"David King of Israel Lives Forever”

ICT: Venues and Values

By Lee Diamond, rabbi

Visit the City of David with ICT:—“David King of Israel Lives Forever”

 

3,000 years ago, King David chose to unite the kingdom of Israel by establishing a capital city for an otherwise divided nation.  The ancient city of Jebus was chosen as this capital city, to be known as Jerusalem  After conquering this city from the ancient Jebusites, King David decides to bring the Ark of the Covenant from its temporary resting place to a permanent home in his capital city.

His Goal?  To transform Jerusalem from a physical capital to the spiritual capital of the Jewish people for all times.

Anonymous: King David dancing before the Ark of the Covenant: as it is carried to Jerusalem

This site is overflowing with values that can be presented in the context of some of these questions:

How has Jerusalem become a spiritual capital for us?

How is this reflected in our prayers and vision as well as our actions and our focus?

What is the concept of “Yerushayim shel Maaleh” and Yerushalayim shel Mata"? (Heavenly and Earthly Jerusalem)

Jerusalem may be translated as a City of Peace or a City of Shalom/Fulfillment.

Has Jerusalem fulfilled its potential as a “City of Peace”?

Has Jerusalem transformed itself into a “City of Fulfillment"?

Has the Jewish people allowed Jerusalem to achieve its meaning?

How does the world relate to Jerusalem today?

If Jerusalem is the capital, why are the embassies in Tel Aviv?

As we address the history, and the value concepts contained in Jerusalem we formulate the question and attempt to provide the first answer to it: “Why Jews have always remembered Jerusalem and kept it above their highest joy?”’

We must also examine the myriad of customs related to Jerusalem including;

The direction of our prayers and synagogues

 Leaving a corner unpainted or incomplete in our homes

Breaking of a glass at a wedding

 The closure of the Yom Kippur prayer

 The closure of the Passover Hagadda with the words: Next Year In Jerusalem.

Clearly from these customs Jerusalem holds a vital place in the life of a Jew to this day. Our value goal here is to try to understand Jerusalem’s place in our tradition and why it holds such an esteemed place.

Finally we raise the issue of David’s desire to build a House of God—a Bet Ha Mikdash and God’s rejection of his desire. 

Why the rejection and why does a universal God need a house?

Source on David’s conquest of Jerusalem:  II Samuel 5:6-10

Source on David and bringing ark to Jerusalem:  II Samuel 6-1-23

Source spiritual centrality of Jerusalem Israel and Jerusalem:  Psalms 122 and Psalms 137

"Israel Celebration Tours- We share the real Israel with you!" 

http://www.israelcelebrationtours.com/

The Knesset

Venues and Values - The Knesset

by Lee Diamond, rabbi

Few sites in Israel are as significant as the Knesset.  This is Israel’s legislature where the laws of the state are determined and changed as needed.  Named for the ancient Jewish legislative body, the Knesset Ha Gedola, which was established in the 5^th century B.C.E.; this modern body was inaugurated as the War of Independence, was still in progress, and just as the time that the modern state of Israel was being established.  It is this parliament that determines the government of Israel from amongst its 120 elected members, legislates its laws, establishes policies for the state and elects the President. 

ICT’s interest is to reflect on its significance of the body to the people of Israel. We will supply below appropriate sources describing the actual working of the Knesset.

For 2,000 years, the Jewish people were scattered in the world, living by the good will or sometimes 'not so good' will of the countries of their dispersion.  Jews were sometimes treated as equals under the law and sometimes treated as guests in their national home.  Prior to the emancipation in Western Europe and throughout their experience in Eastern Europe as well as in North Africa, Jews were tolerated at best. 

The French Revolution was the “shot heard round the world” for democracy and equality. This promised equality gave great hope to the Jewish people world-wide.  However the Dreyfus Affair in the late 1800’s and reactions in France and elsewhere to this trial forced many Jew to realize that the promise of emancipation was most uncertain for them.  Anti Semitism and ultimately the Shoah made it clear that the Jew was unwelcome in Western and Eastern Europe. It was clear that the Jew was not to be accepted as equal in these societies and in others.

As the modern state of Israel was established the message was a again a “shout heard round the world.” However this message was one for the Jewish people. “Here you are guaranteed freedom and equality as this is your home.”  Every Jew the in world was offered the option of return and freedom as a Jew in his/her national state, Israel.  The Knesset enacted as one of its first laws, the “Law of Return” which provided automatic citizenship to any Jew choosing to accept this.

