Old Friends, Still Young

Last night I went to the Luchins-Leff tribute at the Israel Center.  It was billed/publicized differently for different crowds.  For those of us in the NCSY Ben Zakkai Honor Society, it was the first Ben Zakkai "event," desserts and not a dinner,  the honorees being David and Vivian Luchins and Rabbi Zeev and Rivka Leff.  It was then advertised rather differently in Torah Tidbits opening it to the general public.

Luckily I got there early, as did some friends from my time, including someone I knew from my days at Stern College and had neither seen nor spoke to in the over forty years since I finished my sophomore year.  Yes, I'm a drop-out.

The donation for attending was rather steep, but considering that a "discretionary fund" was used to fly me in a few years ago when I was finally inducted into the honor society, and I am in touch with the Luchins and owe so much to NCSY, I felt it necessary to attend.  I'm not sorry that I attended, but I wish that I had made a dinner date with other NCSY friends/attendees to have more time to be together.  We really ought to plan something with more "schmooze" time.

For those of us who live and work in Israel we didn't have the time to stay for schmoozing after the program.  I rushed out without even saying goodbye to anyone, B"H, caught the #4 bus to Ramat Eshkol, walked a very rainy couple of blocks to my bus stop and then caught the bus home to Shiloh.  There was a lull in the rain when I got there, so the walk up the hill to my house wasn't difficult.

We had been asked to find the "year in Israel kids" and invite them for Shabbat and Holidays.  I didn't have time, so if any of you are in that category, please give me a call.  There are lots of NCSY alumni in Shiloh.

On with my day....

PS re: the title-
Just behind me I heard the young voice of someone saying "...NCSY ages ago."  I took a look and saw someone so young, she must be younger than my youngest child.  I mentioned it to my friends/peers.  Someone said that it's funny, to that kid her NCSY years were ages ago, while we don't accept ourselves as old.  "It can't be that long ago..."