By Andrew Lodolo

Tuesday, May 3^rd was bittersweet for the ATID V group. It marked the halfway point of the trip to Israel.  It was also our final day in the Western Galilee visiting our friends from the Partnership. Our first stop was a visit to the Galilee Medical Center, a state-of-the-art medical center six miles from the Lebanon border. Our tour included a visit to the Emergency Department, the underground hospital operations (built for continuity of care in times of war and tension), and the newly opened Women’s Center. WOW! What a blessing the center is for the region, and how amazing that OUR Indianapolis community played a critical role in the funding of the hospital. 

Our group has quickly learned that no one ever leaves an Israeli meal hungry. Today’s lunch was no exception! On our way from the Western Galilee to Jerusalem, we stopped for lunch near the Ben Gurion Airport at Oved Bakfar, a Kosher meat restaurant. From the moment we sat for lunch, swarms of staff filled our table with the best Israeli sides, sauces, hummus, and laffa followed by rice, chicken, beef, and lamb. It was a true Israeli feast!

Grateful for the delicious lunch we just enjoyed, it was our time to give back to the local community. A quick drive over to a field surrounding Tel Aviv, we contributed to our Jewish obligation of looking out for Jews around the world through the mitzvot of leket. Leket, which means to gather, was the focus of our afternoon. The members of ATID V joined Leket Israel, an organization focused on those suffering from nutritional insecurity in Israel, by harvesting kohlrabi (a vegetable of the cabbage family that resembles a turnip) in the fields. It was here that we learned every third child in Israel lives under the poverty line, and unfortunately that gap between income classes is growing.  The group made tremendous headway in the harvest – check out our bounty below! 

Our next destination, our home, Jerusalem! From the lookout at Hebrew University, the group took in their first sights of Dome of the Rock and the Old City. There we said Kiddush, Hamotzi, and Shehecheyanu. An emotional moment for all. From there we made our way to the hotel, passing by the beautiful Jerusalem stone and wall of the old city. It was a quick dinner, as time was of the essence given sundown and the start of Yom HaZikaron. At 8 p.m., the group gathered outside city hall where we saw Israeli life come to a standstill. It was in this moment that we reflected on the fallen soldiers and victims of terror attacks. May their memory be a blessing.