THANKS TO ANDREW FRIED FOR 99% OF THE PICS IN THIS BLOG

Some Reflections...

Final posting by Ilan:

This trip to Israel was so much fun, and I’m really happy that I went on it.  I’ve had too much fun to pick a favorite part, but I can definitely pick some favorites.  One of my favorite activities was the jeep ride through the Golan Heights.  It was really interesting to see all the minefields and get a view of Israel from a military point of view.   It was also just fun to ride in a jeep…and listening to Maddy and Audrey sing High School Musical the whole ride was just an added bonus.

From Naomi:

In Jerusalem, the Mists of Time don’t swirl: they dance frantically and twirl frenetically and settle luxuriously into the cracks in the Jerusalem Stone which is the shell of office buildings and ancient lives and synagogues. The walls of the Old City tower above your eyes as you enter; they loom majestic and dignified and serenely unaware of the passage of time, and with it the bustling and brisk modern city around them. Once inside, you are dazzled by the uneasy mix of religions and time periods which create the splendor of the Old City. There are impossible rabbit warrens of religious laws and etiquette: the Temple Mount is holy for almost everyone, but very observant Jews aren’t supposed to go up there; the Dome of the Rock, being situated on the Temple Mount (and supposedly the Foundation Stone), is holy for many religions as well, but only Muslims are allowed in; the Western Wall is holy for Jews, Christians, and Muslims, but the rules for prayer there are established to fit Jewish law. Mutual disdain is perhaps the most common relation between groups in the Old City: the pilgrims and the tourists at the religious sites palpably look down on each other; the Jews who go up to the Temple Mount and the more observant Jews who don’t clearly each think the other has utterly misunderstood their shared religion. The Old City is splendorous yet uneasy, holy for so many yet divided into infinite infinitesimal slices of belief, dazzling in its history yet crumbling in its age.

Final Shabbat: From Audrey and Maddy

Audrey!

Words cannot describe how I am feeling right now about leaving Israel.  I’m upset to leave my home away from home, but I am also excited about seeing my family.  (Don’t worry guys, I didn’t forget you!!)  Today was relaxing- which was nice. The only weird thing was what I was served for breakfast… they gave me a waffle covered in chocolate syrup and a scoop of ice cream. WEIRD. Oh, and, they gave me hot chocolate too. Okay then. Anyway. Otherwise, our entire day was filled with reflection.

Now Maddy!

So we sit down for dinner at a place called Spaghettim (spaghetti but in Hebrew!) and Gideon looks  at the only other filled table on the balcony and says, “ That’s John McCain.”  Sure enough senator McCain sat at the next table with a guard off to the side. – We asked if we could take pictures and the guard said no, so you’re going to have to trust that we saw him.  After McCain left we went through our favorite parts of the whole trip.  Remembering the funniest lines, (you had to be there) the meaningful parts, and the parts that could have been better.

It’s Auds…

Then we took a short walk to a park where we made havdallah looking out on the Old City of Jerusalem. We were all having a moment with each other when Maddy says… “Who is that guy behind us?” And the we see this weird old man and Shira says, “Just ignore it.” So we basically had our last moments in Jerusalem with an old guy standing right behind us. But then we figured out he was a photographer taking pictures, so we calmed down. 

We walked back to the hotel, everyone’s arms linked together. We had become a family.

Missing home very much, but knowing that I’ll miss Israel more. I love this place, I love this home.

Laila Tov, Jerusalem. 

FINAL SHABBAT: Friday and Saturday February 25-26

On Friday, we woke up and went to Yad Va'Shem, the Holocaust Memorial. We were all moved by the children's memorial, which can hardly be described in words.  We then saw the sculpture garden, and the many trees planted in honor of the over 23,000 righteous gentiles, which include the woman responsible for saving Gideon's grandmother.  After that, our guide Shira took us into the main exhibit, where we learned about the history of the Shoah, the Nazi plan for the "Final Solution," the role of bystanders and upstanders, the partisan fighters and ghetto uprisers.  We also had a memorial service where we remembered loss and talked together about what we can do to make sure that the memories of those lost can be for a blessing--and what we can pledge to do in the world to make sure that we are working against the forces of such evil.  We couldn't take pictures inside, but the photo is of us in front of the sculpture in honor of Jewish soldiers who fought the Nazis, which included grandparents of a number of us in the group.

