June 2005 my son and I traveled to Israel and we stayed for the whole summer. It was such an amazing trip, full of adventure and such a joy for us. For the Jewish people it is a dream come true to be there. I have traced my families' roots all the way back to Israel. My family the Abravanels left Israel back when the Romans took over complete control of the country. The Abravanels moved to Spain. Then in the1400's the Abravanels were forced to leave again due to the Spanish Inquisition. Next they moved to France, then left once again due to religious persecution. Next the Abravanels moved to Germany, then to the Ukraine and settled in a town outside of Kiev. Once more pograms forced my relatives to re-locate. The Abravanels then moved to America and here I am. Sadly not all the Abravanels moved here and those that stayed in Europe perished under the Nazis.

This trip was my life long dream come true, to return to my homeland. I cried when I could finally see the coast of Israel from my plane window. It was so emotional. I was filled with such joy. It was the happiest momment of my life to finally be on the ground and in Israel. The drive from the airport to the hotel was so much fun. My son and I just kept looking all around and we were just dizzy with disbelief that we had finally arrived !

So I am going to make a photo journal of our wonderful stay in Israel. Enjoy !

                 Tel Aviv

The view from our hotel in Tel Aviv. The beaches were gorgous. There was a wonderful "sea walkway" that we strolled on all the time. It went all the way to Jaffa, which you can see all the way in the background of this pic.

My son and enjoying the pool at our hotel. It had huge windows with beautiful views of the beach and Mediterranean Sea.

My good friend who lives in Haifa was with us a lot of the time. Her children and my son had wonderful times together. In this pic it's my son, my friend's daughter, myself and my dear friend. We are standing in the hotel lobby, at sunset, with amazing views of the Tel Aviv beach.

My son in the hotel lobby during while the sun set behind. My son wants to be a policeman and he enjoyed getting finding this Israel police shirt.

The breakfast we enjoyed each morning was delicious. What Israelis eat for breakfast is so healthy. We soon gave up the pancakes and cereal for the good variety of salads, fruits, and cold fish platters. Israeli fruits and vegetables are so tasty. The fruits are incredibly sweet. Israeli watermellon is my favorite.

My son would squeeze oranges to make us juice each morning.

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