Tuesday, April 16

As our program opened on Monday evening we moved from a somber memorial day to a celebratory Independence Day.  Our opening evening was emotional and overwhelming as 131 of us gathered to celebrate our community's arrival in Israel.  It was an extraordinary site.  Our Rabbis began with a ceremony to honor those who have fallen defending our Jewish homeland.  We moved into a festive dinner.

Our next morning took us to Machon Ayalon on Yom Ha'atzmaut, Independence Day.  The miraculous story of this underground bullet factory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machon_Ayalon 

is an amazing story exemplifying the significance of the efforts to create a Jewish state.  Our day took us through Tel Aviv, ending with a lively dinner with Israeli lone soldiers. These soldiers each shared their moving stories explaining why they chose to live in Israel on their own and serve in the military.