In the afternoon, we met Damian, the Youth Director at Kehillat Kol Haneshema, and Shiri and Yael, two 8th graders, and went to have lunch and a scavenger hunt in the Machane Yehuda Shuk. First, we all ate some of the best falafel in the world!  We had to find all kinds of things, like tomatoes, cucumbers, cheeses, halva, special kinds of pita, eat fruits we had never tasted (we chose carambola and persimmons), ask 5 people what their plans were for Shabbat, find Uzi El and have him diagnose our problems and prescribe a solution, and find our way to the site that used to be the Paris Hotel and Casino during the Ottoman Period. Only one group found it-- even a lot of the old timers we asked didn't know where it was!

After that, we went to Kehillat Kol Haneshema and met the 8th Grade Youth Group from Noar Telem, the Israeli Reform Youth Movement, to play fun icebreaker games led by Israeli high schoil studentsand do a little study to prepare for Shabbat. We went to Friday night services together at Kol Haneshema, and then each of our kids went to Shabbat dinner and a sleepover at a home of one of the Israeli youth groupers.

On Shabbat morning, we met back at the synagogue and the youth group led Shabbat morning services for us and then we cut up the food we bought at the shuk for lunch. We had some educational programming and also played fun games like SPUD.

Shabbat afternoon, we had a wrap up program at the hotel and then we walked to the restaurant Spaghettim for dinner. To our surprise, Senator John McCain and his staffers were sitting at the next table!  From there, we walked to a lookout point near the Windmill to have Havdallah overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem.  We were sad to be leaving, but made sure to say "L'hitra'ot" (see you later) rather than goodbye.

On the bus to the airport everyone was planning their next trips to Israel!

The trip was phenomenal, and none of us can wait to go back.

It was a blessing to have the opportunity to lead our students through Israel, and to see it through their eyes.

Chazak Chazak V'nitchazek!
Shira

Thursday Itinerary

Hiking the Snake Path

Busy does not even begin to describe our Thursday!


The group has really bonded, and also looks out for one another. This was most evident on Thursday, on our tiyul (trip) South to Masada, Ein Gedi, the Dead Sea, and to camel rides in the desert.  After a nap (uhh, drive...) down the Jericho road, the group hiked the snake path up Masada--and the kids were really looking out for one another.

View of Desert from the top of Masada

On the plateau of Masada, looking out at the desert landscape, our kids learned of King Herod's secluded palaces, and the later use of the site by the Zealots for their last stand against the Romans. As we thought about the meaning of zealotry and the power of charismatic leaders, we also asked ourselves: are there things worth dying for? Are there things that I would fight to the death to protect and honor? Each participant had a different answer: some said for freedom of religion, for tolerance, and/or for freedom from persecution.  Others said that they did not think there were things worth dying for as life is more precious than anything else that they can imagine at this time.

Riding Camels at Eretz Bereishit

After Masada, we hiked Nahal David at Ein Gedi (the site where David had the chance to kill King Saul but chose not to), and went swimming in the natural pools of the oasis. It was a 75 degree day in February, so half of the population of Israel, particularly those in grades 2-10, and particularly large groups of Orthodox middle school boys and elementary school kids in general) were at Ein Gedi.

We saw people from every possible sector of Israeli society-- Askenazi, Sephardi, Mizrachi (Eastern Jewish), Ethiopian, Israeli Arab, secular, modern Orthodox, Ultra-Orthodox...the list goes on, and all of them jumped into the pools!

