Greetings from Israel! Today we are finally reaching Jerusalem, and we can't wait to see everything the city has to offer. We've only been here five days but it feels like we've been here for five years. After arriving in Ben-Gurion Airport and getting through customs, we were greeted by our Israeli participants and went on our way to our first kibbutz.
Well, today we woke up from a somewhat ideal night of sleep. Shabbat allowed us to really sleep in because the day was all about rest and relaxation. Half of us chose to spend this period of chillful vibes by shooting some basketball outside of the kibbutz.
What an amazing few days we have had. We spent Shabbat in the holy city of Jerusalem. Before bringing in Shabbat, we toured the old city and visited the Kotel (Western Wall). It was a moving experience and we all had a chance to connect to our spirituality and our heritage.
We ended Shabbat overlooking the beautiful hills and then got to leave the Kibbutz for dinner.
Today was an amazing day for everyone, especially for those of us who do not observe shabbat on a regular basis. Most notably, we were finally able to catch up on sleep because our morning activity didn't start until 9:30!
During this time, Dan led a discussion about this week's Torah portion and how it relates to the concept of leadership. Many people contributed their ideas and opinions on what it means to be a leader and the many types of leadership styles. At the end we all said the Mourner's Kaddish.
Overall, Shabbat was a much needed relaxing day for us. We got a chance to connect on a more personal level with one another as well as discuss some very interesting topics. We hope you all had a refreshing Shabbat as well!
Today was our first full day in Israel!
We had a very relaxful Shabbat that started our day off with a yoga session. We learned about the parsha of the week and acted it out using different themes.
Later, we learned about Kibbutizm and walked around the Kibbutz we're staying at, Kibbutz Gadot while learning about a fellow participant. For dinner, we went out and had the choice of places to eat. The partcipants were challenged to try 50 different Israeli foods.
We all felt that it is very important that we continue to identify as Jews. This helps to keep the religion alive and allows us to connect with others. I could go on and on about all of the values, but this post would never end!
On Thursday, we arrived in Israel after a long flight and a tiring day of traveling. We were welcomed by our Israeli friends and our Israeli tour guide Michal, as they sang songs to greet us. Everyone was exhausted and jet lagged as we made our way out of the airport onto our bus for the first time. After a long bus ride, we arrived at Kibbutz Gadot in the Golan Heights in northern Israel where it was unexpectedly chilly, but nice. The kibbutz welcomed us with a warm and delicious meal with chicken, potatoes, vegetables, and of course our favorite - HUMMUS!!
When sundown came, we did havdalah together, to separate Shabbat from the rest of the week, just as it started to rain. After dinner (off the kibbutz!), we met again as a group for more name games. Nofar was the first to win the challenge by calling us all by name.