My first trip to Israel was in November of 1994. It wasn't something that I planned; it happened almost by accident. I work for Motorola, Inc., and I was asked if I would be interested in working on a communications project in Cairo, Egypt for a few months. Not being someone who shies away from adventure, I eagerly accepted the opportunity. The thing that made the assignment so attractive was the fact that Tel Aviv is only a 20 minute plane ride from Cairo. Until that time, visiting Israel was something that I never thought I would actually be able to do. Suddenly, I saw a lifelong dream about to become a reality. (Thanks, Bob.) Once in Israel, I fell in love with the place and did not want to leave.
While I was away, I wanted to convey to my friends, family, and co-workers back home what it was like being in Egypt and about my visit to Israel. The internet wasn't nearly what it is today, blogging was unknown, and phone calls were prohibitively expensive, but I did have limited access to email. At least once a week, I composed an email message and sent it to a number of people in my address book. It read something like a newsletter, and I even gave it a name. Some of you may remember "The Egyptian Chronicles" from back in the day.
So, in the spirit of "The Egyptian Chronicles," I decided to create this blog in order to share my experiences from this, my fourth trip to Israel. (Thank you, Rabbi Davidson, for the suggestion.) This trip promises to be quite different than any of my previous visits to Israel for a couple of reasons; one, because I will visit Auschwitz on my way there; and two, I am going specifically to participate in the Melton Program's Israel Seminar.
Why Auschwitz, and what is Melton? Stay tuned...
-Wayne
Saturday, December 9, 2006
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