An Update from Israel!

An Update from Israel!

Israel Trip 2014 Part 2

Day 9 (May 3):Finally, after a week of tiring activities we got to rest and relax on Shabbat. After Shabbat was over, we shopped at Tveria then we got on a boat and danced as we took a ride on the kneret.
Xoxoxo

8th Grade Israel Trip

An Update in Israel!

Day 5 (April 29):

                Five days ago, I never would have dreamed that I would be sitting in a dark cave with 35 close friends, singing our hearts out together. This is how our Israel trip 9has started to change us all. This morning, we left the Jerusalem area to head south. driving for an hour, we finally stopped at the area of the caves that were used almost 1900 years ago in the Bar Kochba Revolt. we crawled through the tunnels and rooms, some uncomfortably tight and small, stopping along the way to hear the story of the tunnels, how people had to go underground and fight to prevent themselves from losing their jewish identities. Then, we took another drive, stopping along the way at a gas station to eat lunch, to go to the dig-for-a-day archeological seminar. We dug through dirt and rock, sifted out buckets of dirt, and crawled through caves to learn about how all our knowledge of ancient history comes to be. Our final stop before our hotel, after almost three hours of driving, was at the edge of Machtesh Ramon, where we started a jeep ride that took us around the huge basin. We learned about it's formation, and how a Machtesh is different from a crater. After this ride, we traveled to our hotels and ate dinner before going to bed. It's now my turn to go to bed. Goodnight!

Day 6 (April 30):

We looked outside the window as the morning sun broke through the horizon. Once again Eretz Yisrael didn't fail us, it was a beautiful, cloudless, sunny day. That was until we stepped out of our hotel into the scorching 95 degree sun of the Negev. The day commenced with a short bus ride to Ein Ovdat where we took a brutal hike over a waterfall (with no water), and a scenic view of the mountains of this Holy land. Shortly after, we traveled to the grave of the person who carried the country through a difficult time, brought success, and encouraged the land to flourish. His name is David ben Gurion. We showed our respect to this great person who transformed history, and then went on our way to the Neve Midbar natural pools. We relished in our first swim since coming to Israel. We concluded the day with a literal bang as our bottoms embraced the comfortable humps of a camel across the desert, and we are now enjoying the hospitality and food of the bedouins at Kfar Nanokdim.   

Day 7 (May 1):

Ouch, we woke up so early this morning, it was 4:00 a.m.  It was very hard, but the day got much better.  We went to Masada and we climbed up the side path for like 20 minutes to the top. Then we got up, watched the sunrise, and prayed.  Afterwards our group toured the oh-so interesting Masada, courtesy of King Herod.  After touring for a while, we had a Torah service and since I'm a Kohen, I got the first aliyah.  This was a very cool and interesting experience for me.  After the Torah reading, we went to the bottom of Masada.It took us about an hour,the Snake Root is very steep! In the restaurant we had breakfast.  We went to the Dead Sea afterwards where I had a lot of fun.  We then went to Ein Gedi and after a while of climbing, we reached our destination and we swam and went under the waterfall for a little bit. Then we went on the bus to Karey Desheh,by the sea of Galely where I am now.  Peace out.

An Update in Israel!

Today was the most inspiring Shabbat I've ever experienced!  To start off the day, we woke up to a delicious authentic Israeli breakfast at our hotel.  Then we got divided into four group to go to all different types of services. One group went to Beit Kneset HaGadol. It was a LONG WALK! Another group went to Beit Kneset in Nach'laot neighborhood. There they had an amazing service and a kiddush. After the service one man from the synagogue volunteered to take our group to A WALKING TOUR though one of the most eclectic Jerusalem neighborhoods. Tonight, we davened and did havdalah and then went to Ben-Yehudah street for an excellent dinner and some shopping time.  Phew, I'm tired!

To begin this amazing day, I woke up and had an amazing breakfast. It was delicious. Then, we split up into four groups to go to different synagogues. My group got lost for 10 minutes trying to find the place. That was fun. After this, we all went to the park for almost three hours to play some games and hang out with our frineds. Finally we went to Ben Yehudah street to go shopping and have dinner. Today was really fun. '

3rd Day:

Rise and shine was how the day started... at 6:30. Oy vey. Besides the start, the day was one to remember. We ventured through the alleyways of the old city of Jerusalem, crept our ways though the narrow Hezekiah tunnel (which included a swim in sewage water afterwards), and we set off on our own to discover the city and to get lunch. Perhaps the most enjoyable experience of the day was interviewing other tourists and natives of the land. I spoke to a Lutheran man who was in Israel out of support for the state and to learn more about it, and a French born woman, who came to the joyous state because she was sent by G-d. Wow what an amazing land.

Day 4 (April 28):

Today was the most strenuous day so far. We started even earlier today, getting up at 6:15. After breakfast and davening, we drove to Yad Vashem, the Israeli holocaust museum and complex. We got guides and took a trip through the holocaust, from the highest highs to the lowest lows, and back again. It was extremely moving and powerful to be there on Yom Ha-Shoah,the Holocaust Memorial Day. After spending time in the museum, we walked up the path to Mount Herzl. It was almost like we were taking a path through time, from the destruction of the Holocaust to the rebirth that was the Jewish State. We walked around Mount Herzl, stopping at some of the gravesites, including that of Yitzchak Rabin.

               

After Mount Herzl, we drove and stopped at the Kenesset. Unfortunately, as it was a national Memorial Day, they were closed and we could only look from afar. Then, we walked into the old city and had a pizur dinner near the Kotel. To end the night, we walked through the Kotel tunnels and saw many ancient Roman pathways and arches. It was an incredible and inspirational day.

Bon Voyage: The 8th Grade Trip to Israel - Day 1

Seventh Grade Does Washington!

Our Seventh Graders enjoyed their time in Washington D.C. and Gettysburg, PA, with the Seventh Graders from Carmel Academy. We hope you enjoy the photos from their adventures!

Trip Prep: New Faces, New Friends

HAMC students had a great time this morning with the students from Hannah Senesh Community Day School in Brooklyn and Carmel Academy (formerly WFHA) in Connecticut.

They all are so happy with their new-found friends, and our sixth-graders are looking forward to TEVA with these schools, our seventh graders are eager to visit Washington DC with Carmel Academy, and our eighth graders are excited to join with Carmel and Hannah Senesh for their Israel experience!

The eighth graders put together some interesting presentations on Israel locations including Eilat, the Dead Sea, the Kinneret, Jerusalem and more. You can view them all on our YouTube page, but here's one we thought was unique for its musical number!




There are a lot of pictures from the morning on our Facebook Page, but here is a preview of the bonding that was going on between the students!

A Pre-Israel Trip Presentation!

Our eighth graders are gearing up for their Israel trip at the end of the month, and students Jacob S. and Sam B. created a PowerPoint presentation to show everyone the highlights of their upcoming trip. Their itinerary looks outstanding, and we're so excited to hear about their experiences!

Eighth Grade Israel Trip

View more presentations from hamcblog.