Those who worked so hard on Sunday’s Walk for Israel deserve a huge pat on the back of appreciation from the rest of us who had the freedom to just show up and leave when we felt like it.
There were volunteers, however, who stayed all through the day, and who worked on planning this for months.
It was a beautiful spring Baltimore Sunday. The usual attractions were there, the Moon Bounce and slide for the children, the kosher food, the live Jewish musical entertainment (quite good, by the way), and the Jewish network of informational booths and artisans.
So with all due respect. And not that I have any great ideas.
But I think the concept has to change. It has to be re-invented somehow before the community takes on another.
This Walk for Israel seemed tired.
It didn’t have the energy, the excitement of one’s we’ve seen in the past.
Again, it shouldn’t be anyone’s fault. Because the idea of bringing Jews together for a lovely day in support of Israel is a winner.
But the Moon Bounce, face painting, kosher food, Jewish music model is as my teenager would say, “so 20 minutes ago.”
I realize this is a stretch, but the best “Walk for Israel” I’ve ever seen happened in the early 90s in Detroit. That’s when the federation underwrote a huge portion of a ticket and trip to Israel for the Jewish community. Some 1300 Detroit Jews went to Israel together aboard El Al jets from the Detroit airport.
It was unbelievable.
Busses awaited us at the airport and each bus had its own schedule and itinerary.
People in their late 60s to teens just turning 18 were there together.
I was sitting with a man in his 70s who was a first-timer. Said he had no desire to go to Israel. But once he got there, he was angry at himself for waiting so long. This same man would go on to write a huge check to an Israel-based charity he was so emotionally charged.
Maybe our Walk for Israel should be based on this theme, of let’s get Baltimore to go to Israel in greater numbers.
We’ve got an incredible sister city in Ashkelon.
Maybe the festival should consist of booths that help us through passport and registration process. Maybe we could get ElAl to have a booth, hotels to have booths, tour guides to have booths.
And maybe, just maybe we could get someone to underwrite 10 free trips to Israel.
Again, I’m sure you have a much better idea than this one.
I’d love to read them. Just respond to the blog here, and we’ll offer them up to our local community leaders.
No harm, no spite, just suggestions.
But I do think the Walk needs to be re-invented.
Do you?