Thirty pilgrims from Temple Shalom went on a quest for the very essence of Israel, both ancient and modern. We came back reasonably healthy, still speaking to each other, in fact, still friends, jet-lagged, with heads swimming with sounds and sights and smells and ideas yet to be sorted out. We were a group of congenial, terrific people of all ages who had a great time, enjoyed each other’s company, and watched out for each other.

My message is that Israel is well. It is fraught with problems, many of which are about to be solved, some of which are unsolved, and a few that are probably unsolvable. But the plusses outweigh the minuses, just as in America you’d conclude that a host of sticky issues exist but on the whole, life is good. Well, let me tell you that life is good there, too.

When we started our planning for this trip, I had some specific ideas, and Jane had a wealth of experience to draw from, having done many Israel conferences in her work. We got help from many people both here and in Israel. We all wanted our Temple people to have a unique experience, and we thank many people for their help.

The challenge on this kind of trip is to not overreach and do too much, even though it is tempting to do as much as you can. The idea was to enjoy Israel, not wear out the participants. So, we planned only two hotel changes before we arrived in Jerusalem: Tel Aviv, where 20% of Israel's population lives, and Kibbutz Kfar Bloom, with access to the entire Galilee and the Golan Heights. We were also able to go into parts of the West Bank that were under Israeli control. And yes, we got to see the amazing high tech Fence running through the countryside. We decided that if that’s how to eliminate terrorist attacks, then so be it. There’s been a 93% drop in terrorist incidents.

Being in Israel is like riding an escalator that goes back and forth through time. What serves for 'old' in Naples, say, the 12th Street Dock, or Olde Naples, is utterly insignificant in Israel's time line where the last four hundred years is considered 'new.' We saw archeological excavations that zoom back through layers of civilization, one built atop the ruins of another. You reach the conclusion that nothing in the world is permanent. Every settlement in Israel since the Canaanites rose and eventually died. Even stone, the most durable of materials, is but a temporary medium there. Just as a river meanders through a valley so civilizations flow back and forth.

The past is always being discovered. Everyone knows what the Western Wall - what used to be called the Wailing Wall - looks like. But imagine a tunnel that runs the entire length of the wall - hundreds of feet in length -- called the Rabbinic Tunnel. Just imagine four-hundred ton [!] stones placed along the sides. You wonder, how did they ever move them? It makes you question the notion of progress, as we understand it.

There are so many things one does not expect, things that surprise, that amaze, that compel one's reflection long after the image has faded. One has a sense of a country on the move. There is an energy, an excitement of constant building, development, expansion. Here, it felt a little like Collier County, where housing tracts, instant palm trees and malls out of nowhere appear almost overnight.

Despite the diversity of the land, I have always felt that Jerusalem is the central core of Israel's life. It was fully half our trip. You see the whole country, and you see Jerusalem, and you understand why it has to remain Israel’s capital, even if Tel Aviv is bigger. Our tradition tells us that the very air of the land of Israel quickens the spirit and contributes to vitality, and so it does. When you see the shimmering golden stones of Jerusalem, especially in the warm late afternoon light, you understand why this place is timeless.

We used the Israeli Reform movement as a useful perspective for understanding the country. It really worked. Israel is a vast social experiment, drawing our people from all over the globe, and creating a new kind of society that reflects both the past and the present. That is the mission of present-day Israel. To the extent that it succeeds in creating a home with open arms to all Jewish people, not just the traditional Orthodox, it also succeeds as a country. So we visited the Israeli institutions of Reform Judaism, and spoke with their leaders. We visited a nursery school run by the Reform movement. We saw the cutest little kids you ever saw, preparing to celebrate Shabbat just as our preschoolers do here at the temple.

We explored the whole religious landscape of Israel. We attended Friday night services at a famous Reform congregation in Jerusalem called Kol Han'shama. We arrived a little early. There was plenty of room. Yet, when the service began it was like Naples in high season. The place was packed. The service was beautiful. Our people were surprised that the service and the rabbi’s comments were entirely in Hebrew. "This is a Reform service?" But they quickly realized that if a principle of Reform is that you pray in the language that you speak, what language should an Israeli Reform congregation use?" The service was very beautiful and very elegant and very musical. It was just gorgeous. A real treat was seeing Rabbi David Wilfond, son of one of our members, who joined us for Shabbat dinner at the hotel. He is the one working to restore the isolated communities of the Former Soviet Union. He’s helping us with the Temple's Hineni Project.

Saturday morning we went to services at the Hebrew Union College Chapel, where the students led the prayers. Our Rabbinic, Cantorial, and Education students all spend their first graduate year in Israel.

