Blogs

Today was our first full day in Israel....we started our day with a typical Israeli breakfast of cheese, olives and bread. Oh wait, lets not forget about the chocolate spread! We went on a nice hike through the Zeviatan river which ended with a swim in hexagonal basalt rock pools. We encountered many cows, dodging the manure as we went along. We also passed many other birthright groups, but I felt comfortable in this one because they didn't seem to have much swag.

After visiting the Western Wall and the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum, I believe that I can speak on behalf of the entire group when I say that I am both overwhelmed and exhausted. To my surprise, however, I am not overwhelmed by sadness or pain, two emotions I have lcome to expect when learning about the difficult past of our people. Instead, my mind and my heart are bursting with pride, gratitude, and even hope.

Ze co-blog by The Twins, Serena Accomazzi (Van der Woodsen) and Grace Stern

Boker tov!
Yesterday was our first day in Israel and it was amazing. The plane ride was pretty tiring but well worth the arrival we recieved. As soon as we went through customs, all the Israeli soldiers (for the Taglit) were dancing and singing for us, and then we joined in with them. It was a great was to break the ice. All the Israelis are awesome!

Hello families! Well today we had quite a long journey but it was all worth it. We all met at JFK and took an 8 hour flight to Zurich. Then we took a 4 hour flight to Tel Aviv, where we were greeted by a group of singing Israelis who even had balloons for us! We immediately circled up and got acquainted before we moved onto our nice, air conditioned coach bus. It was quite a nice feeling after stepping outside to the 90 degree weather! We went from the airport to Cesaria, a beautiful historic city on the Mediterranean Sea.

This morning we went to the Independence museum in Tel Aviv. We saw the place where the state of Israel was declared. We also learned about the history of Tel Aviv there. It was really cool to hear that the pioneers of the city built their city and lives out of nothing that existing in the area before. Then we drove to Kiryat Gat, where we went to a school in a poor socioeconomic status area. We all were able to play games with the 5th grade students, which was a lot of fun.

Today we had an early start to the day. We woke up at our hotel in Ein Gedi and were hiking Masada by 4:30 am. We walked up the snake path and arrived on the top of the mountain just in time for sunset. A few participants acted out a play to teach the group about King Herod. Afterwards, we had a chance to sing and dance in the synagogue. A number of participants shared with us that they had family who had a bar or bar mitzvah in this holy place! Following our walk back down Masada, we had a chance to relax at the Dead Sea.

Shalom from the Israeli Desert!! After our night in the Bedouin tents (50 people, 1 tent) and early morning camel rides, we are exhausted but happy to be having a great experience! After packing up at the tent, we headed out for a nice hike,where we ascended straight up a mountain in the desert about 500 steps (482, but who’s counting)? The hike was beautiful and we learned about how the natural desert landscape is constructed by erosion and heard about native plants and animals.

It is so beautiful how we have all come together. We began our second day with a hike in the Golan Heights to Zavitan river. This open, spacious, and hot location was a wonderful challenge for us. We were not only rewarded with the accomplishment of another adventure, but with the chance to swim in a lagoon at the bottom of the valley. The cold, fresh water was exhilarating and gave us a great boost of energy.

Shalom! After months, weeks, and days of anticipation, we have safely arrived in Israel. A ten hour plane ride was no excuse for us not to begin our trip bright and early Thursday morning with a beautiful opening ceremony called Shehechiyanu, which is a blessing for renewal. We gathered on a gorgeous JNF site next to the sea to write down our personal goals for the trip, folded them up, and put them in a bottle to symbolize our togetherness.