Kaballah, Haifa and the Holocaust
The last two days have gone by even quicker than the first two but the days have been packed with amazing experiences. Wednesday morning we were up early again and went to Mt. Arbel which looks over the enitre Galilee and Golan Heights. The bus dropped us off at the top and the hike down was filled with steep ledges, metal bars to hang onto and a lot of steep and crumbly stairs. It was definitely the most challenging hike for the group but also the most rewarding. We stopped into a huge cave where the Ancient Jews tried to escape from their enemies and we worked as a team to concur the huge mountain (and also avoid cow poop).
After a brief stop for ice cream, we went to a cementary almost on top of the Kineret (Sea of Galilee) where we learned about the history of Israel, the Pioneers who made it possible and the musicians and artists who help the Israelis remember their freedom. We stopped at the grave of Rachel, a famous poet and also of songwriter Naomi Schemer. Led by our eight new Israeli friends, we sang a song from each of them. We also discussed the water probnlem in Israel and about how quickly the country's water supply (Sea of Galilee) is rapidly shrinking. According to the Israelis, this is one of the country's biggest problems.
We went to lunch at a nearby mall where many of us enjoyed a food similar to a steak burrito. Then, it was time to head to the mystical city of Tzefat.
Tzefat is a very religious city in the north that has a lot of religion and a lot of culture. It is known for Kaballah and our first stop was at a glass blowing business run by a woman named Sheva Chaya. She did a glassblowing demonstration and also explained the many water color paintings she had created. We discussed kabbalah and the seemingly mystical feel of the city.
We also stopped at a synangoge and on a street that had some shopping (lots of great presents for all of you back home). Finally, it was time to head back to the Kibbutz for a night of dinner and dancing.
After dinner we learned four different Isaraeli group dances and had a great time trying to keep up with our tour guide, Yossi. We enjoyed this part a lot and hope to teach you all back home the dances soon.
Today we spent the day in Haifa, the third largest city in Israel. After an hour ride down to the West Coast, we went to the sveitzaria haktana mountain to hike. This was the least strenous of the three hikes so far but also one of the most beautiful. The view from the top was fantastic and Haifa is known for having lush, green fields and forests all year long.
We then made ourway to the Bahai Gardens in downtown Haifa which was one of the most beautiful places we have seen (lots of pictures were taken). The Bahai are a very interesting group of people and we talked about how Haifa is extremely peaceful, despite having a population made up from both Jews and Arabs. The beach and the Medeterranean Sea served as a backdrop for the entire trip.
We then headed to a community center in Haifa where we were met by a basketball team. The Boston Area and Haifa have a partnership called Partnership 2000 and some of us were able to participate and play basketball against a group of 13- and 14-year olds from the city. Those who played had a great time and those who watched were also able to enjoy watching their peers play (and beat, although not by much) a group of young Israelis.
It was then off to the beach! We spent about an hour on the sand and in the water of the Medeterranean. The water was warm and extremely refreshing and all of us are looking forward to going back to the beach when we go to Tel Aviv next week. By then it was already 5:30 p.m. and we had a two-hour drive to Jerusalem to take, so we hopped on the bus and headed to our hotel.
After dinner at the hotel we had a discussion about the Holocaust and Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum here in Jersusalem. It was one of the deepest and most meaningful discussions we had and really prepared for the trip to the museum tomorrow.
We are all looking forward to the next couple of days in Jerusalem, especially experiencing Shabbat in the capital of our land.
