Day 6 - Shabbat Shalom in Ashdot Yaakov
On Saturday we all got some much needed rest and relaxation after the exciting and fairly tiring five days before. After sleeping in, we had a very nice and light breakfast and we listened to stories from Shahar about why Shabbat is important to all of us.
Then we walked outside with Audrey, separated into groups and had brief discussions about the transition from genesis to exodus where the Jews were enslaved in Egypt and how Moses, with the help of God helped them escape. We got interpretations from different Rabbis about the reasons for the Jewish enslavement and the theories were intriguing and multi-faceted. Afterwards we went over to the dining hall for Shabbat lunch and continued with working on our relaxation methods. Our afternoon activity, as promised by Shahar, was a cross-Kibbutz adventure to the pools.
We were supposed to lounge around a pool deck and get some sun Cali-style. Unfortunately, we were disappointed and all we found at the pool was a cement circle and some grumpy looking Israelis in speedos. Where there is a will there's a way and we managed to play some exciting games of pool-chicken and Asaf was crowned King of the Squawks. After the pool staff managed to kick us out, we headed back for more circles and discussions. Shahar split us up into three groups where we were to talk about our thoughts, experiences, and feelings about differing aspects of Jewish life in a pristinely non-cynical setting. The discussions were lively and we continued them separately into the night. We got to clean up shortly after and proceeded to join Shahar, Audrey and Ezer in a traditional Havdalla ceremony.
Jenn Lopata was the centerpiece and we all spiraled and chanted around her until Shahar hit us in the face with spices and finished the ritual. We all split up for dinner which was held in Tiberius, a beautiful city that was near our Kibbutz. The lively nighttime activity was a karaoke night at a local pub near the main street. It was a raucous that included a chance meeting with Mayonot (a lesser Birthright group), a rap performed by Josh "the tree" Brickman, "girls just wanna have fun" by Sarah "my hat is better than yours" Rosner, and a closing rendition of YMCA performed by some guys. When we got back to the Kibbutz, everyone mostly called it a night on a restful Shabbat.