Jews were no longer dependent on the will of any nation but their own sovereign nation. Equality was declared for all citizens of the State of Israel. All residents of the State, Jews and Arabs alike were given citizenship and equality by the Knesset.  Democracy was declared for all citizens. 

For many in Israel and in the Jewish Diaspora, there is no memory of a world without an Israel, without a Jewish state, without a Knesset, without a Law of Return, without Jewish sovereignty and without democracy and equality before the law. These values are taken for granted as our memory fades and our new generations do not remember and can not remember a not so distant past of insecurity.

The Knesset is the clearest statement of Jewish independence as it is governed by this as its founding principle. 

Some will find fault with the legislative body and its functioning, and for certain it has imperfections but these exist in all democratic societies. However weaknesses can be corrected and improved upon and our system can be perfected in the context of a free democratic State of Israel. Therefore, the primary value concept to discuss in any visit to or discussion about the Knesset has to do with Jewish sovereignty and independence. (one paragraph) In the process of understanding this concept of Jewish sovereignty we must address the issues that need to be developed and improved upon in Israel’s struggle for democracy.

Among these issues are

Religion and State

Women in Israeli society

Minority rights in our society

Treatment of the “other” in our society

Attitudes and action toward neighboring states and peoples

Human rights within Israel

Human rights in relation to enemies

Peace and security

These are but a few brief examples of the challenges to Israeli democracy which require sincere and thorough effort.However at the base of all of these value discussions is the core value of Jewish sovereignty. This value is what defines Israel.

The Knesset is the body which must lead our sovereignty and struggle with the laws that will make for a just and worthy sovereign State of Israel. 

As part of ICT’s visit to the Knesset we spend time:

*Reading Israel’s Declaration of Independence

*Discussing these values with a member of the Knesset.

*Listening to a live discussion.

*Enjoying a meal in the Knesset cafeteria

*Visiting the Chagall Wall hangings

*Joining in a discussion regarding the values presented--in the park adjacent to Knesset

*A visit the Menorah outside the Knesset – Symbol of State. This Menorah has become the official symbol of Israel.  As one views this sculpture, it is important to recall the Menorah etched on the Arch of Titus as captive Jewish slaves carried it on their backs on their way to exile.  Here at this site and here in Israel, this shame has been transformed into the pride of a redeemed sovereign nation.

Relief of Menorah on the Arch of Titus built in 85 CE to celebrate the capture of Jerusalem

Menorah at the Knesset today: Symbol of Statehood

Experience the real Israel with ICT

http://www.israelcelebrationtours.com/

The Enemy Within

The Enemy Within

By Lee Diamond

As a young boy growing up in the USA, I watched the McCarthy hearings on television.  I would sit in the back of my father’s liquor store along with my parents and we would watch with horror as person after person was called before the committee and harassed by Senator McCarthy.  I should add that many of those who were called before this committee were Jews.  Those days and these hearings made an impression on me that I will never forget.  It was clear to all of us that this was a witch hunt comparable to the Salem witch trials of the 17^th century.  The nation that I was born in, lived in and indeed believed in had been taken over by the fear and hysteria of “communist infiltration” and the very principle of the American constitution which guaranteed freedom of belief and speech had been undermined by this committee for “Un American Activities” under the leadership of the most undemocratic personage that America had even borne, Senator Joe McCarthy.

Lives were broken.  Families were destroyed. Careers ended. People hid from exposure. Innocent people feared being involved and hid from exposure.  Legitimate criticism was curtailed for fear of the scourge of McCarthy.  Many Jews feared reprisals for their liberal political ideas. There was no doubt in the minds of many in the Jewish community that they were part of the target.

Just a few years after McCarthy I found my self involved with those who had the courage to criticize their own society for its treatment of its own citizens in the form of the civil rights movement and what we considered America’s unjust war in Vietnam.  Civil disobedience was considered a virtue. Marching the streets of Selma with Martin Luther King and tens of thousands of blacks and whites; participating in demonstrations in Washington against the Vietnam War and even being jailed for such was nothing less than an honor.  Again there were Jews among us, indeed many! Again we spoke our minds. Yes we were even part of the radical movements such as Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Rabbi Professor Abraham Joshua Heschel was with us as we marched with Martin Luther King.

