Although we packed a lot into the year, there were still some things we really wanted to do and did not get to (because of the virus). While of course, I am grateful that we stayed healthy, I wanted to share some things we did not find time for or were no longer open possible due to the virus. Any future trip you take to Israel is undoubtedly already full, but I would suggest cramming in some of the activities below.
There were many museums we did not make it to, and even though I am not a museum person, I wish we could have gone to the blind or deaf experience at the Holon Children’s Museum, the Israel Museum again (we got to go twice but there was much we had not yet seen), the Herzl museum at Har Herzl, the Peres Center for Peace & Innovation in Jaffa, and the Rabin Center in Tel Aviv (which I do not care that much about, but Ima wanted to go to).
More fun than museums, there were activities throughout Israel we wanted to do such as Darkout, the blind restaurant. We also wanted to go back to Hezekiah’s Tunnels, something Naomi and I did on our trip to Israel last year.
Naomi and I are sad about some missed opportunities such as seeing the shuk at purim, enjoying the spa at the Ein Gedi Kibbutz Hotel, joining Women of the Wall for more Rosh Chodesh, visiting Sachne (a park referred to as gan eden), seeing the grottos at Rosh HaNikra (we tried to go in May after being falsely told it was open, only to see the view from the parking lot and beach) and going to the beach or just doing things with friends. During all the time we were cooped up in our apartment we missed the independence we had with taking public transit or getting something to eat by ourselves. There were definitely numerous outings Ima wanted us to do that we are glad we did not squeeze in. Ima wanted us to go to Bnei Brak for the kugels and shabbat food (Bnei Brak is an Ulta Orthadox city near Tel Aviv), go on a graffiti tour in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, go to all the festivals in the spring, and go to an Israeli concert, and to the Museum of the Jewish People (what used to be called the Diaspora museum).
Besides not getting to do some activities, there were a couple of celebrations, assemblies, and holidays we did not get to experience in person because of corona and only were able to see zoom substitutes. We were not able to celebrate Lag B’Omer and the classic lag B’Omer bonfires, Yom Yerushalayim, Yom Yisrael, Yom HaShoah in a classic Israeli way, tiyul shnati which is the end-of-year overnight grade trip, or have any proper end-of-year celebrations at school. Since Shavout was also during corona, we did not experience staying up all night on Shavout and being a part of everyone walking to the kotel for dawn. Although we did not go to the kotel at dawn, we did stay up late and go to a dawn minyin at the Tayelet, which if I had also experienced the kotel at dawn, I honestly would probably prefer the Tayelet (especially since it’s a closer walk). We also could not go to a restaurant on Pesach as we had dreamed of doing as Israel is the only place with many kosher-for-Pesach restaurants. I am sad that we missed out on some of these really special Israeli traditions and holidays, but we did do a few nice things like zoom ceremonies and a barbecue in the backyard of our building with neighbors.
Not in Israel, we sadly missed out on our Greece, Malta, and day in London trips because, of course, they all got canceled. We even had our flights and hotels booked. I guess we will have to travel more post Corona.
-Alexandra