An Update from Israel!

DAY 3

Hi everyone!  This is Ophir and Sarahlily blogging from the desert in Israel!  Today is Wednesday, April 10th, and today was Rosh Chodesh. The girls had their own service outside because after all, Rosh Chodesh is a holiday meant for the women.  It was a gorgeous morning, and we really enjoyed davening outside under the beautiful morning sunshine.  After that, we went of to breakfast and left Shefayim, our hotel. From there we headed to Nagala'at, which means "please touch" in Hebrew. This is because it is a community center dedicated to the blind, deaf, and a mixture of both. We went into a pitch dark room where there was a blind guide. In the complete darkness, we made pottery and understood how it is to be blind through a Q and A with our  guide. When we got back out into the light, it was so difficult for our eyes to adjust!

 

After our trip to Nalaga'at, we took a brief walk around the pier at Yaffo.

Then we got onto the bus to go to the Olympic Experience, which is a training facility for Israeli Olympic athletes. In addition, it is a place for people to learn about the Olympics in general and specifically about the accomplishments of the Israeli athletes.  In here, we got to see how strong we are, our reaction rate, how fast we are, and our concentration level. Then we watched an interactive movie on Israeli athletes and the Olympics. 

Next we headed off to lunch outside on the courtyard of the Olympic Experience, and we bought ice cream. From there we headed to Shvil Hasalat, which is a farm the grows fresh vegetables and fruits on the desert.  We got to try tomatoes, cucumbers, and strawberries.  We even got to hold pigeons and release them into the sky!  Afterwards, we got onto the bus for about an hour and a half. We arrived at our new motel and went straight to dinner, followed by a night activity.  Tomorrow we will be going to the Bedouin tents, so we need to pack tonight for that. Also, tonight is the first night that we are sharing rooms with the other schools, and we're becoming closer to them. Can't wait for tomorrow!

DAYS 4 and 5

Hi everyone! This is Jesse and Sam writing from Israel! On Thursday April 11th, we went on the Ein Avdat hike where we hiked to the top of a large cliff where we had to climb steep steps and tall ladders to get to and see beautiful sites. Following this, we went to Mitzpe Revinim and learned how the Negev was first settled by the pioneers. We found out that because we were able to settle the Negev, we were able to obtain all that land and keep it from the Arabs.  An actor came and put on a show, which made us laugh hysterically.  Jesse and Yonatan had cameos, which you'll see in our pictures.  Later that day, we went to a Bedouin-style hotel where we rode camels, ate a delicious Bedouin-style dinner, and had a bonfire complete with smores.  We all slept in one big tent, which was a little cold, but overall really fun. 

The next day, Friday April 12, all the kids woke up at 4:30 in the morning for a very special event - to see the sunrise on Masada. Gesher arrived at Masada at around 5:30, right before sunrise and rushed up the mountain to see the beautiful sunrise from across the Dead Sea. Afterwards, the group went around Masada and learned about its history and story. Right afterwards we went to have breakfast and head towards the Dead Sea where we floated away to our next hotel - Karei Deshe.  Now we're off to get ready for Shabbat tonight.  Shabbat Shalom!

DAYS 6, 7, and 8

Hi everyone this is Yonatan and Michael writing from Israel. On Saturday, We had a late wake up at 9:00 and had an entire day of resting in total. We had about 6 hours of down time and used it up playing basketball. After our adventures on the court, we had dinner and services and left to go off into the city of Tiberius(Teveriah). We were in for a big night as we explored the wonderful city full of life and lights. After shopping for about an hour, we went to the "Party Boat." The Party Boat was a vehicle that rides on the water and plays music at the same time...AMAZING RIGHT!? Well, the party lasted about an hour and was an amazing time as we all danced. Of course, we(Yonatan and Michael) broke it down on the dance floor as we busted our moves. As we were on the boat, we were amazed by the lights and sights of the beautiful city. After the Party was over, we headed to our hotel and crashed. The next day I (Michael) was requested to wake up 30 minutes early to wake up the rest of the group with other friends. To start off the day we hiked down Mount Arbel. It was a great experience because we climbed down steep cliffs and met some cows along the way. After that hike we went to a camp where they showed us how life was before our time, about 1800 years ago. Thank you for reading our blog and have a good day!

Photos from this week: