We departed the kibbutz and headed for Mt. Arbel, driving to the top of the overlook. We could see the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Kinneret. It was an amazing view, with villages below both Muslim and Jewish. We heard the call to prayer ringing out over the small village nearest the base of the mountain, and took in an amazing view of the green mountainside while learning about the history of the area. The climb down the mountain was fantastic, a difficult descent over ladders and boulders along the trail. We could see caves chipped out of the stone on the facing mountain -- cut away to allow rebels to hide in the time of King Herod. The weather has been amazing since we arrived, and this day was no exception. Fresh air and sunshine complemented the walk, even as we sat for almost thirty minutes waiting for schoolgirls to pass through the narrow passage down the face of the steep ladder down the most difficult portion of the hike.
Back on the bus, we headed to Tel Aviv, the Israeli “city that never sleeps.” It’s been called the City of Light and the City of Sin, but for us, it was the city of shopping! We disembarked at the junction of Dizengoff and Sheinkin Streets, in the heart of the shopping district. The Carmel Market was full of merchants selling art and tchotchkes of all descriptions. Some people found sunglasses and watches for amazingly low prices, and others found gifts for people back home.
We walked as a group to Independence Hall, where David Ben-Gurion declared the statehood of Israel amidst a siege on Jerusalem during the bloody War of Independence in 1948. We watched a short video explaining the significance of the house -- it initially served as the home of the first mayor of Tel Aviv. We sat in the room where the declaration was made, hearing recordings of the speeches made on that day, and stood to sing Hatikvah, the national anthem of Israel, along with the recording.
After we had dinner at the hotel, we had a special guest performer, Udi Krauss, who works as a music producer in Tel Aviv and also for Shorashim. He is the drummer for Eric Berman, a popular Israeli contemporary artist. He educated us about Israeli music, and how contemporary Israeli songs often carry political messages. We sang along as he taught us three or four songs, and it was a lot of fun, even if we didn’t all understand the words. \
Then we got a chance to experience the nightlife at a small local pub with a DJ playing American music. Our night ended with everyone happy and a few shekels lighter. Some things are the same in every country!
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