We are in Panama. Here are the highlights of our first few days:
Someone upstairs is certainly looking out for us. Bogged down with extra luggage, we made our international flight within 45 minutes of takeoff. The guy who checked us in told us that he “never does this” and then proceeded to whisk us past the 300 person security line.
Shabbat in the local synagogue was beautiful. It was the Shabbat before a major wedding in this community, and the excitement was palpable. It was inspiring to see how joyous everyone was in anticipation.
On Friday night we hosted 150 Israeli backpackers for a Shabbat dinner, replete with spicy salsa, stirring songs and suspenseful stories. People were very moved. Some of the guests joked that if they had only known how “damaging” such a dinner would be for their secular lifestyles, they would have never come.
Last night was the wedding. We sang under the chupah (wedding canopy), mingled with people, and made ourselves useful. We also helped open the new kosher kitchen in the Riu Hotel - the kitchen will remain kosher for all upcoming Jewish events.
Tomorrow we are starting a two-week day camp for some lucky Jewish kids. We plan to do some cool projects with them. One idea is a tiled unity mural. With G‑d’s help we'll keep you posted.
After camp we plan to explore other parts of Panama to find more Jews.
We hope to send you pictures when we are able.
