Tel Aviv, Jaffa, and the Negev
We spent the morning yesterday in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv where we had the opportunity to speak with locals about their memories of the day Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. Hearing different opinions of real citizens opened our eyes to the larger issues in the country on the road to peace. After Rabin Square we had a beautiful walking tour of the ancient port city of Jaffa, where we had time to eat falafel, check out the clear blue water, and learn to bargain in the flea market.
After lunch we headed South to the Negev Desert where we were fortunate enough to be one of only two Birthright groups ever to participate in Bike for the Fight, a new initiative to raise money for cancer research in Israel. Founded by 24-year old Tom Peled, whos father died of cancer 1.5 years ago, Tom hopes to create the Jewish Livestrong campaign. Starting tomorrow he will be biking from Los Angeles to New York, stopping along the way to speak to groups throughout the country and raise money fot the biggest cancer research organization in Israel. We rode 4 miles through the desert to help kick off his tour along with one other group, and it was incredible biking through the desert terrain, by the petrol pipeline and olive trees, ending at David Ben Gurion’s desert home. We felt honored and thrilled to be chosen to be part of this incredible initiative, and were one of the few birthright groups to be fortunate enough to meet with birthright head of education, Zohar Raviv and birthright CEO Gidi Mark for this once in a lifetime special event. If you would like to learn more or follow Tom’s progress across the US, like the bike for the Fight face book group: http://www.facebook.com/#!/BikeForTheFight
Energized and exhausted by the incredible ride, we headed to Chan Hashayarot, a bedouin tent in the Negev, and began with a dinner served in tents. We sat on pillows around a platter filled with chicken and rice, salads, and freshly made laffa bread. Followed by traditional sweet tea and cookies, we then had a special talk with a Bedouin who explained their traditional lifestyle, nomadic traditions, and importance of hospitality. He also made us strong coffee from beans he ground in a large and decorative mortar.
We woke up early for breakfast to prepare us for a camel ride in the desert. Bikes to camels, we were all a bit sore but it was worth it!
Off to pick vegetables at a farm, and we’re excited to try many kinds of tomatoes!
