SH-25-151's blog

We have bid farewell to our Israelis, to our medic, our driver, our guide. A last hurrah in Duty Free Shopping and we're due to board in ten minutes. As of now, our flight is on time for 10:15am Israel time. Given our early morning departure from the hotel and the weary faces all around, it should be a peaceful and comfortable flight.

We look very much forward to seeing you on the other side.

Rabbi Elyse Winick
KOACH Director

The halls are quiet and even the staff has settled down for the night. It's hard to believe that our journey is drawing to an end. The tears have already started to flow and we've all begun to wonder what happens next.

All throughout this trip, we have focused on the power of our memories, both collective and individual. We've explored history through memory and we've collected much data to remember through the years. Most of all, we have created memories which will tie us to this group of people forever.

There is no place like Jerusalem. Everything is brighter, richer and more intense here. If you haven't experienced it, it's a little difficult to explain.

We can certainly hear the drumbeats of our final days together, and our feelings are mixed. We are not looking forward to leaving this amazing place and these amazing people, but there is also yearning for home. These are bittersweet days.

There is little more glorious than the North of Israel in winter, as long as the weather cooperates. While there were still some chilly moments, the sun shone brightly on us for much of the day and we were thrilled to be outside. Following morning tefillot with an emphasis on our stewardship of the planet and a breakfast of salads, pancakes and omelettes, we drove to the nearby Hula Valley for an amazing jeep tour. In addition to the great fun of the bumpy ride, the views were incomparably beautiful.

Perhaps we shouldn't complain, since many of you are at home in colder climates, but when winter hits in Israel, everything is damp and chilly. Though the hardest rain today was while we were on the bus, rather than walking around, we miss the warm, bright weather of when we first arrived. Still, in a country with a perpetual water shortage, we too must learn to say, "Zot Brakhah," this is a blessing.

We're at the conclusion of a long and incredibly full day -- it's both hard to believe we've only been here four days and hard to believe that we have only six more days on the ground. We have so much to do!

What an incredible Shabbat we shared together! There may be no better place to spend Shabbat than here at Neve Ilan, where the food continues to amaze, the grounds are magnificent and the company unmatched.

I'm not sure one can really call a day Goat Day, but it's what we've decided to call today. But more about that later.