A Day of Remembrance

Hello people…

The Shorashim 47 have made it safely to the Negev desert.
It has been an amazing trip so far, filled with history, tradition, fun and feelings.

After moving experiences in the holy city of Jerusalem and celebrating Shabbat dinner as a group, we kicked off our Sunday with an unbelievable recount of the tragedy of the Holocaust at Yad Vashem. Hearing a survivor speak about his experiences, emotions, thoughts and stories of survival has moved us all more than words can explain. Though our time at the memorial was filled with a myriad of emotions, they were all ones that we as Jews needed to hear about, understand and share. As the future young leaders of the Jewish community we all recognized that we owe it to those that experienced this unimaginable horror to continue to spread their stories persecution, but more importantly those of hope and survival.

From Yad Vashem we traveled on to a Jewish National Fund forest, where we helped clear brush and trim trees. After our light gardening experience, we divided into two teams and played a fun trivia game where the winner got some tasty Israeli treats. Don’t worry, you all taught us well and the shared once we were back on the bus.

We finished the day by heading south to a Bedouin community in the Negev. Here we enjoyed an authentic Bedouin meal where we all sat under a Bedouin tent and experienced a delicious dinner, sampling a variety of their delicacies. Following dinner we had the opportunity to hear from the head of the Bedouin community we were visiting. He regaled us with stories about their life and culture, taught us how to make Yemenite coffee and even let us hear some of his vocal styling’s. Our final programming of the evening was extra special tonight as our new Israeli friends had planned a series of activities. We played games, answered trivia questions and shared our feelings on Israel and even got a small glimpse into life as an IDF soldier.

That’s it for now. It’s getting late and we have to be up bright and early to ride camels; not to mention the fact that all 47 of us are sleeping together in a tent in the desert. We can’t wait to share more about our exciting adventures in Israel. Until then…laila tov (good night)!