Day 10 - Saying Good Bye...

We began our last day in Israel with an early breakfast followed by a city tour. Our bus driver, David, dropped us off at Independence Hall, where we got to learn about the history and development of Tel Aviv and how the original founding families left the ancient city of Jaffa just a few kilometers to the south to raise a city just for Jews built on a European lifestyle of "neighborhood living". These early Tel Aviv'niks were focused on bringing the arts, culture, education, and modernity to Israel and would do it through the city's architecture. 100 years later (Tel Aviv just celebrated its 100 birthday) the city is known as the New York City of the Middle East.

We also learned that the building which ultimately became the location for Israel's signing of its Declaration of Independence was the original house of the Dizengoff Family. Dizengoff was one of the original founding families who ultimately held the position of city mayor on four different occasions. He left the house and what was then a community museum of art to the city as he and his former wife (who died many years earlier) had no children.

During the tour we also had the opportunity to sit in the main hall and imagine the scene of all of Israel's leaders coming together to declare statehood. We even got to hear the original recording of the exact words spoken by Ben Gurion as he announced Israel's independence.

From here we began a walking tour of Neve Tzedek, a neighborhood that housed some of the former leaders, artists, and businesspeople, who helped develop Tel Aviv into the major metropolitan city it is today; and after seeing a few of these buildings, and the renovations they are going through so as to keep the original structures in tact, we continued on to Jaffa.

In Jaffa we walked along the city streets, experienced the ancient market place of Shuk Hapishpushim, and then concluded the tour along this ancient port city's boardwalk looking out onto the modern city skyline of Tel Aviv...the duality was a little surreal!

After Jaffa we returned to the hotel for our final opportunity to bath in the Mediterranean one last time and then shower, pack, and head of to the airport for our return home. There's no question that it's hard to believe that our trip is coming to an end.

See you all tomorrow!

Day 9 - Metropolitan Tel Aviv

Today we got to sleep in (wake-up was only at 7:00am)!

Being so close to the beach we decided to take our things for t'fillah (services) and walk down to the beachfront to have services on the sand as the waves broke behind us. It was definitely another change of scenery for the students to consider while they recited their prayers. On this particular day we reflected on the Mi Chamocha and what a sight it must have been for the Hebrews during the Exodus running from Pharaoh and having his army stationed behind them with a huge Sea with no way to cross in front. How must they have felt being cornered and questioning whether freedom was worth the fear. Although the Mediterranean Sea was not where the Hebrews crossed it was still a great visual while reciting the prayers.

We returned to the hotel for breakfast following t'fillah and then began our three part series with "Shopping in Israel". Part one was providing the students with the "market scene" as we walked through Shuk HaCarmel (The Carmel Market) where the students walked in awe of the flea market atmosphere of how many Israelis shop for their basic necessities, clothing, bathroom supplies, fruits, vegetables, meats, and much, much more.

After the Shuk we walked to Nachalat Benyamin where the children had a chance to walk around an arts fair where many young and talented Israeli artists set up their booths and sell their goods. Many of the presents for friends and families will be coming home form here!

Lastly, the third stop on our shopping spree was Rehov Sheinkin (Sheinkin Street). Here the students got to see a sample of the European influence on the fashion and music industry in Israel. Some of the children were slightly surprised, with a little confused, and even a shock thrown in for good measure at how European fashion differs from the USA industry.

After buying everyone their needed gifts from the Holy Land, we got on the bus and headed for our tour of the Palmach Museum. This museum is one of the most interesting museums about the rise of the State of Israel and how the youth movement played an important role in defending the country and playing a major role in the earlier generations of ZHL (tZeva Ha'aganah L'Yisrael - Israel Defense Force). The museum takes you through a walking tour of the history with videos, actors, and real footage of the life of Israeli youth before the statehood and immediately following the War of Independence.

From the museum we came back to the hotel to change and spend the afternoon in the Mediterranean Sea. Here the students got to compare their local Israeli's beach experience in the north at Naharia with a more tourist directed beach on the Tayelet (board walk) of Tel Aviv. There was no comparison...Tel Aviv won hands down!

