Adventures in the North
Shalom Everyone-- Wow, have we really only been here for two days? It feels like we've done two weeks' worth of great stuff already! Yesterday, after a nice drive from the Jerusalem area, we ended our day in the picturesque mountain village of pki'in, in the galilee. After eating dinner and checking in, we all joined together for some programming. We first played an interactive "human bingo" game that helped us get to know each other better--it allowed us to learn some pretty cool and unique things about each other. Did you know that one of our participants has eight brothers and sisters? Or that someone is trilingual? As you would expect, our Israeli participants have either served or are currently serving in the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces), and they all have very different roles. One of our participants teaches recent American olim (immigrants) who have just joined the army! We also learned that we have an array of musicians, painters, lawyers, and all sorts of other talented professionals and students in our group.
After our fun game, we discussed the the major locations in Israel we're going to--by having a participant approximate the shape of the country with his entire body! The next morning, we woke up promptly at 7:00, enjoyed a delicious breakfast, and headed immediately to the Golan Heights for a challenging and INCREDIBLY rewarding hike--the reward was a beautiful waterfall and cool, crystal-clear pool. Everyone enjoyed a refreshing swim before heading back to the bus. We then enjoyed lunch at a fooc court in katzrin, one of the few cities in the Golan Heights. As we continued to travel around the Golan, we learned a lot about its history. We learned that the land was captured very quickly from Syria (whose border we were able to see from mount bental, another of our stops) during the Six Day War in 1967, and has been in Israel's posession ever since. We discussed that although there is significant tension between the two countries surrounding this land, the true issue is access to water sources. This led us down to the kineret (also known as the Sea of Galilee), Israel's only large fresh-water lake. On the way, we talked about Israel's innovation in agricultural technology--particularly irrigation--and how it takes many diverse steps to combat its ever-present water shortage. When we arrived at the kineret, we went immediately to the kineret cemetary, where we visited the graves of influential poets and ardent zionist feminists Rachel, and Naomi Zemer. We sang two of their beautiful songs to oommemorate their enduring contributions to Israel. After a ride back to the hotel filled with fun games, introductions, and music, we finally arrived (exhausted!)and had some down time to shower and recharge. Then we enjoyed dinner and an evening program. The program featured a sticker-on-the-forehead game(you'll have to ask about this one...) and a "debrief" of the day's good experiences. We then transitioned into a serious discussion about Gilad Shalit, the soldier who was captured by Hamas four years ago, and is allowed essentially no contact with the outside world Both our Israeli and American participants expressed a variety of thoughtful opinions on the matter, and I'm sure that this was a discussion that should be continued both during and after the trip. Tomorrow is another exciting day for us. We'll be departing early for the ancient holy city of tzfat, where we'll talk about the rise of Lurianic Jewish Mysticism and the thriving artist community that continues there. From there, we'll head to Tel Aviv to take in some important historical sites, and then to have some fun going out in Israel's city that never sleeps! We'll see you again real soon, and hopefully next time with pictures! Lailah Tov (Good Night)! Written by Danny Moss
