Where in the world is Bus 143??? An update on our Israeli adventures.
Day 2, July 22nd, 2011: After some much needed rest, the group headed to the Gilabun trail to experience hiking in the Golan Heights. When we arrived at the trail’s entrance, the group participated in some trust-building games and ice breakers to get to know each other better. The trail provided us with some beautiful views of the Golan Heights and a first hand experience the mountainous desert environment. The trail was parallel to a river, which led to a breathtaking waterfall and natural spring that our group had an opportunity to swim in. It has been incredible to see how quickly everyone has bonded together, especially with the Israelis. After the hike, we headed over to the only city in the Golan Heights, Katsrin, for lunch. As we reached the food area, the owner of the falafel shop welcomed everyone with his booming voice and allowing everyone to try some of his fresh falafel. It was a clear bus favorite along with the schwarma. After lunch, we headed further northeast to Har Bental, which provides a beautiful view of the surrounding areas, including into Syria. Ori explained to the group the history of the Golan Heights and their importance in Israeli history and security. To give you an idea of how small and how close everything is to each other in the Middle East, there is a sign at Har Bental with the distances to several locations around the middle east. It was surprising to see that we were only 60 km (37.5 miles) from Damascus, Syria and 240 km (150 miles) from Jerusalem. We headed back to Kibbutz Afik to prepare for Shabbat and Daniel Benchimol and Lianne Azizolloahoff led us in Friday night services and discussion. The rest of Shabbat was spent relaxing by the pool, taking part in group bonding, and Jewish identity activities, and resting up for the busy week ahead.
After Shabbat we had a night out for dinner in Tiberias, a city in the Galilee region, where participants got their first taste of Israeli night life and culture. The next morning, we headed to Tzfat, where we learned about the city's deep connection to Kaballah, and its important history in Judaism and the state of Israel. After Tzfat, we headed to Tel Aviv, where we had free time in the market for lunch and shopping, and visited the site of Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin's assassination. At the site, participants interviewed Israelis on the street, asking them where they were and what they were doing when they learned their president had been killed.
After Rabin Square, we enjoyed a night out in Tel Aviv, and participants were able to eat, shop, and socialize in Israel's busiest metropolitan city.
The next morning, we headed to Independence Hall, the room in which the state of Israel's independence was declared, and learned about the difficult conditions under which Israel was born.
From there, we headed to Jerusalem, where we began with a beautiful overlook of the city, followed by lunch in the hip neighborhood of Emek Refaim, and finally, a tour of the Old City and a visit to the Western Wall.
We checked into our hotel, ate dinner, and had a great discussion to prepare us for our visit to Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial museum.
This morning, we woke up early for a quick stop back in Tel Aviv, where we visited an educational fair put on by Birthright. Participants collected information on other ways to connect with and travel back to Israel.
We are now headed back to Jerusalem (we're taking in a lot of Israel's beautiful scenery from the huge windows of our bus), and will visit the Machene Yehudah market, and then Yad Vashem.
Tonight, we're headed to the Negev desert and will spend the night in the Bedouin tents, learning about Bedouin culture, eating their delicious food, and yes-- riding camels!
Everyone is having a great time and bonding so well-- it is hard to believe we just met a few days ago!
