After a harrowing drive through Newark, Laurie and I set out on El Al somewhere between midnight and 1 AM. It was almost dark the next day when we arrived at Ben Gurion airport and rented our Renault Megane. Warning, always bring Master Card not Visa to rent a car in Israel. It'll save you money. We then drove down route 1 to Jerusalem. It took many more circles than were necessary, but we eventually arrived at the Jerusalem Tower Hotel on Hillel Street near Ben Yehudah. After unpacking we found a wonderful little cafe for dinner and then joined my sister and the Schiffmans for a walk to the King David Hotel.

      First thing, after an incredibly sumptuous breakfast, I drove to a spot I though would be very near the Dung Gate. Actually it was a fairly hefty walk in the sun to our first entrance to the Old City. Shortly after passing through the gate we got our first look at the Western Wall of the Ancient Temple. Laurie and I headed for the wall. I was stopped. It seemed we were on the woman's side. She went on alone, and I hiked across the square to the men's entrance. I had not been to the wall since 1969. It is an experience for all.

      When we left the wall we drove to the Israel Museum. We had a exciting visit wandering from building to building inside and out, spending much time in the White Hershey Kiss where they hold the Dead Sea Scrolls learning about the Aleppo Code which allowed us to learn Hebrew as children.

      That evening we parked the car between David's Citadel Hotel and the Jaffa Gate and entered the Old City to see David's Citadel. As it turned out, the museum was closed until 8 PM so we wandered back to the wall. We joined some tour groups on the way and learned about the Cardo. After we headed back from the Wall, we were shanhaied by some Armenian merchants and ended up with large bags full of goodies. David's Citadel was a magical place, full of the old and the new. There were rooms which told the history of Jerusalem for the past 4000 years illustrated with models and pictures. There was a magnificent electric train setup throughout the entire structure. The Citadel itself is a beautiful, huge old structure from which Jerusalem was at one time ruled. By then we were very tired and headed directly back to the Jerusalem Tower.

      The next morning after another huge breakfast, we drove to the Knesset. Our first surprise was that we weren't allowed to park there. I found a place across the street, but we had no Israeli change. I gave it a shot. We walked up to the gate and lined up waiting for our turn to enter. We were with a large youth group from the US, a group of local Orthodox Clergy and another group of Europeans. In about 1/2 hour we were led into the main courtyard where we waited for entrance into the building itself. We were surrounded by a great deal of new construction, much of it an addition to the Knesset itself. Inside we sat in the main Assembly room while our guide, the Knesset Webmaster, explained how the Knesset works and many insider details. Later we walked through long hallways lined with pictures of the men who created the Jewish State.

      When we left the Knesset, we found a parking ticket on the car, oh well! We then drove to Yad VaShem. We had a little over an hour before we would meet my sister in the Museum. We used that hour to walk around the site looking at the many monuments to the dead, to the ghetto fighters and to the heroes of the nations. We also said Kaddish in the Hall of the Flame consisting of a map of the camps and an eternal flame. Eventually we joined Susie for a trip through the Multi Media Museum which tells the story of the Holocaust in minute detail, including many photos of Jews throughout the world who were decorated while fighting with the Allies against the NAZIs.

      Susie, Laurie and I left Yad VaShem and headed for the Jerusalem tennis courts to see my nephew, Joel Berman compete in the Maccabiah Games in Tennis. I had planned a direct route to the courts, and we almost made it. One wrong turn at Teddy Stadium headed us onto Begin North, the Freeway of Jerusalem. This cost us about 10 minutes and two illegal U turns before we eventually entered the Tennis Courts. Joel did very well winning his first singles match. That evening, I hunted and found the Holyland Hotel where a model of Jerusalem at the time of the second temple overlooks Jerusalem. Laurie and I walked around listening to the audiotape learning about every little section of the Old City of Jerusalem. Monday morning we watched Joel play another match. Then the three of us headed to Tel Aviv to find Kiryat Maccabiah in Ramat Gan.