9 minute read
The Wandering Jew
The Wandering Jew El Paso to Santa Fe
By Hershel Lieber
We arrived in El Paso, Texas, late Sunday afternoon on January 27, 2014. Our goal was to do a road trip through New Mexico which would include both the Chihuahuan Desert and El Camino Real. The drive to our final destination Santa Fe was actually less than six hours from El Paso, but we would spread it out over a few days to see the interesting sites along the way. Shabbos we would spend at the Chabad of Santa Fe and then we would make our way back to New York.
El Paso borders Mexico, and there is a bridge crossing the Rio Grande River into the city of Ciudad Juarez. Although Juarez is one of the most dangerous cities in the world, known for its drug cartels and high murder rate, we decided to walk across the bridge and spend about two hours touring the city. We took a taxi driver who gave us an English language guided tour of the city’s highlights, and we also spent a half an hour at an indoor market browsing Mexican folk art objects. There was a proliferation of lowcost drug stores and numerous medical and dental services all competing for the American dollar. As we headed back towards the States, we realized the stark
Along the El Camino Real trail
contrast between the tall office buildings of El Paso and the dilapidated housing and shabby commercial structures of a poverty-stricken city. We also understood why crime became so rampant in this border town.
El Paso has a relatively small Jewish population – less than five thousand people. As such, we were surprised by the excellent display offered at the El Paso
Folk art in Ciudad Juarez Pesi posing with Indian dance troup Hot chilli peppers for sale
Holocaust Museum. The building is on the small side, but the exhibition well documents the greatest tragedy that befell our people in recent history. This was our Tuesday morning program which was followed by a visit to the El Paso Art Museum, where we thoroughly enjoyed the Western art depicting the lives and cultures of both “cowboys and Indians.”
That afternoon, we drove into the Chihuahuan Desert and headed to the White Sands National Monument. The ninety-minute drive itself was a feast for the eyes. The desert landscape against the mountain background was just an introduction to the “otherworldly” scene that met us at White Sands. As we drove closer, we were bewildered by the snow-covered dunes. We could not believe that the snow would not melt under the strong sun. When we came to the site, we realized that the snow covering was actually pure white sand! We climbed the dunes and took multiple photos. We are always in awe of Hashem’s magnificent world of nature, and the White Sands was a great example of the beautiful planet that He gave us to live in.
The next morning we were out by nine o’clock heading to Albuquerque. We made City to Santa Fe. The main focus of the museum was to illustrate the difficulties that people went through traversing the desert and its environment. Besides the town of Socorro, we spent quite a while towards the evening at Bosque del Apache,
a number of stops during our two-hundred-sixty-mile journey. Most notable was the El Camino Real Historic Trail Site. Located in middle of nowhere, the exhibits contained within were charming portrayals of the trail which connected Mexico a National Wildlife Refuge which is a bird watchers’ paradise. These flooded plains and marshlands attract over 10,000 sandhill cranes and 20,000 snow geese during the winter months. Near sunset, birds return in massive flocks to roost from the local fields where they feed. This image was so captivating that we stayed for almost two hours to watch and to listen to the sounds of this phenomenal spectacle.
We spent the night in Albuquerque but drove early Thursday morning straight to Santa Fe. We visited the Old Palace of the Governor and the New Mexico Museum of History. We took a tour of the pueblo-style State Capitol but were more impressed with the huge collection of artwork hanging on its walls. Santa Fe’s low-lying buildings are all done in the pueblo style in natural sand coloring. The city is an epicenter for regional art and culture. We went gallery hopping and were attracted to most exhibits. We shopped for pottery with Indian motifs and designs. Other popular buys are colorful shawls and blankets. Although we could not eat anywhere, we could not help noticing the most popular spice, red hot chili peppers, which were sold everywhere.
We returned to our hotel room and
prepared our dinner. We never have much of an issue with food. We take along packaged dinners which do not need refrigeration, hard cheeses, canned fish, and melba toast. Everything else we buy in local supermarkets. Unless there are kosher restaurants, we heat up our meals in the microwave and have never really gone hungry. For Shabbos, we try to make arrangements either with Chabad or with local families.
On Friday morning, we went to the San Ildefonso Pueblo, which is a federally recognized Indian tribal homeland. The small town with its small pueblo-style buildings are centered around an open space which is used for cultural and religious ceremonies. A number of residents produce and sell the famous Black-onBlack pottery. There were no public ceremonies on that morning so we continued on the Museum of International Folk Art. This museum was so colorful and interesting and included folk art from all the four corners of the Earth. We were enamored with the displays and could barely pull ourselves away to get back in time for Shabbos.
Our decision concerning which hotel to stay was based on the walking distance to Chabad. We were invited by Rabbi Beryl and Devorah Leah Levertov to join them for both seudos, and we went there for
Rabbi Beryl and Devorah Leah Levertov and family
davening as well. They were in the process of building a Chabad Shul and center but on that Shabbos we davened and ate in their home. There were about fifteen guests besides the family, which included the Levertovs’ six daughters and the rabbi’s mother. The atmosphere at the table was joyous, and the food was delicious. We had some great conversations with many of the guests, and Rav Beryl asked me to say a dvar Torah. Although we did not have a minyan Friday night, the next morning, in time for Shemoneh Esrei, we had our quorum. I was glad that a minyan formed since it was Shabbos Rosh Chodesh.
After a small kiddush, we had a sumptuous seudah. I remember speaking to Dr. Eliyahu Belowitz who told me about his two sons who were learning in Kollel. We davened Mincha and then went back to the hotel for our Shabbos nap. Motzei Shabbos after havdalah we were treated to watch videos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. We have seen this new tradition in many other Chabad kehillos. Chabad, as usual, is a sanctuary that we learned to admire and appreciate during our many travels.
On Sunday, we drove back to Albuquerque and went to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Canter. For one hour, we toured the exhibitions, and for the next hour, we watched Indian dances and ceremonies – not exactly our favorite musical instruments and sounds. We made a short stop at the International Balloon Museum. Albuquerque is the known for its International Balloon Fiesta which brings together hot air balloon enthusiasts from around the world. At certain times, the skies are filled with over five hundred balloons in every style and color. We could only imagine the sight, and we bought our grandchildren of each family jigsaw puzzles which showed the colorful spectacle of the flying balloons.
One more night, and our trip would come to an end. All in all, we relaxed, we toured, we viewed nature at its finest, we had new experiences, and we connected with other Jews. What more can we ask for?!
Hershel Lieber has been involved in kiruv activities for over 30 years. As a founding member of the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel he has traveled with his wife, Pesi, to the Soviet Union during the harsh years of the Communist regimes to advance Yiddishkeit. He has spearheaded a yeshiva in the city of Kishinev that had 12 successful years with many students making Torah their way of life. In Poland, he lectured in the summers at the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation camp for nearly 30 years. He still travels to Warsaw every year – since 1979 – to be the chazzan for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for the Jews there. Together with Pesi, he organized and led trips to Europe on behalf of
Gateways and Aish Hatorah for college students finding their paths to Jewish identity. His passion for travel has taken them to many interesting places and afforded them unique experiences. Their
open home gave them opportunities to meet and develop relationships with a variety of people. Hershel’s column will appear in The Jewish Home on a bi-weekly basis.
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