It is 4:30 p.m. All is ready: holes have been dug and young tree plants lay nearby. The children of the Levaot School and the Alon Middle School are also waiting - some hold flowers while others hold banners welcoming the guests with the traditional salutation of "Bruchim Habayim". All are anxiously awaiting the Jewish Agency Partnership 2000 visit of the New Jersey Solidarity Mission.
Though they have not slept for 24 hours, the New Jersey delegates insist on practicing the mitzvah of tree planting in Eretz Israel. This time, the trees will be planted at the Gimmel Park where a memorial is being built to commemorate Danny Deri z"l killed in action, one year ago, in Bethlehem.
Holding each other, guest and child plant a tree. Later, after planting a tree with 11 year old Amir, Rabbi Miller will say "I have made a new friend. A friend who will water the tree until it has grown sufficiently and when that happens, Amir will call me and we will sit under its branches and drink "Le'Chaim"." As difficult as it is to break away from this encounter, the group must continue on its itinerary.
At the Science Center, they meet the Mayor of Arad, Bezalel Tabib and Jacque Deri, the father of Danny z"l. During this moving encounter an American guest says to Jacque, "You give the Jewish People strength by living in Eretz Israel". You gave your son not only to the State of Israel but to the entire Jewish Nation".
The delegation leaves Arad with tears in their eyes, heading for the Dead Sea where they will spend the next two nights. The Tamar Girls Choir under the direction of Simma Schwartz awaits them. Notwithstanding the "jet-lag" the group dances for a considerable length of time.
A new day dawns and once again the group is on the road to Arad. At the Levot School the students welcome the guests with songs and dances. The kids have a good reason to be happy - today the school's English Library will be inaugurated and the dedication plaque unveiled. The equipment for the library was purchased thanks to the generous donation received from Gloria and Richard Brown, after their previous visit last year on a similar solidarity mission. Once again, Gloria and Richard have not come empty handed. Gloria had crafted with her own hands a bookmark for each student. But the ceremony was not over; the delegation brought books in English to further enrich the growing collection of books.
The guests did not waver the opportunity to visit the Ethiopian Art Preservation Project supported by Partnership 2000. Located in the school, the guests voiced their admiration of the fantastic display of artwork created by Ethiopian new immigrant mothers and daughters.
Before lunch, eyes were again brimming with tears. They heard first hand from 11th grade ORT High School students and 9th graders from the Alon Middle School how they feel about the ravaging situation, of their fears and their exasperation with the situation and their wish "to get their lives back". They were not embarrassed to tell them that though their solidarity visit is important, it is not enough. After all, they get to go home to peace and safety in America. What they need to do is make Aliyah, giving the country strength as citizens. The tour ended in Kikar Sdom (Neot Hakikar and Ein Tamar). After a guided tour of the moshavim and the Israeli-Jordanian border, moshav children singing "Hevenu Shalom Aleichem" and waving flags met the group. Together, guests and children erected the fence surrounding the Park (see frame). It is not a customary fence. It is made of materials found on site i.e. sand, clay and straw (otherwise known as mud). You should have seen these nice people, dipping hands into buckets drawing handfuls of mud. Though a little apprehensive at first, they soon got the hang of it and completed the coating of a considerable section of the fence. To perpetuate their visit for generations to come, the delegates wrote their names on leaf shaped ceramic tiles that had been prepared in advance and hung them on the branches of a dried out tree that was stood for them "to bring it back to life".
The hard work over; a festive dinner was served to the music played by the Arad Conservatory Wind Orchestra and the clear singing voice of Daliya Shachaf from Ein Geddi, sweeping everyone to joint hands in exhilarating rings of hora dances.
The Solidarity Mission visit ended the next day with a tour of the Dead Sea Works. From there and through to the weekend, they toured our tiny country. And what a busy week that was.
Iyar 5762 - May 2002