The Middle...
Slicha (sorry) parents, we haven't written in a while, but we have been so busy exploring the Promised Land. It seems like weeks since we were inTzfat, but here's what we've been discovering. We spent Sunday night in Tel Aviv. It was quite a sight to see the vast Mediterranean unfolding in front of us as we pulled off the highway into the coastal city. Our poor bus driver, Jobe, had to ignore all the begging and whining to let us go to the beach. Instead of sunbathing we soaked up the history of Jaffa, an ancient city turned artists' colony. We saw some beautiful artwork as we wandered through. After we had our fill of the historical city, we visited a very important political area in Tel Aviv, Yitzhak Rabin Square. We learned about the peace he tried to bring to Israel, and we also got a chance to ask Israelis walking through the square about his assasination and his opinions. After hearing various opinions and conspiracy theories we began to understand the difficulty Israelis have in taking political sides. After a long day of traveling and history, we had the chance to have a very intimate performance by a popular Israeli rock musician, Udi Krauss. He taught us songs and told us about his experiences on Shorashim and in Israel. The next day we got a chance to walk through part of Tel Aviv on our way to Independence Hall. We learned how the Jewish people who arrived in Tel Aviv when it was literally nothing but sand transformed the land into a bustling suburb that became the center of political life in Israel. We also got a chance to sit in the very room that David Ben Gurion declared the independence of the state of Israel. We joined in singing Hatikvah and feeling the true pride of the moment. After an emotional morning we got back on the bus and prepared ourselves for an even more emotional afternoon. When we arrived in Jerusalem everyone was antsy with anticipation to see the holiest city on this earth. We took pictures from an amazing overlook at Haas Promenade. After a bit more history we traveled into the Old City to explore the Jewish Quarter. While we were there we finally arrived at another site that makes Judaism stand out among any other religion: the Western Wall. Also known as the Wailing Wall, this wall was a part of the Temple of Jerusalem which was our original place of worship. Judaism is the only religion whose original structure of worship still stands. The power of the wall overcame all of us as we each had a chance to pray and leave a note of prayer. The spirituality that could be felt at this site vibrated throughout the entire area. We saw Jewish people from all different backgrounds and levels of piety who came there to ask God for help and safety. For me, it was a very personal experience and I have never felt closer to God and my ancestors than I did at that moment. I think it's safe to say that many of us felt that way because we had finally arrived at the place that we've only dreamt and read about. We spent the night celebrating with some Israeli dancing and preparing ourselves for the next day at Israel's Holocaust Memorial on Mt. Herzl. Our experience at the holocaust museum, known as Yad Vashem, consisted of a three-part tour. We learned about the way the victims lived before they were systematically killed by the nazis. We saw how they were deceived and dehumanized, and then we saw how they lived in the death camps. From the artifacts the museum contained right down to the architecture and organization of the exhibit floored us. Many of us have been to other Holocaust museums, but none of them could hold a candle to our impressive guide and the way we saw the museum. The last part of the tour was a video we watched about a holocaust survivor from Greece and his strength as he went back to Auschwitz to educate others. From there we visited an absorption center in Kiryat Gat to play with Ethiopian children whose families have just immigrated to Israel. We played sports outside and made arts and crafts inside. It felt good to give back to the country we have grown to feel a part of. Once the kids tired us out we traveled to a Bedouin camp to get our fill of hospitality. They fed us a delicious meal of humus and kabobs, then we drank tea and heard interesting stories from a Bedouin man. After a night filled with hilarious games planned by the Israelis, we relaxed and sang songs by the campfire. We woke up yesterday morning excited to do an activity that many of us have been excited about for a long time. We rode camels! No matter what anyone says, riding a camel is nothing like riding a horse, unless that horse has two boulders on his back and barks and spits. Getting on and off the camels was the hardest part, but besides that we had an enjoyable ride in the desert. After the camels dropped us off, it was time for us to do some work as we hiked through the natural cliff formations at Ein Uvdat. This hike was another milestone on our path to climing Massada, and it was a challenging but rewarding hike. The formations were breathtaking and the Negev is actually a very beautiful desert. Once we left the cliffs we visited David Ben Gurion's grave and learned a little bit about him in a fun game. For example, he liked to do headstands to relieve stress and he spoke eight languages.We spent the rest of the day tasting the fruits of the labor that Negev farmers have cultivated in unique ways. We toured a farm and picked fresh vegetables and fruits while we learned how they grew. Peter, our guide, brought us to a memorial a few kilometers from the farm to release homing pidgeons with messages and to show us their proximity to the Gaza Strip. Don't worry parents, it's been relatively quiet there lately and it was interesting to be less than a few kilometers from a place that feels a world away. Peter told us a little bit about living near to Gaza and the fact that he feels safer there than many other places he has been. We turned in early to rest up for our big hike up Massada. We woke up at 5 a.m. to face the hike we have been building up to all week. We struggled through the harsh terrain and darkness, but every single one of us made it to the top before sunrise. Even though it was overcast and not much of a sunrise, we all felt a huge rush of accomplishment and pride to have conquered the mountain. We spent some time learning about the settlements that lived up there in ancient times and played around with the echoes of the mountains around it. We also enjoyed a beautiful view of the Dead Sea, which we traveled to next. It was drizzling and a bit cold, but most of us braved the elements and dived right in to to the lowest place on Earth. We floated around and tried to avoid getting the water in our eyes, but the experience was something that could only be explained as divine and mindblowing. We are finally back in Jerusalem and will stay here for the remainder of the trip. It's time for some shopping on Ben Yehuda! We are sad that our trip is winding down, but excited to spend some downtime together on Shabbat. Parents, we can't wait to tell you all about our trip, and we hope this blog helps you to understand our experiences!
