4 Cities in 2 Days and More

On Sunday morning we visited Tzfat, an ancient city that is the birthplace of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). We walked through the winding cobblestone streets and sat in an Orthodox Ashkenazi synagogue. After, we traveled to Boston's sister city, Haifa where we discussed the Boston-Haifa partnership. We then ended the day with a quick dip in the Mediterranean Sea at the bay in Haifa. Finally, we slept in the city that never sleeps, Tel Aviv. Next Day After waking up at 7am, we sat in the hall where Ben Gurion declared the Independence of the State of Israel. A few blocks away we went to Rabin Square, where we interviewed locals on the street regarding their experience with the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, in 1994. While debriefing our discussions, we drove from Tel Aviv to the holy city of Israel, Jerusalem. We walked through the 2,000 year old streets of the city and ended at the Western Wall. Today (Tuesday) We started off the day with a more intense experience then usual, visiting the memorial of the Shoah (Holocaust). We saw a testimony of a Holocaust survivor and were guided around the museum and the children’s memorial. After the memorial, we traveled to the Negev desert to experience a lighter note of Israel, riding camels! With no sign of any civilization in sight, we drove over a sand dune to see a Bedouin tent where we experienced hospitality and stayed for the night in open air tents. Sophie Heller, New Jersey, and Daniel Beaulieu, Philadelphia, are awesome. (we wrote this) More pictures from other participants, they aren't in order from the trip because we're trying to get as many people to write or contribute images as possible. Enjoy and please comment on the blog or photos. Thanks!