Re-experiencing the Florence Melton Israel Seminar — July 2008
Patti Cohen
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Studying in the North |
For three-and-a-half days this summer, my husband Arthur Blank and I re-experienced the delight of an Israel Seminar. Dropping into the middle of the seminar in Caesarea, within minutes we sighed a breath of relief and great delight to be able to be a part of this wonderful experience for a second time.
Why re-live something so wonderful?
Two years ago, we came for the July 2006 seminar. After only three days, Hezbollah bombed the northern border, killing and capturing several soldiers on millu’im (reserve duty) and the country went to war. It was a stressful situation, but we, the Melton Israel Seminar, continued to study, learn and travel around the country, staying in the south of the country where we were safe.
Because of the war, we were not able to travel north to Caesarea, Safed, Tiberias, or the Golan Heights. At that time, Haim Aronovitz promised us that if we returned for the Returnees Seminar the following year, we would be able to join the northern portion of the seminar. (It was interesting to learn this summer that not one seminar participant from our group returned home and that only the Melton Seminar group stayed at the Inbal Hotel for the complete duration of their original reservation.)
My husband and I decided to return to Israel this summer to honour the 60th birthday of the State of Israel. Unable to attend the Returnees Seminar in the spring, I decided to ask Haim if we could join the July Seminar for the northern portion and with a resounding “We promised!”, we were in.
It’s not easy to join an experience in the middle, but in this case, it was easy as pie. Haim made our joining easy and by the end of the first day, it felt as if we had always been with this group. The other seminar participants accepted us quickly and easily, and now we are thrilled to have made more Melton friends.
We are so happy to have had a second Melton Israel experience and wonder when we can have a third (or fourth or fifth).