"Avraham, Avinu" from Drew's Hipstamatic!

Then, we went to the Dead Sea where everyone had the chance to float and cover him or herself in the rich mineral mud. That photo is in another post.

After showers, we went to Eretz Bereishit, an experience in the desert where we rode camels to a tent.  There, "Abraham, our father," greeted all of his guests nicely, brought us into his tent where he washed his hands, and then proceeded to feed us until were stuffed!

What a day!
Shira

Vote for the Dead Sea-- From Yishay our Tour Guide!

Today Yishai explained to us that the Dead Sea is evaporating and receding at a rate of 3 feet per year! This is because of overuse of water in the Jordan River and other reasons.

The UN is having a contest to choose the current 7 natural wonders of the world, and the Dead Sea is a finalist. If it wins, it may get the attention that it needs to try to stop its evaporation.

To vote for the Dead Sea, click here:

http://www.new7wonders.com/en/the_whole_world_of_new7wonders/new7wonders_of_nature/how_to_vote_for_the_new7wonders_of_nature/

Thursday, Feburary 24: Masada, Ein Gedi, the Dead Sea, Camels!-- Audrey and Maddy's post

Almost at the top of Masada

Hello! This is Audrey and Maddy from room 1004 in the Jerusalem Tower Hotel. We are all cozied up in our PJ’s after an EXTREMELY long day! Ready to reflect: Waking up at 6:15 was hard… but the nap on the way to Masada, yes, Masada made up for it. We arrived, and started up the Snake Path. Some people were full of energy, (Ilan and Gideon) and were leading the group. Some people, (Naomi and I) were in the back, able to take our time, drink lots of water, and be traumatized by the beautiful  yet horrifying view.  Stopping every ten minutes, we finally made it up the mountain, and as we stood looking out, we were able to say to ourselves, “I climbed Masada.” Will that mean anything to anyone when we get back to school? Maybe, maybe not. It doesn’t matter.

Then off to Ein Gedi, the place where all of our water bottles come from. The logo is a kind of deer, and as we were hiking through, we noticed many of real live ones. We stopped at an oasis to take a swim in a cold yet refreshing pond.  We got out quick, psyched for the dead sea, made our way down the trail and to the famous Dead Sea.

It’s  Maddy- After Yishai gave us all the safety tips- don’t stick your head under the water, don’t splash water, don’t go to the bathroom in the water and so on-. We quickly got into our bathing suits and headed down to the water, all of us very surprised when all you had to do was lie back and FLOAT! None of us believed it was true until we realized it for ourselves. 



After relaxing and floating we wandered over to the mud area.  Covering ourselves with mud from head to toe. Then we went to a place where rode camels down a hill to dinner, which was thrilling!

It’s Auds- Overall, today was absolutely wonderful. I will be so sad to leave. Lots of love and see you soon.

Auds and MaddyJ

Wednesday, February 23rd: The Old City--Gideon's post

 Yesterday was a very big day. First we woke up at 8:00, got dressed and gathered our things for the day. We went downstairs to eat a breakfast consisting of mostly cereal because no one wanted to eat salad for breakfast. Then we got on the bus for a very short ride to the Old City of Jerusalem. 

Once we got in they made us close our eyes for a little while so we wouldn’t see the Western Wall. Then we went to the entrance of the Western Wall where we had to go through a security then once we got on the other side we and held hands and closed our eyes, and started to walk towards the Western Wall with our backs turned towards it. We stopped and they told us to open our eyes and turn around. We did so and saw the great Western Wall. We all took a minute to look at it and see the thing that we heard about for all our life but finally got to see in person. It was tall and like all of Jerusalem it was smooth and gold. We wrote notes to place in the wall using pens and paper that the chaperones gave out.  Some of the girls put on skirts and long sleeves and Ilan and I put yarmulkes that they had at the wall. The girls went on their side, that was considerably smaller, and me, Ilan and Drew went on ours. We placed our notes in and said a prayer of our own. 

