I am writing this as I return from spending a week in Israel with the Jewish Federation's Mission. It was an extraordinary journey for some 260 members of the community, including a good delegation from Emanu El. From north to south - the Galil to the Negev we trekked and toured and, most important, saw the good work done by the dollars raised by the Federation feeding, housing and resettling, making life better for Jews of all ages in our beloved Land of Israel.

I could share any number of events with you, but I have chosen two.

First was Friday morning at Yad Vashem, the Israel Holocaust Museum. Many of you may recall that many months ago we dedicated a painting by Alice Cahana to be given to Yad Vashem in honor of our member Fred Zeidman, who serves as Chair of the Holocaust Museum in Washington. At the time Alice said to me, "I want the three of us there to present it to Yad Vashem." Well, we were. Alice and I were part of the Mission, and Fred came over for the day to be present. After viewing the Museum, the Mission gathered for the program.

You can't imagine the power of the presentation. The focus of the painting (which doesn't hang on a wall but lies on the floor) is a picture of Alice's family - which she saw when she returned to Auschwitz for the filming of Stephen Spielberg's documentary Shoah - as they were being led to the gas chamber. At the end of her presentation, Alice remarked that this moment was one which allowed her to feel that she was laying her family to rest in Jerusalem; she then called me up to lead the group in Kaddish. It was as powerful a moment as I or anyone in the room has ever experienced.

Second was Erev Shabbat at the Kotel, the Western Wall. They have enlarged the area next to the wall, so the number of people davening has increased. Mostly Chassidim and other Orthodox, but scattered among them Jews from everywhere, mostly tourists such as ourselves. As Shabbat begins, different minyans form, some starting immediately, some a few minutes later, some going faster, some going slower. As one group finished dancing, another began.

A unique experience for us was our minyan, led by Rabbi Gelman of United Orthodox Synagogues, who was also on the Mission. Perhaps because we had a schedule to keep for dinner, we were one of the first groups to begin. Shortly after we finished singing L'cha Dodi, another group began, followed by another group, followed by another and another. L 'cha Dodi traveled around the Wall from minyan to minyan to minyan, as though we had set off a chain reaction. It was awesome!

As I think back on both events, with the Holocaust the setting of the morning event and the Western Wall the setting of the evening event, I am aware of the overwhelming resilience of Jewish people. We not only overcame the destruction of two Temples by the Babylonians and the Romans and the attempt of the Germans to annihilate us. We have managed to thrive and rebuild ourselves into a people whose vitality on the face of the earth is living proof of our eternal covenant with God.