Thursday marked our second day in the Yokneam-Meggido region. As has been the case every day thus far (and, according to our remaining schedule, will continue to be the case), we had a full ledger of planned activities. Following the now-customary robust Israeli breakfast, we were led on a tour of Kibbutz Dalia. David, our 82 year-old tour host, told us of Dalia’s history from its beginnings in 1939, through its heyday as a cultural center specializing in dance programs during the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, and into the present day where the former collective now exists as a privatized entity that manufactures laundry detergent and water meters, raises cattle, and grows such diverse crops as avocado, almonds and macadamia nuts.
We then boarded our tour bus for a trip to Leket Israel. Unfortunately, that trip was temporarily detoured when our dearly beloved Amir Orly, tour guide par excellence, announced that he needed to bid us farewell in order to attend to his wife Hannah who has once again been stricken with cancer. With heavy hearts, we dropped Amir off en route to Leket Israel, an organization whose farm donates crops to nonprofits and the underprivileged. All Leket Israel labor is volunteer labor and on this day, the Rubinites were the volunteers. Under a blazing, late-morning sun, we set out for the farm’s kohlrabi field to harvest the white, bulbous vegetable that’s a distant relative of cabbage. When the picking was done, we had successfully picked nearly a ton and a half of kohlrabi that will wind up in the kitchens of hundreds of needy Israeli households.
Although we had been dealt an unexpected, emotional blow by Amir’s sad news, our hearts were lifted somewhat by the knowledge that many needy individuals’ burdens would be lessened somewhat by the food we had harvested for their benefit. Our spirits were lifted further at our next stop, the Kol Halev Food Pantry where we hauled pallets of packaged food and beverages into an assembly line where we proceeded to put together bountiful grocery care packages for over 150 local families. The food pantry was started by a naval hero of the Six Day War who has dedicated his work to the nearly 50 sailors who lost their lives when the ship on which he was stationed was attacked. We were so taken by his story and the gratitude he showed us for our work that we left him with a gift for himself – a St. Louis Cardinals baseball cap.
Our day of giving extended into the late afternoon as we paid a visit to Bait Cham, an after-school program for Yokneam’s most high-risk children. While there, we joined with the kids to plant an herb garden by their playground and were then treated to some of their favorite treats, including the legendary Krembo, a chocolate-covered marshmallow-type cream and cookie monstrosity that was met with mixed reactions, at least from the adult visitors from the USA. There was an additional unexpected treat as the kids presented one of their playmates and our very own Scott Bernstein with a birthday cake and serenade in both Hebrew and English. The kids also presented us with some wonderful, homemade gifts. We left behind gifts of our own. As the kids are generally from disadvantaged backgrounds, many stand little chance of receiving gifts on their birthdays. Thanks to the outstanding coordination of our Emily Corson, we Rubinites delivered enough age and gender appropriate gifts for the entire roster of Bait Cham children. Having been entirely charmed by these boys and girls, we departed happy to know each one of them will receive at least one nice thing on their birthdays.
A day full of physical and emotional challenges transitioned to a relaxing evening of fellowship and comfort as we split into small groups and were treated to dinner and hospitality in the homes of a handful of area residents. As the evening drew to a close, once again well after midnight, we reconvened on the front porch of the Kibbutz Dalia visitor’s center to exchange stories and experiences from our night making more new friends. Another incredible day was in the books and it was time to head to bed in anticipation of the following day’s journey to Jerusalem and the coming of Shabbat.