Then we looked at it for a little bit longer and started to head for the Temple Mount where we saw the Golden Dome and the El-Aqsa mosque. It was very pretty and had a lot of cool designs on it. After that we headed to see the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, in there for once we might have been the only Jews. We saw a lot of famous sites all of which had to do with Jesus, and there was this Russian Christian group that was walking around holding huge metal crosses and chanting something that I couldn’t understand. 

Then we went to get lunch and see the Jewish quarter of the Old City. For lunch we went to Burgers Bar where I got a nice big burger and cold Coke. Then we went to the tunnels of the Western Wall. It’s a place under the Jewish quarter that runs along the Western Wall. We walked along it until we got to the exit where we got out and entered the streets. Then we went back to the streets and walked to the western wall again where we hit the bathrooms and went back to the hotel and went to big because we have a big day tomorrow. 

Wednesday Feburary 23rd-- The Old City of Jerusalem-- in pictures

The Kotel

Writing notes to put in the Kotel 

At the Kotel

The Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount

El Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount

Figuring out which stones were which at the Southern Excavations

Walking to Hulda's Gate at the Southern Excavations

Walking the Ramparts of the Old City

The Cardo in the Jewish Quarter

Preparing to Shop in the Cardo

A Street in the Old City

Walking the Rooftops of the Old City

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher 

Golgotha

The Anointing Stone in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Praying at the Kotel under the city--in the Tunnels

We couldn't believe that the tunnels were right under the Muslim Quarter until we exited!

TUESDAY February 22, 2011—ENTERING JERUSALEM

Yesterday, we drove from the north, as Nora told us, to Jerusalem.  

We drove down the eastern route, following the Jordan River down to Jericho.  Since the Jordan River serves as the border, our group was amazed to see Jordanian towns a few feet away from us.  We then passed a checkpoint to drive down the Jewish highway though the Palestinian Authority area of the West Bank.  For the kids who were awake, we discussed a bit about the contested territories of the West Bank, the modern history of the different governments and authorities that have controlled the land since the fall of the Ottoman Empore, and the peace process. Our kids, as eighth graders, have just begun this conversation and we look forward to them learning more and continuing to develop their own opinions about the political situation.

On the drive, we came to the top of the Dead Sea, the lowest place on Earth, and began our ascent to Jerusalem.  On the way, we also passed a number of Bedouin, and saw their tents and flocks—as well as some camels dressed up for tourist riders! 

We arrived at the entrance to Jerusalem from Jericho just as the sun was beginning to set. We asked everyone to close their eyes as we went through the tunnel coming into the city, and then opened our eyes to see the last bright rays of golden sun shining through pink streaks in a grayish-blue sky stretched over the pinkish-gold skyline made of Jerusalem Stone.

For most of the group, this was their first time laying eyes on Yerushalayim.

We stopped at Har HaTzofim (Mount Scopus) to look out at the city and watch the sunset. There we had a small ceremony where we played the song “Jerusalem of Gold/Yerushalayim Shel Zahav,” and toasted grape juice after saying the special blessings for entering Jerusalem and the shehecheyanu thanking God for having reached this momentous occasion.

We then watched the sunset in silence, the golden sun disappearing behind the radiant buildings of the holy city—glowing with heavenly light.

We rode the bus towards the hotel in unplanned contemplative quiet—rare for a group of 13 year olds!

As we drove through the new city a different kind of excitement began to grow—SHOPPING! The kids saw all of the stores and restaurants in the center of the city through the bus window, and were overjoyed to learn that our hotel on Hillel Street is right in the center of the city.  They could hardly put their bags down and eat a bite of dinner before we went out to the “midrechov” pedestrian shopping mall of Ben Yehuda St, Yoel Solomon St, and Kikar Zion.  The kids blew off a lot of the steam of such a powerful experience of entering Jerusalem with a little retail therapy and bought a lot of gifts to bring home.

