Wednesday was going to be my last day in Israel on this memorable trip of 5784/2024. It started with the Chabad on Campus Kinus Conference, Wednesday through Sunday, and then I extended for a few more days to see alumni in Israel, visit family and spend quality time in the holy land with two of my daughters.

MORNING PRAYERS AT LEVI YITZCHAK

The Levi Yitzchak Synagogue (named for the Rebbe’s father) is the large Chabad synagogue in “Kiryat Chabad” the Chabad neighborhood in Tzfat. It has a main synagogue, a womens balcony, two small side synagogues and a lobby, each with their own ark. There was a chart with Minyan times for each of the rooms. I went there to daven on Wednesday morning. When I arrived, it was the lobby Minyan starting up.

I noticed the diversity of the Minyan that morning. The man behind me was a spiritualist, a poet maybe, a Tzfat-esoteric type. There was a Sephardic Jew, an IDF soldier, a man sitting on the back bench with his son apparently waiting for a bus, one man was more of the Yeshivish/Litvish style. It was a nice mix. On the shelf alongside me was an assortment of Siddurim of different prayer modes and styles.

THE 992 BACK TO JERUSALEM

Got the girls ready, Aunt Sadie packed us up snacks and we walked to the corner to await the 992 bus back to Jerusalem. This time going south, stopping off in various places, picking up and dropping off, doing one more rest-area stop, and finally after 3 hours climbing the mountain road leading into Jerusalem. We got off and took the light rail to the Machane Yehudah Market.

THE MACHANE YEHUDAH MARKET

This series of streets and cross-alleyways is a most unusual space, a collection of open stores and shops selling all types of (mostly) food-stuffs. There are butchers and fish-mongers, coffee shops and bakeries, and lots of spice shops, nut shops (heaping piles of all types of nuts), sweet shops, and halva shops with large mounds of each super-fresh flavor, offering enticing samples. There is just so much to see, taste and experience in this market! Every corner, every “block”, has more to offer, and the vendors (some as young as ???) are overly eager to please and engage, to cajole you into a purchase…

My nature is to be interested in things, in people, and its often written all over my face. My girls said that’s a bad trait to have in a place like Machane Yehudah Market where some people are overly eager to hawk their wares, sell you stuff, and others are trying to collect tzedakah monies.

BEN YEHUDAH STREET

Ben Yehudah is different than Machane Yehudah as its more of a touristy spot. Shops tend to be more American-friendly, the plaza is broader, more open and expansive, there are more places to sit, sip and enjoy, and instead of crowded shops, new modern but still Jerusalem’y hotels line the street. There’s also good people-watching.

The girls got a drink, we found a shady spot to sit and we waited there for the arrival of alumnus Brad who had just gotten out of Gaza the day before, and alumnus Craig, who before coming to meet us went up to join a unique prayer group atop the Temple Mount.

It was exciting to see Brad when he arrived with Craig, to hear of his exploits and adventures. We went to eat at Big Apple Pizza, to catch up and shmooze, and discuss matters. While eating there Craig noticed Hillel Neuer of United Nations Watch and we roped him into the conversation a bit, too.

RODRIGUEZ

Wait, that’s the last name of our UAlbany University President, Havdian Rodriguez – but it’s also the name of an upscale restaurant in Jerusalem. After meeting and spending time with Craig and Brad in Ben Yehudah (we also stopped for ice-cream and to shop for Tzitzit and such) Chani, Sara and I took the bus on King George Street towards this restaurant out on Golda Meir Street, further out towards outskirts of Jerusalem, closer to the highway.

We’re not usually such fine dining types, but there was a special confluence going on. Raizy had two sisters in Israel (from Texas and NJ) that day with their husbands, and some kids, and I was there with Chani and Sara, so we made up to meetup at this restaurant and have a really nice meal together. It was a really nice get together, very special quality time. One of our nephews is about to enter a unit in IDF in August and so it was especially meaningful to do this.

As soon as I walked into the Rodriguez Restaurant, before I even saw our table, I noticed Dr. David Luchins. He was politically active for many years, more recently very involved with Touro, but our connection is that his roots and childhood is in Albany! I knew his parents, his father Dr. Abraham Luchins was professor and head of Psychology at UAlbany, and I especially remember his mother, Dr. Edith Luchins, a math professor at RPI. I went over to say hello, and Dr. Luchins wishes me a very warm “Happy Yud Bais Tammuz!”

Seeing my surprise, he told me that he insisted that the Chazzan at the Kotel minyan just before coming to the restaurant not say Tachanun, as it was the eve of Yud Bais Tammuz! This was not something I’d have expected Dr. David Luchins to insist upon! But he said his father, Dr. Abraham Luchins (of Albany) was big on YudBaisTammuz, & celebrated it with much passion each year. Once in Yechidus our Rebbe lauded Dr. Abraham Luchin’s attachment to the Friediker Rebbe.

(When I shared this Dr. Luchins YudBaisTammuz regards from Jerusalem at an Albany farbrengen upon my return, my father, Rabbi Yisroel Rubin shared that Nathan Rosenstein (an Albany lifelong pillar, in last stage of life lived above the Shteeble, many fond memories) recalled from his childhood that in 1927 in the Public Baths in downtown Albany they were collecting Tzedakah for the Freidiker Rebbe’s release!)

At the table, my nephew Mendel from Texas, now Israel, shared a Chassidic story for Yud-Bais Tammuz: R’ Chazak (Chaim Zalman) Kozliner was getting on in years and had dementia. He hardly recognized or remembered anything. Every day his son Reb Mottel Kozliner would visit, feed him food, wrap Tefillin, spend time with him. Often, R’ Chazak asked his son, “Is today Yud Bais Tammuz?” No, his son would reply, today is a winter date, a fall date, whatever date it was. Then one day his visited on Yud-Bais (12th of) Tammuz, and R’ Chazak asked, “Is today Yud Bais Tammyz?” And this time Reb Mottel told his father, “Yes, Tateh, today is indeed Yud-Bais Tammuz!” So the father said, Oyb Azoy, if so, Shtel Mashke, you need to bring Mashke for Lchaim! The story’s message? Some things become so deeply ingrained, you just never forget them!

THE RIDE BACK TO TEL-AVIV

Chani, Sara and I got a ride back with brother & sister-in-law SB and ND back to Tel-Aviv, to repack and ready for my departure back to the United States. Usually much calmer than myself, Sholom Ber was urging me to get back on time, as the lines in the airport might be longer than I’d expect. And he was right! There were other things shared on the ride home,

will come back to finish this post soon…