Our Great First Two Days | Shorashim - Israel with Israelis

Our Great First Two Days

Marla & Ellie Krasnick

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!! Everyone made their way to their rooms where we will spend the next four nights and quickly fell asleep after a long day of travel.

Friday morning we were up bright and early to begin our first full day in Israel. We were welcomed with a quick breakfast in the kibbutz and then boarded the bus for our drive to our hike in the Golan Heights. On our way, we learned trivia about the area from Michal. We then all trekked through and around the Jilaboon river and saw tons of amazing views. Next, we made our way to the only town in the Golan Heights, Katsrin, where most of us enjoyed our first falafel or shawarma!

 

Next, we made our way to Mt. Bental where we looked at the cease fire line and border between Syria and Israel. The Israelis shared their perspectives on the Syrian crisis and Israel's involvement - most of what we've heard is from the news so it was extremely interesting to see it all in real life in such a different perspective. We then traveled back to the kibbutz to prepare for Shabbat, share our Shabbat traditions and light the candles.