Dear friends and family,

We leave tomorrow for Jerusalem, having had the most extraordinary week in Haifa.  We have been welcomed with open arms and treated like royalty.  Edgar and Deborah Nof,  Ammi and Anat Perelman, and Yuri, the Or Hadash president, have been extraordinarily kind and generous, entertaining us and taking us to places that are totally off the beaten path.  We've been to a winery where they make wines from everything from carrots to passion fruit, walked along the beach in Haifa with Edgar several times, eaten the best felafel in Haifa, enjoyed fabulous dinners and had the most remarkable experiences.  Today was the first day it has rained in a long time; there is a drought and rain is badly needed.  Ammi drove Julie Vanek, Roy and me to some beautiful places outside of Haifa.  The highlight was a "Spice Ranch," a kibbutz that grows spices.  One could spend the entire day there eating!  In addition to a tremendous variety of spices, they have freshly made granola, halvah, soups, salad toppings, rice flavorings.  Needless to say, we stocked up for our move to Jerusalem.  

We finally did a little singing.  We performed a little at the end of Shabbat services, also sang tonight after Havdallah.  This is a marvelous, tight-knit Jewish community and we will miss being here.

Dear family and friends,

We flew home from Buenos Aires yesterday and have a few days to get ready for Israel.  Highlights of our six days in Buenos Aires were a comfortable bed, hot shower, food that was not ham and cheese, and Shabbat services at the Libertad Synagogue.  We walked for miles, checking out the ice cream and the charming neighborhoods of the city that is one of the ten largest in the world.  Summer in Buenos Aires is hot and humid, something that felt oppressive when we were touring but we appreciate a lot since returning to frigid Boston.

In contrast to the simple life of Patagonia, here we enjoyed steak dinners with Argentinian wine, tried all kinds of ice cream, and attended a Tango show that was quite a spectacle.

The Buenos Aires Zoo

The Tango Grand Finale

Musicians at the San Telmo Sunday Flea Market

Exquisite Architecture of Buenos Aires

Burger King Deluxe

Punch Buggy!