Wednesday will be a big day—we will tour the whole Old City in one day!  Hopefully one of the kids will blog soon…but tonight, it is time for them to sleep so that they have the energy for tomorrow.

Shira

A post from Nora (more photos to follow tomorrow)

Tuesday February 22, 2011

(Pictures from Monday night at Kfar Giladi)

 From Nora:

Yesterday night after we put out suitcases in our room, we toured the kibbutz.  We had a guided tour around different sites on it, and heard stories about each place.  We learned about how they weren’t allowed to bring weapons into the kibbutz, so they hid them before and during the Independence Day  war.  Our tour guide showed us the room where they hid the weapons and we had to try and find the secret door where the weapons were hidden.  No one could find the door (although Maddy found the loose nail that was where the trap door was) so the tour guide showed us where they were hidden.  We had to climb down underground and we got to see all the weapons.  After that we went to dinner.  Dinner had two kinds of soup (and soup nuts!), a salad bar, meat, fries, rice, and many other yummy things!  After dinner all the kids and Sarah went down to the indoor pool.  We played games and hung out, and at 9:00 we went back to our rooms to go to bed.

Today we woke up at 8:00, and had a very good breakfast of cheese pastries, cheese crepes, bread, cereal, and much more! At about 9:30, we went on a short hike at Tel Dan.  Yishay gave us the m ap and we had to navigate our way.  We had to work together to decide which way to go.  (The map was in Hebrew).  We hiked to a flour mill, to a small river, and then back to the beginning. 

After that, two jeeps met us and we went on a fun tour of the Golan heights!  In one jeep was Audrey, Maddy, Gideon, Ilan and Drew, and in the other one was Me, Jesse, Naomi, Sarah, Shira, Yishay, and of course both of them had the driver!  The windows and back were open, so we got wet and muddy, but it was so much fun!  The ride was bumpy, and I flew up one time!  We stopped one time to hear the story of the six-day war, and we walked through a bunker!

  After, we got back in the jeep and drove to our bus.  We drove about ten minutes to some picnic tables, and ate a yummy bagged lunch of olives, cheese, bread, tuna, oranges, hummus, tomatoes and cucumber.  Then we saw a playground, and we played there for a few minutes. 

Then we got back on the bus and drove an hour to the cemetery where the pioneers of Israel were buried.  We saw the grave of the poet Rachel, and listened to one of her songs. 


Then we drove to a place where you could see the Jordan River, and we watched many Christians being baptized again.  Then we got back in the bus, and we’re on our way to Jerusalem!  Yay! 

Monday, February 21st Itinerary, in case you missed a detail...

Tuesday was packed, and in the words of the group, "AWESOME!!"

Here is everything, listed in order:

-Breakfast at peers’ homes and ride with them to school in Haifa

-Pick up at Leo Baeck Education center on bus

-Ride to Tzippori

-“Write our own Mishna and Talmud” activity at  Tzippori, learning about the origin of these texts

-Learn about the idea of religious syncretism on a mosaic scavenger hunt at Tzippori

-Ride to Kfar Kedem at Mitzpe Hoshaya

-learn about the production of wheat in the time of the mishna, make pita while wearing mishnaic garb,  ride donkeys, and eat a traditional lunch

-Ride to Ophoria nature reserve, 4-D  movie experience on bird migration, short hike through nature reserve and bird sanctuary

-Ride to Kibbutz K’far Giladi in the “Finger of the Galilee”

-Go on a tour of the kibbutz with one of its senior members and tour its secret underground weapons cache (“sleek”) from the earliest settlements

-Dinner

-Swimming in the indoor pool!

Monday, February 21st-- from Maddy, Ilan and Sarah, UPDATED BY ILAN

Ilan and Maddy on the beach in Tel Aviv

A posting from Maddy:

I love Israel, and though I was worried I would be homesick, I don’t miss home at all, (In the best way possible.) In fact, Audrey and I are going to stay here forever, so feel free to visit. 

