Welcome Home

Shalom to all from Shorashim Bus 162! As we leave the mystical and religious town, Tsfat, we wanted to reflect on our first 3 days on our trip through Israel. After a long 11 hour plane ride, we traveled up north to the Golan Heights. We checked into a kibbutz and spent the night meeting one another, including the 7 Israeli soldiers who would be sharing this experience with us. Early the next morning, we spent a couple hours hiking through Gilabun, a site of the Golan Heights abundant with rocky cliffs and beautiful waterfalls. We then ventured to the top of Mount Bental, where we were able to see Lebanon, Syria, and Israel depending on which way you looked. We definitely worked up our appetites as we continued on to an outdoor mall, fragrant with flavors of the East. We happily ate our falafel, hummus, and shwarma, and everyone kept commenting on how amazing it was that we were finally in Israel! After a few more stops, we made our way back to the kibbutz and celebrated a wonderful Shabbat with all of our new friends.

Shabbat was a very relaxing day. We were able to sleep in, move slowly, and bond with our new friends. We gathered to discuss this week’s Torah portion, and we were able to discuss the differences and similarities between growing up in Israel and the United States. It was very interesting to learn so much about our Israeli friends that all must serve the Israeli army after high school. The rest of the day was spent enjoying Shabbat and each other’s company. We took a tour of the Kibbutz and learned in more details the types of people that live in this communal space as well as what their responsibilities are on the Kibbutz. We spent the night in Tiberias, indulging in fish, schnitzel, and kebobs. The next morning, we packed up and headed to Tsfat, where we saw amazing artists, singers, and jewelry We traveled inside beautiful synagogues, ate lunch, and headed back to the bus! Tel Aviv-here we come!