Another great day - Today we joined USY Group 2. We started the morning (pancakes at the youth hostel) with Mitzvah hero Bradley Cohen of All-for-the-Kids and learned about his life for years in Asia; Laos, China, Nepal, S. Korea, Thailand, Japan and found his way to Jerusalem. Bradley is an inspiring leader, speaks 5 or 6 languages and is encouraging Israelis in India to help the local population to improve their image abroad as well as helping the children in orphanages in various parts of India.
Bradley after telling his story, led the group through some martial arts exercises and breathing (he holds a black belt in tae kwan do and a brown best in Aikido) and then described his projects. He was terrific with the teens and we learn a lot from him whenever we are together. He is about to leave for a 4 month trip to India, where he will again organize groups of Israelis to help local groups of children. His new venture is called Lev Olam (Heart of the World) and he has many ambitious plans for its success.
After a hostel (as opposed to hostile) lunch at Agron (much of it looked a lot like breakfast, except for the spaghetti) we got on the bus to Ra'anana to the logistics center of Leket Israel (formerly Table-to-Table), Israel's largest food recovery organization, serving over 240 non-profits with rescued fruits and vegetables, catered and prepared foods, manufacturers' overruns and sandwiches for school kids. After a complete introduction to the program from Natalie, we spent an hour cleaning cabbages (several layers of leaves needed to be peeled off to make them attractive for use - even people in need don't like receiving ugly vegetables) and filled 6-1 cubic meter crates (of about a ton each, so about 12,000 pounds of cabbage) that tomorrow or at the latest Sunday, will be on tables throughout Israel. Not a bad hour's work.
The group was going on to Herzliya, and by coincidence so was I so I could meet Yossi for his regular poker game - I have been playing in this game when I am here since the 90's, and it is one of the joys of my visits. I will stay in Har Adar tonight and Shabbat and return to J-lem Sat night for work with our next USY group on Sunday.
Post Shabbat update -
Summary - Poker went well - up 6 NIS (about $1.50). The ride home was arduous - construction after 2 am had the main Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway closed at we sat going nowhere for about 40 minutes, got home at 3:30 am.
We were up and out by 9:15 to attend a cheese tasting Yossi had arranged witha very nice cheese wholesaler at Moshav Bnai Tzion near Ra'anana. We brought some of Avi Yehuda's Cabernet (Shaked - a new favorite of mine) to taste and sell. Yossi sold about 8 bottles. 25-30 people, mostly friends of Yossi and Dina came. I think there were over 20 cheeses to taste, they were terrific, and this guy also imports other items like Bumblebee Tuna, Kraft BBQ sauce, V-8 and Dr. Pepper. People bought a lot of stuff and had a nice time.
After a quick shop at the Mega grocery store we went to Avi Yehuda's winery at Shoresh for an afternoon visit. We tasted a new blend and the new shiraz, and I left with a few bottles, including some 2007 Shiraz for Michelle to enjoy when I get home.
Shabbat was quiet - because we'd all had so little sleep Thursday night, we managed a late Friday afternoon nap, so I missed shul. Dina made a lovely meal, roasted chicken and vegetables in a clay pot. We drank a 2006 Yehuda Shiraz with dinner. It was a quiet shabbat - I finished 2 books that I had started - a Larry McMurtry novel and an Amos Oz novella so I I am going to start James Kugel's book, How to Read the Torah. I hope to hear him speak at the Turkish shul next shabbat. After shabbat Yossi and Dina brought me back to Jerusalem and we went for a later dinner at a fairly new place, 54, next to Cafe Hillel and it was nice (mediocre service, though) I had a club sandwich with grilled chicken and roast beef and it was very nice.
Tomorrow we stay in Jerusalem with our USY group - I will see the Rabbanit Kapach in the morning (the other half will go with Miriam Frier to Shalhevet) and then in the afternoon, a mitzvah tour of downtown J-lem.
Shavua tov.
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