101 Things in 1,001 Days: #58 - Travel to Israel with Clark (78/101).

While I have traveled to Israel before, experiencing it with Clark made it in many ways feel like I was experiencing it again for the first time. Clark and I joined 14 other couples from the Richmond area for a 9-day experience with the organization Honeymoon Israel. Honeymoon Israel brings couples with at least one Jewish partner from the same community on an immersive journey through the country of Israel. Over 70% of couples that travel with Honeymoon Israel are interfaith and the majority are in their late 20s and 30s. Experiencing Israel with Clark let me experience it through his eyes. So what did we do?

Our journey began in Jerusalem (after a long long layover in Boston) - walking through the quiet streets on Shabbat, exploring the Israel Museum, touring the many corners of the old city, hanging out in the Machane Yehuda Market (Shuk), visiting Yad Vashem (Holocaust remembrance) participating in a Challah baking workshop, celebrating Shabbat, eating delicious food (try out the tasting menu at The Eucalyptus, rugelach from Marzipan and breakfast buffet at the Orient Hotel) and more.

We hiked up Masada, covered ourselves in mud and swam in the 33% sodium-filled dead sea, drove in jeeps along Syria’s border after eating pink lady apples picked from the trees of a nearby kibbutz, learned about Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) in Tzfat/Safed, made za’atar (spice in the oregano family) in an Arab village at a nonprofit where Arab and Jewish women work alongside each other and danced the night away in a field with an Israeli band.

We ate our way through Tel Aviv and Jaffa (cocktails at Bellboy, 22 salads at The Old Man and the Sea, kombucha at Levinsky 41) celebrated Shabbat on the beach, rode bikes on the promenade, toured Florentine’s graffiti and the Levinsky Market and stayed at incredible hotels (Orient in Jerusalem, Ramot Resort overlooking the Sea of Galilee, & Carlton in Tel Aviv).

The trip was incredible but the conversations and community that was built throughout the journey took it to the next level. Engaging in conversations with couples that are at a similar life stage and having similar conversations as Clark & me was powerful. While walking through the old city, a place full of rich traditions and history, we would be talking about what types of Jewish rituals we’d like to include in our upcoming wedding or over dinner would be asking another couple what type of religious education they are thinking about for their children, or while sitting outside drinking wine would be talking about what values are important to us in our partnerships. Clark now understands even more so why Israel holds a dear place in my heart - it was so incredible to experience Israel together and we are excited to continue conversations and building community with the many couples we met back home in Richmond.