Six days may not seem like a long time, but it gave those of us who visited Panama time enough to see the important sights and begin to understand life in Panama.  Arriving from various cities in the USA, our group began our venture on Wednesday, January 13.   

Each day provided an in depth look at the country and the people.  Our guide had an excellent command of English and was most knowledgeable of the country and its history.  We toured an Embera Indian village in the depths of the forest, negotiating very challenging and difficult trails as well as wading across a river.  In some ways little has changed for many generations.
 
We spent time in the "Old City" where a total renovation is taking place, similar to that of the French Quarter in New Orleans, and of course visited and toured the Panama Canal  watching huge freighters and mega cruise ships.  Viewing Panama City from the bay is almost like the skyline of Chicago or New York.  The new construction taking place is breathtaking.
 
The Gamboa Rainforest gave us a glimpse of the most beautiful and colorful "jungle" area.  Gliding along the river, cruising in and out through back channels viewing exotic birds, monkeys and other wild life, rounded off the nature part of the trip.
 
But now comes the real story, Shabbat at Congregation Kol Shearith Israel with Rabbi Gustavo Kraselnik, a Masorti Rabbi.  The congregation has a very modern, new building (four years old) with a sanctuary that can seat 275 people, and a maximum seating of 900.  Founded in 1876, it is a congregation of 200 families, some with as many as five generations born in Panama. All of us felt extremely comfortable in the service and the appreciation of the community to our visit was overwhelming.   Ninety nine percent of the services was in Hebrew, with siddurim in Hebrew, Spanish and English.  We were hosted on Friday night by approximately 100 congregants, including many young couples with children.   Rabbi Chuck Simon addressed the community from the pulpit in Spanish and had the opportunity to explain a little about the FJMC and the Masorti Movement.
 
Shabbat morning services began at 9:00am, and the congregation used the Silverman siddur in Spanish. This siddur was printed in the 1980's and needs to be updated. Like many of our congregations they follow the Triennial format of the Torah Service, and most of our group were honored with aliyot.  Following the Kiddush we were hosted for lunch and spent several hours learning about the culture of the community, its needs and ways we can assist them to be more effective. In order to fulfill our mission we brought one of the young adult leaders of our congregation in El Salvador to Panama to meet his contemporaries. This interaction represents one additional step towards uniting Central American young adults with one another. It is our hope to link them in the near future with MAROM in Chile, Mexico and Argentina.   The visit also provided us with the opportunity to deliver Yom HaShoah candles and mezuzot to each congregation. Like all FJMC/Masorti Olami experiences it was a most enjoyable and satisfying experience.