First days of the trip

Our first day included an early wake up to go hiking on the Gila Boone. This beautiful trail led us through the creek over and between the Bental mountain. Traveling through the trail was innovative way to learn about the Israel’s battle to have some sort of land to call home and ways to stay safe. The ruins from Syria’s army showed us what it took to have this beautiful landscape to belong to Israel, including my favorite part the cascading waterfall.

Emotions began to stir when the group then traveled to the Bental overlook to see the view into the border between Syria and Israel. We were lucky to hear how the Israeli people feel about the significance of one of the countries most important land possessions. It seemed to me that I was left with more questions about why there is fighting over this land and what would be the best solution for all sides. It is such a foreign concept for me to be fighting over such huge amounts of land but I know it is so very important for the country. It sort of reminds me of when two neighbors fight over which side of the fence belongs to them but with a higher significance.

I am looking forward to our first Shabbat service tonight at our Kibbutz.

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This past Friday night and Saturday we celebrated our first Shabbat as a group. It was a wonderful experience, that helped bring us closer together as a group. I was particularly moved by the beauty of the Havdallah ceremony, as it was my first time partaking in one. Today, Sunday, we had our busiest day yet. We began the day with an early start and headed off to the Mitzpe Shalom lookout. There, we were final able to see a complete, sun lit view of the Kinaret. I was stunned both by the lake’s beauty and by its importance to Israel. After, we loaded onto the bus and began our trek out of the Golan Heights. Along the way we first stopped at Tzfat. After touring three synagogues, we had some time to ourselves to explore the town. We then continued our trip southward to Haifa. In Haifa we had lunch and then made our way to the military cemetery. We had an amazing and emotional experience hearing a group member’s cousin tell the story of their family’s connection to the army, and to Israel itself. Afterwards, we visited a firehouse to learn about the fire that swept the Bet Oren Forest a month ago. Hearing about all the beauty and nature which was destroyed was difficult, and it was even more difficult when we later traveled to the site of the fire. Despite this difficulty, the experience was amazing and truly brought life into perspective. After our long day, we boarded the bus once again and headed to our final destination for the day-Tel Aviv! By Stephanie Efrosman