It was the first place I’ve ever been where surfers say things like, “Welcome” and “Thanks for visiting” in the lineup. And, OK, they dropped in on you immediately after that, as if it absolutely couldn’t be helped, but still
Adi Gluska caught up with us for a final sunset session in the dying swell. It was fitting to have him there with us, and all the grumpiness of our frustrating morning goose chase faded quickly with a few last set waves. We ate dinner at one of our new favorite spots, exchanging contacts and toasting one of the best trips of our lives. For all of us. Israel had proven a cultural education, an educational culture and a surprising place to score surf. What more could you ask for from a trip?
And of the challenging political situations gripping this region and our consciousness’, Adi left us with this one final pearl: “I have lived here my entire life with these situations,” he said, “and I can only say that I still don’t feel like I know enough to comment on them. It’s that complicated. But I do know this. We’re here now, and we’re not going anywhere. So if we’re going to work out these problems, we need to forget the past and work on learning how to live together now.”
It’s 8:43 a.m. We’re 36,000 feet over Greenland, moving 601 mph in a flying hunk of metal that serves cocktails and on-demand movies. In seven hours, we’ll land at LAX and it will be 6:11 a.m. sometimes, things just don’t make sense, but we accept them and move on.
We’re moving on, but we won’t ever forget Israel.
Thanks again to the Israel Board of Tourism, the Abretel Suites Hotel in Tel Aviv, and especially to Adi Gluska and Arthur Rashkovan. Look for Nate Lawrence’s stunning photos and a complete story from our Israel adventure in the July Issue of SURFING Magazine. Until then: Shalom.