McCarthyism had been dealt a deathly blow. Nothing was more sacred than the freedom of speech guaranteed to us in our constitution.  America had learned the lesson tragically from the witch hunt of the mid 20^th century.

Today I live in Israel.  No doubt that the McCarthy era influenced this decision. No doubt that the discomfort of being the target of bigotry, hysteria, and the national witch hunt  that I experienced contributed to this need to be part of the newest, most dynamic democracy in modern time, Israel.  Here I could be politically right, left, center and express my loyalty in my own way to the State of Israel. Here I would never be targeted for my politics or for my Jewish identity. Over my 40 years in Israel I have voted center, center left, left, center right. I have been proud to participate in organizations that demand that we live by our highest standards as they are reflected in the Jewish and western tradition.  For me self criticism is a Jewish value and Israel as the Jewish State must be subject to such self criticism. 

But today I find myself thrown back into the world of Salem. Witch hunts are being renewed in “Jeru” Salem. A committee of “Un Israeli Activities” is about to be established by a no less destructive force in our very government and Knesset.   Together with deeply caring Zionist brothers and sisters who criticize Israel out of love without fear; who send our own children to the IDF and who serve personally in the IDF; who do not know the meaning of the phrase:  “I do not do “miluim” or “I don’t do the army” We know and understand that this is the democratic responsibility of all citizens, left, right or center. Yet when we climb the barricades of justice, to bring our beloved Israel to confront its weaknesses as well as its strengths we will now be subjected to this inquisition.

Before it is too late we must call this witch trial, this inquisition, this McCarthyism, this KBG spy trial to task and prevent it at all costs. We must name it for what it is:  an attempt on the part of a paranoiac and hysterical political movement and its supporters in our government to gain the votes and support from anti democratic forces within our own Israeli society, who fear democracy and wish to return us to the tragedies that history has ruled unacceptable.  The very parties who support such a motion must be investigated for un- Israeli, un -Jewish and un –democratic activities and be prevented from bringing this disgrace upon us.

We must stand together as a nation, right, left and center to demand that this agenda be prevented.  I call on my fellow Israelis to prevent this source of evil from destroying all that we stand for.

Yours truly,

 Lee Diamond

Kfar Saba

 

Independence Hall Tel Aviv

 

Lee Diamond

Israel Celebration Tours

www.IsraelCelebrationTours.com

All of us remember the day we left Egypt.  In every generation we see ourselves as if we participated in the Exodus.

All of us remember the day we stood at Mt. Sinai and received the Torah.  We were all there!  If we dig deeply enough we can connect with the entire nation of Israel of all generations who shared this moment which formed our identity forever.

On Tisha BiAv we remember the destruction of the Temples and of the sovereign Jewish State by fasting and mourning as a nation.

As the last phrase of the Seder and as the last act of Yom Kipper we declare “Next Year in Jerusalem.”

Under the Chuppah we break the glass to recall the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70 C.E.

In all of these cases it is clear that we Jews choose to relive our national history by becoming part of it and it is through this “reliving” that we live as Jews.

Exodus and Sinai were two key moments in our history. But there is another which is as key and as miraculous as they are.

The Birth of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948 is no less significant

and no less miraculous!

Independence Hall Tel Aviv

 

On this historic day, David ben Gurion in the presence of the provisional government of the Jews of Israel declared the State of Israel after 2,000 of exile. The Jewish people, world wide, were glued to their radios as this historic event took place. This turning point in Jewish history was heard and felt by the entire Jewish nation.  Words like Shecheheyanu or Baruch HaShem were heard throughout the streets of Israel and homes in London, Moscow, and Buenos and New York. 

We were all there--the generations before us as well as Jews of the entire world. We knew where we came from.  We remembered the recent and distant past. We saw this as the hope of our future.  Indeed the words of HaTiqva (the Hope) said it all.

Here in this room, in the former home of Meir Dizengoff on Rothchild Blvd in Tel Aviv our history changed. Just as the Exodus was our turning point bringing us to freedom and Sinai was the moment that gave this nation its content, so too this moment gave us the home that we longed for throughout our exile.

