As promised, a guest post

My friend CK, has agreed to do another guest post (you can read her first one here). CK and I became friendly, about a thousand years ago when she began dating her husband, whom I was friendly with in Bnei Akiva. We especially bonded over our pregnancies with my Orli and her youngest daughter. We were both beginning our maternity leaves the same day and had plans to go to the movies together. When I called her from the labor room, she asked, "What are those beeps I'm hearing in the background? Are you cancelling our movie date?!" We never did make that date up.

Anyway, as promised, without further ado:

I just returned from a week long trip to Israel. Like many Jews, I have a deep connection to Israel (maybe Baila will let me muse about that someday on her blog), and my trip was filled with many small moments that touched me. I call them small moments, even though they were anything but small, because the “big moments” I reserve for seeing my family and friends there. I am deeply moved by my friends and family who live in Israel, make their home there, and build our country every day just by being there. But the small moments are things that I just stumbled upon unexpectedly that made me nod and say “only in Israel” So in no particular order, here are my small moments:

1. While driving out of Jerusalem, you will note a trempiada next to a gas station. Let me explain: Many people in Israel stand there to await rides with neighbors and strangers. Tremping is catching a ride. A trempiada is a spot where people who are tremping wait for rides. ( I will avoid the word hitchhiking, and if my children are reading this, they know how I feel about that! ) While driving past, I saw many soldiers awaiting rides, and one soldier, was sitting and playing guitar while strangers sang along. I wish I had a camera. (And I wish I knew how to take good photos). In this case, a picture WOULD have been worth a thousand words.

2. We rented a car AND a GPS. (Shout out to my wonderful husband, S. , who navigated over 1200 km with great skill.) As you may know, GPS’s include landmarks and buildings for easier navigation. This GPS actually had on it the Bnei Akiva snif! Bnei Akiva is the world’s largest Religious Zionist Youth Movement. Baila wrote about it here and here. I owe so much to BA – including, but not limited to that this is where I met my beloved. It has also been an important part of our children’s lives and we are VERY indebted to this wonderful organization . But to see it noted on a GPS – that is VERY cool.

3. The mall in Modiin, Baila’s hometown, is beautiful. I didn’t spend nearly enough money or time there this trip. But I did get together with some girlfriends there. They took time out from getting ready for Shabbat to sit, sip coffee, talk , laugh raucously and just do what girlfriends do (God bless every one of them!) While walking into the Cuppa Joe where we were meeting, right at the mall food court, There was a BLOOD DRIVE going on!! IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MALL. No privacy screens – just generous people rolling up their sleeves, lying on the gurneys, giving some much needed blood in the middle of the mall. Getting their juice and cookies afterwards. And of course doing an incredible mitzvah. Maybe if you’re squeamish this would make you uncomfortable. ME? I just loved it. Of course I wish that blood wouldn’t be in such great demand in Israel or anywhere. But the fact that those gurneys were all filled with people taking time out before or after running their errands to help out made me enormously proud.

Those were my top 3 small moments that touched me. What are some of yours?