Today we did something that has probably never been done before; it was truly a miracle and another dream come true. Our day started with a journey to Tzfat. Accompanied by a guitarist, we sang and danced through the busy narrow streets of the old city. Onlookers joined in or watched in amazement as the parade of wheelchairs walked by. After a break for a picnic lunch, a visit to the artist’s colony and wine factory, everyone was re-energized and then the unthinkable took place.
There is a custom to go to the mikvah of the Ari HaKadosh and to visit the grave sites of some of our great sages, and our boys did not want to miss this opportunity. Leave it up to the tenacity, perseverance, and creativity of the staff to turn that dream into a reality. Now for an explanation; it’s all great dunking in a FREEZING cold mikvah, but it’s about 150-200 steps down from the street. How were we going to get these boys down there? It is not exactly wheelchair accessible! The staff decided to carry the boys one by one on a stretcher down to the mikvah. They borrowed 2 army-type stretchers from the local Magen David Adom, strapped the boys in, and carried each one of our boys down the winding stairs to the mikvah. It was a scary but amazing sight to see. As they reached the mikvah, campers and counselors rejoiced with singing and dancing to celebrate the amazing accomplishment. Just when we thought we accomplished it all by putting these teens on camels, giving them the freedom of floating in the Dead Sea, climbing Masada…
[singlepic id=1887 w=620 h=540 float=center]
[singlepic id=1888 w=620 h=540 float=center]
[singlepic id=1889 w=620 h=540 float=center]