Well, this brings our Day 9 to an end. Stay tuned for our final summary of the trip, tomorrow's Day 10. L'hitraot (see you soon).

Day 8 - In the Desert; the Mighty Desert...

This morning we woke up at 4:00 am so as to get to Masada's north side (where the Roman ramp is located) and hike up to the top so as to be there for the sun rise...what an amazing sight!

While atop Masada, the students learned about the incredible stories of courage, and martyrdom, and how the fort changed hands throughout history arriving at the remains we see today. Yossi (our tour guide) shared some wonderful insights, and after a couple of hours (when it just got to be too hot to remain on top of the mountain) we started to make our way down the south side using the "Snake Path" (named this because of how it "snakes" down the side of the mountain).

Also on Masada we had the opportunity to celebrate Matthew's Bar Mitzvah! We had services in one of the rooms right off of the Beit Knesset (Sanctuary) and then came into the sanctuary for the Torah service and for Matthew's aliyah to the Torah. Matthew did a wonderful job and the students celebrated this special occasion with him, in this incredibly wonderful setting, for a memory that will last him for the rest of his life.

From Masada we traveled a few kilometers north to a beach front on the Dead Sea and gave the students a few hours to experience "floating" in the salty waters and covering themselves with the mineral rich Dead Sea mud. They had an absolute blast! Their fears and anxieties of the Dead Sea "burning" their wounds, mosquito bites, scratches, etc, were soon abated by the bizarre feeling of floating on water...it was truly a sight to be seen.

After Masada we had some time to squeeze in an additional sight so we decided to go to the fresh water waterfalls at Ein Gedi. The students enjoyed swimming in the natural water pools created by the thousands of years old waterfalls burrowing the rock and leaving behind a system of elevated pools, mini falls, and natural vegetation. It was another great "aha" moment for the students to see the tremendous variation in Israel's natural terrain.

From here we headed north to our final destination of the trip...Tel Aviv. The bus ride was about 2+ hours which gave the students plenty of time to get some much needed shut-eye and be recharged for an after-dinner evening walk around town.

Ad machar (until tomorrow)...

Day 7 - Goodbye Jerusalem...Hello Negev!

First of all, we owe you an apology for the delayed postings. We've been so busy, and ultimately, just unbelievably exhausted at the end of our days that trying to detail these experiences in a blog at the end of the day has simply been harder than we expected.

That being said, on Day 7 we we woke up early so as to see the Rabbi's Tunnels under the Western Wall. The tunnel was an incredible sight of recent excavation where we were able to see these unbelievably massive stones that make the bricks from the ancient pyramids of Egypt seem like miniature Lego blocks. The foundation stones of the Western Wall that we saw are approximately 15 meters (50 feet long) and weigh multiple tons each. To think that these bricks were laid by hand without any heavy and advanced machinery is simply beyond comprehension.

After the Rabbi's Tunnel we had one last time to go and pray at the Kotel where we had a chance to leave our remaining notes and prayers for G-d. From here we began our journey south to the Negev Desert where we stopped at Beit Guvrin (an active archeological site) for the students to participate in a real dig of ancient artificats. In fact, during the dig, almost all of the students found some form of 1st Century pottery, coal, or animal bones, but Sam was incredibly fortunate enough to actually dig up a perfect specimen of a completely intact oil lamp. The archeologist leading our dig was absolutely floored by the discovery and brought in his supervisor to see the artifact. Once we had this discovery everyone started digging like crazy to try and find others. Unfortunately, no one was lucky enough to "out-do" this incredible find.

Next the students went spulunking. They trecked underground into a yet to be excavated cave where they crawled through and lit their way with candlelight. They came back wanting to do it again "'cause it was SO much fun!"

After Beit Guvrin we drove a few more hours into the wilderness and stopped at Kfar Nokdim (a fully operated Bedouin tent and "rest stop" where we ended up sleeping the night. Our Madrich, Yossi, kept referring to these accommodations as the "Million Star Hotel" because we spent the night in tents with a sky unbelievably full of starts.

