Our First Shabbat in Israel!

After meeting with our Israeli counterparts in the Ben Gurion International Airport we traveled north to start bonding, sharing names and stories. Our first few moments together were incredibly special and unique as we traveled to the beautiful Mediterranian shores to share a blessing and conversations. Afterward, we headed north to the Kibbutz -- a peaceful location for us to spend our next few nights. On Friday morning we headed out into the Golan Heights for a morning of fun hiking filled with gorgeous views of waterfalls, trees, and landscapes. That afternoon we had our first taste of true Israeli food at restaurants serving falafel adn schawarma. The day was concluded with our Shabbat services -- a fantastic opportunity for us to come together and rest for the upcoming week! We've certainly been busy after we concluded our Shabbat services. We hiked through the forests by our campsite and found an ancient pool of spring water where we shared laughs for a couple of hours, ate dinner on the boardwalk in Tiberius where we saw a beautiful light show on the water, and then traveled into Haifa the following day (Boston's sister city) to talk with Israeli high school students about their perspective on international politics. We've now arrived back in Tel Aviv where we had the opportunity to talk with lcoal citizens about the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin and hear them share their stories about where they were and what they remember 16 years ago. With that, we're about to explore the city of Tel Aviv some more!