Shorashim has been an amazing experience!!!
Shorashim has been an amazing experience and it's hard to believe this trip is coming to an end. Our last full night in the hotel was spent with the amazing musician, Udi Krauss. He reminded us what a gift it is to come to Israel and helped us understand the basis of Israeli music. Who knew Hava Nagilah was not at the top of the charts? The time we've had with our Israeli counterparts has been amazing. They've taught us about life in Israel, youth, culture, the IDF, and we've made true friends for life.
You may be wondering how we've spent our time in Israel, so here's the lowdown. Our second to last day was incredibly dirty, more so than any other day on the trip. My white socks came out light tan, but it was definitely worth it. We helped start an archaelogical dig in our sister city, Kiryat Gat. Everything I've seen about digs includes pottery, roped off areas, caves, etc. Today, we learned what the very beginning is like. Raking leaves, clearing brush, and beginning the process of ץ Sroping off the excavation site was the start of what is sure to be a long, fruitful project. Shorashim groups to come will continue where we lef off, finding pottery and other "artifacts" that are babies in relationship to the several thousand years of history encompassed in this place. We ended the dig with a trip to what I can only hope is the last Israeli mall. Israeli malls are basically the same as American malls with a touch more Judaiac art and a lot more falaffel. Also, the "Walgreens" equivalent has the same products for at least twice the price of what they are in the states. Lesson learned, buy American made products in America. We ended our day of dirt with spelunking in an Israeli cave not far from Jerusalem. On hands and knees, we crawled through a cave that was about a foot and a half wide at it's narrowest point. Throughout, we shouted "feet first" to those of us brave enough to plunge into the unknown. I think it was an extended trust exercise, or maybe they just wondered what it would take to get 20 of us to crawl through holes with no conceivable purpose.
Tel Aviv welcomed us with open arms and lots of food and art. We explored the street fair with a mission to get good food and good gifts. Don't worry, those of you at home will benefit from the hour spent walking through the market.We then went to Rabin Square and learned about the cost of peace and a sense of security forever stolen from a nation that has worked so hard to protect it's people. Just as many of us remember where we were and what we were doing on September 11, the Israelis can tell you the intimate details of that Saturday evening when their Prime Minister was assasinated not by a terrorist, but by one of their own. Of course, no night in a modern city is complete without a visit to the things that make up the night life of Tel Aviv. Rest assured, we made it out in one piece and got a chance to practice the slang we learned thoughout our trip.
No visit to Israel is complete without a sunrise trek up Masada. We climbed the "easy route" up the mountain, wondering what possessed us to be up before 5:00 in the morning. I highly recommend it, if for no other reason than the reward of the Dead Sea at the end. We floated through the salty waters and covered ourselves in Dead Sea Mud, a testament to our dedication to all things foreign in the name of beauty. Of course, we took a camel ride through the Negev dessert and spent the night in the Bedouin tent, learning the true meaning of hospitality. Sleeping on mats on the floor was a wonderful way to bond with each other and test our commitment to our friends in smelliness and in health.
On a more serious note, we visited Yad Vashem and cried together about the atrocities of the Holocaust. Instead of thinking about the six million lost during this horrible time in our history, we were encouraged to think about each and every person as an individual. Leesha Rose spoke to us about survivng the Holocaust in occupied Holland. This woman survived with an amazing sense of strength and humor, truly an inspiration.
There were many other things we did in our ten days in Israel, both spiritual, cultural, and just plain entertaining. I, for one, am incredibly grateful for this gift. I never truly understood what it meant to be a Jew and an Israeli. We became a big family on this trip and saw far more than the sights and sounds of Eretz Yisrael. We not only became a part of this great land and it's history, we helped to build and shape its future. I hope that all of us return to Israel at some point, hopefully with families of our own. As we prepare for the twelve hour flight back to Chicago, I realize that We will always have a home in Israel, and I can't thing of a better place to be.
