FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM AUGUST 22, 2019 • THE QUEENS COURIER 63
vschneps@gmail.com
As you read this, I am in
Israel to celebrate my
grandson’s bar mitzvah.
My dream becoming a reality!
Getting to this point took years
of planning, with many thanks
to my daughter, Samantha, who
helped me plan the trip bringing
us together, 15 in all — my
children and their children, and
their in-laws.
Th e bar mitzvah will take place
in Jerusalem, in the Old City by
the Second Temple’s wall that
has stood for thousands of years.
Millions of people come to pray
by the wall, and most leave messages
of prayer or well-wishes,
placing them in the crevices of
the wall.
We arrived in Israel aft er a
10-hour fl ight on El Al, having
left New York just before midnight.
We mostly slept on the
plane and watched many movies.
Th e plane touched down at
Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv
at about 5:15 p.m. Israeli time,
and we were soon met by a guide
who took us through immigration
and helped us navigate getting
our many pieces of luggage.
I had taken two bags because
it was too hard to make a decision
on which dresses or pants
I should wear — so I took them
all. But I could hear my late husband’s
voice saying, “Less is
more, you don’t need so many
choices!” But being on my own, I
listened to my voice and added a
second piece of luggage.
I’m pretty experienced
at
packi ng
On the mark, get set, go!
and I leave all my dresses, pants
and tops on hangers so when I
unpack, I can just hang everything
up.
With ease, I can also put my
toiletries in the bathroom and
my phone and chargers on my
night table next to my Kindle.
Th e best travel companion is a
good book.
We were all together in a van
that carried us to the Hilton
Hotel in Tel Aviv, overlooking
the Mediterranean Sea, off ering
a stunning view of the beaches
and sailboats dotting the horizon
as far as I could see.
We all had dinner at the hotel’s
expansive buff et, serving hot
foods and salads of all kinds, on
the 17th fl oor giving us dramatic
views of the sea below.
On our fi rst day, we visited the
Ayalon Institute and the ancient
port city of Jaff a, where we had
dinner by the harbor.
Th e Ayalon Institute is where,
during Israel’s fi ght for independence,
the residents hid below a
laundry and bakery and secretly
made bullets for the army. It was
the beginning of Israel’s armament
industry.
To be continued...
VICTORIA’S
SECRETS
Victoria
SCHNEPSYUNIS
tweet me @vschneps
The view from my room on the
14th fl oor of the Hilton in Tel Aviv
Our family group of 15
at the Ayalon Institute
Hudson resting after
taking a tour of the
armament factory at
the Ayalon Institute
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