The First Full Day... Hiking into Shabbat!

Today we took a fun filled journey down Gilabun Wadi. The weather was warm and windy, as we trekked down the rocky path to a beautiful waterfall. Throughout the walk, we stopped at various times to have one-on-one talks with each other. It was a great way to get to know each others personalities and shared interests. We learned a lot about the Golan Heights. 11 wind turbines provide all of the electricity needed for domestic consumption. That’s an example that we can bring back with us to the US to save our natural resources. We saw military training in progress and ruins of Syrian buildings from when they used to live in the Golan area. Later we went to Mt. Bental which overlooked the Syrian border. From this viewpoint, we could see the capital of Syria, Damascus. Our Israeli companions explained to us the intricacies of the barriers to peace in this region. The complexity of the situation is hard to reconcile - so many factors affect the outcome of the search for Peace. The day ended with a celebration of Shabbat. Our fearless leader Dan led us in a Shabbat service. At the same time, other members of our group had a riveting debate of the meaning of Shabbat. It was great that we had the option to choose how to experience Shabbat in Israel. After, we all met up to sings songs and celebrate together with a delicious meal. All in all, it was a great day filled with insights into the Israeli people, the situation they are in with their neighbors, and the beauty of the surroundings.