Although I had expected many more people to sign up for the Jewish Link “ Shop ’Til You Drop Trip” due to the fact that it was totally a not-for-profit trip with an extremely low price tag I realized once our group of about 15 had gathered together that it didn’t matter. We all were going with the idea that we were supporting Eretz Yisroel. Two couples doing so by spending time with their families and the balance of the group prepared to walk the streets and visit store keepers and show them our support.
The excitement began once the plane landed and we walked to the terminal where we were being met. There is a quickness in the gait of people walking in the direction of the arrivals terminal and then through the glass one could see the people who were on their way to the departure gates. Their steps appeared slower or was that myself projecting?
Individuals who did not know each other prior to this adventure quickly became a unit of caring and sharing. Some came prepared with lists of what they wanted to purchase, another lady brought with her lovely bracelets that her mother had made with the intention of giving them to a tzedakah, one gentleman was searching for a sefer that he had not been able to find for seven years. Fortunately I was able to direct him to the store that I felt would be his best bet and the smile on his face radiated his satisfaction that his search was finally over. The bracelets were donated to a girls orphanage and are now being worn excitedly.
Again, the purpose of this trip was specifically to show Israelis that we are with them. We are not afraid to walk the streets and ride the buses and take cabs and at the same time to help their ailing economy.
On our first morning at the hotel we were visited by several vendors from outside of Jerusalem. All brought their beautiful creations. Please check the website of Mandy Broder from Efrat. Her magnificent pieces are one of a kind, by order only. Mandy and her husband Jeremy are in business together. A young couple, parents of four children, Jeremy joined Mandy in her business when he suffered two strokes and two heart attacks last year. B”H he looks like a radiant specimen of good health and this past Friday they together took part in the Jerusalem Marathon.
At one point we attended a wine-and-cheese party that was made in our honor at a gallery in Mamila. The owner told me that his business is now down 85 percent. Although there were people walking on Ben Yehudah there were nowhere near the usual crowds that one would see even in an off season. A friend who owns Adi Jewelers told me that she has toyed many times with the thought of closing her store. I was startled to see working in the store, Madeline, a lady who owned her own gift store in the Plaza Hotel. She told me that she was not able to keep her store open any longer so she was therefore now working for someone else. We were greeted with big smiles by storekeepers on Ben Yehudah. As you can see from the picture, Uri Shekalim glued on his window our Jewish Link of New Jersey T Shirt. Stores offered discounts to any of those who identified with our group.
Avi Ben David, of King David Treasures, immediately wanted to serve drinks of juice to our group. It obviously was not necessary as we had just feasted at the Muffin Boutique. As mentioned many times before, Shmarya and Lainie Richler offer yummy muffins, sandwiches, salads and drinks and never charge any chayalim or police officers. Help us identify the “lone soldier” whose name I forgot to get from the picture below. He is either from Livingston, Edison or Highland Park and coincidentally came into the store one of the many times we were there. I want to thank most sincerely the Teaneck families that were not able to join our trip but wanted to make a contribution to the Muffin Boutique for the wonderful chesed that they do. Their contributions were delivered and gratefully accepted.
One of the members of our group quietly disappeared while his wife was literally shopping ’til she dropped and it was only later that he revealed that he had decided to give blood while he was there. He had a hard time convincing the technicians of the blood clinic that he was just doing it because he cared and for no other reason. Apparently in Israel there is an insurance benefit to give blood.
One day I decided to take the bus to Har Nof to visit my granddaughter who is living there as a madricha at Bnos Avigayil. That trip for me was one of the highlights of my short stay. It never entered my mind not to take the bus. I felt strongly that we had to do as much as we could while we were there to show Israelis that we are with them. I did not expect my reaction to this bus ride to be so strong. The ride to Har Nof is absolutely magnificent. At one point the bus veers around a curve where you literally see all of Jerusalem. It gave me shivers and I was so excited to be there at that moment. When Esther, our granddaughter, called me while I was on the bus and told me the stop I was to get off at I had another goosebump emotion. The stop was Katzenellenbogen and Hakablan. My father, who lived his entire growing-up life in Berlin, had a wonderful friend whose name was Katzenellenbogen. I started dreaming and wishing that instead of living on New Bridge I lived on Kochavim. Then my mind went even more crazy wishing that instead of people living on the corner of Churchill and Sussex they could instead say that they lived on the corner of Melachim and Sanhedrin. Wouldn’t Queen Anne be more interesting if it were Queen Esther?
One of the highlights of our trip was a proposed visit to Yad LaKashish. As it turned out only one couple was able to visit as several others had been there before and didn’t have the time. Founded in 1962 as a place for the elderly to contribute via various mediums of creativity, a visit to this amazing workshop is mind opening and heart warming. More than 300 elderly people work there creating artistic masterpieces that are sold in their onsite store.
I always come away from Israel pining to be there. I am very grateful to the group that joined me on this outstanding trip. It was such a pleasure to meet people who shared the same values and believed that what they were doing was necessary. An Israeli man standing near the Muffin Boutique asked a friend of mine who had joined the group for the day what and who is this group of people? He was totally flabbergasted when he heard the reason for us being there. I guess we need to do it more often!
By Nina Glick
