Bat Ayin

Where to begin. We received an email from a member of our shul in Modiin that there was a tiyul planned with the Rabbi's family to Bat Ayin with transportation. We jumped at the chance. Firstly, it was something to do with the kids but most importantly we really wanted to see what Bat Ayin was all about. We have heard over the years various things but wanted to check it out first hand. My brother Aaron learned at the yeshiva there. He once commented to me that there is no security fence around the yishuv despite being surrounded by arabs because even the arabs think they're nuts.

We were scheduled to leave Modiin at 8:45 am but of course didn't leave until 9:30am. We arrived 5 minutes late and I was sure they would all be waiting for us. No siree. We were the third family there. Once all arrived we headed on our way, via Ramat Bet Shemesh. The drive was so nauseating we were all ready to throw up.

When we arrived in Bat Ayin (after a few wrong turns) we were greeted by Amnon. He was wearing this interesting black hat but otherwise there wasn't anything too noteworthy in his other clothing. We were invited into his home which was very large but looked like my father built it. His wife had on a huge head scarf but was also wearing "normal" clothing. However, they had a helper who was dressed in the Bat Ayin style. Flyaway payos, scarf over his head, white clothing, naot etc. Very "la la" looking. Bat Ayin was also not very well planned. A house here and there, roads that weren't really wide enough for a car let alone a bus. At one point we had to do a three point turn on very steep roads. People were ready to jump off the bus it was so scary. After several attempts and some whiplash we made it.

I'll let David fill in all the details of what we did because quite frankly it was way too boring. The highlight of the trip for me (and the reason I wasn't complaining too much) was that we got a guided bus tour around the whole Gush Etzion neighborhood. We drove through arab villages, across and around mountains. The views were something else. I would have definitely been too scared to drive it ourselves, especially with my fear of heights.