I am grateful for Israel. I am grateful for being Jewish. And I am soon going to be grateful for the empty wallet I have back in Boston due to the beautiful experience it has been and all of the souvenirs and food I bought while experiencing this amazing trip. 

I'm learning so much about Israeli culture from the Israelis on our trip.

The science research facility was incredibly impressive, the work they are doing is extremely important for the future of science and the birthday party for Holocaust Survivors was heartwarming. Our group had the honor of spending time with the families of our Israeli participants on our trip at their homes. It was an amazing afternoon that opened our eyes to the life of our new Israeli friends. 

It is my first time in Israel and I am loving every minute of this trip! It definitely feels as though we had known each other for more than just two days! :)

How many people can say they celebrated their 22nd birthday hiking in northern Israel and touring Tsfat? I don't think that's what Taylor Swift sings about...

We spent a magnificent hour singing, splashing, and heading down the waterfall. Just when we thought the day couldn't get any more eventful, it was time to dance. An evening filled with laughter, dancing, and most importantly schvitzing, we had successfully learned 4 dances of our Jewish heritage whereby the majority of us made it out unscathed (one of us got a bit overly excited and hit the deck). 

Many of us ate falafel and Schwarma which was very delicious. After lunch, we made our way to a park. There, we learned about many stories of soldiers in combat, as well as enjoyed the gorgeous view that we could only see at this park. On top of a hill, we saw the border of the Mediterranean and Lebanon, which was breathtaking. We got back to the kibbutz to prepare for Shabbat. Our Shabbat service was beautiful, held outside and filled with many memories. Once the service was over, we had our Oneg, which consisted of guitar playing and getting to know each other games. We concluded the day with lounging out in the kibbutz central area. We're excited to rest up on Shabbat and then continue our trip.

Midway down the mountain we encountered a huge, awe-inspiring fortress, which Elaun explained was fortified by Muslims after they held the crusaders off at the end of the first crusade. It was amazing to stumble upon such an amazing piece of history!