Hello from Israel!
We're currently en route from Arad to Jerusalem--back to Jerusalem, actually, since we spent our first full day there, hiking outside the city, visiting a market and touring the Old City. We ended our day at the Western Wall, which was incredibly moving. Many of us left notes and prayers in the cracks of the wall. From Jerusalem we hopped on the bus to Ein Gedi. We spend a few hours on the bus each day with our wonderfully charismatic tour guide, Yossi, who instituted a policy that anyone who is late or forgets something must sing, dance or tell an embarrassing story. Needless to say, this has led to some very entertaining bus rides. We're also joined by eight Israeli soldiers, who give us a much more nuanced perspective on Israel, teach us awesome Hebrew phrases, and are generally wonderful to spend time with.
After a great first day, we went to bed very early in preparation for a 4 am wake up on Christmas morning. Bleary-eyed and somewhat giddy, we ate coffee and cake before departing for Masada. We headed up the mountain in the pre-dawn darkness, in time to see a glorious sunrise atop the mountain. After the sunrise, we were led on a walking tour of the ruins of Masada, learning about the history and myths of the site, and discussing their significance in contemporary Israel and conceptions of Jewish identity. By 10 am, we were back at the base of the mountain eating a phenomenal breakfast that included really good feta cheese. Then it was on to the Dead Sea! We read the newspaper while floating on our backs and picking up salt crystals between our toes. We couldn't stay for too long, though, because we had to get to our next hotel in time to get ready for Shabbat.
After showering and dressing in clothes far nicer than those in which we had been hiking that morning, we enjoyed a lovely evening. There were a variety of options for services, and then we all came together for Shabbat songs and delicious dinner. There's another Birthright trip that is following the same itinerary as we are, and we all had Shabbat together, which was a nice opportunity to meet other participants. We then played some games as a group and (finally!) went to sleep.
Today, we woke up luxuriously late and gathered at 11 am to discuss the weekly Torah portion. We had a relaxing afternoon - some of us went on a walking tour of Arad, others went to a park near our hotel, and some just enjoyed free time and good conversation. After Havdallah, we all hopped on the bus again, and are now nearing Jerusalem.
More updates later!