At Kfar Nokdim we experienced an array of Bedouin culture with camel rides to start off our visit; then a history of the Bedouin experience with "tastings" of the tea, coffee, and pita bread; this was then followed with some ancient song and dance; followed by a HUGE meal "picnic style". Sleep was essentially napping on about 5 inches of foam mattress and a sleeping bag to keep us warm.

Lights out was early this evening, and with everyone being so exhausted with the activities of earlier in the day, we decided to come back earlier to allow for as much sleep as possible before our 4:00am wake up to go hike the Roman Ramp atop Masada.

It's now after 1:00am here in Israel and so I will update the blog with Day 8's activities tomorrow morning (AKA in a few hours!!!)

See you all in a few days,
nammie

Day 6 - Shabbat

(Photo taken on Friday afternoon)

So Shabbat started with a nice hike up to the Kotel. Watching all the religious Jews gathering at the wall was awesome! The amount of people was just astonishing. It was an incredible sight to look out to the wall as we approached the Kotel and see the black and white outfits layering the courtyard. There were also many different types of hats. The one that interested me the most was the Russian shtreimel. They were big, round, and fuzzy.

After services we walked back to the hotel for our Shabbat dinner which was lots of fun. Our group had a number of guests; Sabrina had her uncle and aunt, Sarah had her brother and sister visit, and some of the Lippman School students and faculty had guests of their own. We had a very festive and filling Shabbat dinner with songs and kiddush. After dinner we went back to our rooms and observed a traditional Shabbat by resting, talking, and just hanging out.

On Shabbat morning we all got up and walked to shul. Half of us went to a Reform service at HUC (Hebrew Union College) and the rest of us went to an Orthodox one (including me). The synagogue was Sephardic in a beautifully decorated sanctuary and the service was over by 10:00am! After that we went back to the hotel and chilled through lunch until we went on a Shabbat walk and lunch picnic in the park. We spent some time there and then came back to rest up until Havdallah.

When it was time for Havdallah we met on the outdoor lobby balcony and sang the blessings with the Kiddush, sweet spices, and Havdallah candle. Soon after Havdallah we walked to Ben Yehuda street where I meet my cousin Leonard and his son Joel. We sat down and talked and all too soon he had to leave. It was a great way to end my Shabbat in the Holy City.

Shavuah Tov,
Michael

Erev Shabbat

This will be our final post until after Shabbat. Now we're all off to the Kotel.

Shabbat Shalom form Jerusalem!!!

Day 5 - The City of David

We started off our day at Hezekiah’s Tunnel. It was a 30 minute walk through the pitch black, narrow tunnels in freezing water. Of course, we had our flashlights. For one minute we turned off our flashlights and braved the dark. It’s unbelievable that these tunnels were made by man thousands of years ago by hand, with ancient tools. No electricity!

The City of David is an ancient, yet timeless beauty. The architecture is marvelous. It’s a wonder why we don’t have many things like this at home, or anywhere else. We also learned that throughout the several rulings of the city since David, the conquerors just leveled the cities and built over them.

As soon as we got through the gates to get to the Western Wall, we were approached by a woman telling us to cover our knees. She even went as far as placing a makeshift skirt around Hannah’s waist. When I got closer, I saw people praying and in their own "zone." Their surroundings seemed to escape them and being near that wall was all that mattered. The atmosphere alone was magnificent. The air was thick with faith and hope. I can’t wait for tonight when it is Shabbat and Jerusalem will fill with more life than there is already.

The Time Travel Elevator was a simulator like the Simpson Ride in Universal Studios. It wasn’t as action packed or fast paced, but still pretty cool. My favorite part was when they sprinkled us with water. The narrator was the actor who played Tevya in the movie, “Fiddler on the Roof”. It was a little weird though, because the actual film was in Hebrew and there was an English voice over causing an audio/video lag. Once I got used to it, I was able to really get into the film.

Today was another great day, here in Israel. I’m sure even better is still to come.

- Lexy Guthart (: