The Longest Day

It was a long, but epic day. We began with a 3:40 wake up call from our fearless leaders to hike Masada. After a quick breakfast of Bedouin tea and crackers, we arrived at the mountain. the path up was a quick but steep hike of 20 minutes. upon arrival at the top, the sun was just beginning to show on the horizon above the Dead Sea. When the sun's climb was complete, we witnessed the world's most epic sunrise.

The group spent the next hour and a half exploring the ruins of King Herod's fortress, with guest appearances from several historical figures, including King Herod himself. Jumping forward in time, we were also regaled by the speech of El Azar Ben Yair, the man who convinced the members of the Jewish rebellion to kill themseglves rather than surrender to the Roman siegers.

The hike down was perhaps the most grueling of our physical activities. An hour's worth of navigating the winding steps and stones left us exhausted and ready for a soak in the Dead Sea. After treating our skin to the sea's ancient minerals, we boarded the bus and headed to Prime Minister Ben Gurion's grave. In the Negev desert, his chosen grave site, a lush park with views of an increasingly greener canyon, represents his mission to make the desert bloom.

Finally, we headed to the kibbutz. After settling in, we went through the history of the Israeli-Arab conflict, fleshing out the main events prior to and after Israel's founding. Afterwards' several of us continued the discussion with the Israelis in the group on the nitty gritty aspects of the conflict, such as settlements in the west bank, conduct during war, and media bias. The discussion rounded out our group's day long journey through the shaping of ancient and modern israel.

-Alex and David W.