Four Days and Counting

We are having the time of our lives on Birthright! We are in Tel Aviv right now, but since getting here on Thursday we have been to Ceasaria, the Golan, Tsfat and Haifa! We were thrilled to meet our seven Israeli soldiers upon landing and they have been a real joy getting to know these past few days. The weather has been delightful and we are especially appreciative that the winter rains have held off since we got here.

Today we also went to Haifa, the sister city of Boston, where we each helped make a mural with a co-existence theme and took a tour of the art-filled Wadi Nisnas neighborhood. We could not believe how strong the partnership between the Jewish communities in Haifa and Boston is, and we were invited to get involved when we return.

Israel is not at all the intense place we always see on the news. People here are incredibly friendly and it's easy to get lost in day-dreaming as we look out the bus windows and the Galilee or Coastal Plain passes us by. We really enjoyed having our first three nights on Kibbutz Hokuk in the north, with its roaming dogs, innumerable trees and flowers, and views of the Sea of Galilee. Tonight we are hearing a performance by an Israeli musician and then having our first free night out.

There are many things we are looking forward to in the coming days, including seeing the Old City of Jerusalem, sleeping in the Bedouin Tents, and of course riding camels. There's never been so action packed a ten days in most of our lives, and we are grateful for the experience!