When we got to the lobby of the Dan Panorama, the JAFI representative assembled all the Israelis, issued us instructions and implored us to leave our oh-so-Israeli Zionism cases outside the door. We carried out our mission, with great difficulty, becoming tourists in our own country for five days.

The purpose of this marvelous conference, that involved over a thousand Jews from all over the United States, was to acquaint participants with Tel Aviv from a slightly different angle.

The first evening, we engaged in intensive mingling in the hotel lobby. We were then called into the banquet hall to watch Israel's greatest performers (and Roni Superstar). To top it off, we were invited to a meal, Israeli market style, including a belly dancer, couscous and lots of smiles. After filling ourselves up, we went to the dance party that the hotel organized for us (with local celebs arriving to entertain us with a fashion show). Sounds tiring? Let's move on to the second day...

On Monday morning, a whole fleet of buses left the hotel parking lot for various destinations in Tel Aviv. We joined the New Jersey and Delaware communities for a tour of the streets of Yafo and the Neve Zedek neighborhood. We strolled past the ancient building walls and found, to our great surprise, that most of the Americans we were accompanying had been to Israel previously and intended to return and visit again. When we returned from the trip, we enjoyed sumptuous dinners at various restaurants at the prestigious Tel Aviv port area.

We spent the third day in Rishon Lezion, touring the famous museum and community center, where we met with women of Ethiopian origin whose captivating stories were exciting to hear. At the end of the day, we walked together from the hotel to the Suzanne Dellal Center that they opened especially for us. We were fortunate to have participated in a gigantic production, including excellent food, community singing, a performance by the Bat-Sheva Dance Company, a marvelous Irish group and of course...a wild dance party.

After a full night, tired but satisfied, we boarded the buses on Wednesday morning to visit the Ramla Community Center. From there, we continued to the local school, where we met with students of Ethiopian origin. At the end of the meeting, the Americans had a "sharing circle," in which they took turns describing a touching experience that occurred during the conference and what they would use it for when they return to the United States. We were happy to hear that all were touched (some to tears) by the experience that they underwent and that they plan not only to increase their financial contribution to Israel but also to contribute their time and try to transmit the experiences to other Americans in their communities. Their remarks and good will undoubtedly managed to get through to even the most skeptical among us.

We spent our last night at an impressive Air Force base. The local pilots took us on a tour of an aeronautics exhibition at the site and the Shotei Hanevua group made our last hour together a pleasant one.

And so, to the tune of Every Wheel that Turns, we exchanged telephone numbers and addresses, took our last pictures and embraced one another as though we had just finished a military mission.

We woke up Thursday morning with one of the most astounding experiences of our lives behind us. Before we even managed to absorb all the emotions, smells, tastes - and the shock that we raised over a million dollars during those five days, we found ourselves facing the Zionism cases that we had already managed to forget. There we were, laden with experiences and smiling the dopey smiles of two tourists who had just come back from an Israel they never knew.

Thanks to all who enabled us to participate in this significant and unforgettable event. Because of you, our suitcases were a little lighter on the way back...