This moment needs to be experienced by every Jew. It is so easy to forget. It is so easy to take Israel for granted. It is so easy to assume that Israel was always here.  It is so easy to forget what Jewish life was before being empowered by our own state, our own homeland, our own language; our own holidays our own history and our own literature taught in our schools; our own Knesset or Parliament, our own Israel Defense Force to protect the Jewish people and Israel.

Just as every Jew was at the Exodus; at Mt. Sinai and in Auschwitz, so too every Jew for all times has to relive the moment of Israel’s birth and never allow this moment to be taken for granted or to become prosaic. 

Here in the Independence Hall in Tel Aviv Israel Celebration Tours provides this crucial moment of reliving; a moment of “re Jew vi Nation”; a moment for all generations of Jews to discover the miracle and include it in their lives.

*ICT brings this and other moments to life.

*ICT understands the Jewish mitzvah of identification

*We read the declaration of Independence as it was read on this historic day in this historic place.

*We hear the voice of Ben Gurion declaring the State

*We join in singing Ha Tikva with those present and proclaim the Shehecheyanu prayer with the original participants.

*We discuss the values expressed in the Declaration of Israel’s independence and try to determine our success in implementing these values in Jewish life and in our young nation.

*We remember that Israel is a work in progress

We add our names to the signatures or our founders

We stand as Jews, with Jews and for Jews!

And we commit to our next generation to keep the miracle alive and progressing.

To relive Jewish moments in Israel

Contact

IsraelCelebrationTours

www.IsraelCelebrationTours.com

The Burma Road

November 1947, the United Nations voted to establish two states in Palestine: one Jewish, the other Arab. Jerusalem was to remain a united, international city, independent of either proposed state. In spite of this decision, by early 1948 the Jewish sector of Jerusalem found itself under siege by Arab forces and suffered shelling and bombardment for many weeks. Eventually, Israeli forces secured a narrow strip of mountainous land (the Burma Road), which connected the Jewish part of Jerusalem to the rest of Israel, and the siege was broken.



The story of the “Burma Road” has everything to do with the period of establishing the State in 1948.


Though the State of Israel had been declared in the U.N., the fate of that state was not assured. This battle, in the struggle for Jerusalem, was essential in order to allow the declaration to become more than words.


There were times in our nation building when all seemed so difficult if not impossible. There were times when it is appeared wiser to be “realistic” and to not take on impossible challenges. There were those who advised such realism in the face of impossible odds. But others understood that without an attempt to achieve the impossible or at least the improbable that the nation would not come to fruition. In other words there was not a choice. Such is the story of the Burma Road. Such is the story of “Micky Marcus.” Such is the story of the Burma Road.

David Mickey Marcus

Some might see in this story something of the miraculous. If a miracle is succeeding against all odds, then indeed this is a miracle.

But there are measurable and non supernatural values that this site must raise for us.

*There is a Jewish Israeli value called “Ayn Bereira” (Nor other choice). This value has everything to do with this outnumbered, overpowered nation in the War of Independence.

*There is a value to be distinguished here of having to do with commitment to a greater cause that required seeing beyond what is normally defined as realistic.

*There is a value expressed here having to do with the phrase: “Im Itrzu Ayn Zo Agada” ( if you will it , it is not a dream) or nothing can stand before the will and commitment of determined people.

*The symbolic significance of Jerusalem to the emerging nation is a value that must emerge here.

*The meaning of compromise and where one draws the difficult line, as well as where and when flexibility must reign supreme is a value to be considered here.

All of the values that emerge from the experience of hiking and or visiting this site are rooted in Judaism and in Israel and contain crucial lessons for the lives of our tourists as well as young Israelis today. These are urgent and significant messages for the nation of Israel as it faces its future in the region

Source on biography of Mickey Marcus:

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/marcus.html

Loving Israel חיבת ציון David Forman z”l

There are cloudy days my friend

Just remember not to forget our direction

To keep the connection alive, even when it is cloudy

In your heart, in your deepest inner self, you know

You know where the compass is, where north is.

Don’t lose hope

Keep your smile

Keep your passion

No, this is not a tragedy

It’s a bit cloudy now even worrying

But tomorrow the skies will clear and the stars will reappear on the horizon and sparkle.

