We began the day by travelling with the yellow bus to the US Mexican border. In fact, San Diego is located near that border. Half an hour is the time to reach with the bus from San Diego to the border. We descended the yellow bus and suddenly we saw the fence that marks the border, the Mexican people over the border, the Mexican city of Tichuana .
We met Enrique Morones who told us the history of his family with sources from Mexico, what he is doing and how he helps the illegal Mexican immigrants that try every day to cross this so long border.
I myself did not know that: San Diego area once belonged to Mexico, there are more borders in the world where fence separate between nations. It was hard for me to see the American policemen with their machine guns targeted at the border.
Suddenly a group of young people, half of them were in the American side and half of them in the Mexican side gathered to discuss the situation of the Pacific Ocean beach and how to keep it clean, how to preserve it. They explained us that it is the easiest way to them to meet each other, and to advance the ecological subjects they are sharing.
Our participants discussed in groups about fences as a solution between nations.
Then we reached the historical site of San Diego : Cabrillo National Monument.
Cabrillo was a Spanish sailor that conquered San Diego area. He banished the Indians from their lands. Beth Jacobs, in unique way, told us their story . This monument is a wonderful view point. The bay and the city were before us. The ranger of this place told us about his job. He brought us some souvenirs.
We lunched in the old city of San Diego near the first synagogue . It was a Mexican food restaurant with new good tastes.
It was Friday, the holy day of the Muslims, so the Bedouin groups explained us the Muslim prayer and demonstrated it. The Jewish participants asked a lot of questions and got the answers from their Muslim friends.
I was bothered with the question how the Muslims count their birthdays? If they count according to their calendar, the moon calendar, their year is short in about 11 days. The answer I got that the birthday date is not important at all in the Islam like in the western cultures but if someone celebrates his birthday he counts it according the universal calendar.
We divided the participants to couples. One Jewish and one Muslim and each other told his friend about his family, his dreams.
Before evening we reached to the conservative synagogue " Beth am". It was very nice to see everyone dressing in their best clothes, and all the boys with "kipa" on their heads. Avi from San Diego explained us about Shabbat pray and then we participated with the community. The prayer was with an electronic band and singer that excited the prayers.
Atthe entrance to the synagogue the community built a memorial wall to the holocaust similar to a wall of one of the synagogue that was in Hungary before the 2nd world war. The memory wall is very impressive and thoughtful.
We were invited to Shabbat Dinner at the Bermans' home, Amyi parents, Their home was so beautiful, the dinner was so good, the family welcome was so warm and given, as really typical Jewish hospitality and more then this.
The teenagers went again to the families to their second night and we the educators went to our Shabbat.
The questions that arose after this days activities were:
A. The significance of the notion "border", does a border separate or unify, the relativity of the border, changes or borders, my personal border, in the yellow bus that we drove were there borders? Did they disappear during the summer trip? What is the meaning of culture border?
B. The age of American history is 300 years, short history, is this the reason that they preserved and developed its' site so much?
C. What is similar and what differs among the religions? Is that the base of co-existence?
D. Why can we not find conservative or reform Muslims?
E. The beauty of the Shabat. Whether the different ways to keep the shabat make the Shabat so unique?
Enjoy
I need your comments, answers to my questions.
Itzik
The pictures and videos in the previous post
Thanks to Tamar Harris that help me to translate the posts to English
Itzik
The opening ceremony
IN THE BUS IN LOS ANGELES
