Crossing the Yarden

By Yarden Frankl

Kever Rachel

At my kids' old school in Maryland, we used to have a very strict policy for taking field trips with the children. All children needed to have signed permission slips, and we would always insist on a large number of adults to accompany us as we went on our trips to local museums or petting zoos.

This week, my son Max had a school field trip to Kever Rachel. Not to worry, his teachers all took a variety of firearms with them. The kids took a bullet-proof bus to the site of the Kever itself, guarded by dozens of Israeli soldiers.

What is truly extraordinary to me is how, well, un-extraordinary trips like this are for Israelis. I don't mean that the site itself is not special. This is the tomb of Rachel, where Jews have been praying continuously for 3,000 years! Pilgrims stopped by her tomb hundreds of years before the Western Wall was even built. Today, hundreds of Jews visit the site every day to pray.

No, what I am amazed out is how we don't think twice about whether to take children on a field trip to a site located in a hostile Arab city. We just take appropriate precautions.

In America, people are simply not used to putting danger in its place as part of daily life. America is filled with hidden, unexpected dangers. I was once robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight in a "nice" section of town. But we typically lived our lives unaware of the potential dangers that might lurk around the corner.

The difference in Israel is that one is aware of the dangers that do exist, and takes sensible precautions. I am filled with inspiration for the Israelis I have met who do not allow the mere potential for danger to cause them to abandon sites that are central to Jewish belief. There are many, many people who I should thank so that my son can safely visit Kever Rachel today.

What is Israel if not a small area, that although surrounded by enemies, is the center of our belief system. In America, all denominations of Judaism still sing "Ki M'Tsion Tetse Torah." "Out of Israel comes the Torah," the Jewish people, and Jewish belief. It may not be ideal that today we need to take such extreme measures so that our children can safely say Tehillim at the tomb of our mother Rachel. But if that is what we need to do, then I guess that is what we will do.

V'shavu Banim Li Gvulam!

Shabbat Shalom from our blessed nation.

© 2005, 2006 Yarden Frankl