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.
I really enjoyed the night life in Tel Aviv. It was a different cultural experience for us as it was exciting to do this with everyone. We made memories I'm sure we'll never forget.
Our Shabbat service this evening was very pretty. It was nice to sing prayers I hadn't sang in years and to find that I still remembered them. After the service and the lovely kibbutz dinner, we split into groups and learned about each other's backgrounds, then played a game based on remembering people's names that had me paralyzed with laughter.
Such a creative outlet led to an afternoon of volleyball and watermelon at the beach. After splashing around we listened to Eshkol Nevo, the famous Israeli author. We discussed his renowned novels, writing process, and even got to share some of our own creative writings. He works closely with local university students by conducting writing workshops, so it was a brief but insightful afteroon.
We began today by visiting arguably one of the most important sites in the State of Israel, Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum. Upon arrival, we were greeted by Shoshana, an official museum tour guide, who led us on a truly humbling three hour tour of the museum. Following the completion of the tour, we had a group discussion overlooking Jerusalem about each of our personal experiences in this museum. Everyone had a different take away from the experience, but one thing was clear, we must never forget the atrocities that occurred.
All together this experience has been incredibly rewarding whether we are traveling to Tel Aviv by bus or hiking our way down to a natural spring. My only wish is for the days to go by slower! We cant wait to see whats in store for tomorrow!
We spent the entire day in the beautiful city of Tel Aviv! Our group was inspired by the quote: "If you will it, it is no dream" - Theodore Herzl
The Mega Event truly was a culmination of all we have learned thus far and much more.
In the middle of Tel Aviv where the city is very much alive and thriving Israel lost one of its most important, beloved, and decisive prime ministers. We interviewed people who were his soldiers, people who heard the gunshots, and others who were all touched by his death in some way.
After breakfast we went to Independence Hall, the place where Israel’s Declaration of Independence was signed. We learned about the history of Tel Aviv, how the city arose from the desert just one hundred years ago.