by Capts. Dave and Desiree
We arrived to Haifa, our first port in Israel. We were certainly impressed by our greeting by the Israeli navy ships. In our typical style, we docked our boat, proceeded through the immigration requirements and two hours later we were on the bus for an afternoon tour. That evening we were given a generous welcoming by the marina with food and music.
The following day we had a full day tour, visiting Nazareth, Golan Heights, the Jordan River, and the Sea of Galilee. It is remarkable how many sights some of the tour companies can pack in one day. We arrived approximately at 7 pm, changing to be ready for our 7:30pm dinner. It would be a special evening. The marina yacht members had offered each of the cruising boats an evening in their homes. The marina commodore was calling out each of our boat names to match us with Israeli families. "Gone Native" was called and we were introduced to Jacob Haiman. We hopped into his car with his grandchild and arrived to his home. His family and friend greeted us with a very warm welcome.
It was a Friday night, so we were very fortunate to experience a shabat diner. Following their customs, Dave was given a yarmulke to place on his head. We were introduced to his wife and daughter, Rivka and Carmit. Also their close friends, Rafael and Orit, joined us for the evening. We started as strangers, but conversation was easy and free flowing. There were children as well, and although their English was limited, Ryan and Wesley had a wonderful time playing with them.
The evening quickly came to an end. It was 11pm and Ryan and Wesley were nodding off, so it was time to leave. They kindly drove us back to the marina. As we stepped in the car, I noticed Dave still had the yarmulke on his head. Jacob said for Dave to keep it, certainly a wonderful memory. We had such a warm experience, and feel we have Israeli friends for a lifetime.
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