Monday, May 30

We said goodbye to the Golan Heights today, leaving the beautiful kibbutz guesthouse for the mystical city of Tsfat, the birthplace of Kabballah Judaism. Lior led us through the old part of the city, with its winding alleyways and cobblstone paths, and we were lucky enough to visit the shul where Kabbalah began. Afterwards the group headed to Haifa, a sister city of Boston. We went to a firefighting station where two local firefighters spoke to us about the recent Mount Carmel forest fires. It was a wonderful, if somewhat grave experience, to meet locals of our sister city, and see first hand the damage that these fires caused.
Next was a late lunch. We stopped at a restaurant where a feast was waiting for us: chicken kebabs, pita, hummus, vegetables, and baklava. Needless to say, it was awesome. With an extra half hour to spare before our next activity, we drove down to the beach, where some of us took our first steps in the Mediterranean Sea. To wrap up an already busy day, we then headed to the Birthright Mega Event, where 5,000 other participants gathered for a huge festival/concert. There were birthrighters from Argentina, Brazil, and India, including the U.S. and Canada. As we gathered with Jewish youth from all over the world, we remembered why we are here in the first place, and the importance of having a Jewish homeland. Finally we rode into the heart of Tel Aviv, where we're now resting at the Marina Hotel, gearing up for another day of fun tomorrow.