It became clear that, while Israel is a country that used to be viewed as a charity, today it is a modern day puzzle. There are more cell phones on the street than you see here. I am still trying to understand why it was funny to see a black robed Armenian Christian priest in our hotel lobby speaking Hebrew on his cell phone! In many places you can pay in dollars or shekels. In some ways, it feels so American it is scary: MacDonald’s, Ben and Jerry’s, Blockbuster. Turn on the TV and you see that they’re getting the best and the worst of our civilization. But on the other hand, it remains essentially Israeli, and when you understand the history of Israel, you realize that this is nothing new because Jews have never lived apart from the popular culture, whether it was Babylonian, Greek, Roman, Turkish, British or American. Jane and I have had the opportunity to live outside the United States, and we know the difference between what is American and what is American veneer. Israel will always be Israel.

In the meantime, it was our privilege to witness the miracles we saw in Israel, as well as feeling our joy in coming home to Naples. The best things I can share with you are the observations of our participants. Here they are, in their own words: (It doesn’t cover all 30 of us. It can't, or we'd be here for a very long time. But these are all representative ideas.)

Mike and Carol Levy wrote: "What an exciting opportunity to be in the land where it all started, with old and new Temple friends and with our Rabbi and Jane. Spending ten days in Israel has given us an understanding of our roots while filling us with a new and deeper understanding of Israel today."

The Friedmans wrote about sitting in services and hearing the familiar melodies sung with such enthusiasm. [At the services we attended] the worshippers sounded like giant choirs. Myra pointed to the "renewal of my faith and pride as a Jew."

Chris and Max Frank wrote: "We received a great education in the geopolitical, historical, and religious realities of old and modern Israel. In the process we were exposed to the local cuisine that is enriched by the tapestry of origin and culture…every person works hard to achieve success, peace, prosperity, freedom, and progress while defending the small sliver of land from all its enemies..."

Margaret Schmit especially enjoyed seeing the Hadassah Hospital Center for Emergency Medicine and the Mother and Child Pavilion. She wrote "The Western Wall was a very emotional experience for me, and the entire trip just kept unfolding new feelings."

Phyllis Seaman was moved the most by the experience of Independence Hall in Tel Aviv at the beginning of the trip. It really put many things in perspective. Michael Seaman saw enormous symbolism in walls – "we examined walls in detail. Walked on them, saw them at every turn and from every outlook. Some built in antiquity, other raw, keloidal scars of lifesaving surgery. He wrote this verse: They say you can see the Great Wall of China from the Moon with the naked eye. But the Walls of Zion are seen with the vision of the soul."

Bonnie Moskowitz wrote "In 57 years the Jews of Israel have reclaimed the desert, revived the language, grown to 6.9 million, built cities, culture, economic and military might. We saw these things first hand as we heard the stories of generations past. The struggles remain palpable as we found a citizen army and armed citizens at every door of every place we went." She correctly pointed to the internal strife among Jews as the most dangerous threat to Israel’s security.

The Moecklers wrote: "There were people we knew only by face. After our time together, we were a temple family sharing the experience of a lifetime."

Iris Bland wrote: "I have summed up my feelings about the trip. It was really GREAT! Prior to going to Israel I had knowledge of the Jewish experience but upon returning I feel I have lived it! She expressed her personal identification with for all of Israel wherever they are, but particularly for those who live in Israel:"

Sandy Parker "The trip strengthened my Jewish identity, and awakened my interest in the challenges of modern Israel. How will Israel deal with the challenge of remaining both a Jewish and a democratic state? Will she succeed? I've already subscribed to The Jerusalem Report."

Howard and Janet Solot wrote "We also have finally recovered from the jet-lag, the physical exertion of the trip, and we've caught up with the mail and messages. We feel that you and Jim were great leaders. Beside the planning, explaining and herding, your caring for everyone was very evident. The trip was not only great from a learning and emotional perspective; but it also allowed us to bond with other members of the Temple. It was a great trip, with great memories and it was lots of fun too."

Finally our participant, Ryan Warner, radio host of WGCU. Ryan filed a report on his experience with us on the radio this morning. At first he wondered about safety, but this faded quickly as he got absorbed in the country. Ryan wrote:

"This was a very powerful time to visit Israel. Not only did we arrive on Yom Hashoah… Holocaust Remembrance Day... not only did we witness Memorial Day and Independence Day shortly thereafter… we also got a sense for the fierce national debate on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s plan to vacate Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip... Israel is an intriguing place where today’s headlines mix with ancient soil... where place with names like "Nazareth" "Bethlehem" and "Jericho" are as common to Israelis as "North Fort Myers" and "Bonita Springs" are to all of us in southwest Florida.

Visiting those places is a life-changing experience... for Jew and non-Jew alike..."

This is pretty much what happens to everyone who visits Israel. It changes people's lives. And it happened to us as well.