SH-26-259's blog

Today was an exciting day for us! We woke up bright and early for cake and coffee at 3:50am. We then traveled to Masada. The hike was very challenging, tiring, but rewarding. The sunrise was beautiful and the entire experience was meaningful to every one. On top of Masada, Yossi taught us about King Herod’s rebels and their fight against the Romans. We had a great discussion about religious beliefs around their “situation”. We then had a naming ceremony for four of our group members, as well as a b’nai mitzvah for four group members.

Today we woke up in a Bedouin tent in the Negev desert, having slept well after a night of Jewpardy. After breakfast, we hiked for about an hour in the desert. Yossi told us that the Negev is a place where people have had spiritual visions when they are secluded in the beauty of desert. Although maybe they have visions because they are so hot when they are there!! After the hottest hike we've taken yet, we went to the gravesite of David Ben-Gurion, who had a vision of making the desert bloom. He is buried where he wanted to be buried, in the desert next to his wife, Paula.

Today was a very emotionally charged day for our group. We began the day by visiting Yad Vashem, which is Israel’s Holocaust Memorial. Many of us in the group have been affected in various ways by the Holocaust and this memorial was a way to reflect, remember, and most of all realize there is hope. When you exit the museum, you see a beautiful view of Jerusalem and it is easy to remember there is now a home for the Jewish people, no matter what happens. After lunch, we traveled to the Neve Shalom school.

Today we left our "home" in the Golan for the City of Peace, Jerusalem. We started the day at a beautiful overlook of the city, followed by lunch and then a tour of the old city.

We then went to the Western Wall, which was very moving for many of us.

We will write more on Saturday night or Sunday, because now we have to get ready for Shabbat!

Until then Shabbat Shalom!

We began our morning in Safed, a beautiful and holy city. The streets were made of cobblestone and you got a European feeling right away. We visited a few different synagogues and learned about the history of Kabala and the difference between Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews.

As you may know, our group is copsonsored by Taglit-Birthright Israel, Shorashim, and PELIE. We are a group of teachers who are experienicng Taglit together.

Tonight for our evening activity, we went around the room and answered the following questions:

1. Who was your favorite teacher/mentor/youth group advisor?
2. When did the person teach you.
3. What made him/her your favorite and what were the specific qualities that you most appreciated.

Today we spent a lot of time on our feet! We went for a long hike through the Golan. It was a beautiful trail that wound its way through a valley of flowering trees. There were steep rocky ascents as well as water crossings. The prize for our efforts was the chance to swim in a pool beneath a waterfall. The water was cold and we were beneath a canopy of pink flowers. Afterward, we hiked out of the valley and back to our bus. From there we headed to Har Bental to talk about Israel’s history and relationship with Syria.

Hi everyone. We arrived this afternoon and were welcome by an amazing reception of our Israeli staff Yossi and our Israeli peers. We have a great group. Everyone is super nice and awesome. After getting our phones and exchanging money, we got on the bus and are now headed to do an opening ceremony. After the ceremony, we will head to the Golan Heights and will be staying at Kibbutz Chukuk. We are so excited for this incredible journey and look forward to writing more tomorrow. Until then, l'hitraot (see you later).

June 11–22, 2011
Staff: Yossi Nameri and Sharna Marcus

Monday, June 11
Departure from JFK International Airport – Swiss Air flight LX17/LX254 6:05 PM
Check in with your staff at the Swiss Air ticket counter (Terminal 4) at 2:05 PM