Shabbat Shalom!!!
Shabbat Shalom! It is current 6:13pm in Israel and we are settled in at our hotel in Arad, getting ready for our participant-led Shabbat service. We have been so busy everyday hiking, learning, experiencing, and bonding. I think for most of us it has set in that after today we only have a very short time together. Over the past several days we have made the most amazing and lasting friendships with people from all over. In our group we have people from Michigan, New York, Florida, DC area, New Mexico, Connecticut, and Canada. This amazing Birthright trip has brought us all together and given us the chance to experience and see Israel as bus 442. We are so excited for you to hear all of the incredible things we have done so far. We have been mapping all of the spectacular places we have been so be sure to be on the look out for that when we get home. Although you have the printed itinerary of all the places we have been and are going to in the upcoming days, we wanted to give you a deeper look from our point of view of what we have been experiencing. Here we go:
Day 1: The arrival to Ben Gurion airport was one filled with emotion. For some of us it was the first time stepping foot in Israel, for others it was a great feeling to be back home. We were greeted at the airport with our Israeli counterparts who were singing, dancing, and more than excited to meet us. As a Shorashim tradition we did a fun dance and song to get our trip started. The bonding began as soon as we stepped on the bus, it was very evident that this was going to be an amazing trip. We stopped at a local park for a small opening ceremony that included the prayer over the “wine” and the taste of a date. After dropping out bags off at the Kibbutz we were ready to hike. Mt. Arbel was our first opportunity to see the beauty that is the Israeli landscape. We worked as a team to help each other up and down the steep mountain. We all made it down successfully and very proud of ourselves for our first accomplishment. That evening we celebrated our first of two Shabbats. Luckily, we had Adam in our group who offered to lead it. We sang songs, prayed together and celebrated the Sabbath.
Day 2: Day two was our day of rest. This day was spent mostly getting to know each other., catching up on sleep, and relaxing. In the morning we briefly discussed the weekly parasha as a group and how it related to our lives and our experiences in everyday life. After Shabbat ended we had the opportunity to have dinner in Tiberias.
Day 3: The Jilaboon! Today was probably the most labor intensive hike but with the greatest views and ending. The hike took about 3 ½ hours but was worth every minute of it. Half way through the hike we were brought to the most magnificent waterfall we have ever seen. It was the type you only see in movies. Everyone was more than pleased to take a break from the sun and cool off in the chilly water. The waterfall and its surroundings could only be described as breathtaking. Our day continued with a trip to the top of the Golan heights to learn about the history and how it affected its surroundings.
Day 4: We packed up our belongings and left the Kibbutz headed for Tzfat. In Tzfat we walked through the city learning about its history and how the city has changed over the years. We were also able to meet Avraham Loewenthal, originally from Mighigan this artist moved to Tzfat and began his journey to learn more about himself and the land of Israel. He told us his journey and how his art relates to Kabala. We were given the chance to explore Tzfat on our own. We got to shop, learn from the Israeli's and eat the deliscious local food. One highlight was going to a handmade candle factory. The hours it takes one woman to dip and carve the candles was astounding.
Day 5: I think for most of us this day meant the most spiritually to us. This was the day we went to the Western Wall. We walked through the old city and learned of its beautiful culture and history. We read parts of the bible that related to certain areas on the old city. Our last stop was the Western Wall. We had thought for two days about what exactly our paper should say. The men and women seperated to put their paper in the wall and say their respective prayers. We all felt some sort of a connection after touching the wall. I think it confirmed even more how much Israel means to each and everyone of us. Our night ended with a fun activity at the Ceasar Hotel in Jerusalam.
Day 6: The majority of the participants in this group have been to some sort of Holocaust museum or memorial but nothing could compare to Yad Vashem. Our tour began with a story from a survivor. She told us her heartwarming story and how the holocaust affected her live and view of Israel. We were then led through the memorial, although we were there for almost 4 hours, our tour guide explained that we had only seen 30% of the memorial. The last stop on the tour was the most emotional one for us. It was the room with all of the fallen victims/fallen children's names who perished in the holocaust. Astonishingly, out of the 6 million who were killed, 1.5 million were children. After a very emotional day, our night was filled with laughter and singing. We were lucky enough to be in Israel during the time of the Mega concert. Mega is when all of the birthright groups in Israel come togther for a concert featuring Israeli singers and performers. This year Mega took place at an active Air Force base. It was incredible to see how many people from all over the world were in Israel at the same time.
Day 7: On day 7 we learned about a powerful man, Yitzhak Rabin. We spoke to our Israeli counterparts and they shared where they were the day he was shot. They spoke to us about how inspirational of a man he was and what his vision for Israel was. We were able to view his grave site, and feel the power of his dream. Our afternoon was spent walking around, relaxing and shopping the busy streets of Tel Aviv. Our evening was spent in the Bedouin tents in the desert. We heard stories from the local people and ate/drank their homemade food. Our night ended with songs and stories around the camp fire before turning in for the next busy day.
Day 8: Today most of us experienced something we have never done, we rode camels. Paired together we rode the camels for about 45 minutes. It was definately an experience! After our ride we hiked the beautiful desert for about 3 hours. Although no labor intensive our hike was filled with beautiful sights. We were also able to play fun games with eachother while walking. Our day ended with visiting the sight of Ben Gurion's grave. Later that evening we celebrated our last Shabbat together and played group games.
Day 9: Today was our day of rest. The day started off very special for 3 participants in our group. In the beginning of the trip 3 participants expressed that they had never had a bar/bat mitzvah nor a hebrew name. After expressing their desire to have a bar/bat mitzvah our committees designed a service to make the day special for them. The 3 participants read from the weekly parasha and explained what it meant to them to be given a bar/bat mitzvah with the group. After an afternoon filled with rest by either sleeping or laying by the pool we gathered and played some games our Israeli counterparts had planned for us. Tonight we will travel to a hotel closer to Masada in preperation for our big hike tomorrow.
** thats all for now!!! check back for more updates on the last hours of our amazing trip!!! **
