                      A Voice from Hebron
                     by Gary M. Cooperberg
                          May 28, 1996
                      Why I live in Israel
                                
     I remember, from what seems like another life time, what it was like to go on a class trip
with a busload of school children.  There was always the Bronx Zoo, the Hayden Planetarium; the
Museum of Natural History; the Empire State Building; the Statue of Liberty; and so many other
national landmarks and cultural centers.  It was a fun way for kids to get out of school and learn
about their country by coming into direct contact with significant places.
     Yesterday I accompanied my twelve-year-old daughter on a class trip here in Israel.  To
say that the experience was "different"from the kinds kids take in the States is like saying a
bicycle is different from a jet plane.
     First of all, as I happened to be seated at the front of the bus, a little girl came up to me
with the microphone and asked that I recite "tfillat haderech" (the prayer for a safe trip) for the
passengers.  In Israel G-d comes along on every class trip.  Along the entire route all we see are
stark contrasts between a flourishing modern country, and sacred ancient Jewish land where so
many generations of our ancestors lived.  
     In the United States, to visit the tomb of George Washington is to go back into history.  In
Israel 200 years ago is modern times.  The Machpelah building in Hebron is over 2000 years old
and the cave underneath dates back to the time of Adam and Eve!  That is history.  
     Our trip took us from Hebron through the Judean desert to the hill of Masada.  We toured
the ancient fortress and saw the partially restored ruins.  We had to imagine what it once looked
like and how the people lived there.  After dark, from an outdoor gallery opposite Masada, we
attended a fascinating sound and light show which combined an imaginative use of lighting effects
on the actual mountainside, synchronized with a fully stereophonic narration of the story of
Masada.  
     As I was contemplating the historical significance of this ancient place, it gave me another
insight to the ancient holy place where I pray every morning.  We saw the ancient ruins where
Elazar ben Yair lived and took on the Roman legions.  The fact is that this same ben Yair may
well have prayed in the same Machpelah building where I pray!  The difference is that Masada is
in ruins and looks really ancient, while the Machpelah building, which was built by the same King
Herod who first constructed the Masada fortress, is still a functional building today!
     What is most significant is the fact that we are not just learning about history. . ., we are
learning about Jewish history, while beginning to realize that we too are playing a very real part
in its continuance.  We are a living link in the chain of Jewish history and we have been blessed
with the privilege to participate in the restoration of Jewish life and fulfillment of Jewish prophesy.
Everything we do in this country takes Jewish history and culture into account.  Because of this
fact, even the most agnostic of non-believers has a connection to his Jewish identity which no Jew
living elsewhere can comprehend.  I look at my daughter laughing with her friends, telling jokes in
Hebrew, and simply growing up so naturally in her homeland.  It is at times like these when I fully
appreciate my good fortune to have chosen to leave the exile and raise my children in Israel.  I
wonder if they will ever realize the magnitude of the gift they possess.