Day 3 - Tel Aviv...
It is day three on our excursion and they are sure keeping us busy! In no time, we have all become close friends and have shared interesting stories with one another about where we come from and what we expect to get from this adventure. It is interesting how Israel inspires bonds between us all, even though we come from all walks of life.
We enjoyed a breakfast of eggs, hummus, fish, salad, and coffee, then loaded the bus and took a 40-minute bus ride heading to the Bar Chocbah caves (located south of Beit Shemesh). In between listening to Israeli hip-hop, Yael, one of our group leaders, pointed out the agriculture and ancient Roman stairs along the countryside. The ride was as breathtaking as our destination. We ended on the base of the dig site, where we met Ariel and Irit, archeologists who would take us through the Bar Chocbah caves. The landscape was gorgeous-- we climbed to a point where we could look out at the phenomenal view. Along the trail were 2,000 year-old caves that we explored. We learned how Jews would honor and bury their families by visiting an ancient tomb. The limestone cave was a one-year resting place; as soon as the bones were exposed, the bodies would be moved to a final resting place so that the vacant tomb could make way for the next to die. Only a few steps away from the tomb were more dark caves that we squeezed our way through.
After cave spelunking, we made our way to the Adulam Forest, a JNF forest site, where we met Yorav who dispersed working gloves and machetes as tools to cut low branches from forest trees so that we could do our part to preserve the lush land of Israel by preventing forest fires and making room for new tree growth.
Our lumber jacking worked us up quite an appetite so we headed to a shopping center in Beit Shemesh (a city about 20 minutes east of Tel Aviv) to have lunch. Most of us had falafel or shwarma or a delightful dairy lunch and fabulous coffee at Aroma..
Next, we had the opportunity to visit Gezer, the Kibbutz where Ari (one of our Israeli peers on the trip) grew up. The kibbutz was beautiful and his parents were welcoming. We toured his home and chatted with his folks (who are originally from Detroit and New York) about life on the kibbutz and their transition to Israel.
The last stop was at the Jaffa Institute, a nonprofit center for underprivileged children where we met Yechiel the program’s director who grew up in Boston. He explained how Israel’s public school system works and how easy it is for kids, whose parents do not make enough money, can end up in trouble. We volunteered our muscles moving boxes for the organization and were inspired to continue giving back.
We checked into our hotel to unwind and learn about the Israeli geography and how it came to be. Then, we were taken to a restaurant on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea where we enjoyed the view over laughs and a few cocktails. We concluded our night at the fancy Tel Aviv hotel and rested up for the long day ahead.