יש ימים מעוננים חבר, רק לזכור לא לאבד את הצפון

לשמור על קשר גם כשמעונן

בתחושה שלך, בתוך תוכך, אתה יודע

יודע איפה המצפן, יודע איפה הצפון

לא לאבד תקווה

לשמור על החיוך

לשמור על הפאסון

לא... זה לא אסון

קצת מעונן, קצת אביך

מחר יתבהר, ינצנצו כוכבי מרום

ובאה לציון הגאולה

And Israel will redeem itself

A blog by Rabbi Lee Diamond

“David Forman’s love of Zion was expressed in his ongoing efforts to make Israel an exemplary society,” “He didn’t let his love of Israel get in the way of his criticism of it, nor did he let his criticism of the state ever cast a shadow over his love of it.”
Gil Kariv describes David Forman z”l

In recent days the clouds have covered the sky, day clouds and night clouds

And it is hard to see the sun, the moon and the stars

And I feel pain.

No it is not the pain that one feels when isolated by a hostile world.

Nor is it the pain that one feels about political realities in our Israel.

It is not the pain of threatening enemies

It is a far greater pain.

It is the deepest pain of all.

The feeling of isolation from my Jewish and Israeli family

from my brothers and my sisters of peace; from my friends of Shalom

No one asks that we avoid the clouds. We must be seen for what they are

No one asks that we not worry. We must worry lest we fail ourselves.

But we need to understand that we can not escape

Nor lose hope

Nor forget that Jewish life, history and values are works in progress.

That to be Jewish is to maintain love in the harshest of days (and these are very hard days)

And to maintain not only hope in our future but commitment to it.

For Israel’s future is in our hands alone

I met three friends in these days; brothers and sisters in Zion.

One challenged our very essence of Israel today and saw only clouds on the horizon

The other declared that it was too late for us. “Our day is past.” All hope is lost.

The third could only cry and grimace.

Like Job I feel at a loss. Even fellow lovers of Zion have lost hope. They offer themselves no comfort. The clouds distort Jewish vision to the point that we can not see a better tomorrow.

Our press paints black clouds only!

Who can bear such continuous pessimism?

Our political “left” criticizes as it should, but fails to point out the north, the compass---

the way to see ---and even more so to achieve that silver lining.

Where is the pride that brought us here?

Where are the accomplishments of 60 years, despite all odds and despite our youth?

Where the wondrous and beautiful are faces and souls of our next generation that carry the vision and who see beyond the clouds?

Why do we hide from today’s visionaries----- our own sons and daughters who indeed are the “geula”---- the redemption?

Where is the love that accompanies the search for truth?

Why not struggle to be our best rather than surrender to our failings?

It is said that the second Temple was destroyed by baseless hatred of Jew for Jew. Our tradition declares that our national loss was caused internally, by ourselves and not by our enemies. Not only Sinat Chinam or baseless hatred but self hatred—seeing only the clouds and losing faith in the vision

But it is also said of the future that: Ahavat Hinam -- Unsolicited love of Jew for Jew will bring the redemption.

David Forman’s love of Zion was expressed in his ongoing efforts to make Israel an exemplary society…He didn’t let his love of Israel get in the way of his criticism of it, nor did he let his criticism of the state ever cast a shadow over his love of it. (see above)

Let us learn from David and carry on his legacy as our living legacy.

Lee Diamond, a friend.

A Journey of Jewish Ethnicity in Israel for Interfaith Jewish indentity, Jewish Ethnicity and Israel

Star of David: Magen David                  Behold you are bethrothed to me

Two tightly knit triangles

form a profoundly strong bond.

“However, the most incredible effect of the trip has been the affect it had on Louisa, my Chinese wife Since she has got back she has not stopped talking about it, sending photos and e-mails to her friends, and reading one book after another, particularly about modern Israel and the Zionist struggle.She even took the initiative to suggest that we go to Synagogue tonight.
I hope she'll write herself, but she was having a hard time putting her thoughts into words…” Jonathan Ross


These and many more are the comments of interfaith multi generational families who participated in one of the many Israel Experiences prepared specifically for them by Rabbi Lee Diamond of Israel Celebration Tours. Rabbi Diamond is an American born Jew and a citizen of Israel. Rabbi Diamond defines himself as an educator committed to the concept that the Israel experience has the power to change lives and most especially for an interfaith family.

What is it about an Israel experience that is so impactful and indeed life changing for so many interfaith families? Is it just a tour of another country? Is it a travel experience together as a family that creates this affect? Clearly there is more!

