of sight is no different. David and I teach our kids on a daily basis to be grateful for the roof over our head, the clothes on our back and the food on our table. But never the gift of sight. I gained an entirely new perspective on gratitude. Not only was the experience of being without sight for an hour a tremendously moving experience, but the dialogue that we had with our guide during that time was equally exceptional. Our guide advised us that we could ask him any questions and invited us to probe into any aspect of his life that we were curious about. During our journey we learned that Meir has been blind since birth and he commutes from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv by bus every day for his job. When asked what the most difficult thing was about being without sight, he threw us a curveball.  I thought he would give me the obvious answer �" not being able to see.  Rather, he explained the hardest thing he encountered was being treated different than other people and the assumptions that people made about blind people. Namely, that people without sight cannot do the same things that people with sight can do. I was utterly amazed that while at the pub, our guide scolded our oldest son, Adam, to sit up straight �" he was able to discern from the tone of Adam's voice that he was laying down at the table.  The experience gave us so much to think about and impacted our family in a positive way. I was so glad that we spent the afternoon having that experience.

From slathering mud on our bodies at the Dead Sea to kayaking down the Jordan River the time we spent as a family in Israel was priceless. It wasn't just a family vacation but a testament to our children to see how invested we are in our Judaism.

From Encino to Jerusalem, we are Jews who believe in our past, present and our future.

 

Fri, March 29 2024 19 Adar II 5784