Today after a delicious chocolate breakfast, we met up at our peers’ school and sadly left our friends.  We then headed on a long bus ride-I fell asleep- to Tzippori.  We looked at mosaics made by Jews in 400 AD, and walked the same road our ancestors walked on a thousand six hundred years ago.

Tzippori Cardo

Making Pita at Kfar Kedem

After that we drove to Kfar Kedem at Mitzpe Hoshaya (donkey trails). First we dressed more appropriately for ancient Israel in head covers and tzit-tzit.  We learned how to make delicious pitas, cooked them and then ate them! Yum! 

Lunch at Kfar  Kedem

Let me just say, the pita here is so much better than it is in New York.  We had fresh pita and humus for lunch, sort of picnic style. 

On donkeys!

After that, we paired off and got ready to ride donkeys!   Gideon’s and Ilan’s donkey kept veering off to the side, almost knocking them off many time(which was very amusing.)  While Audrey’s and my  donkey was very slow.  We made it back just in time because it started to rain. 

And now were on the bus driving to Hula Valley (a nature reserve.)

A posting from Ilan:

So far, Israel is looking really really fun.  Yesterday, we went to Tel Aviv and did many things.  We went to Independence Hall and watched a movie and we all fell asleep (seriously).  

Rain in the Carmel Market

Then we went to lunch and had the best falafels ever!!  I didn’t have the chance to buy anything because it started pouring and we had to leave, but there was a lot of cool stuff. 

Ilan, Gideon, and Itai

On the way home, our bus got a flat tire and we had to wait by the side of the highway for an hour because it was too dangerous to get out and fix it.  Eventually, a big van came and picked us up and dropped us off at our peers’  houses.  My peer (named Guy) is very nice.  I’m sleeping in his sister’s room because she’s in London.  We played GTA (grand theft auto) and watched videos on Flix (flix is Israeli youtube).  It was interesting when we went to school with them for the morning so we could see what schools were like in Israel.  Maddy and Audrey say they really miss the Israeli kids, but they will probably get over them instantly when we meet the kids in Jerusalem and then say that the miss them.

Today we went to a place where we put on outfits that looked like Arabian outfits or something like that.  We also made pita bread (mucho delicioso) and had the chance to ride donkeys.  Gideon chose a donkey that was mad about something, because it kept trying to run away and nearly threw me off tons of times.  Later, when we went to the kibbutz, we were taken to a secret room underground with a bi g machine on top of it hiding the door that was used to hide weapons from the British.  After that we went swimming in the pool at the kibbutz.  Even though we could do that in Brooklyn, it was still very fun.

We are currently on the bus driving and I’m listening to music.  Mucho fun.

A posting from Sarah:

Ophoria Nature Reserve

We started at the Ophoria Nature reserve with a 30-minute 4D movie about bird migration from Europe to Africa. The birds take a “pit stop” at the Hula Valley nature reserve.  The 4D movie seemed like something  that the kids had never experienced—we wore 3-D glasses, the chairs moved, the floor moved, it sprayed water in our faces.  Shira and I were probably the biggest babies during the movie, screaming when things flew in our faces.  

Nutria in Ophoria Nature Reserve

After that we made our own pit-stop for some Israeli candy, and the kids finally got some time to stretch their legs and take a walk through the nature reserve where we saw water buffalo, very large catfish, papyrus plants, and turtles.   It was great to give the kids a chance to walk around in nature and catch up with other.  Our tour guide, Yishai, warned us of a long walk—a mile long! It was great to see the kids roll their eyes when they heard it was so short and asking if we could walk for longer. Yishai said that all of his other teen groups complain and ask when they can get back on the bus. Yishai pointed out the mountains of Lebanon in the close distance—we could see the snow on the mountaintops.  It was a great afternoon, and now we just arrived at Kibbutz K’far Giladi.  Time to go tour the kibbutz!