The secret power of this experience lies in the amazing potential of Israel to serve as a stage upon which the drama of Jewish Ethnicity may best be presented. Although many today down- play Jewish ethnicity for the American Jew as at all relevant; although many Jewish leaders prefer to discuss and educate toward Jewish “Spirituality”; although many will claim that Israel has little to offer an interfaith family, the fact is that Ethnicity indeed survives as one of the most powerful drives in the Jewish soul, keeping Jews connected in more ways than the leadership of the Jewish community is willing to recognize.

The first Seder by Reuven Rubin.(note the various ethnic groups)

Today 85% of all Israelis attend a Passover Seder.

“Jewish Ethnicity” may be defined as connection to the Jewish people and the Jewish drama; Ethnicity may be related to Jewish memory; Ethnicity may be expressed even in such simple ways as love of Jewish foods or love of Jewish jokes; It may often express itself in the form of strong sensitivity to the Holocaust or to continuing forms of anti Semitism; but more than all of the above ethnicity is the source of the uncanny desire of Jews for their own personal continuity and for the Jewish continuity of their children.

The choice of a life’s partner has little affect upon this deep and almost mystical sense of belonging that so many Jews feel and express in varied ways. Often the non- Jewish partner has difficulty understanding this inner urge in their Jewish partner. How many times have we heard non Jewish partners married to Jews complain that their spouse does little or nothing “Jewshly” and yet s/he wants their next generation to be Jewish? It makes little logical sense and indeed is difficult to explain this urge, and yet there is no doubt that it exists and often burns as a bright flame.

The organized Jewish community of North America also has great difficulty relating to and understanding this urge or flame of ethnicity that burns in the souls of all Jews. So many Jewish leaders dismiss these inner feelings as irrelevant and not at all serious. How can one be in an intermarriage and still feel connected? How can one be a Jew and not identified with institutional Judaism, such as Synagogues, JCC’s or other Jewish institutions? This same leadership although often adopting an open and welcoming approach to the interfaith family fails to understand the profound power of a burning Jewish soul, of ethnicity, of connectedness that defies all institutions all definition and all logic.

However this urge, this soul flame burns brightly despite all the misunderstanding, all the criticism, and all too often the rejection.


It is the claim of Rabbi Diamond and of Israel Celebration Tours that we must not only recognize this love of “belonging” but it is the “mitzvah” (the command of our time) to fan this flame; to allow it to burn; to strengthen it and indeed to add fuel to this inextinguishable fire. Not to do so is to misread the nature of the contemporary Jew and to miss the moment and to fail the future.

Israel is about Jewish Ethnicity. Israel is about belonging. Israel is about Jewish history. Israel is about Jewish future. Israel is about connections. Israel, for the interfaith family, is about understanding and creating Jewish memory. Israel is an authentic non- threatening environment for simply releasing the Jewish soul. Israel at its very core is the natural environment to feel and express Jewish pride and “peoplehood.” Despite all claims to the contrary by so many, who miss the real soul of Israel, she welcomes all and her people open their hearts and homes to the searching, and caring visitor.

Float in the Dead Sea

Israel is about children. It is simply fun to be a Jew in Israel, even for a short visit. Be it swimming in the Med, the Dead or the Red Seas; be in kayaking on the Jordan River; be it a jeep tour in the Golan Heights, skiing on the Hermon, snorkeling in Eilat, camel riding in the Negev dessert. All of these experiences strangely enough come across to children as “it’s fun to be a Jew.” It is this feeling that often allows the child to connect as a Jew after years of not feeling comfortable.

Israel provides an amazing insight for the non- Jewish partner in a blended or duel heritage family into the soul of his/her Jewish partner and into the soul of parents and grandparents. Understanding is promoted and gaps are often closed.

While many may miss this truth, Rabbi Lee Diamond is dedicated to promoting such experiences as the command of the hour. He is convinced that more and more interfaith families need to have such an experience and that such experiences will impact them forever.

The flame must be fed and Israel has an unlimited wealth of this natural energy.

Israel’s natural energy: “Orange Jews”

Perhaps these words of a non-Jewish partners express it best::

Louisa Ross:

I love Israel, its people. I will be back!

Rabbi Diamond invites you to visit the website of Israel Celebration Tours at www.IsraelCelebrationTours.com