This post is the first in a series by participants in NIF’s 2014 Study Tour.

The Study Tour is off to a wonderful start.  We all met this afternoon in a small conference room at the hotel to introduce ourselves and review the itinerary.  We also met our tour gulde, Itzik Harani.  

There was a lot of excitement in the air, though it was mixed with some seemingly shared feelings of lack-of-optimism regarding Israel’s democratic future, paired with a longing for, as Gail Bates Yessne put it, “a boost in the arm” of hope.

We discussed our last-moment hotel change–from the American Colony to the David Citadel–in order to have everyone stay in West Jerusalem.  Not that there were safety fears there, so much as to ensure that everyone would feel confident walking out the front door of the hotel without facing feelings of neighborhood tension.

We then headed out for a phenomenal culinary tour of the Machane Yehuda market.  Our guide was local chef Tali Friedman, a charming sprite who led us to a number of her favorite stalls, sampling each vendor’s delectable goods along the way…

Itzik then led us out of the market on a tour through the narrow alleyways of Nachlaot, sharing the history of the neighborhood as we picked our way along the cobbled streets.  We learned about the waves of immigrants who came to reside there, Jewish immigrants from around the world, as well as about their patron Moshe Montefiore.  We peeked into a number of the fantastically-decorated neighborhood synagogues.

As the sky darkened, we headed back to our hotel to freshened up for dinner.  Back on the bus, returned to Machane Yehuda and reunited with Tali Friedman at her Atalier in a refurbished building right inside the shuk (market).  Joining us were NIF’s Director in Israel Rachel Liel, incoming Board President Talia Sasson, and Board member Debra Pell.  Following brief words of welcome from each, we dug into a phenomenal 7-course (7?  Who could count?) meal prepared by Tali and her staff.  Each course was more delectable than the last.  

The evening truly felt electric to me, as a buzz of conversation filled the room.  It felt wonderful to be surrounded by old friends and new acquaintances, all sharing the excitement of the launch of the tour.

Even in just a few hours, I was happy to discover how many interesting, friendly people are participating in this trip.  I learned of not one, but two people’s interest in dance.  Others mentioned their time living in Greece and Morocco.  Many told funny stories about previous visits in Israel.

I look forward to a full day tomorrow, and getting to know the group even better.

Here’s to a great start!